The Curry Kitchen — Restaurant in Tuscaloosa

The Curry Kitchen in Tuscaloosa presents itself with a polished and inviting atmosphere. The ambiance and decor are modern, warm, and thoughtfully done, offering a clean and comfortable setting for a casual meal or a dinner out. The service was attentive and professional, with the staff being polite and prompt throughout our visit — definitely one of the highlights of the experience.

🍽️ Food Review:

The food itself was a mixed bag, with some standout dishes and others that fell flat.

Appetizers: We started with a few appetizers — a 7/10 experience overall. The flavors were decent, but nothing particularly memorable. • Aloo Tikki Chaat: Unfortunately, this was underwhelming (5/10). The textures didn’t quite hit the mark, and it lacked the tangy punch you’d expect from a good chaat. • Tandoori Chicken: Slightly above average (6/10) — cooked fine, but didn’t have that smoky depth or marination that sets a great tandoori apart. • Mysore Masala Dosa: The star of the starters (or even the meal). Crisp dosa with a spicy, flavorful filling — well done and worth coming back for.

Main Course: • Kadai Paneer: A solid option. Rich, savory, and nicely balanced in spices. • Chettinad Chicken: A letdown — didn’t taste fresh and lacked the boldness typically associated with this dish. • Rumali Roti: Light, soft, and well-prepared — a pleasant accompaniment to the mains.

Dessert: We finished with Kulfi, which was creamy, authentic, and a great way to wrap up. Definitely a high point of the meal.

💸 Value for Money:

This is where things took a downturn. The pricing was noticeably high for the quality delivered. While the ambiance and service might justify a bit of a premium, the food simply didn’t measure up to the price point. For the cost, you’d expect either larger portions, better consistency, or standout flavors — preferably all three.

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📝 Final Thoughts:

The Curry Kitchen has a lot going for it in terms of ambiance, cleanliness, and service, but the kitchen could use more consistency and attention to freshness. The Mysore Masala Dosa and Kulfi are worth trying, but expect to pay top dollar for food that, at times, feels mid-tier.

If you’re craving Indian in T-Town and are okay with a mixed food experience in a nice setting, this might still be worth a visit — just don’t go in expecting fine dining quality for the premium price....

Best Indian restaurant in Bama! I tried 3 places in Birmingham and 2 locations in Auburn. By far, the Curry Kitchen is best. It was an hour drive and worth the commute. The food was full of spices and herbs. Compared to the other locations, this place do not dilute the gravy. The gravy was thick and flavorful as well as my mango lassi. Environment was clean and brand new. This location is very spacious and can host big parties. My first time here and I tried everything I could. I had chicken lollipop, papdi chaat, pani puri, paneer dosa, vijayawada special biryani, kashmiri naan, rumali roti, basmati rice, garlic naan, shahi paneer and mango lassi. Each dish has a fiery finish and delighted aroma. I love the tomato and coconut chutneys paired with dosa texture and paneer stuffing. Dosa size is huge which is a plus. Love the even crisp throughout. Please consider adding drumstick to sambar. Pani puri do not come with tamarind chutney. I think pani puri would have have more crunch if there was a side of chopped onions. I also notice some of the items at this location is only here and not elsewhere. The lollipop was a little dry. I had to dip with chutney. I truly enjoyed my biryani! The boneless chicken was not a disappointment. It was juicy and tasteful. I would definitely recommend the biryani and kashmiri naan. The spicy level on my curry was perfect: mild and not too hot. I enjoyed my shahi paneer richness and creaminess. Portions were fair and to-go box available. It’s nice that this location have plenty of bread selection and vegetarians options. Cheers to the chef and crew at the curry kitchen! Wish ya best in business....

The former O’Charley’s has transformed into the best Indian food spot in town.

I attended with a group of 5 and sampled several dishes. We ordered several apps of Naan bread, samosas, and a crispy chicken. For mains we ordered Chicken Tikkia Masla, Butter chicken, Chicken Biryani, and Lamb Korma. Everything was very flavorful and tasted great.

The majority of the people I was with did not like spicy food so the majority of items were ordered at either the mild or medium spice level. The people I ate with said they thought it was a good level of heat. I ordered the Lamb Korma with the Indian level of spice and did not find it to be all that hot. For reference I put Sriracha on most things I eat and eat the hottest level of hot chicken I can get when I am able to order it.

The service was great, had good recommendations. The place still looks very much like an O’Charley’s but it isn’t a bad thing. One unusual thing was that we only received bottles of water. Most of the other drink options seemed to be dessert type drinks or Indian Tea, which I didn’t try but think may be Chai tea. The bottles of water were unusual and I would have preferred tap water, beer, or soda. As they have just opened I suspect this will change in time.

Tuscaloosa is in desperate need of restaurants that focus on things other than bar food, Mexican, or BBQ. It is obvious the creator of Curry Kitchen is passionate about what they are doing. I highly recommend you check it out and support and new and local restaurant. To me, it is far superior to the one other Indian food place in terms of flavor...