Darbar Kitchen — Restaurant in Santa Rosa

My wife planned a tremendous family dinner here for my birthday and we all had a great time at Darbar Kitchen. We were a party of 10 and they were easily able to accommodate us. The wait staff was patient and got everything we ordered correct.

We ordered several appetizers, entrees with sides, some beer and wine as well. They started us with papadums with cilantro chutney and tamarind sauce. Then we had some appetizers. We tried the veggie pakoras and chicken momo. Both were both great and the chicken momo was particularly so.

For my entree I ordered the palak paneer because it's my favorite Indian dish and I use it as a bar for any new Indian restaurant I try. It was flavorful, well spiced and the portion was enough to share for a nice family style dinner. I also tried the tandoori chicken which came out on a sizzling cast iron plate. It was delicious and beautifully colored and seasoned as you would expect for tandoori chicken. The veggie biryani was tasty, had a good variety of veggies in it and came with a tangy side of riata. The side of mixed pickle I ordered was enough for the whole table. The coconut chicken and butter chicken were also very good. All the naan breads we ordered were well cooked, tasty and the cheese naan was my favorite.

At the end of our meal they brought out some gulab jamen as a complimentary dessert. It was very thoughtful and that happens to be my favorite Indian dessert so extra points to the wait staff picking my favorite without knowing!

They had a tv playing Bollywood movies over the bar area but I didn't hear any music playing (traditional Indian or otherwise) and they have pictures of different places in India which were a nice touch but I feel like the decor could use some more colorful and traditional elements.

Overall we had a great time and I'll definitely come back with my wife when we're downtown and...

Whoever wrote that this is the best buffet they have ever had obviously doesn’t get out much or know what they are talking about. Did the buffet at 1:20 today. I usually go to these buffets right when they open and fresh, and never toward the end. But, 1:20 is not at the end either. Food wasn’t hot enough. Naan was not fresh, then was completely out and never ever replaced. The masala sauce was a bit watery, and there were certain dry pieces and certain tough pieces of chicken. The chicken certainly was not tender. No spice on buffet to spice up your sauces. They had 5 full carafes of water sitting on the bar. Only 3 tables in whole place. After waiting for him to fill my water for the second time, the play would have been to just leave me a carafe, common sense. That didn’t happen. The best thing on the buffet was the coconut green beans, and if that is the best tasting item, then that should tell you something. This place has high marks and reviews, and maybe if I ordered something it would have been different. I won’t be returning.

*UPDATE: I DEFINITELY was there by 1:20 and was completely done with my meal well before 2. For the restaurant to respond and say I was there after 2 is not only a complete lie that makes me super mad as it also implies that I’m a liar, but shows your unprofessionalism. Shame on you for responding...

I had been wanting to try this Indian restaurant since it first opened a few months ago. I was especially attracted by a very generous All you can eat every smelling lunch buffet for $20 pp but because i work out of town i hadn’t gotten to try that yet but finally bit the bullet and went for dinner with the fam. We ordered Makhani (Butter) chicken, lamb kadai, and tandoori chicken, garlic butter Naan. When we first sat down they brought out these wonderfully addictive crispy freshly made papadum served with mint and tamarind sauces. As they began to bring out food, we were surprised that they brought out two incorrect dishes, coconut lamb and a meat and veggie type of Beryani rice. I asked what these dishes were and they said our food was still coming but since we were new to the restaurant they gave us these two dishes on the house because they had accidentally been made. In the end that was very generous of them. All of the food was delicious, perfectly aromatic and spiced, and the service was on the ticket. The owner was very nice and hospitable. I will definitely be back. Plus, bonus: They do serve alcohol (many Indian...