If you want to explore one of the most underrepresented regional cuisines in Chicago's Indian…read moredining scene, Magic Pepper is a place worth discovering. Magic Pepper is a new restaurant in Niles, and while the menu is broad--featuring North Indian dishes, Indo-Chinese items, and even a small kids menu with American staples--the heart of the kitchen is clearly Kerala cuisine from the southern part of India. That's what makes this place special. You can absolutely order familiar Indian dishes here. But the real reason to visit is the Kerala food, which is extremely hard to find done this well anywhere in the Chicago area. The restaurant itself is comfortable and straightforward. Think of the format of a casual sit-down chain restaurant--plenty of seating, relaxed vibe--but operated as a local family-run spot. Everything is clean, friendly, and welcoming, but it's not trying to be a trendy or overly polished dining room. It feels authentic in the best way: a solid neighborhood restaurant focused on good food rather than presentation. Service & Experience * Friendly, welcoming staff * Food is cooked fresh and brought out as it's ready * Expect dishes to arrive at slightly different times, especially with larger orders * Lots of takeout activity--clearly a popular local spot Sharing dishes actually works well here since the table tends to fill up quickly with all the accompaniments. Food We started with a familiar classic: * Samosa - solid and well executed, though this is more of a North Indian staple. Where things really shine is the South Indian and Kerala specialties. * Ghee Roast Dosa - outstanding. Thin, crispy, flaky, and served with all the traditional accompaniments like chutneys and sambar. * Pidiyum & Chicken Curry - a very traditional Kerala dish that's rare to find in Chicago. Comforting, rich, and deeply flavorful. * Malabar Parotta - a highlight. Flaky, layered, almost lacy bread that's incredible when paired with curry. This is something you rarely see outside Kerala-focused restaurants. * Kerala Chicken Curry - perfect with the parotta; deeply spiced without being overwhelming. We also tried some other menu sections: * Street-Style Indo-Chinese Fried Rice - flavorful and well balanced. * Hyderabadi Dum Biryani - served in a small kettle and executed beautifully. The basmati rice was perfectly separated and aromatic with spices. Dessert: * Gulab Jamun - warm, sweet, and a classic way to finish. Drinks One surprise was the cocktail menu. Even though there wasn't a dedicated bartender working constantly, the drinks were very good. * Indian Mojito * Indian Sunset Both had creative flavor twists using Indian ingredients and fresh juices. They took a little time to come out, but they were worth it. Verdict Magic Pepper isn't trying to be a flashy destination restaurant. It's a relaxed neighborhood spot focused on cooking authentic regional food--and that's exactly why it works. What makes it special is the Kerala cuisine, which is extremely difficult to find in the Chicago area at this level. If you're adventurous with food or want to explore beyond the usual butter chicken and tikka masala lineup, this place is absolutely worth seeking out. Come with an open mind, order some Kerala specialties, and share dishes. Five stars for bringing something genuinely unique to the Chicago area's Indian dining scene.

Other than food, you need to improve on everything. ZERO organizational skills, we waited in line…read morefor 15 mins, no one even came to ask or tell us we will take X number of minutes to even attend to new guests. After that once we got seated, they never even came to get our order and once they did, they didn't even care to bring our food. Fun part we ordered everything at once and we literally got only three out of six items that we ordered. Overall, we entered at 1:45 PM and got out at 4 o'clock. Frustrated the biggest issue I felt was the button idli that we asked for kids we never got it. Their service was so terrible that the guy was taking our order was expressionless didn't even care when we decided to walk out. I was so mad that I didn't want to even pay the bill for the stuff we ate, but we still paid and left. The table which came after us they even got some of their food but we didn't. They are so much potential with their food the management sucks

The Clove is a phenomenal Indian restaurant in Glenview. The menu is expansive with many…read moretraditional Indian and Nepali dishes. The chicken momo and lollipops are great shareable appetizers. The momo dish came with a wonderful sauce, and the chicken lollipops were very tender. For entrees, the goat curry was delicious and aromatic. The chili cheese naan was a nice addition to the meal as well. Moreover, the interior of the restaurant was welcoming, and the staff were very friendly. This is definitely a spot I will come back to visit again and try more dishes.

Only reviewing the buffet aspect:…read more The buffet fell off a cliff. Watery and less flavorful across the board. I have stopped going unfortunately. :(

This has always been one of my favorite restaurants for Indian food, and I've told so many people…read moreabout it. I went back today and was honestly so upset because my go-to dish, the paneer makhini, was nothing like it used to be. It literally just tasted like straight cream. I even asked them to remake it because I thought something was wrong, but it came out the same way. I ended up just eating the other food we ordered, but it was such a disappointment because this has always been the dish I look forward to. I even showed them old photos from past visits compared to today and it was clearly different. The chef tried it and said it was the same, which shocked me because it really wasn't. I get that places can have off days, but this was really discouraging. As much as I've loved this restaurant, I don't know if I'll be back if the quality has dropped this much.

