On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Mon-Sun. 9:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
"Nice place to shop. But all fresh and easys are great! This one in particular has a friendly staff. I will also credit the people from the…" read more »
Loading...
It's cheap.. but there are cheaper places that are even better. You will get a lot of food for very little money. The samosas are all right. The veggie dishes are good for the most part. We'll probably go back- but there's just no excuse for bad nan. :( Good grocery area. Sells henna hair dye if you are allergic to the regular kind like me.
To the person below who got mad about that grocery store Pillsbury nan- who buys Pillsbury nan? You deserve whatever happened with that!
If you're into cooking and eating Indian food this place is the highest level one can be reincarnated to.
First, the Store: everything you need to make Indian food from scratch or the microwave or somewhere in between. Every type of spice, rice, chutney and vessel required to do it right and do it real. Has a cool funky "we're really in India" vibe to it. The produce is a bit beat up but go to Figueroa Produce, Ralph's or Whole Paycheck for that. Unbelievable selection of pre-packaged Indian dishes that stand up right next to your homemade main course.
Second, the Restaurant: Yes, it looks as another Yelper put it, like an "insane Asylum cafeteria after a riot". But tell me, where else can you get two deliciously prepared vegetarian entrees, fried bread and Nan and Salad and Pickle, and Basmati rice and Raita with a drink, oh and a delicious vegetable samosa with homemade Chutney for $5.99!!! Seriously, tell me. It is amazing. The cool thing is you go in to get a little lunch and get so inspired by the meal that you end up sauntering over to the grocery side of the place afterward and load up on spices for your next Indian feast.
The Good:
Inexpensive
lots of variety in chat
instore indian groceries
The Bad:
Bad attitude from the owners Wife.
Most of the chat items have an expired and dry feel to them. Specially the puri in pani puri dishes.
I'm a total n00b when it comes to Indian food, but I figured I finally pay a visit to India Sweets & Spices since I live in Atwater. I ordered the number 3 combo (as I read off of the menu) which includes 2 curries of the day, served with Basamati Rice, Chapati (baked bread) or Puri (fried bread), vegatable Samosa, pickles, salad & Papad *choice of 1 Sahake or Lassi or 2 Rasamalai or Gulab Jamun, did you get that? Yeah neither did I, but it sure tasted good.
This is a Indian grocery store/Indian cafeteria place. I think it adds a unique flavor to the neighborhood both literally and figuratively, I remember the past life of this stores location as being a billiard hall, let me tell you that billiard hall was trouble almost every weekend, this store/cafeteria has been a welcomed relief then its predecessors.
I realize that the cafeteria layout isn't the best representative for Indian food, heck any type of cafeteria laid out food will eventually not taste as good as if you were in a traditional sit down restaurant. But like I said I'm very uneducated when it comes to Indian food, I think the food I had here was a good beginners course for influencing me to try and find out other Indian style restaurants in Los Angeles.
I am a ravenous meat eater, I was very pleased that I could get full eating vegetarian. India Sweets & Spice is a vegetarian/vegans best friend, in fact as I pour over there menu, I've just come to realized that they don't serve meat! Not serving any meat, fine by me I was full after my meal, and the food has just enough heat to it that it lets you know its there, I like things spicy, this establishment had some decent heat to its dishes.
I enjoy the entire ISS experience.
Yeah, I said it.
From the DVDs that are prone to skipping, service that brings to mind the dualistic attitudes at the Norton Simon's current exhibit, "Divine Deities", albeit with a Hindu twist between benevolent and frightening, and how can one forget the stacked parking lot?
It isn't for the squeamish or religiously carnivorous. I tend to go for the dosas myself, especially the paneer dosa, which is definitely a safe bet if the rotating items displayed behind the counter look wilted or aren't quite up one's alley. Then I hit the market for mixes and uniquely Anglo-offerings, including a gander at Heinz's wide world of food-stuffs.
Is it gourmet? No. Is it sublime? I think so. Try a cup of fresh masala chai (no need to ask for 'masala chai tea'; that would be redundant) or a yummy lassi.
Been here twice. Will be back a million more. Best HOMEMADE masala chai tea in all of LA....(unless you know a place, tell me!)(only because they are far from my house!) Extremely friendly!!
