VJ’s Kitchen (Indian Cuisine) — Restaurant in Sacramento

⭐ 1/5 – Extremely Disappointing Experience. Wouldn’t Recommend to Anyone. I had one of the worst dining experiences at VJ’s Kitchen. Despite their promotional offers sounding attractive, the food quality, freshness, and customer treatment were shockingly poor. They are currently running weekday promotional deals – like Monday Biryani for $5.99, Tuesday Buffet for $5.99, Wednesday Non-Veg Entrees, and Thursday Veg Entrees for $5.99. While it may seem like they’re trying to win customer trust and set standards with these offers, in reality, they are just serving anything or something under the name of promotion. Yes, they are charging less – but they seem to have forgotten one critical thing: you cannot compromise on taste, quality, and basic preparation just because it’s a promotional price. If their goal is to attract more customers, this is NOT the way to do it. Giving cheap food doesn't mean you serve food that tastes cheap. What they are doing instead is offering bland, stale, and poorly made dishes and hiding behind the excuse of “it’s a deal.” Here’s my actual experience: 🔸 Thursday Veg Entrees – Tried 4 curries: Kadai Paneer, Dal Makhni, Paneer Tikka Masala, Dal Tadka. • Kadai Paneer was overly sweet with raw onions dominating the flavor. Paneer was just chopped cubes thrown into curry – completely bland and flavorless. This dish neither resembled South nor North Indian food. • Dal Makhni was a pasty mess with kidney beans floating in it – zero flavor, no richness. • Paneer Tikka Masala had the same flavorless paneer, no spice, no tang, and tasted like warm tomato purée with cubes in it. • Dal Tadka was the only somewhat edible dish of the four. I took the untouched curries back the very next day to provide honest feedback, only to be told “we are busy.” I went back again the following day, and the response I got was even worse — “that’s how they taste.” No apology, no offer to improve, no concern. Just a rude and careless attitude. As someone who grew up in India and truly understands Indian cuisine, I can confidently say — that is NOT how they are supposed to taste. 🔸 Monday Biryani Offer – Ordered 3: Thalapakattu Goat, Thalapakattu Chicken, and Vijayawada Chicken Biryani. All of them tasted stale and reheated. It was obvious these were leftovers from the weekend just packed and sold on Monday. 🔸 Tuesday Buffet – Another disaster. • Had to wait endlessly because most buffet items were not ready or being refilled. • “Butter Naan” was actually just kuboos (Arab flatbread) smeared with butter. • Lamb starter was rock hard and inedible. • Lassi was made with sour curd. • Only saving grace: Shrimp curry & Chicken Pulao, Dosa with chutney, and Gobi Biryani were okay. The rest were below average or outright bad. ➡️ Bottom Line: VJ’s Kitchen might be new, but they’ve already failed at the most important thing: delivering good food and respecting customer feedback. Promotions are meant to build trust and showcase your best. What they’re doing instead is serving tasteless, low-effort food and brushing off criticism with arrogance. No accountability. No willingness to improve. I would never return here and strongly urge others to stay away. Cheap price doesn’t justify poor food. This is not how you grow a loyal...

Response to the false accusation of “conflict of business interest”:

It’s honestly disappointing - but not surprising - to see that instead of taking accountability, VJ’s Kitchen has now chosen to question the legitimacy of a real customer’s review by claiming I have a “conflict of business interest” and “didn’t visit.”

Let me be crystal clear: • I am not affiliated with any restaurant or food business, directly or indirectly. • I am a real, paying customer who genuinely tried to give this place multiple chances across different days. • I paid out of pocket, barely touched most of the food due to its poor quality, and even walked IN personally to provide feedback - which your staff dismissed without any concern. • I had to post the follow-up review from another Google account only because Google allows one review per account, and I wanted to call out your disrespectful “LOL” response publicly.

Calling every negative review a fake or a competitor is not just cowardly - it’s dishonest. It’s the last resort of a business that refuses to self-reflect or improve.

If you’re this quick to accuse customers of lying rather than address your own flaws, it speaks volumes about how you operate. Sadly, it confirms what many other reviews have already hinted at.

To future customers: If you’re considering trying this place, please know that if the food doesn’t disappoint you, the attitude might. And if you try to give honest feedback, be prepared to be mocked, dismissed, or accused of being a competitor.

Choose better. You deserve better. ————————

I had to post a follow up review to my previous comment from the restaurant from a different account as google allows 1 review per account.

The restaurant replied to my detailed review with the following comment: “Lol! If you don’t like the food, you keep on coming all the time and grabbing the food. You should have some thing before you drop a review.” Let that sink in. Instead of acknowledging genuine feedback or offering even the smallest gesture of professionalism, they chose to mock a paying customer with a “LOL.” This response is not only disrespectful — it’s an insult to every customer who expects decency, quality, and accountability from a business. Here’s the truth they conveniently ignore: I visited the restaurant multiple times to give them a fair chance. I paid every time. I barely touched most of the food because it was genuinely inedible. I even went back in person, hoping to speak constructively — not to demand a refund, but to give feedback they could act on. Instead, I was dismissed, ignored, and now ridiculed publicly. This isn’t just poor customer service. This is arrogance at its worst. To the owner: Your response speaks volumes. Not just about your attitude, but about your values. You’ve not only lost me as a customer, but I’ll actively discourage others from going through the same disappointment. Promotions don’t give you a license to serve low-quality food and then mock people who call it out. To future customers: If this is how they treat someone offering honest criticism, imagine how they'll respond when you have a real concern. Avoid this place. Your time, money, and self-respect...

We recently ordered food from VJ’s Kitchen for our Sathya Narayana Vratam, and we couldn’t be more pleased with the entire experience. The team was incredibly thoughtful and respectful of the occasion—they prepared the food separately for the pooja, ensuring everything met our traditional and dietary requirements. The food was delicious! Every dish was bursting with authentic South Indian flavors and tasted incredibly fresh. From the starters to the sweets, everything was prepared to perfection. Our family and guests kept praising the meal, and all my friends asked where we got it from because it was that good! In addition to the amazing food, the cleanliness and hygiene at VJ’s Kitchen truly stood out. The restaurant was spotless, the kitchen area looked well-maintained, and even the bathrooms were very clean and well-kept, which is something we really appreciated. We are truly grateful for the care, quality, and attention to detail that VJ’s Kitchen put into making our event special. If you’re looking for flavorful, authentic Indian cuisine paired with excellent service and a clean environment, VJ’s Kitchen is the perfect choice. I highly...