My favorite thing about this place was their service. That's not to say their food isn't excellent but the waiter we had was incredibly kind. Consistently, he tended to us and made sure we were enjoying our time. I came with my best friend and we shared the garlic naan, chicken tikka, palaak paneer and the dumplings appetizer. The dumplings weren't my favorite. They can out a little cold. But everything else was fantastic. I really liked the palaak paneer mixed with the tikka on top of the garlic naan. The ambiance is pretty standard for an Indian restaurant. Not really trendy to trying too hard. It's not somewhere to take someone if you're trying to impress them with ambiance but it if you're looking for a reliable Indian/Nepalese joint it'll do. read more

Cumin - Indian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Delicious! Spicy and flavourful lamb, with good nann. Would love to try more of their dishes!

Good Indian food at reasonable prices in an inviting space. The wait staff was attentive and helpful.

This place is great and the food is superb! They need to do a little more with the decor and add some music to set the atmosphere a little better. We will be back! read more

Portion sizes could have been a little bigger given the price. They also don't have traditional Mint or onion chutney. I tried their pancharanga achar, which is mixed spicy pickles, as a substitute. It tasted a little off. I couldn't eat it cause of how bitter it was. I do not recommend the *pancharanga achar.* That being said their chicken tikka and palek paneer were flavorful. There nan bread was good though it could have been charred and cooked on open flame instead. I give it a hard 3/5. There are much better places I've been too in NYC and Los Angeles. I cook Indian food at home too. But this place can* satisfy your cravings for Indian food. read more

I had really high hopes for cumin and being told it was some of the best Indian food in Chicago. I will say the food itself wasn't bad by any means; in fact, everything I tried was pretty legit. But it was nothing that blew me away and the experience we had trying to get the order and the bill taken care of almost made it tough to justify. Despite the staff being friendly and fairly attentive, the food came out incredibly slowly and it was a struggle helping our friend with food allergies find a meal that worked for him. After having to switch his meal up post miscommunication with the waiter, he was still charged for both and both were brought out to be served. In the end it was all resolved, but it was a tedious process to do so. The garlic naan was great, and the chicken tikka masala was also pretty solid. Everyone enjoyed heir meals, but for the length of time it took for our food to come out on top of the confusion with the bill, I'm not sure I'm dying to return. I would definitely recommend giving it a shot if you're craving Indian and in the wicker area, the food is pretty good; just be prepared to be there for an extended period of time since no one seems to be moving with a sense of much urgency here. read more

Cumin - Chicken tikka masala - Indian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Love the food here. A lot of good Indian food in Chicago, but this is one of my favorites. Perfect spice level and very flavorful. Chicken Makhani is my go to but I ask for less Chicken and please add a few veggies. They attempt to steer me to a different veggie dish but I insist, I live the flavors of the Makhani I just want less meat and some broccoli, peas, green beans, and viola! Just what I Wanted. Please note for life lesson #1: It pays to ask for what you want. Doesn't always work but you will be surprised how much it does and how improved your experiences are. Cheers yelpers! read more

Small space with closely placed tables so it's a little loud/crowded but a nice full bar and some unique cocktails. I found a number of interesting vegetarian options. I went with the vegetable biryani as an entree but I didn't realize it's a spicy hot dish- too spicy for me, unfortunately. I drank 5 glasses of water but could only eat a small serving from the huge platter. It was delicious but I simply couldn't manage the heat so I ate a lot of naan and drank all the water instead! Vegetarian samosa was a great starter- delicious. Reservations recommended as it got crowded. Attentive server. Quick service. Parking was a challenge- it's metered street parking if you can find it. Busy, bustling neighborhood. I'd go back for sure. I'll ask for a less spicy dish next time. read more

