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Categories: Indian, Himalayan/Nepalese
Neighborhood: South LoopHarrison (Red)
Roosevelt (Red, Orange & Greens)
LaSalle (Blue)
Mon. 11:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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One may image that we felt pangs of guilt eating more food at dinner than some Indian villages do in a week but the only pangs felt this evening were those of some seriously spicy samosas rioting in our mouths.
For less than the price of a single Gibson's cow slice, 2 people can eat their absolute fill at Chicago Curry House. It is remarkably reasonable and absolutely delicious.
The age-old formula for most Americanized Indian restaurants (read: not on Devon Street) is to bring out the lukewarm and mediocre buffets for lunch and then slightly turn up the quality at dinner while WAY turning up the price. Said formula all but assured the restaurant a healthy lunch crowd and a dinner wasteland. So imagine the refreshment of walking in for dinner and being able to order a large 3-meat combination platter, nan bread, rice and 2 sauce dishes for $18.95, a tandoori platter with chicken and lamb prepared 2 different ways each for $14.95, or a plate of around 8 vegetable dumplings for $7.95.
A big win for Chicago Curry House and an even bigger one for those of us who don't want to drive 10 miles north for some reasonably-priced Indian.
Love,
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tried this place mainly because it's so close to where we live and we didn't want to venture out too far. we stuck with the typical indian foods that we see at buffets. all were good, but for me at least, they didn't hit the spot. the dishes that we ordered lacked the plethora of spices that indian food should have. husband thought it was good but i dont always trust his palette.
pricing was at level with other indian restaurants. service was great. ambiance was relaxing and soothing, nice for a romantic dinner or get together with friends.
honestly, dont know if i would come back. maybe to try the Nepalese food.
Tired of ordering the same old delivery, they boyfriend and I dug up their delivery menu and decided to give it a go.
We ordered a whole mish-mash of everything, and we delighted with everything. I aske dthe lady who took my order for a total She said she'd call me back in a couple minutes- never did. It was a tad pricey in the end. But hey- the man who delivered it had a tux on I believe!!
We did get some little plastic cups of sauces that we have NO IDEA what they were- or what they were supposed to go with...
We will order from here again.
This review will be strictly based on what I experienced at the lunch buffet, but it was a pleasant enough experience that I'll return maybe to order off the menu at dinner. Categorically:
Location: 3 out of 5.
It depends on how you look at this one. If you know this area, it's not a problem to find it. If you're NOT familiar with the area, good luck, I guess. 9th street doesn't connect to Clark, so that might cause a few problems, and Plymouth itself is cul-de-sac'ed. Easy to walk to though if you live or work in the S. Loop. Red line (Harrison/Polk) shouldn't present too many problems. This restaurant shares space with a condo(?)/apartment(?) complex, so it's possible that you'll miss it the first time around. Just be on the lookout for a little door on the ground floor with a small'ish sign that just says, "Chicago Curry House" and you'll be ok.
Decor: 4 out of 5
Hey, I don't pretend to know architecture of any type, but to me, the decor was soothing. I guess they tried for an authentic look. If they succeeded, I'll really never know, but I liked the coziness of the place. Oh yes, and paper tablecloths are a sure sign that the food is tasty and potentially oh so messy.
Service: 5 out of 5
There were two ladies working when our group of 5 went for lunch. Both were very friendly if not too soft spoken, but quick to refill our water and marsala teas. No complaints in this department, whatsoever. Again, the mood may change depending on what time of day you go, but it seemed like there were equal numbers of people carrying out and dining in so service was never bogged down.
Quality of food: 4 out of 5
Fine, I'm being subjective. I don't eat Indian or Nepalese food enough to really know what's "good," what's "bad," or what's "extraordinary." The only other place I have to compare Chicago Curry House to is Mt. Everest in Evanston. But the buffet was enjoyable though, and I'm terribly sorry if I mess up the descriptions because I definitely don't remember the names of anything.
The appetizer samosas and fried vegetables were pleasant, although nothing that really sticks out as being "great." The tandoori chicken is also in this area, and although somewhat dry, the flavoring and rub made it not unpleasant.I skipped the veggies and the soup, and indulged next with the bread that looked like a folded over tortilla. I thought maybe it had egg in it, but I really don't know. (it's not the naan at the table). It's right by the lentil chips, and both were flavored and spiced appropriately.
