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Mehak Indian Cuisine
Category: Restaurants Indian Indian [Edit]
2449 Sacramento St(between Channing Way & Dwight Way)
Berkeley, CA 94702
(510) 841-6118
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
Mon-Sun 5 pm - 9:30 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
John N. said: "As a neighborhood local, Cafe Raj is one of our favorites in the Solano avenue circus of restaurants. It's nothing fancy, but the food is consistently good and satisfying. The family that owns it works hard to provide a wide range of…" read more »
89 reviews for Mehak Indian Cuisine
Review Highlights
"I typically get the Chicken Tikka Masala (delicious) and a..."
(in 17 reviews)
"the best saag paneer i've ever had."
(in 14 reviews)
"My favorite is Bhengan Bhartha and Malai Kofta."
(in 7 reviews)
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89 reviews in English
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Review from Kat T.
Berkeley, CA
12/10/2011
Let me preface this review by saying that we always get take out from here, and have never actually eaten in the restaurant.
That being said, we order from her on a very regular basis and really love it. Their delivery is super fast, and the food is definitely solid. We've tried many tikka masalas from indian places in Berkeley and Albany and Mehak's is the best. It's got a thicker consistency with great flavor. Their onion naan is also delicious and they've always been accommodating with customizing our order (my boyfriend really loves to add chicken to their veggie dishes).
All in all, I highly recommend ordering in from here. -
Review from Garrett D.
Berkeley, CA
10/23/2011
We've ordered delivery from Mehak a few times. Most recently we got the Chicken Tiki masala and the Saag Paneer. The Tiki masala sauce was very good but the chicken was tough and didn't taste fresh. The saag had large chunks of cheese but kind of a whipped consistency. Both the rice and naan were good.
At least for delivery I'd say this place is about average. I'll still looking fro that elusive 5 star Indian delivery in Berkeley. -
Review from Schuyler C.
Berkeley, CA
8/21/2011
I have ordered from Mehak several times because they have a low minimum, free delivery (both on grub hub and eat24hours), and they are one of the closest restaurants to my house. The best thing about Mehak is that their daal soup is better than average. Another good quality of Mehak is that their rice is really aromatic and saffron-rich. They also have a nice bread selection. But those good qualities are not enough to keep me ordering from Mehak, for the following reasons:
1. Their service is atrocious.
They will regularly either forget certain menu items or take thirty or more minutes past the "delivery estimate" to get my food to me. They will also say they "tried to call," but I won't have a missed call, so I can only assume they are lying.
2. Their chicken and lamb curries all suck.
I have tried almost every curry on their menu and every one has sucked. Their sauces are too soupy and the chicken in particular is always bland and obviously pre-cooked (baked, I think) and added to curry sauce rather than "curried" and cooked with the sauce.
3. There are so many better Indian restaurants in and around Berkeley.
I recommend Flavors of India, Taste of Himalayas, Everest Cafe, and House of Curries.
So really, Mehak has decent daal soup, bread, and rice, but that's about it. I guess it's an ok place if that's all you're looking for, but I really wouldn't give this place a second thought. -
Review from Ouroboros B.
Oakland, CA
12/12/2011
Omg good. Lamb saag, Malai kofta, Dal,garlic naan all delicious, and not over priced. We will be back.
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Review from Joe V.
San Francisco, CA
12/13/2011
Bummer that this food is decent Indian, because the delivery time is atrocious! Two times I've waited over an hour and thirty minutes for my food. Your paneer isn't that good. Not ordering this again.
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Review from Sophia v.
San Francisco, CA
7/7/2011
I had a serious addiction to their tikka masala for about a year.
I usually ordered delivery and was never disappointed. Everything was always delicious and the people who worked there were friendly. Very mom n pop it seemed.
I also love the hyderabadi chicken curry, the flavor is amazing and spicy with apricot. I'm a sucker for their veggie somosas.
The first time my boyfriend and I dined in we were surprise by how empty the place was. We were originally going to try Breads of India because our friends had raved about it. When we got to BoI it looked packed so we decided to once again give our business to Mehak who had open tables.
We had great service and everything we had was amazing as usual.
