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Cafe Tandoor
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
18 reviews for Cafe Tandoor
18 reviews in English
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Review from JT R.
Rockville, MD
12/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
The most authentic Indian cuisine I've ever had (other than when I was in Delhi). Atmosphere is very cozy and relaxed. Bread and rice don't come with the meal, so be sure to order some. You can choose how spicy you want your food (scale of 1-10). Service is friendly and fast. Prices are fair. Will dine there again if I'm in the area.
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Review from Kendra D.
Bay Village, OH
12/16/2011
My mom had never had Indian food, and my dad won't eat it, so I got a bunch of take out from Cafe Tandoor when she was here on a solo visit. We ordered: the vegetarian appetizer platter (which didn't come with paneer or really any variety of pakora), samosas, chicken korma (medium), chicken tikka masala (medium), rogan josh (spicy), saffron rice, plain rice, garlic naan, plain naan, and mango lassi. There were multiple problems with the quality of the food and this restaurant.
1. NO FLAVOR. Holy bland food, Batman. The only food that had any flavor was the samosa. It was the spiciest thing that we got in the order. Do you know what it's like to eat bland chicken korma? It's essentially warm cream with chunks of chicken. At least the tikka masala had other vegetables in it to give it some taste. The rogan josh had a little kick to it, but I still would only classify it as mild to medium spicy (3 on a scale of 10). and I ordered it hot! So if that's the spiciest that Cafe Tandoor can make the food, count me out. Maybe it's just me, but what's the point of getting Indian food if it is unseasoned?
2. LOW QUALITY. Even if the food had been spicier, it didn't seem to be of very high quality. The appetizers were very greasy. The appetizer platter was basically a samosa, a couple of potato pakora and a TON of onion rings. There was no paneer, no selection of pakora. The tikka masala was lumpy and not as smooth as I' ve usually had it. The chunks of meat were ginormous, making it necessary to cut them before eating.
3. NO CHANCE OF IMPROVEMENT. My boyfriend's brother told me after the fact that they are "racist" and won't serve your food spicy if you're not Indian. While I was there, I heard the woman tell someone on the phone (which she did NOT have the courtesy to tell me) that their medium is really mild. Seriously? What's the point of having a scale of spicyness? That's fine. I'll find another place that is willing to give me decent food.
4. THE PRICE. Rice is not inclued in your meal, so that's another $2.50 per dish ($3.50 for Saffron rice (not worth it)). The total for my food was $75. And while I was excessive in ordering, I did so in order to enable my mom to try all the wonderful things associated with Indian food. Huge waste. The channa masala at Trader Joes is $4 and tastes WAY better than anything I had here.
I'm so disappointed that this was my mom's first experience with Indian food. I feel like it's ruined for her forever. If you still insist on trying this place, I would recommend dining in so they can at least try to correct your order while you're there. Total disappointment. -
Review from Lisa H.
12/10/2011
The atmosphere is nil with generic decor. The service was initially fast with appetizers and drinks, but almost completely stopped for the entrees. We waited 25 mins for our entrees. However, the waitresses/management were friendly.
Now let's get down to the real issue-THE FOOD.
I was so surprised and disappointed with all the good reviews and word of mouth. Their food wasn't anything special or good.
We got a appetizer sampler with samosas, pakora, etc. The samosa was ok and the chicken pakoras were delicious like Indian fried chicken nuggets. I was disappointed with the lamb though. The lamb was overly spiced on the outside, but bland on the inside. The house salad is super peppery and drenched in dressing.
We tried their cashew chicken that was slightly creamy and reminded me of comfort food as I spread the chicken and the sauce over jasmine rice. The other dish we had were the skewers/kabobs. The chicken left something to be desired and was slightly dry.
I did have a wonderful Brazilian beer though that was slightly sweet and bitter.
Maybe the chef had an off day, but I wasn't excited or impressed by the food.
It gets two stars for the chicken pakora and friendly staff. However, the slow service and mediocre food/entrees brought the experience completely down. -
Review from Jason V.
10/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
Cafe Tandoor is a great little Indian restaurant hidden in a shopping plaza dominated by a Marc's and Sears Grand. It was fairly empty when I visited for a late Sunday night dinner, but it looks like they do a fair amount of take-out business. The dining room has about 20 tables and more tables in what appears to be a party room. They have also added 8 tables of outdoor seating in front of the restaurant, though unfortunately the best you can do is a view of the parking lot and Asuka, Radio Shack, Super Tan, and Caribou Coffee across the way. Inside, each table has a dark red tablecloth topped with glass and lighted by a small candle. A bar sits in the back of the room with three empty stools as if just to prove to patrons that alcohol is available. Background music ranged from (what I assume are) traditional Indian tunes to new age piano pieces.
