I've been going here for a few years now. I went here today (10/16/25)with some of my friends for a birthday dinner. Aarag's service was excellent, food was consistent and tasty as usual, ambience as nice as usual. Nothing to complain, thank you Kiaans. If you are looking for an excellent Indian dining, give this a try, you won't be disappointed. read more

Know before you go: 1. The sign outside says Basanti. 2. You need to take a few stairs down into the restaurant area. 3. Lighting is dim inside but there's plenty of sunlight. We did the 16 dollar lunch deal which comes with an appetizer, entree, rice, naan, and dessert. This was definitely a fantastic deal and I highly recommend it. read more

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One of the best chicken tikka masala and garlic naan I have ever had. The atmosphere and music is fantastic. Aarag my server was very polite and attentive as well. thank you. read more

The food was delicious and a very pretty restaurant. I would highly recommend! The garlic naan is amazing

My friend brought me to this restaurant. The service was amazing. Our waiter Aaraj was very informative, attentive, friendly and accommodating. The restaurant was very clean and had a friendly atmosphere. We ordered a lot of different food items so we could try a variety of meals. They had a small area where live bands play but unfortunately we went on a day when there wasn't any live music. Overall it was a very nice outing. read more

Kiaans Fine Indian Cuisine - Indian Near Me - San Clemente, California

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Excellent food and perfect service Love that's it's local and excellent Can't say enough, definitely going to be a regular here read more

As a small business owner myself I respect the hustle and this was our family's first time trying Indian food and this place was great. The service was fast and friendly and I think our server was the owner and he recommended us to try lamp and some other things and it was all great food. The restaurant is clean and the staff was nice. We ate everything and I posted a picture of our finished plates lol. We'll be back. My daughters even ate and they are picky. read more

Kiaans Fine Indian Cuisine - Finished lamb and chicken tiki misala. - Indian Near Me - San Clemente, California

The food is so good here. I love that you can get any spice you can handle. The service is wonderful and super friendly. Highly recommend coming her and enjoying the meal! read more

Kiaans Fine Indian Cuisine - Indian Near Me - San Clemente, California

Our new go to Indian. Food is great and after talking to the manager the food is based on recipes in in a book called Dashoom (which is an amazing Indian restaurant in London, and it's a good book too) Staff are great. Samoas and onion bhajis the best way to start your feast Family style is the way to go here. read more

Great service and interior; great location for the SC hills. Food: Standard options, full menu, high quality ingredients. Sauces are on the sweet side but full flavor. Drinks: Decent selection of wine and beer for the average local. Would like to see more Indian specific options. Service: Outstanding, timely and knowledgeable Interior: Wonderful decor, decent attention to details Exterior (Location): Nothing special but a great family area Parking: Large parking lot read more

I love this place. I am a food snob and the Indian food here is top-notch. I had the Chicken Momo, Mattar Paneer and Baingan Bharta. All three were 10 out of 10. And the wait staff friendly and professional. read more

A friend visiting from San Francisco and I had a delicious weekday lunch there recently. What a perfect ending this turned out to be before leaving to the airport! Our gracious server's recommendations were spot on excellent, every dish was extremely tasty and the portions generous! We enjoyed the ambiance (pristine white tablecloth and all) in this rare gem of a sitdown Restaurant in SC. There is an outside dog friendly area as well. We'll definitely be back soon. Anna B. read more

This place is 10/10 for food and service. We were there at 5:30 pm, so it was pretty empty, so I'm not sure how busy it gets. We started with samosas, but our server recommended a special instead. It was essentially a deconstructed samosa- it was insanely good. Flavorful and fresh tasting. We were off to a great start. I couldn't decide between three dishes. The waiter recommended something not at all on my radar, but I was not disappointed. I settled on Mehti Chicken, and my dad got the Lamb Vindaloo. Both were phenomenal, and we picked level 4, because we're white. I can handle some spice, but this was on the edge of being too spicy read more

