Deccan Spice Tampa Bay
| Address: | 2325 Ulmerton Rd Suite #28, Clearwater, FL 33762, USA |
| Phone: | +1 727-623-4009 |
| Site: | deccanspice.com |
| Rating: | 4.9 |
| Working: | 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–9:30PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 6
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Chris S.
We went here Sunday.and cant say we had a good experience. The buffet wasnt available so we ordered off the menu. Im not super experienced with Indian food but know my around. I asked the waiter to explain a dish to me... he hemmed and hawed for 30 seconds and I could tell he had no idea what he was talking about. We ordered our drinks first... then just about 10 minutes later he came back to take our order... still no drinks... not the ice tea or the bar drinks had come. He provided some sheepish answer about being down a bartender which was odd considering we could see the guy behind the bar on his cellphone for some time showing something to one of the other workers. After a couple more minutes, he started making drinks and we eventually got ours delivered by him to some fanfare with him shaking the mixer and making a big show. I would have rather just had my drinks 10 minutes earlier. Right after that, my wifes food came...only my wifes She ordered a salad with chicken on it... it was a dinner salad,... she even clarified it was going to be her dinner after being asked. Fifteen minutes later, my meal came. They could provide no explanation as to why that happened nor did they even seem to have any understanding of why it was an issue in first place... like "big deal... you dont get to eat together." The whole experience was just odd. My food was okay... nothing super special... her salad was awful. Its clear they cook a bunch of chicken ahead of time and either just microwave it or toss it in some seasoning or sauce as needed....certainly not made to order. The other thing that was annoying was that there were at least 3 families there with children whos parents all let them "entertain" themselves by watching cartoons or whatever on their cellphones. Its just very distracting and frustrating to have to listen to that while out for dinner. I very politely asked one family who had 2 children on two different phones playing different things obnoxiously loud if they would please turn down the volume and they just looked at me and muttered to each other in Indian and continued to ignore my request... and their children for that matter. It was just odd and frustrating. Ive been there for lunch a couple of times when the buffet is available. It seems to be a better way to go. You dont have deal with incompetent staff and poor service. You just get your plate and go. The buffet food is fine for what it is. There are other far better options for Indian food in St. Pete/Tampa and luckily we have close friends and a few coworkers who are Indian to take us to those places and educate us at the same time. They also try to explain the cultural differences that come across as rude behavior such as what we experienced with the children and their phones. I"m not writing this place off just yet... but itll be awhile before we try it again when the buffet isnt available. Just an overall very disappointing night out. When the foods not very good, when the service is bad, AND the atmosphere/people are annoying its just hard to have anything good to say. Two of things are absolutely in their control... the third one... well... im not sure why restaurants tolerate clientele like that. Whether its inappropriate behavior, loud out of control children, dressing like slobs in nice restaurants... basically anything that doesnt fit the level of the place your at... I"m not sure why restaurants refuse to say anything. Theyd rather have one table annoy the entire area than politely ask them to refrain from whatever theyre clearly doing wrong.
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Nathan Walker
Pros: Best indian buffet Ive had on this side if the bridge by far. The spice is a little warmer than most buffets, which I enjoyed, but it was by no means hot. The tandoori chicken was very well browned, and really tasty. The chicken biryani was well spiced, and better than average. The butter chicken, and pakora were above average as well. At 2:00 pm all of the meats were tender and succulent as opposed to many buffets where it is pretty dry and overcooked from sitting on the buffet steam table for too long. Cons: It was $16.00 with tax for the Sunday lunch buffet (a little on the expensive side in my opinion), and it was quite crowded. It took between 5 and 10 minutes to make a plate because of the layout, and how busy it was. The only things I got that I thought were average is the bhindi masala (spiced okra) and the naan bread. Overall: the worst thing I ate was still pretty darn good, so Im willing to pay a few more dollars, and wait in a long buffet line to get it. Id definitely go back.
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Karthik Srivatsa
The first time we went there was during the week that it opened and the we went for the friday buffet. And it was very good. I am vegetarian and it was a lot of options and all tasting great. However, I have been there 2 other times after, the latest being last week and the quality has come down, especially for the vegetarian options in the buffet. This was the first buffet in the US where there were no paneer curry options and instead there were bottle gourd (no one likes it even when made at home), some spinach like dish which tasted bland and cauliflower which was also bland and without any spice. The only good thing both times was the Chana Masala. Also, the 2 desserts available, were of the same types - Kheer, one was with rice and the other with lentils. My expectations from an Indian restaurant are very high, especially since I am from India and Deccan Spice surely is not there at the high levels consistently. Hope it improves soon.
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TANMAY B
Loved the buffet spread. Being a foodie, I have literally tried every Indian restaurant around Tampa & it was one of the best. I tried almost all dishes in buffet & was happy with the taste. Vada/Sambhar & Fish Fry was my favorite. Also liked the dal ,Chicken biriyani & chicken curries.Dessert were perfectly balanced.Loved the kheer & gulab jamun. Great ambience. Would surely visit again for al a carte. Slight improvement required for Goat roghanjosh which was too mild for my taste & had thick gravy. Curd raita was bland for my taste. Apart from that, restroom floor was wet & dirty,it just takes away from the whole dining experience.
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Ms. Carter
This place gets one star alone for being an authentic Indian cuisine restaurant within 3 mins. of work :) Used to be the old Thai place, but its been updated a little inside and I immediately noticed improvements. I am also very pleased to announce that this was a great dining experience. Buffet was full of your favorite options from vegetarian to meat dishes, staff was very pleasant and okay...Ill get to it- the FOOD. The FOOD was great! I would get here soon guys bc theyve only been open a little over a week- and once the word spreads-this place WILL become a go-to place for lunch!!
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Jesse Douglas
Not A Good Indian Restaurant. I went here with my family. We have lived in many other countries and have had EXCELLENT indian food. The food arrived luke warm with the curries spilling carelessly down the side of the tilted bowl. It was a mess. The curries themselves had no spice or real flavor. The chicken was clearly cheap, frozen chicken. My daughters chicken soup was clearly from a can. Frozen vegetables, nothing was fresh. This place is not good. I will not return. The bathroom smelled HORRIBLE and the waitress seemed sketchy. -5 stars.
