I don't know how much this place costs since I go here for company lunches and my boss pays so this review is based only on the lunch buffet and the food without any evaluation of food/price ratios (if I do use food/price ratio to give stars here, then I would get an error since the denominator would be 0). Buffet is standard Indian fare. You got your curries, you got your tandoori, you got your rice, and you got your naan. Nothing special here. In fact, I can't remember anything that really stood out, which is good (nothing was really terrible) and bad (nothing was really awesome). read more

My sisters and I have been coming here for 10 years and we love this place. They don't even give us the menu anymore because they know our usual. Chicken pakora is really good and clean, and their chicken korma with the nuts is on point. Naan and papadam are a must. Super friendly and great Indian, they also recently remodeled so it looks great too. read more

Clay Oven - Indian Near Me - San Mateo, California

My wife and I really like this place. The food is good, the service is friendly, and the value is decent. We almost always get the Lamb Vindaloo, Aloo Ghobi, and Naan and Basmati rice. We are always pleased. Have not had a bad experience yet. I would give them 5 stars if their prices were lower. read more

Food I ate was delish!! Chicken curry and chicken tandoori was perfect! Im coming back to eat here again! read more

Clay Oven - Garlic Nan and buttered chicken! Its so delcious!!! Food is perfect!! - Indian Near Me - San Mateo, California

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3 stars for the food and for the delivery service. Ordered chicken vindaloo (hot), baingan bharta (hot), lamb rogan josh (medium), rice pilaf and garlic naan via Eat24. Estimated time of delivery was between 45-60 minutes. Delivery arrived after 75 minutes in total. A long time to wait, but the delivery person was courteous and the food was warm and well packaged seeing as there were a lot of entrees in sauces. The chicken vindaloo was the right level of spicy but a little dry. The lamb didn't taste too differently from the chicken (vindaloo vs. rogan josh) but was more tender. The baingan bharta was very tomatoe-y, but good. Generous sized serving of naan and rice with sides of chutneys. Not the most mind-blowing Indian food I've ever had, but good enough to temper an Indian food craving. Plenty of food for two people and leftovers for later. Would order via delivery again if in a pinch, but probably better to go for the lunch buffet to get your money's worth. read more

This place is the reason I am addicted to chicken tikka masala. Delivery is cool, but eating in was a bit uncomfortable due to service; the table setting is really attractive, however. read more

I wish this rating was to give NO STARS!!! I had been to this restaurant several times and felt like a bit of Indian today. So I parked and not an easy thing in downtown San Mateo at lunch time.. They were not busy and was shown to a table I was by my-self.. I sat down and was sort of grunted at, to go to the buffet.. OMG.... The small buffet was beyond disappointing. Nothing was labeled so if you are not familiar with Indian cuisine , you would not know what you were eating.. The rice was very dry and they had something that I think was Chicken Tikka Masala.. (A favorite) This must have been made with a 112 year old rooster, the meat was stringy and dry and chewy and the sauce had NO flavor at all. then there was a pan filled with some kind of bones in a dark red/brown sauce... again NO flavor and i think I was beef???? In an INDIAN restaurant.. REALLY, that was a first...!!! next came something dark green that was a creamed spinach. that at least had a bit of flavor, then there was something else I can't even describe . I was so ready to leave. When I go back to my table, someone had attempted to pour water with ice into a glass, mostly missing the glass and there was water and ice all over the table. No one ever came over and asked if i needs anything.. The best part of this mess was the small triangles of Naan. they were good, lite and fluffy and i was able to soak up some of the non-discript sauce. I went to the register to pay my bill as I had not been given one. this young kid came up and said to me after a bit and playing on the computer that my bill was $11.16 he had to get another man who never spoke and now said the bill was $13.... Please people don't waste you time, money and certainly your taste buds and NEVER GO THERE!!! EVER!!! IT was HORRIFIC!!!!!! read more

Dal was excellent, chapathi were a bit thick and the okra was ok. I would definitely try other dishes but not okra.

