Awadh indo chinese by Chef Anand — Restaurant in Columbus

TL;DR: Clove Indian Bistro continues to set the gold standard for Indochinese cuisine, while Awadh Indochinese seems to be playing a different game entirely—one where flavor isn’t even on the field.

Let's start with some context: We are Indian, with 25 years spent in a bustling metro in India known for its vibrant food scene. So, when we say we know our Indochinese food, we mean it. Naturally, we were excited to see Awadh Indochinese opening up. Unfortunately, that excitement quickly fizzled out.

What we ordered: Sp3 Manchow Soup Vegetarian R2 Vegetarian Szechwan Fried Rice V2 Cauliflower Manchurian Dry N1 Vegetarian Hakka Noodle Vegetables V1 Vegetarian Manchurian Gravy

What we paid: $53.17 + tip

The good/acceptable: The V2 Cauliflower Manchurian Dry was the standout dish, and by standout, I mean it actually had some flavor and came closest to what Indochinese food should taste like. However, it still doesn’t compare to what you’ll find at Clove Indian Bistro, NeeHees, or even Hyderabad House. In other words, the best of the bunch was still far from great.

The bad: The overall theme here was blandness. We even overheard another table discussing this exact same issue. Even the Manchow soup (Sp3 Manchow Soup Vegetarian), typically a zingy, hot starter, tasted more like a distant cousin of sweet corn soup.

The Hakka noodles (N1 Vegetarian Hakka Noodle Vegetables), which are usually a safe bet, missed the mark entirely. It was as if they were in a witness protection program, hiding from any flavor.

The Szechwan Fried Rice (R2 Vegetarian Szechwan Fried Rice), which should’ve been spicy and robust, was instead leaning disturbingly towards the sweet side.

The Vegetarian Manchurian Gravy ( V1 Vegetarian Manchurian Gravy) was another bowl of disappointment, drenched in a mostly sweet sauce that had us longing for the real deal

The hallmark of Indochinese cuisine—bold garlic and ginger notes—was nowhere to be found.On the other hand, there was an overly generous sprinkling of celery in everything — with celery, less is more! The food wasn’t just lacking authenticity; it seemed to have misplaced its identity and the concept of flavor altogether.

The annoying: Tipping is a touchy subject, but when a restaurant has you doing all the legwork—from ordering, picking up your food to fetching your own cutlery—being prompted to leave a tip feels a bit like adding insult to injury. My wife, feeling the annoying nudge from the point-of-sale system, left a tip, only for us to realize there was no service to speak of. I have literally no clue what other reviews are talking about, because there is no service - AT ALL! It was the final twist in an already perplexing meal.

In summary, if you’re craving real Indochinese food, stick with Clove Indian Bistro. Even Neehee’s, with its rollercoaster of consistency, delivers a more authentic experience on its good days. Awadh Indochinese? Let’s just say it’s still finding its footing - We've tried the regular Awadh and the chef certainly is great. We’ll keep an eye out for...

Ok!!! This place is great!! So much so that my hubby and I ate here twice in one week. THE CHILI CHICKEN !?! So delicious—we craved it all week.

On our first trip (06-Feb-2025) there we ate in the restaurant. It was clean and the staff were kind! That first time we ordered the aforementioned chili chicken, the Kolkata gravy noodles (a first for both of us and it was great! Perfect for a cold day), and the papdi chaat (I love chaat and never had it with papdi before, really loved it! The crunch of the papdi was exactly what I was craving!) and oh my goodness the mango lassi was so luxurious—thick and creamy and very mango-y!!!

And on 14-Feb-2025 we were craving the chili chicken and lassi so much we decided on takeout for Valentine’s Day:) this time I got the chili chicken dosa and I think this is how I will be ordering my chili chicken moving forward 😁 we also got the chicken 65 (I think this was my favorite I have had) and chicken Manchurian (also phenomenal). We also crabbed the chicken egg roll and this is hands down the BEST egg roll I have ever consumed!!!!!!

Also prices are amaaaazing!!

One of our new fav Indian/ Indochinese...

I walked in and the woman at the front counter was sitting down, loudly chatting on a video call with the speaker on full blast. She completely ignored the customer in front of her, continuing her conversation as if no one else existed. I could still hear the person on the call talking while I was placing my order—completely unprofessional. After I finished eating, I looked around for any sign indicating where customers should return their trays—there was none. As I was walking out, the same woman at the counter had the audacity to call me back and demand that I bring the tray back. I asked her where it said customers were supposed to do that, and she just shrugged and said, “Yeah, you have to.” Instead of doing her job and providing even the bare minimum of customer service, she chose to call a paying customer back from the door over a task that would’ve taken her 30 seconds to do herself. Completely...