Masala House — Restaurant in Concord

Writing a review even though I don't often do so. I still remember when this place was under those nice ladies from Himalayan Cuisine — I once went there so often that I even started getting free desserts and whatnot — they knew me by name. I saw that there was a change in ownership so I was curious to see what the new management is like.

Food wise they are quite solid. There is nothing on the menu so far that made me go "this is the top of the class, I would drive 1 hour to get this", but otherwise for a local restaurant they definitely beat out all their other competitors here when it comes to quality vs price ratio, hands down. Himalayan Cuisine used to have some items that I preferred more (their butter chicken was somehow more tangy/savory?) but they were also bit pricier. I've tried the butter chicken, bhuna gosht, biryanis, dahi puri, pakora, rotis, fish 65, and desserts and haven't had a complaint with any of them (okay, maybe the shkrikhand is a little bit on the sweeter side). DO get their lassis, they're excellent. I've developed a sweet tooth for their mango shake.

Service wise, on the other hand, is the reason I'm writing this review. Very top notch service. The restaurant manager is very kind and attentive (even remembered my name by now). I remember when I had a mishap on Wednesday — they forgot to package my pakora with the order and I come to find out when I arrive at home. I was upset and was about to complain, but the manager was already on it and called me before I had the chance to — sincerely apologizing and offering a refund if needed. I said, "No need, I'm only 5 minutes away" and went to pick it up. I then unexpectedly get a mango lassi thrown in, free of charge for the effort. It's these kinds of little details that make me want to come back.

Needless to say, this is now my mainstay Indian go-to and will be curious trying out other items on their menu. Do make use of their grand opening — 20% discount on all their items, or so I've heard!

UPDATE 10/12/24: I'm updating this review because since then they have started to go above and beyond. They have added new items to their menu, refined existing ones, and are constantly experimenting with new tastes. For instance, I was originally critical of their butter chicken as it was not as tangy as before, now they changed something in the recipe for it to have that umami mouthfeel. The rogan josh was perfect. The mirchi bajji had that wonderful spiced batter. And they changed the shrikhand over time to from a simpler sweet yogurt dish to a more strained, thicker, and flavorful dessert that I'm now very happy to get. The only thing I noticed was that the rasmalai still needed some work — sometimes it was heaven on Earth, but sometimes it's too chewy/rubbery (chenna was overcooked), and since rasmalai is one of my favorite desserts, I will notice...

Himalayan food is always interesting to me. It is a combination of culture, cuisine and history. When I opened the menu, I see the typical signature items: momos, nan bread and milk tea. What I did not see is a yak-based dish. I am sure it is darn difficult to get any yak in California so I am totally fine with chicken momos instead. It came out tasty and my son loves it. You could tell this place is family run. The lady who took our order, has her son doing homework at a side table. The men in the kitchen were probably family too and they were keen to check in with us to make sure the food is satisfactory. We ordered the garlic naan bread, chicken momos and I was in the mood for lamb vindaloo. All these 3 dishes were great. The vindaloo was pretty spicy and the sauce was spicy and rich. My husband ordered a dish from the specials, which was essentially a grilled steak with sauteed onion and green pepper. To be honest, I am no expert in Himalayan cuisine so i don't know if this is a traditional dish or some newer iteration. The beef was a bit too dry for us and the seasoning was a little on the light end.

I don't think we will ordered that one again. Nevertheless, the rest of the food was very delicious and there are several tables of patrons dining, who seemed to know the owners well. We...

UPDATE: Sadly the previous owners NO LONGER own the restaurant and the new owners kept the name!🤨 They've changed the inside it's nice but not as cozy. We were disappointed to learn there were new owners but being a women owned business (sisters) we decided to support them and give it a try. I'm sad to say we were extremely disappointed in the food. Everything seemed to lack in flavor even the naan isn't as good. The masala has a heavy tomato base, and my daughter said the chicken made her stomach feel sick. We gave it a try but sadly we won't be returning!

Original Post: Our family has been going here for years, and we love love love the food here. We enjoy the ambiance, it's a very relaxed environment and really miss the lunch buffet (temporarily closed due to covid). The guy that sometimes works the front counter isn't as warm and welcoming, but the lady that's usually working the front counter is super sweet and very personable. It's a great place to have a business lunch or family dinner. YummyLicious Food. Excellent Service. Very clean. Great ambiance. Family...