Aamir is on cloud 9. No joke. He has a pep in his step and can’t stop smiling. I think I even heard him humming. In any other world I would be a little suspicious but I know the reason for his happiness. Heck, I was there with him when he lifted into bliss. Relax, it’s because of food (we are foodies remember?)
What did we eat that caused this surge of happiness? Bar B Que.
There are very few (and I mean verry few) people who don’t like Bar B Que. I mean, what’s not to like? Flavorful, marinated meats cooked over flames. Does any of this sound meh? Nope. Every culture around the world has their iteration of grilled meats. And we LOVE them all. Korean BBQ? Sign us up! Brazilian meat fest? Good Ol’ Fashion Southern Classics? We’re in!! With that being said, Pakistani BBQ holds a special, nostalgic place in our hearts. So, when we learned that an ICONIC Karachi BBQ House was opening its FIRST US location right here in Los Angeles, we were giddy with excitement and we couldn’t WAIT to pay a visit and hopefully have a memorable and delicious food experience.
Were our childhood memories satisfied?
Did Bundoo Khan give us the same tastes and flavors we enjoyed in Karachi?
And more importantly, if you are a newbie to this type of cuisine, what did we EAT?
This is our experience at Bundoo Khan, Los Angeles
Sooo What’s the big deal?
Authenticity is something we all crave. It’s a basic human instinct to want what is real in all aspects of life. Food is no different. We have met people all over the world through our travels who get downright angry when they eat foods that claim to be authentic and don’t live up. Let me tell you, Pakistanis are UNFORGIVING when it comes to bad food. And we are always looking for Pakistani eateries that bring authenticity closer to us. On the flip side, when we have an eatery that is serving delicious food, we are HERE FOR IT. Waiting in lines? Doesn’t phase us. Long drives? For good food, not a problem at all. Bundoo Khan is an institution in Karachi. They have spent YEARS mastering the art of Pakistani Style BBQ.
Not gonna lie, we were a bit scared. Why? Because this establishment has been open for less than a month and we were reading about how fast they were selling out of EVERYTHING on the MENU! Like within 3 hours of opening. Nothing is worse than hyping your taste buds up for a good meal and being denied because of availability. When we sat down to chat with the management of this location, they confirmed that they are serving around 500 customers a DAY.
What We Ate
Paratha (layered fried flatbread) –
Within the world of foods, there are many types of parathas. The ones that you consume with Pakistani BBQ are deep fried and even after frying they stay soft. They are best served piping hot and you use these triangles of deliciousness as a vessel for your savory meats or even your sweet halwa. Bundoo Khan in Pakistan is known for the combination we call “tikka paratha” which, as the names implies means you order a chicken tikka and you make a bite with the hot paratha. While Aamir is a hardcore tikka paratha guy, I am a “beef seekh and paratha girl” but to be honest, there is no wrong combination as long as your parathas are HOT, crisp and soft. The parathas here were DIVINE, just like back home. I was invited into the kitchen to see the frying process and you know what? The deep frying made my soul so so happy. Some things are just worth the calories.
Chicken Tikka –
While you may have enjoyed the very westernized Chicken Tikka Masala around town, an original Tikka is either a leg piece, or breast piece that has been marinated in spices and cooked on the bone over a flame. Sounds simple right? WRONG. In my humble opinion (and I know many pit-masters will agree) getting the right marinade is important. Cooking over flames is an art. No one wants a piece of chicken that looks great on the outside but is raw on the inside. Fortunately, Bundoo Khan as a company has over 70 YEARS of experience and they have perfected this art. Our tikka’s were tender, well cooked and full of flavor. Aamir’s tikka paratha cravings were satisfied and as soon as we left, he was already planning our next trip back.
Chicken Malai Boti –
Whew, what a mouthful. No pun intended. So, what is this dish? In the perfect world, a good malai boti is boneless chicken pieces that have been marinated in a spice mixture that also has malai (cream) as one of the ingredients. The Malai (cream) can also sometimes refer to the texture and softness of the actual chicken pieces. When we dug into the hot, malai boti, man o man, we were transported back home. The chicken was so soft it broke easily with just the slightest pressure. Perfect.
Beef Seekh kabab–
Ahh the dish that has my heart. Finely ground beef, marinated and cooked on skewers over an open flame. Heaven. You can order your seekh kabab in 2 denominations 6 or 12. They are not large so a hungry person can easily eat 2 or more (count on the more part) Break a piece of hot kabab off with your paratha and dip in the Imli (Tamarind) Chutney and you my friend, have a mouthful of deliciousness. The kababs here get an A+ from me as they were everything I was anticipating. Please excuse me while I wipe the drool off my keyboard.
Chicken Seekh kabab-
Bundoo khan also offers a chicken alternative for those who prefer to enjoy the seekh experience but with ground chicken instead of ground beef. While Bundoo khan does a phenomenal job making sure these kababs are not dry as chicken can be, I still love my beef kababs. It is nice to know, however that there is an option. Especially for those who have dietary restrictions that ask them to avoid beef. We LOVE inclusivity and it’s nice that Bundoo Khan has always catered to both team beef and team chicken.
