Swagat Indian Cuisine — Restaurant in Louisiana

Swagats (or Swags as I call it) has been a staple in my life for the past three years. A hidden treasure with friendly people, friendly music and out of this world food. I once went twice a week for almost a month just to try as many of their dishes as I could. Swagats was an amazing place that I told everyone about. I’ve probably had 70% of their menu and have never been disappointed.

I went back after a very brief hiatus due to my work schedule, excited to get some incredible Indian food. Much to my surprise, instead of the usual employees I have come to know, I was met with some new faces that seems less than excited to see me walk through the door. The new waitress was very quick to take out orders without so much as a smile. The music was different and the whole vibe seemed off. We ordered chicken 555, the mutter paneer and the shahi korma (three of our staples and some of my favorite dishes).

I was questioning whether there was possibly new management involved since everyone seemed to be new. My questions were answered when the food came. The chicken 555 that we all know and love, with its bell peppers and delicious spicy ginger laden sauce had been reduced to dry, heavily breaded chicken that was nearly bland. When the rest of the food came, I asked if there was new management, to which my fears were confirmed. The gentleman attempted to reassure me that “nothing about the food was different” but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. The portions are smaller and the food, to put it nicely, tastes like stale frozen dinner. My shahi korma had not an iota of the flavor I have come to dream about. There was none of the clove and rich nutty, creamy cardamom flavor that makes it such a delight. In fact, the only thing I could taste was spice with the underlying bitterness of plain yogurt. The mutter paneer was decent but not even close to the original and not worthy of being leftovers. The naan was okay, so at least there was that.

The last time I was this sad about a restaurant was when Rama closed, and it was a true Baton Rouge staple. I have never been so disappointed in how a restaurant has changed. I wish I knew why it happened but we may never know. I can say that I probably will not be back, it truly was that disappointing. Once a true treasure trove, Swagats is now living in the shadow of its former glory and it’s heartbreaking.

TDLR; I have eaten at Swagats probably over 50 times and have loved the food every single time but the new management has lowered the quality to a point where it truly is heartbreaking. The food was flavorless and a truly disappointing experience. Despite having the same menu the food is definitely...

If I could give this place zero stars I would just based off of the horrible service my son and I received. We wasn't even able to taste the food because the staff acted as if they did not want us there. This was our first time trying Swagat so we decided to dine in. We ordered our appetizer and meal at the same time but my son and I noticed the food was taking an exceptionally long time to come out after we ordered. We went on a Friday night so I just assumed that the staff was extra busy so my son and I just entertained ourselves until our food was going to come. I was giving the staff the benefit of the doubt until I saw three sets of customers that came in AFTER us and ordered well after we did get their appetizers and meals before we even received ANY food!! We waited over an HOUR long and no food ever came out. The waitress came up to me to check on us and when I proceeded to ask her for an explanation of the hold up because I noticed other families had gotten their food, she decided to dismiss what I said and completely walked off. I decided then to have us to leave peacefully from the establishment and the staff followed us from our seats to the front entrance begging us to sit down. I told her I would like to speak to a manager before we left so I could discuss my concerns and the manager also begged me to sit down and did not even mention compensating us for our time that we lost until I brought it up; she said she would "maybe give a 10% discount". This was a slap in the face!! We immediately left. This place has left a bad taste in my mouth just by the way we were treated. I wonder how many others they have tried to treat as second class citizens while having them to pay for bad service. I lost my appetite just from the...

I've spent 2 months in India, and I lived in Sri Lanka for 2 years . . . without a doubt, Swagat is my favorite Indian restaurant in town. The family-owned and operated business is a welcome addition to the otherwise culturally devoid abyss of George O'Neal (things are improving slowly. . . thanks to places like Tiger Pho and the neighboring Pho 97).

Portions here are generous, and entrees include rice and naan - which is NOT the case at some other spots in town . . . service may be a bit slow, but they're often busy with dine-in AND take out orders, and the staff does their best to serve you with kindness.

I come almost weekly with a group of friends after soccer games, and we eat family style. Pro tip: share your food. Don't order 5 butter chickens and keep to yourselves; explore the entire menu - family style is the only way to go! And don't stick to the meat entrees, the vegetarian dishes such as Channa Masala (chick peas), Palak Paneer (creamed spinach with cheese cubes), and Vegetable Korma will absolutely blow you away, and have you finally understanding that no, you don't need meat to make a meal complete.

Though if you do want meat, do yourself a favor and get something besides butter chicken - aside from being a bit cliche at this point, I don't think that's one of the better dishes here.

DO get the Chef's Special Chicken Biryani, it will change your life ;)

PS - please bring back the lunch buffet, even if it's just once per month/week. I am more than happy to help you market this as a...