Charminar Indian Restaurant & Catering

I was visiting San Diego and randomly found this place while looking for Indian food. Went in without many expectations and were honestly blown away - easily some of the best Indian food I’ve had in the US. I got the Lasooni kebab, Hyderabadi chicken dum biryani, and Dum Ka chicken with naan (ordered the naan separately). The Dum Ka chicken was my favorite - super flavorful, unique, and had a really nice curry leaf aroma. The biryani tasted great overall, though the chicken was slightly dry and could’ve had a bit more masala. Kebab and naan were both very good as well. The servers were friendly and welcoming. Wanted to try Shahi Tukda for dessert but it wasn’t available so maybe next time. This is definitely a spot I’d come back to.

We had dinner at this Hyderabadi-style Indian restaurant during a recent conference trip to San Diego. We arrived around 8 p.m. on a weeknight, and the place was still busy enough that we had to wait about 5–6 minutes for a table. It’s a very casual spot — not a fine-dining setup, just a simple, informal restaurant. We started with water, but surprisingly they didn’t serve ice with it. For appetizers, we ordered a chicken kebab and kodi vepudu (a spicy fried chicken dish). The kodi vepudu was flavorful and nicely spiced, but the kebab was disappointing — bland, lacking seasoning, and without the smoky, chargrilled flavor you’d expect. For the main course, I ordered Dum ka Chicken, a Hyderabadi specialty, and my friends ordered mutton ghee roast. One thing worth noting: unlike most Indian

very nice restaurant with great menu options. i ordered the street fried rice and the fried baby corn, and both were really really good. i also ordered 8/10 spice level and it was for sure spicy. i love spicy food and some places 8/10 are not spicy at all. this place has some real spicyness, but also still a good flavor. i would recommend going less on the spice level if you like spicy food but still want to enjoy the flavor. my only complaint was that i did not find the chai to taste very good. for some reason it tasted quite salty to me, even after adding sugar. overall i still really recommend the food as it has great flavor, and the staff was kind and professional.

Having tried many Indian food options in Texas, this restaurant in San Diego still felt decent overall. The Baby Corn 65 is a must-try, with well-balanced spices and great flavor. The Chicken Dum Biryani was good, but the Mutton Dum Biryani was disappointing as it didn’t taste fresh and wasn’t up to the mark. The ambiance was pleasant, though the restroom maintenance needs improvement—the flooring was slippery and the doors were quite tight. Overall, a satisfactory experience with some room for improvement. Plan ahead for rush hours!

Spotted this gem right next to Dosa Studio and came back the next day for dinner. We ordered the Malai Soya Chaap and the Egg Pepper Masala with Tandoori Roti. Everything was flavourful with a perfect spice level, as we like it. If you are looking for high-quality Indian cuisine in the area, I highly recommend stopping by.