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- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
5 reviews for Essence of India
This is definitely the best Indian food restaurant in Tallahassee. Now that i think of it probably the best one i have ever been to. I don't really do the lunch buffet things at these type of places because the food during that time seems to be considerably under par compared to the cooked to order dinner menu.
I have to start with saying that the Methi-Melai sauce is the best thing on the menu. You can get it with chicken or for the vegetarians with paneer (which is their homemade cheese cubes that are similar to tofu but way tastier). Whenever my girlfriend and i go there our bill is around $50 but that's because we order several dishes and share them all. There are 3 main dishes we order every time we go there because they are our favorites and you cant go wrong with favorites We also order one additional dish to try something new each time. Here is a description of the 3 dishes ordered every time.
Chicken Methi-Melai
Probably the greatest Indian food dish in the world which is odd that this is the only restaurant i have ever seen it served.
Eggplant Bhartha
Great vegetarian dish smokey eggplant flavor make sure you tell them NO FRESH GINGER on top it will seriously ruin the entire dish. They have just recently started putting it on top.
Muttar Paneer
Before Methi-Melai this was my favorite dish. The homemade cheese is absolutely delicious, and seriously who doesn't like peas.
If your like me you love the bread here known as naan and will eat at least one order to yourself. I'm still on the fence about ordering the garlic version because it does cost more but i don't think it adds that much to the party.
The only downside to this place that i have noticed of the 20 or so times i have been here is the service seems to be slow. and by that i mean the wait between finishing your meal and getting everything paid for. Don't know if its part of the culture but we have waited around 15 min before actually getting our check paid on several occasions.
I have given serious thought to applying for a job here just so i can learn how to make the Methi-Melai sauce. It is just that good you really do have to try it.
The food here is just so much better than any other Indian food restaurant that it is worth facing the slow service and will receive the very rarely given out 5 star rating from me.
The best Indian in Tallahassee. The lunch special is a bargain and the food has never missed. Oddly enough the consistency of the food tends to vary a bit --- if you order a dish on one night it may not taste the same and a previous visit (especially with the chutneys) --- but it is all still good. The variations just make me think I'm visiting different Indian/Paki friends who are cooking the same dish with their own little twist.
The service has always been good and they seem to have some of the nicest staff people (especially those filling your water and clearing the plates) in all of town. This place has seemingly changed ownership about three times in the three years since I moved here but I have a feeling this one is here to stay --- the food is a great improvement over what used to be there (both times).
For lunch you get really great food and a really great price ($7.99)! Includes soup, salad, dessert, naan, and lunch entree of choice. For dinner, you'll pay a little more and it's all a la carte, unless you get the special for two for $30.
I definitely recommend it for lunch, in fact you'll probably see me there!
If you like British-style Indian food, you'll love Essence of India. The menu is typical of the genre. They serve liquor and the $8 lunch--which includes soup, salad, entree, naan, and desert--is about as good a bargain as you'll find. I recommend ordering rice pudding for desert.
Walked in here just before the lunch special ended at two -- and what a lunch special it is! I can't recall the price exactly, but I think it was around a tidy seven dollars for lentil soup, a small salad, an entree of your choice, naan bread, and dessert. It wasn't the best Indian I've ever had, but it was very good and definitely filled my craving. I was impressed with the service too -- quick and attentive. Maybe the best part are the totally 80s Miami Vice plush, color-splashed black velveteen chairs we were sitting on. A cute, good place to catch a lunch.
