Tikka N Taco — Restaurant in Phoenix

This is a family-owned restaurant, so I want to be thoughtful and constructive with my feedback.

As an Indian restaurant, it can be challenging to compete during lunchtime, especially since many similar places offer buffets. Selling individual meals during that time—particularly in this economy—makes it tough to balance quality, quantity, and pricing. With that in mind, here are a few thoughts and suggestions:

The Meal: I ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala and Samosas, which came to $22 (including tax and tip, no drink). Unfortunately, I wasn’t offered complimentary water. The flavor was excellent, but I did find pieces of chicken skin in the dish, which is unusual for Tikka Masala. The samosas were also cold in the middle, which was a bit disappointing. That said, aside from those issues, I genuinely enjoyed the food—I just wish the portion size had been a bit larger.

Fusion Concept: As an Indian-Mexican fusion restaurant, I was surprised to see there were no combo plates available. Offering combination platters could help highlight your unique fusion concept and give customers a chance to try multiple flavors in one visit, rather than having to return multiple times to sample different items.

Lunch Specials: The pricing remains consistent throughout the day, but I believe introducing a lunch specials menu could help attract more midday customers. It would be a great way to offer value while encouraging people to stop in during lunch hours.

Ambience: The décor didn’t quite reflect the feel of either a traditional Indian or Mexican restaurant. A little more themed atmosphere might enhance the dining experience and tie in better with the fusion concept.

Music: I absolutely loved the Christian music playing in the background—it created a peaceful and welcoming vibe. That was a very nice touch.

To the owners: I truly wish you all the best in this venture. May God bless your business, and thank you for sharing your food and culture with the community. Have a...

I ordered the medium spice chicken kurma last night which I ate with some garlic naan bread. I am at a loss for words to describe that meal. I have spent this morning thinking about any possible meal I have had that has tasted as good as that did. I can't think of one. The meal felt more like an experience than anything else. The best description I can give is that it felt like listening to a moving piece of music with the greatest possible headphones. Even this description fails to capture the magnitude of what my experience with that meal. I now understand how Remy from Rattatouille felt about food. I literally just sat there after I was done thinking about life. I did not know food could make me feel like that. I ate here with my wife and in-laws. From the curry dishes they ordered that I tried, I would say it was also phenomenal, but the chicken kurma dish with garlic naan bread that I ordered was my favorite one of all. I can't vouch for the entire menu given this was my first time ever eating here. But, I would argue that the meal they sold me is way under priced when taking in consideration what I got out of it. There is no item I've had in any stakehouse (brazilian and non-brazilian), sushi restaurant, or mexican restaurant that I would choose over that meal. I really look forward to going back. Also, the lady that took our order was extremely nice and just felt so happy to be there. She was very kind and followed up with us twice, once mid meal and once more towards the end of the meal. I don't think everyone will feel this way about the meal, but I can't imagine being the only person that does. I recommend everyone go...

So this is a true hole-in-the wall, mom and pop run fusion Indian / Mexican / street foodie corner of heaven.

Situated next to a drive-thru liquor store, not the best part of town but worth the drive!

Restaurant is super clean inside, warm and welcoming.

Food is all freshly prepared, so it's not super fast but just like any other fresh to table restaurant, it took about 15 minutes to 20 minutes to get our food which is very reasonable considering the quality of food.

We had the shrimp burrito which was in FRESHLY made roti. Stacked with shrimp, fresh vegetables. Fantastic sauce. The roti was super thin, perfect application for this. Accompanying cilantro and spicy sauce were just right.

Malai chicken tikka was perfectly cooked. Super juicy and tender. Melted like butter in our mouths.

The lamb and paneer tacos were a great starter as well, as soon as we sunk our teeth into them, All you could hear was "oh man, so good". The soft taco shells have the perfect chew, and they are simply dressed with crisp iceberg lettuce. We're ordering these every time we come.

By the way the French fries, twice fried, were such an added nice touch.... It just shows the level of food prep. They had the perfect crunch, fantastic accompaniment to dinner.

Overall the food was crisp, light and clean tasting. Fantastic flavors, there was no greasiness, and nothing tasted cheap or pre-made. Everything had the feeling of being made in mom's kitchen as you waited.

And holding true to the hole in the wall theme, prices were amazing. They mentioned that they have a food truck that goes to Tempe sometimes... I highly recommend the dine-in...