The Tomato Shorwa was a regular tomato soup with Indian spices and without the slight sweetness you often get with other tomato soups. The soup took an extended time to bring to the table, as if the order caught them off guard. It's a decent soup, but admittedly on the bland and simple side. I would probably opt for something else on another visit.
The Cholle was very good--probably the second best chick pea dish I've had. The chick peas are served in a dark curry with tomatoes and cooked just enough to get a little softness without becoming mushy; so many other places I've been seem to undercook their chick peas. On request, I got the dish at a "mild" spice level (which is exactly how they delivered it), but its mildness did not at all slip into blandness. The dish is great to mix with an order of plain basmati rice and/or together with nan.
The Garlic Naan--a circle (about 8" in diameter) of the traditional bread with garlic and butter--came out of the kitchen piping hot. A must-have in my opinion--the aroma as the nan was being delivered to the table was wonderful.
Service is friendly and relatively attentive, but not at all terribly quick. It appears one server covers the entire restaurant, at least when it's not at all crowded. These aren't high-end or innovative food items, but there should be a place in everyone's palette for solid traditional dishes. -
Review from Charlie M.
Cleveland, OH
7/7/2011
Really good Indian, maybe the best in Cleveland.
Appetizers:
- Veggie and meat smosas are both awesome
Entres:
- Alloo Jira -- my favorite, so tastey
- Aloo Ghobi - very flavorful as well
- Butter Chicken - pretty standard, but they do it well
Their naan and roti are also great as a bread item. -
Review from Rachel B.
4/24/2011
This is a delicious Indian place! This was the second time we got takeout from Deliver Me Food and it was superb. While I can't say anything about the dining-in experience, the food is top-notch.
We have tried a bunch of dishes, but the butter chicken is probably the best. The malai kofta is a close second.
The naan is still piping hot upon arrival!
One word to the wise (as we weren't, the first time): order rice separately, because it doesn't come with the dishes. The only negative in my opinion. -
Review from Ilovecleveland W.
Westlake, OH
3/6/2012
Delicious Indian food for the whole family -- even my PICKY eater found a dish he liked. The service was good and the owner was invested in making you happy without being obvious or annoying. There is definitely enough for two people to share one meal if you get an extra side of rice. There were four of us and we got 3 entrees, side of rice, garlic naan and rice pudding all for $66.00. The food was delicious and perfectly seasoned. Definitely going back! Oh I forgot to mention that price included 3 glasses of wine (1/2 off wine night!)
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Review from Tate D.
Cuyahoga, OH
This place is quiet. Which is a good thing, I think. THe location is privately nooked almost out of sight from anyone (although in a strip mall next to a nice camera store) so it tends to slip my mind that it exists - but the great food and professional service makes it one of my favorite places to go! Whenever my wife mentions it, we end up there and have a great meal.
It can be a romantic dinner or just a casual bite- either way, there are no TVs or anything - instead ... there are a few statues (which my 5-year old claims need more clothing on) and artwork that bring the Indian culture a bit closer than it was before you came in the door.
I've brought kids several times and they tend to make it go from craziness level zero to crazy level 6. But that's out of 10 and the employees there are always super laid back about it. They have a kids menu that is great and they give out crayons and a decent Taj Mahal drawing for the kids to color in.
They have a nice (although tidy) selection of bottled beers and wines as well as many great dishes. Really an excellent place to get a vegetarian meal that is wholesome and balanced while being extremely tasty. If you need a relaxing dinner without distractions, Cafe Tandoor will leave you thanking Annapurna (the Indian God of food and cooking). -
Review from Kim F.
Fairview Park, OH
2/10/2011
I love Indian food, but I am the only one in my family. My boyfriend, who will try anything, is now in love. We go here mostly for birthdays or our anniversary because it is a little out of our normal date night range. I love the vegetarian options and the bread selection.
My faves are the cheese dishes and I like it hot. You order your heat on a scale of 1-10 Unless you are very spicy minded, 7-8 is pretty hot. -
Review from Megan G.
4/29/2011
Positive & negative experiences all night long! I've never had such an up and down opinion of a restaurant throughout the whole night!
