The Eden Gardens (Indian Delicacy) — Restaurant in San Jose

The Eden Gardens - A Bengali (East Indian) restaurant, named after the famous cricket stadium in West Bengal, India: A place that echoes a lot of emotions. As a Bengali, I had to try this place to see if it lives up to the expectation, but unfortunately, it didn’t.

Firstly, about the Veg Mains - I was utterly disheartened. Bengalis have GREAT VEG DISHES!!! Why not have them? Just one dish - Shukto, that's it??? Where is Chola r dal, Phulkopi r Dalna, Ghugni, Potol Paturi, Aalu Posto, Shim er jhaal, Dhoka r dalna, Kumror Chokka, Panchmishali/Chorchori? Why is there Kashmiri Dum aalu and not the Bengali Aalu r Dom? Why was there Kadhai Paneer and Paneer tikka, when it could have been Chaanar Dalna!

Yes, I am a Bengali, who loves food, knows food, and cooks good food!

Food we ordered and my feedback: Veg Chop: 2 pieces in a plate, quite decent, lacked peanuts in it which is the signature of this cutlet. 4/5

Enchor er (Raw Jackfruit) Chop: This was decent, but lacked the right flavors. 3.5/5

Fish Fry: It was okay. The fish was a little dry inside, while the coating lacked some seasoning. 3/5

Fish Chop / cutlet: This was quite decent, however, 2 of us didn’t quite get the fish taste. 3.5/5

Chicken Dum Biryani: Unfortunately, nothing hit the notes with the biryani here. There was the potato, but no egg, the flavors were way too subtle, almost lacking. 2.5/5

Chicken kosha (curry): This was surprisingly good, but was on the sweeter side. 4/5

Shrimp Malai Curry: Although it tasted decent, it didn’t really taste the way it should. 3/5

Chicken Fried Rice: The fried rice was just too good and transported us back to the Chinatown streets of Kolkata. 5/5

Peas kochuri & Aaloo sabji: The peas filling in the kochuri was abysmally low, we could barely taste it. The aalu sabji was very basic. 3/5

Paneer kadhai | Naan / Garlic Naan: These aren’t Bengali dishes, so I won’t judge them by Bengali standards. They were decent on their own. 4/5

Roshogulla and Nolen Gurer Sandesh: Desserts to Bengalis are sacred, sacrosanct even, so bar is extremely high when it comes to quality. The Roshogulla looked like it was pulled out of a canned sweet container, and the Gurer Sandesh size was laughable and the taste - disappointing. 1/5

Ambience: Located in downtown San Jose, the ambience is semi-intimate with nostalgic Bengali posters and a faux grass wall for photos. The semi-open kitchen is appealing. 3.8/5

Service: Service was quick initially but slowed down as the place filled up 4/5

To summarize: While some dishes were decent, many fell short of authentic Bengali flavors, and the place overall fell short in Bengali food options, with lot of non Bengali dish taking spot in their menu, especially in their Veg Mains. Will I go again? Likely not, maybe just for their...

I came across Eden Gardens when they gave stalls at different Durga pujos in 2024. Absolutely loved their food given the fact that I was going through the monstrous hunger of second trimester. We finally made it to their restaurant with our 4 mo old. Here are my observations: (1) Food took me back home in Calcutta. Loved their jhur jhurey aloo bhaia, rui kaliya, chicken kasa and mishti doi. Coming back again for more. (2) The ambience was calm and nice. There was music but nothing loud (3) Lopa di is a sweetheart and so are her staff. (4) I could nurse my baby while eating and it didn’t feel weird at all. They also have a diaper changing station in their restroom. A very family friendly place. Street parking isn’t available. Closest parking is the SJ Parking lot. We did park a couple of blocks away and it was fine with us given the fact we had to walk with a stroller and a baby at 9 pm in the night. The food reminded me of the comforting quintessential Bengali food we get during ceremonies. I have tried their phuchka before and highly recommend it. ❤️ absolutely...

I ordered takeout from this place late at night as I was craving samosas, and I’m so glad I did! After browsing the menu, I decided to also try the butter paneer with naan and rice, along with two chais.

The chais were tasty but a little too milky for my preference. The samosas, however, were fantastic—crispy, flavorful, and perfectly bite-sized. They came in a portion of three, and I especially loved their mini size. My only wish was for a bit more chutney, as they only provided one small container of mint chutney.

The butter paneer was delicious, though a little sweeter than I expected. I would have liked a bit more spice to balance the sweetness, but the portion size was generous and satisfying. The naan and rice paired well with the curry, rounding out the meal nicely.

Overall, I really enjoyed my order and am excited to explore more dishes from their...