I usually skip the spinach, but the spicy cauliflower and potato was very well-made and packed a subtle heat, as was this mixed veggie dish in some type of brown curry. Layered on top of the saffron rice, it's really quite a good combination. I had several types of meats: the tandoori chicken (which is by the appetizers), the marsala chicken, and the goat meat, bone in of course. Out of these, I was most impressed with the goat meat because a) it didn't taste very gamy like goat does sometimes and b) it packed a very pleasant deep heat that made my brow start to sweat.
For "dessert" I tried to grated carrot dish and the cold, sweetened, rice/raisin dish that was up by the cold veggies. The grated carrot dish was different, and although not the most delectable of things I've ever eaten, was worth a try. The cold rice/raisin dish was commensurate with what I've had previously; not great, but not something that I would turn my nose at, you know?
Pricing: 4 out of 5
Not somewhere I could afford to eat every day, but definitely something that I could cycle through once every 2 months or so. Buffet + marsala tea for 5 people came out to 80 bucks with tax and tip.
Would recommend this place if you have more than a strict 30 minutes for lunch. Infinitesimally better than Chutney Joe's, and it's relatively quiet during lunch so you can hold a conversation without yelling.
I think this was more of a 3.5 stars for me. Décor was really nice, despite the Bauhausian exterior. Service was friendly. Buffet was a little small, but even so, it had one dal dish i really liked, and was actually spicy. They had mini-samosas on the buffet too, and it came with naan, all for $10 and some change plus tax and tip.
I must say, do not turn off of State Street. There is NO PARKING (except with permit) on Plymouth or any of the connected, no-outlet side streets. Save yourself the trouble and park at a meter or take the El.
Service was attentive (our water glasses were kept full), though a bit too formal (cold) for my likings. The menu featured a great variety of choices. I ordered the lamb tikka, which arrived piping hot, but could use a bit more flavor.
OK, I'm writing this with a satiated audience so I best keep the superlatives to a minimum as they have been used all night. The Chicago Curry House is what my father would have deemed "roll on the floor" good. While you would probably have had to know my father to understand the implications; I believe everyone will get the point.
My partner's aunt and uncle are in town for Thanksgiving and are an adventurous couple when it comes to food. While some of us were taught to eat everything that was put in front of us, they seek out the unusual to broaden their own experiences. The Chicago Curry House was found through an internet search that landed on Metro Mix. Within Metro Mix was a video review which peaked their interest. (Mind you, I was working all day so I had little time to discover new restaurants. Not bitter, just thought you should know.)
First the service. Granted, I should probably lead with food but, service is a lost art in our modern world. You seem to get either: that starched, overly trained, cork up their asses type or the, "give me a moment, I have the specials written on my hand." Honestly, what happened to good, basic, friendly and knowledgeable service? Oh, and who wrote the rule that your food must cater to the lowest common denominator in order to be successful? "Not too much flavor or you might risk surprising someone!" I digress, sorry. The service at Chicago Curry House was everything that makes me smile and talk: talk to my table partners, talk to my server and talk to anyone looking for a great restaurant. The young lady who took care of our table of four was not only knowledgeable but willing to offer opinions and recommendations that seemed to come from experience with the menu and her own personal life. The balance of our service experience was her equal. Waters were refilled often and the manager stopped at our table at least three times to check on us. This type of service triggered a great deal of conversation. It has become a sorely missed rarity.
Now to the food. Were I able to find a single word to describe the food at Chicago Curry House....that hasn't already been used a half-dozen times this evening, I would insert it here. Alas, my thesaurus burst into flames an hour ago.
Our meal began with the thin, crispy papadums. We segued into the mouthwatering momo. These eight little dumplings are, as we were told, quite the standard in Napalese dining. Delicious ground chicken with herbs served with a soft-in-the-mouth sauce. Take note of this sauce as the kitchen shows little fear when it comes to your taste buds. Be it spice or sweet this is not a kitchen that will leave you bored. The momo disappeared quickly and to tell the complete truth it was a good thing there were eight of them to share between the four of us. Had there been, God forbid, an odd number I can assure all of you that our evening would have started with hand slapping, showing of teeth and hissing. There was uniform agreement that if you added another couple of sauces these dumplings would make a meal unto themselves.
