This is by far my favorite Indian restaurant. I've been eating Indian since I could first start eating and my dad has been eating at Gaylords since the 1970s. He even prefers Gaylords to some of the food he's eaten in India.
I would only recommend going to the buffet. as with any Indian restaurant, the buffet offers a breat breadth of options with some sort of food for everyone. Gaylords rotates their buffet, but they just about always have the following dishes available: saag paneer, rogan josh, mattar paneer, butter chicken, vegetable samosa. While I certainly have my favorites (their mattar paneer and rogan josh is unparalleled), everything is good. I have never been disappointed.
Every friend I have brought to Gaylords has left satisfied and vowing to return. The food is simply fantastic. They have another location in Schaumburg which is the same owners. The individual dishes vary slightly in quality (some better some worse) but it is also a great restaurant
The food is some of  the tastiest Indian food in the city that you can receive in a restaurant.  (I think home cooked Indian food is on a different level, but that's true about other food as well which may explain David K.'s rant).  The food tends to be a little milder than I'd expect and is problably a notch milder to appear to tourist and Gold Coast tastes.  However, the Samosas and other appetizers were perfect and yummy and the Tandoorie chicken delish, several rice and mushroom dishes were off the chain.
The Salad Bar is OK, not the bonanza that I would have expected...No Nan or Samosa's there and really no salads.
The presentation attending all the dishes was superb.
BUT he problems was the service was terrible...Really bad. The wait staff disappeared for long periods and it was not that busy a night.
It's a nicer ambience and more upscale than India House, but also pricier and they food tat India House is tad better, cheaper and without the service problems..
ODP Sauganash
We were out for a dinner there for the first time and we had the worst restaurant  experience in Chicago. First of all, the bald headed manager welcomed us like beggars and was really unpleasant and spoiled our mood. Later we got the food and  we found that there was a hair in the chicken masala. we complained the same and the same was replaced. We were asked whether we need any desserts or coffee, and we denied it. Later they served a dessert saying its a complimentary from them.  After waiting for so long we got the final check. We noticed that they charged for the dessert as well. When we informed the same, they took the bill and came back and told us they are giving additional $ 10 discount for us We left the restaurant furiously without paying any tip. Later we noticed that they have not given us any $ 10 discount but given a total discount of 20% after adding $8 for the complimentary dessert. Then they added another  $6 for tax. In effect , we had food for $46 and ended up paying $49. After coming home, we called up the manager and he told he will give us another $10 discount which we refused to accept. Our entire night  got spoiled just because of those guys. We decided  will never ever step into this restaurant .
Review Source:After newly moving to the Gold Coast neighborhood back in October my husband and I were on the hunt for our go to indian restaurant. Â One night, with a tikka masala crave (yes, we are the stereotypical american indian restaurant goers), we decided give Gaylord a try. Â To our disappointment the tikka didn't do it for us - it was dry and lacked flavor. Â That said, my husband ordered the lamb which was out of this world - tender, juicy, flavorful deliciousness! Â Also, the naan was perfect! Â As I am finally writing this I am just now realizing that Gaylord is closed:( Â That said, excuse my brevity.
Review Source:I hate giving BAD REVIEWS - I really do .. however, as a Chicago-native Son, and Indus Valley descendant, I must WARN ALL VIEWERS - SPOILER - this place must be removed from the MAG MILE DISTRICT .. at best, it's cheap Hindi/Baluchi, at WORST, it's RAWALPINDI all over again ... capiche?!! Â
Don't worry, and don't be alarmed if you don't capiche .. that's INSIDER INFORMATION in the restaurant biz ... it just means that stick with the good stuff - India House (when it reopens in March after a new decor)-RiverNorth Village/MagMileWest, and Indian Garden in RiverEast Village/MagMileEast ... some great ones in Little Indus Valley on Devon .. and Lincoln Park (and more around town) ...
The problem here is ownership and service --- too coolie/boiler-room for a refined palate ... sorry ;)
I'm writing this review with a full, satisfied belly after another great meal from this place. This might be the best Indian food I've ever had, and everyone I bring here always enjoys it too. Everyone is always surprised with how upscale this place is too - though u can dress like a bum, no problem.
