Babu Ji in San Francisco is an unique, fun and creative Indian restaurant by Jessi and Jennifer Singh where the duo originally met. We went there for Valentine’s Day dinner and had a great time.

Talking about the name Babu Ji..In the owner’s words ”The Hindi term, Babu Ji is an honorific title used to offer respect to a man. We tend to use it a bit playfully, bestowing the title on unlikely and simple men, but deserving by our measure none the less.Our Babu Ji could be that self-appointed neighborhood ambassador who knows everyone and everything that’s happening in the village. He’s a real character who always has a great story. He may live a modest life, and lack many of the typical commodities a typical “Babu Ji” would have like wealth, an enviable home and ample food but that never dampens these “Babu Ji’s” spirits, sense of pride or style. When it comes to food, he’s equally enthusiastic. A Babu Ji unashamedly indulges in food and hospitality. He laughs loudly and revels in his food, company and atmosphere. He absolutely loves being served. We love this type of dining spirit. We have created Babu Ji, the restaurant with this dining ethos in mind, hoping to provoke this gregarious, spirited dining attitude in our guests”

Such an interesting concept right 🙂

Here is my review..

Ambience

The first thing which grabs your attention is the extraordinary vibe of Babu Ji. You see posters which take you back to the memory lanes of India. The interesting one liners like “Dane Dane pe likha hain khanewale ka naam” and “Muft ki rotiyan thodna” are painted on the walls which grab your attention as soon as you enter the place. In one corner Indian megabuster movies are played on projector.

Cocktails

We reached Babu Ji some time before our reservation and got to explore the bar area which was innovative too..with Thandi Beer and cocktails like Sardarni Ji will tempt to you to explore the cocktail menu.. I love the names of the cocktails..Memsaab Garden..Don’t tell Auntie..There’s a 40+ selection of mostly small, local beers in the help yourself fridge.The creative juices are flowing anywhere and everywhere in this place.

Food & Dessert

In appetisers we had the Gol Gappa which was the burst of flavors, melting in the mouth dahi kebab, the succulent chicken tandoori and the good old tangy gobi machurian. Main course was the authentic North Indian Thali consisting of dal makhani, naan, punjabi kadhi, chicken curry anjeer kofta curry and saffron rice.

My sweet tooth was surprised by the unique chai biscuit kulfi which was served in the most authentic way.

The food at Babu Ji is simple yet remarkable in the general Indian dining scene as it’s made from high quality ingredients, cooked earnestly and offered in a creatively driven and regularly changing menu that spans Indian street food, cross regional curries and tandoori specialties.

The food here has great flavors but  is mild in nature. So if you are ardent chilli fan than you might not be impressed.

Service & Price

Service is highly commendable. Price is on a higher side. For the above mentioned extragavent meal we paid $200 including tip. But it is totally worth it for your special occasion.

Look of the Day

I wore this beautiful monochrome designer saree gifted by my dear friend Shal. Paired it with an unconventional blouse which i ordered from Amazon

Similar blouse on Amazon link is mentioned below. Click on the blouse image.

References: http://babujisf.com/

See all pics below..

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