We stopped here for the first time and we were pleasantly surprised! Jimmy the owner was super friendly and helpful with helping us with their menu. We tried the Chicken Tandoori Combo, chicken biryani and shrimp biryani. Everything was so flavorful! The green sauce was amazing as well! We love it! The portions are big enough to split but was nice to order a few items and try a little but of everything. The chai tea was warm and delicious too!! The bathrooms and dining area were very clean. And chill low key vibe. Definitely will stop in again! Highly recommend! read more

Royal Indian Cuisine - Garlic Naan Shrimp Biryani Tandoori Combo - Indian Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

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Some of the best Indian food I have ever had. Special touches such as spices in the rice, and delicious complex sauces made thus far better than other places. I ordered the food delivered and was pleased with the service when I called. The kheer rice dessert was the most delicious I have ever had. I highly recommend the food. read more

The worst place to eat Indian food. They give you low quality rice, frozen food and raw meat and call it a lamb biryani. They think people in Rochester are some lost white people that never left midwest. Called their number to tell them meat is raw and i have ordered a well done order, first they hung up second said okay. I ordered it literally for the meat to be well done yet it was raw. Never go there. This no long basmati rice, not even spicy and meat you can tell it's not fresh and was frozen for a good while then they did not bother to cook it well read more

Royal Indian Cuisine - First bite and could hear the raw meat under my teeth. Disgusting. - Indian Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

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Ordered from them while on a road trip and staying in a close by hotel. It was one of the best Indian food I had. We gad chicken Tikka masala, vegetable nilgiri korma, garlic naan and roti. All dishes were amazing and portion size was on point too. Highly recommend. read more

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Food was excellent, although I could have had a bit more heat. Lovely butter chicken and the tandoori chicken had a wonderful infusion of fresh garlic and citrus. Great garlic nan and rice. Mango lassi was wonderful. Service was friendly and quick. Love this place! read more

Not sure why people go this this restaurant? Good tasty food sometimes...rude owner/chef, unclean dilapidated environment all the time! Go elsewhere for a better dining experience. Wonder why the place hardly gets any customers and the staff never stays long! read more

I have been to several Indian restaurants and the food most often was great . Royal Indian Cuisine buffet lacked the true flavors of the Himalayan Indian cuisine. The service was stellar but the food needs improvements . There is potential to be very popular as I've watched a new local Indian restaurant explode with customers because the food is fantastic along with stellar service. read more

So glad this place reopened. Had the lunch buffet and it was fantastic. The service could have been a mite better, but it was still a great experience. read more

I have always loved indian food even though I'm a norweegin! Love the spicy chicken. Great food.

Just had a nice dinner there with my 14 year old son. The samosa chat, lamb biryani and saag paneer were all flavorful and my son kept saying 'this is amazing'. He also loved the music! read more

After having eaten both here and at India Gardens several times, this place definitely emerges the winner. Well neither place is probably going to give you that authentic, spicy hot Indian food you'd find in bigger cities (or at least outside the Midwest), I did find that this place has a slightly more genuine selection and tends to be fresher and better prepared, in general terms. Particular winners are the Goat Madrasi, which came with a good meat-to-bone ratio and was really very flavorful as well as tender; the butter chicken which was exactly as comforting and creamy as you crave; and the chicken vindaloo which was tender and had a really nice tang. Previous reviews have mentioned poor or even rude service; On every occasion I went inside to pick up food, I was treated very politely and, after minimal effort with normal pleasantries, found the staff to be warm and reasonable. Of course I can't speak for others' experiences but that was mine. They seem to have recently renovated. The restaurant, I think, looks great. Much cleaner and less cluttered than before, nice furnishings which don't look tacky. I haven't had the pleasure of being here for a lunch buffet yet, but I look forward to it - The only thing keeping me has been lack of opportunity during their more limited hours during construction. TL;DR: Above average food, probably the best Indian food in Rochester, and a really nice ambience in the restaurant since they renovated. read more

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The food is average, owners are very rude to the customer. They leave the discount coupons at the counters of hotels and simply don't honor them. Instead they insult the customers, for not honoring their own printed discount coupons. For instance they kept a bunch of such coupons to invite the room guest from the hotel Wyndham Garden hotel located next to their restaurant. We visited this Indian restaurant for dinner while we were staying in Wyndham Garden hotel and as it was just convenient to walk. By chance one time the receptionist of the hotel handed over the discount coupon to use it at the said restaurant. After taking the dinner, we casually asked at the register if they can honor their discount coupon. The owner gave a good lecture, took full money and insulted us!!! Not a very good experience. He may be stressed due to some other reason but there was absolutely no reason to talk without any manners to the customer. First thing in the restaurant business is that the restaurant operators / owners must be enough polite in talking, convincing and not insulting their own guest from where you get your business. read more

Royal Indian Cuisine - Indian Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

Simply awesome Indian food. Highly recommend. Every dish was delicious and the naan was fantastic.

