I came here on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving while coming back from the Bank. The hallways smelled so good from this restaurant that I couldn't pass it up. At this restaurant, you go to the counter and order first. They even have a little bell for you to ring if they're in the back of working. Great service overall. I started with the chicken 65 and it was so good. The chicken vindaloo was so flavorful and delicious. I loved how there was so much sauce as well: the picture doesn't look like much but once you mix up the rice and the vindaloo, you'll see how delicious it looks too. The portion was exactly right and the spice was perfect. You should definitely feel the spice kick. The naan got really hard as it cooled down and was almost too hard to break or bite off. The chicken 65 and spicy chicken vindaloo are definitely worth a return visit though! Loved it read more

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Highly recommend. Banana Leaf is hands down the best Indian food in Little Rock, and what makes it even more special is their innovative Indian fusion menu. They take classic Indian dishes and remix them with other favored cuisines in a way that's exciting, bold, and absolutely delicious. My go-to? The shrimp currito--a perfect fusion of Indian spices wrapped in a burrito. The flavors are rich, the shrimp is always cooked just right, and every bite is divine. I also love the veggie gyros. And let's talk about the salmon options! Whether you get it in a vindaloo or tikka masala, the fish is perfectly tender, coated in rich, flavorful sauce, and absolutely hits the spot. If you're a seafood lover or pescatarian, this is the Indian food you didn't know you needed. Oh, and the fried chili broccoli?! Listennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn . It's crispy, sweet & spicy, and so damn good, it'll have you questioning why you ever settled for basic broccoli. A must-order every time. Beyond the food, the service feels like being in your auntie's kitchen--warm, welcoming, and always making sure you leave full and happy. The one con? Their hours. It's a weekday lunch spot only--Monday through Friday, no weekends or late hours. I wish I could get my Banana Leaf fix after hours, but I guess that just means you have to plan ahead. That said, this place is worth every visit. If you haven't tried it yet, you're missing out on one of the most creative and delicious menus in the city. Five stars all day! read more

Food and service were amazing. I stopped in with my wife and kids. This location is inside the Simmons bank building in downtown LR. The smell immediately put a smile on my face and made my mouth water. We went with the coconut curry added chicken, and chili broccoli, chicken 65 with chili broccoli and a chicken quesadilla for our child. Be sure to get the side of garlic na'an. "I wanted to wrap myself up in it when it came out!" We had a couple of mango Lassies(smoothies) which were a new delight. Everything was delicious, the wait was short, and it was a clean delicious filling experience. Worth the trip so we will definitely be coming back when we can!! Thank you for a great meal! read more

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Looking for some great Indian food?? Look no further! Banana Leaf is by far my favorite lunch time stop. Where do I start.... Why the curries of course. Rich and delicious with the right amount of spice. My for sure go to's here is the Tandoori chicken (with the salad) and the chickpea curry! FLAVOR UPON FLAVOR. This is the perfect lunch and the price point for the value is even better. I'm so in love with the curry sauce I really don't need an actual meat protein. My only gripe about this gem is the parking. They are located inside of the Capitol Building so parking is just like any other downtown building. Scurrying to find parking and then paying...it can be a bummer. My suggestion is to call or order ahead. Don't let the parking situation keep you from this wonderful gem. Locally owned and you can tell they LOVE what they do. Give it a try! read more

Horrible service and attitude of the lady at the counter. Took 50 min to get the food for dine in. She kept supplying to go orders but ignore dine-in. She wasn't even apologetic about it . read more

I work downtown & eat here a LOT. Our whole office eats here at least weekly. The service is phenomenal, the owners are the absolute sweetest, & the food is amazing. The chicken quesadilla, mexican fusion rice bowl, chicken vindaloo, chicken briyani & 65 combo (this is my current addiction), tacos, all of it is perfection! I have zero complaints. They even have a salad bar you can build it as you like and they charge by the weight. This is also a great option if you've never tried indian food as most places are more costly with a larger serving of food. Here the prices are low & they provide a lunch serving. I always have leftovers for the next day so it's not a small serving! Highly recommend read more

I like to stop by the Banana Leaf when I have a hankering for some Indian food. I've tried many of the dishes, but my favorite is Chicken Briyani. It's flavorful and spicy..just how I like it! Eat up, but make sure you have something soothing to chase the spice. read more

