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Janat Indian Cuisine - CLOSED
Categories: Restaurants Indian Restaurants Pakistani Indian, Pakistani [Edit]
2211 Tasman DrSanta Clara, CA 95054
(408) 988-3966
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
26 reviews for Janat Indian Cuisine
26 reviews in English
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Review from May C.
San Jose, CA
11/6/2007
Very cute little place. I've been there for dinner a couple of times and the lady has always been very nice and helpful. She makes me feel that I'm having dinner at a friend's place.
The buffet is decent. Not a big selection since it is a small shop, but it has all your yummy essentials like tandori chicken, saag paneer, and pakora. The best part about the buffet is that they bring you fresh naan to your table. None of those saggy stuff that's been sitting under heat lamps.
My favorite is the lamb biriyani. It is awesome! Very tasty with lots of lamb, raisins, and nuts. The yogurt cuts down on the spiciness and quenches your taste buds after the flavors of the lamb hits. It is a bit pricy, but the serving sizes are huge! I can usually get at least 2 meals out of it (more if I can actually manage to stop myself because I'm full).Listed in: Thanks to YELP!
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Review from Miho G.
Palo Alto, CA
8/4/2010
Restaurant is closed!
My friend and I went by...and it was completely empty!
They didn't close down their website - where we researched the place. We wasted gas driving out there..wish someone had stated this was closed earlier! -
Review from Tetsu N.
Dublin, CA
7/23/2008
What a disappointment.
I used to go here all the time and was a huge fan of some of the food. But I just went back again today, and it tasted...ugh....The only think left that's any good is the Tandoori chicken.
This is one of those all you can eat places (for lunch anyway, never been here for dinner).
Generally, I don't eat a lot of rice, primarily because my body can't handle it as well as when I was younger. So what draws me to this place is that the buffet has loads and loads of raw veggies. I simply replace rice with raw veggies, and I can have a meal that's a little easier on my digestion. That, along with the price, and the proximity to the office made this a perennial favorite for years. But I hadn't gone in a few months and thought going to an old favority once in a while might be a good thing.
My favorites here were the Tandoori Chicken (grilled and spiced), the Butter Chicken (curry), and the Lamb Vindaloo (curry). The Chicken Tikka Masala (curry) and Chili Chicken (dry curry) were also two great goto dishes.
There's also a milk tea which I like and a soft cream which some folks like.
The place itself is small, seating maybe 40 or 50 or so, and since it's all you can east, you just go up and grab what you want and eat. You don't pay until the end of the meal. The naan is free and they keep it coming (it's pretty good, and hasn't changed).
But today....aaargh, the Lamb Vindaloo was bland (forgot to add a few spices maybe?) and the Butter chicken was sweet....sweet! I mean, what the heck?! Butter chicken isn't supposed to be sweet....Heaven help me! I may never go here again....Which is a shame since it's been an old favorite for years. -
Review from Margo G.
2/5/2008
Walked in to the lunch buffet with some coworker.
Grab a plate and head to the food. You get your own utensils, they seat you and bring you water and naan.
Not many selections. If I remember correclty they had tandoori chicken, butter chicken, lamb curry, daal, choli, paneer, a veggie medly, rice, lettuce, tomato,raita, chutneys and they were all pretty bland. I didn't taste any of the desired Indian flavors. it was very toned down.
I also think they need to turn up the heat on their burners some more. Food was lukewarm and not hot.
The only thing that I went back for was the tandoori chicken and some weird vegtable medly they had and the naan. Everything else, I have had better getting the frozen or pre-packaged food at Trader Joe's.
My coworker found a long hair in his mango soft serve. We all stopped eating after that.
Will not be going back. -
Review from kim n.
6/29/2006
This is a great little restaurant which is unfortunately relegated to a strip mall in Santa Clara. As I usually advise, skip the buffet and order off the menu. I gave the following a try:
Paneer Pakora - Indian farmers cheese, battered in grain flour and deep fried.
Onion Kulcha, Aloo Paratha, Chappati.
Lamb Pasanda - Lamb cooked in a cashew and cream sauce.
Channa Masala - Garbanzo beans stewed in spices
The food was super tasty and they have a fairly extensive menu that has choices for vegetarians and carnivores alike. The service is on the slow side but if you're ordering from the menu, they are cooking that fresh, and it's worth the wait. I'm definitely going back to try more of the cuisine. -
Review from Geomar R.
2/6/2007
The service is horrible. They gave me a bad look when I entered and they seemed to be hesitant in answering my questions. I ordered the Lamb Pasanda and it was below average. Maybe, I should have ordered the buffet.
Do not go to this place, unless you want to get ripped off. The service is horrible. I would rather spend my time at the DMV than eat at Janat's. -
Review from David B.
Fremont, CA
2/27/2008
When I rate, I always rate with "bang per buck" as my calibrator. It used to be that Janat offered a $5 to-go lunch special, but as I've come to find out, they oscillate on it based on the customer and time of day. Sometimes they charge tax ($5.40 total), sometimes they include utensils, sometimes they actually provide enough food to feed an adult. Sometimes they do not.
