Namaste Flavours Arbor — Restaurant in Ann Arbor

⭐️⭐️ Namaste Flavors (Ann Arbor)

Our visit to Namaste Flavors was frustrating and disappointing. While the restaurant has potential, several issues made for a less-than-enjoyable experience. Here’s the breakdown:

Service: The service was slow, despite the restaurant not being busy. To make matters worse, we ordered paneer tikka masala (as vegetarians), and they served us chicken tikka masala instead. When we pointed this out, there was no apology, no remorse, and no effort to rectify the situation. Adding to the frustration, the staff seemed disorganized and indifferent. Even the surrounding tables weren’t cleared, with dirty dishes piling up around us.

Menu Issues: The menu was a major disappointment. Several items we attempted to order weren’t actually available. When we asked what was available for vegetarians, the staff struggled to provide clear answers. This lack of communication made it difficult to plan our meal. Eventually, we discovered that the chef specializes in South Indian cuisine, so we leaned toward dishes like dosa, which turned out decent. However, the overall experience of navigating the menu felt chaotic and unprofessional.

Food Quality: The food itself was a mixed bag: • Paneer Tikka Masala (or lack thereof): This was a disaster since we were served chicken instead. • Masala Dosa: A rare highlight—well-prepared and flavorful. • Naan: The garlic naan and spicy naan were delicious and among the few redeeming items. • Biryani: Flavorful and well-cooked, though we avoided any protein after the earlier mix-up. • Mango Lassi: Mediocre and not served cold, which made it less enjoyable. • Masala Sauce: A salty yogurt concoction with no complexity. Some South Indian dishes stood out, likely because the chef is South Indian, but the North Indian options were underwhelming at best.

Cleanliness and Atmosphere: The restaurant operates in an old house, which might have been charming if maintained properly, but it clearly hasn’t been updated in years. Dirty tables and unclean surroundings made the experience feel neglected and unappealing.

Dietary Considerations: If you have dietary restrictions or health concerns, avoid this place. Their handling of our vegetarian order was careless, and their inability to address it or provide proper options was disheartening.

Conclusion: Namaste Flavors may be acceptable for college students or meat eaters who aren’t particular about their dining experience. However, for vegetarians or anyone seeking consistency and attentiveness, it’s a poor choice. The food had some redeeming moments (primarily South Indian dishes), but the slow service, unavailability of menu items, lack of remorse for mistakes, and overall disorganization made this a place we...

Namaste Flavours is our go-to restaurant for Indian food in Ann Arbor. The dishes are truly flavorsome and exciting! This time, I particularly enjoyed the bhindi masala, which elevates a simple dish of okra to something much more special, with rich spices and herbs. As always, the channa batura was delicious and filling, fluffy yet full of texture, deep-fried yet non-greasy. Similarly, the naan-bread was light, soft, and not oily at all. My wife ordered shrimp vindaloo, which had a strong kick to it. We are also particularly fond of the vegetarian samosas - they are the best we have tried so far. Our waiter, Kishore, was extremely friendly, helpful and efficient. We were left completely satisfied by our experience and are looking forward to coming back soon.

Update: We came back again the following day. We really liked the Mirchi Bajji, which was crisp, light and not too spicy. My wife thoroughly enjoyed the fish curry, which was tender and delicious. Most of all, the Sambar is an all time favorite of ours; it is tangy, sweet and spicy.

Further update: We came back again, three days in a row - the food must be great :-). The Gobi 65 was crispy, freshly cooked and addictive, while the Fish Tikka was extremely scrumptious and tangy on a sizzling hot plate, accompanied by plenty of vegetables. I particularly liked the Ginger Paneer and how the creaminess of the paneer complemented the spiciness of the ginger. The Carrot Halwa was immensely delicious and rich in flavor. The food was so exquisite and superb, my wife ordered a fish curry to take out and indulge at home!

Yet another update: The Apollo Fish is AMAZING and ADDICTIVE! It was not on the printed menu, but you can ask for it especially. The fish is lightly battered and sautéed with chilies and turmeric. It is tangy and spicy, with a lot of flavor. We definitely recommend it! We also ordered the Spring Dosa, which were crispy, fresh and very filling. The Aloo Bonda has a crunchy and light layer on the outside, with creamy and aromatic potato on the inside. We have noticed that the food served when dining in is fresher and with relatively larger portions than take out, so we encourage people to dine in, if possible, for the great atmosphere.

Update: 05/19/2022: The paneer dosa is light, crispy, savory and with complementing condiments. We also ordered the Dal Makhani, which was rich and buttery, with a creamy and flavorful aroma taste. The tandoori chicken was...

Don't bother wasting your time on this place. The food has steadily gone downhill over the years. The restaurant should be condemned and there is absolutely no customer service whatsoever. During my last visit the filthy bathroom didn't even have soap which is just plain gross. The parking lot is a chaotic mess as well so keep that in mind when considering this dump.

The food was decent in the past but it's gotten worse with each visit over the past 5 years. Their idea of Tandoori chicken has become a huge plate of onions with a few peppers and sprinkled in are a few small, chewy pieces of chicken. Just using fillers to skimp on serving what is the whole point of the dish. $16 for a plate of onions? Get real.

At lunch today the waiter took about 20 mins before he even took our order even though we were all clearly ready to order and hungry. Then, after another 20 mins with no updates he brings out 2/5 dishes with no rice and none of the naan we ordered. He ignores us for another 15 mins before then bringing out 2 more of the dishes and finally rice and naan (sort of essential for eating any Indian meals). No explanation as to why he's spacing out our lunch, no apologies. We ask about the 5th meal and he just brushes us off saying it's coming. After all of the other mediocre food is done he then brings out the last dish when we're all ready to leave.

Never asked how we were doing, never asked if we needed anything, no apologies for the delays etc. In what restaurant is it acceptable to bring out the meals like that? You expect to be tipped for this service? Get real. It took so long that I had to leave my friends to get back to work after 70 minutes of sitting there which is absurd. We got there as soon as they opened and there was hardly anyone in the restaurant per usual. There are no excuses for this type of dining experience. This place seems mostly focused on take out so don't waste your time, effort and money coming into this dump when there are so many good alternatives in the A2 area. Who wants to deal with downtown traffic and parking to come to a place like this?

I would highly recommend going to either Everest Sherpa or Basecamp if you want better food, better service and significantly better amenities including the ambience, cleanliness and parking. This place has seems to do the bare minimum across the board. ...