The good: the lunch buffet, ambiance (more formal than the other Indian restaurants in Bloomington), the samosas come with jars of chutney instead of small bowls
The bad: Service is very slow and forgetful. The food is inconsistent, hence my preference for the lunch buffet. Sample dinner: The meat curries on my thali platter were good, but the dal, and the gulab jamun were not. I also asked for medium hot spiciness on the meat curries and one came out medium and the other hot.
The two stars may be harsh, considering I would eat there again. But I just wouldn't highly recommend it.
Decent is how I would sum this place up. Â While Bloomington seems to have a large Indian-American community, the number and quality of the Indian restaurants seems pretty low. That said, this place is good when you are craving Indian food. We have been both for dinner and the lunch buffet. Â For the buffet, there was a good selection of chicken and vegetarian items, and lots of naan and sides. Â Nothing is particularly strongly spiced, and next time I may ask for additional seasoning. Â For dinner, we got samosas, chicken tikka, and channa masala. Â All of these are my Indian barometer dishes - I usually order them at places new to me to evaluate the place. Â All were perfectly fine, but nothing special.
Review Source:The first time we go to order takeout, we sit at the bar and wait for our food. My boyfriend opens a magazine on the counter, and a cockroach jumps out. GROSS. The lady tries giving us our food for free but we just left. She even followed us out of the restaurant practically begging us to take the food.
The second time we go (why did we even go back?) was because Little India was closed and we were absolutely craving Indian food. We tried to put the cockroach incident out of our minds and try the food. One word: disappointing. Our food lacked flavor and wasn't very hot when served to us. The food was just bland all around. Not spicy or flavorful. I was completely underwhelmed. I will never go back.
My husband and I had our rehearsal dinner here a couple days ago. We had a large group - 25 people - and many were wary about trying Indian food. We ordered several appetizers and then ordered enough naan for everyone and about 15 sauces. We passed around the sauces and everyone took a little if it looked good to them. It was a huge success! Only 1 (very stubborn) person didn't find something they didn't like - a feat considering we had a lot of older, more conservative eaters. The service was attentive, gracious and speedy - couldn't have been better. Everyone kept saying how delicious the food was and how it was such a good idea to have our rehearsal dinner there. It was a wonderful experience at one of our favorite restaurants in B-N.
Review Source:I went with a group of fellow coworkers for dinner one night. Â I believe there were about 10-15 of us. Â We split naan, tikka masala, and various other dishes I don't fully recall. The food came quickly, was super tasty, and pipping hot. Would definitely consider if I am ever in Bloomington again.
Review Source:I ventured off the highway to give this place a try for lunch after reading the positive reviews. I was disappointed. Â The place did not feel particularly clean or comfortable and the food flavor was just ok. Â The soda was flat and tasted stale as if the lines need to be flushed or replaced. Positives were that the buffet had decent choices and the service was excellent.
Review Source:Went for Lunch buffet.
They had about a dozen hot items - no lamb, no goat. Â A few vegetarian items.
The only thing I liked was a vegetarian dish I tried - it had carrots cut lengthwise with a nice spicy kick. Â Everything else was mediocre.. including the tandoori chicken, the other 3 chicken dishes, the other vegetarian dishes, the rices, and the naan.
The dessert "ball" was good.. but whoopie.
Not many diners at lunch - 3-4 tables.
Mediocre.
I have been a regular customer of Puran's since they opened several years ago. They offer a variety of Indian dishes, both vegetarian and meat dishes. The entrees are always fresh, and it's a rare event if they aren't spot on. They offer six levels of spice, and the sixth level is very, very spicy. They serve some of the freshest naan (bread) I've ever eaten. If you like garilc, try the garlic naan; you won't find better anywhere. They now offer a lunch buffet. The spice level/flavor is somewhat turned down compared to the menu versions of the same foods. I assume this is so the dishes will be palatable to a variety of tastes. They used to offer an Indian version of pizza, which was unique and very tasty; they might still make it if you ask. The chicken tikka pizza was my favorite. Like any restaurant, Puran gets mixed reviews. I'm not an expert on Indian food, but I have eaten at many Indian restaurants, and Puran is still my favorite. If you're new to Indian food, try the chicken tikka masala or chicken tandoori with garlic naan or another naan that interests you.
Review Source:I haven't had much Indian food in my life...but my dad is obsessed. Â I went home to visit and this is where he chose to go out to eat for his birthday. Â I was a little nervous at first... BUT they had a buffet available for lunch that day (which took the pressure off of ordering something on a menu full of things I'd never heard of!)
and I have to say .....
I was in delicious indian food heaven! Â The food on the buffet is very mild as far as spiciness goes...but they have a great array of different flavors. Â My dad is a huge fan and I liked it quite well myself too... I would definitely go back!
I keep going back and the food keeps getting better. I suggest getting the garlic naan and going with a couple friends so you can share a couple different dishes. I'm not sure which is my favorite, a close race between the Chicken Korma or the Chicken Ajwain. 5 out of 6 on the spice scale for the best flavor.
