The food is only 3-stars but rounded up to 4 because the Indian food in Los Angeles pretty much blows other than Artesia or if you're willing drive to DTLA and overpay at Badmaash. Sad but true the best Indian restaurant on the Westside is this slightly oversalted fast food hole in the wall. Rounded up to 4-stars though because the lunch special is amazing. $8.95 for a half chicken piled on a mountain of rice, carrots, and naan. Drink included. That would be easily $20 at most places on the Westside. Also the owner is awesome. I see him giving free meals to the homeless people all the time. They line up for them and his generosity never ceases. For that alone, I rounded up to my final 5-stars... read more

First time here. Heard a lot about it and it lived up to its name and fame. I tried their beef Nihari and Seekh Kabob. Both were amazing and Naan was great, well done as I like it. I will definitely come back again and recommend it to anyone who wants to try authentic Indian or Pakistani food. read more

Absolutely fantastic lamb curry. I'm sometimes intimidated to get food from new places but my boss recommended this spot and now we try to order as much as we can! read more

Food was excellent, price was also very very reasonable. I think we have found a new go-to restaurant near our apartment. Will definitely come back soon. read more

This place goes the extra mile. My friend left her purse in the parking lot while shopping at the store across from them. They noticed but couldn't catch her before she left. Any kind of place that does this, must have excellent customer service. Can't wait to try for myself! read more

I'm huge into curry but this place is not curry, it's more like a stew. Very sorry but maybe it works for some people not for me read more

We have been going to Chutneys for 28 years. All the food is incredible, but we are especially drawn to the meat samosas - which are like the ones I ate in East Africa but have not found similar ones anywhere in the States. The dough is thin, light, crisp. The taste is exacting good flavor. Another exceptional item for Chutneys is their yogurt cilantro/lime sauce. Brings the samosas to an even greater delight but also anything else it touches - chicken tikka, naan, anything. And, finally, the owner is incredible, personable and works hard to make sure you have a good culinary experience. read more

Great owner and very accommodating. Food was good as well. Nihari plate was excellent.

This place is good for Tandoori chicken. I recommend ask for Well Done chicken, otherwise you may end up with not-so-much-cooked Chicken. You can have a look at the way, Chicken is cooked in authentic Indian way viz. Tandoor. It would be great, if they can supply a booklet what "best" to order with "what" for Indian food. For example, ordering Dosa with Tandoori chicken is strictly no-no. read more

This place is awesome! Not only is it fast and delicious but the staff is really friendly and relaxed. I recommend the half chicken or Tika masala plates. The vegetarian plates are also great too! Everything comes w rice and naan so it's great value. Next time you're over on the west side swing by Chutneys read more

Great food that's my man but he told me if I wanted a fork and some napkins I said yes and he threw them very disappointing

Used to love this place when I worked over at the Watergarden. Sadly now it's not that great! Gone are the Indian cooks as well the flavor! The chicken was missing the yummy seasoning and the white sauce (don't know the name but its one of the three sauces on their sauce bar)is super watery and tastes different.. I ended up asking them to add sauce to my rice in order to add flavor to my dish. Rice was an extra dollar and the two tablespoons of sauce he put on it was another dollar smh. Overall I think this was my last little trip to Chutneys. I'll just retain in memory all that they USED TO BE! read more

I parked on the street under a shady tree.The parking sign said no parking on Tuesday. Inside the full chicken tikka 8 pieces are for $10 daily special. I ordered the Beef kabaob for $8. They were super delicious. I will have to drive back to Santa Monica for the whole chicken as the food was delicious. All the food is prepared fresh in front of you, unlike many Indian restaurants where it has been cooked earlier. read more

