Shalimar Restaurant

My partner and I were in Ann Arbor from out of town for a concert Saturday 2÷20÷2016 and had a wonderful meal beforehand at Shalimar! Service was friendly and accommodating re: special requests with food allergies, and the kitchen got everything right. Our meal was delicious. We ordered the Murgh Chicken Tikka Masala which came with Potato Curry, and the Channa Pindi. The Chicken Tikka was tender and flavorful, and not at all oily or greasy, and the sauces with both the Potato Curry and the Channa Pindi were fantastic — both were tangy, spicy, and very authentic in their flavor profiles. We will definitely be back if we return to Ann Arbor!

Just finished dinner here on a Sunday night with our daughter who goes to school in Ann Arbor. Excellent Indian food! Been to many Indian restaurants around the country and world and think it’s very good. Waiters are nice and attentive! Enjoy!

Got delivery from them. Vindaloo was watery and tasted mostly like tomato paste. Then they messed up the other entrée I ordered. Rice Tasted dry and flavorless. Naan were wilted, tasteless and cold. Never again.

I’ve been going to Shalimar for a long time. The food is great, but after going in the other night I will NEVER go again. If you are planning on going to Shalimar plan on going more than a half an hour before they close. They open for lunch and dinner with times posted on the door but that does NOT reflect the time they stop serving food. It was 9:40pm and the door said they closed at 10pm. People kept looking at us through the kitchen and no one would come up to talk to us. Finally a server came up and said there were problems in the kitchen and we couldn’t order food.
I’ve been in enough to know that was a complete lie. Several times I have been turned away 30 minutes before closing time. If you do eat close to when they decide the kitchen is no longer open they will rush you out having many servers stop by and take anything they possibly can.
Food is great. Servers can be rude and plan to arrive way ahead of closing time.

Great Indian food. The bar is quite small and I think they should expand it to make more money, when customer wait for their tables. When the place is busy, there is another room in the basement. Th basement doesn’t feel as cozy as the main dining room.
Staff is attentive to your needs. The best dishes have the pork or the chicken with coconut curry sauce. You can share dishes as they bring them on different plates.

Wife and I went here for first date. We continue to eat here on occasion. Love the food!

We ve tried many indian restaurants and we are observant in term of where the meat come from. This restaurant serves halal menu and we thought to give it a try. We arrive exactly at 5 and requested to be seated by the windows. We ordered vegetable samosa and hum was not freshly fried, but taste good. The main dishes come with rice and the rice looked like was cooked while ago, we requested to have it changed and apparently it comes same as the previous one. We assumed that they cooked it in lunch time and they just warm it up. The lamb Haydarabaddi was delicious while the Massala was salty and we didn’t not liked it. The Nan bread was freshly baked and the order was enough for two. Over all the service was good and fast. I gave it 4 because of the rice that we returned and still replaced with same quality.

Took out food here, and was very disappointed. My palak paneer had only 4 pieces of cheese, the Malai Kofte only 3 pieces. The food was lukewarm and not very flavorful. There’s way better options for Indian food in Ann Arbor, like Foods of India on Broadway, and Cardamom up North. Am not going back to Shalimar.

My friends and I went to this restaurant after very little deliberation, and it was definitely the right choice! The ambience is unique and evokes feelings of rural India.
The food was great, and the service was impeccable. With the exception of one complaint– that the servings were smaller than expected– I would definitely suggest this restaurant to a friend. The menu contains many vegetarian options, which was very important to me and my friends.

All-​around great experience! We got there a little before it opened for dinner (around 4:50ish) and they were more than happy to let us in a little early. Service was fast, though this could be attributed to the relatively small amount of people around at the time.
I had the Chicken Tiki Masala, and it was perfect. Just the right amount of seasoning, and when paired with the unlimited rice, its heavenly. Unfortunately i’m a wimp when it comes to spicy food, so i could only have the mild sauce — you’re given a choice of mild, medium, or spicy with any of the dinner entrees you order. I tried one of my friend’s medium dishes and found it to be sufficiently spicy, so beware!
The overall atmosphere of the venue was very nice. Good lighting, seating and décor, and the music was beautiful. Definitely a great, affordable place if you’re craving some Indian food!!!

Really tasty Indian food at this place and a great location to check out downtown Ann Arbor from afterward. The naan is cooked to order so although we had to wait a bit for our second basket full it was so so worth it! Tikka Masala was probably the best thing of the night very creamy and flavorful.
Sadly though, Shalimar continues in a long line of restaurants I’ve ordered the food ‘hot’ and it only came out somewhat spicy. I got the Vindaloo too which is usually one of the spiciest dishes on the menu.
Prices are pretty high for Indian but you should probably already know that going in seeing as it is on Main st. Service was Meh.

