We found this place through Yelp and decided to try it on our way back from LA this summer. We had Chicken biryani wraps and lassi. The owner was very helpful when we asked for suggestions on what we could order for our toddler. We ended up ordering a half plate of egg biryani which our son liked. The food wasn't spicy and was quite tasty.
The restaurant itself is quite spacious and clean.
Much better than MacD and other crap food.
We have travelled between LA and SF many many times over the years and we always avoided this place even though it looked very inviting to us (Indians from India) because, who the hell puts a Indian restaurant in the middle of no where. In general you can't trust a Indian establishment even in the middle of the city, then there is no way I would have walked into this place.
We stopped on our way back from LA because all the restaurants in SF would close by the time we would have reached there. So we decided to stop here for an early dinner after eating all the crap (IHOP, MacD, Hot dogs and what not) in LA
The place was bit hot (first week of june). The AC was turned off and bathroom was not very clean. But that did not matter.
You have to order and pay before you sit. Other reviewers who are complaining about this probably don't know that you have to do the same with many other fast food restaurants except that fast food with fries is bad for you. (MacD has made America fat)
I ordered Chicken Do-Pyaza, Chicken Biryani few naans and samosa. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the taste of the food. The quantity is not much but not too bad at all. I easily finished 2 naans with chicken curry served. Comparing the quantity of food served in LA and San Diego at a Indian restaurants it is not much different.
Being in the middle of the desert has it's cost added to it so it is ok.
Chicken Do-Pyaza was amazing and the naan was tasty. The chicken biryani was bit low on salt but not too bad, we didn't add any extra salt. Samosa was good and mango lassi for drink was outstanding.
Over all, I am very happy with a newly discovered place on-route to LA. This address goes on my fav address to stop by next time I go down to LA
Travelling on Interstate 5 through California's central valley doesn't make for a lot of choice in dining. There are plenty of the standard fast food places, and not much else. This is especially true if you're vegan like me. I can carry food bars and buy bananas from Starbucks.
But in Buttonwillow, near the southern end of the valley, there is Taste of India. This is not a vegan restaurant, but they have many vegan options. They are clearly marked on the menu board, and there is a separate vegan menu for convenience. They even have a vegan mango lassi made with soy milk.
I'm no expert at Indian cuisine, but the dishes we had were very tasty. I don't know how they would compare against Indian restaurants in urban areas, but remember this is out in Buttonwillow -- hours from Los Angeles, and even more hours away from San Francisco.
The man at the counter was friendly and helpful. Regardless of whether you are vegan, I'd recommend Taste of India as a great alternative to the usual roadside fast food.
I have decided to write a review after several years of stopping at this place during my drives between LA & SF. Â I only order a few things so I can only comment on those: I order the samosas which are fresh made & come out of the kitchen piping hot & very flavorful. The egg biryani wrap from this place is one of my favorite meals of all time. It is always super fresh & delicious. With fresh egg, biryani rice & mixed veggies with a slight touch of tamarind sauce, it always has the right amount of spice & it's all wrapped up in a super fresh soft tortilla. I actually have cravings for it, which isn't common for me. I usually top it off with a fresh made mango lassi drink which again is wonderful. Great food & great service.
I am sorry to see the bad reviews & must say that I have never experienced any of the issues that I see others writing about. I have been coming here for years now during my travels & the owner & all the other staff that I have ever dealt with here have always been courteous & respectful. The mens bathroom has always been clean when I have gone in & although the decor may be dated, it has never bothered me. I definitely recommend this place.
This review is mostly being done in response to the other reviews I've seen of this place. Yelp raters, you seriously need to get off your high horses. Just because you live in a place where all the food is amazing doesn't mean you can hold every other place in the world to the same standard. This restaurant isn't all that great by my normal metric, but considering where it's located and the type of clientele they usually have to deal with they totally deserve a break. I don't usually do this, but since some folks seem to lack the necessary perspective I'm going to address a few of the common 1-star complaints one at a time:
1.) "The place is filthy"
Response: It's in the middle of the desert, guys. There's a lot of dust, but nothing unsanitary. Fucking deal with it.
