Traditionally when I am in town I would hit up Puran. Â However based on the reviewer who indicated that there was a different depth/texture to the dishes here I wanted to give it a try. Â Too often I find Indian restaurants to use a very bland sauce, which they end up using on all of their dishes.
The sauces here were wonderful. Somewhat smiokey, and very complex. Â Proteins were cooked perfectly. The garlic naan was some of the best I've ever had.
So I went here alone Sunday afternoon trying to find a quiet cozy spot to eat after church that could satisfy my craving for both cultural food and vegetarian. When I got there, there was only one family having a birthday party but other than that it was empty. I was expecting to experience the bad customer service everyoneon here is talking about but I got my water, Naan bread and service quickly.
The food was killer, very spicy and had depth and different textures going on...yes I said it was spicy, that's how Indian food is made so folks should stop walking into ethnic food joints and then complaining about stuff like that, you don't ask a pizza place to make a pizza with any less cheese do you?
Needless to say I wayyy over ate.
I have eaten Indian food all over the mid-west, and I have to say that this is my favorite place. Â The food may be a little greasy at times, but I get the impression that this is "homemade" Indian food at its best. Â
I am a regular here, and it has paid off. Â The owners are great, and always take the time to come out and chat with us. My favorite part of this restaurant is the amount of pride the owner takes in his food. Â He honestly only wants to serve the very best to his customers, and as one I appreciate that.
If you are new to Indian food, I highly recommend this restaurant. Try the lunch buffet to get ideas on what you may, or may not like, and then make a trip for dinner. Â Both are completely different experiences, and are equally great.
I hope to retain my "Dukedom" at this establishment for a long time to come...
They have a decent lunch buffet.
Each dish has a long description of its; contents, tradition, and how it may be combined with another item at the buffet. Â This is very good information!
I had vegetarian dishes and enjoyed each one.
The service was excellent.
This is the best indian in Bloomington.
I recommend for lunch!
We went recently and had an assortment of good, spicy foods. The food tasted great. The service was extremely erratic, but there was only one server and it became busy. I had heard from other patrons that the owners KEEP THE WAITRESS'S TIPS!  If you are paying by credit card keep this in mind. We got charged  extra service charge for having six people even though we only had a single payer and the add on charge varied the two times we asked about it. Then when we confirmed that the owners keep the entire added service fee. Skimming tips is illegal and unpleasant for the waitresses. Despite how good the food is we won't eat there again. No wonder the service is awful.
Review Source:The food here is great. I have had home cooked Indian food many times at a co-workers house, so I am comparing only to his wife's cooking, but this is much more like home cooking than any other Indian restaurant I have been too. I think the other places try to make everything so spicy that it covers up the cheaper quality and lack of flavor. Little India has a mild spice in most dishes and layers of flavor that almost make each bite taste like something new.
They have recently doubled their size and increased the number of food dishes offered on the lunch buffet. I really appreciated the little descriptive paper for each dish so I knew what I was trying and could stay away from things I knew I would not like.
I do agree with others ratings that the service is not top notch but they handle the basics for me with only a little bit of attitude. The reason I am giving it 4 stars is the food and I just consider it to be a Indian version of those American restaurants that are mean to you to be funny.
Good food...worst service ever. My husband and I ordered several dishes, so we'd have lots leftover for the Indian-loving teenagers at home. Vegetable pekoras were the best we've ever had. Mango lasse was okay. Shrimp korma, also best I've had. Lamb saag said it was made with mixed greens; very fresh but I would have preferred more spinach, chicken tikka masala was average. Naan was okay. Server had no idea what pappadum is (I don't think they have it which was disappointing), no idea what tamarind is, didn't clear the table before dessert, (actually didn't clear it at all) and we asked her twice. First time my husband didn't leave a server a tip.
Review Source:I'm conflicted and I believe this rating is a star more than what I experienced today. Â We've been to their lunch buffet several times and it has always been delicious. Â Services is USUALLY spot on. Â However, today was a different story. Â They have expanded their dining room, which is nice. Â The waitress was barely audible, mumbling her words and shuffling her feet like she was stoned or simply didn't want to be there. Â In fact, both of the waitress which ended up tending to our table were too nonchalant. Â When we arrived (it was just two of us) we were the only customers there. Â Somehow, a couple that got there after us received their food, had time to eat and leave before we received our entrees. I found this frustrating, but maybe our food took longer to prepare. Â We had samosa chaat to start. Â I had the chicken saag and my SO had the chicken korma. The food was excellent as usual. I just wish the service was better. Â I'm conflicted not only because I can't give half stars on yelp, but also because I love the food but feel like the service was far below the bar to go back. Â Maybe it was an off night for the servers, maybe new people recently started, maybe the boss was out and they decided to be slackers. Â I'm trying to give Little India the benefit of the doubt.
Review Source:Excellent food, unwelcoming atmosphere. The thing that really sets this place apart from other Indian restaurants in the Midwest is that they use less heavy cream and more fresh spices (not ground mixes) than most places. It's more authentic and often a bit spicy for novices, but the range of flavors in each dish is usually amazing.
The downside is that they have no idea how to run a restaurant. The buffet is good if you get there early, but dishes are not promptly refilled and the service consists of someone filling your water glass once and maybe refilling it again or clearing a plate or two. The atmosphere leaves a lot to be desired as well.
They don't post their hours and are vague when asked. They don't have carryout menus available and their carryout usually takes a long time, so I stick with the lunch buffet.
Bottom line: hit the buffet before 12:30 for a full selection and you'll get to try some amazing, unique dishes that are very well prepared. Be prepared to put up with gruff service, plastic plates and paper cocktail napkins, and an odd atmosphere. If you can ignore the quirks, it's an amazing culinary experience. Just don't bring anyone you're trying to impress here.
Last Saturday, we dined at Little India and ordered the Paneer Biryani with Medium spice level.
Today, we ordered the same dish with Medium spice level, for to-go. When we opened the package we found that it was extremely spicy. We had ordered 2 servings and we carried 1 back to the restaurant. When we arrived, we asked to speak to the Manager and were told by the guy at the front desk that she is busy and cannot speak to us and there would be no refund. When we said that we cannot eat this, he said that we should add some yogurt and try it !! Why should I modify a dish that I have paid for ???
We had ordered 2 Paneer Biryanis for guests at home, their tongues got burnt....!!! they had to leave home without food....
Because we are desi, they responded like this....had it been an American guy complaining, they would have refunded and/or made a new dish for him...
They did not even apologize...We simply gave him back the dish, maybe he can add yogurt and eat himself...!!!
I would say !!!
STAY AWAY FROM ORDERING TO-GO FROM LITTLE INDIA !!!!
Amazing and very authentic Indian food. Â They use very little cream, lots of cilantro and ginger and interesting combination of flavors. Â I have been there multiple times and the service has been awesome. Â Some of my favorites are chicken jalfrezi, butter chicken, chicken tikka masala... I have never had a bad meal!
Review Source:
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
