Little India Restaurant

Food was great! If you like authentic Indian food, this is the place to go! The owner was very nice and my friends and I had a great time!

I've been meaning to try Little India since it moved from its cramped location on Broadway years ago. The current space is big, bright and much more appealing. I was seated right away and got down to business...Buffet business:

-- Vegetable samosas: Tasty. The small size was perfect for a buffet, but the samosas all looked very uniform. (I am told they use a special press to make these.)
-- Dal (lentils): OK; Savory but not a lot of heat
-- Baingan Bartha (eggplant): Looked very unappetizing; Turned out to be way too cold to eat, so I can't really comment on flavor, since I only ate a smidge.
-- Paneer vegetable curry: OK
-- Saag (spinach): Very stringy and a little underspiced; It would have been better with paneer (cheese) included.
-- Chicken Tikka Masala: Very tender but the temp was too cold; I also thought it lacked a little flavor and spice. Overall, a disappointment (They had a sign saying this was the same as butter chicken, but I beg to differ. Yes, they are the same color, but the chicken prep and spices are different).
-- Patiala Lamb curry: This was my favorite dish in the buffet. It was really tender for lamb, and quite flavorful, with a nice kick. I had seconds.
-- Tandoori chicken legs: This looked like it had been sitting out too long, but a small sample proved to be very tender. But like some other dishes, the temp was a little cold.
-- Turkey meatball curry. - Not as bad as it sounds. But nothing special either.
-- Naan came to the table very quickly after I sat down. It was small, but good.
-- Dessert: A pink kheer (rice pudding) and a mango custard. Both were quite good.

Full buffet price was about average cost - $9.95; But at least they offer the vegetarian subset for only $7.95

In short, there is definitely room for improvement:
- Food temp issues; They should invest in covered trays
- Many dishes need to be spicier

But there were good points too:
- light crowds; nice music
- The owner was super friendly

BUT Here's the deal. I was planning on giving Little India three stars for now, skipping the buffet next time, and getting some made-to-order takeout, but I can't even do that, since I have since discovered that Little India is BUFFET ONLY! Even at night.

HUH? If I can only get the tepid buffet here, then they can only get 2 stars.

I'm not usually one to go for Buffet's (especially Indian) as they often contain lot's of items which I don't like and I am quite fussy when it comes to Indian food (as many contain Mushrooms and other such things I dislike) but in the spirit of me trying new foods and the fact that there was a Groupon ($13 for 2 people) I figured it was a good chance to give it a go.

We arrived at around 6pm on a Thursday evening and place was empty with the exception of one lady eating at a small table towards the back of the restaurant.
The buffet (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rUCkDpj_qmY0dqbOraiMJg?select=eoPsQU4myitUS8xWv1ZTkw#Uy_4VGWYFBKdr3I-ODwujw) is laid out in the center of the room and contained Madras Tomato Soup, Vegetable Samoasas, Chicken Tikka (on the bone), Chicken Tikka Masala, Eggplant Curry, Meatballs, Lamb Curry and a mixed pot of Vegetables, Pickles and Chutney to name a few. Along with 2 Desserts of Mango Phirnee and Rice Pudding (which I forget the Indian name for) that contained Rose and Cardamom.

Although the spread was fair, some of the dishes looked very dried out, in particular the mixed vegetable dish which I avoided. Flavors were also very bland and the Chicken Tikka Masala was probably the worst I have ever had but the Meatballs and Rice were ok. Naan bread (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rUCkDpj_qmY0dqbOraiMJg?select=eoPsQU4myitUS8xWv1ZTkw#gu6F7vwuQrG2OeqgdCnL0w) is also brought to your table instead of being kept on the buffet which was nice to see but didn't have a very nice flavor either.
I tried both of the desserts too which the Rice Pudding (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rUCkDpj_qmY0dqbOraiMJg?select=eoPsQU4myitUS8xWv1ZTkw#XSE_UPBYySxEsUY-OXolwA) tasted of nothing at all but the Mango Phirnee (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rUCkDpj_qmY0dqbOraiMJg?select=eoPsQU4myitUS8xWv1ZTkw#YS6TW6SKNV5upwiGLFjhYQ) was I would say the best part of the meal. Although now looking at the menu on their website I'm not sure how long it was sat there as it states that it is on their Lunch buffet.

Overall I am so glad we had the Groupon as I do not feel it is at all worth $12:95 pp (I had just one plate which I have pictured: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rUCkDpj_qmY0dqbOraiMJg?select=eoPsQU4myitUS8xWv1ZTkw#FqQeHCLtwPctiVoc5EO5vg while my husband had one and a half) and highly doubt I will be back but hey... I tried something I wouldn't normally. Go me!

Came here for the lunch buffet recently. I had read all the reviews in the past, but was really dying for some indian food and I was in the area.

