Guddu de Karahi

WHAT!!! Closed! I really liked their chicken tikka masala, been here twice. First time was good, second time was alright.

Food = 3 stars, service = 1 star.
This a one man shop. The owner is the cook. The attendant/​server — inexperienced and not sure about what they are doing. The owner could do a lot better with hiring someone solid.
The food took a lot of time to come to the table but on the plus side it was freshly prepared.

CASH ONLY!
Food here is really good. However, I think Guddu is the only guy cooking the delicious food, so don’t expect fast anything. He’s also the guy taking phone orders, too, I think. I’d just do take outs on days that I’m not starving and can wait an hour or so until my food is ready.

First the good — they make a mean chicken karahi. Good sauce, nice level of spice — overall great flavor. Garlic naan is good, rice is good. all the stuff you’d expect from a good Pakistani restaurant.
The Bad — DO NOT DINE HERE.
— Order pickup if anything (and plan to wait an hour).
— Service is painfully slow and do-​it-​yourself if you plan on having water with your spicy food. It takes 30 – 40 minutes an order (I ordered 2 main dishes with one friend and we were the only people in the restaurant). Makes me think not a strong operation in the kitchen, which can lead to other problems in quality of food, freshness on busy days.
— The biggest problem is that there is NO ventilation in the kitchen and restaurant… and they use real mesquite charcoal to smoke their chicken — which means you are inhaling that while eating in the restaurant. I walked out in a coughing /​wheezing fit. Not OK.
I would give this place a 1 star for service and dine-​in experience and a 3.5 stars for food taste… I just can’t in good conscious give this place more than 1 star overall after the coughing fit this place gave me after dining in. I really hope they make some changes in the restaurant and hire some more staff. The food deserves it.

Look people, let me contextualize this for everyone: it’s often only one guy making everyone’s food, one dish at a time and often over a wood burning fire. Therefore, no shit it takes a TON of time.
Could he hire some extra cooks? Sure, maybe, but I’m 100% certain that the food would be nowhere as good as it is when Guddu is at the helm. So, if you want the quality that this man is known to be able to deliver, you’d sit down, suck it up and wait patiently with the rest of us.
I get that if you come in here expecting Pakwan turnaround, it’s a hangry slap in the face, but I’ve seen people come in and get downright verbally abusive regarding the wait over their food. So let’s do everyone a damn favor and make a things crystal clear.
1) I don’t ever recommend ever eating in unless it is the middle of a weekday and there is no one else around. I once showed up at 7pm and did not leave until 930. Our food took 1 hour to get to us.
2) When you order over the phone, as a general rule, slap on at least 25 more minutes to the time estimate that they give you. I now just show up an hour after I place my orders.
Regardless of all of the exceptions I make for this place, I wouldn’t be coming back as often as I do or be giving this place 5 stars unless I felt the food was worth the trouble. Newsflash, it is, so get ready to deal with the obstacles to obtain it.

This is for the food ONLY! I cannot really address the customer service issues people talk about here because I usually order take out. With that said: there is a definite shortage of Indian restaurants in the Richmond, so I make the drive out here whenever I want Indian food without having to go to tenderloin or the east bay (which has better Indian food than SF btw).
Dishes I can vouch for are the saag paneer, baigan bhartha, and their samosas are pretty good too. Not too oily, or creamy watered down versions like other restaurants, which is why I keep ordering from them. Lassi is good too. Every time I order take out here has not been an issue. Food is always ready when I arrive and I’m on my way back.

Well, some other reviewers had mentioned the horrible service, so I won’t belabor that.
But I’ll just discuss the food quality, portion, and taste.
O yeah, as an FYI, the taste here is actually more Indian than Pakistani, in case you favor one over another.
For a bit of background, I am a huge fan of Indian and Pakistani cuisines, and mostly dine with Indian or Pakistani friends at Indian or Pakistani restaurants. We have tried restaurants all around the Bay Area, from San Francisco all the way to San Jose and everywhere in between.
Food quality: Overall acceptable. Not particularly oily, which is good. But one of the chicken tandoori legs was not cooked well (still a little bloody). The lamb (of the lamb vindaloo) is dry and hard. The chicken in chicken korma is also hard.
Portion: This is horribly skimpy, especially for the price. Lamb vindaloo only has 3 (yes, three!) pieces of lamb cubes, each about ½ to ¾ inches in size. Similarly with the chicken korma, 4 pieces of chicken cubes (about the same size as the lamb in vindaloo). I guess if you are on diet, this may be a side benefit ;)
Taste: Taste is meh — about the same as the worst of other Indian restaurants in the Bay Area. My best comparison is this is NOT even as good as Spice Hut, an Indian Fast food (yeah, really!)
In short, only come here if you have no other choice. Within San Francisco, go to Shalimar for Indian or Pakwan for Pakistani, neither with good service, but the food is so much tastier!

