Masala Express is easily my #1 Indian spot in Merced…read more I ordered the chicken tikka masala and man... this was next level. Super tender chicken and the sauce was rich, creamy, and packed with flavor perfectly spiced without being too heavy. With the fluffy rice and warm naan it was one of those meals you don't want to end. What really makes this place stand out though is the service. The owner is always there super welcoming and constantly checking in to make sure you're taken care of. You can tell he takes pride in the food and the experience. Great food top-tier service this place doesn't miss.

Having been here two different times, both experiences have been delicious. The first time was…read moreordering off the main menu. There is a huge selection with a variety of options. The entire meal was flavorful and the team provided excellent service. The second time was with the lunch buffet. It had a good amount of chicken items and vegetarian options. Two different types of basmati rice which were amazing. It was great to sample a variety of entrees during lunch. Again the flavors were consistent and the servers did a great job even though it was the buffet option picked. They do have door dash, payment the do take card and Apple Pay. It is definitely a local business that is worth the support. There is not a negative thing to say about the restaurant, food or the team working there.

Beautiful setting, clean. Great food , great service and beautiful music. Staff is very polite and…read morefriendly . Will highly recommend this place to anyone. Thanks for the amazing food and service. Everyone in my group loved the notice that said " Not To Waste Food".

The food is amazing! Like so good! We do take away - and they are just amazing! We order every 2…read moreweeks! It's my payday treat!!!

Great food. Polite and cheerful hostess…read more Garlic naan was tasty. Chicken dishes were okay.

Went for the lunch buffet. Took my colleague who has never tried Indian food. Food was good but…read moreService was pathetic. The owner Mandeep has no manners. Highly discriminatory. He was cursing, If a person is using a bowl to take any liquid item from the main dishes. He stops them and tell them not use it for anything other than dessert. Well my friend you have to put a note which is visible to everyone. Not high on the wall where people cannot see it. And then, if someone took it by mistake, ignore it since they are there to eat food with respect. Mandeep is not telling everyone to not to use it. Other women in the restaurant are using the bowl for the main dishes. My colleague pointed it out and he ignored it and said It is Ok for them to use it and start cursing in front of other people in the restaurant. Very embarrassing. Will never go back to this restaurant again. People go to restaurant to get served with love and respect not to get commanded or cursed for something which they are not doing wrong. It's not a big deal to use a bowl which is there on the table to eat. A person is using it for the purpose. Whether they use it for dessert or butter chicken should not matter. We respect the business but the business has to respect the customer as well. No one likes to be cursed while having their food. No matter what how good is the food. Service is zero and no star.

This place is AMAZING! My favorite samosas in town, they're super flavorful and the sauces they…read morecome with is so good. Lets talk about their fish fry. My wife is extremely picky when it comes to her food, so for her to love this fish fry, it speaks volumes of their food. Their fish fry is full of great flavor. Their rice and naan are always on point! Seriously give this place a try!

Good burger Will recommend…read moreWill try their other items for sure when they are back from their vacation Though they are on vacation until 27th Feb 2025

Bathroom: 1/5 Food: 3/5…read moreService: 1/5 Price: 3.5/5 Drinks: 3/5 This place was quite disappointing from the last time I visited. I stopped by based solely on my last 2 times I have stopped with family. It really is simply just a truck stop. The bathroom was filthy, smelled unhygienic, and clearly needs some repairs. The samosa chaat was quite good although it could've been a bit warmer and had some tamarind chutney. The naan was also quite tasty. The paneer however was a bit disappointing. Other than spiciness (that I requested), flavor was lacking. I had to add a decent amount of salt. If I didn't go up to the cashier at the end of eating, then I would have never gotten my chai. The chai was premade in a giant container and was ok. Service was lacking and the cashier had headphones in the whole time and had people waiting for him to come take his order at the front.

There is plenty of parking, nothing fancy inside. I had…read morebutter chicken, rice, and naan. The food was really good and I would go again. The service is decent. Five stars is on the food.

Amazing food!! Amazing staff!!…read more Rana sir is the sweetest person and has the kindest heart!! Must visit!!

Typical Dhaba style food on I-5 . Discover authentic dhaba style food like Butter chicken and Tawa…read moreroti . No complaints it was good available at a convenient location near the exit . Just the chicken Biryani which we had was too oily . So next time it will be either the saag paneer or the butter chicken with the rotis.

My boss and I were craving Indian food, so we decided to try a spot we found right off the freeway…read more When we walked in, the place was empty, which gave it a bit of a strange vibe--especially for 1 PM. We went ahead and ordered anyway. While waiting, I started reading other reviews mentioning long wait times, but surprisingly, our food came out pretty quickly. Not only that, it was absolutely delicious. That definitely made up for the empty atmosphere. Don't let a quiet dining room discourage you--this place proves the food can more than make up for it.

Placed an order for a lunch prior going out to a graduation. We were informed it would be ready in…read moreabout 30minutes, we gave them about 45min and when we arrived the food was still not ready. We proceeded to wait in the empty lobby just awkwardly while they worker did his best to look busy. We waited an additional 30 minutes with not even an apology or acknowledgement of the fact that the food was not ready even though we were given an estimated time. Mind it, the whole place was so empty! The passive aggressive sign telling them to not even think about using their phone while working in full view of customers was also a bit of a turn off. As for the food, I am pretty sure one of the items that we were served was NOT what we ordered. I have no idea what it was but based on the color and smell, it was not it. It was a weird fuchsia color curry and definitely not tikka masala. We ordered the tandori chicken supreme pizza. Props for being unique and having plenty of ingredients but unfortunately the dough of the pizza just was super dry. Really bad first impression, we wouldnt come back just based off of that.

The appetizer we tasted were Chilli Chicken, Gobhi Manchurian and fish pakora. The quality was…read moreexcellent and felt like home made. Staff was friendly and seem well organized. Ambience is great and place is clean. For dinner daal makhani, garlic naan and chilli fish were extremely delicious. Highly recommended.

Awesome and amazing food and sweets. Must visit for awesome chili chicken, seekh kabab, butter…read morechicken and veggie noodles