The food is way too tame and is actually bland and not worth the money. The naan are good and the service is good and that's about it. This is worse than yuppified Chinese food. There's nothing sweet. Nothing sour. No fortune cookie at the end. Just bland. If you're looking for good Indian food, go elsewhere. read more

Came here with a bunch of coworkers the other day for lunch and really enjoyed it! I'm not very well-versed in Indian food but I hear this is one of the best in Austin. I went with the buffet and it did not disappoint. Some really tasty chicken with onions, rice dishes and soup. We all enjoyed ourselves and the service was good. I'll be back to try some of the menu items for sure. read more

This is my favorite Indian restaurant in Austin. The building and atmosphere is inviting and comfortable. The food has been consistently great. I'm a big fan of the weekly lunch buffets - not a ton of options but always a good selection and great value. I have to get here more often! read more

I absolutely love this place. I've gone twice and both times the service has been fantastic, the drinks were tasty, the food was delicious, the atmosphere was good, and the prices were much lower than I would have expected for what I got. Can't really think of a con except that the parking is a bit limited and a little confusing the first time I went. read more

We love Clay Pit! Although I have to say the only thing we order is the curried mussels and their infused vodka. We have taken friends and they have in turn taken other friends...gotta be good. read more

I've been to Clay Pit both for dinner and for the lunch buffet. Dinner's pretty good; there's a wide selection on the menu, and the specials are very tasty. Lunch is... not as good. I don't know how you could go wrong with an Indian buffet, but somehow Clay Pit manages to make it absolutely flavorless. I mean, I usually expect to get at least a good serving of kheer and gulab jamun out of a buffet, but Clay Pit's lunch desserts were altogether unmemorable too. They're really lucky their dinner was as good as it was, because that lunch buffet is really unforgivable. read more

I have never had Indian food before but I am very glad I came here to try it first. It is a neat restaurant and the food is very good. I really loved there jalepeno and cream cheese bread! I have never really liked curry before but here I like it! It is good over the rice. read more

Ive tried almost every Indian food place in ATX, and tho my neighborhood favorite is New India, If I want to spend a few bucks more, Clay Pit is supreme. The portions are generous, their Tika Masala is unbeatable, and their naan was crafted from the hands of a genius. read more

I enjoy The Clay Pit for its dinner time atmosphere. You can be dressy or casual and either is fine. The setting can be casual or slightly romantic depending on your mood or the occasion. The food is Indian Fusion in my opinion....Not really authentic Indian food. The flavor in their dishes could be a little more flavorful but it's not bad. The Creme Brulee was the bomb. I think the company you keep here, and the atmosphere is what makes dining here the best. read more

I like the lunch buffet at Clay Pit- good vegetarian options and the lamb is tasty. The spice level is milder than I am used to, but that makes it an easy place to meet up with a group that has a diverse level of comfort with spice. The parking is mostly metered street parking but it is a convenient location with clean bathrooms (important in assessing the cleanliness of a restaurant for me) and the building has character. The reason I am giving Clay Pit 5 starts though is because of the service. I came with a group of about 10 today and Julio made us feel welcomed and comfortable. read more

I've only been here once, and I hear it's pretty crazy busy for lunch, but we got lucky and got seated almost immediately. We all opted for the buffet, which was really good. The buffet selection was small, but I didn't mind that, to be honest. I'd rather have a small, quality buffet than a huge buffet selection with just OK food. On the day I went, it included seasoned basmati rice, tandoori chicken, a paneer dish (I'm sorry, I can't remember the names of the all specific dishes, and I skipped on the paneer!), chicken vindaloo, a curried dish I don't recall, and a couple different soups. I got the desi (bean) soup and it was great. Kheer was offered, which I didn't try. All the food I had was fresh-tasting and the buffet seemed well cared-for. The had a few non-Indian side dishes, like a cold baby corn salad, a cold melon salad (cantaloupe and honey dew), and a cold green salad. Baskets of naan were included and replenished at the table. I liked it a lot! read more

My husband and I went to happy hour here last Friday, after it was recommended by a co-worker. Overall, a great happy hour! We enjoyed drinks, the delicious muscles dish, tender calamari, and a variety of delicious naan bread. The only reason I rated 4 starts, instead of 5, is because of two main gripes. First, happy hour ends at 7pm. About ten minutes before 7, my husband and I tried to get a bartenders attention to order one last round of food and drinks. The bartenders were busy and by the time we got one's attention our cell phone read exactly 7:00. The bartender informed us that she was no longer able to put happy hour items in the computer. Kind of a bummer. I love when bartenders/servers do a last check-in prior to the end of happy hour. After finding out that we could no longer order with happy hour prices, we decided that we wanted to try a curry dish off the main menu. When we went to place that order, our server turned us down, explaining that we could not order off the dinner menu while sitting in the bar. We are very surprised by this. I have never known a restaurant to turn away a customer's money/order. Major bummer! read more

