Indian Food.

sgip

Well-known member
Last week I got a text from Soylent Yellow saying "Hey Dad, what about having some Indian Food?". I haven't had an authentic Indian Food experience before, and when I go on Yelp! in the Mission Viejo area, it's either chain type eateries or even "The Yard House" - of all places. I have passed Nina's Grocery over the years so we decided to give it a try. ( http://tinyurl.com/NinasGrocery )

The meal there was intriguing and both of us are game to try it one more time. (Soylent Red and Soylent Blue aren't ready yet, so it's a Father / Daughter adventure at this point). Any other places the community can suggest? Doesn't have to be fancy shmancy, more of a  homey and reliable joint.
 
Sanaya (Sand Canyon & Irvine Center Dr) has good food. It's not authentic IMO since they use more americanized sauces for most dishes. When I type "Indian" in "Irvine" into yelp I get:

Annapoorna
Clay Oven
India Cook House
Chakra Cuisine
Sanaya
Natraj's


I've tried 4 out of these 6 but honestly don't remember exactly which food I had where. They do vary in price and offerings. I'm vegetarian and my favorite entree is the Matter Paneer and my favorite bread is Poori.
 
Annapoorna has some good reviews. Will give them a run this week. Another place not in your list came up in my search - Vishnu Restaurant and Catering - which may be a solid bet.

My .02c.

SGIP
 
Sanaya was terrible.  The only thing worth mentioning from that place is their buttered chicken.  But like what Paperboy said, it's americanized...

Annapoorna is by far my families favorite joint.  The foods always hot and fresh (seems fresh), servers are quick with bringing out naan and refilling your drinks.  Their chicken tikka masala is bomb!

#Bombdotcom...
 
Laxmi Sweets & Spices has the best value for your money, if you don't mind the folding tables and Styrofoam cups. They serve buffer for $7.99 and you get both South/North Indian food. I haven't seen any place offer as many options for buffet as Laxmi. Their Samosas are the best I have had in the US.

Annapoorna is slightly on the expensive side. The food and ambiance is good. They serve both North & South Indian and a little bit of Chinese-Indian cuisine.

India Cook House only serves North Indian food.

Dosa Place in Santa Ana does South Indian primarily, with some North Indian options.
 
My husband and I love Natraj in QH Shopping Center, but we order off menu and they make it in about 20-30 minutes so I can't speak to the dishes they have ready and waiting.
 
IrvineHousewife said:
My husband and I love Natraj in QH Shopping Center, but we order off menu and they make it in about 20-30 minutes so I can't speak to the dishes they have ready and waiting.

For some reason the chicken in the curries for the combo meals is VERY dry at the QH location.  The Tustin Marketplace location has much better chicken.  Maybe more turnover there?
 
My wife requested Indian food last night so I got take out from Annapoorna (they have Dosa which we like). The price was reasonable: $33 for two entrees plus an appetizer (samosas) and garlic naan including tax. They include a lot of sauces and dips as well. The matter paneer had ample paneer and a more traditional sauce.
 
Tyler Durden said:
+1 on the sweets & spices.  You are not paying for ambiance with places like that... you are paying for the food.  There was an India Sweets & Spices I used to go to in Canoga Park when I was working up near Woodland Hills.  That place was always packed because you could feed 4 people for less than $20.

Typically those type of places are grocery store / cafe combos... so folks tend to come by to pick up their groceries and then stop by the cafe to have tea and some food.  If you like Chai, I recommend these places... its like .50-.75 for a 8oz cup usually.

I was at India Sweets & Spices recently and they had a sign posted saying they are no longer going to be selling prepared food at the store.
 
@_@  um...  I like Laximi because their lunch buffet has unlimited refills on mango lassi...
 
What do you order off menu?  We frequent that location as well but since we're not Indian food experts, we just get the prepared stuff....

We have them put chickpeas and paneer in the sauce typically used for paneer tikka masala. It's like a combo of chana masala and paneer tikka masala. So yummy and fresh. We also ask them to make fresh naan...a must.

They try to act like they won't go off menu, but luckily I've got a persistent husband.
 
Sorry I'm a wimp when it comes to Indian Food... I recommend.... Curry House....any other place would be reenacting the bathroom scene from Along Came Polly :)

Had chicken vindaloo once... Almost burned the bathroom down...
 
Traditions in Tustin is also very good.  Make sure you order off the menu.  Don't bother with the buffet.  The quality has gone down lately.
 
If you want to try an authentic West Indian Gujarati Food, you can try Rajdhani(http://www.yelp.com/biz/rajdhani-artesia).

Very different from the normal indian restaurant, as it's an Indian Dim Sum Style Place. Pure Vegetarian and no hassle of ordering food. They serve only one type of  thali( a pre fixed menu, with unlimited food). No hassle of going back and forth to buffet table as they serve everything on your table :)

Yes, its not in irvine/tustin, but worth a visit once in a while. For 14$ , little expensive, but well worth IMO.

 
Tyler Durden said:
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Just found out from a friend yesterday that they will only be closing the dining area. They will still be selling food to go :)
 
LiefinIrvine said:
If you want to try an authentic West Indian Gujarati Food, you can try Rajdhani(http://www.yelp.com/biz/rajdhani-artesia).

Very different from the normal indian restaurant, as it's an Indian Dim Sum Style Place. Pure Vegetarian and no hassle of ordering food. They serve only one type of  thali( a pre fixed menu, with unlimited food). No hassle of going back and forth to buffet table as they serve everything on your table :)

Yes, its not in irvine/tustin, but worth a visit once in a while. For 14$ , little expensive, but well worth IMO.

Pioneer street is always a good place to get Indian.  I will have to try Gujarati as I am in Cerritos weekly visiting family.
 
^^;;  my first job in High School was pushing shopping carts for Diho supermarket at Pioneer and 183rd.

Ah, the good old days of cheap $1.xx XL sized masala dosa.

 
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