Daawat a Ishq — Restaurant in Portland

Having been to just about every Indian joint from here to Troutdale and on, I am very impressed with this place. We usually drive into Portland for our Indian cravings and now we don’t have to. We got the mixed veggie pakora, the vegetable samosas, an order of plain naan, and butter chicken. When we arrived, we were greeted warmly by staff, which continued through the rest of our dining experience. Everyone was warm, friendly, and so thorough & attentive. Now, onto the food. My husband is what I would consider a relatively picky eater, and he was taken aback by how delicious every single dish was. The samosas had wonderful texture and flavor, the mixed veg pakora (while a relatively simple appetizer) was great. The tamarind sauce was a revelation, and probably the best I’ve had anywhere in the area. The mint sauce was so good that even my husband enjoyed it. The portions are also generous given the low price. For our entree we shared an order of the butter chicken, which came with basmati rice. The server made sure to ask about our preferred spice level, which we loved. We enjoy spicy food, but there are some days we just want it a little more mild. In addition to the butter chicken, we also ordered some plain naan. While we were enjoying this ethereal dish we couldn’t stop talking about how the flavor was unlike anything else in the area and how it was the best we’ve had. I’m only kind of joking when I say that I could drink this sauce. Vancouver has needed a good Indian restaurant badly, and they deliver. We will be back. With friends. And family. And any strangers we meet that look like they might enjoy good food. Please do yourself a favor and sit down for a meal here. You deserve it and...

Best Indian food I’ve had in Portland! As an Indian person, I’ve been unfortunately unimpressed by most Indian restaurants I’ve been to in this city over the last few years, and was delighted by my experience at Daawat a Ishq today. The food was prompt, delicious, and the spice level was legit! We got: aloo tikki chaat, paneer pakora, gobi manchurian, shahi paneer, kadai tofu, assorted bread plate, masala sodas, masala chai, a bottled Indian beer, and a mango lassi - everything spicy level Hot (regular, not extra). The kadai tofu was an all star - the tofu was melt-in-your-mouth like I’ve never experienced before, and the curry was an excellent textural balance, and tasty too!! The shahi paneer was delicious, we just wished there were more paneer in it because it was so good. The gobi manchurian was excellent - crisp and saucy, perfect amount of spicy and sweet and tart. The paneer pakora was a hit with my friends who had less experience with Indian food but loved the idea of a fried cheese 😂 The aloo tikki chaat was a B+ in my book; not showstopping, but was a good introduction to chaat for my friends, and satisfying for me, who has been craving it for weeks. The mango lassi was among the best I’ve ever had. I would advise passing on the masala sodas, they weren’t bad but weren’t as good as everything else. Get a lassi instead lol! The chai was also fine, wish it had some stronger masala but still good. And all this ended up being $35 per person (4 of us total) including tip - for multiple entrees, appetizers, naan, and specialty drinks, with leftovers to take home. I will be returning here...

Nestled between two of my other favorite neighborhood establishments, this place was a real treat. We arrived here with a party of 6 adults and 2 babies, and found a 6 top outside on a sunny October afternoon. The server was pretty busy with a lunch crowd at the time of arrival but got us seated with menus as soon as they had a moment. The service was fast, friendly, and informative. Now, onto the food we ordered:

Vegetable Samosa, we ordered a round for the table and they were very very good. Nice, crisp dumplings with soft filling inside. Great flavor.

Butter Naan/Garlic Naan, freshly baked with the perfect amount of spring to the dough.

-Chicken Tikka Masala, ordered medium and it was amazing. I would probably go spicy next time and will update the review to include my thoughts on different spice level. Chicken was delicate, sauce had a great texture with good seasoning.

Kadahi Goat, ordered medium, also very good. This was not my dish but I tried some and will probably order in the future. Smaller pieces of bone-in meat in sauce.

Paneer wrap, my wife ordered this and it was very fresh and light tasting. Not a large portion but would be perfect for a lunch choice on a work day.

Malai Kofta, I did not taste this but heard a lot of raving about it from the end of the table. Will try next time

Butter chicken, same as above. I did get a chance to try this but heard good things from those who did.

Overall it was a great experience, and we are so happy to have another amazing restaurant in the...