I visited Pippal Restaurant in Emeryville recently, and while the food and service were excellent, my experience was negatively affected by the manager. The service team was friendly, attentive, and did a fantastic job throughout our meal. During our visit, I repeatedly saw the manager calling employees by name from across the restaurant and summoning them over while they were busy. It created an uncomfortable atmosphere for both the staff and the guests. At one point, he interrupted our server while she was taking our order to ask her questions, disrupting the interaction. At the end of our meal, the general manager introduced himself and asked us to leave a positive review, specifically mentioning this location. While I understand the importance of customer feedback, the request felt awkward given what I had observed throughout the meal. A general manager should lead by example. Treating employees with respect and allowing them to focus on serving guests creates a better experience for everyone. I hope this improves because the rest of the team and the overall dining experience were genuinely excellent. read more

We had a big end of year team dinner at Pippal last night. Everything was wonderful! The service was warm and friendly. The cocktails and mocktails were tasty and beautiful. The food was absolutely delicious. Thank you, Pippal, for a special experience for our team. read more

An upscale Indian restaurant in Emeryville - with classy ambience, good drinks and Indian fusion food. Situated inside a food court in a mall, so parking should not be an issue. Came here for a very late lunch on a weekday with some friends for a celebration and had the entire restaurant to ourselves which made it seem like a private event! For food, there were a lot of options to choose from. For appetizers, we ended up going for Litti Chokha, Assorted Chicken tikka, Achari Paneer Tikka. The paneer stood out the most out of all the three appetizers, it was soft and flavorful. The chicken was a tad bit dry. Litti Chokha was also decent (haven't had it a lot in restaurants here in the US, so it was a welcome change). For main course, we ordered butter chicken, paneer makhni, kofta and garlic naan. Both the butter chicken and paneer makhni were a bit on the sweeter side for me, but still, the dishes tasted good. Kofta was a surprise - not everyone would like their spin on the kofta: it was creamy, again a little bit sweeter for my pallet and had an unusual paneer filling. They do have some nice collection of Indian fusion cocktails. Our server was very patient and extremely polite, overall, had a good time at Pippal. read more

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3.5 stars $23 Greek Lamb Burger: unique, spicy, and delicious. But the amount of ghee lathered into the crisscross fries and the burger itself was in hindsight, a bit too much. $8 spicy Guava mocktail: good, interesting. read more

The food here is amazing! The portions are usually small but there are some particularly good combinations that make it filling if you come in a group and share amongst friends. The cornish hen biryani has a huge helping of rice along with the chicken that can be easily shared with 4 people. The hen itself was really good and succulent. Very tender. The rice was spiced very well and was very flavorful. It went well with the yogurt the serve with it. Overall a 4.5/5 The mango fish and prawn curry is spectacular. Perfect balance of sweet and savory. The only downside is sharing amongst people, it is not that much. Overall a 5/5, i believe this is a must try The goat curry we got was just ok. I would not get jt again. I did not really care for the flavor. Overall a 3/5. Not pictured but the AFC is really good and an amazing appetizer. I just kept going back for it. The venue is really pretty. Their cups are cute and they have outdoor and indoor seating. The overall atmosphere is calm. Their service is ok. Nothing spectacular but their waiters are really nice, and they bring food on time. Overall, a good experience. I enjoyed my time there and will be going back :) read more

Pippal - Chicken Biryani, MANGO FISH & PRAWN CURRY, goat curry, and naan - Indian Near Me - Emeryville, California

Drinks were good. Food was good, spicy. Not many non-dairy options, but loved the fish and prawn curry. I like that it's not too loud. Overall good experience. read more

Pippal - Orange mocktail, Fried Burrata - Indian Near Me - Emeryville, California

