We love this place and although we live three hours away, we try to get here as often as we can…read more The food is consistently excellent and the employees are always helpful when I'm trying to decide what to choose! I think we've tasted every courier at this point and everyone has been wonderful. The place is clean, quiet, and friendly! I love the art on the walls! We love this place.

What a pleasant experience to be here. The staff are super friendly and helpful in choosing your…read moredish. The service is fast as well even as they custom order your dish. I got a paneer salad bowl w garlic naan. The portions are generous and the flavors and spices are a feast for the tastebuds. What a pleasant surprise to find in commercial St. John's.

I love Indian food especially from North India since my first husband was from Himachal Pradesh…read more Since Desi just opened a few miles from my home I decided to visit tonight. My second husband will eat anything that doesn't eat him first but he is an executive chef and was out of state. I was amazed at the number of selections especially dosas and desserts. As a first timer here I had the yellow dal, tandoori roti and rice. The main dining room is filled with families but I noticed a larger area to the right when leaving. Open until midnight. Friendly staff especially the one gentleman that guided me and even brought my food to my table after explaining ordering at the kiosk. Very noisy and difficult to hear the random numbers but the food was very good and freshly prepared. Adventure to India. This is the 4th Indian restaurant to open in this market. Desi is off Race Track Rd in the Durban area not Julington Creek.

We decided to finally try Desi Chowrastha after seeing it packed on a Friday night…read more The restaurant is clean and spacious, and ordering at the kiosk is very straightforward before picking up at the counter. Our experience with the food was a bit of a "mixed bag". On the positive side, the Chicken Vindaloo and Shrimp Masala were incredibly flavorful and paired nicely with the fluffy Basmati rice. However, being served a dine-in meal in a 16 oz plastic to-go container with paper plates felt a bit impersonal. The curries are too good not to be plated on real dishes, which would make the whole experience feel much more welcoming. Unfortunately, the appetizers and sides didn't quite hit the mark for us. (´*_*`) The Onion Samosas were just mediocre. The outer pastry shell had a nice crisp texture, but the onion filling inside tasted a bit plain and on the smaller side. The Alsanda Vada sadly lacked the crispy crunch. The inside turned out a bit too thick and heavy. The Garlic Naan lacked the classic airy, fluffy texture you expect and was quite dense. Additionally, there was almost no garlic flavor. It served as a great vessel for the curries, which made for a good meal overall! While tonight's appetizers weren't our favorite, the curries show a lot of promise. We saw so many customers ordering the fresh-made Dosas that we will be back to give those a try in the near future.

First time at 5th Element since they moved to the new location. The interior layout is pretty much…read morethe same, with booths and tables - although it looks like they have an additional dining room that was not part of the old location. There is also a service bar in the rear corner of the main dining room, so they have a full liquor license now. We went on a Wednesday evening for dinner and the place was mostly empty, only a few customers but lots of to-go orders being picked up. Service was quick and attentive and the food quality continues to be excellent. We had a couple of Mango Lassi's, onion kulcha, shrimp biryani, and lamb biryani. We asked for mild, but of course biryani always has a little spice heat that is pleasant and you temper it with the Raita that comes along with the dish. Portions are huge - we took at least half of each dish home. We finished up with the free mango soft serve which was a very nice way to counter the lingering spice flavors from the biryani. All together an excellent and authentic Indian dining experience. If anything, 5th Element has improved since moving to the new location. I did notice my pet peeve when checking out that the suggested tip amounts on the bill are calculated including sales tax. Since sales tax has nothing to do with food quality and service, I calculate my own tip amount based on the subtotal before tax. I see most restaurants these days excluding sales tax from the tip calculations but 5th Element hasn't caught up yet.

Just got back home after a wonderful meal at 5th Element with plenty of leftovers for tomorrow. We…read morehad a wonderful chic pea appetizer to start. My wife had tandoori chicken and I had the butter chicken with a huge portion of garlic cheese Naan. The food was fabulous! Service was quick and friendly. The restaurant was large and very clean. I can't wait to go back and try some more traditional options.

I have been going on and off for years and never disappointed! The buffet is awesome and very…read morereasonable priced to treat friends and family. Dinners are also delicious when purchased separately (Goat Korma a fav!) with lots extra to bring home. This is a casual dining experience with quality taste and service.

I came to Masala for indian buffet and it did not disappoint! Its hard finding authentic indian…read morefood in Jax that doesn't skimp out on the flavor. Everything I had was a delight to my taste buds! I went on a weekday and the lunch buffet came out to $17. Very reasonable for a buffet. I already can't wait to go back!

This gourmet Indian spot is such a great. The owners are incredibly welcoming and kind, and you can…read moretruly feel the care they put into every detail. The food is made to order, and they even bring out a small sample first to make sure the spice level is just right, which felt thoughtful and very personal. The location is fantastic right across from the castle in the heart of Old St. Augustine. Before sitting down to eat, we walked around and checked out the Southern Lights Candle Shop nearby and picked up a few things. It's a very nice shop and highly recommended if you're in the area. We had the butter chicken, spinach chicken, and lamb with rice and naan (bread), and everything was absolutely delicious. The setting is a super cute outdoor garden with a relaxed, cozy vibe. They have fans for warmer days and heat lamps when it's cooler, making it comfortable year-round. The drink selection is solid as well. I had two Indian Rupee beers the IPA and the lager and both tasted amazing. The lager was my favorite, but I'd definitely recommend trying both. My wife really enjoyed the wine and sangria; the red sangria was her favorite, though all three were excellent. Great food, warm hospitality, an awesome atmosphere, and a prime location in Old St. Augustine definitely a place worth checking out.

