Curry Leaf — Restaurant in San Francisco

I honestly would not even want to give this place one star but I just have to write this review. I called to place an order in advance for Daal Tadka and plain rice. I was told that first phone in orders were possible, and second it will take 15 min and the Daal Tadka has been already made in the day, so the spice level can’t be changed much. I was in haste so I said okay to the idea of pre-made Daal Tadka and I walked to the restaurant and reached there within 11 minutes. I stood there to ask about my phone-in order while the owner was busy playing pretend boss and asking - ohh who came first in the queue to multiple people there. I told him I’d phoned in the order and I was just checking in on the status and I could wait, and the owner (or the manager, I really don’t know which but he was quite pathetic) casually tells me that he needs to talk to his kitchen coz they are all quite busy. So I ask him again that he told me to come in 15 minutes, and then he says - “hey do you want the food or not? If not then you have to wait whatever time is needed even if another 15 minutes or you can just go”

I’ve lived in SF for a year and never have I seen a more rude person or a more unprofessional person in the restaurant business. Why would he confirm that a phone in order was available when he clearly is not equipped to handle such orders with the kitchen is beyond me. He had not even communicated to the kitchen that there was an order in the first place.

You would be much better off to go to India Curry House about 200 feet away where pleasant and polite staff and managers greet you and at least take your to-go orders quickly and get you delicious Indian food in a jiffy. Please don’t waste your money on Curry Leaf where the manager / owner is busy speaking in...

Solid Indian food. I was hoping for the best damn meal I've ever had, but it was good.

There's free chai if you dine-in. I was nervous about getting it, because I thought you had to pay but soon realized it was free. Chai is EXCELLENT. Tastes very milky but not sweet (which I like).

Palak Paneer - 4/5 - Thick, creamy, and not too watered down (I cringe whenever I go to an Indian restaurant and the palak paneer is more soup than goop). I ordered extra spicy but it came out the same flavor that I'm used to. I like it when an Indian restaurant makes me sweat, but that's because I'm a spice addict.

Tandoori Chicken Breast - 4.5/5 - Holy mutant chicken. Very large breast for a really reasonable price. Usually chicken breast can be dry and bland, but this was juicy and well-spiced. Came on a small bed of onions that soaked up all the juices :). Didn't exactly "fall off the bone" (you have to work for it) but super yummy. Great if you're (like me) trying to get in some extra lean protein for muscle growth.

Tandoori Chicken Leg - 4.5/5 - Thought it would be just a drumstick, but this is the whole leg of the aforementioned mutant chicken. Extremely moist and flavorful.

Onion Naan - 3/5. Good. Nothing to write home about but nice. A bit flavorless but I'm not an expert on onion naans (rarely order it) so perhaps that's how it's supposed to taste. Honestly I couldn't tell the difference between it and just...

October '24- My favorite here is Tandoori chicken leg with their mint chutney. Can't go wrong with that. The lamb and chicken seekh kebabs are also good. September '23- Perfect for appetizers!! Really tasty food because it's prepared in coal oven/tandoor. All Tandoori items are absolutely recommended and one of the best I've had in Indian restaurants in the US. No need to go anywhere else. Lamb chops take 20 min to prepare. Tandoori chicken is very tender! The mint chutney is really really good (don't overeat that though). The only thing I regret is they don't make seekh kabab rolls with roomali roti (very thin roti) and they have everything to make those rolls. Tandoori roti was also perfect. Samosas were perfect here. Exactly how they should be. I ordered goat curry here but it wasn't that tasty, so try curries at your risk. They have a few tables outside where you can sit. Also, one of the staff here is from Delhi and he has a lot of experience working with real North Indian style food, so you can say Hi to him if you're from Delhi. This isn't a fast food place, so you have to wait for your food, specially all tandoori items take minimum 15 minutes to perfectly cook, so please be patient as they won't hurry for you. Parking is a little difficult here but you will find on the street in the same block or around it. It's worth waiting for parking to eat...