An affordable and tasty Indian buffet!…read more The weekend lunch buffet was $22, which is around the price you'd pay for a normal restaurant anyways, so this was a great deal to try many dishes. My favorite dishes were the chicken biryani, paneer tikka masala, and chicken tandoori. The paneer tikka masala was better than the chicken, and the sauce went perfectly with the hot garlic naan. The server came by frequently to refill our waters and naan. The food was also was all hot and fresh! The setting is very casual, I'd definitely come back for this buffet.

I went for their lunch buffet and the price is amazing (18.99) but I think their flavors are a bit…read moremore mild than other restaurants and not as memorable. It's good if you want to try a lot of different things but I found nothing to be particularly mindblowing. However, since flavors are mild, I think it is also less spicy than a lot of places so it's more welcoming to those who can't handle space or very strong particular flavor.

I would like to say this place is just amazing! It is a ghost kitchen so keep that in mind! The…read morechicken is so delicious and fresh and the baba ghanouj was soooo good! I wish it came in a larger plate! Haha The guy actually called me about my order as I placed it online and didn't pick it up right away so he called to make sure I was still on my way which was so nice! I would definitely come back and try more things on the menu!!

This place is a ghost kitchen which joins forces with other restaurants to make up Smart Kitchen…read moreInc.These places normally don't have dining areas but thankfully they do. There's a few right outside the entrance and picnic tables across the street. Mediterranean cuisine is one of my favorites so naturally I wanted to try this. And it's conveniently walking distance from my other job. I ordered the Half Rotisserie Chicken Plate which includes two sides. I got Rice, Hummus, and Fattoush (salad). It also came with a side of salsa and garlic. Delicious!!! Can't wait to come back Note: When I ordered through the Smart Kitchen website I didn't have the ability to select my sides. Thankfully they immediately called me about my order, got my sides, then started working on it. I got my notification a lot sooner than the original pick-up time!

Definitely come here with an empty stomach beforehand as the bowls are HUGE…read more Big bang for your buck in my opinion I love ordering from here when I'm looking for something hefty and filling

Noodle St. is a casual, family friendly eatery known for its fresh, handcrafted hand-pulled and…read moreknife-cut Northern Chinese noodles. It's part of a popular brand, the Irvine location is notably recognized as their halal-friendly option. The brand now operates a total of 9 locations across Southern California. The restaurant features a clean, trendy, and contemporary interior with an open kitchen where diners can watch staff hand-craft the noodles. Beef Roll Pancake: The shell is crispy, flaky, and fresh. Inside is stuffed with tender slices of beef layered with fresh scallions and cilantro. It's heavily accented with a sweet oyster sauce or hoisin sauce inside. Overall, it's a rich, savory, and sweet combination flavor. Spring Cold Noodle: This dish features a much richer, deeper savory base. It's heavily dressed in a nutty sesame paste or peanut sauce blend, balanced out by light soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic. It comes topped with premium, cold-sliced beef, carrots, and spinach. This dish served with standard round noodles. Because they are chilled, the noodles contract and lock in a highly satisfying, firm, bouncy, and elastic chew (Q-texture). The smooth sauce makes the noodles incredibly slick, allowing them to glide effortless with every bite while holding onto finely shredded vegetables. It is incredibly delicious. Scallion Pancake: It's umami and savory, driven by salt and the sharp, slightly sweet flavor of minced scallions baked right into the dough. Many variations also brush the layers with toasted sesame oil, giving it a rich, nutty, and warm aromatic flavor. Savory Braised Chicken Noodles: It's essentially their take on the classic Chinese "Big Plate Chicken" (Da Pan Ji) adapted into a single-serving dry noodle dish. This dish is served over a bed of their thick, handcrafted knife-cut noodles. The dish features boneless, tender chicken pieces that are slowly braised in a rich, deeply savory, and slightly aromatic brown sauce. It's cooked together with stewed potatoes, onions, and green bell peppers. It's spicy and deeply savory. overall, it tastes like a hearty, elevated home-cooked chicken stew packed with savory depth, balanced with subtle spice, and tossed with fresh, chewy dough. Garlic String Beans: These string beans are packed with fresh, aromatic garlic. It's the dominant flavor profile, giving the dish a sharp, savory bite. What makes it unique is the addition of finely minced dried radish tossed into the mix. The dried radish bits get crispy in the wok and inject concentrated pops of salty, smoky umami throughout the dish. It's an incredibly savory, texturally satisfying dish. Fast table service and friendly, attentive staff who keep water glasses full and orders moving quickly. The restaurant is located within the open-air Northpark Plaza shopping center, which provides a massive, free self-parking lot, excellent and stress free! Take one star out because we have 3 orders of Scallion Pancakes and one order was undercooked. Savory Braised Chicken Noodle was way too spicy, it supposed to be mild spicy.

