★★★★★ Been going here every time when passing by Edison area. Today during pandemic 2020, seating closed only pickup. My son and I eat half the order of Queema Naan, mouth watering, warm, and fresh. Once home, dove into Achari Gosht with Garlic Naan.... delicious doesn’t do justice to how good it really is. Love this place. Posted on June 23, 2020

★☆☆☆☆ Very very very slow... I ordered 2 food which is ready in their kitchen, they would just put in the plates and heat, that’s all. Still took more than 30 minutes, and I had to go to kitchen twice to ask for it. Posted on July 1, 2018

★☆☆☆☆ They dont serve halal. NJ food authority checked their restaurant. Violated Halal regulations. Dont go there Posted on June 28, 2017

★☆☆☆☆ Boycott. Not halal! Posted on May 28, 2017

★☆☆☆☆ Horrible buffet. Food was all cold! And we got there when it began. When we told Managment, they said "no it's not cold, it's hot". Wow, apparently my whole life I was confused between hot and cold. Thanks to the management I finally know. Horrible stale food, which is cold. Save your money and go else where. Also Managment is very rude, and don't acknowledge their mistakes or correct them. Posted on November 14, 2016

NR Staff is rude, but their Bihari Kabab are delicious and melt in your mouth (so are their Bihari Kabab rolls). Posted on June 29, 2016

★★☆☆☆ Stopped there while returning from NYC trip on December 23rd. We are party of four, ordered Nihari, Bryani, paratha, goat Quorma and seekh Kabab. Yes we were really hungry so in that case everything should taste excellent. Honestly nothing was bad except for the Bryani that was definitely very old and dry, left over from buffet I guess. But nothing tastes authentic. For many people this might work but when I am going to an established Pakistani restaurant, I expect original taste. This is like majority of places where there is no Chef, just some family member took charge of cooking. I would not give them a bad rating if they had not served me old, bad Bryani. Unfortunately, professionalism is missing from us. We cannot maintain quality and thinks that the other person do not know anything so they will eat whatever old food served to them. Posted on December 25, 2015

★★★★★ Awesome buffet. A little on the spicy side but includes gulab jamun all you can eat. Was told this place is open 24/7. Paper plates and plastic utensils are provided only. Posted on September 9, 2015

★★★★★ I enjoyed the atmosphere of the restaurant. The food was served quickly and it was very delicious. Excellent Pakistani and Indian food! Posted on January 23, 2014

★★★★★ parathas, lassi, halwa puri, nehari, and Geo news of back home! Wow! Perfect morning with delicious breakfast Posted on January 13, 2014

★★★★★ Food can n Posted on January 13, 2014

★★★★★ Good place for families! Their food is amazing, especially BBQ and sweets. Avoid on weekends! Gets busy and crowded. Posted on January 10, 2014

★★★★★ This place has simply the best kebabs in the whole New Jersey. Cheese kebabs and Lassi total yumm Posted on January 10, 2014

★★★★★ Visited oak tree road market in Edison NJ and gave a chance to Shalimar to satisfy our cravings for authentic Pakistani food. We had the best Pakistani bbq at this place. Must try chicken cheese kebab, behari kebab, and lamb chops. Posted on January 9, 2014

★☆☆☆☆ All ratings are out of 5. Food: 2 Service: 2 Value: 3 Décor: 1 Overview: tasted like cheap food but was worst then bad. if this is one of the most recomended desi resturants in NJ, i dont want to try anything else. after this i didnt try any other desi food. Posted on January 5, 2014

★★☆☆☆ Very average food. No ambience, unsatisfactory service and not very clean. Posted on November 3, 2013

★★★★☆ Service is terrible, I admit. But you can't beat the amazing food and that's why it gets 4 stars. We come with family and just enjoy eachother's company, enjoy the food and ignore the bad service. Food can't be beat, every time we come it's amazing. We've been here for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and have never been dissapointed by the food - and that's probably why it's always packed. Not an excuse for the bad service, but helps explain it a little. Will definitely be back. Posted on August 27, 2013

★☆☆☆☆ One of the worst restaurants in NJ. Service is terrible. Food is great Posted on August 27, 2013

★★★★★ Love this place, we know the owners and the food is always good. I give it 5 stars though because it's always so cramped and the servers are not that polite and don't really care about the customer. Posted on July 26, 2013

★★★★★ We love this place. This is our favorite buffet. We like to go here but it's a haul for us. They have all you can drink mango lassi! Unlimited naan. It's made fresh . Better than the store bought naans! Friendly service. Posted on July 26, 2013

