Casual place to get lunch. Grab a plate, head towards the food, and sit down. They will serve roti as a side. No dessert or water though. Only 15.63 as of March 2023! The only downside was that they don't have labels for what is on the buffet trays. I had no idea what I was getting, only guesses. They have two types of curry, one red and another yellow. Chicken biryani which was super flavorful, naan is thin and almost paper-like. A lot of vegetable stir frys, a scrambled egg dish, and a popular spinach dish that everyone took. Near the end of the buffet hour, they will stop refilling so make sure to get your favorites in before that time! read more

Masala Cafe - Top to bottom: Chicken Biryani, Tandoori Chicken, scrambled Egg Bhurji, vegetables, Methi Chicken Curry, Tomato Chicken Curry - Indian Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

What this place lacks in their ambience they make up for in the deliciousness of their food. It is a small hole in the wall type place that seems like it's on its last leg. But the food is so good that everyone is willing to overlook the place. we love the Pakistani food and the owner will always come out and give you non-and a good smile. He likes to chat with everyone, which makes you feel very welcome. read more

The food was deliciously seasoned and had quite the variety! It was for sure a pleasant place and has great flavors

Food was not good. Inside the restaurant looked like a garage with a broken down buffet. Do not make the same mistake I did - - $30 for one person meal when the sauce congeals, yuck. read more

Got take out the day after New Years. Decent sized portions. Flavors were great. Spiciness was minimal but expected as most customers are not acclimated to true spicyness so it's nice that they accommodated their majority, will have to ask for spicier next time. Portion sizes were decent but a bit disappointed. They are not doing dine in. We ordered several entrees and several naan's which all tasted the same. We couldn't tell which was butter and which was cheese. Only way to know the garlic was cause of the garlic on it but otherwise tastes were all similar. We also got the achari chicken, chicken tandoori, chicken Biryani. Again, all good but not mind blowing. We support small family shops and enjoyed it. Will continue to come back for sure. Everything was packaged in small plastic containers easy to warm up. Happy eating, happy new year! read more

the food was super good ive been going here for years if your looking for good Indian food go here also some really good chicken corma and butter chicken 5 star restaurant it may look sketchy but it's a hidden gem read more

I've picked up food in the for delivery and it's dirty and weird. The food stays open and had a bunch of people who the employee was friends with talking very close to the food!! Employees on the kitchen were not waring hair net. I got terrified and I told my delivery customer what I saw. The ambient seems to have zero maintenance. read more

We came for the lunch buffet. It was pretty good! I believe there was coconut rice, biryani, Chana masala (chickpea curry), tandoori chicken (I think?), and a selection of other curries, some with meat and some without. Naan bread is brought to the table after you sit down. It's a bit thin, but tasted fine. Was about as thick as a flour tortilla. I think the price for the lunch buffet is a bit steep compared to prices I'm used to seeing, but the food is good. Adding an appetizer like pakoras or samosas would be great, as well as having raita and the mint or tamarind sauces to dress things up a bit. read more

It was a Monday early evening and my fiancé and I were tired because we just came back from a long flight from Seattle that day, so we jut wanted a quick bite and ran into this place as I was picking her up from work. We ordered the samosas, the paneer with veggies, the vegetable biryani and some naan. The food was surprisingly tasty! The paneer has lots of flavor, they catered to my fiancé's spice level, although she is Indian herself, she doesn't like her old too spicy. The naan came to is nice with just a little bit of crisp. And the vegetable briyani was awesome. The portion sizes were more than acceptable as well. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed their food. We'll definitely come back and tryout the buffet. Also as a side note, the other side of their menu had Mexican options. read more

Masala Cafe - Indian Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

Ordered via the web app. Was sort of on time, unfortunately they completely missed one of the items I ordered. I did receive something else that I had no idea what it was..... tasted yummy. The food I received was very nice in flavor! Portion sizes a tad small than what am used to for take out/delivery. The web app graciously credited the missed item ordered, was unexpected in a good way. Will order from their again cause it tasted great. Will pick it up myself next time read more

I ordered the chicken karma with naan and it was out of this world!! Really rich flavor with the perfect amount of spice. Great and friendly service as well. read more

This is authentic food. Try the Chili65 and Mango lasso. Great naan bread. Everything here is great! Ask them for recommendations and suggestions. Don't pass up this restaurant and food. read more

REALLY wanted to like this place, talked the wife into going here over another local Indian place we really like just because I was curious about it after passing it daily on my commute. Definitely won't be back. Food was average, I'd say the garlic naan was the best part of the whole meal. The inside of this restaurant is DIRTY. Like, should NOT pass inspection dirty. Flies buzzing around inside, dirty steam tray still full of old water that had food remnants and rust in it. Tables weren't clean, floor was dirty, and cobwebs in the ceiling. Disgusting. And to top it off?! A piece of metal bristle from whatever they scrape the grill with in my food. Frightening. Will NEVER be back, and warn others to check your food from here! read more

