Apparently this place must be hit or miss. I've heard from some people that they're food is good but the one and only time I went everything except the naan was terrible. Food was not fresh and already precooked. They seem to just microwave dishes and bring it out to you. Prices were also very high considering the quality and amount of food you get. I will not be going back. Parking is also an issue. I had high hopes but I would not recommend this restaurant. Very disappointed.
(1)
Veronica S.
I live just a block away, so I really really want to like this place. But they are the worst! Although I *have* had a tasty dish or two here (and frankly the Lahori chicken chargha was dry and overcooked the one time I had it), they are not consistent, and the service is the slowest and rudest I have ever encountered. Knowing the service was bad, I ordered take-out the other night, but even THAT didn't protect me. I ordered the lamb korma curry with rice (you have to request rice to go with your curry, which is weird....), naan, and a vegetable samosa. That, plus a soda, was $19. !!! Then I get home to discover, the lamb curry was neither lamb nor curry - it was a few joints and bones with a scrap or two of goat meat clinging to them, in an oily broth. I kept trying to convince myself it was lamb, but the two kinds of meat taste distinctly different, and this was definitely goat - and not much of it. The naan was disappointing, not fresh at all - did not even seem homemade. The saffron rice was lovely, if a bit oily, and the samosa was acceptable. But how is that worth $19? I hate making a fuss or complaining, but a friend of mine in the restaurant business convinced me to call them. So I did. I very nicely told them I was disappointed in my order, that I had asked for lamb and gotten goat. The man who answered the phone first tried to argue that lamb and goat are the same thing - the same animal! When I disagreed, he said they ARE the same in Muslim cultures. I don't believe that to be true, but told him that even if that was the case, the words denote different animals in English. It went on. He gave up that line of argument after I started getting slightly annoyed and saying we could look it up in the dictionary. Then he asked how I KNEW it was goat instead of lamb. !!! I said "So, before you said they're the same in Muslim cultures, and now you're questioning whether or not I can tell the difference? I have eaten both! They taste different. And this was all bones, like a goat curry." I regrettably had to get angry to get taken seriously. I even said - "I'm not asking for anything! I am just expressing my disappointment that I ordered one thing and got another. I can bring the bones back to show you if you don't believe me." And THEN, and only then - after it had gotten unpleasant, did he say he would talk to the manager. At her advice, he offered to return my money or credit it to my next order. At that point, I was so mad (but still very polite), I said I didn't even want it, but thank you. Don't waste your time or money here.
(1)
Asad F.
This is by far the best Pakistani/Indian restaurant I have been to in Philadelphia. The food has been consistently delicious and well prepared. If you're craving a piece of home, then this is the place to go to. The chicken tikka and chapli kababs are choice, and might even be better than what I've had in Pakistan. If you're in town and looking for some delicious and flavorful food, this is the place to be.
(5)
Hasham Y.
Tried the chicken churgah. Very bland and dry. Actually cold as well. Naan do not have good texture either. Never returned after my initial experience. Customer service is attentive but food is almost average
(2)
Nilesh T.
Best indian restaurant in Philly? Nope. We ordered about 5 plates of food. Chicken Biryani, lahori chargha, goat korma, nihari curry, chicken kadhai. All of them were mediocre at best. Chicken kadhai was probably the only thing that tasted good. The lahori chargha is over hyped. Most of the food isnt even flavorful. I can make a better nihari curry at home then they can. Nonetheless, i am giving them a 2 star for the variety of food the offer and the service takes forever.
(2)
Nataly N.
I was going to give them the benefit of the doubt and leave my review at three stars, but after this past visit, I'd have to give this place a solid one star. To start out, I understand that the winter is pretty unforgiving right now and heating bills can add up, but for a restaurant with very large dine-in space, it seems like something is off when customers are shivering while eating their food, all bundled up in their puffy winter coats, all while sitting INSIDE the restaurant. I don't really need an extremely comfortable dining experience, but I did not pay for an uncomfortable one. This time, we ordered Aloo Keema and a chicken and chickpea curry dish. The Aloo Keema was not only cold, but was also overly salty and had the texture and dullness of leftovers. This dish falls solidly in the "zombified" category. It is clear that the life had been sucked out of this dish over and over through vigorous stirring and numerous trips between the fridge and the microwave. I now see what Rizwan A. meant by "corner-cutting" in his review of this place. The chicken chickpea curry dish was hot when it came out, but this was probably because it was drenched in piping hot chili oil. There was a serious lack of flavor in the chicken, the chickpeas, as well as the sauce. I might come back again, but only for the sake of convenience. There are places within blocks that serve better and fresher versions of this food. P.S. Thanks to Babak S. for posting photos of the food menu. I tried to find the menu on their website, but soon realized that their entire website is filled with ads (e.g. French Food Menu, Applebees Restaurant Menu?!...) and no actual food menu (that I could see as of today). If you click on these ads, they get something like $0.45 per click. The abundance and pervasiveness of ads suggests that whoever designed this website might be hoping that consumers might accidentally click on these ad links while searching for the food menu on this restaurant's website.
(1)
Gabru S.
Worst food experience ever, if there were 0 stars I would give it 0. Takes a log time to get your food, they make you wait and then tell you food is not available. I don't understand why people go to this place.
(1)
Whiterock R.
Their chicken charga is great. Other selected items like keema nan are good as well. Do not get the biriyani under any circumstances though!
(3)
Bala J.
Terrible service and terrible food. The only thing good about this place is its unusual not traditional tandoori roti. Other than that its a low grade Indian food and doesn't deserve to be called so. Also I ordered kabobs(alright and samosas(terrible) and brains which was sub par. The service was terrible as I asked for water 3 times and he ignored me. Never coming back again!
(1)
Kristelle B.
The chicken chargha is probably the best chicken I have ever had. A must try! The veggie rice and the eggplant appetizer were delicious too.
Recently I visited Wah-Gi-Wah due to raving reviews and i was extremely dissatisfied. When I arrived at this restaurant I was starving and saw that this restaurant was completely dead and had a terrible atmosphere. We sat down in the boothes and I ordered 2 Aloo Samosa (reheated and no seasoning) and Shamee Tiki (terrible it was hard and underseasoned). After Appetizers we ordered a Bunch of Seekh Kabobs and Tandoori Roti and Tandoori Naan. The naan and roti were O.K. but the seekh kabob seemed reheated and old and the Chole was definately from a can. The Service in this restaurants is TERRIBLE. The man didn't answer any of our questions on the food and what was this restaurants specials etc. The short Pakistani man who was our "waiter" didn't bother to give us any water and after 30 minutes of us running up to the front counter and asking him for some water he just ran away like a little girl. THIS RESTAURANT IS COMPLETELY A NO GO AND I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND PEOPLE NOT TO GO TO THIS RESTAURANTS btw p.s. I my Indian food and spices!!!
(1)
Ahmad Nidzamuddeen S.
I like the foods here but the service is really really really really slow I'm so disappointed
(1)
Halima G.
The food is horrible We ordered the Chicken Chargha and it was not good at all(no taste). Then we came to know that their main chef was gone. I am definitely not going back
(1)
Talha A.
Service sucked major nutz. Food is not fresh. The restaurant was dead. Expensive. Can't get worse
(1)
Tasneema A.
Currently living alone and Wah-Gi-Wah is write across the street so I sometimes get dinner from here. I always get their sesame naan which I love to pieces. Recently I started getting the chicken tikka masala which is good. It's flavorful and burning hot when served. The chicken meat is white but sometimes undercooked. For it's price, quality, and overall taste, I recommend it. I also once got their chicken tikka kabobs which were pricey for like 5 pieces but it was delicious. Other than the food, the service sucks. The cashier/host always looks frustrated and stressed. He's not cheerful or friendly and sometimes even rude. I usually always get takeout so I never have to deal with their staff, fortunately!
(3)
haapy s.
OMG ,,,,this was my favorite restaurant, since open I don't know chef Change or what but today was worst meal of my experience,,they always have bad service but I come here only to get food but today was last coz now they have both worst ,,,never wanna go back and I request to everyone not go there plz
(1)
Fahad A.
Go there for the FOOD not the service. This isn't a classy sit down place, it is a very traditional Pakistani restaurant and the food is simply great. Their 'chicken churgha' is probably the best item on the menu and the 'beef boti' has to be up there as well. The naan is fresh and you can just tell by the quality of it. I don't care too much for service so I don't treat it like a classy sit down joint. Again, amazing food, def. check it out.
(4)
Aisha M.
Decent desi food. WORST. SERVICE. EVER! Slower than slow! We waited over an hour for our chai.
(2)
Saman A.
The food is really good, fresh each time. Always had a really good experience. The price is slightly higher but it is worth going.
(5)
E. J.
When Philadelphia Inquirer food critic Craig LeBan published his review of this Pakistani establishment in West Philadelphia and awarded it two bells, I had to see what this place was all about. Wah-Gi-Wah apparently means "spectacular" and that is how I would describe its chagra -- fried chicken. I would not use the adjective to describe the locale itself -- it was attempting an industrial look with exposed brick. While it was not a hole-in-the-wall, I understood why many people just ordered for take-out. As I waited to place my order, I eyed the already prepared food that was behind the glass case: it looked like the food had been sitting there since the day before. I even heard the ding of a microwave which made me steer clear of ordering anything from behind the glass case. I placed my order and was informed that it would take 15 minutes. So, since I didnt want the pervasive aroma of oil that permeated the interior leeching onto my clothes, I took a walk around this part of town to explore its other culinary offerings. I returned 20 minutes later, and my order was not complete... which was surprising since there werent any other patrons in the restaurant at the time. Okay, lets go back to the chicken. LeBan raved about the fried chicken, and Ill agree with him. I ordered the chagra combo special which included half of a whole fried chicken, a large piece of naan, and a minty, slightly creamy dipping sauce. Instead of being breaded, a mixture of spices (not terribly corrosive to the palette) was rubbed in before the entire bird was thrown into the fryer. The product: tender chicken filled with an explosion of flavors. Would I go back? Sure... only if I found myself in that neighborhood again, though. Im glad I was able to try fried chicken, prepared in an unfamiliar way.
(3)
Ash A.
I've been here many times, mostly for take-out but a couple times to sit down and eat. Never had a problem with takeout. However, this is not a place for a great place for dining. Their customer service is kind of sloppy BUT the food is amazing! The Lahori charga is a must have. Probably the best item on their menu. The meat is full of spice and flavor and is tender and moist. The haleem is also amazing. It's spicy, even for my standards, so be prepared! The naans are fluffy, buttered and perfect when eaten fresh. I would also recommend trying their seekh kabobs (beef or chicken), fried fish and nihari, which are also equally tasty. They also make the best mint chutney, it tastes good over almost everything. Go here for the food!
(4)
Peter E.
Wah-Gi-Wah is amazing! The food I had was delicious! We ordered the allo palak, allo keema, Lahori Chargha (chicken), naan and keema naan. Reading other negative reviews it sounds like people made the mistake of ordering stereotypical Indian food here (opposed to the Pakistani dishes). The Pakistani food was so good! The chicken was fried whole and was very moist and flavorful on the inside. But my personal favorite was the the allo keema. They use ground goat for the keema and it is fantastic! I cannot wait to go back and eat their again. Oh yea! Also, I hear they can prepare a whole leg of goat dish made to order (Lahori Style Raan Roast). Just give them a few hours notice and they can make it. I need to try that one day!
(4)
Sabrina K.
Everything here is delicious! My personal favorite is the keema and samosa chaat. This restaurant is good for both take out and eating in.
The food is decent but nowhere near amazing. Have been here twice now and definitely had a better experience the second time around though I've experienced better South Asian food elsewhere.
(3)
Rizwan A.
Hate to give it one star, but there's just no way around it. I do not contest the fact that you can get amazing food here. So amazing that it may be the best you've ever had. But on the other hand, the ridiculous inconsistency here and the underhanded corner-cutting management that actually *prides* itself on passing off old food as new earn this place the worst rating possible. I hate to say it, but the place is run in a very non-American style. Take that to mean what you will, in short, it's a two-bit operation with good recipes, but wildly variable quality and a very loose, uncaring handle on how to deal with the social norms of the clientele in a place like Philly. It's Pakistani/Indian food which is definitely made great when it's done right, but how often that happens is anyone's bet. Half the time more than 50% of the menu is unavailable. They sort of ride out from week to week whatever they can afford or whatever will keep their costs down. Sadly I don't see this place lasting. One time I had great chicken here, another time, I could tell they had eagerly given me an old portion of haleem. Your best bet on coming here is after they've had a lot of customers, that's the only way you know you're getting fresh food. If you walk in and the place looks empty, seriously, just pass this place by, you'll be doing yourself a huge favor.
(1)
Basil M.
So, let's start off by saying, I went here based on two recs from people I know. It was a Wednesday night, 6:30, and the place was empty. So I figured the food wouldn't be so fresh. We ordered naan, chicken tikka, chicken tandoori, beef Sikh kabob, and chicken biryani. The biryani was definitely reheated. It might have Ben decent if it was fresh. The chicken tandoori was also reheated, and honestly, it was horrible. It tasted super old. The Sikh kabob were dry. The naan was a little too crunchy, not soft enough. Lastly, the tikkas were good. All in all, this place was below average. Honestly, Kabobeesh is much much better.
(1)
Christina W.
I have eaten in the restaurant once and more recently ordered catering from Wah-Gi-Wah. When I went to the restaurant with a friend, I loved the whole chicken platter--the fried chicken was extremely tender and nicely portioned. Service was pretty fast as well. A few months later, I was running a dinner event for 24 people that included a seminar component about West Philadelphia and decided to order catering from Wah-Gi-Wah. Although I'm not sure that they have an official catering menu (I couldn't find it online), I called the restaurant to see if it was possible. The restaurant was extremely easy to work with and accommodated my needs. I ordered chicken platters, ground beef and ground chicken kabobs, and two different platters of mixed vegetables, and the meal came with bread, salad, and yogurt sauce. I told them I needed enough food for 24 people, some of whom would be vegetarian or Kosher, and they worked with me to order the right amount of food for a reasonable catering cost. They delivered the food to my location per my request and allowed me to pay once I received the delivery. Everyone at the event loved the food and were stuffed to contentment, and we were even left with some leftovers. Although the chicken was a bit messy to eat during a talk, the kabobs were easy to eat, juicy, and well-seasoned--quite spicy actually! The kick from the kabobs went very well with the refreshing yogurt sauce, and the combination was actually quite addictive. Overall, affordable prices, delicious chicken and kabobs, and easy to work with for catering orders. Definitely check this place out!
(4)
Irfan K.
Nehin bhai Nehin I think this place is over-rated. I have not had the Charga that everyone else seems to love but my first experience was less than average.
(2)
Mobola O.
On the quest for great Middle Eastern cuisine I discovered Wah-Gi-Wah!!!! Thank goodness! I've only lived in Philly for about 8 months and coming from the DC area Kabob Palace is where it's at! While Wa-Gi-Wah doesn't compare to the AMAZING Kabob Palace, it's the best substitute I've found in Philly. I've tried Kabobeesh and that is not where it's at. The BBQ Platter at Wah-Gi-Wah really give you a bang for your buck! Great selection, fresh and cooked to order food. My bf loves the lamb kabob platter. This is def my top choice when it comes to Middle Eastern cuisine in Philly.
(5)
Omar I.
This place is totally known for its biryani. It happens to be my second favorite place !
(4)
Marissa R.
The food here was good but the service wasnt. THe guy seemed not to happy that we were there to eat like he was annoyed. Didnt really explain the food just wanted us to order and not ask questions. Will I be returning anytime soon? Doubt it. Probably be my first and last time I go here.
(3)
Jennifer P.
Long time admirer, first time patron. A few friends of mine held Wah-Gi-Wah in high regards and on their recommendations, I went and was not disappointed. It is much larger than it looks from the outside and has an open layout. The service was wonderful and the Lahori chicken was fantastic. I ordered a whole chicken and it looked looked like they had just killed it fresh and deep fried the thing. Wonderful.
(4)
Kat O.
It pains me to say this because I am typicaly a positive yelper, but I have to write this one, so here goes. I got food poisoning from this place. I know this b/c I didn't eat anything for a full 13 hours before I ate their food. Before eating my chicken tikka, I ate about half the rice, then took a break so the spice wouldn't bother me. I didn't going down, but it sure did coming back up 5 hours later. Sorry Wah Gi Wah but food poisoning doesn't even warrant you the star I am giving.
(1)
Amarnath R.
Had lamb chops, Biryani and chicken tikka roll. They were not so good but not bad either. Overall an average experience. Mango lassi was good.
(3)
Joe C.
Was really impressed by this place. The food took forever to arrive and staff was overwhelmed by...three tables. It was kinda comical. But the owner was so damn nice I forgot about the long wait. Customers were an ethnic hodgepodge which is one of the things I dig most about dining in West Philly. I read a previous review about the Lahori Chargha and the person raved about it. Yeah, it totally came as advertised. Fried but not greasy. Massive amounts of flavor. Moist. And the samosas were totally fresh which is something you can't say for a lot of restaurants. Since my visit I learned a secret in the Sept 29 City Paper...they'll happily make your chicken extra spicy. Yay! Large and flavorful portions + not too expensive = good value + return visit.
(4)
Jen K.
I was not impressed with the "fried" chicken. It was too dry and more roasted than fried. Some pieces of the chicken were so overcooked to the point of being rock solid that I probably could have choked on it. Service was uncomfortable, and the restaurant itself is so out of the way for mediocre food.
(1)
Ann V.
I'd go back for the fried chicken. That's about it.
(3)
Fred T.
