I haven't been to Preethi in a while. Maybe 10 years. I can't remember. Anyway I came back bc they were having a Diwali dinner buffet! I decided to try it. It was so good and delicious! I am so glad I came! First they boasted about 40 different items! Apparently that's a lot, even by fancy Indian hotel standards! Thus the variety is of the charts! And you know this canto critic! He loves him some variety! There were so much good. Where to start... The best was the crab curry. I've never had crab and Indian masala curry before. Thus hands down it was the best! The crab legs were quite sweet. And even the curry itself very, very sweet as well! I had so much grab curry. The crab curry came in a long tray! So I got as much as I could eat! It was basically crab fest or crab feed! Second they had shrimp curry! That was also nothing I had before. It was ok. Nothing fancy other than a new Indian novelty. The mutton curry was very good. Very chunky pieces of meat! It may have been very spiced. But it was still very good. I've also had the mutton biryani and the jackfruit biryani was also good. I've never had jackfruit biryani either so to me it looked like beef at first. Man today was a day of firsts for me. This just shows that indeed it was a 40 item meal. I was having so much anticipation and let me say, I was not disappointed. Not disappointed at all, like I was when I watched Coolie... I really had a great time eating Indian food, trying out different new curries, jackfruit, and even a few Indian sweets that I normally would avoid. But today I had my fill. I wish part of the 40 item buffet banquet came with masala chai, mango lassi, or mango soft swerve ice cream. Oh well. The crab more than made up for it. Oh the other stuff were good too like the naan, sambar, saag, pakora, fried fish, samosa, etc. I prolly shouldn't be wasting my money and stomach in such items but this steak smoking canto can't cook sambar or saag so sue me! The staff were great. They were friendly, prompt, and refilled water enough even tho the place was packed! LoR: Solid A read more

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I have been going to Preethi since 2013, and I have always enjoyed the food and service. The owners have been so kind and friendly to me and the friends I have taken there especially during college. The lunch buffet is as good and affordable as I remember ($18 now) , and I applaud the owners for the consistent quality of the food for all these years. I just went again today after 4 years, and the butter chicken and kofta curry taste the same as before. I'm glad Preethi has stayed excellent! read more

Preethi Indian Cuisine - Our plates during lunch buffet. - Indian Near Me - Davis, California

Terrible experience. I used to come here years ago and the place has gone way down in Service, variety, and quality. This teenage boy doesn't help or greet anyone who walks in. He looks miserable and clearly doesn't want to be there. I'm assuming it's the son because there is no way in hell anyone would actually employ this kid. A couple walked in and right out after no one greated them. There was barly any food at the buffet even though it was a Saturday at 2pm. The lady in the kitchen is yelling constantly, I don't know how they are still open. Only 1 other table was occupied . Shameful no way in hell would we ever come back. read more

Excellent food. Had the lunch buffet. Delicious. At least 20 different selections to choose from. Do yourself a favor and eat there.

Very dry tasteless chicken biriyani. Chicken was dry, no fried onions, rice tasted of LS. Definitely not fresh. Also had shards of sharp chicken bone throughout. I also got chicken tikka masala and it was like shredded, not check and it Verla spiced with what tasted like cayenne pepper. We nt eat here again. read more

We went for lunch on a brisk Sunday afternoon and decided to go for the buffet since it was such a good price at $17.99 and more worth it than ordering a la carte. There was a pretty good variety of curries (butter chicken, eggplant, lentil, kofta), vegetable and chicken biryani, tandoori chicken, naan, and desserts (gulab jamun [sweet syrup donuts] and kheer [sweet cardamom rice pudding]). My favorite was the butter chicken and naan. We also tried the mango lassi- it tasted like fresh mango and wasnt too heavy. The owners are a couple who are very nice. They got waters to us and a basket of naan right after being seated. They're also very attentive and would keep an eye on the buffet. Whenever one of the dishes was running low they'd disappear into the kitchen and come back with a fresh batch. I would come back again especially on a cold day. We enjoyed the food a lot! Can't find a deal like this elsewhere in the bay where we were visiting from. read more

Preethi Indian Cuisine - Indian Near Me - Davis, California

I had ordered goat biriyani with thali for delivery. It was a lot of food! It was my food for the day and I was STUFFED. The goat biriyani was moist with tender chunks of meat, nicely flavored but nothing memorable. I got "spicy" out of mild, spicy, and very spicy, and it was about a 5/10 heat (I am East and SE Asian). The yogurt (raita) it came with complimented it well. The thali came with 2 pieces of naan, a lentil soup (sambar), curry of the day, and lentil sauce (daal), as well as a desert of milk and rice (kheer). The curry was rich and sweet with sugary pops from the peas and was my favorite. The rest was nice too. However, the naan was a little cakey/spongey instead of stretchy or fluffy. I went once in person, and the atmosphere is a little too quiet and dark to feel comfortable talking loudly. read more

