The Indian Garden
Categories: Vegetarian, Indian/Pakistani [Edit]
2548 W Devon Ave(between Maplewood Ave & Rockwell St)
Chicago, IL 60659 (773) 338-2929
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Mon-Thu 5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sun 11:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun 5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Alcohol: Full Bar
21 Reviews for The Indian Garden
One of The Indian Garden's Favorite Reviews
New ownership has changed Indian Garden for the better! No longer associated with other Indian Garden restaurants, the owner Maria Bernadine goes out of her way to welcome guests and treats them as if they were in her home. The food is fresh, authentic and beautifully presented in little copper bowls set over candles to ensure they are hot throughout the meal. The tandoori shrimp are massive, expertly cooked and never overdone. Served sizzling on a platter with sweet onion and carved carrot flowers, these are the best shrimp ever! The nan comes in several varieties and has a drop of butter drizzled on it when served. Lamb rogan josh is flavorful and not fatty at all! I go here so often that the staff all know me! Alex mixes a fabulous drink and will create something just for you if you ask.
They now have live music on the weekends and FREE Valet parking! A huge bonus for Devon Avenue.
I thought the chicken tikka and palak paneer was great. I actually preferred the palak paneer here over India House on Grand. Dal Makhani was decent but I didn't think it was rich enough in flavor. I think this is one of the more expensive restaurants on Devon, hopefully I can find a cheaper restaurant w/ same quality. I mean you pay for an entree + naan and it's $20 already not including tax and tip. And $5 for plain basmati rice, are you kidding me! You pay India House prices without the service or ambiance. Also Amish S and I can sometimes get home cooked Indian food, so it's kinda hard to fork out $25 which Indian food shouldn't cost that much. We both share similar views, good asian food shouldn't have to cost that much, so when restaurants spend too much attention to decor we get skeptical.
Automatically a one-star rating when I have to walk out after being ignored for 20 minutes, waiting to order. Lots of staff walking around chatting, greeting each other, and being oddly over-attentive to the levels of tepid tap water in patrons' water glasses, but no one apparently ready to take our order. Very polite goodbyes as we left; apparently the manager was clueless about why we were leaving so soon despite having stood at the bar right there within clear sight. Went to Udupi Palace across the street, where our evening was redeemed. I'm off to Yelp them now.
"Excellent Indian food that is rich in flavor served in an appealing dining room by attentive staff."
- Quantas G.
Note: Parking is not easy. Expect a mini-hike after finding a space. Thankfully, you can enjoy the scenery of Devon Ave. during the trip.
The vegetarian platter is a good meal, though I always feel it's a tad too pricey. Their bengan bharta isn't as good as others', but their tandoori chicken is fairly good.
Also, the last time I went, we attempted to order beer. I say "attempted" because it took my [boy?]friend and I three tries before I finally said, "Why don't you just tell us what you have in stock?" No Kingfisher, no Taj Mahal... totally annoying.
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I wasn't terribly happy overall.
The food is decent, but the small portion sizes and high prices make this place a bad value for the money. (for example, if you want rice to go with your mattar paneer, it'll cost you $4 for a very small plate)
Try it during the lunch buffet, and maybe it'll be a better deal..
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We went to Indian Garden tonight and ordered the Navratan Korma-which is a veggie dish with coconut milk. I was horrified when it came because the dish looked like the filling to a chicken pot pie. It looked like they used the frozen bagged veggies which have the perfectly cubed carrots, peas, corn etc. We have had this dish many times at some great Indian restaurants and have always liked it because of the fresh ingredients. It was a total hack job on this recipe. The naan also tasted like it was made with bisquick. The service is great there. They took the item off the bill no questions asked. They have put together a great staff but unfortunately the authenticity of the food was a bit of a let down for us. Its the little details that make a restaurant good and frozen veggies don't cut it. We won't go back as there are so many other places in that area to try.
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We WERE going to walk into Tiffin as usual, but this place caught our attention (it's only few doors down) and we decided to give it a try. The green "Indian Garden" sign gave us the impression that it was a vegetarian restaurant, but nope, they served all sorts of dishes.
FOOD: The buffet menu changes everyday, and unfortunately they weren't serving any lamb on this day, but had good chicken, goat and chick peas curries. Generally mild, though, which was fine with me. I liked most of the entres, especially the chicken curry and the vegetable jalfreizi - cooked vegetables with cottage cheese. Sooo tasty!
The tandoori chicken (two pieces at a time) is served to each table while it's still sizzling hot, and you can order for more upon request. I liked the subtle burnt flavor of it, though a little bland. The lentil and tomato soups were nicely flavored, but the chicken soup was way too salty. (Yes, I tried all of them.) The fresh vegetables were clean and crisp. Both nan and flavored rice were decent.
DECOR: Clean and somewhat fancy. The servers were generally very polite and attentive - way better than those at Tiffin. Over all, more relaxing than Tiffin, too.
