Shahi Cafe

When a café is inside a grocery store, it's gonna be good. Try #1, the lamb shank. Comes with plenty of comforting velvety sauce and choice of rice or naan.

The Beef Shawarma Wrap was delicious and very filling. Some of the beef was chewy but overall it was tasty. I enjoyed the spicy sauce on the meat and the hummus, cucumber and onions perfectly complemented the wrap. I look forward to trying other things on the menu in the future.

We visited Austin recently and were on the lookout for Bangladeshi food. Every item we tried was absolutely delicious. The mutton yakhni pulao was exceptional, probably the best we’ve had. It had generous amount of meat. The lamb shank was perfectly cooked with traditional desi masala and large pieces of potato. It tasted just like homemade curry, with a thick, buttery gravy. The beef curry was equally flavorful and satisfying. The portion size was great for the price for all the items. The owner and staff at the cafe were kind and welcoming, which made the experience even more memorable.

I absolutely love the Tehari at this restaurant! It's the best I've ever tasted. Whenever I'm in Austin, I make it a point to come here. The chicken shwarma platter didn't impress me as much, but the Tehari is a must-try. They have a shop attached where you can buy South Asian Masala, sweets, foods, and halal meat, although it's a bit pricey. Overall, highly recommend for the amazing Tehari! However, I must mention that the entry point was quite challenging. The steep downhill at the entrance made it difficult to navigate, resulting in unintentional bumps to our car on multiple occasions.

Bought Chicken Biriyani and it tastes good. The spice (salt and chili powder) is just perfect. I like it better than NYC chili biriyani. It’s the only Bengali restaurant and grocery in Austin as I was told. They had ample amount of rice and chicken pieces and the price $12 was just right for the size.

Shahi is the ONLY place in Austin to have Bangladeshi style Beef Tehari (call first and check, it's usually over the weekends). Their catering prices are also reasonable and highly customizable. Chicken Roast, Korma Chicken and Shami Kababs are all really good.

I have gotten Bangladeshi food from there a couple of times, and it is absolutely delicious! Very authentic. The price is a bit high compared to Houston, so I'm not sure if it's because of the area or if their prices are just higher than other places. But I think this is the only Bangladeshi restaurant in town, so they pretty much have a monopoly on this. With that being said, I'd still recommend this place because the quality of the food is good. Although, they should really consider renovating their cafe if they want customers to dine-in. I really want to take my non-Bangladeshi friends and colleagues to a Bangladeshi restaurant, but theirs is not up to the mark. It looks like the owner has given up. Would like to dine-in there if they make it more customer friendly.

Shahi Cafe is a cozy spot serving up authentic Bengali flavors that hit home. The Beef Tehari and Chicken Biriyani are rich, aromatic, and deeply satisfying. Their Lamb Shank Curry is a buttery, spice-packed standout. Friendly service and a tucked-away grocery section add charm. If you're craving bold, homestyle Bengali cooking, this place is what you need! Ask for Aziz bhai, he is the best!!

Found this authentic South Asian cuisine in a tiny strip on Austin's north side. If you blink, you will miss it. The Chicen Tikka was juicy,spicy and delicious and accompanied with cucumber salad and yogurt sauce. It appeared to have been grilled fresh and the platter was sufficient for two meals. I have never gotten so much naan with a meal and it was almost too much. It is attached to a grocery store so one can shop while waiting for a meal. There is a decent sized dining area.

Stopped here for a bite. I didn't want to drive anywhere due to construction close to the hotel. I checked yelp map and walked. At first, I thought the cafe was closed. It is co-located with a grocery store. Also, the steam heating bins typically used for buffets were covered. However, I was greeted and my order taken. My food was made to order and freshly grilled. Expected to wait for it but it was worth the wait. I ordered one of the specialty items and had enough food for two meals. Definitely worth a try. Check out the grocery store While you wait.

My previous review still remains true, however Shahi is the ONLY place in Austin to have Bangladeshi style Beef Tehari (call first and check, it's usually over the weekends) so I have to add a star just on that alone! Their catering prices are also reasonable and highly customizable. Chicken Roast, Korma Chicken and Shami Kababs are all really good.

