Los Angeles’s Best Biryani Is Still at Biriyani Kebob House

What to order

• If you’re at Biriyani Kebob House and not getting its namesake dishes, you’re doing it wrong. Karim keeps the recipe for his Hyderabadi lamb biriyani —the restaurant’s best seller — secret: it’s a standard-setting preparation that somehow gets better every time you eat it. A whole, fall-apart-tender, bone-in lamb shank nestles on a bed of aromatic rice cooked with warming spices like cardamom and cloves.
• One of my most common tikka masala gripes is that there is never enough chicken, which makes the sauce-to-meat ratio feel imbalanced. Luckily, that’s not the case at Biriyani Kebob House, which fills its version with tender hunks of chicken breast bathed in a creamy, slightly sweet masala sauce that packs a building heat. It comes with fluffy basmati rice.
• Naan is essential to every order, whether it’s a simple, puffy plain piece with blackened blisters from the tandoor oven or the allium-heavy garlic version. One naan for two people is a good ordering estimate if there will be other carbs on the table.
• The mixed grill plate takes the pressure off choosing between kebabs. The platter includes both chicken and beef seekh kebab, as well as orange-hued chicken tandoori.
• An unassuming lentil soup comes studded with a whole day’s worth of vegetables, including whole florets of broccoli, spears of squash, and chopped carrots. It’s a prime example of what Biriyani Kebob House does best: comforting, family-style cooking that impresses even in the simplest dishes.
• Haleem, often served around Ramadan and other special occasions, blends slow-cooked lentils and beef into a deeply savory stew punctuated by sharp licorice notes from star anise. Spoon it over basmati rice for a deeply satiating, rich bite balanced by fragrant coriander and cinnamon.

Best for

Family dinners of curries and biriyani that will ensure leftovers, mid-day tikka masala takeout when the fridge is looking bare, and last-minute meals where you convince everyone to come to Little Bangladesh (yes, there is parking).

Insider tip

Most dishes come with a side of raita, a tangy cucumber-and-yogurt sauce that can (and should) be paired with anything on the menu meant to be dipped. Always add at least a second (and a third) — that single container will go much faster than you think.