Went all in veg last night. Had curry and eggplant with veg assorted starter. Food and condiments are excellent staff is the nicest. Highly recommend, all our experiences here are superb. Easy to order takeout and staff will help you with choices. Great asset to the neighborhood. read more

We came back again to try Basanti & we really loved our meal. The aloo gobi, the garlic naan, and the onion kulcha were all delicious! But the samosa? SUBLIME. We loved it! Surprisingly, the basmati rice, while always perfectly cooked, is still a bit bland. Basanti is a must try spot & is worth returning to! If we lived in the area, we'd be here frequently. read more

The best Indian food hands down! I always crave this place. Definitely worth coming too! The most authentic places I've been. Really good customer service and the food is just amazing. read more

My favorite Indian food around! Recommend the chicken tiki masala and their garlic naan. Food always comes out quick, and they have lovely employees. Great comfort food! read more

The chicken tikka masala was pretty good, lots of chicken. Personally I like to get less chicken and more of the curry but it was fine. The garlic naan was great! read more

This little hole in the wall has some of the best Indian food. The food is always delicious and never disappoints. The staff is also friendly. Definitely would recommend. read more

I was in the area passing by last weekend Saturday but it rained so I just went home.. but looked forward to checking them out so I tried Sunday.. walked in and it was practically empty with 3 tables takes and the rest empty. I asked, do I need reservations? or any of these tables open? He said yes any.. I proceeded to sit in the side table and the dude said, "oh can you sit in that corner next to the loud group table?" Uhhh didn't you say any is open? so I DON'T WANT TO SIT NEXT TO A LOUD group of people. So are these reserved then? read more

Ummmmm......YES YES YES! We moved to San Clemente 6 years ago and we have been in dire need of a good Indian food place. This. Is. It. So. Good. The people who work here are so kind and sweet too. Their sweet dispositions are the cherry on top of this masala sundae. read more

Great food, great ambiance, friendly staff. I highly recommend this restaurant. Loved that this restaurant is vegan friendly :)

Delicious lentil soup with fair prices Vegan options and staff is knowledgeable about what is ok and not for my special request read more

We went here because of the reviews. Disappointing poor quality Indian food. The chicken was tasteless, the onion pakoras was so hard dry and black, I almost cracked my teeth. The rice was not cooked properly n smelled like it was in a store room for a very long time. These reviews are hyped big time. Small portions and horrible food for too much $$$. This is a place for ppl who knows NOTHING about Indian food!!! read more

I ordered a Chicken Tikka Masala last night, a samosa, and a garlic naan. I picked up my order and had to pay 2 extra than the website menu indicated. Ok, no biggie. I could not wait to eat it! I was really craving for the taste. I love Indian food! and LOVEEEE Tikka Masala. Just not this one! I cannot believe all the 5* reviews. The chicken dish was just tasteless. Bland! Nothing, no flavor. I thought, boy, maybe I did have COVID at one point and I just did not know it. I just read another review that thought the same thing! So, we might both had COVID without knowing it. The other review made me smile, thinking is not me! I could have passed the bland taste, not only was I craving, I was also hungry. And you know, when you are hungry you can eat anything! Nupe! I could not even put a bite on the chicken. Hard, oh so hard - like trying to put a bite into a hard cheese, that hard. So, I put it in my fridge. I figured, maybe I can do something with it next day. Well, today is next day, and I tried to cut it in pieces, was like cutting a piece of wall. You can cut it but it is really hard. I feel like driving back just dropping the hard chicken and ask them to eat the pieces! To the samosa.. the order comes with 2 good sized samosas. They were really oily and soggy. I ate 1.5 last night. Like I said, I was hungry. One can say that maybe because it was a carry out, the consistency was not right. But, I taken many carry-out orders (once a week for years) from other places much further away from my home and I had no problem with the crispy and oil level of it. I am re-heating the Naan now, so I can eat with eggs or something, because the chicken, is not eatable. And now the prices does bug me.. Over priced for no good reason! And why the 2 stars? Well, they do have available parking. It was easy to order and to pick up. So kudos for that! read more

WOW! BASANTI is a must go in South Orange county. Simply delicious, hot, fresh, flavorful and with many options to choose from. You won't regret coming with all your friends and family. Lunch menu has many options that come with a large flavorful salad, large bowl of rice, huge bowl of naan and your entree. I ordered the chicken Tikka masala off the lunch menu and my husband ordered the tandoori chicken from the normal menu. It was to die for Delicious. The staff was super friendly and helpful. read more

