Went for lunch and it is a buffet setup, all you can eat situation. Got there right after opening so everything was hot and fresh. A very wide range of dishes from popular to unique. Everything I tried was good and filling so I only sampled like 4 options. I'm not even sure what exactly I was eating but it was all tasty. Samosas were delicious that much I know. There was an interesting mushroom dish that I'd never had before anywhere else. Self service but they bring out naan and water and clear your plates. Very attentive staff and they came by frequently. I was starving so ended up eating it all without taking any pics sorry! Plenty of parking and easy access to the 5 freeway in either direction. read more

So glad to find this Indian spot in OC! The staff is very welcoming here. We had the Gobi Faash and Chicken Tiki Masala. The gobi faash is a curried cauliflower served with creamy mouse and raw onions. It was salty and spicy and absolutely delicious! The Chicken Tiki Masala was one of the best I've had. The portion was big, can't wait to come back next time to try more dishes! read more

I didn't take pictures because the ones uploaded are pretty spot on. The food was amazing! I was not expecting the food to have the spice and kicks of flavor that it did. I went during lunch around noon with 2 friends and did the Buffett option instead of ordering to-go/a la cart. For 3 people, including tip it came out to about $82. There was a nice variety of foods and not only was the flavor profile on point but the texture of the meats were spot on too. Would definitely come back and recommend this place to friends. read more

While I mourn the passing of Dosa Place which used to be here, Masala Bae is quickly making me forget the former, and that's a great thing! Masala Bae took the Dosa Place restaurant and gave it a complete refresh on the inside, modernizing the interior. The complete refresh also spilled over to the menu. While a generous amount of dosa offerings are still on the menu to satisfy the old crowd, they've cut out a few of the extra dosa dishes and added many more "regular" menu items. The staff is attentive and friendly, which is a big deal. Maybe it's just me, but many Indian restaurants I've been to are more to the point than warm. It is not a bad thing, but it's always nicer when a smile comes with your food and someone checks on you. Garlic Naan - Their garlic naan is brushed with garlic and cilantro, is medium thickness, slightly chewy while still being crispy on the edges. The burnt edges and bubbles are make it resemble a quality Neapolitan Pizza crust. A good balance all around. Chicken Tikka Masala - Orange, creamy goodness. They use creamy butter, onion, tomato and fenugreek for the sauce and cut pieces of chicken breast. I liked the strong flavors that were smoothed out in the sauce base but at the same time wasn't overly creamy. Lots of spices and flavors. After I finished the chicken, I mopped up all the remaining sauce with my rice and the naan. Since I was only eating by myself, I did not get to try out more dishes but I do want to come and try some of the dosas and other dishes. So far each meal here has been really enjoyable, I finished all of my food both times. If you want to try them with me, hit me up! read more

See all

The mutton dum biryani is to die for ... literally!!! Super awesome and very generous portion. It's not too over spiced, just perfection!

This place is my new go to spot for delicious fresh and beautifully plated Indian food! It's located in the strip mall off Red Hill/El Camino directly next door to Sichuan Impression. If you've seen any of there social media or marketing pics all there dishes are like fine dining plated! But they aren't just beautiful to look at they are also super tasty! Note Yelp checkin has 10% off your bill! They do have Yelp RSVP for peak rush hours. It's not a large place so there maybe a wait. The menu features a variety of popular Indian dishes and even a few that usually only home cooked. To start off with drinks: Mango Mint Sharbat. If you love mango lassi but are looking for something not as rich with some carbonation this is for you! It's like a mix of mango, cumin, fennel with lemon juice topped off with sparkling soda and muddled mint leaves. Its super refreshing on hot summer days. Just think of like mint mango sprite like soda. Entree: Butter Chicken - Boneless Leg, Creamy Tomato Sauce & Fenugreek. Wow the plating of this super popular dish is too beautiful. The choice of plate to how they drizzled some white cream like a fine dining dish. The chicken is so super tender. The sauce is so complex with its sweetness from the tomato, onion carmelized down. You definitely will want to lick this plate clean with some garlic naan! Hyderabadi Chicken Tikka- BBQ chicken, mint cilantro, yogurt dip, cardamom. This dish is only available for dine-in since its served on this sizzling plate. Its a fun play on BBQ chicken with a indian twist. Don't forget to squeeze the fresh lemon for the extra acid to break down the heaviness of the sauce. Again the chicken is absolutely moist and tender with a party in your mouth with a start of slightly sweet to savory and finally sour in the after taste. It's like your eyes will automatically go up like WOW what did i just eat here when that big smile comes to your face. House Special Biryani - Boneless Chicken Cooked with Chef's special Spices & Basmati Rice. This just classic rice dish again is your perfect filler to suck up all the yummy sauces from your other entrees. No matter your choice protein choice is cooked to moist tender perfection. Yes they have many vegetarian options here too. Must order the Garlic & Cilantro naan too! It's freshly baked and so crispy right out of the stone fire. This is what fresh naan is suppose to taste like if you ever wondered. The service here is top notched too with a smile. For those unfamilar with Indian food the waiters are very friendly and explain in common language to find the dish you're looking for. Pretty sure its a family owned business with entire family working front and back so support small businesses! read more