Service is wonderful. This review is for a catering order…read more We ordered 20 butter chicken burritos (and they offered to turn the order into 40 mini burritos. Perfect!). The burritos individually wrapped and were the right size for the parents, though even at mild, the butter chicken was a little spicy to me. I asked about allergens, and the lady let me know that they were going nut free in a week and everything would no longer have nuts. The butter chicken does contain dairy in the form of queso. We also ordered a tray of the corn bhel (this was AMAZING) and mixed salad (in hindsight, probably not the best order for a bunch of four and five year olds). Both are dairy-free and nut-free. The food was delivered promptly to the venue exactly on time. I paid for the order via Zelle when I placed the order.

What did I just eat?…read more I'm genuinely confused after eating at Maast Indian in Irvine, because I don't know how something can look so promising on the outside and taste so disappointing on the inside. I was skeptical walking in, not gonna lie. The place wasn't exactly packed -- maybe three tables had people and there was one person waiting on an order -- but I figured hey, every new spot deserves a fair shot. The interior actually looks really nice. Clean, modern, good layout, good lighting... it feels like a place that should be delivering quality food. Then I ordered the Tandoori Chicken "Panini Sandwich". First of all... $15 for a sandwich like that is wild. And if you're going to charge $15, the food better be memorable in a good way. This was memorable in the worst way. The flavor was just off. The chicken didn't taste like tandoori should. It didn't have that smoky, spiced kick you expect -- it tasted bland and kind of weird, like the seasoning didn't know what it wanted to be. The whole sandwich felt thrown together, and the "panini" part didn't add anything except disappointment. And what really got me was the value. No fries. No chips. Nothing on the side. Just a sandwich. For $15. During lunch hours. That's crazy. For that same price, I can go to Curry Hut, Curry Time, or other grab-and-go Indian spots and get a full combo plate that actually fills you up and tastes like Indian food is supposed to taste. This wasn't even in the same league. This wasn't a "maybe I ordered the wrong thing" situation. This was a "how did this make it onto the menu" situation. I hate leaving negative reviews because I understand how hard it is to run a small business, and I'm not here to tear anyone down. But the food needs a serious reality check. The presentation and the space are great -- but the kitchen needs to match that same standard. If the owner sees this, I'd honestly love to talk. Feel free to reach out. And for anyone reading this: you know I don't throw out 1-star reviews like that. The only reason this isn't a 1 is because I genuinely don't want to hurt a small business. But this experience was not good.

Went with my wife and 11 and 12 year old kids. Ordered the Garlic Nan, butter chicken and goat…read morecurry. The depth of flavor of the butter chicken and goat curry was amazing. Service was fantastic. Ambiance was basic. The food was the show. Will definitely be back.

I can see why India Gate is rated so well. We were going to grab matcha next door but the smell of…read moreIndian spices overtook us, and what do you know, it happened to be lunch hour. They had Father's Day pricing which was $21.99 but usually I think it's a few dollars less. Either way, we'd come back. The food was hot, fresh, steaming and the area looked clean. Service was fantastic. They are consistent in refilling their dishes. Their garlic naan was so chewy and crispy, held our many dishes well. My recommendations are their butter chicken (must have), vegetable korma, paneer, and fish curry. The desserts were all good, from their mango pudding to gulab jumun and gajar ka halwa. The gajar is a blend of carrots slow cooked into water and milk, it's nice and light. Would recommend, better than some of the already tasty Indian buffets in the immediate area!

