We went for a weekday buffet and it was quite the spread. There was good selection for Snacks…read more desserts, salad, fruit option and even distribution of vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. The naan brought to the table as a side was exceptionally good, thin, flaky and hot.

We came here on a weekday for lunch when they opened. We were greeted by the friendly waitress and…read morewere seated right away. They were pretty slow and two other parties came in for lunch while we were there. Both groups are of college age boys. Found out that they have a $14 lunch buffet so we opted to do that instead of ordering a la carte. The place was very clean and our waitress was cleaning up after people used the buffet. She was quickly removing plates from tables and refilling water cups. I wish I could rave about the food but I found the curries and food to be a bit bland. I'm not sure if they are so because they are part of the buffet and the restaurant was trying to keep things mild. Fresh delicious fluffy baked naan comes with the buffet.

Pros: Wide variety and various dish disciplines…read moreLarge selection of naans Kababs Cons: Canned beverages No music If you're looking for a hole in the wall place for Indian food where you will get the spice and all that's nice, this is the place. The man who served us was attentive and wanted to give us a great experience as we were the only table seated in the restaurant on a Saturday evening. Wish we got some photos on this visit, but we will be back to enjoy the food again. They have an extensive menu where you can have various spice levels and a lot of different curry types. Drinks are in cans and bottles, so if you're a fountain drink feen, this may be a bit challenging for you. As for ambiance, there was only one thing that I would wish for and that is music. There was none playing in the restaurant, Their desserts included homemade baklava that had the perfect mix of honey, nuts and spice. One person in our party got a wrap and they are huge. They are made with naan bread and had a traditional style of fillings. It was warm, but she did have a bit of difficulty eating it as it was packed full of meat! (I would love this anyway) Our bill for 4 people was $100 and we had leftovers for two days. Next visit, I'm going to try their Biryani and will post photos next time!

Was visiting Albany and stayed in downtown . I was craving for any kind of food but nothing was…read moreopen in downtown . It was only 8.30 pm and almost everything was closed !!!! Saw some restaurant bars , but they were selling beers but no food ! Thanks to Google , I found this place - curry leaf restaurant. I quickly called them up and was happy that they had food to pick up :) parking was a bit sketchy but since it was slate night I got something outside the restaurant! Lots of space inside the restaurant to sit and eat , but I had to go . Price was not too high. Average price . Ordered food and it was ready in 15-20 mins .. naan was fresh and tasted great . Curry was super duper good ! Wow . Nice and spicy and had so much flavor ! In a place that didn't have any food, I think this restaurant is a blessing ! Thought oh that of giving a 4 star , but for the TIMELY food which tasted great - gave it a 5 star .. it's surely a hidden gem in Albany .

This is an unusual review. As I understand it, the restaurant is in a "new location" which is…read moreaccessed through the side of an Indian grocery market and has been here less than a year. We came for the buffet and were seated at a table with a white paper table cloth that Harrison could draw on. As low budget as it gets. Our table rocked back and forth and the ambiance was lacking. It seems to be a work in progress. However, a nice epoxy-pour bar (complete with boats and fish and shells) was in one area and two large televisions were high up on the walls. The food was good and there were lots of dishes I didn't recognize, which I interpret to mean they have a lot of "non-standard" recipes on their buffet. Some might call that "authentic". It was a Saturday and they have a lunch buffet every day, though the weekday buffet might be smaller. In sum, it was $18 about 20-30 different items including multiple sauces and garnishes. Chicken, goat, fish... all were represented. I missed some of the regular items I see elsewhere but I can't exactly put my finger on what I wanted. It was a bit spicy which I appreciated, though my wife didn't. Fresh naan was brought to our table. We were never asked what we wanted to drink but cold water was brought and that was sufficient. Of note: there was no fruit on the buffet, and very few raw vegetables. I had hoped they would have had oranges or mangoes or something (for our toddler) but nope. Nor did the attached grocery store stock any fruit either. Huh? That was disappointing. It wasn't cheap, it felt like eating in a run-down garage, and it was very quiet as there was no background music at all. Not a great location to bring a date. But, we did talk to the owner on the way out and he was very kind. I hope to come back in half a year and see how it has improved. I wish them well.

