So - this place is great. We ate here years ago visiting friends in Seattle and had to come back. The place is small and worth the wait if you find there is a wait. I have once criticism. Wait staff should recognize when there are young children and not bring them a full glass of ice water in a wine glass. It's a disaster waiting to happen and it's also food service 101. It makes for a stressful night. Other than that, the experience was as every bit enjoyable as we had experienced at least 9 years ago. If your in Ballard and want Indian, then this is the place. read more

India Bistro - Murgh Tandori - Yummy - Indian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Yummy, yummy Indian! I got the Chicken Tikki Masala equivalent and it was fantastic. The chicken chunks were large and tender and the sauce had an excellent flavor. I would also recommend getting the naan to split between to people, its huge and is always great to dip in the sauce! read more

HORRIBLE SERVICE. After we grabbed our food from the buffet, the waitress never brought our naan to us. She grabbed 5-6 baskets of naan and distributed to ALL TABLE BUT OURS. OK I thought maybe cuz we came in late so we'll have to wait longer. 10 minutes later, she grabbed another basket and I thought this is ours. And surprisingly, she gave it to another table next to us who ALREADY HAVE A BASKET OF NAAN. Then we asked her to bring us our naan, and she said "give me one sec" with a not so good attitude. 5 minutes later, she brought us our basket but it only had two pieces of naan. She said this is all she has for now and we need to wait for more to come out, which would never happen if she hadn't give the second basket of 10 pieces of naan to the table next to us. The service is ridiculous. I would never recommend it to anyone. read more

Best Indian food in Seattle! Different owners than the location on Roosevelt with the same name. Been located on market street for over 20 years, with a wide selection of food. I always get the Malai Kofta and garlic naan! Great lunch buffet too. read more

This is my favorite Indian restaurant. I always order more takeout than I need so I can eat it for a few days! I love the daal soup and all the vegetarian options. If you need vegan, call ahead and they are happy to tell you what is made vegan. Before COVID, I would order lunch buffet to go and they always had at least 2 vegan options available! Great customer service, amazing food. 10/10 would eat here everyday if I could afford to eat out daily!!!! read more

Got takeout from them (Chicken Coconut Curry, mattar paneer, and garlic naan). The food was properly spicy, super-tasty, and CHEAP; the portions were huge. read more

Our go-to place for take out!!! We grab food here probably once a week - it's always amazing and the staff is very friendly. Our favorite on the menu: chicken coconut curry with garlic naan. One portion can be split between two people for just $20! But we also like to order two so we have leftovers :) We seriously LOVE this place! read more

I have been here probably 15 times in the last 2 months!! I work nearby so this is my go to place for lunch! They have a small selection, probably less than 10 dishes but this is where the "Quality over Quantity" mantra rings true! Their Naan is sooooo soft! Butter chicken is heavenly, the square cottage with spinach is my favorite! Service also is top notch! The wait staff are friendly and attentive. I always stuff my face till I burst coz they really do have good food. I have to minimize my visit here, probably once a week (2 at the most) or else my body weight would really go up! Lunch buffet is $13 (tax and tip) Pretty good bang for the buck! I just wish their Gulab Jamun is less dry. read more

Amazing staff, incredibly kind, great food. The lamb coconut curry was the best I've had in a while. One could get addicted to the Naan bread. read more

I'll start off by saying that I love flavorful Indian food. However, this place did not have a good assortment of food...It was all pretty bland. The visit was tainted by the colony of flies by the window. Don't sit by the window or you'll have little visitors sitting on your plate. The only thing I ended up liking was the tandoori chicken and the dessert. The seating felt cramped and uncomfortable. I don't think think the cooks actually know how to make Indian food. read more

Such a great spot. The staff is very friendly. The food was wonderful and the portions were large. The $10 specialty drinks were oversized and tasty too! Will definitely be back. read more

So delicious!!! Meat is so tender, perfect rice, number 5 spice is great temp, flavor bomb in your mouth, so saucy, garlic naan... amazing. They have social distancing dining and take out. I never come to Ballard but will be back to come here. read more

I've only had the buffet here but it is a good buffet for $9 plus tax. The naan isn't great, it tasted too charred to me but the butter chicken, vegetable curry, tandoori chicken, and rice pudding are all very good. You can get the lunch buffet to go and get two meals out of it, easily! The rice is fine. Curried potatoes are good. The spice level for the buffet items is mild, which makes sense to cater to a wide clientele. The employees are friendly and helpful! Will be back for sure. read more

