Royal Rasoi Indian Cuisine — Restaurant in Longwood

We have been in search of authentic Indian cuisine since we moved here 7 years ago. I think we've tried just about every Indian restaurant from Orlando to Daytona to Mount Dora. While they all have had some delicious food, we've finally found our favourite!! We have visited the Royal Rasoi at least 5-6 times in the past few months, and each time we have had a wonderful dining experience!

My husband is a Brit, and we are huge fans of their British Indian Restaurants (BIR). The UK has such a mix of many Indian cuisines, so we were spoiled for choice all the years we lived there. The lamb rogan josh is always his "go-to" dish. The flavours in this dish are rich and complex, with just the right amount of "heat" at a medium spiced level. Paired with the fragrant basmati rice, and a cold Taj Mahal beer, it's one of our favourites!!

I, however, love to try many dishes, and so far I've really enjoyed the lamb rogan josh, chicken tikka masala, chicken sagwala, paneer sagwala, chicken dansak, and the samosa and gobi manchurian appetizers (not all in one visit, of course... LOL). Probably the only menu item that we haven't cared for was the hot/sour soup... but even then, it was only a matter of taste. Also, the naan bread is always fresh and tasty.

Our daughter cannot have onions or garlic, so the Jain dishes are PERFECT for her! She enjoys the paneer makhni, and we're happy she can now enjoy eating out again... (we do cook alot of curries at home, using the BIR recipes we have collected over the years, and have our own "Jain" versions to adapt to her needs).

Nidhi is always friendly and helpful every time we've been, and we enjoy chatting with her when we dine in. I've already referred several folks here who were hesitant to try Indian food, and I advised them to ask Nidhi for advice if it's their first time. She does know her stuff!

We will continue to dine here and give them our highest recommendation. We just wish they were...

Disappointing Experience at Royal Rasoi Indian Cuisine due to food poisoning.

I recently visited Royal Rasoi Indian Cuisine for their lunch buffet, drawn in by the glowing Google reviews and the promise of a wide variety of dishes. The restaurant is conveniently open until 3 p.m. for lunch, with a brief break before dinner service.

When we arrived, the parking lot was packed, but the restaurant itself was surprisingly quiet, allowing us to be seated immediately. The atmosphere was clean, and the staff was friendly, offering us drinks right away. One thing to note: sodas are served in cans with no refills, but that wasn’t an issue for us.

Our meal began with complimentary naan bread, which was warm and buttery—a promising start. The buffet offered a broad selection of dishes, and I was excited to try a bit of everything. The salad bar included a sweet mango dish that I enjoyed, and the hot buffet featured lamb, chicken fried rice, butter chicken, and a unique butter chicken tofu dish with sautéed green bell peppers and onions. Most of the dishes were flavorful and well-prepared, though the chicken kebabs were a bit dry from sitting out.

The owner was hospitable, even bringing out a homemade spicy green sauce that was packed with flavor. It was clear that a lot of care went into the food, and we found ourselves eating more than we probably should have because everything tasted so good.

However, our experience took a drastic turn once we got home. Both my husband and I became severely ill, and it was clear that we had gotten food poisoning. We spent the rest of the day in separate bathrooms, our bodies desperately trying to get rid of everything we had eaten. It was an incredibly unpleasant experience that overshadowed the meal itself.

While the food at Royal Rasoi tasted great at the time, the aftermath was something we wouldn’t wish on anyone. Unfortunately, we won’t...

• Re-evaluation of original review 12/4/19 * My original three star review has been increased to five stars based on a recent revisit to Royal Rasoi. We decided to give Royal another go based on prompt feedback from the owners to the original review and because people continue to leave positive feedback since our last visit. Our recent visit was perfect! The same level of quality and consistency in the sauces and side dishes, and the amount of chicken pieces to sauce ratio was very much improved. I am glad to say that we left happy and will be returning again very soon.

• Original Review * I’m originally from the UK, and I’ve tried just about every Indian restaurant in central Florida. Royal Rasoi had been recommended to us by some British friends and we decided to give it a try. The staff are friendly and attentive. The side dishes are generous and the breads delicious. I ordered a chicken korma. The sauce was amazing with just enough of a kick, not too spicy but not bland and boring. The amount of chicken pieces in the dish however was very disappointing. I could understand if I’d ordered something like lamb or goat but skimping on something as plentiful and cheap as chicken is like a shot in the foot. I would love to frequent this restaurant more often but it doesn’t feel like value for money when about 90% of the dish is sauce with about 8 tiny cubes of chicken. Perhaps it was...