Pakistani restaurant Biriyani Kebob House has sat at the crossroads of Koreatown and Little Bangladesh since 2014, doling out warm naan that has been blistered in a tandoor oven and Los Angeles’s best biryani. Opened by former aeronautical engineer Enam
Karim, the restaurant draws on the shared flavors of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India in dishes such as warmly spiced curries and tender kebabs. The strip mall restaurant doesn’t hold back on its portion sizes — platters arrive towering with enough meat and rice to feed a family with leftovers to spare. The no-nonsense dining room sets the stage for warm service that quickly makes you feel like you are part of the family and Pakistani cooking that fills both your stomach and soul.
What to order
- If you’re at Biriyani Kebob House and not getting its namesake dishes, you’re doing it wrong. Karim keeps the recipe for his Hyderabadi lamb biriyani —the restaurant’s best seller — secret: it’s a standard-setting preparation that somehow gets better every time you eat it. A whole, fall-apart-tender, bone-in lamb shank nestles on a bed of aromatic rice cooked with warming spices like cardamom and cloves.
- One of my most common tikka masala gripes is that there is never enough chicken, which makes the sauce-to-meat ratio feel imbalanced. Luckily, that’s not the case at Biriyani Kebob House, which fills its version with tender hunks of chicken breast bathed in a creamy, slightly sweet masala sauce that packs a building heat. It comes with fluffy basmati rice.
- Naan is essential to every order, whether it’s a simple, puffy plain piece with blackened blisters from the tandoor oven or the allium-heavy garlic version. One naan for two people is a good ordering estimate if there will be other carbs on the table.
- The mixed grill plate takes the pressure off choosing between kebabs. The platter includes both chicken and beef seekh kebab, as well as orange-hued chicken tandoori.
- An unassuming lentil soup comes studded with a whole day’s worth of vegetables, including whole florets of broccoli, spears of squash, and chopped carrots. It’s a prime example of what Biriyani Kebob House does best: comforting, family-style cooking that impresses even in the simplest dishes.
- Haleem, often served around Ramadan and other special occasions, blends slow-cooked lentils and beef into a deeply savory stew punctuated by sharp licorice notes from star anise. Spoon it over basmati rice for a deeply satiating, rich bite balanced by fragrant coriander and cinnamon.
Best for
Family dinners of curries and biriyani that will ensure leftovers, mid-day tikka masala takeout when the fridge is looking bare, and last-minute meals where you convince everyone to come to Little Bangladesh (yes, there is parking).
Insider tip
Most dishes come with a side of raita, a tangy cucumber-and-yogurt sauce that can (and should) be paired with anything on the menu meant to be dipped. Always add at least a second (and a third) — that single container will go much faster than you think.
