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"For the love of all that is pure and true in this world, I urge you to dine here. I started going here for there lunch buffet which is…" read more »
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I've been here too many times with my fiancee!... He loves Indian food and he can tell where's a good indian food around here. This place is only specialize for Vegetarian Indian food. Every sunday they have buffet. We always go to the buffet, it was a better deal for us.
The food is decent and the flavor is rich. I love their paneer and pankoras.
Managed to try the amazing---AMAZING, i said---lunch buffet.
The pakoras, the nan, pulao rice, the kheer... really delicious stuff we got goin' on here. if only I worked alot closer, i'd make a schedule to come more often. =)
More reason to come and try super awesome indian food people.
I'm now a big fan of awesome Indian cuisine.
The food was de-li-cious! Black garbanzo beans, basmati…
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It used to be so good, but I suppose slumping in their old age is not a big surprise. Everything at the buffet is dreary, salty and watery. The chole bhatura is made carelessly with bhatura that was nothing like rolled out thin enough, and they didn't even bother to cut it into a circle. For that matter, the chole was once my favorite north of Berkeley by far, but now seems to be soupy and bland. It's still alright, but it has fallen very far. I'm absolutely gutted.
The market is still good, but not better than others in Tukwila, Renton and Kent. Heck, they don't even carry green chili paste anymore, and were quite content to charge me full price for the last, expired by 2 years, jar.
This is in the top tier of all Indian food I've had. All vegetarian which is great, but no booze.
I am looking forward to my next visit when I'm down in this area.
I always over order and I am always happy at Pabla. My favorite strip mall restaurant in Renton. (Is that a good thing?)
I'm not a spicy food fan, so this place was just right for me. We had the cauliflower stuffed nan for an appetizer, and the garlic nan with our dinner. Both were perfect- soft and doughy with the right amount of flavor. We had 4 dishes- okra & onions in a sauce (mild), fried veggies in curry (medium), mushroom dish (was supposed to be spicy, but was mild) and a creamed spinach dish (medium). Comes with basmati rice. We all really liked the food, although some wished the spiciness level was higher. Also picked up some sweets at the connected store on our way out. Very delicious! The waiter/host/cashier was accomodating and willing to answer our questions. We went on a Saturday night and walked right in. The bathroom was a bit dirty, but otherwise, the place seemed clean and had cute Indian decor.
It is all vegetarian, which didn't affect the flavor at all. Check it out!
I am a vegeterian and Pabla is one of the best in vegeterian Indian food in Seattle area! We often go there, at least once a month. I love the lunch buffet as well as the dinner. Staff is very frindly & accomodating. Nothing negetive in more than a year!
Overall: A little disappointing - heat up the food will ya?
Today was the first time I visited THIS Pabla Veggie restaurant. I usually visit my local one in Issaquah.
I chose this store over the Issaquah one because it had a sweet collection and an attached grocery store, however getting in I was so disappointed. Yes, again I've been spoilt in the past - the collection of groceries was poor. I'm sure you can get most of the stuff they were selling in any other supermarket. They didn't have any Alphonso mango puree either - booo hissssss.
The Indian sweet collection is ok - but not hugely vast (again, I've been spoilt in the past). Everything is made in-house and the girl attending the sweet stand was polite and chatty. I bought a small box of mixed burfis and another box of the syrup drenched sweets - setting me back a surprising $15.50. The sweets vary from $3.99-6.99/lb, however if you get a mixed box - they immediately charge you $6.99/lb.
So, a fellow Yelper and I went for the lunch buffet - $8.99 for 16 items. There were a couple or so curried dishes, dhal, spinach, rice, naan bread, salad, sauces, samosas, pakoras, fruits in custard, jelebi and some burfi. The food was good, well spiced and flavored BUT was lukewarm. I hate lukewarm food, it would have been perfect had it been hot. The thing was, the food was standing on "hot" plates, we only arrived at 12:30 (they open for lunch between 11:00-15:00), but the heat wasn't on very high. Do these people not know that you're supposed to keep cold food cold and hot food hot?? The temperature of the food on that hotplate was certainly NOT 140F+.