Preethi Indian Cuisine - Thali - Indian Near Me - Davis, California

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Worst Indian food ever. Service and attitude of the owners was bad. We ordered dosa (plain and masala) and fish pakoras. Dosa was so oily. Oil used for frying was rancid. Potato filling was tasteless. Sambar was watery with zero taste. There was no coconut chutney or tomato chutney served with the disa. It was the weirdest chutney- white and watery mixed with siracha mayo. Fish pakoras - there was barely any fish inside. It was just the fried coating. All in all, worst experience ever. Save your money and avoid this place. read more

Best Indian food in Davis area. The food is good every time we order it no matter what. Staff is super friendly as well. 10/10

We love this restaurant. Family owned and operated, warmest folks ever. The food is the absolute best I've had ever. Obviously we eat vegan/ plant based and the options are abundant. Back a few years ago the same amazing family had a midtown location. Walking distance from my home. So needless to say we would frequently visit. As we must commute to Davis to visit, we absolutely will if we want the best Vegan Indian food. read more

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After a business trip to Raleigh, North Carolina, my husband raved about the tandoori chicken he had there. I suggested that we try the Indian restaurants here in Davis. For his birthday I took him to Preethi. He ordered the tandoori chicken. He thought it was very good but not on the level as that remembered dinner. We started our meal by sharing an order of samosas. Served with two dipping sauces, they were crispy on the outside but a bit mushy on the inside. They did have great flavor. For our entrees, we both ordered the thali version. My entree was gongora chicken. I had never had that dish before anywhere. I really liked the flavors. We both had leftovers, especially lots of pieces of naan. We've been bringing our own containers to restaurants for many years so packed up our own leftovers. I noticed a sign on the door that to reduce waste and be more sustainable, they charge 10 cents for each bag or togo container. I commend them for that. We made use of the Yelp check-in special of 50% off the second entree. I'm not sure if that was a reason, but when I pulled out my credit card to pay the bill I was told cash only. Luckily I did have enough cash to cover the bill and leave a tip. I did need to then go to an ATM to restock the cash in my wallet. read more

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They have my favorite all you can eat options. every day from 11-2:30. Often the owner who is also head chef will bring out fresh naan bread if you are dining for their lunch buffet- which is almost without fail, a place my whole family can eat. They often have vegan friendly option; daal, spinach (saag), potato/cauliflower curried veggies, sometimes baked baby eggplant, rice briyani( seems to always rotate between veggie mushroom or coconut or chicken) Sambar( veggie lentil soup), Then a dairy dish - usually paneer something and/or a tikka/butter paneer or veggie korma, and a few chicken dishes including tandoor chicken, chicken curry and tikka chicken. Then there is also some dessert options- fried milk balls and rice kheer( both pretty decent) Over the last few years i will go evenings sometimes and ive ordered lamb tikka a la cart and their tali special- been very satisfied- hella rich when the dish calls for it, and if i desire something a little lighter- might go with a potato/cauliflower or eggplant dish. read more

AVOID THIS PLACE at any cost. Worst food, worst service and very cheap mentality staffs. I don't know how this restaurant surviving. NEVER EVER VISIT THIS PLACE AGAIN EVEN. read more

Good food and wonderful hosts - everything was flavorful . Loved the masala dosa in buffet

everything we ordered was amazing, fresh, and piping hot! samosas: 10/10 perfectly crispy and well seasoned. wish i would've ordered more chicken tikka masala: 10/10 perfect amount of spice. chicken is cut and sized well, doesn't feel like i'm shoving my mouth with a whole chunk of chicken. also love the chopped onion and garlic throughout the sauce butter chicken: 10/10 creamy and not too sweet garlic naan: 10/10 extra garlicy. amazing mango lassi: 10/10 more mango than yogurt, love it! everything is well seasoned and so tasty! the restaurant workers were so so sweet! no notes. would 100% recommend this place. best indian food in davis read more

First time eating here. Very good lunch buffet. I love Okka Masala and Dal Curry. Different rice option and Nan is excellent with curry lamb. read more

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Pros: delicious Cons: Price for portion (compare my son's hand to the bowl served in. Smh) the basmati rice was mixed with short grain rice. & it was 107 degrees outside, inside the restaurant had no AC! it felt like 95 degrees inside. Most likely will not return. read more

Preethi Indian Cuisine - Top: Butter chicken w/ rice & bottom: Paneer w/ rice & garlic naan. - Indian Near Me - Davis, California

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We really enjoy this restaurant and ther tasty, well spiced food. The menu contains lots of standard North Indian favorites with the opportunity to convert most dishes to a thali (or platter) for a few dollars more. In addition they offer a whole South Indian menu. If you have not tried a dosa, this is a great opportunity. We have not tried the buffet. The owners are also very solicitous. On one visit, they took my son's meal back to the kitchen to increase the spice level at his request. On a more recent meal, they noticed that my dad's mango chicken was too spicy for him and offered to provide another option for free. read more

This place has wonderful Indian food. Tastes like India! I come here every time I drive by Davis.