We are a group of lamb affectionatos and the menu did not disappoint. As a matter of fact it overwhelmed us a bit. Cue the server. She was knowledgeable and quick with an opinion. We settled quickly with four lamb dishes. Two of the dishes were the Tandoori Lamb with a tomato/yogurt sauce on the side. Many superlatives were expressed and there was one short fainting spell so I would judge the Tandoori Lamb a success. I love sauces. It would be no surprise to find a string of French DNA in my genetic make-up as you could throw a good cream sauce on a tire and I'd eat it. (Sort of explains how the French made it through the war doesn't it?) I chose the Lamb Sahi Korma. This is lamb in a cashew nut sauce. Our server explained that it was more sweet than spicy...like that was going to deter me. It was amazing. My thoughts were that it would be rather Thai-like but what greeted me was very creamy and only slightly nutty. It also had a bit of a bite to it. Loved it, loved it, loved it! Lastly the Lamb Chilly Masala. Infused with hot green peppers in a spicy sauce, it was another hit at the table. The peppers gave everyone pause, like a burned out light at an intersection, so I decided to take a pass. (Did you get that allusion? You stop but everyone ends up going thru. I love me!) The Lamb Chilly Masala was another hit. We passed on dessert but I must say, I had my eye on a Mango Lassi. Next time.
Overall, not your ordinary Indian restaurant. As a matter of fact, about as far from ordinary as you'll find. Spectacular, taste bud challenging food all wrapped up by smooth, friendly and gracious service. Someone has put their heart and soul into Chicago Curry House and it shows. We'll be back in a day or two for their lunch buffet. After years of tithing I expect to be greeted by a fork, a bib and a manager will to avert his eyes for a couple of hours.
When i first went to this place ..I was disappointed...
I give most importance to food and then the service..So, if the food is fantastic and the service is ridiculous..I dont care...
So, first this place had an OK service and a so-so food...
But these guys were LISTENING..They had their ears wide open and were listening to evey suggestion im sure..
It has improved by leaps and bounds.....
The food these days tastes amazing...........and the service is fantastic as well..These guys just know where they want to go and for sure are working towards that...
Talking of food..you shud have the chicken choela..amazing..and so are most of the tandoori items and the appetizers..The veg , non-veg specalities are great as well..
But they should improve on their biryani....I hope they will get there some day...
5 stars to this place :) :)
Dropped the Curry for me...get it? Ball...curry...ball...
Okay, point being it wasn't that good. There were probably only 10 or so dishes to choose from and everything I tried was good, but not great. The Chicken Makhani (butter chicken) was my favorite as it reminded me of Chicken Tikka Masala. However, there were sharp bones in the chicken and a few very tough pieces that I had to spit out (discreetly, that is). The Naan to me had the consistency of a tortilla...nope, not authentic Naan to me.
I will admit the service was good and the decor was nicer than I expected. And, for 10.95 for the lunch buffet, it was cheaper than ordering a meal (which I debated on doing).
Well, it's on to the next one...
I went here on a date with someone today who was EXTREMELY EXCITED ABOUT INDIAN FOOD. It was one of the few places we found that wasn't on Devon street and didn't cost $234729734 for a buffet.
Overall, the food was decent. Some items were extraordinary, and some were pretty lame. The appetizers (vegetable pakora, samosas, and a fun wrap thing whose name I've forgotten) were delicious. The soup, yellow lentils, and a handful of other items were just okay, if not bland. The "butter chicken" was truly great, which was exciting for me as it is my favorite Indian dish. The goat meat dish was also good, except for the extraordinary amounts of bone. Ironically enough, there was no curry to be found at the Curry House's buffet - although I'm sure there is some on the menu.
Overall, I would say if you are in the area, or you are looking for an affordable buffet this is a place to check out. There will be at least a FEW dishes available that you'll enjoy, even if you don't care for all of them.
The delivery guy was in a suit and handed me the check in one of those fancy folding thingeys. That says enough about what the prices are like... just too high for Indian food!
That said, I have a soft spot for Momocha (aka momo) and these guys were ok but a little short on the cilantro. Didn't taste like the ones you get in Tibet, that's for sure, but it's the closest I've had in these parts.
The Indian food is ok but doesn't reflect the prices. (I like Baba's Village better). The naan was cold by the time the delivery came, so that one is hard to call. Not sure I'll be splurging on this one again.
I went to Curry House today for lunch and their buffet was quite good. Lots of vegetarian options to pick from! The place is clean and the waitress was very nice as well.
Their samosas are quite good and some of the Nepali dishes are really tasty! Wish the dishes were a little more spicy but they have to be mild because of the buffet.
No doubt, four stars all around!
I will not be going back to Chicago Curry House and these are my reasons:
1. The service here, despite their observable intentions, is surprisingly bad. There's a lot of hovering, filling of glasses with water, and "thank you, thank you," but the staff seems to be too busy multitasking to perform individual tasks efficiently. It's like playing, "Who's my server?" or "Why is EVERYONE here, now, when a few minutes ago, when we needed you, you weren't?"
