Himalayan Curry & Grill — Restaurant in Lancaster

This restaurant was on our wish list for many years as I was constantly bumping into it while looking for an Indian cuisine restaurant - somehow never had a chance to go there due to their very limited business hours on weekends - they are closed on Sundays and are closed on Saturdays from 1:30pm to 5pm. Yesterday (Saturday) around 1pm our family of 4 decided to give it a go since it was my daughter's birthday - looked on Google that it would open at 5pm so I had time to read more than a few reviews and boy this place had rave reviews from some people - "best food they've ever had", etc. Obviously I anticipated to have an experience and so all of my family. We were there at 5pm sharp and were seated instantly. Place has a fancy allure when you first enter - however after being seated started noticing that all tables had paper covers on top of nearly-fancy double layer table cloth covers. I think china was all from IKEA - nothing wrong with that as well. I bunch of awards "Best of Lancaster" on the wall. The young male waiter was very pleasant bringing our menus and water. The young lady who took our order did not seem to have her best day - never cracked a smile or seemed to show any kind of cheerful attitude. Our food came out and it was the blandest Indian food I've ever tried in my life - not bad or anything, but also nothing to write home about. Although we had 4 different entrees and we all shared - it kinda tasted all the same. The only thing we liked was the Momo chicken dumplings appetizer. While eating could not avoid noticing how busy their take out was. My wife approached the young lady waitress and asked if they had had any kind of "Happy Birthday cheer" like other restaurants would do for their clients and got a negative response. I don't think I'll ever return to this restaurant againt just based on food alone - too generic and also overpriced and overhiped. As you exit the restaurant and take a left you pass a row of dumpsters - has nothing to do with the restaurant though, just added to the entire ambiance. There are other places in Lancaster I'd rather...

Update Dec '23: Went back again and it has been since pre-covid since we have been here. Still great food (flavorful & wonderfully spiced Indian food), and wonderful service. We are finding that reservations are super helpful here - cannot just pop in when the mood strikes. But it's a great spot for wonderful food and BYOB.

Original Reviews: Add'l Comments: Been here many more times since our initial review, and I've just got to add that this has been a wonderful find. We've tried just about everything on the menu, with no disappointments. The tandoori foods have been excellent. So many times, I'll order tandoori chicken at different Indian restaurants, and it is generally over cooked and dry. But not here at the Himalayan Curry & Grill. Everything has been fabulous. Only disappointment came when we tried to just pop in for dinner on a Saturday night, but they were booked solid with reservations already, so we were not able to get in. And it makes sense - great food, in a small location means it can be tough to get in at times. Still, we'll be back (we'll call ahead, though).

Original Review: Been here 2 times now, and feel we need to add a review of this great little place to get fresh, flavorful indian & nepalese foods. We have gone as a couple, as well as a family, and have not been disappointed. It is a BYOB, which we enjoy & appreciate, but more importantly, the food is fantastic. I cannot tell you if it's authentic or not, but we just enjoy the flavors and fresh tastes that we get here. We've been to other Indian restaurants, and this is by far a better choice. Service is very good, and it has a very trendy decor that works very well. Only problem is the limited seating they can offer. They are just way too popular for the little place they have. So on a Friday night, we had to wait about 1.1/2 hours to get seated, but on a recent Thursday evening, they were able to get us seated right away. If you don't want to wait, try going on a weeknight instead of a weekend. But...

I would give this place 0 stars but that’s not an option so 1 it is. Where to begin... When we got here, the place was busy so we had to wait by the door. We waited with one other person - she was waiting for a solo table. We needed a table for two adults and a 3 year old.

The woman waiting with us got seated at a 4 top table. Meanwhile, we were seated at 2 top table pushed against a wall. The woman working there pulled the table out a tiny bit from the wall, stuck a chair there and said it was enough space for “the baby.” I tried to ask for a table with more space, but the woman told me that this is always how they do it for 3 people. I tried to point out the other 3 person families in the place that got 4 top table and she ignored me and walked away. Mind you, I was also the only “brown” in the place as well.

We didn’t want to leave because we had already waited there for a while and my son was going to be cranky without food. Also, I thought the food would be amazing considering the lack of customer service clearly meant the woman could stand to lose customers because her food was so good, right?! NOPE!!!!

Go to Masala Bistro or Passage to India - at least they use spices in their food and it’s authentic. This place was so bland. Every dish tasted the same - they just dumped yogurt into everything and called it curry. They couldn’t even make a Mango lassi properly. If you’re looking for good Indian food (and to be treated with even a modicum of respect), stay away from this place.

Honestly, if the woman had at least made an effort to apologize for the inconvenience, I would have accepted it and moved on. But she was just plain rude. I will never go to this place again and...