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- Hours:
Mon. 11:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Lunch
- Music:
- DJ, Live
- Best Nights:
- Thu, Fri, Sat
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
12 reviews for Royal Peacock
*Eh*. *So* disappointed with various things...I usually grade 1/2 stars upwards, but it just wasn't "yay, I'm a fan" material...
June 18th was my bday, and stranded without even good friends that particular night (this weekend will likely prove better), I treated myself to a massage and then asked the person at the front desk what he recommended for Indian in Boulder. He tossed me Royal Peacock first, and later on mentioned Nepal Cuisine. He mentioned that Royal Peacock was a bit pricier and "more of the kind of place one would go on their bday". I flip-flopped between the 2 and finally decided on Royal Peacock, as weird shaped clouds were threatening to blast Boulder to ruins with rain or hail.
When you walk in you are greeted with a very pleasant fragrance of spice in the air, which was just wonderful to. A wide melange of decor is strewn all over the restaurant; from very cool wall paintings with otherworldly beings and deities to various bronze/brass statues of same deities, to pictures of various people of Indian descent, to knick-knacks and assorted things cluttered on end tables near the bar. Interesting to be sure, if you go, explore around the place and see what catches your fancy. I'll upload some pics I took of various decor soon. Soft Indian music wails unobtrusively from a small iPod mini hooked up to the sound system.
The owner, Shanti, is warm and kindly, although possibly a bit wary; he asked me what I was taking the various pictures for. I told him I was going to send them to friends. (Eh...close enough. :) He was a bit hard to understand at times and speaks with a strong accent at times, and quickly, so it can be difficult to make out what he's saying. His son Sebastian however is perfectly understandable and, gotta admit this in all fairness, makes a *killer* mango lassi. In fact, he sampled mine briefly in creating it, shook his head and said "*way* too sweet". It needed more yogurt. After receiving his finished concoction, I gotta admit -- he nailed it perfectly. Blissful nectar in a wine goblet.
After ogling the menu before I went in, I finally decided on the Sind Ke Jaan, an original creation at the Peacock, of roasted lamb and prawns with exotic spices in tomato cream sauce with a roasted pepper infusion. I also got 2 orders of naan, 1 plain and 1 with raisin and coconut. So, I'll slice and dice it here for easy consumption by the readers:
Food quality/taste: 4/5 - main dish was very flavorful and used more spices than other Indian eateries, jasmine rice was soft, but the raisin/coconut naan was lacking in coconut. Still, much more good than bad.
Food texture: 3.5/5 - again, the naan being the weak point - both orders of naan were partially-baked at their softest texture and brittle and dry like crackers at their worst. Maybe I'm no expert on authentic Indian, but every order of naan I have had to date previous to tonight has been soft and delectable -- naan that snaps and cracks into crumbs seems overdone.
Food quantity: 2/5 - the killing point in my review. The naan portions were fine, but for $17, I expected a few more pieces of meat in my to-go container. I believe I counted 3 prawns (nice-sized but not eye-popping) and 3 slices of nicely cooked lamb. Really? A bit overpriced...I was hoping for at least 4 prawns and, I dunno (shrug), maybe 5-6 slices of lamb? The sauce, at least, was copious and amazingly spiced...but if the owners are reading this, please serve a few more pieces of meat with your dishes? [I did not eat all I brought home, but about 2/3s]
Hospitality: 4 - 4.5/5 - Shanti seemed a bit wary of me taking pictures of his place, other than that he and his son were both very agreeable to speak with.
My mango lassi was comped as my birthday gift; I was actually offered a dessert from the menu but given the only 2 menu items I saw were ice cream soaked in various liqueurs, I declined as I was wanting to get home after a long day (plus dining alone ain't so great when you're out, esp on a bday).
So what is that all? 13 to 13.5/20? That's about 2/3. That's ...not quite 3 1/2 stars. And that's about where I'd plunk this experience. I would gladly come here again, but at least I won't go expecting a mind-blowing experience, which I did somewhat from the 2007/2008 Westword awards regaling this the "Best Indian Restaurant" in the Denver Metro Area.
Now, to be open-minded, they do have the buffet mentioned in previous reviews. And they do have a number of specialty cocktails served here which look to be pretty tasty. And they do have absinthe, which would be a good thing for me to try this year, at some point. So it's entirely possible that future visits to this place may ring more positively than 3 1/2 stars -- I guess we'll see down the road. I want this place to be at least 4 stars, I really do. I hope it will be next time.
