Curry Point Express — Restaurant in Durham

So anyone that gave this place 4 or 5 stars must be too American (I'm a Caucasian American myself) to know that this food is far from the real deal and having any true authenticity. It's actually some of the worst Indian food I've ever had as much as I hate to say that.. Most of the reviews are likely from people that grew up on bland American food like cereal, hot dogs and hamburgers, Chef Boyardee, PB&J sandwiches, chicken noodles soup, tuna noodle casserole, etc. Again, this is nowhere near true "authentic" Indian/ Pakistani/ Afghani food..

I was so excited to try another new Indian restaurant as I'm a very well traveled, classically trained chef and have been eating Indian food for close to 20 years at many different Indian restaurants in many different states, and even in other countries around the world.

With that said, and again, I hate to say this, but your establishment ranks near the bottom of my food blogger travel list as well as Indian food in general. I'm not sure if someone just lost their passion for cooking, uses the same spice blend for everything, or just really doesn't know how to authentically cook/ prepare Indian food, but the food was not good. We also spent $50+ so we could try lots of different items, but none of them made us want to come back unfortunately. We had Chicken Tikka Masala, Lamb Curry, Kadai Chicken, Okra Curry, Chicken Vindaloo, 2 Samosas, and Garlic Naan.. It was strange because many of the dishes tasted similar (which they should not) and had a slightly sour/ vinegar flavor (I knew it wasn't the meat but likely some type of spice). The Tikka Masala was so sweet it was almost like candy (it was rather unedible), and the Garlic Naan was super flat and flimsy like it was put in the microwave before it was served (maybe it was leftover from lunch). You mentioned you typically cook your dishes medium to spicy, which I love spicy food, but all the dishes had various spice levels. Some were very mild to almost no heat at all, and others were so hot we could barely eat it, and again, I love eating food that makes me sweat, lol!

The only other thing is that there is absolutely no ambiance.. The lights are all very bright white light like you're sitting in a dentist office, and it really lacks decor/ art, etc. It was just very plain inside.. At any rate, the food was pretty disappointing, and we will not return because there are countless other amazing Indian food restaurants I've been to in Raleigh, Moorisville, Cary, RTP, Durham, etc. The only good thing was that the counter staff was very friendly and the food was made quickly but that alone won't bring...

2017 review: Lunch is a cafeteria style where you pick items and sides you want. You'd think this would be terrible based on experiences at Chinese places that serve this style but it works here! Really flavorful dishes, inexpensive, good selection. You can't go wrong with any of the chicken dishes. Turnover seems high so the food stays fresh plus the style is just suited for this way of serving. Warm fresh Naan too. Perfect for "to go" or dine in. A surprising gem.

Feb 2019: Just wanted to update this review from 2017, there is now a bit more variety (removed that critique), plus all the staples you love. This place is less busy now because of increased competition but to me is the gold standard for Indian Food. Parking is now fine too. I cannot recommend this place highly enough. My favorites are usually to get the 2 item 2 side (for like $8 and no guilt forced tipping, are you kidding me?!). Get one curry one "dry rub" style. The curry goes over the veggie fried rice so well and you have a lot of extra meat from the dry rub one to add to the meal. You can also wrap the dry rub pieces in Naan and make them finger food. So good. My personal favs are the Chicken Tiki Masala (of course), the Chicken 65 and the Manchurian Chicken. Try the Vindaloo if you want hotter.

To the owners, thank you for the hard work and clear dedication you put into making this food. It is amazing, period. To everyone else, don't be fooled by others, this place is the best. Get here!

Updated August 2020, Lunch is still open during pandemic and same style of serving and options! Food is...

I placed an order at about 8:30 because google and their website stated that they close at 9:30. Less than 5 minutes after placing the order i get an email that my order was cancelled. So I call and the woman on the phone goes “we are closing so i am canceling orders” i explain that their website and google hours DO NOT reflect that they close at 9, I got upset and I was meaner then i meant to be but i was frustrated because the order didn’t even say it would be ready after 9, the pickup was set for 8:57 which shouldn’t have mattered because no where did it say they close at 9 and their system was still accepting orders. I spent $50 so i was upset. Imagine how upset i was another 5 minutes later when the same woman CALLS ME BACK and says she can’t refund the order so actually i can come pick up my food. I had already turned around attempting to figure out another dinner option and even with the detour we showed up before 9 and the food wasn’t even ready. We were there well before “close” so there really shouldn’t have been an issue or reason to cancel in the first place. I have loved this restaurant for YEARS, i’ve moved away and moved back and stuck to getting food from here because the quality, price and service have been top tier until this experience. I am EXTREMELY disappointed with this situation and strongly urge the owners to in the future prevent this from happening, I can understand needing to close early but i cannot understand allowing your customers to be...