This was my second visit and was a delightful meal. I first came with a coworker and they ordered the pani puri, something I'd never had. After trying it I had to come back with my wife to share that experience. It's a crispy and savory appetizer that comes with a tamarind and mint juice that when combined is an experience itself. Both refreshing and comforting - it tastes like a healthy snack that is also a close comparison to texture of potato chips. We also ordered two naan and we each got butter chicken. They were delicious, flavorful, and filling. To celebrate Father's Day we each got a dessert. The saffron ice cream was super unique, and was enjoyable. The pudding was very tasty and was our preference. The ice cream we both felt was refreshing and not overly sweet. Our service was wonderful - reservation and they called to confirm (about 5 minutes before) and had us seated immediately. Our waiter checked on us often without being too frequent, a good balance of support. Ambiance is intimate - smaller indoor seating area of about 10 tables and you can see the staff the whole time. Clean and comfortable restaurant and great service. Highly recommend - and I'd recommend the naan, butter chicken, and pani puri (going to adventure out and try more when we come back again!) read more

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First time here. The flavors were excellent and everything we ordered was enjoyable. I highly recommend the butter chicken and the assorted naan. Be sure to ask them to add butter to the naan for even more flavor. The vegetarian family platter was a big hit at our table. I also recommend asking for the green and red sauces to pair with the appetizers. They added a nice kick and complemented the food really well. The service was outstanding. The staff was attentive, friendly, and made sure our large group was taken care of throughout the meal. Vibes are ok. Don't expect a fancy setup. The pricing was fair for the amount of food we received. A 15% gratuity was included, and for a party of 7 our total came to about $206. We ordered multiple entrees, sodas, and wine, so we felt it was a great value. Service: 10/10 Flavors: 10/10 Value: 10/10 Vibes: 7/10 Will I come back? Yes read more

Essence Indian Cuisine - Menu - Indian Near Me - Vacaville, California

This place was phenomenal, lots of flavors. Very welcoming as soon as you enter, came for Wednesday lunch, plenty of open spots and they let me just sit where I wanted. Seating area was cozy and relaxing. Everything looked clean and in order. Ordered the samosa chaat and was out fairly quickly, was delicious and had a ton of flavors. Tried the Essence Lamb, best lamb I ever had. Meat was tender and absorbed all the Indian spices. Gravy was delicious and had to order naan to help absorb all that goodness to eat. Will definitely be coming back here as it was delicious. Also was advised to order Indian spicy, I orders spicy, but they ended up bringing me hot sauce and chili powder. Flavors were good, but being on the spice! read more

Essence Indian Cuisine - Essence Signature Lamb and Bullet Naan - Indian Near Me - Vacaville, California

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Delicious North Indian food and great hospitality & service. highly recommend also trying hot chai after the meal!

Tried out this place for the first time after discovering it through Yelp. My friend and I immediately became intrigued by the menu and started off with a couple chai teas. We also ordered dosa, garlic naan, pani puri, samosa chaat, and chicken tikka masala. Everything was beyond delicious, and my friend wanted to take all the leftovers home lol Inside wasn't too busy as we went mid-late afternoon when most restaurants are usually closed in between lunch and dinner. Our servers were amazing, brought out our food promptly, and even took some nice pics of us. They still had their xmas tree/decor up and that brought a nice, warm vibe to the place overall. Highly recommend if you're in the area. It will not disappoint :) read more

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Wow! We passing through vacaville while traveling and decided to stop and see if we could find a place to get a quick bite to eat. vacaville is filled with franchise restaurants, so when we saw Essence on yelp, we decided to try them. We were delighted by our visit! they service was so friendly - always a great start! we ordered papadum to start, and then chicken tikka masala and bhaigan barta and their bullet naan. everything was amazing! Fresh, tasty, and SPICY! We love it hot, and they brought the spice! We will be desiring to come here again for sure! Give them a try of you are on the area - you may find Essence to be a new favorite - we did! read more

Essence Indian Cuisine - tkka masala, bhaigan charts, and bullet naan! soooo good! - Indian Near Me - Vacaville, California

The food is pretty good and flavorful, but we waited VERY long for the food to come out. Not sure if it's always like this, but just in case, you might want to anticipate that and allow yourself extra time when eating here. We were almost late for our concert and we already gave ourselves extra time. Moving on to the food. We ordered a veggie samosa,chicken tikki malasa, a lamb dish, shrimp curry, garlic naan. I'm not a big spice person so we got mostly mild, but for the lamb, we got medium. I think medium spice is pretty good. The mild was slightly too mild for me. The lamb dish was really good. Full of flavor and the spice was just right for me. The shrimp was very tender and fresh. The chicken tikki was pretty standard. The one thing I did like about the garlic naan was that it was kind of crunchy, but I think it needs way more garlic. The veggie samosa was good, it had a little spice to it which they normally don't at many places we've tried. The filling was abundant. Overall, I'd come back but I would definitely allow a lot of time for the food to come perhaps. read more

