Curries and Rice and Pakoras, Oh My!

August of 2008 was a miraculous month for San Luis Obispo. Why? Because this was when Aasim Sajjad decided to open his deliciously mouthwatering restaurant, Shalimar. This place is small but quaint, the food is out of this world, and the staff members go more than out of their way to make you feel as if you are dining at their own home.

“I go there every week,” Patrick Howe, a journalism professor at Cal Poly, said of Shalimar.

Although it isn’t in the most convenient location, Shalimar is a real diamond in the rough that is worth traveling to the ends of the earth for. At their buffet, the endless supply of curried chicken, curried vegetables, vegetable pakora, and warm and fresh naan bread, among many other things, will make you feel as though you are sitting directly in front of the Taj Mahal.

“Shalimar single-handedly changed my perception and pallet regarding Indian food. I would have to say I’m quite addicted to Shalimar’s food and it’s now my favorite restaurant in SLO. Shalimar’s amazing lunch buffet and incredibly friendly staff make it one of the restaurants I tell everybody, even those who are not too fond of Indian food, to try,” Michael Lee, a Cal Poly senior and frequent Shalimar visitor, said,

Photos of India, a TV playing Bollywood films, Cal Poly pennants, and paraphernalia of popular California sports teams decorate Shalimar’s walls, showing a real fusion between the cultures that the family has lived with and their desire to connect with their customers.

A unique part of their buffet is the complimentary mango lassi, a yogurt-based drink that is not only wildly tasty, but also helps to cleanse your pallet when eating some of their spicier dishes.

“It is very different from anything I’ve ever had before, but it is delicious,” Marisa Wishart, a recent Cal Poly graduate said of the mango lassi. So excited to be asked about Shalimar, she continued by saying, “If you go to the buffet it’s an inexpensive meal for what you get. I’d never had Indian food before I went there and it’s a really great way to try something different without worrying about wasting money because there are so many different options. It’s not always the same, either. They cook different things so you can go in two days in a row and try something new! The pakora is like a tasty guessing game of ‘which veggie is this?'”

Owner, Aasim Sajjad, was born in Pakistan, raised in Kashmir, India, and moved to San Luis Obispo at the age of nineteen.

“I didn’t even know what SLO was when I moved here,” he said. But he’s sure happy to be here now, sharing his culture to this small college town with his authentic recipes and friendly smile.

One of the many awards Shalimar has won.

The inside of the restaurant.

Mango Lassi

Hina and Nasreen, Aasim’s wife and mother-in-law, respectively, and me in front of Shalimar.

Click on any of the photos to begin slideshow

ਤੁਹਾਡਾ ਦਿਨ ਚੰਗਾ ਲੰਘੇ

tuhādā dina caṃgā laṃghe

Have a nice day!