Zaiqa's Pakistani Restaurant offers tasty authentic Pakistani fare

Zaiqa's caters to family style dining.

Zaiqi's Pakistani restaurant in Kenmore on Delaware Ave., offers an authentic and tasty Pakistani buffet at a fair price in a sometimes boisterous family setting.

We visited on a whim and decided to try the lunch buffet.  It was the 4th of July in Buffalo and this was actually one of the few locally owned restaurants in the area open on the holiday.

It was the end of a busy lunch shift for them, and the young waitress quickly cleaned a table for us.  She took our drink order, we asked for water and she brought out bottles of water that we were charged for--not what we expected, but it was alright. 

The buffet offered both vegetarian and meat dishes.  We especially enjoyed the Aloo Ghobi, spicy cauliflower with ginger, garlic and potatoes.  It was very spicy in a pleasant way, but not a dish for those enjoy mild flavors.

Dining at Zaiqa's Pakistani Restaurant

There was also Chicken Karahi, much like a chicken curry, which was very good with small pieces of chicken and a savory creamy curry sauce that was delicious over the basmati rice.  My husband tried the Mutton Karahi which was savory and well seasoned, but the lamb chunks were quite fatty and on the bone.

Then the waitress delivered a covered basket of fresh, hot naan.  It was some of the best naan we have every enjoyed!  This naan was so fresh, light and perfectly cooked.

The dessert on the buffet on was a rice pudding type concoction (Gajar Halwa, I think).  It was watery, with a thin but flowery consistency with little flavor.  I would not sample this part of the buffet again.

The restaurant was a bit noisy as several children from several of the family groups dining there were allowed to roam freely running about, playing with chairs and tables.  So if free ranging youngsters bother you, this may be an issue.  But we enjoyed this restaurant and will return for more savory, authentic Pakistani fare.