A Bib Gourmand Pakistani Kitchen Just Opened Blocks From the Beach
Khan Saab brings its Michelin-recognized Fullerton playbook to Santa Monica Boulevard, with a zero-proof bar and a Lahore-inspired mural.
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- los-angeles
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Khan Saab Desi Craft Kitchen opened a Santa Monica location at 115 Santa Monica Boulevard, with a public grand opening dated July 16, 2026 after a soft-opening stretch. It is the brand’s third Southern California room, after Fullerton (2020) and Hawaiian Gardens, and it puts a Michelin Bib Gourmand Pakistani and Indian kitchen a few blocks from the beach.
Chef-partner Imran Ali Mookhi founded the project with Ahmad and Iqbal Hosseini. Fullerton earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand and has kept the nod in later California guides; local coverage calls it the first Pakistani restaurant in Southern California to receive that recognition. The kitchen is 100% halal. Mookhi’s résumé includes Tantra on Sunset, Tamarind of London, Dosa in San Francisco, and earlier Santa Monica work at Tumbi.
The Santa Monica menu follows the brand’s shareable playbook: pani puri, goat cheese kulcha, the Sloppy Khan (a keema pav riff with grass-fed wagyu), Khan biryani, Peshawari chicken karahi, charcoal-smoked beef kabob, apricot curry salmon, nihari, and vegan plates such as bhel puri and dal Lala Musa. The beverage program stays alcohol-free, with zero-proof cocktails from Ahmad Hosseini alongside lassi and a rotating still-water list. Design notes include a hand-painted mural of a 1930s mosque outside Lahore and a patio facing Santa Monica Boulevard.
Hours listed for the new room are 4 to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 2 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Confirm before you go. For Westside diners who already chase Bib Gourmand lists, the news is access: the Fullerton reputation without the Orange County drive.