Now I don't live as close. Anytime I order an old favorite dish from a new place I'm usually reminded of how good Mehak cooked it... -
Review from Jean K.
Oakland, CA
9/11/2011
One of the worst Indian buffets we have ever eaten. Food was overcooked and virtually inedible. Mind you, most buffet places are mediocre, but this was simply awful.
Nearby are Breads of India, Himalayan Flavors, Kabana Afghani, and Indus Village. Open up your wallet a little, and go elsewhere to get much, much better food. -
Review from Don O.
San Francisco, CA
8/1/2011
Went to this place with my woman about a month ago before we put an offer in on a house a few blocks away. Great food, fantastic price and super friendly staff. I will definitely come back now that we got the house and are getting settled.
The only reason why I didn't go 5 stars is because I don't eat Indian food often enough to know how it compares. -
Review from Philip D.
Berkeley, CA
10/20/2011
Sure, there are better indian restaurants, but Mehak's food is still very good, their prices are decent, and they DELIVER. Can't really beat that combination.
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Review from L. C.
Oakland, CA
6/25/2011
We've been here several times, and the food is among the best Indian/Pakistani food in the East Bay. The wide variety of naans and kulchas are especially fresh and tasty. The tandoori chicken is made just right. The subtle flavors of the malai kofta, and tikka masala chicken are sublime.
The neighborhood and atmosphere are not first class, but the food definitely is. You won't be disappointed. -
Review from Matt M.
San Francisco, CA
1/13/2011
Ambience and great people-watching? No.
The most consistent and Indian reasonably-priced Indian buffet around Berkeley & North Oakland? Yup.
Big ole carry-out portions? You bet.
My favorite dishes? Sag paneer, malai kofta, and this way-spicy cabbage dish they often put on the buffet.
If it's about the food for you, Mehak is well worth giving a shot. -
Review from Chris M.
Richmond, CA
4/18/2011
We selected this restaurant on a referral from a friend and were SO pleased that the food was delicious. We enjoyed every bite. We started with the Veggie Samosas, which were HUGE and SO yummy. We then ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala, Cicken Do Piaza, Tandoori Chicken and my favorite dish of the day Lamb Coconut - SO creamy and delicious!! The meats were all ample and moist. Our meal came with rice and we also ordered plain and Kashmiri Naan. The Kashmiri Naan was slightly sweet and coconutty which I found to be a nice pairing with the spiciness of the dishes that we ordered. It was nice to be able to order the level of heat that we wanted - medium hot was perfect! There was MORE than enough food for the three of us - we are enjoying our leftovers!
The only reason this isn't a 5 star review is because the restaurant itself could use a little help, and for some reason they decided lunch time was the time to run some gawd awful machine that was ear piercing. But the food was fresh, hot and the staff were pleasant and attentive. -
Review from Elaine L.
Berkeley, CA
12/4/2010 5 photos
I've come to enjoy Indian food a lot.. but not really at this place. As is usually the case, I got chicken tikka masala and garlic naan. I also tried a bit of their chicken vindaloo. The entrees also came with rice, which wasn't that tasty.
The chicken wasn't as tender and moist, the sauce was too liquidy and lacking in depth of flavor. I was disappointed. Although, the naan had a nice chewy texture which I enjoyed -
Review from Tamalyn t.
Oakland, CA
8/1/2011
The best, most reasonably priced Indian food in the area! Our go to dishes: chicken tikka masala, saag paneer, the samosa. Highly recommended. And nice people too.
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Review from Vanessa B.
Oakland, CA
9/7/2010 2 photos
Location & Ambience - minus 2 stars
Bland food - minus 1 star
I really did not like the look or atmosphere of this place, which probably explains why its such a popular take-out place. We walked in to an empty restaurant. 2 of us, with 3 cooks and a waitress.
The food was made to our liking, but was somehow bland. How is that possible at an Indian restaurant. The vegetable pakoras were different than I'm used to getting, though my boyfriend said he really liked them. But I wasn't all that impressed.
The only redeeming features of this restaurant was the staff who were extremely attentive. -
Review from Angela D.