Favorite Dishes:
Saag Chicken, Lamb Vindaloo, Kabab Sampler
They also got great service, a full bar, and deliver! Hooray!
Went here for a GLO (girls' lunch out) for the Sunday lunch buffet. Maybe I was expecting more, but this was just A-OK for me. Apparently this place used to be on Dearborn, but now it is in the basement of a building on Walton. It's very non-descript from the street.
The buffet had a fair amount to choose from, but I didn't think there was a ton of variety. There were a few chicken dishes, a rice, a soup (cream of broccoli of all things), potato/cauliflower, a few lentil dishes, and some veggies. There was a nice selection of sauces (the mint chutney and the yogurt with cucumber was really good) and that was about it. Some of the food was just really bland. There was a basket of naan on the table that was refilled. The wait staff was helpful, but there were a few times that I had to tell them I wasn't done because they seemed in such a hurry to take my plates or silverware.
For $15 all you can eat this buffet is fine, but I think there is better Indian food elsewhere in the city for a similar price.
I continue on my quest to find great Indian food in Chicago. Â Gaylord, while fine, wasn't great. Â We had the Sunday lunch buffet, which relative to other buffets I've tried, was not very diverse. Â The vast majority of selections were vegetarian (which I actually prefer with Indian) with just a couple of chicken options. Â They all tasted fairly similar. Â
Service was a definite step-up from other buffets. Â They quickly refilled our Naan, whereas a lot of other places are slow with this. Â
It's not a bad deal - you can eat a lot for cheap, but my search for better Indian continues.
i've been to gaylord twice, and both times have been pretty good. the food is very expensive, in my opinion, so i'd suggest getting one of the meals rather than several dishes to share. the service is good, though a bit grumpy at times. all in all, a good place to have in the neighborhood, but nothing to write home about.
Review Source:We did takeout for Chicken takamasala and two different kinds of nann.
it is alright...but I've experienced better Indian in NYC. It was my first time Indian food in Chicago...a bit disappointed...
Nann was ok. Chicken takamasala was not spicy nor creamy enough..was a different taste from all other takamasala that I've tried in NY and London...
Take out took about 30 minutes. They didn't provide other sauces either.
I may try one more time, but doesn't have too much hope for this place from my first experience.
So I was really looking forward to this place because I have yet to find an Indian restaurant here in Chicago that I absolutely love. My friend suggested this restaurant because they apparently make their food spicy... and I loooove spicy! However... it was a disappointment :(
Food - I ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala. I asked for spicy.... and it was only a bit spicy (in my opinion). The spiciness/peppers (even though it didn't taste too spicy) Â overpowered the dish though.... and I didn't get the other flavors of the dish. The garlic naan was cooked perfectly, but it was a bit light on the garlic.
Service - Our service wasn't great... we had to ask for a few things a couple of times before our server actually brought them. They weren't busy, so he just wasn't really paying attention.
Ambiance - there was live music there, so that was nice.
Comparing three Indian restaurants that people have suggested from just the food standpoint... Gaylord's spices overpower the flavorfulness of the dish. India House's chicken tikka is yummy.... although a bit on the tomato-y side.... And Jaipur's is on the creamy side... out of those three Indian restaurants... India house is still the best one.
We've been to the location in Schaumburg, so we were curious how this Chicago location compared. The menu is great, and provides a little for everyone--including southern Indian cuisine fans, by offering idly and uttapam.
I had the pepper lamb, which was a little too fatty/not well trimmed for me, and extremely spicy. He had the lamb vindaloo, which also had small pieces of potato and which was very tasty. Entrees come with saffron rice, but you can also order a garlic naan like we did to add another layer of flavor and help pick up the meaty pieces in your curry.
I enjoyed their essential punch, a mixture of citrus juices and gin, as well as a mango lassi to help temper the incredibly spicy lamb pepper dish I ordered.
All around, the space is comfortable, if a little sparse. There is a little self-serve appetizer table in the center of the rectangular dining room, where you can get some warm papad chips and various chutneys to dip. I missed out on the beets when I stepped up, but they looked really good.
