I am surprised I haven't reviewed Vajra yet! Being an Indian, it is very difficult to find consistently good Indian food from most restaurants. Everything we have eaten here is great! Their meal for two is amazing and plenty of food, so worth the value! I highly recommend their samosa chat and their lasuni chicken ( garlic chicken). Try them out if you haven't and you won't be disappointed! read more

This is the best takeout spot in chicago - always consistent and great sauces. well - order it for delivery and it slaps everytime

The food was over-priced and the flavor was mediocre. The menu is quite just normal indian food that you can really get anywhere on devon street... They use egg in their naan and it makes the texter terrible. You don't need to use egg in naan. I live in the West Loop so maybe i just have higher expectations. I would not come back.... read more

Upscale Indian and Nepalese in Nobel Square. The service and staff here were phenomenal, open to explaining all items on the menu and let us take our sweet time thinking of what to order. The flavors were wonderful, and gruyere naan kicker was an unexpected delicious option. They have a really interesting cocktail menu and extensive mocktail list that all sounded great. My only complaint was that the prices were high for the portions of meat offered. The tandoori chicken was flavorful but not that many pieces and a lot of bones. The shrimp portion in our curry was also small. Overall the atmosphere is upscale and the staff clearly tried to make it the experience pleasant. read more

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Taking one star as my recent visit failed to live up to the first time. I ordered the same dishes again. The chicken masala has little chicken and the mutter paneer had little and few goat cheese pieces. It is trending toward generic Indian restaurant in the city. I will revisit and give them another chance hopefully in the soon future. read more

I've heard so many great things about this place so I had to check it out. First, parking is pretty convenient. A lot of street parking, but you can also find some FREE parking on the small streets. I made reservations, but got here early and thankfully they were able to seat us. I ordered the mango habanero lassi which was very unique. The lassi wasn't as sweet as typical lassi which was nice but there was a nice subtle kick. For the appetizer, we got the samosa chaat which was amazing! I would definitely come back just for this again. For the entree, we got the gruyere naan with paneer tikka masala. The gruyere naan was really good, however the paneer tikka masala was bland. I was actually disappointed in the dish as it didn't have much flavor or spice to it. The paneer also comes with a small bowl of rice. Overall, come for the lassi and samosa chaat and skip on the paneer. read more

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I could possibly make Indian and Nepali dishes at home by myself but when I go to an Asian restaurant like Vajra, I expect a greater taste without loss of cultural flavor. I am usually very critical about food and I make sure me and my family are having organic, freshly made meals on table. The cook at Vajra is someone really special, Dal Makhani I chose for dinner was so good that it was beyond my expectation. paneer curry had so much more paneer than other places ( most Indian restaurants have brightly "colored" curries without focus on taste and quality, and need to dive in it to find more paneer; I m vegetarian btw) , paneer at Vajra was lightly done and I still loved it. I also tasted tapioca pudding for dessert and this was heavenly, could not have expected anything better...yummy !! My family also ordered Chicken Tandoor, it was delight to find non industrial meat and was pleasantly surprised to find flavorful Tandoori chicken, certainly the " best in town ". Lamb Madras curry was exceptional, my husband could not stop eating. Sparrow coffee and masala tea is a must have ! I felt Vajra understood my expectation from an upscale restaurant, or any restaurant for that matter. I m not the type who will compromise quality of food ingredients over taste ( and why would I compromise taste?) Vajra has an outstanding balance of taste and quality. Did I mention polite accommodating staffs who served us in the best of capacity ? I used to cross my fingers for good service in Asian restaurants. At Vajra, I almost forgot that this is Indian/ Nepali restaurant because of generous staffs. Eagerly waiting for grand opening. Will definitely go back to this restaurant, whenever we are in the area. read more

This new place couldn't have been better. From the second we sat down, we were treated so well. The place is super cute! Our waiter Calvin walked us through the menu, answered our questions, and gave advice. We started with the momo, which I was nervous about (because of the goat), but it was incredible. The two dipping sauces were great. Then we had the Samosa, also great. For our main dishes we had the Chicken Tikka, creamy and incredible- the best I have had in Chicago. We also had the Paneer Stuffed Capiscum, which Calvin recommended. He did not steer us wrong, it was great. And of course, the garlic naan. The manager came around to check on us. From the vibe, to the service to the food, I could not recommend this place more! I am really looking forward to going back! read more

