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Indian Aroma - CLOSED
Categories: Restaurants Indian Restaurants Vegetarian Indian, Vegetarian [Edit]
1653 Polk St(between Sacramento St & Clay St)
San Francisco, CA 94109
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
(415) 771-0426
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Lauren B. said: "Went here for a friends birthday. We order a lot of things from the menu to share family style. The chicken Masala was great and the other dishes were fine. It was great that it wasn't super crowded or noisy. The wait staff and ease…" read more »
133 reviews for Indian Aroma
Review Highlights
"the chicken tikka masala was amazing."
(in 25 reviews)
"Their naan is light and fluffy and tasty as well."
(in 50 reviews)
"And I love the vegetable somosas and the Saag Paneer."
(in 10 reviews)
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133 reviews in English
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Review from Kalie H.
San Francisco, CA
11/15/2010 1 Check-in Here
Best Indian food north of Market! I love their well spiced foods - flavorful and delicious! Prices are right too.
My only concern is that it always seems to be empty! Hmmm... -
Review from Jackie C.
San Francisco, CA
2/13/2011
We had the saag paneer, chicken tikka masala, and naan delivered to our apartment. Delivery was fast (15 minute wait only) and ordering online was easy.
Saag paneer - spinach was chewy, not very much cheese.
Chicken tikka masala - very average, sauce wasn't as tasty as at other places in the area.
Naan - too chewy and wheaty.
Overall, the food wasn't great, but the delivery was quick and convenient. -
Review from Jimmy G.
8/31/2010
A perfectly serviceable neighborhood restaurant.
I have the Lamb vindaloo every time and I take it as spicy as it comes, which is just above moderate. Heat lovers may want to ask them to kick it up a notch. I've tried a couple different nans, all freshly made. The service is attentive and polite. -
Review from David K.
San Francisco, CA
6/11/2010
Just a terrible experience. This was for takeout rather than dining-in, and it was a non-stop disappointment, particularly because it was recommended to me by a person who had lived in India for 35 years.
Before I get long winded the short version of the review is eat at: Tandoori Mahal, Shalimar, or Lahore Karahi, all are cheaper and much better.
Now a flash of frustration as I dive into the experience: the food took 80 minutes to be delivered, the chicken tikka masala was basically tomato soup, 3 of the items we ordered weren't delivered and the delivery man was completely unhelpful even when I showed him the receipt and compared it to the contents of the bag he had just handed me. Upon calling the manager I had to explain 4 additional times what had happened, what was missing, and he fought with me about what was in the bag.
I told him to get his delivery man to verify my story and once I heard that in the background the manager still refused to make it up. After what felt like an hour of agonizing and hair-pulling on the phone (probably only 15 minutes) he offered to re-deliver those items... ummm, pass, give me the refund.... More arguing, and I finally got fed up and told him to fight with the credit card company instead. At this point he promised a refund for only those items that were missing (fine by me). Refund never arrived.
Just. Stay. Away. -
Review from Ben P.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 10/12/2008 2 Check-ins Here
I've never considered myself an exceptional person. I think that basically anyone reasonably clever and hardworking could figure out the things I've figured out and do the things I do as equally well as I do them. Similarly, I don't claim to be privy to any of the universe's many secrets.
Except one.
For some reason I've never been able to fathom, many of the people I meet on a daily basis seem to be fundamentally unhappy. Or, to put it slightly differently, not affirmatively happy. In contrast, I would say that I'm basically pretty happy all the time. Now, I'm not above spending a week or two in a funk when my cat dies, or when I'm dealt some other such setback in life. But, if you run into me on the street on an average day, I've got a spring in my step and a song in my heart.
And the secret to my apparently extremely rare condition? I know what makes me happy, and I make sure to indulge in those things on a very regular basis. And that, friends, is the secret. Not much of a secret, is it? But the key is this: you have to admit what makes you happy. Sometimes, this is easy. Other times, very hard. For example, it's easy for me to indulge my love of good wine. All it costs is money. It was much harder for me to admit that I loved this city too much not to live here---that admission cost me my job, my home, and most of my worldly possessions. But I'm happier now than I was 3 years ago. So, some admissions of happiness are cheap and easy, some are costly and difficult. But you can never hope to be truly happy unless you face, honestly, all these things.
Like, for example, dinner at Indian Aroma. [See? Transition accomplished!] My rancher gullet is not naturally tuned to the ingestion of massive quantities of jasmine rice, curry, and lamb. Ergo, I end up taking a entire pill box worth of prophylactic drugs before eating here. But it's worth it, because the food is absolutely amazing. Appetizers, entrees for wifey and I, and a bottle of wine, for about $65 including tip. When you can buy yourself a beautiful end to the day for so little, why wouldn't you?