Absolutely love yellow chili. We frequent yellow chili often as their quality and flavors simply…read morecannot be matched by any other indian restaurant in the area. We order to go more ofter than we would like to admit and our go to are their lamb biryani and their papad. Phenomenal every single time, it is a staple in our household. While i will admit if you are ordering online, try to call before they deliver as we often have had issues missing raita or chutneys. Other than that the food quality is always great. When we are looking for a heavier meal then we like to go in and enjoy. You cannot go wrong with anything on the menu, it is all delicious and crafted to perfection. As a note, their happy hour portions are very small so i wouldn't really recommend for that especially if they are busy. For some reason the service is quicker if you order main dishes and non happy hour drinks during happy hour haha.

Food: The food at Yellow Chili was really good! We especially liked the methi paneer and pyaaz…read moremirch ki roti. The methi paneer was so flavorful and was generous with paneer with around eight pieces. The pyaaz mirch ki roti was unique and almost like a whole wheat naan with onions and chilis and chili powder on top! This was yummy to eat with gravy but also on its own! Our only feedback would be we wished there were a few more naan pieces, or the four quarters were a bit larger. Service: Our server was such a gem! She suggested such nice appetizers, mains, and drinks for us to try, and we liked both of her suggestions that we tried! She was also attentive and asked us how our food was and gave us two togo boxes, despite taking care of multiple tables at once. Truly her outgoing energy, smile, and suggestions made my night! Ambiance: The ambiance is gorgeous! Love the color combination with the peacock blue and darker yellow! Also there's a beautiful painting at the back with Indian men and women in the foreground and American landmarks in the background. There are also two bathrooms, and they were super clean. Lastly, there was generous seating inside and some tables outside as well! To be honest, this place is slightly pricier, and there is similar Indian food for a much lower price. However, if you want to order two to three dishes and want a wonderful dining experience, highly recommend!

This Indian restaurant is truly a hidden gem for Indian buffets in Irvine! The restaurant is small…read moreand cozy, but they make great use of the space. The dishes are flavorful, fresh, and good quality. I also really appreciated the attentive service--there are plenty of servers, and they quickly clear your plate as soon as you're finished. Great food and excellent service. Definitely worth checking out if you love Indian food!

Despite having ordered from here a few times (and the food being) we just dined in on a Saturday…read moreafternoon and had an amazing experience. The menu is a mix of southern and northern Indian staples and the usual CTM for a British influence. The food uses very high quality ingredients and is properly spiced for anyone who likes Indian food. The servers are very knowledgeable and friendly and they were all able to pinpoint vegan dishes without having to explain what you are looking for. The inside of the restaurant was a great surprise as it's a white table cloth setting - highly unusual for Indian restaurants in Southern California and much more typical to the North East of the country. Definitely a top spot for Orange County if you want high-quality food and an upscale experience.

Amazing ambiance, rich & savory duck ramen !…read more Yakamoz is conveniently located in Stonecreek Plaza amongst a variety of other restaurants. At a glance, the establishment is unassuming but upon entry, you can immediately identify why this ramen shop differentiates from the rest. One of the biggest highlights of this place is the cozy, home-like ambiance. There are intricate details throughout the entire interior which show the amount of care and consideration put into elevating the experience. Donned with art along the walls and a classic turn-table playing classical music, I felt like I was dining in a makeshift dining room. Aside from the ambiance, the food was also stellar. I got the highly recommend best-seller item here, the duck ramen, and it definitely lived up to expectations. The broth was rich and savory yet not overwhelmingly heavy. The duck was cooked to perfection, nice and tender without being tough to chew. The noodles had a nice texture to them, indicative of fresh hand-pulled labor. Service here was also excellent. The wait staff came by constantly to check up and refilled water without having to call for it. Overall, I would highly recommend this establishment to anyone looking to get some amazing duck ramen in a nice, cozy environment!

If you're looking for a ramen shop in OC that is both delicious and dog-friendly, look no further!…read moreI was looking for Father's Day lunch with my wife and pups and had been wanting to try this spot. Parking was pretty easy to find and we were quickly sat. The inside is decorated so nicely, gives off a very European vibe. We immediately knew what we wanted which was the Signature Duck Ramen. We also ordered the Karaage (small) to share. The ramen come with duck breast, shrimp and scallop wonton, a quail egg and some other toppings. The broth was so aromatic and the duck breast was super tender. The Karaage was also super crispy, the outside fry was very light and it didn't feel oily at all. The portions were huge and we were stuffed at the end of the meal. There are so many other item that we wanted to try so we'll have to come back in the future! Will definitely be back!