Absolutely delicious and authentic Punjabi food. Would highly recommend. Their chicken tikka is some of the best I've had.

Friendly service, but the biryani is awful. It's just lamb mixed with rice (both lacking any flavor or aroma). They charge $15 for it. I wouldn't even pay $5 for it to be honest. The best part of my meal was the Thums-Up soda from India. The market seems good though.

Still on my adventurous kick I decided to try some Middle Eastern cuisine for lunch today after watching several Food Ranger episodes on YouTube lol. I did a little Yelp search and ended up at Shahi Cafe on North Lamar. I have to point out that upon entering the establishment there is a bit of an interesting smell, however, that's only because the Cafe is within the International Grocery/Meat Market. So don't let that deter you from trying the food out. I decided to try out a Mixed Plate which included a Beef and Chicken Kafta Kabab, Rice, Grilled Veggies (Onion, Tomato & Bell Pepper), Salad and Cucumber Sauce. The plate came with the choice of rice or naan but I knew I still wanted to try their Naan so I also picked one up. There was quite a bit of food stuffed into the plate. The kababs were tasty, tender and not too spicy. I can't say if I'd choose one over another because they were both good. The rice was fluffy and went so well with the grilled veggies. The salad consisted of cucumbers, onions and tomatoes and was such a nice, refreshing side with the kababs. I do wish I had asked for a little extra cucumber sauce because it was a great accompaniment to everything. The naan was huge and tasted like it was freshly baked. The prices were reasonable too... it was about $12 for everything. Definitely worth the try!

Best biryani in Austin. The crew there will make many off menu items for you as well..

Dirty napkins, unseasoned kebab, owners and cooks walking around talking loudly on the phone... was so disappointing. This is not a middle eastern restaurant, it's Bengali and I have Bengali family members that can cook their butts off, in the IndoPak Desi world Begalis are the kings of cooking, and this was not it. Finding home style middle eastern is difficult in Austin but in comparison to a halal brothers this place which states it has Middle Eastern was horrific. The kebabs were unseasoned, the microwave ding kept going off and the shawarma was pitiful and dry. Besides my gross table, the place didn't give you clean vibes, especially with the uncleared table for the whole time we were there. It's cheap, the rice was nice and fluffy and the store prices for Indopak foods were great, all the rest meh..... oh and the Raita was like salad dressing.

Great food. The food is very fresh and tastes really good. The service is impeccable and the staff is very polite. Always took it to go, so can't say much for the ambience.

I used to eat here all the time and for no particular reason I haven't been back in awhile. I stopped in today and I am glad to see they are still open, still clean, and the food is still great. The prices have gone up, yes, but that's understandable during this pandemic. They are a husband and wife that run the restaurant, and the husband is always very nice when taking orders and answering questions. I love how they still have the chai tea dispenser and it's always full and hot. Usually when I'm driving down Parmer I stop in just to get a tea as it's help yourself. As a plus, the kebob plate is enough for 2 meals.

Lamb biryani and Beef tihari are excellent choices here, they make party trays too, try their desi chai as well

Amazing! Tried their lunch buffet and was so blown away by how flavorful everything was. My vegetarian friends found a lot of options and was just as satisfied as I was. New fave lunch spot for sure! Follow me on Instagram for more gems

*******DEFINITELY AS GOOD AS IT GETS!******** Thank you Yelp for another winner. I hit the search nearby feature while we were out of our 'hood' and found this place. We are of Indo-Pak descent and have eaten this food our entire lives (Mostly in Houston, where the options of Indian/Pakistan restaurants is endless) This place was out of their leagues. Just different and delicious. It may sound cliche but you could taste the love in the food. We ordered: beef & lamb schwarma platter - impressive and delicious. Tasted nothing like any other schwarma we've ever had. It tasted much more middle eastern with different flavors and very tender. Chicken tandoori kabob skewer - excellent - our almost 3 year old gobbled up every bit of it while dunking it in his dal (soup). The dal was exceptional. Such delicate flavors yet bursting full of them. I had the goat haleem. I mentioned that I couldn't eat beef due to an allergy and she said she could do a goat haleem. It was spectacular. Topped with fried onions, cilantro, fresh chopped ginger and very spicy chili peppers on the side if you wanted to add them. We also had baba ganouj and hummus. Both were the best I can remember eating anywhere (and I am kinda known for my homemade hummus!). Every single bite was delicious! I cannot wait to go back. A bonus is, I think it's one family who owns, cooks, and serves. They are so sweet and pleasant and helpful. :) A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Over the past few months, the restaurant has made small changes that are making a difference. The schwarma plate is now served on a bed of rice along with the two sides. The kebab plate is still the same but they actually lowered the price by $1 or so! it also appears that they have a few more sides added to the roster, which is always a plus.

