Shan
Indian · San Jose
About Shan
Shan offers a welcoming dining experience in San Jose, known for its cozy atmosphere and efficient service. Guests consistently praise the warm hospitality of the staff who patiently guide orders through an extensive menu. Signature dishes include flavorful chicken tikka masala, tender lamb curry, a...
Shan offers a welcoming dining experience in San Jose, known for its cozy atmosphere and efficient service. Guests consistently praise the warm hospitality of the staff who patiently guide orders through an extensive menu. Signature dishes include flavorful chicken tikka masala, tender lamb curry, and aromatic veggie biryani. The restaurant excels with rich gravies, succulent kebabs, and fresh naan breads that define its culinary style. Beyond the kitchen, Shan provides outdoor seating, accessible entrances, and convenient delivery options for all needs. Whether enjoying a quick lunch or a relaxed dinner, patrons appreciate the consistent quality and authentic taste that has made this local favorite a beloved destination for decades.
What Customers Say About Shan
Shan receives mixed reviews. Many praise the flavorful gravies, kebabs, and tandoori chicken, especially the lamb. However, some customers report inconsistent food quality, poor service, and cleanliness issues. The restaurant is self-service.
Popular Dishes
Best For
Tip: Gravies and kebabs are frequently praised. Be aware that service can be slow and the restaurant may need cleaning.
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Frequently asked questions about Shan
Shan San Jose Reviews
Ordered from this restaurant quite a few times. Their gravies are great. Chicken tikka & butter chicken. The Panner Makhani - vegetarian option was also up to the mark. Very fast service. Food has been served hot. I also did a party order for Sheekh Kebabs. No complaints. on time delivery. Staff are friendly and nice. Feels like value for money.
Good food, good atmosphere, great staff service We will definitely come back and I suggest everyone to at least come here once and try their food
Original review 2017-05-01 Clean and nice place, serving free chai. Ordered veggie biryani and lamb curry. Biryani was OK; curry had too many bones, meat/bones and sauce tasted as two separate ingredients. Upgraded on 202-05-19 to 5 stars My order on the picture - naan + chicken karahi + chai
Best tandoori chicken and lamb kabob in Bay Area, not so much for chicken curry n roti.
Nice place, I don’t know why the reviews are bad, but it’s good and the food is also nice
Loved the achaari paneer and chicken kebab
Ordered from this restaurant quite a few times. Their gravies are great. Chicken tikka & butter chicken. The Panner Makhani - vegetarian option was also up to the mark. Very fast service. Food has been served hot. I also did a party order for Sheekh Kebabs. No complaints. on time delivery. Staff are friendly and nice. Feels like value for money.
Good food, good atmosphere, great staff service We will definitely come back and I suggest everyone to at least come here once and try their food
Original review 2017-05-01 Clean and nice place, serving free chai. Ordered veggie biryani and lamb curry. Biryani was OK; curry had too many bones, meat/bones and sauce tasted as two separate ingredients. Upgraded on 202-05-19 to 5 stars My order on the picture - naan + chicken karahi + chai
Best tandoori chicken and lamb kabob in Bay Area, not so much for chicken curry n roti.
Nice place, I don’t know why the reviews are bad, but it’s good and the food is also nice
Loved the achaari paneer and chicken kebab
Cozy, small restaurant. They recommended great options and was very nice and patient going over the menu. The lamb curry, chaar paneer, plain basmati rice, and garlic naan. Well-seasoned, just enough spicy level, and at a decent price. The restaurant is self-service. You seat wherever you want and grab your own plates and utensils. Forgot to take pictures but the food looks excellent.
Cozy, small restaurant. They recommended great options and was very nice and patient going over the menu. The lamb curry, chaar paneer, plain basmati rice, and garlic naan. Well-seasoned, just enough spicy level, and at a decent price. The restaurant is self-service. You seat wherever you want and grab your own plates and utensils. Forgot to take pictures but the food looks excellent.
Great food! Very poor service. I went to dinner when there was less rush, mostly take-outs, and poor in-restaurant service.
I love the flavor of the food this place makes. I've been a patron for over 20yrs! I mainly order 2 items every time; chicken wrap and in my opinion their signature dish chicken tikka masala with plain nan. How to eat the tikka masala: you add raw white onions (which they provide but self serve) and go at it with a fresh nan. Their taste is a blend of Indian and Pakistan. I'm salivating as I write this review and will be getting it very soon.
Great food! Very poor service. I went to dinner when there was less rush, mostly take-outs, and poor in-restaurant service.
I love the flavor of the food this place makes. I've been a patron for over 20yrs! I mainly order 2 items every time; chicken wrap and in my opinion their signature dish chicken tikka masala with plain nan. How to eat the tikka masala: you add raw white onions (which they provide but self serve) and go at it with a fresh nan. Their taste is a blend of Indian and Pakistan. I'm salivating as I write this review and will be getting it very soon.
