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Tried K of T again - this time for lunch with my vegetarian, Indian friend. We split an order of Chana Chat - a cold chick pea appetizer that is very good. (Still served on the bed of iceberg.)
I had the same shrimp appetizer with a freshly fried poori - it is an appetizer but for me was perfect for lunch. It came with 4 medium sized shrimp in a tomato based (tasy) sauce with onions and green peppers. The sauce was so good on the poori (or over rice - I snagged a bit of my friends HUGE veggie biryani).
I have never been a big Indian food lover, but I can deal with the food here and find it very good.
Please note that I am NOT an Indian food lvoer - in fact - I generally don't eat it. I can't deal… Read more »
2.5 stars.
I had high hopes for a killer Indian dinner, and after reading reviews here I had my sights set high -regretfully the food was disappointing despite the great service.
Huge space, lots of seating, dining room very dimly lit (but can make for a romantic dinner), white starched tablecloths and napkins, servers are in vests and ties and are friendly and helpful.
Food was average at best. From samosas, to salads and the actual entrées themselves, there was no depth or complexity of flavors, with no additional or interesting ingredients. Most of the meat was often dry, not terribly tender, as if it were dropped in the stewed mixture as an afterthought and at the last minute
With the most expensive main course items costing around $16.95 for the mixed tandoori grill (average lamb, chicken, fish, and vegetable items costing around $10.95 to $13.95), the entire meal is really affordable, but the portions are quite small.
We ordered a smattering of lamb and chiken dishes, including the tikka and vindaloo along with the chicken dumpakht, which I was told was the restaurant's signature dish. None of these items were particularly memorable or very good.
Highlight of the whole dining experience though, was the terrific service. Attentive, prompt and informative. They also gave us a bunch of free and unexpected little treats, little servings of sweet rice pudding for dessert and a free mango dessert for my friend whose birthday we were celebrating. (without us having to request it!)
I ordered delivery...so no comments about the dine-in experience..
Having said that...the food was phenomenal!
I am an Indian...very very picky about Indian restaurants because I think most of their stuff tastes the same no matter what you order!
Not so with King of Tandoor...the chicken dumpakht was probably the BEST thing I have ever ordered from an Indian restaurant...no kidding. The lamb vindaloo was good too...although really spicy (this, in spite of saying medium).
Very friendly guy on phone....delivery took less than 45 mins on a Fri night..
My fav delievery place in Philly so far...
Delicious takeout! What a surprise for delivery in Rittenhouse!
We ordered our standard - saag paneer (spinach w/ cheese) and tandoori chicken with garlic and aloo naan.
Our food was still piping hot when it arrived and the price was just right (approx. $30). The portions were so large, we had enough for dinner the next night.
I can't wait to visit the restaurant in person.
Stunning. This is the only Indian place in the city that has won my vote. Upscale and professional service. The food here is by far the best and can compete with other high end Indian restaurants including NY. One visit to King Of Tandoor and they will leave you speechless. Highly recommended.
One of my all time favorites. KofT possesses the essential complimentary elements-spacious yet intimate; attentive service without being bothersome; food that is unceasingly fresh, prepared with both subtle and bold flavors.
YUMmy
Everything we've tried here so far has been delish; my favorite so far is the vegetable samosa (nicely cunchy, not greasy, and a tad spicy), and the chicken saag (most flavorful I've had, and this is my go to dish for indian food). They have a nice size menu, and prices are in line with most places around, which may be a little high, but the portions are really big. Good to share an entree for two, or have enough for lunch the next day. The guys that work here are super nice, happy to explain what any mystery sauces are, and we've gotten complimentary rice pudding with the bill.
*We just got delivery from them the other week: they delivered down to GHo, quickly enough that the dishes and naan were still hot.
Given my almost complete intolerance for pepper-based spice, it is an odd conundrum that I adore Indian food. It also means that I often have to make special requests when ordering. King of Tandoor's response to these requests are alone enough to earn it high ranks, but the fact that Lamb Korma, which is already a mild dish by Indian standards, can be made even milder, and still be truly delicious, is how the restaurant earned all five stars.
