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    Tarka Indian Kitchen

    4.0 (670 reviews)
    ModerateIndian, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Tarka Indian Kitchen Photos

    Business Info

    TARKA INDIAN KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Tarka Indian Kitchen

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    Tikka Masala Fries (GF)
    Nicholas A.

    Five stars for the food, but six stars for Luis! Tarka is my go to for a reason, and Luis is a huge part of that. He's fast, friendly, and knows the menu inside out. He kept the vibes immaculate as we checked out with him. Make sure he's there when you go!

    Madi M.

    Very clean, the first thing I noticed. Food was good and quick as always. They have one if the best garlic naan. There are plenty places to eat in the same shopping center, but first thought was Tarka. Service was pleasant.

    Delores L.

    Today I was craving coconut curry and Tarka hit on all cylinders! This was quite the unique vegan coconut curry...zero sugar, robust curry flavor and whole vegetables (potatoes, carrots, zucchini, colored peppers). The vegetables were adente and flavors were separate and distinct for each vegetable. The curry was accompanied with basmati rice. Both the curry and rice were in generous portions. Orders were placed by customers at a cashier kiosk after scanning a QR code. You can order in restaurant or "to go." Tarka has ample seating and noise level was at low level. Great for a friend meetup or team lunch. I can't wait to return to Tarka...

    lentil curry with lamb
    Aruni G.

    Tarka is consistently good, easy, and cost effective. And there's usually enough food for leftovers! I met a friend for lunch here last week. We were able to order quickly and find a seat inside at a high top. The folks were nice and friendly. We tried their new chicken & cheese samosas along with a lentil lamb dish and malai kofta dish with a side of garlic naan. There is limited parking very close to the restaurant but it's easy enough to find parking within a short walk in the lot. Tarka is also an easy place to pick up food if you want to eat in. Clay Pit has been an Austin staple for many years so it's nice they have been able to make similar food for those of us who like good Indian food but don't have the time or the dollars to eat at Clay Pit. I know I will be eating here again!

    Iced Chai
    Kelly O.

    I love coming here. The food is always incredible and my body feels good after eating at Tarka. The service is always so fast and everyone is kind and helpful. Bernice was a GEM today specifically and everyone always has a smile on their face. The ambiance is clean, low volume, and conducive to great dinner conversation. I will ALWAYS recommend Tarka to friends. The coconut curry is my favorite and I always pair it with my favorite drink: the iced chai. Delicious!

    Kabob Combo Kabob (GF)
    Michelle V.

    Great option for quick and delicious Indian food! We went for dinner Wednesday night and service was quick and food came out in less than 10/15 minutes for everything! We ordered two orders of samosas (two come per order) - delicious!! The mint chutney is great with them too. My fiancée ordered the chicken biryani and I ordered the kabob combo. The chicken biryani was medium spice level and great flavor and the heat def builds! The combo was good too - came with rice and cooked bell peppers and zucchini. We also ordered garlic naan - very necessary!! The strawberry rose lemonade and mango lemonade are so delicious too - def get the drinks if you want something sweet and unique. The indoor is very large and decorated so nicely too.

    Susan P.

    This place is my favorite Indian restaurant and my go-to spot whenever I'm craving Indian food. I always get their chicken tikka masala extra hot with an order of garlic naan -- it's always flavorful and hits the spot every time. The ambiance is cozy and inviting, with warm lighting and the aroma of spices filling the air. Parking was easy to find, and the service was great -- the ladies working there were so kind and welcoming.

    tikka masala chicken
    Ashley C.

    pretty yummy spot of traditional indian food. i got their tikka masala with chicken and hot along with a side of garlic naan. i think the tikka masala had good flavor and the spice level of hot was a perfect level! the garlic naan definitely added to the dish, so i highly recommend. the portion size was very filling and i had a good amount of leftovers. the prices were very good as well, definitely fit for a college budget!

    Beyond Keema
    Kate Z.

