India House — Restaurant in Portland

There are multiple reasons why I gave this a 2-star review.

First of all, upon walking in, the host seated me promptly and provided the best service possible. He was truly doing an AMAZING job. However, I noticed that the restaurant had only one person handling what should clearly be a two-person job. While he managed impressively, having just one person juggling everything led to some noticeable issues—like tables with piles of menus and general messiness.

At one point, I overheard that a reservation with a special accommodation (for a guest with a disability) wasn’t prepared in advance. As a result, an incoming customer had to be politely asked to move to another table so the host could seat the reservation properly. Again, none of this was the host’s fault—he was working fast, ensuring everyone was taken care of, and somehow keeping the room running smoothly. I honestly don’t know how he pulled it off, but I want to thank him specifically for his effort.

Now, onto the food. I ordered the Paneer Tikka Masala with Garlic Naan, one of my favorite dishes. Unfortunately, the food was quite bland, lacking flavor and noticeably missing salt. The garlic naan wasn’t fluffy—it was thin, flat, and not enjoyable.

The overall atmosphere felt disorganized, likely due to being understaffed. Honestly, I’m not sure if I’d come back, but at least I can say I...

My husband and I are visiting Portland and came here as our hotel is close and we are huge Indian food eaters. We ordered: Vegetable Samosas Chicken Tikka Masala ($15) Tandoori chicken ($15) Garlic naan Kheer

The vegetable samosas were decent. The sauces it came with were ok. Surprised there wasn't any tamarind sauce.

The chicken Tikka Masala was pretty bad. I ordered "medium" spice and was warned that medium is on the hotter side. I said great! It was mild at best. It came out in a tiny serving bowl with no more than 2oz of teeny 1/2" diced chicken cubes and the sauce tasted exactly like cheap tomato soup. Without telling my husband what it tasted like, he tasted it and echoed what I was thinking. Paired with the crispy triangle-shaped garlic naan it tasted like crappy pizza.

The Tandoori chicken was EXTREMELY over seasoned and disgusting. Nothing like the tandoori chicken we've ordered at 15-20 other restaurants.

We gave up eating and cancelled the kheer.

The music played was nice for the first 5 minutes. Then you realized they were playing the same song over... And over... And over...so the once calming music turned into what you'd hear for hours on end if you feel asleep to a DVD and the menu music played NONSTOP.

The waitstaff was really nice but the food was extremely overpriced for as little as they give you...

This place is okay. To be honest, I do feel like the quality and taste of the food does not match up to the prices listed on the menu. The sauces are bland and have very little flavor to it. I will say that the tandoori chicken is done well. Little things confused me, like only providing one napkin per table for saucy, messy Indian food...one small glass of water per person/table, no pitcher...so you're left to the waiters alertness and discretion to receive a drink refill... “Final Countdown” playing in the background of the restaurant....the gap between the seats from the actual table that causes food to spill on your lap when trying to eat...? Anyway, overall this place isn’t horrible but it also isn’t spectacular. For the prices on the menu listed, I do feel the quality of the food should be better. The food carts have more flavor. The naan needs some love. This food is good if you haven’t tasted mouth-watering, savory, cooked Indian dishes before. Then you realize how watered down the entrees really are. Lastly... the waitress was very nice, but seriously, the poor girl needs another waitress. There’s only one waitress in the whole restaurant. She does very well considering this. Either hire someone else or give the poor girl a raise or something. That’s my little .02 from the...