Here's a polished review you can post: We had a great experience at this South Indian restaurant in Rockford! The staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming from the moment we arrived. The food was outstanding, with plenty of delicious options, especially if you enjoy dosas. Everything was fresh, flavorful, and authentic. We also had the pleasure of meeting the owner, who was warm, friendly, and genuinely appreciative of every guest. It's clear they take pride in both the food and the customer experience. If you're looking for authentic South Indian cuisine in the Rockford area, I highly recommend giving this place a try. We'll definitely be back! read more

If you like Indian food, This place a must try. My mom and I having been wanting to try this place as we share an affinity for Indian Cuisine. I am not sure what business was in this location prior, but Vanakkam has done a wonderful job decorating. The restaurant is very nice inside. We both ordered a drink, I went with an Indian beer that was very delicious that paired perfectly with my meal. We both ordered different vegetarian dishes and bravely insisted we can handle lots of heat. This is your warning, as much tolerance as you think you have, they are able to elevate the heat levels above it! Both of us THOROUGHLY enjoyed our meals even with how spicy they were. The garlic naan and mint chutney really helped cool us down and were perfect compliment. I cannot wait to return and continue to try ore items on their menu. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED read more

Just came into town and was craving some Indian food. Vanakkam never disappoints. Tried a new menu item and it was fantastic. The vibe is family style and a warm atmosphere. Highly recommend if you are in the area. read more

Vanakkam India - Coconut Chutney (8oz) - Indian Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

Just the smell coming from this place was awesome. The interior is really beautifully laid out and the menu is very extensive, with a lot of selections I haven't seen before. Never seen so many dosai offerings. I had the Goan Shrimp, which was outstanding and my dinner date had a vegetarian curry, which she said was fantastic. Only thing that was weird was the waitress really pushing hard to get us to buy a whole bottle of wine, which was strange. On the pricey side, but you get quality food and great ambiance...will definitely be back. read more

The best Indian food in the Rockford area. 100% recommend. They have options for your spice level preference such as mild, medium, and spicy. read more

See all

Got takeout from here to introduce my parents to Indian cuisine. I hadn't tried this place before, so it was a bit of a gamble, but this place has all the dishes I wanted them to try, and it was delicious! It was fun watching them go from dish to dish, "This is amazing! Wait no THIS is amazing! Oh but this one!" I adore a good rogan josh and now my dad does too. read more

Vanakkam India - (Clockwise) Veg Biryani, Palak Chicken, Lamb Rogan Josh, Malai Kofta, side of rice that comes with each curry. - Indian Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

What an amazing experience we had! Went to dinner to celebrate my husband's birthday, and it was my first time at an Indian restaurant! Food was absolutely amazing, we ordered a TON of different things (and took home so many leftovers that could feed us a week) but the highlights were the Cauliflower with Manchurian sauce, Butter Chicken, Vindaloo, Shrimp Coconut Curry, okay now I'm just listing everything...The service was good, we had two servers that checked on us in a timely manner, and one of the girls (didn't get her name but she was the shorter of the two) brought out a little dessert for us, on the house! I didn't even mention my husband's birthday and we still got a little treat. Such a sweet touch. A bonus note - I'm a Sommelier and I was very impressed with their wine list! It's curated nicely to pair with their menu while also being approachable for the typical wine drinker. I had a lovely Gewürztraminer and it paired perfectly with the spice in our dishes. A 10/10 experience and we will be back! read more

Vanakkam India - Cauliflower, Tomato & Cilantro, Lamb Sukka - Indian Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

Awesome freshly made food, fantastic service, amazing ambiance... Trifecta Definitely give it a try! You will not be disappointed. Kunoor based chef brings the feeling of home to this fantastic new restaurant Vanakkam!! read more

See all

Delicious and flavorful as usual. Tried a new dish - fried jalapeños - tasty with some heat. I asked for my shrimp coconut curry with "Indian level spicy" - it was delicious but a lower level of heat would have permitted the coconut to remain the star of the dish. My bad. The Tandor Chicken spicy was perfect. Service attentive. Ambiance is clean and modern. Worth the drive. read more