I started with the Vegetable Samosas, which have just enough heat to hurt my mouth, but not until AFTER I have finished eating one. It is possible to fully enjoy the rich array of flavors, even if, like me, you are a "spice wimp." They were perfectly crisp, and the ratio of potato to peas, and pastry was just right.
I also had plain Naan, but have had many of the breads on other visits, and enjoy them all. Once, when I ordered no bread, they brought a small complementary Paratha, which was crisp and delightful.
As I mentioned above, I then had the Lamb Korma, made EXTRA mild. I ALWAYS have the Lamb Korma, made extra mild, but since I rarely eat there alone, I have tasted many other things. I have yet to be disappointed.
There is a good selection of vegetarian food, and though I don't like Mango, my 6 year old nephew can polish off two Mango Lassi and still want more.
The decor is relatively benign, but the restaurant is very clean, and the staff is exceptionally friendly. I was there last at 5:00pm on a Wednesday, and my table was the only one, but I have seen it full many times on weekends, and closer to a normal dinner time.
This has become my "go-to" place for Indian food.
The restaurant was near empty. That should have been the biggest indication of what I was about to endure. The overbearing stares from the servers began our uncomfortable journey that later ended in intestinal discomfort. I'm just glad I recently bought one of those water saving toilets. The dinner taste old and even the ponir was chewy. The signature dish, chicken dumphakt, was exactly like it sounded. I was dumb to have ordered it and I was the one who was f$&@d in the end. It is a totally inept and comically run establishment. All the freebies don't justify the prices they charge either. This is definitely a NO-try Zone for all out there who rather not sit on the crapper for an extended period.
To be 100% honest, the only Indian food I'd ever eaten before coming to King of Tandoor came from the Whole Foods hot bar in New York's Columbus Circle. To be fair, I dug their samosas. Anyway, no doubt that King of Tandoor blows WF out of the water.
My boss urged me to check it out and I am so glad I did. The first time I checked the place out was with my boyfriend. We didn't realize it was BYOB, so we failed on that front, but everything was amazingly delicious and we were shocked at how small the bill was for what we'd gotten. I went with the Chicken Malai, juicy chunks of chicken in a creamy and lightly spiced coconut sauce. Was great atop the complimentary basmati rice. I forget what boyfriend got, but it was also very tasti.
Before the entrees we'd ordered some chapati which came out with 3 different sauces, all pretty tasty and spicy. By the time we'd finish our meals we were more than full and declined ordering dessert, but were presented with a complimentary rice pudding each. It was so good and worth being a bit overfull.
I went another time with my sister and her boyfriend. I ordered the shrimp biryani which I loved, as did my sis and her man. They'd gotten the Malai Kebab and lamb vindaloo, respectively, the former which was very tasty and the latter was good but too spicy for me. We'd also gotten an order of garlic naan, which I'd had for the very first time, and it was amazing. Best with the green sauce.
I've also ordered takeout once (the lamb dumpkaht is very good), and found it a bit difficult to order over the phone and the delivery time to be very slow, especially for my close proximity. I'd definitely recommend eating in as opposed to delivery.
One of my favorite neighborhood haunts. In fact, my sister told me that when I move at the end of August, I have to stay in the neighborhood to remain close to King of Tandoor. Definitely can't disagree with her.
How can you not be excited to eat a place called King of Tandoor? Say it out loud. Really. Now say it in a silly voice. Are you grinning like a dork? Yes you are. Why? Because you are awesome.
Speaking of awesome, the food here is absolutely righteous. My dining compadres ordered veggie and meat samosas (killer!) to start, plus chicken tikka masala (outstanding!), chicken dumpakht (it's like a magical Indian chicken pot pie), and veggie korma (creamy-good). I ordered my standard litmus test for an Indian place: plain ol' chicken tikka (not chicken tikka masala), and hot damn, my socks were blown off.
