- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Haandi Cuisine of India
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11:30 am - 3 pm
Mon-Thu, Sun 5 pm - 9:30 pm
Fri-Sat 5 pm - 10:30 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
47 reviews for Haandi Cuisine of India
Review Highlights
"Went here for a lunch buffet $7, and was pleasantly..."
(in 10 reviews)
"...for dessert, try the Mango Lassi (yogurty milkshake."
(in 3 reviews)
"...for 2: Veggie samosas, chicken makhani, chicken haandi, and..."
(in 3 reviews)
Loading...
47 reviews in English
-
Review from Jiwon P.
Dearborn, MI
8/29/2010
Fiiinally. I'm originally from Chicago and definitely used to a lot of cultural diversity in my diet, so it's been a hard adjustment moving to a place with a dearth of good multicultural food. The gf and I were craving some Indian food and we went here on a recommendation. Definitely fans.
The food won us over. The service was pretty awful (consisting of a younger girl asking us "so do you know what you want yet?" in a snarky tone) and the ambience is meh, but seriously none of that mattered when we got our food. We got the assorted vegetable platter with a samosa, some fried chilis and some other fried things. Basically a plate of heavenly fried Indian flavors. Delish. For dinner we got their lamb specialty -- a lamb in some darker curry with something tomato-y in it and Khadi Paneer. Both were delicious and we were scraping the sauce out of the bowls with our naan.
The bill came, and honestly we were pretty pleasantly surprised. A big appie, some special naan and 2 entrees for $35? Yes please.
Definitely a fan. -
Review from Evie B.
1/12/2012
Ok I am apparently going to have to go back and try this place again, but after eating at NEEHEE it's really hard for me to return. My girlfriends and I went one afternoon, right after work. At first, I was concerned they weren't open, as no one was in there and it was freaking cold! It takes a lot for me to say "I'm cold" but this place was close to replicating the feeling of being on an iceberg (not that I've experienced this feeling) lol
We were the ONLY people in the restaurant and it took forever to get service, which again made me think they had just opened up. They were soooo slow in every area of service.
There was this enormous tv right by our table and we were a bit distracted by the music and non-stop run of music videos.
We each ordered a entree. We received our lil itty bitty bowl along with our lil bowl of rice (to split amongst us). We asked for another bowl and I believe we were charged for it.
The food is waaaaay overpriced, but I find this to be typical for Indian food (except at NEEHEE's). I thought the food was "meh".
Nah, I won't be returning although this place has received some great reviews from some of my favorite reviews. -
Review from Kris a.
4/25/2011
This was by far one of the worst restaurant experiences I have had in my life! We went in and stood for 10 minutes before we finally asked if it was OK to take a seat (the sign said to wait to be seated).
Most of us opted for the "buffet", which consisted of trays for 8 items, all unmarked & unrecognizable, most close to empty. It was underwhelming to say the least. There were two dishes with some type of meat in them (never did find out which kind). The food was all barely edible. The Nan was just OK. Everybody in the place was complaining because the service was slow and the buffet was always going empty. Two of our table of 9 ordered dishes off the menu, and it took them over 40 minutes to be served! The manager apologized saying he only had 1 cook that day.
The service was rude & SLOW. Let me stress the SSSSSSSLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOWWWWWW part. Everything she did seemed to be a big chore. Then when we paid, the weekend buffet price of $9.95, as they considered Friday as part of the weekend (weekday price is $8.50)! Another rip off!!!!
Bottom line, I won't go within 25 feet of this place!Listed in: Don't waste Your Time With…
-
Review from Tim K.
4/30/2011
This was my first venture into Indian Cuisine and I was pretty disappointed. As we went on a Saturday afternoon they were offering their lunch buffet only. I liked the Chicken Makhan I had, it was tasty, but everything else was cold and scarce. The majority of the selections either had very little in their respected trays or nothing at all.
They had maybe eight different options to choose from (both vegetarian and non-vegetarian) and it was hard to tell what was what as most things didn't have labels and the ones that did had chicken scratch hand writing which made it impossible to read. We ended up just referring to things by color for the most part. The only reason I knew the "red stuff" was Chicken Makhani was because I snagged a menu and compared what was in it to the description.
The place was dead and as stated it looked like they hadn't refilled the buffet in hours. My father-in-law pointed out the empty and soon to be empty items to the waiter and he just looked at him like a deer in the headlights. The hour or so we were there not one item was refilled. The waiter himself was very shy and quiet and rarely came over to refill our water. And that was all were offered; water. No other drink options to choose from. I am not sure if this is typical, but I would assume not as their menu had other drink items. He just never asked us or gave us the option to ask.