2. The food took a VERY long time to arrive.
3. Complaint #2 would not have been a problem if once it had arrived, it had been amazing, or even good. Since we had decided to be adventurous, we ordered the Veg MoMo, one of their Nepalese items. It arrived steamed and looked tasty. I grabbed one, bit into it, and it was FROZEN in the middle. My dinner companions did they same. Theirs were frozen inside too.
4. Complaint 3. would not have been a big deal if they'd have replaced the MoMo's quickly. I mean, they're FROZEN, right? The jig is up! So just microwave them and THEN steam them for a little while. No need to make us wait to try to make us THINK you're making them by hand. Why did we have to wait ANOTHER 15 minutes? The replacements arrived with our entrée items.
5. I'm still not done with the appetizers. We ALSO ordered the Vegetable Platter appetizer, which is described as Veg Samosa, Cheese Pakora & Veg Pakora on the menu. The photo of this dish (see for yourself on their current menu 5/8/09) shows an overcrowded dish with a big samosa in the middle, four giant veg pakoras, and four giant cheese pakoras almost falling off the plate. The ACTUAL dish hardly looks like this. The samosa is big, but the veg and cheese pakoras are tini-tiny. Disappointing. Maybe it's just a "tromp l'customer" type of photo in which they use a smaller dish so the items simply appear large. I thought the point of menu photos was to show what the dishes ACTUALLY look like.
6. Chicken Tikka, item number 82, is not an expensive dish to make, so why is it so expensive here? It was the only thing we ordered that was decent, but the price left an unpleasant taste in my mouth, especially for the size of the portion and with all the OTHER negative things about this place.
7. Mango Kulfi, when it's about 4, maybe 5, ounces, should not cost $4.00. That's just ridiculous. I only got it because my nephew, a 10 year old boy, ordered it. It's not that it was bad, because it was actually good. I tasted it. The problem was that given the rest of the experience, the price for this tiny thing was, like, the last straw.
Sure, there's something to be said about a convenient place in the South Loop for Indian Food, but when these many things are wrong with the experience, and the meal, one might feel that trekking it all the way to Devon, where at least you get your money's worth, isn't such a big deal. Just because you're the most convenient Indian place in the hood doesn't mean you can slap together such stingy dishes and expect people to pay for them. People who don't know any better will pay. Those who know better won't come back again.
I've eaten here before for the lunch buffet. Not bad, but not exceptional. At least it was more reasonable, and I didn't have to deal with poor, unstructured service.
Chicago Curry house, you just ain't, honey.
I'm going to up to Devon next time.
We have impressed to Chicago curry house. Food and service very good. Very good menu somethings is there for everyone , good for vegan. Pleasent ambience great exprience.
Absolutely good food we really like the food. Very nice place, service is great . We will be back.
Okay so I decided to come back here. In fact I came here two days back to back and I am definitely much more impressed than the first time.
I came here on a Sunday afternoon to check out the buffet. Now I normally only do Indian buffets when I'm really starving or just want to try a variety of things. The bad part about buffets is that the food is never as good as when ordered off the menu. As far as buffets go this place had good variety but the quality was a bit lacking, mostly due to the food being picked over and there only being scraps left behind. Luckily for me, the owner put in a fresh batch of Butter Chicken, samosas and pakora and delivered them to my table, all very tasty! I was very pleased to not find pieces of tandoori chicken in my butter chicken this time around. I also tried this minced lamb curry dish with peas and a ginger flavouring which, despite having a hamburger helper look to it, was decent.
The taste of the freshly made food I had Sunday was enough to get me to come back Monday, but this time I did take out instead of dinning in. What better way to watch the latest episode of Ashes to Ashes on BBC's iPlayer than to watch it whilst consuming a "proper" Chicken Tikka Masala? Okay so it's not Brick Lane, but for Chicago this place is pretty darn good. What really impressed me was the amount of food I got. Many places I've been to in the past have skimped on stuff but not here! I was given a bountiful amount of curry (Basanti Rice included) a large piece of naan and pompodoms with coriander and tamarind chutney despite only ordering a curry and naan.
I was happy to see yet another Indian restaurant open up in my neighborhood, despite felling a bit… Read more »
Hmmm, would like to give this place 31/2 stars, but I'll round up to 4 cause I'm just nice like that.
This place is super close to my apt., inexpensive compared to other places, large portions, but...it's just really not that good. Everytime I decide to order from here because I want to save some money, I am reminded why I spend more at klay oven. Something is just kinda off about the food, bland, it's not bad by any means, just not overly good.
If I'm craving Indian food and I don't want to wait, i'll order from here again.
