Lakshmi Chowk Kabob & Karahi — Restaurant in Virginia

Lakshmi Chowk Pakistani Cuisine – From Meh to Mashallah!

Let me start by saying—I visited Lakshmi Chowk about a year and a half ago and left thinking, "Not again." But this time? Total redemption. Hats off to Haji Afzal and team—they’ve seriously turned things around.

We ordered the Mutton (Chhota) Paya, served in a big traditional clay koonda, alongside fresh naan and that iconic Punjabi sweet lassi. And not just any lassi—this was served in a shiny silver matka and poured into classic self-embossed Punjabi glasses, making us feel like we were sitting in a dhaba somewhere deep in Punjab, not here.

Now, about the paya… let me just say: I’ve had my fair share back home in Pakistan, but never like this. The meat was tremendously tender, the gravy was so rich and sticky that our fingers were glued together like we’d just been given a toddler’s craft project. Our lips were shiny, and our hearts even shinier.

Then came the lassi—two full glasses per person. After that combo of sticky paya and sugary lassi, we looked and felt like overdunk, dazed desi dudes at a bar—minus the hangover, thankfully.

The cherry on top? Haji Afzal *owner of Lakshmi Chowk) himself came out and served us the chhota paya in that giant koonda. Talk about VIP treatment. He could've charged for the selfie and we'd still call it a deal!

In short: amazing food, warm hospitality, cozy vibes—and a transformation that deserves serious respect. If you’ve been before and weren’t impressed, give it another shot. If you’ve never been—go hungry.

Highly recommended for anyone who loves traditional Pakistani food, with a side of nostalgia and a good laugh. Bravo, Lakshmi Chowk. You made us...

I love Pakistani food (which is NOT the same as Indian (tho similar), nor the same as all the “kabob” joints you see in every plaza, those are mostly Iranian, Persian, Afghan, etc… definitely NOTHING WITH FLAVOR!!)… The depth of flavors, richness of ht ePakistani menu and way they prepare dishes is just different and much better than anything else in tne Middle East. I great up going to Pakistan often and have eaten amazing dishes made by amazing cooks, so I’m I’ve got a great base to compare what I eat in the US to.

Allll that being said – This place is pretty good! I only tried two things; shami kabob and samosa chaat. I was incredibly happy to see a menu with shami kabob on it, as this is NOT normally on menus in the US. It’s part of one of my favorite Pakistani “street foods” which they literally sell at street vendors and put on bread and call a burger. It’s chick pea flour and a minced meat, in this case it was chicken. It typically has loads of amazing spices and great heat too. In this case, it was on the not-so-spicy side, but was still good.

Their samosa chaat was decent… I’ve had better, but the choley (or channa) in it was really good. I did notice the food being delivered to other diners in the restaurant and it looked and smelled great. If I came back, I’d definitely try their curry, perhaps Karahi and definitely their naan, as the naan looked perfectly light, yet smelled amazing.

Service was just “ok” though… there was only one person working the dining room and they were really busy. I will definitely say, if you’re in the mood for a great curry, kabob, Middle Eastern, etc experience –...

Can not recommend. Below average taste due to generous usage of salt in attempt to cover the lack of flavors, or moreso, covering the lack of freshness with some dishes. Lahori fish and chicken kabob were decent. Paani puri & pappri chaat was horribly stale, taken straight out of a refrigerator. Chicken kharahi was probably the worst we've had in NoVA. Overly smokey charcoal flavor and lacked traditional karahi masalas you're accustomed to. Lamb chops tasted like charcoal and salt, with no other flavor. Little meat and overcooked, with leathery texture instead of tenderness. Channai tasted like tablespoons of baking soda and salt. Rice was old and reheated by frying in some oil (rice loses moisture when it sits and dries out). Falooda is a disappointingly small serving of canned 3-4oz of condensed milk (instead of authentic rabri) with frozen bits of kulfi, served in a small plastic cup with teaspoon of vermicelli and tiny sprinkle of tukh malanga (basil seeds). Cheapened the whole experience with corner cutting on a traditional desert (Toosso is no better, with their ice cream filler and milk cheat) Service was messy and unorganized. We had to get up and remind cashier about our deserts, who just took them out of a fridge. For a "fine" restaurant, didn't expect to get dessert in small plastic to-go cups filled up half way. Constructive feedback given, but server was defensive, essentially claiming people who lack good taste and don't know how to cook well still like their food. I...