Kadhai the Indian Wok — Restaurant in Raleigh

holy... WOW. Kadhai was delicious. I haven't had a plate of food this good since... Christ, I don't know. Homecooking, fast food, fancy resataurants, etc. don't come close to how suprised I was by this plate of food.

Restaurant - 4.5/5 - Only complaint is that it doesn't have 20 spotlights in the busiest area on Glenwood. This place, based on the empty dining room, is underrated.

Service - 4.5/5 - Very nice people, but it took a while for me to be noticed lmao. For context, I came at 7:20PM on a Sunday night (2/19) which is about 2 hours before close and 1 hour before their kitchen closes, so it's all fine in my book.

Butter Chicken (Requested at 7/10 spice) - 5/5 - $17 - They gave me a very generous portion. The curry was incredibly flavorful - a tomato, onion base with butter and seasoning. When you eat it, the first taste is a very deep and savory feeling, and the taste it leaves in your mouth is a sweet, buttery explosion. The chicken was VERY moist and added to the flavor perfectly. It was ESPECIALLY fantastic when paired with...

Naan Bread - 5/5 - $3 - The naan... Delicious. Perfectly toasted and buttered on one side and delightfully soft and fluffy on the other. The "crust" was very thin and made chewing a treat in itself. On top of that, dipping it into the already delicious curry was chef's kiss perfection.

Rose Lassi - 5/5 - $3.25 - My initial impression wasn't MIND-BOGGLING, but it was still VERY tasty. But that's because I'm an American with a dying palette from constant exposure to the toxic soft drinks at my job. After having my face smacked with the curry and then sipping the rose-flavored yogurt, I was impressed. It really is perfect, and probably somewhat healthier than what you can buy from fast food places with shakes.

(I ordered a Lamb Tikka Masala to go because I want another plate SO BAD. Can't wait to try it once I'm "home")

In the end, eating there genuinely felt like being taken away to some delicious landscape far from the drab reality JUST outside of this restaurant... This feeling is magical, this place was magical, and the food...

Easily one of the better Indian buffets in the triangle region, but only if you tend to favour North Indian preparations... A pretty modest decor, not entirely spacious either but covers up with good food... Decent footfall on a rainy afternoon suggested loyalists keep coming back... Coming back to the buffet, it was a rather elaborate spread starting with a small chaat counter, and a number of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes... Coming straight to the non vegetarian part, trying my best to remember all the dishes, there were Tandoori Chicken, Lamb balls, Beef and Chicken Vindaloo, Madras Chicken, Butter Chicken and Goat curry... The Beef Vindaloo, Goat curry and Lamb balls were standout and delicious to the core... I generally overlook vegetarian dishes but the Saag Paneer, Dal Makhni and Peas Pulao were great too... I could also see some mushroom and potato dishes... Fresh naan and steam rice were available aplenty as well and those complemented the curry dishes... The dessert section wasn't particularly exciting with some Gajar ka Halwa and Gulab Jamun and some Kheer... They could work on the dessert section and maybe look at adding a couple of non vegetarian appetizers too... At the moment there is a whole lot of gravy floating around that section... But all said and done, at around 15 bucks this is a real good and...

I can’t say enough good things about Kadhai. I can be very picky with Indian food in particular, and have high expectations. I’ve been coming to this restaurant several times a year for about 8 years, including every anniversary. Mostly for dinner and occasionally for the lunch buffet.

Food is incredibly consistent and high quality. It’s always well-spiced, even at more mild spice requests. The naan here is some of the best in the triangle (order it with butter for a real treat), and the chicken dishes really shine. The Chicken Tikka Masala is the best I’ve ever had a medium (4-5 on their scale), and the butter chicken is also great. I’ve also enjoyed the korma, kadhai, and vindaloo. Both the rose and mango lassi are on point, neither too sweet nor tangy.

The relaxed atmosphere is a little dated, but also very comfy/cozy. It’s never loud, even when busy, and despite being small it’s a great place to have a conversation.

The service would be my only point of critique; Some of the serving staff can come across as unfriendly or aloof, but most are wonderful professionals. It still isn’t worth docking a star.

This place has never let me down, and when the time comes to move, Kadhai will be my first choice for when I come...