The staff is very helpful and the service is at a good clip. The bar at the entrance has two flat screen TVs and some interesting Bollywood stars' photos framed and up on the wall.
Great little stop for Indian if you're in the neighborhood shopping.
Atmosphere: for an indian restaurant this place seemed a little more formal and upscale.
Taste: lacking. All of the dishes looked beautiful, but my tongue was confused - the flavor punch just wasn't there. we tried 4 different dishes. I ate the left overs for the next 3 days and came to the same conclusion. maybe they ran out of salt that day?
Staff: did a great job
The restaurant was nothing fancy. It was clean and the set up was nice also. We tried the lunch buffet (Sunday) today. I started with the appetizer stuff with some Papad and chaat..the papad was kinda salty. Then some naan came in which I liked..I tried it with the eggplant curry which was good also. Then I took some rice which was STALE...the rice grains were chewy and hard. I have never tasted such BAD rice before. There was no gulab jamun for desert. The food overall was not tasty..I expected it to be better. The manager who gave the bill did not talk at all for some reason...did not ask how the food was or whatever...I do not recommend people going to eat their buffet for sure.
Review Source:Yummy in my tummy. I came here two nights in a row! I weathered the freezing Chicago winds to get myself a fix of Gaylord!
Elegant, great service. fair prices and some TASTY food.
We partook in the following over our 2 meals:
1. Dal Palak
-Yellow lentils simmered with spinach. Hot, tasty, cumin-infused and wholesome. A heaping spoon of some of this and crisp basmati rice has me drooling
2. Vegetarian Kofta
-Kofta (Indian dumpling) cooked in a tomato gravy. A nice and richer complement to the Dal above
3. Paneer Makhani
-Generous (maybe a little too) servings of Paneer cubes sauteed in a creamy, buttery tomato sauce. Mop this up with some Garlic Naan
4. Bindi Masala
-My fav! And cooked the way I love it. Well-cooked okra with tomato and onion chunks sprinkled with a dose of amazing masalas.
5. Rajasthani Roti
-Wheat rotis stuffed with spiced mustard greens. My hubs went gaga for this
6. Garlic Naan
-The perfect amount of garlic (not tasteless and not pungent), softly risen bread
All dishes are served with saffron basmati rice. The appetizers are also great (especially the potato patty). There's a Yelp offer on this place if you check in! Free appetizer up to $10. The salad bar (free) is great...chutneys, cucumbers, carrots, radish and beets all cut up conveniently to dip, some papadums and a killer homemade pickle!
They have a full bar, all the veggie dishes were between $10-$16 and it was all fantastic!
This is what an Indian restaurant should be! Â
Fantastic selection of authentic courses, not greasy, and so flavorful. Â
Staff is very hospitable and welcoming.
Atmosphere is a little outdated and tacky, but you kind of expect that with most Indian restaurants.
If you're new to Indian food, I highly recommend going with the King's or Queen's tasting menu which feature 5-8 smaller portions of select appetizers and main courses. Â Perfect for discovering your favorite dishes.
I've only been in for dinner, the food is fairly good but the service seems slow and distracted.
I've traveled throughout India on business and the service here attempts to recreate the service of a fine-dining establishment in India but they don't have enough people working the dining room to pull it off. Â The head waiter works the dining room and takes orders. The assistant waiter delivers the food. Â Unless you work hard to flag down a waiter, these are the only 2 visits to your table. Â For their approach to work, they need someone dedicated to filling drinks, someone dedicated to keeping fresh naan on the table, etc...
Ok, I'm off the soapbox for now. Â
I really liked the tandoori chicken, chili chicken and daal makhani. Â I probably should try to come in over lunch for the buffet so I'm not dependent on the wait staff.
My other complaint is the cold naan that is consistently delivered to the table. Â What's up with serving cold naan!
If you have the time and transportation, there are much, much better options for Indian in Chicago...
