Khan Saab Desi Craft Kitchen
Chef Imran Ali Mookhi’s halal Pakistani and Indian craft kitchen, known for a Fullerton Bib Gourmand, now with a Santa Monica room near the beach.
Santa Monica · 115 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Overview
Khan Saab Desi Craft Kitchen’s Santa Monica location opened at 115 Santa Monica Boulevard in July 2026 (public grand opening dated July 16 after a soft opening), in the former Tumbi space where chef-partner Imran Ali Mookhi had cooked before. It is the brand’s Westside chapter after Fullerton (founded February 2020 with partners Ahmad and Iqbal Hosseini) and a Hawaiian Gardens room. The kitchen is 100% halal and the beverage program is alcohol-free, with craft zero-proof cocktails, lassi, and still-water lists instead of a wine bar.
The Fullerton original earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand and has kept that recognition in later California guides; local coverage calls it the first Pakistani restaurant in Southern California to receive the nod. Santa Monica inherits the brand’s shareable menu and presentation style, not a separate Michelin listing of its own yet. Mookhi’s résumé includes Tantra on Sunset, Tamarind of London in Newport Coast, Dosa in San Francisco, and Tumbi. For Westside diners, the practical news is access: the OC reputation without the Fullerton drive.
What diners say
Fullerton built the reputation. OpenTable and press repeat Bib Gourmand years from 2021 onward, and Yelp for that room sits around 4.2 across hundreds of reviews, with diners praising smoked kebabs, hospitality, and the non-alcoholic cocktail program alongside occasional mixed nights. Orange County Register’s early review (2020) lingered on charcoal-and-fennel kebab smoke and a menu that braids Pakistani, Afghan, and Indian flavors in a polished storefront.
Santa Monica coverage is newer. The Infatuation logged the opening in July 2026 without a scored visit yet, flagging kebabs, butter chicken, biryani, and the Sloppy Khan (keema pav with spiced wagyu). Indulge magazine’s July 2026 dinner write-up emphasizes tableside theater: pastry-domed Khan dum biryani, smoke-cloche beef kebab, wok-presented Peshawari chicken karahi, butter chicken carried over from the Tumbi era, and zero-proof drinks such as Devil’s Kiss, Sunset (marshmallow toasted tableside), and Falsatini with falsa and black salt. Our own opening brief covers the same menu beats and the Lahore-mosque mural / patio notes from local press.
What to know
- Book ahead for Santa Monica; the site and Infatuation point to reservations. Phone listed in press: (424) 744-8001. Confirm hours: commonly dinner from 4 p.m. weekdays and from 2 p.m. weekends, closing around 10:30 or 11 p.m.
- Standout plates across brand and Santa Monica write-ups: Khan / dum biryani under pastry; charcoal-smoked beef kebab; Peshawari chicken karahi; Sloppy Khan; goat cheese kulcha; butter chicken; nihari and other shareable curries. Michelin commentary on the Fullerton kitchen has singled out beef kebabs, biryani, and chicken karahi.
- Dietary rules: fully halal kitchen; no alcohol. Strong option for guests who want a special-occasion South Asian room without a drinks compromise. Mocktails are a real program, not an afterthought, per Indulge and the house site.
- Expect some presentation flourish (smoke cloche, pastry dome, wok service). The Santa Monica room is described as small and intimate with a patio on Santa Monica Boulevard.
- Other locations: Fullerton (Bib Gourmand home base) and Hawaiian Gardens. This dining-guide page focuses on Santa Monica; the brand site lists Orange County and LA reservations separately.
- Price sits in $$$ for the Westside: Bib Gourmand signals value relative to fine dining, but Santa Monica sharing plates and mocktails still add up for a celebration meal.
- Related on Tadka Table: our News brief on the Santa Monica opening. This page is desk orientation from published reviews and press, not a tasting visit.
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