Sam's Indian Food & Pizza — Restaurant in Joshua Tree

We have been curious about this Indian restaurant in Joshua Tree, California, for a long time, and this evening, we decided to give it a try since we were in the area.

When we arrived, the restaurant was full, which is usually a good sign. We did have to wait for a table to open up, but it didn't take too long. The restaurant itself was not big, but there were numerous tables. It was nicely decorated, but I will admit that it was a little dark. It was a bit cold in Joshua Tree, and the restaurant itself was cold. We had a pleasant experience, but there were a few issues.

The food was delicious and definitely flavorful. The dishes had a different flavor from other Indian restaurants that we had dined at. You can smell the aroma outside of the restaurant. The butter chicken that I had tonight had a different flavor profile than I had before. This was probably one of the best that I've had, but the chicken itself was a bit dry. The Chana Masala was also a bit different it which it had a smoky flavor. The vegetable samosas were delicious and cooked nicely. The garlic Naan was one of the best that I've had.

The service was fine. Unfortunately, we had a couple of issues. The staff members were all friendly and helpful. The first issue was that we had to remind the staff members about our Chai Tea. We didn't get that immediately, but we did get halfway through our meal. The second issue was not getting the second appetizer we ordered. That was the Samosa Chat. Now, the third and final, initially, we wanted to order some Mango Lassi, but we were informed that they ran out. Now I did find it funny that a customer walked up to the front and asked about a Mango Lassi. A few minutes later, one came out for him. That wasn't a big deal. Yes, I do watch everything that goes on in a restaurant we dine at.

Overall, it was a nice dinner, and the food was delicious. The service needs to be worked on, but hey, at least they were friendly...

We ordered takeout from this restaurant on Jan 6. A local recommended it to us as we were leaving Joshua Tree National Park, and it seemed super convenient to be able to go somewhere we could order pizza for our kids and Indian food for us adults. We had specifically asked about restaurants that took Covid protocols seriously. For a Wednesday night, they seemed extremely busy when I put in my order at 5PM. Usually a good sign of a popular restaurant. Our wait was 20-25 minutes for 2 mini cheese pizzas, 2 orders each of samosas, chicken pakoras, paneer pakoras, and a garlic naan. After placing my order I went to sit in my car, parked outside the restaurant, where we happened to have a view of the comings and goings of part of the kitchen line. About 15 minutes into our wait, I could tell that not all the staff on the food line was masked, and this made my heart drop. So I made my way inside to ask how much longer it would be, thinking about cancelling my order. At that point I noticed it wasn't only the person boxing up the to-go containers, but also a staff member on the actual food prep line that was unmasked. Double disappointed. By then my meal was ready and I decided to take it and disinfectant wipe the carryout containers before bringing into the car for my family. The food was very good, but came with a side of concern/angst. If not for the lack of following Covid protocols, my rating would have been higher. We'll probably skip the paneer pakoras if we are ever in town again, as they were a bit bland compared to the other items we ordered. Will wait until Covid is not a concern for us though, before visiting this...

Yes! Go here! The simply have the BEST Indian food I've had in ages. Right off HWY62, yes right by Sam's Liquor store. This place on a Saturday night was busy! We waited for a table as locals came in for Indian food. Yes, and did I mention pizza too. My hats off to the two service waitresses. I would say with that flow of business they could almost get a hostess or bus person to help with service. Once we sat we looked over a pretty full menu that included pizza too! We started with Samosas Chaat, which were open faced and had cream, tomatoes and toppings on them, delish. Then two meat dishes; Lamb Saag and Chicken Tika Masala. The Saag was a green earthy yogurt based sauce that paired well with the lamb. The Tika Masala was a flavorful red sauce. We ordered medium spice for both and so by meal end the flavors were really peaking. The veggie Aloo Gobi was the well known home style cauliflower and potatoes dish in a nice yellow curry. Starches were butter Naan (5 types of Naan) and generous amounts of basmati rice for two. My friend had chai tea and I had a mango lassi. The lassi was fruity and tart from the mango, but the yogurt in it had the dairy that cooled the spice of the meal down. Beer and wine (?) were also offered, but we don't drink. FYI, behind the front counter were beer choices. Just will need to go back. The pizza was a thin medium crust with no shortage of stringy cheese. I saw a tasty looking pepperoni mini pizza but we already had a feast. They had some desert options too, but we were stuffed. All entrees had generous meat portions. The selections, taste, variety and price are...