Been here with the family 2x now. Def one of the best fried chickens I have ever had! The spice permeates all the way through. The chick pea dish is a bit oily but the flavors are amazing. The menu has many more items to explore. BYOB and the prices are great.
(5)
Babak S.
The best Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Indian food on the east coast!!!!! If you go on the weekend try the Haleem and Paya (runs out usually by Saturday night)
(5)
Mary F.
The fried chicken was delicious, but the wait was horrendous. I called ahead (by 40 minutes) and still we did not get our chicken until 30 minutes AFTER we ordered (and yes, we were the only ones in the restaurant).
(3)
Izzat A.
Came here with the fiance and mother in law tonight. Fiance said this place was good. Given the fact that she is from Canada, I shoulda known this place would be terrible. Service is horrible. Not rude, just incompetent. Food is very very average, if even that good. Lamb chops were very undercooked (pink inside), channey were not good and flavorful at all. Chicken kabobs were okay, not very flavorful. Same for the seek kabobs. Honestly, the best thing was the rice! Will never come back here again. I normally give Halal Paki places a benefit of the doubt, but this place is just weak.
(2)
Erkie R.
Excellent Restaurant! I lived in Philadelphia for 4 years and recently stumbled upon this restaurant. By far the best chargha in town. This is real authentic Pakistani cuisine! Don't underestimate this review bc the retaurant is amazing. We had the nihari, nan, chargha, and lamb chops amazing!
(5)
Al T.
The service is very slow and dysfunctional at times and the guy in the front counter needs a crash course on customer service and attitude adjustment.The food is tasty especially the Chickpeas Stew (Lahori Chholay), Chicken Chargha ( a form of fried and then broiled chicken from Pakistan) and the Nihari (a spicy sort of pot roast stew which uses the same cut of meat). Also the roast goat or lamb leg which is a special order is worth trying. Key is to always call ahead so one can get the food served on time.Our favorite Pakistani restaurant in the Philly area despite their attitude and poor knowledge of how to deal with a customer
(2)
Aasima A.
Great food and everytime I've benn there service has been decent. It's not a four start restaurant afterall so don't expect that, but still good. The food is amazing so what more can you ask for? Parking is hit or miss, so there are always 2-3 places we think of getting food close by, so that we are bound to get lucky with parking SOMEWHERE!
(4)
Tony P.
My good friend took me here last night for me to try Pakistani food for the first time. The restaurant itself, I wouldn't take a date to, it had a very bad draft coming through. The ceiling was leaking water and there was a water bucket on the floor right next to my table. We ordered the fried chicken, Boti, Beef rolls, and bread. Food was delicious, it had a nice spice to it pack with flavors I've never tasted before. Service is a little slow, I recommend if you do decided to eat here, call in your your food order if you plan on eating there. It was roughly a 15-20 minute wait for our food.
(4)
J. Christopher E.
I've had takeout from this restaurant 4 times. I very much wanted to like this restaurant (I live nearby) but I think I'll wait awhile before I go again. What's most frustrating is that half of the time they don't have what I ask for so I end up with few real choices. If you can get them, the samosas are very good (although I don't think they're made on site). I also like the biryani dish, although this even more difficult to get than the samosas. I'm hoping this is a temporary problem and I guess I'll give them another try in a few months.
(3)
Melissa W.
I had been here a few times in the past and was not very impressed. While the owners were nice, the menu was pretty much useless. Every time I tried to order something (on the phone or in person) they would tell me that they only had whatever was in their steam trays, and couldn't make anything to order. Then why bother even having a menu? In addition, the food in the steam trays never looked fresh or appetizing, since they had been sitting around for hours and tasted as such. Sure, it was pretty cheap, but it wasn't particularly good. However, after reading LaBan's glowing review, we decided to give Wah-gi-wah another chance and tried the charga fried chicken. He was right: it was pretty amazing. The naan wasn't bad either. We also ordered some eggplant dish from one of the steam trays, and were kind of disappointed at the size of the tiny container that had cost us $5. The eggplant itself was just okay; I wouldn't order it again. My advice? Stay away from the pre-made food and just get the charga. This deliciously-seasoned deep-fried whole chicken is definitely worth the $12.
(3)
Yaya W.
We came here because a friend said Pakistani fried chicken was the new Korean fried chicken and I follow trends like a lemming. Problem is, I realllly like Korean fried chicken. Putting that aside, this chicken makes you want to come back for more. It seems like its rubbed with some sort of tandoori rub, stuffed with a lemon.... and then what? Deep fried? No clue, but what results is crazy tender. We got the whole chicken platter (enough food for two for lunch, maybe for dinner I would order something additional). The naan was good and the salad that came with sucked but cut the salt at least. And the service is, well, not ideal. But your classic hole in the wall with some bomb chicken!
(4)
Shehzad R.
Their food is amazing. Its authenticity cannot be overstated. It's not only the best South Asian restaurant in Philadelphia, it's the best South Asian restaurant in the North East.
(5)
Steve S.
Over all I like this place, but there are issues with the service, and the design and layout of the space. It's confusing when you walk in. You don't know whether to sit down and wait for someone to come to your table or if you should walk to the back and order, and than sit. If you do go to the back to order take out, it's also confusing, because there's what appears like a big menu board with photos - but it doesn't give a description of the food or the prices. You have to request a menu to see what they have - but with that said, there's a steam table that has a lot of the day's specials that look amazing - and if you order from that you'll be very satisfied. The food was very good. Craig LeBan's review was spot on. The fried chicken was awesome! The Keema Nann was great. The lamb was slightly disappointing - oily and greasy. The spinach and potatoes were very good, The cauliflower and potatoes were good too - but it was mostly potatoes, not much cauliflower. The rice was cooked perfectly and very tasty. Looking forward to going back and trying other items. Oh, the prices are out of this world reasonable!
(4)
Jen D.
sadly, i have to echo several of the prior reviews. the lahori chargha and sesame naan are delicious, but i would rather put in the time to learn the recipe to make it at home than revisit wah-gi-wah. the service varied between slow, non-existant, and hostile. they didn't have much of what was on the menu, so ordering was difficult. one of our party ordered goat curry, only to find out nearly an hour later that they didnt't have it. nor did they have lamb. he ended up with a chicken curry, no rice. i have never, ever seen a curry served without rice. they would be well-served to reduce their menu to a simpler single sheet and to at least pretend, a little teeny bit, to care about customer service. if you really want to try the lahori charga anyway, be prepared! set aside two hours. don't go hungry. don't expect to feel the least bit welcome.
(1)
Ravi A.
Outstanding chicken...have been back a couple times. we order in advance and pick it up...have never eaten in. rest of food was ok.....couple other places do better. but the chicken...oh man...the chicken....sooo sooo sooo good.
(5)
Moses S.
update. it went down a star because apparently i was lucky the first couple times i went. If you go during afternoon, they normally can make everything, but when you go at night, sometimes they state they dont have the ingredients to make what you want. the wait is long, but worth it for the most part, but not having ingredients to make palak paneer the third time i went (went at night) is sad.
(4)
Shehrazade A.
I will never go back to wah-gi-wah again! I was there yesterday..& their service was really bad. They don't know how to handle big group of people. * I have noticed in every other restaurant i've ever been to, they will always 'atleast' ask "if we would like to get start with a drink?" & at wah-gi-wah we literally had to ask in middle of my meal can get some water. Even later they didn't refill it until we asked. like seriously??? * Food has no taste what so ever..no salt, or masala! & they will try to act if smart when asked for masala on side. Ohh BTW they need to hire more server.
(1)
Charles T.
I so want to give this place a higher rating, but the service is going to be their downfall. Was there at 5:30 on a Friday afternoon, one table (parents with small child) arrived just before we did. I watched at least four other parties, who arrived after I did, receive their food before my party (one of them even received 2/3 of what we ordered!!), and the family finally walked out after an hour - after telling manager "Saw six people get their food, where is ours??" Manager came by table to ask what we had ordered. If they would put a simple system in place (names or a unique number on each order) everything would be fine. When it was time to pay, it took 10 minutes standing at cash register for them to acknowledge me. Food - Allo Tikki (mashed potatoes mixed with spices, formed into patty and fried) was OK, Sabzi (mixed vegetables) was OK, Sesame Naan was very good, Lahori Chargha (seasoned crispy fried chicken) was very good. May go back once they get their act together, but the horrendous service outweighs the good food.
(3)
Ali Z.
If you're looking for a hole-in-the-wall, cheap place to eat decent Pakistani food, this place is it. The freshly cooked food, which includes the Lahori roasted chicken and naan, are great. In fact, its hard to get good naan in Philly and this place has the best naan you'll find in the area. However, much of the food isn't freshly prepared but is sitting under a hot lamp and is simply put on your plate when you order. I think this place would be better if all the food was fresh.
(3)
Sean M.
I really hope no one at Federal Donuts sees this, but Wah-Gi-Wah is the best chicken in the city, hands down. It is the only thing that can motivate me enough to make the trek to West Philly. I'm never not slightly in the mood for the Lahori Chicken.
(4)
Saad M.
I go there for only these dishes, Charga, Chiken Biryani, Goat/Chicken Korma and the freshly made Naans. I asked the owner and he reassured me that many of his dishes are made fresh. I go there a couple times a month to pig out and its definitely worth the price and wait.
(5)
Mark J.
So... I've eaten here twice. The chicken that people rave about is good. BUT... this is not a restaurant that knows what it's doing. You've read the statistic about most restaurants failing in their first year? Well, this restaurant is staffed by one guy who knows how to cook chicken (but not much else) and a few other guys who don't know how to do anything. The first time I ordered from Wah-Gi-Wah I got the Lahori Chargha to go. It took nearly an hour even though the restaurant was completely empty. The second time I ordered pick-up, thinking I'd get around the long wait. They told me the food would be ready in fifteen minutes. I showed up forty-five minutes later and it wasn't done. I'd ordered keema naan but they'd run out of beef and so made my order with lamb. When I got home I discovered they'd neglected to include rice even though I'd ordered Palak Paneer, a dish always served with rice. When I called to complain, they told me none of their dishes are served with rice unless the customer asks. Obviously this can't be true... Screw this place.
(1)
Dexter F.
My boyfriend and I had a great experience with Wah-Gi-Wah. We ordered the chicken tikka, some lamb, sesame naan, and a whole roasted chicken. Much to my boyfriends dismay, we did not order the brain masala, although, knowing what I know now, I bet it would've been delicious. Our food was fantastic. Spicy, flavorful, filling, and CHEAP (AND they accept credit cards)! They are priced far more reasonably than other restaurants with similar menus. That being said, don't go here if ambiance is important to you. They have plenty of large booths for seating, but it's very casual with bright lighting and a flat screen tv that's always on some foreign music video channel. Hey -- it works for me, but I wouldn't recommend having a first date here, however, I WOULD recommend ordering their food for take out and bringing it back to your place. Yum yum yum.
(4)
Nofil B.
Horrible place...ordered Lahori Charga and they tell us we have to wait 30 minutes for it...two parties came after us and they got their charga before us and within 15 mins...would never go to this horrible place again. Tons of other Pakistani restaurants where you can have an enjoyable experience with great food.
(1)
Marissa E.
If there was one word to describe eating here, it would be uncomfortable. Don't get me wrong, the food's great, but the service was so bad my friend and I considered skipping out on the check just to avoid another painfully awkward interaction with the waitstaff. It was honestly some of the worst service I'd ever seen; no one knew what they were doing. It would have been funny if it wasn't so creepy. When we got in, we tried to figure out whether we should wait for a table, go sit down, or order from the counter. We chose to sit down. My friend flagged down the waiter. I ordered samosas, a side of palak paneer, and naan - just enough for one person - and then the waiter walked off. My friend was sitting there, openmouthed, waiting for the waiter to come back. He did, to drop off the samosas, and then ran away. We finally flagged down another waiter, but his English was terrible - my friend said "I want to order" and he asked her if she wanted a bottle of water. It took another 5 minutes for him to comprehend that she wanted a veggie platter and I wanted to know if I should get my soda out of the case or wait for someone to bring it to me. The food was amazing; I think the Yelp reviews and Craig LaBan have made that very clear. But the experience was greatly diminished by the fact that the servers couldn't stop staring at me and my friend. Strangely, we had a really hard time getting their attention when we actually needed them, since it took 10 minutes just to get to-go boxes and the servers would barely talk to us or look at us. Come for the samosas, stay for the horrible service (and objectification, if you're female). Also, they had the entire place shut down by 11:15 and it's supposed to be open until midnight. We left around 11:20 and saw 4 people who were turned away because they'd already cleared out the steam trays. If you're going to do that, close at 11. Edit: My friend reminded me that there was a huge puddle of water (as in 2-3 feet wide and half an inch deep) near the entrance from a leaking pipe. In retrospect, we should have left right then.
(1)
Bill B.
Not much to add here-- the fried chicken was fantastic, the rest of the food was so-so, and the service was S-L-O-W. But with chicken this good, I'm not going to complain.
(5)
Christine W.
I like this place. The food is always really tasty. I've been several times and it has gotten better each time. As Ali Z. wrote, the naan is excellent, especially the keema naan stuffed with meat. I think the key to eating at this restaurant is not to have anything already picked out on their menu. A lot of what is available is not on the menu and that stuff is usually pretty awesome. What I usually do is go in and ask the guy what all the dishes are (they are in trays behind the counter), and I choose from what they have. I had perhaps the most amazing yellow dal I've ever eaten a couple of weeks ago. The mixed veg and aloo gobi I had this past weekend were truly outstanding. Update: Dinner tonight (3/19) included beef haleem - bulgar and beef pounded into a paste, cooked with spices and topped with a ghee-based gravy. AMAZING. Update: Dinner on 12/13 included two specials - keema (spicy, minced beef) with potatoes and an AWESOME duck curry (duck on the bone so that all the goodness just seeps into the sauce...). Even thought hey now have waiter service, go up to the counter and check out the specials!
(5)
Patrick D.
Simply amazing! Goat chops, Kabobs, chix chargha, allo gobhi with naan... BLOODY AMAZING! And so cheap!
(5)
Aatif R.
Chicken charga is great. Prices are reasonable. Atmosphere is ok as well.
(4)
Claire G.
I'm not sure why this particular restaurant is categorized as Indian food by YELP since it's Pakistani, which food I came to love as I got to know the esteemed Kamal Faruki of blessed memory (while I was a grad student at UVA and, along w/my fellow religious dept student pal, used to regularly show up at the Faruki home, coincidentally, at dinner time for long conversations about philosophy, etc.). Happily, this former head of his county's Supreme Court was a guest prof and his family were all skilled culinary artists. When I am at Wah-Gi-Wah, I recognize the quality and am amused at the sometimes familiar moments of confusion (as reflected in some of the reviews and anyone w/out Pakistani friends). Don't go for the "organization"; just go for the best food ever. The next time my godson Zak Faruki's in town, this is here I'll take him to feed him great food and great stories of his famous grandfather.
(5)
Adnan Z.
"Wah-Gi-Wah" roughly translates to "spectacular" in Punjabi and this restaurant is nothing short of that. Serving Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi cuisine, if you want the authentic taste of South Asia there are few places in Philadelphia that will top this one. I went there quite skeptical and came out a believer. The kabobs are juicy and seasoned just right. The chicken karahi is fresh and made with all the right ingredients. They even have Lahori chargha and I know of no other place in a 30 mile radius that makes "keema naan!" Pricing is very reasonable, the restaurant is kept incredibly clean and parking was readily available on the street. This place is worth the trip.
(5)
liz l.
Pretty darn tasty! gf and i went today for lunch around 1 or a little later. It was super empty, only one other table, so the service issues other people have mentioned were not in play. it's cute and clean and i like the low key decor, such as it is. The server was very nice and friendly. We ordered a rice and a sesame naan to share, and got a chicken tika masala, aloo gobi (potato/cauliflower) and bhindi (okra). they were all really good, and the bhindi was awesome -- i am not always an okra fan but this was delicious. there's just enough left over for small lunch tomorrow, bill was $22. will definitely be back for more!
(4)
Alex M.
No excuse. This restaurant opened in April or earlier, so it's no longer possible to attribute our absurd experience to the need to "iron out" initial "kinks." We tried very hard to patronize this place. Example: walked in at 7 pm; no other customers except a guy waiting for takeout. Were given menus then completely ignored while one staff person spoke loudly on the phone for 15 minutes and other staff ignored us. We finally had to signal emphatically that we would like to order. After a further delay, we discovered that the restaurant was "out of" all three of the very standard items we first ordered, including palak paneer. We finally asked what they *did* have, and the answer was a very small list. Why give customers a menu if you have only one percent of the things listed on it? Also, the seats are so dysfunctional that the backs tip backward into the seat behind you (unsafe to lean back), and the bench-parts are also unstable (even for people who weight 120 pounds). There's a profound disconnect here. This doesn't seem like a restaurant. Nor is the false "food vs. ambiance" dichotomy illuminating in a situation where there's not enough *ambient* anything to support fundamentals like oh say the simple provision of food. Maybe if Wah-Gi-Wah could stop shooting themselves in the foot, more people would actually be able to taste their food, which is reputed to be good. Maybe those happier customers just had very vivid imaginations and dreamed the whole thing. That would be a more satisfying experience than the one we had a few nights ago, which was empty of food or service.
(1)
Asad F.
This is by far the best Pakistani/Indian restaurant I have been to in Philadelphia. The food has been consistently delicious and well prepared. If you're craving a piece of home, then this is the place to go to. The chicken tikka and chapli kababs are choice, and might even be better than what I've had in Pakistan. If you're in town and looking for some delicious and flavorful food, this is the place to be.
(5)
Hasham Y.
Tried the chicken churgah. Very bland and dry. Actually cold as well. Naan do not have good texture either. Never returned after my initial experience. Customer service is attentive but food is almost average
(2)
Steve S.
