Has not tried many restaurants in the area, but this place is authentic and makes an awesome Sev Puri. I have had the regular puri where you filled the puri yourself, but the Sev Puri comes ready-made. The Lamb Curry had good flavor. Overall, it was a great experience for Indian food and beats most places you find in big cities! read more

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Their portions are not that great for what they charge. They rush you to pick up your order... and the chicken tikka masala seemed old and WATERED down :( If you're looking for good QUALITY Indian food, please try Royal Indian Cuisine!!! read more

Masala Express - Chicken Tikka Masala - Indian Near Me - Merced, California

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Food was good however I noticed that they do overcharge you and hope you do not notice. I had the bill and my spouse paid so we didn't look at the charges but when we did then we noticed they were overcharging people and they give you a false answer when you ask. They said, "It is a credit card fee" However they gave me the bill ahead of time before my husband paid so they did not know h was even using a credit card. This is so awful to be doing to people, we won't be back! If you look at the receipt and compare it to the menu prices, you will see EVERY item is overcharged. read more

Masala Express - Overcharged on every item - Indian Near Me - Merced, California

I ordered dinner through Yelp and there was a moment of confusion on their part when I arrived to pick it up. But they found my order and it was all good. I believe the courteous gentleman who assisted me was the manager. We got the butter chicken, lamb biryani, aloo gobi, and naan. Everything was absolutely delicious but we all agreed the butter chicken was The Best. I'm not used to eating lamb but to me it seemed a bit on the dry side. The styrofoam to go boxes were half the size of what I expected -- I was expecting a square box, but these were about half of a square. I'm not sure if this is a regional thing (I'm from So Cal) but I wanted more for the price I paid. The atmosphere inside the restaurant doesn't match the vibrant quality of the cuisine. It's very plain (but clean), so not a good place for a date. Anyways, the food was really good. read more

Masala Express - Delivery seemed expensive so I picked up instead. - Indian Near Me - Merced, California

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Very clean, friendly space. Me and my husband came for the buffet at 11am and everything was fresh and HOT be sure to ask for your naan ahead of time, will be coming again and again. read more

Masala Express - My plate half way through - Indian Near Me - Merced, California

The food is always amazing and the service provided by them always goes above and beyond! The relaxing environment is a plus with great music and a beautiful wall to take pictures! The staff there are just as great we love coming here read more

We discovered this restaurant through Yelp and decided to stop here for a late night dinner on our drive back from Yosemite. We got here at 9 pm and the restaurant was abuzz with patrons! We even saw a few folks arrive after 9:20 pm after they announced last call, who had to be turned away. The restaurant itself is clean, airy and spacious with a casual setting. The hosts/serving staff were kind and hospitable. We got the Salted Lassi (thick,frothy, spiced, refreshing!) and Sev puri as appetizers. For our main course, we ordered the Paneer Tikka masala (medium spice is pretty mild so feel free to amp it up if you prefer spicy food) and Goat Curry (spicy) to go with Garlic Naan and Butter rotis. FYI their entrées come with rice. All of the food we ordered was delicious, flavorful and tasted close to home. Highly recommend checking out this gem of an authentic Indian restaurant if you're in the area! read more

Masala Express - Salty Lassi - Indian Near Me - Merced, California

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The food was sooooooo Delicious I loved the chicken masala!! Great atmosphere and excellent service!! Highly recommended

The food was so delicious that I did not have a chance to take photos of it to post. The service was fantastic. read more

Excellent food. Casual atmosphere. Attentive. 9 dine in tables Walk up and take out Real plates and silverware and cloth napkins and serving dishes in a strip mall establishment. They are obviously trying to put some effort in. read more

Stopped here for Indian food on our way back from Yosemite. We are from Bay Area so have higher bar for Indian food. The chai was so milky it should have been called something else. The navratna korma had frozen veggies and the burji was lackluster. The good things were mango lassi and naans. It also took a long time for our orders to arrive. Would skip this place next time read more

What a great addition to Merced! The owner was very friendly and kind. Everyone in our group enjoyed their meal. It's nice that they have a buffet, but we didn't know until after the already ate! I hope to be back! read more

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My favorite place for lunch. They have a lunch buffet but their individual entrees are also good. My go to is the butter chicken and Chana masala. read more

