Pakwan Hayward like it's sister location in Fremont and San Francisco is known for delicious tasting Pakistani/Indian cuisine. The Hayward store does a much better job on the bbq entrees, especially the bihari kabab. The naans are made fresh and consistently good. The channa masala on the other hand was missing the spice and flavoring of a Lahori cholay that you might find in the Fremont location. I also found some of the curries like the achar chicken were made differently with oddly cut pieces of chicken. In general, Pakwan is a good spot for mostly authentic cuisine. read more

Ordered takeout from here once. Never making that mistake again. Food was mediocre but more importantly the staff didn't seem keen on following COVID protocols - no masks at the kitchen or front counter, no gloves used while handling my credit card, no social distancing. I cannot risk my family's safety at this place again. read more

Always authentic, always delicious. I'm a huge fan or chain masala and chicken tikka masala. This place has great options for both. The inside of the restaurant is very nice and the service is always prompt read more

We drove 70 miles and was just requesting if we could sit and they refused. Which is totally understandable But the part that was messed up They guy at the counter said go to Fremont Pakwan cause they have outdoor seating We drive to Fremont Pakwan and they said Hayward lied to you Which was really messed up They don't even have communication between them and just made us drive more far for nothing Pakwan service has took a deep dive and it's a terrible level of service (Hayward location) Before they were on top but now The new faces are mean and not helpful at all read more

My friend and I were very excited to try this place. We thought it was going to be packed, but there's hardly anyone. We ordered two entrees and a plain rice. Very flavorful for both dishes. My friend was enjoying her vegetarian dish when she saw a strand of black coarse hair in her dish. She almost puked. Showed it to the owner. Thank goodness he replaced the dish. Unfortunately, we couldn't finish our lunch anymore. If you are hankering for Indian food around Hayward, go try My Favorite Indian restaurant instead. We forgot to take a picture of the coarse strand of hair. read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Pakistani Near Me - Hayward, California

Used to love this place but something has happened in recent times. Portion sizes have reduced by a lot and prices have gone up as well. This place is not worth it anymore and there are plenty of other options in Hayward and beyond. read more

I'm not usually a fan of Pakwan's other locations but for whatever reason this one is very good. The standout for me here is the chicken haleem, which is some of the best haleem in the Bay read more

Fremont Pakwan is way better in taste and quality and especially freshness. Even though its under the same ownership- there is no comparison. I still cant believe that there could be such a huge difference. The same exact food in Pakwan Fremont is the best- no restaurant can compete. We have been eating at Fremont Pakwan for over 10 years and the food has always been consistent in taste and freshness. I think its because its an extremely busy restaurant so they are always making fresh food daily. -Nihari- Texture was like gravy- thick and clumpy -Biryani- Mushy- chicken dry and broken- not fresh -Paya- Extra oily- no flavor -Chana Masala- Whats that smell???? Mushy read more

I've been a regular for years and this has been by far one of my worst experiences at ANY restaurant. First, I had waited far beyond the time I was given (50 mins total/was told 20 mins). I asked to confirm the order multiple times but long story short I wasn't given my full order. I called back to notify and the cashier started arguing that he gave me the full order (he didn't even check himself as they were busy LOL) and he can't help me, instead of acknowledging it and coming to some common ground. Mind you I haven't even asked for a refund, just a clarification. I asked him his name as his behavior was quite rude and he made up a name "Sonic" and as I continued asking when I can come back in, he laughed and hung up the call. - Also the bag given to us with food was trashed with chutney leaking all over everywhere. As if someone threw it Naans were all burnt beyond edible. Time visited: 2:20 PM Called in: 2:52 PM read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Chutneys thrown with no care, spilled all over in the bag and food. - Pakistani Near Me - Hayward, California

Not sure what the big deal is about the lack of service when they run things as a self-serve type of place. It's pretty simple actually; just order your food at the register area, get your plates/utensils/drinks, find a seat and wait for them to call your order! There are other places that do the same thing, too, and so what's the difference if Pakwan chooses to do the same also? My family and I normally come here to order the food and not for the buffet. As you can probably tell, buffet quality isn't always the best when they're trying to serve many people at once wanting the hoard all the food in one sitting. Whoever makes their tandoori chicken needs to come over to my kitchen and make me more. It's seriously that good and because I live in SoCal now, I have only found one other place (out of many that I've tried) that somewhat compares but isn't even that close to that of Pakwan's. It is quite dirty here but the food is worth coming for in my opinion. Side note: Their prices have gone up for orders and buffet! read more

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Pakwan Hayward is my family's go-to spot for Indian food. We looove their mutton biryani & tandoori chicken. Prices are affordable, service is friendly, and food is fresh. I do feel that the biryani's rice to mutton ratio is a little off but understandable in these times. Take out is very convenient and safe, social distancing measures are followed and hand sanitizer is used. The food is given on the side so there's minimal interaction and the payment method is also minimal interaction. read more

