First, this restaurant DOES NOT come up on Yelp, as of the time of writing this. It shows it has been reported as out of business. Not sure which Yelper has something against about this place, but it is definitely open!
We got a groupon for $25 for $50. No problem honoring it and food and service were very good! Â I will revise this posting later once Yelp shows it as open again.
We came here with a group of 6 for a late lunch - and all enjoyed the lunch buffet. Â For $12 you get a full lunch buffet - complete with at least 5 meat dishes and all the other things you expect at an Indian buffet. Â
We came here after attempting to eat at another Indian buffet nearby that was too crowded and had a 20 minute wait. Â I'm not sure why that place had a 20 minute wait and Origin India didn't - but I would encourage anyone looking for a lunch buffet to try this place first! Â
The curry cabbage was delicious and very spicy - I wanted more of it but couldn't handle the heat! Â The servers will bring hot and fresh naan to your table. Â 3 trips to the buffet later, I was ready to unbutton the pants and take a nap. Â Too bad I had to return to work. Â
Overall, this is one of my favorite Indian places for lunch buffet. Â The staff is friendly and the restaurant has a beautiful ambiance to it. Â There is a little bar inside as well for those looking for a cocktail. Â And for $12, you can't beat the price for the quality of the food experience!
I have been fortunate to have traveled the world, and have had Indian food in the two best places- Britain and India. I rarely find a restaurant outside those 2 countries that have decent food, but I must say, that this one does. The service is impeccable, and I have not had anything that was short of delicious. They ask how spicy you want your food and they prepare it just that way- perfection.
I have eaten there 3 times now, and will go back on every visit to Vegas. If you are a Curry Connoisseur, you will not be disappointed with this place.
I love Indian food, but this was just ok. Â To me it seemed like they were trying to hard to be fancy and 'cool'. Â I'd have been happier with decent amounts of good quality food that just tastes good, and doesn't trey too hard to impress. Â With that said, the location and service was good, the place also looked very clean and well maintained, and the staff were very pleasant.
Review Source:LOVED this place! Came here as part of a group of seven, which is perfect for this type of restaurant, because we were able to order a bunch of dishes and try a little of each.
We started with the onion bhajis and Bombay bhelpurri. The latter is puffed rice mixed with onions and tomatoes in a tamarind sauce. I'd never tried this dish before and it was very tasty. The puffed rice gave it an interesting texture different from most dishes you typically find in an Indian restaurant.
For our mains, we shared the the lamb vindaloo, chana masala (chickpea curry), Rajastani paneer and southern grilled fish. The fish was a bit disappointing (lacklustre and slightly overcooked) but the other three dishes were excellent. I'm not a huge lamb fan so my favourites were the chana masala (very spicy and flavourful) and most of all the Rajastani paneer. This was a paneer (Indian cheese) dish in a carrot-based sauce that also contained bell peppers and cashew paste. Again, I had never tried this particular type of paneer before, but I absolutely loved it and will definitely keep an eye out for it in Indian restaurants in my 'hood. It was rich, creamy and delicious.
The atmosphere was I suppose what you would expect in an Indian restaurant (Indian-style decor but with a lot of modern touches), with the exception that instead of Indian music, they were playing random pop music. A little out of place with the atmosphere I thought, at least until later in the evening when it becomes more of a "bar" atmosphere.
Overall, the service was very good and we had a great experience here. It's located a short cab ride from the strip but more than worth a return trip if I'm looking for good Indian food in Las Vegas.
My boyfriend and I ate here on 3/13 for restaurant week, wasn't expecting much since Indian restaurants in vegas are sub-par at best.
Well, the appetizers were disappointing. The chicken was ok: nothing to write home about, the stuffed mushroom was really gross, the lamb kebab was way too spicy and the fish was dry (luckily they brought out mint chutney and tamarind sauce).
I was relieved that the entrees were better. The tandoori chicken was excellent! Lentils were ok, lamb was pretty good. Couldn't keep my hands off the naan :) so yummy.
A piece of advice: skip dessert. My panna cotta tasted like jello and bf's doughnut holes tasted like pancakes -___-
Service wasn't great, decor was alright. Probably won't go back.
AMAZING!!!!
We had the Vegetarian Chef Tasting. Every course was better than the last-fresh ingredients and perfect flavors. You cannot beat the naan-the garlic was my favorite
It is soooo much food that we had an entire meal for the next day, so it was DEFINITELY worth the price.