The curry was good, we had lamb rogan josh and lamb saag. The chutney was good too. Only slight let down was the naan which was a little on the heavy side but delivery will probs do that. Recommended. read more

Ordered the food from ubereats today. Half the food is spoiled. Worst daal ever. Smelled horrible. Chicken Tikka was stale. Gulab jamun are too soggy and tasted too old. Nightmare food. Won't order it again even if it is free read more

Great interior, very friendly staff and great food for very reasonable price. My wife and I were pleasantly surprised and will definitely come back here. read more

I was a regular customer because this place had the best Indian that delivered but after tonight, I will have to look harder for another. I placed my order right before 6pm and it is 8:27 as of this review and it still has not arrived. I also used Beyond Menu to place the order for the first time so not really sure how long it took them to get the order in. But I had made several calls to the restaurant during this time and they said that they received my order. So not sure what happened but I am definitely not happy. I doubt they will see much of me anymore. read more

Wow! Dinner (takeout) was FANtastic this evening. Generous portions, everything fresh, well seasoned but not too salty. Vegetable Samosas sooo delicious, dough light like pastry & we could tell they were fresh made. The chicken pakoras were also excellent, nice cut of meat, batter light and cooked just right. Same fir garlic and chicken naan, fresh, yummy. We also had chicken makhni (like butter chicken), chicken tikka masala, and lamb vindaloo. (No vegetarians here!) We asked for mild seasoning for these dishes & was perfect, not too hot but still very flavorful. Also had Punjabi fried rice, which can be oily if not made correctly. It was very, very good. Rice pilav delicious, as well. Let's put it this way, we enjoyed our dinner so much I called them to let them know how pleased we were with our meal. My review is 100% authentic. read more

I had a horrible experience here. I ordered garlic kulcha , 2 North Indian curry, biriyani and kheer with coconut ice cream. Everything was just filled with carrot and food most of the items were sweet based. And worst part was the kheer which was like a broken rice with milk and sugar and it sucked :( not worth a try also. So please don't plan for this place. read more

Really bad! Do avoid this if you can. We ordered the veg coconut curry and veg korma, and we could not find any difference between the dishes. Both tasted the same and not good either. And veggies = carrots and mushrooms, almost like they didn't find any other veggies. The veg biryani was also way below par, I'm struggling to find ways of describing it. The only thing that was tolerable was the garlic naan, which was decent. But the dessert took the top spot for the worst dish! The kheer was so bad, we could literally not even finish one spoon of it. It was sour! Sour! Pretty sure it was the left overs from the previous day or two. The 1 star is for staying open past 10pm. read more

The most amazing $10 lunch Buffet. Fresh, with fresh salad and fruit, fresh hot naan, lots of vegetarian dishes are available alongside the plentiful meat dishes. It comes with GOOD chai..not just bland chai....GOOD chai! :) I think this buffet out does just about any other indian buffet I've been to for the flavor/variety/freshness/and price balance. Lunch is the time to go..and they keep it going til about 2! :) Also, if you live in the neighborhood...they deliver! read more

I have been here twice, once for my first date with my boyfriend and another for our 6-month anniversary. Since then, we have ordered take-out on a number of occasions. The first time I went, it was under construction, and the second time they were fully moved into their newly remodeled location. And the food... Every time I have eaten it without fail, it has been flavorful and rich. The spices they use are perfectly balanced and delicious. A couple of my favorite dishes are the Fish Pakora, Saag Paneer and Garlic Naan (we order the latter two dishes every time and have recently added Fish Pakora to our favorites), as well as the Gulab Jamun dessert. I enjoy the staff, as well! They are direct and respectful, the service is quick and the setting is clean. I am looking forward to going back and eating more of their delicious food! read more

Reviewing for the lunch buffet: I really like their buffet, it's a great value and although there isn't much diversity in times, everything is always made deliciously. I only come here for the buffet. The regular priced items are a little pricey and aren't worth it, especially with the buffet being an awesome deal. Service is always friendly and fast as well! read more

We ordered delivery through Grubhub. Garlic Naan and Vegi Samosa were acceptable. The mains, chicken tikka masala and lamb rogan josh were both overcooked with the meat so dry they taste like cubes of packed paper pulp. The masala was watery and overly creamy. A good portion of the rice pilav was dry and chunked up like reheated leftovers. read more

