Name a couple of good Pakistani (NOT INDIAN) restaurants in the Bay Area. Ambience is of no importance, food must be good. Not too big of a fan of biryani or nihari. More into grilled and kaRRahi stuff.
Please name the restaurant and city…any other info would be appreciated.
pakwan sunday brunch in hayward...
the desi ghetto in the tenderloin of Sf with Shalimar, i've heard that the place across the street (chutneys?) is pretty good as is naan and curry.
Shalimar is also in fremont.
that's all i know of for pk..
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*Originally posted by amelie: *
pakwan sunday brunch in hayward...
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Pakwan is good, I went there on my recent trip.... but just keep one thing in mind funguy... nothing beats Devon...
shalimar in sfo is the best, they have a branch in fremont too but sfo branch feels more like home, it was my favorite place to eat in the bay area...if u go to sfo, bay area dont miss goin there
nan n curry, pakwan, punjab kabab house etc in sfo r there too but no match for shalimar
if u r looking for other good halal foods in the bay area:
solang pass, fremont: [afghani] their bolani [allo paratha type afghani bread] is jus super
rose market on el camino, [persian] they have some really great tasting chicken/beef/mutton wraps...very very tasty n cheap too
fatima's - halal chinese - san mateo - they have these paratha type breads, really yummy
new ma's, forgot the town, halal chinese
darda - fremont - halal chinese
chandni - newark [paki: some ppl like this, its jus OK]
mehran - newark - [paki - food is jus OK]
afghan village - newark [OK]
mediterranean wraps - palo alto - their chicken wraps r good, ask him to make em extra spicy n grill the meat properly
kan zaman - palo alto [not the one in SFO, thats different]...ask him to make a halal meat haandi for u, not their standard items on the menu, they make em good
there's also a cheap irani place in palo alto that makes excellent kababs and a turkish place whose name im forgetting thats halal, in palo alto as well
funguy :-
Shalimar in San Fran is the best out of all. Its in a real run down and sketchy area but the food is worth it. Don't dress fancy, just order, eat and go ! :)
shalimar has good bhunna gosht, kebabs are okay, btw dinn shalimar just open a branch on devon, or was it shahnawaaz?
but as chachoo said..nuthin beats devon...maybe burns road in karachi but thats about it
amelie, chachoo, irem, diva, and fraudz - you are all gems. Thanks a bundle. I am InshaAllah definitely hitting Shalimar and more than likely 'solang pass'.
How about some outdoors activities (other than SF) and close to the beaches?
Any other 'must do's or see's'?
dang i jus accidentally closed the window where i was typing a real comprehensive n detailed reply :(
hmmm lemi try again
there's two desi thatres in the bay area: naz cinema in fremont (the bigger one), this is near solang pass and the fremont branch of shalimar as well...so u can plan an evening like this....have an evening snack of bolani at solang pass, then go to naz and watch a desi movie and then have dinner at fremont shalimar [but go to sfo shalimar too]
the other desi theater is imc6 in san jose, its smaller
other places to see:
monterey, monterey bay aquarium, pebble beach, carmel, 17 mile drive, big sur, point lobos
beaches: santa cruz, pacifica
gravity point
muir woods
yosemite
u could also visit berkeley and stanford uni campus.
u could drive along el camino as well, there's tons of desi eating places, but almost all indian...there's a south indian restaurant udupi which i'll recommend and there's soem more around that area
jus in case, stuff in sfo:
hmmm thas abt it for now :D
Faisal bhai lives in the bay area btw
Nice ideas, irem sister.
I love the sea life so Monterey Aquarium will be on top of the list. Is it better than the one in San Diego?
I've been to China town, fisherman's wharf, piccadily, etc in downtown. I would like to visit places outside of downtown.
Visiting Stanford campus sounds like a good idea too. Kaafi arsa hua desi style chaanay baazi nahee ki :D
Assuming you are done with eating chicken tikkay (I mean, man, this is one long list above) and have a rental car to go around, there are many places outside SF downtown, where you can enjoy a lot. If you are a nature person take Golden Gate bridge north, then take Highway 1 and drive up to Stinson Beach (about 35 mins drive past GGB). The views are nice and the beach is awesome. Water is very cold, though.