The service was also great, and all staff members were extremely helpful and friendly.
In terms of authentic taste and service this is by far the best Indian restaurant I have been to. It was very clean and had a soothing atmosphere.
The lamb was perfect, highly recommended. More then enough food too and makes a great lunch the next day.
Most menu items are on the $16 to $25 dollar range which is very reasonable for dinner and the quality.
I will be back to check on the weekend brunch.
We brought in a groupon here Thanksgiving weekend--I simply don't know why the place wasn't super packed! The food was delicious, aromatic, and on the unique side for Indian. They carry a great wine selection. The service was impeccable (it almost put the strip's fancy restaurants to shame, no joke), and the decor is awesome. I definitely recommend this place to locals willing to venture close to the strip and deal with the traffic, but also tourists like myself who are sick of waiting in line and paying too much for mediocre food elsewhere.
I'll be back next time I'm in town!
We had a groupon that we needed to use so we came here for dinner. We ordered the garlic naan, samosa, chicken marsala, and the origin India platter that came w paneer cheese, lamb sausage, chicken, prawn and some lentil/bean type of soup.
Pros:
- Can never go wrong w chicken Marsala and naan.
- Samosa was yummy
Cons:
- Seemed like there was only 1 waiter and so it took awhile to get his attention
- By the time I got my platter, my food was not hot so eating it semi warm made it gross. The prawns didn't seem like they were well cooked or over cooked. Rubbery on the outside and a bit mushy on the inside.
- Menu was too complex. Like most high end places I guess. I hate reading. Lol. Not a lot of choices
Overall, I felt out of place there. I prefer to go back to India Palace. The environment is just more friendly and more welcoming. The waiters and waitresses there are more attentive.
Yes, I made it back before leaving Vegas: this time, we did the tasting menu, and I am still gushing! Â After our first dinner at Origin, we mentioned how much we enjoyed the experience to some Indian colleagues. When we returned a few nights later, we were very pleasantly surprised to see them there, as well. And they, too, absolutely loved their dinner.
My recommendation remains firm - come on an empty stomach, ready to eat: excellent food, fine presentations, super service, Â attractive decor and overall an extremely enjoyable evening.
To continue with my exploration of Indian lunch buffets around town, I invited a friend from UNLV to check out Origin India's version. Â My experience at Origin India prior was limited to one visit for dinner years ago which I was completely unimpressed with the flavors (or lack thereof) that I experienced then, but I was willing to give it another shot due to my having experienced much more Indian fare since then (I pretty much guessed what I wanted on that visit), and plus my Currygeous Indian Eats list here on Yelp demanded it! Â Pro tip: it never hurts to plug your own lists or reviews within other reviews.
Upon entering, the dining room looked as nice as a I remembered it, and there were only a few other tables with diners which was a stark contrast to what I'm used to at Mt Everest or Mint. Â Origin's buffet offering is new, so perhaps this will change over time. Â In addition to less customers, another big difference was in the options of food. Â I don't know exact numbers and maybe it was just perception, but it seemed like Origin had quite fewer dishes available than Everest or Mint. Â
I've adopted a "one plate" rule with Mt Everest and Mint due to severely overstuffing myself each time if I don't, but Origin's plates are decidedly smaller so I allowed myself one return visit to the food offerings on this occasion (I'll use any excuse to eat more). Â On my first plate I had some rice, chili mint chicken, some potato dish, goat curry, and a dish made mostly of peas. Â I thought the flavors were quite nice on each one, but particularly was fond of the chili mint chicken. Â It had quite a kick to it which I enjoyed and the chunks of chicken were nice and juicy, and this was all while having scooped out the last of what was in the tray in the buffet line. Â This brings me to one of the issues I had: 15 minutes after originally going up for the first plate, I went back up and the chili mint chicken had still yet to be refilled. Â Now normally in a buffet filled with a plethora of offerings, one item missing wouldn't be so bad, but with the shorter list of options and what is clearly one of the more popular items, I thought it was inexcusable it wasn't constantly being filled. Â In fact, I didn't see a lot of freshening up of the options while I was there. Â One could argue that due to the lack of customers perhaps not many of them needed more, but it would have pleased me much more to know that I was likely to be eating freshly prepared food than ones that could have been sitting out for some time. Â I'm willing to excuse this a little given that they're new to the buffet game, so hopefully this improves over time. Â
My 2nd plate since there wasn't any chili mint chicken to add to it ended up being fairly sparse with just some more rice and a couple curry options I hadn't gotten to try originally. Â They don't have any sort of helpful guides on the dish name cards to let you know which ones are vegan/vegetarian friendly so proceed with caution!
