Cinnamon Indian Grill — Restaurant in Columbus

I ate a delicious "late lunch" earlier today at Cinnamon Indian Grill at 2628 N. High St. in the "Old North Columbus" neighborhood of Columbus [immediately north of the "University District" neighborhood of Columbus].

I had been running several errands in "Old North Columbus" and in Clintonville so I had decided to eat at Cinnamon Indian Grill while in that area.

My food choice at Cinnamon Indian Grill had been Saag Paneer, my favorite Indian food.

Saag Paneer is a classic Indian dish of boiled spinach [and other boiled greens] with cubes of cheese. My Saag Paneer had been served with a bowl of Basmati Rice.

Cinnamon Indian Grill is the first Indian restaurant where I have eaten that serves both Saag Paneer and Palak Paneer. Those two dishes are nearly identical [as described in the below paragraph]; usually, Indian restaurants serve only one of these two dishes.

Typically in northern India, Saag refers to a combination of spinach and mustard greens, whereas Palak is the Hindi name for spinach. The main difference between the two is that Saag Paneer can be made with any leafy greens or a combination of greens, but Palak Paneer refers to a curry made with spinach leaves only.

I had a choice of "how spicy" I had wanted my Saag Paneer to be prepared [which typically is not a customer choice].

The most extended conversation that I had had with my server had been after I had told him that I would be paying with a debit card rather than with cash.

He asked several clarifying questions that I had been unwilling to answer; eventually, he took my debit card to the cash register so that he would be able to collect the payment for my meal.

I have eaten a lot of Saag Paneer in my life but I definitely want to say that the Saag Paneer at Cinnamon Indian Grill is particularly delicious.

If you are looking for some delicious Indian food in a small restaurant [please be aware that they are closed most afternoons between 2:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.], I strongly recommend Cinnamon...

I usually go to Khaab, however I decided to try somewhere new. I’ve eaten at many different Indian restaurants over the years, and of course, every place is different and uses their own recipes - so, take my opinions with a grain of salt. I can guarantee you the staff & management are happy with their recipes, and there are plenty of good reviews, so that’s what matters.

The portion sizes were not typical of most Indian places. I typically pay $15 for an entree and get three meals out of it. The box of rice was only half full, and the pint size contianer of curry was about 3/4 of the way full. Cinnamon cost me about $20 for less than I would typically receive at Indian restaurants.

I got the paneer tikka masala. The rice, aside from being half full, was not at all aromatic as I would expect. It wasn’t bad - it was cooked perfectly well - it just didn’t seem to have any of the added ingredients I typically see from other restaurants. The tikka masala was weirdly sweet? Maybe this is a family recipe; I just typically expect a masala to be savory. I ordered it as “hot” from their scale, and I should have went with extra hot. I would compare it to a 2-3 level heat at competing restaurants. The texture was also somewhat reminiscent of a jarred sauce, not completely smooth - think marinara. The naan was very pancake-like in texture, and on the thicker side. It was good, though! I ordered the garlic naan and it had a lot more garlic flavor than other places, so that one was a win in my book.

Overall, I don’t think I’ll be coming back to Cinnamon in the future, but I encourage others to give it a try! Just because it’s not to my taste doesn’t mean it won’t be...

Don't be put off by the old decor, this place was a gem! My husband owned his own Indian restaurant for decades before he retired, so we are picky. My husband wasn't with me, it was just me and a colleague for a quick lunch while out of town. She had never had curry or Indian food of any kind before, so I ordered a mild Chicken Korma for her, while I ordered a Medium Chicken Tikka Masala so she could taste that as well. Also ordered the butter naan.

The food did take a little longer than we expected, but we arrived just at lunch time and they had A LOT of takeaway orders coming and going during that time. After waiting about 25 minutes our food was brought out piping hot on polished plates, the silverware was also gleaming. We each took a fair share of one another's curries to give them a taste. My colleague just widened her eyes and took another bigger bite. She loved it!

So after seeing her initial reaction, I finally took a taste. I must say that the food was as close to the wonderful curries my husband makes as I've ever had in over 20 years. Very clean spices, extremely tender and flavorful chicken, and lots of it. In fact, there was so much left over that we took the rest home and had it for lunch at work the next day. Even better the second day!

I'd eat there again, though maybe with a takeout instead. It isn't dirty, but it is dark and too quiet. No music and the ambience was awkward. But I would definitely recommend anyone get a takeout from here, especially for someone who already...