I love Indian food, but the quality and serving size at Janat is too inconsistent. -
Review from Pete B.
San Jose, CA
8/19/2007
UPDATE: Janat is closed with no forwarding address. RIP. Best butter chicken in the South Bay. Damn.
I love this place for lunch. The buffet is YUMMY , especially the butter chicken, but it's ALL good.
The lady was very nice to us and she remembers us. When she asks how hot I want it I tell her "As hot as you plus 10 percent" and it is. Just perfect.
I love the Indian "Bollywood" videos they always seem to have going on the TV screens. Can't usually hear the music but it reminds me of how the rest of the world interprets American culture...and emulates it. -
Review from Gary H.
Sunnyvale, CA
8/7/2008
Maybe it should be called JA because the lamps lighting up the rest of the letters in the sign on the building have been burned out for a year or so.
I loved to eat dinner buffet here when the parents were running the place. Now their sons (?) have taken over and the buffet selection is very limited. The chicken dish has only two pieces of tiny chicken pieces in it hiding somewhere under all the sauce. Very unfortunate. I used to love the place. -
Review from Pete M.
Sunnyvale, CA
5/22/2009
This place used to offer some of the best food around and was on-par with Amber in Sunnyvale. Unfortunately, about a year or so ago, it changed hands and I believe that the head cook now owns it.
While the previous owner always made sure that the food was of the highest quality and made of the best ingredients, it seems like the new owner hasn't kept up the high standard.
We used to swear by this place, their Chicken Tikka Masala was the best around with an amazing explosion of flavor, it just isn't the same anymore, which is a real shame.
Pete -
Review from n m.
San Jose, CA
7/5/2008
If they had an option to give this place 0 stars. I would, the food we ordered was for catering and they completely messed up the order. The food was not even good and the appearance made sure I would never consider them again. STAY AWAY from them until they clean up the way they do business.
WARNING: DO NOT EAT HERE!!!!!! -
Review from Anna S.
4/3/2008
Note- Ive never eaten here. But I had it in my binder of places to try nearby (I order lunch for my office). Someone here at work was horrified when they saw I had the menu. They were like, "DONT DO IT! Even Sean didnt like it!" I work with a lot of Indian guys and they are picky as hell about Indian restaurants, but I guess Sean's thumbs down vote was the kiss of death, because he's pretty game for everything. I took the menu out and threw it away.
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Review from Amit T.
Santa Clara, CA
6/10/2010
I used to really like this place...they had flavorful food that was decently priced. Their lunch buffets were always good, and they attracted a decent crowd.
Lately the food quality seems to have slipped several notches down. Thd food quality seems to be erratic at best. Some days the food is good, others its bleh... -
Review from Shannon N.
San Jose, CA
10/25/2006
I've been here several times, often getting food to go. The woman there just doesn't seem to like me, and that's shown in the portion sizes I end up receiving here. I don't get it... I probably got about 75 cents worth of food at most (for $6), and she still treats me like I'm a big inconvenience. It's been ok (not great) when I've eaten in the restaurant (the portions are better because I choose them), but I'm giving them 1 star for the attitude I always get when I go here.
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Review from Sarah P.
Washington, DC
1/3/2009
I had the lunch buffet here last week with a friend. The man behind the counter was extremely nice and he recognized my friend who had been there a few days before. I appreciated that the vegetarian items were clearly marked, and they had a nice selection of raita, chutney, and other sauces. The buffet lunch was about $10 and not very tasty - passable, but the flavors were weak and nothing stood out. I didn't see any biryani or paneer dishes. The dal was thin and light. It's too bad, because the man running the place was so nice - if the food improves or the price drops this could be a nice lunch spot.
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Review from David P.
Mountain View, CA
7/8/2010
I've enjoyed Janat for years - both under the previous owner, and the current one (the former owner's head cook). The buffet selections varied from day to day, but I could always count on finding tasty vegetables of one sort or another.
Unfortunately, it appears that Janat is no more. I stopped by today for lunch, and found the door locked and the store-front entirely empty - tables and decorations gone, paper signs on the windows gone, no messages about "We're redecorating" or "We've moved".
Their web site doesn't currently have any information about what's going on... it's still up, with no announcements or news.
I fear that Janat may have been yet another victim of the recession... most times I've been there recently there haven't been many customers. If so, I'll miss 'em. -
Review from Abhishek S.
San Jose, CA
6/21/2010
I had placed a catering order for 35 people and everybody liked the taste of the food so much that they started asking where did you get this food from, also they deliver it for free for orders above $100. Also the quantity was more than enough and in fact they gave one extra entrée for free, I would definitely recommend Janat Indian cuisine for anyone who would like to have have Indian food for their parties. I would especially recommend their Veg pakora Dal Makhani and Malai Kofta.
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Review from Ealasaid H.
Santa Clara, CA
1/31/2008
I hardly know what rating to give this place because it varies so wildly when I go there. Sometimes the service is fantastic, with friendly and personable staff eager to help. Other times, it's as though I am being a huge pain in the ass for wanting to buy some food. Likewise, the buffet (I've never gone for dinner or ordered off the menu at lunch) is sometimes awesome, with tasty Chicken Vindaloo and other goodies, and sometimes mediocre, with bland and uninteresting food.