It was a satisfying meal, and service was good with fresh hot naan brought out a few times and drinks refilled at a dizzying speed. Â Price was about average (I think, to be honest I didn't pay much attention). Â Ultimately though it's impossible for me to not compare it to Mt Everest and Mint for their as of now superior lunch buffet options. Â Less options and less constant refills of those options along the line will lead to less visits from me to Origin.
09/16/12 BRUNCH
I have dined here many times. Mostly dinners, a few lunches. It remains my favorite Indian+ restaurant in Las Vegas. It's NOT typical Indian, which is one reason I like it so much. It's a bit more expensive than the rest, but it's worth it.
Yesterday Origin India began offering a buffet brunch. Saturdays and Sundays only, from 10am until 3pm, $14.95 per person. I went today, the 2nd day the brunch has been offered. This is, hands down, the best Indian+ buffet I have had in this town. It's on a gourmet level, the way the dishes were prepared. Not too heavy, wonderful spicing, divine. Again, UNUSUAL stuff in this buffet. I had so many favorites. I'm only sad it's not a DAILY buffet!
PLEASE SEE Way below for the original review, originally was rated 1 star.
The manager attempted to contact me after my review & here is the message. I do give them credit, hence the upgraded 2 stars for actually listening to their guests and attempting to make things right. But in all honestly, I was burned too many times to consider going back.
Ganesh M.
One month ago
Hello Ma'am my name is Ganesh and I'm the manager over at origin India. I read your review about our restaurant and to be honest with you this is the first time I am hearing about this situation. Did you get the food delivered or did you pick it up from the restaurant. If you picked it up from the restaurant would you be able to describe the person that took your order? It seems strange that I have no recollection of anyone letting me know about these situations for I would have corrected it. We would like to get to the bottom of this situation because it is very damaging to our restaurant if this situation has happened. We would like you to come back and give us another chance for us to change your mind about our restaurant. Thank you for your constructive review and please visit us soon.
_______My response:
Jen C.
Sir, I appreciate your response. And I always feel horrible giving a business a bad rating, but it's a constant & consistent problem your business has.
I've been to your restaurant MANY MANY MANY times and literally every single time the service was horrible!!! So I started to do take-out and then even the take-out was just a joke.
So that's why I will not come back to your establishment which really sucks for me because I think the food is terrific!
One note I will give, is one of the many times visiting, I attempted to use an opentable check, which is just like a travelers check. Which you are supposed to accept since you are on <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fopentable.com&s=897c359bd752b4f5407d5ea86453c82be2d1913c8d0b51b18d81fc58f52a6497" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://opentable.com</a>
The servers and supervisor that night had no idea what it was and refused to take it. That was one of my many disappointing trips in. For future, I would suggest you educated your staff on ALL payment methods.
Thanks.
We were not actually planning on eating here tonight, but as we walked by the smell of the Indian food was just to good to pass up. Now we have our regular Indian restaurant that we love, but that is on the other side of town and we were meting friends close by, so Origin it is.
The decor is nice, the private dinning areas are very nicely done, a different tone from the normal Indian restaurant for sure, it would echo what was to come.
If you are expecting your normal Indian restaurant menu, you're in for a shock, however, on closer inspection, the regular menu items are there, just hidden behind the words of someone who had way to much time on their hands when the menu was put together.
For example :
Old Delhi style corn fed chicken tikka makhani prepared with ground spices and fenugreek flavoured tomato makhani sauce.
The vast majority of Indian places would simply call that Chicken Tikka Massala, Â
But you get my point, study the menu and the regulars are there, also, the wait staff were more than happy to run through the menu.
There are also some "non-standard" dishes, but those will have to wait till next time as we were really in the mood for Indian comfort food.
So, Chicken Tikka Massala and Chicken Korma were ordered, along with a couple of plain naan and one Wild mushroom and truffle oil naan.
The food took about 15 minutes to come out of the kitchen, it then dawned on us both that they had not asked how hot we would like the curries, mmm, could be an issue, I like mine hot, but the wife likes hers very mild...Luckily for us, they were both mild, but then again (Indian food eaters are laughing) a Massala and a Korma really shouldn't be that spicy anyways.
