Mayur Kebab House (Sakina Halal Grill) – Washington, DC
Mayur Kebab House, located at the busy corner of 11th and K Street North-West, is a Pakistan-Indian-Nepalese restaurant established decades ago. It rose to prominence only 4 years ago when Pakistani Immigrant Kazi Mannan took over its operations. The poor, homeless and hungry are given free food at Mayur. They are treated like any other customer and are encouraged to dine in and be served by the waiters.
Not only is Mayur Kebab House famous because of the philanthropic attitude of its owner, but also because it definitely serves the most delicious South Asian food in the area. Washington, DC is home to the fifth largest South Asian population in the country with about 110,000 South Asian Immigrants residing in the area. However, before Mayur gained recognition, there were only a couple of mediocre-quality Indian joints scattered throughout DC. Undoubtedly, Mayur has become the most famous and most liked South Asian restaurant in the city.
Unlike most restaurants, the busiest days at Mayur are not weekends but weekdays. This is because Mayur is centrally located in the business and college hub of DC so businessmen and students frequent Mayur during lunch breaks. Most interestingly, Mayur serves a very reasonably priced and unbelievably delicious buffet for lunch on weekdays which attracts hundreds of customers. A wide variety of high-quality food is served for lunch and the homeless can just come inside and fill their plates up with food with no questions asked.
Mannan, the current owner of Mayur, makes sure that the ambience of the restaurant correctly reflects South Asian cultural values. The walls of the restaurant are decorated with paintings of Mughal Emperors and Empresses. Mannan and the waiters greet South Asians in their native language to create a homely environment. Fortunately, the staff at Mayur is extremely interactive and friendly with all customers. You can expect Mannan to tell you his astonishing life story as you feast on ‘Biryani’ and ‘Naan’. Mannan also places specific stress on family bonds and values which is evident as his brother is the head-chef and he has now changed the name of Mayur Kebab House to Sakina Halal Grill, in remembrance of his mother Sakina.
I eat at Mayur almost every-time I’m in DC. My personal favorite dish is ‘aloo pakoray’ (deep fried potatoes with spices) and lamb biryani. It has always been and always will be a joyful and unforgettable experience.