Ordered delivery via GrubHub and it took almost 2 hours despite being given an estimated delivery time of 50-60 minutes. I had to call the restaurant 3 times to follow up. Was given different excuses for the delay every time. Once we got our food it was ice cold. Epically incompetent. read more

These people have a ridiculous buffet, insanely sophisticated, beautifully balanced spices, not overpowering nor bland. Don't expect to see the same items over and over; they trot out new dishes, and the chef loves to experiment, e.g. we came here a few days ago for Sunday brunch: I kid you not, they had broccoli for the first time, and you might think, broccoli? Really? Why would I go for this when they have all kinds of buttery spicy Indian goodness. I was curious, and put only a couple of broccoli florets on my plate, and I was dubious, pretty much convinced that I'd chew on it, and not finish it. It blew my mind! OMG, I don't have superlatives to describe this dish. If I could write poetry, I'd compose an ode to it. Holy freak, it was barely steamed to green perfection, still crunchy and vibrant, not smothered in undetectable sauce. It was barely tinged with a paste of very subtle spices, mysterious and tangy, with such depth of flavor, it was a revelation. I have had broccoli hundreds of times, but I felt like I was eating it for the first time--a revelation and damn near religious experience :-) I was so blown away, that I did something I rarely do at a restaurant: I took a photo of it, and to do this I had to borrow my husband's phone. Next to the broccoli, are two spinach fritters, which are fried in chickpea batter; trust me, it's beyond delish, fragrant and redolent with fenugreek, super fresh and addictive. My other go to dish are the fish 'cakes,' which seems like it's cod and not sure about the batter, and as usual with everything else here, the fish is spanking fresh. Their rice is studded with peas and cloves, with sprinkling of saffron; yes, that's right, the super expensive stuff that costs it's weight in gold--these people do not skimp on it. Though I don't eat gluten, my husband says their naan is fluffy, moist, charred perfection. He and I adore their mango chutney and 'pancharanga' pickle, which is hindi for "5 ingredient,' and the name says it all: it's crunchy pickled spicy stuff, and a little goes a long way. The chutney, is so yummy, my husband fills 1/8 of his plate with it--sweet and spicy, filled with mango chunks, it goes with everything. Their lentils are everything, on Sunday we had 'dal makhni,' a green/black mixture--no dairy, no butter, and simmered for hours, flavors coming together in a symphonic dance. The week before, they had yellow dal, super mild. They have desserts, which I never have, but I love that for people like me, they have fresh fruit, e.g. cantaloupe and watermelon. What do I fill my plate with? Their raita, a yogurt mixture with cucumber and spices, the perfect cooling agent. I cannot eat at most Indian restaurants because the spices overwhelm, being Indian growing up with a chef father and gifted mom as a cook, I have impossibly high standards . . . I'm so lucky and grateful to have Clay Oven in the next town over. The decor in the place, though my husband says is kinda "cheesy," I find it charming: the walls are colorful with loads of Indian prints, and I looove that they play the Bollywood music of my childhood--I'm flooded with memories. Thank-you, guys, for all you do, and please never change your recipes for accommodating us with palates and colons who want tasty food but without the spice overload! I must mention the service: this is not the stereotypical surly ethnic attitude. They servers are always warm, welcoming, eager to please, and take the time to chat and answer questions about ingredients in any of the dishes. You guys are awesome . . . please keep up the excellent work :-) read more

Clay Oven - The Divine Broccoli and Spinach Duo - Indian Near Me - San Mateo, California

Great service & good serving. I like the ambiance as well, it's romantic for a date or special time with someone :) I like their Chicken Tikka Masala, Lambi Vindaloo (spicy), and Palak Pakova for appetizer.. The waitstaff gave a very good service... read more

We came here because of Yelp and it was alright. We had a cucumber salad I did not appreciate all the hidden onion at the bottom but we had a Raita and ate both together and it was really good. We shared Vegetable Samosas, two of them, they were big and really tasty. Then we shared Chicken Tikka massala, rice and Garlic Naan, I have nothing bad to say about any of them but is not the best Indian I've had. The best was the naan that was soft and super tasty. read more

Butter chicken is delicious. Attentive service. Mofiaesque.. But in a good way Reasonable prices.. read more