The chicken was so burnt, dry, and tough that I literally couldn't put my fork in it or cut it. This place is awful. Also, they wouldn't substitute rice for veggies. read more

India Bistro - The chicken was so tough, burnt, and dry that you literally couldn't put your fork in it as well as cut it. This place is awful. - Indian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Service was quick and friendly and the prices were affordable. We order three large entrees, naan, and two glasses of wine and our tab was roughly $40-50. I am a die hard butter chicken fan and I didn't think India Bistro's was on my top 5 list, but it was pretty good. It's a good place for a date because of the lighting and small tables. I would not try to bring a large group here, though. read more

OMG! love it here. I went for lunch with my mother today and found this place to be one of the best damb Indian joint we ever had. the service was prompt and friendly, and the the food is delicious! we order the chicken vindaloos, lamb and spinach and the Eggplant bhartha ( SP?) everything was very tasty and spicy just the way we like it. we also order the spinach nan, it was one of the best nan we ever had compare to other places Go and try India Bistro for yourself and you will Love it. And if you are not familiar with Indian food, try to go here for lunch buffet, you can sample almost everything. yumm read more

I had heard great things about India Bistro, and the other night when Gay Boyfriend #1 (GB#1) wanted Indian food for dinner I suggested India Bistro because the Indian places in West Seattle kind of suck. We walk in and are seated right away at a nice table by the window. The place is probably half full so it had a nice warm buzz going on. I wanted garlic naan he wanted spinach naan so we ordered both. The spinach naan was wonderful and well full of spinach, duh and the garlic naan was some of the best I've ever had. For dinner I decided on the mango chicken four stars GBF#1 couldn't decide what he wanted so he went with the tandoori combination which came with chicken, lamb, seekh kebab, fish and prawns, and we also decided to share an order of saag aloo zero stars. Their food was excellent, everything was flavorful and the mango chicken sauce was silky and had just the right amount of sweet where the sweetness of the mango did not over power the chicken. When I ordered it four stars I was thinking Thai four stars which is really nothing, well I learned India Bistro four stars is a serious four stars, the food was spicy and the leftover the next day nearly burned a whole in my tummy but it still tasted good. The saag aloo helped keep my mouth cool and was delicious too boot. Service was great and the water glass was never empty. And to make it an even better evening they are part of the 2008 Entertainment Book so it was cheap too. If I lived in Ballard this would probably be my go-to sport for Indian food. read more

Tasty and light Indian food. Great flavors, busy setting, their prep style isn't as heavy as most Indian joints. That super heavy cream or coconut milk feeling isn't there. This is likely the least expensive good Indian food here in town. I think it may be the champ. I have to demote the other Indian 5 stars. My only concern was that no one asked me how much heat I wanted, so I got basically none at all. I'll have to remember to make a suggestion next time. read more

Meh. I've experienced better. Lunch buffet leaves a lot to be desired. Not nearly as tasty and spicy as other Indian food (and buffets) I've had. Extremely greasy as well. Couldn't get over the blandness of the food, pretty disappointing. $6.95 is a good lunch buffet deal, but I'd rather pay $1 or $2 more and get something with a little more "oomph!". The staff is very friendly and kind, but was just a bit disappointed with the cuisine. I can't vouch for food ordered off the menu, but my guess would be that it is probably better. Menu items (not buffet) would be the way to go, if I had to guess. read more

I hate to admit it, but Terrell is right. Ballard is pretty cool. :-) I'd been thinking my next house would be in West Seattle or Queen Anne, but maybe I'll add Ballard to the possibilities. There are about a million places to try. I could be happy trying new places for years. Anyway, on with the review... The food? Yeah, not so much. It's OK... I went with 5 people. We got Mystery Lamb, Mystery Lamb, Biryani, Chicken Masala, Naan, and Samosas. Samosas were OK, but a bit bland. Actually 4 out of 5 of us thought our dishes could use more heat. The naan was average to good. The biryani was average. Having had the real thing from scratch, my expectations are very high when it comes to that dish. The Masala was good, but very bland. Speaking of that, I like their scale for heat. They have "in between" levels like "medium-hot," which is unique. Parking on Ballard Avenue could have been worse too, but Evan's parallel parking skills were average... (Sorry Evan, I warned you). I told him in Ballard you to "park by feel" and to throw your seat belt out the door while he drives, but he wouldn't listen. The staff was very friendly and helpful. They get an extra star for that. As usual, my friends made this meal a great experience. I got in a good debate with Julia over religion... always interesting. For my money, I'm sticking with Preet's vegetarian in Redmond. read more

