I am a big fan of Indian food and can be a bit picky. In my opinion this is the best indian food in the Monterey Bay. I have been here many times and have never had a bad experience. My favorite dishes are Palak Paneer and any variation of Coconut curry. Most recently I ate the shrimp coconut curry and was very happy with the flavor. All rice is delicious, and I've tried them all. The service is always good as well. The older man has been my server most times I go in and newest time a different server was just as good. The ambiance is cozy. I love the artwork and overall just a great place to get some good indian food read more

I've been coming here for years, so it's disappointing to say the experience has definitely gone downhill compared to how it used to be. The biggest issue was the service -- it was pretty much nonexistent the entire meal. It took a while to get served, and once the food came out, there was very little follow-up or attention afterward. We came towards the end of the night and most all the tables were left dirty, filled with plates from diners who had already left the restaurant. The food itself was decent overall and still had the good flavors I remember. The fried fish had really great seasoning and flavor, but it was overcooked and only served lukewarm. Honestly, if it had come out fresh and hot, it probably would have been excellent. The rest of the dishes were pretty good too, but unfortunately none of the food was actually hot when it reached the table, which took away from the experience. I'd still order from here because the flavors are there, but going forward I'll probably stick to takeout instead of dining in. read more

Avatar Indian Grill - Indian Near Me - Salinas, California

Please skip. I had the worst malai kofta here, too much canned tomatoes, gravy consistency was too thick. The paneer chilli tikka in the grill section was btw cold and nothing like grilled tikka , they should remove it. Dal makhni was bad as well, lacking taste and actual taste of dal makhni. Naan were mediocre. In all for a vegetarian it was bad choice, I feel extremely disappointed and honestly cheated with the food quality. Service , no one even came to check for water or if we need additional things , so 0 stars there.. I would never go back to this place, I hope this review can save disappointment for others. Spend your money somewhere else. read more

The food was REALLY GOOD! We got Korma lamb and chicken and saffron with rice and butter Naan. It was heaven The young girl who got our order was super nice and helpful read more

Avatar Indian Grill - Korma meat, rice, saffron chicken and Naan - Indian Near Me - Salinas, California

Got their malai kofta (wouldn't recommend - the gravy was too sweet and tangy) and their cilantro-garlic naan (pretty good). Just another Indian restaurant - not very authentic. Service was good but somewhat slow, ambience is okay. All-gender restroom, fairly clean. Free parking in lot outside read more

great food and great service. definitely recommend! Food didn't take long to come out either.

Ordered thru their website which was easy. Weird experience picking it up. Said my name and showed my confirmation number but the old guy up front kept checking it. Maybe they've had issues with people poaching online orders. Ordered the saffron rice, the black dal, and the palak paneer (spicy). I will say, all items were under seasoned. The dal looked great, had a good consistency but lacked salt. The rice had about 2 tablespoons of water standing at the bottom of the cup it was in. Nothing terrible but nothing to write home about. Not a lot of Indian options in Salinas. Not sure if I'd return. read more

Respectfully, I did not like the food. I love Indian food but the food here was not it. It tasted like it was pre heated & not fresh. They were big portions for the price it was a good amount of food but it just wasn't for me. The service was okay. They didn't really check on us I still tipped but they could have been more attentive. I probably will not be back. read more

It honestly hurts to rate this a 3 because we love this place. We used to come here all the time with friends and for date nights, and the food itself has always been great. However, ever since the gentleman who spoke English well left, ordering has become very difficult. The older gentleman working now is kind and clearly doing his best, but there is a major language barrier. Unfortunately, it's made multiple visits frustrating. We even tried ordering online to avoid confusion, but the order was still wrong. When we tried to explain, it was very hard to communicate even pointing at pictures didn't help. We ordered a lot of food, paid extra to substitute rice, and still received coconut rice on every dish. That part was especially frustrating since we paid additional money and still walked away with the wrong order. This wasn't just a one-time experience. We gave it several chances because we genuinely love the food, but the rice was wrong every single time. We also tried asking if anyone else could help translate or assist, but no one stepped in to help him or us. To be clear, we didn't argue or cause a scene--just a lot of patience and frustration that eventually ran out. The older gentleman is very nice, but he really needs support when helping customers who don't speak the language. Because of this ongoing issue, we sadly stopped coming altogether. I truly hope management sees this as constructive feedback, because this place used to be one of our favorites. read more

