Khyber Pass

Never, ever… Ever, order food to-​go here.
While it is a better alternative to styrofoam containers, the cardboard containers do not hold saucy items very well (duh). Most places remedy this by placing tissue paper at the bottom. Not here. I believe I saw a crumpled 1“x1″ square of foil in my curry?
Containers were completely soaked and falling apart after driving 5 minutes. The food is ok, terrible first impression.

My husband took me here recently. I was skeptical at first and borderline reluctant to eat here because it isn’t very tidy. With a bit of arm twisting, I went in and am kind of glad.
We had the mantoo, lamb korma, and another dish that totally slips my mind at the moment. It was all very delicious. The mantoo seemed like it was drowning in sauce but once I had a composed bite of it, it made sense. My lamb korma was the best I’ve had so far on this coast. The meat had kind of a buttery-​ness to it and had a lot of good flavors.
Our waitress was very polite, casual and did a good job. She was the only one working at the time we came in. One quick tip would be to call ahead if you want a specific dish/​drink. They were completely out of Aushak, Kabuli Pallao, Pallao and Chai.

I brought the family and our German exchange student here for lunch… it was my second time there and I thought the first time was good enough that I insisted we go… on the same trip I forced everyone to go to COLES BBQ (officially my most disgusting meal in Santa Cruz) but this lunch comes in a close second. The service was quite silly as they were dragging a new person behind them to break them in but the service was clueless… right after the starters (lukewarm) they let us in the drama about their troubles processing credit cards but told us we could go down to the liquor
store to use the ATM there… not gonna happen.
Never will go back… their bread was really bad and I love leftovers but ended up tossing everything. the special rice dish was not available so we got a veggie instead: the guy warmed some veggies in gease and mixed it into the plain rice. The sauces in the squeeze bottles are thin and tasteless. I fault myself, too, for putting up with the whole scene… we spent close to $ 100 and it was just terrible, truly terrible… In my opinion there is nothing worth having here. AVOID!

Best middle-​eastern food I’ve had in Santa Cruz. Delicious, authentic food and drinks. I’ve ordered something different each time, and I’ve yet to have anything less than amazing. This is a great casual walk in spot where I love to meet with friends for lunch or dinner. The staff is all great and friendly.

My wife and I went to a great Afghani place in San Francisco on our honeymoon, almost 10 years ago. When we saw that there is now one in Santa Cruz we had to try it. The places to go for this type of cuisine are very limited in our area. It is very refreshing to have a new Middle Eastern restaurant to go to. We have yet to eat in; we always get our food to go. We have tried a variety of items on their menu but I listed the dishes we get the most and the ones I think are the BEST.
GULPI & KATCHALU
Fresh cauliflower & potatoes cooked in herbs & Khyber spices.
DHAL
A favorite of North and South considered a poor man’s food but found on every table, made rich with a variety of lentils stewed with cumin, garlic and coriander. High in Protein.
CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA
Boneless pieces of chicken breast marinated in ground herbs, baked over charcoal then cooked in the chef’s special masala sauce.
GOAT CHEESE NAAN
Naan stuffed with delicious goat cheese topped with herbs and cooked in a clay oven.
If you are in the area and craving this type of food it is worth your while to give this place a try!
d in herbs & Khyber spices.

THE GOOD:
— Mango and strawberry drink was great– it was like pureed fruit.
— Goat cheese naan– great (fresh), but no hint of salt.
— Chicken Korma– good (taste kind of like ravioli sauce but with weird spices)
— Customer service– good. (refills, ask if everything was ok)
THE BAD:
Waitress said that my friend’s dish didn’t come with rice so she ordered a side of rice.
I ordered the chicken korma entrée and she told me that mine didn’t come with rice either so I ordered a side of rice.
When the food came, my friend’s dish actually came with rice AND that extra side of rice. My chicken korma came in a small authentic bowl with two handles and I had my side of rice.
OVERALL:
I really enjoyed my experience with new food and my time here, mainly because of my company. BUT it’s quite expensive here. I had the mango, chicken, and rice and all of that came out to be $ 17. It’s quite absurd that an entrée would not come with rice (event though this isn’t my 1^st exp with that). I would definitely come here next time for the naan.
SIDE NOTE:
The food was more than enough for one person. Did not even eat half of my food since I already had naan and the mango drink. Had to take the rest home. Ordering naan was like ordering a 6inch pizza, split into 4 section.