Dude, if you can make chicken breast chunks on a hot plate so mind-blowingly exciting that we're yelling Hallelujah, then ninja, you *are* the KING of TANDOOR.
(The fine print: Yeah, like everyone else said: The service is pretty bleh, but the food is so good you won't care.)
I used to really love this place but recently it's gone down hill in my opinion. This is my standard delivery place for indian food as they are very quick (usually 25 mins to my door). My last few times I have gone my food has been warm so no complaints there but everything is swimming in oil! My most recent order I got the chicken vindaloo which tasted ok and was spicy to my liking but it was very oily and they added potatoes (which I am a fan of) they were pretty tasteless and detracted from the dish. I also got the bhindi bhajee (okra) and they were completely tasteless, undercooked, lacking salt and once again oily. I have had this dish at so many other restaurants and it's always a favorite but this time it was just not the same...the saving grace of this was the naan, rice and raita (which is always good but seriously $3 for cucumbers and yogurt! if i wasn't lazy i'd make this myself). i'll still order from here cause its decent and most importantly quick but i am slightly dissapointed.
Off the bat you must realize that the service at this place it terrible. They mean well and they are very nice, but they just have no idea how to wait tables and I assume the same can be said for takeout and delivery. The people next to you may get the complimentary appetizer and dessert, but they might completely forget to give the same to you. No worries, they're trying their hardest but they have no clue. So, up front, you must go into this place recognizing that the service is going to be terrible, but friendly. Reserve at least an hour for your dinner, but realistically you're looking down the barrel of an hour and a half. Luckily it's a BYOB so you can bring a couple (at least two) bottles of wine to wait things out. Also, take the terrible service as a reminder to yourself that you need to slow down and enjoy yourself and your company every once in a while.
Now, recognizing that the service is slow and this is not a place to go when you are in a hurry, the food is fantastic and I am a man that loves Indian food and have eaten much Indian food in many different locales. This is the best Indian food I've ever eaten and I am not an easy critic. The dishes tend to have a bit more spice than most Indian joints and the dumpakht is the go to dish. So, if you're looking for good Indian food and you've got time and patience on your side then grab a couple bottles of wine and head to King of Tandoor. If you're the kind of asshole that demands that the waiter actually know how to wait tables or if you have some place to be, then this is not your cup of tea.
I don't know what all of these bad reviews are about. I have been to this place five times, and every time I thoroughly enjoyed my food and the service. The waitstaff is very nice, and they are very quick to refill water (which is very important when you get a hot dish!). I've had the Chicken Tikka Masala, the Chicken Dumpakht (my favorite), and the Chicken Vindaloo (amazing!), all of which were delicious. Their garlic naan is good and very garlicky, although sometimes I think it's a little on the doughy side. My boyfriend has made naan before and I think it was as good, if not better, than the naan that I had here. If you eat too much doughy naan, it's easy to fill up pretty quickly.
Twice when we went there, we were given free Firni (rice pudding) and Gulab Jamon (fried cheese ball with honey sauce). Delicious. Another great thing about King of Tandoor is that it's BYOB, which I always prefer over having to shell out extra money. I always look forward to eating here.
Simply put: This is a good place to enjoy high-quality Indian food.
First, the room is comfortable. Cloth napkins and clean white tablecloths. Good lighting. It's never been crowded during my visits so it lacks the roar that characterizes a number of the nicer places to eat in Philly (I live in Seattle).
Second, the wait staff is professional and attentive. They offered a complementary vegetarian soup appetizer and finished the meal with a complementary rice pudding. Both were excellent and unexpected.
Third, the food is better than average. The salmon tandoori was tender and flavorful. The vegetable dishes are quite good, although portions are a bit small (still, more than enough to share). The rice is a cut above what you might find in downscale Indian places. At the same time, I didn't see anything on the menu that was unexpected - all the standards, and only the standards, are present.
I've eaten here twice - once last August and then tonight (March). Both times the place was relatively empty, which is a shame because it warrants attention from anyone who enjoys Indian food.