It is a small place,I guess a family business,with a market beside it.we often visit shahi market for chicken and meat shopping.we have been here for 2 times and we had chicken minced and jajube kabob,kabob platter,chicken biriyani so far.I am really surprised to see their food quality,really good tasty food.they have kabob skewers ready,u order and they grill it for u.my only problem was with their rice items.rice items are not freshly made like kabobs,so most of those are partly dried up,doesn't look good. Definitely a good place for finger-licking kabobs.

If you're not brown they charge you extra for the food. I had been in plenty of times with my friend from India and they always charged him one price, but when I went in by myself they up the price by over $3, and when I called them out on it they denied it. I literally called my friend from the store and asked him how much they charged him for what I was getting, and lo and behold it was $3 cheaper than what the lady was trying to charge me. She also wouldn't show me the menu with the prices on it... If you can make a profit on selling at a certain price to certain people, you can still make a profit on other people even if they have a different skin color and accent.

Let me start by saying the food here is delicious!!! but the portions are too small! its not worth taking to go, cause you can eat more for just a couple more bucks at the buffet.. I ordered a shwarma plate, maybe got half a serving of chicken.. The only reason I got it was FOR the chicken.. I didn't end up getting rice, cause i'm on a restricted diet, so they gave me half a portion of veggies.. I get why they did, but its not really that appealing when they're nickel and diming you..

The food here is definitely of great quality; their kabobs are never frozen. I recently had their lamb haleem and it was quite tasty. We have also tried their chicken and lamb kabobs, and those too are very tasty. The bread they give with their dishes is also freshly baked. All their food items are really tasty, so why the 3-star review? Almost every time we have been there, there is one lady behind the counter who always seems to have a bad attitude. I don't know why, can't put my finger on it. A bad attitude can really effect your customers, so much so that if my husband and I did want to go to Shahi cafe, we would hesitate or choose to go somewhere else only because we don't want to encounter the lady with the negative attitude. Sadly, they lose our business everytime because we ultimately end up deciding to not go there!

I've come here 3 times now and have never been displeased. Also, I've brought three different people here to try this place out each time and we've always gotten different dished and always are happy. This place is a little hidden and you could easily miss it if you are not looking for it or find it on yelp. It's located in a store right near the corner of Parmer and N. Lamar. They have daily specials M-F for $6.99 and their wraps are very good and inexpensive starting at $5.99. I've had their chicken shawarma, beef and lamb shawarma (amazing and worth the extra dollars), curry veggies, beef stew($5.99 with rice), dolma (grape leaf wraps), and their hummus and everything is amazing! They also have fresh meat that you can buy and they even do catering. You won't be sad that you found this place!! Do it!

Went there for the buffet a few weeks ago. This is certainly a gem in hiding. Authentic (AFAIK), tasty and very good value for the money. We were greeted by someone behind the buffet counter who helped us understand the different culinary choices (THANK YOU!). While the place is not large and not the easiest place to just happen to walk into, I really recommend you try if you like Mediterranean choices.

I was looking for a good Mediterranean place and this was at the top on yelp, but sadly, I was let down. I will say though, the guy behind the counter was awesome to talk to while we waited. I ordered the combo chicken and beef plate to go and when I got home, it only had beef. It was a $2 loss but not a big deal if the quality of the food made up for it. Overall, the beef seemed a bit dry and the rice lacked any major flavors. My other big issue was how small the sauce container they provide was. For a large plate like the combo, a tiny container was good for a bite or two. Most places will load you up on the sauce. With the many different options around town for Mediterranean, I doubt I will be back but if I do, I will make sure to come back and provide an update review.

