Aroma Circuit — Restaurant in Norfolk

They had very authentic, delicious food, and then changed their menu and preparation style significantly; now, it’s not very good. Everything is served with a tiny pat of rice with peas and carrots in it — like the base for fried rice — and the waitstaff and cook don’t know anything about the menu or Indian cuisine. Prior to this change, they seemed to have only one server who lingered at the table and talked way, way, WAY too much, but now the waitstaff can’t even answer the simplest questions, so I don’t know which was better.

The sauces and preparations have changed from about a year and a half ago; none of the sauces are pleasant or authentic.

I did really like this restaurant, and met or brought friends there several times. I wish they’d go back to a real Indian menu, but until they do, I guess I won’t be returning.

They are unable to answer questions related to dietary restrictions, and this needs to be taken into consideration if you have a serious allergy or specific cultural/religious dietary restrictions.

It might be worth the drive into Sioux City, or even Omaha or Lincoln, as all of these cities have solid Indian restaurant options that are in keeping with standard expectations with allowances for regional variations, which are somewhat significant with some dishes. What I’m addressing isn’t an issue of regional variations, it’s an issue of the employees having no idea what they’re doing, no skill for it in the first place, and no interest in learning. Maybe whomever bought the restaurant (or whatever happened) thinks Midwesterners won’t know the difference, don’t care, or would appreciate the huge changes made to standards like butter chicken and korma (the korma is no longer even a korma; it’s edged over too far into other sauces with a hefty dose of tomato now as a base, and so needs to be renamed), but this thought is incorrect. A lot of people in the Midwest do know and appreciate Indian cuisine.

When you see the place empty,...

I wish I could share a fantastic review but things have just changed so much here over the years in what I would assume is an effort to recoup costs. It use to be amazing!

When we went in the Summer of 2024, one of our dishes bizarrely came with a plain toasted hot dog bun. I kid you not. They then told us to leave a positive review to get a discounted dessert which felt super uncomfortable in the moment.

We also began to notice that the sauces were mainly just sauces and barely any meat.

We've continued to give this restaurant a shot every 6mo. or so because we LOVE Indian food, but this most recent time was more disappointing. While my korma did have more meat which was excellent, it wasn't the normal Korma. I even called to check to make sure they made the right thing. It was way more tomato based and much more of a tikka masala which was a huge bummer as it was my favorite menu item.

The green sauce to go with the samosa's was thinned out as compared to normal. The pricing is super expensive for what it is when you compare it to Omaha or Lincoln's Indian restaurants. I'll gladly pay the price, but the food has to meet the level that those prices warrant.

I did hear there moving downtown which is fantastic! I WANT SO BADLY for this place to succeed. The owners are wonderful people, but I think increasing the quality and going back to the original korma recipe, etc. would be super beneficial instead of taking shortcuts to save a penny. Therefore banking on making a profit by gaining a larger volume of customers vs. a large profit...

I was visiting in Norfolk for business and on my first evening returning to the hotel (River Point Inn) from the plant, I went down the main street looking for a place where I could find vegan options (I have been on a vegan diet though not too strict about it for 4 months), and out of curiosity I entered a store that said Natural Foods, and while I didn’t find there what I was looking for, after a long and pleasant conversation, the sweet and very pleasant lady attending the store told me about the “new” Indian restaurant just a few doors down the street on the same side of the street….and Aroma Circuit is right there ! I love Indian food, so I didn’t hesitate to stop by and check out the menu. I stayed and had an amazing dinner. I ordered a glass of Dark Horse Pinot Noir, Aloo Gobi, and a garlic naan (crispy, soft and warm all at once :)) And wow, was it delicious and just perfectly cooked. Additionally, Adriana my server was very attentive and nice. She shared with me that the restaurant is not really that new as they had been operating from a hotel in town and while at that location, the restaurant wasn’t doing that well, but here at their new location they are doing great. While in Norfolk, this is a most stop to enjoy an amazing wholistic experience from the ambience from the music playing, the service, and the delicious and authentic Indian spices flavors this is your place. Too bad that I thought of taking pictures after I ate it all :(. Experience it for yourself and do me a favor, post some pictures for me, would you...