I've always considered this place to be very good for its veggie Indian dishes. Which means, that with a carnivore for a husband, I don't get to frequent this place very much. But when I do, there is no question about what my favorite, favoritest dish is here: the kofta mahlai. Those lovely little saffron covered veggie balls in that creamy yummy sauce, happily yielding to the gentle but firm weight of my spoon- yes I prefer eating with a spoon, it's a curry- slowly entering its gooshy gooshy inner goodness. I am already savoring them as I wait to be seated. But then I remember. I have a carnivore husband. At the table. Silent scanning of the menu. A look of hopefulness emanating from him... Having no obvious meat dish recommendations for him, I let him choose anything, at random. "I want to try the lamb vindaloo," he eagerly suggested. "Vindaloo?" I counter with a quizzical look on my face. "Vindaloo," he confirms. I think- I hope he is not disappointed. And he wasn't, and neither was I! It was nice and spicy. We ordered the dish "spicy" which white folks are usually advised not to. Not being white, we cheerfully ignored the advice. Some of us like it hot. Oh, and they didn't charge extra for brown rice. And the desserts- the kheer in particular, is decadently delicious. So lucky to be able to walk to this restaurant. Thanks Raj! read more

In and out in about an hour and a half... not quick and not worth the wait. The food? Who knows and who cares...I was blinded by hunger and distracted by clanging dishes in the kitchen...four other tables were sat, served, and out the door by the time we got our meals... 1/2 star for the glass of water...the servers were all over it. Free refills, etc.. Oh, and the walls were painted yellow...my third favorite color...1/2 star. read more

Nearly everything I've had here has been very good. My absolute favorites are the chicken biryani, chicken shai korma, and since I order them very spicy, a mint/cumin lassi to let me eat at a normal pace. Other things I've liked--every meaty curry I've tried, channa masala, chicken tikka, chapati. About that "spicy", most of the Indian restaurants on Solano now do pretty well at making my food spicy when I ask for it, but Cafe Raj seems to be the overall spiciest. Downsides: the nimboo pani wasn't as good as it sounded (too sweet) and sometimes when they're busy they've been slow. read more

The food was very good, not quite 5 stars. I would definitely eat here again. The Chicken Tikka Masala was very tasty, but some of the chicken was a little on the dry side. The Prawn Masala and Lamb Korma were really good. The customer service is 5 star all the way. They were so nice. My phone in order was ready for me to pick up 30 minutes before they actually opened. They waited until I got there to finish cooking the samosas so they were super hot. read more

The naan is so good here. I lived the chicken Tikka masala and the veggie curry. Friendly staff and good food and not too expensive.

Amazing food all prepared to you spice liking. FREE mango Lassie for kids the moment you sit down. I was so happy to see my favorite vegetarian dish ...Aloo Matar ( potatoes and peas) But also one with chick peas and another with Brussel Sprouts! You should go here if you are a vegetarian or if you enjoy meat. Everything is tasty and everyone so nice read more

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I do like the paneer dishes served here; they're full of flavor a perfectly creamy. I've never cared for Indian curries, though, so I haven't ventured too far from biryanis and tika masala. Their cuts of meat are super chewy, overcooked, tough, and don't interest me. I stick to the ample vegetarian menu. The serving sizes and prices are fair. So, overall, this is an easy take-out option with convenient hours. The employees speak little to no English. But they won't accept it. They're always polite and gracious as they can be, but my exchanges with them are always painful. Indeed, tedious enough to keep me from visiting as often as I might otherwise. read more

The chicken tikka masala (CTM) was just OK - kinda like the food here as a whole.

