Zaika Indian Cuisine - Erie — Restaurant in Erie

I don't know why this place isn't busier. The food was great, the atmosphere was nice (if a little bright), and the service was prompt. We went on a Saturday at 6:00 p.m. and the place was almost empty. It's not the most intuitive place to find, but it is pretty prominently placed. They do seem to do a lot of takeout, so that's good.

I'm not an expert in Indian food, and if you asked me whether this is authentic or not, I'd have no idea. I just know what I like. For apps, we had the Chicken Momo and Lamb Kali Mirch. Both were very tasty, though the sauce for the Chicken Momo could've used some extra kick.

For dinner we had Zaika Mixed Grill with Spinach & Potatoes - rave reviews, especially for the Spinach; Chicken Makhni - delicious, but a little bland for me since the diner chose mild!; Lamb Boti Kebab w/Seasonal Vegetables - the vegetables were super fresh and perfectly sauteed, just the right spiciness as well; Lamb Kerala Curry - also yummy. In all cases, the rice was cooked to perfection. We also shared the Garlic Naan which was very good.

The greatest part about Zaika for us is the vast number of gluten- and dairy-free options on the menu. You simply can't get that many options (and have them still be tasty) from any of the other restaurants nearby.

We'll definitely be back and I hope others will start to come in. That particular space has had several different restaurants in it over the years. I hope Zaika doesn't suffer their fate. They've already got much more going for them than the other...

Ambiance: way too bright, almost cafeteria like, albeit at least not florescent. Based on the pictures I was expecting something a little bit more dark and moody.

Food: I'm Indian, a former owner of an Indian restaurant (the Royal Peacock, for those who remember), and love really spicy food, but had to engage in a Kafkaesque conversation with the waiter in order to explain that I wanted my food even spicier than their 1-5 scale. He seemed unable to comprehend that I wanted it 10/5, and he kept repeating that 5 was the maximum. I asked that they add even more cayenne or green chilis but it was like it just didn't compute.

So I gave up, but at the end he seemed to grasp it and said he would ask the chef to make it spicier.

Unfortunately it was not very spicy—didnt even break a sweat and neither did my date, who isn't particularly adept at eating spicy food.

It seems too that they make food spicy via the use of chili oil, and as such my korma came out fairly oily.

Flavor was ok. Not bad but not amazing.

In all, I'd say this is more Nepali than Indian. While many of the dishes cross over, Indian food tends to have a more robust flavor, whereas this was fairly thin.

Service: aside from the above, they were attentive, although no one ever asked how we were enjoying the food.

My only complaint is that they hover over you while you're paying since they use portable POS systems. I'd much rather then leave a check and take my card to run it. Not exclusive to this restaurant obviously, but it's something I...

Always loved the Broomfield location, so happy to have them in Erie. Went just before dine-in eating was locked down, and the food was great.

Update March 2025: After many dozens of visits here over the years, tonight’s experience may have me not coming back. We arrived a few minutes before 8pm on a Saturday. Note, their advertised closing is 9pm. The restaurant was completely empty. We clearly upset the server by coming in an hour before their posted closing, as service was gruff from the get go. Food was not up to their usual standard. Frankly, it was not even average. The makhani was like soup, to the point I couldn’t put the leftovers in the styrofoam to go container as it was too runny. At 8:40pm they came to clear our table and bring the bill dressed in their outside winter jackets and beanies. Presumably to let us know we were holding them up from leaving early. By the time our car pulled out of the car park at 8:45pm the lights were off in the building. I completely understand if you walk into a restaurant 10 mins before closing you can expect bad service and food, but we arrived an hour before posted closing. If you can’t get a decent meal and service at 8pm on a Sat night, there’s something clearly very wrong. Won’t be...