Masala Cafe - Piece of metal bristle brush broke off in my chicken tikka masala - Indian Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

I live less than a mile from this place, and have passed it every day on my commute... never went in because it looks not-so-awesome. Heck, wasn't sure it was even open. Tonight I had a hankering for Indian food, and sure enough, the reviews recommend Masala Cafe. I walked in and ordered some tandoori chicken and garlic naan to-go, and it was outstanding. The chicken came with some veggies, and both items had a good heat to them - not overwhelming, but may catch some folks off-guard. The man was incredible- soft, warm, and definitely full of garlic. I've got a new go-to spot! read more

Masala Cafe - Tandoori chicken, garlic naan. - Indian Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

Best Indian food restaurant great food and service..... It's a must go on peoria il best Indian food in town read more

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I'd give it 0 if I could, they lied about their hours, the restaurant is filthy, the parking lot is filthy, the look like they've been closed for months. The food is terrible, the service is terrible, and I will never be coming back. not that I could, with how they lie about their hours. read more

Never disappoints, been coming here for a few years now! Generous portions and great variety, staff is very friendly and prices are reasonable. read more

Renovated and reopened with awesome dishes, the lunch buffet has more options now !! Loved the pepper chicken and kabaab added.

Dropped in to get take out for lunch. Lunch menu has a lot to choose from. Get to choice 2 dishes and it comes with naan bread, dal soup, and rice all for $6.99. Lot of food for cheap. And its taste really good. Flavors and consistency were perfect. The staff is really nice . Food come out really fast, wich is important if you are working and only have a short time for lunch break. The outside of the building and the location looks a bit rough, but don't let that deter you. The inside was really clean and the food was great. There are booths if you care to dine in, but I'd rather get take out. I Will definitely be coming back. read more

Masala Cafe - Indian Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

Very friendly service and very wide array of options. Love the carrots and beets from the lunch menu!

i love good Indian food. this place was really sad. dirty, and disorganized. i would hate to see their grade. i got tandoori chicken. two legs for 14.00. kinda high. naan is very sad and tasteless. i don't live hear but i've tried two other places and they were clean and the food was great!!. maybe i just came at a bad time. the little buffet was picked over with rice pots wide open and food drying up. i don't know if i'll try again. wasn't worth the trip. the chicken was cooked well and seasoned but that's it. read more

The building is sketchy and not the most modern, but the food was very good and served in very large portions. If you can get past or overlook the messy floors and uncleared tables then you will enjoy the food. We tried the paneer masala, garlic naan, and a platter of their most popular dishes (don't remember the exact name but it was on the menu). Service was not the quickest but I could only see 1 cook and 1 young server working when we visited. read more

If you are not desi then this place if for you but Indian people can stand their pathetic food and bad hygiene Very verbal taste read more

I'd driven past Masala Cafe, never considering it because of its somewhat shabby exterior. Finding myself in downtown Peoria with a craving for Indian food, I tried it, and was overwhelmed by how good it was. I took advantage of the all-you-can-eat lunch buffet. It features standard items like chana masala, okra masala, palak paneer, and a couple chicken dishes. All were delectable, but the chana masala stood out - unlike most lunch buffets which keep everything pretty mild, theirs had just the right amount of kick. The naan was a bit thinner and crispier than other Peoria-area restaurants, and I found it superior. The decor is plain, and they rely on plastic silverware and plates, but I suspect that frugality has allowed them to survive in a challenging location with tight margins. A nicer decor would have resulted in five stars. That said, don't keep driving past - try Masala Cafe! The food is worth it! read more

You know when you were younger and your parent or some other formative figure taught you to never judge a book by its cover? And you thought to yourself, "well that's silly because most people prefer to eat at restaurants that look as if they can pass health inspection." Well, I'm here to tell you that your parents were wise and despite the sketchy looking exterior...and equally unimpressive interior, somebody in the kitchen of Masala Cafe is doing something right. I'm not going to claim to know a ton about Indian cuisine other than being a curry connoisseur (seriously), but I do know about a good deal. And you can get a lot of delicious spiced food for cheap at Masala Cafe. Their lunch deal is fantastic where you get an option (I'm such a sucker for options) of two appropriately portioned dishes, rice, naan and daal for....wait for it...$6! Fantastic. Your average broke-ass-living-on-a-budget girl can clearly afford to eat here multiple times a week...and does. On a recent trip, my eating companions and I decided to get fancy and come here for dinner, where nothing changes except for the price (as an Asian with former experience in the Chinese buffet food industry, I'm familiar with these tactics). I stuck with my usual and got the Aloo Gobi (cauliflower with potatoes) and garlic naan. Call me crazy but the bright yellow color convinces me of the saffron and therefore, authenticity, of the dish. Butter Chicken and Chicken 65 also made their way onto the table and three different variants of naan (butter naan, cheese naan, plain naan....we got all naan'd up in that joint). Plates were cleaned, which speaks volumes since my friends have very refined palates and in no way have appetites that resemble garbage disposals. But really, bottom line: Masala Cafe is worth a visit if you've got that craving for "Indian soul food" and are living in the cultural food desert of Peoria...especially if you have a durable stomach and a tight budget. read more