2.) "The bathroom is dirtier than most truck-stop bathrooms"
Response: What kind of mythical truck stops have you been going to? Compared to the places I've seen the toilets here are clean enough to eat off of.
3.) "The staff are rude and the service is terrible"
Response: If you had to deal with a bunch of fat, picky, rude, and probably racist tourists all day every day, you'd probably be a little impatient too. They were plenty nice to us when we came to visit, although the waitress was a little confused by our order. To put it simply: If you're kind to them, they'll be kind back. If they can see the stick jutting out of your ass, maybe not so much.
4.) "The food is overpriced"
Response: First of all, the food here is NOT overpriced. It's marginally more expensive than Carl's Jr and about on par with the typical price of Indian food in SF. I don't know what kind of budget curry house you have in your home town, but the prices here aren't that bad. Second off... Do you think these people have a  cardamon tree growing in their backyard or something? Fresh veggies and spices aren't easy to come by in the middle of nowhere. These guys have to get their ghee shipped in from hundreds of miles away. That shit ain't cheap, guys. To put it simply: YOU ARE NOT PAYING FOR THE FOOD ITSELF. YOU ARE PAYING FOR THE FACT THAT THERE IS INDIAN FOOD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT, HUNDREDS OF MILES FROM CIVILIZATION. If you don't like the prices, then shut up and enjoy your McSomething with Cheese.
5.) "The food is bland"
Response: See comment #3 about picky tourists. Most of the customers who visit this place probably aren't used to Indian food, and won't be willing to eat it if it isn't mild. The solution to this problem is simple: Tell the waitress you want it spicy! Problem solved.
Basically, considering what these people have to work with I think they're doing an amazing job. I have seen better Indian food, even in the middle of nowhere, but I'm still happy that this place exists and I fully intend to visit them again next time I'm on the 5. I highly suggest you do the same.
Worst Indian Food I have ever had!
Bad attitude, Horrible food, Naan were reheated and served.
Red chilli powder was poured in ..
Biryani wrap was a joke!!
OVER PRICED, SMALL PORTIONS.. Total Rip off!
Never ever will go there.. . Will opt for a Subway instead if I don't have a choice!!
T
The family was driving on our way from LA to Santa Rosa, when we spotted a sign in the boonies that said 'Try our vegan indian food.' Â We were intrigued, so we stopped and were pleasantly surprised to see they had "wraps," since we were in a hurry to get back on the road.
We had the Chana masala wrap, Samosas, Veggie wrap, and some garlice naan. Let's just say, this will be our stop every time we head up north again. Needless to say, on our way back down to LA, we stopped again and had an another amazing meal. The Chana wrap is much better than the veggie wrap.
They even concocted for us a vegan mango lassi (minus the yogurt). It was AMAZING!
One star taken off for being a hole in the wall, that almost looks abandoned from the outside. Thank goodness, we double checked.
I regret all the years we drove past this place thinking "Indian food in the middle of nowhere is not a good idea", it was awesome!  I'm a vegetarian so roadtrip food is never as fun for me.  My brother-in-law recommended this place as a stop on our way home. Winner!  It was incredibly clean, the staff was beyond friendly and the menu options covered any and every taste you might be looking for.  Since we were in a hurry to get back on the road we went with the wraps to go.  I got the vegetable biryani and my husband got chicken, they'll also make it spicy for you which just wins me over even more. The garlic naan wasn't supeeerr good but  I still devoured the whole thing.  This place is definitely a nice change from the usual road food.
Review Source:We drive by this place all the time on the long-stretch of grossness that is 1-5. Â And we LOVE Indian food. Â So we stopped. Â And we won't stop again.
It wasn't disgusting or horrific. Â But it wasn't good and it was WAY overpriced. Â It was just sort of bland and dry. Â And the price was out of this world expensive for Indian food (especially of a crummy quality).
So, do yourself a favor and swing on by to Taco Bell: you will be much happier you did.
