It's not often that I visit autehtic Indian cuisine. I grew up Texas and the Bay area most of my life and honestly only visited buffet type establishments in the past. Recently moving to Elk Grove, I was was surprised to see so many different restaurants and multiple food choices. That said, our group last night decided to try Indian food. Wow! And I mean a big smiled tummy rumbling WOW!!! Indian oven is the beast Indian food I have ever tasted! As you know, in my previous reviews, I have also taken into consideration, the ambiance, the restaurant cleanliness (Including the restrooms) and also the staffs demeanor when submitting reviews. I must admit, I am not surprised that this restaurant easily deserves five stars - on all points! If it wasn't for our server "Rinku", our group would never have realized the meticulous efforts made by ownership and staff in presenting so many varied and wonderful tasting dishes we were not previously aware of. In that, I mean, that when you go to a new restaurant, you look at the menu and you take somewhat of a chance in experiencing dishes that sound good, but having no previous experience/s there, may not receive the best tasting meal on the menu. Rinku not only explained the dishes and ingredients, he also gave a little bit of history and process involved into preparing such wonderful tasting meals - throughout. He took the time to answer our questions with as much detail, history, that was necessary for us to understand how much goes into making exceptional Indian cuisine. He highlighted the nuances involved in the preperation processes, the cooking methods, and the reasoning behind obtaining/ producing such differing textures, depths, and tones of flavors. And pointedly, I noticed that everything was very fresh, possibly and most likely made with heartfelt love for India Ovens' patrons. Once again if it wasn't for Rinkus' recommendations, we would not have known what to choose, pertaining to our personal likes, and to be honest, spiciness and heat tolerances of each individual in our group. From this point forward, I will not have any predetermined expectations of what food quality and/or flavors should/could taste like. Amongst our group, we ordered approximately eight different menu items, each with very specific and distinct flavors, and as mentioned before, wonderful textures. I (Rarely and highly) recommend family, friends, colleagues, and the general public to come here, not once, twice, but often, to experience the full menu - all in its time. I recommend that you come and experience wonderful savory Indian cuisine like no other. Thank you Rinku! read more

India Oven - Elk Grove - Tandori chicken. Paneer. Butter chicken. Garlic naan bread. Basmati rice. Tamarind and spicey green sauces. - Indian Near Me - Elk Grove, California

This is my go to for Indian food in Elk Grove. When I go, I have my usual dishes and they are always good. The only reason why I don't rate it 5 stars, is because when I usually order, I order to go, and they seem like they really don't care too much, when it comes to the customer service part of it. Could be because they may think I'm a delivery driver, who knows? The food itself is always good. I usually have a seafood dish, along with some samosas and some type of naan. I just get my good food and go about my business. In the end, my tastebuds thank me for it. read more

Food: chicken tikka masala was packed with flavor, came out nice and hot, the chicken was tender and not dry. I loved every bite of it and so did my son. The spice is not overwhelming. The Naan was delicious!! It was a staple with the curry. Now the star of the show, the chicken Karahi. It reminded me of when my friends mom used to cook that for me when I came over. One of my favorites and I am SO happy that this place carries it. It was spicy and delicious. The chicken was cooked so perfectly, and the green chiles made it taste even better. Come try this place if you haven't already! I loved it and so did my son who is 5. Service: could've been better. Our server seemed uninterested in being there & didn't respond to any thank yous or smiles. read more

