I love going to Pakwan!!! The food is always a hit!!! I make a lot of these recipes at home, but they never hit quite as much as Pakwan's. Service was quick and easy I ordered 15 minutes ahead and it was ready upon arrival. I brought it home which was about 20 minutes away and it was still piping hot read more

I found Pakwan on a total fluke. They're located on the same side of the street but about a lockdown from a Whole Foods market in San Francisco. The original plan was to grab some lunch items at Whole Foods, but who doesn't want to try a new restaurant?! Walking into the restaurant, it's a little unclear if you order the counter and they bring you food or if you're seated and you order at the table. We quickly figured out that your order at the counter and then grab one of the tables and they will bring you your order. I found the restaurant to be unkept, and most of the tables that did not have customers sitting at them were super dirty. The tables hadn't been cleaned from the previous customer/customers. We had already ordered and it was that quick mental conversation of are we expected to clean the table so that we can dine there or what. Thankfully, a bus boy appeared, and he didn't seem overly eager to want to clean the table that we were standing at but instead wanted to clean one that someone was dining at. It was kind of odd. He took a couple of swipes at the table and it really just removed the food that someone had dropped all over the table. Just not a comforting feeling when you know that you'll be dining in that same spot. Our food came out fairly quickly, and I was super excited to have a good meal. We ordered the lunch special, which included a lentil/garbanzo, bean side, CTM ( chicken, tikka masala), rice, and naan. We ordered one mango lassi to share because we figured it was easier to try it, then order too much. You can always order more, right?! The mango lassi was very underwhelming. It locked through mango flavor, and that hint of tanginess. I just felt like I was drinking warm mango juice. I definitely have had better. With the lunch plate, we upgraded the naan to the cheese naan. I love carbs like anyone else does, but I found this to be basically bread that someone had put curry flavor in with a couple of cubes of cheese. So basically curry powdered bread. Yuck. The CTM, I found the chicken to be very sparse in terms of the portion size, and the chicken was very rubbery. It was overcooked, and I specifically had asked for little to no spice. Apparently that request was ignored. The lentil and garbanzo beans were tasty, but the garbanzo beans were undercooked, incredibly hard, and the flavor profile was really weird. It couldn't decide if it was supposed to be spicy, spicy, and salty, or something in between. The rice was OK. It had far too much fenugreek in it, and again the flavor profile, even combined with the CTM just was a little offputting. The guy behind the counter was fairly friendly, but it wasn't that warm and inviting friendliness. Is this a place I would go back to? No, not at all The one thing that I really enjoyed was the artwork on the walls. read more

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One of my go to spots for Pakistan cuisine! This time I decided to try their Tikka Masala wrap, it's basically a tikka masala wrapped in a nann. It's super filling and I wasn't able to finish, I tried heating it back up the next day and it wasn't as good :( I should've separated the tikka masala from the nann because the nann became really soggy. Their tandoori chicken always hits. I tried some of my friends palak paneer, super good as well!! read more

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Always great experience at Pakwan on Ocean St. SF. Our go to always would be their samosas, chicken biryani, seekh kebab, achar gosht, and chicken tikka masala. The samosas were easily some of the best we've had in the entire city--perfectly crisp and flavorful. The curries had a serious kick, especially the bhuna gosht, which was rich, bold, and properly spicy. Overall, really satisfying food and definitely worth coming back for. read more

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Lovee all items in here! Everything is always flavorful and comes out fresh. We love the lamb biryani and usual chicken tikka masala. Staff is kind and attentive. Place has lots of seating and is nearby other restaurants. read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Halal Near Me - San Francisco, California