DO NOT STOP here. Disgusting, overpriced tourist trap off the 5 freeway. $12 lunch specials with only one entree option. $3 extra to get the choice you want. $10 for the worst saag paneer of my life. No customer service. Dirty atmosphere. I joined yelp just to comment on this travesty representing Indian food. I asked the waitress- locals don't go here-just unsuspecting people driving through because of a huge sign off of the freeway.
Review Source:I drive from SF to LA frequently and I give these nice folks 5 stars for their Veggie Biryani wraps. They are fresh, tasty and can be eaten with one hand while the other is on the wheel...Look, in the middle of nowhere this food is not competitive with metro Indian restaurants but good grab n' go faire.
Review Source:$17.99 for one chicken dish(tiki masala) , 2 samosa and nan bread. Rice extra.
One size yogurt for $3.99 extra.
Samosa were just ok but good w included green sauce. Â Masala was decent but standard factory chicken. Nan was fresh.
Too hot to eat in dining room. When eating at Starbucks seems like a good deal one has to wonder about their pricing. I actually did eat at Starbucks afterward since the food was too hot to eat and stayed hot til I got to LA so it definitely was hot!
Considering it was in the middle of nowhere it was good. Â Vegetarians might do better here.
We stopped by this place on the way driving back from LA. Â We ordered the Lamb Curry, Chicken Masala, rice, and garlic naan. Â The rice was a bit dry, but everything else was good. Â I have had good Indian food in Berkeley and in LA, and I would say this place is comparable but not as good. Â It is definitely worth stopping by if you don't want to eat at a fast food chain in the middle of nowhere. Â It is a bit more expensive than what I am used to, but not so bad. Â It's just considering it's location, I think it's as good as it can get.
It was empty, and looked somewhat runned-down, but all I care is if the food is good and the place is sanitary enough to eat at. Â Besides, people are usually annoying anyways, so I liked the fact it was empty.
I'd rate this more as a 2.5 star place (considering the circumstances), but I'd like to have enjoyed this place more than I actually did. This place just doesn't have a whole lot going for it.
To start, the food was pretty good. Living in the bay area I'm accustomed to good Indian food, and this place was by no means bad. That being said, it wasn't minding blowing by any stretch of the imagination, and the naan, which is a must whenever you have Indian food, was thin, dry, and kind of burnt.
I'm happy to say I didn't get food poisoning, yet the problem is I shouldn't have to be worried about that kind of thing when I go into a restaurant. The fact of the matter is that looking at this place outside and in, I had my doubts. The bathroom for one was worse than ones you'd find at gas stations. The place was empty except for one other group, and the decor and lighting was pretty bleak on the inside. With hardly anyone at the restaurant and no music playing, I felt anxious after ordering at the front, not knowing what to do with myself.
However, driving down from San Francisco to LA, this is one of the only places you're going to get for a while. It's convenient, and if you feel like getting something that's not from a chain, you're super hungry, or you're in the mood for Indian, you might want to give it a try. But, if you're looking for a hidden gem off the interstate, this is not it. If you really want a restaurant experience, you might want to just wait for an hour or two and keep driving.
Well, it didn't make us sick. So that was good.
The bathrooms were filthy.. disgusting beyond the pale. The restaurant was shabby with little to no effort put into maintaining it. It might have looked nice once.
For all the big signs saying "Try our Vegan menu," they were out of their vegan menus for perusal and didn't seem at all interested in relaying the contents to interested parties.
Everything tasted like it was microwaved or out of a can (canned peas..seriously).
[3.5 stars]
Summary:
- Food is decent and unique for a significant distance
- Service is friendly and straight-forward (order and pay at counter)
- Price is above average
Indian cuisine - another staple part of a Singaporean's diet.
It was semi-dark and raining on interstate 5 on my drive up to Monterey. I flew past my usual pit stop (Ranch House off Gorman exit) and tried to get as far from the rain as possible. (You know how it is - crazy Californian drivers who have no clue how to properly drive in the rain - hydroplaning trucks, RVs, and rice-rockets are no bueno).
I was closing in on Lost Hills and I've passed most of the heavy rain when I saw the Taste of India sign. Indian food...and a hungry Singaporean. Yeah, its over, I'm definitely exiting into another little area in the middle of nowhere.