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Beware! As of this summer (2007) they are under new management and we have watched the quality and service decrease. At one lunch buffet, some of the appetizers were actually cold on the inside (they must have been frozen before baking), and some chicken tandoori pieces were undercooked. The waiter also appeared to have trouble doing simple arithmetic (counting how many cokes vs. diet cokes). This used to be a favorite, but I am going to have to find a new buffet for my lunching needs.
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Not that I know the difference between good and mediocre Indian food from the hole in my...face, but this was pretty good! A tad on the pricey side but a huge menu with very nice service. I'm so full I could burst.
Since I'm a vegetarian, I know about Indian restaurants. The food will last in your fridge for a few days. I didn't say it was fresh though so that could be adding a week or two to the few days. Look at the menu- it's fun. Indian men have a life-expectancy of 55 due to the heavy cream and oil in Indian food. No that's not a joke. They give a lot and it's consistent because they have a lot of restaurants. I don't recommend any restaurant on Devon Ave. They're all roach-infested. Don't eat in a strip mall.
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went here last night with some friends - everything was very good and the staff was very nice too. Okay prices, and they seems to have a good variety of food choices and some vegetarian as well. they have a lunch buffet too..
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Have to admit still learning what I like with Indian Cuisine and I certainly wouldn't call myself an expert however a few of us went there a couple weeks back and just loved it.
The decor is great - clean and tasteful. The service was wonderful. The food was fantastic. Can't wait to go back....
Pretty empty on a Friday evening, easy to get seated. The service is fine, and they have a relatively extensive menu. The spiceyness of the curry and tikka masala dishes were spot on for the group of first-timers I brought along :) Their prices are a bit more expensive than some of the other restaraunts on Devon...and the food is not extremely spectacular. Rice does not come with many of the dishes which I found a little unusual and their raita was a little runny for my taste. Overall - decent experience.
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There are so many choices for Indian food on Devon- how did we find this one? Pure chance. But what a find! I can't say enough about the service- impeccable service with a super friendly smile and some extras thrown in. Our waiter gave me free cheese-stuffed bread with my meal.
The portions are outrageous- you will not leave hungry but you will leave with leftovers for tomorrow's lunch. Everything was really hot, fresh and spiced perfectly- my mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Wash it all down with large Indian beer and you will be one happy diner!
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Probably the best Indian food in that neighborhood. I have been here many, many times...and when I'm in the mood to hike up there to Devon...you can bet that I'll be visiting Indian Garden. The service is great, as is the food. I really enjoy the buffet, but the entrees are good, too. It is a little pricey for the quantity of food...but it is delicious none-the-less.
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I'm iffy still about how to rate the place. Do I give out stars based on what I think or what you might think. If I want some awesome Indian food, I can just ask my Ma' to make me some or fly back to my Ma's land.
For those of you not in the know about butter chicken. I know, many of you Americans love this shit. Its good. I know. Awesome to dip into. But did you know the difference between ordering Butter Chicken and say.. Chicken Tikka Masala?? The latter is made with white meat. Durr.. call me a dumbass. Dark meat is still tastier and fatty. Yum. Both are decent here. But.. The taste of all the food seemed geared toward an American person's palate. Not mine. I grew up eating Indian food. So, that spice that Mesum N. mentions which is missing. I can relate. I wouldn't say its like McDonald's, I'd say Pizza Hut. That sweet taste from the sauces, drives you to order more breads and keep the dipping frenzy lasting longer.
I can also relate to the service difference. I had dinner with my brother-in-law, which happens to be White American. Whether when ordering, asking for more of something or just plate service. Everything was different. WTF! is that shit! I paid for that F%$Kin' meal. (I hate brown on brown bullshit.)
Anyway. The entrees are too damn small. You pay almost $10 bucks for an entree that is served in a tiny bowl. Its not enough to share with a friend. It ain't an entree at that point. Its a taste.
Two people can walk out spending almost $40 on food alone. I'd suggest going for the buffet. Thank goodness, they started having drink specials. Well, beer specials that is.
I was just reading Kristen B's review. "The portions are outrageous-you will not leave hungry " I've been to this place a few times. And their portions have always been small. I wonder if Non-brown people get bigger bowls.
Kidding. NOT. M/B.
All you people that like Indian food. Will love it. Those of you that typically eat bland foods will think their food is SO spicy. That's what my bland eating friends think. You know what.. I'm biased. Read another's review..
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One of my favorite restaurants (along with Sabri Nehari and Viceroy of India) on Devon Avenue.....Tasty food, comfotable decor and so much more..reasonable prices as well~
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Menu is extensive. Food is very good. (Vegetarian thali and lamb curry were hits.) Service pretty good. More white hipsters than Indian folks dined during our visit.
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I've eaten here once and if you like Indian food this is a good place to go. The food doesn't always sit that well in my stomach but I do like it while I am eating it! Everything has a lot of great spices which is always a plus for me!
Unremarkable Indian food. There are better options on Devon.
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