My boyfriend and I love Indian food! Living in the west loop our options are somewhat limited. It's nice to have places like Cumin that is somewhat close to home. We came in last Friday (9/30) right around the dinner hour. We didn't have a reservation and they weren't busy at the time we arrived, we were seated immediately. Upon sitting down we were greeted by our waiter who also brought us waters. We started the night with an order of the Vegetable Samosas which comes with two pieces. As for Entrees my boyfriend ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala - Plain Rice - and an order of the Garlic Naan, I went with the Chana Masala and Plain Rice. My boyfriend loved his dish, it's one of his favorites! The Garlic Naan was flavorful and his Chicken Tikka Masala hit all the right marks, and the level of spice was perfect! My dish was really great too and packed full of flavor! I love eating my Samosas as I eat my Entree, I just love mixing those flavors! The Vegetable Samosas are generously packed full of ingredients that go perfect with just about anything on their menu, you really can't go wrong with them! Everything was great, the atmosphere, the food, the service, we couldn't have asked for more that evening. I do have only one complaint and unfortunately every time I've ordered I like to order my meals EXTRA SPICY, I often emphasize on the EXTRA, and my meals often come out as the standard level of spice with no spice adjustment. Maybe it's me, maybe they don't go 'Devon level of Extra Spicy'? I want that spice that will make me sweat!!! Regardless if they get my level of Spice Expectation right, I always love and enjoy my meal! I love Indian food! I definitely recommend checking this place out! If you are looking to be slapped with flavor and leave stuffed, this is the place to be! Perfectly located if you are living in the city, no need to make a trip out to Devon! Cumin is perfect for a date, dinner with friends, whatever! Service is always nice, it can get a little loud in there which often makes it hard to understand the staff. Nevertheless, check this place out if you haven't and see why people like me keep coming back! read more

Cumin - Perfect Dinner Date! - Indian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I would definitely give this place five stars if they had a draft beer. The food and service certainly deserve five stars. I have been here a few times and the food was always absolutely amazing and pricing very reasonable. They have so many amazing vegetarian options that I always struggle with what to order. Their buffet it's also amazing and only $15 per person. However, vegetarians have much more to choose from than meat eaters, but then again - unlimited delicious and healthy food for only $15? Definitely worth it! At their buffet, they also have bunch of fresh veggies and two different dessert options if you manage to save some space when eating all their delicious food. This place is really good for coming with a group or children. Outstanding customer service! read more

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Yuuuummm, ordered through grubhub so I'm unsure what spice level I received but it was just right. Ordered butter chicken, paneer tika masala, naan, mint cucumber riata, navartan korma, and mint cilantro chutney. All delicious, not too heavy on the cream with tantalizing spice blends. My favorite was the navartan korma. Happy eating! read more

Went for a company meeting in Wicker Park and was surprised to find great tasting authentic Indian food in this part of town. I'd say it's as good as places I've been on Devon, though you are paying more for the location; but I'm sure having a restaurant in this part of town is a lot higher rent and it still comes out cheaper than paying for an Uber to Little India. I love hot and spicy foods so if you have mild taste buds you may not agree with my review. Stand out dish for me was the Chicken Marsala, it was spiced just right and tasted delicious; I literally did not want the amazing curry goodness to end. We also ordered Palak Paneer (extra spicy) which tasted very fresh, as well as chili chicken which was good though not the best I've had (would be better if they made the chicken crispy and more spicy but it was still good). The only other minor complaint is that a lot of our Naan was burnt, charred black on one side. I was able to look past that though as it was a very enjoyable meal with great service, and would definitely come back if in the area. read more

I got take out from Cumin a few months ago. I really liked the spot, it's perfect for when you want to try popular Indian dishes (Palak Paneer, Alu Gobi, Dal, Chana Masala, Chicken Tikka Masala, etc). I definitely recommend you come here (or take out, of course) when you're craving Indian food. read more

I'm going to have to update this restaurant to 5 stars given iv been there at least 7 times ( a few of those times were take out) this past year and have had an excellent meal each and every time. read more

The food is good but very disappointed with the small portion entree. For $16, they give a small container for the entree alone, filled to about 12 oz considering it's not even filled to the top. No rice, naan, nothing else included. Had to pay $3.50 extra for rice and $3.50 for naan. Good but idk if it's worth the price. read more

