Passage to India — Restaurant in Carlisle

Firstly, I’d rather give 4.5 stars, but google doesn’t allow that, and also this place deserves to have every seat filled.

Came in at 3:30 on a tuesday afternoon. Was seated instantly. The front of the building is somewhat unsightly, but the dining area is very heavily and well decorated. No music and we were the only ones there save for staff, so the quiet was a little odd.

We got service immediately and our server was very friendly. Ordered the coconut shrimp appetizer ($12.95). Portion was somewhat smaller than I expected, but it was very good. Creamy and the shrimp was not overcooked. I ordered the Lamb Dahiwala ($20.95) which came with basmati rice. Very good portion size and incredibly delicious. We were offered 4 “spice levels”, mild, medium, spicy, and extra spicy. I went with medium and wished I went with spicy, but the meat was tender and the gravy was fantastic, plenty of herbs and spices gave it an authentic flavor. We also ordered the Butter Chicken ($16.95 [I think, price isn’t on the online menu]) spicy. Also came with basmati rice. The chicken was very tender and the gravy was creamy and the perfect level of spice. This is definitely for anyone that might be nervous about trying a new culture’s food. We also ordered a side of roti ($2.50) to sop up our gravies. Fresh, crispy, buttery, perfect.

Overall, this restaurant was fantastic and definitely needs more attention. For anyone that is scared about trying a new culture’s food, I say this is probably the place to dip your feet in and try.

The reason I knock it down a half star is there were a handful of flies that were bothersome. The place was very cleanly, so maybe this was an anomaly? Altogether, great place,...

Time for an update: They seem to have changed hands. They still do a good job, but overall a bit ragged around the edges. This may be the norm for the post Covid world. I am guessing they make the curries in advance, so you are stuck with whatever spice level they have. I asked for mild tikka masala and it was blazing, for example. Salmon was very good. Still not too salty, just right for me. Breads were okay, but the papadam was nothing special anymore, and oily. Worst of all they have dropped the orange kulfi from the desserts. Plenty of opportunity to improve in future, however. Now even more pricey.

The Samosa are excellent, best dough I have ever had, flaky and tasty. They do a good job calibrating the spice level, also not too salty (you can always add your own) a rare thing at an Indian place. They had Indian pop music as background. I would have preferred Sitar music, but that is just my taste. Mango lassi were a bit above average. Breads were okay, and they have a 4 for $10 which makes it more economical. Lamb Sikh kabob were excellent, I would have preferred a bit more green peppers, but the meat was spot on. Best for last: You must must, must try their Orange Kulfi for dessert. It is served in an orange peel, cut in sections, perfect for sharing. I have not seen it anywhere else, perhaps invented by the chef?

Okay, now my quibbles: would like to see mixed vegetable pakoras as an appetizer, their vegetable samosas are so good I bet they could do a great meat samosa. I would like to see malai kofta on the menu. Likewise, they have chicken but not lamb Korma. This place is kinda pricey, but you are probably paying for top notch ingredients. Definitely worth...

This used to be my favorite indian restaurant, but this time was very different from previous visits. I dined with a friend at an off hour, at one point we were the only diners in the house. The waiter had an air of having better things to do than taking care of us. He brought a drink and appetizer for one of us and quite a while later brought the other appetizer, forgetting the other drink order. When the drink was requested he brought it but didn't apologise or offer any explanation. I ordered chai tea, which was brought in a rather small teacup with no extra provided. At Taj Mahal restaurant in Lancaster a similarly priced chai order comes with a small teakettle full which refills the cup almost three times. The food was fine but the bread order was forgotten as well. Then to top off this less than stellar experience, at the end of the meal he approached with a hand held credit card machine and asked for our cards. I requested to see my bill, and he stated that I'd get a copy after I paid. I like to see the bill BEFORE I pay so I can look it over. And, he held the machine in front of me so that I could choose a tip amount, while watching as I made my choice. No privacy here! I felt very uncomfortable especially since I wasn't planning to leave my usual 20% mostly because of his attitude. Maybe he was new, but if that's the case he needs much more training and supervision! I hope they fix this situation, I'd love to again have the same wonderful experiences I have had in past years...