See all

Uhhhh. EASILY THE BEST FOOD IN ROCKFORD AND SURROUNDING AREA!!! The dining room is SOOOO CLEAN. The staff looks and acts PROFESSIONAL. The Chef wears a chef's coat even. Love that! Pride in everything they do! Super quality ingredients! For my first time, I went with what I consider a basic--chicken tikka masala, basmati. Rice, and butter naan. *I WILL BE BACK* Probably tomorrow. Got medium spicy, and found it spicy but I had a feeling I'd want more heat. I got lucky and the gentleman working (from Texas!) suggested a cup of spicier sauce to go just in case--yessss! Now I know the spice level, I know how to order for me. STOKED! I hope this place is here FOR DECADES TO COME! KEEP UP THE AMAZING WORK YALL! read more

Very nice atmosphere, friendly staff, and terrific food! As my friend told our server, it was a symphony of flavors. I had the Lamb Josh Rogen (Indian hot) - The lamb was fork tender, the curry was hot (but manageable & it was served with Basmati rice. It was rich and wonderful. There was an enough for lunch tomorrow. I also ordered the freshly made cheese naan - stuffed with a white cheese and jalapeño - what can I say - it was tasty! My friend ordered a breaded cauliflower appetizer that was served with a mint chutney and another sweet sauce. The cauliflower was divine & we definitely preferred the mint chutney. My friend also ordered the chicken biryani that came with a yogurt sauce. She gave me some & it was lighter than the lamb dish & the yogurt sauce brought a nice brightness to the dish. Absolutely ban on!!! We will DEFINITELY go back. read more

See all

Sweetest staff, most comfortable booths, surprisingly fine S Indian food. First rate chai and lassi. Terrif for vegetarians. Gem! read more

Vanakkam India - Beautiful, spotless room - Indian Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

See all

I eat here once or twice a week and it's always amazing!! The chicken is always lean and trustworthy. Chicken tikka masala is my favorite! The cilantro garlic naan is a must!! read more

Wow this may have been the best Indian food I've ever had. The server was very gracious and kinda and gave great recommendations! I got garlic naan, lamb tikka masala and rose lassi. The meat was so tender and everything was spiced to perfection. Priced well. I would seriously give this 10 stars. read more

Vanakkam India - Lamb Tikka Masala, Rose Lassi, Garlic & Cilantro Naangarlic - Indian Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

Hi!we went there yesterda, we ordered dosa and sambar it was very delicious quantity and quality was amazin and servise is very friendly and fast. read more

I'm pretty sure I just had the best Indian meal I've ever had! I ordered the Lamb Tikka, medium spice, with garlic naan & white rice. WOW it was delicious! The lamb was very tender & juicy. The spice level was perfect. The lamb almost tasted like beef. The service was great & the restaurant was nice. I highly recommend you stop by. read more

Vanakkam India - Lamb Tikka Masala Garlic & Cilantro Naan - Indian Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

We come here often and have always enjoyed the food, but lately it feels like the portion sizes have gotten noticeably smaller while the prices stay the same. The butter chicken used to easily feed about three people, and now it feels like much less. We still like the flavors, but the reduced portions have been disappointing, especially for regular customers. read more

Vanakkam India is a gem! The food was incredibly flavorful and portions were generous. Party of 4 shared Lamb Tikka Masala, Lamb biriyani, Butter Chicken, Tandoori Salmon and roti. 2 teenage boys and we still had left overs. The wait staff is attentive, pleasant and helpful. read more

Our new favorite Indian restaurant. Everything we tried was absolutely delicious. The place is clean and has a nice ambiance. Great service and you could tell the waitress had a good understanding of the menu and offered good suggestions for new plates to try. Highly recommend! read more

The best Indian food I've had!!! The food was really authentic it tasted fresh and not processed! They have plenty of variety and the service was great! The place was beautiful and clean even the bathroom! This is our new favorite restaurant would highly recommend!!! read more