Good food + reasonable price = great value. Some of the dishes had a bit of spiciness that was unexpected but very good. Each dish had its own distinct flavor. Well worth the detour from the interstate, plus the lunch buffet eliminated the wait & increased the variety. The only disappointment is that the dishes weren't labeled to let us know what we were eating. read more

Looks sketchy but is probably the best Indian food in the area. The people are very kind and you can tell their food is very authentic.

Delicious Indian food, highly recommend Achari chicken. Will never get tired of ordering from this place!

first time going i wasnt expecting much. especially as the outside looks like its seen its better days. but from the first bite i was hooked. its one of the best resturants i have had the pleasure to eat at. the staff is friendly and the food is out of this world. ive lost count how many times ive been now. highly recommend the tendori chicken. nothing like it in the world. amazing read more

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Worst Indian food within a 100 mile radius. There was a hair in the dal and I'm not a fan of halal meat since I don't condone tortured animals. We saw a roach crawling along the wall while we were eating and the bathroom was rank with the smell of urine. The vegetables tasted like frozen and over cooked. Bad bad place to eat. Rasoi is 100x better then this place. read more

The lunch buffet is a steal! For dinner, I would recommend trying their BBQ items from the menu. Not much of an exterior or interior to the restaurant, but the food is amazing. read more

Very interesting place. it's VERY low budget and from what I can tell only run by 2 guys. I got there at dinner time so I missed the buffet. I ordered butter chicken. It's was pretty tasty. the chicken was cooked well without being dry or chewy, the sauce was well seasoned and the naan bread was warm and flakey. My only complaint was the rice was a bit on the mushy side. the service was a little odd. It wasn't unfriendly but it started out with me getting all my needs met but then tapered off even though no one else came in. Over all I think this place is probably more set up to be a buffet and I just came in at a bad time. I'd definitely come back here again. read more

One of my favorite places in Peoria. The prices are reasonable and, honestly, I've watched this place grow up over the years. I frequent this place whenever I can and am disappointed they can't deliver to the Mossville area. I know the last reviews from 2015 and older are not the best but this place has really picked up and looks a lot better then it used too. The owner is always friendly as are the staff. The buffet is great, though is limited in items bc of space (this place is a little small). It always has customers sitting in and eating as well has a very loyal customer base (including myself). The food is always good. I have nothing bad to say. I recommend, highly, that you try this place out. I would say that it is better then Rasoi (who has been renamed to Ruchi) and has outlasted a lot of other Indian places in Peoria over the years. They have a good thing going. read more

I am from the east coast here on business, I honestly was not expecting to find amazing Indian food all the way out here. Man am I glad I payed a visit!! Great food, definitely worth a trip if you are craving Indian. read more

Okay, the atmosphere isn't great, and sometimes one or two of the buffet dishes will have some kind of major flaw - too salty, not seasoned enough, etc. So maybe it's not a first-date or even a second-date kind of place. But the naan is some of the best I've had (fresh out of the oven, always perfectly crisped), 95% of the food is incredibly good, and you can stuff your face for $8. I love it, warts and all. read more

Very tasteful food and friendly service. I come here almost every day. The prices are are very reasonable. I love all their dishes. Their biryani order is HUGE! they give you a mini-mountain of heaped rice in a plate. read more

Stopped by because I saw they had a buffet. It looks kind of run down from the outside but, inside, it was nice place. The buffet had a nice mix of both vegetarian and meat dishes. I like things a little spicy and I had no problem finding something to fit the bill. read more

My favourite for Pakistani food. The people in charge are terrific and the food is great

I'm new to Peoria, I love Indian food. I tried this place couple times and the food dint taste good. When I went there second time I ordered lamb biryani which is my all time favorite so I know how it tastes and what meat it contains. Unfortunately it tasted horrible and the meat they used was just lamb fat as which should not be consumed. I just left the meal, there paid my bill and explained the owner about the food and the bad part is he's jerk. He tried to justify by telling me that he dint had a person to cut the meat. What a stupid reason!! Bottom line Would definitely not recommend this place because of bad quality food. Good luck. read more

I'm no expert on Indian / Pakistani food but this place is delicious and has friendly service highly recommended it's close to my house so I plan on returning frequently. read more