First time coming to Masala Express on our way home to Los Angeles (LA) after visiting UC Merced. It was a rainy day so it was a perfect day for Indian food which we haven't had in 6 months because it is very expensive in LA. We had their daily buffet for $14.99 which is such a good deal because you get to sample all the popular Indian dishes. All the dishes were either not spicy or mildly spicy, but they can make any of dishes in the buffet upon request. Best of all, it came with so much hot fresh nan bread. We chose the garlic nan which was so good. I was impressed by the price, food quality, customer service and cleanliness of the restaurant. We even ordered 2 cups of mango lassi to go ($4/cup). We will definitely dine here again when visiting Merced or on our way to Yosemite or Big Trees state park. read more

Masala Express - The buffet table in the left upper corner. Not a lot but adequate and very good in my opinion. - Indian Near Me - Merced, California

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The food was delicious, I had the lamb saag, best lamb I've had in years. The staff was super friendly. The waitress offered helpful recommendations, and they went out of their way to make my birthday dinner special. read more

The food was delicious. The service was great. I will definitely come back if I'm in the area.

Finally an Indian spot in Merced with quality food that actually tastes like authentic Indian food. Ordered the baingan bharta, chicken saag and basmati rice. Authentic flavors and super fresh! Usually these dishes are swimming in butter and oil from other local Indian spots but this is definitely a higher quality with fresh ingredients. White meat chicken and super tender. Also super friendly service and seems to be a family run spot that cares about what they do. You know it's good when other Indian families are also dining there. Ordered Togo but plenty of seating and booths for dine in. The dining atmosphere is cafe/ fast food so probably not a spot to bring someone on a first date :] Thanks and keep up the good work! read more

Masala Express - Baingan bharta an chicken saag - Indian Near Me - Merced, California

Paid 15.99 for shrimp pakora and got literally 6 shrimp:( So disappointed on their serving quantities!!!! read more

Masala Express - Shrimp pakora:( - Indian Near Me - Merced, California

Me and my daughter love their masala chai it's amazing. I've tried some of their entree and were also very generous with their servings. The food was very tasty I look forward to trying more food. The restaurant is super cute and clean. The owner is super nice and so is all staff. read more

This was my 2nd time ordering and orderd different dishes then last time few months ago but same thing all 3 curries taste the same different vegetables in them meaning paneer bhurji dal makhni shahi paneer but same sweet taste in all three when I tried it first time I thought maybe other dishes might be better but never ordering from this place waste of over $80 or more both times I through it in the garbage. Last time I door dashed 3-4 dishes with naan this time 3 different then from last time I diid not ask to put sugar in my food these dishes are easy to make dal makhni was I between I couldn't tell If it was dal tadka just sweet I didnt see any lentils in there just weird gravy this is one of the items I ordered on 6/23 between 5 and 7pm shahi paneer was actually paneer tikka masala meaning with tomato gravy instead of actual shahi paneer meaning without any tomato and paneer bhurji was straight up just paneer no flavor no tadka at all. Paneer bhurji is supposed to have more onions than the amount paneer you are adding.. same for egg bhurji. I order out maybe when I am over worked I'm tired that don't mean I don't know how to cook. This is why most Indians don't order to go they only go to Indian restaurants when they have guests so they bring them maybe don't have to cook or just to go out eat. Straight up same taste and sugar sweet omg read more

I was never a fan of Indian food but my boyfriend had me try this today. We had the lunch buffet and it's well worth it. You have the option to get the regular Naan or garlic Naan (for $1.50 more) so we got one order of each. They are do soft and the garlic is strong which is how I like it. We go to the corner where they have food lined up. You get a cafeteria style stainless plate then add any dish that you want. I got butternut chicken, chicken tikka and tandoori chicken. I also got the basmati rice. All of them were good. The tandoori chicken was a little spicy to me. But the lady working there gave me a tip. She said to add tamarind sauce (which is sweet) to lessen the spice. Service is great. The variety of food was decent. We will definitely be back. Yehey for my first Indian food!!! (No pictures this time. I will save it for next visit) read more

Food and service were great!! The waiter was particularly attentive and helpful. Every dish was very tasty. The serve beer and wine but you can also byob!! read more

Traveling from Los Angeles where we "have everything"... Well we don't have Masala Express! Or Indian food even nearly as delicious this restaurant. Ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala that comes with basmati rice, two orders of butter nann and the samosas! Golly, I haven't felt so enriched in a long time. Although, I've never been to Indian this tastes like home. The staff is beyond kind, considerate, polite, incredibly helpful and generous. I'd recommend this establishment to anyone in a 30 minute radius. read more

We had my girlfriend's birthday party catered by Marsala Express and it was the best decision we could have made. Amazing food, affordable pricing, and super friendly service. We have be patrons of this place for years and it has never disappointed us! I can't recommend this place enough! read more

Food was absolutely delicious! As soon as you walk in you're hit with a flavorful aroma. Service was great, very attentive and fast! Will definitely be back! read more

Very good quality Indian food, and service. Will be my go to Indian place in the area.

