My husband and I really enjoyed the dinner tonight ! Excellent service and the food quality was outstanding We will definitely come back when we visit Ventura again read more

The Taj Cafe - Butter chicken and chicken tikka masala combo - Indian Near Me - Ventura, California

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Friendly staff, reasonable prices, delicious food with good sized portions. Great vibes, and this place attracts friendly patrons as well I'll definitely be returning here when I visit Ventura again this summer read more

I love the Taji cafe. Food is tasty, the service is always friendly and nice. My favorite is chicken Tikka masala, mango lassi, and sweet pishori naan. The portions are large, so you can easily share one dish. Considering the quantity, the price is reasonable. They give you free rice pudding for free as a dessert. No parking. When I come to this restaurant, I park my car in the public parking. read more

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So I had been here before and I enjoyed the food. My husband and I decided to come New Year's Day and gather with friends. So I called at least 1.5 hours before getting there and made a reservation! When we got there which was on time, they Didn't have a table for us! The hostess was RUDE! When it's their fault for not honoring our reservation! So he's like you have to wait, at least 20-30 mins! Excuse me! Whats the point of having a reservation then! Anyways they moved a couple to seat us! We had 7 adults and 1 kid! Food took over 45 mins! I had the samosa chat which I recommend and the chicken korma medium spice and also good! They took forever to bring the food, and someone else had the Korma and so they mixed it up though one was chicken And the other Lamb! Other people in the table had the combo, they were 2 sitting next to each other. So they get Garlic Naan part of the combo. Only of them got the garlic naan, so toward the end. We asked, hey we're missing the garlic naan for this meal. Their response was, it was mixed with the other person who has the combo. Anyways it wasn't much garlic naan so they brought one and made it sound like they brought one to replace that. Instead after I got home I realized they charged for their garlic bread they brought. Also the food portions are small for what they charge! They charge $3.99 for soda and $1.99 for refill for soda! What? Who does that? It's just SODA! Secret for that many reviews! They bribe people! After dinner, they bring you " free rice putting" and right after before brining the bill, they bring you QR code to rate them!! So check comes and they have 6% charge! RSC! So we ask what is this? Restaurant service charge! That's usually done in big cities such as LA which I have not seen! " to cover their employees" and! Hows that my problem! They had already charged 20% for service! Which was HORRIBLE! I should have made them take that out! Since I was not happy w their service for seating us late and for taking forever to get food ready and on top of it charging for unnecessary items! Before you dine here. Check everything and the 6% add on plus 20% Service charge! Plus over priced food! Won't return here read more

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Grabbed a quick lunch here and thought the vegan options were great! Nice decor and friendly service, will be back next time I'm in the area. read more

The Taj Cafe - Indian Near Me - Ventura, California

This food was delicious. It was very empty when we got there but it was a weeknight so I wasn't too surprised. While we were there there were a few orders that came in for pick ups or DoorDash, and another couple that came in to eat. So we weren't the only ones that ate there on a random Thursday night which is a good sign. We ordered samosas appetizer, garlic chicken plate and mirchi (spicy) chicken plate. All food was good with a nice spice level! And not just spicy to be hot- it had actual flavor! And the portion sizes were great! The total for the above plus a soda and a masala chai drink was about $114. That includes an 18% tip (not automatic), and the 6% restaurant surcharge. I hate the surcharge but would go back. read more

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We got a lot of complimentary items and at the end they requested we write a review.. I would have regardless. All items were delicious. Partner and I split the chicken tikka masala. Perfect for two. A little on the sweeter side that I'm used to but would order again. The garlic naan had a lot of garlic and we loved it. Complimentary chutney sampler. That was alright. Complimentary aloo tiki chaat. That was pretty good. Complimentary Kheer. It's my favorite desert and it was great! We left with a little coupon. The service was good. They checked on us a good amount. I sat on the patio since it was a beautiful day. We did not go inside. We will back! read more