I love the food in this place. For once, if anyone asks me where to go for Indian food - I recommend Pippal. It is unapologetically bold in its Indian flavor and Bay Area is more than ready for this. My daughter was craving their Paneer Kathi Roll, so we went today. Seems like being true to the Indian flavors is no longer their focus. Their menu is now half Indian and half Mediterranean. They seem to be doing some kind of a pop up and more than half of their Indian dishes are no longer offered. Why? Why would you not stay true to your roots and do what you are really good at? Why would I go to an Indian restaurant to eat Mediterranean food? I am so disappointed! My sincere request - you are really good at Indian food and have customers who make a trip to get just that. They are recommending you to anyone who wants good Indian food. Please go back to being authentic! read more

Delicious Indian food although you pay for the quality. Beautiful upscale restaurant on Bay Street and bar with outdoor patio and fire pit just outside. Servers were attentive. read more

Pippal - Basmati rice - Indian Near Me - Emeryville, California

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Came here on Saturday afternoon. The place has beautiful décor, and we were seated immediately, which was great. After a few minutes, we ordered the beetroot kebab, Amritsari fish, malai kofta, baingan bharta, and garlic naan. Beetroot kebab - This was the only good dish. It was flavorful and tasty. Amritsari fish - Overcooked and thin, with very little flavor. The fish pieces lacked seasoning and really needed lemon and salt. It came with potato fries that were also bland. Overall, quite disappointing. Malai kofta - A complete rip-off. The white gravy was watery and tasted like nothing except an overpowering cardamom flavor. The kofta itself seemed like just fried paneer with no real flavor. Definitely would not recommend. Baingan bharta - Couldn't taste the eggplant or any smoky roasted flavor. The taste was confusing and underwhelming. The host came by twice to check on us, but the approach felt loud and somewhat intrusive rather than friendly. Overall, the food was overpriced and lacked flavor. Unfortunately, we won't be coming back. read more

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Pippal is one of those places that just gets it. Cool, modern vibe without trying too hard, super friendly service and food that actually make you pause mid-conversation like, wait ... this is really good. For dinner, we ordered Dahi vada chaat, chicken trio, maharashtrian style chicken curry, sag with makki ko roti and beetroot roti. Everything was flavorful and felt thoughtful done. Not greasy, not overly heavy just really well balanced. Highlight for me was beetroot roti which is not available in any other restaurants. Roti was soft, warm and impossible to stop eating. Overall, this place is warm and stylish, great for a date night with friends where you want things to feel fun but still a little elevated. read more

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I'm honestly shocked by this place. Next to a Shake Shack, this restaurant should not be as good as it is. From the moment you walk in, it's a tier above the rest of the restaurants on Bay Street. Nice decor, perfect spot for a night out. Food is fantastic. From the small plates to the entrees to the desserts, every dish has multiple layers, all of which come together to create exciting flavors. Start with the chicken momo, perfect juicy dumplings topped with a sweet tomato chutney. Then go for the amritsari kulcha, featuring a delicious chickpea gravy with fresh kulcha bread. End with kulfi falooda, a unique dessert with saffron ice cream, vermicelli noodles, chia seeds and fruit. Few restaurants make you feel like you're eating hit after hit after hit. This is an absolute must-try if you're looking to explore Indian cuisine in a nice, up-scale venue. read more

