The Ziyafat

We drove about 30 minutes here because we saw on their menu that they sold custom Pizza. Upon arrival they told us they no longer sell Pizzas and burgers. They may continue selling them again next month. The store itself was okay. They have some seats, the entire restaurant can seat maybe 2 families max. Other than the pizza this is your typical Pakistani/Indian cuisine.

I apologize if the nihari and kahari pictures are mislabeled, the kid who was helping us didn't know which was which. I think I got it right, but I'm not certain! Both were delicious (everything was kind of swimming in grease though, I didn't love that).We asked for recommendations, and everything the owner recommended was great (he recommended the peri peri grilled chicken, which was our favorite, and the Lahori fried fish soups). Mango lassis were also good. The rooh-afza tasted like liquefied red hots, so if you like those you'll love this! (I don't like red hots so I didn't). The falafel wasn't great, but we ordered it for my grandma so she'd get something that was completely mild (no heat to it) and that and the hummus and plain rice/naan were the only things that fit the bill for her, so it definitely did its job.We won't be coming back because it's waaaaay too expensive for what you get, but we enjoyed the experience well enough.(Edit to add after reading previous reviews: the kid who was serving us didn't know what to do when we asked for glasses of water as well, so it sounds like that's a common thing here. There really wasn't any kind of service beyond just bringing us our food when it was ready, which we didn't mind but other people might.)Edit again: I'm taking another star off because I found a hair that doesn't belong to anyone in our household in the leftovers, which is grossing me out enough to throw them away.

BRAND NEW HALAL RESTAURANT! the food and the service were phenomenal. best mango lassi i have ever had. we recommend the nihari and karahi. all of the meat was spectacular quality and cooked to perfection, the lamb and chicken literally fell apart. you must check this place out and share with friends!

Excellent food well-presented. Attentive, gentle service. This is a new restaurant, and clearly a labor of love by its owners and staff. We had a lamb and a chicken dish that were both tasty, a good mix of heat and flavor, portions were generous but not excessive, and the prices were very reasonable. This is a BYOB estabishment, and I had to show the waiter how to open a bottle of wine safely (always put a cloth around the neck of the bottle). He seemed to appreciate the information. On the food - We have had Indian food on two continents, and in the Middle East. There is definitely an admixture of Pakistani sensitivities and flavors that take it in interesting, fresh directions. The dining room itself is small, but scrupulously clean. We would go back, we would take out, and we already have sent friends.

Can you give five stars for the food, less for ambiance and even less for the service? The food in this new Pakistani restaurant on the edge of Wyncote and Glenside is outstanding. As of this writing it's been open barely a week, so there are glitches in the service that may or may not be worked out. In this trip we ate in.First, the food. We had top notch hummus for an appetizer, which came with olive oil drizzled on top and three olives accompanied by a generous serving of flat bread. For our main meal, we had two kinds of chicken, grilled Peri Peri chicken and chicken Masala. Both were drum sticks, cooked to perfection with great spicing. The rice that came with it was basmati rice, drizzled very lightly with a bit of spiced oil that added to its delicate flavor.The ambiance leaves, like other places that seem to expect more take-out than dine-in traffic, room for improvement. The loud refrigerator with drinks dominates the room. It's a shame they have to have it there because otherwise it's a pleasant room. They'll need to decide what to do with the oversized wine glasses at the table -- better if they just brought them out if someone brings wine than to have them cluttering the space. The cloth napkins are a very nice touch, however. I'm going to give it a couple of months before I go back for another meal inside in order to give the servers a chance to learn how to do their job. They were certainly willing and eager to please and did their best to make our meal a pleasant one, but didn't quite know what to do when we asked for water -- I was not going to pay for a bottle of water out of that noisy refrigerator when other restaurants provide water for the table with little fuss.I'll be back for takeout. Probably often. Did I say the hummus was great? I may just go back for a large order of hummus instead of making my own.

I stopped by to get lunch for my office. They have a quaint dining area. No one was eating when I ordered. I was hoping for more of a Pakistani/Afghani/Indian offering. It was pretty much all Indian. I ordered 3 dishes (mild spicing) and bread. They said the Naan would take too long. The bill came to $75. They charged $8.25 for rice, which should come with the dishes. They said a 20 min wait. After 40 mins, they gave me my lunch. We were all sadly disappointed. The dal wasn't fully cooked, the Aloo Ghobi was so spicy, and the breads were so so. We threw it out. I do hope they get it together.

The food is really amazing. Fresh and incredibly flavorful. The paneer was terrific and the rice pudding was a perfect way to end our meal. The Ziyafat is a great addition to the food offerings in this area. We live in Washington DC and this place stacks up against restaurants in bigger cities.

Ordered take out. though the food itself was good , the portions were embarrasingly small. The Grilled vegetables I ordered for $10 was literally 1 potato cut in half, 1 piece of bell pepper and 1 piece of egglplant. The hummes I ordered was not included. I hate to say it, but for a total bill of $70 dollars, I expected at least twice as much food. this was not right. I will not come back.

finally some real food in Cheltenham township. I could smell the aromas even through the takeout bag. Tasty but small grilled vegetables; same for the peri peri chicken. Both of these are great starters if you are not familiar with Indian food. The butter chicken curry was plentiful and the sauce could be eaten like soup. it came with great delicate rice. I ordered these for myself and an avowed "scared of anything new" wife and she loved all of it!

We ordered the chicken karahi which was spicy and delicious and the roti which was freshly-made and spectacular. I'm very much looking forward to trying more of their menu.