Pros:
- the waiter was nice

Cons:
- food doesn't look or taste fresh...sauce dishes had a nasty film on the top
- agreed with another reviewer...food had a slimy texture
- everything was bland...spicy, yet bland
- the naan was lame...I've made better naan from frozen bought at the grocery store
- flies everywhere so be prepared to be swatting them away the whole time
- dated restaurant gives it an unclean feel

This restaurant would be a great place for Kitchen Nightmares and Gordon Ramsey to come to. That's not a nab or personal attack on the management, it's just a fact. The manager has responded to other reviewers saying he takes customers suggestions into consideration, but honestly....reading all these negative reviews and then experiencing it for myself...he isn't listening. Just basic changes are needed....from quality of food to minor cleaning like dusting and getting rid of the flies would help. They may have 20+ years in the business, but clearly it's not working and the food is not good. I won't be back and wouldn't recommend this place to anyone.

I'm in the same camp with others who gave this place low ratings. The meat dishes were bland including butter chicken which is usually one of my favorite dishes... but in this case, it just had a mild and strange taste. The vegetarian dishes were a tad bit better but some were not very tasty, yet spicy hot.

This is the only Indian restaurant I've eaten at where the desserts really missed the mark.

Came to know about this Indian resto through the deal on facebook 2 for 1 all you can eat dinner. We went on a Friday night. The place started filling up after 830 or so. Standard Indian buffet food.. roti was given after we asked for it.. food tasted good specially:
dessert - custard and kheer, both were awesome!
channa,
roti - soft and fresh,
chicken tikka masala,
eggplant dish..
The best part which I wanted to give stars are for having mini samosa's for appetizers (in most Indian buffet it will be pakoras either tough to chew or dont taste great).

I didn't try the other items as they didn't look appetizing to me - ones like tandoori chicken. I would suggest that the tongs for getting the appetizer needs to be ~please~ replaced.. its broken and hard to get a good hold of the item. Also the glass bars above the appetizer/salad bar items kinda make it difficult to pour the dish on to your plate.

FYI: the deal through facebook does not cover tax. Would wanna check out the resto again just for the desserts.. real yum!!

I went to Little India on a wimp! We didn't know where to go for dinner and I went to yelp and saw "Yelp Deal" $10 for $20 at Little India. We bought the deal, printed it and headed out to Little India. Certainly, no expectation as we just thought.. well cheap dinner and we haven't had Indian food for a while and we were both hungry.. nothing to lose :).

What a surprise!!!!! The owner was very nice and friendly. A warm and fresh naan bread came to the table while we were browsing around the food.

The buffet was simple.... there were 4 meat dishes that night (thursday) Lamb curry, Turkey Meatball Curry, Chicken Tandoori and Butter Chicken. They were DELICIOUS!!!! I love that I could taste the "heat!" (not overwhelming, will be tolerable for most people). What I usually hate about Indian Buffet (and even a regular sit down Indian restaurant) is their lack of heat! Seriously, Indian food should have some spiciness in it..otherwise...it won't feel "Indian enough!" :). My favorite was the LAMB curry and the turkey meatballs..the bf loved the butter chicken!

There were quiet a few of Vegetarian dishes including the delicious mushroom and cheese curry!!!, eggplant with onions, spinach, boiled mixed vegetables seasoned with peppers and delicious piping HOT veggie pakora and samosa!!

I was very surprised by their pakora!! It was my favorite of the night (I can't believe I'm saying this as I'm usually a carnivore!). It's seasoned perfectly..the herbs were NOT overpowering, some places really overkill with the herbs! and it was doughy BUT flavorful! (I ate it with the green sauce and sweet chili sauce). I kept going back for seconds!! The samosa was filled with spinach and cheese.. I prefer the usually potatoes and veggie fillings..but this was good too..especially with the green sauce and sweet chili sauce!!

Dessert was nothing to write home about..(there were some fruits, mango pudding and rice pudding) but that's because the only Indian Dessert that I like is the sweet cheese balls (forgot the name!) that's like 1000 calories for each ball LOL!!! From what my Indian friends told me.. that's not "cheap" to make so I don't expect Little India to have them considering the low price they charge for the buffet.

The business was pretty good considering most restaurants next doors were "empty" on a Thursday night!

Service could be improved. They refilled our water a couple of times but they didn't really clear tables until we were about to leave (or dessert). We used the same plates for seconds (and third) because it didn't seem like they would clear the table if we left dirty dishes there. Also, you had to flag them for more naan (and often times, no waiter on sight) and since they made them fresh, it would take at least 5 minutes to get the new naan. It was manageable for us but certainly will be a "negative" point for some people.

Overall, we enjoyed our dining experience!! $12.95/person (without coupon) for a dinner buffet was certainly a great deal as you will probably spend the same amount to order one entree anyway!! Here you get to mix match and eat your heart out!!

We will be back!!

ps: ONE GREAT POINTER - I like that they have a clear glass roof covering the buffet table !!! It's great to block people's germs especially as you know some people keep talking and (accidentally) spit out their saliva as they're taking food from the buffet.. the glass roof..totally helps!!

I've had the food various times and have tried the following: tikka masala, tandoori chicken, lamb curry, vegetable mix (with cauliflower), small samosas, pakoras, regular naan, basmati rice, mango phirnee.