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Wanted to try out this restaurant for a while, but didn't get a chance to, as it's a bit far from south bay and there is a multitude of good Indian dining in the south bay. Finally gave it a shot yesterday and regretting it. Upon entering the restaurant, it was 80% empty at 7 pm on a weekend. The manager pretended to be busy talking on the phone without greeting us while we stood awkwardly at the host stand. We were there to try the tasting menu, which is shown in multiple places in their Google reviews, but the servers had no idea what a tasting menu means? They have made a section of Indian food and Mediterranean food in the same menu, but the restaurant name is Pippal Indian cuisine? Seems like the restaurant has no identity. They were very interested in selling the Mediterranean menu, but if we actually wanted to have Mediterranean food, we would have gone to one of the nicer Mediterranean places. There was no designated server, every 2 minutes a new server came asking if we are ready to order, not giving us any breathing space, even though there were hardly 10 people eating at the restaurant at that time. We finally ordered the chicken momo, litti chokha and chicken biryani. We tried going with the safe options because we already got the hunch that the restaurant is not doing well. And our hunch was 100% right. All the food was bland, lacking in flavor or seasoning. It's like they put in the spices, but lacked the intuition to put in the correct combination that makes flavors pop. For an upscale Indian dining, this is the minimum expectation. The chicken momo lacked salt which made the taste bland. The litti chokha was very dry and no smokiness, which is the signature of the dish, and 3 big littis with a tablespoon of chokha - that is not how you are supposed to serve it. Chicken biryani was a mountain of rice with a small whole rotisserie chicken served on top of it - yes a full 1 lb chicken with all the bones in it. I did not plan on butchering a chicken for my dinner. There was absolutely no flavor and no spiciness in the biryani - it was a bit sweet, which is extremely disappointing because biryani is something which is very hard to mess up and even the smallest eateries often serve pretty good biryani. The manager was going around asking for feedback, so given our disappointment, we did mention the litti chokha, because that was what disappointed us the most. He got extremely defensive, saying that litti is his chef's native dish and he makes the most authentic littis. He then went went back and brought out the chef, and when told that it lacked smokiness, the chef agreed that they don't have the authentic setup to make it. That is fine, but the manager was so annoying - if you can't handle constructive feedback, why go around asking for feedback? Overall, a very disappointing experience, would rate it lowest or one of the lowest among all our upscale Indian dining experiences in the bay area. read more

Pippal - Indian Near Me - Emeryville, California

We came across this amazing place accidentally. Didn't know it was halal. The server who helped us was super friendly and sweet she was very accommodating. W edu single dish we orders, was super delish. Excellent presentation and fresh. I would say it was on pricier side, however, totally worth it. Loved the cleanliness and environment. read more

Pippal - The daal and the drink, mouth watering! - Indian Near Me - Emeryville, California

Tldr: aggressive flavor profile but balances out with naan/rice There were a lot of intriguing items on the menu but we went for the dal and the fish curry along with some rice and garlic naan. Both the dal and the fish curry had really strong flavors (both in terms of saltiness and spice level altho they weren't overly spicy) so we were glad to have ordered the carbs to go along with them. The star of this dinner was the fish in the fish curry, cooked to nearly perfection, crisp on the outside but super soft on the inside. I'd love to know how they cooked the fish! Overall, service and atmosphere were nice and this would be a good date spot. We'd probably come back to try some of their other menu in the future! read more

Pippal - Fish & prawn curry, garlic naan, pippal dal, rice - Indian Near Me - Emeryville, California

Naan portions were decent sized nd shareable. Butter chicken was fine, but the mango fish prawn curry was the standout, it had more flavor but it is spicier so be aware. Friendly staff and had a short wait, but you can book online for larger groups. Slightly on the expensive side. We didn't get it but I like how they offered a prix fixe menu too. read more

Pippal - BUTTER CHICKEN, MANGO FISH & PRAWN CURRY, garlic naan, chili garlic naan - Indian Near Me - Emeryville, California

I made a reservation on OpenTable and requested a quiet table. They accommodated us by having us in a corner all by ourselves, which was nice. There was a singer on the other side- but we were able to have our own conversation. We got 3 appetizers - idli, chicken, and dahi chaat, along with mango lassi and paan tea. Favorite part had to be the chicken - flavorful, moist, and hot! The service staff were super friendly as always. They even let us try one of the drinks to see if we want to order it. One odd thing was that there was no masala chai for the day. But the paan tea was not bad read more

Pippal - CHICKEN MALAI TIKKA, DAHI VADA CHAAT, MASALA MINI IDLI - Indian Near Me - Emeryville, California

Food was excellent! Rather pricy, but we enjoyed everything we had. They do offer a full bar which is nice and made a lovely martini. Servers were very nice and helpful. Very nice clean restaurant. Will definitely be back. read more

