We tried Ginger Indian Cuisine in north Oakland for the first time recently, and were very pleased! We started with the vegetable samosas, which were tasty, albeit a bit low on the filling-to-shell ratio. The papadums were crispy and fresh-tasting. The Channa Daal (split lentils cooked with spices and herbs) that Yetta had was very flavorful. I played it safe (and boring) by ordering tandoori chicken, which can never be terrible, but can rarely be great, and was generally happy with it. The chicken itself was of high quality, and the dish contained lots of tasty onions. The onion naan also contained lots of sweet onions, but was more of a flatbread than a naan, i.e., it was crispy rather than chewy. The mango lassi was very good, as was the raita, and the rice pulao (rice with peas, onions. and carrots). We are big eaters, but we had enough left over for a nice meal the next day. Don't be put off by the exterior or the décor, which is nothing special. Ginger Indian Cuisine serves some of the best Indian food in the Oakland-Berkeley area. And, the service is very friendly and professional. I have a very strict grading scheme, so when I give a place 4 out of 5, that is a strong endorsement! read more

I'm always on the hunt for good Indian food. I can only speak for the Sunday buffet since we came here just for that. The rice was good and some of the sauces were also good. There were three chicken options, the chicken was dry and tough in all of them. I didn't think there was tons of flavor in anything in particular. It was just sort of bland in my opinion. The naan was different than most other places, and I didn't enjoy it. The staff were friendly and came by our table to ask how the food was. In the future, I might order from the menu, but I'm not coming back for the buffet. read more

I've had several DoorDash orders since my first review and I'm happy to say the food blows me away - best IndIan food in Oakland/Berkeley area: - Chicken Samosas. 5 stars. Moist flavorful filling and flaky pastry. Great with a drizzle of the included tamarind sauce. Currently have a 2-for-1 deal on DD. - Chicken Tikka Masala. 5 stars. Bold rich flavors. Not overly creamy like so many restaurants do. Best in town. - Grilled Butter Chicken. 5 stars. Bold rich flavors but different spices than CTM. Tandoor-grilled chicken is amazing. - Chana Saag. 5 stars. For the vegetarians! A flavor bomb of spices woven into the chickpeas. - Rice pulao. 5 stars. As mentioned in initial review, it is rare to find this dish in local Indian restaurants - and Ginger nails it. Once you try it you might never go back to plain white rice. -Basmati rice. 5+ stars. Speaking of rice, when you order basmati rice at every other Indian restaurant you get boiled white rice. Not here! Ginger "turns it up to 11" with saffron and spice infusion. Yep, even their 'plain' rice isn't plain. - Naan bread. 4 stars. We tried the plain, butter, and Garlic. Enjoyed the butter naan the most, but I don't think these are hot out of a tandoor oven. So they're just above average. I'm keen to visit the restaurant for their lunch specials. With Indian food this good, I'll do everything I can to contribute to their success! read more

Ginger Indian Cuisine - Indian Near Me - Oakland, California

5 stars for service, 2 for the vegetable Biryani, hard pass for future visits, rice not separated and cooked too much and didn't like the way it was seasoned. I rarely crave Biryani but when I do I won't think of this place unfortunately. Very dissatisfied for $17. read more

Ginger Indian Cuisine - Vegetable Biryani, rice cooked too much and seasoning wasn't blended well either. - Indian Near Me - Oakland, California

Everything we ordered was amazingly delicious! Best Indian food we have had in a looooooong time! We ordered mango lassi (creamy and mango-y), samosas (a bit thick with the wrapper but cooked to the right amount of crispiness), garlic and paneer naan (had a perfect amount of fluff), baingan bartha (flavorful with smokiness), saag paneer and paneer tikka masala (we love anything paneer and the cheese chunks were the right size and plentiful), and an okra dish that I can't remember the name of. My husband declared the okra some of the best Indian food he's had in his life, along with the salty mango lassi. The service was super- friendly and checked back often and the wait was not long for our food. Loved it all. So glad we have leftovers! read more

Great new owners. Very attentive. Excellent food. Taste magnificent since they use fresh fresh ingredients. Beautiful decorations. Easy parking. We'll go again for sure . Strongly recommend read more

We got take-out for the first time and every single dish hit the mark! This is the best North Indian restaurant food I have eaten in a quarter century living in the Bay Area!! Keep up the high flavor and extreme value! The aloo gobi has substantial vegetables, the aloo paratha is huge and the lamb biryani has tons of meat and flavor, and the malai chicken is delectable with tons of protein per order! read more

Food: 1000/10 If you're here it's because you're thinking of going. Yes, go, the food is amazing. Service was fast and great. Nice quiet ambiance, read more

Ginger Indian Cuisine - Lamb plate with Indian spices - Indian Near Me - Oakland, California

