Zaidi’s Grill

place is CLOSED as of 3÷15÷13

I enjoyed a nice lunch with friends at this place. The new owners were very cordial. I found it quite interesting that the pictures in the restaurant were pictures of Puerto Rico! But I discovered that the space used to be a Puerto Rican restaurant and that the previous owners had not picked up their images. The owners were nice enough to hold on to them. I saw some images I would have loved to buy from them, but they were holding on to them for the previous owner.
Zaidi’s is situated in a small strip of shops/​stores on Granite Reed Rd. So, this is a little out of the way, but I think it is worth the extra couple of turns. The restaurant décor is an average mom and pop style.
i really enjoyed my food and so did everyone in my party. I will say that the most memorable dish was the Goat Kahrahi. Mmmmm… that was delicious. I would recommend this restaurant. I have also gone back.

3.5 stars on first visit
My husband and I happened to pass Zaidi’s one day and stopped in for lunch the next time we wanted Indian food. Typical unassuming, sparsely decorated strip mall location. But nothing typical about the food!
We started with the Pakora (thinly sliced strands of veggies battered and fried), served with a delicious green chutney. This dish was supposedly named «best appetizer» somewhere, and I can see why. However, it had an odd flavor that didn’t seem to be coming from the spices in the dish, but rather the oil used for frying. Perhaps it was too old? This is the only reason I won’t bump to 4 stars.
For my entrée, I went with Chicken Qorma, my staple when going somewhere new since I know that I like it generally. And this I did love. Probably the most flavorful Qorma I’ve had with incredible depth of flavor. The only thing I did not love is the bone-​in aspect. Keep in mind, this is not just bone-​in chicken, it’s chopped with the bone, so there will be lots of spitting out the inedibles. Maybe this is more traditional or adds to the flavor, but I do prefer boneless.
The owner came out to chat when he did not recognize us. Although he’s successfully catered for many years, he disclosed the restaurant is struggling a bit due to location, and they will be adjusting the menu to a more multi-​cultural approach (burgers, tacos, etc) at lunch. While many of the Pakistani and Indian dishes will be staples on the menu, some items such as goat will be restricted to dinner due to the length of time required for cooking. I think I’ll stick with original dishes, though.

This is a great little restaurant with a northern Indian and Pakistani slant.
The restaurant is unfortunately well off the beaten path and most likely struggles because of a poor location. The prices are very good with a very polite wait staff that were generally on top of things, we did have to wait a bit long for the appetizer (Pakora) from the kitchen. The restaurant was simple and clean and most importantly the food (Paya and Chicken Qorma) was actually quite good. Definitely worth checking out.

The best and most authentic Pakistani food in the valley. I highly recommend this place. Best Pakistani food in the valley, Copper Kattle you better watch out, Zaidi’s Grill will dominate you. Reminds me of my mom’s cooking

Met friends here late on a Saturday evening. The storefront is a bit dark and intimidating, but the inside is bright (if a bit sparse). The AC was also turned up a little too high, but maybe I’m becoming heat acclimated since moving here.
There was only one gentleman we saw working (the proprietor, I assume), and he was very friendly and welcoming. The food did take a while to be delivered, even though we were the only ones there, but it was evident that the chef was busy with catering orders as well (a huge pot of something wrapped in a sheet was carted out at some point — mysterious!).
When it did arrive, the food was absolutely incredible. Excellent samosas, and the Afghan Boti and Beef Nihari stick out as memorable dishes. If you want a little spice, a lot of authenticity, and don’t care if the setting isn’t the height of luxury, this is a great place to try out!

really friendly service and good food. had the pakoras, mango lassi, chicken tikka masala, goat biryani and a few other dishes. the owner was great and helpful. the food exceeded my expectations. i did go for dinner so cant speak for the lunch buffet. not the best location, but worth the visit. i’ll be back.

Let me start by saying that the food at this place is excellent and very reasonably priced. If you like Indian food, you’ll like this place. However, while you’ll find many things that you can get at an Indian restaurant, there are slight differences, perhaps due to the Pakistani part of this «Indo-​Pak» cuisine. Service is warm, curteous, and good. You’ll be made to feel at home.
The restaurant building appears to have been a convenience market at one time. It is spartan but clean. No elegance here. This is a book that you should not judge by its cover. The food here is the thing.
The buffet constantly features popular dishes but varies some entrees to provide variety. On the weekends, they serve additional items but I haven’t tried them yet.

