Chutney Restaurant — Restaurant in San Francisco

We came here for our last meal in San Francisco. The place was among many Indian restaurants on the same block. As we entered the restaurant, it was loud, busy, and “hole in the wall” is an understatement. Customers occupied the tables, and many were going in and out. I approached one of the busboy and asked him if we can sit at any empty table, or should we wait to be seated? He pointed at a guy in the front taking orders. I picked up a menu from the front desk and sat at an empty table. The table was filthy, and nobody cleaned it after the last customer.

When we were ready to order, I went to the front to place my order. I asked the guy if the menu item comes with rice, bread, or salad. He told me no, just the meat. Rice, bread, and everything else has to be ordered separately. I ordered the lamb chops with rice, and the chicken, beef, and lamb kabobs (all kabobs are ordered separately) with naan bread. I asked him how big was the naan bread, to assess how many to order. He exaggerated it was big with his hands, like I asked a stupid question. Then I asked him if I order the lamb chops, and the 3 different kabobs, will I be trying all the different meats? He pervertedly replied mumbling, “yes you can try my meat, they’re really sour.” Appalled at whether I heard that correctly, I said “excuse me?” He said “yes, they’re good,” not answering my question. I added 2 naan bread and a mango lassi.

When the food and eating utensils came, our appetites diminished. The plates were chipped, and stained with food—clearly they weren’t washed properly. I took the plates up to the same guy in the front, and without acknowledging it, he told me to go to the back near the restrooms, and get new plates. The “new” plates were all in similar condition, chipped and dirty. I picked up a couple and cleaned them myself. The water jug and glasses looked foggy and dirty-it’s time to replace them.

The naan bread and rice were dry, and the rice was clumpy. I couldn’t distinguish between the 3 types of kabob, as they all looked and tasted the same-dry and falling apart. At first I was surprised the lamb chops were red, as they’re usually darker. They were salty, but better than the kabobs. The mango lassi (mango smoothie) didn’t taste like a yogurt based smoothie, but overly sweet and watery like mango juice. I’m glad I ordered it, because it helped us down the dry food.

I don’t like places that charge for everything separately, like items that usually come with the entrees (rice, bread, salad, etc.); maybe it’s a west coast thing. Then there are up charges for complementary sides (or should be) like sauces. Their customer service is non-existent, I almost felt like I had to do everything myself. I definitely didn’t like the front guy’s attitude (he’s Afghan/pakhtoon as I heard him speak Pashto or a similar dialect). Definitely don’t recommend and won’t be coming back to this place. Only reason I didn’t give it a one star was because of the complementary self serve milk tea for...

This is the bomb bruv. The real deal holyfield. Try the goats brains. It may sound gross but they are spicy, fatty and just the right accompaniment to the freshly made naan (which is also excellent) and with some raita and vegetables,. The raita costs extra but it's not much and it's worth it because it provides a cool, creamy contrast to the generally spicy main dishes. It's usually listed on the menu specials. If that's too much for you they also have the more mundane things like chicken tandoori, lamb, vegetarian dishes etc. My vegetarian friend who is from India also really likes it, and he should know what he's talking about! We have been there together a couple of times and always come out full and satisfied. Another thing that's really cool is they have the traditional Indian milky tea and you can refill at no extra cost. I hope they survive this pandemic. No doubt things have changed, but this is a place that deserves to continue. I think it's better than Shalimar, which has a couple of locations but is a bit of a hot mess and cramped. Don't rely on Yelp! ...

Finally got a chance to visit this place after numerous recommendations from friends. I came in with high expectations but frankly was a bit disappointed. We ordered two main entrée: the lamb Biriany and the chicken Tikka masala. The biriany was good (but not the wow I was expecting). It was pretty much what I would expect at an average Indian/Pakistani restaurant. It didn't come with the usual yogurt dip and that was a bit weird. The masala was bland (in Indian food standards) and honestly was even below average. I also didn't like the fact that you have to order Naan separately for all the curry entrées. There was free Chai which is typical, and the Chai was good. I saw lots of people ordering kebab dishes so it must be good, but until I try that I wouldn't recommend it yet.

Update: Tried the kebob and wasn't impressed. It was dry and too spicy. I also tried the tandoori chicken and it was OK. The curry (chicken Tikka masala) was good and the best thing in this place for me. Atmosphere isn't great and lots of noise. Better to...