The best Pakistani Indian cuisine i ever had. Service is always friendly. Very relaxing place. Our favorite dishes that we always order: Saag paneer, Karachi chicken, lamb curry, garlic butter naan and basmati rice. The portions are big and I'm so happy that it is, because I love their food and I can't get enough of it!!! We have gone to the Ocean area several times and my husband and I look forward to the delicious food!!! It's always spot on! The flavors are so amazing! It truly is the best Indian food I have ever tasted in SF. I go to a lot of Indian restaurant and I always end up wishing I went to Pakwan instead. Everyone must try it. read more

Food was absolutely amazing. I love their biryani and their chicken tikka masala. Dinner was affordable and filling. Service was absolutely amazing. Ambience and restaurant was very clean. read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Halal Near Me - San Francisco, California

I've ordered from them occasionally over the last few years but this was my first dine in experience. My husband and I decided to split the lamb briyani and chicken tikka masala, with a side of naan. The interior was clean and pleasant. We grabbed a booth and our food was out after not too long. I forgot that I think the chicken tikka masala here is just fine. The amount of chicken you get for the price isn't a ton, and this plate specifically tasted very smokey, which is not a flavor profile I love. I'd never had lamb briyani and I really enjoyed it. The serving was huge and the lamb was plentiful and flavorful. The naan was solid. Overall I think you probably have to work your way around the menu, but I'd come back and try out different dishes. read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Garlic Naan Lamb Briyani Chicken Tikka Masala - Halal Near Me - San Francisco, California

I ordered Paneer Tikka Masala (vegetarian) and they gave me chicken. As a vegetarian, I cannot eat this. I made sure to say vegetarian multiple times. ...feeling...disappointed... read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Paneer Tikka Masala - Halal Near Me - San Francisco, California

Very yummy! Food came out really fast and the restaurant has good vibes inside. One of my fav Indian food places in the city read more

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Pictures speak louder than words but I should add some words. Generous portion of chicken biryani - we went home with leftovers. Not pictured is the nihari. Also delicious. We used the gravy with the biryani rice for even more flavor and a chicken seekh kebab - delicious and was scarfed down but wish there were 2 pieces for the price of 4.99 but so minor... id get it again. Am going to happily go back. read more

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Delicious Pakistani-Indian food! The overall atmosphere and ambiance is very casual. You order + pay at the front, and grab utensils, plates, water glasses from the side area. Water jugs and bottles of chutney are available in the fridge next to where you get the utensils. - Chicken tikka masala: Creamy, tomatoey, and slightly sweet + spicy sauce. Sometimes the bigger chunks of chicken can be a little dry but I don't really mind since it's a saucy dish. - Bhuna gosht: Lamb pieces were very tender. Sauce is thick, oily, and flavorful. - Chicken biryani: Savory and mildly spicy with big chunks of chicken and potatoes. Huge portions! Our leftovers for this particular dish are always enough to fill an entire takeout box. - Garlic naan: Buttery and garlicy. Perfect pairing with any of their sauce-based dishes. One piece is big enough to share with another person. read more

Located across the street from Whole Foods. Simple menu but offers a great variety. Chicken briyani was MASSIVE, that dish alone could feed 4-5 people. My only complaint was there it was a bit dry and could use a tad more seasoning. Chicken tikki masala was tender, the sauce was the best part and perfect for dipping the naan in. They make their naan in-house so make sure to try the garlic naan! Qeema (ground beef) naan was okay, I would skip it and get the garlic naan instead. Samosa was crispy, filling was flavorful. The cashier was very nice and helped us pick popular items on the menu as it was our first time there. Utensils, napkins, plates/dishes, and water cups are all self service. Spacious seating area. read more