I too wanted to like this place. I love an Indian buffet, but I didn’t love this one. The qorma, dal, and kofta lacked richness. The biryani rice was just okay, the veggies weren’t fresh and the vegetarian squash dish was pretty good, but oily. I always enjoy a good piece of naan, unfortunately I didn’t find it there. It was more like pita bread. The tastiest items at the buffet were the chicken boti (which I prefer boneless) and the pakora. I don’t know the difference between Pakistani and Indian food. I’m used to eating Indian food, so maybe this is typical for Pakistani fare. Either way, it was just OK. Although Tempe is outta the way, they’re Indian food doesn’t disappoint me.

I was sooooo looking forward to a great review considering that I visited Zaidi’s Grill because of Unilocal’s reviews. The people couldn’t be nicer so I wish that I had better news. I wanted beef samosas but they didn’t make them anymore. The chicken patty is also no longer made. They had pakora’s but I don’t want vegetables battered and fried. (I’ll eat my calories at Hagen Daaz thank you.) My eating partner had the chicken boti which comes a la carte but they added about a half a cup of rice as a bonus. Very nice. We had the roti which was puffy but nothing to write home about. I had a beef dish (can’t remember name) that consisted of a piece of beef with a sauce that seemed to have file (fee-​lay) powder in it –the stuff they use in New orleans to thicken Gumbo. First, I had to scoop out about 8 tablespoons of oil from the top of the dish onto another dish. I spent some time doing this so much so that the owner realized what I was doing. He politely assured me that it was only vegetable oil (as opposed to butter, I guess). I told him that I really didn’t want the calories of the oil (also concerned about stomach’s reaction to so much fat, but I didn’t say this to him). So all in all, my eating partner had an average meal and I ending up packing the meal and frankly I don’t know what I am going to do with it. By the way, they served a very tasty hot sauce which is house made. As I said before, the owner/​server could not have been nicer. I was so disappointed considering I adore this type cuisine. Wish I could have had a better experience. By the way, there was no one in the dining room on a Friday night. Not a good sign.

I’ve been here several times since my initial visit and Zaidi’s does not disappoint! From the boti to the tikka to the qorma… mmm.
During today’s visit I learned that they are going to start a lunch buffet next week (May 29^th)…Tue-Fri. Just 4 or 5 items (a rice, veggie, curry, grill, sweet). But if you’ve been here then you know it’s going to be worth it. Variety and quantity are not the focus — it’s the QUALITY of the food and the perfect balance of spices.
I’m looking forward to it for sure!

Wonderful place. Don’t let the outside appearance deter you. Inside the place is clean and cheery. The owners and people working are very friendly and the food is amazing. I went once and am hooked. Everything is cooked fresh and has tons of flavor. Prices are very reasonable. My favorite dish is the chicken qorma with garlic Naan. Definitely go with garlic naan. Fresh breads are always great and the garlic on this stuff is perfect amount. I’ve tried the other curry based dishes and have never been anything short of impressed. If you like Indian food this is a place you need to check out. If you have not tried it before this place is a great spot to start. Their food isn’t anything a non-​adventurous type couldn’t enjoy. Really anytime ethnic food is made fresh and authentically you can’t go wrong.

Don’t be disheartened by the initial cheap setting and weird/​pathetic interior. If anything, that’s authentic desi styling and sure enough it was a true sign of the good food to come. Little pricey considering the somewhat small serving sizes but tasted great! kebabs are very soft but everything was (thankfully!) spiced just right — not over or underwhelming. my fav dish is always chicken tikka masala and though they flavor it with a slight twist, it was great. naan is nice n soft and sizes are big. biriyani was a bit skimpy on the meat, but the rice was good. would’ve been even better if they offered raita.
oh, one BIG warning, the mango lasse — normally a drink I love — literally tasted diseased. idk what it was but we all agreed. maybe it was just a bad day for them? and at the time their kulfi machine hadn’t come in, that would’ve really hit the spot. overall, I left stuffed and happy :)
btw, props for the website and well-​written menu. if they can do those things well I’m sure they can carry that over to the interior designing aspect too. really need fix the lighting, change the pictures/​decorations to something that make sense (the drums were a nice piece tho), the brown paint and spanish theme has got to go, replace the jadoo box with real satellite desi tv, and please upgrade the tables, table cloths and chairs :)
bottom line is you judge a restaurant by its food and this one delivers. congrats on the new business and wish it much success!