As for cleanliness, both the tile flooring and carpet were very sticky. Every time I took a step you could hear the sole of my shoes peel off the ground. It kind of made me quiver a bit to think if the floor was that dirty, how bad was the kitchen area?
The owner was no where to be found until we were cashing out and the only thing that saved this from getting a one star review was that he gave us a coupon for 15% off our next visit (which will be never, but the gesture was nice) and he gave us all a small to-go cup of Mango Ice Cream which was actually very very good. Sadly the best thing we ate there that day.
Our experience was bad, but it isn't going to turn me away from trying Indian Food again. Just next time I will do a little research before we go instead of a spur of the moment decision like we did with Haandi. -
Review from Erica C.
South Lyon, MI
11/18/2011
It's quite possible that they may be closed since their phone number doesn't work.
-
Review from Janelle W.
Detroit, MI
4/12/2010
I feel bad for the people who think Haandi is good Indian food, in the same way I felt bad for the kids who got stuck with Africa in the final round of 'Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?'. You can't expect an 11-year-old to know where Burkina Faso is, just like you can't expect a meatloaf-and-mom-jeans housewife to know anything about Indian food.
What they *do* know about, however, is 'Dancing With the Stars'--the latest episode of which they made sure I heard about from halfway across the restaurant during the lunch buffet. Adjacent to me was a table of polo-shirted lunch breakers who were speculating--in all seriousness--that mango 'lassie' was a stew containing Collie meat.
I begrudgingly spooned a serving of each of the eight monochromatic buffet dishes onto my plate. My plate at an Indian buffet is always like an artist's palette in a kaleidoscope of colors; but at Haandi, the artist paints in sepia. Every dish looked the same, tasted the same, and had the same texture. The frothy butter chicken was exactly like the deadened tandoori chicken, which was exactly like the parched hakka noodles. This is the antithesis of what Indian food is supposed to be.
But reviewing a restaurant based solely on an AYCE buffet is like getting up to answer your phone halfway through giving a beejer. So when hunger spoke louder than my better judgment, I returned to Haandi for dinner.
But dinner at Haandi is a more costly, more tasteless mistake than getting knocked up in high school.
A simple vegetable samosa is $3.95. Three fucking ninety-five! Now I know what Bernie Madoff's new gig is--anyone dumb enough to pay more than $1.50 for a greasy, soggy, tough mound of dough-wrapped instant mashed potatoes deserves to get ripped off.
Haandi is exactly why I perpetually insist that Indian food is supposed to be cheap. What does one get out of paying more for Indian food?
Angelic white tablecloths
Crisp cloth napkins
Crystal wine glasses
Dutiful servers who do anything to please, stopping just shy of wiping your ass
But you also get incredibly flavorless food that replaces spice with rich, fatty ghee, and is more American than being mono-lingual. That anyone would choose expensive and bland over cheap and spicy makes as much sense as buying the "We Are The World" remake.
It prides my swollen ego that yelpers have taken to my chilli chicken obsession. But alas, I can only lead the horses to the trough, I can't teach them to recognize tap water from Perrier--Haandi is the last place to go for chilli chicken ($14). You can get the same thing at Panda Express, except there, it's called orange chicken. The horifically sticky, soy-citrus, gelatinous sauce drowns the strands of connective chicken tissue and makes you appreciate the accompanying dry, crunchy basmati rice.
Haandi is Indian food for people who used to shop at Montgomery Ward and who gain two pounds from cider mill donuts every fall. Haandi is Indian food in an apocalypically colorless situation: white employees, white customers, white tablecloths. When the only brown thing in an Indian restaurant is the channa masala, I suggest you turn around and proceed directly to Namaste Flavours (http://www.yelp.com/bi...).
[Apologies to Allen L., one of my favorite Yelpers whose palate I dearly respect, who liked Haandi. I offer this concession... ballsack.] -
Review from Bill B.
7/20/2010
So I got stood for dinner by a musician friend of mine and I had to eat before my set at the Michigan Jazz Festival at Schoolcraft College. As a former west sider (Farmington), I headed for a once thriving and now somewhat desolate strip mall off Six Mile beyond Laurel Park Place. I had planned to eat at an old favorite Japanese restaurant but opted at the last minute for Indian.
Haandi has one large dining area and one small one. In the background was gentle Indian easy listening music (probably my first warning).
The menu was a little different than most in town in that it had more selections made in a Tandoor, even vegetarian ones. I decided to be brave (considering that I play a brass instrument and had an impending gig) and ordered the Bharwan Simla Mirch (green pepper stuffed with a cottage cheese mixture.
