Meet us where a culinary passage is open
This Oak Park restaurant is named after the Khyber Pass, an ancient passageway connecting Pakistan to Afghanistan and Central Asia. Steeped in history, this passageway has hosted invaders, traders, and nomads for centuries, all of whom left their cultural and culinary influences on the region.
The menu at Oak Park’s Khyber Pass reflects the traditions of the nomadic Pathans who reside in the mountainous region of the restaurant’s namesake. Pathan food is characterized by fresh meat and vegetables with simple spices cooked in a barrel-shaped clay oven.
Honoring the Pathan traditional cuisine, the chefs here at Khyber Pass in Oak Park specialize in roasting vegetables and meat over charcoal in a clay oven or in a pot using steam.
Start your meal with a plate of samosas that are deep-fried with seasoned potatoes and green peas, or papadum (lentil wafers with tamarind and mint chutney).
Then try the Chicken Vindaloo, which is boneless chicken breast with potatoes in a spicy vinegar sauce, or the Frontier Gosht, which is thin strips of lamb marinated in yogurt with onions and peppers. Don’t forget a side of Garlic Naan!
Khyber Pass is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30am to 9:30pm and Sundays from 11:30am to 9pm. (Closed Monday.)
A plate of samosas (three pieces) is about $6 at Khyber Pass. Entrees are between $15 and $19. A dinner special with a selection of the chef’s favorites is about $30 ($26 for vegetarian options).
Khyber Pass Owner Malik Jawid emigrated from Pakistan to Chicago in 1987 and started his work in the restaurant industry as a busboy at an Indian restaurant. There he learned the ropes of the restaurant, working his way up to manager and experiencing the nuances of Indian and Pakistan cuisine.
Jawid discovered the location of his own restaurant by chance, stumbling on Lake Street after a wrong turn took him to Oak Park. The rest is history. He opened Khyber Pass in 1995, bringing the flavors of India and Pakistan to the village.
Oak Park’s Khyber Pass is located at 1031 Lake Street, which is just a five-minute walk from both the Harlem/Lake Stop on the CTA Green Line and the Oak Park Stop on the Union Pacific West Railway.
