Vegetarians generally write off a Pakistani grill house, and on the face of it that is fair. The card is karahi, kabab, chargha and biryani, and the vegetarian options look like they were added to be polite.
They were not. A daal and a vegetable run every single day, there is a proper breakfast here with no meat in it, and the cheapest full meal on the premises is vegetarian at AED 7.
There is also an honest limitation, and it is further down this page rather than buried at the bottom.
What runs every day
| Small | Large | |
|---|---|---|
| Daal of the day | AED 5 | AED 8 |
| Vegetable of the day | AED 5 | AED 8 |
Both of these are on, all seven days. They are cooked each morning in one batch, which is why they are the cheapest hot food we make and why they occasionally run out before closing.
Daal of the day changes. Whichever daal is in the pot that morning — so ask at the counter which one it is rather than guessing from a photograph.
Vegetable of the day is one seasonal vegetable cooked down with tomato and green chilli. It also changes, and it is genuinely a vegetable dish rather than a token.
The rest of the card
| AED | |
|---|---|
| Lahori chana — slow cooked white channa, Lahori style | 5 |
| Aloo paratha — spiced potato filling, griddled in ghee | 4 |
| Desi paratha — layered, hand folded | 2 |
| Sada paratha — plain, griddled to order | 1 |
| Tandoori roti | 1 |
| Roghni naan / butter naan | 2 |
| Karak chai | 1 |
| Lassi, sweet or salty | 5 |
| Kulfi / kheer / gulab jamun | 6 / 8 / 8 |
Lahori chana at AED 5 is the one to know about. Slow cooked white channa, and it is the backbone of vegetarian desi breakfast across Punjab. With a sada paratha at AED 1 that is a AED 6 breakfast, and it is what a good number of people in the Sanaiya eat before work.
There is an anda chana at AED 6 which is the same channa finished with egg, if you eat eggs. Anda paratha at AED 4 is the other egg option.
The weekly menu is where to look
This is the part vegetarians miss entirely, because it lives on a different page.
A vegetable and a daal run all seven days at AED 5 small and AED 8 large. Two days add something extra worth planning around:
| Vegetarian additions | |
|---|---|
| Friday | Curry pakora — AED 5 small, AED 8 large |
| Sunday | Aloo palak — AED 5 small, AED 8 large |
Curry pakora on a Friday is the best vegetarian thing we cook, and it is AED 5. It is a yoghurt based curry with pakora dropped into it, which is a genuinely different dish from everything else on this list.
The honest part: this is not a vegetarian kitchen
Said properly, because you deserve to decide with the facts.
We are a Pakistani grill and karahi kitchen. The same pans, the same griddle and the same fryer handle meat all day. The vegetable dishes themselves are cooked without meat, but the kitchen is shared and we are not going to pretend otherwise.
If strict separation is a requirement for you — no shared pans, no shared fryer, no shared utensils — then a dedicated vegetarian kitchen is the right answer and not us. Ajman has them. That is a real answer to a real requirement, and we would rather lose the order than mislead you into it.
If what you want is good vegetarian desi food in a mixed restaurant, which is what most vegetarians eating out in the UAE are actually looking for, then the list above is genuinely worth the trip.
Also ask about the samosa. The filling is not stated on the card, so ask at the counter rather than assuming. Same with how the daal of the day was finished on any given morning. We would much rather be asked.
Three vegetarian orders
AED 6 — breakfast. Lahori chana at AED 5, sada paratha at AED 1. Add a karak chai for AED 1 more.
AED 7 — lunch. Daal of the day at AED 5, two tandoori roti at AED 2.
AED 21 — dinner for two. Vegetable of the day large at AED 8, daal large at AED 8, four tandoori roti at AED 4, and a lassi to split. Add a kulfi at AED 6 each if you are staying a while.
More on eating well for under AED 20, on the monthly mess, and on lunch in Ajman generally.
Finding us
Shop 8/1, ground floor, Amman Street, Ajman Industrial Area 2, beside Nesto Hypermarket. Free street parking directly outside, step free from the pavement, indoor and outdoor seating, families welcome at every table.
Open 7:30 am to midnight, every day, including Fridays and public holidays. Call or message 050 720 8707. We answer in English, Urdu, Hindi and Arabic.
We do not deliver. You can eat here or collect at the counter. The full menu with every price is on this site.
Common questions
- Is there vegetarian food at Zafran Kitchen in Ajman?
- Yes. A daal of the day and a vegetable of the day both run every day at AED 5 small and AED 8 large. Lahori chana is AED 5, aloo paratha is AED 4, a tandoori roti is AED 1, and the weekly menu carries a vegetable and a daal on all seven days. We are not a vegetarian kitchen, though, and the note below explains what that means.
- Is Zafran Kitchen a vegetarian restaurant?
- No, and this matters if you are strict. We are a Pakistani grill and karahi kitchen, so the same pans, griddles and fryer handle meat and vegetable dishes through the day. The vegetable dishes themselves are cooked without meat, but the kitchen is shared. If no cross contact is a requirement for you, a dedicated vegetarian kitchen is the honest answer rather than us.
- What is the cheapest vegetarian meal there?
- Daal of the day at AED 5 with two tandoori roti at AED 1 each comes to AED 7 and is a full meal rather than a side. Lahori chana at AED 5 with a sada paratha at AED 1 is AED 6, and it is the standard vegetarian breakfast in the Sanaiya.
- What is daal of the day?
- Whichever daal is in the pot that morning, cooked in one batch rather than to order. It changes day to day, so ask at the counter which one it is. AED 5 small and AED 8 large. Because it is a single batch, come earlier rather than later.
- Are there vegetarian options on the weekly menu?
- Every day. A vegetable of the day and a daal run all seven days at AED 5 small and AED 8 large. Friday adds curry pakora at AED 5 small, and Sunday adds aloo palak at AED 5 small. Those two are the ones to look out for if you are vegetarian.
- Is the samosa vegetarian?
- Ask at the counter before ordering. The filling is not fixed on the card and we would rather you asked than assumed. The same applies to the daal of the day if you need to be certain about how it was finished.
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Hungry now
Order it instead of reading about it
The kitchen is open every day from half past seven in the morning until midnight.