The peppers arrived on top of a bed of shredded cabbage on a sizzling oven-safe plate. Their cheese was punctuated with carrots and cumin and looked vaguely like scrambled eggs. On the side was a picklish limey minty chutney.
From the first bite, something seemed a bit wrong. The peppers had off-putting overly lemony tinge. The cheese had a variety of micro-climates, some good, some not so good; the effect was jarring. The humble cabbage stood out with a pleasantly burned flavor.
Since there were only two tables occupied in the place, the staff decided that it would be OK to run the vacuum cleaner at high volume. They also took the opportunity to have a loud human resources discussion with the manager.
Like Dann below, I have eaten at a lot of Indian restaurants in many cities over the years. My two star rating reflects where Haandi falls in meal and ambiance. I was able to do my gig without incident but that's about the best I can say. -
Review from Robyn T.
9/23/2010 1 Check-in Here
i'm going to make a suggestion for any future visitors. Best to stick with the lunch buffet. Fixed prices for different choices-that's the way to go.
Karen C. and I made the mistake and went for dinner. Now the atmosphere is basic but very clean, and the owner and staff are all incredibly friendly.
I'm a fairly conservative eater and I don't know much about Indian food. Neither did any of my dinner mates. So we relied on the expertise of the owner and server to educate us.
There were things we were asking about and the owner would say, "Let me bring this out for you. If you don't like it, it's on the house". Super! The problem was, OF COURSE we would like it. So we ended up with extra items on the bill that we would not normally have ordered. Of course, it's our fault for getting suckered in, but that seemed really shady and car saleman-ish on the part of the restaurant and it really turned me off. Again, stick with lunch buffet so you're not a victim of the upsell.
The food was pretty good though. I ordered my standard Chicken Tika Masala and it did not disappoint. I know the food is tame and Americanized, but it still had a good taste. They also have really good Naan.
Overall the service was so-so. There were only 2 occupied tables and they ended up bringing food to the wrong table. Now I don't expect Einstein to be waiting on us, but come on. You've got a 50/50 shot here.
If you're considering this place for dinner, it's probably best to order it to go. -
Review from Liz W.
4/7/2010
I met some old friends here for a nosh the other day. They are regulars and I wanted to give it a whirl. My knowledge of Indian food is sketchy at best but I liked what I tried here.
Going off of Allen's review (as yes I did check Yelp before I walked in) I suggested we try the mirch. Excellent call. Spicy indeed which I quite like but my one friend needed more than a bit of strawberry lassi to recover, the expression on her face was priceless. If you don't like heat skip this app, I will give the restaurant credit that they warn you first.
We decided on one veg entree and one meat to share, portions are generous and it was more than enough for three. The aloo baigan was a lovely combo of flavors and very nicely spiced. I love eggplant at any rate. It was a hit with all three of us. The chili chicken was quite garlicky and therefore happy. I found it very tasty but I did not get much of it as it was clearly the most popular dish of the three.
I will be back at some point to try the buffet but I need to hit some other Indian fare first.Listed in: The Lowdown on Livonia, Adventures of an Indian Newb
-
Review from Susan K.
Canton, MI
3/29/2009 ROTD 4/16/2009
Tried this place based on the the excellent reviews here on yelp. We were not disappointed! We were greeted by the owner, Rakesh Sabharwal. We told him that we were there based on the rec's on Yelp.
We invited my daughter and her boyfriend to come along and experience it with us. It was more like an event than just a meal that way. We ordered 3 apps which were great. We asked for Naan but Rakesh said - "no, you'll get too full". Which we actually appreciated!
We ordered 3 entrees - the house chicken tikki, a lamb dish (Rakesh picked) and the spinach/cheese (another suggestion). All were outstanding. And we got Naan! I'd suggest the onion Naan, it was my favorite. Rakesh even shared the basic recipe/ingredients for the "green" sauce - which was soooo good and fresh.
In summary - this is a family owned place where the owner really takes pride in his product. The service isn't fast - but it isn't slow either - just don't go here expecting to be in/out in quick time (at least not for dinner). Take the recommendations of the house and you won't be sorry.
I'm already looking forward to going back. -
Review from Hitesh C.
3/17/2010
From the starter to the dessert - Wow!
This is the first indian restaurant that feels like an Indian restaurant, it had the music, the indian portraits on the walls and shaped like an indian restaurant.
The service from the waiters was excellent! this is the first indian restaurant i've been to where their was a white waiter (so funny) and he was actually training an indian waiter that day.. priceless!