I credit this place for making Indian food that I like.. wait LOVE. I didn't even like Indian food until I came to this place! The slight wait for the food is so worth it. I've now tried virtually all of the curries (in mild) and, i LOVE everything! AButter chicken is unique and something my kids LOVE! the Naans are yummy. Never had a bad meal here! I've been coming here since 2000. read more

It's probably all been said before. Very reliable, consistently good northern Indian/Pakistani food. Service quick, so easy for take out. Has been a standard go-to place with our now 6 year old since he was 2. read more

Indian food can be tricky as there are many states in a huge country with varying styles of the same dishes. The food is excellent at Cafe Raj, though some previous reviewers have thought otherwise. I can only say be careful that you are not judging the dish by your own particular tastes and not by the fact that it tastes good. read more

First of all, kudos for explicitly noting which dishes can be made vegan. Usually it's difficult to ascertain what has ghee in it but here they tell you and don't make a hassle over it. Plus they can make stuff hot. I got one + hot and it was hot as anything i was served in India. Apparently they go up to 3 + hot. And it was all cheap! for 4 people, with drinks, multiple appetizers, breads, rice, etc, it was $64. And the portions were HUGE. thats like 2 meals each basically. The service was really good, but you have to wave someone down when you want something. Fortunately they noticed really quickly so no issues. Everyone was super friendly and modest. Plus i liked the rose-lemon drink. read more

Tried this place with some friends who live in El Cerrito and frequent the plethora of restaurants on Solano Ave. often. When it comes to Indian, I do tend to prefer a buffet, where I can get my 5 curries, samosas, etc. all at one time. When I try a place without one, I tend to get either Butter Chicken or Tikka Masala. This time, I tried the Butter Chicken and it was absolutely delicious. I loved the addition of the green raisins and almonds into the sauce. It provided certain bites with a tad of sweet, and sometimes a little crunch from the almond. One portion was 4 huge chunks of chicken and lots of sauce. No complaints there! The only thing I was unhappy with was you had a choice of EITHER rice OR naan. I want both! Most places I have gone always provides naan with the meal, not as a side to your meal. Other than that, I thought it was all delicious. I also had the chicken samosas and tried a bite of my friend's garlic cheese naan and it was divine. read more

As I am writing this, I am stuffing myself with some saag paneer, butter chicken, and rice. I may be on my second plate but hey, since there's no oil, I won't get fat right? (Let me have my ignorance; I need the bliss). It's not the best Indian food I've had in the area and I do agree with some of the previous reviewers that the food tastes Americanized. The butter chicken is pretty good but the saag paneer could use a little more taste and perhaps a few more blocks of cheese. Regardless, it's still pretty decent, they give you tons of food (gluttony is my friend), and, at least while I was there, the employees seemed really nice and polite. And in addition to the no oil thing, I also appreciate how their definition of "spicy" is actually spicy (oh did I mention that they cook with no oil?) Yes, I am excited because I can overindulge myself and pretend that I'm not getting fat off their food. Should I go and get myself a third plate? read more

This was the first Indian food place I really loved. Back in the day, circa 2002, it was a tiny place on Solano with enough space for no more than about 6 tables. Within a year or two of that they took over the storefront next door and expanded. The first thing that struck me the first time I was there, other than the quaint atmosphere was how attentive and friendly the owners and wait staff were. The food was next. The vegetable biriyani is great. The mango lassi excellent and so are all the sauces! The tamarind sauce is drinkable it's so delicious and the chutneys (mint and mango) are good. I love family run places and this one is no exception. read more

I went here with my sisters and had a good meal. The place was packed and we had to wait maybe 10 minutes before we got seated in 2-person table (there were three of us), but they moved us once a couple sitting in a 4 person table left. We started with some lassi - i got the plain sweet, sister 1 got rose, sister 2 got mango. Mine was the tastiest! At least i thought so. However, if you are lactose intolerant, beware! The drink (unless it was the food...) can send you to the bathroom. We got three dishes. I forget what they were called, but one was chicken, one was beef, and the other was lamb. The beef meatballs were interesting. I dont' think I liked them. The lamb was really good and the butter chicken was good, but they were such huge chunks that you had to keep dipping the chicken in the sauce when you took a bite for some flavor. We got two garlic naan and one plain. I liked them both. The staff was friendly even though they were busy, they had a smile and were pretty prompt with their service. Parking is hard to find - we had to park on a side street a block away. read more