Nothing compares to good Indian food. Heck, even bad Indian food is pretty awesome. This place fails, but not because of the food. Heck, i don't even know what the food tastes like, and frankly i never will. We were really excited to try this place, and one evening when we were feeling particularly hungry we decided to try it. The first bad sign was that the hostess was nowhere to be found. When she finally appeared a few minutes later--and with a number of open tables plainly in view--it took her a full five minutes' staring at a seating chart to figure out where to seat us. We twiddled our thumbs for another ten minutes at the table before water showed up, and we waited another five for someone to come take our drink order. twenty minutes after that, we had bland samosas and overly sweet lassis. Another ten minutes went by before our waiter showed up. He knew nothing about the menu, openly ogled my date, finally took our order, and then disappeared completely for fifty-five minutes. We saw him briefly at that point, taking an order from a nearby table. Occasionally other tables (some seated after us) received their meals. Finally, the entire staff apparently all gone home for the night, nearly two hours after we first walked in the door, and at this point completely starving, we got up and walked out. read more

I've been here twice before and was very happy that the friends I brought out this time were as awed by the food here as I was. We ordered a wide variety of vegetarian and meet dishes. They were all fantastic. I strongly recommend this restaurant. read more

Any Indian food restaurant that doesn't send my mother to the hospital is deserving of 5 stars... Okay okay, I'm exaggerating about the hospital (but not by much). This place boasts some high-quality meat and veggies, and they actually listen to you if you ask for no spice...not normally a request of mine, but we had to accommodate the delicate stomach of my mother, at least on a few dishes. And EVERYTHING WAS AMAZING. My dad ordered us such an awesome variety: tandoori chicken, goat saag, rack of lamb, kothmir salmon (with tikki masala), and sirloin kebab. The tandoori chicken and the rack of lamb were the milder dishes that my mom was able to eat, and both were still flavorful and tender. My favorite dishes were the goat saag and the tikki masala salmon. If the idea of goat grosses you out...ORDER IT ANYWAY. The goat was perfectly cooked and the saag was just out of this world...spinach cooked into a creamy, flavorful brown sauce with lots of delicious spice. Best saag I've ever had. And the tikki masala had a unique little kick to it that complemented the salmon just beautifully. Blissful, post-meal stupor...what could make it better? Maybe...mango cheesecake?!?! We ordered two slices for the five of us, though I could probably have eaten those two on my own. Light, refreshing, resting on a plate drizzled with mango sauce...we were blown away. I now have a favorite Indian restaurant back in Texas!! read more

Polite & friendly service, better interior decor than your average Indian restaurant in a strip mall, some good tandoori, fluffy naan, and tasty chana masala all combine for a 4-star Indian dining experience. read more

OMG, the best Indian food!!! From Samosas, to rice, to naan to Gulab jaman...So good!

If you like Indian food, just go. If you've never tried Indian food, but have always been curious, just go. The Clay Pit is the real deal. I've had Indian food at many places, in Austin, and in other cities, too. The Clay Pit outdoes them all. The service is excellent, the restaurant is elegant but not fussy or snobbish. If you like cozy spaces, ask to sit in the cellar downstairs. It's a fun little nook, with tealight candles and a comfy vibe. If you're uncomfortable in closed-in spaces, sit in the regular dining room. Make reservations, if you can. The place gets very busy, and the wait can be long. If you don't mind a wait, the are at The Clay Pit is a cool area and the cocktails are delish. read more

I've been going here for over a decade. It is consistently good and has many vegetarian and gluten-free options.

Paying this much for Indian food is like paying $15 for a burrito at a Mexican place. I can get better Indian food elsewhere for half the price. read more

Always a sure fire hit with my two teenage boys -- Max is vegan and there are PLENTY of choices -- the naan is incredible -- we especially like the kind with peas & potatoes and LOVE the appetizers ... pakoras, samosas etc ! read more

There are few reasons that I am giving a low rating to such a highly rated place. The major reason is that I heard a lot about this place from my colleagues and friend that this is a great place. It created a great anticipation and they were unable to deliver as per my expectation. They didn't have authentic indian food. They have mainly focused on interior and the service. They have nice contemporary interior and service was decent but their buffet food was worthless. Whenever I go to some restaurant, I don't care about if service is not good or interior is not modern if food is really good. This is one of the place which tries to attract people being decorative but no food value according to my taste buds. I will not give a second try to this or recommend to any indian friend as I never felt it was authentic indian food. read more