The service is ok in here, but it's definitely NOT the usual in-your-face American type service. The staff fills up your glass of water, takes away your plates and promptly dumps the bill on your table before you've finished or asked for it. But if you can get past that and the lukewarm food, you're in for a treat.
I recently did a story on Pabla Indian Cuisine for Renton magazine, but I was hesitant to try the vegetarian, kosher food. As soon as I got out of my car in the parking lot, though, I needn't have worried. The food smelled wonderful, and looked and tasted even better. I went for the lunch buffet on a weekday and there were salads, desserts, appetizers and entrees to choose from. I had never had Indian food before, so I didn't know what to expect, but I'm glad I had the experience. The food was delicious, and I loved that the food was fresh and the owner and manager are both "hands on." They also make a lot of the ingredients themselves - even the cheese - to ensure that it is kosher. To me, that's impressive.
This is my favorite Indian restaurant. The one in Seattle with the same name -- not so good. The Issaquah location has a good buffet but I haven't ordered dinner there.
My favorite -- the Shahi Paneer. And the Pabla special soup. And the Channa Samosa... and the Saag Paneer... ok, I have a lot of favorites.
My boyfriend doesn't eat Indian food or I would be going here a LOT more.
I haven't had a problem with the staff at all. They are very quiet but don't seem unfriendly. They are fast and attentive. They often give me free goodies slipped into my bags when I order something to go (probably because I spend a lot of money here and tip well!) They thank me sincerely and have somewhat shy reserved seeming smiles.
Everything I've tried from their bakery is deelish.
I enjoy the buffet but I can't eat very much at a time so really it is much more cost efficient for me to order a couple of dishes to take home and then I can eat leftovers for a week.
The chai isn't spectacular but it's not bad either. I enjoy it but I don't salivate thinking about it, like I do thinking about my other favs here.
The garlic nan, which used to be my favorite bread, is kind of meh. But some of their other breads stuffed with mango and nuts -- bring it on!!
Dear Pabla, Ill be seeing you in about 20 min. I actually brought my lunch to work today but my mouth starting watering earlier when I thought about this place. I want to put all of its veggie goodness into my face and live to burp about. Being vegetarian can be frustrating when it comes to buffets, I mean why pay the same price when you can only eat maybe 1/3 of the food? Just knowing that no matter what my fat little fingers decide to shovel down my throat wont give me the unexpected trots is priceless. To the people that complain about the bill being dropped too early, there is a thing called "asking for something else". You'd probably complain that the bill took forever if it didnt come "too" soon. Yum, bout to take care som bid-nis!
I can't say enough good things about Pabla. Often when I leave I wonder why I bother eating anything else! You would never think that you would find world-class Indian in a strip mall in Renton!
Come at lunchtime for the all-you-can-eat buffet. It features a salad, lots of sauces, samosas (sp?), about five main-courses, and the most delicious amazing naan you've ever had (garlic and plain!!!). All this for only $7.99/person.
The decor is quirky and fun. Lots of kitchy light up mirrored art - but somehow it fits.
Half of the fun of Pabla is the other patrons. Because its all vegetarian and Kosher certified - you get a very eclectic crowd. Very cute old Indian couples dining together. Hippies. And devout kosher Jews. Its great!
Fantastic kosher, vegetarian, Indian food!
I can't say this is hands-down the best Indian food I've had but I've had some really fantastic Indian food. It is, however, really good. You can let them know if you'd like the food a little spicier or a little milder. The staff made sure the order was prompt, the water glasses were full and that we had everything we needed.
There's a large selection of dishes available. For the curious, you can check out the menu online for both locations at http://www.pablacuisin...