The Starter
Paneer Pokora -- Absolutely amazing! Credit to the chef
Main meal
Shrimp - Punjabi masala with extra spice -- Chef got this bang on.
Chef did recommend the goan curry but i've had this a few times in the past in india and its not all that.. kinda avoiding that dish since.
Dessert
I wanted ras malai but they were out of stock, had to settle for the Mango Kulfi which was great.
This has become my favourite non-veg indian restaurant of Michigan, there is no more need for me to explore further any more.
:-). -
Review from Sim M.
Kirkland, WA
6/28/2010
It's not that I didn't like the food. The curries were just average but then what I really used to crave for was the Tandori Aloo( appetizer) and so this place got many of my credit card swipes since the day it opened.
The owner used to be very nice and would make sure to come and talk to us every time. But then, one day we made a mistake of telling him that we are leaving Michigan for good and he made a face. In fact he totally ignored us the next time we went there to eat. So Haandi, here's my one star!!!Listed in: Michigan
-
Review from Allen L.
12/14/2009
We've been here 3 times over the last 6 months with mixed but mostly favorable experiences.
Focusing on the big picture:
- dishes here seem to be subtly prepared and refined.
Many places use to much ghee for my taste. This is not
the case here. If you get a dish with spinach, you taste the spinach
not just creamy butteryness.
- The mirch appetizer is a must have. HOT pepper with cheese, potato,
peas, cashews and cilantro. Just enough heat to make the bald spot on my head sweat profusely. Hot in a good way. (Unlike the mirch at Ashoka - hottest thing I've ever had in my mouth).
- we generally avoid the deep fried appetizers and almost always get vegetarian entrees at Indian restaurants and it paid off well here.
- The saag paneer is subtle and Delhi-icious.
The kitchen always seems slow. Even on nights where we were one of only two occupied tables. Service is OK.
All the above held true for the one visit that was for the buffet. -
Review from Karen C.
Canton, MI
10/11/2010 1 Check-in Here
My friend Robyn T and I met here a while back. Her review was right on. I thought the food was really good, but it is really tricky how they talk you into trying stuff by telling you "if you don't like it, it's on us". I think this works really well with most people who are not really familiar with Indian Cuisine. You rely on the wait staff for help in what to order and are a bit confused to begin with, so you are prime for the sellin. A warning, the beer and wine are pretty pricey.
That being said our dinners were pretty good and I would order from there again, but to mirror the other reviews, carry out is the way to go.
The up sell and the very slooooowwww service brought the stars down to three for me. -
Review from Andrew M.
Richmond, VA
1/26/2008
Fantastic, authentic Indian. But wait, I'm not Indian. How do I know? I went with two Indian friends who both agreed that it is the most authentic Indian restaurant they have been to in their 10+ years in the U.S., which is saying a lot considering both are "foodies" and one is a former food critic in Portland, OR. In fact, since moving to Ann Arbor they have driven the 30 minutes to this restaurant nearly a dozen times.
We had a group of 10 and shared everything family style, which I highly recommend. I loved the house specialty, Lamb Haandi. Perfectly seasoned and just spicy enough to get a reaction but not hot enough to induce burning.
I tried several of the other lamb, chicken and vegetarian dishes and all were good. Suggestion: for dessert, try the Mango Lassi (yogurty milkshake).
Waitstaff was courteous, prompt and helpful in selecting dishes based on personal preferences. The restaurant itself is clean and well maintained. Can't wait to go back!
One note: As of this review (1/26/08), they still don't have a liquor license. Might be an issue for some, but I quickly overcame that objection when the food was brought out. -
Review from BD Traveler R.
Superior Township, MI
5/28/2009
We went to Haandi for lunch recently on a Friday. At lunchtime, Haandi offers a buffet, but I was a little disappointed at the selection of dishes. I felt this was the case in particular since we were charged the higher price for a "Weekend Lunch Buffet". Yes, Haandi counts Friday lunchtime as the weekend (too bad my manager doesn't).
At other Indian restaurants we frequent, they also have higher weekend rates for lunch buffets, but typically they are for Saturday and Sunday, and generally have a greater than normal selection of dishes, including some combination of seafood, appetizers, or more than one dessert that is normally not on the weekday lunch buffet. This wasn't the case at Haandi - maybe it is on Saturday and Sunday. If they are going to charge more on a Friday, there should be a little something extra on offer.
The food itself was relatively good quality - not too greasy, and quite flavorful. Nothing exceptional, however. They did have mutton curry, which I am a fan of and is hard to get other than at Indian restaurants. I might revisit on an evening or other weekday to see what is different. -
Review from Jenny J.
2/4/2007
This new Indian restaurant in Livonia is amazing!