Over all I like this place, but there are issues with the service, and the design and layout of the space. It's confusing when you walk in. You don't know whether to sit down and wait for someone to come to your table or if you should walk to the back and order, and than sit. If you do go to the back to order take out, it's also confusing, because there's what appears like a big menu board with photos - but it doesn't give a description of the food or the prices. You have to request a menu to see what they have - but with that said, there's a steam table that has a lot of the day's specials that look amazing - and if you order from that you'll be very satisfied. The food was very good. Craig LeBan's review was spot on. The fried chicken was awesome! The Keema Nann was great. The lamb was slightly disappointing - oily and greasy. The spinach and potatoes were very good, The cauliflower and potatoes were good too - but it was mostly potatoes, not much cauliflower. The rice was cooked perfectly and very tasty. Looking forward to going back and trying other items. Oh, the prices are out of this world reasonable!
(4)
Jen D.
sadly, i have to echo several of the prior reviews. the lahori chargha and sesame naan are delicious, but i would rather put in the time to learn the recipe to make it at home than revisit wah-gi-wah. the service varied between slow, non-existant, and hostile. they didn't have much of what was on the menu, so ordering was difficult. one of our party ordered goat curry, only to find out nearly an hour later that they didnt't have it. nor did they have lamb. he ended up with a chicken curry, no rice. i have never, ever seen a curry served without rice. they would be well-served to reduce their menu to a simpler single sheet and to at least pretend, a little teeny bit, to care about customer service. if you really want to try the lahori charga anyway, be prepared! set aside two hours. don't go hungry. don't expect to feel the least bit welcome.
(1)
Ravi A.
Outstanding chicken...have been back a couple times. we order in advance and pick it up...have never eaten in. rest of food was ok.....couple other places do better. but the chicken...oh man...the chicken....sooo sooo sooo good.
(5)
Moses S.
update. it went down a star because apparently i was lucky the first couple times i went. If you go during afternoon, they normally can make everything, but when you go at night, sometimes they state they dont have the ingredients to make what you want. the wait is long, but worth it for the most part, but not having ingredients to make palak paneer the third time i went (went at night) is sad.
(4)
Fahad A.
Go there for the FOOD not the service. This isn't a classy sit down place, it is a very traditional Pakistani restaurant and the food is simply great. Their 'chicken churgha' is probably the best item on the menu and the 'beef boti' has to be up there as well. The naan is fresh and you can just tell by the quality of it. I don't care too much for service so I don't treat it like a classy sit down joint. Again, amazing food, def. check it out.
(4)
Aisha M.
Decent desi food. WORST. SERVICE. EVER! Slower than slow! We waited over an hour for our chai.
(2)
Nilesh T.
Best indian restaurant in Philly? Nope. We ordered about 5 plates of food. Chicken Biryani, lahori chargha, goat korma, nihari curry, chicken kadhai. All of them were mediocre at best. Chicken kadhai was probably the only thing that tasted good. The lahori chargha is over hyped. Most of the food isnt even flavorful. I can make a better nihari curry at home then they can. Nonetheless, i am giving them a 2 star for the variety of food the offer and the service takes forever.
(2)
Nataly N.
I was going to give them the benefit of the doubt and leave my review at three stars, but after this past visit, I'd have to give this place a solid one star. To start out, I understand that the winter is pretty unforgiving right now and heating bills can add up, but for a restaurant with very large dine-in space, it seems like something is off when customers are shivering while eating their food, all bundled up in their puffy winter coats, all while sitting INSIDE the restaurant. I don't really need an extremely comfortable dining experience, but I did not pay for an uncomfortable one. This time, we ordered Aloo Keema and a chicken and chickpea curry dish. The Aloo Keema was not only cold, but was also overly salty and had the texture and dullness of leftovers. This dish falls solidly in the "zombified" category. It is clear that the life had been sucked out of this dish over and over through vigorous stirring and numerous trips between the fridge and the microwave. I now see what Rizwan A. meant by "corner-cutting" in his review of this place. The chicken chickpea curry dish was hot when it came out, but this was probably because it was drenched in piping hot chili oil. There was a serious lack of flavor in the chicken, the chickpeas, as well as the sauce. I might come back again, but only for the sake of convenience. There are places within blocks that serve better and fresher versions of this food. P.S. Thanks to Babak S. for posting photos of the food menu. I tried to find the menu on their website, but soon realized that their entire website is filled with ads (e.g. French Food Menu, Applebees Restaurant Menu?!...) and no actual food menu (that I could see as of today). If you click on these ads, they get something like $0.45 per click. The abundance and pervasiveness of ads suggests that whoever designed this website might be hoping that consumers might accidentally click on these ad links while searching for the food menu on this restaurant's website.
(1)
Gabru S.
Worst food experience ever, if there were 0 stars I would give it 0. Takes a log time to get your food, they make you wait and then tell you food is not available. I don't understand why people go to this place.
(1)
Whiterock R.
Their chicken charga is great. Other selected items like keema nan are good as well. Do not get the biriyani under any circumstances though!
(3)
Bala J.
Terrible service and terrible food. The only thing good about this place is its unusual not traditional tandoori roti. Other than that its a low grade Indian food and doesn't deserve to be called so. Also I ordered kabobs(alright and samosas(terrible) and brains which was sub par. The service was terrible as I asked for water 3 times and he ignored me. Never coming back again!
(1)
Ann V.
I'd go back for the fried chicken. That's about it.
(3)
Damian B.
Recently I visited Wah-Gi-Wah due to raving reviews and i was extremely dissatisfied. When I arrived at this restaurant I was starving and saw that this restaurant was completely dead and had a terrible atmosphere. We sat down in the boothes and I ordered 2 Aloo Samosa (reheated and no seasoning) and Shamee Tiki (terrible it was hard and underseasoned). After Appetizers we ordered a Bunch of Seekh Kabobs and Tandoori Roti and Tandoori Naan. The naan and roti were O.K. but the seekh kabob seemed reheated and old and the Chole was definately from a can. The Service in this restaurants is TERRIBLE. The man didn't answer any of our questions on the food and what was this restaurants specials etc. The short Pakistani man who was our "waiter" didn't bother to give us any water and after 30 minutes of us running up to the front counter and asking him for some water he just ran away like a little girl. THIS RESTAURANT IS COMPLETELY A NO GO AND I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND PEOPLE NOT TO GO TO THIS RESTAURANTS btw p.s. I my Indian food and spices!!!
(1)
Ahmad Nidzamuddeen S.
I like the foods here but the service is really really really really slow I'm so disappointed
(1)
Halima G.
The food is horrible We ordered the Chicken Chargha and it was not good at all(no taste). Then we came to know that their main chef was gone. I am definitely not going back
(1)
Talha A.
Service sucked major nutz. Food is not fresh. The restaurant was dead. Expensive. Can't get worse
(1)
Tasneema A.
Currently living alone and Wah-Gi-Wah is write across the street so I sometimes get dinner from here. I always get their sesame naan which I love to pieces. Recently I started getting the chicken tikka masala which is good. It's flavorful and burning hot when served. The chicken meat is white but sometimes undercooked. For it's price, quality, and overall taste, I recommend it. I also once got their chicken tikka kabobs which were pricey for like 5 pieces but it was delicious. Other than the food, the service sucks. The cashier/host always looks frustrated and stressed. He's not cheerful or friendly and sometimes even rude. I usually always get takeout so I never have to deal with their staff, fortunately!
(3)
haapy s.
OMG ,,,,this was my favorite restaurant, since open I don't know chef Change or what but today was worst meal of my experience,,they always have bad service but I come here only to get food but today was last coz now they have both worst ,,,never wanna go back and I request to everyone not go there plz
(1)
Veronica S.
I live just a block away, so I really really want to like this place. But they are the worst! Although I *have* had a tasty dish or two here (and frankly the Lahori chicken chargha was dry and overcooked the one time I had it), they are not consistent, and the service is the slowest and rudest I have ever encountered. Knowing the service was bad, I ordered take-out the other night, but even THAT didn't protect me. I ordered the lamb korma curry with rice (you have to request rice to go with your curry, which is weird....), naan, and a vegetable samosa. That, plus a soda, was $19. !!! Then I get home to discover, the lamb curry was neither lamb nor curry - it was a few joints and bones with a scrap or two of goat meat clinging to them, in an oily broth. I kept trying to convince myself it was lamb, but the two kinds of meat taste distinctly different, and this was definitely goat - and not much of it. The naan was disappointing, not fresh at all - did not even seem homemade. The saffron rice was lovely, if a bit oily, and the samosa was acceptable. But how is that worth $19? I hate making a fuss or complaining, but a friend of mine in the restaurant business convinced me to call them. So I did. I very nicely told them I was disappointed in my order, that I had asked for lamb and gotten goat. The man who answered the phone first tried to argue that lamb and goat are the same thing - the same animal! When I disagreed, he said they ARE the same in Muslim cultures. I don't believe that to be true, but told him that even if that was the case, the words denote different animals in English. It went on. He gave up that line of argument after I started getting slightly annoyed and saying we could look it up in the dictionary. Then he asked how I KNEW it was goat instead of lamb. !!! I said "So, before you said they're the same in Muslim cultures, and now you're questioning whether or not I can tell the difference? I have eaten both! They taste different. And this was all bones, like a goat curry." I regrettably had to get angry to get taken seriously. I even said - "I'm not asking for anything! I am just expressing my disappointment that I ordered one thing and got another. I can bring the bones back to show you if you don't believe me." And THEN, and only then - after it had gotten unpleasant, did he say he would talk to the manager. At her advice, he offered to return my money or credit it to my next order. At that point, I was so mad (but still very polite), I said I didn't even want it, but thank you. Don't waste your time or money here.
(1)
Peter E.
Wah-Gi-Wah is amazing! The food I had was delicious! We ordered the allo palak, allo keema, Lahori Chargha (chicken), naan and keema naan. Reading other negative reviews it sounds like people made the mistake of ordering stereotypical Indian food here (opposed to the Pakistani dishes). The Pakistani food was so good! The chicken was fried whole and was very moist and flavorful on the inside. But my personal favorite was the the allo keema. They use ground goat for the keema and it is fantastic! I cannot wait to go back and eat their again. Oh yea! Also, I hear they can prepare a whole leg of goat dish made to order (Lahori Style Raan Roast). Just give them a few hours notice and they can make it. I need to try that one day!
(4)
Sabrina K.
Everything here is delicious! My personal favorite is the keema and samosa chaat. This restaurant is good for both take out and eating in.
The food is decent but nowhere near amazing. Have been here twice now and definitely had a better experience the second time around though I've experienced better South Asian food elsewhere.
(3)
Rizwan A.
Hate to give it one star, but there's just no way around it. I do not contest the fact that you can get amazing food here. So amazing that it may be the best you've ever had. But on the other hand, the ridiculous inconsistency here and the underhanded corner-cutting management that actually *prides* itself on passing off old food as new earn this place the worst rating possible. I hate to say it, but the place is run in a very non-American style. Take that to mean what you will, in short, it's a two-bit operation with good recipes, but wildly variable quality and a very loose, uncaring handle on how to deal with the social norms of the clientele in a place like Philly. It's Pakistani/Indian food which is definitely made great when it's done right, but how often that happens is anyone's bet. Half the time more than 50% of the menu is unavailable. They sort of ride out from week to week whatever they can afford or whatever will keep their costs down. Sadly I don't see this place lasting. One time I had great chicken here, another time, I could tell they had eagerly given me an old portion of haleem. Your best bet on coming here is after they've had a lot of customers, that's the only way you know you're getting fresh food. If you walk in and the place looks empty, seriously, just pass this place by, you'll be doing yourself a huge favor.
(1)
Basil M.
So, let's start off by saying, I went here based on two recs from people I know. It was a Wednesday night, 6:30, and the place was empty. So I figured the food wouldn't be so fresh. We ordered naan, chicken tikka, chicken tandoori, beef Sikh kabob, and chicken biryani. The biryani was definitely reheated. It might have Ben decent if it was fresh. The chicken tandoori was also reheated, and honestly, it was horrible. It tasted super old. The Sikh kabob were dry. The naan was a little too crunchy, not soft enough. Lastly, the tikkas were good. All in all, this place was below average. Honestly, Kabobeesh is much much better.
(1)
Kristelle B.
The chicken chargha is probably the best chicken I have ever had. A must try! The veggie rice and the eggplant appetizer were delicious too.
Apparently this place must be hit or miss. I've heard from some people that they're food is good but the one and only time I went everything except the naan was terrible. Food was not fresh and already precooked. They seem to just microwave dishes and bring it out to you. Prices were also very high considering the quality and amount of food you get. I will not be going back. Parking is also an issue. I had high hopes but I would not recommend this restaurant. Very disappointed.
(1)
Christina W.
I have eaten in the restaurant once and more recently ordered catering from Wah-Gi-Wah. When I went to the restaurant with a friend, I loved the whole chicken platter--the fried chicken was extremely tender and nicely portioned. Service was pretty fast as well. A few months later, I was running a dinner event for 24 people that included a seminar component about West Philadelphia and decided to order catering from Wah-Gi-Wah. Although I'm not sure that they have an official catering menu (I couldn't find it online), I called the restaurant to see if it was possible. The restaurant was extremely easy to work with and accommodated my needs. I ordered chicken platters, ground beef and ground chicken kabobs, and two different platters of mixed vegetables, and the meal came with bread, salad, and yogurt sauce. I told them I needed enough food for 24 people, some of whom would be vegetarian or Kosher, and they worked with me to order the right amount of food for a reasonable catering cost. They delivered the food to my location per my request and allowed me to pay once I received the delivery. Everyone at the event loved the food and were stuffed to contentment, and we were even left with some leftovers. Although the chicken was a bit messy to eat during a talk, the kabobs were easy to eat, juicy, and well-seasoned--quite spicy actually! The kick from the kabobs went very well with the refreshing yogurt sauce, and the combination was actually quite addictive. Overall, affordable prices, delicious chicken and kabobs, and easy to work with for catering orders. Definitely check this place out!
(4)
Irfan K.
Nehin bhai Nehin I think this place is over-rated. I have not had the Charga that everyone else seems to love but my first experience was less than average.
(2)
Omar I.
This place is totally known for its biryani. It happens to be my second favorite place !
(4)
Mobola O.
On the quest for great Middle Eastern cuisine I discovered Wah-Gi-Wah!!!! Thank goodness! I've only lived in Philly for about 8 months and coming from the DC area Kabob Palace is where it's at! While Wa-Gi-Wah doesn't compare to the AMAZING Kabob Palace, it's the best substitute I've found in Philly. I've tried Kabobeesh and that is not where it's at. The BBQ Platter at Wah-Gi-Wah really give you a bang for your buck! Great selection, fresh and cooked to order food. My bf loves the lamb kabob platter. This is def my top choice when it comes to Middle Eastern cuisine in Philly.
(5)
Marissa R.
The food here was good but the service wasnt. THe guy seemed not to happy that we were there to eat like he was annoyed. Didnt really explain the food just wanted us to order and not ask questions. Will I be returning anytime soon? Doubt it. Probably be my first and last time I go here.
(3)
Jennifer P.
Long time admirer, first time patron. A few friends of mine held Wah-Gi-Wah in high regards and on their recommendations, I went and was not disappointed. It is much larger than it looks from the outside and has an open layout. The service was wonderful and the Lahori chicken was fantastic. I ordered a whole chicken and it looked looked like they had just killed it fresh and deep fried the thing. Wonderful.
(4)
Kat O.
It pains me to say this because I am typicaly a positive yelper, but I have to write this one, so here goes. I got food poisoning from this place. I know this b/c I didn't eat anything for a full 13 hours before I ate their food. Before eating my chicken tikka, I ate about half the rice, then took a break so the spice wouldn't bother me. I didn't going down, but it sure did coming back up 5 hours later. Sorry Wah Gi Wah but food poisoning doesn't even warrant you the star I am giving.
(1)
Amarnath R.
Had lamb chops, Biryani and chicken tikka roll. They were not so good but not bad either. Overall an average experience. Mango lassi was good.
(3)
Joe C.
Was really impressed by this place. The food took forever to arrive and staff was overwhelmed by...three tables. It was kinda comical. But the owner was so damn nice I forgot about the long wait. Customers were an ethnic hodgepodge which is one of the things I dig most about dining in West Philly. I read a previous review about the Lahori Chargha and the person raved about it. Yeah, it totally came as advertised. Fried but not greasy. Massive amounts of flavor. Moist. And the samosas were totally fresh which is something you can't say for a lot of restaurants. Since my visit I learned a secret in the Sept 29 City Paper...they'll happily make your chicken extra spicy. Yay! Large and flavorful portions + not too expensive = good value + return visit.
(4)
Jen K.
I was not impressed with the "fried" chicken. It was too dry and more roasted than fried. Some pieces of the chicken were so overcooked to the point of being rock solid that I probably could have choked on it. Service was uncomfortable, and the restaurant itself is so out of the way for mediocre food.
(1)
Fred T.
Been here with the family 2x now. Def one of the best fried chickens I have ever had! The spice permeates all the way through. The chick pea dish is a bit oily but the flavors are amazing. The menu has many more items to explore. BYOB and the prices are great.
(5)
Babak S.
The best Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Indian food on the east coast!!!!! If you go on the weekend try the Haleem and Paya (runs out usually by Saturday night)
(5)
Mary F.
The fried chicken was delicious, but the wait was horrendous. I called ahead (by 40 minutes) and still we did not get our chicken until 30 minutes AFTER we ordered (and yes, we were the only ones in the restaurant).
(3)
Izzat A.
