Royal India — Restaurant in Raleigh

We’re new to NC and came through this place through google and it had high ratings. We came in and they offered the platter menu. We went for 2 platters with high and medium spice levels- one with butter chicken, chicken curry, samosa, naan, gulab jamun and the other with the same as above with palak paneer additionally. We also ordered 2 orders of Chapathis.

Let’s start with the good aspects— there’s only one and that’s the gulab jamun since it’s store bought and not made in-house. (Thanking god for that) Now let’s get into the underwhelming aspects— The ambience is and the interior is supposed to depict “The Royal India” but it’s no where close. They just have red/green combinations and apparently it’s supposed to look like the Taj Mahal architecture. To my surprise it’s not even close to that. The only difference between the medium and hot spice levels is the curry’s consistency. The medium one is diluted with water and the hot one is a thick gravy. Butter chicken tastes like tomato purée. Chicken curry- I don’t even know! Palak Paneer- there’s no salt at all. The Tandoori Chicken- they just put the red color, salt and baked the chicken and served it. There’s absolutely no flavor at all. Being a naive cook myself, I can definitely cook better than the Chef here. Coming to the MOST underwhelming aspect—— it costed us $51.11 for the two of us which is whooping amount for the quality of food they’ve provided. We din’t even get the breakdown of the items in the bill. The only Royal thing about this place is what we paid for. PUN INTENDED. After all this, Let’s not even talk about the hospitality!

“The Royal India” is a shame to the Country. I would request the owners/ managers to look into it and come up with a better plan because whatever we do will affect India’s portrayal...

I am a long-time patron of Royal India, the first time I ate there was in 2007 and I have been a fan ever since. For me, Royal India is a destination and I always stop in when I plan a trip to Raleigh. Royal India does not disappoint. The menu is always full of tasty fare and today was no exception. On this visit to Royal India, I ordered the number 14 vegetarian lunch special, which consisted of Malai Kofta, Paneer Butter Masala, Rice, Naan, Samosa, raita and Gulab Jamun. I also ordered an appetizer of Chili Paneer. To compliment my meal, I had a refreshing glass of Mango Lassi. My meal arrived hot and fresh as always, with healthy portions and a lot of flavor. The Mango Lassi was ice cold and is a great drink to beat the heat of summer. I really like the new trays that Royal India now delivers the food on. These trays are reminiscent of a Thali style service but larger and allows for the whole meal to be brought out as one course as is the custom of traditional Indian dining. The service was excellent with proprietor Ram, a superb host, greeting me when I walked in. Roayal India also has a great waitstaff, today I was assisted by Myrna who is attentive and very knowledgeable about the menu. The atmosphere is always pleasant at Royal India, and it is not uncommon for patrons to comment to each other about the quality of the fare. The price points for the lunch specials are spot on. I never leave hungry, and I always have leftovers. It’s like getting two meals for the price of one. I look forward to...

Absolutely delicious! Traditional Indian fare. Samosas & Chaat appetizer is VERY good and was my favorite dish. Chicken Tikka Masala was recommended to us by the server, and she was a spot on correct. We got the sampler naan basket, perfectly baked and flavored. The two of us (grown men) split everything and it was just the right amount. My lower rating for atmosphere is complicated… atmosphere has great potential and would be an easy fix: When initially pulling up to the restaurant in an older Capital Blvd strip mall, seeing windows completely covered, gave me pause… but upon walking into the restaurant it’s like being transported some other fanciful place and you forget you’re on Capital Blvd in a strip mall! You’re surrounded by all white beautiful traditional Indian carved lattice work illuminated by red lighting and accents. But why does it seem to be the trend for Indian restaurants to have a big TV projecting odd, overtly sexist Indian music dude videos? This nearly ruins my experience every single time. My advice is take out the TV and play traditional Indian music softly in the background. The TV is a horrible idea. Wine: I saw on other reviews wine being recommended and I do not agree. But overall, I would come here for the food again and again. The TV and wine are disappointing but not that important. However changing those two things would make Royal perfect and the whole atmosphere should...