The owner greeted us when we came in and chatted with us a bit at our table. They just opened up six months ago and put an expansion on the restaurant last month.
The food is fantastic. The four of us shared a bite from everything we ordered - lentil soup, vegetable samosa, Masala tea, Chicken Seekh Kebab, Chicken Haandi, Chutney Dum Aloo, and Chicken Vindaloo.
I couldn't stop mmm-mmm-mmm'ing throughout the whole dinner! The staff was very polite and attentive. Definitely one of the best Indian restaurants in the area! -
Review from Les O.
Livonia, MI
6/27/2008
Went here with the lovely wife for our first Indian after a move back from California. We'd had a few favorite haunts back in CA, but this place was cleaner and friendlier than any of them. The waiter even dared to offer a few suggestions on what we might like to try when we had trouble making up our minds.
We had a combination dinner for 2: Veggie samosas, chicken makhani, chicken haandi, and gajar halva (carrot pudding). The chicken makhani was good and creamy, and the chicken haandi had a great and spicy onion sauce. At the end, the gajar halva was excellent, almost like candy.
We'll definitely be back for more.
The only real downsides to the place were that it was a little small - maybe 8 tables or so. And, there was no thali option with entrees - we tend to order that at other restaurants and pig out on the variety. -
Review from Duke A.
Detroit, MI
10/22/2007
Went back there for lunch with colleagues. Lunch buffet had a lot of exotic/authentic selection (I believe it's Northern Indian?). Everything tasted amazing.
Friendly and pleasant staff. Clean.
In the same strip mall as Akasaka Japanese restaurant and Koyama Shoten Japanese market. -
Review from Shelly M.
4/30/2010
Janelle told me not to do it, but did I listen.... It's just that we were right there and we were hungry, and, and.... I've been punished. I'll start with the good. The service was good, waitress seemed to be kind of new, but she was pleasant, happy, and attentive. We had the Lamb Biryani, which was decent, we ordered it hot and it had quite a bit of spice. The naan was very good. Raithi was a bit sour, I don't think it was fresh. Chicken Tikka Masala, was reminiscent of "The Peacock" in Dearborn, tasted like pasta sauce, awful. The Chicken Makhani, was okay...I guess.... too tangy and just off if you ask me.
I had to lower my star rating from 2 stars to 1 because of all of the people giving 4 & 5 stars! There is no way this is 4 star food!Listed in: Adventures in Indian food.
-
Review from Jack M.
Plymouth, MI
2/27/2009
To be honest I do not know much about Indian food.
I love Middle Eastern cuisine though.
I got a carry out buffet and they had 4-5 choices. I got a chicken dish with green pepper in a tomato based sauce..it was AWESOME! The chick peas in a sauce were very good, I had some other chicken dish that was very good. And the soup was light broth corn chowder that was also really good.
Great flavors!
Carry out buffet says 7.95 on the menu but I was charged 9.95. I guess they raised their prices. Anyway it was well worth it. I had a big lunch and still had enough left for another meal later in the day.
I will go there again. I just have to start finding out the names of the food. -
Review from Scott M.
Seattle, WA
9/16/2009
Not to sound snooty--I realize I'm a west coast guy in the midwest--but I went here with friends while on business in Michigan and this ranks as the worst Indian food I have ever experienced. We ordered the vegetable sampler appetizer plate and received over cooked pakoras, somosas that smelled pizza, these green-stone looking things that tasted like nothing and sad looking fried jalepenos. Our main courses were better but not that special. My colleague's mushroom muttar was not that good and the chicken in my korma dish tasted like they were just taken out of the freezer.
I think the cherry on top was when we asked our waiter about some of the dishes and he stated he had never tasted any of the food on the menu and really had little clue what they tasted like or even what their ingredients were. I have to say if I were a restaurant owner, this would be probably my worst fear coming to life.
I'm sticking to the belief that Michiganders don't know what real Indian cuisine is....I think, -
Review from Maureen M.
Royal Oak, MI
4/8/2010
I don't know if it's entirely fair to rate 4 stars after my first visit, which was carry-out. I've probably only had Indian food two times. I do know good food when I taste it.
I decided to try the vegetable samosa, chilly chicken, and a mango lassi. Everything was delicious! I ordered medium spice for the chilly chicken w/ gravy. I wasn't expecting that question and didn't know the difference. I'm glad I got the gravy. Loved the rice. Everything was very fresh. I'm not really sure what is in the two little containers. One is a bright green, and the other is brown. Very different and aromatic. I loved the naan. The mango lassi was just what I needed for my burning lips and mouth to recover from my hot & delicious dinner.