Review Source:I am a huge Puran fan! I used to go to an Indian restaurant in Peoria when I wanted to have Indian food. Thats right I drove an hour from Bloomington IL to Peoria IL to eat Indian food. Then someone told me about this establishment and I was so very happy.
The restaurant is always full and they have a large selection of unique foods. My family usually get the
I went here recently with a few friends. Being poor college students, this was quite a splurge, however the food was great. We ordered saag panner, chana masala, and a lamb dish that I can't remember the name of. The 2 I had (being a vegetarian) were great and the breads we ordered (naan and onion kulcha) were great. The service was reasonably fast and we always had water.
I don't know how helpful the staff would be with people not experienced with the food, so I can't critique on that. We were all fairly sure of what we wanted, since all 3 of us eat Indian regularly. Ordering 3 dishes and 2 breads were plenty for us and there were leftovers.
My only gripe is that for being in Bloomington-Normal, a huge university student area, it's a little expensive. Sharing among the 3 of us was good, but this couldn't be a regular thing. However the food was delicious, so no complaints there!
Please help yourself not going to this place. Taste is relative... so let me not even go to the taste side of it.
What pissed me of:
1. gone there with the kid, ordered a curry, and guess what, I had some good Iron content in it (pun intended). ---- Seriously there was a NUT (or a bolt) in the curry.
Later got to know it was a old TAVA (some kinda utensil to cook indian food) which had a loose nut and helped in the IRON content.
For me this was a very reckless gesture.
Later I was offered a 5$ offer on the check. Eh... but who cares. I did not mean to get a discount or anything. But what would have happened if my 4 year old had consumed it... Scary
I would avoid this place at any cost in future....
After having read several of the reviews here, I was expecting exceptional Indian food in the Central Illinois. What a rare treat that would have been? The food was bland. Â There is no other way to say it. Sure, we asked for medium spicy. But that doesn't mean they need to hold back on the flavors. None of the dishes we had were memorable in any sense. Being an Indian, I am accustomed to various flavors to be found in the dishes we had. Perhaps the best thing on our table was the tamarind chutney that came with the appetizer.
The service was decent. It left much to be desired. Â But for an Indian restaurant, it wasn't bad. For example, my friend was approached for our order while I was in the restroom. Judging from the ambiance, it wasn't a place where I was expecting anything more than decent service.
We had gone for dinner and had ordered off the menu. But I don't intend to return for dinner or the lunch buffet.
Hm...I just finished a perfectly nice (if pricey) meal at a classy, award-winning Indian restaurant in Dublin (Ireland, not Ohio), and walked away thinking wistfully of Puran. Â This is common, actually. Â It seems that after almost every time I eat Indian food, anywhere, the conversation comes around to, "know what's good? Â The Puran. Â Siiiiigh."
I don't know if you just always remember your first (my first taste of Indian food was here--in the company of a newish boyfriend, whom I later married, so happy memories all around) or if Puran is really just that much better than *a lot* of Indian restaurants in other states, bigger cities, and around the world. Â
I'm no expert and don't usually stray too far outside of the familiar favorites like chicken makhani or lamb vindaloo (I always mean to try something new, but I can't imagine missing out these when I'm there!), but even given my limited repertoire, I don't think I've ever had Indian food elsewhere that is better than I've had here. Â Equal, maybe--but not better. Â
I've never had the lunch buffet--have only been here for dinners that are far too few and far between now that I live three states away.
The other reviewers that like ordering from the menu, but aren't too happy with the buffet are right on. There is a world of difference in quality between the two. The buffet dishes are usually watered-down and mild with dry meat. The naan is burnt and flaky on the buffet, but when you order it from the menu, it's thick, chewy, and buttery.
I recommend the chicken chole, lamb saag, mattar paneer, veggie samosas, and garlic naan. The malai kofta is good, but not great. Order a little spicier than you normally would because a medium there is pretty mild. The service is usually indifferent at best, so carry out isn't a bad idea.
I've eaten here once for lunch and that was because the Caribbean restaurant I wanted to try was already closed. Â I'm so glad I tried it! Â We ate the buffet and I loved it. Â I'm usually not one for ethnic foods outside of mexican. Â I read the other reviews, and I don't know if I went on a good day or what. Â Service wasn't the greatest. Â We had trouble getting refills, but it was no biggie.
Review Source:Buffet is terrible. I have never had worse; what I've had elsewhere has always been cheaper, with better service. Between me and a companion, we had every item at the rather meager lunch buffet, which is not a good sign.
The Bad: Every chicken item was overcooked and dried out. The naan was hard, 'thick', and chewy, and was more like a dried-out pita than flaky, flexible, flavorful flatbread naan should be. The dal soup was all kinds of bad: the most accurate way (and I'm not trying to be overly nasty, poetic, or snarky) I could describe it would be mildewy-dirt taste, if that makes any sense. The saag paneer was all saag and no cottage cheese. The dal makhani was the absolute worst I have ever had. I love this dish, but here it is nearly inedible. An anemic salad was present, but was oxidizing by 12:40pm, and the fried onions/vegetables were soggy. The Tandoori chicken was without flavor and, again, over cooked. The stuff that should have been spicy wasn't, Â but it appeared that they had sauces you could apply.