    Y'all, I love Tarka's korma, because it's like the creamiest and tastiest curry I've ever had. I love the basmati rice too. However, today I got their Beyond Keema to try it out and it was beyond salty. It definitely tasted like beyond meat, which is not bad, but the saltiness was way too much. It came with sweet yeast rolls. I like their garlic naan and samosas. Overall, Tarka is a good Indian fast food place that's affordable and clean, but it does depend on what you get. I'll be back!

    Mirchi Curried Chicken
    Rishi P.

    Needed something spicy since I was sick and this hit the spot as it was hot hot when requested. Naan was also not too thick. Chicken was small pieces and more curry but still spicy for my liking. I asked for 4 naan and service rep was nice to warn me that it might be too much. Indoor dining isn't too great as it's laminate old school but take home was fine as it's more fast casual.

    Menu
    Grace L.

    Tasty. Glad I finally got to try it. Is it the best Indian food I've ever had? No but for fast food setting, it was good. The quality was better than typical fast food. The portion size is ok for the price. I liked how I got to use my yelp discount upon checkin and how my friend got free apps with their app and another discount with her yelp checkin. I got the typical chicken masala. I liked the rice with it. It was a bit salty but with the rice it was good. Tasty. Chicken was tender. She enjoyed her lamb korma. She got the highest level of spice crazy girl lol she was sweating but loved it. The samosas were delish. The naan was garlicky. It went well with my masala. Wished it was AYCE naan like many Indian places :) Clean cute place. Convenient off of Anderson. I did keep thinking of Star of India across the street. Its AYCE but that's for another day. I am just glad I tried Tarka finally and I truly enjoyed the lunch. Nothing bad to say about it. Except maybe bigger portions but I was satisfied nonetheless.

    Chicken vindaloo
    Lauren S.

    The chicken vindaloo (hot option) was pretty spicy! I also loved the garlic naan, but I've never been disappointed by garlic naan. From the outside and based on the customizable, almost modular menu, I was expecting this place to be more of a Chipotle style fast-casual place, so I was surprised to learn that the staff brings out food to the table. They were really fast, though. I barely even sat down before I had my veggie samosas in front of me. I couldn't tell if I was supposed to bus my own table or if they would do it for me, so I apologize to the employees if they had to clean up after me!!

    Vegetable Pakoras

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    6 years ago

    Comforting and delicious Indian dishes that are ready in no time. I enjoy their curries and kebabs and love how fast I can pick up an order.

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    6 years ago

    Fantastic, got it with uber eats and they stuffed the boxes full. Reminded me of my friends cooking before she moved away.

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    14 years ago

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    6 years ago

    Business owner information

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    Tinku S.

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    9 years ago

    YES! Finally quality indian food with no hassle. Modern vibe meets authentic flavors. This is my new to-go now.

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    7 years ago

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    6 years ago

    This my fav. Indian restaurant chain in Austin. Best Indian food ever. Taste of food is so yummy! I would highly recommend this place.

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    9 years ago

    Good food, easy to order, nice service. This is our easy Indian food spot. It's pretty basic, nothing crazy, but comforting

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    Page 10 of 17

    Ask the Community - Tarka Indian Kitchen

    Does it offer a lunch buffet?

    We do not have a buffet at lunch or dinner.

    Anyone know if nutritional information on their menu is available somewhere? I think a chain has to have 20+ locations before it is mandated but Tarka seems to < 20 at the moment.

    https://tarkaindiankitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/Tarka-Nutritional-Analysis-2019.pdf

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Flower Child

    Flower Child

    4.2(789 reviews)
    3.3 mi
    $$
    Healthy dining
    Gluten-free friendly

    They have healthy choices for meals. A lot of vegetarian options too. We had the Mother Earth bowl…read morewith steak meat and the Tuna Poke bowl. While the Mother Earth bowl was delicious with a variety of vegetables nicely arranged the steak meat was a bit over done and the pieces were a bit too fatty and tough for me liking. We choose from the diverse ice teas. The mango sencha green tea was great and also the rose lemonade. The drinks are unsweetened and can be sweetened as you like perfect for people who have to watch their sugar intake. The restaurant is spacious and open with a modern down to earth flare. Even if the restaurant would be full because of the high ceilings the place doesn't feel crowded. It's in the center of the Domain with walking distance to many shops and other places. If on a perfect day you feel like sitting outside you can get your meal to go and sit in the adjacent park area with shade under the tree