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Review from Matthias L.
Pleasanton, CA
11/14/2006
Very good Indian food - the owner even helps you get to the right level of spiciness you can take if it's too hot for you, i.e. by adding yogurt. The selection is not huge and similar on most days, but the food quality is excellent. Definitely worthwhile a visit.
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Review from drew k.
CA
12/29/2009
A friend and I are exploring restaurants through a coupon deal from a competing site. With a sense of adventure, we set out to discover new highs (and lows) in culinary art for our Tuesday night dinner. So far it's been mostly lows -- so I am pleased to report that this place is actually pretty good.
The table appetizer was some sort of cracker-like stuff, which my friend tells me is papadum. Pretty good, with two sauces neither of which seemed hot. The menu was the stereotypical basic Indian fare.
We ordered saag paneer, chicken curry, naan bread and kabuli naan (with raisins and nuts) and chicken sheek kabob. My friend had mango lassi as a beverage. I snuck a taste, it was good.
Portions were adequately sized. The kabob was served on a hot griddle over onions with bell peppers and lime. I tried my first bite with caution -- yummy! The curry and paneer was in little metal bowls with lit tea candles underneath. I felt that the curry was just right, hot enough to notice but not enough to gulp water. The chicken was moist without being overcooked. The saag paneer was also good, only a little spicy and the cheese had nice taste and texture to it. The rice was average Indian rice. We had enough leftovers for a good meal tomorrow.
Service was good and the waitress attentive and friendly. Hearing that they have a daytime buffet makes me want to come back and try it out.
We did not expect to have trouble finding the restaurant! However, Google Maps steadfastly gave us directions to the Santa Clara Convention Center overflow parking lot. After an expanding search, we finally found Janat wedged in a tiny strip mall between Carl's Jr and Togo's. Be advised, the restaurant is invisible from eastbound Tasman because the Lick Mill light rail station is in the way. Convenient if one is on light rail, I suppose. Later investigation found the location accurately labeled in Google Maps, but the marker in the wrong place. Hopefully future Yelpers will be saved excessive U-turns and aggravation. -
Review from bunnymouse k.
Foster City, CA
9/19/2007
Wow the reviews are all over the place for Janat. I have now been to Janat twice, and on both occasions the food has been great, the service has been friendly, and the price, while high for lunch buffet, is reasonable considering the amount of food you get. I highly recommend the buffet.
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Review from Joseph S.
San Jose, CA
4/14/2009
I just came from lunch with some of my co-workers. we got a coupon for $2 off, So $7.99 per person. The taste is plain, nothing special. I'm not an Indian food expert, but I have been to enough places to know this place isn't that great. The staff is very friendly, but the food just isn't good.
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Review from Michael A.
San Jose, CA
5/20/2008
We had eaten at Janat before in the past and don't remember it being so bad. The food was stale and old and the chicken was not very fresh even though it was covered in various curry sauces. You just know when chicken is bad, your tongue hits that flavor and that sour sting hits your pallette like a ton of bricks. From the 10-12 items on the buffet, the only thing worth eating that was actually hot, was the naan. And even that was rushed and burnt. This is one place me and my coworkers will be taking off our usual eating establishments. Best bet is just down the street at The Grand Indian Buffet or the Bombay Garden Restaruant. Now these are some worthy buffets.
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Review from Rachel G.
San Jose, CA
1/5/2009
My friend and I decided to check this place out for lunch last week. I checked out the website and was really excited about going there for lunch. However, when I get there, they only had the lunch buffet available. I asked if we could order off the menu and we were told "No, it's only the buffet." -1 star for that. I was looking forward to trying some of the appetizers and some other dishes, so I was bummed about that. The buffet wasn't too bad. It had butter chicken, tandoori chicken, lamb, vegetables and rice. They also had a few condiments to go with your meal like yogurt sauce, mango and this pickled lemon sauce (this one is an aquired taste). The buffet also had a dessert that were round fried donut balls in a caramel sauce. That was pretty good. -1 another star for the limited selection of food in the buffet though. I did get my grub on though. I was stuffed after that and all the way up until dinner time.
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Review from Brenda B.
San Jose, CA
6/9/2010
I use these guys for catering. I've used them for years and many of our employees go there for lunch. It's difficult to keep quality and flavor in food, especially when you make it in large amounts. Janat makes each and every spoonful delicious, small plate, large trays, it doesn't matter. They are also very reasonably priced for all that you get. I've even called the night before for a catering job, and they just never disappoint. Janat is a true gem and I urge you to give them a try. They're great!
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Review from Leigh M.
Mountain View, CA
2/5/2008
Like other posters said, the service can be hit and miss, especially in the noon to 1pm weekdays lunch rush, but when it's good, it's very good. In my opinion, the food makes up for it. Yes, the choices on the buffet are limited, but the a la carte menu is extensive and available whenever, and very, very good. I used to live near here and missed it dearly when I moved away, and its proximity to my new office is a big selling point.
