Passage To India

Good food at a great price and fast if you opt for the buffet.

This is my go to place if I am in a rush at lunch.  I work nearby and don't always have a full hour for lunch.  The buffet is always well stocked and fresh.  There is a good selection of Indian dishes.    

Naan bread is included with the buffet.  They bring it to your table, hot and delicious.

Absolutely disgusting. Wish Yelp would allow me to rate them negative stars. After a busy day at seaworld we decided to have early dinner here and boy were we wrong !!!! The wait staff advised us to try the dinner buffet and since we were hungry we decided to go with that option instead of waiting to order ala carte. Food was just watery/unseasoned garbage and the nerve to charge 20 dollars per head and call it "special Christmas buffet" ugh !!!! They also strategically add gratuity on the check because duh ! No one in their right mind and tongue will enjoy this food and tip well. I really wish I could recommend this place to one of those food network or travel
Network shows - Please HELP these people !!!!

I have been to Passage to India twice so far, and it has been delicious both times. It's quite a drive for me and my husband (about 25 minutes), but it's worth it!

The restaurant is located in a shopping plaza in toursity area of Orlando, near IDrive and the convention center. However, this place is not filled with a bunch of tourists with their fanny packs and screaming kids. It doesn't seem to get too crowded and I have never had to wait for a table. The ambiance is nice and it doesn't get too loud inside.

On our most recent visit, we tried the mango lassi, which is a nonalcoholic mango shake. It's pretty thick and and sweet, so it's a good thing I shared with my husband. It was tasty, though. The vegetable samosas are amazing. I love it with the green sauce. They were pretty big, too. We also shared puri. My husband ordered some type of lamb dish. It was delicious and the lab was tender and juicy. He ordered it hot and it was really hot. I ordered the chicken hyderabadi and I really enjoyed it. I ordered it medium, but I probably should have stuck to mild. On my last visit, I ordered chicken tikka masala. You can't go wrong with that!

So far, I haven't had a dish that I didn't love at Passage to India. The prices are about $20 a plate. All the chicken dishes are the same prices, as are all the lamb dishes and all the vegetarian dishes. The portions are very generous. We always leave with leftovers. I had enough for 2-3 more meals. Everyone on the staff is really nice and our waiter was helpful in explaining the menu. I definitely recommend this restaurant and will be returning. I have tried a couple other Indian restaurants in Orlando, and this one is definitely the best!

We actually came here on accident...We really wanted to go to the Italian restaurant next door, however, they were closed by the time we got there, even when we already made reservations. Yes, they closed the doors on us when we had a confirmed dinner reservation time.

But I'm glad we found this place! We ordered the paneer with tomatoes and tofu, and shrimp with spinach, and garlic naan. Soooo good. You really can't beat fresh made garlic naan. It's warm, and crispy and it went well with our dishes. The paneer was sweet, and complimented the shrimp with it's nutty and bitter taste of the spinach. Overall, a very good dinner, despite the mixup from earlier.

Ps. Do not drink the tap water, it tasted a bit funky, so I suggest ordering tea, soda, etc.

While on vacation in Orlando, FL, I decided to check this place out, and I am so glad I did! It is clean, spacious, and well-lit. The decor and ambiance was nice, but the paper tablecloths were pretty lame.

Our waiter was knowledgeable and helpful in assisting us with our order. There are plenty of options for veg(etari)ans here, which is always a plus.

We started with a vegetable platter that was deeeeelicious. (See the picture I uploaded.) The onion bhaji was the star of that platter. It was sweet, crispy, and incredibly light.

Next came the entree, which I believe is called the Palak Sabji Dal, and it was plenty of food for 2. We ordered it spicy which had us in tears lol. Next time, we'll definitely have to order it mild.

The wheat bread we ordered was so good, we ordered another. It helped neutralize the spices.

For the ride home, we ordered some more onion bhaji.

When the check arrived, I was fully expecting a bill for $80 or so... it was only $44 and change! I could not believe it. They didn't charge us for refills on orange juice and iced tea which is nice.

I was very satisfied with my dining experience at Passage to India. If you have never tried Indian food before, I would totally recommend you visit this place for a proper introduction.

Please do yourself a favor & stay the h*ll away from this place. We paid $35 only to get a tiny portion of lamb biryani & a dry kheema naan. The flavors were harsh & clashing, and we left there still hungry. The waiter first kept hoovering, not giving us a chance to order, and then immediately after we got our food, 3 different waiters/manager asked us how it was, not giving us a chance to taste the food & making small talk for 5 minutes while we sat there hungry. The minute we started eating, all the waiters disappeared. Our water didn't get refilled, the dirty dishes didn't get cleaned away & we still sat & waited. 2 tiny menu items for $35 & we left there hungry. Try Memories of India instead. NEVER waste your money here.

- An Indian's Review

I got what I asked for here as a sort of desperation grab while traveling led me to purchasing a local Groupon for Passage to India. Typically a rookie mistake.

Service was terrible. I stood at the entrance while TWO separate (Indian) couples came in after me and were seated before me. I was ignored nearly the entire time and laughed at when I said I wanted my item hot.

The food was decent and the only reason for the second star, however, the prices were simply ridiculous. I ordered a cheese filled naan and Lamb Rogan Josh with the total coming to near $30. The lamb dish was literally just sauce and about eight cubes of stew meat and over $20 itself.

When the bill came, an automatic gratuity was billed to me even though the Groupon never stated this and the server didn't say anything about it other than ask if I was done with my water so they could clean my table - before I left.

Save yourself time and take pass on Passage to India. Not even worth it for 50% off.

*Jessica D has the locale mixed up. This place is on Int'l Drive, near Kirkman. It isn't terribly expensive either, compared to all the other Indian restaurants in the area. An average dinner entree runs about $12 or so.*

Ahem.

Their food is quite good. I'd put it up there with Memories of India, and it beats out Ashirwad (around the corner). I recommend the Chana Masala, the Aloo Gobi, the Chicken Tikka Masala and the Dal Mahkni.
The appetizers are also succulent: veg pakora, samosas, etc. Don't forget the mango lassi!

Staff is friendly enough. It's not a place where you want super bubbly staff anyway!

The decor is very thematic. Lot's of wood and fixtures and pictures on the walls. It's a big cavelike, since the room is long and narrow (without windows.) No big deal.

They do a lunch buffet on the weekends, unless that's changed.

Indian food was just not happening for me this weekend.  After a disappointing visit to Tabla, I decided to come here and get the usual palak paneer.  

Well, when I called in the order and later picked up, I learned that they have lunch specials for what I ordered. . .but since I was not aware that there was a lunch special, and did not specifically ask for the lunch special over the phone, I was charged $10 more for the dinner price, even though it was lunch time.  To me, this blows.

None of this would have mattered to me if the food had been lovely.  

However. . .

I'm not sure what it is about Orlando.  I have never encountered "bad" Indian food until I moved here.  I never knew such a thing existed.  Whoever made my meal before at this location must have called in sick, because what I got today was not cool.  . .

It was not cool at all.
I'm afraid there may not be a next time for Passage to India and me.

Passage to India took the place of our old favorite chinese restaurant.  Hubby and I were not too keen on Indian food.  Hubby wasnt mainly because of the curry.  We decided to give it a try.  We loved it!  We have been back several times.  We usually get the shrimp korma which is excellent and the garlic naan.  

The service is always outstanding.  We have never had a bad experience here.  We would highly recommend the place.