India House Restaurant — Restaurant in Buena Park

Maybe there's a new chef, maybe it's the new menu, and maybe they were disappointed with the business that changing things up was the only way to go. Either way, I have to say that things took a bad turn here, six months after my first visit.

I recognized one of the waiters, Kamal (possibly in a managerial position), who still had that gentle courtesy to all the customers. This at least was a relief. He explained that they switch up the menu every year, so our menu didn't look the same as the first time. It's a shame, because there wasn't anything unique about this menu. Same curries, pakore, parathas, etc.

For appetizers, we ordered the chili chicken and the chicken pakoras. The pakore were rather plain (to be fair, pakore are never really exciting) and pretty heavily "breaded", so I didn't really get to enjoy the chicken too much. The chili chicken had this odd chili paste smeared on, which was a little unnerving regarding food quality. Also, the chicken pieces were on a bed of RAW onion slivers and sliced green chili peppers. It just seemed like there was very minimal preparation with this appetizer. As I bit into one of them, the chicken was eerily soft, almost undercooked! I turned down trying any more of them.

For entrees, I tried the vegetable korma and the classic chicken curry. The vegetable korma was very good! The curry was flavorful and as spicy as my liking. The chicken curry, however, was not so well prepared. The masala was spiced heavily with a clove flavor, which is supposed to be very discreet in the mix. I could also taste an excess of cinnamon, which doesn't really pair well with a dash+ of clove. On the plus side, the chicken was cooked to tender perfection, so there was one thing enjoyable to the dish.

The final grievance I have concerns the mango lassi. First, no more free refills. BUMMER, but I guess it was my fault to expect that to keep for long. Such a shame because the lassi is actually very good! My only problem was that it was not chilled as much as I would've liked.

At the end, the waiter brought some complimentary gulab jamun for the table. That was very nice of them! What's more, it had pretty much the right amount of syrup in it: enough to keep the fried dough ball sweet and juicy, but not so much that you feel like you're drinking sugar. Good job!

Overall, another typical, average Indian restaurant. Unfortunately, I feel that I have to change the original rating I gave them to three...

BEWARE: RUNNY and DISGUSTING CTM!!! Not happy customer!!! Made me feel sick after eating!!!

I wish I can give zero stars. I am very disappointed in their food. My go to comfort food is Chicken Tikka Masala (CTM) with Plain Naan. I ordered that through UberEats tonight, and it was a slap in the face. Usually CTM is creamy and it smells and tastes great, however, India House Restaurant ruined the taste of CTM. The curry was uber runny like it wanted to run away from the bowl, and the few chicken pieces that you can count on your hands, tasted like cardboard. I did not get the comfort I was looking for, nor did the food satiate me. It was a terrible experience.

While India House Restaurant gave me a free "House Dessert" and wrote "Thank You" on all the package they sent me for the lentil papadum (vegan), the CTM, and asked me to like them on FB and write on YELP, thus, I am writing this. I would rather have a great dish that satiates me, and satisfies me to the fullest like CTM usually does. I thank you for sending the free stuff, but it was not satisfying nor tasty. I am not sure why this restaurant has this many stars...

...I would say this to the management - please stop trying so hard to get liked by sending free stuff and writing thank you notes, and work on making your food tasty. If your food is tasty, you wouldn't have to give out free stuff.

Beware!!! As an avid CTM lover, this was sorely disappointing and leaves a lot to be desired...A WHOLE LOT to be desired. Never will I ever buy CTM from India House Restaurant.

Very...

Wow! The food here is delicious. We usually come here on Friday nights between 6-7 and there is never a problem getting seated right away. We’re always greeted with a huge smile by the owner, Kamal, and he quickly attends to us for drinks.

Atmosphere: very authentic feel with great music, aromas, and coziness.

Food: fantastic vegan options! I always order the Chana Masala and the Yellow Daal, and my girlfriend orders the Aloo Gobi, plus we get the Basmati Rice and Roti- the perfect dinner! The food is authentic and I love how you can adjust the level of spicyness, huge plus!

Service: Top of the line without a doubt! Kamal always takes cares of us and you can tell he has passion for his business. Quick on drink refills, rice refills, and is always there for us with any questions or to see how we’re doing. If we need a to-go box he’ll always throw in some extra rice for us. Sometimes he’ll even give us some free dessert if it’s vegan. Thanks, Kamal!

Overall: definitely recommend this to friends/family. We come out of our way for this delicious food and we never regret it! Check this place out for amazing food and...