So all the good reviews..i can understand... you got good food at that time or more often than not and you write a good review..my personal policy..i don't write reviews until i have been to the place at least 2 to 3 times.. so i have been here few times now and majority of the time food is bad and old.. lunch buffet im talking about... weekdays and weekends.... haven't tried menu items yet but lunch buffet is a no go..old good... bad rori/naan..... don't know what the issue is.. but not going there anymore for lunch buffet... guys you can cook less good but do fresh... and some items are nothing but oil..lol.. really... Indian/pakistani can also be cooked with just a little less amount of oil

Came here for dinner. I was a bit hesitant first because, well, I had different expectations. The restaurant is part of a grocery store and it looked like an the fluorescented version of a dive bar. The menu is an ordering ticket where you select what you want if you've established communication with the guy who take it from you. I go in. The guy hands me this piece of paper and asks what I want. I ask if they have a menu and he says yes. So I hand the paper back. Puzzled look. There was an awkward moment where I was expecting a menu and then he hands me the paper back. It clicked. The paper IS the "menu". Ordered chicken, rice, naan, salad and hummus plate. Went around the grocery store while the food was being prepared. I was half thinking about picking a chocolate for dessert if the food turns to be disappointing but that decision was thankfully delayed by a ring of the phone. The food was... good. Real good. The chicken was tender, juicy and I couldn't get enough of. The hummus was thick and scoopable, like I like so it could be "wiped" with a naan perfectly. There was some za'atar and olive oil in it to add to the flavor and complexity. Obviously I ran out of naan so like any normal person I've ordered another one. Garlic naturally. It came out fresh and steaming. Delicious. It was an effort but I didn't give up and finished everything. Hence the lucky phone call from earlier that saved me from having a dessert. The meal was only 17$ and I think that it was too cheap but I could get a menu to check the price. Will eat there again!

One of the better Shawarma's I've had in this town. Authentic, but not as good as other Middle-Eastern Cafes and Deli's here in Austin. They use Phonecia Bakery Pita bread, so it's pretty tasty. The meat was well-seasoned and had authentic flavor. Comparable to street Shawarma I've had in the Middle-East. They come in Lamb, Beef or Chicken. The filling is rounded out with marinated cucumber Lettuce, Tomatoes and Onion, with a dollop of hummus and Tzaziki. Topped off with a nice Chilli Paste. I'd go back for another. The owner's a dick. Service is slow. Get over yourselves.

Well deserved 4 stars for the food. Can't say enough about the skewers, lamb, beef, or chicken, had them all, and they are all great. It's a small place with a grocery store attached. And they have a small buffet for lunch 11-4pm. Not a lot to say for service but it's not rude or extremely bad. And really good take out order of 4 skewers, chicken biriyani, two large sides and naan bread for $25.

The lamb shank Biryani was unbelievable and only $5. It was so good I got a second order for lunch tomorrow! Also, my wife enjoyed her shwarma wrap and the mango lassi was also excellent. Friendly staff too. Highly encourage you to go!!

We came here just bc all the good reviews and wt a huge and big disappointment.. First, the food wasn't appealing but am like not judge the book by it is cover but i should have trusted my judgment. The food was cold and meat dishes were bone dry. The curry, rice cleary not fresh, chicken no flavor or any kind of spices. The tea was there and i want to grab one but it is 1 dollar more adding to the 10 dollars waste for food.. Bread the only thing was fresh and good... Shame shame

Really good buffet and chicken kabob. It's a very relaxed atmosphere and we loved that it wasn't upscale. The naan is great compared to other restaurants we have been to. The place is great for us and we will be back.

Meat was dry. Rice was dry. I had to drench my meat and rice in the white sauce to make it taste better. Try Santorini cafe down the street, it's better.

I really like this cafe. It is attached to a cute market with various ethnic foods. I was surprised at the variety. They seem to have everything from the traditional Mediterranean to Turkish and Russian treats. The cafe itself had a nice melody of options from shawarma to butter chicken. I had a skewer of lamb that was tender and seasoned very well. If I was a little hungrier at the time I would have enjoyed a bit of everything. I will save that little adventure for next time.

