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I was a little worried by the facade, but it's what's inside that counts. And here's what's inside: cheerful service, a great chicken saag, and decent prices. They also deliver (for a charge), and they deliver accurately and on time. I've had most of the menu at this point, and it's all pretty good.
It's not the best Indian food in the city, and it might not even be the best on Capitol Hill, but it's fast, friendly and reliable.
I had the daily lunch special with butter chicken and garlic naan. The naan and the sauce were just fine, but the chicken was gristly. I kept having to spit back out the little bits of gristle, until I gave up on eating the chicken and just ate the naan in the sauce.
I agree with the other reviewer about service being slow, but at least it was friendly...
I was really, really, really surprised by their buffet. It was amazingly delicious. They have tandoori chicken as well as a wide variety of vegetarian options.
The service was okay. I asked the waiter whether we could get some naan bread with our buffet (as I saw all the other people had some) and he got all exasperated and said,
"Naan bread comes when naan bread is ready."
What a wise proverb.
I joined yelp so that I could write this review. I went there for lunch with a friend after a bit of hesitation from the name and the facade. But was pleasantly surprised with the great food and exceptional service. The price was right too!
So the reason I am raving is that I am constantly on the lookout for indian food that isn't a "grease bomb". I found the food at India Express fresh and yummy! It may just be my new favorite spot on the hill.
I really liked this restaurant for the good food and the friendly service. Ordered the Mango Chicken and the Fried Calimari appetizer (which came with a super tasty sweet tangy tamarind sauce dipping sauce and another kind of sauce). All were good and for a decent price of $16.
Came back in August for the Chicken curry for $10. Out of this world tasty! I wish they could make the servings larger. This would be my favorite Indian food place on the Hill for now.
Holy moly were the prices good. For 8 dollars, I got a platter with the following items:
-one piece tandoori chicken (chicken thigh)
-spinach saag
-chicken curry
-a spicy green bean and potato side (my favorite)
-rice
-a fresh salad (not bag mix)
-veggie fritters
-kheer
Yeah, I was stuffed.
The food tastes quite good. I really loved the green bean stuff and the rice. The veggie fritters were the best I have ever had. My only complaint is that they used all dark meat chicken. My boyfriend didn't mind it though. The waitress was quite sweet. We didn't wait long for the food and it was all fresh.
Like Mexican food, Indian is a cuisine that translates down the price ladder. At least some of the best Indian and Mexican restaurants on earth will be the under-$10 variety like this one.
The lunch menu is insane. I had the Vegan Thali - four separate vegetable entrees with roti, papadum and rice - for a mere $8. Apparently, vegan Indian food is the key in leaving the restaurant without your stomach about to burst (lack of ghee?), because I was somehow able to eat all of it (a giant plate's worth) and I was unstuffed an hour or two later.
I've had them deliver many times before that, as well, and it's always been solid. On Capitol Hill, I know of no better Indian food.
I'm indian and I live in Capitol Hill and I can completely vouch for this place being one of my all time fav. indian restaurants in the city. The owners I believe are not really indian but from nepal but neverthless the food is on the mark.
The Good:
Taste : All their dishes have a ton of flavor in them. I have visited many other indian restaurants in the capitol hill area and on Broadway but they all disappoint me in this category. The dishes at India Express have just the right amount of spices to tingle your taste buds. I also admire their boldness in using spices in their dishes, most indian restaurants shy away from being strong in flavour out of fear of estranging the stereotypical 'American-Intolerant-To-Spiciness', but they don't do that. They have a good scale of 1 to 6 for the level of spiciness to suit everyone and the flavour is present at each scale. I love this place because I dig spicy food and always order level 6 meals. Yes, they are hot but taste great with naan (please stop calling it naan-bread will you). I secretly with they had a level 7 :)
Prices: The food is priced adequately but somehow I get a feeling that they give more quantity when taking out compared to when dining in. It could just be my perception though.
No Buffet : This is probably my only grip about this place. A lack of lunch-time buffet. I would be visiting this place more often if they had one :)
Ever since my awkward experience at Mirch Masala, I was looking for a different Indian place that would be a good takeout choice. I think I've found it!!
