Charminar Indian Restaurant & Catering

We ordered the Dum Ka Chicken and the Chicken Chettinad, with Garlic Naan and Dahi Kebab. The main entrees were excellent, and the curries were sooooo flavorful. We loved everything and will surely come back. The service was also really nice, and the staff was really attentive.

Having tried many Indian food options in Texas, this restaurant in San Diego still felt decent overall. The Baby Corn 65 is a must-try, with well-balanced spices and great flavor. The Chicken Dum Biryani was good, but the Mutton Dum Biryani was disappointing as it didn’t taste fresh and wasn’t up to the mark. The ambiance was pleasant, though the restroom maintenance needs improvement—the flooring was slippery and the doors were quite tight. Overall, a satisfactory experience with some room for improvement. Plan ahead for rush hours!

very nice restaurant with great menu options. i ordered the street fried rice and the fried baby corn, and both were really really good. i also ordered 8/10 spice level and it was for sure spicy. i love spicy food and some places 8/10 are not spicy at all. this place has some real spicyness, but also still a good flavor. i would recommend going less on the spice level if you like spicy food but still want to enjoy the flavor. my only complaint was that i did not find the chai to taste very good. for some reason it tasted quite salty to me, even after adding sugar. overall i still really recommend the food as it has great flavor, and the staff was kind and professional.

Charminar delivers some of the most authentic, flavorful Indian cuisine in Orange County. The spices are beautifully balanced, the dishes taste freshly prepared, and every bite feels thoughtful — rich without being overwhelming. The biryani is aromatic and perfectly cooked, the curries are deep and comforting, and the naan comes out warm and just right. You can tell the kitchen respects tradition while maintaining consistency and quality. Service is warm and attentive, and the atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming — ideal for both a casual dinner or bringing guests who truly appreciate good Indian food. If you’re in Laguna Woods or nearby, Charminar is absolutely worth the visit. We’ll be coming back.

We had dinner at this Hyderabadi-style Indian restaurant during a recent conference trip to San Diego. We arrived around 8 p.m. on a weeknight, and the place was still busy enough that we had to wait about 5–6 minutes for a table. It’s a very casual spot — not a fine-dining setup, just a simple, informal restaurant. We started with water, but surprisingly they didn’t serve ice with it. For appetizers, we ordered a chicken kebab and kodi vepudu (a spicy fried chicken dish). The kodi vepudu was flavorful and nicely spiced, but the kebab was disappointing — bland, lacking seasoning, and without the smoky, chargrilled flavor you’d expect. For the main course, I ordered Dum ka Chicken, a Hyderabadi specialty, and my friends ordered mutton ghee roast. One thing worth noting: unlike most Indian restaurants, the main dishes do not come with rice, so you have to order rice or naan separately. I got a tandoori roti, while the others ordered butter naan. The portion sizes were very large — none of us could finish our meals, and we all ended up taking leftovers home. The food overall had a strong South Indian/Telugu-style flavor profile — bold, spicy, and rich — so if that’s what you enjoy, you’ll likely appreciate it. We were too full to try dessert, but the meal was satisfying.