Absolutely delicious! Wonderful service, the guy in there was a sweetheart! Omg that butter chicken is nobody's joke, it's tender, seasoned and worth a try! Will definitely return. read more

Food is excellent. Me and my wife went there for lunch buffet on a SUNDAY!!! Which is awesome. All the food was nice and hot and fresh. Never had fish curry before today. it was delicious. The workers and the owner are really welcoming. The environment has a cozy feel to it. I high recommended this place. read more

Masala Express - Indian Near Me - Merced, California

Last minute decide to come here and so happy we did. The owner Sam was 10/10. So kind and overly hospitable. Recommend something that was off the menu. It was pickled chicken??(sorry may have it wrong). It was marinated, grilled and served sizzling hot. We also ordered butter chicken and tikki marsala. We didn't know what his heat scale was so he brought us a side of his fresh ground spices on the side to add to our dishes. You can tell everything was freshly made and cooked. Everything was delicious. I am shocked anyone would rate this lower than 5 stars. You could tell he takes a lot of pride in his business and is passionate which was very refreshing! read more

Absolutely delicious totally impressed staff was wonderful food was absolutely amazing I recommend this place to everyone trust me clean friendly delicious only one problem I ate way too much read more

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Such a delightful experience! Service was great. Restaurant was so clean and welcoming. The server gave amazing recommendations. We tried Chicken Madras (spicy) and Green TandooriChicken Tikka (it's like fajitas). The flavor and quality was 100%. Thank you so much! I'll be back to introduce my family to this culinary experience! read more

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We are her on a Saturday noonish. The restaurant is immaculately clean and nicely decorated. We had the shrimp pakora, butter chicken, rice, and roti. The shrimp was excellently seasoned and grilled to perfection, served with two delicious chutneys for even more complex flavor. The butter chicken sauce (makhani?) was delicious and vegetable focused - not too creamy, spiced to our taste. The roti was pleasantly chewy! One thing I might quibble with was the overly sugary chai tea, but that might be to others' taste. The butter chicken portion was smallish; definitely intended for one. The service is very attentive and quick! They did advertise weekday buffet with rotating menus: we'll definitely be back to try it! read more

Fantastic food that reminded me of home. Thanks a lot Masala express. The buffet was simple, authentic and tasty

Masala express is good. Really like the chicken biryani. it's flavorful and filling. Would recommend for sure

We had the chai, garlic naan, mango lassi, Malabar fish curry, all excellent. The samosas, baigan bhartha and dal tadka were also good though not as high on my list for next time. My kid, who likes blander foods, enjoyed the dal. Great service, clean bathrooms, convenient stop along the I-5. This is our new go-to stop. read more

I only do take out. their food is good. I usually only ordered the Pani puri and sev puri to stratify my cravings. I had ordered butter chicken and chicken tikka Masla. Both dishes are good, but I like the butter chicken. read more

The food is very tasty. Very fresh. A good balance with the spices. The staff was vey friendly. The place was very clean. We will be back. read more

Masala Express - Chicken Sheekh kabab - Indian Near Me - Merced, California

I love their food. So yum. Naan is always fresh. I get the most amazing butter chicken. I like the samosa too

The best Indian food I've ever had! It's no wonder they are called a "fine Indian food" restaurant! The butter chicken and chicken tikka masala are rich in flavor. The garlic naan is perfectly garlicky and the aloo parantha is delicious. The service is amazing and very friendly. Great location and enjoyable ambiance! 5 Stars! read more

Masala Express - Chicken Tikka Masala, Butter Chicken, Garlic Naan, Aloo Parantha, Basmati Rice. - Indian Near Me - Merced, California

Excellent service. The food is amazing. Ceres and Modesto has nothing compared to this place. Must visit. read more

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