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Priya Indian Cuisine
Category: Restaurants Indian Indian [Edit]
2072 San Pablo Ave(between University Ave & Addison St)
Berkeley, CA 94702
(510) 644-3977
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 11 am - 9 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Trisha M. said: "Our favorite spot for well priced and delicious Indian take away. It's pretty rich but that's like most indian places I have been too. Service is always very kind as well offering chai while you wait. Amelie: They always have good…" read more »
81 reviews for Priya Indian Cuisine
Review Highlights
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"I was also very pleased to find rasam on the buffet." In 44 reviews -
"...of condiments - while the coconut chutney was kind of weird..." In 2 reviews -
"Who on earth can argue with unlimited naan and papdum." In 15 reviews
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81 reviews in English
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Review from Jessie O.
Berkeley, CA
2/12/2012
We love this place. It's a go-to for my husband and I on nights we don't want to cook.
I started coming here with my vegan friend a few years ago and we both agreed that their veg selection is awesome, tasty, and cheap! The first time I came here with meat-eaters we were less impressed. Frankly, their veg dishes are a LOT better than the meat. But since they have such a great selection of vegetarian food and its so good, I don't find eating here to involve any sacrifice... even for devoted meat-eaters!
I strongly suggest the chana masala and baingan bartha. The masala dosa is also awesome. -
Review from T W.
San Francisco, CA
4/29/2012 1 Check-in Here
Horrible fish, I think it was rotten, told the server and he said literally, that's the way my fish is" I said can we Exchange it he said you have to order something else, I will charge. He later came out with a small cup of chicken masala and said he will give me that. I ate some of it but the experience was horrible.
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Review from Jazzmin N.
Berkeley, CA
3/19/2012
The good: The service was attentive.
The bad: 24 hours later and my stomach (which is not sensitive) is still cramped up and hurting. I won't be returning. -
Review from Bettie P.
Oakland, CA
Updated - 3/23/2012 2 photos
Update, went again a few days ago. Again buffet was not well stocked.
However, this was my 2nd time here, and 2nd time i pulled a sharp bone out of my mouth!! SEE POSTED PHOTO again!
These bones dont even seem like chicken bones, even though they were both from the same chicken dish.
One in October 2011 and one in March 2012.
Wont go back again.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/7/2011
I wish I could give more than 2 Stars. I went for the Lunch buffet today. The buffet is over at… Read more »
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Review from J M.
Berkeley, CA
4/21/2012
I hate indian buffet restaurants. In general, they offer low quality for low prices. When I go to Priya, I never eat from the buffet. Instead, I order from the menu. The owners are south indians from Andhra Pradesh, something that differentiates them from most indian restaurants in Berkeley that are owned by north indians or even pakistanis. This restaurant can serve you delicious tamarind rice and other made to order dishes without charging you high prices like Udipi Palace (on University Ave) in Berkeley.
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Review from Dana K.
Walnut Creek, CA
9/19/2011
Rolled thru the spot on a Friday Night about 9 PM. To our surprise... BUFFET was on! They run the Buffet Fri-Sun...huge!
The restaruant was pretty empty expect for group of Berkeley students in the corner. The food is always pretty good but I gave them an extra star for having a latenight weekend buffet and being a family ran spot.
I'll go back for sure. -
Review from Bob F.
Berkeley, CA
4/8/2012
Nothing special here. Decent food in a dingy restaurant in a less-than-ideal location. Equal or better Indian food can be found in nicer restaurants. Give me House of Curries any day.
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Review from Ben W.
Berkeley, CA
2/12/2012 1 photo
Best Indian restaurant in the neighborhood. I've been here several times, and the food is always amazing. Dinner costs $10 - $13 and comes with naan and 4 or 5 smaller curries and sauces + dessert (gulab jamun) which is brought at the end. They have a large menu so its good to go when they have buffet so you can try a lot of the different dishes.