I came here for lunch, the buffet was going on and it was great everything from the chicken to the desert. this is kind of it a Hidden Gem and it is absolutely worth seeking, prices are fair and the food is excellent.

In my second visit to Shahi I was, again, impressed with the food. The young lady who runs the restraunt is friendly and attentive to the uninitiated. The family is from Bangladesh and they take pride in their food. We had just about everything on the menu and it was all good. Spinach/onion pakora is legend, fresh naan from a tandor, humus that was great, ground beef kebab was seasoned and cooked to perfection. We drove over sixty miles for my Father's Day meal...... It was totally worth the drive!

This place is great and very clean! It's also connected to a grocery/market so the food is always fresh. I ordered a Gyro and it was definitely the best I've had so far in my geek eating experience. I also had a side of hummus and naan. My boyfriend had the Chicken Shawarma served over rice with a side choice of potatoes and vegetables in curry. He was also very pleased with his platter. The Gyro came out before the hummus and naan and I thought the staff forgot about the side and they informed me it takes a little longer because they make the bread fresh. It was worth the little wait. Overall, great experience.

Absolutely awesome. The tikka kabob is wonderful. The flavor resembles Indian took a masala. I get the plate. The rice is perfect and the charred tomato is my favorite Persian addition. I skip the salad and get hummus. I add sumac at the table. I get a side or 2 of tabouli salad. The naan works well with the hummus. Then I also add spinach pakora. The only issue is they have only sweet tea. I love it but my hubs hates sweet tea. The staff is always friendly. Must

Single handedly the beast meat Samosas in town. Worth going out of your way for.

Very bad and poor customer service. I am so dissatisfied and disappointed with this establishment if I can call this small store in the center of filthy corner of Lamar and Parmer. I shopped here plenty times and was aware of expired product they sell. This time I bought unexpired pack of Russian cookies with sweet filling called "pryaninki". Needless to say I spent $40 two days ago. Sometimes I spend more then that. When I opened cookies to give to my little one I found warms and web from all this nastiness inside. That was a big NO. I personally went back to return so they can pull those from shelves and expected that they will do something about that. When I got there shorter old man came up to me. His reaction was like well nothing bad happened. He checked date and said ok I will give you refund. NO apologies, NO offering of similar product instead. When I asked him that's all what you can say, his entire face expression was: I don't give a f...... I told him that his customer service is suck and he lives in American society where customer service is to bring a Customer and not to make an extra dollar on him/her. And his business is just to make money money and he cares less whether he selling shit or poop. Anyways I was mad and I said not these kind of immigrants made America. And I would handle this situation completely different. You lost customer. Also I will call IRS or BBB because there is no taxes deduction on my receipt and I will give you no stars. I am so glad that there more stores where I can get spices and imported sweets. And better customer service!

Indian... Or Mediterranean... Whatever, it's yummy! This place has a delicious product for a very reasonable price. Upon arrival you may be discouraged because of the building or location but go ahead and walk in... You'll be happy you did. The restaurant shares a space with a grocery store. The meat is cooked from raw when ordered, the sides are prepared but kept very warm.

For the life of me I can't figure out why this place has good reviews. It is cheap, which is great, and the and the customer service is good (+1 star), but that doesn't make up for the incredibly bland food and disgust. It's kind of like eating at grandma's house when grandpa has high blood pressure.....and a pest problem. After several dashes of salt and whatever red seasoning comes in those shakers into my daal, and spreading some salt on my plate to rub my falafel in, I could finally taste what I was chewing. And I don't even like salty foods. But that's not what got me out of my seat and out of there in a hurry. The guy who works there (super nice) had to kill 2 roaches - and left them there, I saw a 3rd, and when a fourth nearly made its way into my purse, I booked it without finishing my food. Mind you I was in there for all of 15 minutes. NEVER AGAIN!