Very tasty food, but not much to the main courses. We ordered out for the first time. Had butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, and vegetable korma. The sauces and seasonings on all three were very tasty. However, the two chicken dishes had very little chicken in them, barely enough to be considered a meal. We really enjoyed the seasonings though. Would consider coming back and trying something else. read more

Tldr: service was COMICALLY slow with no forewarning. Food had no salt in it. Other flavors and portion sizes were good. Came here for the first time last night with my partner. Arrived at 7:15pm to a half-filled establishment and we were seated relatively soon. We had no menus, however, and after 10 minutes of no service, my partner grabbed a pair from another table. We ordered a samosa chaat to share. My partner ordered a mango lassi and a chicken tikka masala, while I ordered a mango lassi and a goat biryani. And then the wait began... we got our mango lassis pretty quickly, and then we just sat there for half an hour just for the samosa chaat to arrive. Then we waited and waited and our entrees did not come until 8:36pm, by which point we had both gotten drowsy and no longer had much of an appetite. The restaurant was not all that busy, and we heard the diner next to us also grumble about the lack of food. There seemed to be only one waiter on staff, and we joked that he probably also doubled as the only chef in the kitchen. Food-wise, the goat biryani was bland in that it had hardly any salt at all -- i had to sprinkle salt at the table multiple times throughout the meal. Other spices were ok and portion size was large. Honestly I wouldn't be writing this review if it weren't for the ridiculously slow service. I understand that we've been emerging from a pandemic but this was truly slower than any other diner I remember. If I would have been warned about this ahead of time, I would've gladly chosen to dine elsewhere last night. read more

Excellent food. A busy Mother's Day evening. One waiter and he was hustling. Was a real treat. Had the spinach dish which was wonderful. Spent time driving around to see what restaurants had a busy parking lot which usually means good food. The parking lot is in the back, so glad I checked out the parking lot. read more

Hands down amazing food! The chef and the server take a personal interest in each customer. The curries, appetizers and bread are all to die for! read more

I am a sucker for Indian food and this place takes the cake! The YAY First off.. All you can eat lunch buffets 7 days a week. What is that? This is amazing. Why can't other Indian restaurants do the same. Second: the diversity of food offered was incredible. I have been to one Indian lunch buffett that only had 3 entree options. The amount of choices you had was endless. I usually just order chicken Tikka masala however with the vast lunch options I realized that there are so many other great Indian dishes. Thank you for opening my mind to other dishes Third: the flavor. Lets be real. Almost if not every Indian place dos Chicken Tikka Masa and Vindaloo etc. What separates a good Indian place from a great Indian place is the flavor of the dishes. I am not an Indian food expert however I can tell the difference between a great dish full of flavor and an average made dish. I would like to say that the dishes made at the Royal Indian are great. Full of flavor and spices. Authentic Indian food is how I would describe it. It reminded me of the dishes my college roommate's mom would send her (and me because I am pariah when it came to food). Fourth: Service. After my second full plate I sat in my chair exhausted. A server came by and asked if we wanted more food or dessert. Such a sweet heart. He knows the American way. Yes sr. I will take my third plate. The NAY You are located 4 hours away from where I live. :( See you the next time I visit my friends in Rochester The GIST Just go.. It will not disappoint. read more

Royal Indian Cuisine - My first of three plates! Don't judge! - Indian Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

Very good food! Got the chicken curry. The flavors are delicious and the portion size is perfect.