The plain naan was good, the mushroom naan was very good, it actually made for a nice combination when eaten with the massala sauce.
As Frank S pointed out below, the flavours are very light and delicate, now, IMHO this is not a bad thing, especially when first being introduced to Indian food, the Korma was actually spot on, the massala needed a little more flavour to be just right.
So would I recommend Origin...Certainly, it is a decent Indian restaurant and even more so if you are just stepping into the wonderful world of Indian cuisine.
Are there better in town, yes, are the worse in town oh yeah.
Went to this place during my trip to Vegas. It was on the list of places I got a discount on for the bite card thing they gave me through booking my trip to casablanca express.
The food was so yummy! I ordered...you know what, I don't know what I ordered, but it was a veggie dish, vegetable dumplings with like yogurt sauce or something....my hubby ordered the chicken stuffed with prunes and mushrooms....it was good! We also ordered a plain naan and got a free appetizer for checking in (stuffed mushrooms). I wasn't really a fan of the stuffed mushrooms, but the rest of the food was delicious. I thought the food wouldn't be enough, but the food was actually too much for us in one sitting. Just the right amount of flavor, and our food didn't smell like it would be seeping out of someone's armpits later on in the Vegas heat.
The atmosphere was calm and dark and romantic, lots of candles....and people slowly began to trickle in as evening wore on.
Mediocre food and the worst attitude I have experienced in a long time.
Went for dinner on July 3 and ordered 4 Biryanis which were OK but the Raita which came with it was good for one Biryani. When pointed it out they said that's the standard quantity so we ordered more Raita, no Problem still. Ordered some desserts but nothing great there as well. Gajar Halwa was too sweet and luke warm, Ras Malai pieces were broken (happens if they are not fresh) and was not cold as its supposed to be. When the bill came it had few (4-5) items we didn't order. Thankfully my buddy caught it and when he pointed out to the manager he was not apologetic at all and behaved as if he is doing us a favor by correcting his mistake. Â
Anyway next day we saw a deal on Groupon next day so we thought lets give it another shot and try their Buffet. Â We were a big group so bought two different coupons and they said one coupon per table. We offered to sit on two different tables but the waiter smiled and said it's ok and pointed us to a big table.The spread was good but the food was again OK and very heavy, one positive was that they brought fresh Nans to the table which were soft. Â When the waiter got us the bill they again said that they can't accept two coupons. We called the manager and he said "I am not sure what the waiter said but I see you sitting on one table" . I don't mind these small things usually but its the attitude that sucks, forget about accepting the coupon there was no apology in case the waiter created the confusion. This is the level of service when they saw us second time in two days .
Bottom line didn't feel that the management/ staff is courteous and and the food tastes edible but is pretty greasy and heavy. May be try another Indian restaurant next time.
This is my go-to Indian place. Â They have deals on Groupon most weekdays--$15 for $30 worth of food. Â That's more than enough during lunch when they have their lunch specials: 2 appetizers, 2 main dishes and 2 desserts. Â During dinner, I use that to order my usual: Veggie samosas, Chicken Tikka Makhani, Basmati rice and 1 side or dessert. Â Very filling! Â The samosas here are well made and not as greasy as other Indian restaurants make them. Â
The manager is a very nice guy! Â He remembers us each time we visit. Â I had bangs then no bangs between 2 visits and he didn't want to say, "Welcome back!" to my boyfriend because he thought maybe he brought in another girl!! Â I found it hilarious. Â So the manager has your back, haha. Â The wait staff is very prompt w/taking your order, refilling drinks and getting the check to you.
Pricey w/o deals from Yelp or Groupon, but still worth it either way.
What a difference 4 years makes! I had last visited Origin India that long ago prior to moving to Vegas, and I had left disgruntled by overpriced, undersized Indian dishes that weren't particularly notable. We were lured back in by the Yelp Deal, and I am happy we decided to give Origin a second chance. Even though the menu is still a bit pricey, the dishes we had were well-executed and flavorful.
My advice is to stick to the traditional vegetarian dishes, as at $11 they are the best value, and the servings come in a big, deep bowl. You can also get a half-serving, which is not skimpy either. We ordered the saag paneer, yellow dal and a mixed vegetable curry. Both the saag and the yellow dal were complex, savory and non-stop delicious. I wasn't a huge fan of the mixed vegetable curry, but my husband was. Our first order of roti hardened quickly, but the second order was okay. The flavor of our dishes was definitely the standout of our experience.
