Shalimar Resturant

San Francisco, United States

3.8

Closed now

20 reviews

Does not accept credit cards

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 415-776-4642
Website:
www.shalimarsf.com
Address:
1409 Polk St, San Francisco, CA, 94109
b/t California St & Pine St
Nob Hill
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.5 mi19
0.6 miBig Bus Tours Stop 16, Union Square North
0.7 miBig Bus Tours Stop 7, Civic Center
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
No
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
No
Good For
Dinner
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Divey
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
No
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Has TV
No
Waiter Service
No
Caters
Yes

Today

Today 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
5:30 pm – 10:30 pm
Closed now
Local time (San Francisco) 11:18 AM Friday, June 27, 2025

Business hours

Monday 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
5:30 pm – 10:30 pm
Tuesday 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
5:30 pm – 10:30 pm
Wednesday 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
5:30 pm – 10:30 pm
Thursday 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
5:30 pm – 10:30 pm
Friday 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
5:30 pm – 10:30 pm
Saturday 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
5:30 pm – 11:00 pm
Sunday 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
5:30 pm – 11:00 pm

Description

Specialties

At Shalimar we believe in doing things the Shalimar Way which means making No Compromises when it comes to Quality. In each Guest we look forward to «Many Happy Returns».

From the moment you walk in, Shalimar promises you a wonderful experience of simplicity and great taste. So sit back, relax and enjoy the great experience.

At Shalimar, we are all like a big extended family, so we expect our guests to be forgiving with a «pinch of salt», in our shortcomings and generous with a «season to taste» in praise, where due.

«Voted San Francisco and the Bay Area’s BEST

Indian Restaurant many times!»

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Vicinity

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1401 Polk St
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1419 Polk St
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Snip2Curl
1419 Polk
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1512 Barber Shop
1512 Pine St
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Curiosity Island
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Iron & Steam Espresso Bar
1423 Polk St

