Irvine Halal Meat & Produce Market

I went there today and found a few construction workers tearing off the floor. For a brief moment I thought they relocated but found out from next door that they closed for good. It’s sad to know what once was a small nice grocery/​restaurant is gone forever.
All the isles, the counter, the kitchen, seating are gone, nothing except the name which is still on there. Pretty soon they will take that name down and that will be the end of a great place that once served absolutely delicious food, authentic to the core and generous portions. So looks like restaurant business is really tough like people say.

Closed?
Nice job, Unilocalers. This place served the finest Pakistani/​Indian cuisine in Southern California, but you dramaqueens had to b*tch about «customer service» because apparently, the ‘staff’ is more important than the food. For those of you who don’t have taste buds, and can only review on the basis of ‘staffing,’ please stop reviewing. You’re ruining cuisine for me and everyone else in this great state.

This one was a great place to buy fresh meat at a reasonable price. Tried it three times and every time meat was tender and fresh. If you don’t mind shabby appearance, one should try it for fresh meat and Friday Lunch buffet.
This place is closed since last week of December 2014. I tried calling their number but is disconnected.

3.5 stars
Review from ⁸⁄₂₀₁₄
Silver spoon burrito and lamb curry special are delish! Kinda pricey but worth it… and it’s all halal :) Silver spoon is a meat filling of your choice wrapped in a paratha. Its a big serving, easily shared. I prefer it with the tandoori chicken. They are located in a market with a few tables and chairs set up in the back. Service is slow and not that friendly at times. I prefer to order ahead and pick up!

PROS: Food is beyond delicious (best Indian/​Pakistani style in the OC)
CONS: service is satisfactory and price changes randomly and maybe too pricey
NOTE: this location has been closed just recently (I just realized yesterday when I drove by)
The food is great quality and tasty, however there have been times (during Ramadan) where the quality was not as great because the food was dry, and sometimes cold (reheated).
EXCELLENT DISHES: masala daal, bhindi, potato sabji, chicken boti and their lunch buffet is great
Nigat seemed to be very friendly at first, and she is to an extent. She does sell their quality and business well at the beginning by talking a lot to you. However, there have been a couple times where she has been rude.
1) When my husband and I went for the lunch buffet, he asked Nigat if one of the items was beef. Her response was «I told you before, we don’t serve beef here. Our dishes are either lamb or chicken». No customer should be responded to in that way. PERIOD.
2) When we called in to order takeout, we asked her about what was available that day, and my husband was taking a little time to decide. She got irritated and said «decide please, I have a lot of customers waiting». Again, no customer should be responded to in that way. PERIOD.
Improve the service 10-​fold, and I don’t mind getting the food more often for it’s price.

I really wanted to like this place since an Indian friend recommended it but after making the trek from Aliso Viejo and waiting 45 minutes to get our food, it was… meh. Honestly the Indian deli in Wholesome Choice is much cheaper and delicious to boot!
For one curry dish, an order of paratha (which was rich and the one item I enjoyed) and naan it came to about $ 25. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt since it’s a tiny little mom & pop store which probably got overwhelmed during the lunch rush but there are too many better places out there, both in terms of quality, cost & time.

Excellent Indian/​Pakistani food. Recommend the buffet and the burritos. Decent prices. Quick service.

My resolution to write mostly 5 star reviews fully of fairy dust and rose petals broken so soon. The auntyji who runs this place clearly has no business being in the food and hospitality business. I should have paid heed to all the 1 star reviews detailing her obnoxiousness and stayed away but now I have only myself to blame for wasting 10 minutes in this establishment.
Royally ignored for 10 minutes before I inquired (very politely — I’m always polite) where I need to pay. No one bothers to respond. Auntyji the brusquely asks me what I want and I speak to her in Urdu and get repeatedly answered back in English (despite the fact that she spoke perfectly acceptable Urdu to the woman in front of me). Then she says — «Go and wait at the front of the store — I’ll bring your food there».
And I think I figure out what’s going on — I’m not dressed modestly enough for her delicate sensibilities. Seriously now? So I walk out right across the street to Chong Qing where the servers are attentive, prompt and couldn’t give a fuck about how I’m dressed. Definitely not getting any of my hard earned money — this lot.

