Star of India Restaurant
| Address: | 301 N Shackleford Rd, Little Rock, AR 72211, USA |
| Phone: | +1 501-227-9900 |
| Site: | lrstarofindia.com |
| Rating: | 4.3 |
| Working: | 11AM–2:45PM 11AM–2:45PM 11AM–2:45PM 11AM–2:45PM 11AM–2:45PM 11AM–2:45PM 11AM–2:45PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 8
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Thomas Wright
Ive eaten here dozens of times. As a former chef and a person that eats a particularly organic and natural diet there are very few restaurants that I like. And my wife is very well versed in Indian cooking and is very picky as well. We both love this restaurant. The food is excellent. We especially love the daily buffets because you can eat a variety of foods. Ive read through the other reviews on this restaurant and personally, I think the negative ones are simply competitors or people that just dont have a clue. I believe the food to be very authentic but one way you might be able to tell if an ethnic food is authentic is when you see people from the same ethnic group coming to the establishment and eating the food and in this case we see Indian people there all the time. The staff is genuinely friendly and go out of their way to service you. It might be considered to be "over service" but thats just their way. But to me, the most important thing is the food is exceptionally good and healthy and I always feel great after eating it (other than sometimes I get a little overstuffed its just so good I cant help myself.) Id eat there every week if I didnt live 2 hours away but even so I make a special trip just to eat there as often as I can.
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A Private User
I have been to many Indian restaurants and Ive to say this is probably the worst Ive been to. The food was really bad, curries were too salty and when we asked to do something about it, they were rude about it and then agreed to take it back and got back us the same dish with some cilantro on top of it, we ended up leaving the whole thing as it is. Frozen naans (Indian breads) we get in Indian grocery stores are a lot better than the once they serve "fresh" there. The servers dont speak English, so every time you need something you have to get the owner and explain it to them. The owner seems to remember the names of customers and their favorite dishes, which makes the customer feel special and warmly welcomed but that is just so that he can suggest more expensive dishes and wines to them. Cons: Really bad food Extremely bad service Not Cheap for the service and food quality Pros: Ambiance not too shabby Please do yourself a favor and spend your money on either other Indian restaurants or if you dont have other indian options on other cuisines, but Star of India is definitely not worth the money or time.
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Patrick Porch
This restaurant gives people the option of how good they want to eat. The owner himself gives you a walkthrough of the buffet selection, ensuring you are getting an excellent meal while also adhering to strict diets (vegan, gluten free to name two). The food here is delicious, fresh, hot, and plentiful. You can plate any dish any way you want it and the atmosphere is extremely laid back so as a disable vet with PTSD, this is very important. The music is soft, not unrecognizeably soft, but also not loud to where you need to begin speaking louder just to be heard. The prices here are exactly what I would expect yet I still found myself tipping the owner himself due to the exquisitely executed food and courteous staff at this eatery. I am definitely going to make Star of India my go-to restaurant if I am ever within half an hour of the place. Its that good!
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A Private User
A friend and I were in Little Rock for a work related class and we say the Star of India was close to were we were staying so we thought we would give it a try. My friend was a bit concerned with it being a little strip mall restaurant and the thought also crossed my mind. But when we went in we were seated right away, a very polite took our order (she was patient with us as we looked the menu over and over). An appetizer was brought out right away and we couldnt take two sips of our drinks without them getting refilled. The restaurant was about half full, but we felt like we had the full attention of the staff. The food was quite good. We will definitely go back when we are back down there. The prices were good and they had low prices on the appetizers and deserts. Im looking forward to the next time I am down in Little Rock to going back.
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joe mac
I travel alot and came here for the first time about 3 months ago, two night during the week. He remembered me on the second night (in a row) which is good, not great. I went back tonight, again after a few months, and he told (not asked) me that I had been there twice before a few months back. Wow. Dinner service was great as it was previously. I am fairly new to Indian food and as other have descibled it seems to be a bit mellowed out, but still very good. If you have any qualms about Indian food, try this place for your first experience. Dont let the strip mall location scare you - I travel about 40-45 weeks per year and I learned you gotta try places especially ethnic ones. Their culture is not about big facny (and expensive) places, just good food and good service. Doesnt always work, but more often than not...
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A Private User
Four years ago, I would have given Star of India glowing recommendations. Now, not so much. It used to be my favorite restaurant, but I probably wont ever return. The last time I was there, there was a vegetable curry which looked and tasted like someone had just opened a bunch of cans of Veg-All and put them out on the buffet. Terrible and embarrassing. The food has definitely been Americanized (moreso than it was before), and the quality is FAR worse than it used to be. Perhaps thats what Sami has had to do to survive in a tough location in a rough economy, but the food has unquestionably suffered. If youre looking for Indian Food in Little Rock, my current "go to" place would be Amruth. Its a tiny hole-in-the-wall, but the food and service are superb.
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Todd Barron
I have been going to Star of India for 20 years and they consistently serve good Indian food. They have a daily buffet which many people enjoy due to the variety, but the best way to enjoy Star of India is to go at night and order from the menu. The sauces are thick, they use copious amounts of spice (Cardamom, Clove, Turmeric, etc.) and the staff could not be nicer. The manager, Sami, will remember you on every visit and somehow manages to remember what you even like to eat! If you like heat, tell Sami you "really" like spicy food and to turn up the heat level. Also ask for a side of Indian Pickle to jazz up any dish. My favorites are the Chicken Tikka Masala, Saag Paneer, Lamb Biryani, and the various stuffed naans. All top notch.
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Elizabeth Hayward
I am new to the state and called to see if they could do a dish I was used to getting out of state. I was told that they would be happy to make it for me. Upon arriving, we were greeted and seated immediately. The hostess pulled our chairs out for us and placed our napkins on our laps. The waiter took our orders and I was told by the owner that they would make our dishes any way we wanted. The waiter kept up with our beverages very well and our food arrived very timely. The food was all cooked to our preferences and we were surprised by the large serving size. We loved this place and will be regular customers there now.