★★★★★ I really liked this shop. It's both a sweet and savory food store. I admittedly do not like Indian sweets (they're basically sugar, milk, and butter mixed together into different ratio's and shapes), but the sweet I tried here was definitely better than at the other stores nearby. I think most people buy boxes and 1/2 lbs of sweets, so the lady just let me try the 1 piece of rectangular sugar for free. I have not tried the savory food, but if the sweets are anything to go by, it's probably pretty good. Posted on July 26, 2013

★★★★★ Excellent and very authentic Afghani food. Average price but worth every penny. Three of us ordered 4 items from its long list of menu, we walked out with our belly over stuffed. If you want spicy, request for a roasted or fried chilli pepper. Posted on July 26, 2013

★★★★★ I really enjoyed this place. I had the lentils (dal), naan, samosa, chicken cheese sticks (i don't remember the actual name) and a salad. It was very reasonable and well prepared. It's a quaint little place that was full of people, and after eating there you will see why. Very affordable, and I can't wait to return. I will be stepping up my herbs and spices game when cooking from now on. Posted on July 26, 2013

★★★★★ Went there last week on June 27,2013 and had there buffet! The food was fresh and tasty ! They had yummy fresh Chinese noodles, chicken brocolli with veggie fried rice!Also I had there yummy biryani and chicken tikka and butter chicken! To top it off they had mango lassi and fresh soft naans:)! Worth the 12 per person I paid during the weekday though ! Would definitely go there again! They have improved a lot! Posted on June 30, 2013

★☆☆☆☆ the name shalimar makes it seem like it would be a great place to eat because it seems popular but do not believe that at all. The curries were not fresh had a bad smell and when asked about it, they had bad service and kept saying made fresh rite now. I HIGHLY DOUBT THAT. please do not get customers sick shalimar! its like eating frozen food which i could even make better at home. Posted on December 5, 2012

★☆☆☆☆ Change your staff. Plz wear gloves. Stop touching everything and then touch my food. That's disgusting. Posted on July 23, 2012

★☆☆☆☆ Their service is unimaginably pathetic. If the owner/their relatives/friends are around, the staff completely ignores customers and waits on the owner's friends. I have also seen them grab food items with their bare hands without gloves/tongs - I have witnessed this with my own eyes. Also, you can wait in line and they staff will pay you no mind. There are always 3-5 aunties standing there and they all avoid eye contact. If you don't say anything, they will completely ignore you and continue their work as if you don't exist. No "can I help you?." "ji?" or "what do you like?" Despite horrendous service, I must say their food and mithai is not bad. I did get burnt kababs at my last though. They say they make fresh kababs everyday but mine were definitely 1-2 days old and dry/overcooked around the edges. They have improved the look but the same terrible service remains. Prices have been jacked up but food quality has not improved (it was ok before). Posted on September 7, 2011

★★★★☆ I frequent this place and I never have a problem! Just ignore the aunties behind the desk and you're good! The butter chicken here is DELICIOUS...I get hungry thinking about it! The fresh naan is great, if you ask with it without all of the butter that they put on top, and the lunch buffet offers a ton of choices, despite the fact that it is a little over $10 a person, but worth it. Not overly spicy like some desi places, which is what i love about it. If you go during dinner, don't be surprised that the food is microwaved, but still tasty! They even microwave their chai! If youre in the area, looking for good desi food, go for it! Posted on July 19, 2011

★★★☆☆ they seriously need to consider hiring other people. the food is average. Posted on June 8, 2011

★★★☆☆ well...I've been coming to shalimar since I was a kid and it had only like, 4 tables in it, so I can say that this place is now much improved...HOWEVER...the service is beyond unbelievable! as in unbelievably BAD! ... seriously... scary. but when it comes to the food, it's definitely decent, despite the spice level. the mithai is good, but after awhile it all tends to taste the same.. the mango lassi is good, but it used to be better. basically, good food, okay pricing (everything a la carte), clean place, but horrible service. I still keep going though! Posted on April 25, 2011

★★★☆☆ no service, food usually is not fresh, just microwaved, but no matter how much you want to hate on it- the chicken makhni is on point! Posted on December 8, 2010

★☆☆☆☆ Worst service ever and the food sucks.... Don't go there Posted on November 7, 2010

★☆☆☆☆ I have never been to a restaurant with such nasty service and the RUDEST management I have ever been to the food is pre cooked and than warmed up in the microwave the ladies are extremely rude and u never see them smile they should be shut down and forced to take some customer service classes. Being a Muslim Islam doesn't teach this behavior. I asked for water and had no idea that u cam go behind the counter open the fridge and help yourself, the lady was Sooooo mean and she said we are not a table serving establishment and everything is infront of my eyes and should get up and get it my self she goes aap Ko nahin delhai deta sub aap ke ankhon ke saamne hai, I was visiting from out of state and didn't k know. We plan to eat at an American restaurant tonight I would rather be served by anyone but desi muslims, what a bad example to give the non muslims..... Food is nothing to rave about I am going to report them to the better business bureau...... Posted on October 25, 2010

