In addition to the much-ballyhooed Sparrow Bar & Kitchen, the Haight had a second, quieter restaurant opening this month: Great Indian Food, in the former Kan Zaman space.
And, while Sparrow adds a new gourmet cuisine option to our neighborhood, Great Indian Food adds a new inexpensive weekday lunch and dinner option, as well as our first quality Indian food. If you were familiar with the old Kan Zaman space, the first thing you'll think on entering the new restaurant is, "Wow, I had no idea this space was so large!" Gone are the partitions, platforms and hangings; Great Indian Food is a bright, cavernous space with white walls and a couple dozen tables. The revealed high ceilings provide space for two large projection screens, one constantly displaying a Bollywood music video channel (whose audio fills the room), the second on a 24-hour sports channel. Great Indian Food was opened two weeks ago by Kallie and Bobby, who previously owned a sports bar elsewhere in the Bay Area. They're still big sports fans, as evidenced by the sports channel screen. They established Great Indian Food largely to be near their son, Ramvir, who is attending UCSF Medical School. Kallie and Bobby both work in the restaurant daily, making sure that the food is up to quality and you're satisfied with your order.
The food itself is fairly simple. Great Indian Food is an order-at-the-counter restaurant with a limited menu: three vegetarian curries, three meat curries, roti, samosas, and a few sides. They plan to have a daily special curry later. Their emphasis is on "thalis", which are traditonal Indian pressed metal plates on which you can get inexpensive combo dinners: one curry for $8, and two curries for $10. The curries themselves are tasty, well made, and mildly spicy, and according to Kallie are made entirely from scratch on site. Both hot sauce and house-made spicy chutney are available for diners who like a bit of heat. They also retained Kan Zaman's beer and wine license, so both bottled beers and a couple of wines are available, and of course, they have chai.
Overall, Great Indian Food promises to be a terrific "I'm too tired to cook" weeknight food option for the Upper Haight, as well as a good lunch alternative for those who work here. It's already a favorite of many of the Haight Street Market staff. Drop by and try a thali and some chai!
And, while Sparrow adds a new gourmet cuisine option to our neighborhood, Great Indian Food adds a new inexpensive weekday lunch and dinner option, as well as our first quality Indian food. If you were familiar with the old Kan Zaman space, the first thing you'll think on entering the new restaurant is, "Wow, I had no idea this space was so large!" Gone are the partitions, platforms and hangings; Great Indian Food is a bright, cavernous space with white walls and a couple dozen tables. The revealed high ceilings provide space for two large projection screens, one constantly displaying a Bollywood music video channel (whose audio fills the room), the second on a 24-hour sports channel. Great Indian Food was opened two weeks ago by Kallie and Bobby, who previously owned a sports bar elsewhere in the Bay Area. They're still big sports fans, as evidenced by the sports channel screen. They established Great Indian Food largely to be near their son, Ramvir, who is attending UCSF Medical School. Kallie and Bobby both work in the restaurant daily, making sure that the food is up to quality and you're satisfied with your order.