The service here is terrible. I thought, with 4 stars, how bad could it be? Awful. Absolutely-​positively-​never-​going-​here-​again-​how-​is-​this-​place-​in-​business-​awful.
Here’s what happened:
I call to place an order. I ask if they do delivery. He tells me to wait so he can ask his boss (why he didn’t know this himself is a mystery to me). He returns and says no. I ask if I can place an order for pickup. He hangs up on me.
I call back, assuming it’s a mistake, and he picks up. He lets me place my order and tells me it will be ready for pick up in 30 – 35 minutes. I repeat back to him 30 – 35 minutes and he confirms.
I’m moving tomorrow, so I stayed at home packing, and sent my boyfriend to pick up the food.
When my boyfriend arrives 30 – 35 minutes later the guy who works there doesn’t acknowledge him. He waits for a few minutes before peeking back into the kitchen to get someones attention. He’s told to wait 20 – 25 more minutes. That is ridiculous, but we are starving, so he waits.
And waits.
And waits.
As I type, it’s been an 90 minutes since we ordered and we STILL don’t have our food.
I called to check on the order. He told me 10 – 15 more minutes. I calmly told him the food was supposed to be ready an hour ago and asked why there had been such a delay. He hung up on me.

Really bad service, probably the worst ever I had in SF.
It seems that they take some kind of pride in treating customers badly, with total disregard for their time and money.

We decided to try out this place because it had good reviews. Oh boy, it was a terrible experience. It’s one thing to wait a long time for good food, it’s another when it’s just bad service.
We got there at 6:45. All the tables were full, and everyone had plates on their tables. But no one had any food! It was so weird…
Eventually, we got our seats and then waited a half hour to finally just get up and tell the waiter we were ready to order.
Everyone was waiting forever for their food. People started cheering, playing card games, games on their phones, clapping games, rock, paper, scissors etc. like it was a school event.
Our food finally came AN HOUR later. Some people who were there before us were still waiting for theirs.
When the couple who was sitting next to us finally got their food, they had to wait an extra half hour to get their UTENSILS! Their food was cold by the time they got to eat it.
The couple sitting on the other side of us had arrived quite earlier than we did. Since the wait was so long, the woman went out to get some beer (this restaurant doesn’t serve anything alcoholic). The waiter finally came by and took her partners order. The waiter said he’d come back to get the woman’s order when she returned. Let’s just say she still hadn’t gotten her order in when we left the restaurant.
I later learned that there was only one chef and one waiter tonight.
Bottom line: The food was good, but not impressive. But what really threw us off was how long we were there for (6:45 to 9:00). Oh gosh, no thanks.

Why do I go back again tonight with a friend after having to wait for 1.5 hours the first time I visited with my husband? Food is outstanding and waiter (I think his name is Hasmid?) is probably the best server I have seen in a long time.
I agree with other reviews about the good food choices and have to emphasize on their tikka masala sauce… the complexity of the flavor is unlike most other places in which the palate only tasted curry, milk, and tomato paste! Yet none of the complex ingredients is overpowering the other!
Mr server of the year is simply impressive, tunneling thru crowds of waiting dine-​in customers, waiting-​in-​line customers either to-​be seated or for take-​out; he still has a pleasantly GENUINE smile with a cheerful passionate vibes that comes thru!
Before we left tonight, we were peeking into the kitchen, not only due to curiosity, but also the chef was putting a naan into the oven! He saw is and invited us in to take a closer look! Yes, no kidding! Despite how busy it was, he was happily sharing his beautifully crafted products of all fresh and sophisticated ingredients! Oh my, he was actually the owner, Guddu!
Now, Mr Guddu, you are my new «food network star» and I truly appreciate your persistent passion for your food! You will be seeing me more often!