Thank you, fellow Yelpers for your recommendations! I am looking forward to trying more dishes and I'm confident I'll be pleased! -
Review from Sarah R.
6/30/2008 2 photos
Haandi is just up the road from the office where I work part-time, and I decided to check out their buffet for lunch. It's nice that they let you pack up a box meal to go for the buffet price of $7.95 on weekdays and $8.95 on weekends. A sign on the door said the price for their buffet was going to be increased a dollar, but I was charged the old price of $7.95.
Haandi is in a nondescript strip mall, but the interior is nicely decorated. It was about three-quarters full of diners when I went there around noon on a Monday.
I asked the man working the front desk-- who appeared to be an owner or manager-- which dishes on the buffet were vegetarian, and he kindly pointed them out. They had a nice selection of three chicken dishes, five vegetarian dishes, rice pilaf and naan.
They must refresh the supply of naan frequently because it wasn't dried out and had good flavor and a soft texture. The rice pilaf wasn't anything spectacular, but it did have very fresh and not over-cooked peas in it that popped when I bit into them.
The eggplant and potato dish I tried was quite good and fragrant with cumin. I sampled a mushroom and pea dish that was strongly flavored with cilantro, and that was good as well. The dish that both scared and enticed me was a bright mustard yellow color. It turned out to be my favorite of the three. They fry vegetable pakoras and serve them in a yogurt sauce, though I'm not sure what gives it that bright yellow color. Nevertheless, it was really tasty.
I'd definitely return here for the buffet again sometime, and would bring friends along. -
Review from Paul B.
Redford, MI
3/18/2010
This was my first experience at Haandi and with Indian cuisine in general. The resturant is a little on the small side, and tucked away in a strip mall making it not easily viewable when driving by. But, the atmosphere and the small size makes it a comforting type place.
Let's start with the good. The food, once received, was amazing.
I went with 3 other people and we each ordered different dishes and were able to try some of each others.
I ordered Tandoori Aloo as an appetizer. Amazing is one word. Potatoes and paneer in a spiced sauce. Yum.. The green sauce that comes with most dishes, I cannot recall the name, was very good as well. It was def cilantro based but refreshing and tasty. For dinner I had the Chicken Tikka Hyderabadi with a side of Raita. Again, the food was very well spiced and tasty. The fresh Naan paired well with the meal and the raita was cool and refreshing. I would definitely order the food again.
Now, for the bad. The service was a bit slow. Being a Saturday night, the restaurant was not super busy. The 4 of us had our food come out at various times. One person had their dinner out and the others did not come for 15 minutes. Another person in our group had their dinner go to another table, by mistake the waiter dropped it off. So, she had to wait for a fresh dish to be made.
Still, baring the slow service, the food was very good and did not deter any of us from saying we'd happily go back again. -
Review from Theresa U.
Northville, MI
3/25/2008
Went here for a lunch buffet $7, and was pleasantly surprised! They had a nice variety of authentic Indian fare to choose from. I especially liked the tandori chicken. The waiter also kept our bread basket full.
OMG I am getting cravings for it just writing about it!
Is it lunch yet??? -
Review from Patrick F.
Ypsilanti, MI
The food here was tasty and well prepared. My party of 8 ordered a variety of dishes and everyone enjoyed them. The food style seemed more towards home-style than fine or gourmet, but it was a quality experience an we will definitely dine here again.
-
Review from Heather R.
Westland, MI
9/6/2010
My husband and I thought we would try this place despite the varying reviews- 1) location wise it is convenient, 2) we are eager to find some good Indian food as we moved from Chicago and Devon Street dining to the Detroit suburbs and 3) we are surprised at how few people Yelp so we thought what the heck, let's make our own opinion.
My husband ordered the house specialty (Haandi Chicken) and though he hasn't had this dish before he polished the whole bowl. He said 'yummy' several times. The dish has a thick gravy with a healthy blend of onions and tomatoes. The chicken was very tender. Entree price includes rice and one naan, a nice touch.
I had the Malai Kofta (which is my go to fave Indian dish). It came with the rice and one naan which was great. I like my dish but not sure I will crave it. Still looking for the Malai Kofta in the Detroit area that's 5 stars.
I noticed one server/hostess for the Sunday lunch time. There were 5 tables max for her to take care of. We were given water and asked if we wanted any other beverage. We didn't. The server never refilled our water glasses. Plus it took a long time to get our bill. I understand the poor service reviews/comments. I agree.
At first glance around I thought the place was clean (have you seen some of the places on Devon St?). When I dropped my napkin under the table and went to retrieve it I skipped it. Yucky. I don't think they vacuum.
