Tucked inside a large shopping center, Shania Restaurant is truly a hidden gem. First and foremost, we found out the hard way that Indian restaurants typically don't offer buffet style dinners on the weekends. After calling at least 10 various restaurants, Shahnai was 1 of 2 that offered a dinner time buffet. After researching on yelp, the picture for this place looked pretty good so we decided to give it a try. The dinner buffet (weekday and weekends) is only $10.99, which is very reasonable for their many offerings! The lunch buffet rings in at a whopping $1 cheaper. It was pretty empty when we walked in Saturday night around 6:30, but we weren't deterred by that as our stomachs growled. We went straight to the buffet and were pleasantly greeted by a plethora of Indian items: saag paneer, chicken tikki masala, chickpeas and cauliflower, lo mein (okay this doesn't really fit in), biriyani, goat curry, chicken kebabs, and more. Even though the place was relatively quiet (I heard a warning once that you don't go to a empty buffet cause the food will be old and cold, since there's no incentive for the cook to bring out new fresh foods!), I felt that the food was still fresh and hot. As we sat down, the skies opened up and a basket of naan descended upon us...hallelujah. Unfortunately, the naan didn't appear very fresh as it was cold and some pieces were even a bit tough to chew. No worries though, because as soon as I tasted the saag paneer, everything bad in the world disappeared. The taste of this saag paneer was on point. My favorite saag paneer to date (and I've been on many dates with different saag paneers...) I enjoyed it so much, I went back for seconds, and then thirds. The rest of the meats and curries were pretty darn good too (the lo mein was surprisingly appetizing, the chickpea curry was flavorful, and the chicken kebab was tasty and juicy.) All in all, I would definitely come back here for an Indian craving. Don't pass on this place just because it's tucked deep inside a shopping center in Hillcroft. Bonus round: the buffet offers mango lassi included on the buffet price! read more

See all

I went back to Shahnai after a very long time hoping that the food quality would be better now. Big mistake! I'm sorry but food was horrible. Never again. Everything tasted odd, left a bad after taste. Complete waste of my money. If I could give them a -5 if I would. HORRIBLE ! read more

Dirty dishes it spoiled food. They use the same food, but they heat it up The owner is so rude When you eat their foods, you get sick. Until the next day The food smells so rotting, and they never change it. read more

First the owner is very rude with customers and answering questions. was disappointed with my experience at this buffet restaurant. We were a party of only four people, yet a 10% service charge/tip was automatically added to our bill without clear prior notice. Customers should be informed upfront when additional charges are applied, especially for small groups. I was also surprised that the restaurant does not offer any senior citizen discount. Many buffet restaurants provide discounts for seniors, so this was disappointing. While the food was acceptable, the unexpected service charge and lack of senior discounts left a negative impression. I believe the restaurant should be more transparent about its billing practices and consider offering better value to senior customers. read more

Shahnai Restaurant - Receipt - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

This is my late-night 'go-to' when I don't want to wait and just want good 'Indo-pak' food. Most buffets are just for lunchtime or close early. I stay up late and crave a good South Asian meal. I usually eat the vegetarian items, but they always have several chicken dishes that are irresistible. read more

I won't lie going into the restaurant. I was a little bit nervous because of the small variety of options but regardless of that, the option they have were decently tasty. I'm not gonna say it was a five star experience, but if you're in the middle of work or you just got off work and you're hungry their butter chicken is nice and spicy and I loved the egg drop soup. Also the biryani is not that bad at all as well. It was a nice option for me and my sister to go to definitely will be coming back sometime, especially since my family has been using their banquet halls for years read more

Outstanding food. Going on 25 years eating there. Open holidays. Increased size of buffet and can order off menu. Ask for palak paneer.

Not a well known place but their chicken biryani is good, second only to Aga's but cheaper read more

Shahnai Restaurant - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

beautiful people and great atmosphere and it has great food and I tried the buffet which is amazing and helpful employees

Need to check their food weather its fresh or not?? Nobody wants rotten food. The money you spend its not going to be worth.

I love coming here. Food is good. For a buffet it's decent. Small selection but when your hungry and wanna try something new , it works.

