Al-Maida Hot Food and Market

This place had amazing food. The Indian food selection was deep. All the things. Rice had saffron and allspice. Yum Honestly it was much better than some of the more hipster places around and definitely more authentic. Its also a store! The store is great and has Middle eastern and western products along with a great drink selection Get the mango Lassi

I recently stumbled upon this Indo-Pak grocery store while searching for good biryani in the area, and it turned out to be an absolute delight! Not only does it offer a wide range of groceries and spices, but it also boasts a small eatery/food market within the store that serves some of the most delicious Indo-Pakistani food. Two standout dishes that I highly recommend is the Lamb Biryani and Chicken Tikka. The chicken is cooked fresh in the tandoor,is an absolute winner paired with some freshly baked garlic naan. The biryani was very authentic in my opinion. They also have special items on Friday. The staff and the store owner are incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, always ready to assist and provide recommendations for specific ingredients or dishes. The eatery area is small, modest but comfortable. There are two tables and approximately 10-15 chairs. Pricing is quite reasonable, considering the quality and authenticity of the food. The portions are generous, and you definitely get great value for your money. Perfect take-out spot, a hole-in-the-wall restaurant!

Pretty tasty and decently priced. I like to get their specials. The chicken quarters and the lamb shanks were particularly good. The side salad is solid and there is a bed of basmati rice that the meat usually rests on. I enjoy the seasoning quite a bit. Just a touch spicy but mostly just flavorful.

Ordered lamb vindaloo extra spicy, excellent food, made when you order, good portion size of vindaloo and rice. Comes with large rice plate. Only $1.5 for bottle of mineral water. First time eating here. Will come back. Good value for the money. Looks like they have not raise menu prices very much in the last 2 years. Friendly service.

Hands down the best Pakistani naan in Oaktown. Ordered online for pickup and they made my order right on time as expected. Holy smokes their naan is incredible, huge portions, and incredibly pillowy soft. Great the next day in the air fryer too. Amazing service, shout-out to the sweet guy at the counter for the Ajwa dates rec. I love it! It is def better than Medjool. Plus their dates are not from Isntreal! Even better. Support local y'all. They also have a little market and some indoor seating. Street parking a-plenty. Will def be back. Come hungry! Smells so good inside.

The food tastes really good, but the presentation isn't the best, like they just mash the chicken, sauce and rice all together. The owners are very nice and friendly and I guess for the average area prices are affordable but the meal does not include sauce, yogurt, soup or anything else besides the chicekn and rice in one plate. Overall good experience I would eat there again.

Don’t let the smaller restaurant setup in a grocery store deceive you. I have had the best Karahi Ghost (goat karahi) and naan here. It was very delicious, just the right amount of spice oil and goat well cooked. Definitely worth eating here or pack it togo.

Came here to try the chicken Tikka masala. The food was good, but the portion size was pretty small. The prices were reasonable and service was friendly. Also note that their naan is less like Indian naan and more like a mixture of Afghan naan.

I love a place where I have something to do while waiting for my food. I walked in and put in my order with the grandson/grandfather duo behind the counter. The grandson was super quick to let me know that the garlic naan was the go-to which I highly appreciated and listened to his sage advice with no regrets. Understandably with just the two of them, the food didn't come super quick. But I got to walk around the aisles and explore all the different foods and ingredients they sold. They also have a huuuge frozen dessert selection which was enticing but I will come back for that another day. The food came out fresh and piping hot. I devoured it in the car and it was all delicious, wonderfully seasoned and so so filling.

I didn't just think I'd like Al Maida -- I was sure of it. The ratings were strong and the recent reviews were encouraging. Sadly, my first visit was disappointing, as the service was a lot slower than I was told it would be, and only one out of three items I ordered was a winner. When I arrived and looked at the menu, I was immediately intrigued by the lamb special. I know lamb takes some time to cook, so I asked how long the wait would be. I was told it would take 15 minutes. As much as I wanted it, I replied that I had to get going soon, so the person helping me (possibly the owner?) recommended the chicken tikka masala, which was basically ready and would take only three minutes. I'm generally a big fan of tikka masala, so I ordered it. I selected rice and added naan. The staff was friendly and super polite, so I remained patient, but after a few minutes, I started to wonder what the delay was. I wasn't even able to pay until my to-go order was brought out -- 15 minutes later! I wasn't thrilled that it had taken so long, but I was still looking forward to the meal. Unfortunately for me, the chicken was very dry, and the garlic pesto naan showed no sign of garlic or pesto. The only redeeming part of my meal was the dessert. I almost chose the Gulab Jamun, but I first asked what Gajar Halwa is. (It's a carrot-based sweet dessert pudding.) A customer within earshot told me she was from India and encouraged me to get it. I like trying new things, so I took her advice. I'm glad I did -- I thoroughly enjoyed the Gajar Halwa and would happily get it again. I will probably just try to find it elsewhere before returning to Al Maida.

