We are suprised  by seeing  4 star rating of this place. Went there for lunch buffet with office collegues and were totally disappointed with the quality of the food. We found chicken pieces in vegetarian curry (Aaloo Mutter) and food completely lacked any flavor. We won't be going there again.
Review Source:We are suprised reading some of the other reviews of this place. Went there for dinner and were totally disappointed with the quality of the food. We ordered the Gobi Manchuria, Saag Paneer, Chicken Tikka Masala and some Garlic Naan. The place is inside a Best Western hotel. Its small, noisy, over priced and food completely lacked any flavor. We won't be going there again.
Review Source:The food was not great, decent at the best. There was tandoori chicken and veg pakoda as starters. But surprisingly they were placed rather haphazardly, mixed with other main course items. There were 4 veg items - paneer, cabbage, eggplant and mixed vegetables - and these items were better compared to the 3 non-veg items - goat curry (smelt a bit), chicken tikka masala (chicken was stiff, not soft) and chicken biriyani (a complete let downer). They had mango mousse as desert which is by far the best item. But it was again placed wrongly - right at the beginning of the buffet with salad and raita.
There was only one guy taking care of the buffet and there were 3-4 customers. The guy was pretty good and sober. The items were pretty full and there was no requirement of refilling them at any time. I went there around noon so don't know how frequently the buffet items are refilled a bit later during the lunch hour.
I had a Yelp coupon which brought down the price of lunch buffer from $15 to $10. Had it been the original price, I would have definitely given it one star less.
We went to their lunch buffet on Saturday. Very happy with both the food and the service. Instantly my fav Indian buffet in the neighborhood!
Something different were fish masala and an egg dish, both a pleasant surprise and felt like a treat. All the chicken dishes (biryani, tikka masala and tandoori) were tender, succulent and flavorful, which is an achievement because we all know those can be dry at buffets. The biryani was unlike all others I'd had, kinda had a tang to it, very appetizing. The tandoori may be the best I've had in years, texture just perfect with that welcomed hint of smokiness. Some parts so silky and smooth, it ate like pâté.
Also really enjoyed the side of potatoes with mustard seeds and veggie pakora (crispy and fresh). Also can't beat the fresh salad and chutney - go so well together! Finished off with a mango mousse dessert (haven't seen that elsewhere), not too sweet or thick, just right and plenty of fruit, a perfect ending without filling up with, say, a mango lassi, and still hit the spot!
The vegetarian dishes (saag paneer, malai paneer, etc.) were okay; did not shine as the aforementioned, but solid.
All in all very satisfied. I enjoyed the quiet but hope they have better business during the week and at night, as I hope they stick around!
got the yelp coupon ($10 for $15), good deal.
haven't tried this place for several years cuz too many decent Indian restaurants around, with the coupon, so we just went for a weekday lunch buffet. Not many people there at 1:30 pm.
Naan is really good, crispy outside and soft inside.
Masala chicken is very tasty, great.
tandoori chicken, so so, kind of powdery.
Another dish, forget the name, ground meat (not sure whether lamb or beef) with peas in dark brown sauce, very good.
Overall, very good food. Comparing to other Indian buffet restaurants around Milpitas, for example, Swagat, the food selections is less, but taste is B+ to A-, worth to go again.
Tried out the lunch buffet since there was a Yelp $10 for $15 deal.  What a hidden gem!  Cute, clean and modern looking place with inside and outside seating (located in the Best Western Plus Motel).  Food selection was fresh and flavorful, meat was lean, tandori chicken was moist and the Naan bread comes plain or garlic.  They actually bring to you a basket of fresh hot Naan bread to start and will refill it as needed so your bread is never soggy or cold.  Service was great and  had no issues redeeming the voucher.  Would definitely come back again with more co-workers and friends!
Review Source:The food was pretty good, but service was a bit disappointing. I went in with the yelp deal (I think it was like $10 for $15 of credit) and then there was a Yelp Check-In deal where they'd provide a free drink. I showed them that Check-In and they gave us two drinks. I thought "wow they're generous." Then when the bill came, they charged us for two drinks and told us we could not use both the Yelp deals at once. Thus, we only got to use the $10 for $15 credit deal... and we got charged for two soft drinks that we barely touched... Lesson learned I guess.