See all

Food was not very flavorful. I ordered it to go so I didn't look at the ambience and don't know anything about the Service as well. It was ordered on DoorDash. But the quality of the food was very ordinary. read more

I just tried the buffet at the "new" Indian restaurant Ginger (The new owner was a chef for the old owner for 20+ years.) there are lots of yummy veggie options like zucchini masala, spinach and chickpea, curry veggies, etc. as well as regulars like chicken tikka masala. I recommend trying it out. I have also enjoyed their lunch bowls and ordering off the dinner menu on other visits. With the prior iteration of this restaurant "Indian Rasoi" the food was great when the owners/chefs were cooking, but the quality could go down a lot when they were not (like when they were at their other main original restaurant). This lack of consistency was a problem that has now been solved with the new ownership. I am thrilled to be able to fully recommend this place "again". read more

This place is MUCH better than the previous place with the previous owners. All of the curries were delicious, as well as Saag Paneer, the Veggie Pokoras, and the seasoned rice dish cooked with veggies. I will most certainly be back! read more

Beautiful interior design. Loved the block print on the walls and soft, warm lighting. Lends a very cozy and welcoming atmosphere to the space. After I had been seated, the person taking my order immediately asked me if I wanted water or something warm like chai because it was a rainy, cold day and that little detail of considering someone's needs and offering things on the menu accordingly without being asked felt so lovely. Felt like true Desi hospitality! The chai itself was hot, yummy, and mildly spiced. I liked that it came without sugar added and that they instead provide it on the side. The vegetable samosa was delicious! It had a nice dusting of chaat masala on the outside of the crust and a delicate cumin flavour throughout the dough. The green chutney it came with was a little on the more watery side for me so it didn't cling to the samosa as I would have liked it to. It did have a very nice level of spice to it. The tamarind chutney was the perfect consistency for me. I liked that it wasn't too sweet or too sour but just balanced out the green chutney perfectly. It also tasted mildly of fennel which I haven't tasted before in tamarind chutney but it was a very nice addition! I imagine the samosa chaat here would be delicious. The lunch platter is a great deal at $15.99 for an entree, rice, naan, and kachumbar salad. I got the saag paneer for my entree. It was very oniony. Not bad, just more oniony than I expected. The paneer had a great texture, firm on the outside but soft on the inside and flavourful throughout. I did order it spicy but it tasted mild at the most. The turmeric rice was perfectly cooked and really delicious. Nice alternative to the usual plain basmati rice most Desi restaurants provide with entrees. The naan was solidly ok. A little on the thinner and more bland side for my preference but it was fresh, hot, and a great carb to have with the paneer. Good for the price! I haven't seen many Desi restaurants do a good kachumbar salad on the side so Ginger's was a nice surprise! It had an addictive texture and was the perfect palate cleanser in between bites that kept me going back for more. I do think the meal could have used some more acidity. Maybe some more tomato flavour in the saag paneer or a squeeze of lemon or splash of vinegar on the kachumbar salad would have really elevated the whole plate and provided some much needed freshness to it. Still a very delicious meal and I will definitely be coming back for more! Also minor detail but I noticed it because I love music, particularly Sufi qawalis, but a more varied music playlist would be nice. It was the same 2 songs on repeat the whole time I was there. Don't get me wrong, I love Mast Qalandar and Tere Bina but after the 8th time hearing them it starts getting a little old. read more

See all

Absolutely delicious food, was exactly what we were looking for my fiancé's dinner! Affordable too, and Gia was an incredible waitress read more

So I want to be fair in this review. I ordered from Ginger Indian Cuisine on Friday night through doordash delivery. I ordered the bindi (okra), the baingain (eggplant), and then I took advantage of the buy one get one aloo tiki chaat. My first issue is with the chaat. Despite being a great deal, no where (pic is included) does it state that there is yogurt covering this dish. The dish is described as "deep fried crispy potato patties covered with chickpeas and chutney. Vegetarian." This is unacceptable. You guys NEED to make clear any allergen ingredient. By leaving off the advertising of the yogurt topping you are opening yourselves up to a world of comped dishes through doordash. I scraped off and tossed as much of the yogurt as I was able to get off of the dish as for me it makes my stomach not feel great. The rest of the dish was actually really tasty. But that is just so foolish to not list the one allergen ingredient considering how much is covering the dish. The pic on the doordash app also gives zero indication that there is yogurt on top. Please update this and ALL dishes that need to clearly advertise an allergen ingredient. The second issue is the lack of complementary rice with the entrees. To be fair I think generally it should be a separate item since you guys are clearly purchasing an ingredient and therefore it should be something the guest purchases. But, it is truly not outside the realm of possibility based on how those of us who have ordered Indian cuisine in the past generally have received an order of rice with entrees. Again the issue here is the lack of proper advertising information. If your entrees do not include rice...JUST WRITE THAT. Happy to order rice...if I know I have to order it. All this takes is stating that our entrees do not include rice. Write it at the header of all of your entree categories. Problem solved. The third issue, and aside from the giant dollop of yogurt on my chaats, the only taste issue I had was the baingain. Way too oily. I am usually cool with a little bit of excess oil, but man this was a little much. I did end up tossing the majority of this as the oil was just too much Outside of the baingain all of the problems could easily be solved by updating your apps and online menus (I used doordash as mentioned but I took a look at the menu on your guys' website and it too lacks a lot of critical and necessary info). The baingain wasn't to my liking but not gonna love everything you eat. The seasoning on what I did have was actually really solid (my biggest issue with places that aren't Viks or Besharam is the lack of seasoning: salt, acid) and I will say I would like to order again but this time with a little more helpful knowledge. So one more time: Update your apps to include and advertise any ingredient that is an allergen, especially dairy State whether or not your entrees include rice Tried to make this review as critically fair as possible. I know you guys actually respond to customer feedback. Hopefully you understand where I am coming from. read more