★★★★☆ Whenever we're up in NJ shopping in Edison, we eat at Shalimar. The food has always hit the spot and we defn don't leave there thinking we should have gone elsewhere. My personal fav is their chicken cheese kabob. The service is ok at best...its a desi restaurant, what can you expect. The place can get a little cramped at lunch and dinner. Their selection of sweets is enormous. My parents always raved about their sweets in the past, however, for my sister's wedding in April, they got mithai from there and when they got home, they looked at it and it had mold on it! Needless to say, they threw it all out and were quite disappointed. :S Posted on October 19, 2010

★★★☆☆ Went to their next door restaurant called Food Land, where they server Chinese food. I ordered General Tso with naan and chicken corn soup. Food was ok. I had better in Canada (Toronto) The price was good. I paid under 20 bucks and was full. Unfortunately, they did not have any dessert and didn't want to go next door to get it from the Shalimar restaurant as it was raining...I thought that was a bit of poor service on their part. Posted on September 23, 2010

★★★★★ Best cheese seekh kebab around, freshly made naan with butter are out of this world. Not the greatest place to sit down and have a Peaceful dinner so I would recommend take out. Posted on July 17, 2010

★★★☆☆ i've been going to this place for ten years not due to loyalty or incredible food, but because its the only decent place with indian/paki food on oak tree rd. The food is microwaved but the taste is decent, the lunch buffet has a good amount of dishes to select, for 2 people its a little over $20. The mithai is good (rasmali yummm), but the staff is very...not hospitable. Like I said, I've been going there for ten years and it wasn't until a couple of months ago did they even recognize me or crack a smile when I ask them how they are doing. Overall, the food is good, the sweets are great, and the service is lukewarm. Posted on June 26, 2010

★★★★★ I have lived in Edison/Iselin area more whole life, (even remember when seeing a desi on Oak Tree Road was a rare sight). I must say that Shalimar is in my opinion the best Halal restaurant on Oak Tree Rd. I frequently come here and I have not had any issues with getting non-fresh food. Usually Shalimar, has such a high rate of turnover, which allows them to have fresh food. For those who are looking to eat here I highly suggest their butter chicken, which is rich but very tasty and of their Tandoori dishes. For those who will sit and eat in Shalimar, you should get the fish fry. My absolute favorite dish here is their Chicken Cheese Kababs. I have never met anyone who does not love them. I highly recommend them to everyone. Posted on June 8, 2010

★★★★☆ Went here the other day. We had a total of 15 people in our party. The food was above average. We tried the Seekh Kabab, Resham Kabab, Butter Chicken, and the Lamb Chops! All were very tasty. Service was good and timely. This place is very busy at all times, so I can understand why some of the below reviewers felt the service wasn't that great. Next time we're in the area, we will definitely stop by. Posted on May 16, 2010

★★★☆☆ Service is horrible when you eat in but food is not bad at all depending on what you order. We had Fresh Naans with Chicken Kabobs and Chicken Biriyanni. It was very fullfilling. Their somosas are good ... love the Ras Mali. Overall pricing is reasonable. We also used them for catering for our sons Bday a few months back and were very pleased with the quanity and quality of the food. We mentioned to them that this is the first time that we were using them for catering and will use them again if food quality, quantity is good. We were pleased with their caterting service and will use them again in the future. Posted on August 14, 2009

★☆☆☆☆ The second worst thing about this place is the food. The first would have to be the women working behind the counter. I mean OH MY GOD! How bad can the service get at this place?! I can't believe that the owners really don't care about this little thing called customer service and appreciation. I will never, ever go this place again. Posted on June 11, 2009

★☆☆☆☆ I've been there a few times and i must say it has always been dissapointing. Pretty Awful .....Would be the two words to describe them. Food - Except may be 1-2 dishes the food is awful as most of it looks like it has been cooked a few days earlier and is just being warmed and served. Service - Terrible service (the women are so rude its unbelievable) Bottom Line - This place is one of the worst restaraunts i have ever eaten at...Don't go there unless you are desperate. Posted on February 6, 2009

★☆☆☆☆ The only Pro of Shalimar, It stays open till 12 midnight, so at the weekends when am done late with shopping and stuff, hav no other option for any other restaurant and my body Answered no to cook, this "MAY BE" an option! No Kind Service, No Taste either! Even sometimes food is just partially Cooked.. Posted on January 27, 2009

