Tamasha Modern Indian — Restaurant in Raleigh

This review will include information about THE FOOD. I tried sorting thru other people's reviews last night and had a hard time finding recommendations for dishes people actually had. Atmosphere is important, but my goodness... why do you go to a restaurant in the first place?

Tamasha Modern Indian is the Indian restaurant I've been DREAMING of having in Raleigh since I moved here in 1995. That's right - I've waited twenty-nine years for this, and it did not disappoint! Yes, the decor is amazing and all of that... blah blah blah.

The drink: We ate at the bar (we always prefer the bar wherever we go) and were well-taken-care-of by Ray and Sam! Of course we started with cocktails - the cocktail menu is wild, in a really good way, and very unique. I started with the Crossroads (Don Julio Anejo, grapefruit, cucumber, jalapeno, ginger) and my partner had the Kushi (Elijah Craig, ginger, orange, star anise, thyme, rosemary). [Make sure you're careful how you pronounce "Kushi!!"... just sayin'! LOL] My Crossroads was delicious and gorgeous - like a margarita but with black lava salt all down one side of the glass (yes, I licked it ALL off), a gorgeous rolled thin slice of cucumber and a delicious dried little tangerine wedge. My partner's Kushi was so good, I had to get one of my own for my next drink. I think this one is my favorite, and certainly stands out as one of the best cocktails I've ever had (and I have had A LOT of cocktails in my life, and I know my cocktails and can make a few good ones on my own... so this is quite a statement). The flavor of the Kushi is so unique, it's impossible for me to accurately describe, as all of the elements blended together perfectly into one very cohesive drink. I would probably describe it best as mellow, sweet but not too sweet, and slightly botanical. The smoked rosemary sprig really made it an ethereal experience!

The food: Since we couldn't sample or eat everything on the menu, we settled on starting with two appetizers and a Chaat, then split one entree. We started with the Badgi Chilli Shimps, Tamasha Fried Chicken (TMC), and Purple Sweet Potato Crunchy Kale & Shiso Chaat. For the Shimps - you get 3 jumbo delicious firm shrimp served on a delicious concoction of chili, sesame oil, shallot, and coconut milk. The TMC was served as about six pieces of perfectly buttermilk-battered/fried succulent chicken tenders, each with either a slice of jalapeño or radish atop, and served with a ramekin of amazing lemon sour cream dip of which I cleaned out every drop. But the pièce de résistance for us was the Purple Sweet Potato Crunchy Kale & Shiso Chaat - just WOW - served with the battered-fried kale on top of delicious purple sweet potatoes in a bowl (remember, purple SPs are not very sweet, but just right and have a creamy full texture, like plantains) with an incredible dipping sauce (mint chutney? yogurt?) I cannot describe. This kale/sweet potato dish sent both of us over the edge!

By this point, we were absolutely full and quite happy. But we had the entree on the way. For the entree, or large plate, we ordered the Murg Pasanda, which is a chicken breast with almonds, cashewnuts, poppy seeds, and caramelized onion. You have the option for ordering with naan (plain/butter) or steamed rice... we elected the steamed rice. While this dish was really fine, it was easily upstaged by all of the amazing small plates we had earlier. The chicken was cooked perfectly, tender and juicy. The flavor of the curry was mild, creamy, and balanced. While it's not a dazzler, I think "comfort food" really describes this dish. But not all food should be dazzling. Comfort food is nice too!

Amazing food, exotic and fun cocktails all executed perfectly, great energy, fun and positive vibe, diverse staff and clientele... this is why I love Raleigh! We'll be back!

Tamaha hits on every . single ....