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This place is amazing! I ordered catering for work and they were very accommodating and patient with us. We requested delivery which they were able to do since I had a larger order and even gave us some freebie desserts! The food was delicious! While everything we ordered was great I definitely recommend the butter chicken, kuchcumber salad and coconut curry! Portions are very fair as well. If you're looking for great Indian food, this is the place to go! read more

This is my fiancé's and I go-to spot for Indian food in South Orange County. The owner is always so polite and ready to tell a story about his favorite spots in Nepal. The food is amazing, and there are a ton of delicious vegetarian options. During the mandated stay at home orders we came here for take out about once a week and the restaurant was always clean and everyone respected social distance measures. read more

Wonderful food, great staff. Friendly people and food is good too. All vegetarian dishes are yummy. Good to try if you are around San Diego area. Kid friendly!! read more

Been here a few times now and hands down it's been the best Tandoori chicken I've had. We had the Himalayan momos which are amazing dumplings with the curry sauce. The lamb vindaloo was on point and very spicy! The lamb naan was also amazing and I plan on trying all their beans and the chicken korma had a smooth flavor that enticed the pallet. I havent had a mediocre dish here ever and the service was excellent as usual. Highly recommended!! Oh and they have craft beer on tap! read more

BASANTI - Indian Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

My husband and I have gone to Basanti a handful of times and it is always a treat. In fact, we recently picked up take out food there for our anniversary dinner. I love their chicken tikka masala with garlic naan bread and my husband loves their Tandoori Chicken. read more

I almost don't want to review such an amazing restaurant because I fear that if the word gets out, it will get crazy crowded and I'll have to wait for a table. In one word, " amazing" read more

You can feel the love in the food here. The owner is very kind, you feel true hospitality in the service, and the flavor of dishes like the Chicken Tikka are spot on. What a gift to have this special place in the OC! read more

BASANTI - Indian Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

Love love Basanti! If you have never had Indian food this is a must! Great flavors and wonderful host! We dine in and take out, either way it's a great experience ! read more

Basanti is a very good Indian restaurant, judging only by kitchen and server execution. Crammed into a tiny space which formerly housed a burger joint, the aromas of Indian spices tantalize your senses immediately upon entering. Suggest making a reservation, dining room is perhaps 300 square feet. Nice selection of wines and beers, pinot noir was served a bit above room temperature, IPA draught was very satisfyingly cold, however. We ordered shrimp vindaloo, chicken curry, chicken tikka kabob, sag paneer, garlic naan and basmati rice. Everything arrived timely, hot and was delicious. Servers are prompt and courteous and help make the evening a delight. $100-plus with tip is a bit pricey given the ambience, but ingredients for quality Indian cuisine are not cheap. Parking in the center they're located in is a serious challenge, but there is complimentary valet. All in all, a very satisfying experience and we will return. read more

This is our go-to place for Indian food. We've tried many other places in South OC but feel Basanti is consistently the best. We always order the chicken tikka misala (kids love it), but one of our favorites is the vegetable vindaloo for the spiciness and authenticity of the dish. Have tried many of their dishes and have yet to have a bad meal here. read more

My husband and I stopped here for a nice quiet dinner during our stay in Dana point. The restaurant is clean, quiet, and dark which gives it a good atmosphere. Staff was really friendly and food was absolutely delicious. I got the Lamb Tikka Masala and my husband got the Chicken Vindaloo. Both dishes were really flavorful and the meat was tender, fresh and good quality. We also really recommend the vegetarian sampler platter! That way you taste it all. Well worth it! read more

Have eaten here a few times. The Goat Biriyani is the star of the menu. Samosa is really good too. Avoid the Chicken Vindaloo -- it is spicy beyond belief. (Staff warned us be we ordered it anyway. Interesting thanksgiving menu.... read more

BASANTI - Indian Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

Super good! Tried it on whim. Super happy with it. The amount of rice they provided for the 2 of us wasn't quite enough, but overall, the meal was plentiful and tasty. The naan did not disappoint! Definitely will be on the rotation for the family. Update: Apparently, additional rice is complementary, I should have asked! Like I said...we'll definitely be back. read more

The food was so bland that we thought we had COVID-19 at first. It comes in much smaller portions than other Indian restaurants, for a higher price. They gave us two tubs of rice we didn't order, as if that compensated for smaller amount of entrees (we make our own rice). All of the entrees we ordered either tasted like it was just made a bit spicy with one or two spices added at the end or something, but nothing like the rich, layered flavors we were expecting from the entrees we ordered. Maybe they were just having a bad night or something, because the food didn't match the high ratings at all. read more