India Sweets & Spices is about as good as it gets! I eat there probably 3 times a week, I know the deal. The staff is totally sweet, the prices are dirt cheap, the portion sizes are monstrous, and everything is tasty :)
I will say, however, I've noticed they do have their good days & their bad days.... for instance, their naan is soft & delicious one day, but the next day it's tough & chewy... yikes :/ They've never served me cold food though, or anything less than good. And when $8 feeds my boyfriend & I (usually with some left over), I'll chew on some naan for a minute! Note: More often than not, their food is fresh & delicious, it's rare when it's not... but it DOES happen from time to time.
If you've never been, I highly* recommend their mango pumpkin curry on sundays, aaand don't forget some jalebi! :):)
This is not a review of the food, but rather the market section. I love Indian food - so if you need to follow a recipe that calls for any specialized condiments, then this is your one stop source for them.
Aisles are logically set up for spices, condiments, ingredients etc.
One stop shopping in LA is a real help. Will try the food soon.
First of all I want to apologize to everyone I offended at India Sweets & Spices. When my friend said we were going to an Indian restaurant, it never occurred to me he didn't mean Native American. You see, I grew up on a Cherokee reservation. For the first thirteen years of my life I was known as "di ga li ya nv hi dv", which essentially translates to "donkey gave birth to me." So before I placed my order I stood up on the table and began to sing my tribal song,
I'm an Indian outlaw
Half Cherokee and Choctaw
My baby she's a Chippewa
She's one of a kind
All my friends call me bear claw
The village cheaftin is my paw-paw
He gets his orders from my maw-maw
She makes him walk the line
You can find me in my wigwam
Ill be beatin on my tom-tom
Pull out the pipe and smoke you some
Hey and pass it around
Obviously, once I finished the song, everyone was staring at me, but rather than pull out my bow and arrow to get revenge for such looks a wise man came to me and said I was actually in a traditional Indian restaurant. And a damn authentic one at that.
For $4.95, $5.95, or $6.95 you get a TON of food. Too much actually. I was so stuffed after eating it all. Even better, it's completely vegetarian and delicious. For a few cents extra they'll give you piping hot naan bread. I was loving this place.
Sure, it's not fancy. Half of the building is a grocery store that carries an array of amazing things I never knew existed. And the restaurant half is set-up almost like a cafeteria. It's not fine dining but it's fun. Bollywood plays on an old school big screen. Overall I felt very festive. I didn't break out in song but I might next time. Only next time I won't have an Indian headdress on. Or my Washington Redskins jersey. That was weird. I'm a Cowboys fan anyway.
Excellent value at this cafeteria style vegetarian Indian restaurant. I ordered the #2 combo for about $5, which included rice, two veg, salad, pickles, a samosa, raita, bread, papadum, and a fountain beverage. Good flavors in the curries and quick, friendly service.
The attached market is hit-or-miss. They feature a selection of British staples as well as Indian products.
LOVE it.
I was originally just searching for a place to find henna and other Indian goods, just for fun.... but was pleasantly surprised to find, upon going to this JEM, that there's a TON of spices/frozen indian stuff (for all of us.. NON-indian people who love the food! haha!) ... and of course, a next-door eating place!
Prices are relatively good, and the chai that I had here was... GOOD!! MMm... SO yum. The lunch specials are relatively cheap, the masala dosa takes a BIT more time to prepare, but is pretty good, and the samosas, are.. OH. GOOD. Not to mention, if you need something sweet, they have the condensed milk/saffron/whatever goodiness!
Good place to go for with some friends during a lunch break!
Just went back here last night. Great food as usual. But for the sake of Elsie, remodel this interior. It looks like the mess hall of an insane asylum after a riot. I want Indian Food, I don't want to actually feel like I am in India during a heat wave. But these prices are so cheap maybe they don't have any money left over for new lighting and indoor outdoor carpeting.
Great vegetarian dishes. I love it hot and spicy...am I talking about food? OK, yes. Back to the… Read more »
This is cafeteria-style comfort food attached to an Indian grocery store. I seriously cannot believe anyone would give this place one star because the atmosphere isn't nice, or something. It's not a restaurant.