If you want wraps and/or rolls in North San Jose, look no further. You might have to wait for a few minutes to get your ordered prepared, but you get your money's worth. All the wraps are amazing. The kebabs are great too! The store area itself is small and there are no places to sit on inside, but there is outdoor seating. The staff are friendly. Parking is available nearby. Recommended without reservation.
If you want wraps and/or rolls in North San Jose, look no further. You might have to wait for a few minutes to get your ordered prepared, but you get your money's worth. All the wraps are amazing. The kebabs are great too! The store area itself is small and there are no places to sit on inside, but there is outdoor seating. The staff are friendly. Parking is available nearby. Recommended without reservation.
The food is good. The atmosphere and service needs improvement. We had lunch and the first thing we noticed is the door sticks and appears to be locked. They use a strap to try and keep it open but inevitably people struggle to open it. The next thing we noticed was every single table was dirty. Only 5 or 6 tables were in use but nobody bothered to come out and clean the tables. When ordering we asked them to clear a table for us and that still took 10 minutes even when there were people chatting in the kitchen, not busy at all. Such a shame because we like the food. But we’re not inclined to go as much as we’d like.
We ordered Achari Murg (Chicken), Naan and side of rice. Not really great. Mango Lassi was also okay.
The food is good. The atmosphere and service needs improvement. We had lunch and the first thing we noticed is the door sticks and appears to be locked. They use a strap to try and keep it open but inevitably people struggle to open it. The next thing we noticed was every single table was dirty. Only 5 or 6 tables were in use but nobody bothered to come out and clean the tables. When ordering we asked them to clear a table for us and that still took 10 minutes even when there were people chatting in the kitchen, not busy at all. Such a shame because we like the food. But we’re not inclined to go as much as we’d like.
We ordered Achari Murg (Chicken), Naan and side of rice. Not really great. Mango Lassi was also okay.
Another one of a passable Indian restaurant. I have been here a few times but had decided not to leave a review since I couldn't decide what grade to give to the restaurant: it always had a few good things and a few bad aspects. This time around I had the same experience so I decided to leave a review with three stars. The restaurant has plenty of seating but they don't wait on you. You order the food at the counter and they bring the food to you. The service is average. The staff is polite and serve you if you ask for anything. However they do not go out of their way to ensure you have the best experience. The few dishes that I have had here all taste pretty much the same. This might be because the food is spicy enough to overcome any subtle flavors. All gravy dishes are uniformly greasy. The tandoor items seem to have much more reasonable amount of fat. The breads are also decent-- soft and moist. All in all, I will continue visiting this restaurant for lunch every so often.
The food at Shan Restaurant is definitely enjoyable—flavorful and satisfying. However, the overall experience could be better. The restaurant could use some cleaning and general TLC, as the space feels a bit neglected. Additionally, the staff could be more welcoming and attentive, which would go a long way in improving the atmosphere. With a little effort, this place could easily become a go-to spot.
The food at Shan Restaurant is definitely enjoyable—flavorful and satisfying. However, the overall experience could be better. The restaurant could use some cleaning and general TLC, as the space feels a bit neglected. Additionally, the staff could be more welcoming and attentive, which would go a long way in improving the atmosphere. With a little effort, this place could easily become a go-to spot.
Another one of a passable Indian restaurant. I have been here a few times but had decided not to leave a review since I couldn't decide what grade to give to the restaurant: it always had a few good things and a few bad aspects. This time around I had the same experience so I decided to leave a review with three stars. The restaurant has plenty of seating but they don't wait on you. You order the food at the counter and they bring the food to you. The service is average. The staff is polite and serve you if you ask for anything. However they do not go out of their way to ensure you have the best experience. The few dishes that I have had here all taste pretty much the same. This might be because the food is spicy enough to overcome any subtle flavors. All gravy dishes are uniformly greasy. The tandoor items seem to have much more reasonable amount of fat. The breads are also decent-- soft and moist. All in all, I will continue visiting this restaurant for lunch every so often.
Rarely do I give poor reviews. But I am really upset by this branch of Shan Restaurant. The branch at El Camino is way better than this. We had dinner yesterday so we came to this Shan branch, since it was closer to our location. But the manager (a Punjab guy) at the counter was least interested in the business. He was always on his phone and he couldn't listen to us as we were calling him. He had his earphone buds in his ears!! The meat was very tough and raw. My friend couldn't chew and he threw out. Also the chicken leg tandoori was dry, the chicken sheekh and mutton sheekh was not up to the mark. We were totally unhappy, since a day before we had amazing dinner at the El Camino branch. When we called the manager and informed him about this issue, we were very polite and were not expecting any refund or replacement his response was "Neither do I handle the kitchen, nor did I apply the masala on the meat, so how can I answer regarding your complaint" I said but I did the transaction with you, I gave the order and paid you. He said yeah, I will inform the owner I am just a manager. His whole attitude was too bad and careless. He was least bothered about what we were trying to tell. He just walked away. There onions were not kept as they are usually kept. The kitchen guy who used the toilet ahead of me had no courtesy to flush or keep the toilet clean for the next person. So imagine how well they may be maintaining the kitchen hygiene. Very poor handling of customers. Very disappointed AVOID THIS BRANCH!!!! 11 Sep 2023 10:00 PM
Goat Karahi, all half bones and no meat! Good tastes but no meat, not good business!