Came here with the fiance and mother in law tonight. Fiance said this place was good. Given the fact that she is from Canada, I shoulda known this place would be terrible. Service is horrible. Not rude, just incompetent. Food is very very average, if even that good. Lamb chops were very undercooked (pink inside), channey were not good and flavorful at all. Chicken kabobs were okay, not very flavorful. Same for the seek kabobs. Honestly, the best thing was the rice! Will never come back here again. I normally give Halal Paki places a benefit of the doubt, but this place is just weak.
(2)
Erkie R.
Excellent Restaurant! I lived in Philadelphia for 4 years and recently stumbled upon this restaurant. By far the best chargha in town. This is real authentic Pakistani cuisine! Don't underestimate this review bc the retaurant is amazing. We had the nihari, nan, chargha, and lamb chops amazing!
(5)
Al T.
The service is very slow and dysfunctional at times and the guy in the front counter needs a crash course on customer service and attitude adjustment.The food is tasty especially the Chickpeas Stew (Lahori Chholay), Chicken Chargha ( a form of fried and then broiled chicken from Pakistan) and the Nihari (a spicy sort of pot roast stew which uses the same cut of meat). Also the roast goat or lamb leg which is a special order is worth trying. Key is to always call ahead so one can get the food served on time.Our favorite Pakistani restaurant in the Philly area despite their attitude and poor knowledge of how to deal with a customer
(2)
Aasima A.
Great food and everytime I've benn there service has been decent. It's not a four start restaurant afterall so don't expect that, but still good. The food is amazing so what more can you ask for? Parking is hit or miss, so there are always 2-3 places we think of getting food close by, so that we are bound to get lucky with parking SOMEWHERE!
(4)
Tony P.
My good friend took me here last night for me to try Pakistani food for the first time. The restaurant itself, I wouldn't take a date to, it had a very bad draft coming through. The ceiling was leaking water and there was a water bucket on the floor right next to my table. We ordered the fried chicken, Boti, Beef rolls, and bread. Food was delicious, it had a nice spice to it pack with flavors I've never tasted before. Service is a little slow, I recommend if you do decided to eat here, call in your your food order if you plan on eating there. It was roughly a 15-20 minute wait for our food.
(4)
Melissa W.
I had been here a few times in the past and was not very impressed. While the owners were nice, the menu was pretty much useless. Every time I tried to order something (on the phone or in person) they would tell me that they only had whatever was in their steam trays, and couldn't make anything to order. Then why bother even having a menu? In addition, the food in the steam trays never looked fresh or appetizing, since they had been sitting around for hours and tasted as such. Sure, it was pretty cheap, but it wasn't particularly good. However, after reading LaBan's glowing review, we decided to give Wah-gi-wah another chance and tried the charga fried chicken. He was right: it was pretty amazing. The naan wasn't bad either. We also ordered some eggplant dish from one of the steam trays, and were kind of disappointed at the size of the tiny container that had cost us $5. The eggplant itself was just okay; I wouldn't order it again. My advice? Stay away from the pre-made food and just get the charga. This deliciously-seasoned deep-fried whole chicken is definitely worth the $12.
(3)
Yaya W.
We came here because a friend said Pakistani fried chicken was the new Korean fried chicken and I follow trends like a lemming. Problem is, I realllly like Korean fried chicken. Putting that aside, this chicken makes you want to come back for more. It seems like its rubbed with some sort of tandoori rub, stuffed with a lemon.... and then what? Deep fried? No clue, but what results is crazy tender. We got the whole chicken platter (enough food for two for lunch, maybe for dinner I would order something additional). The naan was good and the salad that came with sucked but cut the salt at least. And the service is, well, not ideal. But your classic hole in the wall with some bomb chicken!
(4)
Shehzad R.
Their food is amazing. Its authenticity cannot be overstated. It's not only the best South Asian restaurant in Philadelphia, it's the best South Asian restaurant in the North East.
(5)
Charles T.
I so want to give this place a higher rating, but the service is going to be their downfall. Was there at 5:30 on a Friday afternoon, one table (parents with small child) arrived just before we did. I watched at least four other parties, who arrived after I did, receive their food before my party (one of them even received 2/3 of what we ordered!!), and the family finally walked out after an hour - after telling manager "Saw six people get their food, where is ours??" Manager came by table to ask what we had ordered. If they would put a simple system in place (names or a unique number on each order) everything would be fine. When it was time to pay, it took 10 minutes standing at cash register for them to acknowledge me. Food - Allo Tikki (mashed potatoes mixed with spices, formed into patty and fried) was OK, Sabzi (mixed vegetables) was OK, Sesame Naan was very good, Lahori Chargha (seasoned crispy fried chicken) was very good. May go back once they get their act together, but the horrendous service outweighs the good food.
(3)
Ali Z.
If you're looking for a hole-in-the-wall, cheap place to eat decent Pakistani food, this place is it. The freshly cooked food, which includes the Lahori roasted chicken and naan, are great. In fact, its hard to get good naan in Philly and this place has the best naan you'll find in the area. However, much of the food isn't freshly prepared but is sitting under a hot lamp and is simply put on your plate when you order. I think this place would be better if all the food was fresh.
(3)
J. Christopher E.
I've had takeout from this restaurant 4 times. I very much wanted to like this restaurant (I live nearby) but I think I'll wait awhile before I go again. What's most frustrating is that half of the time they don't have what I ask for so I end up with few real choices. If you can get them, the samosas are very good (although I don't think they're made on site). I also like the biryani dish, although this even more difficult to get than the samosas. I'm hoping this is a temporary problem and I guess I'll give them another try in a few months.
(3)
Sean M.
I really hope no one at Federal Donuts sees this, but Wah-Gi-Wah is the best chicken in the city, hands down. It is the only thing that can motivate me enough to make the trek to West Philly. I'm never not slightly in the mood for the Lahori Chicken.
(4)
Saad M.
I go there for only these dishes, Charga, Chiken Biryani, Goat/Chicken Korma and the freshly made Naans. I asked the owner and he reassured me that many of his dishes are made fresh. I go there a couple times a month to pig out and its definitely worth the price and wait.
(5)
Mark J.
So... I've eaten here twice. The chicken that people rave about is good. BUT... this is not a restaurant that knows what it's doing. You've read the statistic about most restaurants failing in their first year? Well, this restaurant is staffed by one guy who knows how to cook chicken (but not much else) and a few other guys who don't know how to do anything. The first time I ordered from Wah-Gi-Wah I got the Lahori Chargha to go. It took nearly an hour even though the restaurant was completely empty. The second time I ordered pick-up, thinking I'd get around the long wait. They told me the food would be ready in fifteen minutes. I showed up forty-five minutes later and it wasn't done. I'd ordered keema naan but they'd run out of beef and so made my order with lamb. When I got home I discovered they'd neglected to include rice even though I'd ordered Palak Paneer, a dish always served with rice. When I called to complain, they told me none of their dishes are served with rice unless the customer asks. Obviously this can't be true... Screw this place.
(1)
Dexter F.
My boyfriend and I had a great experience with Wah-Gi-Wah. We ordered the chicken tikka, some lamb, sesame naan, and a whole roasted chicken. Much to my boyfriends dismay, we did not order the brain masala, although, knowing what I know now, I bet it would've been delicious. Our food was fantastic. Spicy, flavorful, filling, and CHEAP (AND they accept credit cards)! They are priced far more reasonably than other restaurants with similar menus. That being said, don't go here if ambiance is important to you. They have plenty of large booths for seating, but it's very casual with bright lighting and a flat screen tv that's always on some foreign music video channel. Hey -- it works for me, but I wouldn't recommend having a first date here, however, I WOULD recommend ordering their food for take out and bringing it back to your place. Yum yum yum.
(4)
Nofil B.
Horrible place...ordered Lahori Charga and they tell us we have to wait 30 minutes for it...two parties came after us and they got their charga before us and within 15 mins...would never go to this horrible place again. Tons of other Pakistani restaurants where you can have an enjoyable experience with great food.
(1)
Saman A.
The food is really good, fresh each time. Always had a really good experience. The price is slightly higher but it is worth going.
(5)
liz l.
Pretty darn tasty! gf and i went today for lunch around 1 or a little later. It was super empty, only one other table, so the service issues other people have mentioned were not in play. it's cute and clean and i like the low key decor, such as it is. The server was very nice and friendly. We ordered a rice and a sesame naan to share, and got a chicken tika masala, aloo gobi (potato/cauliflower) and bhindi (okra). they were all really good, and the bhindi was awesome -- i am not always an okra fan but this was delicious. there's just enough left over for small lunch tomorrow, bill was $22. will definitely be back for more!
(4)
Marissa E.
If there was one word to describe eating here, it would be uncomfortable. Don't get me wrong, the food's great, but the service was so bad my friend and I considered skipping out on the check just to avoid another painfully awkward interaction with the waitstaff. It was honestly some of the worst service I'd ever seen; no one knew what they were doing. It would have been funny if it wasn't so creepy. When we got in, we tried to figure out whether we should wait for a table, go sit down, or order from the counter. We chose to sit down. My friend flagged down the waiter. I ordered samosas, a side of palak paneer, and naan - just enough for one person - and then the waiter walked off. My friend was sitting there, openmouthed, waiting for the waiter to come back. He did, to drop off the samosas, and then ran away. We finally flagged down another waiter, but his English was terrible - my friend said "I want to order" and he asked her if she wanted a bottle of water. It took another 5 minutes for him to comprehend that she wanted a veggie platter and I wanted to know if I should get my soda out of the case or wait for someone to bring it to me. The food was amazing; I think the Yelp reviews and Craig LaBan have made that very clear. But the experience was greatly diminished by the fact that the servers couldn't stop staring at me and my friend. Strangely, we had a really hard time getting their attention when we actually needed them, since it took 10 minutes just to get to-go boxes and the servers would barely talk to us or look at us. Come for the samosas, stay for the horrible service (and objectification, if you're female). Also, they had the entire place shut down by 11:15 and it's supposed to be open until midnight. We left around 11:20 and saw 4 people who were turned away because they'd already cleared out the steam trays. If you're going to do that, close at 11. Edit: My friend reminded me that there was a huge puddle of water (as in 2-3 feet wide and half an inch deep) near the entrance from a leaking pipe. In retrospect, we should have left right then.
(1)
Bill B.
Not much to add here-- the fried chicken was fantastic, the rest of the food was so-so, and the service was S-L-O-W. But with chicken this good, I'm not going to complain.
(5)
E. J.
When Philadelphia Inquirer food critic Craig LeBan published his review of this Pakistani establishment in West Philadelphia and awarded it two bells, I had to see what this place was all about. Wah-Gi-Wah apparently means "spectacular" and that is how I would describe its chagra -- fried chicken. I would not use the adjective to describe the locale itself -- it was attempting an industrial look with exposed brick. While it was not a hole-in-the-wall, I understood why many people just ordered for take-out. As I waited to place my order, I eyed the already prepared food that was behind the glass case: it looked like the food had been sitting there since the day before. I even heard the ding of a microwave which made me steer clear of ordering anything from behind the glass case. I placed my order and was informed that it would take 15 minutes. So, since I didnt want the pervasive aroma of oil that permeated the interior leeching onto my clothes, I took a walk around this part of town to explore its other culinary offerings. I returned 20 minutes later, and my order was not complete... which was surprising since there werent any other patrons in the restaurant at the time. Okay, lets go back to the chicken. LeBan raved about the fried chicken, and Ill agree with him. I ordered the chagra combo special which included half of a whole fried chicken, a large piece of naan, and a minty, slightly creamy dipping sauce. Instead of being breaded, a mixture of spices (not terribly corrosive to the palette) was rubbed in before the entire bird was thrown into the fryer. The product: tender chicken filled with an explosion of flavors. Would I go back? Sure... only if I found myself in that neighborhood again, though. Im glad I was able to try fried chicken, prepared in an unfamiliar way.
(3)
Ash A.
I've been here many times, mostly for take-out but a couple times to sit down and eat. Never had a problem with takeout. However, this is not a place for a great place for dining. Their customer service is kind of sloppy BUT the food is amazing! The Lahori charga is a must have. Probably the best item on their menu. The meat is full of spice and flavor and is tender and moist. The haleem is also amazing. It's spicy, even for my standards, so be prepared! The naans are fluffy, buttered and perfect when eaten fresh. I would also recommend trying their seekh kabobs (beef or chicken), fried fish and nihari, which are also equally tasty. They also make the best mint chutney, it tastes good over almost everything. Go here for the food!
(4)
Shehrazade A.
I will never go back to wah-gi-wah again! I was there yesterday..& their service was really bad. They don't know how to handle big group of people. * I have noticed in every other restaurant i've ever been to, they will always 'atleast' ask "if we would like to get start with a drink?" & at wah-gi-wah we literally had to ask in middle of my meal can get some water. Even later they didn't refill it until we asked. like seriously??? * Food has no taste what so ever..no salt, or masala! & they will try to act if smart when asked for masala on side. Ohh BTW they need to hire more server.
(1)
Christine W.
I like this place. The food is always really tasty. I've been several times and it has gotten better each time. As Ali Z. wrote, the naan is excellent, especially the keema naan stuffed with meat. I think the key to eating at this restaurant is not to have anything already picked out on their menu. A lot of what is available is not on the menu and that stuff is usually pretty awesome. What I usually do is go in and ask the guy what all the dishes are (they are in trays behind the counter), and I choose from what they have. I had perhaps the most amazing yellow dal I've ever eaten a couple of weeks ago. The mixed veg and aloo gobi I had this past weekend were truly outstanding. Update: Dinner tonight (3/19) included beef haleem - bulgar and beef pounded into a paste, cooked with spices and topped with a ghee-based gravy. AMAZING. Update: Dinner on 12/13 included two specials - keema (spicy, minced beef) with potatoes and an AWESOME duck curry (duck on the bone so that all the goodness just seeps into the sauce...). Even thought hey now have waiter service, go up to the counter and check out the specials!
(5)
Patrick D.
Simply amazing! Goat chops, Kabobs, chix chargha, allo gobhi with naan... BLOODY AMAZING! And so cheap!
(5)
Aatif R.
Chicken charga is great. Prices are reasonable. Atmosphere is ok as well.
(4)
Claire G.
I'm not sure why this particular restaurant is categorized as Indian food by YELP since it's Pakistani, which food I came to love as I got to know the esteemed Kamal Faruki of blessed memory (while I was a grad student at UVA and, along w/my fellow religious dept student pal, used to regularly show up at the Faruki home, coincidentally, at dinner time for long conversations about philosophy, etc.). Happily, this former head of his county's Supreme Court was a guest prof and his family were all skilled culinary artists. When I am at Wah-Gi-Wah, I recognize the quality and am amused at the sometimes familiar moments of confusion (as reflected in some of the reviews and anyone w/out Pakistani friends). Don't go for the "organization"; just go for the best food ever. The next time my godson Zak Faruki's in town, this is here I'll take him to feed him great food and great stories of his famous grandfather.
(5)
Adnan Z.
"Wah-Gi-Wah" roughly translates to "spectacular" in Punjabi and this restaurant is nothing short of that. Serving Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi cuisine, if you want the authentic taste of South Asia there are few places in Philadelphia that will top this one. I went there quite skeptical and came out a believer. The kabobs are juicy and seasoned just right. The chicken karahi is fresh and made with all the right ingredients. They even have Lahori chargha and I know of no other place in a 30 mile radius that makes "keema naan!" Pricing is very reasonable, the restaurant is kept incredibly clean and parking was readily available on the street. This place is worth the trip.
(5)
Alex M.
No excuse. This restaurant opened in April or earlier, so it's no longer possible to attribute our absurd experience to the need to "iron out" initial "kinks." We tried very hard to patronize this place. Example: walked in at 7 pm; no other customers except a guy waiting for takeout. Were given menus then completely ignored while one staff person spoke loudly on the phone for 15 minutes and other staff ignored us. We finally had to signal emphatically that we would like to order. After a further delay, we discovered that the restaurant was "out of" all three of the very standard items we first ordered, including palak paneer. We finally asked what they *did* have, and the answer was a very small list. Why give customers a menu if you have only one percent of the things listed on it? Also, the seats are so dysfunctional that the backs tip backward into the seat behind you (unsafe to lean back), and the bench-parts are also unstable (even for people who weight 120 pounds). There's a profound disconnect here. This doesn't seem like a restaurant. Nor is the false "food vs. ambiance" dichotomy illuminating in a situation where there's not enough *ambient* anything to support fundamentals like oh say the simple provision of food. Maybe if Wah-Gi-Wah could stop shooting themselves in the foot, more people would actually be able to taste their food, which is reputed to be good. Maybe those happier customers just had very vivid imaginations and dreamed the whole thing. That would be a more satisfying experience than the one we had a few nights ago, which was empty of food or service.
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Street Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : No Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
M. A.
Apparently this place must be hit or miss. I've heard from some people that they're food is good but the one and only time I went everything except the naan was terrible. Food was not fresh and already precooked. They seem to just microwave dishes and bring it out to you. Prices were also very high considering the quality and amount of food you get. I will not be going back. Parking is also an issue. I had high hopes but I would not recommend this restaurant. Very disappointed.
(1)Veronica S.