A little over 2 hours of my life spent here tonight. 1 hour just waiting for our food to come to the table. And nearly another hour waiting for our to-​go food after we were done eating.
That being said, The food here was absolutely fantastic! Here’s what we had:
Tandoori Fish (spicy): Really awesome dish — an awesome blend of sour and spice with none of the fishy-​ness!
Chicken Tikka Masala: A real treat here, (especially with the Garlic Naan), I thought the flavor to be spot on and the chicken wasn’t dry like many other places that make it.
Veggie curry?: I have a picture of it. It was also good. Had to get my greens in!
Garlic Naan: Very yummy! Nice and fluffy with a crispy base to it!
Mango Lasse: Not bad! I didn’t find it too sweet or too thick. Some places serve it more like Mango Yogurt.
We saw quite a few tables that brought their own wine, one table even brought a cooler full of beer. These people came prepared!
I read from other reviews that there was a wait, but nothing said anything about waiting a WHOLE HOUR!
Until I read that they fix the food waiting issue, you won’t find me eating at a table in this place. I’ll just order take-​out. Their phone was ringing off the hook while we were there. Apparently, there are only two people staffing this place — one in the front and one in the back cooking.
Of course, I have pictures of the food we had! There was this older couple there too… that dude was digging for gold!

Simply fantastic.
In reading the reviews /​criticisms about Guddu de Karahi, there is one glaring ding that continually pops up:
the interminable wait for your food after you’ve order.
And is there a wait? Yes, there is.
But the last time I checked there’s only one person in the kitchen cooking up these very delectably dishes.
So what I’m saying is,
Unilocalers relax, it is sooo worth the wait!
The chicken tikka masala, in particular, was fairly outstanding.
Now, I do not know what an authentic tikka masala is suppose to taste like, but I dare say I’ve had my fair share, and this is the only one that has a creamy, smokey, chipotle taste to it. And the funny thing is when I told the chef how much I was digging the flavors of the dish, he said his recipe uses fresh ingredients and may account for why it’s so different from the other places.
Damn Chef, no canned answered here.
*I appreciated the candor*
The garlic naan and onion kulcha were also impressive.
Both were crispy, had robust flavor, and nicely complimented the tikki masala (or whatever saucy dish you decide on having).
What I like most about Guddu de Karahi is that it brings some sorely needed Indian /​Pakistani cuisine to a part of the City where it is totally underrepresented.
Last time I was there, I overheard one customer say,
these guys are really legit.
And to you I say,
yes, yes they are.

There used to be a Chinese restaurant here (I think) but it never caught our attention, regardless of how many times we had passed it. After hearing a couple of positive reviews from the future in-​laws & from my optometrist, the Significant Other & I decided it was time to give it a try.
The Lamb biryani had large pieces of lamb but they were dry. The rice to the biryani was nicely seasoned without being overpowering but it was also very dry. The Chicken boti, in comparison, was tender & juicy. The grilled onion added a nice aromatic component but the raw big shreds of cabbage were a little bit off-​putting. The Garlic naan were light, fluffy, & the best I’ve ever had. I had a Mango lassi & even though it was not particularly cod, it was yogurt’y & among the top lassis I’ve had in a long time.
Do not expect superior/​attentive service or even a clean surroundings; the place is pretty bare boned. I think we are going to go with take out from now on.

Took my wife here tonight after seeing some of the reviews and boy were we dissapointed!!! Upon entering it was obvious that this place was way understaffed (The cook was also the greeter, the waiter, and the bus boy). It is definitely a mom and pop shop ran business, so we figured we wouldn’t mind waiting a little longer for our service.
You know what though? Forget a long review… in short service sucked! Samosas with no chutney or cilantro dipping sauce?!? Really?!? The chicken in my tikka masala was raw! (See photo below) my wife is pregnant and could have eaten it, and worst part we didn’t even get an apology or anything!

