This is our second time here. Although hidden, the vibe here is always pleasant. The decor and feel of the place is really nice. The servers working here are very welcoming and accommodating as well with food ingredient adjustments. From the chai to chicken 65 and malai methi matar, the food does not disappoint. Full of flavor and taste for sure ! Will always enjoy coming back every time we visit San Diego Safari ( : read more

See all

The food was really quite good and served very quickly. I would have liked more water without having to ask and try to get the server's attention. The location was quaint but not anything fancy. Prices were reasonable, too. We absolutely would go back and recommend this place. read more

Amazing Veg Spring rolls!! They are bomb if paired with schezwan sauce. Got pav Bhaji for the first time here. I think I'm served smooth paste of onion and tomatoes topped with a lot of butter. No trace of Pav Bhaji masala even to sniff! Had a delicious bone-in goat curry here once. I was hooked. Then all subsequent bone-in goat curries from this place were disappointing....one time the goat was sacrificed in the butter chicken gravy...... read more

Naturally Desi Cafe - Pav Bhaji? Nah, no Pav Bhaji masala! - Indian Near Me - San Diego, California

I stopped by for take out on a random day. The food took about 20 minutes to prepare. I left and came back to pick it up. The menu offerings are extensive and of course I always want to order all the things. We went with tandoori chicken, chicken tikka masala, kadai paneer, and a lunch portion of chicken tali. Garlic naan and roti is a must. It came with all of the sauces. So fresh and delicious. The restaurant ambiance was very calm and clean. Lunch was slow for dine in but definitely seems prepared to accomodate big crowds. read more

See all

Super yummy and they're so friendly here. Ordered a vegetarian lunch thali to go. Their yellow dal is so delicious. Also came with a paneer curry, pappadam, salad, rice, naan, and raita. Great little café with very fresh Indian food. read more

See all

Iv been wanting to come here for a very long time. Finally went here last night. We got a plate of pani puri, it was served on a very cute truck, while the pani tasted good, there was barely any potato inside the puri. The vada pav was excellent! I would definitely order that again. We also ordered a plate of the chilli potato and veg Hakka noodles. The chill potato was delicious but the biggest disappointment was the veg Hakka noodles. The noodle was very thin like vermicelli and not like Hakka noodles are made. Over all it was confusing to truly determine how I felt about this place because some dishes were really good and some just weren't. Will have to go back and try more dishes! read more

See all

I've said it once and I'll say it again--the food here is fabulous! My husband and I come here often whenever we're craving the comfort of home-cooked flavors. This time, we ordered the Schezwan noodles, papdi chaat, tandoori fries, and vada pav--and every single dish was absolutely delicious. read more

See all

Ambience was very unique. They had a lot of common Indian phrases pictures but most unique item was ceiling hanging lights in tea pot shape. Another catchy item was magnet I saw at the cashier counter. I've attached pictures of it along review. One was chola bhatura and other was samosa magnets. Veg noodles were good, came in large quantity and not spicy but slight pinch of black pepper. Dal makhani was also good but had more rajma than dal in it. Chur naan was very unique, had paneer and beetroot filling in it. It was served with chola and raw onions and raw green chilli. Overall good experience, and would recommend to try their chola bhatura or chur naan chola if you are in town. read more

See all

Super authentic, delicious Indian food. We stopped in because the nearby gastropub has closed, and we're delighted with the service and food. We had the lamb curry, chicken dum biryani, and garlic naan, and all were tasty, with large chunks of meat and a nice level of shareable spiciness. My husband also recommends the Taj Mahal lager 22oz. Beer as being refreshing. Unfortunately, we ate everything before thinking about writing a review, hence the empty plates. read more

Naturally Desi Cafe - Empty dishes...so delicious! - Indian Near Me - San Diego, California

Service- not that great. He didn't seem happy to be there. Ambiance- nice decor Food - kind of sad they don't have chai even those there online menu said they have itm. Also we ordered this chill potato/ corn appetizers and it looked like fries. When we asked the server..he said this it and there was no Coen. The butter chixken..lamb saag and garlic Naan was good. I also liked the chicken friend rice. I miss the rasmali..cupcakes they used to have and chai. read more

Naturally Desi Cafe - Indian Near Me - San Diego, California

Ordered a Cpl of items today over the phone. Food was not ready at pickup time and was made to wait 40 mins. The server eventually gave me the food but forgot to pack rice and a side dish. They seem to give preference to door dash / uber instead of dine-in / take out customers. read more