For the few reviews of this year claiming to have stomach issues after eating the food, I side with the restaurant on this issue and maybe your body can't handle the contents in the food or maybe you were sick to begin with and didn't know it. I ate their food for lunch knowing there was a possible chance I could experience what the other post have been through. The food was delicious and no upset stomach, just a really full stomach because of the buffet portion of the restaurant was my choice as a first timer. The owner and the people working here provided great service but don't expect a friendly behavior from them. This relationship between customer and employee is strictly business. Basically you come in, you eat, you pay and good-bye and thats about it. Not even a "have a good day". So if you are a sensitive person or lack of thick skin then prepare yourself or not come at all. I'm all for the good food but don't expect a hand shake from these guys. Happy Eats Everyone!! read more

I'd really love it if Indian food and I got along. Unfortunately for me, we do not. It's not that I don't love the stuff or that it's too spicy. There's just something in the mildest of the mild dishes that makes my stomach say, 'Yeah right, lady.. this stuff again.. IN YOUR DREAMS!' So when I'm feeling rebellious and I wanna tell my stomach to.. well.. 'get bent' or '**** off', I go here. There are many Indian Restaurants in this city, and while I also like 'Taste of India' on Roosevelt, I find this to be as good, if not better. Their lunch buffet is pretty good and from what I hear, is better than most. Their tandoori chicken is really fab, and their naan never disappoints. I also agree with Miss Carrie H. that the Chicken Saagwala is tres excellento. They're open every day and their lunch specials runs on the weekends as well. I'm planning on coming here again soon. I just need to work through this whole 'love/ hate' thingy with my innards and paneer, and we'll be all set. read more

My boyfriend and I went here for the first time tonight and it was excellent! We had been looking for a place with good vegetarian fare and this was definitely the place. It had a very good selection of veggie dishes and we were quite pleased. We had the Malai Kofta and the Eggplant Bharta. Both were very delicious, but the Malai Kofta was to die for. We have seriously agreed that we will come back just to have that dish! I think I could eat it several times a week and still be just as pleased as I was tonight. We also had an order of plain naan, which was great. The service was very very good. Our waiter was prompt, friendly, and the other servers were timely with refilling our water. Our food also came out quite quickly, which was nice. The prices were seriously amazing. Between the two of us we had two entrees, naan, and a beer and the total was less than $25 before tip. One could easily share one entree (the portions are quite large) and the price would be even less. I also really liked the interior of the restaurant. It had a warm, inviting feel and the size makes it very intimate. I will definitely be coming back here again and would certainly recommend it! read more

Tried India Bistro for takeout (through Eat24) last night for dinner and was disappointed. We ordered the Baba Ghanouj, the Chicken Korma (medium spice), the Saag Paneer (medium spice), and the Paneer Naan. The Baba Ghanouj was incredibly tangy and had a funky aftertaste, the Korma tasted & resembled more of a watered down Tika Misala, the Saag Paneer was really bland and had chunks of overcooked spinach in it, and the Paneer Naan was very dry and fell apart easily. The rice that came with the dishes was overcooked. I live down in Federal Way but have not found an Indian restaurant that tops East India Grill. If you're craving Indian, don't go to India Bistro. It's honestly underwhelming. If you're desperate and get takeout from here, you'll at least get you're food on time- as ours was on the minute. read more

We are usually skeptical to try restaurants with 3.5 stars on Yelp and an Indian restaurant because most of them are not authentic. I have high standards for my Indian food. First off the staff was very friendly which is not common for an Indian restaurant. For appetizers we ordered Papri Chat and Samosa. Not impressed by Papri chat (one had Papri and other was missing it) but Samosa was above average. For entree we ordered Murgh Masala, Paneer Tikka, Malai Kofta and Naan. The Naan was perfect with a good balance between charred parts and soft parts. Murgh Masala was homestyle with small chunks of onion and tomatoes rather than your usual blended one sauce for all! Paneer Tikka was really good. It came one a bed of veggies on a sizzler plate. Paneer was charred on the corners and melt in your mouth soft on the inside. Malai Kofta's curry was good but the Koftas were made of paneer and potato and in India these koftas are made only with Paneer. All in all a great satisfying meal and we will go back when we are in Seattle. Too bad Portland area lacks good Indian restaurants. read more