The Silver Spoon (burrito) is very delicious. It’s on the higher end of the cheap side ($ 10 for a Silver Spoon), but it’s very filling and they use fresh, quality ingredients. The bread they use is thick, flaky and scrumptious. The Samosas were also great.
The friendly lady who was serving us seems to be the owner/​co-​owner. She told our group that they make their own bread every morning for the Silver Spoon. Also, their lamb is organic and grass fed, and their chicken is organic too.
If you’re looking for a quick bite, this is not the place. It took about 15 – 20 minutes for our food (group of four) to come out. There was only one dude in the kitchen and he made everything to order.
Overall, very delicious. If you like hole-​in-​the-​wall/​ma-​and-​pa restaurants with great food, come here.

Review is based on the Silver Spoon Burrito.
Overall, this burrito was not nearly as tasty or amazing as everyone makes it out to be.
The meat itself was pretty dry and wasn’t that flavorful.
The Paratha rap was yummy, and for those that are Chinese, it’s very very similar to an «onion pancake» without the onions.
Would I be back? Prob not. But I guess I might have cravings for something like this in the future.

For lack of a better word, or for lack of better words… I LOVE THIS PLACE!
Three words baby: Silver Spoon Burrito!
You can swing both ways (lol) whether it be chicken or beef, you can’t go wrong! Treat your taste buds to some good-​good!
Where do I even begin? Let’s start off with the quality of the meat which happens to be ridiculously legit; fresh, tasty, well-​seasoned, and just plain yummy. Just melts in your mouth!
The paratha is one of the BEST parathas’ I have ever had: sorry mom: it reeks quality.
The service: SUPERB! Well accommodating. Give it a TRY! You won’t regret it! As you lick your fingers when finished, you will regret having not ordered more!
And the best for last: It’s ZABIHA/​HALAL :does backflip: #hollabackyoungin

I always thought this was just a grocery store but through Unilocal,I learned that it was more than that. With a few tables and chairs for dining in, you can come here to eat and order from their menu or avail of their lunch buffet which is only on Fridays for about $ 12.
With the buffet table set up and the place not big enough as it is, it was rather crowded inside making it hard to navigate around. My fellow diners decided to order from the menu while I opted for the buffet. The owner was strongly pushing the buffet but my friends didn’t budge and luckily, the kitchen was kind enough to accommodate their orders.
There was quite a selection to choose from with vegetarian and non-​vegetarian items. Chicken biryani, mutton biryani, chicken karahi, lamb korma, paneer, chicken tikka massala, and mutton seekh kabab are just to name a few. Everything tasted alright but I found the chicken on the dry side while the mutton was tough and had a chew to it. Nothing really stood out except for the mutton biryani which I enjoyed flavor wise.
The Silver Spoon Burrito was a different story. I think the paratha bread they use seals the deal for this one. It had a pleasant chewy texture that complimented the grilled chicken and all that’s wrapped around it so nicely. Smother it with the green dipping sauce on the side and booyah! You’ve got yourself a winner. This was ordered off the menu and not part of the buffet which is a good thing because it means you can order this anytime. If anything, I would come back for this and this alone.

Wonderful food, great experience and a reasonable price. It’s obvious to me that Neghat has poured her heart and would into the food, as well as the dining area. The dining area is right next to the grocery aisle but I barely noticed thanks to her décor and effort to great a warm inviting area to enjoy her cuisine. Bravo, well done Neghat!
4 ½ stars!!!

The silver spoon burrito with chicken was delish! Get it paratha only, it’s even better.
The lady is nice, but she accidentally charged me $ 200 instead of $ 20. It was never taken out of my account, but I was annoyed for having a $ 200 hold placed on my debit card. Other than that. Great little place.

