If you like Indian food, This place a must try…read more My mom and I having been wanting to try this place as we share an affinity for Indian Cuisine. I am not sure what business was in this location prior, but Vanakkam has done a wonderful job decorating. The restaurant is very nice inside. We both ordered a drink, I went with an Indian beer that was very delicious that paired perfectly with my meal. We both ordered different vegetarian dishes and bravely insisted we can handle lots of heat. This is your warning, as much tolerance as you think you have, they are able to elevate the heat levels above it! Both of us THOROUGHLY enjoyed our meals even with how spicy they were. The garlic naan and mint chutney really helped cool us down and were perfect compliment. I cannot wait to return and continue to try ore items on their menu. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Just came into town and was craving some Indian food. Vanakkam never disappoints. Tried a new menu…read moreitem and it was fantastic. The vibe is family style and a warm atmosphere. Highly recommend if you are in the area.

Try FOI, you'll be happy you did! The food is fabulously fresh & assuredly authentic. (Confirmed by…read moretwo people: One who spent half-a-year in India; the other whom spent over a year in southeast Asia.) We've tried a variety of menu offerings & are looking forward to continue exploring & enjoying these blissful renderings of this cuisine. If you're new to this type of food I do recommend by opting for "mild" spice level to begin with. Then turn up the heat if you find something you like. Also starting with simpler items like buttered chicken, chicken fried rice, aloo gobi masala, garlic cheese naan, lamb rogan josh, samosas, shahi chicken korma or peas pulav might be good dishes to whet your palate. Again, start with "mild" spices then turn up the heat as you find dishes you prefer. This is an enticingly elevated win-win for small business expertise in general as well as Cary-area snackers & bon vivants. Bon appetit!

There was a time when the only place in Cary that had wafts of biryani or korma fragrance was our…read morehome. Once family members gave FOI a thumbs up, I decided to give it a try. We're talking about a carryout or delivery only restaurant, it is not a dine-in place and thats fine by me. You can tell just by the aromas that the place scores in authenticism. Their menu is full if veg, non-veg snacks, entrees, both classic and Indo-Chinese On our first visit, we just ordered a few chicken dum biryanis and lamb rogan josh . Good marks. Decent basmati rice, tender chicken, fragrant, though I do not think this is cuisine of the northern region. Lamb rogan josh had that vibrant red color with a south Indian flair. I am so happy that they don't tone the spice levels down. FOI is a winner in my book. I have heard that other dishes are also worth trying. I have a feeling we won't be running to Schaumburg, Naperville, or Chicago quite as much.

My husband and I came here over the weekend for an impromptu date night and were so impressed…read more Food: 10/10 Ambiance: 9/10 Service: 10/10 We ordered the goat belly samosa, chicken inferno, lamb shank rogan josh, kachumbar salad, garlic naan, and lasuni palak. Every dish--except the salad--was spot on: authentic, flavorful, and beautifully prepared. The chicken inferno was especially memorable, and the portions were generous. My only suggestion would be for the kachumbar salad to have more vibrant colors and fresher flavors--perhaps beets and carrots instead of the very chewy purple cabbage. I didn't try any of the cocktails, but I did have a glass of cava brut, which was served in a white wine glass and was a very generous pour. This place is truly a gem, and I hope they continue to keep the same recipes and portions because they've got something special here. We will definitely be back!

This is a nice, upscale restaurant. There is a small bar area with a TV above it which can easily…read morebe avoided. They have lunch specials, a happy hour, and tea (!) from 2-5, veg or non-veg options, which I'm definitely checking out. If you're vegetarian, items that can be made vegan are clearly marked, and there are more vegan items on the website than I saw on the menu, so I would ask. Most of the French touches appear to be on dishes with meat, though there are flatbreads and a spinach dip, and of course dessert; there is a lot more paneer on the menu than I'm used to, which might be a gesture towards the French love of cheese. Vegans would do best ordering the soya chaap or from the Accompaniments section, which includes classic Indian items (aloo gobi, dal). Overall there are about 8 vegetarian entrees / accompaniments, plus appetizer options. Restaurant serves wine, beer and cocktails in addition to the usual mango lassi, chai and soft drinks. We got a ginger mojito; mango lassi; the corn fritters; the fig/pistachio/paneer flatbread; garlic naan; rice; the soya chaap and a cardamom creme brulee. In general, food had a blend of spices but was mild, which makes sense given the French influence. The corn fritters were nicely spiced with good texture and a tasty sauce. The garlic naan is quite impressive with lots of herbs and garlic. Unless you love soy cutlets, I don't recommend the soya chaap (soy/wheat cutlets in coconut curry sauce); it's fine for what it is - the gravy was delicious and rich - but it's not for me. The flatbread was interesting; the pistachios didn't overwhelm at all but I would have liked more fig to stand up to the paneer. The spouse was impressed with the mojito; the lassi was OK but wasn't as fruity as I like. The cardamom creme brulee is served in a wide ramekin, maximizing the surface area of the sugar crust and making it easily sharable. Instead of permeating the cream, the cardamom seeds provided little bursts of flavor, which was nice but not what I expected. Service was a bit slow but solicitous - we were there on a quiet Sunday night. Copious parking; easy hours; I'll definitely check out the lunch specials and tea when I'm in the mood for local Indian food, heavy on the paneer.