Overall, it's lots of food for really cheap and it was all pretty good (not amazing, mind you, but what we ordered was satisfying). Don't expect the very best. I'm sure quality is inconsistent, as someone said below; I can definitely imagine getting cold food here. It seems like the kind of place that would be five stars one day, and two stars another day.
But I liked my meal. It was healthy and comforting and about the price of a fast food combo. Why not?
I loved the dal. Yum. Very simple, of course, but hit the spot and would be perfect on a cool winter day. I'd give it 4-5 stars, and all for a *super* cheap price. If there's anything this place has, it's value.
The basmati rice was pretty good. Acceptable.
Samosa was a little *too* greasy for me, but tasted good.
The eggplant was pretty good, too, though a little too smokey for my personal palate. If I could go back to that meal, I'd probably get the chickpeas instead (I tried some from boyfriend's plate and they were good), or maybe the vegetable curry.
I'd definitely go back.
Okay I'm not Indian. I'm Chinese but I have had a lot of good Indian food in my life and this was not even close. This reminded me of having Chinese food at Panda Express or strike that-- Chinatown Express-- and calling it Chinese food. I kind of looks like it, it wants to taste like it but in the end... it's really no better than Trader Joes' microwaveable stuff.
We ordered two combo plates and tried four different veggie dishes and all I can say is my wife took a couple of bites of her food and said "I can't eat this." It was all flavor-less and salty-- if you like flavorless and salty then this is the place to go to get your fix. If you don't then be prepared to eat a lot of white rice.
On the plus side, this place is dirt cheap but as they say you get what you pay for though the mango lassi was pretty damn good.
I love Indian food.
This place is good. I dont know what the name of the dishes that I ordered but it was delicious. (I uploaded pictures to the restauant yelp). I usually eat homemade Indian food that my friends makes but I was feeling rather hood rich so I decided to spend a few dollars.
The place looks like a school cafeteria. The little market is alright.
I like Boondi!
My food was good.
I got sick around 4am.
It was worth it.
Amazing value. 6 bucks will get you stuffed.
This is how it works:
1. Pick the combination you want ( the difference is in the somosa, and mango lasse)
2. You take the number to the food counter and they ask you what two veggies/lentils you want. The menu says you have to order one lentil and one vegi but that's not true you can order two of anything.
3. There are cups on the side next to the soda dispenser. Feel free to drink as much soda as you would like.
4. Enjoy your meal with bollywood movies playing on the big screen.
I think this is a great place to eat. It feels like you are at a local restaurant in India, or how I imagine India to be.
You could say I'm naanplussed about India Sweets & Spices, but that would be a lame pun and the exact opposite of how I actually feel. This place is great! You get LOTS of food for the money, or as my friend said, Indian food at Indian prices. I was also introduced to two delicious Indian sodas, LIMEA (like 7-Up) and THUMBS UP (like Coke). Next time I'm gonna bring my own popcorn, buy a Thumbs Up, and just hang out and watch Bollywood musicals on their old TV. Jaan Pehechaan Ho! http://www.youtube.com...
Cheap and inexpensive food with zero waiting ! Can you ever go wrong with that .This place is really packed on the weekends and has a big grocery store.The service is iffy but the food is good .
I didn't plan on getting food for lunch. I was looking for a drink that C and I talked about (which I found, by the way). Then I got incense. Then I got biscuits (cookies). And masala patties. As I was paying for my haul, I smelled the food.
Yummy vegetarian food for under $10 and not served to you by some pissy (yes, I said pissy. I'm referring to the attitude) hipster. Where do I sign up?
I got the number 3 with lentils and cauliflowers and potatoes. Just spicy enough and super flavorful.
The people working there were super helpful, because I didn't know what everything was called.
This was the perfect after workout meal!
1st time i ate here i loved it, next time not as much and now i don't go at all.....
good value, but there is much much better indian food in los angeles.
I go to the market here to buy rice, because they sell it inexpensively, in large quantities, and have a lot of choice. But I have had the following bad experience every time I've gone and now feel like they are intentionally trying to rip me off.
