I am not a review writer, I live in Issaquah. Before we made a trip to Seattle in this wacky weather I checked review about this Restaurant. I was so impressed by reading all reviews I MUST visit. MY sister visiting from California, we hung out in down town area and finally decided for dinner. I met Suda who helped us ordering food. The other person said on review, she is a gem.OHH!! God Bless Her, Restaurant was jam packed, Wait person looked tired but Suda kept smile on her face. I will sure make another trip to Kastoori Grill Soon. Unconditional, Nepali Hospitality, Terrific Food very extraordinarily good read more

Not sure why there are so many 4-5 star reviews, the food was mediocre. I'm from the Bay Area and we have amazing Indian and Nepalese food there. We came here around 2:40 PM for lunch and ended up getting the buffet since it's quick. There was barely any variety, but I guess it was sufficient variety for the price. The restaurant looks very outdated and tacky inside. There's no ventilation and it feels like we're eating in a basement. I understand the weather can be gloomy but the lighting inside was gloomy too.. I was fooled by the 4 star reviews :( Boo. read more

Lunch: Buffet-style for a bit over $10.00. Think Indian buffet but with: (1) better flavor; and (2) more unique savory dishes such as fried fish; and (3) excellent mango ice cream. Value: 5 stars Ambiance: 4 stars Taste: 4.5 stars Dinner: Order off the menu. Fairly expensive ($12 - 15 per main dish. $3 - 5 per order of 2 piece naan). Slightly better quality than lunch, but at a hefty price. They give you free crackers and sauce as an appetizer. Value: 3 stars Ambiance: 4 stars Taste: 5 stars read more

Going by the lack of good Indian food options in Seattle downtown, I am tempted to give Kastoori a 4 star but for someoe who cooks and eats Indian predominantly, I would be unfair if I bumped the rating. Went here for their buffet, loved their moong dal soup, their pakoras, but the number of curries they had were quite limited. I am a Cali gal- used to having 40 dishes in an Indian buffet for around the same price, hence I don't like the number of dishes available. The naan is good, the saag paneer was good, the vegtable masala was meh and the daal dish repurposed the soup as a base and the desserts mango icecream, kheer and jamoon though looked delicious were undercooked. read more

I give it 5 stars for the take out not eat in. I'll explain why there would be a difference. I read many reviews on the food. We have had the best Indian food in London and as a result know the spectrum of quality. Hands down this is 5 star quality food for Indian food in the United States. Medium hot chicken vindaloo is truly medium hot. Not 'American hot' meaning mild+. Also delicious. The lamb biryani is AWESOME! rich spice usage like Indian food in Amsterdam. Cardamom pods, cloves, tender flavorful lamb. Brilliant. However I would not eat in. It looks a bit dirty, the lighting is oddly dark and fluorescent. There's one of those free standing air conditioners in the 'dining room'. Take out and it's bomb! read more

I took a long hiatus from Indian food here in Seattle. I don't know what it is with Indian food being so tooth rot inducing sweet here. Kastoori Grill is a place that I didn't expect to like...yet I really did. Parking can be an issue, but I use Luxe valet. I'm ok with that. Not many are. Gobi Manchurian is a lovely crisp batter that can lean on the heavy side, but the sauce that goes on top to make it is wonderfully flavored. What is Gobi Manchurian you ask? It's a dish that is influenced by China. If you haven't been to India, then you may be unfamiliar with the style of cooking there called Indo Chinese. Imagine chinese food with strong Indian influences in terms of spicing and preparation. It looks like Chinese. It tastes like Chinese but has the lovely warm spicing you find in Indian dishes. I ordered their Coconut Delight with prawns. What a wonderful dish it was! Lovely, creamy, coconut-y with 5 huge pieces of prawns that were slightly overcooked, but that was easily overlooked. I found the pricing for this to be reasonable at $14.95. It was a very generous portion that was flavorful. I will make sure to get it with a bit more spice to it. While this was good, I could've done with just a bit more heat to the dish. Would I come back? Absolutely. Service was slow at first, but attentive after. They were giving myself and the others I was with to catch up, eat our Gobi Manchurian appetizer and then think about the meal ahead. read more

We went for pre-show dinner - we were seated for quite a while before a server came to take our order. The food was very good, though the restaurant had an appearance of being less than clean (including our table which was a bit sticky). I would say the service was OK, just a bit odd - I felt like I was doing something wrong because I couldn't get the guy to come back to request more water, and in asking for take-home boxes, seemed like it was an unreasonable request. I would come back, and would definitely give the lunch buffet a go because the space for it seems rather large, so I'm guessing there is quite an extensive buffet (hopefully). read more

Good food. Decor is pretty average but overall it was a decent experience.

