Tandoori Oven- Finest Indian Cuisine — Restaurant in Idaho Falls

We’ve been eating at Tandoori Oven since 2014. We’ve eaten in & had take out, many times, with our most recent order being take out. The food was consistent for a few years, then we figured they must be getting new chefs every couple of years or so (though 1 or 2 didn’t seem to last that long) because the food keeps changing - both in flavor/ingredients and in how spicy it is at the different levels. For example: 1 used to be not spicy, which was great! I could tell people who avoided Indian food because they didn’t like spicy that this place had safe options! & 5 used to be, supposedly, VERY spicy (I’m too much of a wimp ever to try it, so I rely on the honesty of others), which I thought would be great for the people I knew who liked to consume things like the hottest hot sauce they could get their hands on! But I will make those recommendations no more! 1 now IS spicy! & 5 (again, supposedly) ISN’T as spicy as the old 5 anymore! Plus, the last 2 times we ordered take out, they got the lids mixed up - not good when they switch the lids on dishes with spice levels of 1 and 5 (I don’t care if a 5 isn’t a 5 anymore…it’s still gotta be significantly hotter than a 1)!! What’s much more difficult to spot is when an error of that nature occurs on an order of 3 or more similarly colored entrees. This DID happen to us on that last order from here…took us until the 2nd day to figure out which was which! Needless to say, the person who ordered a 1 but got a 5 was not happy, just as the person who ordered a 5 but got a 1 wasn’t happy. The 3rd person was at first oblivious, but became perturbed when their dish had to be equally scrutinized as we tried to figure out which lid went a which dish. Truly annoying!

Addressing the stars: -The food is usually good enough…though the rice pudding leaves a lot to be desired, & the last time we ordered it, the Assorted Platter contained no vegetable pakoras, only 4 onion bhaji (& 2 very small, pathetic pieces of chicken pakora) not what we’re used to from them at all. It’s simply not as good as it once was, & I’m afraid it’ll keep going in the opposite direction of better -When eating in, the service is fine/ok, just not great or outstanding - we’ve have to ask multiple times for our server to get things for us that we’d already asked for at least once, like water, adult beverages, napkins, and extra sauces (like tamarind) & chutneys -Regarding the atmosphere, there’s nothing about its interior that makes me want to eat there (except I don’t have to worry about my chicken coconut kurma showing up with the lid to my husband’s chicken vindaloo on it), but there’s nothing wrong with it, either…it may be a little on the noisy side, but I expect that in a place like this

Over the last couple of years, they’ve had some competition brewing downtown, and I’ve been told that place has been steadily improving. They’re far more inconvenient to get to, but if reports of their food get much better, it may be worth our while to make the drive…which means Tandoori Oven could lose a longtime customer... and that would be sad because we have been going there for so long! I just hope these guys can get back on...

We tried a lot of Indian food in Utah. We went there for lunch because of the high rating, but were very disappointed. We went there around 2 PM. When we washed hands, the waitress set 5 big plates in a pile with forks on the table and left. After 10 minutes, she came back for ordering. The first food to bring to the table was drinks. Our kids loved to drink milk shake and normally finished them very quick, but this time, they left at least half cup at the end. The mango and strawberry lassi seemed not to make from fresh fruits, at least the rotten part didn't be totally cut off. Then after about 10 minutes, the starter came, the crust was crispy and tasted ok. Then was chick soup without any spoon. After another 10 minutes, the three delights and naan came. The naan was fresh made and tasted good, but the delights were salted. After about 10 minutes, the waitress told us that the kitchen would be closed soon, so if we wanted to ordered more, it was better to do it immediately. We told her we won't order more. After about 5 minutes, the waitress told us that the restaurant would be closed soon, even though it was a little bit rush, we still wanted to finish our food in about 10 minutes, so we kept eating. But after about 5 minutes, she came back and gave us the bill, and told us, if we won't finish, she would came back after couple minutes. What???? I never had experiences like that. Finally, we went out of the restaurant with a little leftover in box and 3 cups of lassi as if were kicked out off the door around 2:54 PM. If it won't be enough time for us to eat, why not just told us and we probably went to another restaurant. If they would close soon, why they still asked us to order more? Would they think that we could finish our food in about 5 minutes if we...

INDIAN - We have now been here twice, having ordered Lamb Vindaloo, Lamb Saag, and Ginger Garlic Naan on the first visit, and Lamb Tikka Masala, Saag Aloo, and Papadams on the second.

The service both times was excellent, with careful attention being given to us. On the first visit, when we asked what would be best to try, we were politely given the standard answers of Butter Chicken, Tandoori Chicken, and Chicken Tikka Masala, as these indeed are probably the most popular.

When we mentioned we liked truly authentic Indian cuisine, the server shifted the viewpoint some, and pointed out the vegetarian dishes, the paneers, and did say they made a great Fish Tikka Masala.

When we asked about spiciness levels, he assumed we wanted mild by saying it doesn't have to be that hot. We said we liked it extra spicy. We were concerned that he emphasized "hot", when we meant flavorful. We don't mind hot at all, just that many restaurants just make it hot for hot's sake, rather than turning up the flavor.

The dishes arrived in bowls so they could be spooned onto the rice. The rice was high quality and flavorful in it's own right. The ginger garlic naan was perfect for gathering up the extra sauce. The spiciness level was perfect, given our request.

The second visit was similar, just with different dishes.

The menu has a large variety even considering repeats like Chicken/Lamb/Fish/Paneer Tikka Masala. They do tend to emphasize American favorites versus more exotic (to Americans) Indian foods.

We plan to make this a regular go-to restaurant, especially for take out, as good Indian food reheats well, and the portions, for us, even dining in, yield great left-overs.

Highly...