I loved it! Small place, not too grand but top notch food and wonderful homely staff. I was here just this weekend. To begin with, we got the Chicken Momos and the Samosa Tikki Chaat. The momos are amazingly good - MUST have! For the entree, we got the Palak Paneer/ Saag Paneer and the Dal Makhani and the Naan. Everything came out warm and super tasty. Best Palak Paneer in comparison to most of the Indian restaurants I have been to across the country and the Dal was very good too. Special mention is needed for the Naan since it was so light and soft, not chewy and heavy unlike most places that become too hard to eat after it gets cold. I would love to be back soon to try some lamb and chicken curries. Make sure you get a reservation of going during the peak hours on the weekends, place keeps quite busy. read more

Honest review: make a reservation because it does get crowded. The portions are small n they dont put alot of meat in the entrees so id recommend ordering alot of food. There isnt alot of meat so u end up with alot of sauce the nan is good but not enough so u end up with alot of sauce id recommend either getting the unique rice that they have or if u wanna save money just eat the meat n take home the sauce n u could eat it at home. The best things were chicken madaras, the chicken masala, n the goat choela The service was really good it was really busy n he still was very attentive. The ambiance is really pretty really nice inside kinda small though. I wanted to order desserts but they dont have anything that sounded good they sounded to plain they should fix that n put more meat! Plz comin back again Lamb samosa: the lamb was really flavorful. You could taste all the spice in it so it wasn't bland. The lamb was tender nothing lacking in the lamb. The actual crust of the samosa was a little to hard but still good. What I disliked is there was no sauce. Anything fried needs a dipping sauce. I used the two sauced that u get with the chips it comes with greenery but plz dress it put something on it don't jus give me random greens that's a waste Goat chhoela: this was really flavorful the lamb was nice and tender had a lot of delicious spices on it there was a lot of goat in this appetizer so it is filling. It comes with this crunchy side idk what it was but it added a nice needed crunch to the dish it really made the dish perfect I wish all the entrees had this crunchy stuff for some added texture. After u finish eating the goat and all that's left is the greenery u mix it with the leftover sauce n throw in all the crunchy stuff amaaizin! Garlic nan: not ur store bought nan that is to thick its more like a flatbread. Its light and fluffy picture like thin crust pizza without cheese. If u dont like garlic dont get this its very heavy on the garlic picture like a really light garlic bread thats what it tastes like its really flavorful just be warned not alot come in an order so if u have alot of entrees ur shit out of luck Chicken madras: the chicken was so tender it just melted in ur mouth. The actual chicken was really flavorful i could not stop eating. The only issue there isnt a lot of chicken like after a couple of bites ur left with a bunch of sauce. The sauce was phenomenal so much flavor. Its spicy but the coconut cuts down the richness and spicy ness it makes it perfect like i cant wait to come bakc to eat this again Chicken tikka masala: omg so delicous!!! This was so flavorful so much depth of flavor. The chicken was so tender and not bland at all. the sauce was to die for i was literrly licking all the leftoever sauce from the bowl i liked it cause it was spicy like im comin back just for this Chips: the chips were amaiazin! I couldnt stop eating them not greasy supper flavorful not stale or old. U could really taste the fennel flavor. The sauces were so good. It tastes better if u eat the chips with both sauces at the same time cause ones sweet n the other is acidic and spicy read more

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Cumin's cuisine is easily 4-5 stars for me and I'd love to return for the food, but their waitstaff structure and high cost make it a place that I wouldn't go out of my way to do so. Our main issue was with how slow service was and they weren't even that busy. It seemed like every time someone came to our table it was a different person; thus, we'd have a waiter drop off beer but they'd scurry off and not take our entrée order. When entrées did arrive, they were delivered by another waiter and other items were missing. We'd ask for something from someone else and wouldn't receive it, so we had to ask another person and then wait as they ran around to other tables that were also experiencing the same problems as we were. 3 of the 4 of us ordered beer and we also got 2 appetizers, A Mosaic Samosa (vegetable) and Chicken Momo, that were split into half a samosa and 2 momo per person. We then got an order of Garlic Naan that provided us with half a piece each. On top of that, we had 4 main dishes - Chicken Tikka Masala, Chicken Makhani / Butter Chicken, Shrimp Vindaloo and Navaratan Korma. It's à la carte here, so Basmati Rice was an additional $3 and the plate wasn't packed with rice. We had to order 2 to have enough for all of our dishes. It ended up coming out to about $25 for the person who had ordered her beer at the bar and $36 for the rest of us before tip was added on. I simply don't feel the amount of food we got was worth that much money since it was small portions of the appetizers and a couple scoops of each entrée. I would suggest coming for their Lunch Buffet because the food was prepared very well, but it's costly if you come for dinner. I notice that price gap at a lot of Nepalese and Indian restaurants, so it's somewhat expected, but it seemed even more so at this one. read more

