Kumar's — Restaurant in Houston

My earlier experiences were okayish at the Kumars.

But my latest experience has changed everything I had about this place.

Understaffed: for the price of Vegetarian Tali ($18), I at least expect someone taking my order. After a wait of 15 Min, someone actually came after asking to take for an order. Absolutely NO NO for this ! Three people literally: One serving, one taking orders and the other is for cleaning. So, considering the cleaning person doesn't include in this, there's literally two people managing everything. Was about the same number of people last time too. But they're not really ready to serve us. Why? I'm not sure.

The menu says unlimited Thali. But for my surprise, They're not ready to serve again. My bad, I really felt to leave this place in the very first. Who wants to waits for another 15min for a papad or anything that is very small.? I understand your issues. But we waited patiently for everything and then had to refrain from requesting for a refill because it's not necessary to wait 15min everytime for each item. Oh ! I considered not to refill by the way. Utterly bad experience.

This was there even in my previous visits but I thought I would mention this- the tables are made of wood log or actual wood. They're everytime sticky from previous person's food. It doesn't feel hygienic. They apparently use some bleach or spray to clean it. I really appreciate it. But the surface still feels sticky and makes me think they could use something else to clean it better.

For the price I have paid for, I ended up having food that I felt like a leftover.

No much options for people who opt for vegetarian Thali.

*With this experience, I would suggest Saravana Bhawan ( few bucks cheaper than this),opposite to this is far better than this one in terms of food selection and the number of varieties. *The other best one for the same price would be Maharaja Bhog ( almost the same price) and you would be getting unlimited Thali plus pleasant and awesome customer service.

Sorry, but we started to visit this place only after visiting Austin Kumar's. This place is not even closer to the service that Kumar's Austin is offering. Absolutely...

A pleasant authentic Indian cuisine surprise located conveniently off Dunvale Rd. just south of Westheimer and just before the WalMart. Easy access and convenient parking.

The restaurant is spacious but unfortunately due to COVID restrictions, it is currently lacking in a large boisterous crowd which would liven up the dining experience.

The food is well prepared and served in good portions. The seasonings are just right to challenge the palette and provide a rewarding experience bite after bite. We tried two of the specialty curries, the Mutton Kolambu (a southern style goat curry) and the Guntur Kodi Kura(a special chicken curry). The meats were very tender and tasty.

The scrumptious meal was served on banana leaves adding to the Southern Indian atmosphere. We had an order of garlic naan to accompany our curries. The naan was a sheer delight and provided an excellent vehicle for dipping into and enjoying the bountiful curry sauces.

The restaurant offers a delectable variety of delicious specialty drinks to go with your meal. We enjoyed the Nannari Sarbath (a drink made from sarsaparilla root and bael fruit) and the Amsavalli Apple Milk (milk with fresh blended apple, saffron and cardamom).

The service was a bit slow, however, this was probably due to a reduced staff to help compensate for customers temporarily lost due to the COVID spacing restrictions. The waiter was an expert in the specialties that were available and gave us great recommendations.

The next time you have a hankering for Indian food or for something different than your normal dining fare, I recommend that you give...

Update from Recent Visit.. New Management has taken over with authentic chef cooking authentic food..

Visited during March 2021

I had been to this restaurant recently 3 different times for dinner.... First time i could sense the food was more authentic but took a while for food to come out. Upon talking to the waiter he mentioned they ran out of some premade ingredients so they had to start all over which was taking bit longer. I could live with that becos food tasted fresh. 2nd & 3rd time the service time was better but food still tasted authentic and i learned that new management has taken over (read my previous review from last year Nov 2020) with chef being supplied by the first owner. All three times we enjoyed the food. Peas masala was my fav and veg biriyani. In desserts i liked kalakand, halwa which are my go to at any time.

Old Review with 3 stars

Recently I had dined in here couple of times (2 days apart in between) - First time with colleagues for lunch on a weekday. The service was good and timely despite we all ordered different items. When couple of days after i went with my family for lunch on a weekend. It was a completely different exp. Though we ordered simple items (items that don't take long to prep) still we had to wait for an hour even to get one person's food. This too was after several reminders. Tomato rice was served with just pickle. Had to request for pappad & raita. Though the food was good in both these occasions hence 3 star. Will not be going back esply if i...