    Flower Child reminds me of Panera but more upscale with a different, perhaps more varied menu…read more We stopped at this location bc I didn't have time to try the one in downtown Austin, but we were shopping at The Domain and wanted to take a healthy, quick lunch to go on the way to the airport. The short line moved quickly and they had a nice range of items to choose from, salads, sandwiches, bowls and wraps. I got a turkey wrap with a side salad and my friend got their tacos. Both were ready in under 10 minutes and very good.

    Photos
    Flower Child
    Flower Child
    Flower Child

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    Velvet Taco - North Burnet

    Velvet Taco - North Burnet

    4.2(25 reviews)
    1.1 miAllandale

    Finally, after many months of planning, We visited the Velvet Taco on Burnet. We were absolutely…read moredelighted to meet a familiar, cheerful, friendly face! Claudia! The new location on Burnet is awesome and it has a very vibrant atmosphere. There were Lots of families enjoying tacos, indoors and al fresco! We used to see Claudia all the time at the Domain location. We were delighted to see her again. She instantly greeted us and punched in our order. We were happy to know that she's the manager at this new location. We could tell from her being very busy, working hard, being hands-on with preparing all the orders as they came in and extending warm hospitality to all the guests! We also met with other cheerful staff at this location! As our order came in we totally felt the consistency of the Velvet Tacos taste which is so gratifying, remains with you!! The chicken tikka tocos were excellent. Nashville tofu was as always crispy and spicy! We love the sprinkle of spicy dust on the tofu!! The beer battered cauliflower taco was delicious! The queso and chips were appetizing! This visit at the Burnet location became even more special only because of Claudia! She went above and beyond with her hospitality and it's amazing to see her in a leadership role! We hope that the management of Velvet Taco will recognize Claudia and appreciate her! :)) Thanks so much for this wonderful dining experience! We'll see you again soon! Ria/Tony

    Delicious food and good service. Great place to grab something quick to hold you over for a night…read morein Austin.

    Photos
    Velvet Taco - North Burnet - Coconut curry queso

    Coconut curry queso

    Velvet Taco - North Burnet - Velvet Taco 8

    Velvet Taco 8

    Velvet Taco - North Burnet - Velvet Taco 1

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    Velvet Taco 1

    lulubowls - Teriyaki Chicken Bowl

    lulubowls

    3.4(7 reviews)
    3.2 mi

    Everything tasted really bad and the chicken/teriyaki had a weird after taste of fish that I…read morecouldn't get out of my mouth for several hours even after brushing my teeth. I usually like fish, but it was a bad fishy after taste. The sides were inedible, they tasted so bad. They were super cold including the roasted sweet potato's. The corn salad had an awful dressing on it and both my partner and I spit it out after tasting it. The chili pineapple might have been good if it wasn't packaged poorly and mixed in with the corn. The corn dressing ruined the pineapples. I'm bummed that I paid so much money just to throw away the food. I ordered through Uber eats by the way, and they are only 10 minutes from my place AND I paid for priority delivery, so the food that needed to be warm shouldn't have been weirdly cold either. I spent over $50 just to throw everything away. I do not recommend this place at all.

    So freakin' pumped I discovered this place! I was looking on Maps for food near my work and this…read morepopped up like a total heaven-send. It is 100% gluten free so immediately I was enticed--us Celiacs are always on the search for gluten free restaurants like this! It is also super vegan friendly with tons of plant-based and dairy-free options. It is all Hawaiian-inspired and insanely delicious! I got the Teriyaki chicken bowl and Impossible potstickers. It was ready super quick but the quality was not missing! Everything was so yummy and felt super good to eat too--I didn't feel gross but great after! Obviously super great quality and ingredients, so you get the best of both worlds: healthy AND tasty!