I walked into a completely empty restaurant at 3:30 pm. Looked at their extensive menu and ordered a lamb mushroom curry (~$11), small plate of basmati rice (~$3), garlic naan (~$3), and a kingfisher beer (~$5). It took about 20 minutes before my food was ready and during that time, I just chatted up the lady working right there and stared at the remains of a charred burning vehicle across the street with lots of emergency workers attending to the immediate area. Talk about timing, lol.
Hot, spicy, lusciously complex and flavorful lamb curry over warm basmati rice pairs perfectly with the current cold and rainy weather. The garlic naan was thinner than I'm accustomed to and pleasantly crunchy. Kingfisher beer was a nice match with the food as well.
NOTE:
There is only one reason why I couldn't give this place 4 stars. I wasn't paying enough attention to the menu because of the fire across the street. So I just asked for lamb curry and the lady behind the counter asked if I wanted basmati rice and garlic naan to go with it. I agreed, paid for it, and then wondered why my bill was $23. I thought for a second that the beer must have been $10-ish until I sat down and noticed that the rice and naan were about $3. Pricing is obviously off BUT that's what happens when this spot is the Indian food monopoly for a significant amount of miles - above average prices and remain in business for more than 9 years.
This restaurant looks scary from the outside and inside but we decided to give it a try anyways. We figured it would be better than McDonalds. We were right. We read the reviews and decided to give the chicken curry a try and we asked for something off the menus and they gladly made it for us (vegetable korma).
The vegetables were all fresh and you could tell it was just made as none of the veggies were soggy...surprisingly full of color as well. The chicken curry was not cream based which we liked and the rice was good. Unlike other reviews the wait for food was only 15 minutes and the server at the front was very helpful and nice.
All in all for people who love Indian food we thought it was good and loved the "A" rating it got for being clean. I would def stop here again when driving the 5 fwy rather than fast food any day! Not fancy but stick to the very basics and it's great!
I was all excited to be able to get some tasty Indian food on the 5 drive but  I think a veggie Subway sam would have been cheaper and better for vegan options. The veggie wrap here was made with a tortilla instead of nan which was odd. Also it had a pretty sad selection of vegetables inside of it considering it was about $6, just some carrots, cabbage and rice really, no beans or anything interesting. Serves me right for the one time I forget to check Yelp first.
If they were really happy and nice here it would have been worth a second try but they seemed kind of down and not very freindly (note that the girl that got my wrap was fine but the other guys walking around like zombies were creepy).
I really think that the whole point of having a restaurant in the middle of nowhere geared towards the average road tripper is to put out tasty food in a timely manner.
Stopped by here on the way to SF.
Like a lot of the reviewers here, Indian does sound amazing compared to the usual fast food options.
BUT..this place is nothing but fast.
We ordered the palak paneer, chicken biyrani, and yellow dal.
After the hour it took for the food to come out, I was disappointed. Â Â
The dal was decent, but that was it. Â
The decor here is extremely lacking. Remnants of what used to be there were poorly covered up with maps, and huge canvases.
Our food was wheeled out to us, which reminded me of an asylum.
All the flies buzzing around would have made me lose my appetite if I wasn't starving.
Did this food hit the spot? No, not really.
Did I feel like it was overpriced? Yeah, pretty much.
Would I come back? hmm, a big maybe.
It wasn't the best Indian food I've ever had (seeing as growing up in the Bay Area and going to college in Davis has spoiled me), but for food that doesn't come from a drive thru window along I-5 or out of a cooler that has made your food dubious, it was good enough for me. I was with two vegetarians as well, which made it easier that going to Denny's where they would inevitably get a salad. They were both happy with what they got, and I inhaled my lamb curry.
Not the best place to stop if you're in a hurry to get to your destination, but it hit the spot. Plus the mango lassi calmed my stomach somewhat so that's always a plus.
I have probably passed the billboard advertisement for this place over 30 times on my journeys to and from San Diego but have never stopped here until yesterday for two main reasons:
1. Â I hate stopping on road trips. Â I like to get to my destination as fast as possible and only stop for gas when the light comes on.
and
2. Â I hate the smell of Indian food and especially the way the smell attaches to your hair and clothes. Â
So you may be asking why I finally decided to stop in here yesterday...