I live just a block away, so I really really want to like this place. But they are the worst! Although I *have* had a tasty dish or two here (and frankly the Lahori chicken chargha was dry and overcooked the one time I had it), they are not consistent, and the service is the slowest and rudest I have ever encountered. Knowing the service was bad, I ordered take-out the other night, but even THAT didn't protect me. I ordered the lamb korma curry with rice (you have to request rice to go with your curry, which is weird....), naan, and a vegetable samosa. That, plus a soda, was $19. !!! Then I get home to discover, the lamb curry was neither lamb nor curry - it was a few joints and bones with a scrap or two of goat meat clinging to them, in an oily broth. I kept trying to convince myself it was lamb, but the two kinds of meat taste distinctly different, and this was definitely goat - and not much of it. The naan was disappointing, not fresh at all - did not even seem homemade. The saffron rice was lovely, if a bit oily, and the samosa was acceptable. But how is that worth $19? I hate making a fuss or complaining, but a friend of mine in the restaurant business convinced me to call them. So I did. I very nicely told them I was disappointed in my order, that I had asked for lamb and gotten goat. The man who answered the phone first tried to argue that lamb and goat are the same thing - the same animal! When I disagreed, he said they ARE the same in Muslim cultures. I don't believe that to be true, but told him that even if that was the case, the words denote different animals in English. It went on. He gave up that line of argument after I started getting slightly annoyed and saying we could look it up in the dictionary. Then he asked how I KNEW it was goat instead of lamb. !!! I said "So, before you said they're the same in Muslim cultures, and now you're questioning whether or not I can tell the difference? I have eaten both! They taste different. And this was all bones, like a goat curry." I regrettably had to get angry to get taken seriously. I even said - "I'm not asking for anything! I am just expressing my disappointment that I ordered one thing and got another. I can bring the bones back to show you if you don't believe me." And THEN, and only then - after it had gotten unpleasant, did he say he would talk to the manager. At her advice, he offered to return my money or credit it to my next order. At that point, I was so mad (but still very polite), I said I didn't even want it, but thank you. Don't waste your time or money here.
(1)Asad F.
This is by far the best Pakistani/Indian restaurant I have been to in Philadelphia. The food has been consistently delicious and well prepared. If you're craving a piece of home, then this is the place to go to. The chicken tikka and chapli kababs are choice, and might even be better than what I've had in Pakistan. If you're in town and looking for some delicious and flavorful food, this is the place to be.
(5)Hasham Y.
Tried the chicken churgah. Very bland and dry. Actually cold as well. Naan do not have good texture either. Never returned after my initial experience. Customer service is attentive but food is almost average
(2)Nilesh T.
Best indian restaurant in Philly? Nope. We ordered about 5 plates of food. Chicken Biryani, lahori chargha, goat korma, nihari curry, chicken kadhai. All of them were mediocre at best. Chicken kadhai was probably the only thing that tasted good. The lahori chargha is over hyped. Most of the food isnt even flavorful. I can make a better nihari curry at home then they can. Nonetheless, i am giving them a 2 star for the variety of food the offer and the service takes forever.
(2)Nataly N.
I was going to give them the benefit of the doubt and leave my review at three stars, but after this past visit, I'd have to give this place a solid one star. To start out, I understand that the winter is pretty unforgiving right now and heating bills can add up, but for a restaurant with very large dine-in space, it seems like something is off when customers are shivering while eating their food, all bundled up in their puffy winter coats, all while sitting INSIDE the restaurant. I don't really need an extremely comfortable dining experience, but I did not pay for an uncomfortable one. This time, we ordered Aloo Keema and a chicken and chickpea curry dish. The Aloo Keema was not only cold, but was also overly salty and had the texture and dullness of leftovers. This dish falls solidly in the "zombified" category. It is clear that the life had been sucked out of this dish over and over through vigorous stirring and numerous trips between the fridge and the microwave. I now see what Rizwan A. meant by "corner-cutting" in his review of this place. The chicken chickpea curry dish was hot when it came out, but this was probably because it was drenched in piping hot chili oil. There was a serious lack of flavor in the chicken, the chickpeas, as well as the sauce. I might come back again, but only for the sake of convenience. There are places within blocks that serve better and fresher versions of this food. P.S. Thanks to Babak S. for posting photos of the food menu. I tried to find the menu on their website, but soon realized that their entire website is filled with ads (e.g. French Food Menu, Applebees Restaurant Menu?!...) and no actual food menu (that I could see as of today). If you click on these ads, they get something like $0.45 per click. The abundance and pervasiveness of ads suggests that whoever designed this website might be hoping that consumers might accidentally click on these ad links while searching for the food menu on this restaurant's website.
(1)Gabru S.
Worst food experience ever, if there were 0 stars I would give it 0. Takes a log time to get your food, they make you wait and then tell you food is not available. I don't understand why people go to this place.
(1)Whiterock R.
Their chicken charga is great. Other selected items like keema nan are good as well. Do not get the biriyani under any circumstances though!
(3)Bala J.
Terrible service and terrible food. The only thing good about this place is its unusual not traditional tandoori roti. Other than that its a low grade Indian food and doesn't deserve to be called so. Also I ordered kabobs(alright and samosas(terrible) and brains which was sub par. The service was terrible as I asked for water 3 times and he ignored me. Never coming back again!
(1)Kristelle B.
The chicken chargha is probably the best chicken I have ever had. A must try! The veggie rice and the eggplant appetizer were delicious too.
(5)Sahar A.
Excellent Pakistani food! Try the chicken chargha, qeema aloo, naan, kababs, chicken boti, chicken karahi, fish, lahore chana- everything is great!!
(5)Damian B.
Recently I visited Wah-Gi-Wah due to raving reviews and i was extremely dissatisfied. When I arrived at this restaurant I was starving and saw that this restaurant was completely dead and had a terrible atmosphere. We sat down in the boothes and I ordered 2 Aloo Samosa (reheated and no seasoning) and Shamee Tiki (terrible it was hard and underseasoned). After Appetizers we ordered a Bunch of Seekh Kabobs and Tandoori Roti and Tandoori Naan. The naan and roti were O.K. but the seekh kabob seemed reheated and old and the Chole was definately from a can. The Service in this restaurants is TERRIBLE. The man didn't answer any of our questions on the food and what was this restaurants specials etc. The short Pakistani man who was our "waiter" didn't bother to give us any water and after 30 minutes of us running up to the front counter and asking him for some water he just ran away like a little girl. THIS RESTAURANT IS COMPLETELY A NO GO AND I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND PEOPLE NOT TO GO TO THIS RESTAURANTS btw p.s. I my Indian food and spices!!!
(1)Ahmad Nidzamuddeen S.
I like the foods here but the service is really really really really slow I'm so disappointed
(1)Halima G.
The food is horrible We ordered the Chicken Chargha and it was not good at all(no taste). Then we came to know that their main chef was gone. I am definitely not going back
(1)Talha A.
Service sucked major nutz. Food is not fresh. The restaurant was dead. Expensive. Can't get worse
(1)Tasneema A.
Currently living alone and Wah-Gi-Wah is write across the street so I sometimes get dinner from here. I always get their sesame naan which I love to pieces. Recently I started getting the chicken tikka masala which is good. It's flavorful and burning hot when served. The chicken meat is white but sometimes undercooked. For it's price, quality, and overall taste, I recommend it. I also once got their chicken tikka kabobs which were pricey for like 5 pieces but it was delicious. Other than the food, the service sucks. The cashier/host always looks frustrated and stressed. He's not cheerful or friendly and sometimes even rude. I usually always get takeout so I never have to deal with their staff, fortunately!
(3)haapy s.
OMG ,,,,this was my favorite restaurant, since open I don't know chef Change or what but today was worst meal of my experience,,they always have bad service but I come here only to get food but today was last coz now they have both worst ,,,never wanna go back and I request to everyone not go there plz
(1)Fahad A.
Go there for the FOOD not the service. This isn't a classy sit down place, it is a very traditional Pakistani restaurant and the food is simply great. Their 'chicken churgha' is probably the best item on the menu and the 'beef boti' has to be up there as well. The naan is fresh and you can just tell by the quality of it. I don't care too much for service so I don't treat it like a classy sit down joint. Again, amazing food, def. check it out.
(4)Aisha M.
Decent desi food. WORST. SERVICE. EVER! Slower than slow! We waited over an hour for our chai.
(2)Saman A.
The food is really good, fresh each time. Always had a really good experience. The price is slightly higher but it is worth going.
(5)E. J.
When Philadelphia Inquirer food critic Craig LeBan published his review of this Pakistani establishment in West Philadelphia and awarded it two bells, I had to see what this place was all about. Wah-Gi-Wah apparently means "spectacular" and that is how I would describe its chagra -- fried chicken. I would not use the adjective to describe the locale itself -- it was attempting an industrial look with exposed brick. While it was not a hole-in-the-wall, I understood why many people just ordered for take-out. As I waited to place my order, I eyed the already prepared food that was behind the glass case: it looked like the food had been sitting there since the day before. I even heard the ding of a microwave which made me steer clear of ordering anything from behind the glass case. I placed my order and was informed that it would take 15 minutes. So, since I didnt want the pervasive aroma of oil that permeated the interior leeching onto my clothes, I took a walk around this part of town to explore its other culinary offerings. I returned 20 minutes later, and my order was not complete... which was surprising since there werent any other patrons in the restaurant at the time. Okay, lets go back to the chicken. LeBan raved about the fried chicken, and Ill agree with him. I ordered the chagra combo special which included half of a whole fried chicken, a large piece of naan, and a minty, slightly creamy dipping sauce. Instead of being breaded, a mixture of spices (not terribly corrosive to the palette) was rubbed in before the entire bird was thrown into the fryer. The product: tender chicken filled with an explosion of flavors. Would I go back? Sure... only if I found myself in that neighborhood again, though. Im glad I was able to try fried chicken, prepared in an unfamiliar way.
(3)Ash A.
I've been here many times, mostly for take-out but a couple times to sit down and eat. Never had a problem with takeout. However, this is not a place for a great place for dining. Their customer service is kind of sloppy BUT the food is amazing! The Lahori charga is a must have. Probably the best item on their menu. The meat is full of spice and flavor and is tender and moist. The haleem is also amazing. It's spicy, even for my standards, so be prepared! The naans are fluffy, buttered and perfect when eaten fresh. I would also recommend trying their seekh kabobs (beef or chicken), fried fish and nihari, which are also equally tasty. They also make the best mint chutney, it tastes good over almost everything. Go here for the food!
(4)Peter E.
Wah-Gi-Wah is amazing! The food I had was delicious! We ordered the allo palak, allo keema, Lahori Chargha (chicken), naan and keema naan. Reading other negative reviews it sounds like people made the mistake of ordering stereotypical Indian food here (opposed to the Pakistani dishes). The Pakistani food was so good! The chicken was fried whole and was very moist and flavorful on the inside. But my personal favorite was the the allo keema. They use ground goat for the keema and it is fantastic! I cannot wait to go back and eat their again. Oh yea! Also, I hear they can prepare a whole leg of goat dish made to order (Lahori Style Raan Roast). Just give them a few hours notice and they can make it. I need to try that one day!
(4)Sabrina K.
Everything here is delicious! My personal favorite is the keema and samosa chaat. This restaurant is good for both take out and eating in.
(4)Jasmine G.
Terrible service!! Called for a pick up they said 10 mins got there a lil after 10 mins. They couldn't figure out who's order I was picking up finally the other guy said he knows it then they told me it's coming. 5 mins later when I saw they are serving the people that got in the restaurant the same time I did I asked if it's ready they said it's coming. About 5 mins after I asked again how long til the food is ready they said 4-5 mins finally after 5 mins I went to the counter and asked how long is it really til the food is ready they said it's coming and the other guy told me he missed the order (so they just started making it when I got there) then I waited again couple minutes after I ran out of patience cause I got pissed off. I left and asked my boyfriend to pick it up. Finally my boyfriend got home with the food and guess what? They forgot the entrée that we ordered. First and last time that I'm gonna get food from this place. Only went here for the convenience cause it's just across the street but never again.
(1)Qasim J.
V nice place!
(5)Yusra H.
The food is decent but nowhere near amazing. Have been here twice now and definitely had a better experience the second time around though I've experienced better South Asian food elsewhere.
(3)Rizwan A.
Hate to give it one star, but there's just no way around it. I do not contest the fact that you can get amazing food here. So amazing that it may be the best you've ever had. But on the other hand, the ridiculous inconsistency here and the underhanded corner-cutting management that actually *prides* itself on passing off old food as new earn this place the worst rating possible. I hate to say it, but the place is run in a very non-American style. Take that to mean what you will, in short, it's a two-bit operation with good recipes, but wildly variable quality and a very loose, uncaring handle on how to deal with the social norms of the clientele in a place like Philly. It's Pakistani/Indian food which is definitely made great when it's done right, but how often that happens is anyone's bet. Half the time more than 50% of the menu is unavailable. They sort of ride out from week to week whatever they can afford or whatever will keep their costs down. Sadly I don't see this place lasting. One time I had great chicken here, another time, I could tell they had eagerly given me an old portion of haleem. Your best bet on coming here is after they've had a lot of customers, that's the only way you know you're getting fresh food. If you walk in and the place looks empty, seriously, just pass this place by, you'll be doing yourself a huge favor.
(1)Basil M.
So, let's start off by saying, I went here based on two recs from people I know. It was a Wednesday night, 6:30, and the place was empty. So I figured the food wouldn't be so fresh. We ordered naan, chicken tikka, chicken tandoori, beef Sikh kabob, and chicken biryani. The biryani was definitely reheated. It might have Ben decent if it was fresh. The chicken tandoori was also reheated, and honestly, it was horrible. It tasted super old. The Sikh kabob were dry. The naan was a little too crunchy, not soft enough. Lastly, the tikkas were good. All in all, this place was below average. Honestly, Kabobeesh is much much better.
(1)Christina W.
I have eaten in the restaurant once and more recently ordered catering from Wah-Gi-Wah. When I went to the restaurant with a friend, I loved the whole chicken platter--the fried chicken was extremely tender and nicely portioned. Service was pretty fast as well. A few months later, I was running a dinner event for 24 people that included a seminar component about West Philadelphia and decided to order catering from Wah-Gi-Wah. Although I'm not sure that they have an official catering menu (I couldn't find it online), I called the restaurant to see if it was possible. The restaurant was extremely easy to work with and accommodated my needs. I ordered chicken platters, ground beef and ground chicken kabobs, and two different platters of mixed vegetables, and the meal came with bread, salad, and yogurt sauce. I told them I needed enough food for 24 people, some of whom would be vegetarian or Kosher, and they worked with me to order the right amount of food for a reasonable catering cost. They delivered the food to my location per my request and allowed me to pay once I received the delivery. Everyone at the event loved the food and were stuffed to contentment, and we were even left with some leftovers. Although the chicken was a bit messy to eat during a talk, the kabobs were easy to eat, juicy, and well-seasoned--quite spicy actually! The kick from the kabobs went very well with the refreshing yogurt sauce, and the combination was actually quite addictive. Overall, affordable prices, delicious chicken and kabobs, and easy to work with for catering orders. Definitely check this place out!
(4)Irfan K.
Nehin bhai Nehin I think this place is over-rated. I have not had the Charga that everyone else seems to love but my first experience was less than average.
(2)Mobola O.
On the quest for great Middle Eastern cuisine I discovered Wah-Gi-Wah!!!! Thank goodness! I've only lived in Philly for about 8 months and coming from the DC area Kabob Palace is where it's at! While Wa-Gi-Wah doesn't compare to the AMAZING Kabob Palace, it's the best substitute I've found in Philly. I've tried Kabobeesh and that is not where it's at. The BBQ Platter at Wah-Gi-Wah really give you a bang for your buck! Great selection, fresh and cooked to order food. My bf loves the lamb kabob platter. This is def my top choice when it comes to Middle Eastern cuisine in Philly.
(5)Omar I.
This place is totally known for its biryani. It happens to be my second favorite place !
(4)Marissa R.
The food here was good but the service wasnt. THe guy seemed not to happy that we were there to eat like he was annoyed. Didnt really explain the food just wanted us to order and not ask questions. Will I be returning anytime soon? Doubt it. Probably be my first and last time I go here.
(3)Jennifer P.
Long time admirer, first time patron. A few friends of mine held Wah-Gi-Wah in high regards and on their recommendations, I went and was not disappointed. It is much larger than it looks from the outside and has an open layout. The service was wonderful and the Lahori chicken was fantastic. I ordered a whole chicken and it looked looked like they had just killed it fresh and deep fried the thing. Wonderful.
(4)Kat O.
It pains me to say this because I am typicaly a positive yelper, but I have to write this one, so here goes. I got food poisoning from this place. I know this b/c I didn't eat anything for a full 13 hours before I ate their food. Before eating my chicken tikka, I ate about half the rice, then took a break so the spice wouldn't bother me. I didn't going down, but it sure did coming back up 5 hours later. Sorry Wah Gi Wah but food poisoning doesn't even warrant you the star I am giving.
(1)Amarnath R.
Had lamb chops, Biryani and chicken tikka roll. They were not so good but not bad either. Overall an average experience. Mango lassi was good.
(3)Joe C.
Was really impressed by this place. The food took forever to arrive and staff was overwhelmed by...three tables. It was kinda comical. But the owner was so damn nice I forgot about the long wait. Customers were an ethnic hodgepodge which is one of the things I dig most about dining in West Philly. I read a previous review about the Lahori Chargha and the person raved about it. Yeah, it totally came as advertised. Fried but not greasy. Massive amounts of flavor. Moist. And the samosas were totally fresh which is something you can't say for a lot of restaurants. Since my visit I learned a secret in the Sept 29 City Paper...they'll happily make your chicken extra spicy. Yay! Large and flavorful portions + not too expensive = good value + return visit.
(4)Jen K.
I was not impressed with the "fried" chicken. It was too dry and more roasted than fried. Some pieces of the chicken were so overcooked to the point of being rock solid that I probably could have choked on it. Service was uncomfortable, and the restaurant itself is so out of the way for mediocre food.
(1)Ann V.
I'd go back for the fried chicken. That's about it.
