The chicken biryani was authentic and delicious, probably a bit too spicy for most non Indian's…read morepreference, but I enjoyed the heat. The butter chicken was good, as well as the garlic Naan. Overall the food here is good and they don't hold back on the spices! The service was okay; my water glass was left empty for awhile, so don't expect the greatest service.

We tried the lunch buffet and thought they had a good variety of different dishes. Our only…read morecomplaint was the naan not getting refilled during our visit cause the few pieces we got were delicious. Seemed like a more quiet lunch time for us to go. Tables and buffet area was clean.

The food is delicious, one of the best Indian places I've been and staff is super friendly…read more Definitely recommend!

They have delicious food and great service. We love getting their takeout! Chicken tikka masala and…read morebutter chicken are our favorite dishes.

The food was freshly made, delicious, and affordable, and the service was friendly! My only…read morecritique is that the lassi is overpriced and the butter milk was very much not to my liking. Cheese Vadapav 4/5 Samosa plate 5/5 Masala puff 5/5 Batata vada 5/5 Butter milk 1/5

I had no expectations on what I was getting, but let you tell you this was some of the best street…read moreIndian food I have ever had. I'll be coming here repeatedly here on out

As time has gone on, some of our experiences haven't been as good. Some dishes have been…read moreconsistently good, but others not as much. For instance, on one of our last visits two of us ordered different but slightly similar chicken dishes, chicken tikka masala and chicken korma. Both are chunks of tandoori chicken served in a curry like sauce. Unfortunately, the chicken korma dish was full of chicken bones. The same dish had been ordered multiple times before and it had not included the bones, so this was an unexpected and unpleasant experience for the person who ordered it. Sadly, they've chosen not to return. I know this is a common practice in India, so it may be expected by some, but wanted to warn those who may not be expecting it.

Clean! Only place I could find in Charlestown for kerosene!…read moreIt a bit expensive but when you need it they have it. Clerk was very nice and helpful! They also have great Indian foods; I need to try their buffet that I hear so much about!

Our favorite for many years, dining in and catering! Nice interior, excellent food and service…read more Today 5/25/26 we had Samosa chaat, Non-vegetarian thali, Chicken Tikka masala, plain naan and keema naan. All so very delicious!

I was sadly very disappointed by Shalimar. I ordered takeout and was rudely directed to a table of…read morebags "Can't you just look behind you?" which really took me by surprise. Off-putting, but not the end of the world. Once I finally got my food it had the nerve to be BLAND! I was shocked. I ordered the vegetable biryani medium and both my partner and I had to double check I didn't order Mild. I genuinely could not believe the spice level was accurate as my "Medium" tasted so plain. My peshwari naan, which I'm used to being folded tightly with a generous amount of cashews, raisins and coconut, had mostly cashews and I'm not even kidding, only 3 golden raisins. It was slightly burnt, barely sweet, and short of my expectations. Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not mention how LITTLE mango chutney we received. After paying $3 for 2 ounces, the little container wasn't even half filled. I understand it's a small side but that level of stinginess could not go overlooked. I've heard so many good things about this place, but was ultimately disappointed in every area as a takeout order. Admittedly I probably should have ordered spicy, given how I prefer things on the hotter side, but that doesn't change that medium spice should still have vibrant, delicious flavor and my food unfortunately had none of that. I will not be returning. :/

Elevated to a Five Star. Several reasons why…read more First, the food is really good. We've had several dishes here and all have been very very good. They don't arrive quickly, but they're worth the wait. Secondly, there's a good variety of both vegetarian and meat dishes. Several were tried, including curries as well as tandoori. All were good. Thirdly, this is formal dining, and served correctly. Not plastic plates, not table service in a crowded noisy venue. Although it's a "sports bar", there is no cacophony of noise, although the monitors are distracting. Also distracting is the fact that the Edison lights sit low, and those seated can see these bulbs across their vision too easily. It's actually quieter than its competition, and there is stiff competition. Service is good and not overbearing, also not distracted by whatever the waiter/waitress is looking at on their phones. Parking is downtown, and therefore horrific on a good day, but there's a parking garage nearby. Recommended without reservation.

Great Happy Hour drink specials and a full bar. $4 High Noon. Wonderful service and clean dining…read moreroom area. The place was slammed with take out orders. I like sitting at the bar or in a booth. Chicken Tikka Masala Medium with Garlic Nann is an easy go to. I recommend trying g the Korma and they have many vegan and vegetarian options.

Party of four. Saturday night after NK. Place was packed with a line, but we arrived at the last…read moretable for four. We expected medium chaos, and were happily surprised. Orders were mainstream, Malai Kofta, Mushroom Saag, Butter Chicken and Chicken Tikka. A side order of vegetable pakora was really good. The Malai Kofta, usually a brown curry with kofta balls, was instead, an orange curry; my partner said it was fine, if different than most we've tried. My Mushroom Saag was five stars. The other diners like their offerings. Food came quickly, an amazing feat given the sheer traffic and line waiting. And there came the only rub. They were a bit insistent about getting our plates and flipping our table. Didn't feel good. No, we weren't dawdling, just getting rushed. Bad idea, and cost them a star. We're happy they've improved from our prior experiences. They were once our go-to Indian Food in Bloomington, then fell from grace. They're improving. They need to take a chill pill, however. Grace under pressure is a desirable skill.

