Flamin Curry — Restaurant in Long Beach

--- In-Depth Food Ratings (1-5 Scale) ---

Taste: 2 Quality: 2 Quantity: 3 Overall: 2.3

--- In-Depth Service Ratings (1-5 Scale) ---

Value: 2 Courtesy: 5 Attentiveness: 5 Overall: 4

--- The 411 ---

I'm not sure where all the 5 star reviews for this place are coming from, but as a self-proclaimed Indian food connoisseur, I can say with a fair amount of certainty that this place's food does not meet expectations.

As per routine, I went with a two item combo starring two of my favorite dishes: Chicken Tikka Masala and Saag Paneer. Both items were bland and extremely watered down. When it comes to comes to Curries and Saags, I look for a rich, thick consistency, indicative of the care taken to achieve the perfect harmony of the spices with the liquid base; that consistency was painfully absent with this food. In fact, the food was so lacking in taste that I decided to simply stop eating it halfway, since I was honestly getting nothing but empty, tasteless calories out of it.

On the plus side, their naan was delicious, which accounts for the extra points to taste and quality. The volume of the food provided was a little lacking, but not completely unacceptable. Granted, I'm probably used to a certain level of generosity when it comes to how much is provided by an Indian joint, but even my colleague commented on the comparative lightness of the combo.

With regard to the staff, the workers were fairly courteous; friendly, but not in an overbearing way. The bathroom was clean, with the exception of the toilet, which can't really be held against them. The porcelain throne of an Indian food establishment is bound to see some grizzly action. In terms of overall ambience, the incense they burn can be a bit overpowering, so if you have a sensitive schnozzle, beware. It's part of the culture, though, so try not to be rude about it, if you don't like it.

All in all, if you're desperate for your fix of Indian cuisine, you'll want to make sure you're extra desperate to come here and not just drive to Artesia. If they improve the quality on their food I could be persuaded to return, but until then I'll take a hard pass. To cheat your cravings for Indian food with offerings from this establishment feels a little disrespectful to...

If you're interested in scammers/human rights PLEASE READ before ordering:

I had a friend who recently worked at Flaming Curry for 6 full-time shifts in a row (36 hours total) packing online orders and washing dishes. When it was time to get paid they told him/her (s)he was just training and doesn't get paid for that. They really needed this money to pay rent and it was almost $500 they owed him/her at $12 per hour. This is just wrong so I want to put it out there.

He found out this is what they do with many students that are not allowed to work on a student visa. They just have them work and know that the students can't do anything about it when they don't pay them. For the people they do pay they only give them $11-$12/hour and do not share tips.

Please consider this before you order here and I hope this helps someone who really needs money and is thinking about working here. I just hope this helps someone.

As far as the food goes, steer clear of the mango drink and the vegetable korma. They're not the best but the chicken tikka masala was decent.

Disclaimer: The photo is not their food, nor my friend, but it's a metaphor for how appetizing this place is after knowing this.

To the restaurant- let me know if you want to...

In 2018 I penned a 1 star review on Yelp about this place. That reviewed involved my going to this place, and I walked in at 11, they said-"We aren't open yet!" with a look. Most of the items were not ready, hey, just go to Michael P. on Yelp. Fast forward to 10/13/2024, my Husband & I went to Kamal Palace unbeknownst to us was undergoing a remodel), some of the best Indian food in LB and, along with The India Restaurant in Artesia. They have a lunch special here for $13.99 for 6 items, I asked for it but was told that that special only goes from 1PM-3 PM. If you open at 11, then you are open for lunch. Okay, so we choose 3 item combos that were okay and the Tandoori Chicken was flat. The entire meal was sub-par and, the Mango Lassis are pre-made, and they were sour and upset our tummys to the point I wished I was bulimic; my husband spent most of the rest of the day in and out of the bathroom. The music was so loud, I could barely hear what my husband was saying and, the bathroom was out of order. With food this sub-par, it should be in order. Save yourself the trouble, wait until Kamal Place is done with its remodel at months end and treat yourself to REAL Indian Cuisine, not this Jack-In-The-Box...