We live in the neighborhood and have been anxious for something to go into the old Charlatan space. We love Indian food, but to be honest, we already had a few go-to places so we were a little luke warm on the concept. We got a chance to try it last night and wow-- completely exceeded my expectations and we will be back again and again! We had the korma, makhani (special) and vindaloo. Also samosas to start-- both goat and potato. Everything was delicious. Our group argued over what was best! I was excited to hear they do delivery and takeout too. And for now, the byob aspect made the meal super affordable too. read more

I absolutely loved the food from here! I have never had Nepalese food so I was very excited to try it. To start, the appetizers were fried pieces of heaven. The Dilliwala Aalu Tikka had a potato filling with vegetables and other seasonings. It was very good and unique as I've never had something like it before. The vegetable samosa were also great and very well made. The goat Momo dumplings were so soft and moist with a very interesting sauce that complimented them well. The entrees were equally as good. The garlic naan was perfectly made while the butter chicken was so savory and flavorful. It was also perfectly spicy while the chicken was so soft and moist it fell apart when you grabbed it with the naan. The tandoori boti kebab was way too tough but very well seasoned. It felt over cooked but I really enjoyed dipping it in the various sauces that came with it. The desserts were also great. My favorite was the mango mousse cheesecake. It was so flavorful and sweet with very fresh mangos. It was also incredibly soft and very easy to eat. The paan coconut laddoo had a very unique and interesting flavor. The leaves were very fresh and refreshing. It was a nice way to end the meal but not very sweet. read more

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We went to Vajra last night for their soft open. While there were certainly some kinks they were working through (their credit card machines went down, some confusion on apps) the food was delicious. We had the momo and the chaat to start, the chaat was definitely a stand out. For entrees, I had the goat curry and my wife had the shrimp curry. I ordered the goat hot, and it was actually spicy, unlike a lot of other south Asian places outside of Devon Ave. As they haven't gotten their liquor license approved yet, we weren't able to try any drinks but based upon the list of mocktails they were making, it looks like the bar program will be interesting and exciting. read more

As a lover of many different cultures and their cuisine, I really enjoy trying any number of ethnic restaurants. First cue I have about a restaurant's food, is the cultural makeup of the diners. If a Chinese restaurant is filled with numerous tables of Chinese folks, that says something. Step into Vajra, and you will find a room full of folks of Indian descent. From hipsters to lots of other age groups, the dining room was clearly folks who knew about Indian culture & foodways. The vibe is hip. The interior, trendy Indian ( is there such as thing?), and the menu......upgraded Indian. We started with the FIRST CLASS MOMO:CHA . The ground goat was spiced with an aromatic mixture and served with a light tomato sauce. Also had perfectly fried samosas with a selection of chutneys. Even though you've had these little fried packets before, Vajra's are special. The butter chicken was served in a creamy sauce. One again, for comparisons sake, I wanted to see if my faves were done any better by Vajra. They were better! The prawn curry was wonderful as well. Shrimp were perfectly cooked. All the touches ( nice tableware and silverware) at Vajra make give it a into a dining experience, albeit different than Indian restaurants on Devon Ave. ! Great service. Only downside, the room has horrible acoustics. You will have to raise your voice to a very high pitch to chat with your guests. read more

Quality of the food here is amazing. I have had the malai kofta, garlic naan, and a few other items, and it's always really good. Best Indian food I have tried in Chicago. read more

Vajra is a beautiful restaurant with a very modern and simplistic layout. It is a new take on Indian/Nepalese fine dining. We started off with some delicious chili chicken and some cocktails that were refreshing and presented nicely. We ordered Madras curry, chef special goat curry, garlic and stuffed naan with gruyere cheese and saag paneer. All of the foods were flavorful and tasted different than your usual Indian/Nepalese cuisine. The flavors were elevated and present with smoky and rich tastes. We were given some desserts to try which included a rich and creamy halwa dish and yummy pistachio kulfi. Definitely would go back! read more

