East India Co Grill & Bar

Wonderful atmosphere--once you get in the door. (Sadly there are signs of homeless people and drug use on the street.) But it's definitely worth going there, as the quality of the authentic Indian food and the service is stellar. We'll definitely be returning!

The way I differentiate a good Indian restaurant from a great one if by the quality of their Biryani. I have to say East India Co Grill is a *good* Indian restaurant.

I ordered their Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani and it was pretty ordinary (nothing out of the world). The presentation of the food was nice, but the quantity of Biryani for $17-18 was quite less if you compare with other Indian establishments in the area. I finished the plate of Biryani quite easily and there was room for more in my stomach.

I could see the many flavors in the biryani tingling the taste buds of someone not from South Asia but as an Indian, it didn't excite me. Personally, I'd have preferred if there was more chicken and less raisins in the Biryani. It seems like the kitchen was a little stingy when it came to putting chicken in the dish.

The ambience of the restaurant is probably one of the best, if not the best, for an Indian restaurant in the area.

So my partner is Celiac and cannot tolerate gluten in any way, shape, or form. So Indian food works really well for her, as most Indian dishes can be prepared gluten free.

After an afternoon watching the Portland Thorns play the Kansas City Current (Thorns won, 3-0, go Thorns!), we made a side trip to the East India Company restaurant before heading home.

The entry is one long bar, and is very elegant. We approached the hostess, who asked if we had reservations. We did not, but she said she could make something work if we were willing to wait. We were and she was wonderful about letting us know what was going on.

When we got to the main dining area, the ambiance was fantastic. A gorgeous sculpture hangs overhead and the tables are dark and romantic. The smell is of wonderful curry and there is a sense that every table is separate from every other table, giving you a sense of privacy, even if someone is sitting next to you.

My partner is in love with the Machli Ka Tikka, a salmon curry that she just dies for. Our server suggested to her that it would be four pieces of fish, so she might want to go for another dish. That being said, she also went with a Murg Tikka, a chicken in yogurt and saffron. I don't like fish, but I love chicken, and I found it to be amazing. I would also note that the pieces of salmon that were served to us were HUGE! Huge enough that, along with some bits of the Murg Tikka and my own dish, my partner basically took most of the chicken home.

I was going to go for the chicken vindaloo, myself, but that's not able to be prepared gluten free at East India Co. As part of us going out on date night and making events of the evenings we get to ourselves, I try my best to eat gluten free myself so that we can share dishes. Therefore, I went with the chicken Makhani, basically butter chicken.

For spice, I asked for it to be as spicy as possible. Not "I say I like spicy but I think ketchup is spicy," but "spicy like I like it hot" spicy. The waitress said she absolutely understood. The sauce, chicken, and rice under it were wonderful. Rich and thick, and hot, though not debilitatingly hot. The butter and cream in the sauce are going to tone down a lot of those spices, so it was middling hot to both our pallets, at best. Still, it was delicious.

We thoroughly enjoyed our evening, along with some nice glasses of wine, and pleasant conversation and company. Next time we get out to a Thorns game, we'll definitely make reservations, but this is one of our go-to restaurants now.

Great quality and fun place to hangout!
Their Dal is fantastic! I enjoy their lunch specials

Really quality ingredients. A bit out of the way location. Solid service. Had the lamb vindaloo, and saag paneer, and also the Tandoori muxed grill (outstanding salmon and lamb kebob) with rice and Naan, and a bottle of Cab, very good all around. A bit sleepy of a place, but hits the Indian food cravings!

I've been coming here for years and unfortunately this will be my last time. After the pandemic there quality of food declined and their menu is not truly authentic.

I love Indian food . One of my favorite items is Chai. They used to make amazing Chai and they've removed that from the menu. Very disappointing.

They also used to have amazing Pappadum with an assortment of items to go along with it and they removed it from the menu as well. Very disappointed.

There food is overcooked as if they've moved into a fast food attitude and lost the meaning of authentic cooking.

Honestly it took a lot to write this post because they were one of my top places in Portland but after yesterday's meal, I will venture and find a new Indian place. It's a bittersweet decision but it's no longer the restaurant I remember it to be.

Quick service. A nice different take on the cuisine. Loved the apps, and mixed tandoori grill.

I moved out here from Dallas, TX about 3 years ago and have been looking for a good Indian place to go to and finally I could say this is it. A friend told us about it and we all came here last week. It was wonderful. The food taste it great, server was awesome, and the vibe was very nice. Not too expensive which I really appreciate. I did not take pics as we were hungry and didn't even think of taking few. We will definitely go back alone and with friends.

Absolutely amazing food! Consistently good quality. Recommend this place if you are in PDX.

I really liked this place. The standout item for me was the Tandoori chicken. It seemed slow-smoked tender and juicy.
I'd go back just for that.