This little restaurant is cute and the staff is very attentive and friendly. Our water glasses were always filled high and we just loved talking with them. The ladies doing the cooking were Punjabi and the ladies serving were Nepali and Assamese. We had the lamb shahi khorma, chicken tikka, saag paneer, plain naan, and kheer. The shahi khorma and chicken tikka were tasty. I especially liked the green chutney that came with the chicken tikka. The kheer (rice pudding) was good too! A lot of Indian restaurants make their kheer too sweet, but this one was perfect. read more

Excellent food and the staff are always very warm and friendly. Though I know we need to branch out, we always order the Chicken Tikka Masala, plain naan, basmati rice and saag paneer. Everything is always delicious. We order take out there at least twice a month. Highly recommend! read more

I was impressed by the hordes of people dining here. It's very popular and received praise from this forum, so I gave it a try. I've only been once -- and perhaps we ordered the wrong things -- but it was less than average. And for an area teeming with mediocre Indian, I was suprised it didn't at least meet the bar. We ordered the baigan bharta. Baigan bharta is a signature dish -- much like saag or aloo paneer. Any decent Indian restaurant should be able to make this dish reasonably well. Cafe Raj, however, sunk to new depths. Although pureed, the eggplant is usually identifiable. Here, it was a cream. Was there really eggplant in this dish? Couldn't tell you. The vegetarian samosas were equally unimpressive. I don't think I'll be back, but if I am and my experience is vastly different, I'll update and revise this review. Food: 1.5 Decor: 2.0 Service: 2.5 (very busy, so not terribly attentive) read more

Summary: --fairly good vegetarian choices --parking difficult --staff is very friendly --good for takeout --local clientele homesteads on the tables (message: get take out) This place would be better if: --there were more dal varieties offered --you could get thali combinations for take out --parking availability was somehow improved read more

Café Raz was a surprise find - and while the sparse decor and lo-fi vibe is upfront at first, giant dishes of great food await in the kitchen at a price anyone can afford. First, to the food: Chicken Tikka Masala stood out for it's giant pieces of grilled white meat breast and thick, tomatoey sauce. The Malai Kofta were also huge, with an almond-butter smoothness. The basamati rice - eschewing the yellow saffron bits for simple nakedness - was flavorful (although a bit too buttery). We ordered a cheese naan too, and it tasted great despite being "wetter" than other naan. (note: I prefer fluffy, large naan without any butter at all - this naan had a ton of butter on it, and I had to use my silverware to eat it - but it was still tasty all the same) If I had to be 100% honest, Cafe Raj might fall closer to a 3.5 - but the service, amount of food, quality, and price make this a great choice any time of the week. Check it out! read more

I love Cafe Raj! They put raisins in their dishes which gives a nice subtle sweetness to the meal. They also win me over because they don't overdo it on the butter like other Indian restaurants in the Berkeley area. Finally, if you usually skimp on the naan because you don't want to pay an extra dollar or so for onion or garlic naan, then this is the place to finally stop skimping! Garlic and onion naan are only $0.25 more than regular naan (as it should be!), and my beloved potato naan is only $0.70 more. The only down-side to Cafe Raj is the chai tea isn't free. If you ever pay a visit here, get the Kofta Mahlai (Vegetable balls)! read more

Satisfying and yummy! We ordered: Beef Simosas Butter Chicken Chicken Tikka Masala Raita For one order of simosas, they only gave us one each, which I thought there should have been more, but was still good...*kinda hard to mess up simosas, however it only came with one type of sauce (the green one) Butter Chicken and Chicken Tikka Masala - The Butter chicken was good, not too buttery like most places, however the Masala sauce could have used a lil more flavor. Raita was delish and a great compliment to our chicken. All in all, for a dinner for 2 we had no leftovers, were not left hungry, but also not left over stuffed, prices were decent and it's close to home. It still doesn't compare to a lot of places in the south bay where Indian cuisine is in abundance... read more