Out of these, my top there are:
-Tandoori chicken: Always tender. You can just use a fork and tear out the meat.
-Mango phirnee: Has a wiggly texture and light mango taste which I like. It's like pudding and flan got married.
-Small samosas: If you eat this with the light green/chili sauce, it's so good! It's also the perfect two bite size since samosas are usually a meal in itself.

My gripe with the curries is that they're usually quite watery which means they don't have as much flavor as they should.

I would just stick to what I like!

I don't know why people give Little India so few stars - I thought it was pretty great. I had the meat dinner buffet for $12.95, and the veggie version is $1 off, which is a nice touch.

From what I remember, the buffet had: vegetables samosas, some sort of fried vegetables, saag, eggplant, a couple other veggie dishes, turkey meatballs, chicken tikka masala, lamb curry, tandoori chicken, some sort of steamed vegetables, and two types of dessert. I think I'm missing a few though.

The only thing I didn't really like was the fried vegetables. Everything else was hot and super delicious, even though the restaurant wasn't crowded. My favorite by far was the lamb, which was tender and full of flavor. In general the dishes were a little on the spicy side, but there's plenty of yummy raita to cool you off. The chutneys for the samosas were also really good. Lastly, the naan was wonderful!

Great place; I'll be back!

I find it odd that hot places always have hot food?! Mexico, Thailand and India? Makes you wonder, and also why did God put the hairest people in the most hot humid place in the world? Lol.

I like India!!!! Slumdog Millionaire is a great movie, so my friend wanted to eat Indian's food. I haven't ate Indian's food since San Francisco, but it wasn't anything like this. This was the only place I know, as of right now, that has a Indian's buffet. Since we barely scratch the surface of Indian's food, we gave the buffet to try.

First off, let's me say a few things about the buffet. The Lunch and Dinner has little to no different between them food wise, price wise, yes. Lunch Buffet: $10 Normal, $8 Veggie Head. Dinner Buffet $13 Normal, $11 Veggie Head. When we arrived it was dinner time.

I don't remember all the things on the buffet trays, but some of the items were extremely dry like a liquor store in a bible belt state. Hee Hee. Second off, they pretty liquiding. The only solid item, I saw was Turkey Meatballs. There is a huge pan in the end, with grill spice up corn and veggies. After that is the two desserts. Don't even try to ask me, what the hell, it was! It's just great!

All You Can Eat Buffet Lunch Buffet is only on Monday to Friday 11AM to 2PM

All You Can Rat Dinner Buffet is Monday to Saturday 5-9PM

Supposely every item is healthy for the heart. Here are the other things they serve if you choice not to get Buffet if you are a wimp.

For starters: get Vegetable Samosas for 4.50, turnover filled with potatoes and peas.

For Entrees: The best are...Tandoori Chicken Boneless: marinated in spices and BBQ in a traditional tandoori oven.

Basmati Rice Specialities: Any Biryani are good, but get chicken or lamb for more kick. ($12.50)

For sides: the best is the Nan $3.50. Flat bread, plain, garlic, or onion.

For dessert: the mango phirnee, shahi rice kheer, or gulab Jamun are great. ($5.00)

Yes they served beer and wine. Glass is cheaper than bottle.

Honestly get the buffet since most of the items listed on the menu are already cook on the buffet. You get better taste by trying all of them.

One cool thing I like about the menu: the cool ass story in the back. It's tells the story of young Manoj (the owner) growing up to becoming the owner here.

One key part I like to share from the menu's story: supposely he cook for Indira Gandhi and she pad his back, saying 'My son, you are a master of your trade'.

Anyways, he visit the world and end up here. Cool story, do read it.

Umm... Now to the location, and customer service:

Location: there were bright spots where the sun was really shining in people's eyes. He (Manoj) allowed us to move to a shade table which was cool. He was very cool with us, teaching me more about Indian Food and serves us water. He was great help.

Bad: I notice a Mexican worker/chef who had no clue what he was cooking. We ask him questions of what the item is call and he didn't speak English. When my friend spoke in Spanish, he told me, he had no clue what's it call. Honestly the staff should know what they are serving.

Number two: Manoj got busy and we end up having another waiter, I couldn't tell that he works there, he wore a normal shirt. The only reason why I knew he work there was because he served water. Second off, he was sweaty and his shirt was dirty as hell.

Over all: Manoj is cool, his staff need to learn what they are supposely cooking, some of them need some kind of clean shirt or ID so I know that they work there. Also some of the buffet food needs to be warm up.

Quick Tip: Has Free Palm Readings on Wednesday.

2.5 Stars!

Came here the other night with about 45 minutes left before close. Most of the food had been almost gone but it's expected and not really complaining about that.

I have a handful of usual Indian restaurants that I normally go to and maybe it's just a different style of cooking.. It just wasn't my cup of tea. Everything was bursting with hot spices and sometimes felt overpowering.

I stuck to eating mostly the butter chicken and was super disappointed when they didn't have my all time fave- chicken tikka masala. The naan was my favorite thing there and always tasted fresh and fluffy.

Waiters were friendly and always filled our requests politely when we asked for more water or naan.