Wildly disorganized service, poor hygiene practices, and mediocre food. 1. Service -- dishes came out randomly. Not clear who the designated server was. Floor manager (?) acted as seating host instead of directing service or the kitchen. 2. Hygiene -- Servers did not wash hands between clearing tables and serving food. Water carafes were refilled from cleared tables w/o being washed. Witnessed servers wiping down tables and then immediately picking up drinks from the bar area. Overall ambience was shabby upon close inspection. 3. Food was, okay. The flavors were generally good but the disarray in the kitchen and serving area led to a lack of confidence that the food was safe to eat. Alameda County should definitely come out for an inspection. read more

My husband and I decided to stop by for dinner since it was listed on inKind. Because of all the high reviews, I was excited to give this place a try. I'm a big fan of Indian food, especially naans and curries. We didn't make a reservation but there were plenty of tables available on a Wednesday evening at 6:30pm. Loved the modern and romantic vibe of this restaurant. We weren't sure what to order so asked the server for recommendations. He said Dahi Vada and Litti Chokha were their most popular. Let's just say that they were both disappointing. The litti was something that we were not used to eating so was surprised with the crumbly texture. The dahi vada was very bland. The fish curry was better than the other dishes but it was way too spicy. The chili garlic naan was average. I'm not sure if it was what we ordered, but we were extremely disappointed with their dishes. The prices did not justify the taste and quality of the food. If I do come back, I would probably try their fries or one of their other curry dishes. read more

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Really delicious and authentic Indian food. Ambiance is lively and a great place to eat in an evening or weekend. This restaurant has special Indian dishes that you can't really find at a traditional Indian restaurant. If you like authentic Indian food, definitely check out this place. They had special Father's Day dishes and a separate brunch menu as well. I really loved the "tikka masala" paneer, or paneer makhani. Drinks were also very delicious and we were seated quite fast! read more

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We went on a Saturday night and it was super busy! Thankfully we had reservations and definitely recommend getting reservations if you wanted to sit indoors (they have an outdoor patio are too). It's in the Mall area so theres paid parking close by. The food was really good and the cocktails were delicious! Definitely on the pricier side! The litti chokha was a surprise on the menu and quite delicious, as were the momos! The chole kulche were a hit as well! read more

Pippal - Indian Near Me - Emeryville, California

My brother and I brought my niece here today for some Indian food, thinking it would be a nice meal on a beautiful day. Unfortunately, the experience was really disappointing. First, the customer service set the tone. The first server who greeted us was very rude, nonchalant, and standoffish. It honestly felt like we were bothering her just by being there, which made the experience uncomfortable from the start. As for the food, this is definitely not your typical Indian food. The flavors were very different from what we're used to, and not in a good way. My niece absolutely loves Indian food -- we eat it pretty regularly -- but she did not like her dish at all. None of us really enjoyed our meals. We even spoke with the manager about it because we were trying to be reasonable. We explained that the food just wasn't something we could eat and wanted to see if there was any way to resolve it. The manager told us there was nothing he could do because we had already ordered the food, so we ended up paying for meals that we barely touched. If you look at the pictures, it probably looks like we didn't eat much of anything. That's because we really didn't. The only things we were able to eat were the naan and some of the rice. Even the rice didn't come with the meal and had to be ordered separately. Another thing worth mentioning is the portion sizes. The dishes looked more like appetizer portions rather than full meal portions, especially for the price. Between the unfriendly service, the unusual taste of the food, and the fact that we had to pay for meals we didn't even eat, this was not a great experience. Unfortunately, this is not a place we would return to. read more

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Super cute restaurant, the music the decor was really nice. The staff were so nice and friendly. We sat at the bar & the bartender was very inviting and giving suggestions. I don't recall the name of the green cocktail. It was to cute with flowers floating. The food was delicious and flavorful. Just right for us. Try them out , on the 2nd level on Bay Street. We had garlic naan, lightly fried fish and a dish with huge prawns not too spicy at all. First time and we will be going back. read more

