Cardamomo Cocina Hindu — Restaurant in Chiapas

Frankly the lack of professionalism and standards seems surreal. Don't know whether to laugh or be angry.

First time, the baked chicken tandoori was undercooked which gave me a stomach ache. The second time, butter chicken (to make sure meat was thoroughly cooked) except it was actually NOT chicken, it was either pork which we DON'T consume, or beef, or horse, who knows? Initially I could not tell because of the dressing covering the meat, but chewing it, I noticed the texture difference, and then upon closer inspection the grain of and the red meat.

Then two dirty dogs running around inside the restaurant and into the kitchen 😱. One tried to jump unto my child, obviously! What dog doesn't want to consume your food! The lack of common sense and hygiene before paying tourists seems incredible from the part of owners serving foreign food, the irony. And I'm not fond of local dogs in general, as owners here don't wash bathe their animals nor care for them properly, meaning they are infested with ticks, mites, etc. And some local owners allow their dogs to run around town unsupervised which means more contagion of pests and more dirty.

The staff try their best. Owners, meh, don't assist the employees properly when busy, apparently expecting their employees to take the brunt of hard work for measerly pay of course. They should have alerted customers if the owners aren't willing to work hard to service them. Don't know if it's yet another form classism and racism I heard of from local well to do's here regarding Mexico and South America. Which I've witnessed myself initially with surprise.

But certainly I will not subsidize mediocre owners noticeably abusing their employees.

As for taste, as already mentioned falling short of real Indian flavor. They don't know how to make naan. Which should not be a surprise in this small town. Worst of all...

We really enjoyed the mixed samosas- great flavor, and the four accompanying salsas/dips/chutney were tasty, too. The butter chicken was served with rice and naan; the serving size was more than sufficient to two to share. There are two menus (Indian and French-ish, Oui Oui) and we selected the creme brulee for dessert, which was truly wonderful.

It's an attractive space inside and there's a patio as well for open air dining on pleasant days. Service was attentive. We will definitely return although it may be hard to decide between the Indian dishes and the interesting Oui Oui offerings.

On our 2nd visit this stay we tried the cerdo vindaloo. The sauce was very flavorful (although not spicy; one can add the hot chile oil that comes with the 4 assorted samosas) and the pork chunks tender. The saffron rice is sufficient and the naan has a good flavor. We really appreciate the interesting background world music played at a comfortable volume, in marked contrast to so many restaurants in San Cristóbal.

Today was chilly and cloudy enough that there was a wood fire in the stove; great to hear it crackling!

The creme brulee is a treat- crispy crackled sugar crust and creamy deliciousness under it. Good sized portions, for food and beverages (chai and capuchino).

The service is very efficient and engaging. I can identify no need for improvement, only appreciation for a restaurant done right. The French food is...

I walked by this restaurant during my first few hours in SC and the smell of the intoxicating aroma of Indian food had my stomach growling - I knew I needed to try the food! The menu here has what you'd expect from a traditional Indian restaurant albeit with some creative twists to the normal fare (vindaloo with cerdo!). The location is beautiful and it would have been nice to eat-in but the takeway order was easy to accomplish and staff were friendly. The actual food was tasty and above par for Indian food I've found in Mexico, it could've been a spicier and a bit more 'Indian' flavor - but I'm super picky with my Indian fare. They were out of the tandoori chicken so I opted for the butter chicken; the sauce was done well enough but the actual chicken wasn't spiced enough to my liking. The rice was nice and flavorful akin to a "pulau". The samosas were tasty yet not anything special, the chutney that it did come with was a nice addition. The Naan was forgettable; basically just pita bread without any special customization. Overall, a valiant attempt at Indian food in SC that's hit all the right notes but leaves room for improvement. I'll be back to taste more of the menu whenever the craving for...