THE FLAME — Restaurant in Ocala

So we've visited the Flame about a half-dozen times now in various group formats - group of 8, just a couple (wife/me), and all kinds of taste though everyone, save 1, enjoys and appreciates Indian restaurants/food.

It's an unassuming place co-located with a gas station of all things. It's not the easiest to find but it's not super hidden. It's the 2nd time we've had Indian that was really good co-lo'd with a gas station. Odd. (The other was in Tampa if you're wondering...or even if you're not).

We usually get the same server. He is friendly-ish but more important takes good care of us. Requests are all handled well. Food is delivered reasonably quickly and has been hot. And it's been good but we'll get back to that.

The dining room is comfortable though the first time we were there they had no A/C. It was during hurricane season so it happens. The bathrooms are shared with the gas station so not the most ideal but each time I went to wash my hands, they were clean enough.

The prices are slightly on the high side but more or less only a bit higher than other places. The difference is in the food quality and taste. This is good stuff. I've eaten Indian all over the world (India, Sri Lanka, London, Portugal, New Jersey, California, home cooked by my Indian best friend's wife, etc, etc, etc), 3 times/week at least, cook it at home so have a super appreciation for comparison of good Indian (or -ish) food. Again, this is good. Taste - always very good so far. We've had a bunch of different dishes and even got some recommendations from our friend the server. Wife and are only eat vegetarian so can't comment on the non-veg dishes but my wife goes to Saag (or Palak) Paneer virtually always and the last time they hit it out of the park - fantastic. Today we're going out for my birthday and my aunt who lives in Ocala will be picking up some Flame for us. I never - ever - do that but we like it enough to make...

We’re from out of state and were heading back to Georgia when we came across this restaurant. It was right off an exit next to a gas station, so it was very convenient for us. We liked the look of their menu and decided to order takeout online since we didn’t want to stop for a long wait.

When we got there, the place was pretty busy, and we were told there might be a 20-30 minute wait. We asked if they could make it quicker because we were in a hurry, and they kindly did their best to speed things up for us, which we really appreciated.

We ordered few dishes: samosas, paneer chili, dal tadka, and jeera rice. Honestly, everything was amazing! The samosas brought back memories of India — I’ve only had this kind of samosa before in India, and these were just as delicious. They were small, but they gave us three on one plate, so it was enough for both of us. The filling was flavorful, and the crispy outside was perfect.

The paneer chili was fantastic — it was just the right mix of Indo-Chinese flavors. It was crispy on the outside but soft inside, and the spices were just right, not too overwhelming. It really hit the spot!

As for the dal tadka, it came with rice on the side, but I wasn’t sure if the rice was included with the main dish or if I should order it separately. So, I went ahead and ordered rice on the side, but honestly, we loved the dal just as it was.

Overall, it was a wonderful experience. The food tasted just like we were eating in India, and that made our trip even more special. We’re so glad we stopped here, even if just for a quick...

My daughter loves Indian cuisine and chose this location for her birthday dinner. Our server rushed us to order, very curtly brushing off our questions about the menu. There was an 8 next to the margarita listed so I assumed that was the price of cocktails. 6 meals were ordered as well as 6 cocktails. My husband is spice sensitive and ordered his meal mild. Only 5 meals were brought out. My husband's was incredibly spicy and inedible. I was told they'd made the wrong meat with my missing meal, and it was being remade. When everyone else was almost done, I finally searched for our server, who had been mia for over 20 minutes, and canceled my order. Another 30 minutes later, he returned to clear plates, then brought our 2 checks and told us laughingly that they had given my meal to my husband and never made his, so his was removed from the check. Mine was the more expensive meal, and it was the one we were charged for... even tho I never received it. The cocktails turned out to be $15 a piece. Our bill for 4 (we had 2 checks) was over $200, with a 20% auto gratuity totaling almost $260. The server argued with me about the gratuity when I told him I was not giving an almost $50 tip when our service was sub par, to say the least. He literally raised his voice to me, telling me that was the rules, and that's how it works. When I asked to speak with the owner, he left and then returned, saying the owner had removed the auto gratuity. The owner never did come...