Review Source:I am probably one of first few Indians to write a detailed review for this place! I checked the reviews on Help and the average seems to 4 star, which is high for an indian restuarant.So we went out to try their Buffet on a Friday! Luckily there is a yelp deal 10 for 15 so we ended up spending 15$ for the worst indian buffet we ate in a long time!
Here is review of everything we experienced:
1. Location of the restaurant is in a Best Western Motel -- Not cool, cause GPS can't find him easily Â
2. Ambiance is actually pretty upscale, read further for your surprise
3. Food .. Everything was cold , on a Friday at 12.45 pm if the food in an indian restaurant is cold, it only means one thing .. This is not a good place
4. Surprising we were the only Indians in the restaurant, it was not crowded at all, now we know why.
5. All the food was arranged neatly, Non-Veg section and vegiie section, we tried all of them to find one thing we might like, we were out of luck
6. It does have 24 items on the buffet as marketed, but only one dish wish i liked was the fish curry for which i can give them a 4 star.
7. then came our turn for desert. Oh did i tell you they had only one thing for desert and its called "Mango Mouse!" which is in no way Indian. tasted ok.
8. Out of 24 items tried by 2 people, we both could agree only one item was ok, the Mango Mouse.
9. On a scale of 1 to 5 i would rate this restaurant a minus 2 if i could, but since only one star is the least i am giving them that one.
10. One positive thing that came of out this restaurant experience is a drive to cook at home. Cause we can eat whole lot better at home when we cook, even if it is canned/frozen/heated stuff, it tastes better than what they serve. I wonder if they even have an Indian Cook inside the kitchen. No wonder i saw no Indians in a Indian restuarant in Bay Area!! My fellow Indians are smarter than me i guess! i am never going back to this place, even if someone gave me money!
I thought about giving 5 stars, but that distinction is for places that just blow my mind on all levels. Now..Kinara has great food and service and I would highly recommend it. I only ate vegetarian dishes, but the yellow dal and the saag paneer were some of the best I've ever had. Two thumbs up for Kinara Lounge!!
Review Source:Yay for Indian buffets -- we went pretty early, so no lines and not a lot of people there. (But it filled up pretty fast around noon) Great customer service, delicious chicken tikka masala and tandoori chicken. Very flavorful Indian food, and omg the naan is so fresh and <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fbomb.com&s=bb4f996415a9c2f21137e27cfb68f439a48cec2652b53e9b50dd7e766dbe177e" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://bomb.com</a>! After eating two plates of food, the boyfriend and I just kept eating that. The ambiance is great -- would be nice for a date night, but there were quite a few families there. Not too loud either. The mango mousse was yummy (though I don't think as great as people describe it on yelp, but that doesn't mean it wasn't good!) I would definitely come back again, especially since it's not expensive either!
This place would be a little hard to find if you weren't looking for the Best Western Inn. Highly recommend.
The food here is pretty good. Not mind blowing but good and consistent.
I usually come for the lunch buffet and its on the smaller side but priced accordingly at $10.99 per person. All the staples are there.. usually chicken masala and tandoori chicken is always available.
They bring fresh naan to the table and service is generally consistent. It was a bit slow for us today but i am not too much of a stickler as long as its not rude service.
I got the groupon deal @ $10 for $15. I paid for 2 adults and 1 child (kids are half off) plus a mango lassi. Total with what i spent for the coupon was $28 plus tip. Not bad.
Overall this place will satisfy your indian food craving.
3 stars
Went for dinner which does not have the buffet. Â I was surprised it was located in a Best Western Inn Plus.
It's actually a cute place with a bar and outside patio seats. Â The ambiance is great! Â
We started off with an order of samosas: 1 order comes with 2 pieces. Â They were really, really good....a bit on the spicy side but good.
After our appetizer, it took forever and a day for the rest of our food to arrive. Â Our order:
Tandoori platter: comes with lamb, chicken, tandoori chicken, and shrimp. Â This is a big platter, even split between 3 people, it was more than enough. Â Everything on the platter was delicious however the lamb was a bit on the salty side.
Naan was warm and fluffy. Â I couldn't resist and took a few bites as soon as it came out and it was just amazing.
