Monk's has officially become our Houston tradition. We drive in from San Antonio, and this is a…read morenon-negotiable stop for us every single time. Honestly, every dish we've ever tried here has been fantastic--it hits exactly the right spots. The Flavor Profile: A quick heads-up for those seeking "authentic" traditional Chinese--this isn't it. This is the Indianized version of Chinese food (Indo-Chinese), so prepare for bold spices and a serious kick. If you grew up loving those specific flavors, Monk's is the gold standard. The Verdict: The heat is on point, the portions are great, and the flavors are nostalgic and bold. It's the kind of meal we look forward to all the way down I-10. Truly a gem for anyone who appreciates the spicy, savory fusion of Desi Chinese!

Where spices, spice…read more Service: 5/5 Quick and friendly. Ambiance: 4/5 When I looked up the restaurant, I didn't realize it was only for takeout. I walked in and the spices were spicing so much so that I started sneezing. I asked if maybe the dining area was through some door, but no there is no dine in. It's a small space with a register and seats to wait for your order or you can wait in your car. Food: 4/5 Chicken Tikka Masala it was creamy and velvety, I'm not a big fan of tomato but know is a core part of it, which I did distinguish the taste in this order that I haven't usually tasted in others. The garlic naan had good flavor however it was a bit tough and crunchy when biting into it. Which wasn't my favorite, but got the job done to dip into the sauce.

It is an amazing feat to bring together different cultures. From their website, the chef celebrates…read moreNew York and Japanese culture. When you have a taste here, you can trace the journey of the chefs who engineered these dishes. Kitchen Rumors pushes aside my other two favorite indian fusion restaurants, Da Gama, and Musaafer straight to the top. The flavors are bold, zesty, and delicious. The mixture of textures are skillfully crafted. Instead of light and delicate, each dish packs a punch that I'm craving when I want indian food. The lobster dumplings had east asian roots. Reminiscent of a siu mai, the filling was balanced with either lime or curry leaf in a lobster paste. The peanut sauce around the dumplings was rich of tomato tangy notes. The palek paneer was my favorite. The cheese blocks were thick, the presentation was beautiful. In addition to the usual coconut milk base, another flavor mellowed the curry out, almost a sweet oil base. I felt like this dish reminded me more of thai cuisine more than anything (Indian and Asian fusion). Overall, I highly recommend the perspective that the restaurant has to offer. It is not 100% Indian food nor is it the cheapest meal you can find. It is highly curated emulsions of different cultures presented nicely for guests to enjoy.

Cute/trendy Indian fusion spot with casual-ish vibes but not casual flavor! If you love Indian…read morefusion then this spot is great! We joined today for happy hour (except lamb). I love a good happy hour so you can sample more things! Our favorites are always the kale and I liked the chicken sandwich. Parking in front and back. Some street parking is available. Dress cute but nothing too crazy. Reservations preferred.

We had our first experience trying out Indian food, and this place hit the spot! The food is…read moreflavorful and the position is great - staffs are very friendly and nice - they keep the restaurant super clean. Highly recommend!!

Great place for both dine in and takeout. Food is always served fresh, of great quality and…read moreextremely flavorful and delicious, but quantity seems to be inconsistent which is my only complaint. Food stays hot even when taking out, making this a weeknight staple for me. Service is quick, vibe is casual and quick service. I've had the chicken kebab and goat tikka masala. The chicken kebab was very tender and juicy, seasoned perfectly. The pita is soft on the center and crispy on the outside. The rice is nice hot and fluffy. The goat was very tender as well and could be cut with a spoon, but not too soft so as to fall apart in the sauce. Somehow, each bite of it is even more packed with flavor then the sauce itself, which is impressive and makes the gamble on the portion size kind of worth it. Even though the protein quantity seems to vary, the amount of curry sauce that comes with this dish is always huge and typically more than what you can finish with the rice alone. Overall, this place is great and definitely worth a try.

Enticed by the promise of flavors, I ordered a chicken tikka kati roll and a paneer naan pizza. I…read moreinitially thought the color of the chicken in the tikka roll was a little off putting (a shade of pink instead of the classic orange), and the flavor wasn't quite right. but then I realized they had given me a chicken cilantro wrap instead. The meat needed some flavor, and there weren't any sauces or dips (which would've helped a bit!) to save the day. The naan pizza was essentially a perfectly flat store-bought naan with the texture of a slightly softer version of a Lunchables pizza crust. The paneer was bright red but didn't have much flavor. The bits of onions and melty cheese were the highlight. MT said it was like bad school cafeteria pizza, but I'm easily satisfied with melty cheese on bread (although this one was quite dry) :) I liked how the food was hot and fresh, but it was pretty pricey for the quality, lack of flavor, and amount of food. I'm a little bummed they messed up my order. Probably would try something else at Lyric Market next time!