Mediocre experience for a buffet. Pros: Food was decent. They had an acceptable variety of food such as haleem, chicken tikka masala, a couple different types of rice, etc. Soft drinks were also included with the buffet. I enjoyed the food. Cons: Over the phone, the manager was very friendly, and he told me that the buffet price was $15.99 ($17.31 with tax). But at the restaurant, he charged about $21 total. They added additional fees without telling me. When I questioned the total price, they just said it was the price after tax. But when I showed them that the price increase was way beyond the tax, they said that they added a tip already. And the credit card slip didn't indicate that the tip was already included. Very deceptive and unclear. The bathrooms smelled terrible, like maybe they had a sewage issue. It was not pleasant to eat at the restaurant with that smell. Hopefully they fix their service issues and their bathrooms. Their buffet is one of the more affordable ones in the area, so it would be good to have this as an option, as long as they resolve their issues. read more

I've been coming here for about 15 years. The food is always excellent and the butter chicken is the best of any restaurant I've tried. (Seriously, try the butter chicken. It's the best.) Also try the Crown Kulfi ice cream. Simply outstanding! read more

Shahnai Restaurant - Ice cream! - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

It was a decent experience. We weren't sure what to expect but after going to a few different spots serving this type of cuisine, we finally decided to try this place. We were looking for an AYCE place. There's a few Indian type restaurants in this area because were in the Mahatma Ghandi section of town so you had Indian, Afghani, Pakistani, Himalayan, Persian, all within a square mile radius, perhaps even bigger. You just had to choose your spot. The food was interesting. Very subtly spicy. Maybe my taste buds can take heat but not my sweat glands. It kind of just creeps up on you. Lots of different city style dishes but no chicken tuna masala or lamb curries which is my favorite. They did have the tandoori chicken and some fish. There was also goat, at least I assumed it was goat due to it being very bony with not much meat. We were served the naan bread even though that was also a slightly non-traditional not being very fluffy. It all had a nice flavor but I'm still looking for a really good traditional Indian buffet and I know I'll find one eventually. Dinner on a weekend will set you back about $18 which I feel is a little too high but know that lunch is cheaper. I could come back if my arm is twisted but probably not a place high on my list for Indian type cuisines. read more

I was invited for an event at Shahnai's party hall and Shahnai restaurant had catered the dinner service. It was a nice sized hall and it can hold at least 300 people. Normally inside the restaurant they have an all day buffet, but customers can order from a la carte menu also. Our dinner include the following items: Chicken Tandoori/Tikka Lahori Fish Biryani Chicken Korma Spicy eggplant (Baingun) Haleem and Naan The dinner was on point, and there was plenty of food to get second servings. There were no complaints regarding food service. You can find most of those items on the daily buffet. I've been going to Shahnai for years and it has been a gamble but for the most part, I've been able to enjoy my buffet or specialized dinner. read more

Shahnai Restaurant - Seasoned fried fish, chicken tikka, naan - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

See all

TLDR: Very unprofessional and doesn't respect people time. I have a togo order. I come to the restaurant and it is slow time. The owner forgets to put the order in to let the cook know and he told me 5 mins. Thats fine. then he sit down to chit chat with his friends. After 10 minutes of waiting, I see an employee also talking with another customer. I ask her about my order. She returned to the kitchen and came back to tell me to wait for 10 more mins. GOD DAMN! These people are too busy talking to each other to care about customers. Actually there was a customer come after and leave before me which add more salt into my injury :) read more

Five stars..3rd class service and food They have served us rotten Bryani and everyone got sick because meet was rotten...and sad is they don't even apologize or anything. Mr Nasser is very cheap business person No customers respect or regard.. This place needs to shut down because serving rotten and old food ..they are Five star tutee maker read more

I order B1G1free chicken and they send me very small portion of food it's less then half container plus I order BBQ combo they send me half portion of chicken tikka too it's very small portion too. They charged me more then other restaurant and false add because less then half container of food. Plus they don't give any salad too. I'm so disappointed from them I order from Uber delivery. I lost my money. If I can't reach them God reach them, I leave this in God hand and God do better then me. But I don't recommend for my friends and other for this restaurant it's rip of money. I'm so sorry if I hurt any of you. I lost my money . One again so sorry for all of you. Thanks lot read more

Best place I have eaten for Butter Chicken. Not your standard flavor! Biryani, Tandoori Chicken, Palak Paneer, Naan Bread also very good! A casual setting makes this a nice place to eat. 5 stars! read more

See all

0 flavor what so eve. felt akward they didn't seem friendly. The food didn't look good either. save your money and go to biryani pot.