Local. Cheap. Good. My family has been droppin' coin at Chutney's for at least 15 years. Their menu spans the basic zones of Indian fare--tandoori, curry, kabob, naan, paneer, samosas, etc. I'm a fan of the whole tandoori chicken and the Chicken Tikka (boneless chunks of skewered chicken). Gimme some garlic naan and a bowl of that spicy YOGURT-MINT SAUCE, and I'm in hea-ven. They've got lunch and dinner deals that are wallet friendly. And they have to keep their prices down, being near Bombay Cafe and right next door to Subway and their recession-friendly $5 foot longs. Being that Chutney's is located in a generic corner strip mall, PARKING SUCKS... almost enough to drop it down another star, but honestly, if you're not too lazy to walk a half block or so, you can find parking most of the time. **There was ONE time that I received undercooked chicken, which I simply tossed in the oven. Since then, I just check my order in the car, if I'm taking it to go. Just a heads-up. Overall, a real nice option to have, if you're hungry, on the go, and need some relatively healthy and satisfying food. Good spice factor, nice flavors, a smell that draws you in from outside, and the TV is always tuned to god-awful (but somehow enjoyable) Indian television. If you live nearby and want a nice Indian food spot to grab some chow at, this is your spot. read more

If you find a parking spot during lunch, consider yourself lucky because the parking lot cant get any smaller especially with a Subway right next door. Lets say that this was my first experience having Indian food. I did not know what to expect nor did I know what in the world Indian people ate to begin with. If anything I thought all they ate was curry and they were all vegetarians, but that's just being ignorant on my part. No offense intended either. I ordered the half chicken tandoori which came with rice, corn, and salad. Credit cards are accepted except Amex. The chicken was a bit on the dry side while the bread was burnt and flaky. I still got to admit though; I striped the chicken meat down to the bone. If I knew how horrible the rice and corn was going to taste, I would have asked them to leave that out of my order. Indian food isn't too great in my book, until I find a place that proves me wrong. I also found out that Indian food gives me gas. Lol. read more

Nihari. Nehari. Two spellings. One word. One meaning. Truth. Much love. And a whole lot of spice. My love affair with nihari runs deeply. What is there not to love about spice that burns the mouth and nose, tender beef that shreds apart because it's so perfectly cooked, ginger oil and masala sauce. Oh wow, I just made an oopsie just thinking about it. So I've been looking for nihari on the westside, and it's a relatively uncommon dish across LA in general. The preparation takes awhile, and most people don't appreciate the heat. But I do. So give it to me! Upon the recommendation of a friend with good taste (he's the one who introduced me to nihari at Al Watan Halal Restaurant in Hawthorne, my favorite place for Pakistani food), I went to Chutneys for dinner last night. So yeah, it's a fast-food place, basically. But if all fast-food were this tasty, I would eat a lot more of it. They have all sorts of dinner specials for around $7, that come with your entree of choice, naan, rice, and veggies. Since it was our first time there, we had to get a good ol' smorgasbord to sample the goods. We got: -family dinner special ($16.50) -- a whole tandoori chicken, with 2 pieces of naan, rice, and veggies. The chicken had good flavor, but was a little bit dry, but I would order it again. The naan was good, not too thick, not too thin, but juuuuuust right. The rice and veggies were pretty small portions for a "family," but for 2 people it was perfect. The rice was... rice. Nothing crazy. The veggies had a nice little spice to them, and had potatoes and eggplant... maybe some other stuff, not too sure. The dinner also came with a serving of corn and carrots, which was nice and refreshing. -nihari ($6.25) -- nice spice, not as spicy as some that I've had, but the beef was good, the flavors and gravy were excellent, and I will definitely come back for this deliciousness. -2 veggie samosas ($1.00 each) -- $1 each??? Give me 5 of these fried little pieces of yum! They aren't the best I've ever had by far, and they're pretty greasy, but they work for me! One thing is that they didn't come with any chutney (umm... how do you call yourself Chutneys???), but when dipped in the nihari gravy they definitely worked for me! All in all, I finally found a Pakistani place on the westside that's passable. Definitely not the best I've had, but for a quick, cheap dinner on the way home, it hits the spot. 4 stars. read more

I have been coming to this place for almost 10 years and the chicken is always consistently delicious. The service is good and the naan is amazing. I also love their sauces (the green one is my favorite). Give them a try you will love it. read more