Awesome food. Naan was the best. Went for lunch buffet. The ambience is too good for an Indian restaurant. A lot of varieties and to get at 10$ is a bargain. Will go again read more

I've been here several times for lunch buffet and their food is pretty good. What gets them a 3 star is that some of the staff has clearly no interest in being there and don't smile or make even the slightest attempt to show that they care. Several times there have been multiple dishes that sit empty for a long time without anyone caring. Yesterday a couple of dishes sat empty on the buffet for the full hour I was there. Naan isn't on the buffet but is served to the table which is a nice touch but they always serve 1 naan no matter how many people are on the table. Every time I ask for more, and every time this request seems shocking to the staff. Surely, I'm not the only one to want more naan? As mentioned earlier, the food is good which has me coming back for the lunch buffet. Chicken makhani is always good, lamb has been good and vegetarian dishes are usually good. Fix the issues and get a 5 star! read more

One star just because they charged more tips than I actually authorized and signed on the receipt, the same thing happened to my colleagues. Please pay attention to the amount posted on your credit card. read more

Food is average. Service is terrible and slow. There was a private buffet going on and fight broke out between the management and other customers. Generally very rude people. Avoid going here if you want to enjoy a peaceful dinner. read more

A very quaint, quiet East Indian restaurant, Clay Oven is by far, an local eatery of great East Indian eats, sophisticated decor, and with open table buffet, one of the most regularly visited haunts in San Mateo. Most frequently, I have had the acquaintance of dining there, the Indian buffet is simply scrumptious food, with a vast selection of wines, beers, sodas, coffee, tea, and bottled water, of your choice. Something very unique about this place, of which I find very quaint, sophisticated and elegant, trendy, and less expensive by far than most other East Indian restaurants. Recently, I have had the pleasure of fine dining at Clay Oven, the staff was friendly, extending prompt service with elegance and flair. Buffet is a matter of choice, serving traditional tandoori dishes, panera bread, a choice of soups and salads, curry chicken and beef, banana squash soup, peanut sauce,' and most definitively, the shakoor is exclusive! Fine dining by candlelight, definitely fine for a table for two, group catering is a must for large groups, and they also offer catering to homes and businesses as well. If yoyr into Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, this perhaps is definitely the right place to experience great food, fine wine and buffet, and at very reasonable prices, you can't beat it! A romantic, serene atmosphere, like Table for Six, if youn prefer to enjoy a romantic, enjoyable, yet quaint dining in, I definitely suggest Clay Oven. Located right in the heart of suburbean San Mateo, many frequent visits to this place, would be considered a rule of thumb. Mon Cheir, Ciao, read more

Bad food. Sub par service. Naans were okay. 2 curries that we ordered had more carrots and mushrooms more than any other vegetables. Biryani was like dried sambar rice, again, with carrots and mushrooms. (who puts mushrooms in a biryani!) Raitha was sour. Lastly, the kheer was sour too! read more

Well this place has good Indian food for San Mateo, Belmont, Burlingame area. However the staff that works here is a bit incompetent. I checked in on yelp and I saw there was a $5 off coupon from your order. I presented them with the coupon code after we finished dinner and they said they were unsure how to process it. I asked for another server and he said they couldn't accept the coupon, found it very strange but gave up. Get their chicken tikka and lamb korma, delicious. read more

This is my first time dining here and it will also be my last. The food was alright (the chicken was dry), the service was nonexistent. When my party arrived, there were only two other tables that were seated, yet the waiter checked on us not even once. Had to get up twice and ask for water refills as I was unable to make eye contact with anyone, yet when I was ready to pay the waiter had no problem coming over to pick up the tab. read more

When we want some Indian cuisine my wife and I often come here. The service is friendly and the food bright with spices and tasty. The dinner ambiance is dim with candle light and warmly casual. We like the sauces. The Tikka Masala sauce (lamb or chicken) is rich and delicious. The fish Vindaloo also a favorite can be refreshingly spicy if you ask for spicy and like a little kick. The different naan, particularly the onion naan, goes really great with the sauces. Although the portions come in small bowls, we have always left happy and satisfied. read more

