Multicultural pub serves Indian favorites such as chicken tikka masala and lamb sagwala alongside 200 beers and local wines
North Beach
$25 $10
Doling out an extensive selection of Indian cuisine, Dosa’s most impressive traits are tucked away in the details. Here’s what to keep in mind when you visit.
Darbar Restaurant's spice-slinging chefs create flavorful Indian fare and serve it in an intimate dining room. Beef, lamb, goat, and chicken curries provoke pieces of naan to dramatic acts of dunking, and house-made cheese dumplings, lentils, and vegetables make starring appearances in more than 15 vegetarian options. Softly lit wall sconces illuminate a 10-course lunch buffet, which chefs pile high with papadum, pakora, meat and vegetarian options, and dessert.
Sample Menu
Get to Know the Chef: Ranjan Dey cut his culinary teeth at a number of restaurants in India before coming to the United States to open his own place.
Where to Sit: Stop by the dark wood bar for one of the restaurant’s two happy hours, or relax at a table in the richly furnished, column-lined dining room.
While You’re Waiting: Keep your eyes peeled for celebrity sightings—the restaurant has hosted notable guests including President Bill Clinton and Julia Child.
Vocab Lesson
Biryani: an Indian rice dish made with fish, meat, or vegetables and saturated with spices such as saffron and turmeric.
Madras: a spicy curry that’s red in color due to a heavy dose of chili powder.
While You’re in the Neighborhood
Before: Browse books on local history and view rare photographs at Argonaut Book Shop (786 Sutter St.).
After: Sip on updated versions of classic cocktails—including highballs and bloody marys—at the vintage-newspaper-themed Local Edition (691 Market St.).
Sample Menu
About the Owner: For owner Zaffar, his love of food goes all the way back to his mother’s cooking. That passion hasn’t faded, either—after 21 years in the industry, he still enjoys spending time in the kitchen, which is where visitors will often find him.
Vocab Lesson
Pakora: an Indian snack made of chicken, fish, veggies, or paneer, battered in chickpeas or lentils and lightly fried, usually served with chutney.
Vindaloo: a spicy Indian curry with a sweet-and-sour taste; it was originally modified from a Portuguese dish.
While You’re in the Neighborhood
Sample Menu
About the Bread: The cooks bake about a dozen types of bread in-house. These range in complexity from roti flatbread to specialty naan filled with paneer, spicy chicken, and onion.
Vocab Lesson
Paneer: a white South Asian cheese made from boiling cow's or water buffalo's milk and curdling it with whey; it dates back to at least 6,000 BC.
Vindaloo: a spicy Indian curry with a sweet-and-sour taste; it was originally modified from a Portuguese dish.
If You Can’t Make It, Try This: Little Delhi’s owners have opened a second regional-Indian eatery, Holy Kitchen (4166 24th Street).