The good: They labeled what was and wasn't vegetarian. The iced tea was a little better than fast fast food drive thru iced tea, but was far from 'good' iced tea. The honey bread balls and the sweet carrot pudding dessert were both good, but that is just a product of the amount of sugar and butter that goes into these sweet dishes.
The service: took long breaks and had no concept that when a buffet diner is finished with a plate, the plate should be cleared. They weren't even friendly. Even though we were alone save one other party, it seemed like a hassle for us to pay.
The decor: very tacky. Cheap framed pieces and an animated waterfall that would be more fitting in a Northwoods bar with the Hamm's logo plastered on it. Also, half a library of Bollywood DVDs, half a grocery store of Indian prepared meals (plus some on the wall near the buffet - are they advertising the fact that they cook prepared food for their guests?), and a surveillance video hooked up to a PC. Also featuring chartreuse and neon orange Engrish signage directing patrons through the buffet process. None of these things enhanced the dining experience.
All this and the place wasn't even cheap: $12.05 not including tip for a crusty 12-item lunch buffet plus a drink. More than $1 more than Ming's which is far superior.
I just went there for dinner this evening and had hear great things about the food and service. I'll admit the service was very good. The food was mediocre though. Typically I expect the rice to have some sort of flavor of usually its infused with lavender, but here they serve it plain. I also noticed that they named some of the dishes as masalas and others as curries, but I'm not sure why. The flavor was okay, but it seemed to be slightly bland. I'm not sure if its just suppose to be suited more for an American pallet or what, but it wasn't what I expect. I think there are more authentic and better places in town for Indian cuisine.
Review Source:I recently tried the lunch buffet, and found it just to be OK. Â Not as many vegetarian options as I'd hoped, and staff had trouble keeping it stocked. Â It was REALLY busy in there. Â It wasn't bad food or a bad experience --if you ask me to go here I will say yes --but I much prefer dinner or ordering off the menu.
And I must say, I love Puran so much I don't even seek out Indian food when I'm in Chicago anymore. Â Food is always fresh, fast, perfectly seasoned, and affordable. Â I always have leftovers for the next day, and they are my favorite leftovers in the world. Â LOVE this place!
Headed back to the 'Lou from a weekend jaunt, the wife and I snuck away from the interstate to find some dinner options beyond the golden arches and were rewarded for our efforts with a mountain of Indian delight.
The place seemed a little slow for a Sunday night, which may be why hearty samosas and fried cheese cubes materialized on our table faster than we could say "na'an." The cheese was so-so, but the samosas were probably some of the best I've ever had. Our entree followed shortly thereafter, and even after splitting it between the two of us we still carted home leftovers.
I know buffets are king on the Indian food circuit, but I find it hard to beat lightning-fast table-service and the makings of a Monday lunch.
I've only been here for dinner, a group arranged. Now it says that they serve a buffett, and i saw the parts for it, yet our group arranged for a sit down meal. We had appetizers and the group ordered various varieties of sauces to choose from. They have a good selection for traditional Indian food. As a disclaimer this was the first time I had eaten Indian food before. I was quite impressed with the selection of sauces and entrees to choose from. It was flavorful but expensive for my budget.
The staff was quite nice and attentive, then again we were the only group there at 10 at night.
Good place for Indian, not light on the wallet if you are ordering... the buffet may be differently priced.
I came in at 12:40 pm on a Thursday for the lunch buffet. Â There were 6 customers other than me, but the buffet steam table was fully stocked. Â Typical Indian buffet, nothing too great nor too horrible. Â The weirdness comes from the groceries stocked here and there in the dining area, including a wall of refrigerators covered by drapes.
Review Source:Was in town for work and popped into this place expecting a pretty mediocre dinner. Â I received my food and was pleasantly surpised to find such a great indian restaurant. Â I played it safe and went for the tikka masal and would definitely order it again. Â The naan was fresh and tasty too. Â If life takes me back to Bloomington this spot is on the agenda.
Review Source:Been here a handful of times and never been disappointed. If you like Indian food, then you'll like this place alot, If you never had Indian food, then give it a shot. Great range of spiciness, (i like it hot, and the medium high level is about perfect). Â The naan here is great, they have some pretty good beers, and the food is always delicious, plus you will get enough for leftovers. Highly recommended for a town lacking in originality.
Review Source:It seems to have gone downhill. Maybe I went on a bad night, but I ordered the fish tikka and it was horribly dry, overcooked, and overpriced. I think the curries were blander than before as well. Anyway, it's still okay, just not exceptional. Next time I'm sticking to the curries and asking for more spice. Naan was still excellent.
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