Khyber Pass Cafe
| Address: | 1571 Grand Ave, St Paul, MN 55105, USA |
| Phone: | +1 651-690-0505 |
| Site: | khyberpasscafe.com |
| Rating: | 4.3 |
| Working: | 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM Closed |
Location
Photos 86
Reviews 8
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Ellie Heaton
As an employee of Khyber Pass for the last three years, I think it is finally time for me to write a review for this establishment as a place of employment. This is also a reaction to a certain recent negative review. Khyber Pass is family owned and operated by a husband and wife. Hiring and managing are highly personal, as one of the two is always at the restaurant during shifts. Emel and Masooda have watched me grow as a Macalester student and now as an alumna. They are interested in my passions and concerned for my well-being, as they are for all their employees. I feel that I have become part of the Khyber family, where we take care of one another during times of family distress, school stress, etc. Whenever the Sherzads family come to the restaurant, the wait staff is introduced in terms of greater endearment than "employee." In regards to "preying on Macalester students," nothing could be further from the truth. Emel is a Macalester alumnus and extends his friendship to fellow students of his alma mater, striving to be a fixture of the Mac community. As for working conditions, Emel and Masooda treat their colleagues (as they call their employees) with respect and understanding, while striving to train a professional, friendly, and efficient wait staff. The level of care put into this training should not be underestimated, but it can scare away those who are not interested in working hard. Khyber Pass has been a great place to work these past several years and I have made dear friendships. Do not avoid this place like the plague - treat yourself to becoming part of the Khyber Pass Family! P.S. The food seriously is great! I hear it from customers every shift!
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A Private User
If my life depended on eating there again, Im not sure what Id choose?? This place is perfect for the wanna be foodie who has no clue what ethnic food should taste like.At least that has to be why there are any positive reviews. It has to be college kids who have never eaten anything but their mothers hotdish. We went for the lunch buffet, which was completly overpriced at $10.50. We suckered thinking maybe it was really good and worth it. It was cold. It was flavorless. The plain rice was crunchy. How do you make rice crunchy? The dal was so overcooked it was one big blab, you couldnt even distinguish a lentil in the blab. The curry potatoes were bland, cold, overcooked...yet not hot?? how do you do that? It was so so bad. I couldnt even finish one plate. Who leaves a buffet hungry? People that ate here, that is who! We left about an hour ago and now both our stomachs are gurgling like something bad is about to happen. Please! Save your money! Ignore the wanna be hipsters that are saying its good because its cool to like weird places...there are good places out there...this is not one. I know food from this region, this is not it. Yuck!
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A Private User
I used to eat there quite frequently for the lunch buffet so I decided to go there for dinner tonight with a friend, specifically for their advertised "2 for 1 with a valid student id" promotion on Mondays. I came with a friend to take advantage of the promotion. The restaurant didnt have many people in there, but for whatever reason, it took forever for someone to take our orders and it took quite a while just to get our food. The food seemed no better than what I normally got at the buffet and the portions were small (felt more like an appetizer) considering the price (~$13.00/plate). Lastly, when I attempted to use my student id, we were told we needed two ids and they refused to even give me a 20% discount (another advertised promotion on the window). We left and were never coming back, not even for lunch, based on tonights experience. Now I understand why it wasnt busy tonight in spite of their "2 for 1 promotion".
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Eric Goodemote
Ordered carry-out, one of the combos. Unfortunately, I wasnt in a position to eat it right away and had to take it home and reheat it but it still tasted great after reheating, which is rare for a dish involving rice. The seasoning on the meatballs was unique - in a good way. A subtle and interesting combination of flavors. The green chutney was my favorite, I only wish I had asked for more of it. The guy had apparently overcooked the lamb on the first batch so he actually ended up remaking it before I got there - that kind of attention to detail isnt something most restaurants give you. I only wish I lived closer to this place so I could eat from here more often. If you like Indian food and you like Middle Eastern food youll find flavors, youll definitely like the food here - it comes off like a combination of the two.
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Alex Korzo
I went there few times, and first thing I can say is that the food is good, not great, but good overall. The only concern until today was that its a little bit overpriced for how small the portions are. So on my way to work today I decided to try their lunch buffet and asked for a buffet to go (so I could eat it later at work). I was told that they dont do buffet to go and I was offered their lunch menu to go (no, thanx - Ive their lunch before - 4 tiny meatballs, 2 pieces of potatoes on a bed of rice for 11 bucks - no, thanx). Wow, this it the first place Ive ever seen that doesnt have a buffet to go option, so I went to an Indian buffet instead. So the food and service at Khyber is good, but not a good value for the money you pay for it.
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Mary Beth Beckman
Delicious food. Great texture and flavor to it. Ive done the lunch buffet twice, and its fine. Dont go unless you have a student ID for the discount, because its probably not worth it otherwise. If youre looking for a chatty waitstaff, go somewhere else. The staff here is only interested in getting your order and bringing out your food, which is fine by me. It is pricy, and perhaps more expensive than it ought to be. I really like the food, but if Im going to have ethnic food on Grand, I generally go to Everest, which has bigger portions, more interesting flavors, is more affordable, and has slightly friendlier service.
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Ted Gautsch
We walked in, were seated right away and given menus. Shortly after that we recived two glasses of water and waited for someone to return to the table to offer us something to drink to start. We were the only two in the restaraunt. Another employee walked in and proceeded to work in the back, we sat there with two glasses of water and waited. We clsoed our menus to indicate we were ready to order yet the employees still did ot return to our table, nobody returned to the table so we left to eat somewhere else. Absolutely terrible customer service!!
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Grace Stewart
The best lamb dinner Ive ever had and the the waiter gave the best wine pairing recommendation. It may take the chef a few extra minutes to prepare the food just perfectly but truly "wow." The lentils/dal was gourmet as was the spinach dish complimenting the lamb. Steps above and beyond any middle eastern or Indian dish ever found elsewhere here in the twin cities, MN. Authentic atmosphere and food to a heightened level well worth the visit and return visit when treating a business associate, family or friend.
