Rana Indian Cuisine — Restaurant in Cedar Park

I normally encourage new businesses and it’s really hard to write this review. It was my first visit after reading so many positive reviews and here are my findings. Never ever order meat dishes at an Indian restaurant because they don’t know how to cook and buy good quality meat. Their bone-in tikka were 2 tiny cornish chicken legs and were absolutely tasteless and almost burnt and oily. You can buy really cheap good quality halal chicken legs from restaurant depot and it’s no rocket science to season your chicken properly. Goat biryani and goat roghan josh were both complete disaster. The goat itsel was super smell and not properly cleaned. The pieces were super tiny and very hard to chew. A very strong smell of cardamom in biryani and it was clearly not biryani but simple boiled rice garnished with fried onions and some masala. Whoever said in one of the reviews they had the best biryani in Austin must be a staff member. Manchow chicken soup. Hot water with thinly chopped cabbage and 3-4 super tiny chicken shreds. I was told soup is good for two but it was served as a baby portion. Malai boti - again too much cardamom that it almost tasted bitter. One Naan served three times as Aalo paratha - no stuffing of potatoes and not fried but a slight aroma of potato. Special Naan Same naan with a hint of vegetables Again same naan Served as lacha paratha It was not busy once we entered and the waitress showed us our seats then started taking care of other customers who came after us. Waisted $138 and never going back

—————- This is the reply to the owner of Rana Indian

Quite an indecent reply as expected. Instead of correcting your mistakes you’re making fun of your customer. I respect the food not to be thrown in the garbage and I will never ask for a refund. Unfortunately malai boti was so bad that I really had to leave it. I have learned my lesson and will not return and would recommend others not to try. I wish I could help you in your kitchen and teach you how to cook. Your responses should be kind and encourage customers to return for a better experience but unfortunately you responded cheaply by calling me another business owner. I highly rate whatever I like and yes it’s always a mistake to order meat dishes at...

Unfortunately our second experience here was quite different.

My wife placed an order for my self and the kids. My kids found themselves biting into utterly raw chicken. I don't mean slightly pink. Utterly raw. My wife called to point out the issue and ask to simply refund the order, she was hung up on, called back and was then given the run around. The restaurant claimed they couldn't refund the order and very bluntly told me to call doordash or 'whoever'. At that point i was irritated enough to drive all the way back to the restaurant with raw chicken and receipt. The run around continued, including trying to hand me 15 bucks and change for an 86 dollar order. Eventually I was able to get the restaurant to acknowledge that they could indeed refund the order. They then started trying to haggle about what specific items to refund. Unbelievable. Youve served raw poultry, forced the customer to drive all the way back to prove it, and given the customer the run around. You apologize and refund the order at that point, not haggle. Very bizarre experience, and frankly this aligns with the bizarre service we experienced on our first visit. Definitely not a customer focused business. Ill make the extra effort to go over to Yak N Yeti in future. Weve ordered there since covid times without a single issue.

** Prior review below

Food is of an excellent quality. Great quality to the proteins we had, and the depth of flavor to the curry was excellent. Breads were really good, although one was slightly soggy, probably to do with how it sat begore service. I suspect thatsa one-off issue.

Be warned (and they did warn us!) some of the appetizers (fish, gobi etc) are properly hot which is just something to be aware of. For suburban America two spice levels might be a smart move..excellent flavors though, and it was flagged to us in advance.

Service is pleasant and friendly but also extremely goofy if you're used to typical American service. Getting a another drink/clearing plates/ that kind of thing. Super nice and friendly...

I recently had the opportunity to dine at Rana Indian Cuisine on a Thursday evening around 6:30pm. Upon arrival, I noticed that the restaurant wasn't particularly busy, with only one other family present. This seemed promising as it suggested a potentially calm and relaxed dining experience. However, it soon became apparent that there was only one server attending to the entire restaurant.

Once we placed our order, the restaurant began to fill up, and it was clear that the limited staff was struggling to keep up with the increasing demands. Consequently, it took approximately 30-40 minutes for our food to arrive, which felt like a considerable wait given the circumstances.

We ordered a variety of dishes, including garlic naan, plain roti, kadhai Paneer, and mushroom do pyaza. The spices in the dishes were cooked to perfection, allowing the flavors to come through beautifully. However, there was a noticeable lack of salt in both the kadhai Paneer and mushroom do pyaza. Fortunately, we were able to rectify this issue by adding salt ourselves, which significantly improved the taste. As someone with a North Indian background, I found myself genuinely enjoying the food, as it appealed to my taste buds.

Although this was our first visit to Rana Indian Cuisine, I am intrigued to see if the food quality remains consistent during future visits. It is worth mentioning that some previous reviews have mentioned long wait times for food, and I hope that the restaurant takes steps to address this issue. Despite this, I am willing to give them another chance as the potential for a satisfying culinary experience is definitely there.

In conclusion, my experience at Rana Indian Cuisine was a mixed bag. While the food showcased skilled preparation and an understanding of flavors, the lack of attention to seasoning and the extended wait times were noticeable drawbacks. I hope that the restaurant takes these concerns into account and makes necessary improvements, as it has the potential to become a go-to spot for Indian cuisine...