If you're in the area and are craving Indian food, COME HERE!! We were visiting from SoCal, which has a lot of amazing Indian spots, but I'd say that this restaurant had some of the best Indian food I've had. My husband and I ordered butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, and garlic naan to share and everything was *chefs kiss*. The food overall was so comforting!! I appreciate how you can customize the spice level you want here--we opted for spicy for both the butter chicken and chicken tikka masala, and let me tell you, it was SPICY!! We really enjoyed the level of spiciness, but both my husband and I have a pretty high spice tolerance, so that's something to keep in mind. One thing I also liked is that the food didn't seem super oily or greasy, which I feel like happens a lot with South Asian food. Portion sizes and prices here are pretty average. The store itself is pretty casual, but has a cozy, homey vibe to it. The server was on the more quiet side, which made him a little difficult to understand, but he was honestly so sweet and kind and reminded me of my own grandpa, which made him endearing (please be patient and kind with him)! The store is located in a large plaza and we had no problems finding parking on a Sunday night. read more

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Food was food. Happy to have Indian food in Salinas. Sweet old man was the server. They need staff help on the weekends to help with guests and door dash but overall good experience. We will be back. read more

Avatar Indian Grill - Somosas - Indian Near Me - Salinas, California

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Food super bad. We ordered paneer tikka, chicken Tikka, mango lassi and garlic naan. All food had too much artificial color, chicken was dry and paneer Tikka had ketchup stuffed all over it! Mango lassi was way too creamy. Nothing felt fresh except naan. Ambience good Service poor Server - the infamous elderly gentleman was rather rude. When we complained that we had explicitly ordered dry paneer Tikka and they got be a ketchup laden paneer Tikka - he said only Indian people complain. He yelled and muttered. We asked him to take the panner Tikka off the bill which he did after much effort but double the price of rice as $4 from $2 on the excuse that the system does not allow him to put the correct price. read more

My friend and I came here for lunch. Today it seems the lunch option was a plate that came with 2 mains and 3 sides. I liked it. Everything was very flavourful and the staff was friendly. The place is small and inviting. read more

Avatar Indian Grill - This is Chicken Curry, Saffron Chicken, Basmati Rice, salad, and Plain Naan. - Indian Near Me - Salinas, California

My first Indian food restaurant but I enjoyed, Place is small and not fancy but enjoyed dinner read more

Food was decent and quantity was good as well. Reason for lower rating is the service time. Took time to get us a table (we were a big group of 10), took time to take the order, then took time to get the food. We spent around 1.5 hours here. Thankfully, food did not disappoint and we enjoyed our meal at the end. Seating is limited inside, but there is some available outside as well read more

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We have ordered here many times... Seems now their portion sizes are cut in half. For the same price. Won't be ordering anymore. We hardly got enough food for the same order that used to feed out entire family....disappointed read more

Avatar Indian Grill in Salinas is an absolute gem for anyone craving authentic, flavorful Indian food. The palak paneer was rich, creamy, and perfectly spiced, and the chana masala had incredible depth with just the right amount of heat. We also tried the paneer tikka masala, which was outstanding--tender paneer in a smoky, flavorful sauce that tasted freshly made. The garlic naan was warm, soft, and fragrant, and paired perfectly with every dish. Portions were generous, ingredients tasted fresh, and the overall quality was excellent. If you're looking for consistently delicious Indian cuisine in Salinas, Avatar Indian Grill is a must-visit! read more

First time here. Ordered the chicken Tikka Masala, chicken tikka and some garlic naan. The chicken tikka masala was good nice and spicy and flavorful. The chicken Tikka was very dry and hard like the meat was old. The garlic naan was decent. read more

Did not enjoy the food here. The food does not taste like any Indian food I've ever had before, and not in a good way. The staff was very nice, but food wasn't sadly. read more

I really love the food from this place but I don't like the service. Certain customers are allowed to order tap water, I asked three times and he still brought me a bottle water. I asked for a salad and got the picture below. I love salad but this one was not my favorite. I would say ordering Togo is the best bet. But I have orders get mixed up and long wait times. I highly recommend hiring another waiter or waitress. Need to be able to communicate with the staff rather than guessing. read more

Avatar Indian Grill - Receipt - Indian Near Me - Salinas, California

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I was visiting family and stumbled upon this place, because everything else was closed on New Year's Day. It was delicious Indian food. We had the chicken, tikka masala and the lamb kombu both really delicious. We also ordered the garlic naan and saffron rice. Service was good and friendly and accommodating. we tried to order tapwater, but he didn't want to give it to us only bottled water. So that was a little odd but otherwise it was great. We also had one each of the beers. The place feels like more of a cafeteria and my sense is that most people get takeout. But they did have tables and adequate table service. They serve Taj Mahal and happy horse. I will definitely be back when coming through Salinas. read more

