Seyla T.

This place was phenomenal. Service was great, food was fantastic. My boyfriend and I went with 3 other people and had a great time (nice spot for a date or to gather with friends). We ordered drinks which were enjoyed and had fun variations from their original counterparts like the Chai espresso martini topped with cardamom pods. For the food, a must is the tandoori oysters. Coming from someone who is not a fan of oysters, I tried it and was blown away and would order again and again. I actually enjoyed this oyster! I paired my last piece with some of the kulcha and just wow. The kulcha had a nice garlic flavor and you can't go wrong with melted cheese. Lamb vindaloo was delicious, not as spicy as I was hoping for but it was a good spice level for the others who have a more mild palette. I'm usually not a fan of butter chicken either but this was very tasty. Another fan favorite was the Jhinga Mast Mast. Large crispy shrimp with a nice little fresh slaw on the side. I usually eat shrimp tails if they're fried / crispy and these were great dipped in the sauce of the lamb vindaloo and butter chicken. I will absolutely be back!!

Julia R.

Another outstanding experience at Rivayat. Rivayat is a must for locals and tourists. We went for lunch today and started with the Udyana cocktail. It is so smooth and flavorful-and too easy to drink! We then shared veggie samosas that were absolutely delicious. We both had the lunch special, which I highly recommend. It's the perfect amount of 2 dishes with rice and naan. We enjoyed sitting at the bar and Abhi was our server/bartender. He kept us great company and answered our many questions:) Rivayat is a lovely spot for a nice lunch, happy hour or dinner.

Larry Y.

We tried Rivayat for the first time with some friends and it was good overall. The food was good overall. We ordered two lamb dishes, a tandoori chicken dish and a fish curry dish. The waiter only gave us three rice bowls for 4 entrees and we had to ask for another later since we never received it. The dinner entrees only came with rice and we had to order naan separately. One of the lamb dish was good but the one with pistachios was bland. The tandoori chicken was good and the fish curry was probably the most tasteful. As far as the naan, we couldn't really taste the garlic and it was bland overall. The two appetizers were okay, the tandoori oysters and the fried chicken. The oysters were tiny and flavor was bland. The ambiance was nice. The tables don't have white linens, the light on the table ran out of battery so we had to tell the bus boy to replace it. The silverware were wrapped around a napkin, so not as high end as you would imagine. Since they charge so much, I would expect higher end table setting. We ordered 9 cocktails total amongst our party of four. All were $16 each except one IPA which was $12. On the pricier side. Honestly the best part of the dinner. As far as service, I would give it 2 stars. The waiter wasn't that attentive and we had to get his attention to order more drinks. The naan was priced at $10 on the menu but the bill showed $12. At the end of the meal, the bus boy asked for our utensils so he can clean the table. Normally they will pick them up themselves or wait until we leave. He came back and made us lift our cocktail drinks so he can wipe the table down, which was odd to us. Finally, the restaurant is quite pricey. For a party of four, we paid $450 dollars. If you want to try this place, go during lunch for cheaper options. Honestly, we will opt to go somewhere else next time if we are going out for Indian food.

Ami A.

Amazing Indian food in a beautiful setting! This restaurant has an extensive menu with unique dishes you wouldn't expect on an Indian menu (although they have the classic favorites too!) Came with a friend and shared three large dishes-the Gun Powder Dosa filled with potatoes came with three standout sauces including a fabulous masala, Hariyli Paneer also delicious with a mint chutney sauce, grilled veggies and a side salad and the Toddy Shop Beef Fry which was melt in your mouth delicious! Each dish was filled with flavor and a balance of sweet and spicy. Definitely elevated Indian cuisine. Make a reservation and prepare to be wowed!

Jason B.

You walk in and They greet you at the door and seat you right away. The decor was very nice and comfortable seating. The waiter was eager to educate us if need be, which took the pressure off of ordering from a menu that was not familiar to us. The food was great I had the lunch special with dhaba chicken, paneer angara, and Burimi raita which I paired with a rupee IPA. Absolutely delicious, at first glance I thought maybe the portions would not suffice. I was wrong I was stuffed and I have a very healthy appetite. The chicken was tender and the sauce was creamy, which tells me it was perfectly stewed. Then the dessert a cardamom and honey ice cream with a blueberry crumble oooohwweeeee it was amazing. I couldn't imagine a cardamom ice cream it was really light and pleasantly sweet with the honey.

Michael D.

Really wanted to like this place. After all, the interior / ambiance was very nice. The service was impeccable. It was the food. Everything was extremely bland. We got the prawn korma, the lamb korma, a saag dish and garlic naan. Everything was very bland. I guess we should've ordered everything extra spicy, because there was very little flavoring on anything. Heck, even my non-alcoholic beer and Diet Coke were both flat. Oh well...I guess the quest for a good Indian restaurant in Charleston continues... One last thing: place is very expensive for what you get. We ended up dropping $250 with tip for a meal for two. I don't mind spending that kind of money if the food is great. Alas, it was not.

Matthew B.

