Ask anyone in Alkhobar to recommend a good place for authentic Pakistan cuisine and it is very likely you would be directed to Bundoo Khan. So strong is word of mouth for this restaurant that one is compelled to check it out.

This well-reputed Pakistani restaurant is frequented by diners from the Sub Continent as well as a good number of Saudis. Most Pakistanis are familiar with Bundoo Khan because there are many restaurants by the same name back home, although differently spelled and differently owned.

The story goes that an Indian chef Bundoo Khan produced revolutionary dishes with secret recipes in 1947 at his stall in Karachi. So popular was his paratha kabab stall that it inspired a chain of restaurants not just in every Pakistani city but also around the world. The first two Bundoo Khan restaurants in Saudi Arabia are both in Alkhobar, and located very close to each other.

We happened to visit the one on Prince Fawaz Street, Cross 17. The family section has curtains and enclosures for privacy. While finding a table is not an issue on a weekday, you might well be asked to wait for a few minutes in the weekends until a table is free.

The restaurant uses only the highest quality and freshest ingredients to create dishes, and it shows.

For starters, we ordered a plate of Shami Kabab (SR15) — two fairly large pan fried patties of fine ground lamb with chickpeas, fragrant herbs and spices — good quality, not so good quantity.

For main course, there are all the usual Pakistani and Pakistani Chinese favorites — Chicken Handi, Chicken Jalfrezi, Chicken Ginger, Mutton Masala, Mutton Korma, Chicken Manchurian, Szechuan Chicken, Beef Chilli, Fish Sweet & Sour, Prawn Manchurian and so on. Prices hugely vary from one curry to another. For example, if a serving of Chicken Ginger costs SR35, other chicken curries, such as Chicken Kadahi costs SR55 and Chicken Mughlai Handi SR70. While a simple Mutton Masala may cost SR45, Mutton Achari Handi can make your pocket lighter by SR90. That’s a lot compared to prices in other restaurants serving similar cuisine in a similar setting. While the quantity of curries priced a tad higher than others might be slightly more, that in itself is not a very convincing reason to splurge that much on one dish, when you can try two for the same price.

Chicken Manchuria (SR40) consisted of chicken cubes in a tangy tomato ketchup based sauce served on a sizzler. It could have been so much more. Chicken Kadahi was fresh and richly flavored while Chicken Ginger was spot on.

The BBQ items were outstanding. We ordered Chicken Boti (SR35), which comprised chicken quartered and marinated in the traditional oriental spices, ginger, garlic and fresh lemon juice, barbecued in the tandoor, and Chicken Seekh Kabab (SR35), ground lamb blended with herbs and spices, with a touch of saffron, barbecued on skewers in the tandoor.

Tandoori Roti (bread) served with the curries is fresh and crisp.

In conclusion, Bundoo Khan serves some great flavors but stick to its Pakistani dishes only and you would not be disappointed. The seating is humble and I wish it was a little more comfy.

The restaurant offers great taste, greater prices and average ambience. It certainly does not offer a ‘fine dining experience’ as it claims. There is another newer branch a few meters from this one, and from the looks of it you can say it probably offers a better atmosphere, including an outdoor seating arrangement.

The location of the restaurant in itself may be a spoiler, especially when it is next to impossible to find parking in the weekends. The area hosts several other popular family restaurants too, which face the same problem. If you somehow manage to find parking space, finding an empty table in one of these restaurants is a tough task. We had been asked to wait for about 10 minutes in Bundoo Khan (which we did) and on a different occasion, 20 minutes in another nearby restaurant. As you would expect two starving souls to do, we didn’t quite last the 20 minutes and quickly made our way to the nearest McDonalds!

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