The only reason this place isn’t getting a one star review from me is the food was delicious and that is what matters the most.
My partner and I arrived here a little earlier than our reservation slot and asked if we could be seated. It was apparently off the chain busy as they tried to seat us downstairs (which I had no idea existed) and at a table small and smack dab in the center of the dreary, damp, dark, brooding pathetic excuse of a dining space. This wasn’t acceptable so we decided to wait upstairs at the «bar» until a table opened up. The bar is for show. Waiters come in and out to make their tables’ drinks (which is why drinks are so bad; there is no bartender) and did not acknowledge us once even though we made sufficient eye contact with many. We sat there, dumbfounded, for at least fifteen minutes before a waiter came up to ask why we were sitting there and offered us a table. No, not the host, a waiter offered us a table.
I wanted to leave. Waiters stomped by in a rush and everything was too much. It seemed chaotic. Our waitress, to which we explained we sat at the bar unserviced for fifteen minutes during happy hour so we should at least be able to get one drink at that special price one minute after seven, introduced herself, and went off to make our cocktails and was not to be seen for another ten minutes or fifteen minutes. Ok so the trend continues.
Drinks come. And boy are they awful. You apparently can mess up a chocolate martini. Waitress takes our order and mishears one dish. My partner tries to clarify. Paneer, not chicken. Got it? Long wait. Appetizer comes (great!), service is lackluster (not so great), another long wait and our food comes. What do I get? The chicken dish I never ordered. It is taken back and my partner, hungry and saddened, eats alone as I wait ten or so minutes for my proper dish to turn up. Waitress comes by to apologize profusely two times. Thank you, but no thank you. You heard right when we clarified.
End of dinner and we get our check. They were ever so kind to charge me for the correct dish (which waitress pointed out as though she had done me a great service by not charging me carnivore pricing) but did not even take a drink off or anything for the trouble. Cheapos abound here, I suppose.
I won’t return unless my partner wants to feel nostalgic for our first date and wants to blow 60 or more dollars better spent at McDonalds.

I’ll let my partner do the honors of going into explicit detail, but here’s a summary: food was delicious. Portions seem small, but are filling. Expensive, but we knew that going in. The service left a lot to be desired. Based on food alone, I’d give the place 4 stars. If the review was just for service experience, it’d be a 1 or 2.

I’ve eaten from here twice. Once through takeout and the other through online ordering. When I ordered takeout, my food was ready when I arrived and the staff was very friendly. Everything was there that I ordered. I ordered the Basil Tikki Paneer because A) I love goat cheese and basil and B) I’ve never seen anything like that at an Indian restaurant. Usually I get Samosas as an app at Indian restaurants. I’m really glad I changed it up, it was really good and I recommend it, esp if you love basil. I also ordered the Raita, Naan, and Paneer Tikka Masala. I really liked the Raita from here, as it’s not super chunky with veg as a lot of places. I hate when it is because I have to sift through it, as I use it in my meal, so I am really a fan of the Raita here. All the flavor with a much better consistency.
When I ordered delivery, I ordered the (Indo-​Chinese) Sesame Gobhi app, Raita, Naan, and for the main course Stuffed Dum Aloo. I’ve never had Dum Aloo before and I am so glad I tried it-it’s SO SO good. SOO many spices and flavors. I’m in lust and will definitely order it again. Obviously I highly recommend it. It’s stuffed potatoes with cheese and nuts in a yogurt, tomato, fennel seeds, and spices sauce. What’s not to like? The potatoes are a great texture, perfectly cooked for this and the sauce is out of this world. Even though I gave 5 stars for all of the amazing food, they forgot the Naan which was a bummer. However, I contacted GrubHub and they refunded me no questions. Honestly, I originally gave it 4 stars but then as I wrote I decided to change it to 5 because the deliciousness of this Dum Aloo overrules forgetting my Naan.
Another plus was my order was 40 minutes EARLY from what GrubHub sent me.
When does that happen???

I love Indian food, and we get excited when we get to go out for Indian food, because, OMG, Indian food! One day, we decided to try Shalimar, which has a great downtown location, looked fancy, and was priced fancy.
We went on a Monday night around 8pm. The problem was that the food is, well, unproblematic. My veggie korma-​like-​dish was definitely a veggie korma. The Naan was most certainly Naan. And the Samosas were totally Samosas. Everything was precisely good enough to be «OK», and not a problem in any way. But absolutely nothing stood out.
The wait for our meal was 30 minutes or so, just short enough that we wouldn’t bother asking. There was just enough spice for it to avoid being «bland», but not enough to be well-​seasoned. The Naan had just enough flavor to be easily considered Naan, and the Samosas were just barely better enough than the ones you buy at Costco that I didn’t feel abjectly ripped off paying $ 4.99 for two small ones. The manager was pleasant, though!
Basically, we walked out of there, and our strongest feeling was that we had, in fact, just eaten food and that there wasn’t anything wrong with it, but that was about the strongest praise we could muster.
So, if you want Indian food which is definitely not bad, go to Shalimar. But if this visit’s any indication, «good» isn’t on the menu.

