MasalaCraft - Santa Ana — Restaurant in Santa Ana

I am so happy that I was finally able to try Masala Craft! This is rated as the best Indian restaurant in all of Orange County, and after eating here- there is truly is no doubt as to why. I truly believe that every dish I was able to try is 1000/10 across the board. I have only written one google review but this place was too good to not review

Butter Chicken- okay I’m not a fan of butter chicken at all but this was AMAZING. Firstly, normally most places skimp out on the amount of protein their is, however there was so many big pieces of chicken that were incredibly tender and juicy. The cream made the dish incredibly decadent in flavor, without making it overwhelmingly creamy. There was a perfect amount of spices added to make the sauce an immaculate balance of sweet and mild spice.

Malai Kebab- this was absolutely fantastic. It’s chicken in creamy marinade. The pieces of chicken are huge, and so tender and juicy. It’s seasoned so well also, and the onions served with it adds so much flavor to this decadent dish.

Samosas- I’m normally pretty picky about samosas but hands down this is the best samosa I’ve had on the west coast. The fried dough on the outside is perfectly crisp and just the right amount. They also stuff these samosas with spiced potatoes and vegetables which add so much flavor. Definitely order this.

Pakoras- one of my favorite dishes!! This was so good. It was perfectly crisp on the outside and the inside vegetables were so tender and soft. This literally melts in your mouth and it’s so delicious and served hot. Also fantastic with the sauces served with it like green chutney.

Garlic naan- this naan was so good, it was so fluffy and the amount of garlic was perfect. The naan was so soft and was the perfect accompaniment to the butter chicken.

Vegetable biryani- not pictured but this was so delicious. The spices were incredible and it makes for a good entree on its own or as a base for curries or other entrees. It’s also incredibly filling.

I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to finally try Masala Craft. This place was absolutely incredible. I enjoyed everything I had. The service and vibes of the restaurant were also great. They truly make sure you have the best dining experience. I can’t wait to come back and eat here!! They also have a sister restaurant tried Karma Lounge which is incredibly popular and I anticipate going...

Never doing business with this shady place again.

TL:DR two hours late for delivery. Called twice, got hung up on twice. Had to visit the restaurant in person to finally get a refund.

Placed a delivery order online. Paid a solid fee for delivery.

Called them for a status update an hour after the order was confirmed via email, half an hour after the food was scheduled to be delivered.

I was told my food had just finished cooking and was ready for pickup.

I explained that this was a delivery order. Not pickup.

I was again told I could come pick it up.

I said no, they could deliver or issue a refund.

I was told to wait while they transferred me to a manager.

Then they hung up on me.

I called them back. And not a sentence after giving them my name, they hung up on me a second time.

At this point I decided to go to the restaurant in person.

I give employee at the counter my name and tell him we spoke on the phone and let him know I'm there for my refund.

He recognizes me, waved me back as he calls his boss and puts me on the phone. The irony of having to drive in to the store just to be put on the phone is not lost to me.

The manager tells me they've delivered the food. By this time it's 2 hours after I placed the order and a full hour after the time they told me they would deliver. More to the point what do I care if they've delivered or not, I'm not at home because I'm at the flipping restaurant!

Had to go round and round with the manager for 10 as he tries to offer up every possible excuse for why they tried to rip me off.

But finally he agrees to issue the refund.

I ask for a receipt

And says he cannot send me a receipt and I should just take it on faith that he is honorable man and I should trust him.

Unbelievable....

BEWARE TOURIST TRAP!

My family and I are in from town for a political event and we stopped by this place because it's near our hotel. I eat a ton of Indian food in the Bay Area and it's easily my favorite kind of food.

This place was an embarrassment. The food was extremely bland with no spice (think white people "medium"). I got the Chicken Curry and Chicken Tikka Masala. It didn't taste bland but was clearly heavily watered down. The Masala and Curry had a watery texture. It was like eating chicken chunks in Indian flavored cereal. The rice they served was bland with no herbs or anything. The egg rolls that were obviously cooked from frozen were ironically the best part.

The food was definitely overpriced but isn't the worst part of the restaurant, Edward is. I hate hate hate when people shove you to review your restaurant. It's so obnoxious. Even worse he asked my entire family to leave a good review as we were checking out and hadn't even tasted our food.

He came out to us outside 4 or 5 times in 20 minutes or so and asked each time about if we had left a good review yet or not. What a joke. He made comments about his manager not allowing him to give us small sauce cups (less than one ounce) for my grandma in law's naan just for him to come out with them 10 minutes later with said sauce cups and the little qr code to give him a great review saying "please mention me on the review!" I'm convinced he's the manager.

This place obviously preys on people who are in the area for a short period of time and harasses then for good reviews. It's a trap! Go...