I waited to review Curry House because I wanted to make sure I didn't make the same mistake that I did with India Grill.
I dined here several times -- buffet and dinner -- before finally coming to the conclusion I felt comfortable writing about: It's excellent!
Chicago Curry House wins the "South Loop Indian Restaurant Wars" hands down. The combination of traditional Indian offerings and Himalayan dishes as well is a winner. The quality of the food and the value is far better than India House.
The only surprisingly consistent weak spot here is the tandoori chicken. I've never had tasteless tandoori chicken but every time I've eaten it here has been disappointing.
Lots of great vegetarian options here too. I'm not a vegetarian anymore, but I devour the lentils and the black-eyed peas dish served during the buffet.
I'm pleased that Curry House has transformed the old White Hen into a formidable addition to great restaurants in the neighborhood.
My tradition at Indian restaurants is to get the chicken tikka masala the first time I go because the quality of this essential dish usually dictates how the rest of the food will be. However, being that Chicago Curry House is an Indian&Nepalese place (yes, a clear distinction) I decided to break tradish and ordered the variety platter hoping to find something spectacular. This is kind of a big deal. I never stray from the initial ctm.
Yet for for the sake of yelp, the possibility that chicken tikka isn't where it @ w/ Chicago Indian, and because it sounded good (not for my wallet though) I went with #42:
The Curry House Non Veg. Dinner
That's right Non Vegetarian dinner (ie give me meat!):
- Veg Samosa: Since my entree took 20 mins to cook the waiter kindly suggested I order an appetizer to have while waiting. The samosa's were huge! A little bland but did the trick as I waited for... (5/10)
- Tandoori Chicken: this is portions of a chicken as you are used to seeing it, (drumstick/thigh etc) just put in the tandoori oven so it has a unique taste to it. The closest thing Indian gets to BBQ chicken or sommat. I'm not a massive tandoori fan and this was a bit dry. (5/10)
- Chicken Tikka: as you know, chicken tikka is one of my favorite Indian dishes, this one wasn't served with the usual sauce but was great on in its own. (8/10)
- Lamb Seekh Kabab: not sure about the quality of lamb but it was enjoyable and soft (6/10)
- Butter Chicken: very buttery. Went very well with the naan and rice more than the other jazz. (7/10)
- Vegetable Curry: what I expected. Didn't have much but did the trick. (6.5/10)
- Naan Bread: good. Greasy but tasty. (7/10)
- Basmati Rice: typical white rice nothing above and beyond. (6/10)
- Flying Horse Beer: I always enjoy Indian beer. It's light and goes down like water. (7.5/10)
Right, first off 1 star just for reaching total fullness level. I haven't heard from that part of my stomach-mind notifying me 'warning will robinson' 'stomach overflow' 'stop eating' 'full enough' 'consequences will ensue' 'no more carbs, please' since Thanks-G dinner...and this was even more hardcore. I mean, I was well stuffed half-way through the meal but I wasn't going to let all that food go to waste was I?
When I walked out of the restaurant I noticed the first thing my waiter did was not check the bill for the tip but proceed to clear my table. Got to love a waiter who cares about the satisfaction of the customer, not just the vaporization of his/her wallet. I think I added a star just for that.
Overall, I learned that it's practically impossible to spend less than $40 for a truly great dinner in Chicago. Also, I'm going to have to settle with places like Chicago Curry House for what Chicago can offer as far as Indian goes. Short of amazing; I can still have a 7/10 meal and go strolling down the park.
The south loop needed this place. Fast delicious indian, some of the best Samosas you can find outside of little india, and tasty vindaloo.
Added Bonus: They deliver via grubhub, so I can click a few buttons on my computer and have delicious vindaloo at my door 30 minutes later.
Yum. This was out final dinner during our stay in Chicago and it was freakin fantastic. I will ignore the strange conversation with the staff during my call in order, for the simple fact this place was too good.
We had the Chicken Makhanai, Lamb Tikka Masala, and garlic Naan (of course with Bismati rice) all of which was really good. Nice size portions.
The made a late night delivery for us, even though we were stuck in a hotel in the rain:) It took average time to deliver.
The prices are as you would expect in your typical sit down Indian restaurant, no surprise here. I would definitely go back!
I can't say enough good things about this place. The food was great - I asked for extra spicy and that is what I got. I love Indian food, and can honestly say this is the best I have had in Chicago.