I have a love/hate relationship with buffets. True, you can get a great deal for your money but I am not a fan of feeling overly full. But I've been meaning to check this place out for a long time. Okay, who am I kidding. I love buffets but hate the feeling afterwards. I guess life isn't fair, is it? I thought the food here was pretty good but I wish they had more options. The place was clean and the waiter was friendly. And that is all I can really say at this point. I may check it out again for dinner or if I feel the need to eat a lot of food. Zipzap Zubidy Bop! read more

I have no idea why the Ballard India Bistro is so remarkably different than the Roosevelt location--it must have different management. But take it from me. It is. I've been here once before and was not impressed. We came here again on impulse only because we didn't realize Oaxaca was closed on Sundays--otherwise, we would have gone there. Anyway, I digress. Point is--the food is not authentic, not delicious, and really, barely serve-able. I was literally shocked that they served us what they did. My bf ordered the jalfrezi and I ordered the chicken biryani. His was at least edible, but had no flavor. How can Indian food not have any flavor? Weird. As for my biryani, it was soggy, mushy mound of white rice covered in an odd-tasting reddish orange sauce. Although I ordered chicken, tell me why there were little broken bits of paneer in it? I dated an Indian for two years and had authentic, legitimate, home-cooked biryani. This was not it. This is not the stuff you'll get at the Roosevelt location, whose biryani is amazing. The biryani I was expecting was a fragrant, seasoned dish of baked rice lightly coated in spices and herbs that has been simmering and baking for awhile, served with toasted nuts. No, this biryani tasted as if they took someone's leftover paneer and mixed it together with some white rice and sprinkled some stale bits of almond and dried coconut on top. It seriously crossed my mind that I was being served someone's leftovers passed on as biryani. Ick. If you want good Indian food, go to Taste of India (where they give you free appetizers AND free dessert every time, every customer), Cedars, or the Roosevelt location of India Bistro. read more

India Bistro on Roosevelt is an incredible place. In my opinion, it's the best Indian restaurant in Seattle. The decor makes it seem like it should be expensive, but most dishes are only $11 and many wine glasses are only $5. But price is nothing... everything is delicious! So, so much better than Taste of India or Cedars (blech). My favorite dish here is Chicken Jalfraizies. I've had it in England, San Francisco, the east coast, and no where else has created such a vibrant and diverse dish. There are so many colors and flavors, all mixing together yet each bite is unique. It's too bad this place isn't more popular, as the staff have really created a wonderful place. Perhaps Roosevelt and 65th is just a sleepy neighborhood? Because as it stands now, it's worth the drive from anywhere in the city. read more

I just received a super fast delivery, it was piping hot and incredibly delicious. I ordered garlic nan, mango chutney, the mix salad, and chicken curry plus a little more and it was all so tasty, fresh, and delicious. read more

As I think back on my dining experience here earlier in the week, how sad is it that the first thing I remember is the door? It sticks like nobody's business (it took me around 30 seconds to open it), and you have to give it a hard shove to close. One patron left it ajar while he was leaving, and I had to get up to close it because cold air was billowing into the restaurant. On the plus side, the confusion about why I jumped up from the table and headed to the door mid-meal made for interesting conversation afterward. The food was actually quite tasty - I had the spinach naan and the Murgh Tikka. The naan was terrific, hands down! I also love meat cooked in the tandoor, and they do a great job here. Very flavorful. The portions were a tiny bit smaller than other Indian places I'm used to (on Capitol Hill for example). You can see a picture of a tandoori entree up above. I felt like my friend ended up with more food, and his entree was $1 less! I agree with Iris about the music here - it was great background noise, and I really enjoyed it. The service was good too - they were prompt in refilling water, and my glass was never empty. All in all, this would be a 4 star review, but sitting by a drafty door on a cold night knocked the experience down by one. If you go here on a cold night, try to sit far away from the door. You'll thank me later. read more

