Sohaila's Kitchen — Restaurant in Lenexa

Wanted to try a new Indian restaurant. Found this Pakistani restaurant in the Lenexa Public Market. Gave it a try.

Atmosphere: It’s not a stand-alone restaurant. It is situated in a food court. So don’t expect a fine dining experience. Feels more like cafeteria atmosphere, with indoor-outdoor furniture and picnic tables. My wife and I both ordered the butter chicken bowl, naan and two mango Lassis. The guy was friendly enough. I asked him which part of Pakistan is this food from and he said Lahore, Pakistan. That’s important because I think there are expectations sometimes for “Indian” cuisine, but different regions will have their own spin on how they prepare their food. Different spices and the ratios or quantities they use. The food came out fairly quick. The portion size was decent. I finished mine, but my wife could not, so I polished off her leftovers. The food came out in a plastic to-go container. Again, not fancy dining, but great if you want the option for take out or if you eat it there and can’t finish it, then it’s ready to go. And for great for all the apartment residents surrounding the food court.

The taste: Good enough for Indian/Pakistani food. The chicken was tender and easy to chew. I liked it, yet it felt like there was something missing as though there weren’t enough spices. Yet it did have a kick with spiciness as far as heat is concerned. I would say it seemed as though it had a hint of tomato soup mixed in there. Not the super thick gravy/curry texture I am used to. If there was an “Indian/Pakistan” food gradient scale I would say this leaned toward the bland side, at least compared to what I have in the past. Keep in mind that means “bland” for Indian food, which means extremely flavorful when compared to British food let’s say. This is why I want to mention the region earlier. I think those specific regional cultural backgrounds affect taste. In that regard it was fun to try their unique flavor.

Recommend to others: I would probably mention this place if I was listing off different Indian food cuisines for someone to try, but it would not be at the top of my list. Nor would I mention this place if someone was looking for an actual sit-down restaurant feel. I would mention that’s it’s unique in that it is from Pakistan whereas most of the time it’s Indian food that’s...

I am trying to find the words to describe my experience today... not often am I at a loss for words (and in an amazing way!) My husband and I were in Kansas City for one day running a quick errand and he wanted to find Indian food prior to leaving. As I was searching our route home on Google maps, I noticed Sohaila's Kitchen, but that hadn't come up on our prior Google search. We looked it up, with a fantastic rating of 4.9 Stars, took a peek at the photos and descriptions and I said "We HAVE to try it!"

We ordered the Butter Chicken Bowl and the Karahi Queema (hopefully I spelled that correctly!) as our entrees. The Karahi had the option of being served with rice or two naan, we opted for naan. Two very different flavor profiles, one chicken and one ground beef, but both were more delicious than words can describe. We also had the veggie samosas with chutney - also very different from and more delicious than any chutney I've ever eaten.

If you're within even an hour of this place, 100% you need to go! Bland taste buds who cannot appreciate different cuisines of the world need not go, keep your plain jane opinions to yourself 😄 Chef Sohaila and her son display exemplary customer service and are the kindest, friendliest people. Worth the 3 hour drive each way for me, cannot...

Having already been a fan of foods from all over the world, my wife and I were eager to try Pakistani food when Sohaila’s Kitchen opened more than 3 years ago. This delicious food, truly made with love, has become an absolute favorite, whether dining at the Lenexa Public Market, or at home (we buy extra containers of Sohaila’s food that we bring home and freeze for those many occasions when we simply crave her food). We love everything on the menu, and have enjoyed every one of the rotating specials that Sohaila offers up each week. And not only is the food worth the visit, but so is the entire experience, as the Humayon family is so lovely, friendly, generous, and talented - we are blessed to now consider them such dear friends. Food like Sohaila’s really can help bring joy and comfort to loved ones, and to strangers who are willing to share the same delicious experience. If you haven’t tried Pakistani food, please do. And please make sure you do so at Sohaila’s Kitchen. We look forward to seeing you there...