See all

Chicken curry lunch specials we ordered were freshly made and delicious. Owners are friendly and care very much in giving us good service. We stumble upon this restaurant and decided to give it a try and we were not disappointed. read more

Loved the Dahl and mango lassi! Dahl had lots of wonderful spices without being spicy hot. Dined in and the space was clean, very pleasant and people were lovely! Will go back when in the area. read more

First let me state that I love Indian food. Vik's has been my fave since it opened. Simply put: Ginger is excellent. From cauliflower paratha, to saag paneer (test of a good chef), to bangan barta (unique and enjoyable flavors), to coconut chicken curry... Each visit has been a delight. The venue isn't fancy but the food is. We're grateful to have them in the neighb read more

Modest space belies excellence in the kitchen. Ask for the cauliflower paratha. Even the rice is extra tasty. But don't go there in a hurry.

The food was superb. The best Indian food around. I highly recommend Ginger. The service and food excellent.

The food is so good and the people so sweet. It is a still yet to be discovered jewel of a restaurant and they will adjust ingredients for you. read more

Nasty unorganized food was disgusting I took one bite and threw my food in the garbage never again

The restaurant at first glance gives a very cozy vibe with a good ambiance. The service was slow but the food tasted good. Looks like there are only two ppl along with the manager which makes the things slow. We ordered a garlic, onion naan and a gobi manchurian for dinner. The gobi was a bit too much on the sweeter side but the naans along with the bread were very good. It's rare it have good soft naans like these. read more

Ginger Indian is very delicious. Came on a Wednesday night. Ordered all vegetarian. Delicious saag channa, aloo gobi, paneer tika masala and mushroom makhani. We had a vegan in our party so the mushroom makhani was made with coconut cream. What a delight. Place was pretty empty so I hope more customers for them. This was former Indian Rasoi. And while I was a big fan, this place is pretty great read more

Some of the best Indian food we've had in the Berkeley/Oakland area. Not sure what has changed since this place turned over, much looks the same as the former establishment, Indian Rasoi, and the phone number is the same, but the food was completely different, really delicious, spices complex. Loved the thin slices of fresh ginger. Service was attentive, friendly and prompt and great value! read more

All the food is delicious with an authentic Indian flavor if you haven't yet had the opportunity to approve the food then it's time for them to go read more

This place is amazing!!! Such a hidden gem. Food was unbelievably good and service was lovely. A must-try!

Delicious, fresh, and not run of the mill versions of favorite dishes - amazing find!

Definitely the best North Indian food I've had in the Bay Area! All the food was amazing, with great veg selections. From the chole batura and samosas to the malai kofta and saag paneer, everything was fresh, beautifully presented, and cooked with depth of flavor -- 10 out of 10! Go try it! We'll be back!!! read more

I just tried Ginger Indian restaurant for the first time although I was a regular at Indian Rasoi. I hadn't realized there was a change in ownership and what I thought was the best Indian restaurant in the East Bay was now even better. Every dish I tried was delicious, service was great, and the prices are reasonable. The Chicken Tikka had the most creamy flavorful sauce ever, the Saag was rich flavor and a deep green undiluted color, and the Dal also excellent. I also tried the Chicken Biryani which was a saucy version with large pieces of chicken. Aloo Paratha was lovely. I ordered medium heat and the dishes ranged from a comfortable low medium to medium compared to other places. I prefer that to overly heated as you can always add some hot sauce if needed. The quality of the spices was very fresh and the dishes were well seasoned. I will be back for sure. They have a buffet on Sundays which is appreciated. The ceiling is decorated in a beautiful way adding to the ambiance of this unpretentious local spot. read more