Bundoo Khan — Restaurant in Fremont

Re: Bundoo Khan - Fremont

Today we went to Bundoo Khan for dinner - or call it late dinner. They are in “Soft Opening” phase, and their first day was last week Thursday. Since this place was so highly anticipated so there is a huge crowd at prime dinner time (7:30’sh). We didn’t wanted to get caught up in the long lines, so came in a bit late.

Here is how much time it took. We entered the restaurant at 8:50 pm. Immediately saw a few familiar faces, so being true desis spent several minutes doing gupshup, and then got into the line to place the order. 4-5 people ahead of us. Within 5 mins, it was our turn to place the order. Half the restaurant was empty. Getting a table was no issue. They were constantly cleaning tables and getting ready for the next customer. Within a few mins, food was ready - and our pager rang. The entire order was ready at the same time, which is very cool. And, we were done eating by 9:20 pm. Now you can do the math about how good and speedy their service was! 🙂

Here is what we ordered

Chicken Tikka - Breast Chicken Tikka - Leg and Thigh Seekh Kabab - Beef and Chicken Bihari Boti Beef Malai Boti Chicken Halwa Puri Parathas

Both types of seekh kabab were excellent. Very soft and authentic taste. Their size is much smaller than the typical seekh kabab you get at other places - which are usually much harder.

Beef Bihari Boti and Chicken Malai Boti are both excellent. Very well cooked, wonderful masala and very authentic taste.

Chicken tikka was a bit under-whelming and it was very dry and the masala seemed under-cooked. Gave the feedback to them and the Manager suggested next time to order “Original”. We had ordered “spicy”. In the original, he said, the tikka will be much more juicy. In spicy, since they put double masala so it likely remains a bit uncooked.

Halwa was wonderful and provided an excellent counter-taste to the spicy chicken tikka.

Puri Parathas are a Bundoo Khan signature item and they were very nice. I think in the soft opening phase, they were a bit uneven, and the sides were quite thick in some cases. That should be ironed out in the next few days. In the LA location, the puri Parathas are very consistent and no thickness on the sides. But both places, the puri paratha is not overly oily, and hence much easier to eat and digest.

Chai is very good. Seems like doodle patti.

Talked to the Manager for a bit and here is some more info

Capacity of the restaurant is ~180. It’s almost double the size of their Fullerton location. They have a small banquet hall, which is available now. After the Eid, when they do the Grand Opening, then they will make it available upon reservation. Capacity is ~40 guests. Good place to host smaller parties. They will start offering halwa-puri-cholay nashta in next 2-3 weeks. And once they start it, those items will be available every day of the week (not just weekends) and entire day (not just mornings) They will also experiment with some other items, including Impossible Meat seekh kababs etc. I guess it makes sense, since the Bay Area has significantly more number of desis who are vegetarian - compared to LA area. Though why a vegetarian will end up in a BBQ place, is a valid question! 🙂

Since we came after the Iftar crowd had already left, and the place was much more calm and serene, overall, we had very very very nice experience. Service is super. Staff is courteous. Food is extremely good, came out fast, was prepared fresh and had authentic taste. The place is huge and clean (didn’t visit the restrooms, by the way, so no idea there).

Great addition to Bay Area’s...

Alas! The much over-hyped, self-service BBQ joint, Bundoo Khan (BK) has arrived in Fremont. But, before the thousands of SF Bay Area carnivores rejoice and run the red lights in their Teslas to get there, you might want to know first what madness awaits you when you do get there. This is my unique experience. Your own may be better or worse, so don't make a decision until you have been there at least once.

Note: I have changed my rating from 2 stars to 3 and edited my original post after seeing improvements since my last visit.

Yes, on busy days do expect lots of fellow meat-lovers waiting in various lines. There is one line to order the tikkas and kababs,, another to do the long wait, and another one to pick-up the food. Make sure its all there. I had to find out the hard way that my take-out order was missing chicken malai boti when I got home. Then there is also a line for the lonely soda fountain, one line to get the dripping wet plates, one for plastic cutlery, and one to get the raaita and chutney from the leaky dispensers. All are within tightly confined spaces, so watch out for rushing desperados dashing and avoiding hit-and-run at every corner.

As excited as you may be when you open the entrance door, have someone in your party find and secure a table. It might get impossible on busy nights to find one so arrive early.

I ended up ordering it to go. After an hour of patiently waiting, my wife and I were rewarded with cold food, incomplete order. Second time was better when we dined-in. The bihari boti this time had a weird taste that I could not figure out.

The manager did not say sorry when I returned to ask about the missing item, but offered and got me a replacement and another free falooda, which is just an overly sweet Roohafza drenched scoop of vanilla icecream.

My wife liked the beef bihari boti. She said it was just as good as any desi takeout. She said she would go there again but when crowds are not as big. The naans appeared and tasted like the rubbery frozen ones that are reheated and served.

My son, 11, tried eating the unseasoned and soggy fries with the overdone and mislabeled chicken tenders from the kids menu, but couldn't finish. He would rather eat Domino's cheese pizza instead.

The fish I ordered was dry and bland at one level, and tasted completely confusing and wrong at another level. I could not eat it after a couple of bites. So, sadly, I agree with my son, I would rather eat a cheese pizza, and I don't even like cheese pizza.

Bottom line, just like its sister location in Fullerton, Bundoo Khan continues its tradition of over-promising and under-delivering to desi foodies. They can do...

My recent dining experience at Bundoo Khan left me with mixed feelings. While some dishes were enjoyable, others fell short of expectations. Let me provide you with a detailed review of the items we ordered.

Firstly, we opted for the signature chicken tikka breast. We had the option to choose between regular and spicy, and we went for two spicy and one regular. Unfortunately, the spicy tikka turned out to be a disappointment. The excessive amount of red chili paste on top made it difficult to savor the flavors of the chicken tikka itself. The overpowering spiciness hindered the overall enjoyment of the dish.

Moving on to the signature chicken seekh kabab, it left much to be desired. The kababs were noticeably small and thin, lacking the robust flavors one would expect from a well-seasoned kabab. To make matters worse, the kababs were cold from the inside, suggesting they might have been made using frozen kababs. This further compromised the taste and overall experience.

On a positive note, the signature paratha was a saving grace. It was prepared well, with a pleasant texture and a satisfying flavor. The paratha managed to showcase the skill and expertise of the kitchen, offering a delightful accompaniment to the meal.

The falooda, while decent, had a slight drawback. Although the basic elements of the dessert were enjoyable, there was an excessive amount of roohafza syrup added, overpowering the other flavors. This imbalance made it challenging to fully appreciate the traditional essence of the falooda. It would have been more enjoyable with a more restrained use of the syrup.

Considering all the aspects of our dining experience, it is clear that there were both hits and misses. The signature chicken tikka breast, in its spicy rendition, suffered from an overwhelming presence of red chili paste, making it difficult to appreciate the chicken itself. The chicken seekh Kabab, on the other hand, was disappointingly small, lacking in flavor, and seemed to have been prepared using frozen ones. However, the saving grace came in the form of the delicious signature paratha, which showcased the restaurant's culinary prowess.

Overall, while there were aspects of the meal that were enjoyable, the inconsistencies and drawbacks in some dishes prevented us from fully relishing the dining experience. With room for improvement, particularly in terms of spice balance and the quality of certain items, I believe Bundoo Khan has the potential to provide a more satisfying culinary experience...