(3)Fred T.
Been here with the family 2x now. Def one of the best fried chickens I have ever had! The spice permeates all the way through. The chick pea dish is a bit oily but the flavors are amazing. The menu has many more items to explore. BYOB and the prices are great.
(5)Babak S.
The best Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Indian food on the east coast!!!!! If you go on the weekend try the Haleem and Paya (runs out usually by Saturday night)
(5)Mary F.
The fried chicken was delicious, but the wait was horrendous. I called ahead (by 40 minutes) and still we did not get our chicken until 30 minutes AFTER we ordered (and yes, we were the only ones in the restaurant).
(3)Izzat A.
Came here with the fiance and mother in law tonight. Fiance said this place was good. Given the fact that she is from Canada, I shoulda known this place would be terrible. Service is horrible. Not rude, just incompetent. Food is very very average, if even that good. Lamb chops were very undercooked (pink inside), channey were not good and flavorful at all. Chicken kabobs were okay, not very flavorful. Same for the seek kabobs. Honestly, the best thing was the rice! Will never come back here again. I normally give Halal Paki places a benefit of the doubt, but this place is just weak.
(2)Erkie R.
Excellent Restaurant! I lived in Philadelphia for 4 years and recently stumbled upon this restaurant. By far the best chargha in town. This is real authentic Pakistani cuisine! Don't underestimate this review bc the retaurant is amazing. We had the nihari, nan, chargha, and lamb chops amazing!
(5)Al T.
The service is very slow and dysfunctional at times and the guy in the front counter needs a crash course on customer service and attitude adjustment.The food is tasty especially the Chickpeas Stew (Lahori Chholay), Chicken Chargha ( a form of fried and then broiled chicken from Pakistan) and the Nihari (a spicy sort of pot roast stew which uses the same cut of meat). Also the roast goat or lamb leg which is a special order is worth trying. Key is to always call ahead so one can get the food served on time.Our favorite Pakistani restaurant in the Philly area despite their attitude and poor knowledge of how to deal with a customer
(2)Aasima A.
Great food and everytime I've benn there service has been decent. It's not a four start restaurant afterall so don't expect that, but still good. The food is amazing so what more can you ask for? Parking is hit or miss, so there are always 2-3 places we think of getting food close by, so that we are bound to get lucky with parking SOMEWHERE!
(4)Tony P.
My good friend took me here last night for me to try Pakistani food for the first time. The restaurant itself, I wouldn't take a date to, it had a very bad draft coming through. The ceiling was leaking water and there was a water bucket on the floor right next to my table. We ordered the fried chicken, Boti, Beef rolls, and bread. Food was delicious, it had a nice spice to it pack with flavors I've never tasted before. Service is a little slow, I recommend if you do decided to eat here, call in your your food order if you plan on eating there. It was roughly a 15-20 minute wait for our food.
(4)J. Christopher E.
I've had takeout from this restaurant 4 times. I very much wanted to like this restaurant (I live nearby) but I think I'll wait awhile before I go again. What's most frustrating is that half of the time they don't have what I ask for so I end up with few real choices. If you can get them, the samosas are very good (although I don't think they're made on site). I also like the biryani dish, although this even more difficult to get than the samosas. I'm hoping this is a temporary problem and I guess I'll give them another try in a few months.
(3)Melissa W.
I had been here a few times in the past and was not very impressed. While the owners were nice, the menu was pretty much useless. Every time I tried to order something (on the phone or in person) they would tell me that they only had whatever was in their steam trays, and couldn't make anything to order. Then why bother even having a menu? In addition, the food in the steam trays never looked fresh or appetizing, since they had been sitting around for hours and tasted as such. Sure, it was pretty cheap, but it wasn't particularly good. However, after reading LaBan's glowing review, we decided to give Wah-gi-wah another chance and tried the charga fried chicken. He was right: it was pretty amazing. The naan wasn't bad either. We also ordered some eggplant dish from one of the steam trays, and were kind of disappointed at the size of the tiny container that had cost us $5. The eggplant itself was just okay; I wouldn't order it again. My advice? Stay away from the pre-made food and just get the charga. This deliciously-seasoned deep-fried whole chicken is definitely worth the $12.
(3)Yaya W.
We came here because a friend said Pakistani fried chicken was the new Korean fried chicken and I follow trends like a lemming. Problem is, I realllly like Korean fried chicken. Putting that aside, this chicken makes you want to come back for more. It seems like its rubbed with some sort of tandoori rub, stuffed with a lemon.... and then what? Deep fried? No clue, but what results is crazy tender. We got the whole chicken platter (enough food for two for lunch, maybe for dinner I would order something additional). The naan was good and the salad that came with sucked but cut the salt at least. And the service is, well, not ideal. But your classic hole in the wall with some bomb chicken!
(4)Shehzad R.
Their food is amazing. Its authenticity cannot be overstated. It's not only the best South Asian restaurant in Philadelphia, it's the best South Asian restaurant in the North East.
(5)Steve S.
Over all I like this place, but there are issues with the service, and the design and layout of the space. It's confusing when you walk in. You don't know whether to sit down and wait for someone to come to your table or if you should walk to the back and order, and than sit. If you do go to the back to order take out, it's also confusing, because there's what appears like a big menu board with photos - but it doesn't give a description of the food or the prices. You have to request a menu to see what they have - but with that said, there's a steam table that has a lot of the day's specials that look amazing - and if you order from that you'll be very satisfied. The food was very good. Craig LeBan's review was spot on. The fried chicken was awesome! The Keema Nann was great. The lamb was slightly disappointing - oily and greasy. The spinach and potatoes were very good, The cauliflower and potatoes were good too - but it was mostly potatoes, not much cauliflower. The rice was cooked perfectly and very tasty. Looking forward to going back and trying other items. Oh, the prices are out of this world reasonable!
(4)Jen D.
sadly, i have to echo several of the prior reviews. the lahori chargha and sesame naan are delicious, but i would rather put in the time to learn the recipe to make it at home than revisit wah-gi-wah. the service varied between slow, non-existant, and hostile. they didn't have much of what was on the menu, so ordering was difficult. one of our party ordered goat curry, only to find out nearly an hour later that they didnt't have it. nor did they have lamb. he ended up with a chicken curry, no rice. i have never, ever seen a curry served without rice. they would be well-served to reduce their menu to a simpler single sheet and to at least pretend, a little teeny bit, to care about customer service. if you really want to try the lahori charga anyway, be prepared! set aside two hours. don't go hungry. don't expect to feel the least bit welcome.
(1)Ravi A.
Outstanding chicken...have been back a couple times. we order in advance and pick it up...have never eaten in. rest of food was ok.....couple other places do better. but the chicken...oh man...the chicken....sooo sooo sooo good.
(5)Moses S.
update. it went down a star because apparently i was lucky the first couple times i went. If you go during afternoon, they normally can make everything, but when you go at night, sometimes they state they dont have the ingredients to make what you want. the wait is long, but worth it for the most part, but not having ingredients to make palak paneer the third time i went (went at night) is sad.
(4)Shehrazade A.
I will never go back to wah-gi-wah again! I was there yesterday..& their service was really bad. They don't know how to handle big group of people. * I have noticed in every other restaurant i've ever been to, they will always 'atleast' ask "if we would like to get start with a drink?" & at wah-gi-wah we literally had to ask in middle of my meal can get some water. Even later they didn't refill it until we asked. like seriously??? * Food has no taste what so ever..no salt, or masala! & they will try to act if smart when asked for masala on side. Ohh BTW they need to hire more server.
(1)Charles T.
I so want to give this place a higher rating, but the service is going to be their downfall. Was there at 5:30 on a Friday afternoon, one table (parents with small child) arrived just before we did. I watched at least four other parties, who arrived after I did, receive their food before my party (one of them even received 2/3 of what we ordered!!), and the family finally walked out after an hour - after telling manager "Saw six people get their food, where is ours??" Manager came by table to ask what we had ordered. If they would put a simple system in place (names or a unique number on each order) everything would be fine. When it was time to pay, it took 10 minutes standing at cash register for them to acknowledge me. Food - Allo Tikki (mashed potatoes mixed with spices, formed into patty and fried) was OK, Sabzi (mixed vegetables) was OK, Sesame Naan was very good, Lahori Chargha (seasoned crispy fried chicken) was very good. May go back once they get their act together, but the horrendous service outweighs the good food.
(3)Ali Z.
If you're looking for a hole-in-the-wall, cheap place to eat decent Pakistani food, this place is it. The freshly cooked food, which includes the Lahori roasted chicken and naan, are great. In fact, its hard to get good naan in Philly and this place has the best naan you'll find in the area. However, much of the food isn't freshly prepared but is sitting under a hot lamp and is simply put on your plate when you order. I think this place would be better if all the food was fresh.
(3)Sean M.
I really hope no one at Federal Donuts sees this, but Wah-Gi-Wah is the best chicken in the city, hands down. It is the only thing that can motivate me enough to make the trek to West Philly. I'm never not slightly in the mood for the Lahori Chicken.
(4)Saad M.
I go there for only these dishes, Charga, Chiken Biryani, Goat/Chicken Korma and the freshly made Naans. I asked the owner and he reassured me that many of his dishes are made fresh. I go there a couple times a month to pig out and its definitely worth the price and wait.
(5)Mark J.
So... I've eaten here twice. The chicken that people rave about is good. BUT... this is not a restaurant that knows what it's doing. You've read the statistic about most restaurants failing in their first year? Well, this restaurant is staffed by one guy who knows how to cook chicken (but not much else) and a few other guys who don't know how to do anything. The first time I ordered from Wah-Gi-Wah I got the Lahori Chargha to go. It took nearly an hour even though the restaurant was completely empty. The second time I ordered pick-up, thinking I'd get around the long wait. They told me the food would be ready in fifteen minutes. I showed up forty-five minutes later and it wasn't done. I'd ordered keema naan but they'd run out of beef and so made my order with lamb. When I got home I discovered they'd neglected to include rice even though I'd ordered Palak Paneer, a dish always served with rice. When I called to complain, they told me none of their dishes are served with rice unless the customer asks. Obviously this can't be true... Screw this place.
(1)Dexter F.
My boyfriend and I had a great experience with Wah-Gi-Wah. We ordered the chicken tikka, some lamb, sesame naan, and a whole roasted chicken. Much to my boyfriends dismay, we did not order the brain masala, although, knowing what I know now, I bet it would've been delicious. Our food was fantastic. Spicy, flavorful, filling, and CHEAP (AND they accept credit cards)! They are priced far more reasonably than other restaurants with similar menus. That being said, don't go here if ambiance is important to you. They have plenty of large booths for seating, but it's very casual with bright lighting and a flat screen tv that's always on some foreign music video channel. Hey -- it works for me, but I wouldn't recommend having a first date here, however, I WOULD recommend ordering their food for take out and bringing it back to your place. Yum yum yum.
(4)Nofil B.
Horrible place...ordered Lahori Charga and they tell us we have to wait 30 minutes for it...two parties came after us and they got their charga before us and within 15 mins...would never go to this horrible place again. Tons of other Pakistani restaurants where you can have an enjoyable experience with great food.
(1)Marissa E.
If there was one word to describe eating here, it would be uncomfortable. Don't get me wrong, the food's great, but the service was so bad my friend and I considered skipping out on the check just to avoid another painfully awkward interaction with the waitstaff. It was honestly some of the worst service I'd ever seen; no one knew what they were doing. It would have been funny if it wasn't so creepy. When we got in, we tried to figure out whether we should wait for a table, go sit down, or order from the counter. We chose to sit down. My friend flagged down the waiter. I ordered samosas, a side of palak paneer, and naan - just enough for one person - and then the waiter walked off. My friend was sitting there, openmouthed, waiting for the waiter to come back. He did, to drop off the samosas, and then ran away. We finally flagged down another waiter, but his English was terrible - my friend said "I want to order" and he asked her if she wanted a bottle of water. It took another 5 minutes for him to comprehend that she wanted a veggie platter and I wanted to know if I should get my soda out of the case or wait for someone to bring it to me. The food was amazing; I think the Yelp reviews and Craig LaBan have made that very clear. But the experience was greatly diminished by the fact that the servers couldn't stop staring at me and my friend. Strangely, we had a really hard time getting their attention when we actually needed them, since it took 10 minutes just to get to-go boxes and the servers would barely talk to us or look at us. Come for the samosas, stay for the horrible service (and objectification, if you're female). Also, they had the entire place shut down by 11:15 and it's supposed to be open until midnight. We left around 11:20 and saw 4 people who were turned away because they'd already cleared out the steam trays. If you're going to do that, close at 11. Edit: My friend reminded me that there was a huge puddle of water (as in 2-3 feet wide and half an inch deep) near the entrance from a leaking pipe. In retrospect, we should have left right then.
(1)Bill B.
Not much to add here-- the fried chicken was fantastic, the rest of the food was so-so, and the service was S-L-O-W. But with chicken this good, I'm not going to complain.
(5)Christine W.
I like this place. The food is always really tasty. I've been several times and it has gotten better each time. As Ali Z. wrote, the naan is excellent, especially the keema naan stuffed with meat. I think the key to eating at this restaurant is not to have anything already picked out on their menu. A lot of what is available is not on the menu and that stuff is usually pretty awesome. What I usually do is go in and ask the guy what all the dishes are (they are in trays behind the counter), and I choose from what they have. I had perhaps the most amazing yellow dal I've ever eaten a couple of weeks ago. The mixed veg and aloo gobi I had this past weekend were truly outstanding. Update: Dinner tonight (3/19) included beef haleem - bulgar and beef pounded into a paste, cooked with spices and topped with a ghee-based gravy. AMAZING. Update: Dinner on 12/13 included two specials - keema (spicy, minced beef) with potatoes and an AWESOME duck curry (duck on the bone so that all the goodness just seeps into the sauce...). Even thought hey now have waiter service, go up to the counter and check out the specials!
(5)Patrick D.
Simply amazing! Goat chops, Kabobs, chix chargha, allo gobhi with naan... BLOODY AMAZING! And so cheap!
(5)Aatif R.
Chicken charga is great. Prices are reasonable. Atmosphere is ok as well.
(4)Claire G.
I'm not sure why this particular restaurant is categorized as Indian food by YELP since it's Pakistani, which food I came to love as I got to know the esteemed Kamal Faruki of blessed memory (while I was a grad student at UVA and, along w/my fellow religious dept student pal, used to regularly show up at the Faruki home, coincidentally, at dinner time for long conversations about philosophy, etc.). Happily, this former head of his county's Supreme Court was a guest prof and his family were all skilled culinary artists. When I am at Wah-Gi-Wah, I recognize the quality and am amused at the sometimes familiar moments of confusion (as reflected in some of the reviews and anyone w/out Pakistani friends). Don't go for the "organization"; just go for the best food ever. The next time my godson Zak Faruki's in town, this is here I'll take him to feed him great food and great stories of his famous grandfather.
(5)Adnan Z.
"Wah-Gi-Wah" roughly translates to "spectacular" in Punjabi and this restaurant is nothing short of that. Serving Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi cuisine, if you want the authentic taste of South Asia there are few places in Philadelphia that will top this one. I went there quite skeptical and came out a believer. The kabobs are juicy and seasoned just right. The chicken karahi is fresh and made with all the right ingredients. They even have Lahori chargha and I know of no other place in a 30 mile radius that makes "keema naan!" Pricing is very reasonable, the restaurant is kept incredibly clean and parking was readily available on the street. This place is worth the trip.
(5)liz l.
Pretty darn tasty! gf and i went today for lunch around 1 or a little later. It was super empty, only one other table, so the service issues other people have mentioned were not in play. it's cute and clean and i like the low key decor, such as it is. The server was very nice and friendly. We ordered a rice and a sesame naan to share, and got a chicken tika masala, aloo gobi (potato/cauliflower) and bhindi (okra). they were all really good, and the bhindi was awesome -- i am not always an okra fan but this was delicious. there's just enough left over for small lunch tomorrow, bill was $22. will definitely be back for more!
(4)Alex M.
No excuse. This restaurant opened in April or earlier, so it's no longer possible to attribute our absurd experience to the need to "iron out" initial "kinks." We tried very hard to patronize this place. Example: walked in at 7 pm; no other customers except a guy waiting for takeout. Were given menus then completely ignored while one staff person spoke loudly on the phone for 15 minutes and other staff ignored us. We finally had to signal emphatically that we would like to order. After a further delay, we discovered that the restaurant was "out of" all three of the very standard items we first ordered, including palak paneer. We finally asked what they *did* have, and the answer was a very small list. Why give customers a menu if you have only one percent of the things listed on it? Also, the seats are so dysfunctional that the backs tip backward into the seat behind you (unsafe to lean back), and the bench-parts are also unstable (even for people who weight 120 pounds). There's a profound disconnect here. This doesn't seem like a restaurant. Nor is the false "food vs. ambiance" dichotomy illuminating in a situation where there's not enough *ambient* anything to support fundamentals like oh say the simple provision of food. Maybe if Wah-Gi-Wah could stop shooting themselves in the foot, more people would actually be able to taste their food, which is reputed to be good. Maybe those happier customers just had very vivid imaginations and dreamed the whole thing. That would be a more satisfying experience than the one we had a few nights ago, which was empty of food or service.
(1)Asad F.
This is by far the best Pakistani/Indian restaurant I have been to in Philadelphia. The food has been consistently delicious and well prepared. If you're craving a piece of home, then this is the place to go to. The chicken tikka and chapli kababs are choice, and might even be better than what I've had in Pakistan. If you're in town and looking for some delicious and flavorful food, this is the place to be.
(5)Hasham Y.