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great family-owned restaurant! loved the service and how they pampered us with free appetizers and dessert. the chicken tikka masala and saag paneer included a good amount of protein which was nice. the saag paneer was a bit bland but it feels healthier which is a bonus? :) the chicken naan was a bit dry but it was a huge portion. overall would recommend for indian food in the area! read more

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Amazing amazing amazing!!!! The service here is exceptional the food is so flavorful. Only reason I came here was because my usual Indian restaurant was closed and I was really craving it. I'm definitely glad I came here. They provided me with complementary items to get a little taste of what they offer and let's just say this. I will most definitely be coming back here. Give this place a chance I promise you you will not be disappointed. read more

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Got the chicken tikka masala, white rice & garlic naan. Literally 10/10 and the restaurant cook who handed me my food was very nice!!! Will return read more

The Taj Cafe - Chicken tikka masala, White Rice (Vegan), Garlic Cheese Naan - Indian Near Me - Ventura, California

A Comforting Go-To at Taj Cafe - A Ventura Favorite My family and I made another visit to Taj Cafe in Ventura, a place we go to so often the servers know us by now. With our third son on the way, we were looking for something comforting, familiar, and stress-free--and as always, Taj Cafe delivered. Food: I ordered the tikka masala lamb combo meal, and my wife went with our usual favorite, the butter chicken--our go-to dishes every time. Both were excellent. The lamb was tender and flavorful, coated in a rich tikka masala sauce that's perfectly spiced without being overwhelming. The butter chicken was creamy, comforting, and consistently delicious, which is why we keep coming back. The combo meal was filling and a great value. Experience: What makes Taj Cafe special for us is the consistency. The food is always fresh, hot, and satisfying, and the relaxed pace makes it an easy, enjoyable stop--especially on busy days. It feels familiar and comfortable every time we visit. Service: The staff is always friendly, welcoming, and attentive. Being regulars, it's nice walking into a place where you're recognized and treated like family. They make sure everything is just right and genuinely care about their customers. Overall: Taj Cafe in Ventura isn't just a restaurant for us--it's a trusted favorite. If you're looking for reliable, comforting Indian food with great service and a welcoming atmosphere, this place is hard to beat. Highly recommended. read more

The Taj Cafe - Indian Near Me - Ventura, California

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Loveeee taj! A great option for a sit down in downtown Ventura. The food is great.. naan is top tier and love their green chutney sauce so much. Never had a bad dish. They always throw in freebies and complimentary items while dining in which is so sweet. Family owned and very local. The veggie combo is my go to. *note this isn't a fast dining experience so just an fyi read more

The Taj Cafe - Indian Near Me - Ventura, California

We ordered two ala carte proteins and specialty naan so I was expecting the bill to be about $60. It was my first time here and they kept bringing things to the table which were tasty so thought it was all complimentary. Then I heard another patron saying how the bill shouldnt be that pricey. Once I got the bill, saw they charged us for the combo meal plus some lentil dish we didnt order. Bill was $98 and I was shocked. I felt bamboozled and cannot trust this place. read more

The food here is fantastic. A treat for the senses! Complimentary rice pudding also!

Phenomenal Indian food. My friend from India recommended this to me as this is his favorite authentic Indian restaurant in the area. We ordered a whole bunch of different dishes, and everything we got was exceptional. I would highly recommend the butter chicken, chicken vindaloo, saffron rice, and samosas. If you're in Ventura and looking for some good Indian food, The Taj Cafe is the way to go. We ordered takeout, but the location on Main Street and ambiance is ideal. read more

The Taj Cafe - Indian Near Me - Ventura, California

One of my favorite restaurants in all of Ventura county! I've been going here for yeeeeaaaarrrrssss since high school and it hits every single time The staff are amazing they always give me free desserts hehe I somehow have always have ended up going here for first dates bc it's so nice lol read more

This was my first time coming here and I had a great experience! The ambiance is nice and cozy. They have light music playing in the background. The servers are great. They are friendly, attentive, and accommodating of my disability and dietary food restrictions. They give you few yummy complimentary treats. I ordered the Lamb Tikka Masala combo. You can chose your spice level. The Lamb Tikka Masala was delicious and flavorful. It was a wonderful experience. read more