Google reviews were good so I went to try it out. It was the most delicious lamb dish I've had in a long time with the largest naan. Will be coming back very soon!

Tasty food, good people, and a wide selection of halva! Yelp says I need to add a few more characters for this review, so here they are.

So far I've only had the falafel wrap, the palak paneer, and the lamb wrap, but all were delicious and very economical! I'll definitely keep getting takeout here. As others have mentioned, it's more of a takeout place than a restaurant. I order in advance so I don't have to wait around 'cause there are just a few small tables.

Food was good, however it is more of a Pakistani/Indian convenient store. Good for take outs only. Not really a sit down restaurant. It should have been classified as a store. 5 stars for food and -1 star for ambiance or lack of restaurant.

It was a while since I tried this place (pre-pandemic). This time it took a bit to prepare (I am OK with that as they make many items fresh to order) but the lamb pieces were overcooked, almost burnt on the edges and the Naan bread was a bit over cooked too. Rice was pretty good and the other items I order were tasty and the price was fair. I think i might come back but will stay away from the lamb and the bread. It is nice that they take online and phone orders so for next time I will keep that in mind.

goat buryani w/aaloo ( pitatoes ) wasi superb ! came with raitha yoghurt sauce on thecsl side + mont chutney !!! awesome !!! a ' small - " family owned & run " local business to support post covid - 19 " !!!! it had good " khushka " that i love !!! white rice mix !!!! b

This is a great spot for quick and affordable Pakistani food! If you're looking for fine dining this is not it, but as a convenient place for takeout I really enjoy it! They also have a nice variety of wholesale spices and ingredients.

I had the lamb biryani last night after eating my own cooking for the last 2 weeks. Just perfect. It had about 3 lamb chops worth of meat. It also served with yogurt sauce and spicy green sauce. I couldn't have asked for more.

Family owned businesses! Chefs Said make you feel at home. Food is always delicious, I try the goat karai, and other tandoori dishes. Nam bread is always fresh. Dining area is inside the the market, or you can eat outside.

Great food with friendly service! Will be back! I was happy to hear that they also do catering trays for big parties.

This is a great place for take-out or dine-in. I got the chicken tikka with garlic naan. The portion looked small but it was a lot of food. The chicken was burnt a little (on the edges), but it was delicious. Naan was hand made and huge! I recommend the garlic naan! Also, it is a grocery store! I got mango juice and kombucha. Come to this place and try it out

Outstanding service and delicious food, we had small gathering last night for about 60 people party and everyone enjoyed food and service. The restaurant manager Zee have been very hospitable!!

This place has been a go to for me when I want good Pakistani food. But just recently it got 100% better! The consistency, the spice, the complexity, and the overall flavor got much better. They are always nice when I go there and greet us with a smile.

I had Goat Karhai and it was very authentic Pashawari style. Pashawar is a rugged and arid region and food here is cooked simple and delicious. South East Asia has vast diversity and the way different dishes are cooked. Very few restaurants cook authentic food in America. This was very regionally authentic. Its also the butcher and market where you buy ingredients so undercutting costs but generous portions and fresh. Garlic Naan was also great. I will definitely check out kabobs and tikka next time. Hopefully they will do chappal Kabob too in the future but I understand to cook authentic Chapal Kabab it requires a lot of prep and space. But Im happy with simple manageable menu where food is made fresh.

I stopped by Al-Maida for lunch this afternoon and the place was completely empty -- I didn't need to wait at all to place my order. In about 15 minutes, my order of chicken tikka masala, two pieces of naan, and samosas was ready to go. The food here is really good, and quite affordable. The chicken tikka masala had a rich flavor, the samosas was fried to perfection, and neither dish was too oily. Outside of the hot food offered here, Al-Maida is a small corner grocery store that carries your everyday snacks and beverages. If you're looking for a quick lunch and need some groceries on the way, I can't think of a better place to go. Parking is easily found on Aileen St. around the corner.