India Oven - Elk Grove - CHICKEN KARAHI - Indian Near Me - Elk Grove, California

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Let me start out with they are located in the Target Shopping center and surrounded by other food options and shopping places. They have a shared lot so the lot is busy due to it accommodates lots of business, but I was still able to find a parking spot. There are so many food options that it's hard to choose which one to go to. My girlfriend picked here to celebrate her birthday. It's not the most festive of restaurants. It's nice, clean, large, and has plenty of seating. I don't belive they offer the buffet anymore or it may just be at lunch time, I didn't ask, but saw it was closed for dinner today. Out of all the restaurants in this shopping center this one doesn't scream celebrating to me. To me this is more of an everyday eating establishment. My one girlfriend comes here a few times a year for takeout and really enjoys it. She said when she orders takeout they include the rice with the Butter Chicken. Apparently that has stopped. They no longer give you free rice. In my regular Indian restaurant all dishes come with either naan or rice and that's included with the price. This place seems pricy in comparison. Menu- They had a pretty large menu and a whole page of vegetarian options which is good as my friend is vegetarian. She had no problem ordering 3 dishes to share. My favorite was the appetizer Chaat. It was fresh, tasty, and crunchy. I've never had it before and really enjoyed it. I did find something to order and that was the Butter Chicken. It was only ok. The sauce was delicious, but I found the chicken to be a bit on the dry side. We also had the tandoori chicken, Vegetable Biryani, bread basket, and the Paneer Tiki Masala which had really good sauce also. I liked the medium spice on the Salmon. Water wasn't refilled on a regular basis. I had to ask twice for my water to be refilled. As patient as I am, it was a while to get a refill after eating something a bit spicy. Overall service was ok. In the end we should have asked for separate checks as they wouldn't split it between 4 credit cards. And it wasn't like we didn't order enough to justify splitting it. We ordered 6 dishes between the 4 of us and we were just asking them to split it evenly. Check splitting shouldn't be an issue. In the places I usually go to splitting checks or having separate checks isn't an issue. In end for the price and location, on strip mall I wasn't impressed. There are other restaurants that I like better in this shopping center. There was nothing wrong per se, but I have my favorites and this just isn't one of them. In addition I'm going to stick with my go to Indian restaurant. read more

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4 stars overall The restaurant is located in the Target shopping center on Laguna Blvd. Many eateries and shops in the area. Although we've seen this restaurant before, we've never tried this place before and decided to give it a try for my husband's birthday per his request. The restaurant is very clean and elegant. We were seated quickly and the server was very patient, answering questions I had about each dish. We ordered tandoori chicken, lamb biryani, lamb curry, and naan. We were advised the chicken would take about 15-20 minutes, which we were fine with. We got the other dishes first. I was concerned about the spice level of each dish, but, the lamb curry was good and mild. There's an ingredient in the biryani that left an aftertaste I wasn't fond of, so, I only had a little bit, which reminded me of rose water. The lamb in both dishes was very, very tender, as was the chicken. My husband enjoyed all of the dishes. We would come back to try other items on the menu. read more

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This was a first time try! Great food and service! This is a new staple place for me They have four different spice levels which is a great variety for the ones who don't have a spice tolerance or are like me and enjoy extreme spice and heat. Five restaurant! read more

India Oven - Elk Grove - CHICKEN CURRY and CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA - Indian Near Me - Elk Grove, California

One of the best restaurants I have everrr eaten at !!!! The food is amazing no complaints about it at all. Everything stayed hot and warm, perfect spice level and the rice is definitely recommended. The waiters are kind and the food was given efficiently. This place should definitely be full of customers! I really love the decorations. read more

India Oven - Elk Grove - Indian Near Me - Elk Grove, California

Dinner choice tonight was India oven.. restaurant always looks beautiful! Service is awesome also. Very attentive! We ordered vegetable samosas, shrimp tikka masala, garlic naan, vegetable korma, and tandoori chicken Vegetable samosas was tasty and not overly oily! Shrimp tikka masala had a delicious buttery with so many spices taste! My fav dish Garlic naan complimented the shrimp tikka masala very well. Vegetable korma can use a little bit more flavor but overall still very good. I needed some vegetable in my life lol And the tandoori chicken was hot and fresh and had a lot of flavor! Thumbs up! Definitely a delicious choice for dinner read more

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Great food with even greater ambience and service ...their $75 deal is AMAZING Very nice fulfilling service. Will go here every time we are in the area. read more

The restaurant was quiet, and the staff took our order quickly. We ordered garlic naan, lamb biryani, lamb tikka masala, and steamed rice. The lamb was a little dry, and the biryani had a bit of spice to it, but the tikka masala sauce was excellent. My toddler really enjoyed the tikka masala paired with steamed rice. The garlic naan was thin and crispy, especially tasty when dipped in the tikka masala sauce. However, one thing we didn't like was that a staff member was spraying and cleaning the door right next to us while we were dining, which felt uncomfortable as the cleaning solution could have reached our table. The plaza is big and has many parking spaces. read more

India Oven - Elk Grove - Indian Near Me - Elk Grove, California

I went here some time ago, so after driving home from work my girlfriend suggested we try India Oven for lunch. We got Palak Paneer and butter chicken with some garlic Naan. They were amazing, not too spicy with a delicious sauce. Some of the best Indian food I've had in a long time and so close to my house. I will definitely be back soon as the writing of this is giving my taste buds a workout. read more

