Pepper Tales | Swaad Indian Cuisine — Restaurant in San Jose

For the best North Indian food, come to the Northside San Jose Neighborhood to dine at Swaad. Located on a corner across from Backesto Park, Swaad Indian Cuisine is a clean, family owned and run restaurant with friendly, understated, white tablecloth ambiance.

I've not had anything here I didn't enjoy. In addition to the more commonplace North Indian fare, such as curries, breads, samosas and palak paneer (spinach and cheese), there are some different takes on the traditional on the menu, such as Asparagus Shiitake Tulsi Soup, to name a few -- which make this place a cut above the rest.

The lamb also always gets my attention when I dine here, and the Karahi Lamb and Lamb Vindaloo are my go-to favorites, with melt-in-your-mouth qualities and superb flavor. They also offer organic and vegetarian selections.

The service doesn't disappoint, either. A lovely and warm couple, (husband is the chef, wife is a server) make dining here a pleasure, and are attentive and accommodating. When I asked if the Mango Lassi was fresh, and if I could have one prepared without any sugar, I received a freshly blended mango lassi to order, post haste, without any hesitation. Outstanding.

If you're salivating lately for some great Indian food that tikka's your tastebuds, and satisfies your cravings, but don't know where to go, man-go to Swaad. Pricing is moderate. Take-out and home delivery are both also available, and you can order on the web. So what are you...

We ordered spicy tika masala however they just put a whole lot of chili powder and the flavor of the tika masala was gone. All we could taste was the flavor of the chili powder and this other flavor that I could describe as powdery. The tika kaba was not good and the texture of the chicken was equivalent to frozen or microwaves chicken. The rice was ok. The best thing was the naan and the samosa. The table cloth had dried food marks and was not cleaned. The plates were chipped and the water that was served had pieces/crumbs in it. The bathroom was unavailable and they told us that when we arrived to the restaurant however from reading other reviews about this place I see that the restroom was unavailable for them as well and those reviews were from months ago. Oh and the tika masala we order that tasted like straight chili powder, we ask to get another order of the tika masala without any spice. It tasted ok. This place is not a great Indian food place. All these good reviews definitely made me want to go there but I was dooped out of $73. Places like Pakwan are on a whole different level compared to this place regarding Indian food. Anyone who has eaten here should go try pakwan and see the difference. Pakwan is...

Avoid at All Costs - Order Incomplete and Food Was an Insult at Pepper Tales! Don't even think about ordering from Pepper Tales. I placed an order tonight, eagerly awaiting what I hoped would be a decent meal. What I received was a masterclass in disappointment. First off, HALF of my order was missing! Just...gone. Vanished into thin air apparently. No call, no explanation, just an incomplete delivery and a rumbling stomach. Trying to get through to them to rectify this was a whole other nightmare. But honestly, maybe the missing items were a blessing in disguise, because what did arrive was an abomination. I'm convinced the chef at Pepper Tales must have forgotten every single ingredient they were supposed to put in the food. It was bland. And not just a little bland – I'm talking Sahara Desert levels of bland. It was like eating cardboard that had been vaguely threatened with the idea of flavor. There was absolutely nothing in it. No seasoning, no herbs, no discernible taste of anything other than sheer culinary neglect. Save your money and your tastebuds. This was, without a doubt, one of the worst takeaway experiences I've ever had. I wouldn't recommend Pepper Tales to my...