Beef Bihari Boti-
Bihari Boti is a quintessential Pakistani classic that involves well marinated thin strips of beef that are cooked with coal smoke over a flame. With most Pakistani cuisine, beef is always preferred to be cooked so that it breaks easily. Proper marination is key for the beef to be cooked through and tender. The Bihari boti here was good. In all the savory dishes we tried this is the only one that was good not great. It satisfies all the requirements of a good Bihari boti but since we are comparing it to the taste from the original locations, its ALMOST there. The boti’s were however, cooked perfectly and that in itself is an accomplishment since beef is a tricky protein to cook.
Halwa-
There are many types of Halwa (sweets) within Pakistani cooking, this one is a semolina cooked in a sugar syrup and other aromatics like cardamom. You will almost ALWAYS find this sort of halwa at a BBQ Eatery as it is absolutely delicious eaten with the fried parathas. A good halwa will also help offset the sometimes-spicy notes that you will get from all the savory bbq items. The BEST way (in my humble opinion) is to take one bite of your bbq item with a paratha and then follow it with a bite of halwa paratha. The perfect balance so you can really enjoy all the flavors and not overwhelm your tastebuds. The halwa here was the standard halwa that you would expect. Your Halwa should be warm and glossy from the delicious ghee or butter that it has been cooked in. The halwa here was a tad on the dry side and could use a bit more ghee or butter but the actual taste was good.
Things to Know Before You Go
- Timing is EVERYTHING – If you decide to visit on a weekend after 5 PM you will encounter a line. Be prepared for it. They have limited indoor seating and they are working hard to ensure that every customer has a table after ordering so the wait is justified.
- Get Ready to Use Your Hands– As with some of the BEST Pakistani dishes, it is perfectly acceptable and encouraged to eat with your hands. There is very little use for a fork and spoon other than dishes out items onto your plate. Don’t be shy, roll your sleeves up, and enjoy.
- Don’t Skimp on the Chutney’s– The sweet and tangy tamarind chutney and the cool yogurt raita are not to be missed.
- The Service is Fast- Even if you have to wait a bit to get in, don’t worry Bundoo Khan has perfected the art of fast service. They have an extremely efficient kitchen system that enables them to have your food out piping hot and without a long wait.
Final Thoughts
Aamir is justified for being on cloud 9. All the food we enjoyed genuinely did bring back soo many happy memories of our experiences at Bundoo Khan in Karachi. Like all self-respecting foodies, we won’t let the distance or wait times deter us. We will be going back for more (and more in our case). Thank you to the entire team at Bundoo Khan for their excellent service and hospitality. It really was a great evening out.
If you want to place an online order or get more information, make sure to check out their official site
Happy Eating!!
-xoxo Sophie and Aamir
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22 Comments
Looks and sounds DELICIOUS!! Reading this made my mouth water. Can’t wait to check them out, good food is always worth the drive! 🙂
Not gonna lie, WRITING this was making our mouthes water, the food really is delicious!!
Cant wait to come to LA and try it!! I have literally started craving everything I see here!
Come to LA soon! This place will be worth the trip 🙂
I’m always up for trying out new food, and this restaurant looks great! I don’t think I’ve tried any of these dishes before but I’ll make a note to in the future!
yess!! Krista you will enjoy Pakistani BBQ. Even if you can’t get out to LA try some Pakistani food in your hometown and let us know how it goes 🙂
I’ve never had Pakistani BBQ before but this looks delicious! I’ll definitely check it out when I’m next in L.A. Thanks for the recommendation!
If you enjoy spciy meat, we PROMISE you will really enjoy this type of BBQ. We can’t wait for you to come to sunny LA and experience it first hand! 🙂
The food looks so good and authentic! I love tandoor dishes and I always order them when I go to Pakistani restaurants. The marinades are always so delicious and the meat so tender.
Oh man, this place is the REAL DEAL. They have had 73 years to perfect the tenderizing and tandoor process. Soo good to know there are other tandoori lovers out there 🙂
So great to find a spot to eat that keeps you smiling well after you are finished. We too are meat eaters and would love to try authentic Pakistani BBQ. Great that this new restaurant was so successful from the start. Even if it meant risking unavailability of favourites.
Ohh yes!! If you enjoy meat you will LOVE Pakistani food in general. We LOVEE our meats. This place has a loong sucessful history back in Pakistan so it was more of a making sure it tastes the same as back home. (SCORE 🙂 )
Wow, this place looks amazing! I’ll definitely have to visit the next time I’m in LA.
Yess!! It’s a new eatery so now you have another reason to come back and visit LA 🙂
This food looks great! So many great options to try!
The food tastes even better than it looks, and yes there are many options. You really can’t go wrong 🙂
I’ve never had Pakistani bbq but now I need to. My mouth is watering!
It is one of the most underated and unsung global cuisines in our opinion. Hopefully you get a chance to experience Pakistani BBQ firsthand soon!!
Wow I want to try everything from your post! They all look so delicious, so thanks for sharing!
It was all soo delicious!! We recommend EVERYTHING that we ate. Glad you enjoyed the post 🙂
This looks so good! I need to try more Pakistani food.
If you like spicy food you will LOVE Pakistani food.