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Tucked away in a quieter part of Vacaville, Essence Indian Cuisine feels like one of those spots you're almost tempted to gatekeep -- but the food is too good not to share. A friend and I met here for lunch to celebrate her birthday and catch up. We arrived right at opening and had the place to ourselves for about an hour. Guests slowly trickled in closer to the lunch rush, but I was honestly surprised it wasn't packed -- because what they're serving deserves more buzz. We ordered the chicken tikka kebab, butter chicken, methi malai shrimp, and garlic naan. I'll admit, I was skeptical about the chicken tikka since I'm not usually a fan of chicken breast (hello, dryness). But this? Tender, juicy, well-seasoned, and paired beautifully with the mint sauce. A strong start. The butter chicken was slightly different from what I'm used to -- more red orange in color, clearly leaning into a stronger tomato base. Creamy, flavorful, and a bit brighter than the typical richer versions. Different, but still very good. And then... the methi malai shrimp. Wow. Just wow. This was new to me and absolutely the standout. The coconut-based sauce was rich without being heavy, beautifully balanced, and full of flavor. The shrimp were cooked perfectly -- tender, not rubbery, and not curled tight (which usually signals overcooking). This dish alone makes the 30-minute drive worth it. I've since checked menus closer to home hoping to find it elsewhere... no luck. The garlic naan was the perfect companion -- flavorful but not overpowering, ideal for scooping up every last bit of sauce from both dishes. Service deserves its own spotlight. The host/waiter was phenomenal -- attentive without hovering. Water glasses stayed filled, he checked in just enough, and at one point mentioned he didn't want to interrupt because it looked like we were deep in conversation. That level of awareness? Appreciated. Smaller, intimate setting. Thoughtful service. Well-executed food. If you're in Vacaville and craving Indian food, give this place a try. In my opinion, it absolutely holds its own -- and maybe even edges out the more "popular" spot in town. And yes, I'll be back for that methi malai shrimp. read more

Driving down the freeway from Bay Area to Sacramento sister found this place it's a real gem. Don't shy away because of the location or how it looks from outside. It felt very homie inside everything for the appetizers to the nun bed and everyone's on tree especially liked mine the Essence signature chicken lots of strong bold flavors. Elton helped us out very friendly. I would recommend one of the top Indian places I've been and my dad said it was his second time at an Indian restaurant and he loved it. read more

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My son and I found this restaurant last year and enjoyed it thoroughly. It was the best Ihdian food I ever Had. We decided we needed to dine here again. We brought a friend and had a truly memorable lunch. The food as always was wonderful. We had butter chicken, shrimp curry, and the essence of India lamb. Each dish had distinct and robust flavors. The service was attentive and delightful.. Portions were generous, and we took food home. These leftovers survived extremely well, providing many exquisite snacks. read more

Okay I see why this place is 5 stars on Yelp! Essence Indian Cuisine is definitely a hole-in-the-wall. It's on a corner that you'll never expect to have such a cuisine. Parking is very limited but if you're lucky, I recommend checking them out. The aroma of spices and herbs is what will greet you once you step inside their establishment. Once seated, you'll be given waters and of course, the menu lol Their eats are fairly priced and for a good amount. One order of their chicken dishes was enough for two people. Yelp Elite Dario O. and I ordered the Essence Signature Chicken which came with rice. We also ordered garlic naan ( a must!!! ). It came with two, cut into four pieces. The Essence Signature Chicken was creamy, tender and flavorful. It kind of tasted like Butter Chicken but with a slight tangy flavor. The naan was nice and light. Crisp yet slightly fluffy. Service was great. They were timely with bringing out our orders and checked in a good amount of times. Essence seems to have regulars because there was a couple sitting behind us and when they were done, I heard them say, "See you next Monday!" To have regulars every week, then you know they are yummy! Overall, I highly suggest checking out Essence Indian Cuisine! I know I'll be back soon! read more