Lets just say my Dad and I are very different when it comes to road trips. Â He likes to stop every 30 min for either a smoke break, a bathroom break, gas stop, snack stop, or to stretch his legs out. Â Heaven forbid we do all the above in one stop! Â
The food was mediocre. Â The yogurt was wattery and the menu said it included carrots and cucumbers however there were just a few slivers of each. Â The green salad was pretty much just chopped lettuce with a few veggies here and there. Â Ranch was the only dressing. Â Last time I checked, ranch is about the farthest from Indian you could get.
Not a fan. Â Service was slow and when we asked for an extra bowl, he never brought one to us.
Sure it's not in a fancy area off th I-5, then again, what is? Â As soon as I walked up to the door I noticed the "A" rating. Â YAY!
The naan was great, I wasn't crazy about the Vegetable Biryani Wrap, basically it's rice wrapped up (low-carb nightmare) and the matar paneer tasted good. Â I would visit it again.
Here are the restaurants near Taste of India:
Tita's Pupuesria, Willow Ranch, Travel Center, Planta Rojo Ice Cream, Elsy's Antojiitos, Taco Bell, Buttonwillow Auto Truck Plaza, etc.
You get the idea?? Â This is not exactly gourmet cuisine. Â In fact, it's pretty much tasteless junk: Â just what you would expect along the I-5. Â I fly along the I-5, the fastest route from LA to SF because it's much faster than the 101. Â Â It the same for the entire route - junk food. Â When you drive along the route you eat because we're hungry, not because we are looking for gourmet. Â
I'm vegan and will not eat at any of the numerous junk food places along the I-5. Â I am excited to have my very own vegetarian junk food place along the I-5: Taste of India. Â Â
It's okay vegetarian junk food. Â
If this place was in the city, I wouldn't eat here. Â But I wouldn't eat at Buttonwillow Truck Stop either if it was in the city!
So I eat here because of the location! Â 3 stars for food 1 + 1 star for location.
I agree that the food is spicy, which I love. Â I got medium spice, and that was just right for me but would probably be too spicy for most. Â
I have never been a more interesting bathroom: Â 3 soap dispensers (eenie meenie, miney, moe), paper towel dispenser and hand dryer, terrible paint job and one tacky "bouquet" of dusty pink silk flowers.
Better than I expected! Come on, it's off I-5 in the middle of nowhere! I think Yelpers are grading this place a little harshly.
I was drawn in by the crafty handmade signs and the novelty of Indian cuisine on my looong drive back down to college. So I stopped by here with Rita S.
The naan came out piping hot and neatly sliced. We also ordered two vegetable samosas, which were well spiced but contained less potato and more onion than I preferred.
The meal came with mango "chutney" which was watery and somewhat tasted like mango. I ordered a side of cilantro chutney which tasted fresh, authentic, extremely spicy!! Overall I definitely preferred Taste of India over the usual highway stop fare of  Denny's, McDs, or slimy Subway sandwiches.
The inside has kind of tacky decor but at least they tried, plus I appreciated the Bollywood film on in the background. The restaurant has beers with interesting names: Karma in a dark bottle and a spicy hard lemonade  with an actual jalapeno chile in the stem of the glass!
Don't do it!!! Â DON'T. Â
The food was completely inedible. Â The Chicken Tandoori (over $11, plus the extra charge for rice) was so dry I could hardly chew it, and the only flavor was from the overwhelming bell peppers. Â Just awful.
I ate a couple of bites, and then shared a little of my friend's Chicken Tikka Masala instead. Â That one was, again, dry chicken, even though it was soaked in sauce. Â The rice (which, like I said, costs EXTRA on every entree) was squishy, bland white rice - NOT Basmati.
