Himalaya Restaurant — Restaurant in Houston

Food that makes you smile, sing, celebrate, cheer and reminisce. Some of the feelings you get when you take bite after bite at Himalaya Restaurant & Catering in Houston. Celebrating their 18th year Chef Kaiser Lashkari and Azra Lashkari bring the flavors of India and his home of Karachi, Pakistan to the Mahatma Gandhi District at 59 and Hilcroft.

My wife and I were on a mission to get an order of Chef Kaiser's famous masala-infused fried chicken, but by the time we got their they were sold out. We had not been there forever, we knew whatever we ordered that it would just be great. We decided to start with an order of veg. samosas, which were stellar.

Entrée's: the Special BBQ / Grill Platter (Deluxe) - This platter sizzles with our BBQ specialties such as Lamb Seekh Kabab, Chicken Seekh Kabab, Chicken Boti, Persian Kabab and the very famous Steak Tikka. This master piece truly delivers your money's worth. Everything on this platter was so good, but the Sandy's Steak Tikka Bourdain - Highly acclaimed, lean and tender beef steak marinated in griddle roasted aromatic spices (from Bihar region of India) and chargrilled to perfection. Melts in your mouth. The steak tikka is now a Top 5 dish of all time, think beef taco al carbon but done Indian style. I took one bite and I instantly missed my Dad, and remembered him grilling ribs and steaks on the beach in Hong Kong. The flavors penetrated every ounce of the steak, and I was so happy that they were out of fried chicken, because we would have not had this awesomeness. The Chicken Boti - Skewered, tender and juicy chunks of boneless chicken tikka pieces with a special marinade anf chargrilled was also the best we have had anywhere. Persian, Lamb Seekh, Chicken Seekh all tender and seasoned beautifully.

We also got the Chicken Hara Masala (Hyderabadi) - Tender juicy pieces of boneless chicken cooked in a tiny green curry sauce made from green chilies, cilantro, yogurt and garam masala. This is the chef's signature dish! Bourdain approved. OMG! My wife's new favorite Indian dish.

Plain Naan, Garlic Naan and Rice to go with all the wonderfulness.

Chef Kaiser brought us a couple extra dishes:

Ravi’s Aloo Chana Masala (Vegan) - Butter soft chickpeas and potato cubes simmered in a piquant curry sauce. A special treat from Punjab, India. Bourdain approved. We approved!

Lamb Karhai (Frontier Style) - Succulent lamb meat pieces cooked with fresh tomatoes, karhai masala, green chillies, ginger and garlic in a traditional work topped generously with freshly chopped cilantro and sliced ginger. A dish from the frontier province of Pakistan. Perfect to sop up this wonderful gravy and tender meat with naan.

Dessert was Mukesh’s Fav. Gulab Jamun (4) - This dessert is equally loved by kids and grownups. Dry milk balls resembling donut holes are sauteed and steeped in an aromatic rose syrup

Do you want to know why Chef Kaiser is a multi-time James Beard Semifinalist, I highly recommed you go find out, your taste buds and belly will thank you. The flavors are only matched by his hospitality, it was great to catch up and talk with him. We can't wait to come back for more and promise not to take as long...

This was the second time we went to the Himalaya Restaurant and got bamboozled/scammed by the owner/manager. From the get-go, the owner/manager proceeded to use “salesmen tactics” to make us buy items in the menu that we did not originally come to buy and or necessarily want. We wanted to order two specific items in the menu knowing very well how much quantity we can eat while also keeping in mind the cost. We did not want to order 4 dishes as requested/required by the owner/manager and pay an exorbitant amount of money like we did last time.

Anyway, 4 dishes were ordered and then after realizing the psychological manipulation of the owner/manager making us purchase dishes we did not want, we then requested to remove a single dish to both reduce the price and not have leftover food. The owner/manager did not have it and came to the table and then using his scamming mentality made us purchase the extra dish and provided a reason that made zero logical sense as to why each person was required to purchase a single dish, etc.

