Taste of India — Restaurant in Seattle

so, this place is pretty clearly, and almost objectively so, made exclusively for westerners. what i mean by that is that this place serves Indian food that will not attempt to challenge western palettes in any way - rather its goal is to have people walking out with a mildly positive attitude towards the food. if someone were to ask them how the food was, they will say that it's fine and say that indian food is an underrated cuisine.

the first indication of this that caught my eye was on the menu, where it was listed that "all spice levels are American standard". The fact that this is on the menu at an Indian restaurant is pretty ridiculous, in my opinion. I'll get to the spice levels later The second indication was when the waiter brought out our naan, and said "Here's your naan bread". I almost laughed out loud at this point. Naan bread? Thank god we didn't order chai or he would've said "Here's your chai tea".

when we actually got our food, it was as disappointing as I expected Despite the fact that I ordered the 'Hot' spice level (the second highest), this had utterly no spice at all. I know that I have a high spice tolerance, but you know it's not good when other people at my table who have a low tolerance cannot taste any spice whatsoever. I've had hotter dishes ordering the 'Hot' level at American restaurants! In addition to there not being any spice, there was pretty much no flavor at all to the curries. There was just no point to the gravy on both the Jaipuri "Masala" and the Vegetable Kofta, as it both cases it was quite bland and essentially tasted like nothing. The paneer and the kofta were ok - but nothing more than average. Again, the lack of any kind of flavor is just crazy. Our table also got the Biryani, which had decent vegetables but also suffered from a lack of flavor

The roti and garlic naan that we got were really hard and difficult to break apart. not very good at all

If you're Indian - do not come here - you'll get far better Indian food either a) at home or b) at another place If you're not Indian - I would highly recommend trying another place to actually get a taste of what Indian food is really like. This watered-down version simply isn't it.

I would recommend Saffron Grill in Northgate for an example of Indian food done correctly

on the positive side, one thing i appreciated about this menu is the customization available for different curries this is especially helpful when it relates to giving options to vegetarians, as it doesn't restrict people who are vegetarian to specific curry options having paneer, vegetables, and tofu options available for each curry is pretty good

i also thought the spinach naan was pretty good. out of all the bread we ordered, it was the only naan that managed to be soft, and easy to pull apart the spinach inside tasted pretty good as well

the complimentary samosas (although clearly reheated from frozen) and sweet at the end was a decent touch the portion sizes were also decent - the amount of rice that came with the curry was pretty significant

Overall, this place was just not it if you want to capture what good Indian food actually...

I recently had an incredibly disappointing experience at Taste of India Restaurant, which has left me frustrated and dissatisfied with their service. I ordered a Mild Biryani from them, clearly specifying my allergy to spicy food. However, upon arriving home, I discovered that the Biryani was excessively spicy, making it impossible for me to consume. Understandably upset, I contacted the restaurant to inform them of the mistake.

Initially, they apologized for the error and offered to replace the Biryani free of charge. Since I lived 20 minutes away and it was inconvenient to return, I kindly declined their offer and suggested that I would visit the next day to claim the replacement. They agreed to my request without any issues, and I appreciated their willingness to rectify the situation.

However, my experience took a turn for the worse on the second day. When I placed the order for the replacement Biryani, the restaurant staff abruptly changed their stance and refused to honor their promise of providing it for free. To add insult to injury, they insisted that I return the initial order, which had been rendered inedible due to its excessive spiciness. This unreasonable demand left me shocked and frustrated.

Not only did the restaurant fail to fulfill their commitment of offering a free replacement Biryani, but they also disregarded my previous inconvenience and wasted expense. The fact that they expected me to return the unsatisfactory dish, knowing it would end up in the garbage, only added to my disappointment.

The level of customer service I experienced at Taste of India Restaurant was simply unacceptable. Their lack of consistency and their failure to take responsibility for their mistake has led me to question the integrity and professionalism of the establishment. I had hoped for a pleasant dining experience, but instead, I was met with disappointment, inconvenience, and a waste of my hard-earned money.

I strongly advise potential customers to exercise caution when considering dining at Taste of India Restaurant. Based on my personal experience, their disregard for customer satisfaction and their failure to honor their commitments are indicative of a lack of respect for their patrons. There are surely other establishments in the area that prioritize customer service and quality, and I would encourage you to explore those...

This was my first time ordering here, and I can promise you, it'll be the last. Let me tell y'all why. I ordered three basic [redacted] menu items:

The Royal Biryani with lamb, which tasted like poverty, really. The rice was short grained sadly, but cooked fine. It was nearly devoid of flavor, with the exception of the taste of oil, dish soap, and nutmeg levels on par with a bad sweet potato or pumpkin pie. Idk where y'all got that five spice (or garam masala), but they subtracted 4, because I only tasted that one, and it wasn't good. I'd argue the rice would've been better without whatever flavors they tried giving it. As for the lamb, it was cooked okay, and was more toleraable than the rice. The marinade for the lamb needed a bit more body, but it was definitely better than that atrocious rice. It was short lived, as my tongue started to feel greasy after a while, and the flavor got washed out. If you want good Biryani, there are better places out there. Don't waste your time coming here for this dish.

The Chicken Tikka Masala. If Seattle seasonal depression had an ethnic flavor, this would've been it. Y'all could have kept that ish. Idk how you messed up the tourist dish. First, I ordered the dish hot but it came G rated. Not even the slightest kick. Up the spice game y'all. Now to the flavor. The first bite I took, it tasted funky, like boiled gym socks and stale Bleu cheese minus the cheese. In the second bite, there was a hint of tomato flavor, but the rest of the bites were haunted by a lingering taste of oil and funkiness. I don't think a single spice was used to make this. I honestly think a non Indian made this. Stop letting other folks in the kitchen.... please.

Samosa with chutney. Nothing much to complain about. The chutney tasted like oranges and cinnamon, which was interesting. This was the only okay thing in my order.

I promise you, I got tired trying to finish my food. Not in a good "I got the itis" type of tired, but tired from the mental anguish I put myself through to not waste this food. It was damn near inedible. Somehow, the touristy Indian restaurants downtown have this "Authentic" restaurant beat. Shame. No wonder y'all got that $20 off deal on Uber eats. But hey, maybe I ordered some of the worst items on the menu. Regardless, this was the worst Indian...