We thoroughly enjoyed our pickup order from Himalayan Restaurant for dinner recently. We did a…read morefamily meal combo to sample something of everything. Our order included: cocktail samosas, palak paneer, baigan bharta, and the chicken tikka masala. The meal comes with three naan and rice on the side, as well as a dessert. We went with the gulab jamun. I also wanted an order of soup momos, so we added that onto our already robust order as well. (They didn't disappoint, so delicious.) Everything was well-balanced and spiced. I especially love that we were able to split the portions across multiple meals given how generous the naan was. The most beloved item was definitely the momos in the spicy/sour soup, followed by the buttery naan dipped in chicken tikka masala. I also really enjoyed the baigan bharta. So very enjoyed this meal, and I can't wait to try some of the other menu items that other diners have recommended.

These drinks were sooo good. I got the kiwi mocktail, mango shake, and strawberry juice and loved…read moreall of them. The mango shake tasted just like a mango lassi super creamy and not overly sweet. The kiwi mocktail was really refreshing and hit the spot, and the strawberry juice tasted fresh and natural. I kept asking a bunch of questions about what was good and the guy helping me was super patient and kept recommending things without rushing me, which I really appreciated. The spot is connected with Eggholic and there's plenty of seating, so it's a nice place to sit and chill. Definitely coming back again.

The things to get here include the anda masala sandwich and the chaat! I think the other things are…read moregreat but a little too overpowering in flavor for me. Since eggholic is all about the spices, I like to get the simplest things on the menu! The sandwiches and the classic appetizer dishes are the best way to go.

If you want to cater Indian food for a dinner party, a family event, or you simply want a few small…read moreplates-worth of Indian food for family dinner - Royal Malabar (originally known as Malabar Foods) is the place to go. They have a large kitchen area in the back, and are heavily staffed by many Malayalees from South Kerala. This isn't like your typical Indian food establishment where they serve you - instead you only order carryout. This way you get to spend more $$ on a HUGE serving size (trust me, you're going to be surprised how big the servings are). Now as far as ordering goes, that's where it gets interesting. This review is going to be helpful to those who have had Indian food before. The fact of the matter is, since all the employees are born/bred in India before coming here over the past decade, they know how to make EVERY and ANY kind of indian dish. I kid you not. All you have to do is call them and ask them what they are currently making in the kitchen, or tell them what you'd like, and how you'd like it prepared, and they will do just that. Your order turnaround time depends on the size and is roughly a half hour if you ordered a family size serving, or a few hours if you need catering for an event. Now here is just a list of some general dishes that people like to order from here (and I've had all of them): -Samosas are a great appetizer, you can get veggie or meat stuffed in them, and they go great for serving a small work group or to eat during coffee or tea time. -Eythaka Appum (fried banana) is also a great appetizer that they make at this establishment, and one of my childhood favorites. It is literally a banana that is fried and prepared in such a way that it has a soft outer shell that's delicious to munch into. -Biryani is a common order for people catering to a family dinner party or such; basically Indian fried rice with pieces of chicken and moderate vegetables mixed in. -Butter Chicken (chicken makhni) is a common favorite, and I almost always mention it in every Indian restaurant I review, and goes great with pieces of bread like naan, porottha, chapathi, all of which are also great to serve at a family dinner party. Now if you have no idea what you want, I would highly suggest that you just walk into the store with a $10-$20 bill and an appetite. They have different serving sizes' of appetizers and entrees that were made fresh a few hours ago, and are put in the freezer for Indian families to come, grab, and go. They almost always have a free sampler for guests to walk in and try as well!

I've finally had the chance to stop here after driving past the place many times. The mini grocery…read morestore had organized and well stocked shelves and the place is clean. There was also a section for fresh meat and some produce. I went straight to the hot food section and checked what dishes were available. There were many containers of various dishes and appetizer trays as well. New containers of hot dishes were constantly being put on the shelves and they all looked delicious. Since it was my first time here and I was not really familiar with any of the dishes yet, I picked the ones in the small containers only. The Chili Chicken was from the refrigerated food section and the items here were from the day before so the prices were marked down. I also got a small container Beef Fry and Vegetable Fried Rice. Both the chicken and beef dishes were just ok, there was not much spice or flavor on both, a tad oily, and I expected more heat on the chicken dish. The same goes for the fried rice, it was quite bland. I would like to other dishes next time, I'll probably do a research first so I'll be more familiar with what goes in each dish and what to expect, flavor wise. Overall, the service from the guy in the counter was nice although he was very pre-occupied so I couldn't really ask for any questions and suggestions. I will come back to try the other items and hopefully I can get something better. Hopefully.

