Rice Dishes Steal the Show at New Biryani King

Photo: Gregg Hoshida

Anthropologically speaking, my awakenings in food have always been milestones by which I measure my life.

It is the summer of 1975, and I am with my mother visiting her friend in McCully. A large porcelain plate comes out bearing a pyramid of shoyu-sugar Vienna sausages glistening in the afternoon light. For a 6-year-old armed with a toothpick, it is the height of culinary elegance.

Spring of 1986: I am in Japan for the first time, in Yamagata Prefecture with my high school band. The bowl of hot, perfectly cooked rice that appears before me forever raises the bar on what Japanese rice should be.

Summer of 1995: I am in a random park in Paris, eating a peasant’s lunch of a freshly baked baguette and dried sausage out of my backpack. Dessert is a small bag of currants. For a brief moment, I am a bon vivant, living my best life.

Summer of 2026: I step into a new Pakistani Punjab restaurant next to a vacant lot on Sheridan Street. This time, a different bowl of rice elevates my perspective.

Photo: Gregg Hoshida

Biryani King opened behind Walmart in May with little fanfare and big flavors. The restaurant is owned by Shahnaz Hameed, who moved from Virginia to be near her son and new grandchild and open her Punjabi cuisine restaurant. Hameed is of Indian descent, from the province of Punjab in Pakistan, which borders the state of Punjab in India. Both are landlocked regions, and Punjabi food is meat-forward. Unlike much Indian cooking, which reflects Hindu roots, in Muslim Punjab, beef is among the choices. There is no coconut in Hameed’s food, which uses different seasonings from most Indian restaurants in Honolulu.

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Inside Biryani King, aromas of warm spices and braised meats blanket the small dining space. Walls are decorated with scenes from the spice markets and kitchens of Pakistani Punjab. The menu is simple, consisting of flavorful biryani rice dishes that accompany long-simmered choices such as braised oxtail, butter chicken, daal tadka and chana masala.

Photo: Mari Taketa

A glutton for meat, I order a bowl of braised oxtail over a bed of perfectly cooked basmati rice ($19.99) and the veggie biryani ($14.99 à la carte, $19.99 with two side dishes) with small portions of aloo mattar gajar and achar gosht (mutton or goat curry). Hameed comes in every morning at 4:30 to start the day’s cooking, so the bites sing with flavor and the strong backbone of the meaty broths. The oxtail is collagen-rich, with medium heat from chiles and comforting spices weaving through the meat and dripping into the rice; a fresh mint-cilantro chutney adds a bright accent. The aloo mattar gajar of gentle, slow-cooked vegetables is highlighted by carrots so sweet they taste like yams.

Photo: Mari Taketa

The two biryanis are a revelation and the stars of the show. Meat for the meat biryani is marinated in house-made yogurt and spices; it was chicken on one visit and goat on another. Impossibly fluffy, both meat and veggie biryanis are lifted by the heady perfume of cinnamon, cardamom, onions, ginger and other spices. They come with small cups of tangy lassi to drizzle over. These biryanis give main character energy. I could eat them every day.

Photo: Gregg Hoshida

Dishes are made from scratch—including the charcoal tandoor-baked naan ($3.99), roti ($3.99) and various lassis ($4.99) made with that homemade yogurt. Hameed’s food makes you feel like you are eating at her kitchen table. It is warm, inviting and comforting.

Photo: Gregg Hoshida

Parking is available in a small lot next to the restaurant. While the stalls seem to be painted randomly, just park in the same manner as an adjacent car and don’t block the exit. And do not bring cash—Biryani King takes cards only.

Daily except Monday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 8 p.m., 704 Sheridan St., Ala Moana, @biryanikingoahu

Gregg Hoshida is a longtime regular contributor to Frolic Hawai‘i. @oldmanfood