So, Indian Aroma makes me happy. If you fit in the population of people I seem to meet every day, who somehow manage to make it through the day on a regular basis without being truly happy, my wish for you is that you can figure out what makes you happy, and then go out and get it. As Joseph Campbell would say, find your bliss. And if your bliss happens to be cheap and tasty Indian food, so much the better!Listed in: After Hours
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/24/2007
The only thing better than Indian Aroma's consistently wonderful food is its amazing service. The… Read more »
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Review from Grace K.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 10/26/2008
Do you remember being young, watching cartoons where some character would eat something hot or spicy... and smoke would blow out of their ears and they'd run laps around the room screeching?
You know, like Tom, when Jerry would tie dynamite to his tail, and instead of reaching over and pulling it off and throwing it at Jerry (who is always glibly standing there, arms crossed, giggling...), Tom would always start to run around the room, probably fueling the flame stuck to the dynamite tied to his tail... and then you'd hear a big bang - - and the next scene is a half-toasted grey cat who resembles Tom?
Well...
Tonight, I was in the mood for Indian Food. Scanning http://www.delivery.com - I didn't want to try just any restaurant because when Indian food is bad, it can be very, very bad. So I went to what I know, and what I once believed in - Indian Aroma.
Now at the restaurant, I had at the best vindaloo I'd found thus far in SF, but my delivery experience with them had been lackluster.
Still, worth one more shot, I did it again. But this time, I did it with CAPITALIZED requests all over the "notes" section, stating things like, "LISTEN, LAST TIME I ORDERED EXTRA SPICY, YOU SENT ME MILD SPICY. I WANT SPICY SPICY, MAKE IT AS SPICY AS YOU CAN. PLEASE!" I said basically the same thing on each thing I ordered...
Notes:
"I HAVE EATEN AT YOUR RESTAURANT AND THIS WAS SPICY THERE BUT NOT WHEN YOU DELIVERED IT LAST TIME. PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT I WANT SPICY SPICY SPICY."
You get the idea.
So did they, apparently.
And my mouth officially feels like it has dynamite stuck in it and I can't pull it out.
I am SOOOOO happy right now.
I have a love only relationship with spiciness.
I kid you not, when I eat something spicy, it makes me a better person. My reactions to life's events are so much better when I have eaten super-spicy food... and with the exception of one girl whom I will forever respect on account of this, I know of nobody else who can eat spicier than I can.
It's a miracle in itself that I haven't burnt 720 holes in my stomach. I've eaten more Serrano Chiles than a 3 generations of Mexicans have. In fact, perhaps my stomach is not happy right now... but mentally and emotionally, I am a much better person right now than I was one hour ago, before this meal.
Ahhhhhh....... life is good!Listed in: Where You'll Find Me…, San Fran GOOD EATS!, Miscellaneous
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/5/2008
Original review below.
Editing on 4/11/08 to add:
They are available on http://www.delivery.com, so I… Read more »
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Review from K O.
New York, NY
6/4/2007
HOLY sanctity. This is my new worship. The Buddha would agree. Based on take out I have to come and actually eat here. But one things for sure it's going under the "ordering take out" recommendations. No pictures of the place on yelp yet, sad. I don't think it would change anything because THE FOOD is very good. The Fish Tikka Masala is a creation from the food gods.
Am I enlightened yet? -
Review from Laura F.
San Francisco, CA
8/14/2007
I love beans. Maybe that sentence is gross, and I'm going to be the "gross girl" for the next few sentences, but I really don't care. I love all kinds of beans. Beans, beans, beans. Go ahead, say the stupid rhyme about beans and farting, I'll wait....
Can I tell you something? The chana masala at Indian Aroma is unlike any chana I've ever consumed. It was creamy! It was packed with flavor! The garbanzo's were cooked perfectly! Squeezing them between a piece of their fresh, delicious naan was equally appetizing as it was a release! I could take all the crappy things about my day, wrap a little naan around one of those 'gonzos, and just squeeze. I love chana.
Anyway, this place was an unexpected surprise. We started with the veg app assortment (two thumbs up on all three included, pakora, samosa, and daal puri) and two Kingfishers. The came out The Experience That Was My Chana, and friend's lamb tandoori. The lamb was sliced, sizzling, and supposedly succulent. (Remember, no meat for Laura F.)
I was stuffed! And you know, nothing we had was even remotely spicy, but I was unexpectedly NOT disappointed. I'll be coming back here again often... goodbye Shalimar! (Oh don't get upset, you knew it was coming!)Listed in: Indian Food! Indian Food!…
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Review from Big B.