★☆☆☆☆ Okay... The food isn't all that great... I ordered Chicken Karrai and found the pieces of chicken had holes in them, which means, they use left-over Chicken Tikkah and use it for the Karrai... As far as the ladies behind the counter, they ARE RUDE!!!!! I had finished placing my order and had forgotten to order a couple of Naans. So i went back up to the counter to let the lady know to add on a couple of Naans to my order, and she snapped by saying in Urdu, "Why don't you sit down right now? Your food isn't ready yet!!!" WHAT THE HELL!?!?!?!? I didn't even ask her if it was ready or not, all i said was to add those Naans on...... HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Posted on December 28, 2008

★★★★☆ The food is Ok but the ladies behind the counter are kind of rude, especially one tried to prove that I am wrong for everything I asked. Iasked her do they use white meat chicken in a dish and her reply was APP ais chaaker main kayuain hain. Posted on October 5, 2008

★★★☆☆ The food is good. I love their nihari and butter chicken. the food is warmed and served, the only thing freshly made are the naans.. and you have to wait quite long for them. Service is non-existant. They dont serve with a smile and are quite upset if U take ur time to order. You have to self serve urself, from plates n spoons to water n drinks. Its inexpensive n value for money... but dont expect any miracles Posted on July 13, 2008

★★★★☆ The lunch buffet is inexpensive and the food was good. The area was very clean. Posted on March 17, 2008

★★☆☆☆ i have gone there several times, the food is decent but a little too spicy for my taste (also they pile up the butter on the naan). There are only two ladies that are nice (over at the sweet counter), the other ladies are incredibly proud of themselves and very nasty. They act as if they are doing YOU a favor instead of the other way around...it really made me upset.I ordered takeout once and i got there by 30 minutes, which is what they told me it would take, and when i got there i had to sit for another 25 minutes and when i asked where my food was one of the ladies yelled at me...and i hadn't even asked in a mean way. The place is pretty clean, but the food is definitely microwaved. The rasmalaai was pretty good, but you need to ask them to get it from the kitchen because it was obvious that the ones at the sweet counter were sitting there for days... Overall, the food was ok - anyones mom could make it better, but the service was very upsetting. Posted on February 22, 2008

★★★☆☆ Even though the service is absolutely horrible beyond belief the food / pricing is good. I do not know what the owner is thinking with how the place is run from behind the counter. Very disorderly / irrational service -- unfortunately there is not much of a selection for Halaal food on Oak tree road therefore patronage increases by default. Posted on January 27, 2008

★★★★☆ Food is decent, though you can tell it's been microwaved in some cases. A bit on the oily side - but they have some variety. Relatively clean though not fancy, and they have a great selection of desi sweets. Their jilebi is fantastic! Posted on October 15, 2007

★★★★★ We like their food. We've been here 3 or 4 times, mostly on weekends. Given that their food is premade, and jus warmed up prior to serving, thats the way it is with ALL desi restaurants. The chicken seekh kabab are really good and their naan are the one of the best i've tried. my personal fav is the chicken jalfrezi. It has a decent seating area, not as big as other restaurants, but its decent. Its a pretty clean place, and the bathrooms were amazingly clean compared to other desi places. The staff isn't too talkative, but I wudn't consider them rude, i'm not goin there to talk to the staff, i go there to eat good food, and i get that done. Posted on October 1, 2007

★★★☆☆ OK joint, cheese seekh kabobs great for kids. Posted on July 24, 2007

★☆☆☆☆ Well, this establishment is filthy to start off, their customer service is terrible, food terrible. The only item worthy of ordering are the seekh kabobs, majority of the items are microwaved to imperfections! Posted on July 5, 2007

★★☆☆☆ Dirty. Posted on May 31, 2007

★☆☆☆☆ By far, the lowest in quality and service among the food establishments on Oak Tree Road. Been there a few times - every experience was bad - rude people, food was cold (or microwave-heated), items missing for pick-up, etc. Do yourself a favor and go next door! Posted on March 10, 2007

★☆☆☆☆ I have been here a couple of times for paapri chaat HOPING each visit would be better than the last....although the chaat is good...the food is absolutely terrible. If you want old chewy chicken and smelly raw beef Shalimar is the place to go. Only the Paapree chaat is good. Management and the workers are terrible and mean and very rude. Posted on October 18, 2006

★☆☆☆☆ Worst experience eating out ever!!! Even found hair in my food. Never going back there. Also, they insult you when you ask why food is taking so long. Posted on September 6, 2006