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Pakwan is our go to place for Indian food. We used to go all the way to 16th street before they opened up on Ocean Ave. Spacious restaurant with plenty of table seating. Order at the counter and get a number before seating. Self serve cutlery, napkins, water and cups at the dedicated counter at side of restaurant. Once your order is ready you pickup at the order counter. Order is freshly prepared and served quickly. Note to self... the dine in portions seem larger than take out. So if you have time eat in and take home leftovers. We always have leftovers. Containers and bags are self serve and free This last visit we had Samosa for appetizers, Nihari Beef curry, Eggplant Bartha, Lamb Saag Gosht and regular Naan. Samosas were great! Wife loves the eggplant dish we always get. First time getting the beef curry and I loved it. For sure will order again. We also often order the Lamb Biryani Rice which is super delish and huge portion. Don't order too many Naan to take home. They don't keep well and get hard after a day or two at home. Regular and Garlic Naan are good value but the other stuffed Naan not worth it since their dishes are so flavorful there is need to get stuffed Naan you don't taste. Get extra green sauce which cuts the heat a little and adds a herbal flavor to each bite read more

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I never really liked Indian food, but I decided to try Pakwan, and honestly, it was really good. I love tandoori chicken now, and we've already been back since these pictures were taken. read more

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I always have the sudden craving for Indian food and I think I found my go-to place. We ordered the samosa, chicken tikka masala, nihari, garlic naan and rice. The samosas were perfect, super moist filling on the inside and crispy outside, the two sauces that come with the samosas are also very good with the rest of the things we ordered. The chicken tikka masala was delicious, good tomato flavor and perfect seasoning. The nihari was a little bland for us, especially coming from the chicken tikka masala, but the beef was extremely tender. The garlic naan was huge, we ordered two but really should have just ordered 1, I don't think naan is good when reheated so I rather have leftover rice than naan. I think the naan could be a little fluffier but flavor was good. I am definitely going to come back, it's also great that they have multiple locations around the bay area! read more

We come here a lot. Still great! Always a biryani. We have settled on chicken, as the thigh/leg pieces are super juicy. Lamb with spinach and spicy beef curries are good. The chicken tikka masala sauce is really smoky but good. I just wish it wasn't chicken breast. Also, we tried the cheese naan. It was great! The eggplant we also tried, but we didn't like it as much. Chana sal or saag paneer work better as veggie dishes. read more

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Great food as always been coming to the one in the mission for over 20 years. Great pakistani food

Really good and fast service. Ordered Togo the chicken tiki masala , sage paneer, lamb byriani and naan. Everything was very delicious and the portions are generous. The only complaint was they didn't provide napkins or utensil which lucky we brought it home instead of eating out somewhere. Overall we enjoyed it and will ask for napkins and utensil in the future. read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Yummy! - Halal Near Me - San Francisco, California

I love this Place Everything is always so flavorful & you can really taste all the spices they put into their dish. Flavors are very bold and aromatic. I love the smokey and earthy taste of the tandoori chicken. I love the rich and creamy sauce of the tikka masala, just one con is the chicken is slightly to dry. Their naans are so big which is rare, definitely can feed 2-3 people read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Halal Near Me - San Francisco, California

Goat Biryani is delectable and a huge huge portion. We loved the kebabs as well, not so much the butter chicken and goat curry. Stick with the biryani and kebabs here - they're phenomenal! And you'll probably have leftovers :) read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Halal Near Me - San Francisco, California

Local owned and operated Indian restaurant w/a few locations The one near me is on 16th street location. Nice size dine in area w/counter service. They do a brisk pick up business. Good portion sizes on all my favourites. Sag paneer. Onion naan, chicken curry, aloo gobi, and lamb biryani . Prices are very reasonable. Masala chai on tap read more

Food was delicious here. I've noticed this place for a long time now but never been inside until last week. I'd recommend all the food I have tried in this picture. Very tasty & yummy! Parking may be a challenge in this area, read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Garlic naan, plain naan, chicken masala, chicken biryani, Aloo Palak - Halal Near Me - San Francisco, California

Pakwan serves up solid Indian/Bangladeshi food with massive portions. We definitely ordered too much, so the sticker shock was on us--one dish here can easily be two or three meals. Flavors were good, and it's definitely a spot where you'll leave full. The downside? The service. For a counter-service place, it was really slow, and tables weren't getting bussed regularly. They might be short-staffed, but it definitely took away from the experience. If you're looking for a filling meal and don't mind waiting, it's worth a visit. Just don't expect great service or a quick turnaround. read more