The Taj Cafe - Complimentary rice pudding at the end of our meal. - Indian Near Me - Ventura, California

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It's been quite a few years since I've been in the area during lunchtime. The lunch buffet is no longer offered. Instead, they have lunch specials that are amazing. Freshly grilled chicken and classic vegetable side dishes. Fresh baked garlic nann and all the sauces. Chai tea and ice water with lemon in a glass. I highly recommend the Taj Cafe for lunch. read more

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We tried and thoroughly enjoyed a couple of new dishes: mixed veggie pakoras and saffron chicken . The service was excellent as usual.

Excellent, authentic Indian food, the best we have had in the area, friendly service, we love Taj! We go and get take out regularly, *****, highly recommended! read more

Staff most welcoming. Great atmosphere, sidewalk/street seating made for an interesting vibe, and friendly patrons as well. Food was awesome, reasonably priced ! I'll be coming back for sure read more

Hands down the best Indian food I have ever tried. I come here all the time but had never tried the Mirchi Chicken special combo. Wow, just wow. You can taste each spice in there. The garlic nan is so deliciously garlicky and it's cooked just right. From the chai to the cardomom saffron rice pudding. You won't ever be disappointed at this place. The servers are so kind and they always make you feel special. read more

The Taj Cafe - Indian Near Me - Ventura, California

Amazing food. Fantastic service. Wonderful atmosphere. Seriously the best Indian food I have had in the past couple of years. I highly recommend the dosage, the butter chicken, and the lamb korma. read more

Excellent food , I'm vegan and many choices. The others in my party enjoyed their food as well Great service read more

Never in my life have i ever had indian food this good! Today i was very depressed and after i ate this food I am now happy again. I have something to live for! I love you. read more

The Taj Cafe - Indian Near Me - Ventura, California

Was a mixed experience for sure but the food truly was great. Seating is definitely interesting as most tables seem better set for two tops and the one 4 top was under an open skylight and the white plates/ glass table cover was blinding. My friends got combo plates and the coconut fish special was especially incredible. read more

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We ordered pickup from this restaurant during our visit to Santa Barbara. This place is full of flavours. They have amazing daal , mig veg kurma and aloo tikki chat. I would highly recommend visit this if you are visiting santa barbara and want to try Indian cuisine. read more

Amazing! Amazing! Amazing! Food is so delicious. Everyone is so kind. Recommended order: the Chicken Tika Masala & garlic naan bread. read more

This was our second visit to the Taj Cafe, and once again the food was excellent, and the waiter caring and helpful. He supplied a potato pancake with sauce that was absolutely delicious, we got a popadum on the house, and the chicken tandoori masala was cooked to perfection. The saffrom rice with vegetables was good too. We finished up with gulub Jamum (don't now how you spell that, which was well up to expectations. We will go there again soon. read more

Very intimate setting inside, great for a date night out. The servers are attentive to all needs. My friend and I had great service when we came in for a quick dinner before our movie across the street. I ordered lamb curry with rice and nann. The nann was a little crispy, just the way I liked it. We also ordered garlic nann and it was heavy on the garlic. (If you're not a garlic person I would stay away.) We didn't order any drinks this time around but they did give us coupons to return. And we will most likely be back! They had a lot of vegetarian options and I was curious to try those out. read more

Food was really delicious. Service was with care but could have been more prompt. Lots of variety of meats and veg food. Full vegan options. Ambiance is upper casual but it is on an expensive side. Must go if you are in downtown. read more

The Taj Cafe - Dal Makhni Vegetable Coconut Curry Mango Lassi - Indian Near Me - Ventura, California

What a pleasant experience! We were seated in a quiet space with a view and were waited on as we relaxed and enjoyed the delicious food. From the appetizer to the desert, the food was delicious and made to our liking. The server was friendly and professional, engaging us in light banter while offering complimentary appetizers and desert. One entre served us both, although the dishes are reasonably priced. read more

