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Pakwan Restaurant

4.2 (567 reviews)
ModerateHalal, Indian, Pakistani
Open • 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Updated 2 months ago

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PAKWAN RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Outdoor seating
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Pakwan Restaurant

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Darci K.

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.

Store front
Yasin A.

Pakwan never disappoints! I ordered the lamb biryani, beef curry, and garlic naan, and every single dish was outstanding. The lamb biryani was perfectly seasoned with fragrant spices, the beef curry was rich, tender, and packed with flavor, and the garlic naan came out hot, fresh, buttery, and was perfect for soaking up the curry. Everything tasted incredibly fresh, authentic, and made with care. The portions were generous, the food arrived quickly, and the restaurant was clean and welcoming. If you're looking for delicious Pakistani food in the Bay Area, this place is absolutely worth a visit. I'll definitely be coming back to try more of the menu!

Lesly M.

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.

Anna N.

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!!

Samosa Chicken Briyani Chicken Briyani Garlic Naan
Falepau S.

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.

Garlic Naan Lamb Briyani Chicken Tikka Masala
Candace R.

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.

Kadahi chicken
Louisa D.

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.

Chicken Tikka Masala
Jasmin C.

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.

Regular Naan with Green sauce in bottle
Doug T.

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

Carrie Z.

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.

Chicken Tikka Masala Plain Naan Samosa
Alysiana H.

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

Steve U.

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

Paneer Tikka Masala

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11 days ago

Regular customer. Delicious food. Well seasoned. Good portions. Good prices. Achar Ghost is delicious.

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7 months ago

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

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Pakwan Restaurant Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Pakwan Restaurant

Will you be open on thanksgiving?

Yes we will be!

My friend told me about your fabulous lunch specials. Is there a menu for these Lunch Specials? If not, what are they?

Yes! Lunch specials are available Monday-Friday, 10:30am-4pm. They change on a everyday basis, so best thing to do would be call in.

What is the latest health score?

Hi Kavitha, San Francisco Health Department has changed its scoring system from a Pass to Fail… 

What is the "Halal" meat source?

Sudni Foods. We only use Crescent or a Tahir, Hand-Slaughtered Zabihah chicken. For meats,… 

Thank you for listing the gluten-free options on the menu! It looks like saag chicken is gluten free, but not saag paneer. Is that because paneer has gluten in it? Is it possible for any of the veggie curries to be gluten free?

Hi Rita, Majority of our products are gluten free. The paneer is occasionally outsourced to a third… 

What type of oil do you use in your cooking? I did get food from there last night, and it was good.

We use Soybean oil!

Is your naan vegan?

Unfortunately it is not. We do occasionally offer Roti, which is dairy free.

Do you offer a buffet dinner option?

Unfortunately we do not. Our Hayward branch offers a Sunday lunch buffet with over 25 selection of items!

They state that they're a Pakistani Indian restaurant. How is that different from an Indian restaurant?

Hi Kev, Good question. In reality, the foundation of Pakistani and Indian food is very much the… 

Is the same as Pakwan restaurant in Fremont?

Yes! All the Pakwan’s are the same family chain.

What hours do you offer lunch special?

10:30am-4pm. Monday through Friday!

Will you be open on Christmas Day?

Yes we will!

Do you cater?

Hi Sabina! Yes we do! We cater for all events. Best thing is to give a call into the restaurant and… 

Is this a chain restaurant? Are there other restaurants in SF or bay area?

Hi Anna, This is a family chain. There are a total of five Pakwan’s in the Bay Area.

Is the food actually halal? I know it says on the yelp page but I just wanted to confirm

Hi Eva, Yes! All the Pakwan’s in the Bay Area are 100% Zabihah Halal. Not only do we advertise them… 

How's the parking situation around this area during evening hours?

Parking can be difficult. Many of our customers choose to park in the City College Parking Lot, pay the $5 parking, and walk down the steps. We advise everyone NOT to park at Whole Foods.

Do you get free refill for chai?

Yes!

View All 23 Questions

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4.0(982 reviews)
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Had dinner here with my friend :) She had the palak paneer &…read morenann, this was so good! I love how blended the spinach is. Other places, there is more of a bite to it - this place makes it kinda different in a good way~ I got the gosht madras & a half size of basmati rice. The goat meat is sooo tender and just falls apart. Love the curry sauce it's in, super aromatic and flavorful. I enjoyed pairing it with the rice.

I came here with a party of four, and we wanted to try a little bit of everything, so we ended up…read moreordering quite a few dishes along with some wine--and still had leftovers. Our total came out to around $230 including tax and tip, which felt reasonable for the amount of food we ordered. The restaurant was pretty busy during dinner, but we were seated after about a 20 minute wait, which wasn't bad at all. They offer both indoor and outdoor seating. We ordered the Goat Cheese Naan, Roti Calamari, Chicken Tikka Masala, Tandoori Game Hen, Kale Fritters, and Gosht Biryani. My favorite dish was actually the Kale Fritters, which surprised me since I usually gravitate toward meat dishes. They were perfectly crispy, and the sauce had a great balance of sweet and savory flavors.My least favorite was the Tandoori Game Hen--it had a lot of bones and was a bit difficult to eat. Overall, I really enjoyed the meal and the variety of dishes we tried.

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3.8(780 reviews)
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Krishna, he is the cook and prepares excellent Northern Indian cuisine!…read more Resturant is clean with nice music playing. You don't have to fly to India, just have lunch or dinner here!