It was so bad that I asked the nice-but-clueless waitress to take it off the bill, but that didn't happen. Â She grimaced and asked "Uh, what do you want me to do?" and I said, again, to please take it off the bill. Â She grimaced again and said "Um, I'll have to ask, because I don't know..." Â Cut to a few minutes later, when she comes back and says "They said it's supposed to be like that... (with some rambling explanation about how they cook it before making it into tandoori, or something like that) ... so, it's dry meat. Â That's how it's supposed to be." Â Uh, no - Tandoori is awesome in every other place I've ever been to. Â It's "supposed" to be incredibly moist and tender and flavorful. Â That's how it's "supposed" to be.
So, not only is the food awful, but apparently some $15 is more important to them than happy customers. Â Seems like they're relying on unsuspecting one-time travelers and have no hopes for repeat business ... and it shows in their product and service.
For a non meat-eater, a trip through central California can be a dreary one. The I-5 is a barren wasteland of steak houses and the smell of bored cows getting ready to die, and granola bars do little to satiate ones appetite. Under these circumstances, the word "vegan" flying past you at 90 mph in big red capital letters can easily be interpreted as a mirage, a wish that your brain is tricking you into believing--but it's no mirage, it's Taste of India.
Location is Taste of India's greatest attribute. The Buttonwillow exit off the 5 is like any other--a small oasis of gas stations and fast food. But this conveniently placed Indian restaurant separates it from the rest.
I haven't had the chance to try anything other than their wraps, but they do have an extensive menu of both meat-based and vegetarian plates. They used to have four vegan wraps, but now only have one, the #1. The #1 was a colorful blend of rice, veggies and herbs, and delighted my tongue with a unique combination of sweet and spicy (beware: we ordered ours mild and they were quite spicy). Our wraps came out in less than two minutes and could easily be eaten while driving with only a little messiness. I cannot speak for the rest of the menu, but next time you see the big wooden signs, pull over at Buttonwillow and check it out--this wrap is worth it.
The best thing about this place is the very nice young ladies who work here.
The "Indian Tea" (only served in styrofoam) tasted suspiciously like Lipton with milk (no spice, no sugar-- and no sugar on the tables).
The service is terrible, the salt level is lethal, and the prices are nothing short of... highway robbery! Yes!
I agree, keep driving.
PS: I just realized that THIS is probably where I got food poisoning on this trip.
Ummm. Â I'm ashamed to say that I've eaten here. Â Twice no less.
The first time was about four months ago and my wife and I saw the brightly colored billboards of Taste of India and were thrilled that there was something different than the typical Toxic Hell, Jack in the Crack and all the other road trip gut bombs so prevalent on Interstate 5. Â Hell we were ecstatic that we could have Indian food. Â We had actually had pretty good luck with Interstate Indian food in the past, so we were willing to give it a shot.
The first trip was a good one. Â I would have given the restaurant three stars easily. Â We had Saag Paneer and Naan with two hot chai. Â The food was actually edible, good even. Â The staff was great and we congratulated ourselves for finding a diamond in the rough.
Fast forward to Thanksgiving weekend...Buttonwillow is a freaking demilitarized zone...People everywhere...Lines at all of the restaurants, at the gas station, at Starbucks. Â It was mayhem. Â We pulled into Taste of India's parking lot. It was packed. Â We go inside. Â It was a microcosm of what was happening outside. Â Utter craziness. Â We finally got seated and waited to order. And we waited...
Finally someone came to take our order.  Wanting something light, we both ordered the 'Indian wraps' I ordered chicken and Astrid ordered the veg version and two chai.  And we waited some more. The food came out on a Rubbermaid rolling cart and the waitress plopped it down in front of us.  It looked disappointing.  It was nothing but a freaking burrito with biryani as the stuffing.  We took our first bites and were even more disappointed by the flavor.  It was bland and tasteless, the antithesis of what Indian food should be.  Astrid's veg wrap was made with canned 'Veg-All' <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm1.static.flickr.com%2F98%2F245491425_274fce8fe7.jpg%3Fv%3D0&s=daf604f132e1cd2c722bd89b87426f5dd078aa72238f45b797a955bcf2762e9b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://farm1.static.flic…</a> veggies.  There was nothing fresh about it. The chai was cold and we had to ask for sugar instead of the Splenda they gave us.  Who uses Splenda in Chai?  Nasty.