So will I come here again- yes. A little additional context: I am White, American and my husband is from India. -
Review from Justin S.
Boston, MA
2/21/2011
I'll have to preface this a bit first: this is for the lunch buffet. I like Indian food, but very rarely do I know what I'm ordering without seeing it first, so I tend to go visual (buffet, carts, stands, etc). That being said, this was a great lunch buffet.
The options were good, there wasn't too much selection (probably 8 items), but a good balance of vegetarian and non-veg. The food was fresh, flavorful, well spiced and seasoned. The fresh nan was very good, as were the complementary sides the server brought out from the kitchen.
The staff was friendly, the prices were reasonable, and that atmosphere was nice, and the place seemed very clean. -
Review from Dann A.
Detroit, MI
4/21/2010 ROTD 6/23/2010
I gotta disagree with Janelle on this one. I'm no Indiana Jones on Indian food, but I've eaten at least 20 of them from Troy to Hamtramck to Seattle to New York, and I'd say Haandi is far from the worst in town - that said, it's far from the best I've had. I live in Detroit, so going to Novi or Troy is not really feasible for me. This basically leaves me with Gandhi in Hamtramck, which I don't like (the restaurant, not the city), the disgusting Star of India in Ferndale and some new joint that just opened in Royal Oak. What I'm trying to tell you, I guess, is that Haandi gets extra points for being better than the others in the immediate Detroit area. Ever since Sizzl'n Spice closed downtown, I haven't had truly amazing Indian food. I even ventured out to Canton to mow down on masala only to be disappointed.
Anyway, back to Haandi. Try the pepper appetizer, something I'd never had before but definitely dug. It's probably not a true Indian dish, closer resembling a sizzling plate of fajitas minus the tortillas and with Indian spices. The aloo gobhi was pretty good, as was the palak paneer.
The atmosphere isn't going to win anyone over, being in a typical suburban strip mall, but it was clean and service was decent when we were there. -
Review from Ferdi E.
3/13/2009
so im in detroit, and in yelp we trust... booyah. yelp did it again.
im no stranger to indian food, so this was a great find in michigan, who woulda thunk it.
the GRUB:
- for apps we ordered the Veggie Samosas and the Seekh Kabob Roll... the samosa was good with a great blend of curried potatoes and peas fried golden brown; the Seekh was ok, best described by one of my coworkers as a spicy jimmy dean sausage in a blanket...ha!
- 4 mains were ordered - TANDOORI Chicken - served on a sizzling plate was amazing; Chicken HYDERABADI - creamy coconut curry with cashews was out of this world; HAANDI Lamb - spicy onion and yogurt make this dish hard to hate - delicious; and good ol' Chicken TIKKA MASALA - solid, well done dish of boneless chicken in a creamy tomato sauce
- plenty of house NAAN to scoop the awesome flavors and BASATMI rice and RAITA completed everyones dish - awesome indeed.
- MANGO LASSI for me was good til the last drop; the rest of the party tried the house beer TAJ (indian beer) and wine was great too.
the JOINT:
- service was outstanding... i repeat... outstanding.
- plenty of tables in the clean and bright upscale dining room
- traditional east indian decor tied the cafe to its roots
- plenty of parking in the strip mall
the SQUEEZE:
- decent pricing, but for the portion amount and quality of food, the actual pricing is a bargain...great stuff.
- the owner, also greeted us at the table to make small talk and get customer input on the meal... this is key - it shows he really cares what you think... he also, realized that we were all visiting and showed his hospitality by giving us some free desserts and indian tea after we paid our bill... thats love right thur...
- they do take out, and what looks like a lunch buffet
- cash and cards (even my stupid ass AMEX Corp card) accepted here
in final thoughts, this was a grand place to have a dinner with friends and coworkers, if you love indian food - dont miss this gem.Listed in: Bollywood - here i come....
-
Review from Andy S.
Livonia, MI
7/7/2011
I am an Indian Buffet junkie and Haandi is my crack. They have a much larger selection than most Indian buffets and freshness is never an issue. They do a nice job of switching up the offerings so I can usually count on trying something new. Their samosas are out of this world. They also have a nice dessert selection. Service is always friendly and helpful.
-
Review from Scott C.
Romulus, MI
Great food. Good portions. Great place to get good spicy food!
-
Review from Anson P.
Roanoke, VA
2/22/2009
Who knew that I would have to drive 30-40 minutes for the closest Indian restaurant with a buffet? Hell, I would drive up to 2 hours for a good buffet.
