Haveli Indian Grill — Restaurant in Bakersfield

The Haveli Indian Grill restaurant is a place I’ve held close to my heart since 2017. It’s been over 8 years now since I first walked through their doors, and they quickly became the reason I took a deep dive into all things Indian cuisine.

The owners not only shared their food but their culture — teaching me the stories behind the dishes, helping me understand the flavor profiles of sauces and spices, and even how to pair each dish with the right drink. At this point, I can confidently match a curry with the perfect glass of wine.

When I took a year-long break from being vegan last year, Haveli became my go-to. I moved to the other side of town, but even with delivery, the flavors stayed vibrant and comforting. Week after week, I ordered both meat and vegetarian dishes, and each one impressed me as much as the last. I can only imagine how incredible some of those would’ve been fresh in the restaurant.

This is a small, family-owned spot with big heart. Their menu blends traditional dishes from the motherland with modern spins that bring something new to the table. Whether you stop in for their buffet on select mornings or sit down for a cozy dinner with friends and family, Haveli is a gem that...

Don’t try to order online through a third party, even though there is no other online order option. I placed an order, paid for it, received a text saying your order was received and will be ready at this time. When I showed up to pick it up at said time the girl behind the bar looked at me all confused. She asked where I ordered it through and I said DoorDash online since that was the option I was given. She said ya we’re not accepting DoorDash orders. I don’t know why it’s an option if they are not accepting them and cannot fulfill their orders. I couldn’t wait for it to be started as I was picking up food on my way to work, hence doing a pickup order an hour ahead of time to make sure it was ready on time. She gave me a gift certificate down to the exact cent ($18.39) which great i appreciate but now im late to work with no food. Please remove online ordering options if you are not going...

The food was super oily. The lamb curry was just made in a lot of oil, lacking flavor. The paneer butter masala was okay, nothing to write home about. Paneer butter masala is not supposed to have green pepper but they put that in it and the flavor was off because of that. When you say spicy, they dont add spices, just add chilli. The Paneer butter masala was ‘hot’ as in with chilli but lacked aromatic spices, no fenugreek, no fresh cream, no cardamom, nothing, just chilli and garam masala. Paid full price in pandemic, didn’t enjoy service, decor or food. The presentation was a joke, regular plastic container with stuff in it. Most indian restaurants garnish the top of the curry with fresh cream and cilantro or fengureek, this looked like a food truck takeout....