Parking is limited and metered. Place your order with the cashier at the front and pay immediately after ordering. You'll receive a number, and when it's called, you can pick up your order at the same spot. Plates, utensils, napkins, and water are available for self-service by the wall next to the fridge filled with drinks. However, on my last visit, the cashier kindly brought water to my table. To-go containers are also conveniently located near the ordering station for you to take as needed. After your meal, leave your dishes at the table. I've consistently enjoyed the meals here, with generous portions that never disappoint. Recently, I had the Chicken Qeema Naan with Daal Chana. The combination of dipping the naan into the spicy daal chana was delightful, and the ground chicken inside the naan was a new and thoroughly enjoyable experience for me. As someone still building their spice tolerance, I found that the daal chana's spiciness mellowed to the perfect level when enjoyed as leftovers. This dish could easily satisfy two people, though adding an appetizer or dessert would ensure a more filling meal. One note of caution: avoid ordering through Yelp as they upcharge the prices, even for pick-up orders. I recommend calling in your order directly if you plan on picking up. read more

Pakwan Restaurant - daal chana and chicken qeema naan - Halal Near Me - San Francisco, California

I haven't tried the food yet, this is a review for the food pick up experience. I went in already with my food order on the phone, i stood in the pick up line for a while and the cashier completely ignores me. She even helped people who came in after me and started packing food even though there was no one else cashiering. I finally stood in the order food line and she finally acknowledged me and lets me check out... this was a quite frustrating experience to say the least. read more

My best friend and I were craving Indian food and I have heard great things about this restaurant so we decided to check it out. For starters, this is a Pakistani Indian Authentic Cuisine per their website. We came here on a Monday around lunch time and it wasn't busy at all. Right when you walk in, you get this huge whiff of spices (which actually smelled amazing)! We ordered 2 garlic nan bread, chicken tikka masala, lamb biryani, and shared a mango lassi. Everything was AMAZING! From the taste to the portion size, just amazing. We probably should've just shared one garlic nan bread because it was so big and filling on the tummy. I hear there is another location in Fremont, in which I am glad because that's about 15 min away from where I live so I don't have to drive all the way to SF for this. I will definitely be back! read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Chicken Tikka Masala, Lamb Briyani, Garlic Naan - Halal Near Me - San Francisco, California

Over the years I continue to dine in here and find it relatively consistent. I recommend this place to all, even if spicy and flavorful food isn't your thing. Get the lamb biryani dum style, where they add fresh chopped jalapeños. The way the fat profile of the lamb mixes wit jalapeños, rice and tamarind sauce is to die for. Their prices remain reasonable, ambiance is decent and service is friendly. Also this spot is low key byob, don't advertise it too much though. read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Halal Near Me - San Francisco, California

Great food with so many things this place has to offer! delicious food! I highly recommend this location.

I hadn't ordered from Pakwan since before the pandemic and was really looking forward to revisiting an old favorite through Uber-Eats. Sadly, the quality has gone way downhill. The Nihari (beef curry) was completely drowned in oil--so much so that we couldn't salvage it, even after trying to scoop the oil out. I hate wasting food, but we had to toss it. The chicken tikka masala also had an excessive amount of oil, though it was a bit more edible. The garlic naan was thick and doughy, more like a pizza base than naan. It was honestly shocking that a restaurant thought it was okay to serve food with that level of oil--we literally had to shower after handling it. It wasn't cheap either, but thankfully Uber-Eats resolved the issue. Really sad to leave a bad review, but this was inedible and disappointing. read more