I moved to the area about 6 months ago and was super please to see that there was a Pakistani/Indian location within walking distance. Super good food. Chicken tikka masala is great, naan is fab, I e tried a couple of their other curries and those are great too. Would recommend for take out for sure.

First of all, BEST samosas I've ever had in my life and I've had a lot! I got several dishes here from the restaurant in the back and I purchased some groceries as well. They have a really nice assortment of Pakistani snacks and foods and everything is reasonably priced. From the restaurant, I ordered the samosas, palak paneer, goat biryani, and cheese naan. You cannot come here and not get the samosas. They are flaky and buttery with a moist filling of potatoes and peas. They are perfectly seasoned with just the right amount of spice and come with fresh mint and tamarind chutney thankfully! All of the food tasted so fresh and the service was incredible. I will be back asap! I can't wait to try more dishes.

Al-maida does a fantastic Biryani! We also loved the kebabs. The naans are pretty huge in size. A special call out for their frozen dessert selection - they have a delicious saffron and pistachio ice cream, gulab jamun and milk cake to die for! A neighborhood gem!

Delicious. I order the fish wrap (salmon) at least once a week. The green sauce is great too. Fast service for high quality fresh authentic food

We got a goat karahi, palak aloo, the fish pakora, seekh kebab, and some rice and naan. It was sort of a mix of things that were under-salted (the curries) and over salted (the kebab/pakora) which made for a pretty unusual meal and kind of a bummer because goat karahi is not really widely available and we were excited to eat some. Maybe we just went there on an off day? The pakora was only slightly too salty but the kebab was definitely oversalted. I ended up making a fried rice with the leftover pakora and kebab which helped balance the salt out some.

This restaurant is tucked into a small Pakistani market. Just because this eatery is in a store, don't let that fool you! The quality of the food is absolutely spectacular. The gentleman behind the counter was very courteous and took extra effort to make sure my Cholle Masala tasted amazing. I loved how warming the spices in the masala were. The chickpeas were tender and cooked to perfection. The cilantro-based sauce that the Cholle Masala came with was also delectable. I had my entree with the naan and could tell that the bread was made fresh to order. It was impressive to see how quickly the gentleman behind the counter was able to put my meal together while having a store to look after. Overall, I enjoyed how authentic and tasty the fare at Al-Maida was and appreciated the variety of vegan/vegetarian options available. The market itself is great too and has a bunch of cool international items to choose from.

Great food every time, super authentic, delicious curries and the best freshly baked naan!

Pretty solid deli and shop in Oakland that serves Pakistani food. Their biryanis and curries very yummy. Also their drinks are pretty reasonably priced.

Wonderful karahi, authentic touch, friendly staff. Will return often! Yelp wants more words

Friendly staff with fresh food to order. Great chicken tikka masala, falafel wraps and even fresh made baklava!

I live in the neighborhood,my wife ,my daughter love to make an evening walk to buy ice cream ,or drinks ,they have great selections. We also visit for Rice n Chicken dinners. Nice Friendly business. We appreciate them.

Al-Maida Pakistani Restaurant is inside a small market. 2 round tables for eating in. "kitchen" is behind high counter. cooking area heard but not seen. offerings: tandoori, wraps, main dishes, veggie, fried (dish). beverages. salad, naan, sides, eats: lamb & beef shawarma(8.99) -shawarma sliced into 2 halves, wrapped in aluminum foil. looked smaller than usual. "carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, cilantro, tzatziki sauce, lamb/beef cubes, *juicy lamb cubes, wrap mostly meats, veggies negligent by volume. -tasty fresh shawarma with spicy green dipping sauce. good value. take outs: -limited parking in front.

I wish readers could smell this because it is so deliciously aromatic, the pic is the extra Order of Biriyani which we made so that we would have leftovers. I am usually a stickler for a Authentic biriyani And usually a lot of white rice in the biryani means that it was not cooked together with the masala. However a few bites into this dish the whole some nature of the ingredients as well as their proper spicing levels won me over. We're regulars now. Yay for restaurants in the back of small urban markets! Covid takeout generally sucks but this place is a keeper. Love them family places. Plus they sell lots of PPE- gloves masks face shields. Oh and they have Yummy ice cream from a local supplier in desi flavors like rose, pistachio and saffron. We buy a pint when we order our food so we have dessert. So many bonuses.