We were literally licking the sauce at the end; that's how good it was. The flavors were rich, perfectly balanced, and not too salty at all. Nothing overpowering, just straight-up perfect. The food wasn't spicy at all, so you could really taste all the layers of flavor without burning your tongue. Everything was cooked to perfection. The chicken tikka masala uses chicken breast and has this deep, warm spice profile (I'm pretty sure there's more coriander in there),,, super flavorful. The butter chicken, though? Game changer. Made with chicken thigh, it was tender, sweet, and savory all at once. Honestly, I preferred the butter chicken, but both were incredible. Service was top-tier. They brought water without us even asking, the food came out FAST (even though we got it to-go), and they were so friendly. I seriously can't stress enough how GOOD this place is. India Oven is hands down my FAVORITE Indian spot now. You could literally see us clearing the food: nothing was left, and the plates were licked clean. read more

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CHCIKEN BIRYANI was good. Ordered it medium spice and it had a nice kick. Butter chicken is always good. Can't go wrong with it. Garlic Naan is great. read more

India Oven - Elk Grove - BUTTER CHICKEN - Indian Near Me - Elk Grove, California

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Chicken tandoori spicy lvl but was not spicy Butter chicken - spicy lvl - full of flavor and had a good kick Garlic Naan - delish, thin & crispy read more

India Oven - Elk Grove - BUTTER CHICKEN MAKHANI & GARLIC NAAN - Indian Near Me - Elk Grove, California

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I love all types of Indian food, but kept it simple, classic, and basic while I'm sick. I got the butter chicken with 2 regular and 2 garlic naans and a mango lassi. All incredibly delicious! Nothing much to it, if you know and love butter chicken and mango lassis, India Oven has it great! Sent pictures to my Indian best friend and per his words: "those black specks is how u know its good". It's kasoori methi, a nice finishing leaf, that tastes great! read more

India Oven - Elk Grove - BUTTER CHICKEN MAKHANI and MANGO LASSI - Indian Near Me - Elk Grove, California

One of the best Indian cuisine in Elk Grove. I was first introduced to Indian cuisine when I visited my aunt in Seattle. I've been searching and trying out different Indian restaurants in Elk Grove. By far this is the best place I've been. Everything is really good, ambiance is nice. They have booths and a big table on the side to accommodate large parties. Got to try this if you're in the area. My favorites are the butter chicken, chicken masala, and the garlic nann. read more

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We were party of 8 celebrating our friends graduation. We chose to eat at this Indian restaurant last minute. We called and ordered appetizers on the phone and reached there around 230pm, half an hour before closing. Customer service was top notch. Beautiful restaurant with very accommodating staff who strive to give their best even though they were about to close. The food is 10/10 but our favorite was lamb chops. We have not tasted that tender and delicious lamb chops which just melts in our mouth. Their naan were crispy on the sides and soft in the center. Spice level in goat curry, butter chicken and matter paneer was on point. We loved our time and enjoyed their food to the fullest. They made lemon drops ( Apple, cranberry, mango and orange lol). They actually were so good. Last picture tells our story. Do not think again before considering this place for your get- togethers. read more

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Wow! Wow! Wow! I have tried alot alot of indian restaurants but this one so far has been the best!!!!! The food was amazing and prices were also great! Service was excellent. Food came out quick and the restaurants is very nice and clean. read more

Tried out the lamb curry it was delicious just the right amount of spice plenty of lamb! Staff is friendly and kind recommending perfect food read more

I was really surprised at the behavior of the servers here. When I asked if rice came with the chicken dish I was ordering (which was $17), the waiter smirked like I was dumb and said no. I asked if they had any lunch specials, and the reaction was the same. I was super surprised and called out his reactions, and he laughed and exchanged looks with the other server there. Ugh, yuck all around. read more

Amazing Indian food amazing service. Yes, it has the standard Indian food on the menu, but flavor and quality u can't beat. I'm from Fremont(little Afghanistan and India) and if I'm saying the food is good then you already know!! read more

Went there with my daughter and the food was amazing! Large portions to share and the waiter was very attentive. It's clean and has a very cute decoration and vibe. read more

We went today at 4pm , it was not busy, there was 1 other table besides us. For 20 minutes, we were not offered any drinks , there was a guy that works there but just ignoring us. Even the table before us had no drinks . We finally left , pissed off!!! And we told the other guy that came out with a turban that we did not appreciate the bad service!!! read more

Food: DELICIOUS!! And very well plated! I love the butter chicken! Service/Ambiance: The servers were SUPER NICE! And helped us right away when needed! Nice place to just catch up with friends with a nice atmosphere. read more