This gourmet Indian spot is such a gem. The owners are incredibly welcoming and kind, and you can…read morefeel the care they put into every detail. The food is made to order, and they even bring out a small sample first to make sure the spice level is just right, which felt thoughtful and personal. We had the butter chicken, a spinach chicken, and lamb with rice and naan (bread),.. all delicious. The setting is a very cute outdoor garden with a relaxed, cozy vibe. They have fans for warm days and heat lamps when it's cool, so it's comfortable year-round. Drinks are solid too: wine, beer, and sangria are available, and all three sangrias were delicious. The red was my favorite, with the white (moscato blend) coming in a close second. My husband tried an Indian beer and really enjoyed it. Great food, warm hospitality, and a great vibe in the heart of Old St. Augustine. Definitely a place worth checking out.

Very good and delicious authentic Indian food I would highly recommend to people who want to try…read moregood Indian food!

Good food Tasty & reasonable pricing…read more Spices you can definitely taste , we got medium spicy and it opened up the taste buds in good way and portion size was good too

Always yummy, good price. Wish they were busier. even our toddler likes it and they love her too!read more

I was considering dining here, but after reading the owner's responses to customer reviews on…read moreGoogle reviews, I decided against it. I strongly encourage anyone thinking about visiting this restaurant to scroll through the reviews and read the owner's replies carefully. What stands out is not just one emotional response or a single bad interaction. There appears to be a pattern of hostile and personal responses toward customers. Instead of addressing feedback professionally, the owner frequently insults reviewers, criticizes their families, and in several replies tells customers to "go back where you came from" or suggests they should leave the country. When this type of language appears repeatedly across multiple reviews, it stops looking like a moment of frustration and begins raising serious concerns about the way customers are viewed and treated. Restaurants are part of the hospitality industry. Even when a customer leaves a negative review, the expectation is that business owners respond professionally and respectfully. Most establishments understand that the way they communicate with the public reflects directly on their business. What is visible here is the opposite. Many of the responses appear confrontational, dismissive, and personal rather than constructive. It is also difficult to ignore the contradiction that this establishment presents itself as an Indian restaurant, yet several replies include statements telling customers to "go back where you came from" or remarks about how this is "America, not India." Language like that understandably raises concerns for many readers. Businesses that serve the public have a responsibility to treat customers equally and respectfully. In the United States, restaurants are considered places of public accommodation and are expected to comply with federal and state civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination based on factors such as race, national origin, or religion. If any customer ever experiences discriminatory treatment or is refused service based on their background, they should know that they have the right to document the incident and report it to the appropriate civil rights authorities or consumer protection agencies. Before deciding to eat here, I strongly recommend taking a few minutes to read the owner's responses to reviews. Those replies often reveal more about a business than the menu or marketing ever will. Respect and professionalism are fundamental to hospitality. Based on what is publicly visible in the review section, those qualities appear to be missing here.

I love a good Indian restaurant and this is definitely one of my favorites…read more Food--9.9/10. OK I know this is a silly rating but hang in with me here. I'm a white woman married to a Indian man and I love Indian food. I cook it quite well so when I eat out for Indian food, I have very high expectations. Ironically, I have a much higher spice tolerance than my husband. But whenever he orders and ask for medium spice, it's exactly right. But whenever I order and ask for a medium spice it's nowhere near spicy enough. I don't know if that is just because I sound like I can't handle my spice, but it happens every single time. But getting onto the actual taste and quality of the food. Their Panera biryani is one of my favorites, though I do like their veg biryani more my husband first appear so we usually settle for paneer. It is perfectly cooked so fluffy and delightful and oh my goodness is it abundant. One $15 container will make at least four meals. My husband and I will get one box and share it for lunch or dinner and then put it away because it will be another lunch or dinner later. And it's not like we eat a little we eat a full plate and this box is stuffed to the brim. Service--8/10. My only complaint here is regarding service. It can take a while sometimes to pick up your order, especially when they first open. And I'm not saying it takes time for it to be available because I will often arrive and see it sitting on the shelf, but no one is at the front counter to check me out. I have honestly never dined in at this location so I can only address the service in the aspect of takeout orders. Atmosphere--10/10. It is a very centralized location and a nice strip mall with accessible parking and ample at that. The interior is quite nice and what you'd expect in an Indian restaurant with beautiful cultural pieces around the interior. So if you are looking for a place to eat in this would definitely be atmospherically a nice place.

I would give this place 5 stars but the service and attentiveness is always subpar. I have been…read morehere about 10 times and the service has always been the same. Have to grab the attention of the waitress/waiter to order, ask for anything extra and grab the bill. The reason why I come back is because the food is top notch. Cannot go wrong with any dish but my favorites are always the dosa and chicken kabobs. Very tasty and delicious. Please fix your service and this will be 5 stars!