As salamalenkum. You are the chosen one. Pakwan in Hayward is officially my #1 favorite restaurant of all time (I've been to the one in San Francisco, but Hayward's is way better). You heard that right, THIS IS BY FAR HONEST ABRAHAM's FAVORITE RESTAURANT, like EVER. Family friendly, HELLA (and Halal) delicious food, good prices, and just excellent. Here's what I ordered: Samosas Chicken Achar (oh man, my favorite dish on the planet) Tandoori chicken (one breast, and one thigh & leg) Chicken Tikka Masala Nan (of course) And...drum roll for best dish ever... chicken biryani!! Top it with some fresh onions, lime, spices, green sauce (chutney?), and tamarind sauce. And all you can drink chai tea?? Heck yessss. Also, in a previous lifetime, I was The Great Leader of Pakistan, and like I dunno how to put it, but I was kind of a big deal. I wish I could share with you how fragrant everything was. It was heavenly. This place friggin blew my stockings off when I first had it, and 8 years later, it's still indisputably my favorite restaurant. read more

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I love love LOVE this place! Best food for many many years !! Thank you for being true to your ingredients and true to your culture!

This is a causal restaurant with ordering at the counter. When your food is ready, the counter that you ordered from will ring a bell. The vibe reminded me of old school dim sum restaurants that you can find in the heart of downtown LA. The portions are huge, however the food is ok. We ordered chicken tikka masala, saag paneer, daal, raita, tandoori fish, and garlic naan. This was way too much food. The garlic naan and tandoori fish were my favorite. The other items were good, but not fantastic. I love Indian food. I swear I was Indian in another lifetime. It you want causal dining with American side portions, this is you place. No glitz or glam, just Indian food. read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Garlic naan, saag paneer, chicken tikka masala, Dahl, raita, and tandoori fish. - Pakistani Near Me - Hayward, California

Worst taste ; not even close to Pakwan Fremont . Mutton Biryani stinks so bad that we left all the mutton pieces . Chicken in tikka masala hard to chew and tasteless . Stay away from it . read more

Love their food!! My husband orders the Krahi Chicken all the time.. The flavors and the chicken is the best!!

Food is great. But staff is a bit late I think. Also location of the restaurant is not that much suitable for rest. Overall I liked it

Please hire people to work at registers who don't have attitude, customer service or comprehension, PLEASE!! Dhal tadka, yellow dhal, dhal, are all dhal!!! Plus cut back on the heat, not everyone can tolerate this much heat in food. Shame, the dhal is so good!!! read more

Friday sep 17 2021 time 9:30pm, I always come to ur restaurant,since few days this south Indian guy working on front desk is ignoring the orders ,I came all the way from union city to hayward ,he said 2 seconds and put me on hold ,by the time I came here he says that our restaurant is busy ,15 minutes of call he recieved 2 orders ,when I entered in and said about the issue ,instead of replying me politely he was showing me fucking attitude and saying that do u wanna order now yes or no please because we are closing kitchen ,they where 2 Guys ,one on the blue t shirt was very polite but the other student he was very rude and was behaving like he wanna kick me from restaurant.kindly consider this and train him professionaly or kick him out,this was the most embarrassing movement I ever faced. read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Complain - Pakistani Near Me - Hayward, California

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Ordered Take out Chicken Tikka Masala and Bengan Bhartha 20 min to prepare. Delicious! read more

We ordered delivery from Pakwan twice during these difficult times and both times the food was hot n absolutely delicious. We had the chicken tika legs and breast both were moist n so yummy. Nihari was excellent as well as the sag gosh. Their nans are the very best We highly recommend this spot you will not be disappointed read more

The food was very nice and service was good.Would go back.Really good Briyani. Went with family. read more

I have had food from Pakwan in SF, Hayward and Fremont the quality and taste is consistent if you need some Desi food.

Zero stars to the getting cold garlic nan yesterday evening to me. I ordered over the phone. Initially the dude on the other side told me that it will not be able to give me garlic nan and quickly switched to tell me he can get me 2. I arrived there within 5mins and he had the order ready which was a pleasant surprise. But on reaching home found that these were older cold nans. So disappointed that he cheated me. Disturbed but I also get that they were busy and could have just some older order. Anyway hope that others learn to check their order. Food is ok although over the years of being here I find the quality is dropping. Biriyani bowl and a few other places are cropping with good food of their own. Hope to see some serious changes in this restaurant ... first starting with honesty and humility. read more

Ordered Naan, Brain Masala and Chicken Haleem for takeout. I have to say I liked Shalimar brain masala better than theirs and i ate way better Haleem than theirs. Naan was cold when it came out. Overall disappointed with the experience. read more

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Their Tandoori Lamb Chops, Bone-In Chicken Leg, Chicken Karhai, and Aloo Qeema are delicious! It's spicy and hits the spot every time. However, their Kheer is always rotten. They also don't include rice with each entree, which other Indian restaurants do. read more

Absolutely horrible experience. The food was bland and the dishes that had spice were severely over-seasoned. The chai was also incredibly watery and there was no flavor at all. read more

Don't go alone. Even the smallest dish will be too much!!! The chicken biryani was out of this world, the rifle was well seasoned and the chicken was tender and juicy. Presentation was great. Skip the deserts. But do try a samosa, they are light and delicious. Also.. the tables were nice and clean. read more

Great service and yummy food. Restaurant was very clean I walked in they took my order right away and I had great time there.

