Year in, year out--great quality authentic Pakistani and South Asian food. Great kabobs. Friendly service. read more

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I stumbled across Zafran after a friend recommended the nearby India House, which unfortunately closes on Mondays. Zafran felt authentic, though authenticity can be a double-edged Khyber sword when you have no idea what you're ordering. Pictures of famous mosques and religious leaders covered the walls, while thick, clear plastic protected the Punjabi textiles on every table. The server and I struggled to communicate, and Google Translate proved about as useful as a screen door on a submarine. I asked about the Jarzamzam drink, but the only explanation I understood was that it cost too much for the staff to sample. Siri eventually entered the conversation and explained that it was water from a sacred well in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Next, I ordered the Lassi. In my mind, Lassi means a cold, sweet yogurt drink flavored with mango. This version arrived plain, salty, and lumpy. It was clearly homemade, but ordering it reminded me of navigating a tourist bar in Thailand: ask follow-up questions before choosing the mystery option. The Chicken Kabab consisted of two slender, tube-shaped portions of ground meat buried under shredded raw onion and served with just a cup of saffron rice. At $25, shrinkflation appears to have hit Zafran harder than an Uber Eats service fee. My previous Pakistani meals had delivered the exact opposite experience. Plates usually arrived with piles of pilaf and so many skewers, you'd have to approach your meal like it was an angry porcupine. I also wouldn't choose Zafran for a romantic dinner. The dining room is crowded and very rustic, rustic enough to make an interior designer collapse. Still, I would return with someone familiar with Pakistani food and the language being spoken. A knowledgeable dining partner might help uncover the treasure beneath the restaurant's gritty exterior and help identify the better choices and values. read more

Zafran Kabab Palace - Jarzamzam water or bottled water from Saudi Arabia. Good for the Islamic soul. - Halal Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Very unsanitary ! Bathroom is falling apart Floors are gross Service is horrible And for a sit in restaurant, they use plastic plates and paper cups Even my chai tea was in a paper cup !! Very cheap it was more like a fast food restaurant than a dine in restaurant where the meals are expensive but the service is cheap read more

Zafran Kabab Palace - Halal Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

This is most deceiving yelp score, don't fall for it. The service was horrible and dismissive. There is no ambience to the store. It just looked cluttered. Now the food, I was so disappointed. Four little itty-bitty lamb chops on top of rice for $30 is robbery not inflation. The chicken tiki masala was just boiled chicken chicken in tomato soup. The naan was stiff and hard, not the typical light airy fluffy, soft. $100 later I'm left feeling like I was robbed of my money in calories read more

This is our 2nd time here and man I love this place! The ambience is simple and welcoming. This family run restaurant has the most delicious Pakistani-Indian food in Charlotte! Their rice is so soft and flavorful. Their chicken melts in your mouth and their naan, oh boy! Come and enjoy their atmosphere and delicious food! read more

Chicken Kadhai was amazing, flavorful and fresh. Staff were very nice also. Will definitely come back next time I'm in Charlotte! read more

Zafran Kabab Palace - Chicken Kadhai (Boneless) - Halal Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I cannot but recommend Zafran Kabab Palace. We had a wonderful time at the restaurant. The food was delicious and spicy, and the best part was the owner, who upon request, also made us delicious chai at the end. The ambiance is warm and inviting, and has the South Asian charm! We will definitely e back on our next visit to Charlotte, NC! read more

The food is painfully average--honestly insulting if you actually know what good Pakistani food is supposed to taste like. There's no depth, no authenticity, nothing that justifies going out of your way for it. But the real joke is the pricing. They charge like this is some top-tier restaurant, when in reality it feels like the cheapest possible effort dressed up with a premium price tag. It's the kind of place that clearly wants your money without putting in any real work. And somehow, despite overcharging for mediocre food, they still manage to be stingy on the basics. No complimentary water, no sense of hospitality--just a bare minimum, nickel-and-dime experience from start to finish. If you're going to run a restaurant like this, at least be honest about what you are: overpriced, underwhelming, and completely forgettable. read more