Taj Café truly exceeded expectations. As someone who photographs Indian weddings professionally and has had the privilege of experiencing Michelin star chefs cater some of these lux events--I can confidently say this is some of the best I've had. My wife and I ordered the butter chicken, matar paneer, and garlic naan. Every bite was flavorful, rich, and clearly prepared with care. The butter chicken especially stood out--perfectly spiced with a slightly thicker sauce that clung to the naan beautifully. It struck that rare balance: not watery, not dry, just tender, well-cooked chicken in a deeply satisfying sauce. We ordered it medium spicy, and it was just right--flavorful with a gentle kick, not overpowering. To drink, we had a ginger lemonade that tasted freshly squeezed--crisp, refreshing, and exactly what we needed to round out the meal. What truly elevated the experience, though, was the hospitality. We were greeted right away and seated at a cozy window table that felt intimate--perfect for our date night. The rest of the restaurant had a warm, lively energy, with most tables filled but did not feel chaotic. The service was smooth, calm, and attentive-- around when we needed them. The staff generously brought out a complimentary dish we hadn't tried before (and will absolutely order next time), followed by a small sample of their rice pudding, which was packed with flavor and the perfect way to end the meal. Taj Café delivers not only incredible food, but thoughtful, genuine service. Highly recommend. read more

The Taj Cafe - Chicken Makhani/Butter Chicken, Matar Paneer, Ginger Lemonade, Garlic Naan - Indian Near Me - Ventura, California

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Absolutely Fantastic. The wife and I got the following: - Garlic Naan - Chicken Biryani - Chicken Tikka Masala - Butter Chicken 10/10 read more

The Taj Cafe - Indian Near Me - Ventura, California

So good! Everything is very delicious and the curries are so flavorful. They definitely do not skimp on meat portions, which I appreciate. The waiters are very generous and gave us many complimentary items, including a chutney sampler for an appetizer, some garlic naan, and kheer at the end of our meal. This was great because I was able to try things I probably wouldn't order myself since the menu is so large and has too many good options to choose from. The kheer, for example, was so fresh and light--a perfect end to our meal. My favorite items were probably the Masala Dosa, which had a generously-seasoned potato filling in a delightfully thin, crispy crepe, and the Cheesy Garlic Naan, which was buttery, garlicy, and soft. The butter chicken's flavor was excellent, but the chicken was a bit dry. Overall, if you come to Ventura, this place is a must-try. read more

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We sat there for dinner but sadly quickly had to leave after we realized this restaurant was one of several using bad practices to rip off the clients with the "bait and switch tactic", what is bait and switch? Luring customers: Restaurants advertise a low price for an item, like a steak or a drink, which is the "bait". Adding hidden charges: At the end of the meal, the customer receives a bill that includes mandatory "junk fees" such as "kitchen charges," "service fees," or "health insurance surcharges" that were not included in the advertised price. "Switching" to a higher total: The final price paid by the customer is significantly higher than the one advertised, which is the "switch". Here, at the Taj Cafe, they show you the menu with some prices (not with tax of course, that is another problem that I hope one day will be solved...) and at the bottom of one out of the many pages of the menu, in little, for the people who find that mention (I did that time, but I could have easily missed it), it is written that a 6% restaurant surcharge fee will be added to the bill... the infamous restaurant surcharge fee... There is a lot of legal action in process or that has passed to prevent these tactics (same for Airbnb etc) where the initial price displayed does not include many many other fees that only get displayed when you pay the bill (or when you check out for online purchases). Under California law SB 1542, restaurants can charge a mandatory service fee or gratuity so long as the charge is clearly and conspicuously displayed, with an explanation of its purpose, on any advertisement, menu, or other display that contains the price of the food or beverage item. "Clearly and conspicuously" has already been clarified by the legislature to mean the charge must be in a LARGER OR CONTRATING TYPE, FONT, OR COLOR IN A MANNER THAT CLEARLY CALLS ATTENTION TO THE LANGUAGE (like that :-) ). Which was clearly not the case here on the Taj Cafe menu. Look I support increasing the wage of workers, but just be upfront and stop lurking customers with prices on the menu that have nothing to do with what they will pay in the end. Do you think that's normal for a customer to have to take its calculator, take the price displayed on the menu (aka the bait price), then add 6% surcharge and add 8% tax and add 15-20% gratuity to know how much will be out of his wallet? No it is not. If you want to increase the price by 6% just update your prices on the menu and feel free to add at the bottom of your menu "The displayed prices include a 6% surcharge in support of increased wages (or whatever other reason)". That is as easy as that. If you don't know how to add 6% to each price, a lot of people or chatgpt will help you... Why they don't do it? Because they fear customers will find the prices too high... so they prefer to rip them off by showing prices lower than what the customer will pay when the check comes... When I pointed that to the waiter, they offered to remove these fees from our bill (we haven't ordered yet), which is absolutely missing my point: that is not going to prevent them to rip off the next customers. They should remove the surcharge fee from their menu, or include it in the prices of all their items. We ended up going to the Pizza place at the end of the street, which was not only delicious but that importantly did not have any random surcharge fee... read more