While the food had been historically good, particularly the silver spoon wraps, this establishment now fails because the owner will outright lie about food being ready (when there is a more than 45 minute wait ahead of me) in order to take payment. She then mixes meat and misrepresents what is inside the sandwiches.
We ordered takeout and she promised it would be ready by 8pm (giving 30 minutes). As I arrive it she claimed the food was ready and she is bringing it right out, taking payment. At that point it turns out they had not started. We had children that needed to eat. She then claimed it would be a few more minutes, she was lying. This was a complete nightmare. The owner was not vaguely apologetic.
On top of that, when the food came home we got mixed meats and meats that should not been in the specifically marked sandwiches.
If you don’t mind an establishment that is dishonest and wastes time, this is the place for you.

The reason why I came is for their Silver Spoon Burrito!
I got this choice in chicken and is rolled with the paratha bread. This burrito is interesting, the chewy bread that houses the chicken was something new to me. I wouldn’t say the paratha bread it self is tasty but it was a good compliment with the meats, (seriously, screw tortillas!).
The chicken inside the Silver Spoon was middle eastern style bbq chicken, tender and delicious! To add flavor to all this madness, there is a green dip that goes with it and it makes this even better!
Ordered as sides were the Vegetarian Samosas: They were good savory snacks and was spiced in the insides again, that green sauce dip goes with these as well.
You can’t go wrong with what you get with the meats, your dining inside with the meat deli right in front of you. So you know what that means?! freshness.
The owner here was nice she explained about their menu and what they offer. Their store carries imported snacks, canned foods, and some other grocery stuff.
FYI: To find the restaurant inside, it is tiny and almost hidden, you would need to go to the right side of the market, till you find the tables and seating, there you will see the deli at the rear corner.

I really enjoy the silver spoon wrap, but giving it a 3 star because price is outrageous.($ 11)
Stay away from lunch buffet, curries are sub-​par at best.

This is on my list of places foodies in OC should go but don’t.
The food really tastes like … well food. Dishes are aggressively seasoned and really good.
If you haven’t gone, go.

I was on my way to pick up food from A&J when I had a sudden sense of intrigue about the Halal Market next door. Place sticks out like a sore thumb in this heavily Asian (read: Chinese/​Taiwanese/​Korean/​Japanese) plaza. Feeling a little adventurous, and seeing the good Unilocal reviews, I decided to give it a shot. Well, my curiosity paid off in the form of the SILVER SPOON BURRITO.
Yup, terrible name aside, the «burrito» did not disappoint! So what is it? It’s basically a flat bread wrap, similar to a Doner kebab or gyro, but it’s stuffed with Indian/​Pakistani style tandoori chicken (lamb, beef or goat also available), some onion and spices and and a super addictive spicy creamy green sauce. It’s full of exotic flavors and totally delicious!
The chicken was super tender and perfectly seasoned. And the crispy chewy texture of the paratha bread complements it so well. If you don’t know what paratha bread is, it’s basically pan fried flat bread. It’s a little oily since it’s fried, but damn is it good. Alternatively, you can get it on baked naan bread but consensus seems to be that paratha is the way to go.
The Silver Spoon Burrito on paratha bread will set you back $ 10 plus tax. The naan version is $ 7. A tad expensive, but totally worth it since it’s a lot of food and I don’t know anywhere else you can find it. Takes about 15 minutes for them to make and I highly recommend it!

OH NOES on the $ 6.99 buffet… most of the food is dry or a bit bland and there isn’t much variety. It feels like you are eating at someone’s house which is cozy but the buffet food isn’t that great. I’d much rather pay another $ 5-​$ 7 to eat at the Clay Oven or Caspian buffet…
BUT this place is still kinda charming in its own way. AND the Silver Spoon Burrito is where it’s at! Wow I feel really fat for eating it. Time to work out intensely for like 23 509 minutes haha.