These folks are exceptional, the food is amazing. They serve proper cuisine and it is made to order.

Great hot food options and a store to boot for other essentials! Very friendly staff!

Everything is delicious and they're extremely nice. Samosas, wraps and mango lassi are my favorite.

Veggie Samosas - Absolutely Delicious and so flavorful. The two sauces were also lovely. Chicken Pakora - Om Nom Nom Tiki Masala - Fantastic! Also gringo-mild as so if you like spice, you may need to ask them to spice it up a bit. The Na'an was wonderful. Even though I told him it was a bad idea, my companion ordered the Philly Cheese-steak. Don't do that. It's a common sense. I mean, it's right up there with "never get involved in a land war in Asia" and "Never go against a Sicilian when death is on the line!" but no one ever listens to me. You don't order American food at the Pakistani Restaurant, you don't order the sushi at the Greek Restaurant, and you don't order Ethiopian food at Denny's. You are just going to have a bad time. Order the Pakistani food and you can't go wrong.

Been going here for years! Family-owned business and they make excellent food. Sayed and his family are always so kind. My favorite is the lamb karahi with basmati rice and garlic naan. I also like their biryani and get other groceries from them from time to time. They sell rose syrup there and we mix it at home with milk for a delicious sweet beverage. Try it! Enjoy the food and support this business!

We stopped in to get a couple of drinks and discovered an incredible Pakistani restaurant. Woman woman behind the counter was making pomegranate for herself and offered to share it with us so she made a to go cup of freshly seeded pomegranate.

V...o...o...w !!! This was ' Just Fantastic Downhome Grub ' !!!! I had an intuition to ' order in an Early Meal ' this Friday ; and s..o..o It's just what I did !!! Being that I live in Albany this was close enough for a ' Fast Door Dash Delivery ' !!!!! I decided on ' The Chicken Biryani ' w/their Excellent Fresh Green Mint Chutney. Young Mr. Umair Akbar was ' very Warm , Respectful and totally Co-operative as I ' special requested ' a Small'ish Side order of ' Shorba / Chicken Gravy ' to eat the a.k.a. ' Spicy Chicken Fried Rice ' !!! Aside from those two I ordered a Mango Lassi & Indo-Paki style ' Chai Tea ' !!! All was ' Fresh, Hot , Fragrant and On Point '. My Indian background is " Cutchi Memon " from the Western Ghats section. Our Biryani Rices - be it Beef. Lamb, Chicken or Goat always have Potatoes added to ' cut the Meatiness ' a bit !!! I paid a li'l extra for the Gravy & Mr. U obliged me as I called him w/a Heads Up. The Biryani was ' Just Excellent ' !!! The Chicken was Soft and Well Cured - Amazingly !!!! Plenty of it too ! Just the ' Right Balance ' quantitywise with the Rice !!! ' Totally hit the Spot ' !!!! Fantastic ! Just Fantastically spiced - Just Right !!! I even found a ' Clove ' in there !!! Ripley's ' Believe It Or Not !!! Mango Lassi not too Orange n Not to Sweet - Chai was Epic !!! Folks support them ! We need this Local Business to Stay !!!!!!

I tried Tandoori Chicken Wrap and Biryani. It was absolutely delicious like from heaven.

It's not a fancy Instagram worthy restaurant but it serves comforting food at a hard to beat price. This is the definition of a "local's pick". One you won't find in a guide anywhere. The surroundings may not be the best (it's in a convenience store after all) but if the food is better than places twice the price. And grab their Chai, it's made-to-order, unlike the batch made brew you find at most places. Recommendations: Get their specials, they put work into it and it's often the chef's own creations. They have a proper tandoori oven so grab a tandoori item and some naan as well. For a quick bite, get their wraps, very filling and tasty. For curry, it's hard to go wrong with any choice although the Goat may be too "fatty" or gamey for some. For drinks, it's a convenience store so you can find whatever you want but make sure to check out some of the imported drinks from the Middle East (or grab something from their $1 fridge)

Really good food. The naan was very fresh, and the flavor on the chicken tikka was some of the best I've had in the Bay Area. Reasonable prices too!