San Francisco, CA
11/9/2008
damn damn damn...I really hate to do this, but after giving it some thought on the walk home, I decided i must share. To set the stage, I've been going to the Aroma for almost 2 years now and up until tonight, it was our go to Indian spot since we live a few blocks away.
Tonight started off like any other visit. Order of the tikka masala and a tasty vegetable curry, both were delicious. About half way through the meal as I was reaching for another piece of garlic naan I noticed my date began to flail her arm about with a horrified look on her face. The flailing was caused by a roach, a roach the size of a "mike & ike" candy.
Now look, I've worked in 5 or 6 restaurants in my day and I'll be the first to say that they all had roaches, no matter how nice. Roaches in the back of the house are one thing, but roaches in the front of house are a whole nother story. You have some serious issues when you have roaches crawling on patrons.
The worst part of the whole experience is how they handled it. Waiter came over, said sorry and that was it. My date was clearly disgusted to the point of making me switch seats with her and eventually she went to wait outside. The only other acknowledgment was when the waiter came to clear the plates he mentioned that he spoke to the manager and he promised to "keep it in check".
Keep it in check? How about compin my check? A damn roach just crawled up my date's leg and on to her arm. Not on the floor or the wall, but on her person! That's a huge fail! How do you ignore this when it happens to one of your regulars? I just don't get it.
No attempt to find and destroy said roach, no visit from the manager, no discount or comp. Fail! Fail! Fail!
Damn you aroma and damn you roach for taking away our only neighborhood Indian joint.
Namaste. -
Review from Cornelius S.
San Francisco, CA
7/1/2006
It's always been hard to find the really good Indian food in SF. North India was good, but long gone. The really good stuff that I've had has all been in London.
In general, the food at Indian Aroma is pretty good. The chicken korma is VERY good. The staff are very friendly. If you are on the north east side of town and want Indian you could do a lot worse. Reasonable prices too. -
Review from Grace C.
Los Angeles, CA
6/17/2009
Disappointing.
It's the only word I can use to describe this place.
Last week, my sis was visiting from out of town, and we were looking for a place to grab food after our workout. We stopped by Indian Aroma on Polk St. because we saw the Yelp sticker on the window and said to ourselves, "Hey it can't be that bad!"
Oh, but it was.
I really wanted to like them, because they were really nice. We ordered the Daahl & the Chicken Tikka Masala. Both dishes were super watery and bland. I like my Indian food creamy. The naan was bleh and the rice had some weird herb in it that tasted like cinnamon.
I just didn't like it, and was so sad to be so disappointed by my meal. -
Review from Drea L.
San Francisco, CA
12/7/2007
All I wanted was a little chicken tikka.....
I called last night for delivery, they answered said something unintelligable and hung up on me. I called back and it just rang and rang and rang. Bummer. -
Review from Faye P.
San Francisco, CA
1/21/2009
Mmmm.. We saw this restaurant featured on 'check please bay area.' The thought of warm Indian food brought to your door via free delivery was too much to resist. So resist we did not and 1.5 hours later, we were happily taking the lids off of chicken curry, chicken tikka, allo gobhi, saag aloo, fish bhunna, and unwrapping the samosas, naan, and rice.
My roommate claims that the way you can tell if an Indian restaurant is good is to try both the chicken curry and tikka, and if they taste both good and distinctly different, then the restaurant is a keeper.
The tikka had a sweet barbeque taste while the curry was spicy. Both were enjoyable and different so I think it passed the test. However, my favorite flavor was the allo gobhi, although I wish the potatoes had been cooked a bit longer (same for the spinach dish). I am in love with the fish bhunna which was perfect and wonderfully seasoned. The samosas were okay. I thought the regular and onion naan were thick and tasty. I enjoyed the cherry and coconut flavor of the kashmiri naan but I've had better elsewhere.
All in all I was full, happy to be eating Indian food at home, and would definitely order from them again or go in person. -
Review from M.S. C.
San Francisco, CA
9/6/2008
I can see how the service might turn some people off. And it is a bit more expensive than the usual hole in the wall Indian/Pakistani places down into the heart of the Tenderloin.
But they do make a very good Dhanashak. The lentils were hearty with a nice garlicky background. And their Vegetable Vindaloo was nice - not just brutal spicy but complex and subtle. Other spices and flavors, and spiciness that crawls up on you, instead of hitting you in the jaw on the first bite.
Good breads too. Nice garlicky naan. A really nice wheat roti. Went great with the rest of the food.
They also had good & generous papadams.
So I give it 4 stars on food alone.
Go here if you are craving Indian and want to eat it somewhere where you can sit down and be comfortable. -
Review from Jillian W.