Paid $28 for a coke and buffet, where done food was not hot. Maybe 15 items on buffet, no basmati rice. No table service whatsoever. Told to grab a paper plate and plastic utensils and serve myself. Didn't even offer me a glass of water. Plastic table cloths. Wish I could say what they lacked in ambiance, they made up for with food. Sadly, not the case. Could have gotten a nice, sit down luncheon in a nice restaurant for that price. Go elsewhere. read more

Great food and service! I had the chicken kadhi and keema naan, both were fantastic! Another customer got a grilled dish and it looked/smelled incredible! read more

Very tasty. Wish price was decreased but am satisfied. Had the Chicken Handi Boneless and has a light, very nice, spice. Very nice assortment of spices within the curry sauce. Chicken was cooked well. Roti tasted fabulous, unlike any I have had before, very fluffy. Good and fast, attentive service, food came out within 20 minutes. Nice music videos playing. Come visit, been twice and both times have been the only customer! Tried the Afghani Kabob as well, juicy and spicy, very nice. One of best Kabobs in Charlotte read more

The service is amazing very friendly and attentive. The food very authentic and delish. The best we have had. So happy we stumbled on to this place. It's a must if you're in the area. read more

Zafran Kabab Palace - Halal Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I thought I would give Zafran a try, since I genuinely enjoy Pakistani and Afghani food. I was excited to see Kabuli Pulao on the menu, as it's one of my favorite dishes. Overall, I was happy with the meal, but the pulao wasn't quite what a remembered from my time in Afghanistan. It was close, but most pulao I have had rehydrated the raisins, and in country they often used golden raisins instead of regular one. A few more raisins and carrots in the mix would have been nice as well. But overall, I was happy to find a place near my work where I could get this dish. My only critique is that it was a bit pricey - $20 for 2 kebabs and the pulao. The lamb kebabs that were with it were good, and a little spicy. I think I would get this dish again and try a different kebab with it. Zafran will definitely be in my lunch rotation. The menu variety looks great, the restaurant seemed clean, the staff was friendly, and the have halal options for those that require it. read more

Zafran Kabab Palace - Lamb kebabs with Kabuli Pulao - Halal Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

THE FOOD IS AMAZING! 100% AUTHENTIC FOOD!!!!! Don't judge it by what you see. The food is amazing! It was hot & came out very quick! Also the Sinalco soda is good! The orange & the cloudy lemon flavor! It was a flavor sensation! I couldn't take a picture because I had to dig in! Next time I'll take a picture read more

Always love coming back. Such tasty delicious food. The garlic naan is soft and flavorful. The chicken tika masala is amazing and the chickpea dish is wow. Service is nice Sita was nice and serviceable, the ambiance was simple yet nice. Every time we go there it seems empty yet great reviews for this simple yet delicious place. I don't want to call it a 'hole in the wall' but it may be the best I One in Charlotte read more

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Food was flavorful and fresh. The owner and server were welcoming, cordial and helpful. The restaurant itself is okay. It is located on the second floor of the strip mall. We tried several dishes, beef, chicken, goat. The Naan was delicious. I am not an expert on Pakistani cuisine, but I liked and enjoyed what I ordered. I will go back again. read more

I usually don't write reviews, but after my experience at Zafran Restaurant, I feel compelled to share. My friends and I went there for a casual dine-in meal, and we ordered the 6 skewer kabob for $27.99 from the menu. Everything seemed normal until we got the bill. To our surprise, they charged us $35.97 instead of the advertised $27.99! When we asked about the difference, the staff claimed it was because the order was for "to-go," but at no point did they inform us of this when we placed our order. We were never told that ordering the kabobs as "dine-in" would cost us more or that we would be charged for a take-out order. Why wasn't this mentioned upfront? It's frustrating to be caught off guard at the end of the meal when there's no transparency from the beginning. Additionally, the kabobs were served to us on plates, as expected for a dine-in experience, and there was no mention that this would be a "to-go" order. If they had been upfront and communicated this at any point during the ordering process, we would have had a chance to make an informed decision. It's disappointing to see this kind of hidden cost, and honestly, it felt like a sneaky move. If they plan on charging customers differently for take-out versus dine-in, they should definitely be more clear about it from the start. I won't be coming back, and I would recommend others be cautious when ordering here. Transparency goes a long way in building trust with customers--something Zafran could definitely improve on. read more