Butter chicken was average. Â Good, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Lamb masala was on the salty side. Â I just couldn't take anymore bites after two. Â
Chicken biryani was good, but we asked for regular biryani and the guy brought out the chicken one which was more than double the price.
Service was outstanding. Â Our water was never half empty, picked up our plates and gave us new ones for our main entree's , and I'm guessing this was the owner, went around to tables making sure everything was okay.
Fantastic flavors, outstanding ingredients. Friendly staff and a plethora of dishes and flavors highlight this off-path dining spot.
We had a large variety of dishes from curried french fries to grilled lamb, chicken masala, and goat curry. the ingredients were fresh, dishes were very well prepared and featured distinct well thought prep. We enjoyed a combination of chicken, lamb, and goat and each meat was done justice. Desserts were wonderful as well.
Enjoyed a wonderful multi-course meal at Kinara. Don't be fooled by the off-path location. The food is outstanding and it is accompanied by great service.
This place should be at the top of your -places to visit- list.
This is a capital "Meh."
The food was... fine, I guess, I had the lamb vindaloo, and my dining companion had a Chicken Tika I think, though the vindaloo lacked any significant spice, and had a good, but not especially complex flavor.
Small portions, and not quite what was described in the menu -- the vindaloo was half lamb half potatoes. Potatoes weren't mentioned in the menu listing, and so messed up what I thought was going to be a low-carb meal. Without the potatoes, I think the meal would have been about as filling as just grabbing the patty off a burger. Seriously, not a lot of meat there.
With so much really great asian food in Milpitas, don't bother with this place - head over to Barber.
Good Indian food with layered flavors and lots of spice! Â The dishes are made with different cooking techniques like braises and clay ovens so the meat comes out tender and some are saucy while some are dry. Â Dino, the owner was really nice and hospitable. He suggested some great dishes based upon a short Q&A of what we liked.
Jhinga Masty:
The shrimp was awesome. Perfectly cooked with a ton of spice and nuttiness.
Mirch Masala Gosh:
The lamb was mild and got better wih every bite. The meat was lean, cooked separately from the sauce, and the dish had layered flavors.
Hydrabadi Goat Curry:
The goat was tender and fatty and fell of the bones. It was spicy and my absolute favorite.
Bread:
The naan was better than the roti, more chewy, but not that different in flavor. One was flour and the other was wheat. A good break to tone down the spiciness or dip the sauces.
Dessert:
The mango mousse was a perfect ending. Creamy and sweet and wiped the palette clean.
We'll be back again!
This would have been a 3 star review, but here's why it's 2.
Pros:
Lovely, warm, dining environment. Like they turn on the heater!
Decent service and food came out quickly, but not too quickly where you're eating your app and dinner comes.
Generous portions.
Cons:
Food as described in Menu is not what it is.
Poori is bit oilier than other restaurants'.
Tad bit pricier than other Indian restaurants throughout San Jose and Milpitas.
Appetizer was supposed to have been Chicken 65, but for some reason, Paneer 65 was brought out to us. While it wasn't bad, we had wanted chicken. Appropriate dish was brought out later. All is good.
I ordered Chicken Korma because I wanted a creamy, mild chicken curry. Even on the menu on their site, their Chicken Korma is "Chicken cooked in creamy sauce with almonds and dried nuts, mildly spiced." NOT what I received. What I got was regular chicken curry. I've lived in India, I've also had Chicken Korma in the UK, USA, India, etc. What I got was NOT chicken korma - it was plain chicken curry. There was no creaminess, no almonds and dried nuts...it was flamin' hot. The chicken curry was ok, but it was no korma.
My naan was ok - if a bit overcooked and slightly too burned for my taste. Rice was fine, too.
I'm a bit annoyed because when we used to come here, I always got chicken tikka masala or butter chicken. I wanted to do something different...and when I got something different it was so different from what I normally get I wasn't too thrilled.
Will come back here and get chicken tikka masa
Want country and western music accompanying your Indian food?
Want to eat inside a Best Western motel that looks like it's a lounge in a Best Western motel?
Want to enjoy a smaller than most yet very tasty selection of Indian food in a lunch buffet?
If you can answer "yes" to any of the three questions above, come on down!