They made 2 very big mistakes today. I had the craving for Indian food today. After visiting this place I ended up at Subway. 1. I never use cash to pay for food unless I am in a different country. The man at the counter charged me 50 cents and I was told it's because it's under 10 dollars. I know that the merchant doesn't pay that so that was an absolute bull. I usually don't tolerate that, but didn't care to argue. As mentioned before, I was really craving for Indian food. 2. I went to wash my hands and saw the same guy (I think he's the owner) in the back kitchen, picked up the chicken that was half cooked with his hands that just handles the cash register (no gloves) and handed it over to the cook that also handled it the same way and put it with inside the clay oven. I asked him why did he handle the food this way and all of a sudden he forgot english. That did it. I didn't even feel the effort to tell him to cancel my order. Instead after the food was ready, I took the food and threw it in the trash outside and walked right in Subway and ordered a sandwich. I liked the fact that at Subway they wear gloves. I told the owner at the Indian restaurant that will never eat there again and he just looked at me with a smirk on his face. read more

Smallest. Portions. Ever. I wasn't aware I had ordered off the kids' menu. Oh wait, there isn't a kids menu. Seriously, I'm sitting here having finished a two item "combo" and am on my wait out the door to get a second dinner. I love Indian food. Honestly...I am *down* with brown. Curry. I am down. Hanging out in Cerritos. I am down. Bhangra screwing in lightbulb dance. I am down. But this here sitch would make Aishwarya Rai cry a river that would flood the Ganges. First off, the combo is listed as "$8.99 + 1.25" which is just ambiguous and weird. The extra $1.25 is for the sauce (masala, curry etc), meaning the combo plate by default comes with meat without any sauce which is sort of like going to an Italian restaurant, ordering spaghetti and finding out marinara costs extra. Huh-what? So at 11 bucks and change (and making me pay for the sauce), I expect the portions to be decent. I got maybe 3-4 small pieces of chicken tikka and the dahi chicken (item #2 of my 'combo') consisted of a small thigh and the tiniest drumstick known to man. This drumstick might as well have come off a chick because it was that small. Sorry, lemme take a typing break....I'm getting lightheaded from not having eaten enough. The 'salad' consisted of whole LOT of onions, even MORE shredded carrots (about 80% of the salad), some corn, and a couple shreds of lettuce thrown in for spite. You'll probably notice that the walls of the establishment are full of the black and white headshots of no name, "who the EFF is that?" actors, and entertainment personalities, which is really apropos and reflective of the food served here... pedestrian, lackluster, and undistinguished from the rest. read more

Are you kidding me!? Chutneys is a gem. The food is all Halal and amazing. Not really a great dining area, more of a fast casual environment. I ordered the Chicken Sagg dinner special. AMAZING! read more

This is a local fast-food Indian restaurant close to my neighborhood. The food here isn't bad, but it's not particularly good either. I've tried the chicken tikki masala, curry chicken, and the naan. To be honest, there's nothing much to really say about this place. The folks here are nice. It's reasonably priced. But, it's still a toss-up whether I would return even for some quick grub.. read more

Why has it taken me so long to try Chutneys? This place is right down the street from me yet I've passed it by time after time. I guess for the past 2+ years I haven't eaten much Indian food since the boy doesn't like taking risks when it comes to his GI tract functioning smoothly but since he was out of town I got to do some culinary exploring on my own! It was close to closing time when I rolled up (the best time to check out the restos in this center due to the crappy tiny parking situation. I wanted to order the Masala Dosa but the guy (who seemed to be the manager/owner) said the grill was already shut off for the night. I hemmed and hawed over to what to order instead and even though he kept trying to push the rolls on me I was just going to order 1 of each types of samosas on the menu (beef, chicken, potato). After I paid for my samosas (plus mango lassi) the guy had a change of heart and said he'd turn the grill back on just for me! Yipee! What a score this really turned out to be! In my to-go box I got what seemed to be TWO nice plump dosas (not sure if this is the standard order size), coconut chutney, and a big bowl of samber soup! At first I didn't really like the coconut chutney but after a few bites I couldn't get enough! The samber soup was fantastic as well and had big pieces of veggies floating within. I was such a little piggie that night and scarfed down the whole order even eating the soup by itself with a spoon. I liked the beef and potato samosas best as the chicken was a little on the dry side. I was really excited about the condiment bar - I thought I would only like the green dip that usually comes with samosas but I absolutely fell in love with the white dip (of course this one was almost completely depleted by the time I showed up). I wished I had more food to dip! read more

