If you’re in the mood for Pakistani food (and when are you not?), my friends and I found the perfect place. For this “birthday” dinner, we visited Pak Zam Zam on Central in NE Minneapolis. It’s completely worth it and highly recommended! The first thing we noticed, of course, was the décor – bright bright bright orange walls… it made us feel just like we were in Pakistan! Note: I’ve never been, but I’ve heard.

This local gem is owned by a man named Saud and his wife, with minimal staff. In my mind, this makes it a true, ethnic, mom ‘n pop shop. They cook all the food themselves, use paper plates and cups to keep the prices low, and are relying mostly on word-of-mouth to keep their little restaurant running.

They’ll have no problem keeping their restaurant running if their wonderful cooking stays the same! The food was absolutely delectable. Since we had a fairly large group, Saud came and helped us order. I’m so thankful he did… we ended up in Pakistan paradise, literally. We had biryani (chicken and rice), bihari kabab (beef on a stick), and chicken karahi (chicken in curry-like sauce). The highlight of the meal for everyone was the parathas bread, hot out of the oven. It made even the complimentary naan seem dry and flavorless. The meal ended with lots of leftovers that kept me and my buddies fed for days, I’m sure.

Oh, and he overheard we were celebrating birthdays, so he gave us three huge take-out boxes of biryani, free of charge. I love how this man thinks! Now that you’re salivating, you’ve discovered what’s for dinner… and it was all under $10 a person.

Maze karein! (For language lovers, that’s bon appetit in Urdu…)

Pak Zam Zam (map)
1839 Central Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55418
(612) 706-1941