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Review from Joan H.
Livermore, CA
1/29/2012
First time eating Indian food. Not a fan. While buffet was large and service ok, everything looked soupy and unidentifiable. Chunks of meat were swimming in green, brown, orange, and/or yellow sauce. Reading other posts about their insect problems makes me wonder what else was in there. Some greenish dish with mushrooms had few, if any, mushrooms in it. Tandoori chicken was very dry and burnt at edges. Dessert was watery rice pudding with a very strange seasoning, a gummy mango custard, and syrupy dough balls. Ended up eating naan, plain rice, some deep-fried spinach/onion bits, yogurt, and a very large Taj Mahal lager. Waste of a perfectly good 20 bucks. Will not retry.
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Review from Kmac D.
Oakland, CA
3/20/2012
My friend and I ate at Priya tonight for the first time - we were the only guests! I can't imagine why: the menu is incredible! an entire page full of different dosas: yay! The food was great - we stuck to the vegetarian options and there are so many, it was difficult to decide what to order. The servers were incredibly nice and not constantly hovering around the tables - this is a good place to eat and i can't wait to try the buffet!
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Review from Marla M.
Oakland, CA
6/1/2011
I just ate here today. And wow this place rocks! For under $30, my husband and I both got dinner meals. It included an appetizer, naan, entre and sides, and dessert! It was way too much for us to eat in one sitting. I'll definitely be back again.
Oh, and the coffee was tasty too :) -
Review from E A.
Oakland, CA
8/20/2011
My fiancee and I stopped in here for a nice quick lunch. We opted for the lunch buffet as it looked pretty good and smelled even better. We grabbed our food, sat down at a readily available table, and proceeded to eat. Sounds good so far eh? Soooo why the single star you ask? Well, about halfway through our lunch my fiancee let's out a little scream...I look up to see a nice size cockroach crawling up the wall right next to us...awesome. So she calls over a server and points out the roach and he proceeds to try and squish it, but it then drops down onto the table. Errr...check please, thanks.
The meal was cheap, but I'll skip due to the "extra protein". -
Review from Kian D.
Berkeley, CA
7/7/2011
If you want to eat small portions out of crappy recycled paper plates, and pay full price knowing that you are paying for the parking, plates and the fancy bathroom, go to Viks. However, if you want to eat the BEST Indian Food for lunch, not your self-righteous ego, then go to Priya instead. Take your hippie mom there for dinner and she'll be pleasantly surprised. Go to Priya and leave with a smile on your face and full belly.
My mom has been trying to recreate their signature chutneys for a decade, and mama Priya's are incomparable. -
Review from Celeste B.
Oakland, CA
8/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
The most diverse buffet I have experienced. Every dish was tasty but could have been warmer. Delicious tomato soup and goat dish. Lots of veggie options. recommend for lunch.
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Review from Kendra P.
Berkeley, CA
5/10/2011
I came here with some friends on a whim and we all got the lunch buffet. $7.99 for all you can eat? I'm willing to try it!
Truthfully I didn't have high hopes. When we first walked in, the family who worked there weren't incredibly friendly though not rude either.
I was pleasantly surprised at the selection the buffet offered and happy to see lots of veggie options. The food wasn't very greasy and everything had a really good flavor. The Raita was perfect.
The desserts were ok. The mango custard tasted like dirt but I'm pretty sure it's just something my taste buds aren't used to.
I will be back next time I'm in the mood for the buffet and have been telling my friends to try it out as well. -
Review from SC ..
Oakland, CA
4/7/2011
Our usual spot for a Curry fix is Khana Peena on College, but the last times we've been the food was a bit stale and bland, and we always spend way more than we want to there. We decided to check Priya out. I've been there a few times in the past, but man last night the food was really good. The Thali dinners are a great deal ($12). I would recommend you order one of those and an a la carte entree for two people. We got two thali's and had enough leftovers for lunch the next day.