The interiors of this place is very cute and they do have a slightly different menu than the other Indian restaurants. Service was quick and friendly. However the food here is pretty mediocre IMO. In the past I had ordered soya chaap and it was super disappointing. Pani puri is served in a very cute platter. However I think they focus more on the presentation than the actual food quality. Samosa chaat was below average. This place is passable for food. read more

We stumbled upon this hidden gem. Everything was so good. The flavor was something I wasn't expecting with the spice but Babbbby let me tell you, I couldn't stop eating even though my mouth was on fire ordering a spice level of 10 . The service was really good, it has a home feeling . read more

See all

Visited this restaurant on a Saturday afternoon. It was reasonably crowded but we still got a table. The ambiance was very eclectic. They had a good mix of Indian decorations with a modern twist. They had a specials menu, with interesting dishes. They serve unlimited free Indian chai/tea. We were excited to try some and enjoyed the same. My husband got the Nattu Kozhi biryani and he loved it. I requested for a vegetable tikka masala gravy (substituting the paneer). The curry dish was very flavorful and was not oily at all. I also got naan on the side. The naan was soft and fresh. We highly recommend this place for traditional Indian food. They have a good variety of dishes and don't make their food super oily like other restaurants. Archana (the owner) was very attentive and ensured that we had a good experience. read more

See all

Naturally Desi catered during one of the events organized in my company. I liked their flavor and food quality. So, I tried their restaurant with couple of friends. The restaurant was spacious and had very good ambiance. We started our order with Veg Manchow Soup ( Spicy ) which was excellent. Then we tried couple of starters like Malai Paneer Tikka and Chilli Baby corn manchurian. Both very good and the quantity was more as well. Malai paneer tikka went very well with the green chutney provided. We then ordered Malai Kofta and Garlic naan ( both very good ) and Veg Dum Briyani ( not so great, tasted more like Pulav ). The initial order took some time as the restaurant was crowded that time. But subsequent orders were comparatively faster. Must Try Items: 1. Veg Manchow Soup ( if you like Spicy food ) 2. Malai Paneer Tikka 3. Malai Kofta ( a right balance between Sweet and Spicy ) read more

Always a good time at Naturally Desi! The owner Archana makes sure you get best food and experience whether it's a dinner or catering for an event. read more

Naturally Desi Cafe - Mango Lassi - Indian Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

Food was very authentic and service was perfect, very clean and quiet I will return to try all the different dishes read more

Dropped in for lunch and had their Chicken Thali lunch special. Delicious! Casual atmosphere and friendly service. Great spot! read more

Naturally Desi Cafe - Chicken Thali lunch special - Indian Near Me - San Diego, California

I lived in the Bay Area for 8 years and sometimes I crave Indian food. Glad that we have the Naturally Desi Cafe in Rancho Bernardo. Super cute restaurant, very modern and clean. Food is delicious and the type of dishes that I like at an Indian restaurant. The down side is the pricing. I find it too expensive for what it is and now I only go when really craving that kind of food. Definitively not fast-food prices even if the restaurant is on the casual side. read more

I feel very torn to write this review. I loved (note past tense) this place and always looked forward to coming here for the best Indian food near home. In fact, we come here about once a month so we know intimately the dishes. Tonight was no different - wife suggested Naturally Desi and I happily obliged. Even before getting the menu, we knew what we wanted. Tandoori chicken (my favorite), eggplant bharta (my wife's favorite) and of course, no Indian meal can be without naan. As usual, the food is good although tonight, both dishes seem to saltier than usual. Anyway, I definitely enjoyed the food. But I don't appreciate being lied to when caught taking a 50% price increase on the tandoori chicken. The server was good. Took our order promptly and the food came out very efficiently. The tandoori chicken came out first and we immediately noticed that they shrunk...very significantly. My wife mentioned this to the server and she immediately went in to talk with the kitchen. I appreciated her quick response to try to do something about it. Basically, the price for the dish remained at $18 but went from six pieces of chicken down to four (see pic). In other words, the price went from $3 per piece to $4.50, or a 50% price increase! And they were pretty small pieces! The server said "the kitchen determines how many pieces are given based on the size of the pieces," implying we got large pieces of chicken. Being a self-proclaimed foodie, I take pictures of pretty much everything I eat, especially when I like the food. So I immediately looked up a picture from when I had it on August 5th and showed it to the server. I really didn't expect her to do anything about it but just wanted her to know that the kitchen is lying to her. See the pic attached for "before" & "after". Apart from portion size, the chicken tasted good as usual. Nice flavours, juicy with a little heat, but a touch too salty. Nonetheless, a solid "B+". The eggplant bartha was also tasty as usual. Again, a bit too salty today, losing a touch of the usual sweetness. But still went great with the naan and I think it deserved a "B". But I seriously didn't appreciate the lame excuse and being lied to about the chicken. I worked in brand management and loved to take price increases. But 50% is really extreme and simply bad business. Hence the two stars. Guess I'll have to look for another favorite Indian place near home. read more

