Skip it! Wanted to try the restaurant for a while. There’s no good Indian on the coast. They were at the farmers market so gave it a go. Had the sampler box. The chicken tikka lacked flavor and the chicken was over cooked. The tandoori chicken was so dry and again where’s the flavor. The naan tasted like a tortilla. The samosa had a little flavor but had no crisp yet it was over cooked. Soooo disappointing
Food: 1
Anubhav Jain
I came here for Sunday lunch buffet. Vegetarian options were limited for a buffet, but all of them were sooo good! Authentic Indian food. Palak paneer and rajma are a must try here. The place is also pretty with good vibes!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Laura Abboud
Too spicy
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Zephyr Delute
Came in with a large group of 16 during the lunch buffet while I can't compare the food as this is my first Indian food experience what I had tasted great but the servers were truly wonderful and we were invited to see how they made the naan bread great experience would come again
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
rebecca
came here for lunch on a field trip with my film class best food ever!! love that they showed us how the bread was made thank you so much!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Naan, Butter Chicken
KING kaleb092
The food was pretty good with some spicy to it like a Ginger taste
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tandoori Chicken
Eric Cancil
The food is honestly mid, but whatcha gonna do in a one horse town?
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 3
Daniel White
Always Delicious. Friendly staff. Great value and quality.Vegetarian options: Available
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Shannon Amdahl
We wandered in to check the restaurant out and they had just opened. They have a lunch buffet and every single thing was delicious. The restaurant felt clean, the service was very attentive and the food was great. We’ll definitely become regulars here. This was a pleasant discovery!
We did a Togo order. Food was super expensive and tasted so terrible that everyone felt like throwing up after eating the food. Everything was bland. Chicken kebab just had turmeric in it. Chicken curry was packed in a paper box and all the curry leaked through the paper and was a huge mess. There was no curry to eat. Chole batura had channa that tasted only like cumin powder mixed in water and they provide such small quantities. Garlic naan tasted like sand. Plain Naan was ok. None of this is worth eating, let alone pay so much for.
Food: 1
Service: 1
Dylan SL.
It all started on a cool spring day in Monterey County, where my dad had got to try Shalimar for the first time when somebody had brought it in to his workplace. As soon as it hit his taste buds, he was met with an explosion of flavor, the spices all coming together to make such a profound taste that he would proceed to tell the whole family about it, afterwards attempting to schedule a day to come to this establishment.On 1 April, 2024, that day would come.It was a half an hour drive down south to the sunny, vibrant town of San Luis Obispo, California. One minute, we were driving by the rocky Seven Sisters, the next, we were already in town on our way to try some authentic South Asian food, a rarity in this part of the state.We parked our car in the lot adjacent to the window, and proceeded to make our way into the restaurant. Upon arrival, the polite lady at the front asked how many people we had, and gave us an estimated wait time of 20 minutes. In the meantime, we proceeded to look at the many different forms of sea life in the aquarium, something that, with my sheer fascination with, would prevent me from paying attention to almost anything else.Next thing you know, in just about five minutes, a table had already been available for us, in which we were led to.Right across from the table, the buffet, with a plethora of mouth-watering options, was standing there deliciously right in front of our faces, waiting to be eaten by the next person in line.Ecstatically, I grab a plate from the dish table, and quickly advance my way through the line as I pick the choices that look as if it would make for the best experience, picking items both familiar and new. Biryani, tandoori, goat curry, masala, aloo gobi, with a steaming hot cup of milky chai. The employees had already provided us with a couple free pieces of naan, which meant there was no need for silverware (I have always enjoyed food that is meant to be eaten with your hands more, anyways).Tearing off a piece of naan so hot you could just barely touch it at first, the first thing I did was grab the goat curry and biryani, popping it straight into my mouth.It was at that moment that I felt something magical, and I could instantly see why my dad was so excited to introduce us to this location. I felt like I wanted to cry from how the food was, the experience I had in those five seconds can be described as the dictionary definition of BLISS.Although my experience with the goat curry and biryani was phenomenal, the tandoori chicken I had was unfortunately quite cold. Luckily, I had the masala right after, which was just as good as I thought it was going to be! I was also trying aloo gobi (a mix of potatoes and cauliflower) for the first time, and I am honored to call this place the one where I had my first aloo gobi, as I had a great experience with the one they made!The creamy, milky chai hit the spot. It is in a machine at the end of the buffet, along with some sugar to sweeten it to your liking. Although it was too hot for me to get past a couple of sips at the restaurant, I absolutely finished it on the way back home!After thoroughly enjoying myself for what was probably about 45-60 minutes at Shalimar, I proceeded to wash my hands as the food was being paid for (in which we found out that it was actually the owner of the restaurant that had brought it to my dad's workplace event in the first place), and we proceeded to make our way out of the restaurant, a restaurant who's food and smiley service I will never forget!so basically what im trying to say is that this food was GASSSSSS ?????????
Assam (Sp?) & Hina are delightful every time we come visit their delicious, authentic restaurant!!! We truly enjoy our experience every time!
Divers P.
Food:4; Service:5; Ambiance: 3 (outdoors) We've come here every time we're in the San Luis Obispo area because with the exception of the naan, almost everything else, including breaded food, is gluten-free. We also appreciate the attentive, wait staff and reasonable buffet lunch prices.
kelly feaster
Everything's great about Shalimar. We've been going for over 12 years, and not only because we love the food, but the atmosphere and the people there are great! The buffet is awesome, every day of the week there's a buffet and even a monday night buffet.Vegetarian options: we are vegetarian, there are tons of dishes that are vegetarian and vegan, and they clearly label them on their menu and a the buffet, too.