First of all, let me say that the staff here are very nice. Getting takeout from here was pleasant, and if you think about it, how many restaurants can you really say that about? They were great on the phone, and greeted me once I came in the door, and were awesome with small talk while they put the finishing touches on my order. A+ for that.
I ordered Chicken Tikka Masala and some veggie samosas. Both were terrific. I made the chicken 4 stars (out of 6? Really? Six feels so arbitrary...), and it was terrific - a nice burn, but it complimented the dish instead of overpowering it. Very tasty.
Things I don't enjoy finding in my saag aloo: (1) broken glass, (2) russet potatoes with the skin still on. Unfortunately, I found both last night.
I wouldn't call myself an Indian Food expert, but I thought their food was really great! I ordered a shrimp yellow curry with a naan. When my boyfriend and I were trying to decide where to go eat, we spontaneously walked in to this place.
What a terrible name for such a great food.... sorry! "India Express" sounds like an Indian version of Panda express... Is that just me who thinks that!?!?
I'm no expert when it comes to Indian food. All I know is that their lunch specials are relatively cheap ($8 for an entree and naan) and the food is really delicious. I recommend getting the chicken tiki masala!
Well, first of, normally I would stray away from any place that has "express" in the name, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with IE..
Very friendly staff, great services, excellent prices and of course delicious food. Everything we ordered tasted great and was just spicy enough. The staff was very quick to refill the water and were great to everyone in the dining room
The bottom line is if you love good Indian food, you MUST check this place out
The last time I had a meal there, I had a vegetable korma that was made from frozen vegetables that were not completely cooked. The takeout dinner was inedible.
Affordable, if you want some low quality east indian fare, but I will probably not return.
I have lost my taste for this sinkhole ever since.
MMMmm- Great Onion Pakora
I had been eagerly anticipating some fresh, hot, steaming garlic naan and thick, spicy curry all day... oh the let-down. :(
The naan was rewarmed and chewy, the vegetable korma was frozen vegetables with plenty-o-salt. The saag aloo was yummy, except that the aloo was greasy and obviously added after the saag was cooked. And yes, I expect an occasional cardomom pod to stick between my teeth, but to worry about chipping a tooth on multiple hard things in the korma and even the rice??
The good: The service was very good and very friendly. The location is great. There wasn't a wait. The prices were average ($9.50 per plate).
Alas, my search for piping hot, fluffy naan in Capitol Hill continues...
My favorite Indian place on Capitol Hill.
Friendly staff, delicious food, reasonable prices. They do a nice job of giving you spicy when you want spicy, and they're quick to refill water glasses. I'd recommend the lamb tikka masala and the vegetable korma, but everything I've had there has been good. The masala tea is worth trying too.
Sadly, the lunch buffet is no longer daily (weekends only), but the lunch specials are good.
Great food, great people.
They deliver. I'm tempted to give them 5 stars for that alone. There is better Indian in the neighborhood, and much, much better Indian food other places in Seattle (absolutely nothing beats Taste of India on Roosevelt), but this is the only one that delivers on Capitol Hill.
The ambiance is not so great. The food is decent. When hung over and not wanting to leave the house, their food is fantastic.
The service is always good, the prices are very reasonable, and the food predictable.
Did I mention that they deliver? They always say "about 45 minutes," but I don't think it's ever taken more than 30.
FOOD: I know it does NOT sound appetizing, but I thought the vegetable Saag was good. It means spiced spinach curry based cuisine, but from a marketing perspective, it's got a hurdle... "sag" = delicious. hmmm...I digress. It was tasty, and I ordered the three stars, which was pretty spicy, i had to drink a lot to compensate, but I liked it. The assorted appetizers were not impressive, considering price, but in all fairness I'm not big on super grease, so that may be part of the problem. The naan was not impressive either, I have had really fantastic naan and this just wasn't. Average experience overall, but I like that they deliver, so I may venture an order again soon.
I'm not a food expert, but I liked what I had here.