Berkeley, CA
10/2/2007
Namaste indeed.
In the handful of times I've done business with these folks, I have been impressed with all. I enjoy eating in and even more getting this delicious food delivered.
They earned their 5th star for custom making paneer tikka masala for me. There's a little blurb on the menu that says "If you require a classical dish that is not on the menu, please ask" and I took them up on it. Half an hour later it was at my door... and shortly after it was gone. :D
If I ever get married, they're catering it.
Other dishes of note include the channa masala, saag aloo and aloo gobhi. I live a mostly pescetarian lifestyle (with some exceptions) and have yet to try the prawns tikka masala. Hmm, what's for dinner tonight? I think I know!
HIGHLY recommended. These people know what they're doing! -
Review from Ashley H.
Chicago, IL
8/27/2008
Just ordered chicken tikka masala for delivery: one spicy, one mild. It was delivered a full hour later, despite my living a couple of blocks from the place. The chicken was the most disgusting chicken I have ever tasted. The pieces were mangled and gross with lots of skin and fat, and the sauce tasted almost as if it had been watered down.
When we complained they delivered us another batch, which was a spicier, but still not good. Campell's soup for dinner tonight.... so sad after spending $40 on delivery.
If you want chicken tikka masala, try somewhere else - this place is foul. Diclaimer is that I have not tried anything else on the menu. -
Review from Ramy S.
Redondo Beach, CA
3/18/2008
Now I am usually a positive guy. Good view on life, love and happiness. (Go Al!) I appreciate the ocean and the sunshine....you get the idea.
So let me paint the scene if you will. Thursday night I was hungry...really hungry....and lazy. I wanted food and I wanted it now. Now after stayin in New York for a little bit, where EVERYTHING delivers, I was like, I will have some food delivered as well. So I got on ol trusty yelp and started scouring for places near my hood to get my grub on. Indian....hmm...have not had chicken masala in a while. Great reviews...sweet. Correction...not sweet.
This is where things went down hill.
I called a bunch of times, busy signal. Shouldnt really blame them, but I am now.
Was put on hold for like 3 minutes....now thats something i can blame.
Ordered 2 orders of Naan (Love Naan) and Chicken tikka masala. Forget what the total was...will updated (hopefully) later.
How long will it take? 45min-1hour. Fine. (my stomach was not pleased)
An hour goes by and no food. I call, they say that the food is ready, but waiting for the driver.
He arrives at my apartment 30 minutes later...So I am hungry and distracted by the college basketball game, so i pay the dude and rush back and start unpacking the food while checkin on the game....
what. the. hell.
where is the rice? Like seriously. where did it go? Now I am assuming that this is my fault, because i assume when you order chicken tikka masala, it comes with rice. luckily i had the 2 orders of naan, and was able to dip the sauce. the food was tasty, but nothing to write home about.
the reasoning for the 1 star, was my constant urge to use the restroom the next day (-3 stars). Being late (-1 star), and the for the lack of rice, shouldnt count, but i am putting it on there just in case. -
Review from carlos a.
1/11/2008 3 photos
$11 for some chicken tikka? Damn.
I'm used to paying $7 at Naan N Curry. I will say that the fact that ths place is waaaaaaaay nicer than any Naan n Curry doesn't really affect my decision here.
It was a great place to have lunch. It was moderately priced, but in the end I like cheap food. The nice linens and silverware are nice but I care about my wallet more.
The service was good and they were attentive.
I recall the naan being really good.
If it were cheaper I would definitely give it 4 stars. -
Review from Veronica G.
San Francisco, CA
9/7/2008
Definitely a good place for when your in the mood for a little more ethnic a drunken snack. Oh yeah it also looks like it would be a good place for a quiet meal.
You see I don't eat Indian at restaurants too often. It falls in the same category as to why I don't get my hair cut as frequently as I should. I have people. Yeah, I've got some connections for some yummy homemade Indian food (as well some friends who cut hair). Why be adventurous when I can have someone tailor to my needs?
Ok well I'm not that much of a spoiled little brat and I know that sometimes I can't always have my way. So while I was doing this classy half skip/ half stumble up Polk, I took a peek at Indian Aroma's menu. Within seconds this very nice lady appeared out of nowhere, encouraging me and the lovely John H. to step inside and telling us that the chef was London trained. "London trained", I thought to myself," well that's a good sign" (my equally lovely friend Kay, who makes me curry, is also from London). Allright sold, I'll give it a shot.
Well, I can tell you that we ordered to go but we spent a nice wait indoors. The small tucked away feeling and the deep lush red of the brick walls would have felt quaint had I not been in a state of stool sitting vertigo. Still, the staff was quite nice offering John and myself water and a basket of snacks. Hooray snacks!
