Taste of Pakistan Restaurant and Take away

"London is massive. The traffic can be unbearable. And we’ve had a personal vendetta against the Piccadilly line since we can remember. But travelling nearly to the end of it, to Hounslow, is worth it for Taste of Pakistan. Better yet, cure any holiday comedown by rolling straight out of Heathrow and into this excellent Pashtun restaurant. Come dinner, it’s guaranteed to be heaving. It’s a destination, with 4x4s pulling up to its driveway and groups piling into the vast, white-lit dining room, before filling their table with juicy kebabs, bubbling karahis, and giant naans that hang from hooks like taunting sirens for anyone outside without a reservation." - daisy meager, jake missing, sinead cranna, rianne shlebak, heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, heidi lauth beasley, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna, sinead cranna, rianne shlebak, jake missing, jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna, sinead cranna, jake

"Curry recommendations can send you all over London, but you’ll find the silkiest charsi karahi and the most gargantuan Afghan naans close to Heathrow Airport. If anything, Taste of Pakistan is more hectic than a departures terminal. The Pashtun favourite is more akin to a club, with 4x4s pulling up outside come dinner and hordes of friends and families settling into the pared-back, white-lit dining room, ready to take down frisbee-shaped chapli kebabs and mountains of kabli pilau. A restaurant with this much buzz often has a face and Taste of Pakistan’s is Naseer—proprietor and all-round guv’nor—who works the room making sure everyone is happy. Needless to say, they are." - jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna, heidi lauth beasley

"Taste Of Pakistan near Heathrow is a destination, and it’s almost always chock-a-block. The large, bungalow-ish dining room is made for one thing and one thing only: feeding friends and family London’s finest Pashtun food. Sizzling chapli kebabs, luscious karahis, and giant naans on hooks dominate this room, as does Naseer—the owner who makes sure everyone is as happy and satisfied as possible." - jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna, heidi lauth beasley

"Outside of jumping on an 11-hour flight to Peshawar, there are few better options in London than Taste of Pakistan. Sandwiched between a garage and a car rental shop near Heathrow, this Pashtun spot wears its excellence humbly. The room is plain, the Hounslow location suburban, but once inside, feels like it’s spread across a row of houses. It’s almost always chocka which speaks volumes to how good the food is. Groups pile into the white-lit dining room, 4x4s pull up into its drive, and Naseer—proprietor and all-round guv’nor—patrols the room like a smiling bouncer who’s ready to offer, or weaponise, a chapli kebab at a moment’s notice. Just like the airport terminals nearby, Taste Of Pakistan is constantly heaving. Hoping to swing by for an impromptu charsi karahi is a fool’s game. On any given night this restaurant is alive with honking cars out front while friends and families rip at enormous naans and mop up velvet-smooth sauces inside. Groups without bookings are laughed away in person or, unforgivingly, online. Team TOP takes their reputation as seriously as they do their food. Both are outstanding. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Northwest Pakistani food takes influence from nearby Afghanistan and the signature ghee-less, blanket-sized naans hang from hooks on every table like taunting sirens for passers-by. In fact, the food and the restaurant share many of the same characteristics. The two-sided dining room bubbles just like the karahis being cooked over flames and another member of your group is always welcome in the same way an extra round of glistening Peshawari chapli kebabs is necessary. Of course, coming here en masse is the move. For ladles and ladles of sweet kabli pilau and sizzling mixed grill platters. That said, a solo midweek lunchtime will guarantee you a table and, to be honest, Taste of Pakistan is a restaurant you should always be leaving with extra baggage. Food Rundown Peshawari Chapli Kebab An instant death row dish contender, this chapli kebab is something we dream about very often. Frisbee-shaped with crispy edges from deep-frying, this juicy beef patty has flecks of chilli green and red running throughout, alongside aromatic hits of cumin and coriander seeds. Your first should be considered a snack and the second, savoured. Charsi Karahi Chicken The glistening, shimmering nature of this karahi sauce is mesmerising. So much so that, once you taste it, you may quickly think about glugging it first thing in the morning. The tomato-based curry is gentle, with a thirst-quenching masala sauce that clings to tender chicken legs and drumsticks like a gravy coat. Take some of this home and eat it the next day, it tastes even better. Kabli Pilau There is a spoon for the karahi and a shovel for the kabli pilau, and never the two shall meet. Naseer gave us this tip as we excavated and pulled away the slow-cooked lamb from this gorgeous, raisin and sweet carrot-topped plate of rice. It’s an aromatic, moreish pile of food that rightly deserves shovelling. Peshwari Naan Any bread enthusiast may well think they’ve ascended to heaven at Taste Of Pakistan. The peshwari naans—giant, billowing canvases that are begging to be painted with oils and sauces—stand tall on every table. Essential, delicious bread." - Jake Missing

"People go out of their way to get to Taste Of Pakistan. Piles of friends, families emerging from gleaming 4x4s in the driveway, and pretty much anyone who wants to eat some of London’s best Pashtun food. Much of this restaurant’s energy comes from Naseer—the guv’nor—who is Hounslow’s answer to both Phil Mitchell and Stanley Tucci. He moves around the gleaming white room checking in on your chapli kebab (crispy, juicy), asking if your Peshwari naan is big enough (billowing), and ladling kabli pulao (outstanding) for you. Lunch is a breeze but if you want to have a big blowout dinner, then booking is essential." - jake missing