There is a large selection, which is good and bad, since there are a lot of great choices, but bad because picking just one thing is difficult.
The chicken coconut curry tasted really good, and I liked the Mango Lassi as well. The service was only okay, but I can't really say anything bad about it. If you don't know much about food, the stuff here tastes pretty good.
Affordable. Close to my house. Yummy. Super nice staff. They do take out.
I mean, really, it does not get any better.
I have been going here for a while. I always stuff myself. I love the Shahi Paneer and the Tikka Masala anything. Also the Coconut Chicken is good. Good naan, too.
The mirrors in the dining area kind of freak me out, but whatevs.
The veggie somosas we ordered for starters were brought out quickly and hit the spot. The two entrees from the vegetarian section were tasty, but my girlfriend kept having to pull hard bits of ??? out of her mouth from the rice. There was also a fly floating around in her water glass. The garlic naan we ordered was also reheated - it was floppy and chewy - quite disappointing. The staff were very nice and attentive - but I don't think we'll be going back soon.
Good food. Go here.
This place is just down the street from my apartment, which is surprising that it took me this long to try it out (I've lived here for a few months now). I'm wary of anything that has the word "express" in it, but figured since I need something fast and not a burger, I'd give it a shot. I ordered a lamb briyani since I was hungry, and the calamari and the paneer pakora (deep fried cheese in batter) just for fun. On a scale of 1-6 of spiciness, I asked for a 6 since I looooove spicy food.
The lam biryani was really good, though I might tone the spiciness to a 5 the next time (make no mistake, they weren't kidding around with the 6). I'm a fan of the biryani, though I wish there were more meat pieces in the rice than what they gave me. The calamari and paneer pakora, though, I wasn't a fan off, so I might just stay clear of the appetizers.
Second time I went there, I asked for the chicken biryani and a 4 on the spicy level. I liked the 4, but would get a 5 if I go there again. And once more, I'm a bit dissapointed by the lack of meat, but hey, the rice was good :)
Would come here again since it's just damn freakin' near.
Under new ownership as of a couple years ago. It shows, the quality of the food has diminished.
Good for a quick bite or delivery, but if you're out on the town looking for good Indian, I'd try pretty much anywhere else.
Revising my rating to one star, sadly... The quality here has serious declined.. I used to love this place, but it seems like the new owners have kind of driven it into the ground. Truly a loss.
Chutney's is your only decent alternative, or Arrayapaya or whatever it's called.
I ordered butter chicken and chicken tikka masala last night for delivery, along with a spinach soup to cover the $20 minimum.
The soup was spicy and hot but had a slightly weird taste to it (probably expected.)
I was a little hesitant to order the masala since it's very difficult to eat it from anywhere other than Anna Purna Cafe as the comparison is almost always unfavorable, but I was surprised by the quality. Three stars was indeed spicy, and despite the slightly dry chicken, I enjoyed both dishes.
I would order out from them again.
I've got several life's rules. Don't trust anyone who doesn't like cheese. Be wary of people in slippers. Don't patronize any establishment that purposefully misspells their name (kwik kopy? not confidence inspiring) and don't eat anywhere with "express," or anything even vaguely hinting at slop-it-together-you'll-be-expressing-your-ass-to- the-bathroom-later-ness in their name. Curry In A Hurry comes to mind. Yes such a place existed once. Yes, the outcome was everything you imagine it to be.
And so, accordingly, I went to India Express.
I now know their secret Indian recipe for butter chicken. Chicken, Campbell's cream of tomato soup, cream, cayenne pepper and curry powder. Just like great-grandma used to make.... during the depression when all she had were those ingredients and she cooked it all with a stick inside the Campbell's cream of tomato soup can. Except she used free range chickens and by that I mean pigeons. And it was still better and more authentic.
Back then she only charged 5 cents for a bowl of her famous orange squab and side of rice. A bargain for the destitute. $10... not so much.
Holy fuck! The pain! Er. I mean...