This is a great spot on Main Street in Ann Arbor! We sat outside on the patio and I, personally, loved the brightly colored tables. We had planned to stop at another local spot, but course corrected due to a long wait. We could not have been happier!
George and I shared the Garlic Naan, Lamb Vindaloo and the Murgh Lababdar. We ordered both entrees with medium spice and were pleasantly surprised with the perfect amount of heat. The waitstaff was friendly and well-​educated on the menu, thank goodness! We will, without a doubt, be back on our next Michigan adventure.
On another note, I made a mental note to take my first picture before devouring all of the food, but the smell of the food was intoxicating when it hit the table. I completely lost sight of that goal and dug in without taking a photo. Oops! Next time.

This is very tasty Indian food, with just enough unique dishes to keep it fresh, on a drag of Ann Arbor great for people watching.
PROS:
–Lovely murals and colors inside, plus outside seating good for people watching
–Pretty plating
–Fast service
–They do sampler plates if you want to try many things
–Extensive menu, offering many different types of bread and lassis, two of my personal favorites
CONS:
–A bit pricy for Indian food
–Food not very spicy at all
What I ordered:
* Stuffed Kulchas (3.95)-Leavened Bread, stuffed with Date poppy seeds and coconut. Sweet and unique, with nice crunch from the poppy seeds. A favorite.
* Garlic Naan-(2.25) Leavened Bread topped with fresh garlic & cilantro. They do not scrimp on the garlic. Do not kiss anyone after eating this.
* Sweet Lassi (3.50), Salty Lassi (3.50) and Mango lassi (3.95)-very good, but not knock your socks off.
* Sesame Gobhi (Indo-​Chinese) $ 4.95-Cauliflower flowerets with honey, soy sauce and topped with sesame seeds. Tasted a little too fried and not fresh enough for my taste, could have benefitted from a lighter batter.
* Basil Paneer Tikki– (2) $ 5.95 Homemade Paneer and Goat Cheese patties with raisin, cashew and basil. Unique and very tasty.
* Galoti Kebab 9.95-Patties made with minced Lamb with ginger, garlic, mint, brown onion. Served with mint chutney. Certainly NOT what you think of when you think kebab. But very good.
* Galoti Kebab 9.95-Patties made with minced Lamb with ginger, garlic, mint, brown onion. Served with mint chutney. Certainly NOT what you think of when you think kebab. But very good.
* Kulfi Falooda-(4.95). Traditional Indian Ice Cream with nuts and pistachios. Served with sweetened noodles. DELICIOUS, must try! The noodles really make this dish unique from other kulfis, and the kulfi is obviously made here, a huge bonus
* Gulab Jaman-​This is my favorite Indian dessert, and the one here is fine but not standout.

Great location, right on Main Street across from the Ark. We book a show at the Ark and go to Shalimar for Dinner. I would like to become more knowledgeable about Indian food and Shalimar provides a safe place to try it.
I love their MALAYEE KOFTA — very tasty and I have not had it better at other places. Its a rich Tomato sauce with cheese and spinach balls.
Shalimar is elegant without being over the top. Decent prices for downtown Ann Arbor. Good selection and a helpful wait staff.

Shalimar has an awesome location right in the heart of downtown Ann Arbor. It’s just minutes from the Big House (Michigan Stadium). There is street parking and Public Parking garages available nearby within short walking distance ($ 1.20 per hour).
Shalimar’s ambiance is cozy and intimate. We had an OpenTable reservation which was quickly acknowledged and were seated immediately.
The server was not attentive in the beginning but by the end of dinner he was much better. Fortunately, the Manager or Owner greeted us at the table and even topped off our wine glasses all the while thanking us for coming in. It was a nice touch.
The food tasted authentic North Indian, rich in flavor with distinct aromas and spices. The only negative is that the portions were small for the price.
The restaurant has been around for 20 years. It definitely has its own charm and I can see why. I will come back again when I am in the area.

I think Shalimar is AMAZING! Honestly, I am pretty confused by some of the reviews on this page. I have always had very good service here… and REALLY good food. I suppose it is hit or miss? Or maybe I just have extra patience?
Everything I’ve ever had here (and I have had most of the menu at this point) is delicious. I will admit the serving sizes are a bit smaller, making it a bit more costly to dine here, but that’s what you get on Main St. in Ann Arbor. The ambiance here is very nice and it is definitely worth the price.