Tigerlily — Restaurant in Berkeley

An impressive array of vegan options (3.5/5 Green Stars) Tigerlily opened in 2015 with Chef Joel Lamica (former chef of the Ramen Shop in Rockridge) running the kitchen, but has new management since 2019. I’ve been twice – once in the good old pre-lockdown days, before the management changed, and then a couple of months ago. And I have to say, I really enjoyed the food both times. Congrats to the new management for maintaining standards. They could do a better job at providing more info on their website, though. The original team favored organic ingredients but that’s not clear anymore. They do serve a lot of vegan dishes, so thumbs up for that. We had two of my standard Indian dishes – veggie samosas and veggie korma. Tigerlily’s versions of these two were possibly the best (samosa) or among the best (korma) that I’ve ever had. This is significant, given that I’ve had many samosas and kormas in my time. The veggie korma ($21.50) includes rice and garlic naan and has a good balance of spice, heat, creaminess, and tasty veggies. The veggie samosas (delicious pastry, not greasy, very filling) are normally $10 but note that both korma and samosas are on the happy hour menu, so avail of that if you can (4:30 to 5:30 every day). We also had the Sesame Avocado Flatbread ($13.50), made with fennel seed, turmeric, sprouts, parmesan & chili oil. Staff members were very friendly and I highly recommend trying it out during happy hour while it’s not too busy.

I’m giving Tigerlily 3.5 out of 5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact, for these reasons: • Even though there are several meat dishes, I was impressed by how much of the menu is not just vegetarian but vegan. Adopting a plant-based diet is the top thing you can do to mitigate climate change and deforestation, besides avoiding animal cruelty and the negative impact of the meat industry on society. • Of course, your own footprint will depend on what you order, from vegan dishes at one end of the scale and lamb dishes at the other end. Like beef, lamb has one of the highest carbon footprints of our food options. • If Tigerlily wanted to step up and improve on its social and environmental impact then switching from lamb to a vegan substitute would be the most effective steps. • More information on food sourcing should be provided. • Local beer is available on draft, mitigating packaging and...

This is true: I have never written a Yelp review before. But the drinks and food are just so good and unique here at Tigerlilly that I have to share. I've been many times, especially during football and basketball seasons because the games play above the bar. (Don't worry if you're not a sports fan, there are many tables that are game-free.) For instance, baseballs's not my game but my boyfriend and I came tonight, sat in the back, and had the most wonderful meal. We started with their inventive cocktails, then shared Tuna Tartare, Sesame Avocado Fry Bread (don't get scared by the word fry, it's light and worth it), and Tandoori Fish (Golden Pompano whole fish marinated in Indian spices, cooked in clay oven, served with cilantro/mint rice). The dinner reminded me of the best meal I had in India last year, drifting in a riverboat in Kerala. Not overly fancy, but unique and fresh and delicious. I love this restaurant. Besides the great food, the owners are friendly, the vibe is casual, and the bartenders know what they're doing. If you're looking for unique Southern Indian food I highly...

The sweetest couple, Atul & Alka treated us like family the day we wandered into Tigerlily. Alka went above and beyond to create the perfect espressos martinis for us and even ordered the Mr. Black liqueur that we liked knowing we were coming back in the following day. Atul, the husband was so friendly and warm towards us and we could tell their staff was treated well too. Lorenzo, the bartender was just as fun and friendly as the owners. Now onto the food…Wow!! My boyfriend and I fell in love with the couple of items we ordered. The meatballs and the chicken tikka masala were both absolutely delicious!! Also, the previous day we ordered the veggie samosas and I think it was the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted. Sadly, we had prior dinner plans down the street otherwise we would have stayed for a full meal. We also tried the Hibiscus Me and the East of Infinity cocktails and both were amazing! We live in Napa but are excited to make the drive back to explore the entire menu and share more conversation with the amazing owners and staff. Thank you...