★★★★★ I tried this restaurant, food was excellent. Service was ok. Descent place to sit. Cheese chicken Kabab were great. No waiter, you need to order yourself. Posted on August 25, 2006

★☆☆☆☆ This place has the worst service of any restaraunt I have EVER eaten at...Don't go there unless you want to get ignored, then insulted, and then ripped off for trying to use a credit card. Posted on August 9, 2006

★☆☆☆☆ I am not one of them and have been treated with the utmost disrespect - They are so rude and they ignore you - It also took them about 45 minutes for them to serve me a chicken cheese kebab sandwich Posted on April 24, 2006

★★★★☆ Okay let's be honest anyone that's a veteran to Edison (desi villa) knows Shalimar has improved the quality of their restaurant about 100%, it looks great inside, I commend them for their good work, and nice flat panel tv's. The food is higher priced, same quality..it's become a tradition in our family to eat at shalimar whenever we go to edison sooo I don't mind the food. Nothing like Watching Shahrukh on a flat panel while eating Chicken tikka!! oh wait,they have gotten stingy about giving their sweet and sour sauce away- it's like you gotta ask them a few times before they hand it over. All in all shalimar is A-Okay by me!! Posted on April 1, 2006

★★☆☆☆ Shalimar SUCKs.. I don't wana go there. Owner is rude and people who works there, they ignore you.. FULLY DESI STYLE..food is okay but not fresh.. They got more than 1 resturant there on Oak Tree road, so thats y food is rotating. beware of this.. I think Sunshine is really good.. i like it there..its small but better food and service.. i don't know the address but its less than a mile from Shalimar.. Posted on September 29, 2005

★☆☆☆☆ If you love old food, and the meanest service possible, you'll love this place. Everyone else beware. Posted on January 2, 2005

★★★★☆ they have recently expanded the sitting area and put up new plasma tvs. I love the food over here..especially the Bihari Kebabs..yumy Posted on December 19, 2004

★★☆☆☆ The service is not very good. Actually the owner is very rude and I discovered him harshly scolding the employees a couple of times (desi style), also does not accept credit card/check etc without extra fee! Food is all right. Posted on November 12, 2004

★★☆☆☆ I bought some sweets and take-away here. Food was okay, it's basically the same as Taj. However, as someone who is not from India or Pakistan, I definitely noticed that I got a different attitude and level of service than everyone else. Service person was rude and ignored me. I would not go here again. Also, when I was there, they had pamphlets for distribution for various Christian sects and churches, and I don't want to support things like that at a Muslim restaurant. Posted on October 14, 2004

★★★★★ This place is awesome - my family and I have been going for years. They make the best tandoori naan and chicken tikka. The mithai is also excellent. Posted on July 3, 2004

★★★★☆ The food is pretty good, the prices are excellent. I heard the sweets are really good. Posted on June 23, 2004

★★★★☆ Probably the best place in NJ with very reasonable prices. Their selection in Mithais is superb!!. They could do with extra seating room though. Posted on May 16, 2004

★★★★☆ If anyone goes here they should definitely try the Samosa Chaat and the Chicken Makhni. They are sooo good! Posted on May 9, 2004

★★★★★ Shalimar has wonderful food, esp the Chicken and Lassi's. Their Mithai is wonderful and the people were very friendly. Posted on November 13, 2003

★★★★☆ pretty good food, slow service and clean is how i would describe this place. Everyone is nice but a little absent minded making you have to repeat your order at least twice and generally the service is slow. The food is decent though; they have breakfast on the weekends including tuvva parathay and lassi. They also have a large variety of sweets that sets it apart from other halal desi places in the area. Posted on May 14, 2003

★★★★☆ The resturant superficially is of poor quality, but their food isn't that bad. Their sikh kabab is the best!! Especially with their naan. Mmmmm. Their sweets are very good though, as their name is Shalimar: "King of Sweets". Posted on March 28, 2003

★★★★☆ Try their chicken piece which is as good as in pakistan. All other food is average to above average at a good price. They have very limited seating available. Posted on February 10, 2003

★★★☆☆ This is next door to Taj Mahal Buffet - it's better to get main meal from buffet and maybe the dessert from here Posted on January 12, 2003

★☆☆☆☆ This restaurant is not good the quality of food is very poor. Also, please advice all the meat store that they should sell the meat like in the path mark. they should make the packages and we pick up the package and come home. there will be no waiting and you go in and out. the meat will be all clean and good. now when we go, we waste a lot of time. Posted on November 19, 2002

★★☆☆☆ Food is less than average. Posted on September 16, 2001