SHALIMAR PAKISTANI CUISINE — Restaurant in Reykjavik

This is overpriced and inauthentic. Firstly they serve the food plated up which really is not how we eat in our culture, they then tried to say that was how "driver cafes" serve food, well their homes must have cafes as I have travelled the world and always found the authentic way to serve Pakistani food is in sharing plates, even individual portions are not plated up for you but presented seperately so you can build your own plate. Now let's come to the actual food, this was disappointing at best, I wish I had bothered to read the reviews, I went on faith based on other Pakistani restaurants. This was seriously overpriced for a plate of food which lacked flavour, and the place lacked charm. I should add I am of Pakistani descent I travel extensively and am raised in a Pakistani household, this was hands down the worst Pakistani restaraunt experience I have had. 3 mains cost over £100 with no starters or deserts. The waiter implied that this was fine dining and perhaps we were not used to fine dining, the actual cheek of the little so and so, I had to stop him right there and then and let him know that I knew exactly what fine dining was and my friends and I had previously frequented fine dining establishments in multiple locations. Worst experience in terms of food, cost...

I was surprised to find a Pakistani food place in Reykjavík. Who would have thought? It’s a family run business and they are operating it for 20+ years. It is located in central Reykjavík. I had the opportunity to sit and talk with the owner and learn more about his place. The gentleman was kind enough to offer me quick bites while I was waiting for my take away order.

Taste: As authentic as it can get in the kitchen of a Pakistani Mom. Bread is oven made!

Spice level: Not too spicy but they can cater to your needs as everything is freshly made.

Ambience: Very comfortable and bohemian, nice but not too loud music. Ample seating space on both levels. It’s a clean place!

Price: Typical Icelandic price. Food is expensive in Iceland. You need to understand and accept this fact. Heck a bottle of Coca Cola can cost you $4 in Iceland. (Think how hard it is to export foreign grocery goods to this remote island.)

Misc: They serve halal food, if it matters to any.

Fun observation: At this point I believe there is a Pakistani restaurant named “Shalimar” in every major city in the world. And they are not franchised. And they all serve amazing food (except the one in Austin, Texas). Btw, Shalimar is the name of a famous Mughal era royal gardens in...

I’m sorry to say Shalimar did not live up to my expectations. I ordered paneer and - although the flavours were good - I was served tofu instead. Hey, mistakes happen! Maybe there was miscommunication and they thought I wanted the vegan option?

Unfortunately, I was told that “it’s basically the same as paneer” and they even tried to play it off as a regional thing?? The poor waiter did his best and was very friendly, I had a feeling he received his instructions from the kitchen. Not wanting to put a dent in what was otherwise a great night, I didn’t feel like protesting but the fact that I’m still thinking about this several weeks later prompted me to write this review: Shalimar is either passing tofu off as paneer (god knows why) - or they are too good to own up to their mistakes, trusting that their customers are too dumb to tell. It’s a shame. I really wanted to love it!

Edit in response: Respectfully, maybe you are confusing me with someone else. I was there March 5th and was not offered, nor did I receive a replacement and was told that this was normal - I have a feeling they ran out of paneer. I might ask in turn what I have to gain from lying in a Google maps review...