Vajra - Chicken chili - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This is a swanky little Indian/Napalese spot that I would highly recommend. They have smallish menu but they attempt to execute everything well. Our dinner experience was good. The small plates were ok at best. Dahi bhalla which others have recommended on Yelp was a 2/5 - texture was off and the flavors were muted. Maybe my standards for dahi bhalla are super high ;). Chicken Chilli was 3/5 only because the pieces of chicken were uneven in size and the smaller ones were unsurprisingly over cooked. For mains we stuck with classics. All three - paneer tikka masala, saag chicken and dal makhani were executed perfectly 5/5. I haven't had this good indian food in the US since 2012 (and I have traveled the length and breadth of this country). All in all - a solid 4/5. I'll go back in a heartbeat. Just be aware though, the prices are higher - as you'd expect with food this quality. read more

Vajra - Dahi Bhalla, saag chicken, paneer tikka masala, dal makhani - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We had dinner wt this place Amazing food great service, Michael Was the best we would recommend this place for Indian food Prices vwas very reasonable, taste of the food great Great Ambience Great location in west loop area Aaaaa+++ read more

Amazing new spot in Noble Square area. Loved the vibes as soon as you walk in. An upscale Indian restaurant is not as common in the Chicago area so this was a nice change of pace. Got reservations relatively easy the day before but then again its very new. The only reason why I didn't give it a 5 star was because service was pretty slow, took almost 15-20 min for our drinks to come out and almost an hour before the food came out. And we came at a later time too so it wasn't like there was a ton of people. But food quality was fantastic, everything is piping hot and extremely flavorful. As a brown dude myself, I like to test out the quality of indian food with the classic dishes so I got the butter chicken, tandoori, dal makhani, and biryani and all were incredible. Will definitely be returning to try some of the goat and lamb dishes. read more

Best authentic Biryani in Chicago. You can taste the perfectly caramelized onions! Other food is also great but for a us the biryani is a must have if not weekly then monthly. Portions are great ! read more

Excellent Indian food. One of the best in downtown Chicago. Little bit on the expensive side, but the quality, service and ambience definitely commands it. The drinks are really cool and so are the bartenders. Lot of unique liquors from all around the world used to make the fancy cocktails. Complements well with the tasty Indian food. read more

Solid start for this new spot, but will give it some time to work on their menu. Highlight of the meal was the goat seekh kebab, which had excellent flavor, cooked perfectly, and the mint sauce offered nice balance. While we enjoyed both of our mains, the lamb tikka masala and fish goan curry, neither really stood out from other established Indian restaurants we've frequented. I will say the malasa was our favored of the 2, and I would echo other comments that the curries were creamier than the traditional versions many would be accustomed to. I was really looking forward to the goan curry, but I didn't pick up any hints of the coconut nor mustard that should make it stand out above a standard curry, so I was left with a tasty yet all too familiar dish. Also, this is perhaps my personal preference, but the salmon steak isn't the best choice for this type of dish. While it was slightly overcooked, in general, I think a slightly less firm of a filet would work better because the curry itself has a thick consistency to begin with. lastly, I won't be too harsh on the cocktail menu as it just launched, but there is definitely some tweaking that needs to be done. will just say that the best bartenders know how to provide depth and balance... There are definitely more dishes we'd like to try, so will give the place some time to work out the details. BTW, if you know you are running more than 10 minutes late, is it not common courtesy to call ahead and notify the restaurant? Really hope I'm not in the minority on that front... read more

I had been to Vajra a while ago, but I hesitated to review it, because it was a new place and it wasn't a perfect experience. But anyway... Now I don't remember the details anymore so I feel like it was overall good. Better than your average Indian food in Chicago, at least. A bit pricey. A few things were really good and others were average. Worth a visit, since it's a new place. read more

Went with a friend and was impressed with roomy decor and murals of Nepalese art. Staff were friendly We ordered dai vada which familiar to me . It was good and unusual in that it was dressed with pomegranate . The only thing was that it was cold and not at room temperature . The. We order bhindi masala and chicken tikka masala excellently spiced ! A full meal followed by chai. I hope as the restaurant t matures there will be more Nepali dishes Will be sure to return read more

