Karimi Indian and Pakistani Cuisine — Restaurant in San Jose

This is a great spot to get a quick fix for north Indian and Pakistani cuisine without your wallet taking a hit. We've been here a few times both for lunch and dinner. They serve in a traditional Indian/Pakistani way viz. not American styled entrees but rather in a large serve ware from where it can be shared amongst each other. We've had the following:

Chicken Tikka leg: Well made and charred to perfection. They use a very specific brand of paprika to give the bright color. It is no food color for sure since it does not stick to your hand. The meat is soft and delicious. Goes very well with their chutney.

Chicken boti kebab & malai kebab: Once again they're cooked and charred to perfection. The taste has been consistently good each time we've ordered these. We particularly like the softness of the malai kebabs but cannot choose a favorite here. both are equally good

Chicken biriyani: Very good flavors. The flavor of the chicken is great and different from other chicken options they have. The biriyani's cut expertly so it has a good proportion of all the flavors.

Goat biriyani: This is available only on weekends. The goat meat is soft and you can taste the marination. Good flavors. Point on both the biriyanis: We did feel it lacked a punch to take it to the next level.

Chicken chilli gravy: This was a little bit too tangy for our liking.

Aloo tiki chaat: Excellent chaat. Probably better than many of the dedicated chaat corners. We found the aloo tikki scanty on our first order so requested an extra tikki the next time. Got it for an extra dollar. Delicious!

Chicken samosa: Very good. Small in size but stuffed with goodness.

Butter chicken and tikka masala: The taste of the curries was ok.

Fresh lime soda: Fresh. Refreshing. Soothing. The topping off with black salt gives it a unique kick. Goes well with everything on the menu. Must order.

Ambience: Casual. Most tables are for 4. Clean. Process: Pick a table and get the menu from the counter. When ready head to the counter to place your order and pay. Collect your plates, cutlery, napkins and water jug from the counter. Food is brought out to the table. Feel free to grab the chutney squeezers from the refrigerator. Quantity: Good Parking: Limited. There's also 2 hour street parking right in front of the...

Came here to pick up a big lunch on a Wednesday. ordering over the phone was super easy and the food was ready when I came to pick it up. There is parking space on the street and in a parking lot that is shared with the other restaurants around. The store had an ample amount of people that looked like workers from the companies nearby.

I ordered the bhel puri, chicken biryani, butter chicken, aloo tiki chat, onion kulcha, beef samosas, and a mango lassi.

Bhel puri: This was my first time trying it, and I think it is a thing I needed to enjoy at a restaurant and not do takeout for. Since it was warm, there was condensation in the box, and the rice crispies were not crunchy anymore. That was my bad though. The flavors were still good.

Chicken biryani: This lasted me 4 meals because the rice was absolutely packed in the box. They are generous with their portion of me as well. I think there must have been two or three pieces of thighs/a drumstick in there.

Butter chicken: This was the thickest butter chicken I've ever had. It was almost like a paste. I prefer it to be more runny, although it was very easy to pick up with the onion kulcha. Flavors were good.

Onion kulcha: It was also my first time trying this. I wanted something more substantial and different from the usual garlic naan. The onions inside the bread were delicious, although it was unevenly made. Some of the bread was burnt while some parts had raw dough.

Aloo tiki chaat: Lots of different flavors going on here that meshed well together. If you love, potatoes, and chickpeas, this is a solid appetizer. I could get full on it alone.

Beef samosas: I deviated from the usual veggie samosas at the recommendation of other Yelpers. The beef inside the samosas were spicy and flavorful. It was too spicy for some of my cousins, although it was just fine for me. It came with a mint chutney and tamarind sauce. It was perfectly textured, crispy and hot.

Mango lassi: The mango lassi was thick and sour. Took me a while to drink it but it was a nice palate cleanser for the other foods in the order.

Overall, I enjoyed the extensive options that this restaurant had as well as its customer service....

I am so glad I tried this restaurant tonight. Very authentic indian pakistani flavors. Loved every dish I ordered. Chicken tikka leg - perfect tandoori spices and tender juicy chicken. Achari chicken - loved the gravy and the chicken was cooked so perfectly. It wasn't sour as I thought achari dish would be and thus was hesitating at first. Chicken samosas - again very well made and full of chicken stuffing. Perfectly fried in golden color. Garlic naan - thin and crispy just how I like it. I don't know if they make it thin in general or was it because I asked them if their naan is thin but you can always mention if you have a preference.

The 2 chutneys they prepare cilantro and tamarind were on point too. They were flavorful and of the right consistency. Basically authentic in every aspect.

Coming to the service, the staff was very courteous, very attentive, their service is super quick. Bahut pyaar se khilaya or uske liye bahut bahut shukriya and at the end they even insisted to try their chai. Thank you for the experience and hospitality.

It's not a fancy restaurant but they are doing their job right and the place has a warmth for which I rated the atmosphere as 5...