First, I arrive before my friends. I'm NOT an adventureous food eater and I'd never had Indian food before. The guy who I'm assuming was the manager could sense my anxiety when it came to the menu. He ended up putting stars on the menu next to my safest options. He also went out of his way to take the time to explain a number of dishes. But then we waited about 45 minutes to even order our food. They took forever to bring us our drinks as well. The food was great! I had the Butter Chicken which he said was their most popular chicken dish. Delicious! Afterwards the server gave us trouble with splitting the check when there were only four of us. We had to again explain who had what dish. Perhaps they were just having an off night, but their customer service was lacking with some employees. The food,however, was great! -
Review from George A.
North Royalton, OH
7/9/2011
I must admit, of all the ethnic cuisines I've tried, Indian is probably the one I'm most ignorant with. The service was extremely pleasant and the food was delicious. We had the vegetable smosas for appetizer which were great and very flavorful. I was in the mood for a Beryani dish. The person I was with tried a vegetarian cheese dish with a tomato/curry sauce (forgive me as I cannot remember the name). She said it was fantastic as well. I gave five stars because I am unfamiliar with Indian cuisine and eating here gave me more of a reason to expand my palate with it.
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Review from Tom J.
Olmsted Falls, OH
4/7/2010
Some of the best Indian food in Cleveland. Also Zydrunas Ilgauskus "Z" from the Cavs frequents here.
Highly recommend the butter chicken and some garlic Nan! -
Review from Informed O.
Cleveland, OH
8/12/2011
This is a nice place for dining, somewhat upscale compared to the other Indian restaurants in NE Ohio. The decor is not as good as in Bamboo Garden/ Tadka, but is still good. Also, this is more expensive than most other Indian restaurants around.
I've been there three times and quality of food has always been good. The service is also very professional.
They do not have too many options in the menu, which is good, and they generally cook after you place the order, so you don't get stale food. All being said, it's the taste of food that stands between this restaurant a five star rating!
Good:
Most of the tandoori items are tasty, specially the chicken tikka. The tandoori curry items are also very good. Shahjahani, Korma and Tikka Masala are delicious!
Not so good:
I'm a big fan of all kinds of biryani. the biryani here is more like Kashmiri biryani - a little sweet and full of nuts. But the chicken in it had lumps of fat. The chicken pakora (apetizer), even though much better than the ones in Flavors of India, is not good enough. The fish kabab is forgettable. Chicken samosa can be avoided as well. -
Review from Jonny S.
5/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
I'd been here a year ago and had a tremendous meal. I had the Boti Kebab "Marinated lamb kebab, served sizzling with onions & bell pepper" The entrée came out sizzling as advertized with a wonderful aroma and flavor. Also had the garlic nan which was crispy on the outside, soft on the inside just like nan should be. Also enjoyed a mango lassi which was a nice soft compliment to the spicy food. Detected a bit of cardamom which was a nice touch. Was less impressed with the rice than I was last time, but I definitely enjoyed my meal overall. Ordered some chicken tikka masala to go (was for my wife who was stuck eating an overcooked filet at a conference meal). Even cold the chicken tikka masala was quite tasty. The staff was friendly and attentive, and the prices were right on par with what I expect to pay at a comparable Indian place.
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Review from Tam V.
6/13/2011
I never really go to Indian restaurants but this place had a lot of flavor in their dishes. It is a little pricy but if you are the area and craving Indian food, I would stop by here. Now, on the spicy factor, their hot is not hot at all for me compared to other Indian restaurants I have been to. Also, you have to order rice and naan separately as it does not come with your order like other restaurants.
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Review from Jessica L.
Westlake, OH
8/15/2011 1 photo
I would have to say this is the most authentic and classy Indian restaurants in ohio. The place is very clean, the staffs are very friendly and polite, and the food is beyond phenomenal! I went here about a month ago because me and my friends love Indian food especially the Rogan Josh and their bread is beyond words! I cannot compare this restaurant to any other ones because it is simply the best! The food is fresh, they have variety of dishes, delicious wine, and simply the best dessert also. If anyone loves Indian food and wants a well-satisfied meal, I would definitely recommend going to this restaurant!
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Review from Michelle Y.
North Ridgeville, OH
1/9/2010
When I moved to the area I was told that I just HAD to try this place. Well I did, and while they do offer solid Indian cuisine, there are many other Indian restaurants in Northeast Ohio that do a better job.
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Review from Neeraj Mishra K.
Westlake, OH
9/15/2010
The food Is atrocious. There are much better Indian restaurant's was very disappointed.