I was very excited about the opening of this restaurant when I got the menu in my mailbox. FINALLY, an Indian restaurant in the South Loop, not to mention one that looked pretty promising. I ordered some food from there (even though I only live a few blocks away- it was cold out!!!) and was very much disappointed. The prices were way too steep for quality of food we received (almost a two hour wait for delivery but that didn't bother me). The food was bland, the chicken in my meal was dry and overall our experience was bad.
I'm hoping a second experience- maybe one in the restaurant itself- will be better for me!
I have no idea why the other reviewers have been so harsh with their reviews of this place because I had a perfectly delightful meal here and thought the place was terrific. As many have said, the restaurant is a welcome addition to the area--particularly because it serves Indian and Nepalese food. It's really nice to have good quality Indian food without having to go all the way up to Devon. Even better than that is that this is a place that serves both Indian AND Nepalese food. WOW! How many other Nepalese restaurants are there in Chicago? Technically none!
So my friend and I enjoyed an all-Nepalese meal here tonight. We started with vegetarian Momos--delicious steamed dumplings similar to the ones found in northern Chinese restaurants. Eight fat, delicious dumplings came in one generous order. At he center of the plate was a little dish of mild yellow curry dipping sauce. The dumpling skin was delicate but with just the right amount of chewiness. The curry dipping sauce was a nice accompaniment, slightly piquant, scented with turmeric and other spices--it was kind of like a curry mustard.
After that we each had a vegetarian Nepalese=style dinner: the Veg Bhojan, which was essentially a thali-style dinner of rice with a selection Nepalese dishes. Our dinners came with rice, naan, salad, raita (yogurt), a dhal, and three other cegetable dishes: spinach, potatoes, and cauliflower, all in little stainless steel bowls on a large tray. There was also a little container of rice pudding for dessert.
I thought all of the dishes were nicely flavorful and well-made. I especially liked the spinach dish and the dhal. If one prefers more heat, they will bring out a bowl of house made chili sauce for you. The rice pudding was rich and creamy and was infused with the scent of cardomom. we were realy hungry, so we finished everything, which was probably kind of amazing to the waiter considering we had eaten almost the entire basket of pappadoms which they brought to the table as we sat down. The pappadoms came with a selection of condiments that stayed on the table throughout the dinner: corriander chutney, tamarind chutney, sweet mango chutney, and a tart mango pickle.
Anyway, it was an enjoyable meal. The dining room is nicely decorated with a comfortable mix of booths and tables. They have a full bar, with a great selection of Indian beers (six brands!). The place was quiet and generally relaxing. The waiter was friendly and helpful.
So what's not to like? I'm really perplexed by the negative reviews. This place is a little gem that deserves to be cherished.
Now I have an Indian option in the South Loop! Well, I guess officially Printers row but close enough.
Their Menu is extensive and the service great. They have booths and its nice and bright in there. They play great Indian music. It is pretty reasonable.
I went here with my date who never had Indian food. Ahhh- the pressure!! I said I would order for both of us and everything ended up great.
They also deliver- another bonus...
I have been going to CCH since they opened their doors. I love the food and being from India, can attest that they are 100% authentic.
Chilly Chicken is my favourite along with the Malai kabab...... everything else is great and the best part about this place is that they alter the spice to your taste....so I get my Indian taste buds satiated!
My only suggestion of the food that I've tried so far is that the pakoras can be better.
Thanks for coming to the South Loop :)
Finally! There's somewhere in the South Loop to get some Indian food! Since they've shut down my favorite place on LaSalle I've been chicken tikka masala deprived!
Did a delivery order one friday night and was so happy to see the floppy elephant ear sized naan bread. The chicken tikka masala wasn't too spicy. Don't know if I wasn't as flavorful as what I'm used to or if I was just too ravenous to care. I didn't think my 2 yr old would be ready for the flavors yet, but to my surprise, he was chowing down too. I'd have to agree with the consensus on here that the food wasn't mind-blowing, but not bad--especially for the price.
I look forward to trying the nepalese side of the menu. I'll definitely order from them again and even try to dine in and see what's going on with that buffet.
I reviewed Chicago Curry House last month after experiencing terrible service, order errors, long waits, and boring, less than fresh food. My review, while not terribly complimentary because of the bad dining experience we had had, was factual and fair and even included a compliment.
I received not one, but two emails from someone at Chicago Curry House who scolded me in one and ridiculed me in another. That puts the nail in the coffin for me. At the Chicago Curry House, the customer is apparently the enemy.
About half the tables were busy last night when the 2 of us got there at about 7:30 pm. It took 30… Read more »
How is anyone suppose to find this place?!! Luckily I was being driven there to pick up so I didn't have to know EXACTLY where this place is to park... It's hidden on 9th and plymouth (turn on state and 9th) with NO outside sign. you have to walk up the path and then you'll see a little sign inside the door that says Curry House.