The setting and ambiance were almost surreal, but the food was tasty, service was good (it should have been, the place was almost empty) and they left us alone as we chatted and caught up without any pressure to finish up and get out.
Given the abundance of really good Indian buffet places in the vicinity, this place wouldn't be my first choice, but it's definitely not a bad choice, especially if you like country and western music.
I went there for HH and not a good choice. The website says it's near the water, but it's not.. that's just a picture on the web. The restaurant was ok. Probably I will never go back there. I had a couple of Indian beers but that's all. The food was alright. The owner was very nice but that didn't help the food.
Review Source:3.5 star for this unassuming restaurant right next to Best Western.
First of all, the music offers a lounge feeling, which is a nice start.
The service is courteous and the owner came over to each table to say hi, which is hospitable and desirable. Â The waiter double checked with us on the spicy level of acceptance since we have a baby and we want it non spicy at all. Â
The food tasted better than the ordinary Indian restaurants. Â The chicken masala is really creamy, but the chicken doesn't taste like it's marinated before, so a bit lacking the flavor. Â The garlic bread is tasty and the rice is yummy. Â The tandori shrimp is much more spicy than I was expecting, so after 1 bite, I lost most of my taste bud capabilities, so be warned! Â
The only thing we were disappointed is that the order didn't come with rice, so we had to order rice seperately. Â But with Yelp's $10 for $15 offer, it wasn't that bad overall. Â I just wish there's more food that my baby can eat, probably because I don't know enough about the menu or Indian food.
I came here on a Monday night and there was only one other occupied table in the joint. To say it was dead would be an understatement.
The food was actually quite fantastic. Lamb, chicken, samosas, the onion bread was all so good. The lamb was a personal favorite, however, so I definitely suggest trying that should you come to Kinara.
As good as the food was, the ambiance was just a buzz kill. The service was so slow- we had to wait forever between any interaction with the waitress. The music was bizarre (think oldies- I would've much preferred some authentic jams) and the restaurant itself just seemed cold and unwelcoming.
Give the place a facelift and I'd definitely come back to eat. But for now, I think I'll settle for take-out only.
This place is a solid 4.5 stars. Went here for a team lunch buffet on a Friday. Reservation was simple... even after we had to increase the number of people to 20, they were able to accomodate us with a banquet hall type room. It was an odd mix of a restaraunt and lounge/bar but it didn't seem to clash at all.
Food was excellent and the servers were very attentive. Only downside was the quantity of dishes - around 10 or so depending on how you count them.
BTW, it's in the Best Western.
Best VEG SAMOSAS in Bay Area!!
Wow lately I am coming across restaurants which are serving really good Indian food!! Â And Kinara is one of them.
At first you will feel where am I because it's inside Best Western but don't get fooled by the location!
I have been there few times now only for dinner so far. Gentleman (probably manager) working in the evening is very nice guy and has good memory !
Their veg. curries like Malai Kofta, Kadai Paneer are really good. Â
Hope you love it. too!!
Kinara Lounge (In-Side Best Western-Milpitas)
One of the best Places ton eat Real Tasty Indian/Gujarati Style/taste Food. Friendly Staff and Owner, All Dishes tasted Great, this is the second visit and it was as good as the first.
Go and try Real tasty Indian Food here.....
One thing i noticed is they have an bar there, but only sell  bottled beer and Wine...
I have a phobia of indian buffets because of a horrible experience with a Chicken Masala gone bad.
However- after all the great Yelp reviews, I decided to come and see for myself on a lunch break.
Ambiance: Everyone is extremely nice and welcoming. They BBQ the tandoori chicken right outside!!!
Food: Great veg/meat variety. The bbq tandoori chicken is crazy tender, out of this world delicious. Try the mango dessert- its delicious. Its almost akin to a lassi- I was so surprised they served dessert.
Price: COntrary to previous yelp reviews, I paid 8.99 for lunch. Not bad at all. Very much worth it.
Definitely will be here again with coworkers.
Who woulda thunk it? Â An Indian restaurant inside a Best Western Motel? Sketchy?...maybe, but the food was decent.