Food is so full of flavor and never disappoints. Service is exceptional. Always have a wonderful…read moretime.

Great food and service and very reasonably priced. We had (and I recommend) tandoori shrimp and…read morelamb tikka masala, as well as garlic naan. Delicious! I'll be back.

07/12/26 - After spending a few hours @ the Fashion Outlet Mall my wife & I went to Maharaj…read moreRestaurant for an early dinner just last 3 pm. We missed the lunch specials which go from 11am - 2:30pm. This is located @ 3400 River Road in Franklin Park just 2.8 miles south of The Fashion Outlet Mall on the west side of River Road. Don't blink or you'll drive right by it. Trust me when I say you won't want to do this. When we arrived we were the only people there. We were greeted by Kennedy our server. He recommended an item from the Chefs Recommendation a Maharaj Mix Grill that came w/an assortment of meats like Tandori Chicken (excellent), Seekh Kabob (ground lamb sausage (excellent), Malala Kabob (chicken seasoned w/yogurt, cream cheese, garlic, cardamom & nutmeg, Dal & Butter Chicken. This also came w/lentil beans, grilled naan bread (charred) excellent. This all came on a small iron skillet w/grilled onions sizzling on the iron skillet.. We also ordered a dish of mild butter chicken that for me should have been spicer but that's the way my wife wanted it). There was a tiny condiment w/a spicy green sauce which helped w/the mild butter chicken & a milder red sauce. The Chefs Recommendation of Maharaj Mix Grill was $28. This was an awesome choice as it came w/a great assortment of different meats, grilled onion, grilled naan bread, lentil beans, a portion of butter chicken & basmati white rice. The stand alone butter chicken for me was lacking some spice & had too much sauce & not enough chicken. For dessert they brought us hot sweet ball w/a syrupy sauce that was tasty. I throughly enjoyed this meal as the flavors, seasoning & spices were very good. Kennedy was our server for the bulk of our meal but he must have left @ 4pm (shift change) because we had a different server. Either way the food & service was excellent. I know this is a place I will rerun to.

We had a nice dinner at Maharaj last night. We have guests over from Delhi so it's big shoes to…read morefill. One of them was cracking dal makhani and I thought of Maharaj. This is a cre that doesn't seem to like anything , but I'll declare victory in that they like it! Mission accomplished! One thing is the place was pretty empty so that's a bit disconcerting when that happens. Later one 2 other tables were seated. On to the food, the dry gobi Manchurian was pretty good. The others through the chicken they had too spicy, it they ordered it spicy, so. The for the mains, the paneer makhani was pretty good. They out too few paneer pieces I'd say. Dal makhani was also good. I think the naan were kind of mid. Didn't taste like they had a tandoor. It was kind of dense instead of soft/chewy. Well, it's a good place. I'll have to try out their downtown location. Hopefully more lively.

I've been to Thumka's a few times. It's some of the best Indian food I've ever had. My personal…read morefavorite is the Chicken Korma and garlic naan, but honestly you can't go wrong here. Service is always friendly.

Thumka offers a warm, authentic vibe that makes for a really enjoyable dining experience. The food…read morewas good overall, with solid flavor and thoughtful preparation. Dishes are served à la carte -- something we didn't initially realize -- but it allows you to customize your meal exactly how you'd like. The different sauces were a standout and added great depth to each bite. While some dishes could have benefited from a touch more seasoning, the flavors were still well-balanced and satisfying

I feel like my prayers have been answered with this spot. We normally drive to Madison or Milwaukee…read morewhen we're craving Indian. We ordered butter chicken and naan and it was so good. The portions are generous and the service is great. If you're looking for delicious Indian food this is the place to go!

The service and food at Spice of India were fantastic. We were surprised to find a high-quality…read moreIndian restaurant in this area are so glad that we did! We will definitely come back.

Got the mixed tikka for 2. Generous portion. Variety of chicken and lamb and a couple of shrimp…read more Very tasty. Great service. We eat low carb and this was perfect for us. Would go back next time I visit St. Charles.

Great experience at Taste of Himalayas! mine was to go, but the restaurant looked really clean…read moreinside and inviting. The food was piping hot and everything tasted great!