We ordered the non vegetarian appetizer combo and an order of garlic naan. The appetizer combo consists of 2 chicken samosas, seekh kebab and chicken tikka. John was not a fan of the kebab but I found it ok. The chicken tikka and the naan were super duper yummy. The naan was extra hot and garlicky and the tikka wasn't dry at all. 2 friends of ours gobbled down the samosas in record time, including one friend who's (in their words):"never really eaten Indian; seems a little too exotic". Well once I explained that a samosa is "kinda like a Hot Pocket" that sucker was an instant memory. Definitely worth another chance without the drunken veil.Listed in: They speak Drunkeneseish here!
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Review from Monika M.
San Francisco, CA
12/3/2007
I LOVED this place. Very nice service, great food, and very affordable.
Try the specialties!Listed in: My Old Neighborhood
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Review from Kevin F.
San Francisco, CA
4/9/2009
Just had a delicious business lunch here... the skinny: food above average and the service was STELLAR.
I showed up a bit early; so was seated by my lonesome for a while. The waitress could not have been more responsive though. She brought out a couple menus plus their list of wines. She filled up both waters and even brought out the poppadum--the thin, spicy, crisp wafer discs with the chutney dippind sauce. Actually, I think she refilled my water glass two times before my colleague arrived. What service!
She struck the perfect balance between allowing us ample space to have a conversation while still attending to our every need. She did a check-in for our order... and we requested a few more minutes... then sure enough, she seemed to have a keen sense and reappeared at the perfect time.
The food came out for quickly... enough time to know that it wasn't cooked pre-order, but not so long that we had to wait. She returned a minute after serving to again check-in to see if there was anything else we'd like. And I decided to get an order of rice, depending on how long it would take. Sure enough, she got a full plate of fluffy rice and brought it to the table almost immediately. Awesome!
Although the serving sizes were about average... (maybe everyone else is all about super-sizing everything)... it turned out to be the perfect amount of food. Both the chicken tikka masala and the mixed vegetables were divine. and we didn't even do appetizers.
And to top it off, this restaurant is part of the Viv program (http://www.doyouviv.com) so I know they are committed to sustaining their operations and greening their operations. Schweet!
I'll definitely be back. -
Review from Jessica d.
Sausalito, CA
5/5/2006
I love Indian food. It's been a very long time since I have eaten it and I finally convinced my uber-picky beau to stop in IAR with me. On a whim, no less.
There was no chicken saag, which is a downer for me, but I had the chicken korma. It was fantastic, but perhaps not as spicy as I like it. Some more chilis, please? The garlic naan is superb, the rice is good, the gulab jaman very good. I didn't see palak paneer on the menu, but maybe I missed it, and I also didn't see an option for just a side of dahl. I cut my teeth on these dishes and was disappointed that they didn't offer them.
Nonetheless, Mr.Uber-Picky enjoyed the meal (he had the tikka masala) and said he would go back!!! I was astounded! And I would go back, too - it was tasty. But, please add more chilis!!!!!! I like it spicy. -
Review from Thomas R.
San Francisco, CA
8/12/2006
Wow. Solid. Great food and wonderful service. The menu is nicely different from your usual Indian place - most reviewers here call it 'north Indian'; sure let's call it that, but the owners call it "Bangla-Cali Fusion". And I find that a bit more entertaining, even accurate.
The wait staff were native, cool, and friendly. The food comes as spicy as you want it - even if the menu indicates one level of spicy, they will tune it up or down to your little heart's desire. All you have to do is ask. Hell, if you find the dish not spicy enough, order the assorted pickles and let your date watch your head burst into flames on the first, self-tuned bite.
So why 5 stars? First, you should check my other reviews and see that a '5' does not come at the drop of a hat. (In fact, therein lies one of Yelp's many powers - you can see how a raving reviewer has approached other places, perhaps places with which you are familiar). Anyhow, it gets 5 because the place deserves it.
They are willing to try different things with their dishes, and the menu reflects it. The wait staff ENJOY their work. And the place is cool looking inside, and not in any way NASTY (as some other Indian spots up and down the street are). Oh yea, I sometimes get pissy when a place is too expensive - and as a result of Indian Aroma's pricing, I was again willing to offer up 5 stars; the place is NOT expensive!
So, if you are trying to find an Indian spot in this area, and perhaps are too used to your usual place, give Indian Aroma a try. I encourage you to try the not-so-common dishes like Lamb Dhansak or Chicken Dupiaza, to enjoy the nice atmosphere, and leave stuffed - because they don't skimp on serving sizes here!