The rice and dishes come family-style for your table - as is standard in most Indian restaurants that aren't buffet. Expect to have all of the dishes arrive in little boats, one large plate of rice and plates for everyone at your table.
The desserts are fantastic. Take your pick - rasmalai, kheer, rasgulla... again, they have a selection and you aren't limited to only kheer and lassies like many places.
I've seen several people mention "like the Seattle location" - according to their website, there are only two locations that are linked for Pabla and that's Renton and Issaquah.
I did not feel "discriminated against" or "stared at" as other Yelpers have mentioned. I mean, are white people in Renton just paranoid about this or what? I've seen it mentioned on reviews of Chinese, Mexican and now Indian restaurants. Get over yourself - no one's staring at you because you're white. (For the record, I'm about as white as one can get.)
Pabla is a great restaurant. Especially if you are vegetarian, vegan, or eat Kosher.
They also have a counter where you can buy sweets as well as a small (excellent) grocery store. You can get paneer here so you can make your own dishes with it!
4 stars....from a meat eater!
This place, almost hands-down, is one of the best Indian restaurants around (would receive 5 stars with a friendlier staff). The selection is great, with some creative (well, at least to me) dishes (like potatoes filled with raisins and nuts), it's pretty spicy (unlike most Indian restaurants, that err on the side of a bland palate), and the prices aren't sky-high. My favorites are the shahi paneer, saag paneer, and the koftas----mmmm
As mentioned, the only con to this restaurant is the staff-although this maybe customary in Indian culture, more of a subdued, less "in your face" approach than Americanized restaurants. Don't expect attentiveness or smiles....just your order and maybe a refill of your drink. And, as has been mentioned, all food is veggie and Kosher, if that's your bag. Highly recommended!
I will just echo all the good things others have said about this place. My wife is a vegetarian, but even if she wasn't this would still be my favorite Indian food in the Seattle area.
A few things of note:
Some Indian food bothers my digestive system. Never had a problem here.
The salty lassi is one of the best I've had. I'm a bit unusual in that most westerners don't like salty lassis, so be warned. The sweet lassis are good as well.
On the whole "friendly staff" thing:
I've noticed in Indian restaurants that staff seem to come in three flavors. 1. Extremely friendly, almost overly helpful, sweetly cheerful. 2. Poker faced, cool, competent, distant. 3. And, lastly, Americanized, no more Indian accent than I have an Dutch one, with a normal range of "American" attitudes.
One place in Connecticut had a mix of 1 and 2. This made for a very odd vibe. Good food and service though.
I think this hot OR cold "personality" is just the way different cultures in India behave. It's a complicated country.
As to Pabla: Never had an error, never waited too long, always got answers to our questions, and my lassis to go were never a problem. But, as far as I can recall, I've never seen the staff smile. At each other or a customer. It doesn't bother me, as long as everyone does their job. BTW I've known plenty of caucasians with the same poker face.
So if you want really good food and decent service go here. If you want to flirt with the staff go someplace else.
I can honestly say I have no idea what causes people to come to this restaurant and say anything other than praises for it - other than you just can't argue with taste.
Whenever I place a to-go order it is always ready exactly when they say it will be ready and they often throw in some sweets on the house.
The food is always perfect and whenever I am there with a friend who is, let's just say picky, they always make a special dish just for her and she loves it. The service is snappy and they are always super friendly - as I said, they even know my friend's order before she puts it because they know her just that well.