It is so surprising to me that it took me this long to try this place out, being so close to it all this time! I went with one of my friends a couple of days ago and the place itself is huge inside, and pretty nicely set up. The service was friendly, and we ordered the chicken biryani (desi hot) and malai chicken. The food took FOREVER to come (40 minutes +) but it didn't disappoint when it came. It was flavorful and I thought the servings were way more than enough for one person- we definitely had leftovers. I'm really picky with Indian food, and while this wasn't the best I've ever had, I still want to return sometime! Oh and we got a complimentary dessert for the food taking a little longer, which was a nice gesture. Recommended! read more

LOVE. Just delicious!! The mussels are a must must and I love that you can spice up any dish (I've never had spicy tikka masala before!). My Indian destination in Austin. And thanks to my waitress for instructing me on how to get sauce out of my shirt (yay - just used cold water and soap in the bathroom!). read more

Service sucks, 20 minutes to get drinks served, 45 plus minutes and no food on the table. Staff more people, be prepared for a special day i.e Mother's Day. read more

The food is pretty good although it is a bit unhealthy. I usually get to-go orders and the estimates I'm given are almost always off by at least 20 minutes. The staff never seem to care. Their website also suggests there is a 6% fee added to phone orders for some reason. Will not be returning. read more

The chicken biryani was OK but the chicken tikka masala was horrible i won't come back again

I finally got to go!! Thanks, boss. I had the buffet- nom noms. The warm naan at the table was a nice touch. I love a buffet style where things are healthy and you don't feel guilty about a second trip. I definitely want to return and try a formal dinner. What's standing between the Clay Pit and a five star review- sometimes the server was nowhere to be found, and the place was freezing! read more

Though variety was fairly small for lunch, the $6.50 price tag with a coupon totally justifies the 4 rating. The buffet offered really tender chicken tikka masala, fairly good tandoori chicken, and vegetable korma. The korma was perfectly creamy with a slight hint of sweetness. Their lentil soup was really good as well, and surprisingly, the cream of corn soup was good. Overall, a great buy for $6.50, but just not too large of a selection. Though I'm not too big of a fan of getting the same dish over and over, I enjoyed the few that there were here. read more

I came here for a dinner work training. We were in their private room and more of us showed up then expected. We were all very snug but still comfortable. The staff did a great job accommodating us by quickly adding a table getting it set up with linens and place settings. The original plan by our trainers was that they were going to let us order what we wanted off the menu. Since there were more people than expected they changed the plan for the sake of service. They ordered some apps: Clay Pit Pakoras that reminded me of like vegetable tempura. So yummy! We also got Samosas that were delightful. For entrees they brought out a variety of dishes that were served family style. This was great because I had never been at the Clay Pit so I got to taste a little bit of everything. Tikka Masala with Chicken, Vindaloo, Jeera Saag Paneer, Coconut Curry with Lamb I think, Korma with veggies and Mirch Masala. There was also a variety of Grilled Meats with I think was the Mixed Grills. This was all served with rice and naan. We also got Peshwari Naan that's a stuffed naan with nuts, raisins and cherries. It wasn't as sweet as I thought but very different and unexpected. Servers did a great job. We got plenty of food and I got to do some learning. I was born and raised in Austin and have moved back after many, many years. Why haven't I gone to the Clay Pit? I definitely want to back and eat more! read more

This is not REAL Indian food. It's a watered-down, Americanized version of Indian food, which is fine and completely edible. But, if you want the REAL deal, go to Sarovar or Bombay Bistro, but just don't come here thinking that you're eating authentic Indian food. read more

Great place to take friends and family. The korma and tiki masala are great dishes that never disappoint. Also recomend the jalapeño nan

Very friendly and attentive staff. Their Chicken Korma with their fresh Naan bread Is The BEST, I Love It!

The ratings here did not meet my expectations. This is Tex-Indian (much like aTex-Mex analogy) food. If you are looking for an authentic Indian experience, this is not it in my opinion. From the naan quesadilla to the Texas style grills, this is not like any other Indian experience I have ever had. Now the food: average. Nothing here to rant about or say "wow that was incredible" its just average with an Indian presentation spin to it. read more

I can't believe it has taken me so long to review this place. I was greatly offended when it wasn't included in the weekly Yelp about Indian food. This place is off the hook. My husband and I go here for special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, guests in town,etc. We ALWAYS get the vegetable pakoras for an appetizer. They're so freakin amazing, especially when dipped in the tamarind chutney (the red stuff) They're mostly always wonderful, but sometimes that come out a little greasy (still pretty wonderful even then) The only time I had the samosas was on my first date with my husband, they were a little dry (or was it just me being a silly nervous girl) The garlic basil naan is something that I dream about. So butterry and garlicy and mouth watering-y delicious. The tandoori chicken is delicious. The daal mahkni is not my favorite, but only because my husband always orders it too spicy (we always do the family style thing. It's much more fun with more people though.) My husband is a big fan of their jeera saag and mattar paneer. Bombay aloo is good, but the tikka masala with paneer here is HANDS DOWN the most delicious Indian dish I've ever ever eaten (and I would think that's saying a lot, considering my husband was born and raised in India and man, does he know how to cook!) I can make better gulab jamun than this place, but they do a pretty good job. The mango lassi is.......extreme......and not necessarily in a good way. Dinner entrees-above and beyond delicious. Dessert-skip it, call me instead for good gulab jamun. read more

