Acclaimed restaurant tucked away inside an S.F. mall is expanding

San Francisco Chronicle​

20-05-2025

A popular Indian-Pakistani downtown lunch favorite is ready to break beyond the sometimes glum food court at San Francisco Centre mall with a second, substantially larger location.
Mohammad and Rabia Waqar confirmed with the Chronicle their restaurant, Mashaallah Halal Pakistani Food, will open a second location at 315 Fifth St., just a few blocks away from the mall inside the former space occupied by French bistro Mathilde. Mohammad said the address will get an interior revamp before it serves its tandoor cooked meats, rich stews and biryani plates and hot chai for customers. He anticipates opening in around eight to 10 weeks.
The move comes after the departure of anchor tenant Bloomingdales and as food court operators increasingly rely on e-bike delivery to counter sinking foot traffic. Mohammad Waqar said the mall can be challenging, but convention traffic has improved and business has been steady recently. Ultimately he and his wife are thankful for finding a location that's brought them success.
'We signed a long lease. As long as the mall remains open we'll be here,' he said.
The menu will be mostly the same at the new, 50-seat restaurant with a patio. Expect Mashaallah favorites to feature at the new space such as seekh kebab cooked in a tandoor and tender lamb chops, marinated in a garlic-ginger paste for two days. The co-owner said he plans to introduce a couple of new dishes like chicken karahi, tossed in a spicy sauce inside a wok-shaped pot, along with a traditional chicken curry.
Quick lunch platters will still be available, with a variety of stews served from cafeteria-style steam trays that include a surprisingly rich palak paneer — made by boiling spinach in milk before the addition of butter and cheese cubes — and a superstar lamb korma which staff simmer to render juicy and tender.
The Chronicle's restaurant critic MacKenzie Chung Fegan praised the restaurant's ' impressive ' cooking and non-standardized, humble feel with hand-written menu additions and photos of dishes. 'If the physical attributes plant the suspicion that Mashaallah Halal is not your typical food court tenant, a few bites will confirm it,' Fegan wrote.
The Waqars, who work closely together and have moments where their mutual admiration and love shines through, are hopeful for their next chapter for their restaurant. For Mohammad, growing the business from a food truck to a second restaurant is validating.
'I've been in the industry for 38 years. Now I'm finally seeing the payoff,' he said.