One of my new favorite Indian places. -
Review from Stephanie L.
San Francisco, CA
3/8/2008
This place is probably one of the best Indian food places in SF, and I've had my fair share of Indian food. Prices are reasonable for the quality of delicious food. I usually get the chicken tikka masala, which is around 7 dollars for lunch or 11 dollars for dinner. The naan here is incredible and ranges from 1 to 4 dollars. The rice is also great. The chicken tikka masala is favorable and spicy which I love! It's not the gross creamy or tomato-y goop.
I've tried some of my boyfriend's lamb dishes, and it's all really good. Come here for lunch for cheaper prices. It's almost empty during the day so service is great. I've been here for dinner too, and it gets more crowded. -
Review from RT G.
San Francisco, CA
5/12/2006
1) the delivery guy called me 3 times to figure out how to find my house; once when he was right outside. He had to have been either stoned or really really stupid.
2) food took forever to arrive (see #1.)
3) food was cold (see #1) and BLAND BLAND BLAND. this was like Indian for people in Iowa (no offence, Hawkeyes. I KNOW you've got better Indian in Des Moines than this place.) -
Review from Tim E.
San Francisco, CA
2/27/2008
Let's get this straight benchotes. Indian Aroma is one of the best, if not the best Indian in the city. Their menu offers dishes that you will NEVER see in an Indian Restaurant in this country. Persian Dansak , Madras, and a proper Korma... My white ass cooked in an Indian Restaurant for 2 painful years(with the Tandoor oven burn scars to prove it) and spent 3 of the most wonderful months of my life in India stuffing my face (and getting Delhi belly in the process). Plus I was weened on the stuff thanks to my limey parents and spending too much time in England growing up.
The only reason they don't get 5 stars is because their Korma is consistently under salted and their Dansak needs a bit of work. Other then that, the Madras,Bengan Buja and the Naan are simply put, fantastic. If you know of a better Indian in town, and don't have a worthless palate, and actually know what the hell your talking about, I would love to know. As an Indian addict, I am truly blessed to have this one as my local. If you're English, and missing blighty, go to this place and gorge on the favorites of home that no other Indian in the city offers, i.e Madras and Dansak....... -
Review from Maxx L.
San Jose, CA
11/26/2006
I turned down both Pho and Sushi earlier that evening, so it looked like we'd be stopping in at Indian Aroma.
Decor: Motif of vines on mirrored walls, fake blue sky above, tables and chairs.
Ambiance: Fair, though I thought it was strange that one of the employees was having dinner behind us!
Menu selection: Pretty good
Price: Reasonable, neither cheap nor pricey.
Parking: In Nob Hill? Yeah, a real hassle, as always.
Plastic: Yup. They take Visa/MC.
Food quality: Good. I wasn't disappointed.
Showing up as we did on a Saturday, I expected the place to be a lot more crowded. It wasn't, and the service was pretty good. We ordered the Chicken Tikka as an appetizer, and I had the Lamb Biryani while my date had the King Prawn Tikka Masala and Naan. She has an anti-cilantro fetish, and thats like asking for "No Seaweed" at a Sushi place. Needless to say her food arrived with Cilantro and she made a big deal about it. Maybe it was the fact that I thought this was a ridiculous thing to be upset about, but I actually relished my Biryani all the more and ate hearty of all the dishes at the table.
The food came pretty quick, and wasn't overly greasy or spicy - a real problem with some Indian restaurants. I would definitely be willing to return for an encore. -
Review from Kathy T.
San Francisco, CA
3/16/2009
I wouldn't consider myself a big fan of Indian food, but with Indian Aroma I was relatively surprised. My companion was craving for Indian food and since he lives close by he suggested to eat here since he comes here often.
Upon entering this place, I noticed the decor of the place, which was pleasant and clean. We were immediately seated and looked though the menu. Our first action was to order their sweet lassi while we were deciding in what to order, which by the way I'm giving 4 stars.
Appetizer - Vegetable Samosa - outside shell was not oily - 3 stars
Entree -
Me: Chicken Tekka Kehab - served in a hot sizzling plate, the spices were just right and tasty - 4 stars
My Companion: Lamb Vindaloo - spicy and good - 4 stars
Side dishes - Okra Bahji - good, not a fan of okra but it was cooked where it was not slimy, plus the spices enhance the taste. I really liked it. - 4 stars
Saffron rice - dry - 2 stars
garlic naan - outstanding - 5 stars
Service - 4 stars
Overall with the food and service, in my book if I was grading this place they will receive 4.30, which equivalent to, "Yes, I will be back and will recommend to my friends." -
Review from Aya M.
San Francisco, CA
5/13/2007
I've only eaten here once, but the one time I've been here, I was disappointed.