Emeryville, CA
7/8/2011
I order in from Mehak 2-3 times a month. Their chicken pakora is cooked perfectly and the tikka masala is the best around. In fact, everyone I've had try this place loves it. They also have an all you can eat lunch buffet for 8 bucks.The prices are low and service is great. This place is underrated.
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Review from Sarah E.
Berkeley, CA
11/3/2011
Great for delivery. I love that they deliver late.
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Review from Adi S.
Washington, DC
8/2/2008
This is by far the best Indian place in Berkeley. I have tried at least 8 other Indian restaurants in the area, and Mehak is my favorite.
I'm vegetarian, so I can't attest to the quality of the meat dishes, but all of their vegetarian entrees are awesome. My favorite is Bhengan Bhartha and Malai Kofta. Their Malai Kofta is better than any other restaurant I've ever tried - the sauce is rich, creamy, and flavorful, and the "balls"/dumplings (for lack of a better term) are very soft and tasty. The naan basket is a favorite since it combines about 4 different kinds of naan - including the kashmiri naan with coconut, raisins, and other types of deliciousness.
The service is usually pretty good, but honestly if you want to the most reliable experience, just order to-go. Also, that way you can use the online coupons (http://shopinberkeley....) and get a third entree free! They do delivery, but it takes forever, so don't rely on it if you're hungry. The service in-house is usually okay. I can only remember one instance where it was particularly slow, and it took an additional 30 minutes just to get to-go boxes and our check (when we begged them for some). Its never very crowded inside, but I've only been for dinner and not the lunch buffet.
Overall, great, consistent, and affordable food. I highly recommend it! -
Review from Zach M.
Washington, DC
11/26/2007
I'm bored of these traditional reviews. I'm cuttin' down to bare bones baby!
Pros
1. Indian place that delivers (I can finally eat in my boxers)
2. Friendly and chatty on the phone (We had a mildly extensive conversation about how spicy "medium" is over "hot." Discussing the absurdity of such designations and how they should probably switch to a number scale (FYI - it wasn't nearly spicy enough even at Medium/Hot)).
3. Fast delivery 25-30 mins.
Cons
1. $9.99 for some Vindaloo? Get outta here...
2. Vindaloo that tastes like BBQ sauce. This isn't curry like I wanted. Further the lamb was cooked poorly in large rubbery chunks. It almost tasted like poorly cooked beef.
3. I put the Saag Panir in the con pile because although the Saag part was good, the panir was poorly cooked which made it rubbery.
Overall, it is worth your time to put your pants back on and go pick up Indian from somewhere better than to sit at home and wait for the delivery of this mediocre food.
Don't worry, they will repeat the episode of Project Runway your watching about 40 more times in the next week and you'll get to see if the quirky gay guy or the annoying indy chick get Auf Wiedersehen-ed off the show. -
Review from Missy M.
Oakland, CA
9/7/2010
Since I moved back to the Bay Area 6 months ago, I have been in search for the best Saag Paneer... and finally- I found it! It is so delicious and the texture and consistency is just right.
Their vegetable samosa dipped in tamarind chutney is to die for and the Tandori Chicken is fresh and perfectly spiced.
I highly recommend this place to everyone. I get the food delivered- fast and fresh and I have gone to the restaurant itself with friends. So yummy good! Five stars for sure. -
Review from Jared H.
Berkeley, CA
9/4/2008
In my opinion, Indian restaurants, like bars, gain status as they lose elegance. Mehak is no exception, as the term "dive" can be applied to it without hesitation. As I heard one person put it, Mehak is "a sleeper."
Don't let the exterior (or interior) scare you away, because the food inside is tasty. The vegetable pakora makes for a great appetizer. Be warned, though, the fritters are a bit spicy. My friend ordered the lamb korma while I, craving spinach, ordered the saag paneer. The accompanying naan they serve here is terrific, so I recommend that over rice. And of course, no Indian meal is complete without a mango lassi to drink. -
Review from Ying S.
San Francisco, CA
10/9/2010
Have been to this restaurant a few times and every time we are one of the few people there. This last time, we were the only ones.
The food is decent but the restaurant is a little run down.