The place has been pretty much empty when I've been there at night, they seem to do a lot of take-out orders for the neighborhood. I assume it gets busy at lunch for the buffet. The staff are really friendly and they remind me of my Indian family. I was also stoked on the desert that came with the thali plates.
Priya also has a selection of less common Indian beers. I'll be honest, most Indian beers that come to the US are horrible, just the same as most imported Asian beers. But there's a few on there that are actually good. -
Review from J B.
Belvedere Tiburon, CA
6/17/2011
We've been looking for a good buffet style place for a couple months and we think this place is a winner.
The buffet was large and had in addition to the standard curries, a large selection of conventional and unconventional dishes.
The food was well balanced, with a good mixture of spice and heat, flavor and intensity. We especially liked the goat curry and the squash and spinach dishes. They also had an eggs-masala style curry which was really tasty.
Complaints: Naan on the buffet wasn't very fresh, but I didn't ask for fresh which I probably could have done. It's a minor thing. Anyway, I'll be back for more, apparently the buffet changes regularly. -
Review from Aditya K.
Berkeley, CA
8/24/2010
** I am a native of India who has eaten at every single Indian restaurant in Berkeley at least 3 times each, and 70% of my meals consist of Indian cuisine. Read the bottom of the review for my complete ranking list or look in my Yelp Lists **
-- Entree Taste: 3/5
The taste of their food in not their strong point, it's the variety and value. The entrees don't really change in the buffet, oh and please, STICK to the BUFFET or do not go. Ordering off the menu here is akin to sending a Nigerian an electronic down payment on a real estate investment.
-- Naan: 3/5
It's naan, plain and simple.
-- Price/Value: 4/5
Lots of variety, desserts too, but if you want better value and better food, go to Punjabi by Nature. This is only when you need a change.
-- Service: 2/5
It's ok, but the waiters look unkempt and dirty. Kills appetite sometimes.
*CRITICSMS*:
- As mentioned before, there is a better Indian buffet in Berkeley. It's called Punjabi by Tandoor. Still this place is one of the better options in Berkeley overall.
*********** RANKING LIST ********************************************
-- I will keep updating this ranking list as I get time --
Updated 6/24/2010
1) Flavors of India / Kabab and Karahi (tie)
2) Himalaya
3) Urbann Turbann ($5 Cholay wrap: best value for your money, period).
4) Punjabi By Nature
5) Chaat Cafe
6) Priya
7) Viks (yeah, I know I'm going to get a lot of flak for this one, but it's true folks, severely overrated due to bandwagoning)
8) Breads of India (OK, but overpriced)
9) Biryani House
10) Khana Peena (the one on Solano, a little better than the other one)
11) Pasand (OK, but severely overpriced)
12) House of Curries (College)
13) Kabana (Great food loses massive points for racially based treatment of customers)
14) Tandoor Kitchen
15) Khana Peena (the one on Shattuck, absolute trash, avoid)
16) Indus Valley Restaurant (literally serves frozen vegetable curries)
**Now if I called Khana Peena Shattuck trash, then you can imagine how the following are...yeah...these don't deserve to even be ranked**
House of Curries (Durant)
Naan N CurryListed in: Indian Restaurant Rankings
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Review from Tony D.
Berkeley, CA
9/16/2010
Tasty buffet esp for the price. My friend's favorite spot in north Berkeley for South Indian food and I'm inclined to agree.
Kinda dirty. No idea if the off buffet menu is worth it: usually isnt in this kind of place. -
Review from Emily W.
San Leandro, CA
10/23/2011
I like this place. It may always be a bit empty, but they have a good buffet. Nice people working there and lots of variety on the food.
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Review from Lisa L.
Oakland, CA
2/6/2007
Indian food is not sexy. At least not to me - it makes me want to roll in wearing grubby sweats with unwashed hair and gorge myself. At least a place like Priya does, because hey, you're going to smell like smoke n'curry afterwards anyway, so skip the shower...and if you're like me and already on the B train to Bloatsville (tm dlisted), the sweats are the only way to avoid having to unbutton the top button of your jeans.