Walked by this place one day at lunch and thought hey I gotta eat there sometime. Well I finally did last night and am sooo happy that I did!
It was a bit awkward at first because we were the only people in there (why? I think they do most of their business via take out and delivery) We brought along our own bottle of wine...I wasn't sure if it was BYOB but we called ahead of time and they confirmed it was.
Ok now to the good stuff...the food!
We started with the vegetable samosas which came out with 3 house sauces, a spicy cilantro chutney, a sweet and sour sauce and a sauce that looked similar to pico de gallo with tomatos and onions. All 3 were awesome with the hot out of the fryer samosas.
We ordered malai kofta (vegetable balls in a cream sauce), chicken tikka masala and chicken malai (chicken in coconut sauce). The bowls came out and I was like that's all!?! but once we started eating we realized it was a trick on our eyes as we were well beyond full before we were even near finishing the dishes! We ordered 3 types of naan to go with our meal--the onion, garlic and plain. Also fabulous and very hot when served. Out of the 3 of us no one could finish their entire meal--We were STUFFED! The waiter even brought out some rice pudding as a complimentary dessert, which of course we made some room in our full tummies for :)
Everything was so extremely fresh and served hot. The waitstaff was awesome and right on top of everything. The owner came over and asked how everything was and asked if we would hopefully be returning...I Most definitely will be!
This is me doing the Chicken Tikka Masala dance.... shaka shaka dip dip, stab chicken, insert into naan.... jive across kitchen with mouth full.
Repeat later, inserting shaka-shaka put leftover tikka in microwave and eat for a second meal!
Also the rice pudding dance comes later, it is similar in style but has a cinnamon-and-cardamom solo section.
Visited again on Friday night. They have toned the heat of the dishes down a lot. Everything we ordered was relatively mild. So if you like spicy food, you will have to ask for it.
The rice pudding is still one the best things I have ever eaten. And the garlic nan and mango lassi are great, too.
Also, the Chicken Dumpakht is my new favorite dish. It's like indian chicken pot pie. I have had it delivered and it always shows up extremely hot and fresh from the oven- never soggy.
This is the best indian I have had in Philadelphia. We were ordering from Tiffin for a while, which… Read more »
Quite lovely.
Nearly empty on a Saturday evening, although it could've been hurricane Hanna's driving rain keeping the crowd out (they didn't dare stop us dripping on the carpet). The service is efficient but a little creepy, with a bunch of bored waiters watching us from relatively close - we couldn't have stolen any plans or silverware under such tight surveillance.
One of my party wanted Paneer Tiki Masala - both Paneer & Tiki Masala are on the menu but not together as a single dish. The waiter took a little while to understand she was requesting a custom item, and that the other entree was a backup request in case the chef wasn't willing (he wasn't).
The food was quite good - probably the best sit-down Indian I've had in Philadelphia. My white-boy taste buds were quite sassified. I'm a regular fan of Tiffin, their mint chutney is second to none. However, KoT nudges them out on everything else. The Nann, samosas, vegetarian entrees, and rice pudding were all phenomenal. The Chicken Vindalu (spelling?) was incredibly spicy but quite flavorful.
I'll be going back, and sucking up spending more than $10 for lunch regularly.
Very good restaurant and very friendly service. I ordered take out from them last week and got Chicken Tikka Marsala, Lamb Curry, Veggie Samosas, and Garlic Naan. Everything was great, although they were a little on the pricey side (they charged us $3 for an order of Raita on the side).
I will definitely be coming back here. The service and food is great.
Bleh!
I kept looking for cameras because the scenario was ripe for some sort of hidden camera show.
First of all, the food is not good. My girlfriends dish (Chicken Tikka Makhanee) came and it resembled Nacho Cheese with chicken in a bowl the size of my fist. Nacho cheese is not an Indian specialty and as a result, it was not finished and not even taken home. That's bad enough but the price paid for this cheese whiz was astronomical compared to Tiffin and Ekta considering it was half the serving.