A fairly large Indian restaurant located 1.5 miles south of downtown Mayo campus--overall a positive experience. One thing I specifically liked about the food is that if I said I want medium to spicy, I was served it that way. Most of the Indian restaurants are too scared to serve spicy food because of the diversity of people they are serving, unlike this place. Mild was mild and medium to spicy was likewise! We ordered butter chicken, chicken curry and garlic naan. Everything tasted great!! Secondly, the owner was around, updating us about the status of preparation of our food since they also had a very large group there. The quantity size is good, spices and flavor is great and the prices are a little more than I'd pay for an Indian meal. The average price is between $15-20 per person. The service was slow, we waited 25 minutes for our food but that may be because of the huge group they were catering to. I hope to not have a similar experience next time I visit. I'll visit here soon to try their lamb rogan josh! read more

Royal Indian Cuisine - Butter Chicken, rice and Chicken curry (L to R) - Indian Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

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I wouldn't hesitate to say that Royal Indian Cuisine is easily the best Indian restaurant in Rochester. Like most ethnic restaurants, this is a mom and pop type of shop. In the back are cooks that have frequently made these dishes for their families. That experience is evident in the quality of all the dishes - our group unanimously considered everything to be excellent. My go-to dish is chicken tandoori and the result on this particular night was exceptional. Exquisitely spiced, sizzling hot, and yet remarkably succulent. One of the best I've had in a very long. The garlic naan was as delicious as the photos below convery. Service was top notch and pretty fast. My water was frequently topped off through the time. There's a ton of parking out back. They accept credit card. More importantly, there seems to be a weekend buffet! I can't wait to be back! read more

Royal Indian Cuisine - Chicken tandoori - Indian Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

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Ordered from one of the delivery services and it was super tasty. Butter chicken and a bread "basket". Best naan I've ever had. Great flavors. read more

Excellent Indian food and great service. I recommended it to an acquaintance who grew up in Mumbai and he said it was as good as home. Has a couple of good Indian beers as well read more

Let me start with the positives. The Royal Indian Cuisine has by far the best Indian food I've had in Rochester, and maybe Minnesota overall. The dishes are spiced very well, and everything seems to come from the kitchen freshly-made. But there are some big negatives. Hopefully, most of these are just because this is a relatively new establishment. 1. Service: basic things like refills on water and soft drinks, timing of ordering, etc. is lacking. That's not to say that the staff is not friendly, they just don't have this figured out yet. 2. Ambience: they have some nice artwork up, but the restaurant is really quiet...like uncomfortably Library-level quiet. Most Indian restaurants I've been to have a nice background music going, and this place could really benefit from something like that. I think if they can get the service/ambience figured out, this place becomes THE Indian restaurant in Rochester, and who knows, maybe a 5-Star place. read more

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Ordered delivery through Uber Eats and everything was absolutely delicious and came piping hot. Good portions for a reasonable price as well. Loved the lamb saag especially -- it was super creamy and wasn't as gamey as lamb can often be. Butter chicken tasted more like tikka masala, but enjoyed it nonetheless. The naan was decent, though the main highlights of the meal were most definitely the two entrees. Regardless, all worth a try! read more

Royal Indian Cuisine - a variety of food items - Indian Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

Love the chicken tikki masala (extra spicy!) and their garlic naan is the best compared to the other Indian restaurants in town.

This is a review from a Brazilian who loves Indian food, but doesn't know how to cook it. Just keep that in mind as you read. Staff: super nice people. I am pretty sure the owner is that every time I go there. And I respect that a lot! I do believe that a restaurant owner should always overlook his/her business! Food: again, I love Indian food! Love their Chicken Tikka, all their lamb dishes, love the samosas and could eat 1000928 of their garlic naan every time I go there. Ambience: that is where they lose points with me. They have a bunch of chairs piled up in front of the restaurant. They have played that don't match and some chipped ones. I pay a huge attention to details, and cannot let those things go unnoticed. I do think they make honest yet mouthwatering Indian food. And will keep on going back. read more

Fantastic food! I got the butter chicken, hot on spice, with regular naan. Oh my gosh it was so good! Definitely eating here again when we are in the area. Our server was nice and helped with deciding on what to get. Menu has a great selection of options, with pictures so you know what the food looks like. read more