Vanakkam India - Butter Chicken - Indian Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

The food is great, but we made reservations for a party of 6, which they confirmed. When we arrived 10 minutes early, they told us they didn't have a table for us and wouldn't for quite some time. Not only that; they were barely apologetic and didn't discount or comp anything. They offered us a table an hour after our reservation but we had opted to take it to go. We then waited another hour for our take out order (2 hours total for our food). Many other customers around us were very upset that they were waiting so long. When we spoke to the staff, they were rude and full of only excuses, even going so far as to blame us for the food taking so long because we switched from reservation (that they gave away or forgot) to carry out. The customer service could certainly use some work! Lots of angry customers that evening!! read more

Absolutely fantastic food and great service!! Everything was freshly cooked, and so delicious. We had lentil soup, a spicy spinach puree dish with chicken, and a spicy goat meat dish. The meats were so tender. I've had Indian food in New York and this was better. Reasonably priced too! read more

Quality Indian food. I've been here twice, once for take out, once for dine in and both experiences were excellent. I had a bit of a wait for my online order but everything was fresh and packed up with a little more style than your typical carry out. For dining in, Vanakkam is very new. Everything is new and I mean everything. Walls, floors, decor, booths, silverware, plates, glasses, even the payment card reader. Everything is very clean, kind of modern and a little upscale from what I had anticipated. There are plenty of booths but also tables and chairs that could accommodate larger groups. The dining in menu is more comprehensive than the online menu. My wife was so impressed with the food, and she knows Indian food, we plan on making Vanakkam a regular part of our rotation. I don't have any favorite dishes yet but plan on trying something new every visit because I feel like I'm getting authentic Indian, not Americanized. read more

I was in the area for work and ordered delivery to my hotel. Excellent Indian food, but it is quite spicy. I ordered soup "spicy" and their special goat dish as "medium" and I should have ordered them mild for both, BUT both were so good that I fought through the spice pain! I will definitely order from here again (probably tomorrow) and just keep the spice at mild. Super authentic and flavorful! read more

What a classy, beautifully decorated restaurant! Servers were friendly and attentive. The food, however, was the star. Butter chicken, biryani, and dosa were fragrant and lovely. The spices made each dish stand out. This was my first time experiencing Indian food and I'm going back for more. read more

We did carry out and the food was very good, it was very hot to the taste for us. It was hard for both my wife and I to understand the order taker on the phone due to her speaking so fast. We realize she was no doubt busy, but the speed at which she spoke was ridiculous. She could have given us the option of mildly spiced but all we understood was either medium or hot. Medium was too hot for us and the other four people who we ordered for. The food was good but unless there's a mildly spiced option we'll not be reordering. read more

I absolutely loved this place, and I can't wait to go back. The food was fresh and delicious. It felt as though I was sitting in someone's house cooking for me. It is so authentic. I'm so happy we have a good Indian place in rockford now. I normally have to go into the suburbs for good Indian. The service was top notch by every employee that helped us. They are going to be replacing the dining tables and chairs in a couple weeks, so I would say mid May. They also said they were going to add to their menu too. The disposable plates and silverware are going away with the coming offical opening. I'll be back and if you want Indian, you need to come here! read more

See all

Just a great Indian restaurant in Rockford. One of three really excellent places to eat out in town. Food is beautifully prepared and served. Great service. Will return again and again. read more

This place is a hidden gem(if you don't travel down this road frequently). I stopped in for lunch while driving by and was not disappointed. I had Chicken Tikka Masala, Samosa's, and a Mango Lassi all totaling $30 and well worth every penny. The mango lassi was very fresh tasting, my samosa's tasted family made, and the tikka masala came with a large side of rice and was very flavorful. Paired on the side was an Indian Green Chutney that was so so good--grab extras for home! For sauces there are different levels of spiciness ranging from Mild, Medium, and Spicy. For reference; -Mild- is good for those who can only tolerate jalapeño. -Medium- more on the habanero level. -Spicy- more on the ghost pepper level. The ambience is very relaxing inside, nicely decorated and music is not too loud. When dining in the food comes in to-go containers which I actually appreciated, making taking my leftovers home easier and quicker. I will definitely be going back to try many of the other items on the menu! read more