I tried their lunch buffet recently on a weekday and I was quite disappointed. The food was not spicy(which I assume was because of where the place is located) which was okay with me but it was not flavorful either. The spread was quite uninteresting. They had chicken makhani, dry fried fish, tandoori chicken and a few vegetable dishes that did not taste very different from each other. Its probably one of the most bland and tasteless Indian food I have eaten at a restaurant. I don't think I am basing that on hotness or spicyness, its just lack of any balanced flavors. After I was done, I felt like I had had a meal full of cream and butter without really experiencing any taste. They had a random potato dish sitting in the beginning of the buffet between the salads and the condiments and the bread (naan) served on the table was cold and dry. It was evident that it had been sitting out a while and they just served it without even heating it. Overall, it just felt like they don't put much thought into what they make or how they serve it. The waiters were pleasant and friendly and checked regularly if we needed anything.
I have eaten at India House a few times now and feel that their buffet is so much better-the food is fresh, they take care of the temperature and the food actually tastes good. I would recommend them over this place anyday!
We tried Gaylord right as they were closing, and there was a certain air of being rushed. Â I don't blame them, except they were closing at 9p and it's Chicago!
We had a good selection a dishes to try and they were all pretty tasty. Â Some were way too spicy for me, and I like it spicy. Â My friend definitely couldn't handle the heat and dealt with his burning stomach for a while. Â Be warned if you are cautious around heat.
The service was good and I enjoyed the overall experience. Â
I bet the buffet rules.
I've admonished people for being upset that a restaurant took too long with the food. If you want food fast, I've declared, go for fast food.
That being said, Gaylord simply takes too long, especially when you're paying for street parking or plan to get anything done with you afternoon.
Still, I'm glad the restaurant offers something different from the bland, corporate eateries on Michigan Avenue. And our server honored the Yelp check-in offer for a free appetizer.
I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at gaylord's. The atmosphere was great and everything was very clean.  The food was incredible,  some of the best Indian food I have ever had. As a strict vegetarian, finding food that I can eat and enjoy can be a challenge. Gaylord's offered a wide variety of vegetarian options to choose from. The service at the restaurant was amazing. The employees were very nice and helpful. They  also were timely and efficient.  The bill for our food was very reasonable, considering the generous portions that we received. Gaylord's was a wonderful restaurant and I would highly recommend it to anyone seeking an affordable, flavorful meal.
Review Source:Tried the buffet and while it wasn't what I'm used to, it was tasty! What I'm used to is lots of curry and meat -- chicken, lamb, goat, you know. But the veggies here are good, and so is the spicy chicken tikka masala and that fluffy naan! Great service, waters were refilled and plates cleared constantly.
Review Source:I am new to Indian Cuisine, but my girlfriend loves it, so we decided to try Gaylord for my first time. We had the lunch buffet and it was a little price but I think it was worth it. The waiters were friendly and very good at making sure of clearing dirty plates. Â The chicken curry was delicious! Could have had more main dish options, but otherwise a great date spot.
Review Source:I LOVE Indian food and I LOVE the all you can eat buffet they offer during the week. It's around $12 I believe and it has a decent selection of dishes to pick from. Â The staff is also very attentive and helpful in picking out a dish to try. Â
Definitely recommend trying the buffet during your lunch hour if you can. Â The food here is awesome.
Went back when the doors were unlocked (success!) because I do do do love indian food and this place is as convenient as they come for me. Â
The place was PACKED, but our servers were attentive and polite. We ordered the vegetarian appetizer platter which we did NOT need because the entree portions are big and they have a mini "salad" and poppadom bar. Â Mr. Bee and I both took most of our entrees home. Â My eggplant entree was...weird. The eggplant had a somewhat unpleasant texture, but the sauce was to die for. Â I wouldn't get it again, but I did soak up with the sauce with naan.
I will definitely go back. Â They lose a star because of my original experience where a bunch of slack-jawed workers wouldn't take two seconds to get up and explain that they close for an hour or two between lunch and dinner (not advertised on the door if my memory serves me). Â Instead, they looked at me, looked away, and I left mad and starving.
I forgive you, Gaylord.
Not the usual spicy, strong $10 buffets I eat, this one, which was $13-15/person, had a different variety. They had tandoori chicken in a thin-ish sauce, and other options were not as drenched/flavorful as other buffets I've eaten at. I've heard this is more like authentic South Indian food, and it was good, just not as strong as I expected.