Without our Yelp Deal, we could have likely had a decent amount of food for rather affordable, as two vegetarian dishes is more than enough. However, the specialty dishes are substantially more expensive between $20-$25. And, our service was spotty. When we showed up, the lights were still bright, and we felt as if were in a cafeteria. Then, we waited for a long time to be greeted by our server, even though there were staff joking around behind the bar. Once our server arrived, she was very kind, but our water ran dry. Plus, our order was messed up. They corrected it quickly and let us keep the errant dish, but for an environment this nice with these prices, I would expect a higher level of service and attention to detail.
As for the errant dish, it was black dal, and it wasn't as good as the yellow, but we enjoyed it as a snack the day after!
I definitely think this is an improved Origin India, and with the Yelp Deal and an extra "oops" dish, we definitely left satisfied.
Used the Yelp $20 for $40 deal. Wasn't worth it even with the discount! Food was overpriced and not that good. The service was excellent and I felt bad because they tried really hard but the food was mediocre. (Hence the 2 stars for the service and cute decor. The music they played was kind of odd as well; contemporary music which seemed out of place!)
Back to reviewing the food... The lamb curry was neither lamb nor curry. Kind of bland and Americanized. Wanted to feel the intensity of the curry and taste the gamey-ness of the lamb meat. The kebab sampler was okay. The prawns in the sampler were delish (but you only get 2!!) but the rest of it was average. I have had better food at a food truck. I really appreciate value for my money and I don't mind spending a lot but I want to have a dining experience where the food is delightful and wows me. And for $25 a plate it did nether delight me or wow me. Too bad I really wanted to love this place and make it my go to Indian spot. I will continue my search! =(
Actually was really good. It's in the shopping plaza across from the HardRock hotel tucked in the corner.
Decor was really cool. Music--and I like music--eclectic from Frank Sinatra to Indian Techno it was all over the board.
They have a small bar that sits maybe 5, IF you should encounter a wait but I'd be surprised on that one.
I will say it's pricey. They have a $15, 3-course prix fixie for lunch but you have to ask for it. Â If not you are looking at $25+ entree for lunch which is no $5 foot long.
Appetizers were delicious, food was great actually.  I would go back but make sure you bring your wallet  :)
This was our first visit to Origin India, and we were here for a charity event. Â The restaurant is very attractive, modern, and upscale, and there isn't much in the decor to identify its ethnicity. Â The lighting is soft and just right. Â Our group filled most of the restaurant, but it's a testament to the very good service and attentiveness of management and staff that they were able to accommodate walk-in diners as well.
Our group was served a buffet that was set up on a large, round table covered with a tablecloth. Â It was an elegant change to the usual steam table lineup. Â All of the dishes available to us were vegetarian, most likely chosen by the organization for religious-ish reasons. Â There were vegetarian samosas, first bite-sized, later replaced with standard ones, and they were very tasty. Â There were potato fritters, naan, vegetable biryani, and a scrumptious paneer dish that was spicy, but not enough to induce fire-breathing. Â Bowls of raita, and the standard coriander and tamarind sauces also graced the serving table.
Servers removed plates promptly and were constantly refilling water glasses, and the manager was present and hands-on.
Our dinner included a drink, but we had only a few choices. Â I had a mango martini, small but delicious. Â The restaurant has a full bar.
I looked at the menu for the purpose of writing a concise review. Â Many of the dishes are unique to Origin India. Â I've been to many, many Indian restaurants, and there were more than a few that I've never seen anywhere. Â The descriptions were very enticing. Â On the down side, the menu is considerably smaller than most others, and the prices are high. Â We will definitely be returning, though probably for special occasions because of those prices. Â But I am giving Origin India a definite high-four!
I really don't understand where all the hype is coming from, while it was decent, it is nowhere near 4 star status. Â
I thought that the prices were pretty expensive during lunch. Â We went on a Saturday lunch and they didn't offer any specials, except for the $30 Prix fixe meal for two. Â
The food was okay, but I expected a fuller, richer flavor as the items seemed a bit bland to me for Indian food. Â One of the chicken items tasted like Orange chicken from panda express and the other chicken dish used so much yogurt in it that it completely drowned out the spices, not to mention the impending bloating (dang Asian lactose intolerance genes!). Â The rice wasn't aromatic like other basmati rice that I've had and the naan was a bit too thick for my tastes as I like 'em thin and crispy.