Finally! A place that believes me when I say things like, "Make it as spicy as you can figure out how to. No, really. Hot. Super, duper hot." When I say this, I like to make corresponding hand gestures, sort of a "raise the roof," only at chest height, with an underhand grip. You get the idea. This is an important step; the last banh mi place I went seemed to interpret my request for "extra peppers, lots of them" as "give the whitest guy in town NO PEPPERS AT ALL on his $2 sandwich." It was devastating. But, where was I?
Right. Pain.
This place makes your food hot. Really, really, hot. I'm not too sure about this star system people are talking about below; all I know is that if you ask for heat with the appropriate sincerity they will work some sort of arcane magic in the kitchen and churn out a dish that will consume your flesh. Possibly in the good way. For reference, I sometimes garnish my food with slices of habanero pepper, and yet India Express can make things right on the knife's edge of too spicy for me to even eat, at all. The side of the edge that leads directly into my pie hole, that is.
I feel like I need to place more emphasis on this somehow, but perhaps you're with me by now. Oh, and the naan sucks, and like some other Seattle Indian restaurants, they'll do this annoying thing that I've never seen anywhere else and bring it out fully 15 minutes before the rest of your food.
But, really, whatever. A chicken tikka masala that can melt glass is worth an easy four stars in my book.
I love their food! Their food is not heavy. You don't have "Oh gosh, I'm stuffed" feeling after you finished their dishes.
I highly recommend their "momo." Chicken steamed potstickers. YUMYUMYUMx10. I like their Tandoori chicken. It taste like Tandoori but looks like chicken stir fry, kind of. Chicken Masala is also yum. Their Naan is light and just right. Don't forget to have chai, or mango lassi.
Nice service. Family oriented hard working family restaurant. I heard they are opening another one. I can't wait for that!
Some of the best chicken tikka masala I've had (Please note - I am not an Indian fare conniouseur by ANY means - so when I say best what I mean is - I've eaten at two different restaraunts and this was the best of the two).
I don't think I'll find a better naan though, seriously.
The service can be slow as stated by Jessica but it's a great people watching place especially if you get a window seat!
Started off with garlic basil naan and hot chai all around. They're pretty good about refilling the chai, which is always appreciated. The garlic basil naan was just okay (could have been bigger and softer), and the dipping sauces were watery. But I liked that they didn't skimp on the garlic -- LOTS of garlic on that naan!
My table split three entrees: chicken tikka masala, lamb korma, and vegetable saag. The tikka was too tangy for my taste (tangier than it usually is), but the korma and saag were decent -- I just don't know that I'd go back for them.
Overall, the food just didn't leave a lasting impression on me. We waited forever for our bill -- we actually had to approach them -- but the staff is really friendly and the place has a certain funny charm about it. There isn't a whole lot of Indian in the area, so it's good that they're around and that they deliver; I will keep that in mind.
Chicken Korma was great. I went for a 5 start but next time I am going to go up to 6 cause 5 was too comfortable of a spicy for me.
The naan doesn't hold up as well with take out. But I have had it in the restaurant and it is great.
my girlfriend only gets the vege Saag Alu.
Pretty decent prices for some good sized portions.
After taking a bite in to my Butter Chicken I thought, "Okay, this is not bad, it's pretty good." However after continuing I wasn't as impressed with the chicken. I felt like I got all of the extra chicken parts that were left over.
The naan didn't impress me, although I have to say that we did get plenty of naan for one order. It was pretty chewy and I prefer my naan to have some crispness or a slight crunch to it.
Mango Lassi was ok. Not fantastic but just ok.
I don't imagine that I will return here. Nice place, but Mirch Masala is just down the street.
Their website still says you have to spend $20 to get them to deliver, but I just placed an order for delivery and I had to order an extra starter because they raised it to $25. Good to know before you call!
I've only had delivery from this place, so I can't speak for the dining experience there, but the food is decent. It isn't the best Indian food I've ever had, but it isn't the worst either. It is definitely the best Indian delivery I've ever had. It is pretty hard to find paneer tikka masala in the area, but they make a pretty good version.
Calling to place an order can sometimes take a while, but the staff is always friendly and competent.