Solid Indian and Pakistani food in the heart of Sunset!
You can never go wrong with tasty (and spicy might I add) food at reasonable prices with unlimited refills of chai. :) Restaurant policy is BYOB too so if you are in the mood to have a couple of beers (or wine) with your food, why not! The closest liquor store near there is on 19^th avenue and Noriega so stop by Safeway in the lower avenues or bring some with you before you get to the restaurant.
Their tikka masala was a bit sweeter than what I’m used to, but the chicken was tender and well seasoned. We did not get a chance to try their tandoori fish but a few tables to the right of us did and it smelled delicious! Sizzling hot as it was coming out with a nice aroma of smoky flavors… that’s definitely a must-​try for our next visit.
Like other Unilocalers have already mentioned, their naan is a bit doughy than other places, but after a few bites, you get use to the texture. On top of a regular naan, we also got the stuffed potato one and they were both very satisfying with our curry dishes.
With the recent recognition it has been receiving, Guddu is getting quite popular and there is generally a wait nowadays, especially on the weekends. It’s definitely on the smaller side with tables relatively close to one another but don’t let that deter you. Food can take awhile to get to your table, but I still think it’s a lot faster than take out. We once tried ordering food to-​go from here and the wait time was 45 minutes. We were too hungry then to wait so we ended up having to cancel our order, which they were totally cool and apologetic bout. I think they know that their food takes long to prepare, but at least you know it hasn’t been sitting around for awhile in a pot of some sort.
I have seen so many restaurants come and go at this location but I sure hope they are here to stay! (Who remembers the original Noriega Teriyaki that was once here for several years?!? After that restaurant moved to a bigger location, this space has literally transformed to something else every couple of months.) Keep up to good work, Guddu!

Guddu is legendary for a reason. Food writers and Unilocalers alike have been gushing about his return to the dining scene after a brief hiatus when he closed down his Tenderloin restaurant to tend to family issues. But now he’s back, and better than ever.
He’s moved to a quieter street in the Sunset, but the restaurant is no less busy. It was bustling at lunch time, with intoxicating smells of curry and spices wafting out the door. (Tip: Wear clothes that are easy to wash!)
Service was a bit slow, which was forgivable considering 1) it’s only just opened, and 2) THE INDIAN FOOD WAS SOME OF THE BEST I’VE EVER HAD.
My sister and I shared the chicken tikka masala, which was a dream: creamy sauce, tender morsels of chicken, just the right amount of spice, and topped with pistachios (which added a delightful texture and layer of flavor).
I sampled a bit of my mother’s spicy lamb korma, which was hot hot hot (my mother has a high tolerance for spice, and even her eyes were watering) and also sour and savory. Delicious.
And I haven’t even gotten to the naan yet. I can rave about the naan here all day. Airy, crispy on the outside and perfectly seasoned, it was the icing on the cake.

The last time I experienced Guddu’s cuisine was about 3 years ago at his old digs at Lahore Karahi. The food there was pretty good but I only came with one other person so couldn’t enjoy all the different dishes that are dished out of here.
Just like the old place the service here is lacking and understaffed but grievances can be overlooked when the food is umami-​level.
Be prepared to wait. Guddu cooks all the food himself and is all made with master skill. I wish he could just work in my kitchen all the time and serve his wonderful food!
I came with a party of 3 including my faithful Indian buddy. He is very much a fan of Guddu and has been eating his food for years and was sad that he had moved back home for a break. When I told him that he was back in SF, he was just way too excited. So what did we eat?
Tandoori Fish — of course! Make sure to sprinkle some lemon on top!
Chicken Tikka masala — mmm, love that creamy tomato sauce
Aloo Bengan — eggplant and chopped potato
Lamb Vindaloo — I think this was probably my favorite dish!
Garlic and regular naan — yup, a bit puffier than most other places but still delicious!
And to top it off, Kulfi — some Indian style ice cream. Kind of odd at first, but it kind of grows on your taste buds after a few bites.
Since I came here on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, there was practically no one here and no wait to sit! I was planning on just ordering beforehand and take it to go but my friend insisted that you can only appreciate the tandoori fish in-​house. Anyway, next time I’m in the mood for Pakistani/​Indian food, this is going to be my only go-​to place!
Guddu, you’re the man!