See all

Have ordered for delivery from here a few times, and it's always been good! I usually get the chicken tikka masala and the samosas, which come with two pieces. The chicken tikka masala is delicious and on par with many others I've had from different restaurants. The portion of rice that come with the entree is decent (about a small to-go box as seen in the picture), but I do wish it was a little more as I usually have plenty of my entree still leftover after I finish all the rice. Most recently, my husband also ordered the chicken biryani and he enjoyed it as well. Highly recommend for great tasting Indian food. read more

Naturally Desi Cafe - Indian Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

We ordered a take out paneer biryani and were disappointed by the look, texture, taste of the dish. We have been going here regularly and have loved most dishes. We have had takeouts and dine in here and 9/10 times have liked the food quality and service here in. But the biryani today was disappointing to say the least. The upper layer resembled the typical biryani but as we started digging in, it was all mushy, soggy curry rice texture and nowhere close to any biryani I have had in the past. Hope the management improves the quality based on this feedback and does a better job next time. - Review by a biryani lover read more

Naturally Desi Cafe - Paneer Biryani - Indian Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

Naturally Desi is tucked into a shopping center, but don't miss this charming little cafe! The decor is simple and modern, and it is nice to sit and eat. The food is amazing, and you get a lot of food for what you pay! I'm taking leftovers home to enjoy! Our server, Kapil, was polite and helpful. Love this place! read more

Yummy Indian food. Very clean and friendly. I'm obsessed with the chili chicken. They also offer lunch specials that has a little bit of everything. And after that make sure to try the mango lassi. So so good. Best Indian food in the area. read more

See all

We love Naturally Desi and have eaten there many times! The food is filling and delicious! We had the garlic naan, spring rolls, chicken curry and chicken saat. All were delicious! The servers are very courteous and nice! read more

Definitely visit here again. We were searching for good Indian food in the area and were disappointed until we found this spot. Visited here around 7ish and place wasn't crowded. One of the two guys had us sit and took our order and food came in fair time. Samosa, samosa chaat ordered was flavorful. Samosa and chutneys were fresh and tasted really good. Next we tried chole bhature and loved it. Repeated the order. It came with catori full of one of the best chole we had flavors and taste very much like back home. Bhature were soft, with crispy tops, steaming hot when popped. It came with plate full of onions and chilly on the side. Simple yet great combination. The walls are accented with frames that would take you back to a quick memory lane. There are few options for Indian food in the area but this definitely stands out with their taste. read more

When you walk into the restaurant, it's a nice simple strip mall restaurant. Nothing over the top, very clean and pleasant, with a number of tables for the customers and a counter to order your food to go. The service struck me as a 2 person operation. One person in front, and 1, maybe 2 people in the back. So as the food was made, it was delivered to our table quickly, since we were the only people in the restaurant at that particular time. As for the food, it was very tasty. I wish I remembered to take pics of it only because it smelled good, and tasted even better. Next time I will. But we had the Garlic Naan, tasty; the samosas, these were oversized samosas and good, but I don't know if it was worth the price. As I think about it, the samosas were tasty... but perhaps Americanized.. it was lacking some kick to them. The spice palette wasn't fully there. I've had plenty of samosas and used to make my own (years ago), and I can say, they were toned down, perhaps to serve the community. We also had the chicken Tikka Marsala. Heat level was 3 for my GF, but very tasty. Next time I order my own. The only thing that I am not a fan of is charging an exorbitant price for a can of soda. $3 for a can?!? Yes, that's a great money maker, but charging that much will force me to get the food to go instead of visiting and leaving a 20% tip. Overall, we enjoyed it. It was worth visiting and will visit again. read more