Here's what happens: About half of the different types of rice do not have prices posted on them (it's very haphazard). I always select one that does have a clearly posted price. But when I take it to the counter to pay, the cashier always rings it up for more than the posted price. When I point this out, the guy looks annoyed, and then rings it up for the posted price. The first time it seemed like an honest mistake, although the cashier was still rude to me about his own mistake. Now that it's happened more than once, it doesn't seem like a mistake.
The cashier, which has always been the same guy, is also completely unfriendly. I'm not someone who expects wonderful service and all that. I know it's not very interesting to work in jobs like this. But this guy doesn't say hello, when I say hello to him, is always talking to someone else or doing something else, and other than ringing up the sale completely does not acknowledge my existence. It's completely unpleasant.
The store is conveniently located near me, but I think I'm going to start going to another Indian grocery in Alhambra that reviews on Yelp say has nice people working at it.
Deal: dinner for $4, add some tea and make $5
I am Indian, I am Punjabi and declare this place the closest to my mother's cooking that's out there. Now all I have to do is have you try my mother's cooking.
Make your life simple and order the #1, 2 or 3. Bring cash for less than $10.
I like this Indian Restaurant because it's not other Indian Restaurants. It's low key, it has excellent, non-over greased Indian food and a large screen blaring bollywood videos.
It's simply a great deal for great food.
Love this place. Love the food. Love the atmosphere, too. Love the gigantic TV with the Bollywood movies running all the time.
3.5 stars for the food. It's good, it's spicy, it's gvf (great value for money) but the menu's a bit complicated. And the greasy spoon utilitarian cafe reminds me of a temporary canteen hut built in the car park.
I got one of the tali set meals and choose from a selection of about 8 tasty dishes. I've forgotten what I go, but it was plenty good and lots of it. I'd stop by again, especially since they have special deals on Heinz baked beans like you get in the UK. 6 cans for $6. Can't beat that!
I haven't had the chance to eat at this plastic tabled cafe-style joint, but I will.
The 5-stars is…
Read more »
I love this place its cheap and good Indian Food.
Get a combo, eat for like 2 days on 4.99.
Wanna have fungus covered naans ???
That's what we had last weekend (well...almost) :-(.We bought frozen tandoori Pillsbury naans and opened them to serve that night, and it was all covered with fungus/mold.
After speaking to other Indians in the area, we came to know this is very common at this store. You tell them that u got stale/infected/expired food, and yes, they will gladly refund u the money (if that's all u care for). But that's about it. Don't expect anything to improve here as long as people keep giving them business.
Once I asked how come all the custard powder boxes are expired, and the convenient answer is ... Oh, its fine. Don't worry about it, it'll still taste the same ???
Do I want to risk eating at there cheap cafeteria ... Never !?!
I am never going here again. I am ready to drive to artesia to buy Indian groceries, but won't risk my health buying there expired items.
I love the home style and low key feel of this place. It's a restaurant inside of a market so why anyone can complain about the decor or "atmosphere" is beyond me. It's like complaining about a taco truck. This place isn't meant to be taken seriously in terms of "restaurant food". But you can't beat $4.99 for a meal that comes with 2 dishes, yogurt, rice, flat bread, and a drink. I found the portions to be just right and my bf and I split one order and we were both full and happy.
I'm definitely going to make more trips to this place to eat a hearty lunch and get some spices in the market part of the store. And as a vegetarian, I can let my food guard down and just eat good food at a great price.
I love this place! All vegetarian mostly south Indian food. Its small... kind of a "hole in the wall" but we all know those are the best!
I always bring people to try this place out. Its one of my many "spots."
It's one of the only places I've tried here that is the most authentic. It truly reminds me of how it is in India. The bollywood music videos are a plus.
& like everyone else said... ITS CHEAP!
and one of the only places I know that carries ras malai. Best Indian dessert there is... yum!
This was my first time trying Indian food. I wish I had had an Indian friend come with me to hold my hand through the process. You kind of need someone who is experienced so that the culture shock isn't too jarring. Like smoking the herb the first time, or something...
Anyway, I'd have to say that the food was tasty. I had the combo #1, with a choice of one of the cafeteria-style veggie dishes. I had paneer cheese and mushroom, in what tasted like a curry. I also had the lentil soup. The combo comes with choice of rice, raita (yogurt sauce), salad, and roti.