Avatar Indian Grill - Business hours - Indian Near Me - Salinas, California

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I dream of cherry Naan This place is delicious every single time I have dined in or would order takeout to go. Flavors, the richness the texture . Lamb Biryani is my favorite. It's been awhile since I have gone as I don't live in salinas anymore. I think of them often and need to make a visit. Try something new read more

NOPE . Not for me ! Very very slow service . Parking is a nightmare! The sauces were a big NO The naan bread was plain . Just bread . The Cheese Naan was plain But with cheese . You probably won't ever come back read more

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Priced, food is lower than average, and service is not good. Server insisted to buy water bottles, coke, mango lassi which were super pricey. When we asked for some butter, we were told that they don't have butter. Biryani and Yellow daal were not fresh and those tasted bad. Old man on the register was talkative on unnecessary things but when we asked for some extra plates and tap water, he pretended that he couldn't understand what we were asking. He was standing by us pretty all the time for no reason. read more

First time here. Mango lassi is good but very thick and heavy. We were the only people in there but the kitchen was busy with to go orders. Unfortunately we experienced the same service as others have pointed out with long wait times and difficulties communicating with the staff. We were not given the option for level of spice so everything came out very bland. The place was dirty, seats were torn and worn. I don't think we will be back. read more

Avatar Indian Grill - Mango lassi - Indian Near Me - Salinas, California

Never go to this place if your health is your first priority, first of all service is very bad no any hygiene nothing and secondly the food is just the indian name it is literally a garbage food on the name of indian cuisine. read more

Delicious Indian food, about ten minutes off the 101 in Salinas, so it's a welcome respite from the chain restaurants. Tired, hungry, and craving some saag paneer during a long road trip, we opted for this small, unassuming place. Food was presented in a surprisingly elegant manner. Spicy upgrade ($0.50) for tikka definitely had a kick. I also enjoyed the palak paneer and the cauliflower/potato dish. They seem to have a robust takeout service. I'd definitely consider coming again; for three entrées, rice, naan and chutney, we paid $50 + tip. The biggest challenge was that the server had novice proficiency in English, so it was challenging to communicate and very difficult to explain my son's allergy to nuts. (Thankfully he was fine and we did not have to use the expired EpiPen!) read more

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If you are looking for a place to grab a bite to eat, this would be an option. The food is ok. But not bomb. Atmosphere is simple and that's fine. The issues are more with the service. I try to be very understanding to older or non native speaking employees. But, customers should know about the issues with placing orders here. We went on a slow afternoon and there were literally no customers in the restaurant. Also, the cook didn't have any To Go orders either. I went with my girlfriend for my birthday. Sat down and the older gentleman gave us menus and we said we wanted 2 cups of water. Instead, he came back with 2 bottles of water. We told him we ordered a cup of water. But, just gave us a blank stare and walked away. We didn't sweat it, and thought maybe he's hard of hearing. He came back and took our food order. 20 minutes had passed and a few customers started arriving. He took their drink orders and returned with cups of water for them. Hmmm? Then proceeded to take their food orders. At this time 30 minutes have went by since we placed our food orders and we are still waiting. 10 minutes later he delivered food to all 4 customers next to us. So, we wait another 5 minutes thinking our food should be served soon. But nothing arrives. Then the cook finishes 2 more customer orders. The old man packs it to go and they leave. So, I ask him if we can have our for packed to go too? Well it turns out, half our order was just sitting on a self for 45 minutes. It took another 5 minutes to finish the rest of the order. After realizing our order was just sitting on a the shelf. The old man begins to yell at the cook. When he was the one who forgot to serve the food. I was so hungry that ate the cold food and got an upset stomach 2 hours later. If you want to eat here. Might be best to order online and pick it up yourself. read more

In my opinion, this is the best Indian food on the Monterey Peninsula. Located in a mini-mall in Salinas, this tiny restaurant is a gem. We discovered it during COVID so we've always gotten take out which we continue to do. They have a few table in this plain restaurant. The food is awesome. If you order it spicy, it will be SPICY so be warned. We love the chicken tiki masala, lamb vindaloo, chana masala, yellow daal, and raita. My husband (who is not GF) loves their garlic naan and samosas. My oldest daughter loves their mango lassi. And remember, if you order too much, you will have delicious leftovers!! read more

Avatar Indian Grill - Entrance - Indian Near Me - Salinas, California

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I've been going to this restaurant for many years, and even after trying different Indian Food establishments in other towns, while traveling etc., this place is still my favorite! My go-to order is Malai Kofta (vegetarian dish), but for anyone who is new to Indian food, I always suggest Butter Chicken dish. Their samosas and cheese naan are exceptionally tasty. Dine-in, take-out, Online ordering, and delivery available. read more

Ouch. Terrible service. Couldnt understand what i was saying. I kept repeating it but the person spoke ZERO english. AVOID.

