Cleveland Tiffin — Restaurant in Cleveland

New favorite! I'm so glad it exists, because the food alone would make this place amazing, but the owner boosts the good feelings even more! We ordered ahead for take out (gave ourselves 40 minutes, strong recommendation if you want take out.)

Things I loved: -- THE FOOD: We ordered aloo paratha, shahi paneer, kadhi pakora, and samosas. The shahi paneer lives up to its name: Shahi means royal, and the sauce was perfect. The aloo paratha melted in the mouth. The samosas were the perfect amount of spice, without being overly greasy as samosas that sit under a heat lamp would be.

-- The preparation: The owner mentioned with pride, nothing is frozen and everything is fresh made. It's noticeable, because the sauces were like the ones my friends used to make, fresh where every bit of spice is noticeable. The samosas were not frozen then re-heated. Even the rice was just cooked!

-- The Owner! He is so friendly, and came out to sit with us when we waited 5 min for the rice to finish cooking. He brought out veg pakoras and chatted with us about how he started Tiffin, and adventures in cooking. He didn't have to bring out the pakoras (WHICH WERE AMAZING, Great ratio of potato and onions). He didn't have to sit with us and get to know us. He didn't have to tell us his stories in a kindly, fatherly manner that made us feel at home. But he did!

Things I did not love: -- Trying to find it, the store sign needs to be a little bigger, but that's no reason to take a star off! They've just opened.

-- The location is kind of weird (although conveniently off of 480!) and I can't believe someone took a...

Everyone that we met, from our fellow diners to the management and staff at Cleveland Tiffin, was so incredibly friendly. You know when another diner stops on the way out with their family to spend 10 minutes telling you all of their favorite authentic dishes that you're in for good stuff. Definitely browse the Indian grocery next door while your food is prepared from scratch. The owner cautioned that the food would take extra time because they prepare it fresh, but we waited 25-30 minutes, during which time we were so busy browsing the store next door and talking to the owner about their vacation to India that we had no idea that short period of time had passed. We also got some rad samples from the owner of some of their other dishes we hadn't ordered, all of which were crazy delicious. I had a samosa (so hot, delicious and deeply flavorful), paneer paratha (insanely good), aloo paratha (fluffy! Substantial! Fresh!), the masala tea (comforting, intricate flavors) and the malai kofta (my favorite). Everything was wonderful. Everyone at my table enjoyed their meals and we have vowed to come back weekly to keep experiencing the wonderful people and food at Cleveland Tiffin. Also ask about their weekly food delivery service. It's like a food subscription box but not stupidly overpriced and actually delicious AND YOU DON'T...

My wife and I have been patrons for many years. We love the WEEKLY TIFFIN service delivery - it offers delicious vegetarian and non-vegetarian food with portions for a genuinely unbeatable price.

For those unfamiliar with Weekly Tiffin, it's a delivery or pick-up service (only on Mon. and Wed., need to order 1 day before!) providing 5 different dishes with or without rotis (Indian "tortillas"). The Weekly Tiffin is enough to feed my wife and me multiple meals throughout the week. We try to cook at home regularly, but when we are pressed for time, the Weekly Tiffin delivery is a fantastic option for quality, home-cooked food.

We really love everything on the Weekly Tiffin menu. The Fish Pakora (pairs awesomely with ice-cold beer!) and the Punjabi Kadhi Pakora are also very good and worth a try. These are uncommon finds at a typical Indian restaurant.

It's clear from the quality of the food and from interacting with the owners over the years that they are passionate about their food and committed to the quality. Go give it a try, or, if you don't want to/can't cook for a week, try out the WEEKLY...