Buffets are evil and should probably be illegal, considering the obesity problem we have in the US. They only inspire the worst in people - greed, gluttony, etc. etc. The buffet here costs $7.99 for a weekday lunch, which is way too little. Why do white people like cream on everything? Indian food could probably be healthy, but not if you (like me) choose everything with triple cream/korma-esque sauce and tons of fatty meat. Seriously. I find myself doing the same with mexican food. White people like the cream. Cause we're wimps. And fat. Ok, I'm done.
5 stars - price
1 star - ambience
3 stars - food - good but not in a good way -
Review from Christopher J.
San Francisco, CA
2/4/2007
I am not entirely sure what the culprit is- the fact that I am a disheveled honkey, or that the tastebuds of the owners are as ordinary as their peddled tresures, but everytime i am at a multi-region indian restaurant in Berkeley, and ask for a dosa recommendation, not only do they instantly jettison skepticism with the masala dosa, it becomes a luminscent fawning that allows me a deftness to clamor for the arrival of the "obvious hero" for sambhar accompaniment. Despite what they presume, i worship at the capsicum altar. When it comes to flavor and fire, my life turns into a odyssey for this reverse logic and unction- i sometimes think i will resume my dormant ashmatic tendencies if my intestines are not battling a torrid onslaught of zest.
It was a monolith serving, ya'll. Two vada and idli pre crepe ambivalence. Soup was a show boating hunk, which i applauded and inquired the email address for further festivities. Then that damn potato doldrum brings everything to a halt. Am i just not allowed to delve further, would i then know TOO MUCH?Listed in: I am the WAZWAN!!! (Look the…
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Review from Tina Lee ..
Berkeley, CA
7/5/2006
God, I thought that once I left India, I'd never have another thali worth mentioning. Well, let's not be dramatic, I do live in the Bay Area, after all, home of excellent food and those who love it.
Went to Priya on a lark, treated by a friend to ease the pain after my car got towed by the bastard BPD. I wasn't really expecting anything special, but from the moment we sat down and were handed the immensely cool menus, I should have known something was up. About 20 minutes later, we were stuffing ourselves with the veg biriyani and masala dosa, and all the fixins. Man it was good. As much as I love me some butter chicken, I was happy I resisted the trap and tried their southern specialities. The thali was really a great deal, as was the Kingfisher. And, no, I had no regrets post-digestion. -
Review from Dana W.
Washington, DC
2/21/2008
Absolutely horrifying. By far the worst Indian food I have ever eaten.
My vegetable korma was cloyingly sweet and filled with canned green beans, corn, and carrots. The veggie pakora was so oily as to be almost inedible.
And then there were the bugs. Yes, two of them. One in my friend's soup, and one trapped in the naan. I'd thought when we told our server (most likely the owner's son), he'd at least take the items of the bill or give a sincere apology, but nope.
I left feeling like barfing. Not just from the food, but because I'd essentially thrown 20 bucks out the window. Please don't go there. -
Review from Lisa T.
2/13/2007
We were there recently for dinner, and three of us ordered chai after the meal. The waiter brings us three cups of cold chai.
I call the waiter, send it back, saying it's cold.
So 5 minutes later, he returns, and randomly puts the same three cups down on the table -- they'd been microwaved -- we realized that he brought us the same 3 cups and we didn't even know who was given which cup!
Ewwww! -
Review from Viv C.
San Francisco, CA
9/4/2006
If you ever want to stuff your face with Indian food on the weekends, Priya is the place to go for weekend/lunch buffets.
Don't let the emptiness of the restaurant scare you. I haven't much to complain about when it comes to price, amount of food and quality of food they have there. And the desserts are quite lovely...galub jaman, mango custard etc. YUM!
