Vegan N Chicken 1 — Restaurant in Berkeley

After a horrible customer experience with UberEats due to communication and re-compensation after filing a cancellation, I decided to talk to the owner face to face and walked out the restaurant with the meal completely and overly satisfied!

The backstory:

I attempted to order from Vegan N’ Chicken through the UberEats App for pick up on a Saturday afternoon (3pm) and was not aware they were closed between these hours. The app took the order and gave me a time frame in which in would be ready. The app gave a final notification that it should be ready and I went ahead and started heading towards there. By the time I got there, the restaurant was closed but had a sign up they take breaks between the hours of 2:30-4:30pm thus having to cancel the order.

I didn’t think anything of it and went about my day and the next evening, I check my email to find out that because it was already being made, and I cancelled after time of pick up, that I had to be charged the total amount of food. This wasn’t a small order either and because it was Sunday evening, I planned to call their customer service the next business day. Monday afternoon I called UberEats customer service and they told me that because this happened beyond 48 hours, they couldn’t do anything to compensate and reimburse. I explained the situation, the restaurant was closed, and had to cancel. I requested to have them provide and direct me to documentation that I have 48 hours to resolve any issue for any support. They couldn’t do that. I asked for a supervisor, instead they told me that this was what the supervisor would say and proceeded to end the conversation. I felt robbed from UberEats!!

I decided to go to the restaurant and speak to them directly. Upon entering, it was a bit busy but was already greeted and was offered their complimentary soup/chai. I went straight to counter and had a chance to speak to the host in which I was able to speak to speak to Sultan ( the boss). I explained to Sultan the situation and he didn’t hesitate to assure me he would take care of it. Even when not being able to confirm the meal was paid for from UberEats, Sultan and his team proceeded with making the cancelled order on that busy Memorial Day with no complaints or hesitancy whatsoever. I even decided to compensate for them taking the time to make the meal and they did not accept it at all and was just appreciative for coming in. This wasn’t my first time at this restaurant and fell in love with their flavorful tikka masalas and freshly made naans! Not only is their food superb, fresh, and deep in flavor, this quality customer service after a problematic 3rd party service is above and over expectations of customer service! I highly and definitely recommend this restaurant if in the Berkeley area and am glad I came across a gem like this! Thank you Sultan and the team at...

FIVE STARS. 100% DELICIOUS!

I was a little heartbroken after Indus village, helmed by an elderly gentleman who was the chef who I have been getting my masala special from, for 10 years, decided to close up shop. A month or so passed and I just let it go.

Driving by, I saw the new sign, "Vegan N' Chicken" , I held out for one or two days just out of respect for the old man. Tonight I went there after looking at some of the pictures of the fried chicken on Google maps and, OH MY GOD.

Run by Abbasi and his son Unzer, VEGAN N' CHICKEN is hitting 100% in every department.

They had already sold out of the fried chicken because it sells out everyday because it's that good, and so I decided on the tandoori chicken, which came to my table hot, just a little smoking, that perfect charred Pakistani Lahore Style grill flavor, and the garlic Naan, both of which had been fresh made in house. NOTE: If you get anything Tandoori, either order ahead or have a little extra time as it takes over 20 minutes to prepare! (Thanks to Steven Lucas for reminding me)

The chicken was perfectly tender and smoky, and the Naan is to die for. Crispy, chewy, flaky, buttery, perfect.

Best of all is that I was able to get in and out for UNDER $20 PLUS TIP. This is completely rare in Berkeley these days, that a working class person can go in and get a nice dinner for 20 spot or close to it. Much needed around here. Affordable food for working class folks.

Something that also struck me, I watched an older lady I have seen around the neighborhood for about 50 years since I was a kid, come in and order some food, and watched how kindly Abasi and Unzer treated her when no one was looking.

Best of all, is that they converted some empty parking lot space adjacent to the Halal market, into a beautiful looking outdoor patio, which could easily hold 100. I talked with Abbasi and realized he is a true Master restauranteur, who has had restaurants in two different countries and several different major American cities, and he understands the heart and soul of a restaurant.

Sometimes you just have a simple meal that blows you away, and it doesn't have to be super fancy and it doesn't have to be at a super expensive restaurant, and it doesn't even have to be super exotic. But it amazes you and keeps you coming back for more, like some of our favorite old restaurants from this area. This is that place.

I highly recommend this place for the great food, great people and great new location.

Make sure to say hi to Abbasi and Unzer...

There are very few restaurants where I find myself venture back to the very next day after trying it for the first time, but Vegan N’ Chicken had me hooked after my first bite.

I was looking for a simple comfort meal after a long day and decided to try a place. It was around 8:30 and most places in the area were closing at 9 but Vegan N’ Chicken happened to be open until 10pm!

When I walked in, I immediately was welcomed with ‘mom and pop’ restaurant vibes. It is a very casual and fairly small restaurant, but it makes for a very comforting experience. You get to seat yourself then they’ll bring you a menu. The menu is simple, but also has everything you’d need. They even have a few seafood dishes! While you wait for your food, you can help yourself to their complimentary soup & hot chai. I’ll admit I have no clue what the soup is, but it is such a great way to start the meal. Especially with some hot chai too!

On day 1 we ordered Lamb Tikka Masala ($14.99), Chana Masala ($9.99), Cheese Naan ($3.99), Rice ($2.99), and Vegetable Samosas ($4.99). The servings were very generous for the price compared to other similar restaurants in Berkeley. We did ask for medium spice level, but it wasn’t spicy enough for us so they brought us a plate of onions, peppers, and cucumbers! The Chana Masala was my favorite bite of the night. It was packed with fragrant spices & the garbanzo beans were so tender. The Lamb Tikka Masala was a little bit sweeter than I am used to, but after mixing in some rice or eating it with the cheese naan it was perfect.

On day 2, we ordered the Papadum ($2.99), Rice ($2.99), Prawn Vindaloo ($17.99), and Chana Masala ($9.99 - we added paneer to it and didn’t confirm how much it was with the paneer). This time we ordered our dishes spicy to see if it was any different. It really was still not spicy at all, but honestly it didn’t bother us. It was a great way to be able to enjoy the dishes in their entirety. The prawns in the vindaloo were fairly large and the portion was perfect for two people! They were also not overcooked & still had a nice bounce when biting into it. The Chana masala with the added paneer was a great combination as well.

Vegan N’ Chicken is honestly a great spot for the college students nearby as well. It’s affordable & could easily be split into two meals even if you just order one dish!

Next time we stop by, we’re going for...