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    lulubowls - Avocado Mac Salad

    Avocado Mac Salad

    lulubowls - Nutella Chia Pudding

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    Nutella Chia Pudding

    Flower Child

    Flower Child

    4.3(464 reviews)
    6.3 miWarehouse District, Downtown
    $$
    Healthy dining
    Gluten-free friendly

    Flower Child is easily one of my favorite chains because the food is consistently fresh, flavorful,…read moreand actually feels good to eat. My go-to is the salmon with the gluten-free mac & cheese and roasted broccoli. It's one of those combinations I can order over and over and never get tired of. The salmon is always a solid choice, the broccoli has great flavor, and the mac & cheese is surprisingly good for being gluten free. The chicken enchiladas are another favorite and honestly hard to pass up. They're flavorful, filling, and one of the best things on the menu when I want something a little more comforting. I also like the overall atmosphere. It's bright, casual, and relaxed, so it works just as well for a quick lunch as it does when you want to sit down and take your time. You really can't go wrong here. Fresh food, great options, and consistently one of my favorite places to grab a meal.

    Note: This review is about a DoorDash order. Today, we enjoyed the avocado hummus (without corn…read morerelish), the chicken plate with brown rice and broccoli, the salmon plate with cauliflower risotto and roasted vegetables, and the fruit stand without tajin. We also added chicken to the chicken dish. I think I might have discovered my new favorite restaurant in Austin! The cauliflower risotto is truly unique, and I can't believe it's vegan--it's so smooth that it tastes just like it's made with dairy. Eating such healthy food makes me really happy. I can't wait to try more delicious items from their menu!

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    Flower Child
    Flower Child
    Flower Child

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    Desilicious Cafe - Masala dosa

    Desilicious Cafe

    4.3(55 reviews)
    4.9 miMilwood
    $$

    June 7, 2025 review ---…read moreWe visited this place with our friends and got paneer Pulav, rava dosa, poori aloo. We never had Pulav here before but thought of trying because it was listed as new item. My husband was craving for poori so we got the poori aloo and ofcourse, rava dosa is one of the best here so we didn't want to miss that. We got poori pretty quick and were told that other items were coming pretty soon. Rava dosa came after in few mins but it was soggy and cold. You can tell that it's not just came out of tawa. It looked like an old order to me. I asked to call the manager and told about dissatisfaction with rava dosa. He first tried to defend, then I asked him to touch and tell and if it's fresh. He said he will get it replaced and get a fresh one coming. Ofcourse that took 15-20 mins to come. Paneer Pulav was good. Not too spicy and it came with yogurt to balance. Rice was also sticking to each other so it looked like paneer biryani to me but ofcourse very balanced spices version. My friend also ordered the veg keema Pulav but I like the paneer one more. Service can be hit or miss so I'm reducing one star but overall good quality is good. Also when I visited this back in June, they had the buy 2 Pulav at a certain price offer going on. We looked at it later and checked that out cheque had individual priced for each Pulav. Manage gave the reason as we ordered two in 15 mins gap. He later offered us the balance as courtesy but we didn't take it. I think this should have been accounted while creating the cheque in first place. Overall good place for vegetarian south Indian food.

    The food is great. It's a real shame I never want to go back…read more Saturday night, prime dinner time, the place is all but abandoned. Despite that, service is plodding, slow and inattentive. The appetizer was served last, and it wasn't even piping hot, as if they had just made it. You only get one tiny 8-ounce plastic bottle of warm water to drink, unless you go out and grab another one out of the pack in the other room. That said, the dosa is excellent, textures and flavors on point. Onion pakoda are crave-worthy, crispy and well seasoned. The spices are bright and bold, unrestrained, and deeply satisfying. It's fantastic that so many options are vegan as is. Unfortunately, the issues with payment was the final straw. I had a coupon that seemed to completely flummox the poor guy, and while fumbling with my phone, executed the transaction with Google pay, which is not at all how I wanted to pay. He "couldn't" refund it, for some reason. It makes me so sad. Seems like a great, family-run place with excellent food. I won't be revisiting.