I ordered delivery thru Uber Eats. The prices were very reasonable, and more affordable than many other Indian food delivery options. The Saag Paneer was pretty good in flavor, but very slim on paneer, only 4-5 chunks in the entire order. The chicken Korma was terrible; big chunks of chicken that were as much bone as meat, and the sauce had a layer of oil sitting on top that was SO GROSS. And it tasted nothing like korma. The Naan was greasy and tough. read more

Being indian how I Expect the food is so Delicious So I am giving 5 stars extra So total 10 stars read more

I can't tell you how many a night I've craved large amounts of Indian food only to realize that almost all Indian buffets are only available for lunch. What a bummer. Fortunately, now I have Shahnai to satisfy my late night Indo-Pak buffet cravings! The last time I was here was around 10PM at night, and the place was still bustling with people. They have a pretty extensive spread of food. Some of my favorites are the chicken makhani and the goat karahi, which were very good. I usually stay away from tandoori chicken at most restaurants because most of the time I find the meat too dry, but I was pleasantly surprised that the chicken was quite moist at Shahnai. The naan is delivered hot and fresh straight to your table. For dinner it's $9.99 (which includes a fountain drink!), and lunch is a bit cheaper - all in all an amazing bargain. Not sure why others had gripes with the service, but the last time I was there the waitress was super friendly and smile-y :) The food is overall decent...but what really sets Shahnai apart is that it's open late, and they have buffet all day. Now I have a go-to place for a late-night Indian buffet! read more

I was at Shahnai twice in one day. Here's why. This place was the venue for a bazaar celebrating the Islamic month of Ramadan. My wife sells jewelry and candles and was asked by a friend to participate as a stall owner. I had dropped her off around 11:00 am. I was to pick her up at the end of the day which turned out to be after 10:30 pm. It was one long Sunday. The banquet hall lacked enough lighting to show off jewelry. I went home and got some lamps and electrical cables. Then we were set. I did not appreciate the fact that the owners could not provide adequate lighting. Next time we will specify this before paying to participate. During the day, my wife got an entree of chhole and rice to tide her over till this bazaar was over. It was nothing extraordinary. Any Indo-Pak restaurant could have made this. This is not a place we will be dining at. Our experience with the overall facilities was close to satisfactory. Lighting aside the bathrooms were dirty. I do not wish to visualize the kitchen. It could be a Gordon Ramsay nightmare. In the competitive market of Houston, this place may have a particular community as its clients. I will not be one. read more

Shahnai Restaurant - Sign maker dropped the H in Shahnai :-) - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

I think their chef didn't attend the chopping lessons Big pieces of vegetables Taste was really bad and they have very very limited options for chicken read more

My parents have brought me here twice. I'm not going to complain about that. It's nice of them. But I don't care for buffets because I always feel they pressure you to overeat. Like I need help with that. The chicken tikka has rocked both times I've been here, it has exceeded my expectations. It's not dry. It's always really flavorful and tender. I'd give the chicken tikka 5 stars actually. That's the only thing I finish. It's laid back. They bring you fresh naan. You can grab fountain drink. The thing that bothers me about the other items are the flavors, consistency of the food. It's like it's watered down for the masses. I'm not suggesting it's actually watered down. read more

Review is for the food and the banquet hall. When the arrangements for my younger sister's marriage were underway, the debate as to where the reception would take place produced a unanimous result: Shahnai. Reason we agreed to the peoples' choice is because the people were prominent Pakistani Houstonians who knew better than us. And as smoothly as the event proceeded, i too agree. The hall isn't extravagant nor is it humungous. But the way they decorated it made it seem spacious and luxurious while being intimate and classy. It ended up seating our party of 120 or so fairly comfortably. The food was pretty good for a catered menu, and the service was sufficiently prompt. The parking situation is shoddy. Basically you just park wherever you can find a spot and if its a weekend. You're on your own. read more

See all

Awesome food great customer service experience! Tikka chicken is delicious. Not busy at lunch time.

