Kabab & Karahi

KABAB AND KARAHI is out of business at this location. There are new owners.
And…even though we’ve only eaten their once, it would appear that the food is actually even better than KABAB. I hope this proves to be true.

cheap and good… When I want something a little better than House of Curries and feel like taking a stroll, I hit up K&K.
I have had most of their food, and it is all decent, not unbelievable; however, it is dirt cheap. They give you a TON of naan with your special, although it is pretty subpar. I had a weird goat special once that was not very good (can’t remember what,) but all around it’s pretty solid.
Overall: Good Indian if you are in the area.
Value: Great value here, you can eat good Indian on the cheap.

NOTE: The temporary sign hanging from the awning as well as the window signage says «Royal Indian Cuisine», but the menus still say «Kabab & Karahi» so not sure what’s going on there.
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I got the Chicken Combo special which is Chicken Tikka Masala (CTM), Naan, Daal (lentils), and Rice. The CTM didn’t taste Indian at all. It was more like chunks of chicken in creamy tomato soup. There was absolutely no spices or spiciness to this dish although it was ordered «medium». The chicken, though, was some of the most tender and juicy I’ve had in recent memory.
The naan was made too thin and about ¼ — ¹⁄₃ of it was burned through, either with visible holes or falling off when I picked up the bread. The non-​burned areas were OK.
The daal was good and the high point of the combo, but not enough to save the meal.
They have complimentary chai tea which I generally notch as a plus for a place, but this stuff was really really weak. I guess you can’t complain if it’s complimentary right?

This place was a real surprise to me. We came here to meet friends, one of whom is half Pakistani. Although I took his choosing the venue as an endorsement of quality, I was still skeptical. Turns out I shouldn’t have been, because the food was outstanding. There’s not much in the way of décor or ambiance, but if it is quality food you’re after, you won’t go wrong.
I also liked the tea, which is complimentary and spicy. Yay! Did I mention the pricing is awesome?

Best indian food around campus, IMO.
Best Naan for sure (naan n curry used to hold this title untill they went with theif buffet… now their naan is crap). Also their portions are more generous than the ala carte equals at Tandoor Kitchen and Naan n Curry.
Very tasty, decent price, and lets face it, you’re going to get the naan no matter where you go. Why not make it some great naan from here?

I apologize now for this review but it is what it is…
I dragged the boy here since I read all the wonderful reviews from fellow Unilocalers… we were game to try on new things and so we went.
It was dead (but the boy reminded me that school is out due to T-​Day so I relaxed a bit.) I told the boy to get the «combo» since that’s what they’re famous for.
We both got the chicken combo of masala and daal saag. I got the mild and the boy got the regular spicy.
The food came fast and the naan was piping hot. We digged in. Yikes. We both looked at each other and we instantly knew that we weren’t going back again.
I think the boy got it right: the masala tasted like pureed baby food! It was very mushy and not a lot of taste nor chicken. The daal saag was the same but the beans weren’t pureed as much. The naan was dripping with grease or I hope it was butter. Their tea was bland, not creamy and really watered down.
Overall, yes it’s cheap but that’s about it. We walked away both promising never to come back again. I can’t believe people are comparing this place to Naan and Curry — well maybe the one near the campus is really disgusting but the one on College Avenue rocks! The boy puts that as his bar of goodness, I on the other puts Favorite Indian in Hayward as the ultimate bar. You guys should check out both.
At the end, we came, we tried, and that’s all folks.

You could walk right past this place if it wasn’t for the blaring neon lights outside its coldly decorated restaurant… but who cares its cheap Indian food. I came here after some Unilocal hype and some nostalgia for home cooked food.
Ordered Goat Karahi, Paneer Tikka Masala, Gulab Jamun, and Kheer (we had a lil sweet tooth for the day), and of course Naan and rice.
The naan here is decently acceptable, not amazing. Aside though a little known secret amongst Indians is that the frozen naan at Trader joes (go for garlic naan), is reallly authentic!!!
The goat was decent meat, and well seasoned. But the tikka masala was no different that House of Curries, though tikka masala is a Western creation.
My biggest beef with Kabab & Karahi was their dry, cakey Gulab Jamun and thick plain tasting Kheer, cooked straight in the microwave.
My Indianness will constantly make me critical of Indian food, but the price is decent but the food is really not much of a step up from House of Curries or Naan ‘n’ Curry for the Southside area.
Meh

The naan here is
Sorry, I just spent a couple minutes just staring into space thinking about the naan from Kabab & Karahi and really came up with no proper way to describe how outstanding it was.
The only thought was about how it was so fresh you could slap it.
You know how there’s the certain ratio of crisp edge to chewy center for good naan? Whatever that ratio is, K&K nails it. After I took my first bite, I started to guard the naan plate and would growl whenever my wife would reach for a piece. Hey, I know it’s short-​sighted and didn’t bode well for me the rest of the day (I ended up having to go shopping for 2 hours), but have you tried the naan?

