Hajis Restaurant & Catering — Restaurant in San Jose

We were on our way back from Santa Cruz and wanted to see what would be open late. Our search led us to Haji’s restaurant which was going to stay open till 11:00 pm. I called to make sure since it’s not common to find a desi restaurant open past 9:00pm. We were a party of 12 with half a dozen being kids. We were impressed by the ambiance and cleanliness of the place. We were promptly seated and our server was courteous and informative. We went ahead and orders the essential bbq item, chicken tikka, beef seekh and chicken seekh kebab. Our server recommended mutton qorma but we voted for Nihari instead along with chicken tikka masala. (7/10) Beef seekh kebab. Aroma was great and did not have the typical meaty-gamey smell. Flavor wise I wish there was a little more salt or spice to it but ingredients we authentic Pakistani and satisfying enough. I hope they use a bit more fatty grounds to bring in the juiciness a tad bit more.

(8/10) chicken seekh kebab. Same as beef, a little more kick to it would have been preferred but still better seekh kebabs than most places I have visited.

(9/10) chicken tikka masala. Oh it was freshly made and the flavor was really good! Not your typical Indian style. Not that there is anything wrong with it but the gravy that they made was really delicious! My kids loved it

(10/10) regular naan. We all loved the naan! Cut into 4 halves. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Cooked through and through.

(10/10) Nihari. The best dish on the table! The gravy was perfect. Just the right thickness, flavors on point! I just wish it was accompanied with long ginger slices and sliced lemon. But the nihari was so good that I didn’t miss the condiments.

(7/10) chicken tikka boti. Boneless breast pieces marinated in traditional spices. For my liking, they were bit over cooked and would have been better if pulled off the tandoor 3-5 mins earlier.

We all left pretty happy and the hospitality of brother Adnan was commendable. We will definitely be back soon! Specially since they do halwa puri seven...

We checked out the recently opened Hajis Willow Glen today. First, the location is wonderfully right in the heart of Willow Glen. That entire street has such a beautiful old school small town vibe. Parking was not an issue at all. There is a big parking lot less than half a block away so we parked there and walked to the restaurant. The first impression after walking in was a warm and cozy feeling. We were immediately seated and offered Chai. Being from Karachi, chai is a big deal for me. I usually don't drink chai loaded with masala. Chai here was amazingly aromatic and just the right amount of tea, cream/milk and cardamom. We ordered beef nihari, beef seekh kabab, Chapli kabab, chana daal, chicken briyani, garlic and plain naans. One word for the food.. Delicious! Kababs were cooked perfectly. They weren't dry as we find them in most other restaurants. They wre rightly balanced with spices and served with chutney. We devoured them so quickly!! 😂 Chana daal was so tasty. Reminded me of chana daal from restaurants in Karachi. The star of the show was Nihari! If you are a Nihari lover then you shouldn't miss out this place. Nihari had just the right kick that you expect from a true Karachi Nihari. Eating with soft and fluffy naan, Nihari took most of my attention :) Briyani had right level of spices with long grain basmati rice and cooked to perfection. For dessert lovers, kheer will be a must have. Not too sweet kheer was a perfect ending to the fiest. The owner Ahmad Adnan Siddiqui is a pleasure to chat with. He was friendly and gave us good overview of the food. I think that I've found my favorite halal Pakistani restaurant. I would highly recommend...

Such a disappointing experience. I was excited to try this place given the highly rated reviews. Unfortunately, neither the service nor the food quality were up to par.

Starting with service, I don’t understand why they don’t have professional servers. The people serving us seemed done with their jobs. They had very little knowledge of the menu and had even less interest in serving us.

In terms of food, some items were good while majority were subpar. Details below: Nihari: Pretty good. I would get it again. Goat Qorma: Mid. Had too much oil and not that much flavor. Biryani: Also mid. Again, it was lacking flavor. Maybe they just need to add a little more masala. Chapli Kebab: Honestly the worst. They were mostly burnt and were super small in size. Naan: Disappointing. They were thick, rubbery, and stiff. The one we got fresh was still fine. The ones they let sit before bringing to us were very hard to eat. Turkish Soda: It was literally water with color and a slight hint of flavor. I definitely would not get it again. Karak chai: Probably the best item on the menu. It was actually pretty good.

I knew that their prices would be high (willow glen - duh), but it was very disappointing to see that the food and the service were way below the average standards. They are a relatively new place. I hope they improve things and are able to succeed in the long run. But they definitely need to make a lot of...