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M Shafi

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New Pakistani restaurant

by M Shafi » Wed Apr 01, 2009 12:07 am

Hi everyone,
just wanted to let everyone know about a new restaurant located on Preston Street. While the menu carries many standard american items(burgers, fries, etc) the specialty of the house are the Pakistani items, reflecting the owner's origins. The Chicken Biryani(a rice dish), the Chicken Handi, and the Kabobs are all fantastic and authentic( as expected!). The meat is Halal.For those of you who have tasted these dishes in the indian restaurants about town, the pakistani versions are a different (and IMHO better)take. I have no relation to the owners and no financial interest in the place;just wanted to spread the word...probably the first "Pakistani" place in Louisville. They are open for lunch and dinner both(probably best to call beforehand to make sure that the above mentioned items are available)

Omar's Fast Food Restaurant
1272 South Preston Street
502-637-1515
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Paul Mick

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Re: New Pakistani restaurant

by Paul Mick » Wed Apr 01, 2009 12:27 am

Sounds great to me. I'll definitely have to check it out in the near future. Thanks for the tip, and welcome to the forums!
"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."--J.R.R. Tolkien
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Suzi Bernert

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Re: New Pakistani restaurant

by Suzi Bernert » Wed Apr 01, 2009 2:32 pm

Been there, beat me to the punch. The food was FANTASTIC, the Omar's kabob is actually a patty filled with beef and veggies and spices - yum. the samosa was great. Hubby pronounced the pita bread as wonderfull and the Chicken hamdi a great meal with a "kick". We'll be working our way throught the menu as we live just down the street.
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Laura T

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Re: New Pakistani restaurant

by Laura T » Wed Apr 01, 2009 4:55 pm

Mm, sounds great! And I'll have to spread the word to the Pakistani nationals that I work with.
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Re: New Pakistani restaurant

by M Shafi » Wed Apr 01, 2009 8:50 pm

BTW, they are cash only for now
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Charles W.

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Re: New Pakistani restaurant

by Charles W. » Fri Apr 03, 2009 2:30 pm

I tried it today. The Somosa was out of this world. Very good. I'll order the Chicken Handi next time as the Chicken Biryana was not my cup of tea (not bad, just not what I was expecting).

I am so excited to have this place around. I hope it does well.
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Robin Garr

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Re: New Pakistani restaurant

by Robin Garr » Wed Apr 08, 2009 4:36 pm

We went by today and enjoyed it very much. It's an old city storefront at the corner of Preston and East Ormsby - from Crescent Hill it was an easy ride in Oak/St. Catherine to Preston, hook a left and go about three blocks, looking for the pretty orange-painted storefront on the left.

I'll write more for LEO and LouisvilleHotBytes in a coming issue, but briefly told ...

The menu is brief, and at first glance you notice the modestly priced American dishes - burgers, chicken, fried fish and tuna fish sandwiches ... but at the bottom you'll find a half-dozen Pakistani entrees plus combos (with pita or rice and a salad) and a list of sides including a couple of Pakistani items.

The building looks old and it's kind of off the beaten track (although actually it's just one block across I-65 from Old Louisville), but it has been beautifully cleaned up and painted - the floor is absolutely sparkling and the walls freshly painted; tables and chairs look like they came from an upscale place. The family that runs the place are extremely cordial, glad to answer questions, and speak excellent English.

We very much enjoyed chicken Handi ($5.99), similar to Indian chicken tikka; chicken Biryani, white and yellow rice with baked chicken and lemon; and onion bhaji, a spice-cented pile of crisp-fried onion strands.

Everything was extremely good, nicely spiced but not fiery, and the price tag (with giant cups of fountain drinks) came out less than $15; it's hard to find a better buy.