Was visiting Rochester and we came across this restaurant. This restaurant is in shambles. We came on a Sunday for their buffet. Their dishes and glasses that were supposedly clean were visibly dirty. I was cringing thinking about how the back kitchen must look. The most average to below average food. It didn't taste anything like the actual entrees. We eat Indian good all The time. This was not quality Indian good. Considering it was peak buffet hour, things were not refilled and we had to wait 15 minutes just for the naan to come out. The desserts were a disaster, so so so sweet that it gave me goosebumps. Taste nothing like a real desi/Indian dessert. The owner is not welcoming or friendly. They have a disgusting filthy fish tank right as you enter. There are plenty of other Indian restaurants nearby, go there and avoid this place like the plague. Never coming back here. read more

This place was incredible! Due to COVID-19 they close at 9, normal hours are 10pm. We came at 8:45 and were welcomed in. We ordered the lentil soup, garlic naan, and the butter chicken! Honestly, it was the BEST Indian cuisine we've ever had. The lentil soup had the most incredible flavor, the garlic naan was perfectly soft/crispy, and the butter chicken was just exceptional. My wife and I both couldn't stop saying how good it was. You could tell the food was fresh. The waiter was very friendly- we had great conversation with him. Overall, such a good experience! We will be back regularly. We are already craving that butter chicken again! read more

Sunday was not a good day for the buffet. This was our third visit and it was so completely different from our previous experiences that we felt that we had to update our review. The service was very slow and inattentive. We really felt that the waitress wanted to be anywhere else. The floor was dirty and sticky. The buffet itself looked unkempt and ignored. The food was bland and overcooked. Some of the food was burned and inedible. We couldn't believe that the server would just toss burned food onto the buffet. They didn't have the two dishes that really set Royal Indian Cuisine apart from the other game in town. The Naan was the only saving part of the meal. They had three options on the buffet (chicken, garlic, plain) and all were tasty at the start, but when they ran out of the plain Naan, it was replaced with more burnt food. The three stars are an average of our previous experiences and this visit, which deserved a low score. We really hope that this just happened to be a bad day and that they'll go back to their normal excellence. The next time we're in the mood for Indian, we'll visit them for supper and order off of their menu to give them a second chance. However, we were so disappointed yesterday, that we don't think we'll be back for their weekend buffet. read more

Pluses - excellent quality food, authentic atmosphere, genuine staff Turn offs - very loud TV in dining room and food took nearly an hour in a restaurant that wasn't even half full for dinner. Regrettably, won't be returning. read more

Well this is a small town with very few Indian places. What you see is what you get. Mom's kitchen is thousands of miles away so even a minimum mediocre drop of dal tadka (lentil soup/sauce) here will seem like nectar of the gods. Shall we move on? I will explain each star. The first is for their stuffed chilli pakora. Mildly spicy and batter fried chilli, stuffed with unknown mystery veggies. Tastes good. The second is for their chai? I think you have to add sugar, forget.... anyway, it's a good chai to end a meal. The third is for their buffet. The fact that they have it is enough for me, but M not for mmmmyummy, but it's for Mmmmkay cool. The fourth is for the raita that comes with the chicken biryani. Amazingly tasty. - good Indian food you can live with! read more

What great meal. Told the waiter I was vegan he said no problem and took me through the buffet and described all tha ones that were vegan. Will be back read more

Royal Indian Cuisine - Indian Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

The naan were to die for and all of the sabji that we ordered tasted exactly like home! Very nice place. Will be there again.

I feel like this place is a hidden gem in Rochester. This is by far the best Indian food I've ever had. Everything appears to be freshly made in house, to order. The curry has soo much flavor. I've tried several rice dishes now and they are all unique and full of flavor. Everything here is packed with flavor. Highly recommend. read more

I think these guys improved quite a bit. Had food here recently and it was delicious.

we were waiting for over an hour they served people who we came before they gave us only water and gave us dirty platea

This place blew me away! My husband and I came in at the last minute and they were so kind to let us come and sit. The food was seriously so good! The best Indian cuisine we've ever had! We couldn't stop talking about how good it was. I wanted to savor every bite. The place itself doesn't look like much on the outside but the service and food are so worth it! We will back back soon! read more

Not inviting or very clean. Also unaccommodating like almost every Indian restaurants I've been to until today. I am vegan because of health issues and requested some plain naan with no butter and the owner came over and said that is wasn't on the buffet and didn't bother to offer anything from the menu. Basically, there was no interest or desire in serving me as a customer, even though Indian cuisine typically affords vegans many delicious options. The waiter sat at the bar and laughed the whole time--what a disappointing experience! read more