Driving South, take 101-S past San Jose and then take 156-W and 1-S to go to 17 Mile Drive and Carmal. Very nice. Coming back, take Highway 1 North, all the way to SF (you will pass Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay). Its a gorgeous drive with ocean on one side and mountains on the other.
However, if you are not a nature person, then check out the area around North Beach (Columbus and Broadway) as well as Marina.
Totally into nature and so are the people who will be with me. Faisal, this driving itinerary sounds great. Plus coming from you (I believe you have good taste) is a plus.
How about any good local seafood joints?. I love machli. Don’t like cooking it at home but would love to snap one at some good restaurant. I’ve eaten at a couple of places around Fisherman’s wharf and they were quite good. How about something close to the coast?.
I really do appreciate (all above) taking the time to post in this thread.
I can promise some pics on my return. and may be a scorecard of the places you guys are recommending 
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*Originally posted by Diva4U: *
funguy :-
Shalimar in San Fran is the best out of all. Its in a real run down and sketchy area but the food is worth it. Don't dress fancy, just order, eat and go ! :)
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Good heads up on the area. Luckily, I don't wear jewelery so I think I should be OK in the ghetto.
But seriously, is it not safe to go there when the sun goes down?
I've printed off both of Irem's posts and Faisals too :D I've got to go this year.
If you want to go little out of the way from SF than go to carmel, it's really beauitful, quite quaint little town.
Its not that bad as you are not likely to get mugged or anything, though if you park your car on the street, you may get worried that someone will put scratch marks on it. If you are eating at Shalimar on Jones/O’Farrel then there is a parking garage right opposite the restaurant. Its $5 worth spent.
I’ll have to think about sea-food joints in SF, as most we have tried are on Pier 39 as well, or very pricey. There are a few places near Bush and Montgomery. I have tried Sam’s, and its not bad. Though you are likely to get the same fare, more or less.
If you are interested to check out Redwood forests and hike around it then go past Stinson Beach on Highway 1-North. Drive about 25 minutes and then make a right on Sir Frances Drake Blvd. Drive about 10 minutes and you will see signs for Samuel P. Taylor State Park (http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=469). Its part of the Golden Gate National Park System and in the middle of Redwood forests. Its only for nature people, though, as the hikes are very nice. Not much in terms of amenities.
If you find the beaches near San Francisco to be cloudy and cool (which they usually are), then on a good day you can drive down to Santa Cruz. Take 101-S to San Jose and then take 880-S (turns into 17-S) towards Santa Cruz. Alternatively you can take Highway 1-South all the way. Santa Cruz’s Boardwalk beach is usually sunny, crowded and tonnes of activities (a small amusement park is built right next to the beach). On weekends they have free live concerts after sunset. They have volleyball nets too, in case you are into beach volleyball with friends. Pretty cool place.
I had TONS of fun in Pacifica and San Fran… you folks living out there in the northern california area are truly blessed with great weather and what a gorgeous city SF is. I will write more about the restaurants and other stuff 
as soon as I get back to normalcy. So keep checking this thread.
Shalimar on Jones and Geary was very very dirty. It failed both of my bathroom and service counter audits. I couldn’t even pee in its restroom standing up so I had to leave without eating…but I found the crown jewel of 'em all… ladies and gents, lemme introduce you to the best, coolest, and hip Pakistani restaurant in the United States of America… it is located adross the street from Shalimar in downtown SF and the name is… C H U T N E Y !
More to follow…
I agree, totally completely and utterly 
Funguy, glad you had fun at our neck of the woods. More details.
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*Originally posted by funguy: *
ladies and gents, lemme introduce you to the best, coolest, and hip Pakistani restaurant in the United States of America... it is located adross the street from Shalimar in downtown SF and the name is........................ C H U T N E Y !
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We tried Chutney yesterday. Its fine. Decor is clean, the service is attentive and the rest rooms, though narrow, are manageable. But in terms of food, it just gets a B from me. Its not bad, but the tikkas are no way near the quality of Shalimar. So, funguy, I guess, you will have to come back to SF and actually try Shalimar (even if that means we'll blindfold you and not let you use the restrooms there). Shalimar's food is clearly in a different league.
Bilkul Sahi..I have been to chutney few times since there wa slong line at Shalimar. But There is no comparision in food quality. Shalimar is Way better.
I am glad you had good time fungy. Too bad I saw this post very late but then My recommendation wouldnot have been any different than Faisal Bhai.