We have not had Shrimp Briyani at this restaurant yet so we decided to have it and it was dry and the shrimps are small (compare to House of Curry on Solano ave.). -
Review from Jennifer T.
Berkeley, CA
6/1/2011
Our old faithful meal is saag paneer, malai kofta, onion kulcha, and raita. Any time we've strayed from the usual menu, it hasn't been as good, though as vegetarians we haven't tried any of the meat dishes. Spice level varies without explanation. Sometimes the paneer is on the rubbery side. Still, they're close enough for easy take-out and they deliver, too, which is a bonus on rainy nights or evenings when it's just me and the kid and I don't want to cook or walk beyond our porch.
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Review from Megan S.
San Francisco, CA
2/11/2007
This place is fabulous. Delivery in Berkeley (even to campus), super cheap and delicious. I've never eaten in just ordered the takeout. They usually have coupons on their website too.
Update -- 9/18/07
I think the quality of the Channa Masala and Saag Paneer has gone down. The cheese cubes were a little hard and the channa masala was a little too saucy for me. I heard they got a new chef.. so this could be why. Still, great fast delivery in Berkeley.Listed in: Go Bears
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Review from Avani W.
Albany, CA
5/29/2008
+5 The tikka masala was fantastic. It was thick and creamy like a Mahkhani, but still spicy and otherwise flavorful.
-2 The chutney tasted like it had been made with spoiled cilantro. The tamarind chutney was better, but still watery and odd.
The service was fine, though a little haphazard, and the rest of the food was unremarkable. Also, I was the only Indian customer, which always makes me suspicious in an Indian restaurant (especially since the place across the street was packed with them). I like my Indian food fairly authentic. I'm a little hesitant to try something that isn't essentially a made for restaurants dish like tikka masala.
In short, a fine restaurant, though I prefer Breads of India across the street. -
Review from Julie R.
New York, NY
4/9/2008
I order delivery from here about twice a month, and the food consistently arrives within 30-45 minutes and is piping hot! They ask if you want your dishes hot, medium or mild - I used to say hot, but after a couple orders of tongue-scorching spiciness, I now stick to medium in order to enjoy all the other non-chili pepper flavors in the dish. The amount of meat they use fluctuates with each order.
Samosas are flavorful, but a bit greasy. Punjabi chicken curry is just like how mom would make it if she were from Punjab, I'm guessing. The cream sauce of the chicken tikka masala is pretty divine. I love the chana masala and dal makhni, especially when it gets combined on my plate with rice. Mmm! Naan is a bit doughy, but decent. -
Review from Johnny C.
Emeryville, CA
12/28/2008
The best thing on the menu - Chicken Tikka Masala with either rice or naan.
The lunch buffet doesn't offer a very good selection.
The Rogan Josh's lamb is gamey.
The Samosas are overly starchy.
Eat here for dinner and order to go. The portions for pick up are strangely larger than what you are served when you dine in.
Nothing super fancy here in terms of decor. It's a semi almost hole in the wall type of resto. -
Review from Sugar V.
Antioch, CA
10/1/2009
I think the best thing about this place is the fact that it delivers! Other than that, total and complete hit or miss.
Portion sizes on delivery are enough to serve 3-4 normal sized people, or 1-2 flufflupsocious people like my gf and I. Prices are decent, delevery time isn't bad eithier.
The food itself, meh. My gf really digs the fried cheese things, and I really dig the rice. Sadly, they don't have the butter chicken that is my happy place in Indian food.
What is really fasicnating is that the food, no matter how many times we order the same thing....has never tasted the same twice. So it's like a little staycation of itself lol
All in all, we will keep ordering it becuase it delivers, and because everybody like a little bit of adventure right? -
Review from phoenix m.
Berkeley, CA
2/13/2007
We'd heard that this place was even better than Bread of India (across the street) and gave it a whirl. We must have gone on an off night - we were shocked by how bad it was. The service and ambiance were poor. The food alternated between weird (celery salt? on Indian food?) and quite simply not good. My partner and I left hungry, with tons of food uneaten and unwanted. Sad sad sad.
I'd love to believe Mehak is usually better, but find myself afraid to try again. -
Review from holly c.
