Tandoori Grill-Restaurant & Catering — Restaurant in Katy

I discovered this restaurant during covid and I guess business was slow. What kept me coming back was the tasteful food and the vegan thali they offered, bonus my kids ate free (usually I’d order some fries or another appetizer for them to share). They usually wouldn’t eat much besides rotti, rice and a small serving of dal & rice (things were a bit to spicy for their liking) , I really just went for myself! We probably went every week. Things started picking up again and they took the vegan thali off the menu . Pretty bummed but they still had a buffet with about 2 vegan options to choose from along with fruits , veggies & rice , so I continued to go even though my little ones weren’t fans .

On more than one occasion, when going to the buffet, the staff weren’t aware of what vegan items were available or maybe even what vegan is . This restaurant has posted that they are “vegan friendly “ or have options in vegan Facebook groups. When I ask an employee what’s vegan in the buffet and they tell me the CHICKEN TIKKA masala or the chicken byrani rice , that’s concerning! Despite my concerns, I still continued to give them my business .

I went on a very busy day, (business was back to normal) the waiter (wish I could remember the kids name ) hesitated to seat me and my children. Once seated service was pretty slow , I wasn’t even offered water . I picked up my food from the buffet and proceeded to get my usual small cup of rice and daal for my 2 kids (who really didn’t want to eat there). Once I began eating, the waiter approached me saying the kids would be 7$ each (with a bad attitude). If they changed the kids eat free , the waiter (who knew I was a regular) should have shared that new info with me . My kids had barely touched the daal , so I told him he could take their plates because I wasn’t paying 14$ on cups of food they would pick at . He then told me I’m not going to waste their food and that I was going to pay . So I let him know he doesn’t get to tell me what to waste and that he was out of line He should’ve made me aware of the changes (they kept making changes, removing vegan buffet, changing hours ect ). I also told him if you didn’t want my business just say it . It’s clear that once business picked up they didn’t care about the customer who was going once a week. He was aggressive and in my face, told me I’m broke and I probably couldn’t afford it . The owner nor any other person came to correct this 6ft 4 man hovering over me and my...

Good lunch buffet from 11:30am-2:30pm. $14 on weekdays, $15 on weekends. Just note they’re closed on Mondays. The buffet is on the smaller side so don’t expect anything extensive, but there’s just enough options to get a decent variety. They change up the buffet selection a bit so you’re not getting the same items for every visit.

My favorites were the chana masala, saag paneer, aloo methi (stir-fried potatoes), and lamb curry. All of these dishes were flavorful and perfectly seasoned. They had a mango mousse for dessert and it was so good. Naan is unlimited and brought fresh to your table. There’s also a salad bar with different veggies (mostly cucumber, carrots, and onions) and sauces (raita, mint chutney, tamarind chutney). I loved their spicy onions (laccha pyaaz) because it’s the spiciest item on the buffet. Everything else is catered to a Western palette, so nothing was spicy and leaned a bit sweet. I wish the food had more heat but I get that they have to appeal to a wider demographic and for families with kids.

My main critique is the chicken in the buffet was so dry, especially in the chicken tikka masala and chicken biryani. Kind of a let down since those are such staples in an Indian restaurant, but the chicken was old and tasteless. It felt like it had been made several days ago. Usually, I would just chalk it up to an off day but the friends I went with have been a couple of times and said they’ve run into the same issue.

That being said, I still think the buffet is worth it even without the chicken dishes. Most Indian restaurants will charge you $12-16 for just one entrée, and that’s not including naan. As long as there’s 1-2 dishes you like from the buffet, you’re getting your money’s worth.

Tandoori Grill is located in a strip mall and the restaurant itself is small. We went on a weekend and it was half empty at its busiest so the space wasn’t a concern for us. The inside is also really clean. Service was friendly and attentive; our main server was Simi but we were checked on multiple times by other people. There was always someone monitoring the buffet to make sure it was clean and that food wasn’t running out.

Overall, it’s worth checking out if you want a variety of Indian food at a reasonable price. Good option for vegetarians since I preferred those entrées...

This restaurant ambient is like a sinkhole. They want to keep this place dark at all times with artificial yellow low lights. They forget that not everybody who visits goes in a romantic plan. Don’t forget that family ambient during day time should be inviting, clear, hopefully with natural light or sunlight coming true. If you don’t want to show the food pictures behind the curtain, you can add a white semi transparent curtain, and just open the dark heavy one. A/C should provide customers with the right temperature, instead of sacrificing the ideal ambient for all tastes.

I went with my husband planning to order food to go for the full week, but when I tried to open the curtain, instead of helping me, they immediately said, kind of reprimanding me, that the curtain had to stay that way. I wonder if they would have taken a different approach had my husband been the one opening the curtain; but, they seem chauvinistic. It is not about the customer, but about what they like.

Well, they lost a good potential customers, because our plan was to get food for the entire week on weekly basis. And no, I am not Indian, I just happen to like food from that country. Thankfully, there are better Indian restaurants around, who would not mind opening the curtain for us to make a more inviting family ambient; and so being able to please all customers. We used to eat there, and the previous owner did have blinds to open them when we wanted. Anyway, it is too expensive for such little dishes and bad attitude.

After that, we just ordered three dishes, and needed to point out to be “mild”. Nobody was at the front desk, but a guy that came from the back and said, in a not exactly kind tone, that he could not help me because I told him my order did not have my name. They never asked for my name, since we ordered inside the restaurant and waited for it. Plus, we were the only ones in the restaurant. I took that as kind of retaliation for telling them about the...