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All the United States Texas Houston Himalaya Restaurant
AO Edited Gastro Obscura

Himalaya Restaurant

This South-by-South-Asian restaurant serves up Indian-spiced Southern fried chicken and a Desi-style pastrami.

Houston, Texas

Added By
Dan Q. Dao
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Be sure to order the ghee-slathered flatbreads.   Johnny Luu for Gastro Obscura
Be sure to order the ghee-slathered flatbreads.   Johnny Luu for Gastro Obscura
This local institution hides in a strip mall development.   Johnny Luu for Gastro Obscura
‘Hunter’s beef’ is an Indian riff on pastrami.   Johnny Luu for Gastro Obscura
The cheery interior is covered in photographs.   Johnny Luu for Gastro Obscura
Fragrant, long-grained rice is stained with saffron.   Johnny Luu for Gastro Obscura
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About

With a huge sign visible from Highway 59, Himalaya beckons commuters to take the Hillcroft exit off the freeway and into a nondescript strip mall that houses an Indian tailor and South Asian grocery store. The neighborhood here, known as the Mahatma Gandhi District, is a hub for Houston’s robust Indian and Pakistani community. 

Opened in 1992 by Pakistani American immigrant Kaiser Lashkari—who previously studied medicine before finding his calling in hospitality—Himalaya is the enclave’s most creative and iconic eatery. The restaurant is known for dishes like lamb biryani and chicken hara masala, which adopts some Texan influence through the use of tomatillo peppers. Then there’s the fried chicken, marinated in Indian spices but fried Southern-style. 

But chef Lashkari’s pièce de résistance is Himalaya’s signature hunter’s beef, an Indian riff on pastrami or corned beef. To prepare the dish, a large block of beef is brined in a spice blend, then diced and sautéed in butter, chili powder, and more spices. It’s served hot or cold with fresh tomatoes and a mustard sauce. 

Himalaya’s reputation was further cemented after it received a visit from Anthony Bourdain in 2016. And in 2019, Lashkari was a James Beard Award semifinalist. Over a decade since opening, Lashkari, along with his wife and business partner, Azra, still work at the restaurant daily, greeting diners and cracking jokes.

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Restaurants Diaspora Fusion Foods

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There are plenty of classic, “authentic” Indian and Pakistani staples here, but the innovative fusion elements make Himalaya the restaurant that it is. Don’t skip dessert—a mango tres leches really brings Lashkari’s Texas-Desi vision home. 

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Dan Q Dao

Published

June 27, 2024

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Himalaya Restaurant
6652 Southwest Fwy
Houston, Texas, 77074
United States
29.716787, -95.500796
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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Houston

Houston

Texas

Places 35
Stories 9

Nearby Places

Molina's Cantina

Houston, Texas

miles away

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Photo of Houston

Houston

Texas

Places 35
Stories 9

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