Their sign says "Indian Fast Food" and that pretty much sums it up. It's cheap (entrees are under 10 bucks and come with naan and rice). It's fast (took about 2 minutes to package up my chicken tikki masala). And it does remind me of Indian food. But it's not good. Pretty easy to see that my newly purchased chicken and the masala sauce had just met. They hadn't had the chance to get to know each other, to mingle in each others company. Though I couldn't see behind the counter, I can picture it pretty well. One big bin of tandoor chicken - some big pieces (if that's your main order) and some cut into smaller pieces (for all of the other dishes). Next to that is a collection of sauce vats, one of which is a slightly greasy masala sauce. Then a big bucket of bismati rice -- enough to last all day, a little dry for the journey. All segregated until a patron places his order, then plop, plop, plop. Instant, assembly line Indian food. No thanks, Chutney's. Some other essentials: has its own parking lot but if its full, plenty of meters on Pico. Takes credit (but not barter) and serves beer. Eat in at the counter facing Pico or at a small table, no room for large groups. Service is a little disinterested but that's what happens when you take the spirit out of the food. And Mr Chutney (if that is your real name): why did you tell me there was a fork in my stapled brown bag when there most certainly was not? Things got a little messy at work. Good thing it wasn't worth finishing. If you like Taco Bell for your "Mexican" food (not judging), this is your Indian equivalent. read more

The tandoori chicken honestly gets 5 stars, but the jerk cheap a$$ owner dropped it to one star. We called ahead to inquire what time they closed, which he confirmed as 930Pm. We got there at 850 and ordered one whole chicken for there and a half chicken to go for my friend. At 920 when we finished our meal, we noticed he had cleaned up the condiments. We asked him for a side of the green sauce and he said "no, you guys came too late" we told him we needed it for the to-go order and he rudely repeated no. WTF? we just spent $36 and he wont give us a freakin sauce?? read more

Ok, so I chose my rating quite literally based on the little star descriptors I went with a 4 because I have to say, even despite myself a little, I'm a fan of Chutney's. I don't know if I would say Yay! but I'm definitely a fan. Let me explain... if it's not obvious I'm kind of torn on my opinion here. So I'll tell you about our visit tonight. I ordered the Chicken Saag, and the Aloo with Garlic Naan. The b/f ordered a couple of samosas and I had one of those too. Normally, I don't really like samosas, but Chutney's wraps them in phyllo or something just like it, so instead of being heavy, they're crispy. They are greasy. I think other reviewers mentioned that, but they weren't greasy enough to not enjoy them. My chicken saag was so good. It was a nicely spiced, warming, stick to your ribs kind of dish. The chicken was fall apart tender and yes - it was a little greasy. But still spot hittingly good on a cold night. So my two big complaints. The naan and the dessert the owner served us. The naan was kind of...over cooked maybe? It was a little too crispy on one side and seemed almost left over. I dunno, but it was better last time we went. The dessert the owner offered us instead of the rice pudding didn't do it for me. My boyfriend really liked it tho to be fair. It was like a cake soaked in rosewater flavored cream. No idea what it was called, but to me it tasted like creamy baby powder. I just didn't like it. Service is adequate and the place seems clean too. So yeah - easy, cheap and good (enough anyways) indian food? yep - that makes me a fan. p.s. the taco place next door has kick ass horchata. homemade and a large is only $1.18. Go there first for your drink. Horchata and indian food are amazing together. read more

It's Halal which makes me think it's cleaner and better wuality meat, but I actually got confirmation on this when I went to the bathroom and had to walk through their kitchen, impecably clean. The lunch specials are a great bargain if you're in the neighborhood and the Chicken Tikka Masala is just the way it should me.. really red. read more