Went for the first time with a friend after a long and random jaunt through Seattle. Been here a few times since, It is quickly becoming my favorite Indian place in Seattle. Each time I walk by, the scent of world spices waft through the air and draw me in. I go home with a full tummy, and my clothes and hair smell like roasted cardamom and jeera. I had Bangan Bartha and some Garlic naan. The eggplant was tender and smooth, I like that they kept the skin on, i believe it was fire-roasted because the flavor was so deep. The veggies were fresh and the flavor complex. I ordered it the first time a 3 and it was not nearly spicy enough.The second time I came I ordered Bangan Bartha again. This time I asked for a 4, and it was spicy enough. I ate alone, and the ambiance was cheery and busy. Always people dropping in up until the last minute! The third time I had Navaratan Korma. I ordered it 4.5 spicy. And it was just a tad too spicy but very very good. The sauce has a lot of cashews in it which I like. The only gripe i have, and its really a pet peve, is that they used frozen vegetables for the Korma. The sauce made up for it because i can tell they cook it from scratch. If they would use fresh seasonal veggies, it would be out of this world. The naan was soft and fluffy with lots of garlic. The waitresses are always very cheery and nice, and are prompt but do not hover. The decor is warm and cheery, but a little bit worn, it can use some updating. But the overall vibe is a nice small community restaurant with home-cooked and fresh meals. I like that the kitchen is open too. I like to hear the sizzle and watch the smiling cooks joke and laugh. I can't wait to try some of the nepali and himilayan foods as well. read more

I must have come on a day when a wonderful staff member (or two?) were absent. I was floored when I later read about how wonderful some reviewers found the staff to be! First, I called to see if there was a buffet (out on the street, just easier that way). I couldn't understand the last thing the man was saying. I repeated the first part to show that I had understood that part, yet he blasted through the remainder again, impatiently - and with a very strong accent. I was raised in a military family, and spent 6 of my first 16 years overseas, so I know how to understand accents better than most. Yet I couldn't. He actually hung up on me. I was only two blocks away, I discovered, so I went anyway. And even once I was there, service was definitely not Kastoori's strong suit! Lots of options, though... 3 chicken dishes, 1 goat dish, 1 fish dish - - none of which I eat, as a vegetarian, yet there were plenty of options for me. read more

Smells better than it taste. lack spices. perhaps it was because we had the lunch buffet. All watered down perhaps?

****************************************************************************************** Big disclaimer: The lunch buffet is nothing special. It's your standard Indian buffet at a decent price (3 star in my book). The rest of the review regards what I experienced during dinner which was completely different in terms of quality and taste. ****************************************************************************************** Abso-f****-lutely delicious. An absolute must try: Curried Mussles with garlic naan. Dear lord. The menu describes it as having an "awesome sauce" - yes, they deliver. Seems to be of a green curry base, with lots of grated ginger and diced garlic. Incredible. Their naan is the best I've had in Seattle - texture is delightful. Service was outstanding as well. And, spiciness level formidable enough for a Korean (I asked for "extra extra spicy", waiter raises eyebrows in a yes-I-will-unleash-the-beast manner) read more

Service is good, and everything we got here was delicious: vegetable samosas, garlic naan, mango lassi, Murg Bahar (chicken, spinach, mushroom, shredded paneer in curried sauce), and Kashmiri Kofta (veg and cheese dumplings in onion tomato cashew cream sauce). I recommend all of those! read more

We ordered so much food tonight, and i forgot to take a picture!!!! Tandori chicken was on point. I love that they bring you the pompadom?... Before your meal...with all the yummy chutneys. When in seattle on a friday night and everywhere was on a wait and then we find this gem and get food and drinks immediately oh what a find! I will be coming back again when in the area. read more

Personally not my cup of tea. My friend and I ordered 3 separate dishes (the naan(?), boneless chicken based soup, and this bean food I can't recall the names of because they all had complicated names to them). All the food had these very strong scents and strong flavors. This is a great place for those who are the adventurous type eaters and for those who can handle strong flavors. Great customer service too. read more

Kastoori Grill - Indian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Great Indian food. The lunch buffet has a variety that's better than your average buffet and is priced at about $10. The food is hot and fresh, and the naan keeps coming. The dishes all taste great - our favorites being the butter chicken, Tikka Masala, and Gobi Aloo. We've also come for dinner which is a bit more expensive but equally delicious. The location is convenient if you're catching a show at the Moore Theater or spending the afternoon at Pike Place. I wish we lived closer so we could get takeout! The family that owns the restaurant provides top notch service. They come around every 10 minutes or so to check up on you and provide water refills. Very friendly people. They take reservations but we've never had to wait for a table. It's a pretty spacious restaurant. Side note: They don't really have American food on the menu (the most non-Indian dish is a tandoori chicken Caesar salad), so don't bring friends who get scared off by Indian food - just leave them at home! read more