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I want to like this place and their food is good.. but the girl cashiers are just rude and awful and make it such an unpleasant experience just to order that I can't make myself go back. I have never been to a restaurant with people who so obviously don't want to be there. I have tried several times hoping it was just an isolated thing, but every time is awful. As I can see from other reviews, I am not the only one that feels this way. Please get better staff because I would love to get food here again and it is so close to my house. read more

I really liked: $14 Tandoori Fish $14 Chicken Achar I liked: $5 Garlic naan $5 Onion naan $10 Mango Lassi $15 Chicken Tikki Masala The chicken tiki masala is a bit dry but excellent sauce for the burgers we got at Beep's. The fish is so soft while packing a flash of spice. I can't rate this place higher individually because of the tough competition of Indian food in the bay but I wouldn't be mad if we ended up here. Service was fast, and while we did need to pick up our food from the counter, they bussed it at the end. There's plenty of room to sit and eat, creating a comfortable atmosphere for diners. The restaurant's layout and seating arrangements contribute to a relaxed environment. read more

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Great food, staff & kitchen staff are awesome. Would just love to have the table & chairs arranged & set up for next guests.

I love coming here! The people are always nice and the food is always prepared fast. The food is at just the right spice level. read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Saag Paneer, Chicken Tikka Masala, Samosa, Beef Seekh Kabob, Plain Naan - Halal Near Me - San Francisco, California

This my favorite restaurant legit. It has been my soul food when I'm feeling up and when I'm feeling down. I have noticed prices go up. Like the food order apps are always up but even in store it has raised. My main orders are: 1. Chicken tikka masala 2. Vegetable Biryani. 3. Vegetable Korma 4. Samosa 5. Garlic naan Those are my order every time honestly and I never get anything else. How did this happen I don't know. But whenever I go here I always get those and they never fail. The rice is packed tot he brim and so are the other contents. I love this spot with a passion and the spacious place with Hella tables and airy atmosphere high ceiling. It's cold so bring a jacket! I recommend! read more

My go to spot for Indian food. Everything is bursting with flavor and meat is so tender. Cheesy naan is my favorite. I also really like the chicken biryani but it's pretty spicy. read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Halal Near Me - San Francisco, California

Pakwan is easily a staple in my household favorite. It's so good that I drive from the East Bay over to eat. Chicken Tikki Masala and Achar Gosht is what I order along with basmati rice and garlic nam every time. I'd give the food a 4.5/5. Half point knocked off due to portion size vs pricing. The service is ok. I'd give it a 3/5. You order at the front and pick up your food once ready. You also grab your own utensils at a station. read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Basmati Rice, Chicken Tikki Masala, Achar Gosht - Halal Near Me - San Francisco, California

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The place is easy to find with signage. There's a lot of seating inside and some outside! The room is wooden decor. There is a fridge with drinks, water and sauces! All the plates and utensils are by the front. Primarily self serve. Cafe style! I love the food and the choices are plenty! You can also tell them the spicy ness levels. My favorite part of our meal was the kebabs!!! You have to try this food!!! Seriously, delicious!!! The sauces are delicious!! Street parking. Semi-clean restroom. read more

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Once we entered the restaurant, we were greeted by a friendly cheerful cashier. This place is a self service restaurant. The cashier took our order and then gave us a number. When the food was ready, she called out our number, and we had to carry all the food to our table ourselves. We helped ourselves to utensils and water. They have an extensive menu. We ordered two Chai teas ( free refills), samosas, garlic naan, chicken leg tandoori, chicken biryani, and chicken saag. All the dishes were very tasty and flavorful. The samosas were fried to ordered. We were surprised that it came with a tasty side of garbanzo beans, which we liked. The chicken leg tandoori was moist. The chicken biryani was kind of spicy, which added a nice kick to it. We enjoyed all the dishes that we ordered. They were generous with the portions and reasonably priced. We will definitely be back to try their other dishes. read more

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Great location, amazing food (I didn't think I'd find better desi food than what they have at Zareens). I had the TSM, Naan, and some Biryani and all of it was great, read more