India Bistro Ballard is my FAVE Indian food place in all of Washington and Oregon. They have phenomenal food and a great wait staff. Depending on which location you visit you may have to wait for a table but it's worth it! I read the disparaging reveiws about the lunch buffet and would have to kind of agree, you just get so spoiled by their dinner that I would just eat the leftovers from the night before for lunch instead of doing the buffett! My dream dinner here would include; Aloo Gobhi, Saag Paneer, Daal Maharani, Lamb Methi Curry, Kashmiri Chicken , Chicken Korma, Garlic or/and Spinanch Naan & the Fish Tikka!!! So YUMMY!!! read more

I'm still salivating over the creamy, slightly sweet chicken korma I ordered at India Bistro last night. And the garlic naan? And the crispy-on-the-outside, squishy-in-a-good-way-on-the-inside samosas? Mouth. Watering. The best part for the budget-conscious is that I could count the number of entrees surpassing a $10 pricetag on one hand, and beyond that, the portions were abundant enough to bring home half for another meal. Bonus points also for the attentive service and cozy lighting, although the music could've been turned down a few notches--As it was, my dining companions and I had conversations punctuated with "what?" read more

I've been lamenting the lack of good Indian in Seattle since I got here. We've had OK Indian at any number of restaurants, but there had never been a meal to write home about...until now. The meal my family had at India Bistro the other night was spectacular. An excellent array of vegetarian dishes as well as a tandoori chicken so good it vaults immediately to #1 on my list. We'll absolutely be back. With reasonable prices and food this good there's no reason not to. read more

This is my favorite Indian restuarant in Ballard, maybe all of Seattle. Their food is fantastic. I've never had anything I didn't love. Also, they once substituted fish for me in chicken saag, which turned out really good. It's a small cozy place, but during the warmer months they open up their sidewalk tables. read more

Very good food for a decent price. I had a very great experience here, the waiter gave my friends and I complementary desserts. It was incredibly sweet of them. Overall a very positive experience. The setting is more casual than other Indian restaurants which is why I only gave it three stars. Remember, right now in my life, I mostly choose three stars unless there's an occasion read more

So I have frequented Indians buffets in the past and this one stands tall with the others. What they may lack in selection, the taste makes up for. The butter chicken, naan, flavored rice, it was all good. Again, very limited selection but tasty none the less. For the price, $10 for lunch, I would say for sure go and eat there!! Service was great as well. read more

Doth mine eyes deceive me? Am I reading the prior reviews correctly? Maybe it's because I've only ever been there for the buffet, but it's terrible. They have a mere 3-4 dishes to choose from, none of which are ever very good or consistent. Not to mention they don't put naan at the buffet, they bring you a measly piece or two and won't bring you more. The service has been terrible every time I've been there (I don't know why I keep going back)! For consistently awesome Indian, stay away from here and try any one of the great places on Roosevelt. read more

Rack of lamb made me want to propose. Prices very affordable. Whenever I hit Seattle, I'm coming here first. read more

Yuck. I craved Indian food and I got something watery and weird. Ordered samosas and navrattan korma. The tamarind chutney was really really watery and oily, which would be fine if it tasted good, but it was mediocre. The mint chutney was also mediocre. Finally, the samosas were also mediocre. The navrattan korma was made with frozen mixed veggies rather than fresh. Loses points right there. The sauce was overly sweet, and watery (probably from the frozen veggies). Gross. Worst Indian food I've had in a long time. To be fair, the service was good. read more

How to make India Bistro quality Chicken Tikka Masala - from an Indian: You will need a microwaveable dish: a) take stale meat (cubes of boneless chicken) with no flavor of the marinade that goes into chicken tikka b) take a can of Hunt's - or any grocery store brand - of pureed tomato sauce c) add a bit of Indian spices - say, a pinch of garam masala d) drop the stale chicken cubes into the canned tomato puree e) microwave f) drop a gigantic piece of raw tomato and a slice of lime into this watery mix for presentation g) garnish with a leaf of cilantro h) for the complimentary Basmati rice, make sure the rice was cooked much much earlier in the day, so its NOT warm, moist and fluffy but rather dry, hardened grains of cooked flavorless rice The one highpoint - the plain naan I ordered, which was fresh, buttery and soft. My fellow Seattleits: the buffet in this place is perfectly acceptable, but items from their dinner menu is a hit and miss affair. The waitress was more like an impatient haus frau who slapped food down my table IN 5 MINUTES! That explains why it was so awful. And notice how not many Indians - like myself - have a very high opinion of this place. read more