One of my favorite places for curry and naan. I usually get the chicken combo, which is around $ 9 and comes with chicken tikka masala (or some other type of chicken curry), plain naan bread, palak dal, and rice. Great deal or what?! If I get to-​go, I’ll call and order ahead of time since it usually takes them 10 minutes to prepare it. Small tip: the portions are much more when you get takeout? It usually lasts me both lunch and dinner! The owner of the store is super nice and gave me two coupons last time too!

Great Naan! Wow, it’s crispy and lightly brown. The best naan I’ve had after sampling from many indian restaurants in the bay area.
I had the chicken tikka lunch combo twice now, and l loved it. The chicken is high quality, and the daal is always yummy. I think they’re a bit hesitant to make it super spicy like I want it, but the green sauce in the fridge makes up the difference. It tastes like chilies and it’s not too vinegary (unlike the joint down the street.)

This place has really excellent combo deals (I think it was $ 8 for tikka masala, rice, and palak daal ?), though I was so excited about the Chicken Korma that I got that instead.
The Korma was REALLY good… but the chicken itself was only ok quality. My friend’s lamb also wasn’t the best, but everything around it was delicious. From what my friends say, apparently this place is fantastic if you eat vegetarian (yes, I’d agree with that), and the meats aren’t as good. Anyway, all the dishes were absolutely delicious aside from that, and for price comparison, the combos are actually a better deal than you’d get down the street at Naan n Curry, and lightyears better!

Indian food in Westwood is so suspect that I had to check this place out after seeing a flurry of great reviews. The ambiance is dim and somewhat antiquated but there is a certain charm when their tables were nicely arranged to go with my water served in a fancy wine glass.
The menu was extensive, but they currently have a promo so I went along with the lamb boti kebab and lamb curry with naan ($ 9.87 w/​tax). This turned out to be a gigantic feast as my four-​piece naan was warm and buttery but it also had several unexpected hollow spots in the middle. My lamb curry was deliciously spicy and the perfect compliment for the rice, but the grounded lamb kebab was overcooked with a fainted flavor at which was not clearly pronounced.
Service was fantastic and attentive. The dish had some hits and misses but I’m certainly interested in coming back for their other curries. Since this was not the best Indian restaurant I’ve had in Berkeley, I give it a three star rating for having generous portions, great prices, and attentive service.

Best Indian food in Berkeley, hands down, and the service is amazing! It’s a little farther down telegraph than most places, but always worth the walk and so much better than naan and curry or house of curries.
My recommendation is the Chicken Korma, or if you’re more strapped for cash, the regular chicken combo is delicious and should fill you up nicely as well. The goat is somewhat boney, however. The various types of naan are all awesome.
Edit: This review was written before they changed management. I hear it’s pretty terrible there now.
Edit: Aaaand now they’re closed. Not surprised. Shame, they were once so epicly delicious!

Delicious! Make sure you get the combo specials — such a good deal!
Super quick and polite service and a variety of Indian food to choose from.
Definitely make sure you check it out Cal students.

Hey, I’m no south-​asian specialist, but I don’t think there’s such a thing as «authentic indian» or «authentic pakistani”– maybe you should be more specific. Guessing from the style of food they sell, and the fact that the chef’s name is SINGH, they’re probly from Punjab or another northwest (i.e., Pakistan-​bordering) province. I wish Unilocal would post reviewer guidelines, and I wish the guidelines would discourage, say, casting aspersion on «authenticity» of a cuisine whose geographical origins you don’t know about or have never lived in.
Phew. Enough about that. I like this place, but i don’t know much about south asian food. Definitely less oily than most Pakistani/​West Indian places I’ve been to, 10x better than Naan ‘n’ Heartburn. Like all my favorite restaurants, it’s pretty cheap, has glass tabletops, is family-​run, the service comes with an accent, and they ask you how spicey to make things. Let’s hope the Chronicle writeup doesn’t go to their heads, or to their pricetags :(
Definitely second the FRESHNESS of the naans– pillowy and light, pre-​cut and with a swab of butter across the top. Classy!

