Kiran's — Restaurant in Houston

Slightly disappointing experience...

We booked a reservation for Saturday night for my girlfriends birthday hoping to have a nice dinner and celebrate. Upon arrival we were met with a little bit of an aggressive valet. I understand that it was busy and they were trying to get everyone through, but they felt a little aggravated in getting us out of my vehicle.

we made our way to the restaurant and through the large beautiful front doors which seemed so welcoming, I really did love the front door. The hostesses welcomed us and ushered us to our table which had the most comfortable chairs you could have in a restaurant. some tables had little sofas which I was jealous of, but was still happy with my comfy chair. The kitchen was across the dining room where you could see the food being prepared in the tandoors and wood burning ovens.

After a bit of a wait, which I will dismiss as the restaurant was busy, the waiter made his introduction, took our drink order and passed out menus. I am not one who enjoys the hounding of a waiter where they spend too much time at your table, excessively asks how everything is or the likes, but our waiter did not seem to care for our table and it felt like he was either going through the motions or just trying to get past us. It was not a good dining experience with this waiter.

Anyways, for drinks we ordered the Jahangir Lassi and the Kir (an) Royale. The Lassi was wonderful, being smooth, light and refreshing. The Royale on the other hand was far too strong, tasting of rubbing alcohol and a hint of Lychee. I'm not much of a drinker, but that one wasn't good.

For our starters we ordered the Scallops and wood fired oysters. The Scallops were beautiful cooked with a creamy, smokey succotash that I could eat on its own, but wouldn't because I definitely would want more scallops. The oysters were also so, so good. Never can you go wrong with butter, cheese and oysters, but then add the seasoning that they did and I am happy to order another dozen.

For our mains we ordered the rack of lamb, a lamb shank, a korma, and a lasooni bread. Lots of lamb tonight. The rack of lamb was a pretty weak dish, being cooked to hell and dry. I don't recall being asked by the waiter how well done I would like it, but well, well done is not how I would have chosen. the rack came with a very sweet chutney which was a little to sweet. The Lamb shank was a star, fell off the bone, moist and tender, the sauce it bathed in was lovely, all around a good dish. The korma was a korma, always good and on par with any other Indian restaurant. The lasooni bread was a really nice bread, just really didn't have much flavor, but the bread was nice.

We decided to pass on dessert as our meal was filling enough. I think by the end our bill was $250 before tip, which the tip left was very undeserved at about 20%, but its a nice place and I wont stiff a waiter.

Once we returned to the valet to get my vehicle, the valet took my ticket and we paid by card which was nice. I really dislike that valet guy, he was a tool, really soured the end of the night to be honest. I tipped the actual person who brought us my vehicle, and we were off.

All-in-all the food was pretty good, the atmosphere was nice, and the staff were not so welcoming. A little bit overpriced in my opinion as its competing with restaurants like Musaafer in value, but pretty ok for a date night, not a special occasion. Probably wont be...

Let me start by saying that I've heard about Kiran's for years. It's come up time and time again, but growing up as first gen Indian, Mom's food always just hit the spot. I never had much of a desire to eat high end Indian cuisine.

Alas, after years, my wife surprised me with reservations here tonight (it was for a special occasion)

After finding street parking (you have to get lucky with that or you'll have to valet) you're greeted by 2 giant golden doors.

Walking in, you see all of Kiran's accolades and pics with celebrities. The hostess swept us away to our table, and it was really amazing just walking through the restaurant.

The colors, textures, art, smell, etc are just incredible. A great way to start this dining experience.

We started with cocktails. I had something with fig and bourbon and walnut bitters. It was really tasty and would recommend. My wife got a mocktail and she loved it. They have an extensive wine list as well as plenty of cocktails and mocktails to choose from.

We started with aloo paratha and chili fish. Super tasty. The chili fish had just the right amount of spice and it was nicely done.

Next we had the paneer makhani (aka butter paneer - real original, I know), garlic naan, and rice. The sauce was really tasty and we liked it because it didn't feel and taste super heavy. I didn't like how the paneer was cur into long strips. It just didn't look as appetizing and it just seemed like it was an after thought. I know I'm being nit picky, but I feel like I can because this place is pricy 😉

The food really was wonderful and we were really stuffed at the end - still had leftovers too. We spent $120 (tip included)

For those of you keeping score at home, that's 2 drinks, 2 starters, 1 entree, side of rice, and naan. Not cheap, but not breaking the bank either. Not an everyday dinner place, but certainly great for a special occasion or if you just want to ball out.

One last comment - the service was fine. Not to say it was bad or slow. It just wasn't as interactive and the server just wasn't as talkative as I would have liked. Very short and to the point.

One more last comment - if you're comparing this to Musafer, they are just different. Kiran's is upscale traditional Indian (imo)and Musafer has that food gastronomy vibe going on. Also, Musafer just feels "cooler" if that makes sense? They are both beautiful in their own right. But if I had to pick between the 2, I would pick Musafer.

But why pick when you can just eat...

I called kiran's to see if they did a brunch menu take out, I was extremely excited to see that they did. I quickly ordered 4 mains off the brunch menu. I asked the person taking the order to see if all components come with mains in take away and she confirmed it did, so i asked her to make sure everything is there because its trip when something is missing. I get to the restaurant and pick up my order and again asked was everything in there and she confirmed it was. My total bill was about $135 for 4 things which is fine because its fine dining place. I come home and unpack everything just to realize that the pooris was missing with aloo chole. I was annoyed and called the restaurant, they transferred my call to puja, the manager, she said if i can come back she can have the pooris ready and add a complimentary order as gesture. But i had guests that couldn't leave behind for another run. I asked her if she can have it delivered, she said that don't have anyone who can do that. I said i can order an item with uber eats and she can just add the pooris with that order. But she will have to credit me for the item as I didn't need more food just the pooris that were missing with the main. She said but she is giving me a complimentary order, I said I understand that, but I don't need anymore food, I only suggested the uber eats as it was the best option. I even said i will order the cheapest item on the menu, just cover the cost of it. I guess she didn't like that option and was quick to hang up. I ordered a $40 biryani with fees, delivery, tax and tip. I called the restaurant to speak to her to tell her that she didn't need to cover the cost of biryani, just make sure the pooris are added to the order. The person on the phone said she was busy with other customers and i told him to relay the message. When the uber eats came there was NO note of apology. There was NO follow up call. She had my cell phone number as she asked me to send her photos, as I would be lying. This is not how customer service experience should be a for a fine dining restaurant. The restaurant of this caliber should hire a more trained employees to be inline with their establishment. The manager Puja really did leave a bad taste, we really do enjoy their brunch but after this incident.. the bad ettiequte and I was treated will linger. It's the class of service you receive that sets you apart in a sea of...