I particularly love going to the buffet just about every Sunday because they don't always have the same items in the rotation and it's just a treat to get quality Indian food at a low price.
my first indian food was consumed in these hallowed halls. i went vegetarian when i was 17, and grew up in renton. a local animal rights group vegan dinner was here, so that's how i tried indian food. how did i go without it my whole life up to that point? now i've been going there for eight years.
i've been to pabla countless times, and brought friends here, and brought my parents here, and my parents have brought people here, and their coworkers sometimes go there together for lunch.
seattle doesn't really have veg indian restaurants, so it's funny that renton has one of the best in the US.
their prices up overtime, which i think is part choice and part dictated by the stupid economy. when i first started going there, the lunch buffet was $6.99. now it's $8.99 or $9.99. but their food quality has remained awesome. and the buffet has 16 items, include 4 or 5 vegetarian entrees. pretty unique.
the grocery shop is great, and i've bought many spices, food, CDs, murtis, and deity pictures over the years. and the sweets! oh my good. they had so many i never got to try. but some were so bright and juicy and sweet and great. and their in-restaurant desserts were great too.
one of my favorite memories at this place is when my partner and friend went there shortly before the US invaded and attacked Iraq. We were in Vancouver (canada) for spring break, and in a bar there watched Bush declare the 48 hours for Hussein to allow inspectors, or whatever was going on. threatening to start the war, basically. we came back to the US solemnly, convinced Bush was about to start world war 3 and that the world would end soon. so what other choice did we have but to go to pabla as a farewell, world dinner and spend $80 between the three of us on our last glorious meal on this planet? we were the only ones in the restaurant, and the servers sat across the room. we were all quietly sharing the moment, listening to the latest news broadcast over the radio.
wow, that's kind of like out of some crazy apocalyptic novel or film, now that i think about it.
well, the banquet was amazing, but we lived on for many more years, able to partake in the bounty and awesomeness that is Pabla Indian Cuisine.
now, sadly, we moved to fresno, california, which lacks vegetarian and great indian cuisine like Pabla. but we'll live. there's still decent food, including some south indian food, which is absent in Renton, and we'll go to Pabla again when we visit.
Went out for Teriyaki and ended up with Indian. LOVE the food! Probably the best Aloo Saag I've had in long time. We asked for low spice due to some health issues and actually got what we asked for. Wait staff was kind of odd, thought nice. Never asked us if we wanted something other than water (we did) seated us next to the only other people in the whole restaurant (?) and brought our check without asking if we wanted desert (we did). HOWEVER, we'll go back, probably today, for the brunch. The food trumps everything! :-)
first let me say as a vegetarian that i love it when i walk into a restaurant and i can eat everything on the menu. i am an avid ethnic foodie and have eaten at many indian restaurants in my time.
that said, the food here is mediocre and the service is usually rude. the last time i ate here, 2 out of 3 in our party had major gastrointestinal discomfort (bloating, feeling stuffed to the point of nausea) for many hours afterward, and none of us overate.
i will be trying the other places around, which may not be vegetarian but i hear have better food and service.
I can't believe I haven't been here in a year! Gah! One of the best lunch buffet specials in downtown for a reasonable price. Decent location, fairly in the middle of downtown-ish. Awesome spinach naan and veggie pakoras (gawd damn I loves me some veggie pakoras).
A vegetarian Indian restaurant in Renton that has been in business since we moved here in the mid-90s. I always wondered at that since I would have thought there'd be more veggie-lovers in Seattle (where the meated version of this restaurant is; one that isn't half as good, however).
While located in a strip mall across from the downtown Fred Meyer, the restaurant itself is well appointed (and which Naan-n-Curry may wish to take note). We have never had a problem with the wait staff - but then, we primarily come for the now almost $9 a plate buffet. But when our young men came along, there was always an order of mango lassi and the waitstaff would fill our glasses of water etc. Basically, despite being a mixed race family, we never had any problems with service.
For some years, the food was absolutely delectable, albeit a tad too spicy for my obviously too bland tastebuds. Our most recent foray (sometime in 2007), however, revealed food that had not been as delicately spiced and a buffet that didn't have as much variety as in the past (and which didn't have any barfi, a wonderful non-chocolate fudge-type dessert). Pakora (deep fried vegetable) was good, but too salty. As always, the samosas (a pea and potato turnover) were good, but just too spicy for me to eat - which which my husband (and son) devour - and they're quite large. Due to the popular buffet, of course, the restaurant is busy during lunch hour.