This place is an absolute godsend! A friend told me about this place so I decided to stop in after a doctors appointment and I am so happy I did! I am relatively new to Indian food besides like buttered chicken so when looking at the menu I never know what to get. On their lunch menu they have an option for only $20 that includes naan, rice, and lets you choose from one vegetarian item and one meat item. So I took this as the perfect opportunity to explore my options. I asked the bartender to select hit favorite options for both and he did not disappoint! The vegetarian dish was creamy with a touch of coconut and the meat selection was spicy red sauce and came packed with flavor! I will educate myself on this glorious cuisine and Rivayat shall be my teacher! Looking forward to going back again and again!

Anne O.

What a beautiful spot! We started our meal with Papdum and chutney..for me, a must. We each had a cocktail..one a reimagined margarita with salt foam, and the other a tamarind gin cocktail...both were amazing! For our meals I had the appetizer mussels, not over powered in spices and delicious. My husband loved his butter chicken at spice level 3. We also had samosas and they were tender and flavorful. Everything is a la carte, so expect a pricey date night...but the food was so good it was worth it. Our servers were wonderful, and attentive. Couldn't ask for better. The low was in the welcoming, or lack there of. We made our reservation through resy, confirmation in my hand on my phone. But because they didn't see it, it was a full 5 minutes of rude and uncomfortable questioning and standing there as they wonder what to do, before putting us in a dark wall corner. Mind you, 5 pm and the place was empty, nor did it fill in the less than 90 min we were there. It really was a sad start to what was supposed to be a nice evening supporting a restaurant family we have loved.

John B.

I stopped in specifically because the label said creative Indian cuisine, and a more detailed read, suggested that they were trying to bring the flavors of Kerala. However, dinner reservations were hard to get so I stopped in for lunch. At lunch, they didn't really live up to the premise in the sense that the menu was pretty basic. It was a pleasant atmosphere and they have decorated the space well. It is a smaller space and does not have outdoor seating unlike many other local restaurants. From the lunch menu, I was able to get a small thali with chickpeas, paneer, one chutney, rice, and bread. The paneer dish brought a little bit of spice and it was a pleasant meal. It seemed like they were still working the kinks out on their services. I ordered a chai but had to wait for it until I was basically done with my actual food. It had a strong flavor and I didn't require any of the basic sweetener options they provided. I'm appreciative of what they're trying to do, and I would like to stop in and sample the full menu sometime.

Linda W.

Lovely dining room and nicely appointed table. Service was a little standoffish, it wasn't busy but other than keeping my water glass refilled, no one asked how my food was or if I wanted another glass of wine. The food is very good but I found it expensive for what it was - 3 croquettes, and tiny oysters broiled in tandoori butter were small appetizers for the price. The meen manga fish, nicely cooked swordfish pieces, was very good and the rice with it was excellent. The spice olive cake was a huge slice and tasty but it really needed a sharp knife because there's thick, rather tough, slices of carmelized pineapple layered in it.

Elizabeth S.

Rivayat had some seriously delicious and tasty food!! We started off with an order of Calicut Calamari as an app: very tasty but had more of a rubbery feel as it wasn't fried up. Drinks: we ordered the Aam Panna (left) and Coconut Lassi (right). Very yummy although you had to search for the liquor a bit. Entrees: I had the butter chicken and my friend chose the lamb vindaloo medium spice. Heads up: the medium spice is spicy (but also not spicy enough to make you doubt a spicier option if that makes sense.) the plates came with a decently sized portion of rice and there was just enough food to take back a little bit of leftovers for lunch the next day. The plate portion was decently sized however the sauce to meat ratio was off for our plates(not a bad thing though, the sauce was terrific!) we also ordered a side of garlic naan which suited the meal deliciously. Waiter was very kind and friendly offering his favorite selections and explaining menu items. We recognize this is a new restaurant downtown at the time we went so service was a bit slow to bring our plates. You can tell they put a pretty penny for the establishment as the ambiance is nice and elegant although it is a smaller building so you are likely to sit close to another table. Overall, super tasty food and would likely dine here again. :)

Karen L.

Lunch photos First time trying the lunch service at Rivayat. Portions were great, just right and the restaurant offers a lunch special everyday. Lovely dark themed relaxing environment and a great space to unwind during the day.

Kat T.

It was super cute in there. The staff was great! Everyone was really nice and helpful! Started off with a Coconut Lassi for my drink. I didn't love this. Ended up switching with my friend and had her chai expresso martini. It could've been more chai for me. 7/10 Then had the Pani Puri, Tandoori Oysters & Spring Croquettes as our appetizers The Pani Puri are hands down the best thing of the night for me! It comes with a different Pani each time ours was blueberry and the flavored profile was just amazing! 15/10 The Tandoori oysters were also good but were small since it's not oyster season the flavor was good. I bet they are even better during season. 8/10 The spring croquettes were delicious and came with a delicious dipping sauce kind of a spicy sweet chili with mayo. 9/10 For my entree I had the Chemmeen Manga Curry. This would've been more amazing but it was a tad too spicy for me even though I asked for mild. It was definitely the spiciest entree on our table. But the flavoring was good! I would rank it higher if I wasn't slightly dying the entire time I was eating it. 8.5/10 We also got rosemary naan which I loved! Great to dip in my curry! 10/10