There was fried fish, which is a pleasant surprise.They had eggplant, which was deLICIOUS.
Instead of mango kulfi, hey had strawberry ice cream, which had little nubs of some kind of grain in it. It was interesting and very good, but I missed my mango kulfi. Those pancake balls were very good too, and kept warm.
The service was very good. They kept clearing the plates as soon as we were finished. If you like Indian flavor that's a bit muted, this is the place for you. I like to get a slap to the face with curry, so I prefer the $10 buffet at Cuisine of India, where they have several dishes smothered in the thickest curry in the land.
A great choice for Indian food right off of the Mag Mile. I've been twice for the lunch buffet and had an excellent experience both times. The buffet was extensive and had a little of everything that I was craving. The iced tea was also fantastic, which was unexpected but very welcome.
An underrated lunch option. I'll need to come back for dinner one of these days.
3.5 stars.
$13 for a weekend lunch buffet in downtown Chicago - wow, very nice price. The buffet had an excellent shrimp, butter chicken, and butter paneer.
The saag (spinach) was only OK, the tandoori chicken was a bit dry, and naan was not great.
Overall, an excellent lunch choice that you won't great. Very close to 4 stars but didn't quite make it for me.
Folks, you will never ever regret visiting this place. Probably the best food I ever ate (including places in India) at a restaurant.
I went there on three consecutive nights and thoroughly enjoyed each visit.
Do not miss the OKRA appetizer.
Lamb dishes are so good that you will definitely overeat, so be prepared and dress appropriately to accommodate the extra space :)
Excellent taste, service, presentation and value for the money !
I experienced a complete failure of service at dinner from which I have just returned. I dined alone, this being my last night in Chicago. I've been in town on business and was hoping to enjoy a wonderful last meal and experience at Gaylord India Restaurant. I was rather hungry as well and eager to taste some wonderful Indian cuisine.
I was seated in a timely manner, and my order was taken relatively quickly, but the experience went downhill from there.
My server was rather aloof and seemed not to care very much about my being there. He wrote nothing down as he took my order. Needless to say I didn't feel very welcomed. I ordered a glass of the Malbec, the pakoras appetizer, the lamb saag for dinner, and some nan.
The pakoras were brought and dropped at the side of my table. Presentation was lackluster and a bit sloppy, but the sauces were tasty.
My entree was brought and the gentleman who did so left so quickly that even after I repeatedly called out to him, he never turned around. I was calling to him because it looked like he had brought me the wrong entree.
I later found out what I had been served was lamb kadai. I was so hungry I decided to eat it anyway. It was quite delicious and the nan was amazingly good; the best nan I've had.
Then, the server that took my order never returned. He never checked on me to see if I was happy with what I was served. I probably would have ordered another glass of wine, but by the time I was finished with my meal I had waited so long for someone to return that I was ready to leave. It took a very long time for the check to be brought to me.
What a shame. The food was good, but the poor service ruined the experience. I'm glad I ate alone there, because if I had brought my clients there to eat, it would have been an embarrassment.
Tucked away in the garden level of a large building across the street from 900 N. Michigan is, in my opinion, one of the best restaurants that the City of Chicago has to offer. Â For quality, taste and service, definitely the best Indian restaurant in the city. Â (as for authenticity, I can't speak to it personally, but my sister-in-law's family all seemed to enjoy it).
I've been here twice and sampled quite a large selection of the menu. Â My brother and sister-in-law's rehearsal dinner was held here in July 2011 and before that, of course we had to go taste testing!
There is nothing that I've tried that I didn't love (well, except for things that I knew I wouldn't like just because of the ingredients or preparation, but that's going to happen anywhere). Â Even my brother and dad, picky eaters and vegetable-haters enjoyed the vegetarian options, of which there are many. Â Chicken, lamb and seafood dishes were all great too.
The staff here could not be nicer or more accommodating. Â Offering to make dishes spicier or mild based on personal preference. Â From the matre'd to the bartender, the servers and the owner, everyone was so friendly and anxious to be of help.
Yes, it's expensive. Â Certainly out of my price range for an everyday dinner. Â But for a special occasion - totally worth it.
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