Delicious Indian. We had a chicken special. Mild creamy curry with spinach. Lamb vindaloo. Nan with cream cheese and jalapeños which was decadent. And a half order of palak paneer. Everything was super flavorful. read more

Blehhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I've only eaten the buffett and it was hard to pinpoint exactly what the dishes were. Basically what they were serving was various flavors of slop. There was cream flavored slop, potato based slop, etc. You get the picture. I felt like I was eating at some military emcampment where the mess sergeant just kind of threw every thing together, let it cook together for an hour, and then rang the dinner bell. You don't eat here, you graze. Even though they only charged like $6 for the buffett, I'm pretty sure they still made $5.50 in profit on my meal as the ingredients couldn't have cost more than a pittance. You only get to eat out every so often, don't waste your time on this place. read more

As long as you go here not expecting authentic Indian food, you should have a good experience. First clue - when you see curried crab cakes and specialty cocktails on the menu, this is not your standard Indian restaurant. We started off with the veggie samosas, which were okay, but I have had better. My husband and I both ordered the chicken vindaloo. I ordered mine spicy and my husband ordered his extra spicy. The vindaloo was good, but, lesson learned, if you are used to spice you must order your food extra spicy, because mine had no spice at all. But, they will bring you extra spice on the side if you ask for it. I also sampled the Khuroos-E-Tursh, which I thought was a little bland, but our friend swore by. We had to wait a long time for a table, we came early (around sixish) to avoid this, but it was a Saturday, so this is somewhat understandable. There was still bar seating, so I was happy waiting. But, after we were seated the service seemed very slow. But, again, I am not docking them too much since it was a bust Saturday night. read more

It's delicious!! I love their appetizers and their seafood medley is absolutely amazing. They are great with their meats, perfectly marinated, and they've got a great variety of stuff. When I'm in a hurry, I'll get an order of their veggie samosas to go and an order of the crabcakes, which I will then take home and make sandwiches out of...absolutely great and very affordable. I reccommend them for a lazy saturday lunch. The buffet, although small, is well edited, and they have cheap lunch portions of everything on the menu. Also, you can get great tandoor wraps for the price of a fast food meal! can't beat that. read more

FYI, I never leave negative reviews but The Clay Pit staff asked for it. All Clay Pit staff is rude, unprofessional, and indifferent towards customers. Here is my experience from tonight's (11/11/2015) salsa night. First, they only accept cash for the cover and don't offer any alternatives except for finding an ATM "somewhere a few blocks that way." I didn't find that being safe at night. One of my friends kindly paid my cover. Then I tried to get a drink. The bartender ignored me - he was serving men as they were coming to the bar, handpicking them over all women. Pedro, I believe is the owner of the place, was sitting at the bar and just let that slide. When I talked to Pedro, I suggested to add a note on their website about cash only cover and expressed my concerns about the bartender. Pedro said, "There is nothing I can do but I'll pass it along." So then I offered a friend, who paid my cover, to buy him a drink. The same bartender took my friend's order (we were the only two people at the bar) while I was standing right next to her but then he immediately switched to a guy who just showed up to serve him but not me. Both my friend and I expressed our concerns about regular unfair treatment. In return he started waiving his hands and told me to go downstairs to get a drink or leave the restaurant. I found Pedro and asked to refund the money which he did so that I could pay back my friend since I couldn't buy him a drink. I then went to tell my friend, who chose to celebrate her birthday at Clay Pit, that I had to leave. Right as I was telling her that, a lady who was collecting the money interrupted us with anger and no respect to our space and demanded, "You have to pay now or otherwise I would have to kick you out." So now we have an upset friend who was trying to celebrate her birthday with friends but instead she had to experience Clay Pit's staff unprofessionalism and lack of tact. All this is for $7, some women hating bartender, and an indifferent owner of the restaurant. When downstairs, I had a chance to tell Pedro about my experience and my next steps. By that time another women made her way to the bar downstairs. She told Pedro exactly the same story about not communicated cash only policy and inconvenience that comes with it, a women hating bartender who refused her service and overall terrible experience. And what did Pedro say? He said, "I don't believe that my bartender is capable of something like that and he doesn't believe us." Dear Clay Pit folks, as I promised Pedro here is the description of my experience along with negative review on FaceBook and Yelp and a pledge of never attending your business. You guys need some competition so you can get your act in order. BTW, you need women in you premises so that guys have somebody to dance with! read more