The restaurant was pretty empty when I got there, but that's ok. Less competition and people that I have to knock down to get some food. The meat dishes consisted of chicken curry, lamb curry, and tandoori chicken. Both curries were pretty good and both had the meat still on the bone. That's the only way to do it. The flavor is in the bone. The tandoori chicken was ok and the coating on the chicken had a decent kick to it. The daal was pretty good. I've never seen a mushroom paneer dish but tried it and it was ok. I much prefer palak (spinach) and mattar (peas) with paneer. The other vegetable dishes were alright but forgettable as I have already forgotten what they were. The rice pudding and fruit salad was a nice touch. The naan was fresh for a buffet and was brought out within minutes of my arrival. The buffet didn't have raita but the waitress brought me some. The buffet didn't have any appetizers either such as samosas or pakoras. Also, I'm used to Indian buffets having gulab jamun, but I didn't see any out there. The buffet was 9.95 for the weekend lunch. Not too bad.
The service was pretty good. I tend to sweat a lot when eating Indian food, and therefore, drink a crapload of water. My glass was never empty. I would definitely hit this place up again for another lunch. -
Review from Nycole K.
9/12/2010
Great lunch buffet! The food is always great and the buffet is a wonderful way to try new flavors. The atmosphere is okay, but not great. It's clean and well decorated, but usually it's not very busy adn can be very quiet. Also tends to be a little dark since it's in a strip mall and has limited windows. Great place for a group lunch with work friends.
-
Review from G T.
West Bloomfield Township, MI
6/23/2011
great samosas, veggie makhani, & taj mahal beer
-
Review from Marie H.
Livonia, MI
3/4/2009 1 Check-in Here
I love this place!! I've been a big fan of Indian food for about 20 years, and I was thrilled when a place this good opened up 2 miles from home. I've eaten here several times and gotten carry out several times, and the food is always GREAT! One time I ate here with a large group, including my toddler son and my husband who uses a power wheelchair, and they were very accommodating. There were absolutely no issues with accessibility. Enjoy!
-
Review from John T.
Los Angeles, CA
7/25/2010
I love Indian food. I've eaten Indian in San Francisco (Pakwan, before the Tenderloin location burned down and they moved to South of Market, is still the best Indian / Pakistani food I've every tasted), LA, NYC, Chicago, London, Paris, etc... so I've had a pretty wide sampling. Sadly still haven't been to India, but it's on the list!
Haandi, though a little inconsistent at times, is really quite good. I had the Chicken Methi Malayi Tikka last time and it was sublime. The time before I had Chicken Haandi, an onion based curry, also quite delicious. My wife and I both enjoy their Lamb Rogan Josh, though last time we had it the lamb was a little on the tough side, which contributes to my sense of inconsistency from Haandi. Most of the time we're very impressed, but every now and again we'll come away feeling they could have done better.
The owner is very friendly, greets us each time we're there, and the waitstaff is competent and attentive.
I will be back. -
Review from Julie J.
Dearborn, MI
8/28/2009
I, too, chose this restaurant based on other Yelper's recommendations for my husband's and my anniversary and I would like to thank you all. We were not disappointed. Paneer pakora and mixed vegetable pakora were excellent. My husband had a lamb dish and I had a vegetarian dish and we both enjoyed them. Portions were large without being overwhelming. Naan was good, too. The service was excellent and I guess I am a snob because I also do appreciate real table linens--table cloth and napkins, thank you. I used to frequent Peacock in Dearborn, and I enjoyed the contrast between it and this place. I would definitely go here again.
-
Review from Smar t.
Seattle, WA
6/10/2010
I was visiting a friend in MI, and he'd never had Indian food before. He told me Indian food probably isn't a big deal in this area. I told him he should try it, so I looked for a place and we went here along with an associate that was here on business. Oops. Now I feel like an ass, and when he visited me in Seattle, I showed him what real Indian food was like (and he still thought it was gross, oh well...)
I asked about a couple items on the menu, and after the second question our waiter told us, "I've never tried any of the things on the menu". What the hell? So I asked, "Really?!" because for a split-second I thought he was joking. "Yeah, so I'm not sure what that one's like". Great... I knew at that moment, before we even got our food, that the experience was doomed and that I'd have to apologize and work hard to convince my Michigander friend to try Indian food again.
Oh, and duh, our food WAS nasty. The naan was.. not, after noticing the pakoras tasted like pizza I joked that they might be cubed hot pockets and that turned out to be closer to the truth than I realized. My mushroom mutter was greasy with nasty margarine and had no flavor other than salt. Gross!
My Michigander friend enjoyed his Indian beer. 1 star for that, I guess.