I was craving some meat samosas (after accidentally walking into a vegetarian Indian restaurant) and got a chicken and lamb samosa. I've never tried a chicken samosa but i liked it a lot. They need to give more sauce though, i love the sweet one!
I also tried some garlic naan and chicken naan. It was both really yummy and pretty big. I especially liked the chicken naan. I will definitely try to try out the other ones. Hopefully i will be hungry enough to try out a entree too.
I'm impressed that the folks at Chicago Curry House were able to turn an old White Hen space (R.I.P. White Hen of Plymouth Court...I loved you!) into a very attractive restaurant. The furniture, booths, curtains, chairs and bar were all decorated in a very nice quality. Those flashing "open" signs outside? Well, I can't say that those add to the decor but hey if its getting people in the seats I guess you can't really complain.
They have an extensive menu of traditional Indian favorites. The restaurant bills itself as Chicago's first Nepalese restaurant and I was psyched to try to some Nepalese food (can't say I've ever had some before) but that portion of the menu was pretty limited. Our waiter was very helpful in helping me decide something to order as my entree (I told him I'll eat basically anything just tell me what to order...)
The food is good. Not Devon-quality Indian food but as a neighborhood place this place is an excellent addition. Loved the vegetable appetizer sampler complete with pakoras and a veggie samosa. The appetizer portion was perfect for 2. In terms of entrees we ordered a lamb curry with tomatoes & peppers that our waiter recommended (I forgot the name - oy!) and chicken tikka masala. Both were good but the spice factor could have been increased. Again, you're not on Devon so I don't think you should fear this food being spicy. Next time I'll ask for it extra spicy instead of just "medium". Nan was good especially with their delicious spiced pickle sauce (now that was spicy!)
I LOVE galub jamun (the little doughnuts in a syrupy sauce) and always order it if I'm not too full when I order Indian food. BIG BOO. They were gross and the only "bad" experience of the meal. Tasted like they'd been microwaved? Our waiter kindly removed them from our bill. Loved the chai tea though...a very sweet way to finish our meal.
A-OK. It's nice to have more options in the South Loop. I hope more ethnic restaurants come to this area. We went for the lunch buffet on a Saturday. It was about $11 a person. The service was alright. They were a bit unorganized and not prepared. We waited quite some time for the naan to come to the table. Fortunately, it was good naan, so it was worth the wait. The tandoori chicken was tender but not smoky or quite as flavorful as others that I've had.
The food was decent but not great, However, it's nice to have another ethnic option in the South Loop area.
The decision to go here was rather hurried because the entire party was starving. But it was Indian food and even decent Indian food beats a lot of things. Oddly enough, that was what we got. Decent Indian food. The menu has a lot of options so I won't pretend that I have some great knowledge of their abilities. However, what I can be fairly sure of is that the pictures in the menu are fairly deceiving. Everyone at the table was surprised by the large disparity in the size of the portions pictured and those served. There was enough food but some optical trickery was involved.
The overall flavor was satisfying but nothing that blew me away. The pricing suggested something a bit more elaborate and bountiful.
My one negative memory was the service. Our waitress wasn't impolite and she wasn't inattentive. She was just very pushy. We didn't want anything to drink besides some water and a couple of iced teas but that didn't stop her from each visit suggesting a mango lassi or a cocktail. I didn't change my mind in the last 5 minutes so stop asking. She also pushed other items quite hard. There were only three of us and I felt we ordered a substantial amount of food. Finally, I noticed that they had ras mulai. It is an absolute favorite of mine so I asked if they had any as this tends to run out or never get made. She had to check the menu because she misunderstood me when I asked if they had it... I meant had it made, not had it on the menu. She said yes. She then came back after 5 minutes and said they didn't have it. Ugh. She then persistently insisted on other desserts. I said no thanks four times. Wow.
I've given warnings and things to be aware of. Definitely try it out but maybe stick to the tandoori items. Those are hard to screw up. But stand your ground on all other issues!
Anytime I see a hybrid like this restaurant, I usually assume that the owners are joining forces with another country in an effort to appeal to the masses who've never ventured beyond the ethnic foods that are Indian-Mexican-Thai-Italian. So I made sure to order a Nepali dish on my first visit here.
