Biryani in Palo Alto

Biryani is the dish a lot of South Asian families in Palo Alto order for celebrations, office parties and Friday dinner. The city has several good places to get it. A halal Pakistani flagship on California Avenue cooks its rice in a large pot called a degh. A contemporary Indian restaurant downtown lists four versions, including jackfruit and goat. A North Indian restaurant near Caltrain serves it with tandoori dishes. A Burmese restaurant on Emerson Street makes its own take with a braised chicken leg. More options sit in Mountain View, Redwood City and Sunnyvale, all within about 8 miles.

Our Indian food guide and Pakistani food guide cover these restaurants as a whole. This page is about one dish: what makes a good biryani, the styles you will meet, where to order it and how to feed a crowd with it. Every place named was confirmed in late October or early November 2026 through its own website or a verified page in our business directory. Nearby towns listed are within about 12 miles.

Biryani at a glance

What biryani is

Biryani is rice and meat, or rice and vegetables, cooked together in layers. Long-grain basmati is par-cooked with whole spices such as cardamom, cloves, bay leaf and cinnamon. Meat is marinated in yogurt and spices, often cooked separately until tender, then layered with the rice, fried onions, herbs and saffron or colored milk. The pot is sealed and steamed so the rice absorbs the meat juices. This sealed method is called dum.

The dish came to South Asia with the Mughal courts and spread into many regional styles:

• Hyderabadi. Often made kacchi style, with raw marinated meat layered under the rice so both cook together. Spicy, with mint and fried onion.
• Karachi or Sindhi. Pakistani biryani, often hotter, with potatoes, plums or tomatoes and plenty of green chile.
• Lucknowi. Milder and more fragrant, with the meat and rice cooked separately first.
• Pulao, or pilau. A cousin. Rice is cooked in meat stock with whole spices but without the layering. Lighter and less spiced.
• Burmese danbauk. Burma's biryani, brought by South Asian cooks, usually served with a whole piece of chicken and a sour side salad.

A biryani usually comes with raita, a cool yogurt sauce. Some kitchens add salan, a thin chile and peanut curry. Both help balance the heat.

Biryani inside Palo Alto

Zareen's, 365 South California Avenue

Zareen's is chef Zareen Khan's halal Pakistani and Indian restaurant. Her family comes from Karachi, Bombay and Punjab. The restaurant's menu describes its Chicken Biryani as layered chicken qorma and basmati rice steamed in a large degh, topped with mint, cilantro and fried onions. The menu marks it gluten-free. The Pilau Biryani is described as the best of pilau and biryani, with marinated chicken layered with fragrant rice. Zareen's is open from 11 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. every day, with takeout only after 11 p.m., which makes it the late-night biryani in town. Prices are budget to moderate.

Khazana, 339 University Avenue

Khazana is a contemporary Indian restaurant from celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor. Its menu has a biryani section with four versions: Biryani - Jack Fruit, Biryani - Goat, Biryani - Chicken and Biryani - Seasonal Veggies and Cottage Cheese. Each is described as long-grain aromatic rice from the Himalayan foothills layered with spice. On the posted menu they ran from $26 for jackfruit to $30 for goat. Jackfruit has a meaty texture when cooked, so it is a good choice for a vegetarian who misses the chew of meat. Khazana takes reservations and handles group dining.

Namaste, 447 California Avenue

Namaste is a North Indian restaurant near the California Avenue Caltrain station. It serves lunch and dinner every day with tandoori dishes, naan, curries and biryani. Its OpenTable listing mentions halal dishes and vegan options. Its own website did not load for us in November 2026, so check the current biryani list before you go.

Rangoon Ruby, 445 Emerson Street

Rangoon Ruby is a Burmese restaurant downtown. Its food menu lists a Chicken Biryani with a braised chicken leg quarter, biryani rice, spices, raisins, cilantro and nuts, at $26.50 when we checked. The menu asks diners to allow 20 to 30 minutes of cook time. A Chicken And Shrimp Biryani adds fresh shrimp. It is a softer, sweeter biryani than the Pakistani style. Our Burmese food guide covers the tea leaf salad and noodles that make up the rest of the menu.

Biryani nearby

Zareen's runs three more restaurants within about 8 miles, each listed on its own locations page:

• Mountain View, 1477 Plymouth Street. The brand's original city, about 4 miles away. Closed Mondays.
• Redwood City, 2039 Broadway. About 5 miles north, near the Fox Theatre.
• Sunnyvale, 135 South Murphy Avenue. About 8 miles south, on the restaurant row by the Caltrain station.

Mountain View's Castro Street and the El Camino Real corridor through Sunnyvale and Santa Clara hold many more Indian restaurants, several of them South Indian. Our Mountain View food guide is a good place to start.

How to order biryani

1. Treat it as a main course. One biryani is a full meal for one person. At a shared table, one biryani feeds two or three alongside other dishes.
2. Add a cooling side. Ask for raita if it does not come with the dish.
3. Pair it with something saucy. Biryani is a dry rice dish. A dal or a curry with gravy fills the gap.
4. Look for the bone. In many styles the meat is cooked on the bone for flavor. Ask if you would rather have boneless.
5. Order early. Sealed biryani takes time. Rangoon Ruby asks for 20 to 30 minutes.
6. Ask about heat. Pakistani biryani is often spicier than Indian versions. Most kitchens can tone it down.

Dietary notes

• Halal. Zareen's is a halal restaurant. Curry Up Now on Hamilton Avenue says all its meat is halal and offers a biryani buffet for catering. Others do not state it. Our halal guide lists more.
• Vegetarian. Khazana lists jackfruit and vegetable with cottage cheese biryanis. Ask whether vegetable biryani at other kitchens uses meat stock.
• Gluten. Rice is wheat-free. Zareen's marks its Chicken Biryani gluten-free. Fried onions are sometimes dusted in flour, so ask.
• Nuts and dairy. Cashews, almonds, raisins, ghee, yogurt and cream appear in many biryanis. Rangoon Ruby's includes nuts.

Biryani for parties and offices

Biryani is built for a crowd. It holds its heat in a covered tray and tastes good at room temperature. Zareen's caters office lunches, retreats and weddings. Curry Up Now on Hamilton Avenue advertises a biryani buffet among its catering packages, which start at 10 people. Rangoon Ruby's catering menu sells dishes by the half or full pan. When you order for a party, plan on about one pound of biryani for every two or three guests, plus a vegetarian tray and plenty of raita. Our catering guide covers more options around town.

Frequently asked questions