Since the Krishna house on Pleasant St. closed up years ago, it's nice to have somewhere in Boulder to go eat while viewing artwork depicting blue-skinned Krishna-esque beings adorning the walls. Seems like we usually get sat where we can see the blue people.
We arrived for dinner the other day just as 3 or 4 other tables of people also arrived. Our waitperson let us know they were short-staffed but it seemed like the staff there was rushing all over the place trying their best to give good service to the roomful of diners.
So, the service was fine.
The hot chai which was refilled with great frequency did not taste right. They were really too busy for me to mention it. It was that busy. What could they do about it anyway...I'm just spoiled by Bhakti Chai. Ever since it came on the scene, other Chai desn't taste good to me anymore, because Bhakti just is the best.
My son ordered Chicken Ticca. It was grilled with lots of savory veggies, and three huge pieces were more than enough for 2 to share. We also got papadams and naan, and Palak Paneer to share. Son did not enjoy the Palak Paneer as much as I did, but that worked out ok. Big portion of rice came with the meal.
All in all, it was more food than the 2 of us could consume. A to-go conglomeration of everything but the chicken sufficed as another small meal for me the next day.
Though this is not my favorite Indian restaurant, I do like their food ok, as well as their friendliness, and wall art.
After a disappointing experience at Sherpa's, I was concerned that the Royal Peacock wouldn't be as good as I remembered. Luckily, I just had the most wonderful experience that confirmed my belief that this is the best Indian restaurant in Boulder, and the best that I have ever been to in general.
Ordered the lamb vindaloo which is "not for the faint of heart, soul, or tongue", according to the menu. BRING. IT. ON.
Three bites into the food, and I was dying- but in the best way possible. Sweat dripped down my face and my nose started running. I poured spoonful after spoonful of yogurt on to the vindaloo and rice, guzzled water, chai and beer, but none of it relieved the fire in my mouth. And that was just fine with me.
Despite the fact that it took me about an hour to eat half of my meal, I have never been happier. If you're seeking real spice- like, clear your sinuses/make you want to cry/authentic delicious SPICE... go here.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/27/2008
Simply the best. My family and I have been Royal Peacock fans since I was a babe. The restaurant is… Read more »
Best Non-Buffet Indian food in Boulder County.
The royal peacock is a shrine for cooking. The owner says he pleases God by making people incredible food. Let me tell you his devotion to cooking comes through every time.
Every dish here is authentically prepared.
If you ask nicely you can also drink real Absinthe here.
Enjoy
I LOVE the collection of paintings covering the walls of this restaurant... Someone clearly has very good taste. :-)
The atmosphere is groovy, staff good, but I personally find the food a bit too spicy most of the time.
The buffet is all right, but I always end up covered in sweat by the end of my my meal as after a while the food just feels too hot... I think it is a good way for them to limit the consumption of the buffet food though - I mean, there is only so much spicy most people can stomach before their insides catch on fire....
I like their dinner menu, though it is a bit on the pricy side, and of course, I find their mild VERY spicy. But, again, it's a good way to feel full after 3 bites...
By far my favorite Indian Restaurant in Colorado so far. The spices are just right, complex with a good heat and the staff is knowledgeable, efficient, quick and friendly. Every dish I've tried here has been a pleasure. The location in a strip mall on the east side of Boulder is unassuming and truthfully not all that interesting, but the well crafted dishes will make you forget where you are.
Can't judge just by one visit, but could barely give it a 3 rating. Friday nite, short handed, 50 min. wait for food after ordering, small portions, $21.95 later.... their onion bread was burned, and frankly sucked. Last newspaper writeup I saw was from 1992, so hopefully have had some since then since that was 17 years ago. Yet the restaurant was crowded, the waitress was harried but friendly. The music was pleasant. Its just that the food was disappointing for the saucy lamb curry dish. Peasant under glass.
Most often, when I go to the Royal Peacock, it's for lunch. Their buffet includes only a handful of dishes, but each is, in my experience, outstanding (for buffet food). Compared to other Indian buffet lunches in Boulder (The Taj), the flavors are richer, spicier and hotter.
Usually the buffet contains the following:
rice, usually plain, sometimes biriyani
some sort of pulse (vegetarian, involving lentils, beans or chickpeas)
something vegetarian (sometimes aloo gobi, which is always good)
spinach saag/palak paneer (usually, but not always)
something with chicken, ranging from creamy to spicey
something with beef or lamb, usually spicy
tandoori chicken legs & thighs
Unlike another reviewer, every time I've gone to the Royal Peacock, the naan is served straight out of the tandoori, crisp, hot and ooh sooo gooooood.