Cumin - Indian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This has to be one of the best places in Chicago to get Indian food. Everything was perfectly spiced and the portions where a good size. I'll definitely be hitting up Cumin again. I recommend trying *Chicken Madras *Palak Paneer *Chicken Momo read more

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Very nice, clean, tight table space in a great location in Wicker Park if you're looking for Indian. I also haven't visited many Indian Restaurants in Chicago as I love to cook Indian at home so I don't have much to compare too but I think this is a great place for probably 2-4 people. They take reservations by phone and are very friendly and professional. Don't come too hungry. The wait is long after you sit unless you order a drink. They do have a cocktail list- but I think Indian food is heavy so I wouldn't do a fancy cocktail but of course, that's your preference! Anything on the menu is great! I would recommend trying one dry dish, and one curry dish. For example, butter chicken and goat biryani. Don't forget the naan! Perfect to share, a large amount, and you will always have enough to take home! read more

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Yum! Came here with a big ass group to celebrate a dear friend's bday. As one of the early arrivers I decided to have a beer @ the bar. I wound up with a big ass bottle of a beer called Taj Mahal which is very good. Once seated, we ordered a boatload of naan for the whole table. For my entree, I got the Lamb Madra which is lamb cooked in savory and exotic flavored coconut broth, indian spices and creamy curry sauce. It is supposedly a south indian delicacy. Good stuff though as I enjoyed every bite of it poured over rice. The place itself is quite nice with dim lighting. Service was good as our waiter was quite entertaining. I love Indian Food and I love my old hood of Wicker...chances are, I will be back to try more read more

Decent for the price! We got multiple plates, some chaat, and some naan for just $18/person. The malai kofta was the best I've had actually. I'd go back again! read more

I like to plan. For me, at least half of the fun is preparing for a trip. Research and talking to people passionate about a place I'm about to visit turns me on. But my life is not my own and I married Mr. Spontaneous. So as much as I'd love to have my trip follow a preplanned itinerary of highly rated places from Point A to Point B to Point C, there are many times when I throw up my hands and say, "You choose." This has resulted in some of our best and worst experiences. Cumin was one of the best. We spent the evening strolling around Wicker Park and wandered in for a mix of Nepalese and Indian food. Earlier in the day we'd indulged in some Chicago deep dish pizza, so we decided to keep it light and ordered a variety of appetizers. All were excellent, but the Chicken Momo ('a true national dish from Nepal') was my favorite. Lamb keema samosa, shrimp pakora, naan. It was all good. Our server was attentive and we were never in need of anything. If I lived in the area, this is the type of place that would be a neighborhood favorite. There were several tables filled with large groups and a full bar so it was a great modern and warm atmosphere. Score one for spontaneity and Mr. K. read more

I had a wonderful meal here last Wednesday evening! As Cassie D said, the service was incredible, and very patient with us! They were so nice to us! The food was delicious. The samosas were great, the nan was good, my curry was outstanding. I requested my curry hot, and it was hot. I like my curries hot enough to need a tissue while eating, and this met my criteria! I did not know that it was the leftovers that made Cassie sick, and I ate my leftovers Saturday. I was fine, so I will probably try to convince her to go back some time :) read more