The worst part was the waiter. Inattentive, awkward, and just weird. Between sitting in the corner and drinking water and scanning the room but missing us staring at him, right under his nose, this dude was comically bad. The best part was insisting that we have dessert even though we turned him down previously. There were long stretches of him just not being around.
I love Indian food, I really do but this place is too expensive and the service is terrible enough for me to not go back again.
Meh. Just got back from lunch there. The place itself is lovely. I needed a break from WF, and it was refreshing to have a table cloth and someone constantly refilling my water. The staff was a little overattentive. It just bugs me when someone says thank you 5 times in 30 seconds. I get it. You like me and my money and want me to like you and your food. The food was up very quickly, which is helpful when you've got 45 minutes, door to door, for lunch.
I had the chana saag, and it was definitely not the tastiest saag dish I've ever had (saag being my go to Indian dish. I adore it but cannot for the life of me recreate it successfully at home.) The raita was mediocre, a bit too thick for my liking (and $3!! for the tiniest dish ever), as were the various chutneys and dips. Naan was tasty.
I just don't think I'll bother going here again. Meh, indeed.
we've eaten their food a couple times, takeout and dine-in.
there's a paneer dish, can't remember what it's called but it's in the "sweet and sour" sauce that's pretty amazing. veg samosas are fabulous as well. the rice is certainly better quality and more flavorful than some competing north philly indian establishments (*cough*tiffin*cough*ekta*) and the nan is fresh and tasty.
the chat appetizer is where they went horribly wrong, which is surprising because it's probably the easiest thing to make! all of the flavor of this dish were watered down by the addition of iceberg lettuce, which should not be there! that aside, it was a good meal. beware frequent upsells from the servers, but otherwise good service. pretty dining room.
Delicious and authentic Indian food. The service is wonderful. Despite an obvious language barrier, the waiter/GM was extremely gracious. This may not be for those of you who have constrictive lunch times, because dining for lunch took about an hour and fifteen minutes but was well worth the experience.
Prices are a tricky. $3 for two samosas is super reasonable, but $2.50 for a diet coke (NO REFILL) seems steap. The menu boasts lunch specials but the only real difference is that these include NAAN. So go prepared to spend about $13-$15/entree.
I had, and truly enjoyed, the Chicken Shaagh, normally I'm used to it spelled as Saag but I'm guessing the "h" just deems the cuisine is from a different part of India. .
Off the beaten path, you can't find a better Indian restaurant in Philly. The STAFF has worked for years in NYC and are very hospitable.
The DECOR is peculiar. It's very nice and it looks as though the owner has really put a lot of effort, esp. through his/her travels to India into making the interior look as classy and cultured as possible. Great job!
The FOOD was great! I had a lamb biryani which was cooked with almost impeccable skill!
Overall, if you're looking for good, wholesome, well prepared Indian food while enjoying authentic (and I mean authentic) Indian interior in Philly, King of Tandoor is *the* place.
Great food! I'd suggest any of the curries. They have a tadoor and seem to use it for a good amount of things. The food is kind of spicy, so be upfront about it to them if that's not your thing.
The atmosphere was really nice, the eating area was pretty quiet, and most people were pretty well dressed. Although, we didn't feel too out of place showing up on the way back from a Phillies game. A lot of people seemed to be ordering wine with their meals.
It is very relaxed, and they take their time, so don't plan on a quick meal. They seem to be pushing some complimentary items now! We got a free dessert the last time we were there.
Great fresh food. I got the lamb kebabs and paratha. Both we're perfectly cooked. The lamb was juicy and flavorful.
The service was really friendly and the interior was beautiful.
I can't describe how happy I am that I have a quality Indian restaurant within 2 minutes from my house!