We left with $20 less in our wallets and a disappointing meal in our bellies. Â Don't be lured by the pretty signs that beckon you with promises of fresh food. Â They might as well be Sirens calling you to your doom.
Just keep driving...
Believe me, don't stop. I know, those colorful, handcrafted signs along the abysmal stretch of desert road that is I-5 are appealing. With the sequence of quirky little boards popping up with bold lettering, reminding you that there is an Indian restaurant in lieu of a burger shack, boasting things like "fresh ingredients", "wraps to go", "vegetarian", and even "taste", it seems like a no-brainer to pull over in Buttonwillow and show this mom and pop joint some love. Don't do it! I repeat, do NOT do it.
I, like many others apparently, was lured in by the signs. I had been on the road for hours, my stomach was growling, and I was preparing to head to one of the countless fast-food spots to get a quick bite to eat. That's when I saw it: the cardboard Taste of India roadside advertisement. I was elated, and eagerly followed the vibrant trail of homemade signs to my destination.
The restaurant seemed clean enough when I arrived. I gave the menu a once over and decided I would try one of their ultra-convenient wraps to take on the road with me. I ordered it with lamb and waited over twenty minutes before I received my food. The wait didn't bother me so much, because 1) I was sick of being in the car, 2) I expected the food to be good, 3) they were busy and 4) there was a sweet Bollywood musical playing on the TV that entertained me for a while.
When I finally got my meal, I headed out to my car and attempted to eat it. Key word: attempted. First of all, there was no way it was a "to go" kind of wrap. It was impossible to just pick it up and bite into it, a knife and fork are required. What a silly concept, a wrap for the road that you have to balance on your lap and eat with utensils.
Once I gave up on the idea of eating and driving simultaneously, I dived in. It smelled really good, it looked tasty, and I was starving; lethal combination. After inhaling a few bites of the wrap, shoving food in my face so fast I couldn't even taste it, I began to pace myself and realized I had made a mistake. I was completely underwhelmed by the amount of flavor contained in the wrap. It was a tortilla encasing raw carrot slices, mushy rice that somehow had the aroma of spices without the taste of them, and awful meat.
OH GOD THE MEAT! Just thinking about it makes me want to vomit again. That's right, AGAIN. I ate about half of the wrap, got back on the road, I started feeling queasy and I had to pull over and yack it back up. I felt nauseous during the remainder of my drive and almost can't stomach the thought of eating Indian food again, and I LOVE Indian food. All for the bargain price of $12.38.
If India tasted like a wet sock stuffed with rancid meat, then the name of the restaurant would be suitable. Until then, I suggest they change the name from "Taste of India" to "Taste of Food Poisoning", since that seems to be a more cohesive theme here.
Consider yourself warned!
I wish I had done a search on yelp of this place BEFORE we stopped for lunch. We didn't want the usual fast food and we'd been to Mike's Roadhouse Cafe before and it wasn't exciting either. This place looked interesting.
We get inside and ordered. I was IMing my friend and he checked out this place on yelp and told me to NOT eat there. Too late. Our food was already coming out.
We ordered chicken biryani, chicken vindaloo, garlic naan and hubby got a veggie biryani wrap. I thought it weird that all the wraps were biryani wraps -- never ever had a biryani wrap before. Hubby was eating and I tucked into the chicken biryani.... it was bland and tasteless. It did not resemble any biryani I've ever tasted, in fact, the biryani at Masala Bowl is better and that's saying a lot.
The chicken vindaloo was hot, like temperature hot so I thought it should be fine eating it. Then, my friend IMed me saying several reviewers said they got sick eating there and one had the wrap. As soon as I told hubby, he stopped eating and pushed his wrap out of the way.
The vindaloo was weak and watery. The garlic naan, although seemed to please the young man, was hard and crunchy instead of soft and pillowy. The garlic on top was also really pathetic. I really regretted eating the plate of serrano chilis and onions -- which were raw -- but I prayed that I wouldn't get sick.