They don't have lunch buffet anymore. This was the reason to go on a lunch break. They should let people know.

The food here is not traditional Indian food. Not HALAL. The price for a dish is very high, and the portion size is small (enough for 1 person). Do not recommend it. Restaurant is nice and cozy. Seating available for approx. 30 people. Please get Indian chefs who can cook traditional Indian food. read more

We got here as soon as they opened. My son wanted to try Biryani ever since we read the book Anni Dreams of Biryani. We ordered the chicken biryani and saffron chicken tikka and it was all absolutely delicious!! I've never had chicken biryani and omg my mind and tastebuds are blown! So delicious and flavorful I'm definitely going to be returning here A LOT especially for their chicken biryani and garlic nan. Thank you so much!!! Btw the server is an older gentleman and he is slow but please be patient with him he is so sweet and gentle. Be understanding that his speed is not of a teen and that there is kind of a language barrier, but he will get the order correct. But remember in salinas there's a language barrier with a lot of Hispanics and there will be with other languages too like, Indian. Be kind. Be patient. Take in the culture and flavor. Smiling needs no language! :) read more

Food 10/10 Service 10/10 Ambiance 10/10 WOW WOW WOW! I am so happy my friend and I decided to come here. This was my first time trying Indian food, and I was NOT disappointed. The flavor was so rich in every plate. So warm, juicy, tasteful, fresh, and just so good. Even the vibe here was so peaceful. And the old gentleman was so sweet. You need to come try this place yourself. I was scared to try this place but they wowed me and impressed my taste buds. I will definitely be coming back to try the rest of the menu. I will be having my friends and family try this place because it is not talked about enough! Thank you Avatar! See you again soon! read more

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The food is good, but the service is usually lacking. If you have time, it's a great spot for Indian food in Salinas.

We've been here a few times and I cannot say enough about this place. I generally get their Chicken Tikka Masala, mild (let's face it, I can't handle the heat of spicy foods! LOL) It's soooooo good! You get a nice little dish of it, and rice is extra but definitely welcome with it. I like to also get the garlic naan and dip that in the Tikka Masala sauce...yummm!!! The last time we went, my husband ordered the Lamb Korma and I tried a bit of it, we both thought that was really good, also. I may even get that next time even though my absolute favorite is the Tikka Masala. :) The Mango Lassi is delicious, too. It's a bit of a surprise at first sip, though, as it's very tangy and very yogurt forward, but then the mango hits and it's like yep, that's where it is! The one criticism I have is that the server we had...while he is a sweet older man and I just want to give him a BIG hug because he's got the grandpa vibe...is very difficult to understand. He is very softspoken, which adds to the want to hug him vibe, but it isn't very conducive to communication between him and the patrons. That being said, we will definitely return because the food is absolutely delicious. read more

Terrible service. Ordered online BEFORE they even opened and went in when I was supposed to and waited 2 hours for my food because the order never went through on their screen BUT they had it when they looked on a different device. I asked for spicy and YUP THEY MADE IT SPICY BUT NO OTHER SEASONING CAN BE TASTED WITH IT like there should be. Guess that's what I get for them being in a rush to make my order. Never going again. read more

The food was delicious and fresh, which is what I look for in a good quality Indian restaurant. The owner was kind and attentive. I will definitely be back. read more

I went there with a friend for the first time recently and first off the elderly waiter speaks no english and it was nearly impossible to understand him. I was wanting some dipping sauce for the nam ( I think that's the name) and he just kept shaking his head when I asked about what my choices were. When the bread came there was little specs of mold on the bread. At first I thought and was hoping it was a seasoning, but unfortunately it was mold. I brought it up to the counter and quietly mentioned it, the waiter and the cook did not apologize and just took it from me and 5 minutes later the waiter brings more of the bread. I did not want it anymore. It ruined my appetite. I told him no, and he just left it there anyway. The food was good but again it was hard to enjoy it after that. My friend and I got to go containers and we did not want to take the bread with us and the waiter seemed surprised! I was charged for the bread which I do not think I should have been but I also was not going to make a fuss over six dollars, especially with the waiter who would not have understood me anyway. I will not be back very disappointing. read more