Banana Leaf - Chicken Briyani - Indian Near Me - Little Rock, Arkansas

Wow, just tried the Chicken 65 meal here, and it was AMAZING! It's not deep-fried (very healthy) but tastes 2x better than anything I've tried before MA. It's also halal, which deserves even more extra points! The rice has peas and cilantro, and the flatbread is also great. The cauliflower side dish tastes so succulent. Highly recommended. read more

Banana Leaf - Indian Near Me - Little Rock, Arkansas

I went here for lunch today...not sure how many visits this makes; maybe 15. they have introduced a couple of new items that I thought worth noting in an updated review. The first item is Vada, a traditional south Indian savory lentil doughnut, usually served with chutney. The Vada here was quite good, nothing unusual in the ingredients or preparation, just everything executed well. It was crisp, filling, and properly portioned. Also, the coconut and green chutneys it was served with were particularly good today...or maybe they just paired quite well with the Vada. Definitely one to repeat. The second item is poori. This is sort of a deep-fried pita. When served in homes/restaurants, this usually comes out puffed up into a big, hollow ball. Because of the nature of the service here, they allow it to deflate before putting it into the styrofoam to-go container. I've not been a fan of poori in the past since they were extremely greasy. However, these were not. Definitely still fried bread, but not dripping with grease. crisp and tasty. My order had 3 of these, and they were served with a rather tasty spicy potato + pea side. I added photos of these two items to the page for Banana Leaf if you want to see for yourself. Finally, on the service front... I brought a couple of guests from out-of-town here for lunch last week during a rush at lunch and they were a bit overwhelmed so service was a touch slow, nothing that would concern me. However, they made a point today to apologize for the slow service last week. that's definitely the attitude that will keep a small business like this going. read more

Banana Leaf - vada with coconut and green chutneys. - Indian Near Me - Little Rock, Arkansas

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TL;DR Review: Customer service is good, food is great, they always keep you wanting more (because the portion sizes are tiny). It's in the middle of the floor level of Little Rock's highest skyscraper, and I seem to always have to look for it. There are tables at which nobody ever eats; but they're usually occupied by those waiting for food, which does take longer than you'd think for some reason. I ordered the Chicken Vindaloo with kale (I'm a junkie) and garbanzos. It was ready in about eight minutes. I feel that this is a completely insane amount of time to wait, because these should all just be dips. The food's already ready, you can see it, and it's in drop-ins on a steam table. Why aren't these just dips? Get a plate, fill it, go to the next. The food is good. The chicken is spicy, as advertised, the kale is good, and the naan is exactly what you'd want naan to be. It's not quite as good, in my opinion as a couple of the nicer sit-down Indian joints in Little Rock, but it's much faster, easier, and cheaper. The problem with Banana Leaf is the amount of food you get for the price. I paid $10 after tax for a chicken dish that had basically four half-dollar size pieces of chicken. There was a lot of kale, but the sign says I get two sides, but they only gave me one. The naan they give you is something like 1/4 the size of a full "loaf." It's not much at all. Every time I eat here I'm still hungry when I get up to dispose of my dish. I like Banana Leaf, and I'll probably revisit, but I'm hungry and angry after every time I've been there. read more

Banana Leaf is a great place to get a delicious lunch. As a UAMS student, it's in a very convenient location for me, so I go here whenever I get an extended lunch break for whatever reason (which, unfortunately, is not very often). I don't like their food as much as I do Taj Mahal's, but it is a lot cheaper and closer and is still quite good. Their biryani is probably the best in town, in fact. Their butter chicken is also very tasty. They always have vegetarian options, so there's something for everyone. My complaints with Banana Leaf are two fold: First, they only take cash. While that's not really a big deal, I've certainly had to run to an ATM shortly after ordering once or twice to pay for my meal. Second, their service scheme is not efficient at all and results in huge wait times. Having the same person take orders, dish out food, and take money from the same window does not make for smooth flow. be ready to wait at least 20 minutes for your food during the lunch hour. The owners are exceptionally nice, but niceness kind of wears thin when you don't fix the easily-solvable problems. Minor complaints aside, Banana Leaf is a great place to eat. It is definitely worth frequenting. read more