For dinner, I often get the Vegetarian Thali Dinner, which is more food than I can eat, so I have leftovers. I find their default spicy to be perfect, tho my native Coloradan friends think it's too hot. The Royal Peacock has the unique distinction of being the only Indian place I've gone to in Boulder (I've tried them all) that has a palak paneer that has some noticeable heat (if mild). I've ordered it as an entree for dinner before, asked for medium spicy and was impressed with the heat.
Whenever I go there, the food is good, the service is friendly but not looming. Like most Indian restaurants, it's good to go there often enough to be recognized -- the owner is very friendly, and often greets repeat customers personally.
Also, excellent traditional chai with free refills, and the perhaps the only bar in Boulder with absinthe. Not real absinthe, in the sense that there's no wormwood in it (it's still banned in the US for the silliest of reasons), but absente, as they call it these days. If you like the flavor of licorice, absente is a better choice over Sambuca or Ouzo (in my opinion). It's a very nice follow-up to an Indian dinner -- like a tasty beverage substitute for the sugared fennel seeds.
In sum, The Royal Peacock is my first choice for Indian in Boulder. It's not knock-your-socks-off amazing, but it's good Indian in a friendly place.
I've lived near the Royal Peacock for almost 9 months now and have always been meaning to try it, and tonight was its night to shine.
Upon entering I was bombarded by the religious iconography all over the place, from Lakshmi goddess of wealth to a million portraits of Krishna all over the place. What was surprising was that they didn't discriminate: they also had the god Hanuman, dancing Shivas, as well as a portrait of a contemporary Indian cult leader. I suppose most Westerners don't really pay attention to these sorts of things, thinking of them as decorations, but being a Religious Studies grad among other things, it was a bit overpowering for me.
Here, let me put it this way: imagine that you are in India and you go to an American cuisine restaurant (why you would in India do something like this is beyond me). Upon entering, you notice that the walls are splattered with not only crucifixes, but also stars of David, huge iron crosses, pictures of the Pope, Martin Luther, and maybe even a crescent moon above the door. All of this was apparently viewed simply as Western decoration...weird eh? Yeah well this is what this place was like.
That aside, we were walked over to our table in the gloom of the low-lit restaurant. Sitting down, we got a little oil lamp to light up our soon to be meal, which promptly and accidentally got turned off while playing with the valve. Woops.....
Sitting in the gloom, we strained to see our menus and finally decided. One thing I noticed about the place was that they had a wine and beer list (way expensive btw), but no standard beverage menu at all. Water it is. After we ordered we got our little lamp lit again.
The pricing was tiered: the vegetarian meals was a modest $10 while the lamb was $14 and the seafood $16. So, I suppose you could say that this was on the upper end of Indian places I've been to in Boulder.
Anyway we waited while the dude to my right told a story somewhat loudly about one of his acquaintances who was a big loser apparently. The way the seating was somewhat cramped made this sort of eavesdropping impossible to avoid, which was slightly annoying.
The food arrived finally for the people on my left who were here before us and it looked like were here a while....only for the waitress to realize that this was our meal. With much apologies, she moved the food on over to our table while the now food-less guests looked at us with a smirk, telling us to enjoy our meal.
We smile back weakly, look around for silverware and find none. 2x screw-up = -1 star.
But anyway, I feel like I am rambling, so to sum up the rest:
-There is a window into the kitchen so you can see the chefs at work which is sort of cool
-The copper on the walls is sort of interesting
-The chef or owner came out and asked how the food was, which after finally getting silverware to eat with we discovered was good....nicely spiced as Gretchen has noted.
So: spotty service, weird and somewhat overpowering atmosphere, somewhat pricey but with good grub gives this place a 3. Maybe the lunch is a better idea?
I used to come here very often and get some takeout from the buffet, the buffet is limited but the selections are great. And their naan is superb, I've been to too many places where the naan is basically an over size tortilla (not that there's anything wrong with tortillas), the naan is actually crispy and just a bit chewy but not too much.
Good food, friendly service, knowledgeable staff. Overall a nice dining experience. I wish the food had a little bit more heat (I'm from green chile country afterall) but overall it was flavorful.
Good food in general, though the breads tasted like they had been previously frozen, which is bad for a naan snob. Really friendly folks in a really bland setting.