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Lamb Korma and chicken Curry Perfect combination of spice and flavor. Great place to eat with family or a date with the wife. Service is good and fast. read more

India Oven - Elk Grove - LAMB KORMA - Indian Near Me - Elk Grove, California

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Last visit to Indian oven, food just wasn't the same. Service is too busy for customers. This will be my last visit to India via the oven! Bye old oven, may you burn brighter then a thousand suns, yet keep the naaan slightly toasted! Catch me outside!! Ohh! They charge for rice!! How you finna eat the dishes with no rice.. boo to buying rice at Indian oven read more

WARNING ABOUT ONLINE CATERING: (Call and don't do it thru their website- it's useless). I went on the Indian Oven website on 12/23 for a party scheduled for 1/3. I clicked the menu button on the top right, I select "CATERING," then "ORDER CATERING," then "ELK GROVE," then I placed my order, entered my payment method, received a confirmation email and that was that. As a parent and health care worker, my life is busy, so I appreciated how seamless this process seemed to be. I got to see everything in writing via confirmation email and even spoke to someone over the phone to confirm the delivery address. I set the delivery time to 11:30am, and at 11:10am on the day of the event, I received a text from the delivery person that Indian Oven was not aware of our order and was just starting to cook our $455 order. At this point my party is starting at a venue we only had for 2 hours and people were hungry. I had to order pizzas instead. My guests were so disappointed!! Many who drove from across the state. I was so embarrassed. At 12:30pm, someone from Indian Oven shows up at the party venue trying to deliver the order. I did not once receive a call from Indian Oven. He attempted to tell me that next time I need to call them to confirm... which is not only infuriating because that is not on the website as instructions, but is also DEEPLY LACKS ACCOUNTABILITY. He really expects customers to read between the lines when placing an order directly from the website? I am not a mind reader. Mind you, they are expecting me to call them, they also did not call me to confirm they should still cook the food prior to delivering it. I'm sad and disappointed- I really wanted to enjoy this food with our loved ones, but it ended up leaving a bad taste in our mouth. read more

The wait staff completely ignored us. We waited over 30 minutes without being served or talked to once we were seated. Nobody came to take our order so we left and went somewhere else. read more

Used to order from this place all the time. Just ordered Butter Chicken Makhani and Lamb Tikka Masala with some Chaat Papri and garlic Naan. Garlic Naan came with no garlic and our order didn't come with any basmati rice. I mean cmon! Every Indian restaurant serves their curry with rice. Very disappointed because this place used to be good. Attached pictures of my "lamb tikka masala" vs what they show on their menu Guess ill drink my lamb tikka masala since its all sauce and nothing else... read more

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The roti (bread) I received was uncooked. The waiters don't seem to be attentive even though it was slow. My wife and I came home to a raging diarrhea 30 minutes after leaving the restaurant. Which means their food isn't clean. We live in Elk Grove so this is one of the few Indian restaurants we knew. The first time we went was fine but this time it wasn't. I won't be coming back so you shouldn't neither. read more

Nice spot! Out visiting a friend and we stopped for lunch. Enjoyed the naan and both dishes - we shared. Friendly service. I can imagine it's a good night spot. There's a patio and cute bar area. I'll be back next time I'm in the area. read more

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The food was sooo delicious. The butter chicken and tandoori chicken were full of flavor and cooked perfectly paired with the garlic naan. The service was great as well. Our servers were very attentive and kind and the restaurant is very clean and beautiful. Definitely will be coming back ! read more

This review pertains to dinner on January 29, 2024, at approximately 6:15 PM. I have been eating at India Oven at all locations for several years (Natomas, Elk Grove, Citrus Heights, and El Dorado Hills). Overall, El Dorado Hills was always the premier location in terms of food quality and service, but I live adjacent to the Elk Grove location and eat there approximately two times a month. I have noticed that the portions have been particularly reduced. As an example, I noticed that the take out containers are 1/4 to 1/3 the dine-in portion. To avoid that issue, I started eating inside. Tonight, I ordered two simple dishes including a vegetable dish called "aloo gobi" or potatoes with cauliflower. The portion looked like a reduced lunch portion. A server never asked us how our food was after the food came to the table. I had to walk to the host desk to pay the bill. No itemized receipt was provided just a total. I relayed to the on-site apparent manager that the portions were exceedingly qualified with our aloo (potato) dish having only five potatoes. It was not sufficient for one person and this type of dish is usually enough to share. I further explained that a server never came to the table after the initial food drop off and that I had to walk to the host stand to pay. The manager was mute in response. I was still there with an opportunity to cure or address the situation. There was simply no response and the manager just mumbled something and handed me my credit card. The level of incompetence and lack of basic customer service is striking. The portions encourage a new Indian restaurant to open in Elk Grove that has a nice presentation, quality food, and competent service. It is a stereotype of Indian restaurants that regardless of the venue or food quality, service is always lacking. Here, India Oven Elk Grove has apparently taken a lack of service to a new level-they make no effort and do not have competent staff. I hope the owners read this and realize that portioning 1/4 of an appropriate amount will lead to one outcome-closure, people will not return. So, please let us have some Yelp democracy, and if you have a similar experience please post your picture of the portion through the end of February 2025. Hopefully, management will read this and adjust. If people keep posting pictures after February 2025, I would just consider avoiding this restaurant. I have no pecuniary interest in the restaurant industry and hope this location will pivot and exceed expectations in the future. read more

