I am always on the lookout for delicious Indian food in San Francisco. My favorite right now is Mehfil on Folsom at 2nd Street in SOMA. What do I like about it? The samosas are very good and they come with three sauces, two of which are spicy. They’re gigantic and at $3.50 per dish, quite a bargain. The vegetable, seafood, lamb and chicken dishes are very good, too. My favorite vegetable dish is the punjabi channa paneer which consists of chick peas, pomegranate, cumin, red onions and other spices; for chicken, I like the kachri murag which is chicken cooked with star anise, ginger, dry baby melon spice, garlic and tomatoes. Because I like my food extra spicy, I ask the kitchen to go crazy with the peppers. Mehfil is good value for money. My friend and I enjoyed a filling dinner consisting of samosas, one vegetable and one chicken dish plus basmati rice for $26.45. And we could barely finish it. Make sure you try the lassi, especially the zaffrani lassi which is not as sweet as the mango lassi but has a very unusual flavor.
You can also order for takeaway or delivery. Their lunch time takeaway specials are extremely good value: at only $5 you get a main course and basmati rice. Their online ordering system is the best I’ve seen so far. Why don’t more restaurants have this?
- Vibe: bright airy restaurant in SOMA, a cut above the typical Indian dive.
- Pros: very delicious Indian food at recession-friendly prices — seafood dishes are around $13, lamb dishes at $12, chicken dishes at $11 and vegetable plates at $9; huge savory samosas at $3.50 an order; excellent service — they have a lot of staff running around helping customers.
- Cons: lunch hour can be crowded, but mostly because of people getting takeaway so don’t be frightened off by the long queues.
Mehfil
600 Folsom Street
San Francisco, CA
+1 415 974 5510
www.mehfilindian.com
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