See all

The ambiance and food are amazing! The food was fresh and PACKED with flavor. I absolutely love Indian food, and this is some of the best I've had. It was a bit out of the way for me, but it was well worth the drive. When I arrived, there was a short wait (10 minutes). The staff seated us promptly and was attentive. They offer naan and bring it to your table. It was freshly made and super tasty! I enjoyed everything I tried. I even tried some dishes I hadn't had before, and I was extremely satisfied with all of it. Though the location isn't convenient for me, I'd definitely go back. The spot is a small family owned restaurant, so there may be a wait depending on when you go. Also, it's buffet style, so the line for food can get a little long, but it moves quickly since there's not a huge list of things to choose from. However, there's a good amount of options to choose from, including some vegetarian dishes. Also, there's a water and mango lassi station. The mango lassi is AMAZING! Try it out for yourself. You won't be disappointed. read more

It's still my favorite Indian restaurant. I came back recently to try their dinner buffet, which I rate 4/5. Masala Bae is currently having dinner buffet (something I don't think they had since the pandemic) until at least April 21 daily from 6-930pm. It's 25$ per person ($31 including tax/tip) and endless rice and garlic naan is included. They also rotate 2 drink options like chai and mango lassi or rose milk. I am pescetarian so I was hoping they would have a good selection of vegetarian options but they didn't. Besides the rice, naan, and 3 types of fried vegetarian appetizers, they really only had about 3 vegetarian entree dishes. The rest were meat. I think they had at least 9 meat entrees which is great if you are a meat eater. They also have a few desserts including fresh fruit and their condiment bar. I enjoyed everything I tasted. I wonder if they rotate their entrees depending on the night? That would be pretty cool to return a few times to try something different each time. Anyways, the flyer says to call to make a reservation but they're so busy during dinnertime now that it's first come first serve. My party of 6 got there on a Sunday night by 6:10pm and it was a full house by 6:45 and was like that until 8pm when we were done. When we left there were still many parties waiting, so be prepared to wait if you show up after 630ish. Also, I checked with them and you cannot use the yelp check-in for the buffet. It's still worth it in my opinion. Keep it up, Masala Bae! I love seeing businesses pivot with ideas and do better as a result. read more

Randomly came here craving garlic naan and butter chicken, but happened upon the start of their Iftar buffet. How many can say you just stumbled upon a buffet?! We took a look and decided to go with it. It was about $25 and had a wide selection of different meat dishes, rice and vegetarian options. There was a sauce bar, and in the back was rose milk and hot chai tea. I loved their samosas and this chicken that had jalapeños and onions in it. The Chana masala was flavorful and chicken tikka hit the spot. I tried a little of everything. There were a few that wasn't up my alley but might be a personal preference. Naan or garlic naan was included, you just had to ask. It did take quite a long time for our garlic naans to come out. We were almost full by the time it arrived. We stuffed ourselves anyways. Service was good and it seemed to be a popular place. Have to try their regular menu next time! read more

