Royal Biryani House — Restaurant in Lake Stevens

Had high hopes. I love Indian food and was excited to have one in Lakes Stevens, but this was the worst I’ve ever eaten at.

Atmosphere was okay, slightly dingy and we had a couple flies buzzing around us landing on our faces and plates which didn’t help.

Service was mostly absent. Had to ask for water refill after all our waters were empty for a long while. Plus our water and refills were luke warm.

There were 3 of us, all super hungry and food usually tastes better the hungrier I am but it was not good. Our Pakora tasted burnt, the Bagara baigan had ok flavor but tasted a little off, so much so that after 4 bites I gave up on it, half of the naan was ok but the other half was underdone and doughy, and we ordered the bezawada fried rice that came completely different than advertised on the menu . We had discussed when ordering that we cannot have cheese and there was no paneer in the description and the waiter assured us no cheese but we found breaded and fried paneer with other breaded and fried veggies in a much to spicy sauce inside the fried rice (if you look at the menu it isn’t advertised that way and the veggies used were not what was listed on the menu). And it was so spicy none of us could eat it. We each only had about 3 or 4 bites before all our faces melted off. I usually have no issue eating 5 star spicy, but I’ve never in my life eaten any Indian food that spicy before, and my guests all agreed. Our lips and gums were still stinging an hour later. It went into the garbage when we got home. And the chicken curry dish my aunt had she said was edible but not good, she’s from out of town and is a traveler, and Indian food is her favorite, gets it often everywhere she goes and had said this was the most disappointing Indian restaurant yet.

We not only will not return but we will not be...

This was the first time we ate here, so we weren't really sure what to expect. The decor is pretty basic, but I think they haven't been open all that long and I would guess that they get a lot of to-go orders rather than dine in customers.

The menu is pretty extensive, and it seems like a lot of the curry dishes have a biryani counterpart. I usually order something basic the first time I eat at a new place, and this time I got Chicken Vindaloo. Portion size on the curry and rice was decent, and the medium spice level was pretty much right on. Honestly this may have been one of the better vindaloo dishes I have ever had. The veg. pakora appetizer was well made and not oily or over salted, and the garlic naan was on the smaller/dryer side but still quite delicious. If I had to guess, I would say it was regular naan that had garlic butter (ghee?) added and then was reheated. Not to the point where it was inedible, but I noticed.

My wife had a lamb biryani which was plentiful, spicy, and (apparently) delicious. There are quite a few other things on the menu I would like to try, and we will probably order takeout next time so we can relax at home while we eat. Options for Indian cuisine are limited in the immediate area, but luckily this is an excellent one. They have a wide variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian options available, for a reasonable price. I don't know if they do a weekend buffet, but I would imagine that would be a great way to try multiple dishes for one price....

Edit 5-29-2023 I've been back to this place for take-out 5 times now and haven't been disappointed. Chicken kurma, chicken kadai, tikka masala, butter chicken are all delicious and the naan breads, especially the chili garlic naan are amazing. I don’t know how anyone can eat a saucy curry dish without naan on the side! They definitely have a repeat customer here. I'll be trying their biryani and desserts soon.

Original review - My dad and I both had the mango chicken (mild spice level) and it was delicious. The chicken was cooked just right and the flavor of the sauce.... I couldn't enough of it it was absolutely delicious as well as the rice. They were out of naan bread tonight but my dinner was so good that I forgot about that and got by with store bought naan. My dad picked up the take-out order, it was ready within 15 minutes from the time of ordering via phone and he said the guy he spoke with was very nice. I was amazed at the amount of options on the menu and can't wait to try more. (Keep in mind my picture is of my take-out order and there was still about 40% of it left in the container and I'm sure they have much nicer plates and garnishings when...