Ordered take-out from there last night, and got the most horrible tasting food I've had in a long time. When I called to say they got my order wrong (I've always loved their food in the past) the manager yelled at me, implying that I was some dumb American who didn't know what I was talking about. When he said he'd deliver Tikka Masala (cause he was convinced I wanted that instead of Kurma), I asked the delivery guy if there was a new chef...turns out there is, since last week. Thanks for putting all the blame on me, when it turns out they just hired someone who can't cook! Used to be great, now I wouldn't eat it if it were free, which it certainly isn't.
I had been spying this establishment for about two weeks trying to figure out if it was opening or had just closed and about two days after I came to the wrongful conclusion that it had recently closed I saw a sign up announcing their opening on the 19th of June. Well today I stopped by after a job in the area to give it a try for lunch. They were not yet open, they open at 1130 I was there a little after 11, so I looked through their menu and was peeking inside when a woman walking past told me that she had tried it for dinner last night and it was delicious. I was happy to hear this as my last try of Indian in the city for lunch was gawd awful. I dont even remember the name of the place thats how terrible it was.
I came back a little after they opened and immediately felt bad for showing up in my bike messenger uniform, cutoff shorts and smelly t-shirt. The dining room is nice especially compared to most other places I have eaten Indian in the city. I was greeted and exuberantly showed to my table. All of the employees seemed really excited to be working there which put a little smile on my face. I chose the lunch special of lamb bhuna and it came with rice and naan for 11.95 which isnt too bad. I also got a mango lassi since they didnt have thums up, my first choice. The mango lassi had ice in it which was weird, I dont think I have ever seen that before. The food came out pretty quickly and was freakin delicious. The lamb was very tender and seasoned well and the sauce had a little kick to it which I like. It gave me a feeling that if you told them to make it Indian spicy they wouldnt hold back like some places do. The naan was good as well. They were really good at refilling my water which is a plus if you do order it extra spicy. I think every employee at the restaurant asked me how my food was during the course of my meal which was a bit much but I will give them a pass since this was their second day of being open.
I held back a star until I can return and try some appetizers and more entrees but I think it is easily the second best Indian food in Philly, Tiffin still holds a special place in my heart.
As visitors, Yelp helped us find this gem near the Franklin Institute, and YUMMY!! Food was marvelous and reasonably priced. Dining room gorgeous. Service prompt, polite, and gracious with free appetizer and dessert! We had the chicken shagoti and lamb kurma - both were fantastic. Definitely recommend for a delicious meal!
Near my home, not very good. Price is high, but food is only okay. Look nice inside.
This is the best Indian in Philly, hands down. Last night, I arrived a bit early to pick up our takeout order, and they graciously invited me to have a seat and served me a glass of mango lassi, on the house, while I waited for the order - and I was the one who arrived early! The food is a great value, and the chicken vindaloo is deliciously spicy. Not to be missed!
We went last night to King of Tandoor and were treated like kings. They were so kind to us and the food was absolutely amazing. I usually don't take the time to write reviews (I should) but they were so great I had to. The service and the food was really wonderful.
Just got some takeout from here for the first time. Had the shag ponir and chicken vindaloo, with a meat samosa. The guy at the counter was very nice and gave me free kheer. The food was awesome. I've eaten at a dozen or so indian restaurants in the area and in other states, and the food was in the top 3 if not the best ever. I was also informed that starting last weekend they will be doing a $10.95 lunch buffet on saturdays and sundays. I'll definitely bring some friends in the weeks to come.
Very good first visit to this restaurant. We had Alu Gobi and a chicken dish with coconut. It was the best Indian I've had yet in the city. I found the price to be very reasonable for the high quality of the food. They must have listened to some critics because the food was not spicy and our waiter was very attentive.
Wow! Delicious food, fast service, very gracious staff, comfortable, nice-looking. Naan, korma, chana chat, desserts were particularly outstanding. Eat in or take out; online ordering available. A real find.
Neighborhood: Avenue of the Arts North
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: Fairmount
Category: Ethiopian
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square
Category: Indian
Neighborhood: Market East
Category: Indian
Philadelphia, PA
Category: Indian
I'm moving to South Philly on Sunday, and although…
Arguably the best finds in the best neighborhood…