Essence Indian Cuisine - Samosa Chaat - Indian Near Me - Vacaville, California

I am not sure how to feel about the service of this place. They brought the chicken out first and the chutney came out much later. They brought the dal out first and the naan took its own time. They should synchronize the main course in a way so that customers don't have to wait that long before their food gets cold. Ambiance is standard. Vacaville needs more decent Indian restaurants. 1. Pav bhaji 2/5 - pav were super sweet like Hawaiian buns. 2. Dal 4/5 great on flavor 3. Meat platter - chicken tasted dry with too much coloring, shrimp was amazing and salmon tastes too fishy 4. Naan 5/5 on flavor 5. Mushroom bhaji 4/5 on flavor Overall, there's a lot of room for improvement in terms of actual food authenticity, flavor and freshness and overall service. I think this place works for the non indian palette but its nowhere near the authentic South Bay Indian restaurants. read more

Essence Indian Cuisine - Mushroom Bhaji - Indian Near Me - Vacaville, California

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The food at this place is amazing. This is definitely our favorite Indian restaurant in Vacaville and Fairfield. Today we had the chickpea salad, garlic naan and butter chicken. They allow us to control the amount of spice and they bring extra rice. The service is always top notch and the seating area is cute and clean. We love this place. read more

Hands down the best Indian food in the area! I regularly come here with friends and family and everyone agrees that THIS is the spot to be at. Tucked away with a small parking lot, it's a cozy Indian food place with amazing flavor. The door can be a bit hard to open, but just pull/push hard enough and it'll open. Waiters greet us and sit us pretty quickly. The place is always clean with only a few tables inside and solid dish-ware. Servers check in regularly if we need anything. Mom and I came in on Mother's Day and didn't know they had a reservation list already going, but we were seated at a table for two without a reservation because I'm assuming we were a small enough party. After ordering, it can take a bit of a wait to get your food, but it is well worth the wait. The mango lassi is so good! Highly recommend the salmon tandoori, butter chicken, and lamb biryani. The assorted naan is freshly made and definitely shareable. Some dishes also come with a side of rice. The food is always consistently freshly made, hot, and delicious. Spice levels are also accurate. If you want solid Indian food, come to this place! read more

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Another wonderful meal. Lamb Tiki Masala, mango lasso and garlic naan. Yummy. Great service and nice atmosphere. read more

Essence Indian Cuisine - Yummy! Lamb Tiki Masala and garlic naan. - Indian Near Me - Vacaville, California

Delicious food. We will be back!! We got Essense signature lamb and chicken Biryani and garlic naan. read more

Essence Indian Cuisine - Essence Signature Chicken Chicken Biryani - Indian Near Me - Vacaville, California

This place was extremely flavorful in the best way. It was my first time dining here. From what I ordered, would highly recommend Bhindi Masala for a veg dish and the Pepper Chicken for non-veg. I loved every dish those were just my favorite so far. Will be back to explore more. The atmosphere was inviting and the service made us feel genuinely taken care of. read more

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I haven't been to Essence in person but I've ordered from them several times via DoorDash. So this review can't say much about the ambiance or service. We have usually ordered butter chicken or chicken tikka masala. This last time we ordered lamb korma and the Sarson ka saag. The flavors of the food are always delicious! They have a little more variety in their menu than other Indian restaurants. And the curries come with rice! We also usually get the mango lassi. The mango lassi here tends to be on the thicker side. It almost reminds me of the mango lassi at a Nepalese restaurant. Personally I would say skip the goat cheese naan here. It didn't have a ton of goat cheese stuffed in it. The wait time on Doordash is also one of the longer ones that I've seen. It takes about an hour. Keeping those potential drawbacks in mind definitely give Essence a try! The food is very tasty! read more

I've been a customer of essence for a long time. We order from here on a weekly basis, and occasionally have larger orders when we entertain family and friends, our order yesterday will be our last. We were disgusted to find a fly near the bottom of our mango lassi cup. For a fly to get into this drink that means they either don't cover their yogurt or their mango pulp, or they have flies in their cooler or they let these items sit out in unrefrigerated environments uncovered which is even worse. Thanks Essence you just lost a regular customer. read more

Essence Indian Cuisine - Fly in Mango Lassi - Indian Near Me - Vacaville, California

Wow! The food is delicious. The flavors of each dish was exactly what I was looking for. We ordered samosa chaat to start. Great portion and so flavorful. For the main entree, we ordered bhaighan barta, Tandoori chicken, butter chicken and garlic naan. We were so impressed with the flavors. Each item was delicious. You don't have to order rice because it comes with your order. We enjoyed our food and will definitely come here when we want to eat Indian food. read more