20 reviews of Shalimar Resturant

No registration required
Place rating: 2
San Francisco, CA
Lots of oil and lots of attitude. Good if you’re in a bind for something to eat but make it to go, no effort was put into the décor or ambiance.
Place rating: 4
Philadelphia, PA
Solid spot for tasty Indian. No frills, but I always feel the staff cares about your meal which is often lacking in restaurants at various price points.
Place rating: 4
San Francisco, CA
This restaurant has a sister location in the Tenderloin, on Jones above Geary. Both have been in business for many years, and both serve very authentic, spicy Pakistani food.
The Polk street location is cavernous, bare bones, and has a sombre feeling. Today there were many dirty tables and very few customers. I try to support it and when I go there it’s because I crave it — specifically the Palak Paneer, spinach with cardamom and that special white cheese that never melts. Buttery and spicy, it is heaven scooped onto the fresh naan. Wash it down with the free, steaming hot chai.
Although they are not effusive with the regulars, I think it comes more from cultural habit than any kind of attitude. This place is now very unusual for the neighborhood. Its endurance will be a real indication of whether the city can keep some of its diversity in culture and businesses.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
I rarely post reviews but Shalimar definitely deserves on.
We go there occasionally with my husband. The food has great taste and great quality. The price is very affordable.
The space isn’t fancy by any means, definitely very «hole in the way”-ie. It actually reminds me of casual restaurants I have seen in India when traveling in that region. But don’t let that put you off if you are looking for delicious Indian food.
Chicken tikka masala is my favorite.
Place rating: 4
San Francisco, CA
I wish I had a mountain of the naan they make here. Very affordable and worth every penny
Shalimar is very to-​the-​point. It doesn’t have a lot of frills, no reclaimed wood or silly language to make it sound more artisanal. Great recipes and big portions, a simple looking restaurant with a lot to offer on your plate.
There is a nice covered patio outside too, great for warm days
Atmosphere: Pretty plain interior, but a lot of four top tables and high ceilings
Try: Chicken Tikka Masala is my favorite here. Good style!
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
Hands down, Shalimar (both this one and the one in the Tenderloin) have served me the best Indian food I have ever had. Granted, it’s oiler than other places and sometimes the spices can be a little hard on the stomach, it’s worth it because the food is so delicious. The naan is freshly made in front of you. The free chai is wonderful. And, you won’t find better prices.
Mind you, the 5 stars is specifically for the food only. The guys are all nice (can sometimes sound a little gruff), and the service is solid, but definitely not 5-​star. The atmosphere and décor are very «hole in the corner» so maybe 3 stars for that. I do have to say that this place is bigger than the one in the Tenderloin, so makes for a nicer dining experience.
Place rating: 4
San Francisco, CA
The best bang-​for-​your-​buck Indian food in Nob Hill.
They’ve got a wide variety of dishes (I’ve had the bhuna gosht and chicken tikka massala), with delicious rice and naan to soak up the extra sauce.
You won’t wait long for your food and will leave very satisfied.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
Best Pakistani/​Indian place in SF by quality and price. Their chicken tikka masala is amazing, their freshly made naan and their mango lassi are awesome as well. Actually, I am getting hungry of Shalimar… will come by tonight again =)
Place rating: 4
San Jose, CA
Shalimar, when done right, is the epitome of great, greasy Indian food. It is cheap and my standard bearer for Indian done the way I like it. Often, it is my first craving upon coming back from my travels. However, Shalimar can be hit or miss, not always as accurate with their spices and cooking of naan as they could be. Other than that, I love the place and will be coming back for a long time to come!
Place rating: 4
San Francisco, CA
This is one of my favorite places to eat around my apartment. It is a small place that serves amazing food. I have brought a few friends here and everyone agrees the food is great and reasonably priced.
The Naan is fantastic and is chewy, fluffy and great for soaking up or dipping into the all the curries they serve. The roasted chicken dishes they have are really tasty and very moist. A nice variety of curry dishes are available to fill your belly.
I would recommend that you give this place a try if you’re in the neighborhood.
Place rating: 4
San Francisco, CA
Good and cheap is a great combination! Unlike many other Indian restaurants, Shalimar does a great job with meat. The tandoori chicken leg is probably the best I’ve ever had, and the nihari (beef shank) was amazing. I’m also a big fan of the bhuna gosht (lamb curry).
The Nihari is particularly amazing — and it’s fairly unusual to find beef at an Indian/​Pakistani restaurant, but so good. It’s lean beef shank, without the bone, cut into bite sized pieces. Although they trimmed out most of the fat, they left plenty of the gristly tendony goodness with the meat, and it was prefectly complimented with the spices and ginger. The naans are great too.
Place rating: 1
San Francisco, CA
I should have known better. Look, I’ve eaten at the one in the tenderloin and was not impressed at all. My stupid friend says I must have had a bad experience, so he convinced me to come to this location. Why I listen my pasty friend who doesn’t like onions, garlic, or flavor I don’t know. What a waste of time. This isn’t curry, it’s oil. When someone leaving comments on how great the naan was, I rolled my eyes. This is the crappiest cheap indian food in this city, yet it’s raved about. Everyone must be high or something. And just like last time, I wore my food out and had to incinerate my clothes.
If you eat at these dumpy places, and still think Shalimar compares, I’ll buy your next meal at this dump: Little Delhi (daal makhni, shrimp rasala… you won’t be disappointed) or Pakwan (saag paneer is fantastic here!).
Place rating: 1
Houston, TX
The service was so bad. The employees are so rude. They throw us out because we went inside just before 5 mins before they close. The manager was so rude that one of my friend wanted to use the rest room and he didn’t let her use it. According to Unilocal they should open till 11pm but close it also at 10.30 pm. Please try the another branch. I will never go back.
Place rating: 5
Chico, CA
I had a blast at Shalimar, and the food was great and inexpensive!
I came here with a friend and we split a chicken dish, naan, and lentils and all of them were awesome. The mango lassi was also really good.
I was fascinated watching how naan is made and it was interesting to watch all the food prep, which you can see right behind the counter.
Would definitely eat here again if in the area! If you like Indian food and cheap things (who doesn’t?) definitely stop here!
Place rating: 2
San Francisco, CA
Sat on this review for months to let my experiences marinate, right?
Hit and miss the miss makes me hit door forever.
Over years and years I’ve had their food taken out and ordered in. It is tasty food okay but this is San Franciso great food is a dime a dozen.
Is rice endangered? Like, more bones than chicken meat? Thats not Kobe beef. 30 bucks with tip for small portions of tasty yet replaceable food? More bones than chicken yet again in the last take out drove me to google CURRY and after months I’ve learned to cook bombastic curry I recommend this recipe.
By the way I’ve lived in San Franciscon since 1984 just so you know.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
DELICIOUSNESS!
yes — the environment is a bit shabby, but the food is amazing. I usually call in my order for pick-​up (no delivery), and the place is always hopping and everyone looks like they are having a great time. I’ve tried so many dishes on the menu, and very few disappoint. The food is spiced perfectly, and has a range of «new» or unusual flavors. And the Naan — you must order the freshly made Naan.
Place rating: 4
San Jose, CA
3.5 stars. Shalimar Fremont (East Bay) is 5 stars with the same menu, but the SF location isn’t as good because the food isn’t as fresh. Fremont cooks everything as you order, but here there are buckets of popular dishes semi pre cooked. Service is excellent, but the same dishes I normally order (goat curry, chicken tikka, saag paneer) are a bit dryer and less «just cooked.» Still tasty, but not as good as the best Shalimar in Fremont
Place rating: 4
South San Francisco, CA
The naan… was so… good. Freshly made, piping hot, and so fluffy and soft and wonderful. I almost forgot to eat the chicken in my tikka masala because I was too busy dipping my naan into the sauce, and then eventually spooning it over the bread for optimum deliciousness.
I had no idea how to order, though. Most of the time I was freaking out because I wasn’t sure where to order, how to order, where and when I was supposed to pay… there was definitely a system there that was efficient, but it’s not what I’m used to. For future reference (mainly for myself): you go in. You look at the menu. You order at the register. You sit down. You get your food. And then you go back to the register and pay at the end.
Service wasn’t all that great, but based on the nature of this place, it made sense that you were supposed to get in, get your food on, and get out. Here is a case where the food is greater than the service, and the service matches the level of the type of establishment, which means the service part is neutralized and the end result is a net positive for the food. One day I’ll come up with an infographic to display my feelings in charts.
Place rating: 3
Portland, OR
I stopped in here for a quick bite and was pleasantly surprised.
The food was okay, but I was surprised that everything was made pretty fresh! That Naan that I had ordered had garlic put into the middle of it and was baked right after I ordered it! It was so warm and soft it was amazing.
The service was great, the employees that I interacted with were very nice.
The appearance of the place? Not too hot. It looked dirty and I’ll admit I was kind of scared to eat from here from fear of seeing a roach crawl around. But this would be the first hole in the wall that I tried that looked that way and tasted amazing. Even though this place wasn’t too amazing, it was decent for the price.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
The fact that this place is getting cleaner and the quality of the food, the taste and the price are getting better, I like this place more and more.
They definitely cleaned the place and make it much cleaner than the last few years I have visited this place over 100xs.
The people who work here don’t talk much but if you ask for napkins, drinks or anything they are very accommodating.
Just bunch of good people with good customer service skills cooking delicious Indian Food!
Btw the women bath room is also cleaner!