Tarka Indian Kitchen — Restaurant in Houston

We walked in hopeful, and left disappointed. This place is yet another "ethnic" type eatery trying to capitalize on familiarity, and comes up short on every level. We ordered the lamb biryani and some naan to-go. To begin with, we had no place to stand and wait for our order. We squeezed ourselves at the front near the registers between the drink machine and a long table of folks trying to eat. After an endless stream of "excuse me's" from the staff attempting to deliver food, folks wanting to reach the drinks, and patrons getting up from their seats, we got our food and left. The place was packed, the sounds echoing against the industrial structure. It was louder than an airport cafeteria. Not the place for a nice quiet meal. We were glad to be leaving. I can say that the lamb had good flavor and the rice had decent seasoning. That's the end of the good news. The dish left much to be desired. So plain and boring. There was not a single veggie in sight. No carrots, no pickled anything, nada. Just rice and meat pieces. While the price point might be low at $9, I would rather have paid $4-$5 more for a full meal. Very cheap and you get what you pay for. Don't expect a nice Indian meal. All you're getting is rice and a small portion of meat. The naan was terrible!! It was rubbery, chewy, and had no flavor. The sprinkle of cilantro on top could not save this bread from misery. We took everything home and doctored it up to the level it should have been. Had to finish baking the naan to make it edible. Not worth the money at all. Go and order one thing to test it out. We were super disappointed and...

Order at the front! Never been to an Indian restaurant where you have your order taken and it is brought out (number style like McAlisters, etc) Apparently this is linked to an amazingly delicious Indian restaurant in Austin my friends have been to.

We tried the masala fries - just fries dusted with masala - yum!!! Sorta like Old Bay fries but sub in masala lol. Samosas were pretty tasty, served with green chutney. Garlic naan was super hot temperature (yay) and stayed that way a while. I like naan a little fluffier but this was pretty good.

Chicken tikka was yummy as well. They have mild, medium, and hot. Hot is supposedly like a jalapeño. It was not very spicy. If you like spicy food, you may want to ask for it spicier. My friend tried the vindaloo but I am not sure spicy that was. My other friend also had chicken tikka masala. Dishes come with a single serving of rice.

Mango lassi was delicious as well. I would definitely eat here again!

A sign in the window says they deliver with Door Dash. Try at your own risk. I know no delivery is perfect. I have tried Amazon Prime Restaurants (boo), Uber Eats (boo), Door Dash (boo), Grub Hub (boo), Favor (awful), and settled on Postmates for now. Again, I realize everyone has different experiences so hope Door Dash is great in the Heights (Instacart was great at Greenway Plaza but Shipt is better in Energy Corridor. Blah...

This is one of our go-to spots in the area. Bottom-line - if you want inexpensive, tasty, and consistent Indian food, go here. This is coming from an Indian :) The vibe is really cool in this spot - always playing good tunes. However, it's not a romantic date night spot. More of a casual lunch/dinner place.

Our favorite dish is the Paneer Korma - a creamy coconut curry with pistachios. It has paneer in it - a sort of Indian cheese that has very mild flavor but is a really nice texture. You can also choose chicken, shrimp, or beef if you like. You can also select your spice level as well - I always get the spiciest level because I like the pain and suffering. Rice comes with this dish. However, I highly suggest you order the garlic naan with it. You gotta sop up all that creamy goodness with the naan.

Finally, they took our favorite appetizer away - the vegetable pakoras. When and if that comes back, you must get it. Now we get the "badmaash fries" Which are also very good. They use a McDonald's style fry, so they are quite tasty. They top it with cilantro, onions, paneer, and different seasonings.

The ordering process is so easy - pick your dish, pick your protein, and pick your spice level. Easy as that. They make Indian food approachable. Please give this place a shot, you will not be disappointed! Also - don't forget to eat with your hands :) It taste...