Studio City, CA
4/2/2006
Food was, in the beginning, inconsistent (very greasy and/or --skimpy on content or sometimes very very good)--especially if you go in & sit down. They managed to raise their regular menu prices from when they first opened. I'm not sure if this is because Breads of India charges so much (so Mehak figures it can go a little higher). I think after they raised prices I was a bit more reluctant in paying so much for hit/or miss food. Sometimes it's fabulous, other times its just meh.
[UPDATE 11/06: they're getting a boost to four stars from me for the added delivery service. They're one of only a few Indian/Pakistani places I've found who delivers--and that's something special, along with their Saag Paneer and Chicken Tikka Masala. Their quality consistency has been very good lately, however I usually get take out rather than the buffet/sit-in.]
[UPDATE#2 4/07: OK, they're losing a star for the hit or miss delivery service. twice now we've had to wait a good hour and half/2 hours for delivery. Once we called back (both times), it was clear they had misplaced our order. not good. We do usually pick it up in-store though--but still that's a high rate of failure for delivery.
So, for the best Mehak experience I'd recommend: Take out order & stick with the curries (btw, you get rice with your order--and it's usually a lot).
If I had to rate this place as a sit-down restaurant, I'd give it one or two stars. But as a take out for spicy curry dishes, they're hovering in the range of 3 to 4 stars. Their Saag Paneer is just the best around. -
Review from Mani F.
New York, NY
11/6/2009
Got delivery with the Elf from this place, and the raita was a bit on the soupy side, and their idea of "spicy" was pretty clearly "gringo spicy". The Elf enjoyed her Chicken TIkka Masala, although she would gladly have just drunken a glass of the sauce for dinner (I blame it on the french influence, they really are sauce whores).
Overall, the cost/quality ratio is poor, although delivery as prompt, which bumps them up to 3 stars if you're at home, and 2 if you go in. -
Review from Moira N.
San Francisco, CA
1/7/2007
tasy food and big portions for the price!
went here for an early dinner last week- we have been seeking a reasonably priced spot to fix Indian food cravings. The server was a younger woman whose english was not perfect, but she was very sweet and helpful and got her manager to help.
chicken saag was great, as was the selection of naan- order the sampler basket. they have a naan with cherries and cocnut inside- delicious! For a small neighborhood place without the beels nad whistles, I liked it here and we will be back. -
Review from Mari K.
San Francisco, CA
11/27/2007
The only non-pizza delivery you can get around the emeryville area, although you have to order a minimum of $15 to have that option. I've only ordered them through http://delivery.com, which is convenient... but can have their downsides too. The last time I ordered online, it took the restaurant 30 minutes to call me and let me know that they no longer serve the cheese fritters. I guess they don't check their online orders on a regular basis.
Their chicken tikka masala is good, and compared to other Indian restaurants, it's not as spicy. Try their onion naan too. -
Review from angela c.
Oakland, CA
2/22/2008
Update: I have regularly gotten delivery from this place numerous times throughout the years. Very good (and quick-considering!) I've realized I just don't like there paneer. I usually order Chicken Tikka Masala (drool), aloo gobi, daal, and there onion and garlic naan is super yummy!
Get a menu and it's buy two entrees get one free! :-) Best (feed 4 people) under 35$ indian take out around !
well, after 2 friends said they love this place I finally gave it a try! (first of all, I rarely rarely ever get a indian lunch buffet, always order off the menu)
I usually would go to Breads of India across the street, but this place is a tad cheaper and they deliver to Oakland!
I got the cucumber salad w/tamarind sauce and spices (not something I usually have or order ever) and it was huge and mighty tasty for 1.99! I could have had that whole thing for lunch, with some naan, no joke.lol
We got the saag paneer and the chana masala, the 2 dishes I usually base on indian. I asked for "very spicey" on the chana masala and of course next time I'm going to ask for "indian spicey" the saag I got mild and it was mild, the paneer was fresh and not too dense or too fragile. The masala sauce was a bit "saucy" but hey, more sauce the better in my book! (but seriously Udupi palace still holds the gold for best masala).
the onion and garlic naan were good, but by the time I went to eat kinda saugy, so i put them in the oven for a sec and they were yummy, big portions for what I got, and the rice has some kind of curry/tumeric in it to make it yellow which I like a lot. friendly service.