I'm not sure about the difference in Nepali and Indian cuisine, but I've been to Tibet and I kind of assume that Nepali food is less spicy than Indian and more like Tibetan food, or some kind of cross between. So the fact that the dishes my friend and I ordered were not super spicy was not a surprise to me. But the 2 dishes: green beans with coconut milk (Indian) and the yellow lentils (Nepalese) were delicious and I only regretted that our waiter snatched away the pickles and chutney that came with the papadum before we got to the entrees. The naan was soft and delicious and the service was attentive.
Sure, this is not Devon Street, but in general my standards for South Loop cuisine are lower in all categories. And Curry House has just jumped to the top of my list for an after-work or lunch meal.
We did take-out recently; like everyone else said, the food is a little bland, plus you get the feeling some of it could be fresher.
I'd cut them some slack in the original review for being new, but by now, there's not much rationalizing I can do anymore.
I'm happy to eat food from here, but it's definitely not one of the best (or better) Indian restaurants in Chicago. Too bad.
Just opened. Decent prices, excellent food.
Service is still a little uneven, but they've been open…
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This place has fantastic food. I've never eaten in the restaurant but have gotten the delivery. The menu is extensive. It's a little expensive but they make up for it with huge portions. The delivery is fast. One time they forgot my rice which really disappointed me and that is the only reason I am giving them 4 stars instead of 5. This place adds good variety to the nearly non-existent South Loop dining options.
I've been here twice. The first time, there were two of us and everything was fantastic. The service and food were both superb. Based on that visit alone, this would be five stars. The second time we went, however, there were 6 of us and it took over an hour and a half between ordering our food and getting our appetizers. That was ridiculous. The manager was really nice though and gave us our appetizers for free.
As for the food - I love the chicken saag. The vindaloo was really spicy (the kind of spicy where all you taste is hot instead of the actual spices) - the chile masala was much better. And the naan is excellent (but really, when is naan NOT excellent).
In all, they are not as good as their sister restaurant in Highwood (Curry Hut) but I see the potential.
went here for dinner with my dad and 2 friends. we started things off with the nonveg momo appetizer. it was delicious.
for dinner we had lamb biryani, chicken curry, the goa fish curry, and the non veg nepalese platter. everything was delicious, especially the goa fish curry and the biryani. my dad is a hard one to please since he's from india, and he really liked the place.
we too did experience the confusing wait service. we had 3 or 4 servers (i think). but all of them were willing to accomodate anything we asked for. the wait for the food was a little bit long but not unbearable. i would come back without a doubt.
I was looking for a place that serves Nepalese food in Chicago and strangely enough, there is really just one place and this is it. Went there for the lunch buffet and to be honest I don't think anything in the buffet was Nepalese. On the plus side, everything they had was very tasty! The butter chicken was great, the tandoori chicken was some of the best I've had. Everything was well done. This place has a very strange location underneath an apartment building in a street that is only accessible from State Street. I hope the location doesn't do them in because the food was excellent. Will definitely be going back here for dinner to try some Nepalese dishes. If you like Indian food and you live in the South Loop, check this place out.
Very disappointing, especially since my girlfriend and I have been aching for a proper Indian restaurant closer than Devon.
We had lunch here and got the buffet (available until 3pm). The buffet is to be avoided. They had a goat dish that was tough and chewy, the butter chicken was just the tandoori chicken that had been chopped up and put in with what seemed to be a bland packaged sauce, the jasmine rice was dry and flavorless... all the food was extremely bland, tasteless and mediocre. As my girlfriend said, " Like sex without passion."
When I eat authentic Indian food I have come to expect a wide array of spices and some dishes to be hot (as in spicy hot). THIS is what I want: a contrast of flavors and spiciness. The buffet here tasted as though it were either made from pre-packaged and reheated containers or was deliberately made to be bland so as to be edible for the greatest number of people.
We overheard a woman at the next table raving about her food because it had no fennel in it and she "hates fennel". Why would you eat Indian if you hate fennel? It's one of the more common elements of Indian cooking. You may as well say you only like Italian food if it has no garlic.
I think I would like to go back at some point in the future and try to order food from the menu, but not for 6 months at least. I will definitely not have the buffet again. It's a shame because it smells wonderful outside when they're cooking. However, the actual taste is a major letdown.
Service, however, was friendly and quick.
Returned for a second time. The spice flowed. Everything was excellent and the staff just as last time was really friendly and attentive.
This is now our go to spot of curry.
RrL
Since driving by on the 62 and noticing this place just opened a few weeks ago we have been excited… Read more »
Neighborhood: South Loop
Category: Automotive
Highwood, IL
Category: Indian
Neighborhood: South Loop
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: South Loop
Category: Churches
Neighborhood: South Loop
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