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What a wonderful experience at Essence Indian Cuisine. My sister and I enjoyed the Chicken Korma along with some other very delicious dishes. The food was so good. I am sorry that I only found this place now, it's been open for 4 years. Mr. Bala our server was wonderful. I will be going back for sure. read more

I don't have a lot of experience with Indian Food in Solano County, but what I have had has been okay...until now. Essence is the best Indian Food I've had in SC by far. The place is definitely worth coming too if you are a fan, or if you want to try it for the first time. My favorites: Tandoori Salmon/Chicken: OMG, some of the best I've tried. Their salmon was moist and full of flavor. The tandoori spice definitely give it a peppery taste but very good. Not salty at all. I thought the TC was even better. I actually used the Tamarind sauce (which was bomb too) like bbq on the chicken. Very delish. Lemon Rice: Dang this is good. Especially with the salmon I had. The citrus flavor really brings out the flavor of the salmon. Great pairing! Garlic Naan: Dude. One of the best I've had. I like it a little bit on the crispy side so see if you can have prepared that way. The garlic really shines in this one. I could eat two orders of these things. lol. Mango Lassi: So good. Just order it. Truth be told most everything I've had from this place is authentic and excellent examples of the dishes I've had before. Most importantly everything tasted good to excellent. The restaurant is great place to eat dinner or lunch. They can accommodate larger groups and even have some seating outside. The wait staff was good. They had great recommendations and made sure our waters were full. Parking isn't large and could get crowded as they share space with other retail stores. There is street parking so that helps a bit too. This place is definitely in my goto rotation now! read more

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Hola buneas Hyer jo llegado indian restaurant vacaville jo pedido con camarero una pollo tika masala y un pan de ajo mi gusta mucho mucho comida mi canta mucho Gracias por todos camaeros y mi hacer respectar mucho y servicio muy bien un camarero se llama Bala ji read more

Essence Indian Cuisine - Chicken Tikka Masala Garlic Naan - Indian Near Me - Vacaville, California

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I Ordered tandoori with chicken wings, but not even one wings on my order. They tasted dry and old. read more

Essence Indian Cuisine - Chicken wings Tandoori Chicken Wings - Indian Near Me - Vacaville, California

The food is AMAZING and so is the customer service! They have an extensive menu too...please give this restaurant a try, you definitely won't regret it!! I only leave good reviews for restaurants that deserve it! read more

Wow! Hands down best Indian food I have had in my life! Most Indian food I've had in the past tend to miss authenticity. Always too much spice or too little. This spot on hits heat and flavor. Absolutely enjoyed every dish. We shared shrimp biryani, butter chicken, garlic nann and veg samosa. Everything was 10/10! It's a quiet casual spot, it was not busy when we walked in on an early dinner 5pm on a Sunday. The host/server was very friendly and attentive. read more

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We've gone here multiple times and have yet to be disappointed. Our usual orders consist of: chaat samosas, tikka masala, saag paneer, regular and onion naan with a side of mango lassi and my new order in the line up, tandoori chicken. Sometimes i'll add another order just to try something new if i like it. I've tried others not listed and didn't prefer it (not that it was nasty) We've dined in once or twice because we usually did take out. Service was great per usual. Parking lot is medium size with street parking available. One thing to note is that orders do take long so what I learned for pick up orders was to call in your order 30 min to 1hr prior to when you want to eat. If you want to eat during peak hours like dinner, plan earlier. We had a favorite spot in concord but it's too far. This restaurant is pretty similar to the one in concord. Saves us a trip and this has been one read more

Essence Indian Cuisine - Outside - Indian Near Me - Vacaville, California

Great food and service! We had masala dosa and chhole bhature. Piping hot and homemade taste. Especially chhole bhature I've never finished at other places.. here I wiped it clean. Loved it! Bala was very friendly and helpful in providing recommendations. Must try other items next time. read more

I love this place. This is by far the best Indian restaurant in Solano. The food is so good all the time. Service is always friendly. And they are very accommodating. If you like it spicy, ask your server for Indian spicy. They don't mess around. My new fave is their masala dosa. I saw an Indian Grama eating it, and it looked so good. I tried it and now I ordered it every time I'm here. Yummm read more

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This is arguably the best restaurant in Vacaville. If you really enjoy Indian food this is one of the best Indian restaurants I've been to, and I've been to a good amount in the Bay Area and Miami area. They also have a great service staff. The food is authentic. read more

Wow! We stumbled upon this restaurant on our way home from San Francisco, and what a gem it turned out to be. We ordered the Chicken Biryani, Malai Chicken, Chole Bhature, and Mango Lassi. Every dish was packed with flavor. The Malai Chicken was especially outstanding--easily the best I've ever had. The staff were friendly, professional, and welcoming. Prices were very reasonable across the board. This will definitely be our regular pit stop from now on. Please don't change a thing--you're doing an amazing job just the way you are! read more