I am in love with Indian food. This is by far the best I have found in Chicago. I brought my "suburban" parents who think Coopers Hawk is fine dining. They had never experienced Indian food, and told me to take control. I ordered the Vindaloo, a mild Tikka masala, toms of Naan, and samosas. I asked for extra chutneys, and they provided. I'm not kidding. My Irish mom, and German dad, had their eyes rolled back in their heads. They said it was the best meal they have ever had. Thank you Cumin, for letting me introduce beautiful Indian cuisine to two "foodies", who think chicken Parmesan is exotic. read more

Excellent food, great ambience: Our food order: App- Chicken momos- great flavor, make sure to request for the spicy housemade sauce (mild hot) Entree- Nepalese goat curry, chicken madras Bread- onion kulcha and green chili naan Everything was perfect. Spice level- Mild. Highly recommended!! read more

Cumin - Great ambience/music.. - Indian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

How ironic that the day I decided to go check out Cumin, was the very same day my friend who introduced me to Indian food invited me to lunch. He was pleasantly surprised when I told him I was going to an Indian restaurant and one he never heard of at that. He said he'd get there as soon as he could since he was coming from the far South Side. I was starving by the time I walked into the very classy Cumin, so I only felt a little bad that I raced over to the buffet to get my eat on before my friend got there. Mmmm....I sampled the tasty tandoori chicken, chicken tikka masala, sag paneer, aloo gobi, a spicy goat dish and naan. My only complaint is that there wasn't more to choose from and I ordered a glass of wine that never came. Oh yeah, and that my friend showed up after they shut down the buffet. The lunch buffet is not only extremely good but a great bargain, as well. I plan to go there for dinner soon. read more

Cumin is a great Indian restaurant in the neighborhood. The food is consistently good and the restaurant is easy to order from.

Prior to my relocation to Asia, I HATED Indian food. Once I touched down in Korea, I LOVED it. So, three years later, when it's time for me to return to America, I'm definitely thinking about where will I get my Indian/Nepalese food fix. Yelp-ers were generous with the reviews on this place, so I decided to try it with my cousin. We ordered my favorite, Paneer Mahkani along with Butter Chicken, shared plain naan, basmati rice and chicken pakora and I had a mango lassi for dessert. Honestly, I'm not going to run down each item. I'm just not going to because I'd be saying the same thing over and over and over. This food was SO GOOD! Like, it was all AWESOME. Furthermore, they have tamarind sauce. I have NEVER seen tamarind sauce at Indian Restaurants here, so that was a huge plus. The Mango Lassi was definitely the best I've ever had...PERIOD. All of that food was 56 dollars before tip was is pretty reasonable. I see why folks say this place is slight on the expensive side and ordinarily, I would agree. However, this isn't a down home styled spot. It's pretty nice. I'd be happy if this was chosen for date night. read more

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A mostly strong Indian dining experience. Really, if you take away the very plain/average chicken bhutuwa (Nepalese) appetizer and the general prices for this meal, this might be a five-star experience, but I've also had good Indian in Devon for a much more reasonable price point. But Cumin does have one very distinct edge--I can walk there in 15 minutes, even in bad weather! For dinner we tried the lamb vindaloo (good, but not nearly spicy enough for me...if you are a spicy person, you need to ask them to make it double or triple the spice level) and the paneer tikka masala. The meat in the lamb dish was tasty, as was the cheese in the latter...the bowls were big enough to have lots of extra sauce, key because I lathered my garlic naan, paratha and poori all over that business. Very solid, and the rice was great too. I will skip the appetizer next time and have a drink at home before trying this again, so that I can get the bill down to under $50 for two, instead of the $78 that I dropped last night. No disrespect, but $80 for two people eating Indian food is not sustainable!! (I don't know the buffet price, but that's the better long-term play.) Also--Cumin is a crazy quiet place. It's actually a little jarring. If you are going on, say, a date at Cumin, or going to discuss a sensitive topic, just know that between table proximity, very soft music in the background and servers that mostly aren't talking to each other in the bar area (a good thing generally), it's more hushed tones than other city dining establishments. read more

Terrible food I am south Asian myself and I know what authentic Indian food or Himalayan food is and this was not that very bland.

