Shahi Cafè

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!!!

Got their falafel wrap that was really tasteless, dry and crumbly whereas usually falafel is supposed to be crunchy. My guess is it was not fresh or prepared long time ago. The customer service is not there, not welcoming, they give you 5 matchsicks of picked radish (no pickles or tahini) and then comment that it is because you get the cheaper plate ($ 7 for chickpeas still pricey) … very stingy. If they want to attract people probably should understand that profits will be there if they get repeat customers and it is not going to be me!

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.

Good shawarma. I also really liked the plots, though it was a bit cold. The veggie curry was a little sweet for my tastes. The chicken curry had amazing flavor and sauce, but the fact that it was fatty and on the bone wasn’t really my style. I wonder if I could get chicken curry without the chicken: P I’d come back, good stuff.

Excellant variety of tasty cruisine. Very nice café style layout. Very fresh and authentic!

I really like this café. 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 café 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.

Definitely great kabob specials. You should always eat at Halal restaurants with a connected grocery store.

Everything we ordered tasted really really good. The only reason I took one star off was that it took a very long time for the food to arrive as it seemed like there were just two to three people running the show. But the wait was definitely worth it! Will be going 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 café down the street, it’s better.

This is the best Mediterranean I’ve had in town!!!

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

My GF and I had dinner here and we were very impressed with the freshness and quality of our meals. It was a slow evening, we were told that lunch is usually their busy time. All their meats and vegetables are fresh and since they’re attached to a Mediterranean grocery store it all makes sense. My Lamb Kabob plate was very tasty, very reminiscent of the shish kabob mom used to make back in the day and cooked to order. My date’s Gyro plate was smaller, less expensive but just as fulfilling. They honored their Groupon with a smile. It fairly utilitarian inside but you can’t eat atmosphere. The prices are fair, the food looked and tasted very good and the staff were cordial and helpful and that made for a fine dinner. It’s tucked away near the corner of N. Lamar Blvd and Parmer Lane but it’s worth searching out.

I love eating here and it’s always fun to take a stroll through the store. The Chicken Tikki is my favorite dinner. I love the rice — so flavorful. Recently I just wanted a snack and quiet place to check my messages. I ordered the olives and feta plate and the hummus plate. Both were tasty and plentiful. The Potato Samosa’s melt in your mouth.(A spicy potato pastry.) Sometimes I have to stop just for one of those.
The few things I don’t care for are simply my personal taste.
The staff are always so friendly and personable. I like the homey atmosphere.
The only thing I think needs improvement are the baklava. It’s just too doughy. Maybe it’s a style I’m not familiar with. But that could be a good thing as I really don’t need dessert on top of everything else.

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

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

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 café, 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 been here twice… The first time was definitely a 5-​star experience, but the 2^nd was more like a 3 star. I’ll split the difference and go with a 4-​star review for now, and possibly adjust the review after another visit.
On my first visit, my food tasted very fresh, and so was flavorful. I had the combo schawarma platter with hummus and pakora. The girl behind the counter was so sweet and helpful It was all amazing, and I was excited to bring my husband on the next visit.
About 2 weeks later, I brought him along, and the experience was decidedly different. The person behind the counter wasn’t particularly helpful or friendly. When we were served our food, the meat was dry, and the sides tasted like they’d been sitting out for a while. It was one of those times where my husband gave me this look like «Were you high the first time you ate here?»
I’ll probably give this place a 3^rd try at some point, in hopes that the 2^nd visit was just a fluke. There’s lots of great Mediterranean places in Austin, Shahi Café, so you’re going to have to bring your A-​game every day!

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 Unilocal.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!

I was looking for a good Mediterranean place and this was at the top on Unilocal,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.

I’ve been visiting this café atleast once a week ever since moving to North Austin. To say I’m addicted to this place would be an understatement. I wish I could say I’ve tried everything on the menu but Biryani is my comfort food and that’s usually what I stick with. The owners are of Bangladeshi descent and while this isn’t a Bangladeshi restaurant, I do detect that bengali touch in some of the non middle eastern foods I have tried so far.
The prices are very fair considering the amount of food is given. It usually lasts me a meal and a snack if not two meals depending on the type of dish. Besides the Biryani (they have lamb/​chicken/​fish), I’ve enjoyed the Lamb Shank, Gormeh Sabzi, and Veggie Platter. Some of these dishes comes with 2 sides as well. The daal (Lentil Soup) and Pakoras are spot on!
Of the dishes I’ve had so far, the only one I didn’t enjoy was the Lamb Burger. I felt the meat was too dry, the garlic paste (?) and the other ingredients didn’t assist in creating a burger that is well rounded with the right amount of juiciness. However, I am willing to chalk that up to a one-​time thing. I’ll try it again in the future if I am ever able to get off my biryani addiction.
The meat is also halal for those with that dietary restriction.

Oh my kebab! Shahi Café for the win. I has a craving for mediterranean food and didn’t want to go far. I found this gem through Unilocal and once again Unilocal 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!

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.

*******DEFINITELY AS GOOD AS IT GETS!********
Thank you Unilocal 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 cliché 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.