    Photos
    Desilicious Cafe - Spinach idli .... Soooo good

    Spinach idli .... Soooo good

    Desilicious Cafe - Pushapa Dosa on the left and Tomato Uttappam on the right.

    Pushapa Dosa on the left and Tomato Uttappam on the right.

    Desilicious Cafe - Onion Chili uttapam

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    Onion Chili uttapam

    Velvet Taco - Velvet Taco 8

    Velvet Taco

    4.2(1.1k reviews)
    3.1 mi
    $$

    Love the vibes and great tacos with interesting flavors I haven tried coming from SoCal like a…read morePaneer Taco. Fairly quick service where they call your name when your order is ready. I tried the Chicken Tikka Masala Taco and Fish n Chips Taco. Chicken Tikka Tac was good with basmati rice. They even have bottles of spicy sauce on the counter. Fish n Chips taco had a more tangy flavor but also unique with thin cut potato fries. They have a combo deal for under $15 coming with 2 tacos, a side and drink. I liked the guac with the blue chips.

    Order at the counter, then pick up your tacos when your name is called. Went for lunch so it was…read morequite loud and crowded. The space has both indoor and outdoor seating, Order the fish n' chips, Grilled Salmon, and a slice of Velvet cake. The fish n' chips taco is their best taco. It has a nice, big piece of battered cod with turmeric sauce on top, sitting in a bed of fried onions. The onions were a bit too salty, so I removed them. The salmon taco felt light. It had salmon bits mixed in with pico de gallo. It was different and was fine. The velvet cake is my favorite velvet cake in Austin, maybe that's why it's called Velvet Taco lol. The cake is very moist, with cream cheese frosting in the center and on top, which is very sweet. Definitely check out this dessert if you have a sweet tooth, since it's pretty sweet. IMO it's just too expensive for tacos. For one taco, it's between $5 - $7.

    Photos
    Velvet Taco - Interior and exterior seating

    Interior and exterior seating

    Velvet Taco - Velvet Taco 8

    Velvet Taco 8

    Velvet Taco - Velvet Taco 1

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    Velvet Taco 1

    Nissi Vegmex - The Birria knocks my socks off. Decadent tacos that you dip into a savory sauce. Finely chopped onion and lime... perfection. I'm obsessed.

    Nissi Vegmex

    4.5(113 reviews)
    1.2 mi
    $$

    amazing service, great environment, and delicious vegan tex mex!…read more I've always wanted to try Birria, and they did not disappoint! 10/10. My partner had the Nacho Plate, and it was delicious and the portions were insane. a little on the pricier side, but well worth it IMO. Will definitely be coming back. One of the best vegan options in austin!

    I went with coworkers today for the first time. You order at counter and take a seat. Yes they ask…read morefor a tip for no service other than counter service. Another restaurant that is subsidized by tips instead of paying their employees better. They only offer bottled drinks and that includes water. No ice tea of any kind. I was stuck with plain bottled water. That cost a star. I had the birria tacos with side of rice and beans. They were excellent. I honestly thought the tacos tasted like Jack in the Box's tacos. I love them despite the mystery of what they are made from. The food is good and coworkers all enjoyed their food. They give you a wooden spork like object for a utensil. That definitely is useless and tastes like a tongue depressor. I don't like their drink choices, bottles only. I'm tired of being asked to tip for absolutely no service. It's an insult to all servers in restaurants where you actually get service! I'm worked in food service and know what it's like to offer service. Ordering from the counter and being expected to tip for no service is infuriating! Overall food was good but this place is not much better than ordering food at a gas station.

    Photos
    Nissi Vegmex - Inside

    Inside

    Nissi Vegmex - Seasonal ramen with protein added

    Seasonal ramen with protein added

    Nissi Vegmex - Flauta Plate

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    Flauta Plate

    Tarka Indian Kitchen - indpak - Updated September 2026

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