Bland. I guess that's what sells in Chicago! My favorite thing about Indian food is the spice, but this place is afraid to put any in their food. read more

Probably the best Indian food that I have ever had to be honest with you! It was incredibly delicious, and the salmon tender it was off the hook! Literally fell apart it was cooked so perfectly!!!!! Also, the dumpling appetizers in the tomato broth were off the hook. The service was great as well. I would highly highly recommend checking this place out if you're ever in Chicago even if you have to go out of your way to get there. read more

COVID update: cumin is doing takeout of their full menu and it's just as delicious as ever! For pickup or delivery.

You know the feeling of excitement of finally conquering a bookmarked place on your Yelp-list of To-Try's!? I've had Cumin marked since before it even opened and one thing after the other, always changed plans until this last week! I did wait a few days to write the review, so as to ensure it's the excitement of how good this place is speaking, not the excitement of finally checking it off as done! The place is spacious, quiet, relaxed - soft music and easy conversation. Service is attentive and while a couple of the staff members don't quite speak English, they are quick to grab the server for you. But the highlight is the food! Amazing saag-paneer (spinach with cottage cheese) and some other Nepalese dishes! Loved the samosa chaat too! The breads were a little too thick for my liking, but that's the only constructive feedback I have. The curries/ entrees were really good! Portions are quite large so easily order 1 for 2 or take home for more delicious meals! N.B. I already visited a second time (3/24) just for the palak paneer!!! read more

Cumin was OK for me. Service was not as good as I expected. Honestly, good service is rare at Indian restaurants and Cumin was no different. Never asked to refill my drink... unwilling to explain the difference between two menu items (the guy is like, actually you can see the difference because it's written in the menu)... The food was where I thought I'd be impressed, but unfortunately it just didn't add up. The paneer tikka masala was decent. Good, in fact. But the daal makhani was not that good and the channa masala was just OK. I think the food was bland overall and that may have been the issue. The place was quite crowded, so good for them. I my opinion, I'm thinking they serve the market for more Americanized food. Yeah, maybe that's what it is? read more

Visited Cumin for what I was hoping would be a quick dinner (had somewhere to go...). This was a recommendation, so, why not? First of all, I'm not sure what I expected, but the atmosphere was a bit fancier than I expected (I was wearing flip flps from a pedicure - oops!). We were quickly seated and welcomed (my attire wasn't scoffed at, but I felt a little dressed down...). As we were in a hurry, we picked an appetizer to share, some naan and one entree (it was a lamb entree). The food was all quite delicious, however there were a few things I didn't expect. First of all, I would have expected the naan to come out first (it is bread after all), but it came out sort of mid-meal. Secondly, the service is quite slow. It was not a busy evening, but each course (granted, there were really only two courses) took quite a while. Another thing was that the portion size wasn't very large. This was perfectly fine for me as this was more of a snack, but I think people may expect larger portions. My last bit of confusion was the lamb dish - it was delicious, but there wasn't much lamb. All in all, the food was very good, but the portions were off I think. Food was a 5. The service was friendly, but slow, so a 4. Value is tough - sharing food makes this a reasonable spot, but had we ordered a starter and entrees, I think that this restaurant is a bit pricey. A 3 for value. I did like the atmosphere even though it was a bit more upscale than I had anticipated. A 4 for atmosphere. The bathrooms are just ok - nothing too exciting. A 3 for bathrooms. read more

Excellent! -Food: authentic Indian food, taste like heaven! -Service: this restaurant is hosted by great, nice and kind Indian people, their food reflects their rich culture (which is everything!), religion and carefulness. Nonetheless I arrived at closing time, I loved and appreciated that they let me in, gave me time to order my food and - the most important part - to eat it! Highly recommended! read more

Mix of veg/non veg items but limited. Lamb curry and chicken tikka is worth mentioning. Rice pudding and salad were the least favorite. Their butter naan which are served to order were very crisp, hot and tasty which made the whole day experience better. Overall wish they had more variety or items. Great ambience, polite and friendly. Parking spots available. read more

Quick service and good atmosphere. Food was great too. Reasonably priced. Recommend the samosas for sure.