Masala Bae - Iftar buffet - Indian Near Me - Tustin, California

Picked up chicken masala for lunch today. We have been craving this for weeks. Food was delicious. Until I crunched into a solid, clear piece of plastic glass lodged in one of the chicken cubes halfway through the meal. At first, I thought they had missed a piece of bone until I spit it out. I bit onto it hard and was caught by surprise. Luckily, I didn't get hurt from the sharp edges of the material or chip my molars. If this shard was found in one little cube of chicken, I would be cautious about where the other pieces could have possibly gone. tl&dr: I bit into a chicken tikki masala cube and found broken plastic glass. read more

See all

The food is always on point here. Some of the best I've had in North America and I have eaten Indian food in Seattle, Artesia, New Jersey you name it. This time around Service was nice, I love these guys Ambiance, nice, clean, feels like you are treating yourself- cause you deserve it baby! read more

See all

My husband saw this restaurant on social media and wanted to try it out for their buffet but we got here at 5 pm and were told the buffet is only for lunch. We contemplated leaving but the aroma of the mixed seasonings were enough to make us stay Upon receiving our dishes and taking the first bite I couldn't help but be amazed with how flavorful every dish was. You can tell that they pay attention to detail and the seasonings are very well mixed in. I look forward to coming back soon (hopefully the buffet) They have great vegan options and staff is very attentive and welcoming. I will definitely be recommending this to everyone I know I am leaving this place completely satisfied and happy read more

See all

Masala Bae is that place that looked good in the pictures, but upon tasting the food I had to lower expectations after it. I personally thought the spices on all the dishes were kinda bland? Maybe it's because I did a takeout order and didn't dine in, so a second go might allievate some of the issues I've had. I ordered the Garlic Naan, Dahi Puri (yogurt fried balls), and the Laal Maas (mutton curry from Rajasthan if I recall, bone-in). Garlic Naan - To be honest, it was lacking garlic. It was hot and fresh out the oven, but it tasted rather mediocre and bland for what you get. Dahi Puri - Nothing subtle about it, and personally it just wasn't for me. I think the takeout really is a different experience than what you'd get dining in with this dish since the yogurt is served separate. The dough was unseasoned for some reason and it just was an meh tasting pastry Laal Maas - Stewish mutton curry that was the only thing that had some flavor here. I like this dish, it had some spiciness to it and it's not too strong. Overall, the naan and the dahi puri we're the toughest parts to sell for me. The curry is fine if you're good with bone-in, but other than that it's aight, didn't impress me the first time. read more

See all

Amazing food and quality is superb with a wide variety of Buffett and good service from everyone with key location close to 5 freeway

My first experience eating a full Indian food meal and it didn't disappoint: Pineapple lassi Samosa Garlic naan Butter chicken Highway Karahi chicken Basmati rice Great prices and huge portions! read more

See all

Pretty good Indian food, considering there are a lot of options in the Tustin area. Have been there a few times and will go again. Service is good. read more

Glad we tried this place! Tandoori chicken was different than I've had before at other Indian buffets, but I really liked it. And my other go tos of butter chicken and spinach paneer were on point! I appreciated the mango drink that was included with the buffet. Fair price for everything that you get. read more

Goof food and good service. Good options tho some of the food could have been replenished quicker. Not too much seating inside.

My family and I came to satisfy a dosa craving. Excellent dosas! Definitely my new go to place to have some. Sambar was spicy as heck, but the chutneys balanced it nicely. You know your dosa is good if the plain one hits the spot. The malai chicken was mild and soft. Nice thing to try. Mango lassi was well balanced, sweet without making you feel like you're drinking sugar. Ghar ki daal was below average, I wouldn't order that again. But they have another daal option that the waiter recommends. Waiter was kind, attentive. I appreciate that this place was neat and clean. Restrooms smelled floral. Great place to grab lunch. read more

See all

Amazing food! They do not take reservations on weekends, but they do on weekdays, so make sure you get there early! We were able to get seated quickly during a Saturday night. Our waitress made up for our experience- THANK YOU! We were seated outside and sort of felt forgotten since it took awhile to get our order, but our waitress gave us a complimentary smoothie and dessert for the wait. We understood that they were short staff, but the gesture was sweet! We thought that was incredibly nice of the restaurant! We will definitely be back again :) read more