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Dim lighting, elegant ambiance, makes for a great date night to take it slow with your sweetie to try new dishes and flavors. A culinary experience. Delightful, Fancy Indian meal. Spicy! If you order spicy entrees, suggest to order an appetizer that is non spicy or get something creamy to cool you down. Server recommended that and it was so helpful! Not kidding that the bread, rice, salad is spicy Reservations can be made online Food presentation was beautiful and interesting to the eye Every dish was something I haven't tasted or experienced before read more

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The sea bass was amazing, appetizer plater was delicious! The place has a nice ambiance read more

Pippal - Journey Through Mediterranean Sampler Chicken Shwarama - Indian Near Me - Emeryville, California

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We ordered a couple of appetizers and some other dishes and everything was delicious. The service was fast and really friendly. We will definitely be returning, read more

Came here for Valentine's Day and ordered the below 1. Masala Idli - made well but had too much ghee 2. Watermelon chaat- very refreshing flavor, loved the unique flavor 3. Bhoot Jolakhiya chicken - tender and juicy 4. East India Butter Chicken - personally thought their chicken was too sweet The staff and service are really attentive and checked on us a few times. We ordered three drinks, 3 apps and one entree and our total came out to $187 which wasn't too bad given most restaurants had prefixe menus starting at $150pp The restaurants in a mall so be prepared to drive a few levels to find parking. It's paid. They could separate the tables a bit to give people some room to talk. We could hear the table next to us very clearly. It was a good one time experience but I doubt we will go again read more

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Came here with a buddy when we were indecisive about where to eat, and we were super satisfied with our choice. They don't have many of the more common Indian dishes on the menu, which leads me to believe this is a different regional cuisine than I am used to having when eating Indian food. The restaurant itself is super nice, and has a cozy fire pit at the front with TVs above, which is a nice touch. Could even see the bay/SF from our table which is pretty cool. Wish the server provided a little more guidance with our orders since we were not familiar with many dishes, but the two chicken we landed on were both delicious. Will come back with the wife to try some dishes that the server recommended post-meal. read more

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The food at Pippal in Emeryville was excellent, and the Daulat Ki Chaat dessert was our absolute favorite! The ambiance was great! We will come again for sure. read more

I'd have to give them one star this time. I ordered Lal Mas goat curry and the coconut fish curry. The goat was quite tough, and the fish was overcooked. Both dishes were very spicy, which nearly landed me in the hospital. I didn't realize their spice level is so intense--probably 15 out of 10. They should mention that these dishes are very spicy; not everyone can tolerate this level of spice. Even if I ignore the spiciness, the quality didn't quite match the cost. I'm disappointed this time. read more

Son recommended the place based on the reviews. Place didn't disappoint. Not for the cost conscious mind, but worth the experience. Food quality was excellent. Taste was authentic. Drinks were superb. The veg portions could have been larger. They were sufficient, but absolutely no left overs. Part of the reason was the tasty aspect, part was due to smaller portions. Was it worth the drive from South Bay - yeah, for one trip. Had enough taste variation that we were happy. read more

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This has been a regular meetup spot for a close friend and me. When we first visited shortly after their opening, it was a consistent 5-star experience with excellent food. The next 3 visits, were a slight letdown, went again and the food was excellent but quite spicy so you may want to mention to make it non-spicy. Food - The quality is excellent but I think its a hit-or-miss. Most dishes are excellent, In appetizers - the Paneer, Dahi Vada Papdi Chaat, Tandoor Chicken appetizer are all excellent. We started sticking to the appetizers as we werent too impressed with the main dishes in the past esp. Paneer Makhani was disappointing. Service - Average, although during 2 of our visits, the staff spent time sorting silverware on the bar counter right next to the seating area. lol. The noise was so disruptive that we had to stop our conversation and wait for them to finish just to hear each other. This didnt happen the last visit. I would give this play a try, overall the food is excellent. read more

Pippal - Dahi vada Papdi Chaat Appetizer, Paneer Appetizer, Naan and Beet Root Roti - Indian Near Me - Emeryville, California

My first time at Pippal and it was perfection! The food was deliciously spiced and had incredible flavor and texture. The cocktail- to die for! Staff was fabulous. I'll definitely come back soon. My only request is that they add veggie and/or lamb samosas on their menu!!!!!!!!! Omg it would be the ultimate. Based on how delicious their food is, the samosas would be so major that I'd order those by the boxful! read more

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Delicious food, friendly staff and the ambiance is top notch. The variety in the menu is a decent spread.