Tried the chicken churgah. Very bland and dry. Actually cold as well. Naan do not have good texture either. Never returned after my initial experience. Customer service is attentive but food is almost average
(2)Steve S.
Over all I like this place, but there are issues with the service, and the design and layout of the space. It's confusing when you walk in. You don't know whether to sit down and wait for someone to come to your table or if you should walk to the back and order, and than sit. If you do go to the back to order take out, it's also confusing, because there's what appears like a big menu board with photos - but it doesn't give a description of the food or the prices. You have to request a menu to see what they have - but with that said, there's a steam table that has a lot of the day's specials that look amazing - and if you order from that you'll be very satisfied. The food was very good. Craig LeBan's review was spot on. The fried chicken was awesome! The Keema Nann was great. The lamb was slightly disappointing - oily and greasy. The spinach and potatoes were very good, The cauliflower and potatoes were good too - but it was mostly potatoes, not much cauliflower. The rice was cooked perfectly and very tasty. Looking forward to going back and trying other items. Oh, the prices are out of this world reasonable!
(4)Jen D.
sadly, i have to echo several of the prior reviews. the lahori chargha and sesame naan are delicious, but i would rather put in the time to learn the recipe to make it at home than revisit wah-gi-wah. the service varied between slow, non-existant, and hostile. they didn't have much of what was on the menu, so ordering was difficult. one of our party ordered goat curry, only to find out nearly an hour later that they didnt't have it. nor did they have lamb. he ended up with a chicken curry, no rice. i have never, ever seen a curry served without rice. they would be well-served to reduce their menu to a simpler single sheet and to at least pretend, a little teeny bit, to care about customer service. if you really want to try the lahori charga anyway, be prepared! set aside two hours. don't go hungry. don't expect to feel the least bit welcome.
(1)Ravi A.
Outstanding chicken...have been back a couple times. we order in advance and pick it up...have never eaten in. rest of food was ok.....couple other places do better. but the chicken...oh man...the chicken....sooo sooo sooo good.
(5)Moses S.
update. it went down a star because apparently i was lucky the first couple times i went. If you go during afternoon, they normally can make everything, but when you go at night, sometimes they state they dont have the ingredients to make what you want. the wait is long, but worth it for the most part, but not having ingredients to make palak paneer the third time i went (went at night) is sad.
(4)Fahad A.
Go there for the FOOD not the service. This isn't a classy sit down place, it is a very traditional Pakistani restaurant and the food is simply great. Their 'chicken churgha' is probably the best item on the menu and the 'beef boti' has to be up there as well. The naan is fresh and you can just tell by the quality of it. I don't care too much for service so I don't treat it like a classy sit down joint. Again, amazing food, def. check it out.
(4)Aisha M.
Decent desi food. WORST. SERVICE. EVER! Slower than slow! We waited over an hour for our chai.
(2)Nilesh T.
Best indian restaurant in Philly? Nope. We ordered about 5 plates of food. Chicken Biryani, lahori chargha, goat korma, nihari curry, chicken kadhai. All of them were mediocre at best. Chicken kadhai was probably the only thing that tasted good. The lahori chargha is over hyped. Most of the food isnt even flavorful. I can make a better nihari curry at home then they can. Nonetheless, i am giving them a 2 star for the variety of food the offer and the service takes forever.
(2)Nataly N.
I was going to give them the benefit of the doubt and leave my review at three stars, but after this past visit, I'd have to give this place a solid one star. To start out, I understand that the winter is pretty unforgiving right now and heating bills can add up, but for a restaurant with very large dine-in space, it seems like something is off when customers are shivering while eating their food, all bundled up in their puffy winter coats, all while sitting INSIDE the restaurant. I don't really need an extremely comfortable dining experience, but I did not pay for an uncomfortable one. This time, we ordered Aloo Keema and a chicken and chickpea curry dish. The Aloo Keema was not only cold, but was also overly salty and had the texture and dullness of leftovers. This dish falls solidly in the "zombified" category. It is clear that the life had been sucked out of this dish over and over through vigorous stirring and numerous trips between the fridge and the microwave. I now see what Rizwan A. meant by "corner-cutting" in his review of this place. The chicken chickpea curry dish was hot when it came out, but this was probably because it was drenched in piping hot chili oil. There was a serious lack of flavor in the chicken, the chickpeas, as well as the sauce. I might come back again, but only for the sake of convenience. There are places within blocks that serve better and fresher versions of this food. P.S. Thanks to Babak S. for posting photos of the food menu. I tried to find the menu on their website, but soon realized that their entire website is filled with ads (e.g. French Food Menu, Applebees Restaurant Menu?!...) and no actual food menu (that I could see as of today). If you click on these ads, they get something like $0.45 per click. The abundance and pervasiveness of ads suggests that whoever designed this website might be hoping that consumers might accidentally click on these ad links while searching for the food menu on this restaurant's website.
(1)Gabru S.
Worst food experience ever, if there were 0 stars I would give it 0. Takes a log time to get your food, they make you wait and then tell you food is not available. I don't understand why people go to this place.
(1)Whiterock R.
Their chicken charga is great. Other selected items like keema nan are good as well. Do not get the biriyani under any circumstances though!
(3)Bala J.
Terrible service and terrible food. The only thing good about this place is its unusual not traditional tandoori roti. Other than that its a low grade Indian food and doesn't deserve to be called so. Also I ordered kabobs(alright and samosas(terrible) and brains which was sub par. The service was terrible as I asked for water 3 times and he ignored me. Never coming back again!
(1)Ann V.
I'd go back for the fried chicken. That's about it.
(3)Damian B.
Recently I visited Wah-Gi-Wah due to raving reviews and i was extremely dissatisfied. When I arrived at this restaurant I was starving and saw that this restaurant was completely dead and had a terrible atmosphere. We sat down in the boothes and I ordered 2 Aloo Samosa (reheated and no seasoning) and Shamee Tiki (terrible it was hard and underseasoned). After Appetizers we ordered a Bunch of Seekh Kabobs and Tandoori Roti and Tandoori Naan. The naan and roti were O.K. but the seekh kabob seemed reheated and old and the Chole was definately from a can. The Service in this restaurants is TERRIBLE. The man didn't answer any of our questions on the food and what was this restaurants specials etc. The short Pakistani man who was our "waiter" didn't bother to give us any water and after 30 minutes of us running up to the front counter and asking him for some water he just ran away like a little girl. THIS RESTAURANT IS COMPLETELY A NO GO AND I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND PEOPLE NOT TO GO TO THIS RESTAURANTS btw p.s. I my Indian food and spices!!!
(1)Ahmad Nidzamuddeen S.
I like the foods here but the service is really really really really slow I'm so disappointed
(1)Halima G.
The food is horrible We ordered the Chicken Chargha and it was not good at all(no taste). Then we came to know that their main chef was gone. I am definitely not going back
(1)Talha A.
Service sucked major nutz. Food is not fresh. The restaurant was dead. Expensive. Can't get worse
(1)Tasneema A.
Currently living alone and Wah-Gi-Wah is write across the street so I sometimes get dinner from here. I always get their sesame naan which I love to pieces. Recently I started getting the chicken tikka masala which is good. It's flavorful and burning hot when served. The chicken meat is white but sometimes undercooked. For it's price, quality, and overall taste, I recommend it. I also once got their chicken tikka kabobs which were pricey for like 5 pieces but it was delicious. Other than the food, the service sucks. The cashier/host always looks frustrated and stressed. He's not cheerful or friendly and sometimes even rude. I usually always get takeout so I never have to deal with their staff, fortunately!
(3)haapy s.
OMG ,,,,this was my favorite restaurant, since open I don't know chef Change or what but today was worst meal of my experience,,they always have bad service but I come here only to get food but today was last coz now they have both worst ,,,never wanna go back and I request to everyone not go there plz
(1)Veronica S.
I live just a block away, so I really really want to like this place. But they are the worst! Although I *have* had a tasty dish or two here (and frankly the Lahori chicken chargha was dry and overcooked the one time I had it), they are not consistent, and the service is the slowest and rudest I have ever encountered. Knowing the service was bad, I ordered take-out the other night, but even THAT didn't protect me. I ordered the lamb korma curry with rice (you have to request rice to go with your curry, which is weird....), naan, and a vegetable samosa. That, plus a soda, was $19. !!! Then I get home to discover, the lamb curry was neither lamb nor curry - it was a few joints and bones with a scrap or two of goat meat clinging to them, in an oily broth. I kept trying to convince myself it was lamb, but the two kinds of meat taste distinctly different, and this was definitely goat - and not much of it. The naan was disappointing, not fresh at all - did not even seem homemade. The saffron rice was lovely, if a bit oily, and the samosa was acceptable. But how is that worth $19? I hate making a fuss or complaining, but a friend of mine in the restaurant business convinced me to call them. So I did. I very nicely told them I was disappointed in my order, that I had asked for lamb and gotten goat. The man who answered the phone first tried to argue that lamb and goat are the same thing - the same animal! When I disagreed, he said they ARE the same in Muslim cultures. I don't believe that to be true, but told him that even if that was the case, the words denote different animals in English. It went on. He gave up that line of argument after I started getting slightly annoyed and saying we could look it up in the dictionary. Then he asked how I KNEW it was goat instead of lamb. !!! I said "So, before you said they're the same in Muslim cultures, and now you're questioning whether or not I can tell the difference? I have eaten both! They taste different. And this was all bones, like a goat curry." I regrettably had to get angry to get taken seriously. I even said - "I'm not asking for anything! I am just expressing my disappointment that I ordered one thing and got another. I can bring the bones back to show you if you don't believe me." And THEN, and only then - after it had gotten unpleasant, did he say he would talk to the manager. At her advice, he offered to return my money or credit it to my next order. At that point, I was so mad (but still very polite), I said I didn't even want it, but thank you. Don't waste your time or money here.
(1)Peter E.
Wah-Gi-Wah is amazing! The food I had was delicious! We ordered the allo palak, allo keema, Lahori Chargha (chicken), naan and keema naan. Reading other negative reviews it sounds like people made the mistake of ordering stereotypical Indian food here (opposed to the Pakistani dishes). The Pakistani food was so good! The chicken was fried whole and was very moist and flavorful on the inside. But my personal favorite was the the allo keema. They use ground goat for the keema and it is fantastic! I cannot wait to go back and eat their again. Oh yea! Also, I hear they can prepare a whole leg of goat dish made to order (Lahori Style Raan Roast). Just give them a few hours notice and they can make it. I need to try that one day!
(4)Sabrina K.
Everything here is delicious! My personal favorite is the keema and samosa chaat. This restaurant is good for both take out and eating in.
(4)Jasmine G.
Terrible service!! Called for a pick up they said 10 mins got there a lil after 10 mins. They couldn't figure out who's order I was picking up finally the other guy said he knows it then they told me it's coming. 5 mins later when I saw they are serving the people that got in the restaurant the same time I did I asked if it's ready they said it's coming. About 5 mins after I asked again how long til the food is ready they said 4-5 mins finally after 5 mins I went to the counter and asked how long is it really til the food is ready they said it's coming and the other guy told me he missed the order (so they just started making it when I got there) then I waited again couple minutes after I ran out of patience cause I got pissed off. I left and asked my boyfriend to pick it up. Finally my boyfriend got home with the food and guess what? They forgot the entrée that we ordered. First and last time that I'm gonna get food from this place. Only went here for the convenience cause it's just across the street but never again.
(1)Qasim J.
V nice place!
(5)Yusra H.
The food is decent but nowhere near amazing. Have been here twice now and definitely had a better experience the second time around though I've experienced better South Asian food elsewhere.
(3)Rizwan A.
Hate to give it one star, but there's just no way around it. I do not contest the fact that you can get amazing food here. So amazing that it may be the best you've ever had. But on the other hand, the ridiculous inconsistency here and the underhanded corner-cutting management that actually *prides* itself on passing off old food as new earn this place the worst rating possible. I hate to say it, but the place is run in a very non-American style. Take that to mean what you will, in short, it's a two-bit operation with good recipes, but wildly variable quality and a very loose, uncaring handle on how to deal with the social norms of the clientele in a place like Philly. It's Pakistani/Indian food which is definitely made great when it's done right, but how often that happens is anyone's bet. Half the time more than 50% of the menu is unavailable. They sort of ride out from week to week whatever they can afford or whatever will keep their costs down. Sadly I don't see this place lasting. One time I had great chicken here, another time, I could tell they had eagerly given me an old portion of haleem. Your best bet on coming here is after they've had a lot of customers, that's the only way you know you're getting fresh food. If you walk in and the place looks empty, seriously, just pass this place by, you'll be doing yourself a huge favor.
(1)Basil M.
So, let's start off by saying, I went here based on two recs from people I know. It was a Wednesday night, 6:30, and the place was empty. So I figured the food wouldn't be so fresh. We ordered naan, chicken tikka, chicken tandoori, beef Sikh kabob, and chicken biryani. The biryani was definitely reheated. It might have Ben decent if it was fresh. The chicken tandoori was also reheated, and honestly, it was horrible. It tasted super old. The Sikh kabob were dry. The naan was a little too crunchy, not soft enough. Lastly, the tikkas were good. All in all, this place was below average. Honestly, Kabobeesh is much much better.
(1)Kristelle B.
The chicken chargha is probably the best chicken I have ever had. A must try! The veggie rice and the eggplant appetizer were delicious too.
(5)Sahar A.
Excellent Pakistani food! Try the chicken chargha, qeema aloo, naan, kababs, chicken boti, chicken karahi, fish, lahore chana- everything is great!!
(5)M. A.
Apparently this place must be hit or miss. I've heard from some people that they're food is good but the one and only time I went everything except the naan was terrible. Food was not fresh and already precooked. They seem to just microwave dishes and bring it out to you. Prices were also very high considering the quality and amount of food you get. I will not be going back. Parking is also an issue. I had high hopes but I would not recommend this restaurant. Very disappointed.
(1)Christina W.
I have eaten in the restaurant once and more recently ordered catering from Wah-Gi-Wah. When I went to the restaurant with a friend, I loved the whole chicken platter--the fried chicken was extremely tender and nicely portioned. Service was pretty fast as well. A few months later, I was running a dinner event for 24 people that included a seminar component about West Philadelphia and decided to order catering from Wah-Gi-Wah. Although I'm not sure that they have an official catering menu (I couldn't find it online), I called the restaurant to see if it was possible. The restaurant was extremely easy to work with and accommodated my needs. I ordered chicken platters, ground beef and ground chicken kabobs, and two different platters of mixed vegetables, and the meal came with bread, salad, and yogurt sauce. I told them I needed enough food for 24 people, some of whom would be vegetarian or Kosher, and they worked with me to order the right amount of food for a reasonable catering cost. They delivered the food to my location per my request and allowed me to pay once I received the delivery. Everyone at the event loved the food and were stuffed to contentment, and we were even left with some leftovers. Although the chicken was a bit messy to eat during a talk, the kabobs were easy to eat, juicy, and well-seasoned--quite spicy actually! The kick from the kabobs went very well with the refreshing yogurt sauce, and the combination was actually quite addictive. Overall, affordable prices, delicious chicken and kabobs, and easy to work with for catering orders. Definitely check this place out!
(4)Irfan K.
Nehin bhai Nehin I think this place is over-rated. I have not had the Charga that everyone else seems to love but my first experience was less than average.
(2)Omar I.
This place is totally known for its biryani. It happens to be my second favorite place !
(4)Mobola O.
On the quest for great Middle Eastern cuisine I discovered Wah-Gi-Wah!!!! Thank goodness! I've only lived in Philly for about 8 months and coming from the DC area Kabob Palace is where it's at! While Wa-Gi-Wah doesn't compare to the AMAZING Kabob Palace, it's the best substitute I've found in Philly. I've tried Kabobeesh and that is not where it's at. The BBQ Platter at Wah-Gi-Wah really give you a bang for your buck! Great selection, fresh and cooked to order food. My bf loves the lamb kabob platter. This is def my top choice when it comes to Middle Eastern cuisine in Philly.
(5)Marissa R.
The food here was good but the service wasnt. THe guy seemed not to happy that we were there to eat like he was annoyed. Didnt really explain the food just wanted us to order and not ask questions. Will I be returning anytime soon? Doubt it. Probably be my first and last time I go here.
(3)Jennifer P.
Long time admirer, first time patron. A few friends of mine held Wah-Gi-Wah in high regards and on their recommendations, I went and was not disappointed. It is much larger than it looks from the outside and has an open layout. The service was wonderful and the Lahori chicken was fantastic. I ordered a whole chicken and it looked looked like they had just killed it fresh and deep fried the thing. Wonderful.
(4)Kat O.
It pains me to say this because I am typicaly a positive yelper, but I have to write this one, so here goes. I got food poisoning from this place. I know this b/c I didn't eat anything for a full 13 hours before I ate their food. Before eating my chicken tikka, I ate about half the rice, then took a break so the spice wouldn't bother me. I didn't going down, but it sure did coming back up 5 hours later. Sorry Wah Gi Wah but food poisoning doesn't even warrant you the star I am giving.
(1)Amarnath R.
Had lamb chops, Biryani and chicken tikka roll. They were not so good but not bad either. Overall an average experience. Mango lassi was good.
(3)Joe C.
Was really impressed by this place. The food took forever to arrive and staff was overwhelmed by...three tables. It was kinda comical. But the owner was so damn nice I forgot about the long wait. Customers were an ethnic hodgepodge which is one of the things I dig most about dining in West Philly. I read a previous review about the Lahori Chargha and the person raved about it. Yeah, it totally came as advertised. Fried but not greasy. Massive amounts of flavor. Moist. And the samosas were totally fresh which is something you can't say for a lot of restaurants. Since my visit I learned a secret in the Sept 29 City Paper...they'll happily make your chicken extra spicy. Yay! Large and flavorful portions + not too expensive = good value + return visit.