Bad food quality and very rude customer service. When paying for the meal at the counter, the owner did not say a word, just pointed at the credit card machine. I completed the transaction and waited for my receipt. He turned away and after a moment asked me very rudely "What do you want?" I said, "My receipt". He made an irritated sound, "Tsk" and glared at me angrily tearing the receipt off and plopped it in the counter. Wow, such rudeness. Curries were watery and the only "okay ' dishes are the tandoori chicken and the naan bread. read more

Mac and cheese smell and flavor from the curries. Burnt tandoori chicken. Claims gluten free. Has one openly gluten free dish. Cold food. Hairs in multiple curries. The cheap mac and cheese stench permeated the room. The butter chicken and chicken 65 taste so much like cheese it's ridiculous. Premade naan. read more

I loved eating at this restaurant. We got garlic naan, saag paneer, kofta curry, tandoori chicken, and chana masala. The food was great, the chicken was tender and the dishes were all wonderfully flavorful. I definitely recommend the kofta curry if you are looking for something new to try. We went on a Saturday night and it wasn't super busy, we were able to sit down right away. The service is so good, this is a small family run restaurant and the server was so nice and attentive. This little hole in the wall is definitely worth a stop! read more

It was sooooo yummy and the workers are so cute. It looked ghetto and first but inside is super cozy and it's a cute environment. I'm glad pretty picky so it was perfect for my expectations. Will be coming back! read more

Still my favorite AYCE Indian lunch buffet even though they now charge a 3% fee for using credit card which I loathe read more

Preethi Indian Cuisine - Goat curry with rice - Indian Near Me - Davis, California

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Our family had a bad experience here. Food : We're vegetarians family with kids and went for a buffet. Paneer, Dal , pakoras tasted okay Sambhar was way too sour and chhole were watery and tasteless. We didn't have a heart to try the sweets coz kheer looked too watery. Most stuff including idlis were stale and dishes were not kept warm ... looked like their heating wasn't working. Dosas were fresh though Service: While serving dosas server got us 2 dosas on a table of 4 and a few idlis and when we told them we'd need more dosas(we didn't like anything else - his response was - you already got two - how many more do you need ? Ambience : Toilets were not clean and smelt horrible !! The smell was spreading around the eating area read more

Food is delicious but comes in smaller portions. Cozy restaurant but you must ask for service. read more

Preethi Indian Cuisine - Garlic Naan - Indian Near Me - Davis, California

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Food was okay. Average. Middle of the road. Nothing unique. Service was AWFUL. The owner; (Preethi), I assume appears to have some serious issues. She wants a person to use one plate only for the buffet. Doesn't understand basic buffet etiquette. Second servings use a fresh plate , not show up at the buffet line with a half eaten dirty plate. She has a problem with people using bowls for each dish on the buffet. Just wants you to heap all the food on one plate. Barks at customers. To the point of sheer rudeness. Said something like "All Americans use only one plate". So if you want to have lunch or dinner at Preethi with the owner yelling at you while you eat your food, then this is the place for you. The ambiance is dull and uninviting just like the owner. read more

Ordered through door dash. Lowkey expensive but we got lots of items. Butter chicken and lamb curry are NOT Indian food it's straight heavy whipping cream. Lacking flavor in all aspects. Tandoori chicken wayyyyyyyyy too salty and burnt. Biryani was aight. Naan is quite thick. And chicken 95 was mid asf too. I'm not Indian but I eat Indian food quite often. Def wouldn't order again. Save your money. read more

Preethi Indian Cuisine - Tandoori chicken - Indian Near Me - Davis, California

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aunty is so sweet every time my friends and i visit for takeout! so accommodating, food gets better and better each visit. very home loving vibe! read more

Great hospitality and the food is amazing ! I had the Chana Masala- spice level and flavor was perfect. I will definitely be back.