My introduction to Indian food was when I lived in London which has amazing Indian food. This food is as good if not better. Every dish is so fresh and lovingly made. We love the sauces with the Papadam. Each are homemade. And even I would not try the labor intensive tamarind sauce at home. The momos are fresh and flavorful. Butter chicken is so tender. The lentils, vegetable curry, tandoori etc etc. every time we come we go to old favorites and try something new. They still do not have their sign but do not let that deter you. This is not the old restaurant that used to be there. Kiaans is a completely different experience. Table cloths, attentive service, good wine by the glass or bottle, and incredible food makes for a lovely ambiance and dining experience. Located in the Talega shopping center opposite Peet's coffee. Highly recommend. read more

Really good food! Such a gem of a spot. Great service and a serene ambiance. Absolutely worth the visit.

I finally made it in here tonight to pick up food and the owner is so nice! He made me a special dinner that is not spicy and doesn't have any cheese. I'm excited to eat it and will attach pictures .5 stars for him but the food was not as flavorful as I was expecting it to be. I don't think you have to add spicy peppers to prepare authentic Indian food maybe just a little salt and secret indian spices without being distractingly spicy. The chicken had zero flavor unfortunately. The aloo gobi was also bland. The positive part was the pappadum which is my favorite snack!! read more

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This is our neighborhood Indian spot . We love their butter chicken, tikka masala, eggplant Bharta, naan, and tandoori chicken . Great and friendly service and high quality food. We recommend adding a Sancerre to the wine menu. read more

EXACTLY WHAT I CRAVED!! After reading the incredible reviews I knew that I HAD to try Kianns myself - and I'm SO GLAD I did!! I ordered Garlic Naan to accompany my lunch special which included Chicken Tiki Massala and vegetable coconut curry..... All were beyond exceptional- I truly can not wait to return!!!! read more

My husband and I had a wonderful lunch at Kiaans and the food didn't disappoint us! The set lunch was well balanced with a substantial amount of vegetables and meat. And the dishes were customized to spicy preference. The set lunch came with biryani rice and garlic naan. Saag Paneer a chopped creamy spinach, Indian cheese and curry spices is always my favorite and was prepared just right. Lamb Tikka Masala was delicious. The lamb was tender cooked in creamy butter tomato sauce. The service was very friendly and engaging. The restaurant is beautifully decorated. The hour glass on our table was fascinating which initially the first thought was to time the arrival of the dishes. read more

Kiaans Fine Indian Cuisine - Biryani Rice and Garlic Naan - Indian Near Me - San Clemente, California

This restaurant is a hidden gem in Talega, San Clemente. The food is always fresh and piping hot upon receiving. Some of the best Indian food I have ever had! You can adjust the level of spice for your entrees. They have live music on Saturday nights. The waiters and chefs are always welcoming and professional and have memorized our weekly order. I lalways look forward to coming to Kiaans Indian Cuisine. read more

A friend and I had lunch there today. I've eaten Indian food in many countries across the globe and this was by far the worst ever. I had lamb saag and my friend had chicken vindaloo. The saga was greasy and flavorless. The door was open wide when I first walked in and debris from the sidewalk had blown in onto the floor. The waiter asked me if he should turn on the air conditioning, which I assume he did, but left the doors open. The place was a sweat box! I would not recommend Kiaan's. read more

We went to dinner for Father's Day. Food, Service & Ambiance was excellent as usual. The quality of the food is consistent every time we I go there with my family or with my friends. Kudos to the chef and the waiters. Samosas were so good. read more