I have been here twice now, both times with my girlfriend. We loved the Indian place that was in this space before, and were sad when it closed (we had only eaten there once), but it turns out that we love this new ownership/​restaurant even more.
The staff is super friendly and the food is the best Indian I’ve ever had (and I’ve had a lot of Indian food). In terms of dining experience and service, I would compare it to places such as Taste of the Himalayas (on Shattuck on North Side), or Flavors of India (on College). Not only do they beat out Himalayas and Flavors of India, though, they also win in terms of bang-​for-​your-​buck!
It seems pertinent to mention that I’ve also eaten at the self-​service style Indian restaurants such as Naan and Curry and Biryani House, and I believe that Himalayas, Flavors of India, and especially Kabab & Karahi beat the self-​serve places hands-​down in terms of food quality.
I highly encourage you to check out Kabab & Karahi. The prices are right, the service is friendly, and the food is amazing.

I don’t know why, I just didn’t like this place as much as the other reviewers. I ordered the chicken combo (chicken tikki masala, channa [garbanzo beans] masala, rice, naan).
I personally like what my friends call «crummy Indian food” – the food at Naan and Curry. I use that as my benchmark because I still think it’s one of the two best places I know in the Bay Area. Kabab &Karahi’s naan is more crispy, but I prefer the huge fluffly naan served at Naan & Curry. The rice here was also nothing compared to Naan & Curry… it was quite flavorless and unsatisfying. The chicken tikki masala I admit is probably better than Naan & Curry; the flavors were just as good but the chicken was much more tender. The garbanzo beans though were rather tasteless. My friend ordered some lamb dish, which was lacking in spices and flavor as well.
The service here was slowwwwwwwwwwwwwww. We were the only ones in the restaurant when were there, yet it took them at least 20 mins or so to bring out 3 different dishes. The owner (I presume) carried each plate one-​by-​one, and with two hands. It was like serving in slow motion. I guess it represents care and value to the food, but I definitely wouldn’t vote him to be most efficient server. Overall, I don’t think I would come back, and I’m most positive I would still prefer Naan & Curry over this place…

Wow great great great find! Thank you Unilocal!
My husband has never been to Berkeley (*gasp* I know! Can you believe it???) so I decided to show him where I use to hang out in high school and college (back when I thought incense and tye dye was wayyy cool) ;) Took him to Telegraph and decided to find some good eats.
Thanks to my iPhone Unilocal application we found Kabab and Karahi. When we arrived we were the only ones there and were kindly greeted by a gentleman who was the owner.
I ordered the special with included a big portion of chicken tikka masala, chicken pakora, naan and rice; all for $ 8.95! Such a deal and it was a huge portion. I was not able to eat it all! The naan was the freshest naan I have ever had in my life. Everything came out piping hot and fresh. My husband asked the owner what his favorite dish was and he ordered that. I wish I could remember what it was called but it was really very good! My husband also ordered a mango lassi which he says was too thick (I think he is just being picky… I liked it!)
Service was excellent and I was excited that the owner/​server left a pitcher of water on the table for us.
We came away very satisfied and happy and for less then $ 20 we had an amazing Indian/​Pakastani meal! Will definitely come back sometime when I am in the area again!

I’m going to assume the quietness of the place was because Cal was still on winter break.
My friend was looking for some comfort food, which is Indian for her (since y’know, she’s Indian), and somewhere in Berkeley, halfway between me in the City and her in Vallejo. After looking a bit on Unilocal,we decided on this place. Turns out, the reviews are well deserved.
My friend had ordered some appetizers, which I missed since I got there after her group got there. I ordered the chicken tikka masala and a mango lassi, both of which I was quite happy with. The mango lassi was a little thicker than I’m used too, but plenty large, and quite filling. I would’ve preferred that it be a little bit colder, and perhaps a little more mango-​y in flavor, but it was certainly good.
The chicken tikka masala was flavorful and tasty, with a pretty good balance of all the spices. The chicken was tender, and blended nicely with the rice that was served with it. The sauce was perfect for dipping naan into.
The place is small, and tucked away, and is probably better suited for a casual dinner out rather than a date or anything impressive. But service was relatively fast — though, maybe that’s again, due to being empty on a Saturday night at 7? Either way, it’s certainly good, and I’d head back if my friend wanted to go back, since I don’t see her that frequently. And it’s cheap! Everyone’s total after tax/​tip was about $ 15, so including appetizers and such. But would I travel out of the city specifically for it? That answer is no.

I would give them a five for customer service, as they took care of this situation well:
There was a hair (blong and curly!!!) in my lamb and cherry pits in the Naan we ordered. My boyfriend almost broke his tooth on the Naan, discovering the cherry pits for us.
Luckily we were in a very good mood, unless both of these together would have ruined dinner for us, even though everything else tasted fine. We were comped dinner based off of this, and because of that I would be willing to give them another try… and hopefully a higher rating next time I go.
Still…I wonder where that hair came from???