See all

Their Lamb Curry is the best. Tender and juicy cube-sized meat in flavorful curry sauce, and always plentiful both meat and sauce. You won't have to worry about "smelly lamb meat", especially with Indian spices. I usually treat family and friends this course, and ordering a half tray (or full-size large tray) is best money spent. Naturally Desi's other curry dishes are yummy too, but lamb or goat dishes are our favorites. We've known this place for years and finally written up a Yelp review! Thank you! read more

Amazing Indian food. Found one more gem in San Diego for good Indian food. Visited this restaurant for lunch last week during a weekday. We ordered vadapav, pav bhaji, paneer khurchan and spicy potatoes. Could not have been better on taste and service. The vadapav was really soft and of perfect spice level. Spicy potatoes are basically potato fries sauteed in onions and sauces. The staff is super friendly and the location is also very convenient in Rancho Bernardo. They have created a nice desi vibe by putting an autorikshaw front in one corner along with lot of posters with desi phrases. Also on one side they have hung lights in tea pot shaped lamp shades. Really unique and authentic. Will surely visit again. read more

See all

Since we were quite impressed with their food at a party, we had to stop by to try some more dishes. We had the pani puri (special) and vada pav appetizers- yumm. We also chose to try the lamb shank curry and the Fish/meen pollichathu for our main course... both great but the fish was amazing!! The flavor was absolutely spot on, authentic Kerala cuisine and spice levels perfectly balanced. We had some Masala Lemon sodas and mango lassis to complement our meal. The whole experience was fantastic- complimentary chai, service was friendly and inviting and (the owner) Archana warmly checking in on customers, to the fun decor. Highly recommend visiting and once you do, I'm sure you will be repeat customers like my family. Highly recommend read more

See all

We visited after afternoon service is very slow maybe because of the traffic being less there is only one person serving and cleaning the tables and collecting the money visa and clean the food on the tables and left next to our table throughout our eating period which is around 30 minutes I suggest the service should be better and place should be kept clean. We ordered Indian food. It's pricey and the taste is OK read more

Went in for dine in so adding/updating a review with pictures Fish Polichatthu - 4/5 Flavorful sizzling hot fish cooked wrapped in banana leaf. Very unlikely to get this anywhere in SD. Kerela chicken curry - 4/5 A little more thicker than i would expect Kerela curry and more like the north indian gravies, but the flavour was good. Rumati Roti - OMG This is my favorite "bread" to eat indian curries/veggies with and their rumali roti is perfect - good size, hot and yummy. Kerela Paratatha - Another excellent option for bread to eat with the curries/ gravies. Gobi Manchurian - 7/5 - Excellent to eat served hot. Perfectly flavorful and crunchy. It got wiped out before i could sneak in a picture :) Goat Pepper Fry - 5/5 Excellent tender spicy goat meat. Pair it with the rumali roti and its a done deal. Its so refreshing to have options like Kerela Parathi and Rumali roti instead of the standard naan and roti. read more

See all

Good indian foods near my neighborhood. I had goat curry, dal tadka and, goat pepper fry. Goat curry had good curry sauce and spice and it was my favorite. Dal tadka was a bit runny and light in flavor. Goat pepper fry was a bit too salty. read more

If I could give this place 200 stars I would, I was honestly never much of a fan of Indian food UNTIL I came here. Now it is our mid week staple, we have been at least once a week since. The service is always prompt and friendly and the food is fresh and comforting. Our go to is the Chicken Korma which is always plenty to share for 2, and of course the garlic naan. Such an amazing option for lunch or dinner! read more

Honestly, the BEST Gobi Manchurian I have had in the states!!! SO good. The flavor of each dish was impeccable - perfectly spiced, extremely fresh. I definitely have a new favorite! Not to mention, the ambiance and the decor of the place is super cute, and very instagrammable (they literally have an auto rickshaw/tuk-tuk that you can take pics with)! The Kerala dishes were mindblowing!! Both of the chefs are from Kerala, so there's definitely an authentic touch. The owner is super sweet, and very proud of what she built - and she should be. We saw them all having lunch together upon closing, so you know it's a staff that works well together and respects each other! As long as their quality doesn't change, they will definitely have a regular visitor!!! :) WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND! read more