All in all, Pabla is a good place to go for Renton vegetarian Indian cuisine. The atmosphere is good, although it can get crowded and therefore noisy. If you want tandoor, though, you'll have to go to Naan-n-Curry - or somewhere outside of Renton.
I've revised my rating to reflect that this is not the equivalent of a Michelin rating which, alas, I had been trying to do.
I can't even remember the food, although I know I wasn't as impressed as all my friends who recommended the place seem to be. All I can remember is the bad service and feeling somewhat discriminated against.
When I placed the to-go order, I was told it would be about 30 minutes, so I browsed their small grocery and sweets counter to kill some time. I picked up a few things and tried to order some sweets, but the girl at the register was more interested in covering things with plastic wrap than helping me. After I stood there for a few minutes waiting, an Indian family came up to the register to pay and she asked me to wait until she helped them, which she did with a smile (which I never got.) She finally got around to me and took payment for both the grocery items and the dinner to go, which was fine, but that meant I was obligated to keep waiting for the dinner even after an hour had passed with still no sign of my order. I told her I was going to go to my car so I could sit down and put my purchases away and would be back in 15 minutes. She took my cell phone number and said she'd call me when it was ready. 30 minutes later, I gave up and went back inside just in time to see an Indian couple who had come in about the time I went out to my car getting their to-go order already. It was another 5-10 minutes before mine was finally brought out, and it wasn't a huge order! I was very disappointed and would never go back there to eat, although my family liked the sweets enough that I might go back to get those from time to time unless I find a better alternative.
I'm not a vegetarian but I'm a big fan of Indian food. For $9.99 the all-you-can-eat vegetarian (and apparently kosher according to other Yelpers) lunch buffet is a decent bargain. The naan and chai were tasty but not the best I've had. Samosas are one my favorite Indian appetizers and these don't disappoint. Their custard with fruit dessert is delish though you may have to wait for an appropriately sized bowl. Our first visit here, my man and I were absolutely stuffed for the rest of the day. We held back a bit our second time and still weren't very hungry when dinner time rolled around. The staff may not be the friendliest but when I can get decent Indian food without a wait, it's not really an issue for me. If you do want something to drink other than water, be sure to put your order in when they bring you water and silverware, they won't really be coming by again until you need your water refilled or plates picked-up. I still need to check out the grocery store at this locale.
I visited Pabla this weekend with high expectations of a good meal. However, it was really an unpleasant meal - both in terms of food and in of service.
I came in with my husband, a female friend, and her two young children (a normal 6 year old and a developmentally disabled 10 year old). As we sat down, I really noticed the stares of the other diners..and I normally don't cue in to that sort of thing so it was pretty strong. We were the only Caucasian people in the restaurant at this time that I could see. This was before the 10 yr old threw his napkin on the floor and loudly declared that he hates peas, but with three attentive adults, he was quickly taken outside and talked to about behavior in a restaurant.
The service was really really slow. I specifically ordered my dish to be mild. It came spicier than the rest of dishes ordered by the others.
We ordered some appetizers for the kids - as this was their first Indian food experience..and those were also unbearably spicy. Now, I'm not an Indian food newbie, so I know the level that things are normally spiced and this was too damn hot for me to take a bite, much less feed to these kids.
My husband reported that it was really strange that the female who was waiting on us never actually waited on him. She filled everyone's glasses except for him. Handed everyone a menu except for him. Took away his silverware - he had to ask me to get him some from another part of the table. It was bizarre. One of the male waiters noticed and came over and filled his glass instead.
We ordered a special set of rice for the kids that never arrived - the rice that was part of our meal was combined into one large dish and their rice just didn't show up.
So overall, the food was not good, slowly delivered, and we were given weird looks the entire time. I am moving to this area and I am crossing this restaurant off of the list of places to visit again.
Renton, WA
Category: Indian
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Category: Indian
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Category: Grocery
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Category: Indian
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