India Grill

04/13/09

Good food, but the building has weird acoustics

by wmf1988 at Citysearch

I've eaten at the India Grill quite a few times and I'm always struck by how delicious their chicken tikka masala and lamb saag is. I always love their samosas. I've never been disappointed in the cleanliness and the service is acceptable. That said, their food is a little pricey and the acoustics in the building are terrible.

• Pros: delicious food
• Cons: the price

02/01/09

hair in the food!

by aarin at Citysearch

the food is always decent at india grill but in my recent take out order we found 3 (!) black hairs in the food. so disgusting! i am definitely turned off to this place forever.

• Pros: decent food at a decent price
• Cons: hair in the food calls into question overall sanitary practices

06/04/08

Good Food

by pixie29 at Citysearch

I tried this place out for lunch the other day, it was pretty good. The "buffet" was not too big, 2 chicken dishes and a few other vegetarian options, as well as salad. (When I think of buffet, I think of something larger.) But, the lunch special was great, the naan was HORRIBLE but the food was good. I would go back again.

CORRECTION - Citysearch says lunch buffet is 7.95 but we paid close to 9.00, they need to update that on the website.

03/14/08

Savory Navrattan and perfect Pekoras, dirty restaurant

by trapizumac7 at Citysearch

I've been searching for a decent Indian restaurant in Portland. Located upstairs in a little house, this hidden restaurant was good. The hot chai tea was brewed perfectly and the Navrattan was exceptional. The only downside is that I saw a few ants and the window sills are dirty. Hopefully, they clean up to bring in more guests.

• Pros: Good food, service was awesome and no wait time
• Cons: Dirty window sills

02/16/08

Awesome saag, mediocore everything else

by belmontlover at Citysearch

I've been to India Grill for both dinner and lunch buffet. My first experience there was dinner and my date and I ordered the lamb saag and chicken tikka masala with some garlic naan. We were very impressed with the saag, the tikka masala was enjoyable as was the garlic naan. Although priced similarly to other Indian restaurants, I thought portions were a little small, as we both left still a bit hungry, although the quality of food was good -we both thought the saag was awesome. I like the fact they leave pitchers of water on your table, although service as previous posters have stated is not good at all (or friendly). My date and I tried the lunch buffet today and thought it was okay. They have a very small selection of items, and you basically have to beg for naan. I asked for some before I even got my plate and did not arrive until well after I had eaten it. And our table of 2 only got 3 little triangles of it. The naan was of poor quality as well which was very disappointing. We both enjoyed the navratan curry, but everything else was just basic. The price has also increased to $8.95. I doubt I'll return for the buffet.

• Pros: awesome saag, close to my house
• Cons: aweful service, a bit spendy, you have to beg for naan during the buffet (which didn't end up being any good)

02/15/08

average food, poor customer service

by nomadwanderlust at Citysearch

We have been coming to the India Grill for several years now, and in all this time I have found the food to be tasty but inconsistent in the spiciness(mild,medium, hot), and the majority of the customer service has been poor with a few exceptions. The chicken tikka masala is delicious, but in spite of the fact that we always order mild, with have gotten mild, medium and hot--one time so hot that I could not eat it. The palak paneer is good but very oily--however, the garlic naan is some of the best that I have had, the slightly crispy naan has a lot of garlic and is lightly buttered, and the navratan curry is creamy and delicately spiced. Sadly, the male owner seems uncaring of how he treats his customers, or how long they wait. We have had to wait 40 min. to an hour for our food, with no explanation. If asked the waiter will answer with a shrug.

The lunch buffet, however is probably one of the worst, I have had. As you come up the stairs , a dank and stuffy smell greets you. The lunch buffet food is at best average, and goes down from there.The navratan curry tastes as though it has been reheated, and the vegetables and potatoes in it are mushy. It is surprising how different the Navratan curry at lunch and dinner is. The other dishes all use the same sauce with various different items thrown in --garbanzos for vegetarian and chicken for meat eaters. The pakoras are all cut in half and frequently there will be no vegetable at all in the pakora--just a hard lump of dough. the salad usually has brown edges. Unless you are fortunate to arrive when the naan has just been made, it has a distinct strange odor and a chewy texture, as though it was warmed in the microwave. The chai frequently tastes like there is soap residue in the cup,and the rice pudding often has a distinct garlic and green pepper taste, unless you are lucky enough to get it when it has just been made. The lunch buffet is best avoided.

• Pros: good garlic naan
• Cons: poor customer service, less than friendly owners, inconsistent quality of food

09/05/05

Feeling the others reviews

by sitkaripple at Citysearch

Oh man, I have been to this place a fair amount, I used to live close by and get the lunch buffet often. I often have the same feelings about the owner as someone else mentioned - that going in there you feel like you've ruined his life by visiting his business! I really feel that. I often feel bad for being American when I'm in there.. The food... Is good, generally. I've had some things there that I've truly loved. On certain SPECIAL days, the Lunch Buffet is Heavenly Divine, other days it's horrible. It's such a mixed bag. I recently had the Lamb Saag and it was wonderful. My favorite thing about the place is the location, honestly. The samosas are great. I think the guy who thought they were frozen is nuts. Eat the Navratan Curry at the Lunch Buffet. It's the best.

• Pros: Navratan Curry, Samosas, Lamb Saag
• Cons: The Owner

05/19/05

Still looking for Great Indian Food

by bugsey at Citysearch

We've been looking for good indian food in Portland. We are still looking. This was better but not memorable. I had the navrattan and my partner had the lamb korma. Both were very mild. The service WAS SULLEN. STILL. I would never take anyone there - from now on just Food to go.

• Pros: Decent Food
• Cons: Service

01/22/03

Mediocre

by goldenbright at Citysearch

It was o.k., pretty standard Indian restaurant food. Too creamy, not really like Indian people eat, after you are done you feel sort of fat. It wasn't bad....but it wasn't great either. We did the lunch buffet.

• Pros: glad it's there, cute building
• Cons: mediocre food, sort of creamy, not really healthy