Honestly would not have ventured out to Kinara had it not been for the decent yelp reviews and the yelp deal ($10 for $15 worth of food.). Visited Kinara on a Sunday evening, the restaurant was pretty empty only one other couple was there. Â
We wanted to start with the vegetable pakora but the waiter said that they were out so we opted for the samosas instead. Â Samosas were a decent size filled with potatoes and peas and served with mint and tamarind chutney. Â The mint chutney had just the right amount of heat for my taste.
We ordered the butter chicken and the lamb vindaloo. Â I was surprised that the waiter did not ask how spicy we wanted out order luckily the entrees came out with just the right amount of heat. Â The butter chicken was rich and creamy while the lamb vindaloo was a little game-y. Â We ordered basmati rice and garlic naan to go with our meal. Â Surprisingly, the best part of out meal was the garlic naan...it was the garlic-iest naan I ever had, you can see the garlic slivers on the naan...it was so incredibly yummy I ended up eating the garlic naan by itself!
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by Kinara. Â The place has a full bar and is pretty nice for a "Motel restaurant.". Service was decent and food was better than I expected. Â Will go back for the garlic naan.
I went there this Sunday evening for the first time based on the rating. Â The four of us were all pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. Â The sauces were not too buttery. Â The nan bread was fresh. Â
The restaurant is part of the Best Western hotel, but it could stand on its own. Â We'll go there again!
Short form: Smallish, out of the way setting doesn't detract from flavor, value, and service. Friendly staff, good prices, and delicious dishes. Serves both meat and vegetarian dishes - plus, they'll do take-out!
Long form: Kinara is right across the street (for the most part) from my favorite local eatery (Tayyibaat, look 'em up!), so I'm not quite sure why I haven't eaten there before. I regret waiting so long, let me tell you.
Firstly, unlike most of the other Indian eateries in my area, they don't keep odd hours on Mondays. Point in their favor.
Secondly, their location is a bit out of the way, but that is actually in their favor, as it means their parking is always ample, and their service is faster than it might otherwise be. Second star.
Thirdly, the staff is very friendly and answered all of my questions about sizing, ingredients, allergy concerns, and the like. Third star.
Fourthly, all of their meat dishes are Halal, and they have a HUGE variety of vegetarian and fish dishes, so I can bring my friends here, regardless of their meat concerns. Fourth star.
Finally, I let the owner (manager? chef? I don't know rightly, but he was very nice and very very helpful) know that I needed to feed four people - so I ordered two each of two of the chicken dishes, two orders of rice, and two orders of naan - assured this would feed four people. What came out was each of the chicken dishes broken into four single-serving containers, enough rice to make sure that each single-serving had ample rice to go with it, and two generous pieces of naan wrapped tightly in foil (and thus piping hot when I got it home!). This gave each of the four of us eating it what amounted to two generous helpings of each dish, plenty of rice, and delicious, warm, wonderful naan. Fifth Star. EASY.
I really think the next time I work from home and have a chance, I'm going to take a walk around the corner to these guys and hit their lunch buffet. If it's half as good as what I brought home last night, I'm sold.
I came by a second time, during Easter weekend for the buffet at $12.99. Â What a surprise, there was over 25 different dishes to choose from. Â A wide range of meat and veggie. Â What a great value. Â So far, this place is 5 for 5 but need to get here another time and rate again.
Also, service is very fast....great restaurant !!!
My husband and I had a groupon deal for this restaurant and were quite impressed with the quality of food and portion sizes, which were pretty generous considering we both made a full meal out of leftovers the next day.
We had the unfortunate timing to be seated next to the most obnoxious group of 3 I have ever come across, who probably have a 2 star review below complaining about service. However, one of the gentlemen of this classy party told the owner to take back the food because the dish they ordered "wasn't a curry". Which it was. Because it was on the menu listed as a curry. The most amazing part was that he spoke fluent hindi, so pretty sure he knew the difference between tandoor and curry. They were also complaining that the food was "late" even though they ordered food at two different times during the course of the meal, which of course meant that the food would come at two different times.
Anyway, I give this restaurant 4 stars because the food was great despite slower than usual service. But I'd rather wait for good food, then to get my meal in a flash and find it inedible. The mango lassi was freshly made and the chicken biryani was equally amazing.
Dino, the owner, is very sweet and would personally visit our table to make sure we were enjoying our food. Great choice in old Bollywood tunes that day as well. People were singing along and bobbing their heads. Would definitely visit again.
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