The food was so different from what I normally eat. It made me realize that my everyday food is bland. The food had an incredible amount of spice. Sometimes it was too salty, though. And it didn't seem up to temperature. Not steaming hot, but not lukewarm. I think the food had nice flavor, though, despite the non-existent charm of the place. I think you should come here if you know exactly what you're getting, eat it, and get out. A nice fix. Not a place for rookies, and not too hospitable to rookies, either.
I never thought I liked Indian food-- until I came here. I've probably only had Indian food about 10 times in my life. I'd tell people "not a fan" but I'd go if everyone else wanted to go.
BUT I came here the other day and OH MY GOD--- I got the #2 lunch special because I didn't know what anything else was. I pointed to a few of the things that looked like I might like them-- and I took my food home. I LOVED MY FOOD. It was fantastic. I used to say Indian food just seemed like little piles of baby food to me-- but I think I was going to the wrong places?? I mean I love Ethiopian food and they have foods of similar consistency and I never had a problem with that? So this is definitely an example that keeping an open mind can be good even if you are pretty sure you don't like something.
This was a great adventure. I felt like I was walking into another country in this place and I loved it.
AND I saw a lot of people eating in a traditional way with their hands which was so interesting-- someday I'll try that~! :)
OH and I wandered around the store and finally bought rice in a bag that turned out to be great and also rosewater. I read that you can take the rosewater and put it in a spritzer or put some in rice sometimes-- who knows what I'll do with it I just thought it was cool that they had it so I had to have some.
Do you want to make curry?
Well, how do you want to make it? From scratch? Then this market has all the spices you need.
Wait, you can't really cook?
Okay, this market also has curry powders. Measure out some together with some other spices. Cook it up and you got curry.
No, too complicated? Okay, just spoon some of this dried curry stuff from a jar, add water or milk and then make curry.
STILL too complicated? Well hell, just open up a jar of curry, dump into a pot with some meat or paneer (Indian cheese) and tofu and make curry.
You got me. I can't do that either. Fine, they have canned curry. It looks disgusting. And not as cheap as say walking into the adjoining counter and ordering some fresh curry.
*whine* But I don't want to do eat with the masses. Luckily for you, the market also sells frozen curry.
I did none of that and ordered fresh food from the counter. You pay first and then pick up your order by pointing out what looks delicious that day.
Last night, I opted for combo #3 ($6.99) which includes either a shake, lassi or dessert. The woman knowingly asked me, "mango lassi?" Oh yeah, the good stuff. Bring it!
Unfortunately, the lassi tasted like they made it with canned mango. Awww, but it's summer! Oh well, it was still pretty tasty.
I also got the choley (chickpeas) and shahi paneer which both were really good...mixed together. Yeah, I mixed them together over the rice. You can't stop the curry! It's also served with two types of bread, a samosa, raita and cabbage salad. Whatever pickles they put on top of the salad tasted like death and infected my cabbage. I would completely avoid them, scrounge around for some untouched cabbage and hoped for the best. Those pickles are like the naplam of pickles. Utter destruction!
I also got to sample the okra which was delicious though sometimes I hit a very unfamiliar spice that wasn't exactly pleasant. But it wasn't like those horrible pickles.
In almost every review of this place on yelp, someone mentions the Bollywood movies that play in the dining area. Well, yes, they're fun to watch though every time I turned my head, it was on some classic scene of the chick dancing with her entourage of friends and cousins dancing behind her as well the guy her parents want her to love but he has to fight the local playboy first who winds up winning her heart in the end (I had an Indian roommate who explained the one plot in every Indian movie to me once).
Overall, the market looks a little bit disorganized. I found the "other" section of the market where they had British style foods including salad cream, Branston pickles and other things. They also had a small section of Indonesian spices as well as interesting looking ramen/ noodles.
But I would definitely go back for a quick meal before heading out to the bars on Los Feliz. They close at 9:30 p.m. which is great.
The first time I went here I thought, "awesome! a local spot with delicious indian food that's cheap and fast!!!!"
