Kareem’s — Restaurant in Kolkata

Being an avid self-proclaimed Kebab lover, when for the first time I heard about Kareem's Potli kebab, I was intrigued, to say the least. So when I found the opportunity to take Ma to a good Mughlai Restaurant, I took it to visit Kareem's.

On a Saturday afternoon, the restaurant was packed so make sure you make reservations beforehand which might not guarantee immediate admission but might reduce the waiting time significantly. However, we were lucky and being just the 2 of us, got seats immediately.

The decor is rich and beautiful. It was well lit as well which was my mother's specific requirement and the staffs were very attentive making the service very prompt and enjoyable.

Coming to the food, we mostly ordered Kareem's specialities and recommendations - our order mainly consisted of 2 Mocktails, 2 Starters, 2 Main Courses with Rotis and finally 1 Dessert.

Mocktails: Virgin Mojito: As virgin mojitos should taste- minty and refreshing. A good one to ease the grease of the kebabs and the main courses.

Cucumber Cooler: Just as the name suggests, the flavour had a heavy cucumber influence with a tinge of tang, but mostly sweet. Not being a fan of cucumber I can say that the drink was not for me but my mother who likes cucumber, liked the drink too and found it refreshing. Her only complaint: could have been a little less sweet.

Starters: Kareem's Special Chicken Potli Kebab: The main reason for my visit to Kareem's and I can gladly say it didn't disappoint. The potli kebab is one of a kind kebab, and the kebab is exactly like it is described in their menu card. Comes with 4 pcs per serving, those are big kebabs and very filling. 100% must try and absolutely worth the price.

Butter Garlic Prawn Kebabs: Tasted just ok. There are 2 main complaints I have with this dish - firstly, the missing flavour of butter and garlic; tasted more like tandoori prawn than butter garlic prawn. Secondly, I found the price very steep for 6-medium sized prawns.

Main Course: Dum Dahiwala Chicken: I cannot recommend this dish enough. The subtle yet rich & smoky flavour of the gravy, the buttery soft chicken pieces (6 kebab pieces) had us finger-licking for more. A perfect accompaniment to any kind of Roti or even Biryani. An absolute must-try for everyone.

Mutton Karachi: Since our server informed us that our first main course, the Dum Dahiwala Chicken, has white gravy and subtle taste, we decided to go with this one as it was of brown gravy and had a bolder flavour profile and we weren't disappointed. A polar opposite taste to the Dum Dahiwala Chicken and so so amazing. The gravy was rich and absolutely amazing with 4 large and soft pieces of bone-in mutton. I feel the dish goes the best with Roti or plain Pulao rather than Biryani because the taste of the gravy is more prominent with them. Whereas, Biryani being a fragrant rice dish itself might not do justice to Karachi Mutton. But to each their own, so no matter what this dish is again a must-try.

Butter Naan and Tandoori Roti: I would like to add here that I am not a fan of naans or rotis especially tandoori roti because in most places the tandoori rotis are too hard. But I found the tandoori roti here very soft and the naan was not rubbery at all. So thumbs up to that.

Dessert: Malai Firni: It was a tough competition between Malai Firni and Shahi Tukda but we finally decided to go for Malai Firni. We loved it, it was creamy and the taste was just like a very good quality malai and almond kulfi which we loved. Another must-try.

By the end of this review, I feel like I have written the most must-tries for any review thus far but Kareem's really deserves it.

Except for the prawn dish, I loved everything about this visit. And I know, there are so many things on the many that are still left to try out but I can tell this isn't going to be my last visit but the first of the many to come. If you are craving good Mughai dishes then visit Kareem's, the pocket pinch may be a little high but it's...

I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting Kareem’s before, and after yesterday, all I’m thinking is what took me so long to experience this out-of-the-world Mughlai fine dining experience!

Before I even come to the extravagant culinary experience we had, I think it will be an offence if I do not mention the spectacular décor and ambience; the grand theme with the chandelier and lighting emits a royal vibe about this this place.

Coming to the menu, most Mughlai cuisine outlets have a standard menu of the familiar kebabs such as tikka kebab, tangdi kebab etc. So, we opted for a few of the starters which are not only new to our palate, but are also among Kareem’s signature dishes:

1. Butter Garlic Mushrooms: Idk why a lot of non-veg lovers have the notion that restaurant e eshe niramish khabo keno(Why should we order veg items while at a restaurant)….I disagree. Just because the item doesn’t contain meat/protein doesn’t mean it cannot taste mouth-watering good. And my opinion was confirmed by this starter; I’d say this is a must try for everyone who visits Kareem’s. 10-12 pieces of succulent button mushrooms grilled and tossed in butter garlic sauce: an absolute treat to the tastebuds

2. Chicken Peshawari Tikka: This is the best kebab we had yesterday. Six perfectly grilled portions of chicken tikka, covered in the in-house special spicy barbecue flavored mayo. The pieces had such a juicy interior and a saucy charred exterior, every bite we took felt like gastronomical bliss! Highly recommended

3. Chicken Potli Kebab: Another specialty of Kareem’s: ample amount of cashew and minced chicken filling inside a chunky, grilled chicken exterior. And boy! The size of these kebabs was as big as tennis balls! Very flavorful, very aromatic, equal attention was provided at both the chicken outside (the potli shell), and the chicken inside(stuffing). Masterpiece indeed!