These guys serve really great Indian cuisine, authentic, friendly customer service, they really take care of their customers, the food is consistent, always tasty, really delicious Indian food here. read more

Overall: Great food. A little high on the price side. Good service. Great location (for all the far South OC'ers, this is your closest and best place). It's been awhile since I've been to an Indian restaurant and even longer since I've been to a good one, at least for my American tastes :) I was fortunate to get my itch for some good Indian food scratched at Basanti. Small but cozy restaurant with limited parking ("free" valet in the plaza though). The ambiance was fairly basic but not threadbare--good enough atmosphere. No large waits but the restaurant was full when we arrived on a Sat. night. Restaurant runs a pretty tight shop when it comes to staff. I can see how that can lead to consistency issues in service or food if they get slammed with orders both dine in and take out. It was moderately busy but I think they handled it fairly well. Food: Chicken Tikka Masala - Great (comes with Basmati rice side) Tandoori Chicken - Great Mango Lassi - great. On the thick side but I liked it. If you want it less thick you can water it down to the desired viscosity (I totally just went there). I really liked the food but for the price to portion ratio there was a little to be desired. I'll have this place saved for my goto Indian joint, especially given its location in far south county. read more

Take out lunches today for 3 people; $80. The Tikka Masala was good as were the salads and naan but the 2 orders of Tandoori Chicken were nothing but thighs and drumsticks. For the price, we expected better. read more

Friendly owner and staff. Excellent food, whether you dine in or take out. And always consistent! Love the byrani!! read more

BASANTI - Indian Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

Delicious food and stellar service with every visit. I love all of the options I have tried at Basanti, especially their naan breads. I highly recommend it! read more

This place has changed for good. Went there after a long time. Ordered Chicken Curry, Onion Kulcha, Rice Pudding, Chicken and Veggie Momos. Everything I ordered was very flavorful. You will not regret if you order the items I ordered. Highly recommended. read more

AMAZING garlic naan, aloo gobi, and biriani!! The biriani is very spicy, but with the added yogurt sauce, the spice can be tamed, and it has a ton of flavor. Service is phenomenal and the owner is incredibly sweet!!! Also loved their pistachio ice cream! The portions may look small, but we ended up having a ton of leftovers, and this food is still wonderful the next day!! I think the prices are very fair. read more

FINALLY! An awesome Indian restaurant in Southern Orange County!! Being an Aussie transplant, one of the culinary things I missed most about Oz was decent Indian food. You guys have all the Mexican, Japanese, burger places and wing joints you can imagine, but until Basanti there literally was not an Indian restaurant between Laguna and Oceanside. A few months ago I was extremely excited to stumble across this new place on Facebook, and have eaten there (both in restaurant and to-go) a bunch of times since. Basanti is a family-owned and run restaurant and the Gentleman owner is an absolute legend! Once of the nicest guys you'll ever meet and desperate to provide a good experience. The food is really authentic Indian - the curries are spicy and delicious, the bhajias and naan bread are perfectly cooked, and the saag paneer is some of the best I've had anywhere. I have brought Aussies and some British curry aficionados to Basanti, and every single one has raved about it. Thank you for finally satiating my Indian cravings, Basanti!!! read more

I LOVE this place! The best samosas and chicken tikka masala. Their chai is authentic and the mango lassi is always so yummy! During this pandemic, they've been one of my favorite spots to order takeout from. I miss the friendly servers but it's nice to still eat food from one of our favorite spots. The garlic naan here is to die for. Thank you for being a local favorite and for sneaking in some extra rice pudding sometimes :) You guys are the best! read more

Super delicious indian food. Love coming here for the delicious chicken tikka and naan. Always so tasty and flavorful. The people are sweet too and it's always fast. Thank you read more

Food is good. But the value is just not there. Chicken entrees should not cost near $20. Kind of messy presentation for a $22 meal (nan $4 extra). read more

BASANTI - Food is good. But the value is just not there. Chicken entrees should not cost near $20. - Indian Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

Good food and friendly service. The ambience however is ok and doesn't justify the steep cost for every dish.

Thank goodness! ... An excellent Indian restaurant in south Orange County. Their menu is excellent, as is their service and especially their food. I hope the locals get behind this hidden gem and support it so that it thrives! I will definitely be back! read more

BASANTI - Indian Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California