Oh, and the chai was ok...too milky and not filled w.spices as much as I like, but I'm picky about my chai.lol -
Review from Angela H.
Berkeley, CA
5/26/2008
My go-to Indian restaurant of Berkeley. I don't even like Indian food and yet I manage to crave their chicken tekka masala...
So the location is a little sketchy, and it's not one of those places that I'd randomly want to walk in. And even knowing that they have good food now, I still prefer ordering delivery (which is smart, since there's a bulk of us hungry college students that resort to ordering domino's or west coast pizza). They say that they prefer orders of 20 dollars or more but usually 15 is enough for them to deliver.
This is my recommended delivery order for two people: chicken tekka masala, 2 pieces of naan (I prefer original but they have good garlic naan also), and an extra order of rice. That would last the 2 of you more than a meal (unless you're a big eater). They have reaaaly good samosas also, with just a hint of spicyness. If you ordered all of the above, that will cost you a little over $20 for two people. I say that's a pretty good deal considering you don't even have to step out of your house for an actually decent meal :)
On a side note, if you do decide to eat in, the service is nice and the people are friendly. I learned from them that the word Mehak means "aroma" in Indian, and the aroma of their curries is definitely very yummy :9 -
Review from Garfield J.
Oakland, CA
3/5/2009
I really had high hopes. Someone had mentioned this place for their buffet over at Chowhound. I was looking for an altenative for Priya which while not the best, i think is one of the better Indian buffets.
go here today and note they have a very small lunch buffet. not a big deal if the food delievered, but it really under-whelmed. First off, the food was almost cold, a bit under room temperature. I understand that maybe if a place does not have a lot of turnaround, turning down the heat will keep the food from drying out. BUT, this buffet has smaller countainers of food than most.
Their tandoori chicken looked bland, had no marinade on it.
Was it worth $6.99? I guess, but I would never see the need to ever go back as I can think of many other ways to spend $6.99 on lunch. -
Review from Alex D.
San Francisco, CA
8/16/2009
I agree with general sentiment toward their cream sauces (good). The lamb is very moist. The atmosphere could use some work, but the service is great and the price is ok. You can grab a gift cert on http://restaurant.com and go there for super cheap!
Excellent selection of naan (traditional bread). They even have a naan basket with a wide selection, including their very interesting cherry-infused naan, garlic, and cheese. -
Review from Franziska C.
Emeryville, CA
4/30/2007
DISGUSTING
I went in at 2:00PM to get take out from the buffet. The tandoori chicken looked scary, totally dried out with deep cracks in it. Then I checked the chicken curry dish. There was a large volume of heavy curry, the consistency of gravy, but there were no chicken pieces in it. I mentioned it to the waiter who said to wait just a minute. Then he disappeared.
The curried lamb looked much the same.
Because I was exhausted and hungry, I made the poor choice of not asking for my money back. I waited one minute, 5 minutes, 15 minutes. Finally the waiter reappeared and brought boiled chicken which he added to the gravy. He didn't restock any of the other items.
I had some curried chicken, curried lamb, and some veggie dish. The curries were awful. I don't understand how other reviewers give 4 or 5 stars to this place. I will never return there. -
Review from Racha L.
Los Angeles, CA
7/17/2007
I ordered the Shrimp Masala, it was tasty. If you don't do spicy foods then you need to tell them this! Hubby doesn't do spicy and I ordered this MILD, ahh no, he nor the 2 y/o were having it!
I asked for extra sauce/Masala...didn't happen, maybe next time. I also didn't like the cheese Naan, but I'm just not a fan of the Indian Cottage Cheese use. -
Review from M R.
Emeryville, CA
9/29/2009
Don't order the lamb...it was tough and lined with gristle. Yuk. I couldn't eat any of it. Luckily, I didn't get that many pieces in my dish. I'm not sure how the other reviewers got so lucky with moist lamb. I could barely cut mine with a knife.
The chicken punjab and the vegetable masala was good, and the sauces were spicy. The naan was average. Anyone know of any other indian restaurants that deliver??