Masala Bae - Yum! - Indian Near Me - Tustin, California

I've been here twice with my family and we absolutely LOVE IT! Servers are super sweet and always bring fresh naan to the table. Restaurant is always clean and they are very attentive to dishes that need to be replenished during the buffet. All the dishes here are so delicious, chicken tikka is my FAVVVVV!! They have hot chai and mango lassi on tap and they are so delicious! Counting the days until I come here again! I'm craving it!! read more

I came for the lunch buffet 11-2:30pm and was instantly sat down and brought water and naan. The vibe was pretty chill, nice place to bring the fam for sure. The food was insanely fire, I had like 3 plates of food and was expeditiously stuffed. And unlimited Mango Lassi to go along with unlimited food AND UNLIMITED NAAN makes this place 2018 Lebron or 2016 Curry on god. I'll definitely be back for sure! Cost - about 20 dollars per person. read more

Masala Bae - Chicken Tikka Masala, Samosa, Chana Masala, and Rice - Indian Near Me - Tustin, California

See all

Masala Bae proved to be a shining beacon, offering not just a meal, but an experience to remember. Despite the busy evening, the staff greeted my daughter and me with genuine warmth and ensured our dining experience was nothing short of exceptional. The food, undoubtedly the highlight of the evening, surpassed all expectations. Each dish, from the aromatic bindhi to the creamy masala and garlicky naan, was a testament to the culinary expertise of the chefs. Every bite was a burst of flavors, expertly crafted and presented with care. Equally impressive was the cleanliness and hygiene maintained throughout the restaurant. It definitely is a hole in the wall restaurant, very simple set up, but I was very impressed with how clean it was. That is a huge plus for me. From the pristine dining area to the spotless restrooms, every corner exuded a sense of orderliness and attention to detail. Masala Bae is a true gem that deserves every bit of praise. We live more than 50 miles away from the restaurant and I am very happy that I stopped by on my way home. Definitely saved in my favorite list for Orange County. read more

We ordered to-go here on a Friday night and wasn't too impressed. They hit 2 bad notes for us 1. one of the dish was too sweet 2. Tiny portion of rice for 3 main dishes. Overall, it was really 3.5 stars, but it was just okay because we've had better Indian take-out. We ordered: -garlic naan (not even garlicky) -chicken dosa 4 stars -mysore masala dosa 4.0 stars my favorite! -butter chicken 3 stars -chana masala 4 stars -Adraki aloo gobi 4 stars Lets go straight to my pet peeves. How can we only get a tiny take-out box of rice for 3 main dishes? How can you be so cheap with rice? Yes we ordered garlic naan but so what. Do we get more or less rice if we hadn't ordered naan? Especially with Indian food there is so much sauce you want more rice to mop up the sauce. We ran out of rice while there was still half of the main dishes still sitting by it's lonesome. I ended up heating up some baguette I had from Costco to finish up my food. This is very annoying to someone that has rice running through their veins. Another pet peeve is trying to make any dish more "Americanized" by increasing the amount of sugar. I see it with Thai food, "Chinese" food, and I've never seen it in Indian food before until now. Sweet butter chicken, eww. Enough said. The other dishes weren't bad though. I really like the Mysore Masala dosa the best with that spicy chick pea and crepe wrap. Yum. The chicken was also plentiful in the chicken dosa. Those two crepe wraps were different and unlike anything I've had at any Indian restaurant before. I definitely recommend those. The Chana masala and Adraki aloo gobi were good but nothing outstanding enough to write home about. O I also suggest to skip that garlic naan since I mentioned up top, there was no garlic. I do like to keep the Vampires away so these garlic naan did nothing for me. Parking is plentiful. Please order 30 minutes in advance. I called at 6 pm on a Friday and that was my minimum wait time. read more

See all

This place was very easy to find. Parking is easy as well. Gotta say this place is straight fire. We did a family style dinner here. We got the butter chicken, lamb, chicken tikka masala, house special briyani, and masala dosa. They were super flavorful. All of them were fantastic except for the masala dosa. I personally would skip it, but I can see why people would eat it. Overall, a great experience! read more

See all

I went to Masala Bae for buffet lunch this afternoon. The service was below average. Most importantly they had just one dessert, fruit custard but with barely any fruits. The cutlery near the buffet was not getting replenished. The tomato dal was not replenished until I finished eating. Wouldn't go there again. read more