Got a to go order for lamb korma and unfortunately they didn't get the order right and they gave me chicken korma instead. The food itself was okay, not great and I've had better Indian food elsewhere. The spice level was fantastic (I asked for spicy and they really put in a good amount of spice). Anyways, I'll still go and try some of the other dishes but if it wasn't so close to me, I probably wouldn't go that often. read more

I had dinner here lastnight and it was perfect. The food was excellent, the service was friendly and nice. The decor is simple and well put together. I am very picky about Indian cuisine and this place does it very very well. Obviously worthy of a 5 star rating. Apps: Veg Samosa, keema naan Main Course: Saag Paneer, Chicken tikka masala, Lamb vindaloo, rice, naan Everything was very yummy. It was ordered with medium spice because my friend doesnt do spicy very well. I would have had is spicy but other than that, DELISH!! Thank you Cafe Raj! read more

I think I wrote a review of this place before, but I"m updating it. I've been eating there several times in the last two weeks. Sometimes take out, sometimes dine in. My favorite dish now is the veggie shai korma. It is chuck full of vegetables, enough for two meals. It comes with rice. I take the leftovers to work. I always get two meals out of this if I get an appetizer too. I've had the curry veggie, with I though lacked character, and I like the shai norma better because its a cream based sauce and it has nuts in it!! I'm sure the chicken and lamb versions are just as good. The samosas are amazing. I'm not an expert on Indian Food, but this place is tasty enough that I keep going back and I've developed a craving! Bathrooms are clean, free chai tea, super kid friendly! My daughters (ages 3, 8 & 10) love the chicken appetizer and also I love the cheese appetizer. I think they also love the ambiance as do I. They always want to go there. Doesn't break the bank for a family of 5...since you can share many dishes and the portions are Huge...and that's way more fun anyhow! I can see how some people might not think the service is enthusiastic, but I like the family vibe and I just ask for what I want when I want it - they always respond right away and are very nice people. read more

Stopped by here after my husband and I just got done buying a mattress right around the corner and needed to have some lunch. Lots of seatings. Great goat curry. Great portion. Good flavor. I'd eat here again if I lived closer. read more

Great Indian restaurant find on Solano! I came here with some coworkers for lunch at around 11:15, so right as they were opening. FOOD: I got the chicken saag with naan at medium spice. My only regret was not getting it spicy. I found the spinach to be cooked to perfection, and the chicken to be tender! I haven't had that good of Indian food in a long time. It was very satisfying and hit the spot just right. The other options on the menu looked delicious and wish I could have eaten more! SERVICE: Not fast, nor slow. Just about right, and our dining service was good. I know I'll be back here to try more food, it's just a matter of time. What a great find on Solano, so keep it up Cafe Raj! read more

Loved the Chana Masala, Lamb Tandoori, Lamb Curry, fried cheese (forgot it's name), and the service. My only wish is that you could order meat dishes al a carte. Otherwise, you get a crazy amount of rice with every small meat dish. Even with several people, 2 rice plates are more than enough... Especially compared with how small the meat dishes are. read more

I love real authentic Indian food and this did place did not fail to impress! It has become a local favorite of mine for takeout. They're fast too which is a big plus. I always look forward to their free hot chai when I come in, especially during these cold winter months. read more

(Literally the only review I've ever written - never use Yelp except this one time because...) Just wanted to say I went here with my girlfriend and the food was SOOO good and service was not. The young lady working there made a potential 5-star review only 2-stars because she was just rude and unhelpful. Could've been a better experience. Didn't feel the rudeness was deserved. Too bad because there was an older woman and man working there that seemed very kind and were actually helpful - and the food was delicious (you can't go wrong with most things on the menu). I think if they fired that young lady and hired someone else they would succeed even further with their business. read more

Great food. I had the spicy Chana Masala. Had the right amount to of heat to add flavor and not off the charts. Basmati rice was perfectly cooked as was the naan. Will be back. read more