You know, this review would be a lot better if I could actually remember the names of the dishes I love. I never know what I'm eating is called, all I know is that I like it and I recognize it visually.
The staff is very friendly and attentive.
One thing is, I would like to know why they have ranch dressing sitting next to the chutneys? I thought it was yogurt and was thoroughly disgusted when I shoved a spoonful in my unsuspecting mouth. -
Review from Wan T.
San Francisco, CA
6/5/2007
I love the buffet. Love that the vegie choices are many, and that they have both North & South Indian selections. Love the "Cabbage Fry" the most. Today, they had an very tasty okra with pakora dish. Also love their vegie korma. I haven't had the digestive problems other people have had--maybe because I don't eat the meat products?
Have also been a couple of times at night, and thought the thali and the dosa were also very good. My only gripe is that their chai is not good. -
Review from Wendy B.
CA
8/5/2007
I am gluten intolerant (no wheat, oats, rye, barley) so eat alot of Indian food when I go out these days since they have lots of breads and deserts that are made with bean flour or dairy instead of wheat like most places.
It's not very often I get to eat something bread-like, so I was suprised and pleased that most of the dosas are made with rice and urdu flour. I would have never thought to order the dosas at all, except that I was taken there by a friend who just got back from south India and was craving dosas.
I've returned again and again for the dosas. Though quite tasty, the potato, carrot, and pea filling could be both a bit more flavorful and pea-free in my opinion. The dosa breading is always amazing and tasty, as are the chutneys - a trio of coconut, tomato, and cilantro. Overall, they make for a tasty, filling, and reasonably priced meal at $6 something with tax.
I am less impressed with the buffet. Then again, even though Priya says it is both south and north Indian cuisine, I consider it south Indian. Their attempts at north Indian dishes miss the mark and I've had to convince more than one previously disappointed friend who ordered north Indian food to come back and try the south Indian fare, after which they thought Priya was great.
I would give them 4 stars, but there is one other thing that I have a hard time with. They spray their glass-top tables with Windex before they wipe them clean, which means that you may suddenly be enveloped in a cloud of nasty chemical smell in the middle of enjoying your meal and all the smells you DO want with your dinner. -
Review from Luanne T.
San Francisco, CA
1/8/2010
Great idly, tomato chutney sauce, vadai, dosa and chicken curry (forgot the actual name but it's the spiciest one)
This is a great south Indian restaurant with an incredibly wide vegetarian/vegan menu. It's probably a 50/50 split so vegetarians, vegans and meat eaters can all be satisfied.
With clever use of fonts, all items in Green fonts are vegetarian and Red fonts are non-vegetarian.
Will definitely be back! -
Review from Gary P.
Berkeley, CA
4/18/2007
The weekday lunch buffet here gets critical raves, and I can see why. The food is tasty, the assortment is diverse, the price is below $10 per person, tax included. I've eaten there a dozen times or so, only lunch buffet.
Be careful of dishes that seem under-warmed. I got a mild case of food poisoning there on at least two occasions. As a rule of thumb, if it's not hot, pass it by.
The service and decor are not great, but it's a good option if you're with friends and want a quick bite of delicious Indian food. Just be careful. -
Review from Rachel L.
8/14/2007
Yes, it's $9 for a lunch buffet. No, you can't POSSIBLY eat that much in a sitting. So really the calculus is more like 2.5 lunches for under 10 bones. Such a deal!
Also, there are more veggie options than even I can cram into a plastic take-out tray, PLUS naan, PLUS raita, PLUS dessert. Ahhh, now that's a post-lunch "important" meeting nap waiting to happen. -
Review from T L.
Walnut Creek, CA
5/22/2007
Kind of dark and dingy, but I do like this Indian buffet. taste and quality are only pretty good but what a value. $7.99 on weekdays. food is on the heavy salty side.
Food ***
Decor **
Value **** -
Review from Dee C.