Delicious!! We dined here for lunch last week and really enjoyed our meal. Our favorite dishes were the Chicken Tikka Masala, Kashmiri Lamb Rogan Josh, and garlic naan. We also tried the malai kofta and samosa chat. The presentation of all the dishes was really beautiful. My only complaint is that the food could have been spicier so we'll request that when we visit next time :) read more

Masala Bae - Kashmiri Lamb Rogan Josh, Malai Kofta - Indian Near Me - Tustin, California

See all

Amazing spot for Indian food (mostly northern but some southern too). Service is a little slow but the food (almost) never disappoints. First time I got the dani puri and the paneer lababdar. Both were delicious and I would definitely get again. Also got the amul cheese chili naan but flavorwise, it didn't add much. Would skip next time. Next time I came here, I got the masala fried idly. It was very perfectly fried and seasoned (not too spicy) and very good with different chutneys. My main was the paneer makhani and that was so yummy too (creamy and tangy). The mains come with fluffy basmati rice but it's not very much. A little on the pricier end but worth it! read more

What a pleasant first time experience. Kavya helped me get a table during their busy hours on Friday. Tried their Mysore masala dosa which was good. Sambhar had a nice flavor as well. Chutneys were ok. But dosa and sambhar made it up. Took some take away with the garlic naan and couple chicken entrees. Service was great especially during the busy time. Looking forward to going back and try some more of their items. Ambience is nice and they do buffet as well. read more

Masala Bae - Mysore masala Station Wala Bhaji Dosa with Cheese - Indian Near Me - Tustin, California

This was our 3rd visit to Masala Bae and it is consistently excellent. After your first bite, you will notice that the flavors of the dishes are quite refined and at another level. The portions are also generous. I highly recommend trying the Alleppey Fish Curry. It's buttery and chalked full of delicious spices, without being spicy. My other favorite dish on the menu is the Baingan Bharta which is a roasted eggplant dish. I also ordered the Tikka Masala for my kids and they were quite happy as well. Kudos to the chef and all the friendly staff at this gem of a restaurant. read more

See all

Let's start with the food: we ordered the samosas, garlic naan, chicken tikka masala, and the highway karahi chicken. Everything was absolutely delicious! The waitress informed of us the 30-40 minute wait time for the karahi chicken but it was well worth the wait! We love spicy food and got medium spice and could've even gone to like a mild spice for next time. Every waiter/waitress was very kind and attentive. I wish this restaurant was in a nicer location of Orange County. If you're from the area, Red Hill isn't the best spot. But don't let that deter you from trying this restaurant! read more

Masala Bae - Highway Karahi Chicken - Indian Near Me - Tustin, California

Average Indian restaurant, not authentic. I brought my parents here and we got takeout last night. We were in the Irvine area and looked this place up on yelp. First of all, the takeout minimum order time is 40 minutes. Long wait. We are Hyderabadi and we're expecting really good authentic biryani. This place did not deliver. To start off with the appetizers don't have the authentic Indian feel. The chicken 65 is more wet and tasted like tangy Manchurian rather than a fried appetizer. The main dishes had decent portion sizes but, the taste was very off. Biryani is hard to pull off - we got two types: Hyderabadi and Vijayawada. It wasn't aromatic, not layered, no good spices - tasted like curry and separate rice. Wouldn't visit this place again! Especially since I'm a native Indian. read more

See all

I had a fantastic experience at Masala bae.The food was absolutely delicious--flavorful, authentic, and satisfying. I especially loved the Dahi puri it was truly exceptional . And the butter chicken was rich and perfectly spiced .The Garlic Naan was soft and very buttery paired perfectly with the curry. The staff were friendly and the service was great. I'll definitely be coming back read more

Masala Bae - Indian Near Me - Tustin, California

See all

Flavorful and delicious foods!! Portions were great, and service was fast. The parking lot is also very large so it was nice to easily find a spot. Best lamb dishes I've had! read more

