Indian Dhaba — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

I have been here 3 times. Each time I have noticed different things. 1) First time I went here the cook/front desk guy was laying on one of the seats on the end. He got up and didn't wash his hands or anything and just made my order. 2) I ordered over the phone and there were 2 young guys. One of them charged me and he was basically in a mood, where I didn't feel like I was welcomed. I ordered one entre and one naan. The Naan was so tiny. And they charged me $3.99 for it. 3) This time I went there and ordered 2 things. Samasa Chole and Dhai bhalle. It was the guy from the first time I went there. He didn't wash his hands again and grabbed samosas while charging me without washing his hands again. Made my order, which basically had watered down Dhai. It literally tasted like nothing, and the samosa chole had no topping no onions or tomatoes or sev or lime. Nothing. I gave them 3 chances and it's been disappointing everytime. Food is okay but this isn't India. Tell your cook to wash his hands. So after all this I came back here ordered papdi chat and that's one thing they didn't mess up on and was decent amount for the price. So I ordered it a few more times and it was the same. Last time I ordered papdi chat. It was basically cold soup of chutney with purin in it. They sprinkled in some tomatoes and aloo. No sev. Like it makes no sense. Who is teaching these people to make food. Sincerely learn what goes in a dish and have some kinda...

I went to Indian Dhaba on a Saturday for their lunch buffet, excited after reading great Google reviews. At $20, I thought it’d be a solid deal for Taylor Street, but honestly, I was underwhelmed. The buffet had mini samosas, raita, plain naan, rice, chutneys, gulab jamun, rajma, kadhi pakoda, soya chap tikka masala, and aloo ki sabji. The mini samosas were decent, but most other dishes fell flat—flavors felt watered down, like they were missing that punch you expect from Indian food. The soya chap tikka masala was bland.

For $20, the spread felt limited and overpriced, especially when you get a much tastier and bigger variety at India House downtown for $25. I get that Dhaba is only 3-4 months old, so they might still be working out the kinks. The place was clean, and the staff was okay, but the food didn’t live up to the hype or the price.

Suggestions: Adding a richer curry, like paneer or chole, or boosting the spices would go a long way. Maybe tweak the price to match the variety until the...

An excellent addition to Chicago for vegetarians and lovers of South Asian cuisine!

Please note that this is a 100% vegetarian restaurant. When the menu says "lamb," "chicken," or "meat thali," they are referring to the vegetarian substitutes. We tried most of them, and found these to be great options to introduce variation into the menu. Clearly, if you're aiming for real meat, don't order these.

The reviews here on Google seem to be either hit or miss - but our meal was a hit. All of the food was prepared to-order, with spiciness adjusted to our preferences. The flavors were rich and varied, and everything seemed fresh.

The interior was clean when we visited to pick up the food. Nothing too fancy, but this is presented as a dhaba, is it not?

My only quibble is that the portions could be a little more generous, given the prices... but I suppose this comment applies to virtually every restaurant during this...