If you've ever been to the lower east side of Manhattan, then you've heard of Kati Roll. Nobody can…read morereplicate it. Kati Roll Wala is not at all like the Kati Roll in NYC, but the smells and nostalgia in the mango juice rings true. I found their tikka bowl little spicy but their wraps add enough carbs (sorry not sorry) to soften the spice. My husband, however, will devour any and all food from Kati Roll Wala. He even commented, "your mom would enjoy this" - that made me laugh. No matter what you order, definitely get a mango juice. The service is quick and this is a a great stop before theater, symphony, or ballet.

Historically significant for Houston. A decades old…read moreinstitution and, for many, their first experience of the food of North India. Curries don't necessarily photograph great so I'll just post two photos. Consider the lunch buffet for your first visit. Mickey Kapoor is known for his humorous observations on the sign outside. Great staff and service. Lovely music snd ambience.

Our go-to Indian restaurant in the area. Have had almost everything on the menu and never been…read moredisappointed. Our favorite dishes are the chicken tiki masala, chicken Biryani, or the butter chicken if we're feeling bad. Most items come with nice side of cucumber salad that is refreshing. The samosas are great also, and everything heats up well for leftovers. The staff is nice and welcoming

The food here was great. For a simple menu they did a great job of nailing the flavors. The naan is…read morereally good also. The service was ok, it's more automated and you don't really talk with anyone. You order on a computer and sit or wait around. This place felt more of a take out than a dine in experience and they do try to hurry you along. Overall though good place.

Tried out Tarka Indian Kitchen recently and honestly... I'm a little confused…read more The service was friendly, the place was clean, and the food came out much faster than expected. We picked up our order about 3-4 minutes after getting the "ready" text and it was still before the estimated pickup time, but the food honestly wasn't that warm which is wild because everytime I pick up Indian food from any place even if I am a bit late it is piping hot or pretty hot. I don't think they even have a heat lamp or have the AC on too high. The smell of garlic when we walked in had me excited, but unfortunately the garlic naan ended up being the best part of the meal. We ordered medium spice since we were sharing with a younger family member who likes spice but doesn't want to sweat through dinner like we do. What we didn't expect was how sweet everything would be. The tikka masala tasted like sweet yogurt with a little garam masala for color. The chicken vindaloo was even more confusing. Vindaloo is usually tangy and vinegary, but this one was also sweet. It honestly tasted more like sweet tomato sauce than anything resembling a vindaloo. Nothing tasted bad in a spoiled sense, it was just very Americanized and very very sweet. The two stars are for three things: the clean location, the fast friendly service, and the garlic naan. If you have a very mild palate or prefer sweet food, you might enjoy this place. But if you're hoping for bold, tangy, flavorful Indian food, this probably won't be it.

Pondicheri is always a favorite! The vibes are just right, comfortable, vibrant, eclectic with a…read morestrong sense of modern Indian culture. I love how much south Indian food is on the menu, and most tastes homemade. Service was friendly, knowledge about the menu, and responsive. We'll keep coming back! Validated arking is in the garage but be sure to scan the QR code in the restaurant to check in for parking - helpful to get your license plate number to check in.

Haven't been here for awhile and I can see food hasn't improved much…read more This time we ordered the lamb chops and got very disappointed since most of it are fat and got charged $38 for 3 pieces of poor quality meat. I understand the cost for the business but honestly it should be removed from the menu since you can't deliver the quality on it. The Thalis wasn't good neither The only good dish was the alleppey shrimp. There is not much of a service since we get everything on ourselves from plates, to silverware to water.

Intimate dinner setting that celebrates Indian culture. The rooms are beautifully decorated with…read morepieces the restaurant owner chose himself from India. Service was amazing. Server was very attentive and gave us wonderful recommendations from the menu as well as explained the history and inspiration for each dish. All the dishes were very flavorful and authentic!

Good food and excellent service My first time was 3/5 as…read morethe server was off but the manager was a through professional and definitely rectified the confusion and second time was 5/5 Laccha paratha 4/5 Paneer risala 5/5 Black dal 3/5 Malai kofta 5/5