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I went there for an event with my wife and her colleagues and the food was very flavorful and authentic. Excellent service, butter chicken and masala chai. Would recommend for anyone looking for home style Pakistani or Indian in the Charlotte area. read more

Outstanding 2 piece tandoori chicken leg. Excellent plain paratha and mango lassi. Also enjoyed the milk tea. Restaurant is on second floor, sign somewhat hard to see from (free) parking lot. read more

Some of the best food I've eaten in a long time! Our group shared samosas, the naan basket, the GOAT KHYBER SHINWARI KADAI, and the mix grill with rice. It was all absolutely incredible and very flavorful. The owner was so nice, as was the staff. Highly recommend. Food is definitely worth a drive. read more

Run, don't walk to this place! I found one of the best Indian restaurants in Charlotte. Well, my boyfriend did. We came in around 8:30pm, which is pretty late on our end. We were greeted enthusiastically. There were only two other patrons in the restaurant, so I didn't know what to expect. Our waiter brought out chickpeas, fruit salad, and curry vegetables immediately. He said that people usually come in to break their fast. It's Ramadan for three more days. We did what we usually do-- ordered enough food to feed a football team. We had Chicken Tikka Massala, Chili Chicken, Chicken Boti, and garlic naan. The portions are huge and everything was flavored to absolute perfection. I could have cried over that food. It was so good! The table next to us asked us what we ordered because it looked so good . The food will make you come back, and the service will have you writing a Yelp review. Everyone was sooo friendly and personable. This is truly a gem! read more

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excellent food and service visiting from Los Angeles , with group from Jacksonville Florida, enjoyed best ever Halal food read more

As of now in 2025, this is one of the few Pakistani restaurants in Charlotte, NC. The restaurant service is superb and the food was great! read more

The best middle eastern / Indian restaurant Charlotte ! We stumbled across Zafran after finding the Thai house under it closed. It was about 9pm at this point, and google said Zafran closed at 9:30pm so we ran upstairs. A staff member was cleaning and I could see they didn't have any customers; so I thought he would've been annoyed we were coming so late. But, he greeted us with a huge smile and served us right away! They have a large variety of delicious menu options. My party of 3 all got the lamb kabob on afghani rice, which was great and spicy! We also got samosas which were my favorite ! The sauce it came with was a little too spicy. We also tried their version of Pepsi, "thumbs up" and I drank a mango-yogurt drink! Both were delicious and eased the spice of the food. read more

Zafran Kabab Palace - 2 Pieces Veg Punjabi Samosa - Halal Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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I found this place on accident I went to a different restaurant but they were no longer in the cook to order business and the owner pointed me to those place. I didn't wait too long for my food and EVERYTHING was good, fresh and hot. I really not a fan of rice but I couldn't stop my self it was so delicious. And the price was really good for the amount of food I received. Definitely recommend this restaurant! read more

Zafran Kabab Palace - Beef kebab, chicken kebab and lamb kebab with Afghan Rice. - Halal Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Everything was delicious. We shared samosas, two chicken dishes, and two kinds of naan. Writing this review now, I'm craving more. (My tandoori chicken was outstanding.) read more

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Really good food and service. We ordered the samosas and the Zafran Mix grill for two. Plenty of food to split between my husband and I and had a leftover meal. I highly recommend the lassi mango as well. It is super thick and the perfect dessert to go with the meal. Great service will be back read more

Horrible food. Charged for water $1 a bottle Of Sam's club water. Terrible GI illness for all Our family members with severe diarrhea after the meal. read more

This is the second time my partner and I have ordered takeout from here-- and we thoroughly enjoyed it! Funny enough, we ordered the SAME thing BOTH times, without even knowing. Even better, we enjoyed it thoroughly both times. I will say, you need a lot of naan for the goat daleem, and that dish alone really is enough for two people. It's completely worth it to eat here over and over. read more

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We come here often and the foood is soooo good! The staff is always so pleasant and so nice! Love this place! read more

All I can say is WOW! Had the goat with green chiles and tomato sauce gravy. Afghan rice and garlic nan. The best meal in Charlotte.