You know when you find a place that seems like a hidden gem and really want to sing their praises, but hesitate because you fear it will be overrun with patrons the next time you go? Well, this is one of those places. British hubbby, who loves Indian food, wanted it for his birthday dinner, so I searched to see if I could find something new (not terribly impressed with the other places we have tried), and found Kiaan's on Yelp. We loved it!! Family of 4...started with Popadoms served with two delicious dipping sauces, followed by splitting the appetizer platter. The samosas and onion bhaji were the best options, so I would just order those two items as starters next time. We shared Chicken curry, chicken tikka masala, and Lamb vindaloo with basmati (included) and the BEST garlic naan!! All of the sauces were spot on...mild enough for us oldies and our adult children loved the medium vindaloo, but would go spicier next time. Ended with some lovely mango ice cream. They serve beer and wine too! The whole experience was perfect...nice ambiance, delicious food, attentive service, casual and leisurely! Already looking forward to going back! read more

This was the best Indian food I have ever had. The starting chickpea crisp with sauce was so good and fresh, the samosas were crispy, flavorful, and went great with the tamarind sauce. I got the saag paneer, my go to, which was the best saag paneer I've ever had!! Others in my party had chicken tikka masala, which was amazing as well. 10/10 experience, and the staff were kind and helpful, amazing service!! Would highly recommend read more

Our go to restaurant for our family when we don't want to cook and we want something more than just takeout. We have celebrated special occasions here and ordered to go dozens of times. There is always parking, a friendly face when you enter, amazing customer service and absolutely delicious food. Dine in is an elevated experience, cloth napkins and table clothes and they never rush you out the door. If you are new to Indian food order the vegetable samosas to start. If you have kids the chicken tikka kebab is a mild option. We love the butter chicken and tikka masala. Whatever you order you will not be disappointed. My son loves the salmon and the mango lassi as a treat. Online ordering has pictures of most dishes which helps. Highly recommend dining at this restaurant. ​ read more

LOVED the food here - the butter chicken and garlic naan was amazing! Best lunch/dinner spot in town. Great vibes, great service. Will be back! read more

Kiaan's has quickly become our favorite restaurant in San Clemente. Real quality across the menu with the standout being the outrageously good Tikka Masala (and really any of the sauces here). Inviting atmosphere and consistently friendly service every time we've dined here. Cannot recommend this place highly enough if you're in the southern OC area. read more

we just had lunch here, and it was outstanding. It truly does deserve five stars! It's my favorite Indian restaurant in the area now! Flavor, texture, and spices were truely authentic. I have tried hundreds of different tikka masala's, and this is a very traditional proper tikka masala with the correct orange color, gravy and texture. All the spices were perfect. I also loved the coconut curry, lamb vindaloo, and saag paneer. Not to mention, the service was extremely kind and outstanding. If you go for lunch, get the lunch special, you're minds are gonna be blown when you see how much food, and flavor you will experience. Now you're thinking this guy must work for the restaurant .. I swear I don't it truly is great, I'm just a local San Clemente dude check out my other reviews. A little update : we just visited it again a second time and posted a photo of the lunch special : As you can see the portion size this time are smaller than the first visit. All of the entrées on first visit were served in those big pattern bowls and on the second visit our entrées were served in a smaller sized bowls without a embossed pattern. The food was good as usual, but there were no leftovers this time it was just enough. Maybe management will get back to me I'm wondering if they made a mistake or if they made their portion sizes smaller?? read more

Kiaans Fine Indian Cuisine - This was our lunch feast for 2. It was delicious! I will be back very soon! - Indian Near Me - San Clemente, California

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I came here with my family yesterday for the first time and the food was delicious and we hope to come back again in the future when in San Clemente. read more

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Came here tonight and service was very good and friendly. We had the chicken tikka masala and the sauce was the best I have tried. We also had the lamb chops which were awesome. Highly recommend it if you love Indian food. Will definitely come back read more