The food is not very good compared to other Indian places, and very overpriced along with a 6% service fee that they add in. over spiced food my stomach was hurting after. Half of the menu is tikka and butter proteins. read more

The food here was good and reached my expectations for a good Indian restaurant. There were some parts of my experience here that just left an odd taste in my mouth (not literally haha). We ordered a large variety of dishes here to try, as it was our first time here. We ordered a rack of lamb (~$30) off their special menu, chicken biriyani (~$22), chicken tikka masala (~$18), garlic naan (~$5), and masala dosa (~$17). While ordering, I honestly felt like they were trying to upsell me the whole time... We initially just ordered a dosa (which was supposed to be $10), but the waiter asked us if we wanted the normal plain dosa or the one with potatoes in it; this was a bit confusing and we ended up just saying yes since he made it sound like only gluten free people order the plain dosa (??). He also asked us how many orders of naan did we want, which confused us again... And the WEIRDEST PART... at the end of ordering, the waiter asked us if we wanted a side of yogurt to try. We just said sure because he made it sound like it came included with something we had ordered. TURNS OUT IT WAS LIKE $5. THEY DIDNT MENTION THAT IT COSTS ANYTHING. We barely touched it too and most of us actually didn't really like it... I noticed he would ask this to every table and everybody just says yes because nobody really thinks much about this and knows what it is... Now the food though was actually good and met my expectations. The service otherwise was very nice. They came by with some extra complimentary appetizers and desserts for us to try as well. It just took SO LONG for the food to come. It's not like the restaurant was super busy, maybe half full and they had a lot of staff just wandering around. I think we waited like 30 minutes after ordering before our food slowly began to arrive. We were very hungry :( The meal was delicious. I probably would not order the rack of lamb, however. For $30, it was just not worth it. When you order a RACK of lamb, you're expecting a RACK. But we were only given TWO PIECES. We were all expecting to share this dish but we it ONLY CAME WITH TWO... The rest of the food was pretty good; no complaints about the rest of it. When it came time to pay, we realized that they also charge a 4% restaurant service fee to the bill. We also found out they charged us $5 for the yogurt dish we didn't touch... It was also weird that the waiter was just standing over our backs watching me type in an amount to tip. When you pay, they also give you a QR code to write a google review for them LOL. They also give you coupons to go home with; I probably won't be using them even if I come back though because they say CASH ONLY on them. read more

The Taj Cafe - Masala Dosa - Indian Near Me - Ventura, California

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The best Indian food in California - seriously. Don't pass the chance to eat here. It is such a cozy environment, and the servers are the best. I have to get my fix for their saffron chicken combo whenever I get the chance. read more

Didnt expect to stop here. Loved everything from the food to the ambience. The service was excellent too!