IU is lucky to have this so close to campus! Best Indian in btown. Consistent friendly service,…read morefood is reasonably priced and delicious. If you like Indian food def try it!

It's still the best Indian cuisine in Bloomington…read more Took friends this evening; great food. Oddly, service was yawning at best, and it wasn't crowded. We've also noticed that the carryout portions are larger than the dining portions, all the way around (naan is the same size). It was great; we sat outdoors, and paid cash, because there is a discount. Yeah, we save dimes where we can-- they add up. Tough to go wrong here.

This updated review is still mostly based on the buffet. I've been to the buffet a handful of…read moretimes, and gotten dinner service once. It's not bad food, and some of the items are great, but particularly on my most recent buffet trip, I felt like the curries were the most Midwesterenized take on Indian food you can get, like they've had the pizazz sucked out of them. Out of all the curries on the Sunday buffet, the only ones that really satisfied my craving were the malai soya chaap (this one was great, with big, tender pieces of chaap and a rich gravy) and the saag paneer (theirs is not like any other version of the dish that I've had, but I've come to like it for what it is). The rest of the curries (and this goes for other visits too) were just very stewlike, and the gravy on the shahi paneer was the thinnest I've ever seen. Aside from the underwhelming curries, the other buffet food was fine, but nothing else stood out. I've only tried the saag choley and chai a la carte. Again, the saag dish had kind of an nontraditional texture, but it was good. I ordered spicy and got way more flavour than you get out of any of the buffet dishes. Someone in my group ordered the chili cheese naan, and I didn't have any, but it looked delicious and he said it was great. The a la carte chai was also slightly better than the buffet chai, a little richer. The buffet chai didn't do much for me, but I'd get the a la carte chai again. The pros of the buffet are that you get to try a large variety of comforting dishes for a very good price: $15 with card or $14 with cash. It's very vegetarian-friendly with a wide variety of veg dishes. If possible, go for the Sunday buffet, which is the same price but includes a slightly expanded food selection and drinks (mango lassi and chai). The waiters are polite and keep the buffet stocked. The cons are that it can be very crowded inside (but the patio is more comfortable when weather allows) and the Midwesternness of it. But if you have unadventurous eaters, it might work for them. The place is very popular so evidently it's working for someone. Dinner service is a little better but I still don't think this is the place for very authentic Indian.

I thought it was really good! You might not expect it from the outside, but the interior of the…read morerestaurant is pretty classy. I was there for dinner on a weeknight, and while there were a few takeout/delivery orders that came through, I was the only dine-in customer, and the man who served me was extremely courteous. I ordered their vegetable malai kofta, plain naan, and Indian tea. I'm pretty sure what I was kadhi kofta instead of malai kofta; the gravy tasted like tangy savoury kadhi rather than creamy malai gravy. I'm not upset about the mistake because this is actually what I would've ordered, but I didn't see it on the paper menu. Anyway, the dish was very flavourful and the medium hot was actually medium hot - no watered down spice level here! Good naan, soft and charred in the right places. The food was reasonably priced and portioned generously. Cumin rice was included with the entree. The Indian tea (chai) was strong, and I felt like the tea itself was actually of good quality, but it was served sweetened and it was too sweet for me. I prefer chai unsweetened but don't mind some tasteful sweetness, but theirs was really strong. It was also pretty small, almost cutting chai size, and didn't come out until I was almost done eating. The tea wasn't expensive, but not so inexpensive that I was expecting it to be so small. Definitely would visit again. The hours are a little weird - they open at 2:30 pm and close between 1 am-2:30 am depending on the night. It would be nice if they were open at normal lunch time, but on the bright side, they're open during the mid-afternoon window when most restaurants close between lunch and dinner and stay open late when most everything else still open is fast food.

My first experience with Indian food in Bloomington. Friendly staff. Food was great and plenty…read morespicy for me as regular. I was most surprised by the portions. Plenty food for two

So much fun sitting on the floor! The food was yummy and all for a reasonable price! Will be going…read moreback.

I wasn't planning on coming here for lunch (I was walking l to the Indian buffet less than a block…read moreaway), but I noticed the sign out front that said 'Lunch Buffet Mon-Fri)' so I decided to change my plans. Boy, am I glad that I did! There are 2 distinct seating areas. Near the window there is the traditional Turkish sit-on-the-floor area. Towards the back are conventional tables (no booths). What the sign in front failed to mention is that when you order from the lunch buffet ($15), you also get to choose 1 item off the appetizer as well. (If you want to see what was on the buffet the day that I went, look at the attached pictures. There is also a photo of the appetizer menu.) This is a family-run business and service is extra friendly and fast. Note: If you pay with cash, there is a 5% discount.