It was so expensive too. $40 for that and the portions were small, not that I care since we didn't really want to eat any more anyway. The pre packaged Indian food from Trader Joe's is far better than this crap they're trying to serve up.
There were flies buzzing around inside and the whole set up was really weird. I think it's a good concept to have an Indian restaurant on I-5 where all you see are fast food chains, but c'mon.... make the food at least half way decent. You have to be truly dying for Indian food to eat here. Honestly, I'm sure if I try, I could make better tasting Indian food than this.
Only positive thing was that none of us got sick. And next time, I'll settle for a Whopper thank you very much.
I give this place a 5 for the concept - Â there is truly a need for alternatives to fast food, especially ones that are good for vegitarians - but as of this review, as much as I would like it to be good, its simply not up to snuff. Â Weird signs everywhere suggest a hostility to customers. Flies, flies and more flies landing on my food as I eat. No, this is not acceptable in the US.
The food was decent but bland and left me with an uncertain, mildly yucky feeling.
I want to support this place but it needs work for sure.
Simple ways to improve it:
1) remove all signs telling customers rules. Have one sign to refuse service if needed.
2) change the drape to blinds or use a coating. The drapes as is are scary.
3) let people fill a water bottle if needed, that is a nice service even if it is trouble for you.
4) have hot sauce available in a squeeze bottle so customer know it is there.
5) solve the fly problem - seriously its bad.
6) try to speed up service. You serve wraps with 3 fillings that should be able to be served faster.
7) the wraps we had were  too wide to eat. Wraps should be narrower and longer as opposed to wider and shorter.
One of the more bizarre road trip stops. The dingy, run down restaurant has signs all over the place inside, including the funny aforementioned "YOU MUST PAY FOR WHAT YOU ORDER" (really!) to "Please do not fill water bottles" on the standalone water dispensers, to inspirational quotes from Oprah and other celebs. Bollywood playing on the lone TV. Giant bathroom...with one lone toilet. You could've fit a Mini Cooper in there.
On to the food: their wraps made with "very thin naan"...uh, you're not fooling me. I know a flour tortilla when I see one. The veggie biryani wrap (were those peanuts crunching in the mix?) was suitably spicy and passable, but by no means great. The samosas, weak. Being the only game in town off the 5 freeway, they charge accordingly (over $10 for my food). I've had much better Indian food buffets for much less. I felt like a sucker, falling for the few ads off the freeway.
The food is actually two stars--third star for the sheer novelty. Road trippers, you gotta check it out once.
After seeing the ghetto painted sign on I-5 I decided to give this small business some business. Â I agree with the other comments, the restaurant itself is not set up the best space wise, nor was I anticipating this to be excellent Indian food (I've consumed the homemade stuff way too many times already). Â
The good news is, that I had no urge to shit out my pants the remainder of the drive home, the bad news is avoid the spicy  unless you really like your tongue on fire.  I consider myself to have a high level of spicy tolerance but  damn their spicy was hot!  Next time I'll go with the medium instead!
Also they have decent prices, it would be about the same price had you hit up a fast food joint instead.
Sure, it's not the tastiest India food you'll ever eat in your life, but it is the best choice for a real meal for a good long while. The food is cooked when you order it, so it takes about 20 minutes but at least it hasn't been sitting in some vat all day.
The korma was decent and the vindaloo was good, but both are better if you order them spicy. You have to rice order separately though, which is odd. Who eats a curry without rice? Their chai was sweet and creamy and a wonderful way to end the meal.
I've been to India (not that a vacation makes anyone an expert in that country's cuisine!!) and had much worse meals. If you're trying to make time, take your pick of any fast food drive-thru. Â If you're looking for a break from driving and craving something that isn't junk food, give it a try.
Oh god no, don't do it. Â as tempting as this place seems in comparison to the fast food options along the boring old, stinky cattle-slaughter-house smelling I-5....I BEG you, don't do it! Â
Unless of course you want to eat the worst Indian food you've ever had anywhere (i've been to India, i know my food) and....AND wait a whole hour to get the crappy shite. (reminder to self: aren't you on the I-5 because you're looking for the fastest way from SF to LA??)
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