Emeryville has completely transformed, and I was delighted to see an upscale Indian restaurant be part of that transformation. Pippal offers a unique and creative menu that remains authentic to Indian flavors. I loved how their menu offers specialty items from different regions of India. We ordered the momo and paneer tikka for appetizers, both of which were phenomenal. Main dishes: 1. Litti Chokha - a Bihari dish. The bread stuffed with sattu was a bit dry for my taste. But the sides of aloo and eggplant were tasty. 2. Punjabi Kulcha - delicious! The kulcha was cooked to perfection. The side of chole was extremely spicy but complimented the kulcha well. 3. Bagara Baingan - average. I would skip this one. read more

Three of us shared chicken 65, mini idli, fish curry, and chicken korm. The mini idli was very flavorful and tasty! We ordered medium spicy, and it had a great kick without being overpowering. I especially liked chicken 65 as well as the Mother's Day special mocktail, which was also delicious! It had a great balance of coconut, rose, and watermelon. Appetizer portions were very generous. I preferred chicken korm to the fish curry, but both could have used a bit more complexity in flavor (though to be fair I'm no expert on what these dishes were supposed to taste like). The fish curry could have used a bit more salt, and the naan could have been fluffier. Overall, I would probably rate the food 3.5 stars, but the ambience plus drink and chicken 65 flavor bumped it up to 4 for me. read more

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We were sure what to expect after reading yelp reviews and our experience was great! The servers were attentive and helped us pick what to get. All the food was amazing! The Amritsari kulcha was delicious and the Chole was so soft! The beetroot kebabs were delicious too! The naan was thinner than your usual naan which was such a welcome change. My fiancé said his mango and fish curry was delicious but a little light on the mango. The location is super cute too and even though we were seated in the outside area due to reservations, the ambiance was still unique. read more

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Yesterday my two friends and I went to Pippal for dinner and sad to say we did not have the best experience. I read the reviews and was excited to try it since this is my first time dinning here. My friends ordered the butter chicken and it was extremely salty making it hard to enjoy both of them couldn't continue to eat it. We told the manager and his response was "eat it with rice" no alternative dish or "how could we make this better" option was offered, we left the restaurant with an expensive bill and very disappointed, not sure will return here again!! read more

I love this restaurant! The prices are a little high, but the food is worth it. The service is very good and we appreciated all the attention. The food is amazing. I didn't get a picture of our lamb appetizer because we ate it, and the delicious roll that came with it, SO FAST! But our entrees were so beautiful, I had to pause and take a picture. You do not need a knife here, everything is cooked to tender perfection! The drink menu has been carefully curated with a blend of old favorites and delicious new mixes! I have the Assam Bloom and Old Monk Kulhad pictured because they were especially delicious (but the descriptions of the drinks are spot on, a perfect place to try something new!). I definitely recommend it, especially for the outdoor seating and people-watching opportunities! read more

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A restaurant cannot be considered fine dining based on food alone. Fine dining is a combination of exceptional cuisine, attentive service, attention to detail, and a memorable guest experience. Unfortunately, the service was subpar and lacked the level of hospitality one would expect from a fine dining establishment. Simply bringing food to the table is not enough. Guests should feel welcomed, attended to, and valued throughout the meal. While the kitchen delivered quality dishes, the service team did not elevate the experience. For the prices charged and the reputation the restaurant seeks to uphold, the service was disappointing. Because of this, I would not return to the restaurant, nor would I consider it a true fine dining experience until significant improvements are made in guest service. read more