Also, the owner/manager was disrespectful by speaking to our race in a native language. FUTURE ADVICE TO THE OWNER/MANAGER, not all people in a specific race want to be spoken in their native language. Speak in English, consider that some races may be of an American nationality and do not want to hear their native tongue. Respectively, the owner/manager was both racist/discriminatory by treating customers of a specific race with more kindness and he smiled more to them as well.

Some other things we took unkindly from this owner/manager was that he kept sitting near our table and listening to our conversations. (It was quite creepy and we did not have adequate privacy and space), gave us a table in the entrance/direct line of the waiters so we had zero space, and overall talked too much. FUTURE ADVICE TO THE OWNER/MANAGER, be quiet and let customers eat their food, do not constantly talk to them, not everyone wants to listen and finally do not play mind tricks in making customers buy food. Typically, if a customer asks, “What do you recommend on the menu?”, “What are some of your best food options, etc.” Then by all means, go in and tell the customer. FUTURE ADVICE TO THE OWNER/MANAGER, basically, do not ever use cruddy salesmen tactics to make customers buy food that they did not originally want to and in the first place never asked you to give a recommendation/opinion.

Moreover, they charged a 15% gratuity fee without even asking us to tip, because trust me, our tip would have reflected the service provided. Finally, the service was horrible as multiple times we requested to receive straws for drinks and none of the servers refilled the water of our glasses until the first time. We literally had to beg to refill the water. (Which only occurred once).

Overall, the food was good, but with the behavior of the owner/manager and overall service of the staff, we give this place a 0.5 out of a five stars. WE WILL NEVER GO BACK AND EAT AT...

I recently visited Himalaya Restaurant on Hillcroft in Houston, hoping to enjoy some authentic South Asian cuisine, but I left thoroughly disappointed. While this restaurant has garnered some praise, my experience was nothing to write home about. In fact, I’d go as far as to say it was one of the worst dining experiences I’ve had in a while.

To start, we ordered the samosas, which, to be fair, were probably the highlight of the meal. They were decent, but certainly nothing special. After this small glimmer of hope, things quickly took a downward turn. We ordered the mutton biryani, expecting tender and flavorful goat meat. To our surprise, the “mutton” was actually lamb, which isn’t quite the same thing in terms of flavor and authenticity. The meat wasn’t well-marinated, making the entire dish taste flat and unappetizing. It felt like they’d just tossed lamb into rice without considering flavor, spices, or texture. I’ve had my fair share of biryani, and this was well below par.

The chicken karahi (Peshawari) wasn’t any better. The chicken was shredded instead of being in the traditional, juicy pieces, which was strange and disappointing. The flavor was severely lacking, as if the dish had been prepared with no love or attention to detail. Given the prominence of these dishes on the menu, I expected better quality and authenticity, but instead, it tasted hastily thrown together and uninspired.

We also ordered the chicken platter as an appetizer, which included boti chicken and kebab chicken. For a plate priced at $19, the portion was embarrassingly small. You’d expect a hearty serving for that price, but instead, it felt like a sample. The boti chicken was dry, and the kebab was overly salty, further adding to the disappointment. Overall, it was a poor value for money, especially considering the portion size and flavor.

The ambiance—or lack thereof—didn’t help either. The place is cramped and lacks any charm or warmth. It’s just four walls with tables and chairs crammed in, making it hard to enjoy any aspect of the dining experience. To make matters worse, the service was lackluster. The waitstaff seemed clueless when asked basic questions about the dishes, which doesn’t instill much confidence, especially in a restaurant that claims to specialize in Indian and Pakistani cuisine.

Adding insult to injury, the prices are high for the quality and quantity they serve. And, to top off this already lackluster experience, they added a 12% tip directly onto the bill. I don’t mind tipping for good service, but forcing a tip, especially when the service and food are subpar, is just unacceptable.

Overall, I left Himalaya feeling like I had wasted both my time and money. The food was below average, the portions were small, the atmosphere was uncomfortable, and the service was lackluster. With so many other options in Houston, I won’t be returning here anytime soon. Save yourself the disappointment and try somewhere...