Urban India

If you're reading this review, you're probably deciding on which Indian restaurant on Devon to dine at, or that you've chosen to eat at Urban India already and you want to feel confident in your decision by reading positive reviews.

Rest assured, Urban India is fantastic.

I have tried many an Indian restaurant on Devon. My favorite is Mysore Woodlands, but it's vegetarian. Sometimes I am mindful of my boyfriend's omnivorous needs and  seek other options. We saw Urban India opening up earlier this year where Gandhi India (which was god-awful) used to be. Urban India's purple sign in san serif font is hard to miss. I suggested that we try it and I am glad we did. We parked at the parking garage at Rockwell and Devon. It's reasonable at $2 for the first hour, then $1 after that. It's much easier than finding parking on the street.

We went on a Friday night around 6pm. It was empty. Okay, so maybe it wasn't a positive impression. After eating here though, this restaurant deserves to be busier! The service was prompt and the food came out quickly. The waiter was quiet, but polite. On the menu you'll find your favorites. We ordered Samosas, Paneer Tikka, Garlic Naan, Mutter Paneer, and Murg Malai Tikka (boneless chicken marinated in yogurt and spices).

Here's the low-down:

Samosas - You get two large pieces stuffed full with potatoes and peas in a light, flaky crust.
Paneer Tikka - I haven't had this in a long time. Urban India's version was so flavorful! I gobbled it up. I wanted MORE! I recommend this was for vegetarians.
Garlic Naan - Both crispy and chewy. Non-greasy. It was perfect.
Mutter Paneer - I think they put too many peas in the sauce, otherwise it was good. They didn't skimp on the paneer. I hate it when Indian restaurants do that. The sauce had the right amount of spice and was not at all watery.
Murg Malai Tikka (based on David's opinion): It was tender, moist, and very flavorful. However. it was a little saltier than he would prefer.

Did I mention entrees INCLUDE RICE?! *screams* OH YEAH!

I don't have any reason to give them anything else than 5 stars. My boyfriend would disagree otherwise. I think he's being nitpicky. "The menu has too many pages", "It isn't the best Indian restaurant". I do agree with him that their prices are a little higher than other restaurants on Devon, but I've had really mediocre food elsewhere and would pay a buck or two more if it means getting the good stuff. I wouldn't deduct a star or even half a star for that.

4.5 stars for food
5 stars for service

Also, I realized a while ago that one should not just an ethnic restaurant by its clientele. During our visit, there were only non-Indian customers. Stop being such food snobs and try this place out!

Really good! I think this will be my new "go to" place on Devon. Everything we ordered was spot on and had tons of flavor. Especially noted was when I asked for my lamb vindaloo to be spicy and made "for real" and when it came out it actually was! Super flavor and the lamb meat was really lean and good quality. Recommended for sure.

It's true: I am a novice when it comes to Indian food. But I really loved Urban India. LOVED IT! I have cravings for it now. I must have more!

This is actually my second experience eating Indian food. The first time I had it, someone at my former job had ordered it for the whole department. I tried it, but it was WAY too spicy for my tastes. I hadn't had it since then, but my husband suggested it after he had it on a business trip. After reading over some reviews online, we decided to give Urban India a try. I'm really glad we did!

Here's a breakdown of the restaurant:

Decor ~ This place is really cozy and intimate. There's low lighting, plenty of booths, lots of bold colors. Very romantic!

BYOB ~ Yes! I love BYOB places! Our waiter brought us wine glasses for our Cabernet right when we got there, but for some reason he didn't bring us the bottle opener at the same time. We had to ask for it, but that was really the only negative of the night.

Appetizers ~ While we didn't order appetizers off the menu, they do give you some kind of bread (at least when you order in). It's very light and crispy and served with two different sauces, one red and one green. The green one is very spicy, but the red one is more mild.  

Food ~ My husband and I shared three dishes: Chicken Tikka Masala, Lamb Tikka Masala and Matar Paneer. We had all three prepared with mild spices, and I'm really glad we did that because I can't imagine what their regular spice levels are. Their food is PACKED with flavor. The chicken was definitely my favorite. I have dreams about this dish. The Matar Paneer was also really good. It's a vegetarian dish with cheese cubes, peas and tomatoes. Delish. The lamb dish was a little bit too spicy for me to enjoy, so my husband ate most of that one. Overall, the flavors in all three were spot-on. They came with rice, and we also got a couple orders of naan bread to sop up all the delicious sauce. Great meal! We actually had some of each dish left over, and we ate it for breakfast the next morning. It was that good!

Dessert ~ For dessert, we each got a mango Lassi, which is a traditional yogurt drink. It was really tasty and hit the spot after our meal.

Service ~ Our waiter was really good. He was very nice and attentive.

Bathrooms ~ There's really only one stall in the women's restroom, but it was very spacious and clean. There's a pretty mosaic on the floor and walls. And there's a black toilet. Don't see many of those!

This place is fantastic. Like I said, I am very new to Indian food, but I already want to go back. It's just so tasty, and the flavors are spot-on. Highly recommend!