First time Ordered food from this place mutton biryani to go . Tried it was slippery felt like it was from 2 days ago . Called the restaurant to ask if it was fresh from today or from last 2 days ago he started to mumble again I asked if it's from today or yesterday then he said today . I don't belive it I threw it away . Desi restaurants when you charge full money make sure you give the right things plz . Thank you read more

I was looking for a good Mediterranean restaurant while I was in the area. I almost settled on a chain restaurant before I stumbled on this hidden gem. It was obvious this place was going to be good the moment we walked in the door. We were greeted and given recommendations for food. We had the chicken tikka and chicken Malai boti over afghan rice. We also got the Chana masala (chickpea dip) and garlic naan bread. Back in 2012 I was gifted a meal with afghan rice, naan bread and beef stew. This brought back some really good memories. This place is authentic and gave it an ever more special touch when the owner came in and treated us as if we had visited his home. read more

Ordered mutton biryani - rate it as 2/5 , and Chicken Karahi - rate it as 3/5 The plain naan costs $4 is ridiculous price. Mutton Biryani is full of rice and oil, and disappointed in the meat in the dish because most of it was bone and very few meat pieces and just a full plate of biryani plain rice. Chicken Karahi was okay 3/5. Taste was not authentic but the masala was good but not Karahi Masala for sure. The service was horrible. 10 minutes before closing, I was still eating and the lady comes and say to pay because I had to close the register at 10pm. No consideration for customer who is still eating and asked me to pay now because we close at 10pm and 10 minutes before need to close the register. Horrible, customer is eating wait for him to finish before approaching the table with the clover device to charge their card. Unacceptable! Never going back again. Horrible experience. Could learn manners and how to treat a paying customer. One person's bill $50 at a desi restaurant is pretty expensive. read more

What to order: Samosas-crispy and delicious Mixed grill with rice and naan for 2: WOW you get several different kabobs and chicken dishes in one. All served over the softest pillowy afghani rice. The naan is buttery and some of the best I've ever had. We also ordered the garlic chili naan and it's by far my favorite. Amazing prices, we took the rest of this meal home and got another meal out of it. The gentleman who served us was kind and efficient. We can't wait to go back! read more

Zafran Kabab Palace - Mixed Zafran Mix Grill with Rice for 2 People - Halal Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I had an amazing experience when I came to eat here. The portion size was amazing. The customer service was absolutely impeccable and the flavor from each dish was fresh and nostalgic for the traditional dish read more

First time eating there food was great. Reminded me of being back I. New York. service was good ambiance could use soon help but all and all had a great experience read more

There's no superlative I wouldn't say in regards to this amazing restaurant. The service was fantastic. The food blew our minds and made our tongues blissful. In addition, we got a quick explainer on the importance of the game of cricket. Seriously. We just happened to metaphorically stumble in and are so glad we did. We ordered the Zagreb Mix Grill for two. We devoured the lamb kebab and beef Laban, as well as the chicken and Malai bohti. The Afghani rice was a revelation, filled with savory and sweet flavors. We can't wait to come back. read more

Zafran Kabab Palace - Zafran Mix Grill, after we started devouring the deliciousness. - Halal Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Delicious food, friendly servers, fair prices. Buffet had a good variety of mild and spicy; vegetarian and meats, cold and hot. Bread was quite good. read more

Had been craving Pakistani food for awhile but my experience here was very disappointing. I ordered Chana Masala, which was way too spicy compared to what I've had before (Pakistani style). The Paratha that I got with potato was decent. I dined here as a group and the restaurant charges a fee, that is not even a tip. The girl who was taking the order didn't act like she was too happy to be attending to the group. She sat my drink down at the wrong person. When the orders came out, she didn't know whose entree belonged to who. At the end, she did bring carry out boxes though that was probably to get us out quicker because that's the only thing that was done quickly and effectively. I'm glad that I tried this restaurant out before I brought my whole family and wasted even more money! read more