Good valueVegetarian options: Vegan options
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Skip it! Wanted to try the restaurant for a while. There’s no good Indian on the coast. They were at the farmers market so gave it a go. Had the sampler box. The chicken tikka lacked flavor and the chicken was over cooked. The tandoori chicken was so dry and again where’s the flavor. The naan tasted like a tortilla. The samosa had a little flavor but had no crisp yet it was over cooked. Soooo disappointing
Food: 1
I came here for Sunday lunch buffet. Vegetarian options were limited for a buffet, but all of them were sooo good! Authentic Indian food. Palak paneer and rajma are a must try here. The place is also pretty with good vibes!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Too spicy
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Came in with a large group of 16 during the lunch buffet while I can't compare the food as this is my first Indian food experience what I had tasted great but the servers were truly wonderful and we were invited to see how they made the naan bread great experience would come again
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
came here for lunch on a field trip with my film class best food ever!! love that they showed us how the bread was made thank you so much!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Naan, Butter Chicken
The food was pretty good with some spicy to it like a Ginger taste
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tandoori Chicken
The food is honestly mid, but whatcha gonna do in a one horse town?
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 3
Always Delicious. Friendly staff. Great value and quality.Vegetarian options: Available
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We wandered in to check the restaurant out and they had just opened. They have a lunch buffet and every single thing was delicious. The restaurant felt clean, the service was very attentive and the food was great. We’ll definitely become regulars here. This was a pleasant discovery!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Naan, Chicken Tikka Masala, Tandoori Chicken
Restaurantji Recommends
We did a Togo order. Food was super expensive and tasted so terrible that everyone felt like throwing up after eating the food. Everything was bland. Chicken kebab just had turmeric in it. Chicken curry was packed in a paper box and all the curry leaked through the paper and was a huge mess. There was no curry to eat. Chole batura had channa that tasted only like cumin powder mixed in water and they provide such small quantities. Garlic naan tasted like sand. Plain Naan was ok. None of this is worth eating, let alone pay so much for.
Food: 1
Service: 1
It all started on a cool spring day in Monterey County, where my dad had got to try Shalimar for the first time when somebody had brought it in to his workplace. As soon as it hit his taste buds, he was met with an explosion of flavor, the spices all coming together to make such a profound taste that he would proceed to tell the whole family about it, afterwards attempting to schedule a day to come to this establishment.On 1 April, 2024, that day would come.It was a half an hour drive down south to the sunny, vibrant town of San Luis Obispo, California. One minute, we were driving by the rocky Seven Sisters, the next, we were already in town on our way to try some authentic South Asian food, a rarity in this part of the state.We parked our car in the lot adjacent to the window, and proceeded to make our way into the restaurant. Upon arrival, the polite lady at the front asked how many people we had, and gave us an estimated wait time of 20 minutes. In the meantime, we proceeded to look at the many different forms of sea life in the aquarium, something that, with my sheer fascination with, would prevent me from paying attention to almost anything else.Next thing you know, in just about five minutes, a table had already been available for us, in which we were led to.Right across from the table, the buffet, with a plethora of mouth-watering options, was standing there deliciously right in front of our faces, waiting to be eaten by the next person in line.Ecstatically, I grab a plate from the dish table, and quickly advance my way through the line as I pick the choices that look as if it would make for the best experience, picking items both familiar and new. Biryani, tandoori, goat curry, masala, aloo gobi, with a steaming hot cup of milky chai. The employees had already provided us with a couple free pieces of naan, which meant there was no need for silverware (I have always enjoyed food that is meant to be eaten with your hands more, anyways).Tearing off a piece of naan so hot you could just barely touch it at first, the first thing I did was grab the goat curry and biryani, popping it straight into my mouth.It was at that moment that I felt something magical, and I could instantly see why my dad was so excited to introduce us to this location. I felt like I wanted to cry from how the food was, the experience I had in those five seconds can be described as the dictionary definition of BLISS.Although my experience with the goat curry and biryani was phenomenal, the tandoori chicken I had was unfortunately quite cold. Luckily, I had the masala right after, which was just as good as I thought it was going to be! I was also trying aloo gobi (a mix of potatoes and cauliflower) for the first time, and I am honored to call this place the one where I had my first aloo gobi, as I had a great experience with the one they made!The creamy, milky chai hit the spot. It is in a machine at the end of the buffet, along with some sugar to sweeten it to your liking. Although it was too hot for me to get past a couple of sips at the restaurant, I absolutely finished it on the way back home!After thoroughly enjoying myself for what was probably about 45-60 minutes at Shalimar, I proceeded to wash my hands as the food was being paid for (in which we found out that it was actually the owner of the restaurant that had brought it to my dad's workplace event in the first place), and we proceeded to make our way out of the restaurant, a restaurant who's food and smiley service I will never forget!so basically what im trying to say is that this food was GASSSSSS ?????????
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Naan, Chicken Tikka Masala, Chicken Biryani
Assam (Sp?) & Hina are delightful every time we come visit their delicious, authentic restaurant!!! We truly enjoy our experience every time!
Food:4; Service:5; Ambiance: 3 (outdoors) We've come here every time we're in the San Luis Obispo area because with the exception of the naan, almost everything else, including breaded food, is gluten-free. We also appreciate the attentive, wait staff and reasonable buffet lunch prices.
Everything's great about Shalimar. We've been going for over 12 years, and not only because we love the food, but the atmosphere and the people there are great! The buffet is awesome, every day of the week there's a buffet and even a monday night buffet.Vegetarian options: we are vegetarian, there are tons of dishes that are vegetarian and vegan, and they clearly label them on their menu and a the buffet, too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Naan, Malai Kofta, Vegetable Samosa, Basmati Rice