I give up on Indian/​Indian type food in SC. Since my last review, I’ve come here several times. Every time they don’t have something on the menu I want. Every freakin time.
Yesterday it was the chicken tikka masala lunch special they were out of, even though the menu in the window had it there. Instead, I said I’d have the paneer masala. The girl behind the counter said, «…but it’s not the lunch special, so it won’t come with naan or rice…». Then, she turned to the cook and said, «Could you make the paneer masala a lunch special for her?» And he said no. Good on her for trying, she was apologetic and very friendly.
So I just ordered a mango lassi and went next door to Taco Bell for a 2 dollar black bean burrito — which was fabulous, btw. Instead of spending about 15 dollars at Khyber to get the naan and rice with my meal, I spent 4 dollars on a lassi and a burrito. This may be my new plan.
They rarely have what’s on their menu. I don’t get it, but it’s not my job to get it. It’s their job to either change their misleading menu or have the food they’re claiming to have.
Anyway, like I said: giving up. I’ll got to SF or SJ for Indian. It’ll be a special occasion food like soup dumplings or Chicago pizza.

The Good: prices, easy parking
The Bad: food

Not that great… The waitresses did the best they could but I think they need more training. They didn’t even know what was on the menu.

Great food, friendly service, and great prices!

today my wife took me to Khyber Pass restaurant. we saw a clean large restaurant with many food dishes to choose from, we tried their lunch special, under $ 8 dollars a plate. my Dahl-​sab-​lamb korma dish was great, so tasty was the meat and sauces it came with. my wife had the chicken tikka rice dish, it was just as good. i like
indian food, and i think this restaurant is my favorite so far. good job, my wife and i will become regulars there.

Living downtown this is definitely my go to place for Indian. I’ve eaten in the restaurant several times and ordered to go and in all situations I find that the staff is always extremely friendly and my order always comes out just as I ordered it.
My meal typically consists of the Chana Masala and my boyfriends usual is the Chicken Tikka Masala. Both are excellent with the right spices to accent the garbanzo beans and chicken. The naan is always hot and fresh and the rice as well.
I’m a big fan of the goat cheese naan, garlic naan and the plain old regular naan.
Also, I typically end up with leftovers so it’s almost like ordering a double meal which is better for your buck.

This is a long overdue review, but my experience was kind of WTF so I feel like this is worthy of sharing.
Boyfriend and I came here for dinner after hanging out on the Boardwalk. It was a little bit before 9:00pm (like 8:50pm I want to say).
Owner/​waiter dude: «We are closing…»
Me: «Oh, really? Okay, thanks.» (About to leave).
Owner: (Gives us another look) «Well, it’s okay. Come sit. But you must be really fast.»
Me: «Thanks! We will be fast.»
After we sit down and quickly ordered our meals, a group of 3 skater/​stoner-​type dudes enter the restaurant.
Owner: (politely) «We are closed.»
Skater/​stoner dudes: «Awww, man. That suuucks.» They leave.
Meal arrives. Chicken tikka masala, chicken korma, and naan. Pretty decent, typical.
10 minutes later, a huge group of well-​dressed, upper-​class looking middle eastern people enter. It didn’t sound like they had a reservation, but maybe they did. The interesting thing was they came in after the restaurant had «closed» for the night.
The owner’s excessive attention to this group was so apparent that the couple sitting next to us turned to me and my BF and said «Wooooooooow…they must be doing really well to be able to choose who they want to serve…»
So yeah… the food was alright, but I did not enjoyed feeling rushed. The way the owner (assuming he is) displayed blatant favoritism towards certain classes of people really turned me off and made the experience less desirable. I hate to give a bad review, so 3 stars for the decent food.