Amazing South Asian food, service, and drinks!!! Came with a group of 4 so we got to try several dishes and drinks. Goat curry is one of my favorite dishes ever. Definitely coming back. Super fresh. Super tasty. read more

Vajra - Goat Keema, garlic, and cheese Naans, goat curry, Goa fish curry, saag paneer, and Dal makhani. - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

"Best Indian/Nepalese food south of Devon" is what I like to tell friends and colleagues. This almost-hidden-gem has a robustly diverse and tasty variety of the "classics" you want to find at an Indian restaurant, in addition to the unique and robustly flavorful "Chef's specials". The bartender it sounds like is up for running of best bartender in Chicago, and his extensive and delectable craft cocktail list explains it all. Only thing keeping Vajra from a full 5-stars is the hefty price $$$, but I would still recommend to everyone I meet. Very eclectic atmosphere, tremendous service, wholesome environment. The perfect place for a special occasions such as first dates, anniversaries, family gatherings, etc. Also it's our "go to" for Indian/Nepalese take out. read more

Absolutely LOVE this restaurant! The vibe is lively but relaxed. The service was fantastic and most importantly the food was the best Indian cuisine I've ever experienced. So many restaurants are putting out teeny tiny plates of food these days so we over ordered because portions were larger than expected. This actually turned out to be a bonus for me because I have amazing left overs for lunch today! Can't wait to go back and try more items on the menu! read more

Vajra - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I wish I had taken photos of the food but we ate it all too quickly! The cashew chicken tikka masala was just perfect. It was creamy and delicious and the perfect amount for two people to split. We also had the chicken momos (we could dip anything and everything into that sauce!), the samosas (a few surprisingly spicy bites!) and garlic naan. We ordered for delivery through DoorDash and had zero issues. It's definitely slightly pricier, but it is worth it. read more

Great food, friendly staff, fancy cocktails. Will definitely go back. Yelp is prompting me to write more, even though I succinctly stated my piece. So, I had the goat dumplings as an appetizer and heritage goat as entree. Both were outstanding. Wifey had venison tandoori which was also great, especially considering venison is easy to bungle. Go there. read more

We did all things goat. Goat momos, goat kebabs, goat biriyani, and goat curry. There is no better place to get goat preparations in Chicago. The food was FANTASTIC. The service was attentive, the drinks were phenomenal. Everything about this place was great. The typical Indian restaurant detoriates after about 1 year. I really hope this place can maintain its high standards. read more

I decided to try Vajra after seeing them on the Michelin Guide list and reading so many good reviews. Being South Indian myself, I had high expectations of the food I ordered: Goat momo, chicken dum biriyani, lahsuni chicken korma with gruyere cheese naan, mango mousse cheesecake. Goat momos were average, nothing special. Chicken dum biriyani was lacking flavor. I also requested spicy, and it was not spicy at all. Lahsuni chicken korma was sort of bland tasting. The best tasting food item was the Gruyere cheese naan, would recommend this. Mango cheese cake was good. All in all, I was disappointed with my experience here. I might give them another chance, but not in the near future. For the quality of food, it is overpriced. read more

Wow. This place blew my socks off. Friends from Chicago invited us and I didn't realize it was on my to eat list. The vibe was warm and friendly with a bar and lively atmosphere. It is Indian food like i have never had it before. We started with delicious puff pastries that were so much lighter than any south Asian pastry I have had before. That is high praise after working in queens for 10 years. We then shared four other dishes which were all also phenomenal. Everything was good. We were blown away. We want to go back soon! read more

Got sick the morning after dinner. Ordered Paneer Mattar, Aloo Ghobi and Dal Makhani with Naan. Normally they are reliable but need to suffer stomach bug this time due to food quality issues read more

An unexpected gem in an otherwise unassuming location. The staff was attentive and enthuastic to be of service. We sampled 3 appetizers and had a variety of main courses, including curried lamb, quail, venison and mushroom oysters. Naan bread was a welcome accompaniment to make the most of the sauces. We appreciated being able to bring our own wine to pair with our meal as it allowed us to fully enhance the savory flavors of the food. We will definitely be back and would encourage others to be just a little adventourous. It's worth it! read more