Wife and I went for lunch and had Lamb Vindaloo and Goat Chettinad both spicy but not indian spicy. Both were very good. My first time having the Goat Chettinad and loved it. It's probably become my go to meal there. Second time there and still impressed by the place. read more

Great to finally have a high quality Indian restaurant in Rockford. Would recommend to anyone who has not tried or is interested in Indian cuisine! read more

Delicious, fresh, and spot-on flavors! We had the house special goat curry (asked for spicy) and the chicken madras (requested medium) with raita. It was incredibly flavorful--cardamom, bay leaves, everything sumptuous and well-constructed. Yes, the meat has the occasional bone, but it's cooked so well the tasty bits melt right off it. Our server was so sweet--when we asked for suggestions she said, "this one is yum." Mango lassi was a nice accompaniment, not overly creamy, met expectations. Surprisingly, though we were dine-in, everything served on styrofoam plates and in to go containers. Utensils were plastic. This idiosyncrasy aside, we will definitely return when we pass through next time. read more

The food, the ambiance, and the service was fantastic! I walked into this place thinking I wasn't going to like it bc I don't really like Indian cuisine but omg was I pleasantly surprised! I loved everything! 100/10! I fully recommend this place to anyone and everyone! read more

Confirmed! This restaurant has excellent Indian cuisine. Heard good things about it so we gave it a try (via delivery to our home). Easy online ordering - Has an outstanding selection of dishes to choose from, all reasonably priced. Our order arrived on time and all items were hot (temperature). Loved all our selections, spice levels were perfect and each of them were very fresh. Highly recommend Vanakkam Indian if you are in the mood for Indian cuisine. read more

Vanakkam India - a variety of indian food - Indian Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

See all

We've driven by this place often in the year they've been open and not stopped until today. What a gem!! Great food, great service, and great atmosphere. We had their Chicken Tikka Masala and garlic naan. Always our favorite. It was as good as if not better than we've had anywhere!!! It couldn't have been better. Very friendly furnishings and smiling people. A great find! read more

A great variety of authentic delicious Indian food. Carry out orders are prepared quite quickly.

Excellent, excellent food. I am so pleased to finally have a GOOD Indian restaurant in Rockford. This new establishment does not disappoint! Tonight was our first night dining in. We ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala with garlic naan, it was so delicious. I've already recommended many family members to dine here! I look forward to this establishment having the full dining experience soon which I believe they stated they are aiming for March. I highly recommend! read more

Amazing vegetarian options and amazing bread selection- food was delicious!! Service was incredibly kind, respectful, and their timing was always great. Aung was so kind!!! Great environment for a date night. read more

Everything about this place was so good. Staff were very attentive. The food came out hot and fresh. Some of the best Samosas ever. read more

See all

Horrible take out service. I ordered one order of butter chicken, an extra rice, and the garlic cilantro naan at 6:30pm for my sister in law to pick up, I was told the order would take around 30 minutes. My sister in law arrived a little past 7pm to pick up the order on her way home. It wasn't until 5 past 8:00pm that my sister in law left with the food. I called twice during this time period, once to check on the progress of the order, and then a second time to inquire about possible compensation for the order taking an hour and a half. Both times the woman on the phone hung up on me while I was speaking to her. I even prefaced that I was not upset, but I would not have ordered had I known it would take an hour and a half. My sister in law attempted to cancel the order and get a refund as she had plans for the night and did not anticipate the length of time it would take for the food to be ready. They ignored her, denied her refund, and avoided eye contact as the food sat the ENTIRE time right in her line of vision with people walking past and checking the name often and not calling it out. I have two little girls who were very excited and waiting for their indian food, and I am very disappointed that even upon telling them that my children were waiting for their food the woman on the phone still hung up on me. I will never eat here again, we will be sticking with House of India as they are very accommodating, better communicators, and overall more empathetic individuals. read more