The second time I went here I thought, "well, I want Indian food and India is close and pretty good, fine"
The third time, "I want Indian food soooo bad I might die...oh wait, I only have seven bucks...damn, I guess I'm going to India"
The last I went here I thought, "this is the last time I'm coming here"
So yeah, it's cheap and it'll sorta satisfy your Indian craving but you won't be happy afterwards. The samosas are pretty good but on the oily side. They make a yummy pumpkin curry but it's very rare they'll have the day you're there. The naan is heartbreakingly bad. Maybe it's a special regional style but it's basically like eating cardboard.
The women working look miserable which makes the whole experience that much more sad.
seriously are some of you insane. do you NOT understand that you are paying FIVE dollars for a large meal? I mean who would go to mcdonalds and complain that the atmosphere is lacking and that their fries were served in a paper bag?? it's literally laughable! I would like to know where you guys are dining for five dollars where waiters in white jackets are serving you on fine bone china-is it in uzbekistan? really weird.
that said, the food is an amazing value. It's not as greasy as many other spots and I think the food is pretty decent quality. I also really like that they have Indian street food that is hard to find in the US. I will definitely be going back. Also as for those who gave low ratings saying the food upset their stomach, this will likely be the case for most westerners who are not familiar with Indian food. In general it is often hard to digest all of the spices if you haven't eaten much of it. That is usually not a statement about the quality of the food.
We came here to pickup food to take to the park prior to the concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Prices were low and the flavor was worth the wait (yes, they are VERY slow). I was told they just raised the prices by a dollar for every dish but the prices were still very cheap. $5.95 each I think.
Two number twos left us with plenty of food after we ate. Not what you should leave in the car during a 4 hour show but we did it anyway. If you are in to Indian food and are down with vegetarian you should make a point to check it out.
Note: LA Bread is across the street!
Note 2: It is hot in here so unless it is a cool day you may wish to get it to go...
I was turned onto this place by an Indian friend after he served me Barfi (or Burfi), a delicious milky sweet that I had to have for my own. On his recommendation I went shopping there today. The "bad" reviews seem to be from people who are unfamiliar with Indian food, and/or expect to get A+ customer service and atmosphere from an ethnic grocery/cafeteria. If you have the right expectation (i.e. you want to buy a big bag of rice, tons of lentils or mung beans, or any other type of grain, spices, yogurt, homemade sweets, etc) or just want a plate of food to go, this place is great. The combos (all vegetarian as far as I could see) are between 4 and 7 bucks, there are lots of different options. I had the paneer, it was delish, and a potato/cauliflower dish with the yellow rice. I wish I'd paid better attention to the names. I overspent a little in the store because I didn't know what I was getting and was a bit overwhelmed. When I put my jar of curry paste on the counter, the cashier/cafeteria lady asked me if I didn't want to try the powders instead. I said I'd never cooked with a curry paste OR powder, and she suggested the Garam Masala and was patient pointing it out for me to find ("No, to the left. More left. Back. There!"). I appreciated that, she was clearly trying to put a new girl on the right track.
The other woman, who served up my food, was far less interested in helping out someone who didn't know what they were getting. I asked how it worked and she said to just pick something, didn't mention the combos--I figured that one on my way out when I asked for a menu and saw the options there (with samosas! Dammit! Guess I didn't need a deep fried pyramid of Yum anyway). But that's just the way it goes. I'm Cuban, and I've been in Cuban bakeries/delis before and seen people who speak Spanish or know what they are doing get treated differently than the unfortunate noobs who point and ask, "What's that? How 'bout that? And that?" I can imagine that is irksome for someone who works in a specialty place. The moral of the story: Do your homework. Know what to expect. Ask a friend for suggestions if you're unsure (or message me!). And order a combo! If you do these things, you will have a wonderful experience.
We love this place thanks to yelp. This place is awesome, they have everything and anything you would need to make a proper Indian dish. The spice selection here are enormous, in fact one of the largest and best Indian market we've found close to the Silver Lake and Eagle Rock area. And it is close by the Costco shopping center. We've also had a chance to try out their buffet vegetarian restaurant and it is really tasty. A bit on the spicy side but not crazy enough to burn all of your taste buds off. Oh and did I mention that prices are incredibly reasonable and affordable compared to other store and online store that would charge 3x more for the same item. Once, you've stepped inside, the space will transform you back to India. Definitely made us reminisce about our India vacation.