So delicious!! Everything always tastes so good here but this time takes the cake! My favorite Indian food read more

Essence Indian Cuisine - Baingan Bharta and the Samosa Chaat - Indian Near Me - Vacaville, California

Food- the main reason to show up. Delicious. Say goodbye to trips to the East Bay...this works. NO BUFFET. Deal with it. Service- a little slow when you have someone famished in tow. It was fine. They don't have the words "fast food" on the sign out front for a reason. Ambiance- the windows were tinted very dark so that was nice. Not much else about the place said ooh la la, so come for the food, stay for the food. *Lamb biryani- delicious mix of seasoned rice, veggies and lamb. *Samosas- veg variety, the only kind. Eh...they were hot! Not horrible for veg. *Rice- was rice. Had biryani, so left pretty much untouched. *Garlic naan- NICE. Had the flavor, not too much. Great 3 buck add on. *Butter chicken- alas, sauce. Lots of flavorful, delicious sauce. Chicken seemed to be in strips a little too uniform to be natural but I drowned myself in sauce and didn't really care about that. If I hadn't had prior knowledge of this place, I probably would have thought it was closed. Glad it wasn't. Will be back for sure! Beats the daylights out of going all the way in to West Sac. Tastes better too. read more

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My #1 spot for Indian food in Vacaville! Great Togo option for weeknight dinner. Love their butter chicken, tikka masala and chicken korma.

Everything fresh. Taste like made with care and intention. I will go again and bring friends too. I hope this restaurant is here a long time. It is much needed in Vacaville. Staff very nice. Thank you for opening in our town! read more

Essence Indian Cuisine - Tandoori chicken, garlic nan, spinach curry - Indian Near Me - Vacaville, California

Everybody knows about Clay Oven which is fantastic but this Indian cuisine is also FANTASTIC. The bread the curry the chicken the everything was great!! Ambiance was solid as well. Service was a bit slow for sure but we were chilling so it wasn't a big deal, food was fantastic and we will hopefully be coming back soon! read more

I can't say enough good things about this place! A friend recommended it to me, and from my very first visit, I was hooked. I've been back multiple times, and each time, the food has been absolutely delicious. I've tried the Shrimp Tikka Masala, Goat Curry, Lamb Curry, Tandoori Wings, Samosa Chaat and Garlic Naan all bursting with flavor and cooked to perfection. The quality and taste are consistently good, making this my go to spot for Indian. The restaurant has a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The staff is always, attentive, and make you feel right at home. Honestly, I'll probably be back this week! Highly recommend to anyone looking for amazing Indian food. read more

Essence Indian Cuisine - Tandoori Wings, Shrimp Tikka Masala, Goat Curry, Lamb Curry - Indian Near Me - Vacaville, California

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Do not go here if you're hungry. It took 45 minutes to get our food and nobody bothered to explain the delay. The service was awful -- we asked for clean plates and utensils, and the server literally told us to reuse the same silverware. Who does that in a dine-in restaurant? By the time the food came, I'd already lost my appetite. The food itself was just average, nothing worth waiting that long for. Terrible service, long wait, and zero care for customers. I would not recommend this place at all. read more

Was recommended this restaurant after discussing with a co-worker best Indian places to eat in local area. That day I couldn't wait to see what she meant describing the great taste and freshness of dishes she mentioned. This place was on point!! Best I've had even tasting from Bay area and So-Cal. They will not disappoint and the portions are generous which is a huge plus as I love leftovers! Service was great even though I ordered out. The ambience was fitting as a clean and quiet experience if you'd want to just wind down and enjoy your meal after a long days work. Highly recommend Essence restaurant. This is my #1 for Indian eats! read more

We had a great experience at Essence in Vacaville. The food was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. Every dish we tried was well-seasoned and clearly made with care, and the portions were generous without feeling overwhelming. The menu offers a nice variety, so there's something for everyone whether you prefer classic staples or want to try something new. Our server, Bala, was attentive, friendly, and made sure we were well taken care of throughout the meal. He checked in at the right times without being intrusive and offered helpful recommendations. Overall, the atmosphere was welcoming and comfortable, and the service and food quality really stood out. We'll definitely be coming back and would recommend Essence to anyone looking for excellent Indian cuisine in Vacaville. chaat and bhindi and everything was excellent! HIGHLY RECOMMEND read more