Vajra - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We had a great time! The food we ordered was plentiful and good. We ordered two appetizers, one tandoori item and one main dish with naan and rice between the two of us and we ended up having food to take home too. Everything was really tasty and delicious. I recommend the samosa chaat and my friend loved the goat kebabs. The shahi korma with garlic naan was delicious. They had a very creative drinks menu (GOT themed!) and the service was great. The only thing is that the dishes are rather on the milder side (especially for those of us that are used to and enjoy more spice) so I would recommend requesting dishes be made spicier. I didn't give less stars for this because I felt that this was more on me since it is my preference rather than a general preference. read more

Vajra - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great Indian food! I live nearby and smell when they're making food and the scent finally lured me to order dinner from Vajra and I was not disappointed. I got the Matar Paneer and Gruyere Cheese Naan. I ordered a side of rice as I didn't realize it came with rice so don't make the same mistake I did. The naan was great and very flavorful and the paneer was fantastic! I will definitely be returning. read more

I love this place, the food is phenomenal and the ambiance seems pleasant. The service is great too. I have tried stuffed capsicum which was awesome, I never had such a great dish even in India. I will definitely try some other stuff next time. read more

Vajra - Vegetable Samosa and coconut - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We were overwhelmed by our experience with Vajra. We ordered the Dinner Date At Home for 2 for pick-up. My boyfriend was cautious and thought we should wait until we can dine-in to try this place out. I'm so glad I changed his mind! To begin, they packaged up everything so well. Everything was super hot and well labeled! The cocktails were in a separate bag, very cold, and in these awesome bottles that were sealed shut and included all of the ingredients printed on a label. It even included the date that it was mixed. Very nice touches! We started with chicken momos. YUM!! You get 6 of them, which is a meal in itself. They come with a sauce that is so unique. It has a creamy, cumin flavor. We saved the remainder to use on something else. Even the cabbage that the momos sat in was tasty. My boyfriend's main was the butter chicken which must have been good because I wasn't offered a bite. LOL! He did mention that there were a few bones in it. I had the goan shrimp curry which is very good. I am a wimp when it comes to spice and this was just right. Not totally tame but spicy enough that I could keep on eating. The food comes with so much rice and two pieces of naan. Usually I'm all about the naan but the rice was quite fluffy and nice. Almost like a pasta. The naan is like cake. Very spongy, charred, buttery, goodness. Like a hug. Then we ended with this sweet carrots dish that had nuts and raisins. I think it was condensed milk? My Cuban boyfriend was loving it! I've never had this dish before but I will probably always order it when I see it now. It was refreshing and sweet, but not too sweet. The nuts gave it a nice crunch. Our package came with one cocktail and we added another because we couldn't decide between the Adagio of Spartans and the house cocktail. The house is made w/ rye, early grey crema and honey. If you're feeling a little under the weather you should get this. The Adagio of Spartans is a gin cocktail with mint, cucumber and lime and is as refreshing as it sounds. It's the perfect summer drink! I'm a sure we will order again and hopefully eat here in-person soon. We were so happy we couldn't eat all of the food that we could spread out this yumminess throughout the weekend. We are blown away by how delicious it is! read more

My dude loves this place and we ordered takeout because he wanted me to try it. I have to admit the food made me cry because the flavors reminded me so much of home. I can't go to India bc of Covid and so food matters so much right now. Their lobster malabar curry is so exactly right in its flavor profile and reminded me of my Mangalorean mum's curry. There aren't many places in the US to get this kind of Indian food that nails South Indian flavors. The biryani was also perfect as were the paan ladoos. Overall one of the best Indian meals I've had in a long time. read more

Absolutely love this place. Is the only flavors that remind me of home when moving here to Chicago.

I've only had delivery from here, but my food was fantastic. I ordered the samosa chaat, the chicken shahi korma, garlic naan, and mango mousse cheesecake. Unfortunately, I forgot about the cheesecake in the fridge and never got to taste it. However, the samosa chaat was my favorite. I love that they add pomegranate. read more

i've only ever ordered takeout here but the flavors are top tier. love their tikka masala and vindaloo. the biryani is sooooo good. our family hasn't ordered from anywhere else since! read more