Shalimar Garden - Oakland

Good food at reasonable prices. You order at the cash register when you come in, grab your plate, silverware etc and then find a seat at a table in its many colorful nooks and crannies. If your spice avoidant you’ll want to ask about the heat on the dishes you order as some can have a fair amount of heat.

Shalimar Garden took over former Vegan Tikka Masala space with just minor touch-up. The place stay somewhat unchanged other than a fresh coat of interior paint. Outdoor patio with umbrella and heater set-up for breezy night. Table service is available or you can order first and they'll bring it out. House chai tea is free if dine-in otherwise it's $1.49 to-go. Currently there's a 20% off bill during the entire month of January. I went with lamb biryani $10.99 and samosas (2pcs/$3.99). Portions are shareable for two adults. My biryani had chunks of lamb without marrow with intense spices. Rice are golden yellow as expected with a humongous mound full on plate. Seasoning could be better and rice was a little mushy. I like fluffy near burnt rice and marrow attached for this type of dish. However, they're new while taking in advice given from me in good faith. Samosas are piping hot as freshly fried. I like it even though I would like to see other veggies mixed in instead of just potato. Nevertheless, it's good food with area of improvement, but that'll take time. So whatever review site you're using just go and try it. However, make sure to leave a review afterwards. That's all I asked.

Delicious vegetarian lunch on the patio. The sada bindhi (okra) and mushroom masala are excellent with their fluffy rice, fresh naan, and self-serve chai. The service was excellent as well.

Very good food and service. Casual and outdoor seating available... Lots of healthy options!

It was my first time there. I like goat biryani. Also staff were so nice and friendly