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    Pakwan Restaurant

    4.2 (560 reviews)
    ModerateHalal, Indian, Pakistani
    Open 10:30 am - 10:00 pm

    Order Pakwan Restaurant Takeout or Delivery

    Pakwan Restaurant Photos

    Business Info

    PAKWAN RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - Pakwan Restaurant

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    Reviews With Photos

    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.

    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.

    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.

    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.

    Paneer Tikka Masala

    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...

    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

    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

    Chicken Tikka Masala, tandoori chicken
    Pear N.

    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.

    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.

    Yummy!
    Christy V.

    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.

    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

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    10 months ago

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    2 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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    5 months ago

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    4 months ago

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

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    10 months ago

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    2 months ago

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

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    Page 1 of 14

    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… Read more

    What is the "Halal" meat source?

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

    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… Read more

    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… Read more

    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… Read more

    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… Read more

    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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    This place always looked crowded and I added my name to the waitlist on yelp before heading over,…read moreby the time I arrived I was ready to be seated! We saw outside and it was thankfully not cold in the parklet, it definitely blocked all the wind and I felt nice and cozy. Everything was pretty affordable and delicious. We shared the mushroom soup and they split it for us into two bowls. It was delicious, not heavy, and the lemon complimented it nicely. It was very warming and tasty. We also got the meatball wrap, which was quite big and tasty, and came with some super crispy potatoes. It also came with some tzatziki which was great. Lastly, we shared the sunrise combo. The eggs and the pancakes were fluffy and not too sweet, went well with the yogurt and blueberries. Overall, everything was great and pretty good in price. I would come back and try other items on the menu as everything looked great!

    Parking here is no joke We circled around for almost 20 mins before giving up and parking at our…read morefriend's place 6 blocks away. It was pretty busy for their Sunday brunch. We ended up sitting in their outdoor area on the sidewalk, which was fine because there were heaters. My partner and I shared the Turkish meatball wrap and that was amazing, especially with the sauces it came with. Our friends ordered the Turkish breakfast, menemen, turlu omelet, and the sunrise combo, and everything looked so yum. We also ordered a few Turkish teas. I've heard Lokma is known for their traditional Turkish dinner dishes, but my friend mentioned the brunch menu is a little less traditional. Definitely want to come back to try their dinner menu next time!

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    ZZAN - Bacon Asparagus Skewers

    ZZAN

    4.3(853 reviews)
    5.0 miLower Nob Hill
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    Cant wait to come here again! Theyre open late - perfect for a late night bite, and quite popular…read morefor a random Tuesday. They have all of classic korean late night staples (corn cheese, short rib, fried chicken) The food comes out incredibly quick! And the service is attentive. It can get pretty loud here as the resturant echos, but has a very cozy vibe The 10 piece fried chicken has alot of meat, with sauce on the side to take it to go easily. The corn cheese comes out piping hot. And the short rib portion is great for 2 people to share

    This place is pretty good. It was empty when we got there on Thursday but was packed by 5:30pm. I…read morelove a good soft tofu soup. Definitely recommend. Here's what we got: 1. $1 Korean tea. This tea is probably still sizzling hot it was so dang hot we could barely drink it. 2. bulgogi - it's chopped up so a bit different than how I've eaten it before. I wish it was a bit more whole. Feels like you're eating ground beef (texture wise). 3. Chicken wings- good. Crispy and hot. We got the sauce on the side and we preferred without sauce. 4. Soft tofu soup- so good!!!!! Service was definitely fast and the food too. Not crazy about plastic water containers but definitely is convenient for the table but I prefer some nice ice cold water. I would definitely come back for a mellow bite to eat or even dressing up for a cute date.

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    Burma Love - SF Restaurant Week 2024

    Burma Love

    4.1(2k reviews)
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    Full bar
    Gluten-free friendly

    i went to burma love incidentally during sf restaurant week and was pleasantly surprised by the…read moregreat menu! i got to try many things with my party and everything was great. my favorites were the tea leaf salad (classic), mango chicken (not sure how i hadn't tried this before because it was incredible), and the fried banana milk (i dont even like banana and this was insane). the curry and shan noodles were just ok. service was good at first but as the restaurant started filling up it was more difficult to get our server's attention. ambiance is standard. definitely recommend burma love and will be back again!