I knew I shouldn’t have eaten the spicy pepper.
But, like the curiosity-​killed cat, I couldn’t help myself. Even though my boyfriend and I roshambo’ed over who would eat the pepper, he denied his loss (tsk tsk) and pushed the pepper to the side of his plate. As I stared at the neglected pepper, I thought to myself, maybe it’s like the pimientos in Spanish tapas, and the pepper won’t actually be spicy.
It’s always humbling to be wrong.
We visited this new Indian eatery by my roommate’s recommendation, as her guy was sortakinda following the restaurant’s chef, Guddu. At 5:30 PM on Saturday, the place was fairly empty (which meant that I was able to down 3 cups of complimentary chai tea before it ran out ohoho), though it picked up around 6:45 PM. A lot of people were dropping by for take-​out.
As others have mentioned, this isn’t fast food by any means. It took 20 minutes for our order to come out, which I’m guessing is testament to the chef’s careful preparation of each dish.
When I asked the waitress for recommendations, she said that the tandoori fish and chicken korma were great, and that the chicken tikka masala was popular among Americans (a comment I found hilarious). Her personal favorite was the lamb vindaloo since she likes the heat of the dish.
My boyfriend and I settled on the two entrees and a naan, which came out to be a very affordable and filling meal.
Our first dish that arrived was the TANDOORI FISH, which I believe is tilapia marinated with homemade herbs and spices, $ 12.99 (
). With its generous use of powerful spices like coriander and cumin, this dish was unlike any Indian dish I’ve had before. Initially, I wasn’t too fond of the tilapia because I’m used to eating it sautéed rather than baked. After adjusting my expectations, I enjoyed the contrast of the mild fish meat and the vibrant seasoning. Strangely, the fish was neither juicy nor dry, and there was definitely a strong sour citrus component in the rub. And, those onions are deeeeelish.
The next dish was our ONION KULCHA, naan stuffed with onions and fresh cilantro, $ 2.50 (
). The naan was thick and doughy, with not enough onion in the middle and minimal cilantro on top. However, I absolutely adored the pliant doughiness of the naan. It reminded me a lot of a fluffy cong yo bing, the Asian green onion pancake, except with less flakiness. That being said, I think ordering the $ 1 plain naan would be just as good.
The last dish that arrived was the CHICKEN VINDALOO, chicken breast pieces cooked with potatoes in spicy sauce, $ 7.99 (
). I wished we had ordered a dish with a cream base, but I was deterred earlier by the waitress’ comment. I also had not had a dish like this, with so many sharp spices. The medium spicy wasn’t overly spicy (I have fairly low spicy tolerance), though that lone pepper burned gaaaahhhhhhhh. The chicken was also neither juicy nor dry, the potatoes were soft, and the sauce was uniquely impactful.
I haven’t eaten at many fancy Indian places, and the iconically bold flavor profiles make me wonder if this is the most authentic Indian food I’ve eaten thus far. I can’t really recommend a must-​get item, though I will advocate that you try their fluffy wuffy naan :)
There’s a restroom, and they accept credit cards for purchases over $ 15.
Oh, and next time, I’m totally making him eat the damn pepper. Wuss.

Don’t be fooled by the plain appearance of this hole in the wall gem. The food is outstanding — flavorful, rich, and satisfying, and the prices are great too!
I first discovered Indian food while I was a student at Berkeley. There’s probably 1 Indian restaurant on every block surrounding the campus and I’ve tried my fair share of them… while impressed by many, I’ve never given any of them 5 stars. Who knew this little restaurant would make such a big impression!
Best Chicken Tikka Masala I’ve ever had in my life! The sauce was creamy and thick and had a nice spicy kick to it. Also had the Chicken Korma, which was reminiscent of a vindaloo sauce and that was delicious as well. Chicken was very moist and the sauces both had an amazing depth of flavor. The portions may look a bit small, but with all the naan dipping action, there’s more than enough grub. The plain naan is nice and puffy and only $ 1, but I highly recommend getting the aloo (potato) naan. It’s so good you can probably eat it on it’s own.
Guddu is still a relatively new restaurant, so they weren’t crowded when I came here for lunch on a weekday, but once word gets out… I’m sure there will be a wait to eat here during dinner. The only downside to this place is the service can be slow, especially when they’re busy, which is why I typically get takeout. I’m so glad I have finally found a fantastic Indian restaurant in SF! I can’t wait to come back and try the curry!