Amy Lauren S.
Yelp
Malika Canteen was my first experience with Pakistani food. I have no idea if it is "authentic" as I have never been to Pakistan. As far as I know, Malika is the only option for Pakistani food in the Charleston area.
My husband and I visited for a date night after shopping at Mount Pleasant Towne Center. On the outside, Malika looks like any other Towne Center restaurant, but the inside sticks out from the usual upscale, preppy, vibe of Mt. P. It's is bright, colorful, and has tons of pictures on the wall.
The servers are bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, unique hair Gen Zers who and take orders with handheld POS systems at your table. That speeds up the ordering process so you get your food quickly. The servers pronounced and explained the menu, so if this is your first experience with Pakistani food, you won't feel overwhelmed.
For our app, we had the Dahi Puri. This dish had a combination of flavors and textures- with savory, chilled, and crunchiness from the shell. We went with the Thali dishes for entrees, which I recommend because you get two choices (meat or vegetarian). I had the aloo gobi and the paneer tiki masala, and the paneer was my favorite. The aloo gobi is a cauliflower dish and a bit spicy, but the yogurt on the side helped cut the spice without compromising the flavor.
My husband's Thali was the tawa queema, which is a beef dish and palak paneer. The Thali dishes are a sampler, great for folks new to Pakistani food, and the portions are large and filling (we had a snack for later). The only thing I didn't care for was the garlic naan, which had an aftertaste. I'll order the buttered naan next time, as naan is a must to complete your meal.
If you're looking for a culinary adventure to escape suburbia- without actually leaving suburbia- give Malika Canteen a try.