This place is Indian vegetarian fast food at it's best. It's cheap, although I was a bit disappointed upon my last visit to see a raise in all of their prices. I can't really blame them, though. Five bucks for a full belly and a soda is practically a giveaway.
We usually go with the #2, which comes with two main dishes, a samosa, rice, and some yogurt and pickled veggies. They usually bring out their specials on the weekends, so be sure to make a trip there on a Saturday if you can. The malaikofta? (veggie balls in soup, I believe) is a favorite, and so is the pumpkin curry, which is very sweet.
As far as ambience goes, you get what you pay for. Cheap, cafeteria-style eating. But just because you are eating cheap food doesn't mean there are no frills. A giant TV on one side of the room is blasting Bollywood at all hours! However, this isn't exactly the first date type of joint. If you're trying to impress someone, head over to Tantra or Electric Lotus, just be ready to dish out some cash at those places. Save this one for a later date...It's fun, and afterwards you can venture over to the market next door and pick up some authentic desserts or groceries for later on.
This is the best Indian food I've had in Los Angeles and I'm Indian. The channa batura is the BEST. It's like home made and they always have good curry. The ladies are friendly and the prices are too good to be true. They play Bollywood videos, new and mostly old... I will go to this place until I die.
This is only a review for the market. I ran out of some beauty products and someone suggested this market. The market is quite large and they did have some of the oils I was looking for. Unfortunately a lot of the supply looked a bit old and I didn't buy as much as I would have liked due to dusty packaging.
The employees, for the most part, were helpful and I'm only taking off two stars for the cleanliness of the beauty section and their lack of some of some staple products (at least at the time I went).
I've been to this place a few times. The first time I found it I got pretty excited. I could pick anything on the menu, the food was damn good and way cheap. I would love to go in and order a huge Masala Dosa and sit at one of the cheap tables and watch the gigantic flat screen play Bollywood music vids.
When it's the season they show Indian soccer matches and post signs inviting people to come and root. That has to be a blast man! Not football and beer but mango lassi and soccer, sort of an alternative universe.
Never take anything for granted. A couple of months went by and I went back again and the food had turned into salt. I mean inedible. Really!
I was put off for a long time but recently while cutting through Griffith Park on a whim on the way home from work, I descended Crystal Springs road and emerged back into the city and my car just decided to get in the left turn lane and head east on Los Feliz, stop just shy of The Roost and park right in front of the place. Perhaps my car remembered those amazing Indian sweets- they are always good and they have plenty here although they used to have more. Milk and sugar laden goodies laced with ground peanuts, sugar water boiled fruits, all sorts of things that are all sorts of fun shapes and colors. "I'll have one, no two of those, and three, no two of those, and four of those"
The food has lost most of it's salt and is now edible and damn it's still cheap. For $3.99 you get two entree dishes with raita, rice, puri (flat fried bread), or chapati (baked bread), pickles and onions AND a drink. For a buck more add a large somosa and for yet another buck you can change your lame soda into a large delicious lassi shake or an order of gulab jaman (sweet balls of something just soaked in a syrupy honey with just a hint of rose water).
There is a full on Indian market attached which is great to just wander around in. They have produce and all kinds of fun things from utensils to toys and british imports.
The whole building used to be a pool hall where I'd come every Thanksgiving and Christmas when the nearby relatives parties got too dull. It's funny to think I was racking nine ball and swigging a beer where I am now picking a cabbage and waiting for my Aloo Gajar to be ready.
Life is so transitory man...
Yelpers- FREE Entree!
Neighborhood: Pasadena
Weekly Specials!
Neighborhood: Hollywood
Neighborhood: West Los Angeles
Category: Grocery
Culver City, CA
Category: Grocery
Neighborhood: Glendale
Category: Indian
Los Angeles, CA
Category: Grocery
Neighborhood: North Hollywood
Category: Delis
Between noon and 2pm you can probably find me at…
screw u, west side! and ur beaches and upscale,…
Middle Eastern, Greek, Central Asian, Russian,…
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,…
These are places I will go for lunch on a work…
Ironically, I have a wealth of knowledge about…
The places I go out for brunch, lunch and dinner…