The proprietors told us about how India and Pakistan used to be the same country, but when the British left in 1947, they "partitioned" Pakistan and India as Muslim and Hindu countries, respectively, a decision that caused a lot of violence at the time and has left broken relationships ever since (my words, not theirs). The food, as they pointed out, is similar, but I can report that the quality of the dishes we enjoyed today was exceptional, fresh and relatively light, not at all greasy, with clear-cut aromatic flavors. Two thumbs up, and we'll definitely be back.
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Re: New Pakistani restaurant

by Laura T » Thu Apr 09, 2009 10:20 am

Thanks for the report! It's also interesting to get some history on India and Pakistan. I can't wait to check it out soon.
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Re: New Pakistani restaurant

by Leah S » Thu Apr 09, 2009 1:58 pm

Just got back from lunch, and as others have reported, it was excellent. We'll be back. I had two samosas and the onion bhaji, DH had one of the chicken dishes and subed rice for the pita. We'd expressed some interest originally in the mixed veggies and rice, so the proprietor (I assume Omar?) brought out a sample. Lunch was $13 with drinks and they are taking plastic now. They don't have tip jar . . . .
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Re: New Pakistani restaurant

by Jeff Gillenwater » Fri Apr 10, 2009 10:55 am

Adding to the chorus, a friend and I enjoyed the Handi, Biryani, and samosas last night. When asked, my friend ordered the Handi at a "medium" spice level to calibrate the scale. It was very flavorful, but I think he and I both would up the ante and go for hot next time.

I didn't realize just from the address how close it is to the current Galerie Hertz location, which should make for a nice tie in. Like a lot of our underutilized urban neighborhoods, Shelby Park has tremendous potential.
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Robin Garr

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Re: New Pakistani restaurant

by Robin Garr » Fri Apr 10, 2009 10:59 am

Jeff Gillenwater wrote:Shelby Park

Is that technically where it is? Being just around the corner and under the overpass from Old Louisville, I wasn't sure. (Even though I once lived near First and Magnolia, back in the day ... )
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Re: New Pakistani restaurant

by Jeff Gillenwater » Fri Apr 10, 2009 11:16 am

Robin Garr wrote:
Jeff Gillenwater wrote:Shelby Park

Is that technically where it is? Being just around the corner and under the overpass from Old Louisville, I wasn't sure. (Even though I once lived near First and Magnolia, back in the day ... )


Yep, that's it. The interstate forms the border between Old Louisville and SP in that stretch.
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Re: New Pakistani restaurant

by Mary Anne » Sat Apr 11, 2009 4:16 pm

So I hit Omar's today with Rocky, late of DakShin, in tow. I really hope this place makes a go of it. I had the Chicken Handi and the Onion Bhaji, Rocky got the Biryani and the samosas. Really quite different than I have had, and very good. The Handi was sort of like Chicken Tikki Masala, but not quite, and the Samosa, instead of what I expected (potatoes and peas) had a veggie assortment in sort of a flaky pastry like dough, crispy and yummy. Rocky talked him into whipping up some Lassi's, so if you go, you can beg and get a very good Lassi. No one came in save a lady in fuzzy slippers and hair curlers looking for chicken wings. Hopefully word will spread quickly about this place. As Robin said, it was spotless and the owner was very nice. He admitted to making the Handi not so spicy thinking he is suiting "American tastes", so if you like it hot tell him so when you order. It's a short drive from the medical center downtown, and it is certainly reasonably priced. All that food for both of us + cokes and Lassi were around $15! I'm trying the Kabobs next...anyone up for an offline??
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M Shafi

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Re: New Pakistani restaurant

by M Shafi » Sat Apr 11, 2009 7:57 pm

Wow, I am amazed by the many responses on this forum to the place-i knew it was a good idea to post about it on here! While I dont have a financial stake whatsoever in the restaurant, the owners are dear friends of our family and wonderful people and i really want them to succeed( harder in this economic climate of course). Thanks for checking them out...
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Charles W.

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Re: New Pakistani restaurant

by Charles W. » Sat Apr 11, 2009 8:02 pm

M Shafi wrote:Wow, I am amazed by the many responses on this forum to the place-i knew it was a good idea to post about it on here! While I dont have a financial stake whatsoever in the restaurant, the owners are dear friends of our family and wonderful people and i really want them to succeed( harder in this economic climate of course). Thanks for checking them out...


It only works if the place is good! Fortunately, the food and service are first rate. Thanks for the tip.
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