I think the name is misleading, which doesn't help the restaurant. The "express" in India Express is referring to trains, not to how quick the food is. I know several folks who never bothered to try India Express because of this assumption. And once they tried it, they were always pleasantly surprised.
This has been one of my favorite Indian places since I moved to Seattle 10 years ago. They are the only place that has Aloo Mutter Paneer (and a great vegetarian selection in general), the naan is always cooked to perfection and very tasty, and their samosas are great - not too greasy and very flavorful.
I believe they are under new ownership as of a few years ago. The food quality remained much the same, as far as I can tell. And the decor got WAY better. It feels much more welcoming and cozy and the service is always efficient and friendly.
I eat here way too much. India express is close to my house, speedy (especially for take-out) and provide serviceable Indian cuisine. They also don't hassle me for delivering to my place, despite the fact I live 2 blocks away, when I'm too lazy to walk there or have lost the capability of walking due to injury (thanks kickball!).
The food here is nothing special, if anything I find it very variable. The naan bread is often nice and moist, sometimes if I'm lucky there's even small pools of grease (nummy!) but at other times, it's burned through and thin. The chicken tikka masala used to be top notch, but recently has turned into a bit of a runny mess, but it's still quite tasty! The people that run this place are always super nice and I like them, I just wish they were more consistent -- although maybe not, that would probably just mean I'd eat here more!
Also a few people have said that they'll make you're food really hot for you. I've never been particularly burned by them...despite my trying.
When I lived in the CD, India Express was on our speed dial. It was one of the only delivery places (of any persuasion) that would come to our Garfield Neighborhood, so that made it a favorite. But the food is really really good.
I admit that I hesitate to review this place because I am not a connoisseur of Indian food. I can't compare it to anything else because for most of my life, I wouldn't touch it. But, after moving to the CD and having to choose between Pizza Time and India Express when I was too lazy to cook or go out (which was a fair amount of time), I came to love it.
Try the Tikka Masala, plain naan, and mango chutney. I always order my meals "medium spicy" and its pretty spicy.
Add half a star here, as it should read 3 1/2 stars. I recently tried this restaurant (take-out) after reading positive yelp reviews and wasn't disappointed.
I ordered Chicken Vindaloo, Vegie Samosas and Garlic Naan. The Chicken Vindaloo, while not the most flavorful ever (lack of spices), was tasty. The Samosas, especially paired with the chutneys, were delicious, and the naan was ok, a little bit too rubbery for me.
All in all, I think this place is a good bargain. Might I find 'more bang for my buck?' Maybe-we'll see. India Express is a value, though, with the aforementioned food costing $15.
{review of take-out/delivery only}
We order India Express regularly. Since the birth of our first child, we have come to appreciate the restaurants that deliver in Capitol Hill.
We are indeed creatures of habit. We almost always make the same order:
- Chicken Tikka Masala - mmm... perfect combination of creamy and spicy
- Chicken Jalfreze - onions, hot peppers and chicken. TANGY.
- Saag Paneer - they don't skimp on the Paneer
- Aloo Gobi - CardaYUMmy
- Naan - can't go wrong
For delivery Indian, I give them FIVE STARS. The food is IMHO very good. We bring up ordering India Express like a secret sin - "Oooooh, should we get India Express tonight?"... :)
They are also very, very polite on the phone and also at the door.
Minus one star because they can be quite slow and they are a bit pricey.
I love India Express. When Banjara went out of business, my roommate and I searched desperately for a comparable chicken makhni (butter chicken). Yeah, we tried ToI, and weren't that impressed. But if anyone has any /other/ suggestions, we're still open to them because although India Express' butter chicken is awesome and the closest we've found to Banjara's, it's not Banjara's, which is extremely depressing.
But anyway. I went to school with the owner's brother, so I may be a little biased, but I really do like this restaurant. In addition to the awesome butter chicken, the garlic naan is ace, and I even love the rice - it's so fragrant. They also give you free refills on soda, even though it comes in cans. What other place does that?! The service is always prompt and friendly. I think they're definitely a good choice for Indian food.
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Category: Indian
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Category: Indian
Neighborhood: First Hill
Category: Indian
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