Jando S.
Yelp
Aga's is not only one of the best Indo-Pak restaurants in Houston, but certainly the most well-known of any desi establishment. They've truly got it all figured out and have churned thousands of appetites into a legion of fans. It operates like a well-oiled machine that has an army of a staff, a bevy of outstanding dishes, an endless luxury of space, and a dedicated dining hall that could host a small country. They are busy, popular, and locally acclaimed as one of the best in the city.
Despite a number of businesses in the same plaza, a majority of the cars in the lot are there to dine at Aga's. Eerily reminiscent of Fung's when circling for a parking spot and the majority of the desi patrons are in favor of the variety and excellence that Aga's has to offer.
During Ramadan, the place is a zoo and hordes of families, large groups fill their banquet hall, which could probably fit 200-300 people in a single sitting. When fully booked, it looks like a bottleneck of people outside of an arena waiting for the game / show to start. The ambiance is clean and inviting, bright and spacious. The lunch hour on a week day is a little less busy than the chaotic weekends, but dinner service is a popular time any day of the week.
An easy measure of how good the food is how much people are willing to pay for it. There is hardly anything that is inexpensive here, as the sticker shock is merited for most newcomers. It pains me to pay $27 for 5 goat chops, but I will do it because they're just -that- good. The chops charred nicely, with so much flavor and tender meat that the juice flows with every bite. It is not lost on me that it might not be enough to fill me up, but it has become a must order regardless.
A lot of the grilled specialties are excellent, including the bihari kabab, seekh kababs, and to a lesser extent, the tikka bite sized meats. The Aga's BBQ platter ($32) kind of a pile of all the meats on a hot plate. The smokey visual is usually a crowd pleaser and as a bonus, everyone ends up smelling like grilled meat.
The rest of the menu is so vast that I'll note the things I like the most: goat biriyani (outstanding), aloo choley masala with egg (addicting), palak paneer (creamy), chicken kabab white karahi (flavorful), any hara masala (spicy), beef keema (hearty), beef bihari karahi (bold). I usually rock a falooda, rasmalai, or a mango / rose lassi for the sweet tooth.
I'm not a huge of their samosas, lahori fish + fries, tempura shrimp, egg omelet, or bhurji. No one is perfect.
Efficiency doesn't begin to explain how good the staff is at their jobs. They're all pros at putting orders in quickly, using an electronic system that syncs with the kitchen seamlessly. They can handle payments, take to-go orders, and make adjustments on the fly. Even their website is up to stuff. The staff is so on top of it that everyone has their defined roles and do it so well. Yorleni is the real MVP.
At this point, Aga's is much more than a restaurant. It is a hub for the Desi community and a hallmark of the Houston dining scene. There is no occasion too great to celebrate here and thus it's always a treat when I can enjoy a foodgasmic experience at one of my favorite restaurants in the city.