I checked in on yelp and received a free appetizer, but the waiter gave me a little bit of flak for it because they said it wasn't on their system. Â I was NOT about to pay $15 for 3 small pieces of dry lamb chop. Â He finally conceded after tasting some of my Chinese haggling skills.
I probably wouldn't come back, there's a whole bunch of other options in Vegas to eat at.
My family and I were craving Indian food during our trip to LV and for some reason, it was harder to find an Indian restaurant on the strip than one would imagine (things may have changed since those days).
So off the strip we ventured, determined to find a solid Indian meal and found ourselves at Origin India. Not knowing what to expect, we were beyond pleasantly surprised - the ambiance is not that of your usual stuffy Indian restaurant (I know, I have so much faith in my people). Rather it was uncluttered and tastefully decorated, combining both traditional elements with avante-garde accents... clay colored walls and archways reminiscent of Delhi's Red Fort, which were offset by modern touches such as comfortable brown leather chairs and sleek wooden tables.
The menu echoed the mix of tradition and contemporary, including staples like samosas and Rogan Josh, but was also had unique offerings such as Atlantic black cod and Grilled Canadian rock lobster. Everything we ate was delightful and the service was great too.
The distinguishing nature of this establishment is a testament to its founders, an England-based restaurateur couple that modeled Origin based on their industry experiences in the UK (which is well-known for their Indian cuisine).
My first outing to Origin India was with a lovely group of piano students and their fabulous teacher. Â About half of the group was new to Indian cuisine and I think that they were suitably impressed -- and satiated -- after the meal. Â
Located right by the Hard Rock Cafe, about a mile from the Strip and super close to UNLV, this Indian eatery is on the pricier side, but the food quality and the interior decor reflect the spendiness well. Â Warm rich wood tones and relaxing browns and beiges dominate the interior, with pops of colour and tastefully chosen wall art. Â Can I say this place is "modern Indian?" Â
My party chose a variety of dishes (paneer, lamb curry, lentils, okra, etc) and everyone was happy and stuffed. Â Tasty sauces, pretty presentation. Â Nothing I had was super spicy, which will make those spice-phobes happy. Â (I didn't ask, but I'm sure you can request more/less spiciness.) Â A few of the kiddos had room for dessert (aaaah....to be young again with unlimited stomach capacity and high metabolism....). Â I did not.
I'll check this place out again when I want to be close to the Strip, but not on it!
I would describe this place as modern Indian dining. The presentation of dishes like the homemade paneer cheese tikka appetizer (stuffed with apricots and raisins, marinated in coriander and basil glazed in Tandoor, pickled red cabbage) looked like something I would get at a French restaurant. Â This place isn't the norm and it was just what we were looking for this evening. Â
Having a $25 <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> coupon in hand didn't hurt either. Â AND we got a free appetizer just by checking in on Yelp! WEEEEEEEE!!!
What an excellent selection of vegetarian dishes! Â My wife gets saag paneer at Indian joints like she gets filet mignon at steakhouses like she gets green curry at Thai restaurants. Â EVERYTIME. Â
I got the Khadi Paneer (House-made Indian cheese and mixed bell pepper cooked in tomato sauce) which was delicious however we were already at maximum paneer overload after the appetizer. Â This was out fault for not thinking this through. Â It certainly made for a great lunch the next day though!!
The service was very attentive and filled up our water glasses promptly. Â I'll be back!
Curiosity got me in the door the first time, a coupon and a vaguely pleasant memory brought me back, but I just can't give Origin India the cumin-scented bear hug that I want to give most Indian places.
The staff is very polite, and - if their demos at Whole Foods are any indication (thanks for turning me on to the expensive pink Himalayan rock salt that tastes like regular salt but looks so cool that I still lust after it, SIGH!) - the chefs are genuinely thoughtful about the menu and not just trying to be different for the sake of it.
Alas, I've failed to get an "ooohhhhh YEAH" out of anything I've eaten at Origin.
The paneer "in creamy tomato sauce" was quite tasty the first time I had it, before I'd eaten a *lot* of paneer dishes, but on the second visit it was just "nice." Not decadent, not lapping at my tongue in flavor waves, just nice.