This little restaurant will forever have a lovely memory in my mind. Not only for the fact it was my first time trying Pakistani food, but also for the beautiful company I was with. To make a long story short I have attempted to try Pakistani food, particularly the Biryani for quite some time. This attempt has until recently always been denied, whether due to a change of plans, a disgruntled thieving door dash driver, restaurants being sold out for the evening, etc I just never had gotten around to trying this cuisine. To the point it was getting to be comical and I would joke with my loved one that I think it's just not in the cards for me to try Pakistani food. I was cursed to never be able to partake in the decadence of Chicken Karahi and Biryani. Well I'm proud to say the curse has been lifted and I was finally able to indulge. I was lucky enough to have my girlfriend's Pakistani father navigate the menu and ordering for us while we partook in some chai. He ordered the Chicken Tikka for the "kids", the lamb chops, chicken Biryani, and Tandoori Chicken Boti with a side ofrice and Naan. Everything was delicious. The chicken drumstick in my biryani was 'fall-off-the-bone" tender. The lamb chops I ate were cooked like a tenderloin steak still slightly pink in the center and full of flavor. The chicken tikka sauce was delicious for dipping naan or mixing in with my Biryani. My only regret is I did not go back for a second cup of Chai which was really delicious and rich. read more

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Beef nihari and paya were delicious, highly recommend. Seekh kabob was okay, while it was flavorful, it was kind of dry. Biryani chicken was not great, it was lacking flavor and cold. I liked the tandoori chicken, butter and garlic naan. read more

We only go here for their Sunday buffet and while the wife tries a broader selection from their wide meat dishes(both tandoori and gravy) and vegetable dishes and deserts like carrot halwa, I pretty much stick to the outstanding halwa puri. Halwa Puri is the signature Pakistani breakfast and I hope to visit and try the original versions some day (along with visiting India) for my non-political food pilgrimage. Halwa puri breakfast consists of fried oily puris, better eaten only in moderation, masala chana or cholay in a thick and delicious gravy and aloo (potato) sabzi also in a thick and delicious gravy, and finally sweet and savory sooji (cream of wheat) halwa, ideally prepared in pure ghee. You basically break of a piece of puri (or in my case a tiny tiny piece of puri or better yet non-oily naan) and either together or in separate bites eat all three. The halwa puri here is way better than over-hyped Zareen's and of course instead of the tiny portions, you can eat all you want. read more

For some reason, the mutton biryani, mutton curry, and chicken biryani here were a world apart from the taste that we get at Pakwan Fremont. I didn't realize that the location would make such a big difference. Not worth the drive either. Only went here because today is a holiday and the Fremont location was closed. read more

1. Enter from the parking lot. There are no signs on the doors to tell you to do so. 2. This place is super casual, order at the counter, wait for your number to be called, pick it up, get your utensils. 3. I got the grilled chicken wrap. The wrap is made of fresh and delicious naan. The filling consisted of grilled chicken, onions and something spicy. 4. The place is dirty. Gross, really. Like the floor has never been mopped. The holder for silverware was half full of cutlery with crusted on food. 5. The bathroom reminds me of the unfortunate lavatories at the Bangladesh airport. Except, Pakwan does provide toilet paper. So there is that. I sincerely hope the kitchen is clean. It's been 24 hours since I ate my wrap, no ill effects, so that's a win. 6. Delicious wrap notwithstanding, I'm not compelled to return. read more

Went there for Sat lunch. They gave you generous amount of Chicken Biryani and Goat biryani. Extra spicy chicken curry is salty and not that spicy. I like their Spanish and potatoes dish. Bean for Chana Masala is not soft enough for me. They only offer limited items (don't have full menu). Most of the dishes are extremely oily. I Like their plain and potato nans. Good to eat with curries. I wish they offer their Sunday brunch again. read more

Great food. Consistent kebabs and their aloo nan with Keema and tandoori breast is amazing. They were very receptive to my sisters doors color allergy and directed us well to only foods that don't have it. Their lamb karahi is also super. Can't go wrong with this restaurant. read more

Been a while since I last ordered food from here, food was really good, Biryani (beef) was to the point and lamb curry was great.

Very bad food and high price I won't recommend no one there I won't give them more than one star inside restroom are smell bad the tables are dirty their stain steel cups smell like really bad read more

Best Pakistani restaurant. Nice staff. Great prices. A places that has many wonderful and spicy dishes.

I write this review sitting waiting for an order of Naan. We ordered 30 minutes ago. They've given everyone around me their meals, including Naan. We only ordered Naan. All I've got is excuses and apologies. I've been to been told it would be 5 to 10 minutes. I've been told that repeatedly for the last 30 minutes. Go elsewhere. Or don't go during the dinner rush. Not worth the wait. read more