I wanted to love this place, but I ended up leaving feeling like it was just okay. My boyfriend and I were in Seattle for a couple of days and met some friends of ours for dinner. I was shocked when my bf picked this place due to his hatred of all things curry. As it turned out, our local friends had been here before and said it was great, so I had high hopes. The place looks like a total hole-in-the-wall from the outside, but it's much larger than expected on the inside. You could smell the curry from half a block away. I had called ahead for a reservation, so our table was all ready for us, but the place wasn't very full so I don't think it was necessary. We were waited on by maybe three or four different people for various things. Everyone was quite friendly, but service was rather slow. Our main server, another lady, and a water guy were all over my bf and I while we were waiting for our friends, but everyone went AWOL after the rest of our party got there and we were ready to get started. Hello? Anyone? We'd like to eat now.....? We ordered a couple pieces of naan for the table. A-mazing. Possibly the best naan I've had. All of our meals came in tiny little pots set over tea candles. I was a little taken aback by how small the portions were, but the food was so heavy that it ended up being the right amount. My mutter paneer was pretty good, but far from the best I've had. My bf's kashmiri kofta was a little weird; the dumplings were so-so and the sauce tasted like straight-up tomato soup from a can. I was generally satisfied with my meal and don't regret going there, but it's not a place I would rave about or visit a second time when there are so many dining options in Seattle. read more

I am surprised to see bad ratings for this place. I do understand that the ambience is not the best but they serve great indian food. If you just don't want to experiment, simply order their kastoori chicken, medium hot ( if you like that level of hotness of course). Its perfect! Their gulab jamun is great too. Ive had their kashmiri kofta, bullet naan- all perfect. All in all a great place for food! They can improve on ambience , yes. read more

Did the lunch buffet and was pleased. Great selection, friendly staff. Extra points: Real naan, made fresh to order for you. read more

To say that I am disappointed in this place is an under statement. It took me over a month to write this review simply 'cause I was uninspired. My best friend came here to eat 'cause we came in all the way from Vancouver for a show and everything else in the area was closed for the long weekend. For starters there were two people working and the place was completely deserted. They saw us standing waiting to be seated. In spite of them making eye contact with us in an empty eatery they still made us wait 10 minutes while they moved at snails pace at whatever they were finishing up before sitting us down. No apology and confirmation that they would be with us shortly. If they weren't the only place open both us would've been out the door. Indian Food seemed like a good idea and completely agreeable with both of our dietary preferences at the time. For starters it is a hole in the wall and not the charming kind. The food was bland and tasteless, there was barely any spices in it at all. My best friend who is usually easy going agreed that there wasn't any spices of any kind in the food. It was expensive as well for what it was vs. what you actually got food wise. read more

Food Quality is average! Portion size is too small for the prize. There's a lot of smell from cooking as well. Bad first experience!

Not authentic Nepali. Steamed momos had no flavor. Chutney was missing key ingredients. Chow mein had cooked carrots? Overall food lacked flavor. Do not recommend read more

We went to Kastoori Grill last night for dinner. We had certificates from Restaurant.com worth $75. The manager only allowed us to use 1 certificate for $25. They do not allow bundling. This was not mentioned on their restaurant info on Restaurant.com Very disappointing. Although the food was fairly good do not order the goat. It was mostly bones. read more

If I could give this place 0 stars I would. I ordered the butter chicken 4 stars and potato nan. Both were disgusting the butter chicken was basically water and spices and the nan had no flavor. read more

I was craving Indian food. Yelp app to the rescue. This place was the closest to Pike Place and the highest rated, so we decided to eat here. We were pleasantly surprised by how good the food was. We ordered the kastoori curry and shahi paneer. Both were amazingly delicious. The curries were packed full of flavor and yummy spices. The portions are pretty small, but it was more than enough for the two of us. The prices are a tad high (still haven't figured out why all the Indian places I've been to in the Seattle area are so expensive) but I'm very glad we found this hidden gem. read more

Good food, disappointing service. My family and I came here on a Saturday evening. It was a slow night yet it took over half an hour for us to get the drinks we ordered (beer and mango lassi) and we had to find a waiter to ask what happened to our drinks. If we hadn't asked, I don't think we would've gotten our drinks. On top of that, it took another half hour for our food to arrive. But people who arrived after us received their drinks and food quickly. At that point, even the food couldn't take away the bad service we received. read more

Took my wife to eat lunch there last week. I would agree with some of the other reviews where they suggest the flavor profile to be less intense than it might be in its native country. On the other hand, that should be expected to some degree. After all, it's NOT in its native country and in order for restaurants to be successful, the vast majority need to be mindful of the taste of the broader market. The place was very busy, so they must be doing something right! We had the buffet. It included more dishes than most buffets that we've been to of this type. It also included some dishes with which we were previously unfamiliar. All were very nice. We intend to go back and try the dinner menue over the next month or two and we're very much looking forward to that. read more