My wife and I had an incredibly good and incredibly filling lunch here. As lived in Asia over 20 years and have been to India more than a dozen times I really love Indian food --- especially Indian food that doesn't hold back on the spices. For my meal Kianns definitely went full throttle on the spice and heat level and I loved it. For lunch my wife and I had three dishes apiece and lots of garlic naan. I had chicken vindaloo; baingan bharta (a roasted eggplant dish) and lamb rogan josh. My wife had chicken curry, saag paneer, and lamb tikka masala. All the dishes were wonderful. The restaurant is very stylish looking and has an hourglass on every table to play with --- which I thought was a nice and interesting touch. The service was outstanding: helpful, polite, warm, friendly. Really first rate. The lunch is great value: for $18 you get three Indian dishes, rice and a choice of bread. The amount of food was so much my wife and I took some home and had it for dinner. It's not easy finding a truly first rate Indian restaurant in this area and now with Kianns we have one to go to. read more

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A little pricy for Indian but it was amazing and the servers were super nice. Would definitely go back!

It was our first time having dinner at Kiaan's new location in Talega. I was greeted with a smile and offered a romantic table for Manya and me. The service was amazing! The atmosphere was delightful. The food was spectacular! Go have dinner here and support this beautiful restaurant! We will be back! read more

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We used to go to Basantis at this same location. It was taken over by Kiaans and got a complete face lift inside. Very warm and kind of elegant. Nice ambiance. We tried the samosas, onion bhaji, lamb chops, goan fish curry, goat curry. Our order for chicken tikka masala never got put in so we cancelled it. The food was very good. I dare say not as good as Basanti's. Basanti's had much more flavor and heat. I would return as it certainly is good and the service excellent. I will also make the drive to Ortega Highway for Basanti's. read more

WOW! This is the best kept secret in San Clemente! We have had amazing Indian food in Mumbai and the food here was as good if not better! Everything tasted fresh and delicious. Spices were perfectly balanced and dishes were cooked to perfection. Lovely ambiance with white tablecloths and friendly and attentive service made it even more memorable. The prices (especially considering the quality) were moderate too. If you like Indian cuisine, I am sure you will add this local restaurant to your list of favorites! read more

New-ish restaurant located in the Talega shopping area with lots of parking. Nice place tucked in the back which used to be Basanti. The Basanti sign in the front is still up so we were confused were we ended up at but in the end it was a good find anyway. We were served a plate of papadum with accompanying dips (raita?). We four ordered family style so we can try a bunch of dishes. Most us were weenie when it comes to spice level but the chef was able to accommodate our lack of tolerance. Tandoori chicken ($17.95)- the chicken was very soft and seasoned nicely Chicken saag ($19.95)- creamy spinach with soft chicken. It was thicker than other saag I've had but appreciated it was easier eat with naan Lamb vindaloo ($22.95)- the lamb was nice and soft smothered with flavorful sauce Vegetable coconut curry($15.95)- one of our favorites if we had to choose. Creamy with chunks of potato Garlic naan($4.25)- we got 2 orders for 4 of us. Glad we did because we really liked it! Light and flaky, not doughy like some others we've had. All of it came with rice which was replenished when it ran out. The rice was perfect to go with everything and was just right- not dry at all. We agreed that the pod could be a tad less salty but that didn't take away from the delicious food served here . Each dish probably can be eaten by one person as an individual entree but the portion is big. Can't say enough about the service! Very professional but friendly at the same time. Checked on us often and made sure our water glasses were full. Great staff! And the owner? Chef ? came out to see how everything was going. We felt like VIPs enjoying a vey good meal. The prices were reasonable too! Nice to have a someplace close by serving tasty Indian food read more

Really tasty food, and the service is great. I had an issue with an order in the past and the owner was super empathetic and understanding. Will definitely be back! read more

I could do half a stars then I would add another half to this rating. The location for the restaurant is pretty good. They have both indoor and outdoor seating. The service was very good. The quality of the food is very nice for the stuff we at least tried, especially the dum biryani, which is hard to find. The restaurant has an interesting and unique decoration which blends a bit of a modern with traditional. We've been to this place a couple of times now and both times we enjoyed the food. Will definitely check it out again. read more

Some of the best classic Indian dishes in Orange County. Friendly staff, great for takeout.

This time food taste no really good I come few time last month same problem I hope next time I get better taste