4. Kareem’s Special Mutton Dum Biriyani: Very light, aromatic biriyani with four handsome mutton portions with potatoes and egg. What I loved more is the rice did not have any oily, greasy texture (actually I don’t prefer oily biriyani; ruins the taste in my opinion)

5. Butter naan: Butter naans have a tendency to become rubber naans in most restaurants. Thankfully at Kareem’s, the naans were very light and thin, and stayed crispy even after a while. Not to forget the generous drizzle of butter on each of them

6. Karachi Mutton: Four succulent mutton portions in a very rich gravy. This dish will go very very well with any bread(roti/kulcha/naan/paratha)

7. Shahi Tukda: A grand Mughlai course is incomplete without the dessert selections. This will be favorite for people who prefer bread-based desserts. And the top layer of condensed milk with saffron and almonds was very thick and smooth. An excellent choice for people with sweet tooth

8. Malai Firni: This was really different from any firni I had tasted before! While others had a light, grainy-paste like texture, the Malai Firni, as the name suggests, had malai infused in it, giving it a much decadent flavor with smoother, thicker consistency. Highly recommended

9. Drink: Watermelon mojito: A new take on virgin mojito. I’m not sure whether the taste was of watermelon or bubblegum flavor, but it was very refreshing

One thing to note is Kareem’s has an excellent price-to-portion ratio. All the items were very satisfying in terms of both quality and quantity. Also, the staff at Kareem’s deserve applause, for their warm gestures and fast service. Special thanks to Mr. Priyaranjan Biswas for ensuring our starter, main course, dessert plates were changed at regular intervals, and he took special care of tending to my parents as well: a quality I highly respect and admire. From ambience to service to cuisine, I highly recommend Kareem’s to everyone at Kolkata. This place will surely make you fall in love with their food. I will be definitely visiting real...

A fine lunch experience at the heart of park Street providing mainly mughlai spread.If you crave for food then Kareem's would be a great choice for you. Kareem's has successfully flourished in Kolkata since some time now with a number of outlets,all located very centrally.So, when I found the opportunity to go with my siblings to a Mughlai Restaurant,we tried Kareem's. On a Sunday afternoon,the Restaurant was chock-a-block with people,so make sure you make reservations beforehand which might not guaranted immediate admission but might reduce the waiting time significantly. The luxurious interior and the brilliant chandeliers,and good service provided by the gentle staffs make for an atmosphere where you enjoy your gastronomical journey with your buddies. Now coming to the food.We mostly ordered Kareem's Specialities including-------------- 🔹 Mocktails: 1)Virgin Mojito -- A good drink to ease the grease of the kebabs and the main courses by its refreshing and minty flavour. 2)Cucumber Cooler -- Just as it should be,the flavour had a heavy cucumber influence,but mostly sweet.The person who likes cucumber,will like the drink too,I think. 🔹 Beverages: 1)Bottled water -- A normal quality water and it charges 110/- which is high. 2)Masala Soda -- had a soda flavour.All over it was good.I liked it. 3)Freah Line Water. 🔸Starter: 1)Murgh Potli Kebab. 2)Murgh Malai Tikka. 3)Mugh Rozali Kebab. We all enjoyed the starter period with these three dishes.I just loved Potli kebabs.Also the Malai Tikka and Rozali Kebab were delicious.💯recommended and absolutely worth the price.I can gladly say that it didn't disappoint us. 🔸Main course: 1)Mutton Dum Biryani. 2)Chicken Tikka Biriyani. 3)Kareem's special Raan Biriyani. 4)Murgh Tikka Dum Biryani. Oh my god !! We've a fabulous experience.This was literally amazing.Prices are good compared to its quality and quantity. Kareem's special Raan Biriyani and Chicken Tikka Biriyani is my favourite. Therefore,I would recommend you to try it once.As described in the menu card,all biriyanis are accompanied with Raita. ▫️ Dessert: 1)Malai Firni -- don't know how to describe the tast but we loved it.It was creamy and the taste was just like a very good quality malai and almond kulfi which we love.Another must try. At the end of the review,I wanna say that it was a very good experience for all of us.That's why I think that it's my duty to share the experience with others.So that, they could also have memorable gastronomic experience with...