See all

Great customer service, quick, accurate, knowledgeable and kind. They person who sat us and brought out our food was very nice. He patiently explained what was in their dishes to us. We ordered the mutton curry, chicken tikka masala and another curry made with eggplant. The chicken tikka masala was by far the best dish all around. It was creamy, tangy and sweet. The mutton meat itself was DELICIOUS. this was my second time trying this meat and they cooked it perfectly it seems. The curry In this dish was a bit too salty for me. The eggplant curry was good as well but also a bot too salty. Almost forgot!! Their garlic naan was nice and crispy yet soft. One of the best I've had. The name of the restaurant is clever and cute! I want to come back and see if they'll make a tikka masala or butter curry but with the mutton! read more

See all

Great food! We have not tried too many Indian restaurants around the area but have previously had poor experiences with lower quality restaurants. But this place exceeded expectations for the quality of the meats and aromatics used. Chicken 65 was a surprise winner. Loved the fragrant curry leaf used to fry with the chicken. We also ordered the garlic/cilantro naan to dip with the kapurthala baigan bharta and it was delicious. If you're not familiar, it's a chargrilled eggplant dish, normally mashed and sautéed with onions, tomatoes, and other aromatics and spice like cloves. I am also not a big lamb fan, but the Kashmiri lamb rogan josh was great here. I think I tend to have bad experiences with lamb being too chewy and odorous. But here it was super tender lamb and the sauce was flavorful and spicy. This is a traditional slow cooked/braised/stewed dish made with yogurt and spices such as cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon with addition of the Kashmiri red peppers. The only reason I have this place a four star was because of the website. I ordered take-put online and then my card was charged, yet the website said there was an error. We were not sure if the order came through. When we arrived at the restaurant, we asked the staff and they said they never received an order under my name. At that point we decided to just dine in as we saw one table opened up. It was a bit inconvenient at first, but we ended up enjoying our time. Staff was very pleasant. I will have to add though that if you are sensitive to smells, our clothes had a strong curry aroma/odor when we came back home. Although it's not uncommon or unexpected to smell like food when you go out to smaller, less ventilated restaurants. read more

See all

Great food, fun decor, chill atmosphere! We liked everything we tried, and the service was quick and friendly.

Did not hit it out of the park but I'm excited to have another great Indian restaurant to go to in the area. I can see myself craving some of the food here but not everything. The staff did say their South Indian dishes were better. Gives good competition to Yellow Chilli and Anjappar. Food: Malai Chicken Tikka: was under-salted but still so good!! Must get Chili Cheese Naan: very good, and a must get. Cheesy inside and the flavors were on point with the chili's. Butter chicken: good, nothing special but tasty Shahi Tukda: glad you we went with this one. Like a bread pudding and delicious. Raspberry Lassi: just ok. I would still go with mango next time just due to preference of fruit. Service and ambience: friendly service. Best part was when we asked for salt for the tikka, the staff (owner?) cared to ask us which one was missing salt. Definitely room to improve the ambience. Part of the problem is the design of the store and booths - it almost goes length wise. Colors/lighting are nice, but definitely more can be done with music and Indian decor. Inchin/Southern Spice/Anjappar definitely do a much better job at the decor Parking: plenty and very easy in a big plaza. Just next to Sichuan Impression and Ding Tea. COVID precaution: sanitizer available and staff wearing mask read more

See all

This place is delish! We came on Valentine's Day during lunch and had their buffet. Every time I go to these types of buffets there's always a curry I don't like. I was really amazed that I liked ALL of them here. Of course I had my favorites but all of them were really good! It was also great that they have free unlimited mango lassi and hot chai! Who does that? That definitely scored extra points for me. Their desserts were also yummy. I couldn't get enough of them. The only problem is that I'm older now and can't eat as much as I used to hence my disappointment in not being able to pig out as much as I wanted. Everything was so delicious and I wanted so badly to eat more but my belly was telling me to stop. We'll be back! read more

The people who run this place are truly incompetent. First time I order takeout, I get there and they have no idea where my order is. Eventually they figure it out and ask me to wait an extra 45 minutes cause they don't know what they're doing. On top of that, one of the ladies has an attitude. The second lady took over and at least she was helpful. But it didn't help the fact that I had to sit there an extra 45 minutes. The second time I ordered delivery. It was supposed to get to our office at noon. Around one I ask what happened to our food and they said they aren't accepting any delivery orders. Then why did you take my order in the first place? And if I hadn't contacted the delivery service, I'd never know. Never ordering from them again, and I warn you not to order from them. read more