Food quality has gone low. Not recommended for buffet maybe catering from them is still good They used to be good before read more

I've been to this buffet a few times over the past few years and while I would not put it up there with the best indian buffets in Houston, it is still a decent option. It's more hole in the wall style, due to it's location and there is hardly anyone there every time I visit. They have more than just a large restaurant, they also offer catering and entire event planning of course. Most of the items on the buffet are Indian or Pakistani, but they had one Americanized Chinese dish on my last visit which was odd to see. They basically had like 6 or so chicken dishes, two unusual beef dishes, one was like a beef gravy and the other contained mostly beef bone, and 1 goat dish which was fairly spicy but probably my favorite item. If you didn't like chicken on this particular night and couldn't handle spicy, you were pretty much SOL. The dessert area was probably the weakest part of their buffet line. It had 2 desserts, a custard and a pudding, and both were not good at all to me. read more

Horrible experience. The food is disgusting. Please avoid at all cost. Yes it's buffet but it's not worth $15.99 at all. Majority of the curries taste like ketchup. Not to mention watered down mango lassi. Extremely disappointed! read more

If I can give shehanai less than one I will. HORRIBLE food . Half of the curries taste like ketchup.Watered down lassi. How can one mess up mango lassi? Please do yourself a favor and go to other restaurants that are available in Hillcroft. The food was so bad that we ended up going to Bombay sweets afterwards, which was packed and had better food. Extremely disappointed. read more

My all-time favorite go-to place for Pakistani food. A little on the greasy side.. just how I want it!!

Been craving Indian food lately. This is probably the best Indian buffet restaurant I have been to. I been to another 2 others but this one tastes the best. Will be back. read more

Authentic Pakistani and Indian cousins Best customer service and yes they did improve the food packaging I will recommend to all my friends read more

Very inconsistent food taste. Buffet is usually good and grilled items taste good. Other a la carte dishes are pretty average

I like place lot of food buffed very tasty price is very good, management very nice ,

We had a big catering and also had an event of our Kid at their Hall next to their Resturant- I would have given Zero rating Start if I I had the option. Since we were serving alcohol to our guest we were required to have 2 security guard and we paid in advance for it and before the event, we reminded him for security and also for the Stage decoration. Hall was so dirty, we had to keep calling the employee and to clean the hall. The food was cold and one of the worst Indian food we have ever eaten. This place is very shitty and don't believe a single word of the owner. read more

Being Pakistani myself, and having an excellent cook for a mother, I hardly ever go out to eat Pakistani food (I have so much better at home). However, Shahnai restaurant did not disappoint at all. We went in late on a week night and had the buffet dinner. There was plenty of everything available and the owners were very helpful. We had the potatoes, some cholay, and some spaghetti for starters. Love the potatoes and cholay, no to the spaghetti (don't try it). Then we had the chicken boti and the chicken tikkay. Oh my God. SO GOOD. Absolute perfection. Flavorful without being overly spicy, barbequed just right, and fresh. Also, the roti (naan). Fresh, mouthwatering, plenty of it and, I must confess, I had a piece by itself because it was so good. They also had side dishes like yogurt and salad as well as extra spice, onion and lemons for those who enjoy the complementary tastes. There were also some desserts available. What got me extra hooked was the mango lassi drink. I am so going back for that lassi. And next time, I'm getting the kulfi too (excited!). Also, the prices were very reasonable and parking was easy to find. The restaurant itself was very neat and clean and everything seemed well maintained. All in all, it was a very pleasant experience and I can't wait to return! read more

Great haleem and good naan. Paya is always on their weekend buffet! Karahi goat solid! Kheer is dead-on most of the time. Everything else is merely meh! Service usually good, restaurant clean. read more