Cafe Raj - Chana Masala. Tasted great and I am meat eater. - Indian Near Me - Albany, California

my first time leaving a yelp review. never thought i would do this but that's how good this food is. I am a huge foodie and the curries here remind me of those in India. Clean smoky flavor that you won't find anywhere else....I've tried all the other indian restaurants in the area and they don't come close. the food is very tasty but does not feel heavy because they dont douse it with heavy cream and food coloring. The curries are thick and not watered down. if vegetarian try the paneer tikka masala and biryani. amazing...... read more

I love this place! I always get samosas to start and then the lamb roghan josh which I promptly devour with naan...mmmmmm Price is right, place isn't usually too packed, definitely give this place a try. read more

Deeply umami complexsweet subtly fragranced savorysalty tingly spicyhot. Thicksmooth pebbled rough crispythin cracklecrunch densetender fluffy. The most delicious exercise your mouth can have. Sweat it out now! read more

Best Indian food this side of the Ganges!!! Seriously-- the food is made with LOVE-- and locally grown ingredients-- so it's healthy AND delicious. Not too oily, and the best flavors from the variety of fresh spices that head chef Mahd craftily mixes from his kitchen EVERY night. He loves making others happy, and his efforts are apparent in the classic, sumptuous dishes he creates. If that wasn't enough, Cafe Raj is one of the only places around that could easily charge more for its food-- but doesn't. Portions are way generous-- there's always some to take home (unless you're sorta a beast like me), yet the quality of the food isn't a bit compromised by this. More heaven??? The staff. Somehow, they manage to accommodate all kinds of hungry people yet still make you feel like you're super special family-- they know what you want before you do. Chai, Nimbu Pani, more naan? It's there before you know it. LOVE them. You want to take them home, along with your leftovers. Raj is the best Indian food in an area where Indian food is already at a high standard. It's totally not necessary to go to the larger, more expensive places to have an authentic North Indian experience-- save money and have a way better time here at this Punjabi gem! read more

Pretty dang good, and the price is certainly right. I ordered the chicken korma, and while I enjoyed the dish, I'm not sure it was really korma based upon all the times I've had it in the past. I'm a huge fan of chapati, but the version at Cafe Raj was somewhat dry. I think the best part of the experience was seeing my boyfriend's face when he tried a salt lassi for the first time - so hilarious. I've never seen his face contort like that before. Let's just say it wasn't his favorite! Overall, I think the food was so-so here, but would be willing to give it a try again in the future. read more

Four stars for $4.95 lunch special of chicken and potato curry. I wish they would rotate...though maybe I just came too soon (twice within 2 weeks). Their helping of curry & rice lasts me two meals, and I like the fact that its not cream based. The naan is made fresh and is really great as well. Makes for a quick lunch stop if you need one. The lady also let my friend sit with me at the table to eat her sandwich even though she didn't order from the restaurant. read more

I love Cafe Raj. The service here is always attentive and nice. The food is consistently tasty and the prices are really good--although, I have to agree that the Mango Lhassis are not the greatest. But you know, I would STILL give it high marks anyway because the CHEESE NAAN IS OFF THE HOOK!!!! Out of alllllllllllllll the Indian restaurants I've been to, and I've gone to quite a few, I ALWAYS compare the naan to this place and they just CAN NOT match up! As sooon as it gets to your table you smell a buttery goodness that just draws you in...UHHH!!! SOO GGOOOOODDDD! Anyway, that's it. That's my review. Go get you some cheese naan and then come back and let me know if what I said was true or not. :o) read more

Our go to for to go, consistently good, family owned and run. The paneers are solid and the sauces have soul. I walk out with dinner and leftovers for lunch for 20 dollars although I wish they did not charge for chutney. Can not say I much on the room though, it is cafeteria austere. But on the to go basis, it is 5 stars, so much so that the French 1/2 of the family that hates Indian food likes Cafe Raj. read more