Chef's Kiss! I had been running errands all day, not realizing I had not eaten and was frantically searching Yelp for something nourishing, comforting, healthy and reasonably priced. This place hit the spot. Truly. I had never eaten Pakistani food before (I think) but with the similarities to other cuisines, I found it easy to order. Everything we ordered, delish. Falafel wrap - amazing. I once used to go to an Indian restaurant that had a similar wrap (I don't think they are in business anymore), but they were so inconsistent that I couldn't keep going. I missed that kind of wrap that's just warm and comforting, and not tart falafel salad on thin flatbread. This felt like home cooked comfort food, in a VERY good way. Can't wait to try more.

I ordered the lamb palak. They included rice with the order. It will last me for leftovers to eat again for lunch tomorrow. I feel so excited to have this place near my work! The gentlemen who work there are all very pleasant and kind. Each person said hello to me as I arrived, making me feel welcome and comfortable. The rice is impeccable and the lamb palak is delicious. I can't wait to try their palak paneer!

Very sweet staff! My husband and I came here for the first time to purchase some meat and spices. 1. Their meat is not over priced, like some of the other halal markets in the area. 2. They were out of Bay leaves, but the owner was so kind that he gave us some of their personal stash from the restaurant. Will definitely make this place our regular halal market!

We got 4 fish wraps because they were cheap and we weren't sure of the size at that price. Turns out one wrap would have been sufficient between the two of us but it tasted good so we kept going and stuffed ourselves until it hurt. We had 1.5 left by the end. We didn't even share with our kids but we could have because it wasn't spicy at all. It was, like, full of spices but not spicy. We hoarded the remainder for lunch the next day. I guess next time we should get 6 so we can give some to our kids but I fear we may very well do the same thing. The nice person who rang us up said, "You're going to love it!" And I was like, you're not the boss of me! Don't tell me what to do! But I loved it. It's true. This place is so, so good. We got food here three days ago and I am currently full from eating a different dinner but I cannot stop thinking about how good it was so I had to come and write this review. Like, I'm drooling just thinking about it. And I just ate! I am currently struggling with whether I should order the same thing again or try something different. Anyway, the prices are super low so I recommend hitting that 30% tip button. Yeah, really, it's worth it.

I love and therefore have extremely high tolerance for south Asian food. However, this didn't make the cut. We got the lamb biryani and chicken palak. The lamb biryani was dismal -- it was if someone had forgotten to spice it with the fragrances and flavors that make biryani biryani. It was just... oily rice. The chicken palak was certainly better, but again nothing to write home about. I had high hopes for this halal restaurant only for them to be dashed.

We ordered from Al-Maida tonight because we are still in the middle of a move. Ordered through Caviar a little over half an hour before they were set to close, and our order pickup time kept getting pushed, eventually well past the time the restaurant closed. Apparently the delivery driver just never showed up, and the owner delivered our order to us himself. Not only that, but all the food was nothing short of delicious. The Goat Karahi was super tender, the Baghan Bharta was smoky and great, the garlic naan was practically a pizza, and everything else was fantastic as well. We plan on showing up in person and thanking the owner if he's there and leaving a fat tip, because we were prepared for a cancelled order and were met with exemplary service and a delicious meal.

Got delivery from this place, really fragrant food and packed with flavor. Really loved the fish pakora and samosa especially. Came hot and crunchy. The samosa was especially delicious!

Total hole in the wall, in fact, a hole in the grocery store. But the food is bomb and it's cheap. Awesome chicken tikka and palak paneer.

A horrid experience. I was served a used band-aid. Live in the neighborhood, decided to stop by. I ordered a wrap, 3 people ordered after me. I received my food very last. Sure, an unexpected 20 minute wait (that only I experienced) can be excused. What cannot be excused? THE USED BAND-AID STUCK TO THE SIDE OF MY WRAP. I was horrified. I've worked in restaurants for years, mistakes happen, maybe a stray hair or some lettuce that is past it's prime... but a huge bloody used band-aid?! Radically unacceptable. Also, points to a deep disregard of general sanitization practices, especially during a pandemic. Where are the gloves? The response was even worse. The person at the cashier, in a dead-pan tone said, "oh sorry, we will make another" (Another?! Horror) A few words of another language are exchanged with the cook, he walks to the register, looks me dead in the eyes and just shrugs and walks away. Which left me thinking, perhaps it was intentional. Being served dead last after ordering first, while being present in the space with my same sex partner. I can't help but think I was targeted. Perhaps I'm reading too much into it, but, facts are facts and I was served a used band-aid. I asked for a refund, which I was given, and I left. I will absolutely never return.