First of all, the waiter didn't fully understand English, so I had to repeat my "NO CILANTRO please" request a few times.
I ordered the Prawn Tikka Masala (this or the chicken tikka masala is what I always get at other Indian restaurants and I'm usually quite pleased), and despite my "No cilantro" request, the curry came out, practically green with cilantro. Now, I understand they usually cook curry with cilantro, but I usually don't taste it because the other spices usually tends to overrule the cilantro taste. It seems like this place goes out of their way to add extra cilantro in their curry just so that there's enough cilantro to kill the other flavors.
Needless to say, I just ate the Naan plain.
If you want decent Indian food, I'd walk down a couple of blocks on Polk and go to "Darbar". -
Review from Manabu M.
11/19/2009
Most of the bad reviews are put when the food is delivered.
I come here when I need a clean looking place to have Indian food.
Although, I have never ordered veggie dishes, most of their dishes are good.
It is a little more expensive than those in TenderNob but if you need quiet clean dinning, you should try this place.
Oh, and you can have cheap dessert at "Bob's Doughnuts", right in the same block. I usually do. -
Review from Tim C.
Charlotte, NC
1/8/2008
Considering my wife and I ate Indian food roughly once a week in the south bay, we were more than anxious to find a good place in Polk Gulch. Luckily we went to Indian Aroma and found it on the first try.
A tiny place with roughly 15 tables, it was exactly what we were looking for. The food is nothing spectacular, but the veggie samosas, chicken tikka masala and chicken vindaloo have all definitely hit the spot. Maybe I like "Americanized" Indian food, I'm not sure. All I know is that the food here makes me happy.
A nice bonus is the absolutely fantastic chai tea, with free refills!
We've been here twice and will probably become regulars. -
Review from Brian H.
Oakland, CA
3/23/2009
I live two blocks from the restaurant, but it still took them almost two hours to deliver my order. When the driver showed up, he had the wrong order. He called the restaurant and they told him that it was the right order. We told him that it was not our order and that we didn't want and weren't going to pay for it.. He showed up again about 20 minutes later with our order. By now, it was ice cold and we had ordered a pizza to assuage our hunger pangs, so we sent him away.
I called the restaurant and spoke to the manager. The first thing out of her mouth was "Well, it wasn't MY fault!" I explained that I wasn't blaming anyone in particular, but I was wondering if they would even acknowledge the problem. She said "We delivered your food, what's the problem." I explained that the problem was it took over two hours, the food was ice cold, and their driver was a moron. She refused to even acknoweldge their mistakes.
So, my advice, when you pull that Indian Aroma delivery menu out of your kitchen drawer, keep digging a little deeper and get the Escape From New York pizza menu instead. Save yourself the aggravation and starvation of the incompetent manager and delivery people of Indian Aroma. -
Review from katie k.
Los Angeles, CA
6/19/2008
I love me some Indian Aroma! We get this place delivered to work on Fridays once a month and it's my fave food day! I literally get into work and remember, "Oh it's Indian Aroma Friday!" It's that damn good.
My Faves: Chicken Vindaloo (Spicy!!) garlic naan (8/10 the best naan I've had) rice with the yummy cinnamon stick in it and any kind of saag they've got. Saag Paneer is probably the best with chunks of yummy cheese! After my co-workers and I fatten ourselves up, dish after dish. I take the leftovers home and it's almost better the next day.
They have great sauces where the food is actually marinated and prepared WITH the sauce (not like LAME places) and the food always tastes so fresh. It's seems they can suck a bit on delivery, and that must mean why we order our Friday lunch at 4pm on Thursday. Overall: Great food and I can't wait til I actually visit the restaurant! -
Review from michelle i.
San Francisco, CA
9/22/2010
this was my go-to indian food delivery place when i lived in nob hill. i never actually ate in their restaurant, nor have i laid eyes on it... but it matters not, i love their food.
first off, click on their web link and look at their menu. no seriously, it's really cute. or maybe not, but i'm easily amused so i like it. the service is good, but sometimes if they were busy, it would take almost an hour and a half for the guy to show up. i guess that's the price you pay for popular restaurants though, right?
now let's get down to the most important part. i'm not an expert on indian food, but i've had it at several different places. yes, i've even tried out all those "dives" no-one-has-ever-heard-of-but-everyone-raves-about and is supposed to be the best in town. well, i always come running back to indian aroma.
the chicken tikka masala is my favorite dish of theirs. spiced perfectly for me. the sauce it comes in is so damn good. i dip my naan bread in it to eat the leftover sauce after the chicken is gone. my favorite appetizer? get the vegetable samosas. they're large, crispy on the outside, not greasy and filled with fluffy potato, veggies and spices.
i probably ordered from them about once a week when i lived in their delivery area. now, i no longer do. *sad sigh* i really miss this food. -
Review from Jonathan B.