I hadn't been to chutneys since I was attending classes at SMC over a decade ago and back then it was mediocre Indian food on the westside. Note: this place has both Indian and Pakistani dishes. Ordered the beef seekh kabab. Great flavor but very very mild. But again for a western palate very soft and tasty. However I was told it comes with six pieces. We had four. It also comes with a corn coconut salad and naan. Beef nihari- which is a Pakistani meat curry. I had heard rave reviews about it and it's what prompted me to check it out without having to drive all the way to culver city. Maybe we were there on a bad day but while the shank meat was excellent the curry had slices of garlic and there was way, way too much of the spice mix "garam masala" (an Indian all spice mix). Was not good fresh at all. However the leftovers two days later tasted much better Chicken tikka masala was okay. Very tomatoey and chicken pieces were oddly cut and too much gravy not enough meat. Comes with a naan and side of rice. The potatoe naan was horrendous. That's why only 3 stars. I mean it's as if a bottle of turmeric exploded as the spice was raw tasting and the potatoes were more like turmeric mush. So salty and bad we had to throw it away. I wish we were eating at the restaurant so I could have returned it. I'm sure we'll go back to try the tandoori chicken and maybe give the nihari another try but not sure exactly when! read more

Normally the words "Indian Fast Food" would have been enough to give me pause. But I was starving and the Yelp reviews were okay so I decided to give it a try. Oh Em Gee, this was the WORST Indian food I've had in my entire life The chicken tikka masala was tomato-ey. The raita clumpy. And the rice was not basmati. The only thing that was okay was the lassi. Suffice it to say, lesson learned: Indian + fast food = avoid like the plague (I feel sorry for those who rate this place highly bc that means they're missing out on what good Indian food tastes like.) read more

Chutney's is cool, and it's a great deal. The chicken tikka masala is kind of the go-to meal here. I wouldn't try to be too much more adventurous than that, remember, it is fast food. Given how delicious the food is, my 3 star rating might surprise you. Let it be known that if you are sitting down to eat a meal here, this easily gets kicked up to 4 stars and maybe even 5. The staff is super friendly and cool and it's just a very positive experience. But when you order food to-go it's a totally different story. Every time I've gotten take out from here there's been something wrong with the order. When you order to eat there, they hook it up with a big gigantic portion of rice. But when you get it to go, they combine the rice for everyone's meals into one container, which is small. So that's disappointing, cause I need rice to soak up that masala!! They've also made other errors on our carry out orders. One time we found this corn salad in our bag. Which, don't get me wrong, free food is cool, but it wasn't good. Speaking of salad, if you want to smell like raw onions for the next 48 hours, their side green salad will do the trick. read more

Stopped by this place with some coworkers who wanted a quick lunch -- bleh. While their lunch specials are really cheap, the food is really not what I expect when I eat Indian food. There was none of that tear-inducing kick, none of the smoky flavor, it was like they had real Indian food's flavor, then put it behind a hazy screen like in that Claritin commercial. As we whispered to each other at the table, the restaurant had dumbed down its taste for the "American" palette. I won't be back. I had the chicken curry, my friend had the chicken tikka masala. Both were disappointing. read more

I recommend ordering Chicken Tikka! This place is very affordable and delicious! Definitely has more of a lunch or to go feel with limited seating but the service is very fast and polite! read more

I had their food before and liked it. This time around it appears that the quality, seasoning, and flavors evaporated. It is super close to home and convenient when craving Indian food, not with the convenience. Will not be returning. read more

PROS Very good lunch specials Fresh and tasty Indian food Nice staff Cool Indian and Paki TV CONS Owner parks in lot, robbing customers of the few precious parking spaces Floor gets FILTHY after busy hours and needs to be swept more often Styrofoam cups, bad For some reason plastic knives are hidden and have to be requested read more