    Burma love is one of a handful of restaurants in the same group of restaurants/owned by the same…read moregroup serving Burmese food. The service here is night and day compared to Burma superstar. The service here is exponentially better, the staff is super friendly, incredibly attentive, and they make everyone feel very welcomed. The food on the other hand just is not great. Yes this place is always packed apparently, and it may be out of convenience. I found that everything that we ordered with the exception of the coconut rice fell flat. This is one of those moments that hurt your heart because I want to give them huge accolades, but it's just not there. We ordered the platha. It was tasty, but it also did not taste super fresh. The dipping sauce that it comes with (opted for chicken) and kept digging around the small bowl to find pieces of chicken that were nonexistent. The up charge of a dollar for the chicken dipping sauce that did not have chicken in it super disappointing. The sauce was tasty, but definitely not worth the up charge. Our server encouraged us to get the tea salad, which is definitely something. Someone should try if you've never had it before. The mixture of fresh veggies, the light sauce and the herbs, make for a very fresh bite. I would've been thrilled if late shredded chicken could be added to this for a different style dish. It would be super tasty. The salad was good, but not my style, but everyone else enjoyed it. We ordered the beef curry and the coconut rice. I absolutely want to emphasize how incredible the staff is. Their service and attentiveness absolutely should be acknowledged over and over again. The coconut rice at this location is exponentially better than at the other restaurant that we tried. This was a combination of light, fluffy, and absolutely flavorful delicious rice. The beef curry was incredibly disappointing. The beef was well done not done well. It was tough, overly chewy, and the flavor profile was just not good. It was missing something and even the light curry broth that the meat was sitting in well, good wasn't fantastic. The drinks seem pricier here, and the mango lassie, while good, was just OK. It tasted more like watered down mango. For dessert, we tried the black rice. This is definitely worth trying. It's a heavier dessert and probably a bit much after what felt like an uncomfortable dinner. The coconut sauce that it's sitting in is delicious and I can see why so many people enjoy it, and maybe if the strawberries were tastier the combination of all of the flavors may have made a difference. I definitely think it's something worth trying, but maybe elsewhere, or with different items for dinner.

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    Halal Wings Plus - 10 pcs wings: Spicy Lemon Pepper

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    4.0(624 reviews)
    4.9 miTenderloin
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    Parking structure right next door makes parking easy...or you can find parking on the street…read more Service is quick and fresh. Location is small which makes it perfect for grab and go. But they have tables and seats to eat there as well. Their wings are to die for! Bar always raves about how these are better than Wing Stop...the spicy lemon proper is the best! And their ranch is really good! Brother location in Fremont.

    A few friends and I were walking around downtown and wanted a snack. We thought of this spot for…read morewings. Can't say no when it comes to wings! We've tried Halal Wings Plus a few times before throughout the years and it was always a pretty solid choice. The neighborhood is a bit shady, so beware of your surroundings and watch where you're stepping, cuz you don't wanna be stepping on sh** or b@rf! The menu is above the cashier, so you just order and pay up front and get the receipt with your order number. They'll call the number out when it's ready. I think there's roughly 8-10 tables, if you decide to dine in. ***OUR PICKS*** We ordered 20 wings with 2 flavors. LEMON PEPPER CHICKEN WINGS ~ lots of pepper flavor but the lemon did not shine. And the chicken meat inside didn't seem marinated and tasted bland. It probably would be better if they added lemon juice after it was cooked or had given us some lemons to squeeze over the chicken before we dug in. 3.5/5 MANGO HABANERO CHICKEN WINGS ~ the sauce was spicy and tangy sweet, but it doesn't seem like they marinate their wings. It's only the sauce that gives the chicken flavor. 3.5/5 The wings aren't at all crispy. And flavor was ok and could have been better. But what was off-putting was the smell of the wings after we boxed it up and took it home! It had this gamey chicken smell as if it was old chicken. At least none of us got sick, but I'll think twice about revisiting.

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