I recently had a reservation for 2 on Wednesday I was so excited to dine and experience this restaurant that I had heard so many wonderful great things from various friends, coworkers, and the entire Raleigh community. I arrived 15 minutes early and had a drink at the bar while waiting for our table per the host’s suggestion. The bar had been full and it was quite frankly uncomfortable and awkward standing there. The bartender hadn’t been particularly nice she made our drink delivered them and then proceeded to the next customer and so on. The bartender was very lack luster and un phased, she was just there. We did interact with the couple dining for a bit and while standing at the bar the bartender went through the menu to discuss some suggestions with the couple. She wasn’t super friendly towards them either, but you could tell she was at least paying attention, she’d bring more towels and silverware, small plates, drinks were flowing, water was refilled, etc. After a while our table had been ready and they walked us to our table. We waited 15 minutes after being seated before someone came to visit us, this this time our drinks that we ordered at the bar were well finished. At this point we we’re feeling like we wanted to leave, but after waiting over a month for our reservation we figured once someone comes over maybe the experience may turn around. Plus the food smelled amazing! When the waitress came over….it was to our surprise the bartender. She comes over and says did you look what you want from the appetizers or are you ready to dive right into dinner? We responded we started looking but we kind of was hoping to get the run down of the menu of favorites suggests etc. she mentions two things and she’s says I’ll be back when you decide I stop and I said I’m sorry is it possible I can have your name because she didn’t give it to us when we were at the bar nor did she give it to us when she became our server. She tells me her name is Sam and then she disappears! (The first of many disappearances) The thing about Sam that was off putting was she was she didn’t ask us if we wanted water, cocktail refills, etc. we ended up flagging someone down to get water after our appetizer had come out and even then when we drunk it all we never got a refill of that water. Someone brings the appetizers we finish them….. we wait for Sam to then back to place our order for our meal. It was like whenever we needed her she disappeared. Even though our table was one of the closest places to the bar area we got the least amount of attention and the worst service. She never asked if we enjoyed the food, if we liked it, she didn’t give one care.It was one of the worst services that I had received in a long time and especially from a restaurant of this caliber I expected a lot more from the staff. Not only was Sam just not pleasant and off putting, while here I watch a whole tray being dropped on the floor and while I understand that accidents happen, not one apology was given to any of the patrons nearby that were disturbed included ourselves. All of the employees walked by for several minutes purposely avoiding the mess and the broken glasses hoping they didn’t have to pick it up. I watched one of the bussers drop a table napkin on the floor and watched 4 servers either walk past or step on the towel rather than pick it up! Just pure laziness. I’m not sure if it was because I had an 8:45 pm reservation that all kouf was lost or if the staff and service within your restaurant is terribly lacking but I brought my mom here to experience this amazing Raleigh Gem that we had been hearing about gaining all of this amazing traction over the last few months and I was severely disappointed. I work hard for my money and I spent well over $200 for an underwhelming experience that should have been nothing less than exceptional and truly...

The food, drinks, ambience/atmosphere, and hospitality at Tamasha are unmatched. After trying them out soon after opening last year, my family had not stopped talking about it and my mom decided it would be a great spot to celebrate an early Mother's day this year. I mentioned in my reservation how this was going to be a tough Mother's day for her so we wanted to make it special. I was not prepared for just how wonderful of a evening was in store for her. We were all shocked to see a beautiful bundle of flowers for her which was already above and beyond but that was just the beginning. Each member of the staff made sure to chat with us, including one of the chefs and manager, which was such a lovely touch and never overbearing at all. Everyone was incredibly kind, genuine, and helpful. We were so well taken care of that I don't want to go into the details too much to set an unmatchable standard for every day service (though it wouldn't surprise me if this is their standard) but just know, these are good people making authentic food with nothing but love for their craft and paying homage to the culture and variety of cuisines each region of India has to offer.

We were blown away by each and every item ordered, let me tell you - do not sleep on the chutneys. Get them all. Also, the Tamasha special lentils I could have had all to myself. There is a reason it's their signature item and a must order in my opinion. The texture was like pure silk. The butter chicken has ruined all others for me, truly. The depth of flavor in each and every dish is what sets this place over the top. Even the salad was a surprising yet welcome refreshing item to help cut through some of the heavier dishes and the accouterments with it were exquisite. Each dish here is truly unique and you will not want to leave even a morsel behind! We took all our leftover sauces home - definitely order extra roti or naan for those bits, you'll want to finish every drop! I don't believe there is a single menu item here that would disappoint. If you're looking for elevated, fine dining Indian cuisine that pays respect to the history of the food, with an incredible staff, immaculate vibes, and delicious beverages, look no further. Worth every single penny and absolutely made my mom's day which truly meant the world to me. Thank you for an unforgettable evening and one we are going to cherish. Already looking forward to...