India Oven - Elk Grove - Notice portion size of potato dish. It is equivalent (almost) to the small dish of sauce. - Indian Near Me - Elk Grove, California

Went here for dinner December 23rd with no reservation. Greeted and seated right away. Water and drinks were served promptly. Atmosphere was very welcoming and very festive for the holidays with the right amount of decorations. Server was very knowledgeable about the menu and after order was placed, server was able to give estimated time for food to arrive based on the menu item that were selected. Appetizers- vegetable samosas Main- chicken biryani, lamb tikka masala, tandoori salmon, garlic naan Desert- ras malai(no picture attached) I love spicy food but all dishes ordered with spice level of mild. Ordering non spicy selection, all the dishes still has its exquisite taste, no lacking in flavor, and very satisfying. Vegetable samosas came out first with 2 sauces. Very fresh, still had texture to potatoes which were not overly smashed. Great with and without the sauces. For the chicken biryani, chicken was very tender without lacking any flavors. Delicious cream over the biryani giving it a little extra character and not to forget all the different texture from the rice, to nuts, and crisp fried onions. Lamb tikka masala was tender with generous amount of sauce which I also drizzled over the biryani and eajoyed with galic naan. Very addictive and keeps you going for more. Garlic naan was cooked to perfection. No dried or burnt ends. Very soft, buttery garlic greatness. Salmon was cooked just right with fresh squeeze lemon with was also enjoyed with the mixture if food. India Oven atmosphere, service, and food speaks for itself. The few times I've been here to enjoy the taste of India, India Oven did not disappoint. Would definately recommend read more

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Not sure what happened to this place. Won't be going back for sure. Customer service was not good even though when we got there there was like one other person there. When did they start charging for rice. Prices went up 1-2 dollars per dish but now you also have to pay 4 bucks for a single rice. My mind was blown. read more

I've been ordering from India Oven for years and love their food. I always order the butter chicken and it would come with rice, but now sadly they don't give you any rice with the butter chicken and for $18 that is absolutely ridiculous. I'm not sure if this is just an issue with DoorDash, but this is the second time this has happened and they've unfortunately lost our business because of it. Their naan is just one big piece cut up as well. The portion sizes are honestly nuts for the price. read more

Best Indian food in sacramento/ Elk Grove area... their good food amazing atmosphere and excellent service is a perfect place to come and eat.. My favorite. MANGO Lassi drink and the Samosas as appetizer and Tandoori Chicken to die for!! thank you!! read more

The grilled food is good till the afternoon, but if you order later in the evening, it's very dry... please don't reheat the food and send it to DoorDash customers. Maybe the service is better in the restaurant. Just a polite suggestion & a positive feedback. read more

First time at India Oven in Elk Grove love the Indian decor and some soft Bollywood music as you were waiting at the table. The smell of tikka masala as you came in though from a long bus ride and you want to eat light hit the spot. The staff were friendly and attentive it's family owned. I love the art on the wall as well. The chandeliers that you've seen the colors. It was a really good restaurant food wise as well as I mentioned I give it a 4.5/5 stars. I ordered the vegetable samosas and mango lassi so good #Indiaoven #elkgrove #sacramento #bollywood #samosas #Mangolassi read more

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So good we popped in for a quick bite to eat. Glad we stopped in here we had butter chicken vegetable aloo Gobi rice and lamb curry.! So good. Also the garlic naan was delicious.! The place is clean and updated and service was point on. Will be back again if in the area. read more

India Oven - Elk Grove - ALOO GOBHI MASALA - Indian Near Me - Elk Grove, California

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