Yuck. horrible food disgusting to the core. Cannot think of going here again. Their ambience is not bad but deceiving for the food they gave. Tandoori chicken was too bland and not tender. Main Course was so bad, they gave White flour made tandoori roti instead of whole wheat roti. Kali dal and roti was eatable. Don't waste your time and money here. read more

Our flight was delayed by 2 hours from LA and we reached SFO at around 10 pm. This was the only Indian restaurant open till 11 pm. Thats the primary reason for giving it 4 stars. Food was good too. I would like to visit this place again. read more

the service is good here and the food is amazing, i definitely prefer it over bombay garden (which is just down the same street). i've been ordering deliver from here for years but finally came into the restaurant for the first time and was not let down. it's quiet and there are always tables available which is good for whenever you might want to stop in for sit down dinner. the goat cheese naan is may favorite, fluffy and warm. i've had naan that tastes like it's soaked in oil but this naan has never let me down. the spicy chicken tikka masala is amazing, the right amount of spice and creaminess. i get it super spicy but it's never overwhelming, just the right amount of spicy needed to enhance the flavor. the rice pilaf is fluffy and cooked just right, the peas in it are cooked to perfection and never soggy. it compliments the food very well. i've also had the lamb vindaloo from here (super spicy) and they know how to turn up the heat on the dish. the potatoes are always cooked right and compliment the lamb very well. read more

Do not go to this restaurant as Owner and staff are rude and unaccommodating! I called to cater a luncheon for 10 people yesterday. It was last minute and in the past the owner accommodated us by offering the existing buffet in steam pans. The owner was not there this time so I spoke with one of the staff and he said all he could do was give us ten to-go boxes. I asked if I pick a few items from the buffet if he could put them in the aluminum trays since it was done in the past. At first he did not agree but finally he said I could pick them up at 11:30am. When we arrived the food was not packed and he gave us ten to-go boxes. I was very upset by this time as he agreed to have them packed for us for pickup. He said he did not agree and when he asked the kitchen staff if they would pack them in the aluminum trays they said they did not have any but I saw them in the kitchen. I asked if I could speak with the owner. The owner was not there but when I finally spoke with him he was equally unaccommodating . He said he could not cater the ten people at the last minute and I ask why not as the food is from the buffet line which was already prepared. He said I did not call a day ahead and he made an exception the last time. I said he never mentioned it was an exception the last time, instead he told me specifically to call him directly if I had to order again. Since we were already there I asked if he could make an exception this time but he would not. I could not believe he was not flexible at all and provided no options. Since we had a group of 10 waiting for lunch we had no choice so we packed the 10 small containers with sauces overflowing and it was a total mess!!! No one offered to help. read more

I'm on regular rotation with Clay Oven for delivery. I think I order from here about once a week. Their chicken tikka masala is outstanding. It's the only entree dish I ever order; they have perfected this dish and no matter where else I order from, it may be as good as Clay Oven but it's never actually better. I also order Dal (good), samosas (okay), they tend to be hit or miss in terms of piping hot, which is a necessity for a good samosa. Naan is good. Raita is a bit weak. It's often watery which is not at all the way it should be IMO. But the flavors are all there, even if the consistency is sometimes off. Mango lassi - can this ever be bad? Best of all, they are a mere 5 minutes away and delivery is usually just a fraction of the estimated time. Even the drivers are usually great :) read more

It wasn't really bad food, but it wasn't really good either. My lunchmate was less kind (I'll bet he rates it one star.) I agree with one reviewer that the naan was pizza-dough. Devoid of flavor and dry. The chicken curry dish was decent. And the salad was .. well, salad. Service was nearly absent. They brought my diet coke but never offered to clear plates or give me a refill. I'm wondering now why I gave them a $3 tip (guilt of being a former waiter, I guess.) read more

STAY AWAY! AVOID THIS A LA CARTE TRAP & RIP OFF-JOINT! this place should be "RED ZONED" from a value prospective especially by the food being nothing special! in fact I would say very disappointing for its quality and taste when compared with other Indian restaurants in the bay area. I know that on matters of taste there is no dispute; but I find any high rating on this establishment puzzling to say the least! keep your money and stay away from this rip-off joint! read more