A chowhound-type discovery for me. Rough but delicious! Buffet lunch daily, including naan cooked…read morefor you. 11:30-2:30 or later (I was on the later and it seemed to be fine. I write "seemed to be" because we did not communicate in the same language, other than smiles. Big room with tables and chairs through the grocery at new location now up the road towards east Greenbush. Yum!.

The chicken tikka masala was good and tasted fresh. I was too excited to take a picture before but…read moreit came with fresh cilantro and a drizzle of cream on top. The service was excellent. They are very friendly and clearly proud of the restaurant. It's a nice place for fast casual dining. It's nothing fancy, but it doesn't need to be and it's comfortable. This is probably the best Indian restaurant within 10 miles of the UAlbany area since Sitar left.

After wanting to go literally since it opened, and particularly encouraged by all the positive…read morereviews, my wife and I happened to be driving by for the Wednesday dinner buffet and had to stop! Shortly after we were seated there was a long line out the door, so certainly a popular spot, or at least for the dinner buffet. All told, we were a bit surprised to ultimately find the food just 'slightly above generic Indian buffet food.' Also, in spite the establishment's name, we asked twice for dosas but tragically none ever arrived. The meat dishes were primarily chicken, but varied and tasty. My favorite items were the tikka masala tofu and fritters.

I've had quite a bit of Indian food in my day and honestly this is not my favorite. We had…read moremulligatawny soup, samosa chaat, chicken tikka masala, lamb Rogan Josh, shrimp mango curry and onion naan. I found the food to be very salty and they gave us 2 containers of rice despite ordering 3 entrees (got take out and didn't realize till we were home). Things I liked are the ease of ordering directly through them and not a 3rd party site on their website. Also, if you enroll in the rewards program on their site, they give 20% back of your ordering total for a future order which is the most generous rewards program I have seen. Additionally, the portion sizes are pretty large. I may return for the sole reason that I now have $15 in rewards but wouldn't otherwise return as the flavor of their food is not my fave Indian in the area.

Scammers. Sold a gift card to my elderly grandmother, and when I come in to use it they have…read morechanged the system and no longer accept the gift card she purchased less than 6 months ago. They were unapologetic and not helpful on top of a mediocre meal. "New management" good luck if this is how you run the place.

Ordered this as a delivery so I can't comment on the service or ambiance of the restaurant. The…read morefood however was alright, as someone who eats Indian food pretty regularly this was one of the less flavorful chicken tikki masala dishes I've tried. It had no spice (which is fine although there was no option to make it spicy), but the sauce itself was a little lacking. The portion was solid, overall not the best nor the worst Indian food I've tried

I've always liked Indian food and Shalimar is among the best. The buffet lunches are consistently…read moredelicious. I was really hungry and on my way to do some grocery shopping at Hannaford Plaza in Delmar. You know that saying about not shopping for groceries on an empty stomach? I decided not to give into that. So I took myself to lunch at Shalimar at the opposite end of the plaza. The restaurant looks very much as I remember it. Clean and comfortable.I haven't been there in a couple of years. I was greeted by a host. It is a buffet so I grabbed a plate and helped myself. There were a lot of great spicy vegan dishes. It wasn't until I reached the end that I realized there were a number of chicken dishes, including tandoori, which I love. I took one piece of chicken from each. A drumstick or a wing. My plate looked quite full. I ate almost everything except I couldn't finish the tandoori drumstick nor the piece of chicken korma. I also had bit of leftover flatbread known as naan. I didn't know you weren't supposed to take leftovers with you at Shalimar but the host said he would give me a container for my food just this once. I certainly didn't want to waste food. The buffet came out to just over $14 and I left a tip. Then, I went to go grocery shopping after a very satisfying meal.