San Francisco, CA
1/3/2006
Great service and ambience with mediocre food.
I was especially disappointed with the Naan that tasted more like pizza dough than anything. -
Review from Jeremy P.
San Francisco, CA
11/4/2006
Got some food here via http://Delivery.com, will order from these guys again.
I got the channa masala, veggie app. sampler, and some rice.(no nann or chapti; makes me too full). After eating the appetizer I was full enough to save the channa for later.
The veggie app sampler had two samosas, fritters and dal puri. They were a little soggy when they got here so I threw then in the oven for like 2 or 3 minutes and they crisped right up. The somasas are nothing too yelpable, not too spicy and not just all mush, so it was ok. The dal puri was great but the fritters were still kinda soggy and frail. Next time I will just order Dal Puri for my appetizer.
When I eat Indian or Thai food I want to sweat from ridiculously dangerous amout of capsaicin they put in their dishes. Only twice have I encountered a meal that I found too spicy or hot to eat, and one of those times I was the "chef". With that being said, I ordered my channa masala spicy, and I was unhappy with what they call spicy. But damn that shit tastes good!!! And it's cheap!! Their chickpeas were actually soft, making the dish even more of a comfort food than it already presumes to be. My new favorite channa masala. I like it so much that I really don't want to eat much rice with it. The rice really robbed me of the flavour that I was digging so much.
General Things I like about them:
-they delivery their curries/dishes in plastic bowls and not those crap white boxes covered with plastic wrap.
-they have a nice selection of veggie dishes that are so cheap you can order two for the price of what some meat curry would cost. That is a big bonus in my book.
Update 11.16.06:
Hmmm ordered the chana masala again but this time it was delivered in a tin pan with the cardboard top. Last time it was the plastic. And... the chickpeas were not soft like last time. I actually had to make sure that i ordered from the same resturant afterwards. The Nan was good enough to give out awards for as it was quite substantial. -
Review from Alison N.
Foster City, CA
4/8/2007
Pretty decent Indian food. The first time I had the chicken vindaloo, I got it mild. Not spicy enough. The next time I got it medium. Plenty spicy enough. I'm totally afraid to try it hot - I don't think I'd be able to eat it.
Chicken vindaloo with chicken tikka masala over basmati rice is a perfect meal on a chilly day. The vindaloo is hot enough to keep you warm and the tikka masala is seasoned properly to mix with the basmati rice and it comes together in a pretty good bite. The plain nan is always safe and the saag is something to experience.
It's a pretty small and cozy eatery on Polk. Just make sure to get a table in the back so your meal isn't interrupted by gusts of wind every time the door opens. -
Review from Tyler D.
Seattle, WA
10/26/2007
The chicken tikka masala from this place is absolutely the best around. Amazing.
The vegetables...not so much. Definitely leave something to be desired. They should hire one of the cooks from Shalimar to teach them how to make fantastic veggie dishes, to complement the best-in-class tikka masala.
C'mon guys...steal trade secrets! Industrial espionage! Everybody's doing it! -
Review from Thomas m.
San Francisco, CA
3/8/2008
Some of the best tikka that I have had in San Francisco. Some say, the best tikka outside London, or New Delhi for that matter.
I have been to neither of those places, but I can tell you, with the utmost accuracy, that this is the best Tikka in San Francisco. Definately the best Indian food in the area. The Lamb Vindaloo is ON TARGET. The garlic naan - will knock your thick, computer programmer's socks CLEAR OFF. Prices are right. Spiciness is right. And the decor -- Who could say "no" to the murals of Indian countryside covering the walls and celings? Nobody, thats who.
In summation:
Check this place out if you are walking around hungry on a sunny Polk Street day.
I wholeheartedly endorse India Aroma. -
Review from Ian P.
Berkeley, CA
3/1/2009
Meh. I've experienced better. The 2-star description completely encapsulates this experience.
We had a chicken vindaloo and king prawn biryani...two of the dishes I had at my favorite restaurant in Goa. The vindaloo was not really spicy at all, really like "meh" spicy. I had hoped for hot and flavorful, but nada. The king prawn biryani was also "meh". Biryanis are tough to do well because the spice is so subtle...they completely missed the mark. The prawns were also tough and overcooked. The naan was pretty good though.
Service was adequate. Credit card machine was down...pointed out to us only at the end of the meal. $20/person without alcohol is definitely pricey for the quality, so I can't really give them the value vote either.
Meh.