Goat curry was tender and was pretty decent! The chicken makhni sauce was creamy and buttery and…read morethe chicken was like almost shredded (actually super tender which I appreciated). Saag paneer was not as flavorful as I would've liked. Did not go for seconds on this, but I did go for seconds (and thirds) on the goat and chicken. The green chutney was spicy and fresh and so perfect actually!! Dipped naan and samosa in it. The naan was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside; nice and buttered up too! We asked for three orders (heh), came out piping hot. Yum!!! The fish pakora was okay, had to dip in chutney sauce to eat it. The samosas were a little bit too oily and kind of had an oily aftertaste to me? In general, the food here is not as spicy or flavorful as I would've liked it to be. Parking on the main street can be a bit difficult, but we found parking easily on an adjacent street (Portola I think?). Very clean restaurant in a nice part of the city. While we're on ambiance/space, the bathroom was like average clean lol, what you'd expect at any run-of-the-mill place. Okay wait - here's the kicker. CLAY OVEN IS SO AFFORDABLE????!!!! $21 per person after ~15% tip. Wow!!! ($16.95/person pre-tax/tip for Sunday buffet. Whaaaat.)

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4.7(179 reviews)
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Ate here today on a whim because I've been wanting Indian food and I needed to kill some time. I…read moreordered the Chicken Tikka Masala, an order of rice, and the cheese-stuffed garlic naan. There was a bottle of water on each table. The food came out in three pretty silver bowls. The nice metal bowls added to the experience. The chicken tikka masala was the exact right amount of spice. Not too hot, not too mild. I could taste the butter and the chicken was perfectly cooked and moist. The rice was rice. It was exactly what I expected and cooked fine. The cheese garlic naan tho... good lord I could eat 100 orders of it. Insanely good. So much butter, cheese, garlic, and hot out of the oven (or wherever). I would absolutely order it again. I spent about $30 on everything (16 for entree, 3 for rice, like 5 for naan, then tip). For $30, I was stuffed and it felt like a great value. Ambiance was nice. I already mentioned the bowls, but the music was just Indian bangers. I didn't know any of the songs, but two of them in particular were so good that I wish I had asked what they were. Like electronic Indian party music. So good. Will definitely go again when I have time to kill in the area again.

Went there for a late dinner, as this was one of the only Indian places open at 9pm…read more As we entered, we were very disappointed with the ambiance, especially as they have good overall ratings. Definitely not a place you want to sit down for a meal on a weekend. The kitchen is open too and the utensils looked oily and blackened. The service team seems to be a family and they were very warm but felt something was missing. The food arrived quickly and was good, not great. Revisit score: 1/5

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4.9(71 reviews)
1.3 mi•West Portal

Came here on a Tuesday to celebrate my friend's birthday, there were 8 of us, and we were…read moredefinitely a loud group. The staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming from the start. We had a ton of questions, and our waiter answered every single one with a smile and so much patience. The food was delicious, and the prices made it even better. To top it off, they brought out a dessert with a candle and played a birthday song on the speakers, which made the moment feel extra special. 10/10 would recommend, definitely coming back!

We had dinner at Taste of India recently and it was an alright experience. The restaurant wasn't…read morevery busy when we went, as we were there for an early weeknight dinner. The menu has a good variety of appetizers, curries, chicken and vegetarian dishes, along with rice and naan. I made a few mistakes with ordering and that may have contributed to us not enjoying the food as much. I was worried about the level of spice for the dishes we ordered and requested mild and unfortunately majority the dishes were a bit bland. So, I'd likely request medium spicy next time. The momos were okay, although we did not enjoy the savory sauce that accompanied them. The tandoori mix platter was good and flavorful and had a good variety of meats. However, the naan was a bit underwhelming. We also did not enjoy the okra masala dish that we ordered. I definitely ordered too much food and we had a lot of leftovers. Service was friendly and attentive during our meal, although the food was less palatable. The restaurant is casual, fairly spacious and has a good amount of seating. Taste of India seems worth visiting again, but I'd definitely order less and choose different dishes next time. Also, parking by the restaurant is limited and it's street parking only, so you may need to circle around and find a spot on a nearby street.

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Tilak - Butter chicken, Chicken Biryani, bread basket

Tilak

4.4(460 reviews)
2.1 mi•Bernal Heights
•$$

Excellent kadai chicken. Very good Goan prawn. All the food was good. A little slow for not being…read moreall that crowded, but I would go again.

I enjoyed my food and it was better than other Indian food I've had in San Francisco. Prices are…read morenot cheap but solid portions and they don't skimp on proteins. I would order again. I can't comment on ambience as I have only gotten delivery but I've drive by many times and it looks nice. I've gotten other food in the past and it was always solid but nothing too memorable. What I really enjoyed was the onion kulcha- pretty big, stuffed with onion pieces, and soft - and the lamb korma. The lamb korma is rich and full of nicely cooked lamb pieces, caramelized onions, and tons of flavor. It is a sweeter dish (I also got it mild) but that is expected for korma with the onions and cashews. I would for sure get both again. The veggie pakoras were also a highlight- nicely crunchy and served with excellent mint and tamarind chutneys. The saag paneer is not your typical saag paneer and much more spinach forward with I kind of liked. It had a ton of big pieces of paneer which I appreciates. Not my favorite saag paneer I've ever had but good and definitely a more interesting version- I generally liked the fact that you could taste the spinach. Chicken tikka masala was fine, I have had better but not bad. Aloo tiki appetizer was a little small but okay- I would opt for the pakora over it for sure. The naan is good too, again not my favorite but a good portion and nothing to complain about. Overall it's somewhere around 4 stars for me- generous portions, seemingly solid ingredients, and everything was tasty. All the food was nicely packed too and made for great leftovers.

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