Holi Indian Grill (A Flavor Of Joy) — Restaurant in Panama City

I would like to give an honest review of Holi Indian Indian Cuisine Restaurant newly located at the old Gfoley’s on 23rd street in Panama City, Florida. I’d like to start off by saying this is not a review on the Indian dishes served here, I have heard great things about most items on their menu. Unfortunately, due to my experience I decided not to dine in. Today was their grand opening at the new location on 23rd street. My friend and I walked in and were immediately greeted by the hostess who was very nice throughout this entire event. She asked if we were dining in or would like to place a to-go order. We proceeded to tell her we needed a moment to look at the menu. As we reviewed the menu, three of the male employees came to the front of the restaurant and stared at us, did not say anything and very rudely went to the counter in front of the female hostess to grab items. A large Indian family walked in, the employees immediately greeted them and broke nearly every bone in their body to make sure their needs were accommodated while ignoring my friend and I as well as another African American woman who was in the waiting area. I then noticed the hostess checking on to-go orders to see if the woman’s meal was ready for pick up, two employees viewed the hostess in doing this task and proceeded to ask the woman her name and double check the to-go orders as if the hostess was not capable of doing her job. The two male employees were standing at the front staring at us three women for about 90% of the duration we were in the establishment. The woman spoke to the hostess after a few minutes and asked when her meal would be ready, as she had been waiting for over thirty minutes (not including the time it took her to drive to the restaurant after placing her order over the phone). She explained that she had her children in the car and could not wait much longer. She kept going back to her vehicle to check on her kids as well. As the woman was walking towards the exit a male employee impolitely handed the pick-up order to her. She let the employee know that her food took far too long and she was close to canceling it, he disregarded her completely and walked away. After the woman left I spoke with a waitress who was on duty this evening about the service and if the male employees were always disrespectful and ill-mannered. The waitress clarified that they commonly did this to not only to women in the work place but more importantly customers who were not of an Indian background and that they also treated the female members of staff as inferior and uneducated (though they were perfectly capable of their postions) and unfairly kept large percentages of tips to themselves that belonged to the servers for their hard work and customer service, which she was not made aware of when she began working at the establishment. After hearing and seeing all this first hand, my friend and I decided to dine elsewhere. Overall, I was so disappointed in the customer service from the family that owns this restaurant and would not recommend it to anyone seeking employment or quality customer care. I would never return to this establishment unless they worked to resolve this issue.

As for the owners of Holi, do better. Take my review down if you’d like, that only...

Holi was highly recommended for their great Indian cuisine. This is a long review so strap in for the ride. I’m glad I went because, as my first visit to Panama City Beach, this is my favorite restaurant here. I ate here the last night of my trip. If I knew about this place sooner, I probably would have ate here each night of the trip. The outside looks like a typical restaurant but the inside is very nice.

Menu. So while waiting for the rest of my party to arrive, I sat up front and perused through the menu. The hostess provided me valuable information about the menu. As most of the previous Indian food I had some sort of sauce, I’m glad that the hostess provided me information about layout of the menu. The Tandoori Dawat is the grilled meats without any sauce. The HOLI specials are meals that are specialized to that specific meat/protein; I translated that to a perfect pairing. The traditional stuff I ordered was in the Main dish section. My go to is the chicken tikka masala but I wanted to try something different.

So I ordered the Chicken tikka with a level 2 spice level. The spice levels go from 0-5 but, if you want to get crazy with it, you can go for the Indian spice level. They offered yogurt if it gets too spicy so I ordered it in advance, not realizing it was an additional $5 (rough estimate) to my check; I won’t make that mistake next time. Also, the yogurt doesn’t taste like a flavored Yoplait or Dannon yogurt that I’m used too; it’s plain and not as creamy. I’m not that courageous so I’ll stick with the lower spice levels.The spices and flavoring were delicious and the meat was cooked to perfection.

Going there I was told the garlic and cheese naan was “Amazing!” Mind you, they are listed separately on the menu but they can accommodate that request. Boy, I tell you. If that wasn’t the greatest naan (bread) I’ve ever had. Mmmhhh, mmm good. The hostess described it as a grilled cheese and another person described it as an Indian quesadilla. The cheese isn’t sprinkled on top. Oh, no. It’s in the naan. De-lish as I gesture with fingers kissing lips and releasing.

As an appetizer, I ordered the Fish Amritsari which I requested spice level 3 since it wasn’t my main dish. It was good but reminded me too much of a fish stick so I can’t recommend that.

So to let me sum it up. If you like Indian food, you have to try Holi otherwise you might kick yourself in the butt for not trying it. Be honest with yourself on what levels of spiciness you can handle; don’t get fooled like me into getting the yogurt. If you aren’t too sure what to order, look at the main dish section as they have the typical dishes there otherwise try something new and be adventurous like me. Last, but not least, you have to get the garlic cheese...

Disappointing Experience at Holi Indian Grill – Overpriced and Underwhelming Reviewed on March 22, 2025

I had high hopes for Holi Indian Grill in Panama City Beach after hearing positive buzz about its authentic Indian flavors and seeing glowing reviews online, like those on Tripadvisor and floridapanhandle.com. Unfortunately, my recent visit left me deeply disappointed due to the overpriced menu, lack of variety in their dishes, and food that simply didn’t live up to expectations.

First, the pricing felt exorbitant for what was offered. I understand that dining out, especially at a place touted for "exotic flavors," can come with a premium, but the costs here were not justified by the quality or portion sizes. For example, a simple curry dish was priced well above what I’ve paid at other Indian restaurants in the area, yet the experience didn’t match the expense. The web results mention favorites like Chicken Tikka Masala, but I found the value lacking compared to what was promised.

My biggest issue was the lack of variety in their curries. It felt like they were using the same base curry sauce for nearly every dish, which made the meal monotonous. Whether I ordered a vegetable dish or a meat-based one, the flavors were eerily similar—lacking the complexity and distinctiveness I expect from Indian cuisine. Reviews on floridapanhandle.com highlight the "complexity" of Indian food at Holi, but I didn’t experience that. Instead, it felt like a one-note approach to cooking, which was a letdown for someone craving the diverse spices and regional specialties Indian cuisine is known for.

The food quality itself was another disappointment. While some dishes, like the naan, were decent, the main courses were underwhelming. The curry lacked depth, with muted spices and a texture that felt more watery than rich. I had hoped for the "masterful flavors" described in reviews, but the food tasted average at best—certainly not worth the price tag. Even the presentation was lackluster, which didn’t help elevate the experience.

On a positive note, the service was attentive, and the ambiance inside was pleasant, with a soft and inviting decor as noted by other reviewers. However, these aspects couldn’t make up for the core issues with the food and pricing. I had hoped Holi Indian Grill would be a gem in Panama City Beach, especially for someone tired of typical tourist fare, but my experience didn’t match the hype. For the price, I expected far better quality and variety. I likely won’t be returning unless I hear they’ve made significant improvements.

Rating: 2/5 stars Holi Indian Grill has potential, but it needs to address its pricing, diversify its curry offerings, and elevate the food quality to...