Zareen’s set to open in Redwood City

Founder and executive chef Zareen Khan said she’s been trying to find a space in Redwood City for more than a year.

“We’re so excited about the Redwood City spot,” she said. “It’ll have all things we have in our other locations, but better and bigger.”

Zareen’s first location opened in Mountain View in 2014 and a second one arrived two years later in Palo Alto. 

The Redwood City location is 3,200 square feet with high ceilings, patio seating and an interior designed by a team that includes Studio 02 and Right Touch Designs, both of which are responsible for popular restaurants throughout the Bay Area including Dry Creek Grill and Curry Up Now in San Jose and Sam’s Anchor Café in Tiburon. 

“The plan is to make it a very edgy, hip interior,” Khan said. “It’ll be a beautiful place to hang out.” 

The menu offers traditional dishes based on Khan's family recipes, including gola kabab made with “super soft” tenderized beef that almost has the consistency of pâté, Khan said, adding that it’s an acquired taste. 

“The traditional dishes are really traditional. We don’t change for the Western palette,” she said. “They’re as good as back home, but if you’re new to the cuisine there’s plenty to chose from.”

The menu also features creative takes on both cuisines, including a burger made with chapli kebab or samosa as well as a tikka masala wrap. 

Top sellers include a grilled chicken dish and chicken tikka masala plate. Khan said her version of those dishes is different from what other Indian restaurants offer because the chicken is especially tender and charcoal-grilled, lending it a “very smoky, strong flavor,” she said.      

The restaurant has consistently been recognized by the Michelin Guide since 2016.

“Cooking is almost like an art form for me,” she said. “I cook out of memory so it takes me back to my childhood.”

Khan earned an Master of Business Administration in Pakistan and a master’s degree in economics from Northeastern University before moving to the Bay Area in 1993. After 10 years in the tech industry, she realized corporate America wasn’t for her. 

“I was bored and decided to try something of my own and it took off,” she said, adding that she taught cooking classes and ran a catering company before opening Zareen’s. 

The Redwood City location, like the one in Palo Alto, is also meant to be a gathering space for the community. Khan plans to regularly host speaking events about art, culture and activism, for example, in addition to independent movie screenings. 

“It’s so easy to bring people together over food,” she said.

zachary@smdailyjournal.com

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