Reviewing this spot again after nearly 4 years!…read more In my eyes, this spot has withstood the test of time. Maharaja still holds a dear place in my heart. The food is always exactly what I'm hoping for, and the service is always quick. I don't have to wait very long to get my food, and I always leave happy. My go-to is the Chicken Vindaloo. I have a pretty solid heat tolerance, and I don't recommend this to anyone that can't handle a bit of heat... I sometimes find myself sweating after this dish, but it is so worth it. My wife orders the Chicken Tikka Masala and it's also very delicious. I've tried a few chicken tikka masala dishes in the area (by extension of my wife) and this is my favorite. The sauce is a rich, buttery sauce that tastes amazing, and the chicken is always so tender. We share a helping of rice for the chicken tikka masala and vindaloo. It is plenty of food and we typically leave with leftovers (which reheat nicely). I do also love the copper-wear. Some of the appliances are getting a bit dented, and unfortunately the window in the front is cracked and I notice these small things, but the food is good enough for me to look past that.

As a vegetarian, I often keep my choices simple and focus on dishes that truly reflect authenticity…read moreand balance of flavors. During my visit, I ordered the classic yellow dal tadka and Kashmiri dum aloo and both exceeded my expectations. The dal tadka was comforting and beautifully prepared, with the perfect consistency and a well-balanced tempering that enhanced the natural flavor of the lentils without overpowering them. It had that unmistakable homemade, authentic Indian taste that is surprisingly hard to find. The Kashmiri dum aloo was outstanding. The potatoes were perfectly cooked, absorbing the rich, aromatic gravy infused with traditional spices. The depth of flavor, subtle heat, and creamy texture were exactly how this dish should be prepared. Honestly, I haven't tasted such an authentic and well-executed Kashmiri dum aloo anywhere in America. Ambience was very nice and service was exceptional too. If you are looking for genuine Indian flavors prepared with care and authenticity, I highly recommend this restaurant. It delivers both quality and taste in every bite.

Last night my spouse bit into a samosa and found a piece of steel wool, basically a piece of metal…read more We called to let them and they said they buy them from the restaurant depot.

It has to be better than Jewel of America, who sang such standards as "Standing Still" and "Foolish…read moreGames" and don't forget "You Were Meant For Curry." This is always my favourite Indian place in Albany, but that isn't saying much because there's not a lot of good Indian food outside New York City, within New York state that is. Having said that, it's not bad. I've been here on two occasions, both of them for dine-in. We always enjoyed everything, and while prices aren't cheap, they're about in line with other Indian places in Upstate New York. If they had a bit of a more British-Indian menu I would probably go to 5 - or if they were little cheaper. As for the bug incident, I have tremendous solidarity with the woman who got lied to and misled and I think the restaurant should do a much better job handling that, and I feel bad for her in the way they treated her. About being lied to, not about the bug. But I also see it from the other side. My opinion is quite different. Bugs are everywhere. They massively outnumber every human. They're in everything, they're on everything. Eating bugs is really not going to do much harm. There's no place that's truly clean, and the cleaner we try to make it clean with is more dangerous than bugs and dirt by miles, because it's the chemicals we use to clean that cause infinitely more diseases than the stuff we're cleaning up. I travel to countries with amazing food around the world that don't have anywhere near these supposed cleanliness standards of America and it does us no harm, believe me. We really need to just get over it and if we find a bug or hair or whatever, just shrug and throw it out and maybe throw that portion out if you must, give it to animals or something, a homeless person, and get on with our lives. Because cooking in our own kitchens, there is every chance there's been bugs in our food too, at home. In fact I've seen it happen in many places. A lot of cultures even eat bugs and it's a delicacy so it really shouldn't be that big of a deal. So it might be gross but don't go ape on a place and change it to 1 star over a damn bug. Bad service, maybe, sure, but I'm not sure what more they should be expected to do than offering free replacements an extra sides. And posting pictures of bugs to the listing of a family restaurant for me is ethically wrong but each their own. The ethical problem is that Yelp will often make this the top picture. No idea why because this is bordering on bringing down a little local business and a livelihood, because a bug ended up in their food. I guarantee a bug has ended up in every dish at every restaurant across the world on several occasions, so whatever. First world problems are what make me puke.