Banana Leaf has THE BEST Indian food you can get in Little Rock. Their Chicken Biriyani is delicious! The chicken 65 is too good to resist and their Chicken Tikka Masala is very very good too and so are the other dishes. Occasionally they also cook Goat Biriyani, which is very flavorful and tasty. 1. They will cook your dish considering your spicy tolerance (low, medium, high). 2. Call ahead and pick up. No matter the rush, you food will be ready within 10-15 minutes. I go there very often and have never been disappointed. I recommend this restaurant to everyone out there looking to enjoy some good Indian food! read more

My husband and I visited Banana Leaf on a rainy, summer day...and it was EXCELLENT! It hit the spot, for sure. We split the Chicken Briyani with Eggplant/peanut curry & raita; a Masala Dosa (stuffed with spicy mashed potatoes, peas, & onions); and an order of Chicken 65 (deep fried chicken marinated with Indian spices). All of the food was made to order, and was once again...delicious! It was authentic, flavorful, and plain good. Also, it was more than enough for both my husband and I. In fact, we have plenty of leftovers. Can't wait for my next visit! read more

The dosas are bomb! And their malai kofta is the best in town. I would come here frequently for lunch when I was working in downtown since unlike many other food trucks, their portions are fair and filling. Only drawback about this place is that the availability of menu items aren't consistently available, as is true for most food trucks. read more

Great Chicken Tikka Masala and solid biryani. The kebab rolls are good if you get it fresh. As is the case with most food trucks, the food can sometimes be mass produced and sit for a few minutes before they serve it. The food tastes good still- it just isn't as hot. Prices are reasonable, the staff is friendly. I think this is a great spot to get some quick and affordable Indian. read more

Had the spicy chicken vindaloo today and it was soooo good!!!! I have had it a few times before and it has always been excellent but today it was even better than I remembered! read more

Excellent food, always fresh. Have to wait a bit around noon when they are busy but the service is always friendly. Chicken 65 is perfectly spicy and the dosas are perfectly done. I particularly like the dosas with egg. My favorite dish is the butter chicken. Try the mango lassi as it helps cut through the hotness of the Chicken 65! read more

I absolutely love Banana Leaf and eat it regularly. The food is so fresh and delicious. I just had the spinach curry which was prepared right in front of me and had the most delicious flavor. Their Tikka Masala is fantastic and I am addicted to their green sauce which is a perfect complement to the kale/coconut/chickpea or sweet potato sides. Also their naan bread is so yummy! I only miss their salad bar which I enjoyed regularly pre-virus. They have adapted well to offer some healthier meals of tandoori chicken and veggies since they can't have a salad bar. Overall a fantastic restaurant with delicious food! read more

This review is for the restaurant in the Simmons Tower, which is a gem of an Indian fast food joint. I work in the building and this is my go-to if I need to pick up a desk lunch. Honestly I've never been disappointed with what I order (today was chicken 65), and their veggie sides like coconut coleslaw and kale are particularly good. It's also nice that you can get brown rice. Very friendly service too. read more

I've been working in downtown Little Rock lately and tried this place twice now. I've ordered the chicken tikka both times, which comes with a side of rice, vegetable (I've gotten the cauliflower), and naan. The quality and quantity of the food is great. I'd say above average on flavors and for $8.50 for lunch downtown, it beats the prices at most other places. The service is outstanding and I think I only waited about a minute for my food both times! read more

I ordered the Sev Puri and it had hardly ANYTHING in it and not spicy . Not worth the money at all. It seems Little Rock is lacking in good Indian food besides Taj Mahal, but they can be a bit expensive. I will give this place another try and add an update due to other good reviews. read more

Best Indian Lunch in Little Rock, hands down! Love love love the food from this little truck. My wife and I eat here once a week.

I've enjoyed the food here. Spicy, delicious, and cheap. However, I do prefer the samosa from Taj Mahal or the little restaurant in the Asian Food Groceries on Reservoir/Rodney Parham. Also, the food can sometimes be very oily so beware. As for food, I usually get the chicken biryani and one order is usually enough for two people. read more

This is my go to place in the downtown area for Indian food. The chicken vindaloo is at a perfect spice level. The chicken 65 never disappoints as well. If you are around the area and looking for a place to grab some great spicy chicken and some rice then this is the place to be. read more

average to slightly above average. the dosas are very tasty but often the vegetables in the main entrees seem like they were bought in bulk, frozen and on sale at sams club. would prefer vegetables other than lima beans and hard carrots... despite my bickering the flavors are good - just think they could easily step it up a notch. also one other request: less deep fried food. read more