Annapoorna Indian Cuisine — Restaurant in Irvine

Anna-poorna?

So it's a mix between Anna Kournikova and porn? Maybe not, but still sounds good...

One major issue with Indian food is the fact that it is always HIT OR MISS. It can taste like eating poo out of a diaper (family guy) or it can taste like a festive and spicy experience. If it is make right you should, ask for plenty of water and maybe a mango smooth to wash down the heat and oily/ greasiness. Also, if you have any Indian friends be very nice to their mom, because restaurant food is nothing compared to the real thing.

Secondly, why is Indian food so expensive? Seriously!! Does everyone in India drink fine wines and drive sports cars? NOOOO! You are thinking of Italy. Indian food should be the people's food not the food of kings. Just simple food that everyone can enjoy, but some how it's never cheap. For these prices at least give me a Filet Mignon or a Prime Rib! Of course, that will never happen since Indian food is mainly vegetarian. Correctly me if I'm wrong, but real Indian food should not have any meat in it.

Have I scared you yet? I originally had this place rated as 4 stars, but while writing this review I have downgrade to 3 stars. The price is seriously an issue. Value is not great. If you are a decent to big eater you will probably easily pay about 30 bucks per person.

SERVICE: Excellent. Very helpful and tentative. I got there late maybe 15 to 20 minutes before closing and the restaurant was still packed 1 hour later. Servers do not do the asian trick of shoving the bill in your face to get you to leave.

FOOD: I'm undecided. Not spicy. It's not the best Indian food, but its better than average. If you are craving Indian food this will do the trick. Although the Garlic Naan Meh had better. Let's just say if you toast the Trader Joe's brand Naan and put some butter on it I will pick TJ's as the winner. The sauces are delicious, but the meat, either chicken or lamb,.. you have half to swim around in the sauce to find some. Maybe bring a magnified glass will help.

PRICE: Yeahhh... Is there any ATM near by?

Atmosphere: It's small place hidden in the construction area, but cozie and packed with hungry people. Seems very family friendly.

Would I ever go back? If you are paying sure ! :) Hmmm Is there a lunch buffet? Hold on.. I'm reading and writing at the same time. D'oh! I guess there is... Well silly me. I may come back again. I only 50% recommend this place to try, but if you MUST! Try it out and let me know how it goes. You will either like it or feel unsatisfied. One thing I can guarantee You will smell like curry when you leave . Even if you shower ,curry smells will seep out of your pores. More importantly, how does your stomach feel? Do you need to release the evil...

We are regulars at this restaurant. We know what the food is supposed to taste like. We're aware not new to Indian cuisine. Yesterday my daughter and I sent there for dinner. We usually order the same thing every time we're go.We know how good should taste... Unfortunately the mushroom mutter she ordered had a lot of cardamom in it. It was so overpowering, that's all you could taste We're told the man who claimed he read the manager. He completely ignored us. We didn't even touch the food! Then when it came time for the bill he actually charged us for it. I complained to him again and said we told you, we can't eat it, cancel it. He said there is no cardamom in it, maybe its nuts.... my daughter n I paused because we it doesn't contain nuts! So my daughter sarcastically says, ok maybe it's the nuts. Then he said, no, the are no nuts..... I told him again, we are not paying for it . We didn't eat it, we didn't consumed any of it from the beginning. Manager was very RUDE and said, well next time you order , know what you are ordering. He also accused us of going the before and ordering some spinach dish that were didn't like( we are allergic to spinach!). He must have us confused with someone else, but very poor customer service!!! I asked for the owner's name and number. That same manager said hes the owner. I told him toy are lying because the owner wouldnt leave customer's unhappy. Then he said ,ok I'm not the owner .... Again I asked for owners name and no. He said, i don't know the owners name or number ....I said you work for someone which name toy don't know? Eventually to diffuse the situation, another waiter came and took it off or bill.... I'm still very upset about this, and if anyone knows how to get in touch with the owner or CEO of the company lease let me know. VERY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!! this is not...

The guys on my team have been coming here for lunch every now and then, so I finally decided to join them this time. Located next to Paris Baguette and a dry cleaners on the Culver/Walnut cross streets, the plaza is always bustling. Fortunately, Annapoorna faces Walnut, so there's less traffic on that side of the building. Still, parking can be a battle during peak lunch hours, but the plaza has plenty of public parking. You might need to walk a little bit, but you're gonna appreciate the extra steps after lunch.

The table settings are quite nice for how fast-paced the lunch spot is. Tables are draped with linen, perfectly placed silverware and servers promptly heeding to your requests, the buffet ticket price seems unreal. With an ayce buffet lined up within a few feet from our table, we dropped our valuables at the table and proceeded to load up our plates.

The buffet takes up a small corner in the back of the restaurant with the kitchen constantly churning out hot goods to the chafing dishes. You are first greeted with salad and sauces followed by fried spring rolls/samosas, rice, soup, a plethora of curries (chicken, goat, tikki masala) and dessert. Once at the table, you can order Naan and dosa to take in the sauces left on your plate.

My favorite was the chicken with peas curry and tikki masala. It goes great with either naan or dosa and I definitely returned for seconds, maybe even thirds. And if you're still hungry and want to move to sweet, don't fret! They have rice pudding, mango pudding and these little donut balls soaked in rose syrup.

Whew...you may need to be wheeled out after, but at least you'll be...