San Francisco, CA
4/30/2010
Wonderful buffet! I'm a fan. We've been there on many occasions with no problems, though we always get the buffet.
Three months later...
Updating my review because friend went and had to kill a cockroach climbing up the wall. Yuck.
Removed a star from rating. -
Review from Surf R.
San Francisco, CA
6/23/2007
Why do I go here and hurt myself by overeating? Especially when I'm working and cannot be productive after gorge myself on a variety of vegetarian Indian food.
Oh yeah, it's fairly cheap and close.
When I get tired of sandwiches closer to my office, it's a good alternative. Except for the part when I waddle back in pain to my office.
$7.99 Lunch buffet is all I've ever had and all I'll probably ever have. It's decent Indian food for a cheap buffet and I don't expect miracles for that price. -
Review from Storm W.
San Francisco, CA
6/22/2008
Food was so-so, my chair broke, service was horrible. The temperature inside was a frosty 91 degrees. I had to hunt down a waitress for a glass of ice.
Miserable. -
Review from Josh C.
Long Beach, CA
5/26/2009
After two trips to the lunch buffet and having tried a couple of dishes off of the menu, I think that Priya is only so-so. It would seem that a big part of the problem is that this is actually a South Indian place at heart, but they believe that they must provide certain buffet stand-bys that are actually well outside of their expertise. Don't get me wrong, though; the food on the line is not bad at all. Their vegetable korma and daal, for example, were both very tasty. I was also very pleased to find rasam on the buffet. But some of the other dishes were just too oily, runny, or otherwise lackluster.
Both times I have gone to Priya, I had a friend with me who decided to order from the madras specialties part of the menu. This might actually be the better bet (even if it is very slow at lunch time). I have tried a couple of different dosas and the idli, and, while I have had better of both, these are quite solid. So maybe this is more of a dinner place... but then again, the guy who runs the place is not at all friendly and on our recent trip my friend was charged more than the price stated on the menu, so... maybe it's better to only go here in a pinch. -
Review from Liz L.
Berkeley, CA
7/11/2011
Priya has a special way of blending their spices that keeps me wanting more and finding other Indian food flavorless or bitter. Order a masala dosa and some dry cooked okra. It comes with soup and condiments and is more than enough for two people. Two people can leave completely stuffed with good food for less than ten bucks! The family is very nice too. The young man and woman who usually wait tables were in my math class in middle school and are very sweet.
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Review from nate b.
Winston-Salem, NC
4/24/2009
Usually Indian food when in the office has always been Vik's Chaat Corner. It's where most of my coworkers enjoy eating. Unfortunately for me that never really sat well with me as it's terribly bland as far as I'm concerned.
Went here yesterday and ordered the lamb vindaloo. I didn't even order it extra spicy like I normally do at places I enjoy. This one had such a great kick that I was shocked in a great way.
The vegetable sambusas were great, even had peanuts in them!
Service was excellent, water was refilled without asking, extra napkins brought as well. The only down side is our server felt that my friend did not deserve a second sprite. Other than that I'm a fan. -
Review from Jim B.
Berkeley, CA
11/18/2008
I went for the buffet lunch yesterday and it was very good. The food was fresh and flavorful and besides about 12 different main dishes there were numerous pickles and sambals that you could add. There were only a couple of old pieces of naan on the buffet so I asked the waitress if there was more and she brought us a huge plate of fresh naan right to our table.
Very good deal, especially compared to other Indian lunch buffets I have tried. -
Review from Drew W.
Berkeley, CA
2/23/2007
This review pertains to the lunch buffet, and the vegetarian options at that.
If you want a vegetarian Indian lunch buffet, go to Priya. Rather than the usual 2 items, you can choose from 4-6 veggie dishes, almost always really delicious.
If they have it, get the Mushroom Mattar. Or, just go for dinner so you can order it off the regular menu. It's my favorite dish there.
