Cinnamon Kitchen Indian Cuisine — Restaurant in Asheville

Until tonight, I would ocassionally stop by Cinnamon Kitchen for take-out to get convenient, utility Indian food. However, I just had one of the worst customer service experiences of my life and will never go back there. TLDR: wasn't given an item I paid for; was heavily patronized over the missing item; had to drive there to receive sketchy cash refund that didn't adjust for tax; was rudely motioned out the door.

Please don't give these people your money. If you want indian food in asheville, head to Mela Downtown or India Garden in East Asheville for better food and better service.

The full story: I ordered an appetizer, a naan, and a chicken tikka masala entree ($16.95 of the overall $32 cost) to go. I paid with my credit card and even gave a tip! I was in a hurry and didn't check the bag when it was handed to me. Big mistake. Drove 15 minutes home, opened the bag: no tikka masala. Not wanting to drive 30 more minutes round trip, I called them to get a refund.

After I politely explained the routine food service situation, the guy immediately got huffy and defensive and told me that in 20 years they've never had anything like this happen. Really? In 20 years of restauranting, you've never made a mistake on a to-go order? Right. I say well I don't know what to tell you, I didn't get the chicken tikka masala, so I just want a refund.

Next, the guy repeatedly asks me to make sure the bright orange tikka masala isn't in the (single) bag I was given. Over and over, he tells me they are sure they put it in there. It's not there, and (as I'm staring at the unpacked bag and its contents sitting on my kitchen counter) I list the couple of items I received FOUR TIMES before he proceeds to DESCRIBE THE TYPE OF CONTAINER THE ENTREE COMES IN. I confirm that no, neither of the two containers I possess contain the tikka masala.

After being patronized about the apparently invisible tikka masala for about three minutes, I say look I just want a refund for what I didn't get. I'm satisfied with my other items. Just refund my card. Well, now he can't give me a refund to my card for some unknown reason. He wants to give me a store credit. I asked, "How will you keep track of that?" He changes the subject back to the type of container and how three people check everything that goes out the door. At that point, l'm sure I'm never coming back to this restaurant, so I say no, I just want a refund. He says he will have to give it to me in cash, but I can wait and come back another day.

We hang up with another comment about how this has never happened before. I decide I'm not going to wait until the next day when who knows what will happen and drive all the way over there for my refund out of principle. I'm handed $16.95, so I still paid tax on that wasn't refunded, but I'm not about to try to argue over that after the condescension and rudeness I had already received.

(Presumably) the guy I spoke to on the phone offers TO SHOW ME THE TYPE OF CONTAINER IT COMES IN SO I WON'T BE CONFUSED NEXT TIME and heads off to the back with his ?boss? talking gruffly at him in their native language. The container guy was taking a minute, and this adventure had been long enough, so I said I'm just going to go and turned to leave. The ?boss? guy MOTIONED ME OUT THE DOOR with a hand swishing away hand gesture and CURLED HIS LIP. Absolutely unbelievably...

We've been going to Cinnamon Kitchen for about eight years . . . we don't live closeby maybe 30-40 minutes away. There are plenty of great restaurants near us, however, we enjoy great Indian food.

The other night we chose to go there for a special "anniversary" dinner. We arrived shortly after 5. The staff were ringing up a take-out order, so seeing that we were the only diners in the restaurant, we chose a table.

I ordered a glass of wine, my husband a soda. I was sort of surprised that they didn't bring out (what I remembered to be) complementary papadums. So, in ordering, I asked for those and the mango chutney.

When my husband's dinner came out, mine was not with it. I would estimate that I waited at least three minutes for mine to be served. The food was great--as we had remembered--but it took quite a while into our dinners before anyone stopped by to ask us about our meals.

Despite everything I've shared, WHAT BRINGS MY USUAL STAR RATING OF 5 DOWN TO 2 IS THIS: I seriously got the feeling that their take-out business (which, understandably, they were dependent on during the pandemic) was still their priority. I felt that we were considered as an afterthought.

Before we will return, Cinnamon Kitchen has to curtain off or place a border between the take-out traffic (with staff serving them and ringing up orders) and the restaurant. When we go out to dinner, it's not just great food we would like--the ambience and the attention means everything in contributing to an...

I absolutely adore that this cozy little restaurant is so consistent. It has been a favorite of mine for years and I know that anytime I’m near Asheville, this will be my favorite meal. The service is super attentive. Seating is usually available. Not only do drinks arrive quickly but so does any food ordered. I always feel a little like a VIP! Over the years I’ve tried many dishes but I usually go back to the traditional chicken korma. The last visit I went it was snowing outside and this dish was absolutely the perfect amount of warmth and comfort. It may be my new favorite “comfort food.” The flavor is well balanced, and they always ask how spicy you would like it. For me the mild is plenty flavorful. It’s played elegantly with Jasmine rice and some veggies. The Tikka Masala has more of a tomato base and is also very flavorful. The garlic Naan was delivered hot and fresh from the oven. It was full of flavor without making me feel weighted down with too much bread. YUMMMY! The chai tea is also one of those that makes you just feel cozy at the first sip. If you want a cold drink, the mango lassie here is by far one of the best ones I’ve ever had. It’s full bodied, thick but not overly so while also sweet but not enough that it tastes like syrup. They do really well at accentuating the natural mango flavor. The kind staff always makes me feel welcome and I would absolutely recommend this often overlooked...