I used to love this restaurant but recent bad experiences have led me to decide against eating here anymore.
Last night they were out of chai an hour and a half before closing but refused to make more. Afghani food is incomplete without chai.
My chicken tikka masala had an excellent sauce but was sore lacking in chicken. I had to fish for the the few tidbits of chicken in there. I felt ripped off. What’s the sauce without the meat?

Probably three and a half stars.
I came in with my friend John for lunch and ordered the vegetarian lunch special with the Kadu (butternut squash cooked in honey and Afghan spices topped with yogurt & herbs). The food was quite good and plentiful, coming with naan.
The portions was plentiful, especially for $ 6, and the food was good. The Kadu was enjoyable. I’ve had considerably better Indian food, but for $ 6, the dhal and rice and everything were tasty and enjoyable. I also ordered an Afghani lessi, which is a yogurt drink with cucumber, mint, and salt, and that was delicious. It obviously bears some similarity to a lassi, but was less sweet and had small bits of the cucumber and mint in the drink, which I enjoyed.
Next time I come here, I’ll try some of the mantu (Afghani dumplings, usually meat and onion with yogurt), which I absolutely love.
NOTE: I’ve been to India five times and eat Indian food regularly, and I suppose you could say that when it comes to Indian food, I’m easy to please but hard to impress, for whatever perspective this is worth.

Ok the BEST Chicken Biryani EVER like seriously! I am a regular there so i get random discounts from the staff:) Please stop wasting your time and money at other indian places that are expensive and sell crappy Food to you!
P. s. they give you so much Food that i usually end up eating later for another meal.

How have I not written a review for this place yet?! This is my favorite afghan/​pakistani restaurant in Santa Cruz, bar none. That other one, Sitar, that’s down the street? Crap. Utter crap. Their naan is flat, crunchy, and tasteless, and their buffet is just as bland. Other option: India Joze. Really? A place called India Joze? Do the math. Do yourself a HUGE favor and eat at Khyber pass instead.
When I get the chicken tikka masala, I try to stave off washing my hands as long as possible afterwards, because whenever I smell my hands, the aroma takes me back to that delicious meal over and over again. The naan is soft, buttery, and oh so good. The CTM is to die for, and the other dishes are good, too. I’ve never been disappointed, and neither have the numerous friends I’ve taken.
I would give them four stars because I think they charge for their chai tea (a BIG no no in my indian-​food-​restaurant book), but every time I’ve gone in, I just go and get a cup after ordering, and they’ve never said anything. I had no idea they charged for it until the last time I ate there and the waitress said they normally charge for tea (she still didn’t charge us :)
So until they actually charge me for the chai tea, this place remains a five star establishment for the taste alone. The décor is a little dive-​ey mexican restaurant-​ish, but who cares, the food is damn good!

Great, REAL food at reasonable prices — not something you really find much of in a bubble-​boy city like Santa Cruz. Take that as you will.
Clean dining room and kitchen (open kitchen so you can see). Service has always been friendly and staff is always willing to answer questions regarding menu items.

YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!
Fantastic food. A bit on the dive-​y side… but the food! The Mantoo or the Aushak – to die for.
If you’re in Santa Cruz… and you want a tasty treat… stop here for lunch or dinner! Your taste buds will be glad you did.

As of about 3 years ago, I can honestly say this was exactly what Santa Cruz needed.
It may not be the be all and end all of Persian/​Afghani cuisine in the bay area, but it’s good. And cheap. And laid back.
Moist meats, well cooked rice, and decent mango lassi. It’s a stop and go kind of place, rather than a sit down with cloth napkins and chitchat about pretentious things kind of place.
Glad to see something besides the usual Mexican/​Thai/​Sushi/​Americanized Chinese stuff.
Given that I haven’t eaten here in 3 years, I’d take my review with a grain of salt, but still give it a shot.