Paneer tikka as an appetizer was wonderfully described on the menu, but what was set before us was just kind of dry and tasteless. Samosas were beautifully presented on both visit, but not especially aromatic or unusual.
(For the prices, compared to other Indian places in Las Vegas, I want a little extra dazzle, you see.)
I avoided the vegetable dumplings on the second visit because when I had them before I found them very heavy and dull. But the baked baby eggplant I had instead didn't really deliver the variety and complexity promised by the menu description. It was, well, also kind of heavy and dull.
Maybe I'm ordering "wrong," but it's so easy to please me with Indian cuisine and any attempt at innovation that not finding a reason to go back to Origin makes me genuinely sad. The menu still looks so delicious! And, although service was slow and a bit inattentive on the busy night when we visited for dinner, the staff do seem so nice. (Note: the middle of the dining room can feel claustrophobic in the small space if it's busy. Hold out for an edge table.)
But the taste just doesn't deliver for me, and the cost doesn't justify a third chance, even with a coupon. (And these days there's always a coupon.) Maybe it's just the vegetarian items, but unless you're staying at the Hard Rock across the street without means of transportation, I'd try a few other places before going to Origin.
So I've eaten at Origin India a handful of times and have had wildly different experiences. Â If I were to have judged based solely on the time I came for a lunch during the week, I might have gone with two stars. Â They didn't want to serve me off the menu, the server was rude and unhelpful, and the food wasn't anything special. Â Or there was the time I came on a late Sunday afternoon and I didn't have anyone even talk to me for the first 20 minutes after I had been seated....
So, why am I going with four stars? Â Well, when this place is good, it's five-star good. Â The servers are friendly and attentive, the food is tasty and flavorful, and you can usually find a deal to help on the cost. Â The restaurant itself is beautiful and makes a great date spot.
We are always seated quickly even when the place is packed. Â Usually we have someone ready to get our drink orders asap (except on super busy Sunday afternoons) and they are pretty good about refills.
My husband and I always order the same items at every Indian restaurant: a mango lassi, garlic naan, vegetable samosas, saag paneer, and vegetable korma. Â All of these are done well here. Â I wish the mango lassi was a little bigger and the garlic naan a little more doughy, but overall everything is great. Â This is the place where I found enormous chunks of cheese in my saag paneer and that put a big grin on my face.
Just a few fyi's: sign up for their frequent diner card and get $15 off every time you spend $100, find coupons through yelp/restaurant.com/etc, I've noticed their food is a tad spicier than other Indian places so be careful if you don't like heat, I don't really recommend coming at lunch considering the difference in service I've had at dinner time, their food is a little more upscale so they may have some different items than other Indian restaurants.
All that being said, the majority of the time Origin India is great. Â Just please don't hate on me if you catch them on a crazy Sunday afternoon.
My sister and I used the "$20 for $40" promotion last night at Origin India. It was my second time eating there but my first time since going vegan (my sister is vegan, too). We had pretty much decided on what we were going to order when my sister asked our server, Senad, a few questions about butter, meat broth, etc. He said, "You're vegan? We have a vegan menu," and took our menus and returned with a comprehensive two-page all vegan menu. My sister and I were pumped! The only problem with the vegan menu is THERE ARE NO PRICES! That really annoyed me. We asked Senad what the prices were and he said something along the lines of, "oh the prices are just like the regular menu." Not good enough. It seems so strange to go to the trouble of making up a whole vegan menu and then not provide prices.
The food came out quickly. We ordered 3 vegan samosas ($7) and they were fantastic. The rest of the food came out shortly thereafter. We ordered Baingan Bhartha ($11), Aloo Gobi ($11), and Bhindi Masala ($11). Since none of those dishes come with rice we ordered Pulao Rice ($4), which is basmati rice with saffron. We also ordered Roti ($2). Everything was delicious. The Bhindi Masala (an orka dish) was my favorite (I think my sister's, too). It had a lot of different, intense flavors. The Baingan Bartha (eggplant) was really good, too. It had a little bit of a spicy kick. The Aloo Gobi (curried potatoes and cauliflower) was also really good. I am a sucker for potatoes.
Over all it was a great meal. The priceless menu was annoying, and Senad was an overbearing server, but the food and the rest of the wait staff made up for the shortcomings. Excellent food! Vegan friendly. Make sure to ask for the vegan menu.
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