(4)Jen K.
I was not impressed with the "fried" chicken. It was too dry and more roasted than fried. Some pieces of the chicken were so overcooked to the point of being rock solid that I probably could have choked on it. Service was uncomfortable, and the restaurant itself is so out of the way for mediocre food.
(1)Fred T.
Been here with the family 2x now. Def one of the best fried chickens I have ever had! The spice permeates all the way through. The chick pea dish is a bit oily but the flavors are amazing. The menu has many more items to explore. BYOB and the prices are great.
(5)Babak S.
The best Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Indian food on the east coast!!!!! If you go on the weekend try the Haleem and Paya (runs out usually by Saturday night)
(5)Mary F.
The fried chicken was delicious, but the wait was horrendous. I called ahead (by 40 minutes) and still we did not get our chicken until 30 minutes AFTER we ordered (and yes, we were the only ones in the restaurant).
(3)Izzat A.
Came here with the fiance and mother in law tonight. Fiance said this place was good. Given the fact that she is from Canada, I shoulda known this place would be terrible. Service is horrible. Not rude, just incompetent. Food is very very average, if even that good. Lamb chops were very undercooked (pink inside), channey were not good and flavorful at all. Chicken kabobs were okay, not very flavorful. Same for the seek kabobs. Honestly, the best thing was the rice! Will never come back here again. I normally give Halal Paki places a benefit of the doubt, but this place is just weak.
(2)Erkie R.
Excellent Restaurant! I lived in Philadelphia for 4 years and recently stumbled upon this restaurant. By far the best chargha in town. This is real authentic Pakistani cuisine! Don't underestimate this review bc the retaurant is amazing. We had the nihari, nan, chargha, and lamb chops amazing!
(5)Al T.
The service is very slow and dysfunctional at times and the guy in the front counter needs a crash course on customer service and attitude adjustment.The food is tasty especially the Chickpeas Stew (Lahori Chholay), Chicken Chargha ( a form of fried and then broiled chicken from Pakistan) and the Nihari (a spicy sort of pot roast stew which uses the same cut of meat). Also the roast goat or lamb leg which is a special order is worth trying. Key is to always call ahead so one can get the food served on time.Our favorite Pakistani restaurant in the Philly area despite their attitude and poor knowledge of how to deal with a customer
(2)Aasima A.
Great food and everytime I've benn there service has been decent. It's not a four start restaurant afterall so don't expect that, but still good. The food is amazing so what more can you ask for? Parking is hit or miss, so there are always 2-3 places we think of getting food close by, so that we are bound to get lucky with parking SOMEWHERE!
(4)Tony P.
My good friend took me here last night for me to try Pakistani food for the first time. The restaurant itself, I wouldn't take a date to, it had a very bad draft coming through. The ceiling was leaking water and there was a water bucket on the floor right next to my table. We ordered the fried chicken, Boti, Beef rolls, and bread. Food was delicious, it had a nice spice to it pack with flavors I've never tasted before. Service is a little slow, I recommend if you do decided to eat here, call in your your food order if you plan on eating there. It was roughly a 15-20 minute wait for our food.
(4)Melissa W.
I had been here a few times in the past and was not very impressed. While the owners were nice, the menu was pretty much useless. Every time I tried to order something (on the phone or in person) they would tell me that they only had whatever was in their steam trays, and couldn't make anything to order. Then why bother even having a menu? In addition, the food in the steam trays never looked fresh or appetizing, since they had been sitting around for hours and tasted as such. Sure, it was pretty cheap, but it wasn't particularly good. However, after reading LaBan's glowing review, we decided to give Wah-gi-wah another chance and tried the charga fried chicken. He was right: it was pretty amazing. The naan wasn't bad either. We also ordered some eggplant dish from one of the steam trays, and were kind of disappointed at the size of the tiny container that had cost us $5. The eggplant itself was just okay; I wouldn't order it again. My advice? Stay away from the pre-made food and just get the charga. This deliciously-seasoned deep-fried whole chicken is definitely worth the $12.
(3)Yaya W.
We came here because a friend said Pakistani fried chicken was the new Korean fried chicken and I follow trends like a lemming. Problem is, I realllly like Korean fried chicken. Putting that aside, this chicken makes you want to come back for more. It seems like its rubbed with some sort of tandoori rub, stuffed with a lemon.... and then what? Deep fried? No clue, but what results is crazy tender. We got the whole chicken platter (enough food for two for lunch, maybe for dinner I would order something additional). The naan was good and the salad that came with sucked but cut the salt at least. And the service is, well, not ideal. But your classic hole in the wall with some bomb chicken!
(4)Shehzad R.
Their food is amazing. Its authenticity cannot be overstated. It's not only the best South Asian restaurant in Philadelphia, it's the best South Asian restaurant in the North East.
(5)Charles T.
I so want to give this place a higher rating, but the service is going to be their downfall. Was there at 5:30 on a Friday afternoon, one table (parents with small child) arrived just before we did. I watched at least four other parties, who arrived after I did, receive their food before my party (one of them even received 2/3 of what we ordered!!), and the family finally walked out after an hour - after telling manager "Saw six people get their food, where is ours??" Manager came by table to ask what we had ordered. If they would put a simple system in place (names or a unique number on each order) everything would be fine. When it was time to pay, it took 10 minutes standing at cash register for them to acknowledge me. Food - Allo Tikki (mashed potatoes mixed with spices, formed into patty and fried) was OK, Sabzi (mixed vegetables) was OK, Sesame Naan was very good, Lahori Chargha (seasoned crispy fried chicken) was very good. May go back once they get their act together, but the horrendous service outweighs the good food.
(3)Ali Z.
If you're looking for a hole-in-the-wall, cheap place to eat decent Pakistani food, this place is it. The freshly cooked food, which includes the Lahori roasted chicken and naan, are great. In fact, its hard to get good naan in Philly and this place has the best naan you'll find in the area. However, much of the food isn't freshly prepared but is sitting under a hot lamp and is simply put on your plate when you order. I think this place would be better if all the food was fresh.
(3)J. Christopher E.
I've had takeout from this restaurant 4 times. I very much wanted to like this restaurant (I live nearby) but I think I'll wait awhile before I go again. What's most frustrating is that half of the time they don't have what I ask for so I end up with few real choices. If you can get them, the samosas are very good (although I don't think they're made on site). I also like the biryani dish, although this even more difficult to get than the samosas. I'm hoping this is a temporary problem and I guess I'll give them another try in a few months.
(3)Sean M.
I really hope no one at Federal Donuts sees this, but Wah-Gi-Wah is the best chicken in the city, hands down. It is the only thing that can motivate me enough to make the trek to West Philly. I'm never not slightly in the mood for the Lahori Chicken.
(4)Saad M.
I go there for only these dishes, Charga, Chiken Biryani, Goat/Chicken Korma and the freshly made Naans. I asked the owner and he reassured me that many of his dishes are made fresh. I go there a couple times a month to pig out and its definitely worth the price and wait.
(5)Mark J.
So... I've eaten here twice. The chicken that people rave about is good. BUT... this is not a restaurant that knows what it's doing. You've read the statistic about most restaurants failing in their first year? Well, this restaurant is staffed by one guy who knows how to cook chicken (but not much else) and a few other guys who don't know how to do anything. The first time I ordered from Wah-Gi-Wah I got the Lahori Chargha to go. It took nearly an hour even though the restaurant was completely empty. The second time I ordered pick-up, thinking I'd get around the long wait. They told me the food would be ready in fifteen minutes. I showed up forty-five minutes later and it wasn't done. I'd ordered keema naan but they'd run out of beef and so made my order with lamb. When I got home I discovered they'd neglected to include rice even though I'd ordered Palak Paneer, a dish always served with rice. When I called to complain, they told me none of their dishes are served with rice unless the customer asks. Obviously this can't be true... Screw this place.
(1)Dexter F.
My boyfriend and I had a great experience with Wah-Gi-Wah. We ordered the chicken tikka, some lamb, sesame naan, and a whole roasted chicken. Much to my boyfriends dismay, we did not order the brain masala, although, knowing what I know now, I bet it would've been delicious. Our food was fantastic. Spicy, flavorful, filling, and CHEAP (AND they accept credit cards)! They are priced far more reasonably than other restaurants with similar menus. That being said, don't go here if ambiance is important to you. They have plenty of large booths for seating, but it's very casual with bright lighting and a flat screen tv that's always on some foreign music video channel. Hey -- it works for me, but I wouldn't recommend having a first date here, however, I WOULD recommend ordering their food for take out and bringing it back to your place. Yum yum yum.
(4)Nofil B.
Horrible place...ordered Lahori Charga and they tell us we have to wait 30 minutes for it...two parties came after us and they got their charga before us and within 15 mins...would never go to this horrible place again. Tons of other Pakistani restaurants where you can have an enjoyable experience with great food.
(1)Saman A.
The food is really good, fresh each time. Always had a really good experience. The price is slightly higher but it is worth going.
(5)liz l.
Pretty darn tasty! gf and i went today for lunch around 1 or a little later. It was super empty, only one other table, so the service issues other people have mentioned were not in play. it's cute and clean and i like the low key decor, such as it is. The server was very nice and friendly. We ordered a rice and a sesame naan to share, and got a chicken tika masala, aloo gobi (potato/cauliflower) and bhindi (okra). they were all really good, and the bhindi was awesome -- i am not always an okra fan but this was delicious. there's just enough left over for small lunch tomorrow, bill was $22. will definitely be back for more!
(4)Marissa E.
If there was one word to describe eating here, it would be uncomfortable. Don't get me wrong, the food's great, but the service was so bad my friend and I considered skipping out on the check just to avoid another painfully awkward interaction with the waitstaff. It was honestly some of the worst service I'd ever seen; no one knew what they were doing. It would have been funny if it wasn't so creepy. When we got in, we tried to figure out whether we should wait for a table, go sit down, or order from the counter. We chose to sit down. My friend flagged down the waiter. I ordered samosas, a side of palak paneer, and naan - just enough for one person - and then the waiter walked off. My friend was sitting there, openmouthed, waiting for the waiter to come back. He did, to drop off the samosas, and then ran away. We finally flagged down another waiter, but his English was terrible - my friend said "I want to order" and he asked her if she wanted a bottle of water. It took another 5 minutes for him to comprehend that she wanted a veggie platter and I wanted to know if I should get my soda out of the case or wait for someone to bring it to me. The food was amazing; I think the Yelp reviews and Craig LaBan have made that very clear. But the experience was greatly diminished by the fact that the servers couldn't stop staring at me and my friend. Strangely, we had a really hard time getting their attention when we actually needed them, since it took 10 minutes just to get to-go boxes and the servers would barely talk to us or look at us. Come for the samosas, stay for the horrible service (and objectification, if you're female). Also, they had the entire place shut down by 11:15 and it's supposed to be open until midnight. We left around 11:20 and saw 4 people who were turned away because they'd already cleared out the steam trays. If you're going to do that, close at 11. Edit: My friend reminded me that there was a huge puddle of water (as in 2-3 feet wide and half an inch deep) near the entrance from a leaking pipe. In retrospect, we should have left right then.
(1)Bill B.
Not much to add here-- the fried chicken was fantastic, the rest of the food was so-so, and the service was S-L-O-W. But with chicken this good, I'm not going to complain.
(5)E. J.
When Philadelphia Inquirer food critic Craig LeBan published his review of this Pakistani establishment in West Philadelphia and awarded it two bells, I had to see what this place was all about. Wah-Gi-Wah apparently means "spectacular" and that is how I would describe its chagra -- fried chicken. I would not use the adjective to describe the locale itself -- it was attempting an industrial look with exposed brick. While it was not a hole-in-the-wall, I understood why many people just ordered for take-out. As I waited to place my order, I eyed the already prepared food that was behind the glass case: it looked like the food had been sitting there since the day before. I even heard the ding of a microwave which made me steer clear of ordering anything from behind the glass case. I placed my order and was informed that it would take 15 minutes. So, since I didnt want the pervasive aroma of oil that permeated the interior leeching onto my clothes, I took a walk around this part of town to explore its other culinary offerings. I returned 20 minutes later, and my order was not complete... which was surprising since there werent any other patrons in the restaurant at the time. Okay, lets go back to the chicken. LeBan raved about the fried chicken, and Ill agree with him. I ordered the chagra combo special which included half of a whole fried chicken, a large piece of naan, and a minty, slightly creamy dipping sauce. Instead of being breaded, a mixture of spices (not terribly corrosive to the palette) was rubbed in before the entire bird was thrown into the fryer. The product: tender chicken filled with an explosion of flavors. Would I go back? Sure... only if I found myself in that neighborhood again, though. Im glad I was able to try fried chicken, prepared in an unfamiliar way.
(3)Ash A.
I've been here many times, mostly for take-out but a couple times to sit down and eat. Never had a problem with takeout. However, this is not a place for a great place for dining. Their customer service is kind of sloppy BUT the food is amazing! The Lahori charga is a must have. Probably the best item on their menu. The meat is full of spice and flavor and is tender and moist. The haleem is also amazing. It's spicy, even for my standards, so be prepared! The naans are fluffy, buttered and perfect when eaten fresh. I would also recommend trying their seekh kabobs (beef or chicken), fried fish and nihari, which are also equally tasty. They also make the best mint chutney, it tastes good over almost everything. Go here for the food!
(4)Shehrazade A.
I will never go back to wah-gi-wah again! I was there yesterday..& their service was really bad. They don't know how to handle big group of people. * I have noticed in every other restaurant i've ever been to, they will always 'atleast' ask "if we would like to get start with a drink?" & at wah-gi-wah we literally had to ask in middle of my meal can get some water. Even later they didn't refill it until we asked. like seriously??? * Food has no taste what so ever..no salt, or masala! & they will try to act if smart when asked for masala on side. Ohh BTW they need to hire more server.
(1)Christine W.
I like this place. The food is always really tasty. I've been several times and it has gotten better each time. As Ali Z. wrote, the naan is excellent, especially the keema naan stuffed with meat. I think the key to eating at this restaurant is not to have anything already picked out on their menu. A lot of what is available is not on the menu and that stuff is usually pretty awesome. What I usually do is go in and ask the guy what all the dishes are (they are in trays behind the counter), and I choose from what they have. I had perhaps the most amazing yellow dal I've ever eaten a couple of weeks ago. The mixed veg and aloo gobi I had this past weekend were truly outstanding. Update: Dinner tonight (3/19) included beef haleem - bulgar and beef pounded into a paste, cooked with spices and topped with a ghee-based gravy. AMAZING. Update: Dinner on 12/13 included two specials - keema (spicy, minced beef) with potatoes and an AWESOME duck curry (duck on the bone so that all the goodness just seeps into the sauce...). Even thought hey now have waiter service, go up to the counter and check out the specials!
(5)Patrick D.
Simply amazing! Goat chops, Kabobs, chix chargha, allo gobhi with naan... BLOODY AMAZING! And so cheap!
(5)Aatif R.
Chicken charga is great. Prices are reasonable. Atmosphere is ok as well.
(4)Claire G.
I'm not sure why this particular restaurant is categorized as Indian food by YELP since it's Pakistani, which food I came to love as I got to know the esteemed Kamal Faruki of blessed memory (while I was a grad student at UVA and, along w/my fellow religious dept student pal, used to regularly show up at the Faruki home, coincidentally, at dinner time for long conversations about philosophy, etc.). Happily, this former head of his county's Supreme Court was a guest prof and his family were all skilled culinary artists. When I am at Wah-Gi-Wah, I recognize the quality and am amused at the sometimes familiar moments of confusion (as reflected in some of the reviews and anyone w/out Pakistani friends). Don't go for the "organization"; just go for the best food ever. The next time my godson Zak Faruki's in town, this is here I'll take him to feed him great food and great stories of his famous grandfather.
(5)Adnan Z.
"Wah-Gi-Wah" roughly translates to "spectacular" in Punjabi and this restaurant is nothing short of that. Serving Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi cuisine, if you want the authentic taste of South Asia there are few places in Philadelphia that will top this one. I went there quite skeptical and came out a believer. The kabobs are juicy and seasoned just right. The chicken karahi is fresh and made with all the right ingredients. They even have Lahori chargha and I know of no other place in a 30 mile radius that makes "keema naan!" Pricing is very reasonable, the restaurant is kept incredibly clean and parking was readily available on the street. This place is worth the trip.
(5)Alex M.
No excuse. This restaurant opened in April or earlier, so it's no longer possible to attribute our absurd experience to the need to "iron out" initial "kinks." We tried very hard to patronize this place. Example: walked in at 7 pm; no other customers except a guy waiting for takeout. Were given menus then completely ignored while one staff person spoke loudly on the phone for 15 minutes and other staff ignored us. We finally had to signal emphatically that we would like to order. After a further delay, we discovered that the restaurant was "out of" all three of the very standard items we first ordered, including palak paneer. We finally asked what they *did* have, and the answer was a very small list. Why give customers a menu if you have only one percent of the things listed on it? Also, the seats are so dysfunctional that the backs tip backward into the seat behind you (unsafe to lean back), and the bench-parts are also unstable (even for people who weight 120 pounds). There's a profound disconnect here. This doesn't seem like a restaurant. Nor is the false "food vs. ambiance" dichotomy illuminating in a situation where there's not enough *ambient* anything to support fundamentals like oh say the simple provision of food. Maybe if Wah-Gi-Wah could stop shooting themselves in the foot, more people would actually be able to taste their food, which is reputed to be good. Maybe those happier customers just had very vivid imaginations and dreamed the whole thing. That would be a more satisfying experience than the one we had a few nights ago, which was empty of food or service.
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