Namaste Indian Cuisine — Restaurant in Santa Cruz

Update 5/18/25 This place has changed and is not what it used to be. Every dish we ordered was different and not what we were expecting. (Different ingredients, different preparation, different presentation) The plum sauce was absolutely disgusting and inedible. When we asked a new server we had never seen before we were told they have a new chef. (We noticed all the staff seemed to be different) We were also disappointed by an extremely loud birthday party going on in the middle of the restaurant that made it impossible to hear the server or ourselves converse. We will not be returning again.

From 8 months ago... You know it's beyond fabulous when you go for the first time and then go back the very next night for your second visit because your taste buds need more! Everything we've tried so far is finger and plate licking good. The best garlic Naan I've ever had, and it worked great to sponge up every drop of the delicious sauces. The avocado tower we got both nights, and I will certainly crave it again and again. I will likely go in on occasion for just that as a snack or order togo to add to dinner. Same with the samosas. They are some of the best I've had. Perfectly flaky and crispy with 3 delectable sauces if wanted. The veggie marsala was fantastic, as was the steamed Jasmine rice. Then there were the monster size prawns smothered in a heavenly sauce and also cooked to perfection. We had more stuff, all absolutely wonderful, so I am sure you get the point. I think anything you order here is gonna be so pleasurable..it may be beyond words.

For me..I believe this is the best Indian food I've ever had.

My new favorite restaurant...

We were is Santa Cruz during the Christmas break and we went in for a Christmas Day lunch. As this was one of the few places open for lunch. The menu is pretty big and has a lot of vegetarian and meat based options for combo meal(which they call Thali). We opted for a grilled paneer( tandoori Paneer) Thali and when it came it I was somehow disappointed. So the Grilled Paneer is the main highlight of the Thali, which is basically mustard pesto marinated Paneer grilled with like a half an Lb of yellow onions( pretty annoying) and a few bell pepper slices. Although the paneer was nice it was like less of it and more Grilled Onion and not the other way around. The Thali also came with a bowl of rice, a naan bread and 1 curry ( mixed lentils in this case) and its small bowl, and here is the fun part you are expected to eat the naan bread and the rice with the small bowl of mixed lentils, I mean please explain to me how ? Do you expect me to eat the naan bread dry or something? The portions were way too small for the price paid. 6.The food had a high amount of sodium bicarbonate ( baking soda) in all the dishes, which is same because for the price paid honestly the restaurant should seriously consider serving good food that doesn’t leave you bloated for hours after eating. The price is definitely on the higher side for a not so decent meal. The service is pretty average. The parking is by the street which is not so great. Overall an average place to visit if you wanna try...

Super excited to try this new restaurant (Santa Cruz only has one other Indian place - the Royal Taj, and it's been here for decades). The menu looked eclectic and full of mouth watering choices. We ordered an appetizer: Vegetable Samosa. Wouldn't order that one again. 4 basic deep fried samosas, a small bit of salad and a dish of 3 tasty sauces. Not bad but nothing special. We then ordered 4 entrees - Chicken Curry, Salmon Coconut Curry, Eggplant Curry and Shrimp Curry. O.k, we went curry crazy! They all were described as having different ingredients so it seemed like a good curry flavor fest was in store. Our waiter asked about our heat preference so we opted for one HOT one (the shrimp) and the rest on medium heat. Long story short, while all the dishes were tasty, the curry seemed virtually identical in three of the four with no extra heat in the shrimp curry that was noticeable. Portions are relatively small for the price. Bussing service was non existent unless you were able to catch someone and ask for more water or to clean away plates. Our coconut rice was forgotten and our waiter never checked back after the food was delivered. Sadly, this is pretty standard for Santa Cruz dinning. I would try them again but next time I'll order "take out" and only...