The food is authentic . Very good. Ambiance is good. It's clean. Staff is friendly and courteous…read moreand helpful. You get free soup.

I always order butter chicken. Today I ordered gobi mancharin and paneer Kathi roll and samosa. It…read morewas absolutely delicious. So fresh .... I could see the steam coming out if the box. Not too spicy , it was just perfect. They give you chutney and sauces to go with your samosa. Always give you rice to go with your butter chicken. They care about their customers and what they will need to make a complete meal. Highly recommend this place. A++++.

Food is alright, I was would it bigger in quantity then the other honest for food wise. Like…read moregetting a sandwich here is bigger and better then other honest where the smush the sandwich. Overall certain food is good. You can ask to make it Jain and they have plenty of options. People is nice, it is a bit empty I mostly do take out there.

Having lived in CA and the east coast, I was so excited to see an honest location in Niles. This is…read morean all vegetarian Indian restaurant. The chaat and pav bhaji with cheese are some of my favorite dishes. It reminds me of home and my mom's cooking. Definitely love coming here when we're in the area.

Great food !! Everything we tried was outstanding (as good as I can rate Indian food - but my…read morefriend was from India and also liked it!) A little pricy but so good ! The service was ok-to-good and the ambiance was very good.

Wow I'm not sure what happened to Tava. This used to be the only place I could digest Indian food…read morewithout having stomach problems. I ordered the butter chicken and it just resembled slop. There was not many chicken pieces and the meat tasted old and not fresh. The container was mostly sauce and it was really liquidy like watered down. I ordered a garlic naan that was flavorless. Barely any garlic on it. $43 for a regular butter chicken , garlic naan and a mango lassi. Prices are very high and does not match the quality of food.

Moti Café delivers bold Indian flavors with a fun, modern twist. The pizza is the standout -- a…read morethin, crispy crust topped generously with spiced paneer, veggies, and a vibrant green chutney sauce that adds a herby, tangy kick without overpowering the dish. The cheese is perfectly melted, and every bite balances savory heat with freshness. The chaat-style dish is equally impressive: crispy bites loaded with chickpeas, red onion, yogurt, chutneys, and spices. It's layered, flavorful, and comforting, with just the right mix of crunch, creaminess, and spice. Overall, Moti Café is a great spot if you're craving Indian-inspired comfort food that feels creative and indulgent. Perfect for sharing, casual dining, or when you want something different from the usual pizza night.

Stopped by for lunch on a weekday, they have a lunch special that really cannot be beat. $10 for 2…read moresamosas, a drink, and either 2 tacos, a personal pizza, or a bowl. Extra cost for specialty drinks like the lassi and for Korean BBQ. Regardless a great price for all the food you get! Place you order at the counter and they bring it out to you, but utensils and water are at the counter. It's a little mix of self-serve but also they serve you. But it worked. Some of our items took longer to come out than others (they forgot about one of the dishes), so I might not come in a time crunch, but the food was all delicious. You can definitely tell it was made with care. And although we didn't get dessert they have plenty of paletas and ice cream options! The place is clean and neat, decor is super bright and cute. There's a decent sized parking lot they share with the rest of the plaza, but it tends to fill up quickly. Not sure why but the lot was pretty busy on a random Wednesday.

My friend and I were coming back from Woodfield shopping center, and we wanted a good meal. We were…read moreso fortunate to find Tandoori restaurant in Des Plaines. Neither of us had been there before, and it had good ratings already. It's a somewhat small place, but there was ample seating since most people seem to take their food to go. When we walked into the restaurant, I immediately noticed that it was clean and had nice modern decor. I am guessing the man at the counter was the owner because he was super helpful and friendly. I asked if there were any vegan options and he showed me what they offered. I chose the Chana Masala with a side of basmati rice. The portion sizes were outstanding, and the flavor was delicious. He also brought a water carafe for our table, which allowed us to refill our own drinks. Prices were very reasonable, especially for the portion size. (The only thing I would recommend is that they repaint their bathroom so it looks cleaner.)

This place gets it. Chai is extraordinary…read more I love the Irani and Zafrani both chai, though it's high on the price but I find it worth. -- not too sweet, great balance. Got the paratha omelette, alu and Kheema paratha and Halwa Puri, everything was delicious. Staff are super warm... New go-to breakfast spot.