The food is delicious. We love Indian food, but are not that savvy about what each dish is. The cook was engaging and helped us with our meal selections. We will definitely go back again. read more

If you're really craving Indian, I would recommend. However, this place definitely was not that clean, after the craving is fulfilled, when you look around, you can get a little "icked out." I had a hair on my plate, and food particles on my cup. Also, the lamb curry was pretty watery. The service was okay. Overall, I would go here for when I'm really craving Indian food on a weekday (because the weekday lunch buffet prices are so good, and regardless of the atmosphere, the food is solid), but it definitely isn't a regular spot I would go to because of the lack of cleanliness. PS if you do end up going, I recommend the butter chicken read more

My go to lunch spot for Indian cravings. Their full buffet is back, $15 cash or $17 card. The buffet offering is pretty full now, as of last wk. Multiple veggie and meat options. The a la cart can take quite a while but you can call ahead and tell them you're coming and they'll get started for you. The veggie dishes sometimes can be a little oily and they don't really have non spicy option. Their "mild" is still a good kick. And I can eat spicy. Highly recommend! If owners are reading, maybe install a bell or something at the cashier so we can get your attention to pay. Sometimes it takes a while to pay and get going. read more

I liked the hospitality of the owners. Being from southern part of India, it feels like home whenever I go there and the lady is super sweet. She gives me complementary stuff everytime I go there. Would definitely recommended if you are from south of India and if you want to experience the authentic taste of south indian cuisine. read more

We love the food at Preethi, both the menu and the buffet have a wide range of flavors! They have great vegetarian and vegan options. They have the only Southern Indian specialties around for miles! Love the dosa! The service is excellent and very helpful. We appreciate their suggestions. There are plenty of indoor seats, and it is fairly quiet ambiance. They serve beer and wine. Dine in or pick up (please don't use Doordash, all the restaurants lose money on your order and lose their tip). read more

Food was delicious, waitress was nice and accomodating. Quaint environment. I thought the portion size was fine for its price, I was full.

Worst Indian food , we tried the vegetarian lunch buffet . Most of the chutneys (dips) , sambhar, chholey ( chick pea curry) and dal was stale and badly prepared. Service was bad , bathrooms stinky.. overall this place was zero on all aspects. Would never come here for vegetarian buffet. read more

Disrespectful and Outright Lying. DO NOT RECOMMEND. Please double/triple check your bill as they are charging you 20-30% extra for each item than what is being mentioned online or in store menu. -- We went here with a party of 4 and ordered Rava Dosa, tandoori sizzler, Idli/Masala Dosa and vada plate and 2 rasam. Good Sizzler - Chicken boti was good. Coke w Ice was good Rasam - OK/OK Bad Sambhar was THICK. If you have eaten good south indian food you know sambhar has to be thin and light. Masala Dosa Aloo - Hard and unchewable (ask the owner did i not leave entire aloo out and just ate the plan dosa?) Idli - Hard and felt like a rock. sizzler lamb was hard and felt it took way much effort to chew. Chutney? - No idea where they bought it from and what it was. -- When we got the bill, the owner had mentioned each item as Dept01 and no mention what is being charged for each item. When we questioned the owner/lady in charge, she started screaming and talking disrespectfully and wouldnt even listen. We did not have a problem paying but we just wanted to ensure we were being charged (since the owner is too lazy to put items on the bill). She was NO ONE QUESTIONS ME HERE and people pay whatever we put in the bill, you are the only one questioning. Excuse me? So your menu says 10$, online says 10$, you say u r charging 1$ extra due to covid but then your bill says 13$ and you expect we would not even ask for what item we are being charged? this is before tax. We asked her the menu says item is 9.99 but you charged us 12.99. Her justification, because of covid we increase prices by 1$ each. Please check our online site and you will latest price and when we go to online site the price continues to say 9.99. See screenshot. The fun part was some of dishes were kept rightout in open next to restroom (the buffet area) not covered or anything. So good luck to whoever eats there. We told her we will leave a bad feedback based on our experience. Her justification - I DONT CARE WHATEVER FEEDBACK YOU LIVE. WE HAVE OUR REGULAR CUSTOMERS SO YOUR BUSINESS IS DAMN SH*T TO US. WE HVAE BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR 20 YEARS. -- If anyone thinks we are making it up, please see for yourself and see how she treats her staff so you will get an idea how disgusting /disrespectful she actually is. I am referring the the young grad student working as the serving staff and he was so polite and respectful and we felt bad for him being treated this way. read more

Preethi Indian Cuisine - Indian Near Me - Davis, California

Darn it! Forgot to use my Yelp check in discount. Have eaten here before & they have wonderful South Indian options.we were lucky as we were the only diners before a reservation for a party of 10 came in. Glad our order was already being prepared. You can either order your meal as a full meal (thali) with accompaniments or ala carte with choice of rice or naan. read more

Preethi Indian Cuisine - Chicken Pakora - Indian Near Me - Davis, California

i ordered chicken biryani- you'd assume you get chicken meat, right? no. i got bones and a bit of cartilage. super dry and then i was chewing on bone fragments. there are a lot better places than this place. #onlybones read more

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