Curry House Indian Kitchen — Restaurant in Little Rock

Atmosphere: Very quaint, cute and stylish for a small hole in the wall place. Fancy enough someone in a suit and tie could eat here while sitting next to someone in jeans and t-shirt, and neither feel out of place.

Service: Friendly and attentive. Nicely balanced. Will leave you alone to enjoy your meal with whomever you are with, check on you without interrupting, and be available when needed.

Most importantly, the food: Masala Fries: Very good fries, went with medium (waiter gave me the option of medium or Indian spicy), has a nice back heat, but not anything killer. Good flavor, you can tell they're fresh fries crisp outside, smooth inside.

Garlic Naan: really good quality flat bread. Does an excellent balance of the garlic, parsley and black sesame.

Saag Chicken: This was delicious! Hands down wonderful flavor medium spice wasn't as spicy as I expected, but great flavor.

Chicken Curry: I loved the Saag Chicken and was very happy with it, until....I tried the chicken curry... Man I wish I had gotten this for my meal! If not the #1 best I've ever had, then the best I've had in so many yearsi can't remember! Seems like I've had as good before, but can't remember where. Absolutely busting with fresh flavor.

Wish list chicken lollipops. I thought about getting them, but didn't. The table behind us for them, and they look so good.

We will be going back. There are so many choices that I have to try.

My restaurant interpretation of the 5🌟 rating system (feel free to use):

I started using this because I don't like seeing standard restaurants with 5🌟. If I see 5🌟 I expect more than standard. Also adjusted for type of business. Sit down restaurants are skewed and critiqued accordingly in comparison to fast food. My wife kept getting on to me for being too critical.

1🌟 = DUMP…. NEVER AGAIN I DON'T CARE IF IT IS FREE (wish there was a no star option). The food you would feed a prisoner, only if you didn’t like them. 2🌟 = Crap, fast food...... Only for If you are in a hurry, tight on $, and/or in a rush. (Think big chain places with $1 menu, not HORRIABLE, and sometimes a decent food comes out). 3🌟 = Okay, worth going on a regular, but has room to improve (Think frequent work lunch spot, Rarely less than Okay, usually Good to really good food) 4🌟 = Very good, favorite "common" places. Nothing EXCEPTIONAL. (Think casual date, Nicer Chain restaurants usually, occasional surprisingly good Fast food) 5🌟 = Reserved for EXTREMELY high quality and/or Exceptional, and  Places that surprise me. (Think first date to impress, anniversary, special occasion) GREAT flavor, great food, ambiance,...

I finally had a chance to grab some food for lunch. I really didn't have much time to wait but the food appeared almost immediately! However fast, it was very well prepared and delicious. I usually argue that food takes longer to prepare because it's quality meals but this was both! I think I caught them during the lunch rush so everything was hot and ready. At first, I felt portions were small but this was deceptive. It's a lot of food. I split it into two meals but I probably could have split it into three. I'm so full! IMPORTANT TO NOTE: This Indian food is very similar, or exact to the Indian food from the US Midwestern states: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio. I loved it! The naan was soft and just perfect. They have the very expensive stone oven for these and the tandoori from rumors that I had heard. The samosas are incredible and I highly recommend that you try them! They give only two but they're very filling- they're not small! The rice was fluffy and delicious and it's a very long grain that I don't recognize. It should be some sort of Basmati but it seems different than the one I use at home. I cannot produce rice like this at home so another reason I have to give 5 stars. The Tikka Masala was unbelievably delicious! I was full but here I am eating the rest of the leftovers after work. You can optionally order maybe three levels of heat, also. I ordered the hot- or what the host called "India spicy," I believe. I think it was spicy but less so than the one from Bheema's Kitchen. I think it was the perfect level of spicy. I'm absolutely going back here and I would highly recommend dining here to anybody. UPDATE: I went back but and ordered the same meal but instead of Samosa's I got the Kheer. Delicious! I can tell they're using very high quality ingredients and they're consistent. Another guest was there waiting for his food and he asked me to snap a photo of his Lolipop Chicken. He said that was his favorite. The place was somewhat packed on Friday night which caused many of the aromas to pour out of the kitchen and I was just enjoying...

We came here for lunch with the family based on the 5 star reviews. I'm wondering, now, if the reviews are a little skewed (i.e. one of the reviewers mentioned they were offered a free dessert and then asked to leave a review) so thought I'd share my experience in case it helps anyone. I'd probably rate this place a three based on the average of food/experience.:

Food- 4 stars. They definitely serve good Indian food but I wasn't blown away by the flavors. I've had better chicken tikka and korma but the lamb was good. Overall better than average but, imo, not 5 stars.

Experience- 2 stars. Where do I begin. First we came in as family of 6. They swapped the regular plates and silverware for paper/plastic ones for 3 of our kids claiming they do it for safety but I found it odd and was turned off by it. We've never ever had this happen at any restaurant we've visited. My oldest didnt have her glass plate taken away which upset my other children. They then offered my kids a "prize" for whoever was the most quiet/well behaved during the meal but the initial service was what made them upset in the first place. It seemed like they were not family or kid friendly because of their service and I found it especially off putting since we were the only ones in the restaurant. Also there is an upcharge on each item on the receipt from the menu (I.e. the chicken korma is $15 on the menu but 15.60 on the receipt). It seems like this is related to using card vs. cash since the receipt showed a discounted cash price but we were not made aware of this and they built in a 22% gratuity in the bill (was also not made aware of this) but when the receipt for signature came, there was another line for tip. Lastly, this restaurant is attached to the grocery store (i.e. you need to walk through the grocery store to use the facilities) but the prices are more reflective of stand alone place (i.e. 20 for the goat curry).

Overall not the best experience and because of that alone, I wouldn't return...