A1 Indian Grill — Restaurant in Dallas

I’m assuming I went on a bad day because of all the excellent reviews which state this as a “hidden gem”. But regardless, others should be aware this is not the experience 100% of the time. As such I’d like to voice my experience from my visit here at A1.

First off, the atmosphere there is very hole in the wall. The 1 worker (which was both a server and the cook) did a good job making sure our need were met. However we were the one and only people eating there which should have probably been a red flag.

We started by ordering canned drinks which came out hot. Then we ordered our main dishes; lamb curry, chicken vindaloo and a basket of bread (naan, paneer, etc).

Before we got our entrees, I could hear the microwave being used in the kitchen. At first I thought nothing of it but after the poor experience I started to recount what happened and I realized that none of our dishes required anything to be heated up via the microwave (Curry, chicken/lamb, naan, paneer). Which means that not all food was prepared fresh.

Both the lamb curry and chicken vindaloo came out room temperature. There were hairs in both of our curry bowls. Typically curries have a complex combination of spices. This is the very first curry I have tasted that was bland. Little to no flavor in both of our dishes. And finally (for the food experience) the bread basket was filled with doughy, not crunchy, naan which seemed undercooked.

This was topped off with us going to pay our bill. We handed the worker there a credit card and he asked “no cash?” I said no and he retorted with “we don’t typically take cards but okay” this was weird because: 1.) it’s 2021 And 2.) it’s 2021 in a large metropolitan area Also seems a little sketchy, but okay.

Hopefully this is not the normal experience and the reviews for this place are justified but at least for today the food and experience was far from worth the 4.5 stars that this...

Delicious, Affordable Food. Bring Cash. Nice owner.

I always visit A1 whenever I'm in town. I've only tried the chicken biryani, and it's an amazing value for the price. Not only is it very affordable (especially with the alternating lunch specials), but it is also more delicious with better portions size than some other expensive Indian restaurants. I most recently ordered 3 chicken dum biryanis with bone for a new/limited-time(?) lunch special all for myself (lol..). I ate one of them immediately, and the other two still tasted great when I finished them up a couple days later.

I call ahead and pick up my food, but there are a couple of tables for dine-in. The employee said they're starting buffets on Friday and will expand the dishes as the buffet gains more popularity. I plan to try and visit the buffet too.

I saw a review mention that the owner is rude, and that hasn't been my experience. There is a slight language barrier, so the owner might sound like they're speaking curtly, but they still try their best to explain and answer questions.

The owner does prefer cash, so I bring cash. Not a big problem. It's a small business, and times are...

Originally wanted to go to red Thai curry next door bc I hadn’t gone in ages but saw this place. Glad we tried it.

All of the styrofoam boxes were Saran wrapped which was appreciated.

Ramadan special tandoori chicken was 2.99 for a leg and thigh attached piece. So delicious. Put on top of some peppers onions and had some sliced cucumber and lime in the box.

Samosa chaat was super delicious. I ended up eating some rice with the toppings bc it was so good. Obviously samosas weren’t crispy bc they were topped with delicious goodness. Flavors were great. Can’t wait to eat the leftovers.

Got the aloo gobi which was also good. Rice that came with it was cooked perfectly.

Hubby got the chicken biryani which he said was good. I had a bite. It was decent but I have nothing to compare to.

Garlic naan was huge and delicious.

Not sure what the sauces were for exactly but can’t wait to dine in and ask what best goes with what.

Although it is a very small dining area with only about 4-5 small tables I’m excited to go back with friends to try other menu items. Their place settings looked very...