See all

Paid by card. Naturally Desi is located in the same plaza as UPS, hidden in the back to the right, and offers a lot of plaza parking. I ordered to go on a weekday and had some issues ordering. I ordered garlic naan, samosa, and butter chicken. The lady repeated the order back with cheese naan, and I corrected her, but when I picked up I got cheese naan. Luckily I caught it when I went to pick up and they made the garlic naan right away. Had to wait a few minutes for the correct order. The food is good here but the portions are small. I would say try this place if you're in the area but double check your order. Order several dishes if you're hungry! read more

I couldn't resist going back especially since the owner told me that the next day that they will have Rasmalai cupcakes, so here I am. Chia Seed Pudding with Mango: 4.5/5 This dessert did not have a label, so this is my unofficial name for it. The chia seed pudding was thoughtfully made with coconut milk and you can really taste the tropical flavors. The mango on top was very sweet in a natural way and didn't have that "gasoline" flavor I associate with mango that is left in the fridge too long. What I really appreciate is that the pudding was not overly thick or thin, not too sweet, and a good portion. While it is not something that is overtly amazing, its simplicity and quality cannot be ignored. Eggless Rasmalai Cupcake: 5/5 This cupcake is very similar to the gulabjamun cupcake but different. They do have the same flavors of rose and cardamom but they envelope the palate in very different ways that I'm unable to explain. The cake itself is slightly moistened and has a very delightful taste of fresh dairy. It is very sweet, refreshing, and truly is the incarnation of rasmalai in cupcake form. A definite must get even if you have never tried rasmalai before! Dahi Bhalla: 4.5/5 This is an item on their specials menu and it was really an interesting experience. A quick note that the -0.5 is not from anything bad, but I just cannot process the texture, but it is definitely worth trying if you are an adventurous eater. The dish comes with these two large pieces of cake that are pretty neutral in flavor that are soaked in something. I cannot tell you want it was, but they were moist. Those pieces of bread are then covered in yogurt, sweet chutney, green chutney, and these crunchy squares and sev (like little potato straws). The dish itself was sweet, cold, creamy, crunchy, savory, refreshing, and incredibly unique. For a more typical American palates, the bread is like a cross between a madeleine cooking and corn bread. The texture honestly is like one of those cookies soaked in water, but not inherently bad haha. I want more crispy bits! Vada Pav: 4.5/5 A fried potato patty between buns, how can you go wrong? This dish is crispy, spicy, salty, oily, rich, and warming. I cannot imagine how Indians eat this sort of rich food in the blazing sun, but I bet it is an experience. The patty is a flavor explosion of spices. Since it is fried, the oil and intense heat truly do help the spices release their entire arsenal of flavors. The spicy red sauce/chutney bring it all together. With such a delicious filling, they should use better buns honestly. Something with a little more chew and flavor would tie the whole thing together. I found the buns to be slightly dry/stale, but I can see how it helps highlight the delicious potato patty. A definite must get and easy to share! read more

See all

A friend told me about this restaurant and raved about the fish. She was right! It is nicely spiced - great blend of spices and coked to perfection. The tadka dhal and parathas rounded out the meal. We will definitely be back! read more

Naturally Desi Cafe - Dal Tadka - delicious - Indian Near Me - San Diego, California

We decided to try this cute new Indian place and we found the restaurant to offer tasty, fresh Indian food. We tried some cauliflower starter that was lightly battered and fried with sweet and sour sauce. It was delicious. We also got few flatbreads. There was one that was flakey and perfect for dipping yummy curry. Other dishes were equally good I especially enjoyed butter chicken with my kids. The people who run were also friendly. They said they've been open for about 2 months. Welcome to RB! Can't wait to try more of their dishes! read more

It USED TO BE 5 STARS... then I came back because I liked the place, ordered the same "Tandoori Chicken" that I had gotten before, paid the same price, but then they only gave me four pieces of chicken instead of six? Why in the world do you think peoples appetites have all magically changed to where we are being served A THIRD LESS of chicken? They weren't large pieces to begin with either, but now they want to not even serve you the full meal that you pay for? No thank you. The behavior of whoever runs this place is tantamount to stealing from customers. They wanted to change the amount of chicken we got thereby charging us more, so we simply adjusted the cost out of the tip and wrote it on the receipt line so they could see exactly how we added up the cost together and what the tip would have been had they brought us the full amount we had ordered. Maybe the servers will see that the restaurant is making them lose money and respond in kind until management gets its act together. read more