I visited Anand India on a Sunday for lunch. The interior is spacious but a bit dark (some more lighting would make this place feel cheerier). Don't visit this place for the ambiance. I had the buffet while my dining partner ordered the Gobi Manchurian.
The buffet food was passable for an indian buffet-- slightly deflated naan, soft samosa, and a wide selection of vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. Most of the non-fried entrees were tasty with the appropriate amount of spice.
My friend's Gobi Manchurian, to my surprise, was delicious. Each cauliflower was crispy and coated in a sweet and tangy sauce. My recommendation is to order from the menu and skip the buffet!
I came in for the dinner buffet around 7:30 or 8:00 on a weekday. Â They had about 3 or 4 different chicken dishes on the buffet along with soups, rice, nan, and a few vegetarian dishes. Â The problem we had when we came in was there was very little food in the trays when we arrived. Â After my group went through the line there was nothing left. Â After eating and waiting for about 15 minutes, all they had filled up was the tray for nan.
I can't remember the names of the dishes, but I thought the dishes were ok. Â The curry sauces were thick and somewhat sweet. Â There wasn't much spice to the dishes and I'm not sure if you could get them hotter since it was on the buffet. Â I can't really say much about the food because there just wasn't much to try. Â I'm assuming they didn't refill anything since we were the only ones eating the buffet, but it felt like a waste of money to get the buffet and not have anything to eat. Â While what I had was decent, there are other and better Indian places around that I'll go to than taking another risk with Anand.
My first impression was that this is a very unusual-looking restaurant. Everything about it is unconventional -- the fact that it looks like a diner, it has a drivethrough, and the ladies' bathroom has 2 toilets but only 1 swinging door. I found that more amusing than anything else.
As for the food, I'm not gonna lie -- this buffet was the most mediocre I've ever had at an Indian place. They had the basics: curries, spinach saag, chicken tandoori, and naan...but something was off about every single one. It didn't taste bad, but maybe everything needed more ghee? Of course, the plus side is that it's just over $8 for dinner. Where can you find that price anymore?? Pretty much nowhere. So if you're really hungry and anything will do, pop on over to Anand and eat til you can't anymore, while you watch the latest Indian music videos on the flat-screen overhead :)
I love, love, love Anand India! Not only are they conveniently located right around the corner from my home they also rank in my top 2 favorite Indian restaurants in the city.
Contrary to what I've seen other members write I've never come across a staff member that I couldn't get a smile out of! They're about as quick as any other family style restaurant when it comes to waiting tables, and very helpful in offering ideas for new dishes to try.
I give Anand 3/5 stars because 3 out of 5 times, their lunch-time buffet is awesome. Those other two times, it's hit or miss. However, I will say that the reason for that is when you work nearby and get there at 1:30, and their buffet closes at 2pm, you're dredging the bottom of the buffet pans for scraps. So if you plan on going there, plan for going closer to noon, when it might be a little more crowded, but the food will be much fresher and oh so delicious.
I have only been to a non-buffet here once, and that was my 30th birthday party a couple of years ago. The menu food was decent, but I prefer the in-and-out of the buffet. Apparently, that's just the kind of girl I am.
Now, I am no newb to Indian food, but I do, as we say in my grad school program, lack the literacy to explain which dishes are which. The spinach baby-diaper looking goop with the cheese chunks = AWESOME. Sometimes they sub out the cheese for chickpeas. Their Aloo Gobi is outstanding, and whenever they do something crazy with okra or cauliflower, well, they sometimes do something so amazing to the cauliflower that it makes me blush. I find that they offer different things each day of the week, but I never found a pattern to it, it was always a nice surprise to see what they had when walking in the door.
So anyway, if you're not in the Clifton Indian food mega-verse, but are 'oop North and craving some delicious Indian cuisine, Anand is the place to go. They fairly recently lowered their buffet prices (like in the past 3-4 months), and for some reason they have wi-fi, which as an Internet addict, I have tested without any problems.
Anand is my family's favorite Indian place, and has been for about fifteen years. Â It has always looked a little sketch from the street but don't let that deter you because inside it's friendly and the employees are always great. Although there are now about three other Indian restaurants in closer proximity to home, I still believe it's the best in Cincinnati (and I have indeed tried the hyped Clifton spots). Overall Anand always seems fresher and far less greasy than many other places. I love saag paneer and butter chicken as much as the next American girl, but I'd rather not die right after eating them.
A few things we've enjoyed over and over: aloo choley, the aforementioned saag paneer, chicken curry, tandoori chicken, malai kofta, and their Kashmiri naan which I've never seen done with the same filling anywhere else!
The parking lot is rarely full in the evening so I assume they must do good business with their lunch buffet, however i haven't been in many years and can't speak to the quality.
This restaurant gets this brown girl's stamp of approval. Â All the food is awesome and the buffet is great. Â Have an event you want catered? Â Have Anand do it. Â Our family has used them for parties at our home and even for our Mehndi (pre-wedding) celebreation. Â
Very similar to Ambar, but with more parking. Â If you want it hot and spicy just let them know.
Pakoras are not all onion, which is good for me. The aloo tikki was delightfully spicy. The samosas had just potato, were a little light on the spices, and had a thicker, chewier crust than I typically prefer.
The special tea is bland; more milk than spice.
The decor hasn't changed in years and is a little on the sad/dingy side. The bathroom was neglected and bit gross.
Restaurant was somewhat empty yet the service was very slow. The staff had to be asked to refill drinks if you could get them to the table at all.
The food in general was not bad, but not great. I doubt I'll be going back when there are better options available.
The buffet on Saturdays is absolutely amazing. There are like 20+ options, they make you dosas, and the staff is extremely pleasant. How pleasant you ask? The owner himself took time to wrap my turban for my Bengali wedding ceremony.
I haven't actually been there to eat dinner, so I don't know how much the menu changes. I'm sure it's fantastic though.
Awesome little family owned place. Very authentic Indian food, with a good range of spiciness. First timer without a menu, I ordered the chicken curry which was delicious.
Prices are very reasonable, we got a meal for 8 for less than $50.
They also have a buffet in the afternoon, I wish I was still in Ohio so I could visit it.
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