**** (4 stars)
Good Indian food in the Lakeview area. We ordered it delivered, so not the fairest comparison. The menu is extensive. Basically, if you've ever had it in an Indian restaurant, you can find it on the menu here!
We had the Aloo Gobi Masala and Vegetable Korma. Both were good.
They have both roasted and fried papadums, which makes for an interesting comparison.
Reasonable prices.
Mild 2 Spicy
714 W Diversey Pkwy
Chicago, IL 60614
**** (4 stars)
Had takeout delivered by Doordash. Very good Butter Chicken and Korma. I would get vegetable Korma rather than Lamb Korma next time, as the lamb wasn't noteworthy.
A fried version of Chicken Momas was unusual and also good.
Gorkha Kitchen
434 W Diversey Pkwy
Chicago, IL 60614
***** (5 stars)
The Coach House is a completely separate restaurant from Wazwan. It is located in an actual brick coach house that survived the Chicago fire. You walk through Wazwan to get there.
They serve an eight course tasting menu at either counter or table seating. A maximum of 16 guests can be accommodated at one time, and there are currently two seatings per night on Thursday through Saturday.
Chef Zubair's food is primarily influenced by memories of his home in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, but is also influenced by South Asian Cuisine, and his experience at restaurants working for Jean Georges Vongerichten and Thomas Keller.
I love Indian food, and was expecting a lot from this meal, but I was blown away by the complexity of flavors. This has been a busy week for us, with dinner at three Michelin starred restaurants, and The Coach House was better than any of them!
We couldn't even pick a favorite course, there were so many spectacular ones. And every single ingredient and flavor was there for a reason, with flavors in a single bite building as you savored it, and lingering long after.
Service was very friendly, and Cheg Zubair is incredibly personable and informative.
I really can't say enough good things about the experience. You just need to try it yourself. Compared to other Michelin-rated places, it's an absolute steal, and an experience you won't soon forget.
This restaurant is BYOB.
Wazwan – Chicago
1742 W Division St
Chicago, IL 60607
**** (4 stars)
We ordered delivery and the food arrived very quickly.
The papadums were crisp and intact, and the cilantro and tamarind chutneys were exceptional.
We tried the vegetarian combo and everything was good, but they were surpassed by the lamb curry and the butter chicken, which was as good as I’ve had.
Garlic naan was also very good. Next time I would put this in the oven for a minute to reheat, but everything else was piping hot.
As with authentic Indian food, no spice level options were available (at least online), but everything was at appropriate levels.
Royal Indian Grill – CLOSED
3223 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60657
***** (5 stars)
We ordered food delivered and it was very good. Vegetable Korma and Chicken Tikka Masala were both hot and tasty. The Garlic Naan was also good, but of course it didn’t transport as well. Samosa Chat was an interesting appetizer, very different than normal samosas.Vajra
1329 W Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL
60642
(312) 929-4990
https://www.yelp.com/biz/vajra-chicago
Interior
Samosa
Chili Cheese Naan
Yoghurt puffs
**** (4 stars)
Badmaash is REALLY popular, and therein lies the problem for me. We really enjoyed the food, but it was so packed and loud it was hard to enjoy the experience.
I highly recommend the butter chicken, whether as an entree, or in the samosa appetizers, which were the best item we had.
The place has probably the worst offering of wines I’ve ever encountered, and I’m including coffee shops; not sure what’s up there. Beer is a better bet, but also limited.
Service was friendly and attentive.
Badmaash
108 W 2nd St
Ste 104
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 221-7466
https://www.yelp.com/biz/badmaash-los-angeles-2
Appetizer assortment
Interior
*** (3 stars)
This is a nice Indian restaurant that has a fairly extensive menu of standards. We weren’t impressed by the appetizer platter, which was mostly uninspired fried stuff, but the korma and saag were good. Both contained some unusual spices which was a nice twist on the old standards. Service was friendly.
Anarbagh
138 S Beverly Dr
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310) 888-4011
https://www.yelp.com/biz/anarbagh-beverly-hills-6
Delivered items are very well packaged. This is a single vegetarian dinner, plus just three additional items.
*** (3 stars)
This review is for delivered food. The online menu (via GrubHub) is very extensive, and offers all the standard Indian fare, plus a number of Nepalese items.
The complete dinners are very complete indeed. The Curry House Vegetable Special Dinner was very extensive, with four entrees: dal makhini, palak paneer, aloo ghobi and navratan korma. It came with basmati rice, naan bread and kheer. They were all good if not great, and medium was plenty spicy.
I also ordered papadums, which arrived very crisp and delightful, although the accompanying cilantro and tamarind chutneys were thinner than I am used to.
In addition to naan, I tried the garlic naan. both were fine for sopping up sauce, but they didn’t travel as well as the other items, and should probably be broiled upon arrival.
My favorite item wasn’t Indian, it was the Nepalese Vegetarian MoMo appetizer, a sort of cross between dim sum and a samosa.
The pricing is very reasonable, particularly since the vegetarian dinner all by itself is enough for two people to share.
Chicago Curry House
899 S Plymouth Ct
Chicago, IL 60605
(312) 362-9999
https://www.yelp.com/biz/chicago-curry-house-chicago-6
*** (3 stars)
This is a very nicely decorated restaurant with about 150 different dishes on the menu. Unfortunately the staff isn’t very good, and the food is just average.
It’s odd browsing through the menu, because it seems to have little organization with multiple sections devoted the similar categories, and very few of the standbys like korma, saag, and so on.
We tried Papdi Chat as an appetizer, and the flavors were good, but it wasn’t enhanced by the sturdy wafers mixed into it.
Mahi Mahi Fish Tikka was good fish, but the seasoning on the fish skin wasn’t my favorite flavor.
Bhuni Gobi was extremely overcooked cauliflower; it resembled something that had been sitting on a buffet for hours.
The best dish was Channa Palak, chick peas in a garlic, onion and spinach sauce. Garlic naan bread was also okay.
The service staff seems to be mostly Russian, and wasn’t strong on communication. They were out of all the juices, and couldn’t produce a beer list.
There aren’t many Indian restaurants in River North, but even so, I wouldn’t bother to return here.
India House Restaurant
59 W Grand Ave
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 645-9500
http://www.yelp.com/biz/india-house-restaurant-chicago-2
***** (5 stars)
Years ago we liked to go to Tabla for the amazing food and spectacular desserts. Despite what was at the time a very decrepit building, the food was the draw. But then they changed lunch to a buffet and we stopped going.
I’m pleased to report that full lunch service is back, and the food is better than ever. In addition, the formerly dingy space has now been completely remodeled, and is one of Orlando’s most stylish restaurants.
The three course lunch must be one of the best deals in town. It begins with soup or salad, then your choice of many Indian and a few Thai dishes incorporating the protein of your choice, served on a very attractive platter along with rice, naan bread, and either a samosa or spring roll. Finally there is a choice of desserts.
Our favorites were the Chicken Tikka Masala and the Saag Paneer. The banana roll was a nice way to finish up. It’s a lot of food for a very reasonable price.
Service was friendly and fairly quick, so this will definitely go onto our regular lunch circuit. I’d also like to visit for dinner and further explore the menu. Tabla is back and better than ever!
Tabla
5827 Caravan Ct
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 248-9400
http://www.yelp.com/biz/tabla-orlando-4