Red Chillez Indian Cuisine — Restaurant in Ankeny

Red Chillez Indian Cuisine:Where Indian Cuisine Meets Cozy Vibes—Spice Levels Just Right!"

Welcome to my inaugural adventure at Red Chili's, where the sign is big and welcoming, inviting you into a world of spices! The high ceilings and comfy booths made me feel like royalty—if royalty enjoyed Tandoori chicken and shrimp, that is.

Upon entering, I was warmly greeted by a young lady who was friendly and attentive. My friend was a total Indian food newbie, so I had to play it safe. I ordered the Tandoori chicken and the Apollo shrimp, because what better way to judge a place than by its signature dishes?

The Apollo shrimp was a generous size, but I found the sauce a little too generous, leaving it a bit saucy and less crunchy. Think of it as shrimp in a cozy sauce blanket—warm and comforting, but maybe not the best for a first date! The flavor was excellent, though, so no major complaints there. As for the Tandoori chicken, it could have used the dramatic flair of being served on a sizzling hot skillet. The yogurt and spices felt a bit undercooked, but hey, I get it—nobody wants a chicken-scented sauna!

I also tried the saag paneer, which was surprisingly creamy—not just your average butter flavor. The best part? It wasn’t overpowered by garlic, making the flavor just right. I have to commend the place for listening to spice levels; I ordered my food mild, and it was definitely mild! Otherwise, I might have been sweating like a marathon runner on my bald head!

The owner was great and genuinely checked in on guests, adding a personal touch to the experience. Speaking of personal touches, the bathrooms were clean but could use a soap refill—because unexpected surprises are great, just not in that department!

As for the ambiance, the place doesn’t need TVs, and a cozy lighting upgrade would definitely enhance the environment. Maybe some nice instrumental background music instead of Bollywood mixes would create a more inviting atmosphere.There’s a little mini bar that was very organized and clean, with shelves full of wine. I’m not sure if they have an extensive wine collection, but it looks really nice! I have to give them props for the lack of clutter in the restaurant—all the waitress stations and everything were very well organized and tidy. You can definitely sit at the bar, too. The design of the area is a good, bright space that feels cozy. Whether you're on a date or just enjoying a meal solo, you can savor the food at the bar!

Overall, it was a solid four-star experience with room for improvement. I would definitely go back for more, especially if I can enjoy a cozy setting with some great food. A fantastic start for Indian...

Had high expectations of this place but was mostly disappointed. We ordered lamb briyani, Naan, chicken chettinadu and kadai paneer. First the lamb briyani, the rice was dry and lacking any flavor. The lamb did not impart any of its flavor onto the rice. It feel like the restaurant cooked the rice and lamb separately and decided to toss them together at the last minute, instead of cooking the rice and lamb together. It is sad to call this a briyani. While the masala on lamb did had a nice flavor it was also dry and not moist. The briyani came with a side of salna/salan. Me and my wife tasted it and both agreed it tasted like it had gone bad. It was awful tasting and we could not eat it. Next was the chicken chettinadu. This was recommended by the waiter, but it was also disappointing. The gravy tasted like it was watered down. We could both taste the flavor of this gravy wanting to shine in the background but was not given the chance to do so. It felt like the gravy was just to diluted. I could taste the watery taste in my gravy. Not much to say about the chicken in it besides it also lacked much taste due to the gravy. The kadai paneer was ok. It was definitely better than the chicken chettinadu, but nothing special about it. Our standards were set very low at this point.

One good thing about our experience is we both enjoyed the Naan. Additonally, I like the panner in the kadai panner more than my chicken in the chicken chettinadu, despite usually not being a huge fan of panner.

We did tell the waiter and person in charge about our experience. The person in charge offered us the chance to take 50% percent off the briyani's cost, but we refused. He than offered to give a dessert for free, but we again refused it. While we appreciate the gestures, our intend is not to get free food or skimp on the restaurant in any way. We also do appreciate the restaurant team effort to try to make things better after all these. In the end, we had very high expectation of this place with all the reviews but was mostly very disappointed. We will probably not come back...

I have been wishing for an Indian restaurant in Ankeny for forever and Red Chillez completely exceeded what I had hoped for! For being less than 30 days old, they are knocking it out of the park. The best part was the service--everyone we interacted with was friendly, helpful, and showed they really cared about the quality of their food and the quality of our experience. The decor, seating, tables are comfortable, tasteful, and a bit high-end feeling without being stuffy. The food was delicious and came out quickly and piping hot. Apologies on the sub-par photos--I forgot to take them until we had already started digging in. Spice levels are listed on the menu and the server asks each person what they prefer. The Lamb Korma (19.99) was fantastic with lots of large chunks of perfectly tender meat (I always feel like meat is scarce in these types of dishes--this one had at least 3 times more meat than other restaurants), plenty of perfectly-seasoned gravy, and exactly what I wanted for mild spice level, just a hint of heat. The Malai Kabab (14.99) had a nice herby and slightly lemony coating, was tender and moist, and came with a nice herb and lemon dipping sauce. That one was ordered with medium heat and we shared with the waiter that we would have expected a little more heat for medium. The Garlic Naan ($4.99) was to die for. Both main dishes were enough for 2 meals each, making their prices extremely reasonable. A big bowl of rice (not pictured) came with each meal and we were offered more. The prices for each of the 3 items we ordered were the same or only $1 more than the closest competitor in Bondurant, but the amount of food was at least 50% more and service, dining experience, and food quality was well above. Can't wait to go back and try more...