I'm gonna have to agree with Steve L. that this place didn't rock my socks off. If my rumbling belly is screaming "Indian food! Please!," Chutney's is not going to satisfy. The rice was decent but the salad was a bit ridiculous (chopped onion & tomato & iceberg in the tiniest STYRAFOAM cup in the world). The tikka masala -- a dish which I think I'm well-versed in enough to judge fairly -- was way below par. It didn't have enough cream/yogurt in it -- so it was this crazy tomato-sauce red when it's usually a bit softer in shade. Tasted a BIT too much like that Ragu jar sitting on your neighborhood Ralph's pasta shelf. The naan was just okay... thicker than usual (like a pizza dough) but not very flavorful. Overall it's a "Meh," for sure. read more

This food was like the TV that comes on when you watch late into a Saturday night, the ok but semi-shitty shows. When I see people praying, I realize it's time for bed. Well priced, decent/ok indian food. If you just really feel like indian food, and don't want to do the whole expensive sit down thing, I think it can satisfy your need. But if you want really tasty goodness, this isn't the place. The samosas were good. The rest wasn't anything special- sorry for the lack of details but there's really no other way to put it. read more

Hmmmmm. Surprisingly ho hum. I've not encounter such tame curry before. Like it was made for Midwesterners who may have heard of Indian food but were hesitant to try. Like it was made bland for grade schools. So dumb-downed I don't really feel it's Indian food, maybe food court worthy at best. The best I could say is it wasn't bad. Really nothing special. I've had far better food at a taco truck. I can't imagine why I would try it again. read more

Wow talk about terrible service!!! The guy was so preoccupied with the tv that he completely screwed up my order- which I had to give him about 4x. Then I found out later that he had charged my card twice. And the food is awful!! Ugh. Never ever going there again!!!!! read more

Solid Indian food if you are on the go or work close by. Obviously this is different from a sit-down restaurant...but why would you even make that comparison? When I worked close by, I went to Chutney's at least once a week for lunch. I usually get the Chicken Tikka Masala. The meal comes with rice, naan, and a small salad. The portion's aren't huge but will do for a lunch serving. Sometimes, I get an extra side of rice. There are other good items on the menu as well. The manager/owner is nice and has a good sense of humor. On the wall, you see the pictures of many celebrities that have visited the place over the years (must mean this place is good, right?). The parking lot is pretty small so I would recommend finding street parking. read more

I freakin LOVE this place! I've been coming here for the past 3 years and I have always gotten the same thing. CHICKEN TIKKA MOTHER-FUCKING-SALA. So GOOOOOOOOD. For lunch or dinner, this place is where it's at. Cheap, delicious, and fun. The wall of fame (signed headshots) is pretty epic - nice little Lakers section too. They play one of two things on their TV here: basketball or Bollywood. There isn't technically a public restroom available, but they always let me get my hand-washing on up in this bitch. The best part is that the guy who runs the place knows me so well now that all he asks when I come in is "For here or to go?" He just hands me my drink cup and tells the cooks to ready my chicken tikka masala. Parking in this little strip mall parking lot often sucks hard, but you can usually find some street parking on Pico. And I would like it if the salad had a little less onion action. But that naan will fuck yo shit up! Damn it's good. read more

This place rocks. Impressive line up of signed star head shots on the wall as well. The dad from the Addams Family, some black guy from a 70's cop show and nobody else I can remember. The strip mall it is located in has about 7 parking spaces and 5 of them are for the handicapped. Lots of parking on the street though. Anyway if you are in the area stop in for lunch and buy the tandoori Chicken lunch special, it only cost $5.95 includes salad, rice, half a chicken, a drink and naan bread. Un-fucking-believeable!!!!!! Now you may think for this price the food must be pretty dire, wrong Mister/Missy the food is delicious. I actually cannot think of a restaurant that I have been in ever that gives you such value for your money with such tasty food and I've been in lots of restaurants, just look at me, I'm a right fat bastard. Oh the owner is a real nice guy as well, very friendly and gets the food out to you really quick. Highly recommended. ***Two thumbs up - Gene Siskell*** ***Me, Victoria and the kids eat here every day - David Beckham*** ***I love Chutney's - Tom Cruise*** (Screamed while jumping up and down on Oprah's couch) ***Eat at Chutney's or I'll punch you in the face - Mike Tyson*** read more