The food was good but I just want to mention that the portion sizes are absurd for the price. I frequent Indian restaurants in University district and this place is approximately twice the price and half the portion of other places. Dinner is about $15 for a small bowl of curry which is not enough food for one person eating out. read more

We walked by and were enchanted by the smell. The food did not disappoint. Our group was made up with people are varying affection for Indian food. We were all pleased. Get the curry mussels - the sauce is divine. I'm saving the last star for a repeat visit :) read more

Incredible Himalayan food, the Aloo Chat is to die for. Fast service, as if we were the only ones there. Felt like the entire staff was catering to us (which they do cater) I DARE you to try and empty your water glass, they wont let it happen! The garlic naan is a must! read more

1. okay food. 2. hole in the wall place n not much ambience or cleanliness 3. quick service but not much attention read more

Great!!!! Can't beat the lunch buffet. One of the best Indian restaurants I have tried. We were in Seattle on vacation & were looking for a place to eat near Pikes Market. Saw this place & looked a little hole-in-the-wall like but the smells coming out of it were good. We walked a little more down the street, but found ourselves back outside it. That's when the Mrs. said "why dont you check Yelp! ?" A few good reviews sealed the deal & man were we glad!!! One of the greatest Indian buffets we've tried. We're still talking about how good it was! Even the salad was awesome. I highly recommend it. The Chicken Tikka Masala was great, along with all the other options. And like I said, for less than $10 per person for lunch you really cant beat it. I just wish this place was here in Miami instead of clear across the country! read more

Excellent food! Great service! Walking towards the restaurant you start smelling the wonderful spices a block away. A group of us shared 4 entrees and various naans. The Naan is really tasty, we had the garlic, the potato and the tandoori roti, all were great. For entrees, we had the Tikka Masala with chicken, Vindaloo with lamb, Korma with chicken and the Nehari. The were all very good, but the Vindaloo and the Nehari were the stand outs. both were fabulous! This is one of the best Indian restaurants in Seattle. I'll be back for sure. read more

Pretty decent lunch spot. $9.95 for lunch buffet, several rotating dishes and desserts. Even amount of vegetarian curries/dishes and meat curries/dishes. In downtown where a measly plate for lunch can easily be $15+, this is a great and easy spot to go with a group with no fussing over split checks. Naan is always made fresh and brought to your table and haven't run into any issues with waiting for refills on dishes on the buffet line. I wouldn't go and say the food here is to die for. There are definitely better Indian restaurants out there in my opinion, but I don't mind coming in with co-workers for lunch. Overall, don't expect fantastic Indian, but just decent food for a decent price. read more

Ordered paneer chili and they just cooked in ketchup and sambal sauces and served us. Paneer was uncooked too. Bhindi also felt like they mixed ketchup in the base. Very expensive for the quality of food. read more

Updating my review because of bad experiences with them. The food was good, and I could tolerate the sticky floors and dirty walls, but the customer service has been bad. I do not recommend. read more

Had bad experience here. The person who took the order looked like he had better things to do, than taking our order, while taking it !!! Food was not at all tasty. We had an appetizer which is essentially, chopped up tandoori chicken mixed with vegetables, coated with masala. It was not hot/warm (not sure if it's supposed to be) and the chicken didn't felt like it was fresh. We had a toddler with us who was throwing a tantrum. So I signed the (same) waiter for check. He took his sweet time to give it and even longer to bring back the card. Next day both of us had upset stomach; probably the chicken. read more

We went just before 10pm on a Friday and were happy to see they were one of the few places besides bars that were still open. Everything we ordered was delicious, flavorful and at the appropriate spice level for all of the palates in our group. Even my husband who dares the cook to hurt him was happy with his extra spicy Lamb Korma. I tried the Murg Bahar and loved every bite. The rest of out party of 4 kept asking for bites of my dish. We will definitely visit again next time we come to Seattle read more

I really debated between 4 and 5 stars on this. The food was good, about a 4.5. The service was pretty good too, about a 4. The ambiance in the place left something to be desired though - it doesn't look incredibly flattering. Since we're reviewing food though, and considering the portions are pretty decent, I gave it a 5. We fed 3 people easily with 2 entrees (chicken tikka masala and kastoori chicken) and 3 garlic naans with leftovers for me tomorrow :) I would recommend this places - it'd be worth it to try the lunch buffet. I wish we had been able to do that. Good place, and I'd come back here. read more

The food is just fine but the service here is really bad!! The staff seated someone else at our place while we were taking food from the buffet. They didn't even come once to serve us anything, every time we had to call them.!! The options in lunch buffet are also very limited. I have been to a lot of Indian restaurants in this area and by far this place stands out to be last..!!! read more