Oh my kebab! Shahi Cafe for the win. I has a craving for mediterranean food and didn't want to go far. I found this gem through Yelp and once again yelp has steered me to the right place. My husband and I got the 2 kebab skewers plates that includes pilaf saffron rice and a side salad with a onion garnish. Definitely get the CHICKEN kebab and the chicken tikka. It was moist and so flavorful. I also got the spicy minced beef skewer and that was delicious. The baklava was a different variation from what I used to. There was no gooey honey soaked in it. It was a dry pastry. I highly recommend Shahi for your Kebab cravings!

Every time, Every thing awesome... Not a fancy place, but delicious, so better for lunch myb

Great Lamb Shank!!! Best Dolmas & Tabouli I've had in a long time. You can taste the love they put in the food.

Came here with a group of 5 friends. Combo shawarma was good, but i didn't like the wrap they used. Same wrap as those used for American chicken caesar salads. The falafel side was awful. It was hard as a rock. I tried the chicken tikka kabob and it was straight up delicious. Austin definitely needs more ethnic food places like this. Will come back here for the chicken kabob platter next time!!!

The buffet at this cafe is fantastic. There are a lot of restaurants in Austin that offer tastey but generic Indian food. Shahi stands out from this crowd by offering a range of simple dishes that really taste homemade and remind me of home-cooked meals I ate in Bangladesh years ago. I'd skip the mediterranean offerrings and take advantage of the buffet - you won't be disappointed.

For those of you who don't know, this is both an Indo-European Grocery store and Cafe combined. That means it has a mixture of Middle Eastern and Indian food, for those not aware. As for my visit, I received nothing but friendly vibes. I am not sure if the gentleman behind the counter in the cafe was one of the owners (that's the vibe I received tho), but we had a lovely conversation about the many different editions of several dishes there. As I gave him feedback on my taste preferences for certain dishes, he made suggestions that were spot on. Can't wait to go back! I like low key, friendly, casual (not to mention healthy) and Shahi filled all of those roles. Also, you can't EVER go wrong with buying pre-made puff pastry and making cheese filled puff pastries at home. They even have baby goats. Not sure how I feel about that, nor do I care to see, but I understand it's a cultural thing, right? Right?

Disappointing, I'll stick to Peace Deli down the road. I've given this place 2 chances, both subpar. Family run, they are nice & friendly though each time they've forgotten one part of my order. (Naan bread & yogurt sauce). I've gotten the chicken kebab that was dry & under spiced. The chicken shawarma was just diced up badly seasoned meat that was not cooked well. The rice was too wet, though it had a good flavor. The tomato and cucumber salad which I was warned was spicy, had no zing and the veggies were limp. The baba ganoush had an odd texture and a peanut like flavor. I like supporting local places, but this is one restaurant I will be skipping from now on.

Meh. The shawarma is an easy way to gauge the quality of middle eastern food, whether it's from a food cart in the middle east to a restaurant virtually anywhere. With that in mind, I tried the Combo shawarma here (beef/chicken). found it flavorless and included extremely bland meat, the same meats that'd likely be used in many other dishes. Unsure what the hype is about and was disappointed. However interest in giving 'em another shot w/ the biriyani + low price nets three stars.

This new restaurant is a place I have been enjoying more and more with each visit. The food is great as is the service. I am a fan of the beef kabab plate. They've recently started making tandoori naan, which is some of best naan in Austin. The hummus is also very good, but a bit spicy. Be sure to try the chicken samosas; they are a bit greasy but absolutely amazing. Def worth checking out. Also halaal.

I have already been here a few times since finding it and can't wait to get back. GREAT lunch buffet with fantastic flavor. The dishes are not very spicy (which is not unusual for a buffet), but they do have kacha morich available on the buffet so you can add heat to your personal preference. The vegetables and meat curries are excellently seasoned - tastes like home cooking, not typically bland restaurant fare. AND there's a dispenser of doodh cha (milk tea) available. That's not included with the buffet, but it's only $1 for a cup, so why wouldn't you?

I got a falafel sandwich here for pickup, and it was awful. The bread was crusty and cold, the falafel was tangy, cold, and dry, and it was loaded with onions! I could barely take more than 3 bites. This is inside of a grocery store- so your very basic set up. They have a buffet with Indian food and salad part as part of the buffet. The people who work there are really nice! Maybe they have a better buffet- just do NOT get the falafel sandwich.