Rarely do I give poor reviews. But I am really upset by this branch of Shan Restaurant. The branch at El Camino is way better than this. We had dinner yesterday so we came to this Shan branch, since it was closer to our location. But the manager (a Punjab guy) at the counter was least interested in the business. He was always on his phone and he couldn't listen to us as we were calling him. He had his earphone buds in his ears!! The meat was very tough and raw. My friend couldn't chew and he threw out. Also the chicken leg tandoori was dry, the chicken sheekh and mutton sheekh was not up to the mark. We were totally unhappy, since a day before we had amazing dinner at the El Camino branch. When we called the manager and informed him about this issue, we were very polite and were not expecting any refund or replacement his response was "Neither do I handle the kitchen, nor did I apply the masala on the meat, so how can I answer regarding your complaint" I said but I did the transaction with you, I gave the order and paid you. He said yeah, I will inform the owner I am just a manager. His whole attitude was too bad and careless. He was least bothered about what we were trying to tell. He just walked away. There onions were not kept as they are usually kept. The kitchen guy who used the toilet ahead of me had no courtesy to flush or keep the toilet clean for the next person. So imagine how well they may be maintaining the kitchen hygiene. Very poor handling of customers. Very disappointed AVOID THIS BRANCH!!!! 11 Sep 2023 10:00 PM
Goat Karahi, all half bones and no meat! Good tastes but no meat, not good business!
Tandoori chicken leg had zero flavor with just red color & tasted like it was reheated. Worst tandoori I have had. Goat biryani was decent but raita was very tart.
I used to be a loyal customer, practically living off their biryani! But those days are over. What was once a flavorful, satisfying dish is now a pale imitation. The rice is dry and bland, like leftover scraps reheated from who-knows-when. The taste? Disappeared entirely. And don't even get me started on the restrooms! Disgusting is an understatement. If they can't even manage basic hygiene, how can they be trusted with food safety? Here's the wake-up call, Unless you drastically improve the food quality and clean up that disaster zone of a restroom, you'll be out of business soon enough. It's clear there's no management happening here. Take some pride in your establishment, or watch your loyal customers walk out the door (and never come back).
Used to love the haleem and karahi from this restaurant but has degraded significantly in quality off late. I got haleem take out before closing time and got almost rotten food I believe. Tasted very weird and paid 17$ for a dish that could make me sick. Only writing a negative review because of the appalling drop in quality to the point where the food feels spoiled. Even the karahi chicken used to be great but the last couple of times I got it the chicken seemed old and very oily, going in the direction of the other branches on el Camino and such which don’t serve healthy food by any means.
Spent 40 minutes waiting for a Lamb kabob. It was busy so I understand. But 40 minutes is insane for 1 item. Service was bad too. Cashier didn’t want to be there at all. The lamb itself was the driest kabob I’ve ever had. Overpriced and just not a good experience. The flavor was decent. But not worth it.
Tandoori chicken leg had zero flavor with just red color & tasted like it was reheated. Worst tandoori I have had. Goat biryani was decent but raita was very tart.
I used to be a loyal customer, practically living off their biryani! But those days are over. What was once a flavorful, satisfying dish is now a pale imitation. The rice is dry and bland, like leftover scraps reheated from who-knows-when. The taste? Disappeared entirely. And don't even get me started on the restrooms! Disgusting is an understatement. If they can't even manage basic hygiene, how can they be trusted with food safety? Here's the wake-up call, Unless you drastically improve the food quality and clean up that disaster zone of a restroom, you'll be out of business soon enough. It's clear there's no management happening here. Take some pride in your establishment, or watch your loyal customers walk out the door (and never come back).
Used to love the haleem and karahi from this restaurant but has degraded significantly in quality off late. I got haleem take out before closing time and got almost rotten food I believe. Tasted very weird and paid 17$ for a dish that could make me sick. Only writing a negative review because of the appalling drop in quality to the point where the food feels spoiled. Even the karahi chicken used to be great but the last couple of times I got it the chicken seemed old and very oily, going in the direction of the other branches on el Camino and such which don’t serve healthy food by any means.
Spent 40 minutes waiting for a Lamb kabob. It was busy so I understand. But 40 minutes is insane for 1 item. Service was bad too. Cashier didn’t want to be there at all. The lamb itself was the driest kabob I’ve ever had. Overpriced and just not a good experience. The flavor was decent. But not worth it.
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4140 N First St #30, San Jose, CA 95134
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4140 N First St #30, San Jose, CA 95134
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