Rangoli Indian Cuisine

Reviews 4

JA

Jack Cade

I travel extensively around North America, this is (or was) some of the best Indian food on the continent. I have been coming here since shortly after they opened, I remember the little store, so that was years and years ago. The food has always been consistent and consistently RIDICULOUSLY good. Until this last time, it was good, but not right. The Murg Hara -- purred mint, cilantro, peppers, and onion, with ghee, chicken and some other deliciousness, had, mysteriously tomatoes in it today (the sauce wasnt the correct sauce, it was good but not right). Their Gobi 65 suddenly had tons of onions and was soggy and greasy instead of crispy and delicious. The problem with this place is that management cannot keep their staff -- nice people, able to run a successful business, but this should be THE destination Indian Restaurant in the area, and it is NOT. It has been a rare, rare trip to Rangoli that you see the same servers after a few month gap. That is BAD! Service is okay, but rarely exemplary -- my server today was good, but clearly not entirely settled into the system of the restaurant, my experienced (25 years in the business) eye judges that they have worked there for only a few months. They did a fine job, but would probably struggle when busy, but they could become quite good after six months or so. They clearly didnt have a great read on the customer and their mannerisms were just a touch off. This is the kind of thing that only a very astute diner or observant owner/manager with time to get to know their employee would recognize. If you cant keep staff in the hospitality industry, you are kind of in the wrong business. It is really that simple. Employees are very much like customers. They are the first line of advertising, a place with constant turn over has a mercenary attitude. Ive never, ever gotten the vibe the employees ever enjoy working there. There is always a sense of unhappiness. Now, I fear the food is next to fall into trouble. 4 Stars because I love this place, and will always go there, unless it totally falls apart. But it should be 5 stars and if it gets worse or better the review will change. I go there about 4-8 times a year -- as often as Im in the area. I am a former restaurant manager, I know of what I speak(write). To the owner/manager: you know us (think of who you saw or look up the bills). We have spoken a few times over the years. I love your restaurant, but I have never been thrilled about the atmosphere I sense behind the kitchen doorway. My decades in restaurant detects unhappiness, particularly lately. Why? Turn over, like youve had, is not acceptable. It simply isnt. It is exhausting for you and bad for your business. Also, maybe you should think of doing a full time carryout person so that you do not have to walk around with the phone in your hand all day. Just a thought. Youd probably do more carryout business because it would go smoother and you could focus on creating good team attitude among your team. The Gobi 65 with onions?!?!?!?!?! Do not become one of those Indian Restaurants. The Murg Hara was just the wrong sauce, also my veggie samosas were hot outside and cool to cold inside. Ill be back in a few months and if all is well, Ill change the review.

HE

Henry Joshua

Visited as a part of an International meet up group (28 ppl) which was prearranged and informed. I have part Indian roots and I am a foodie so you can trust me on this review :-) If Rangoli is incompetent of quality Indian food, they should at least practice giving plausible excuses. * - 1st Strike: "Manager: We couldnt serve you right because we didnt have 25 plates" ( Duh ?!?) ** - 2nd Strike: "We could only choose between a chicken assortment plate (Thali) or a veggie assortment plate for groups over 8 people". HUH ?! WHAT ?! *** - Home Run: "Food served was actually "FROM THE AFTERNOONs BUFFET" - YUCK. When confronted since I had visited their afternoon buffet, the management accepted. Now that the EEEKS part is over.Here is the "rip off" part. These left overs were to cost $17 !!! But wait where is the "Thali" anyway? A "Thali" is a big plate with smaller partitions for multiple dishes + Rice and Naan + dessert. Instead we received small bowl (max for 2 people) but to be shared for 4 people. Example there were 4 to 5 small chicken tikka pieces with little sauce to be shared for 4 people. When asked about the original version, of course they gave a fancy name for it " Family style" J. After a polite talk I was able to get $ 1.70 discount. What upsets me the most is experiencing a slice of the Indian culture went down the drain for all of em who havent tried Indian food before. Sadly many went home hungry with not enough food. A restaurant should respect a customer and provide a good experience even if the food is not 100% authentic. It is OK to say we are not capable of handling a large group upfront instead of saying Yes. I apologize to all who were disappointed, trust me extortion is not a part of Indian culture and you will enjoy much better food and culture in a different restaurant!

FO

Folchino dei Borfoni

I have no idea why Rangoli is endorsed by Hour Detroit as Metro Detroits finest Indian restaurant, other than, perhaps, the competition is not much better. The food is roughly on par with places like Ashoka in Troy, but the ambiance is better. Its a comfortable, classy place to enjoy a meal with friends or family, but the food is not special. The meat dishes are usually tough and somewhat dried-out (specifically the seekh kabob, biryani, and lamb koorma), and the vegetable dishes often look like they are prepared using frozen, pre-cut vegetable medleys. Specifically, I noted identical, flat, crinkle-cut carrots in the vegetable jalfrezi! The buffets are occasionally worthwhile, but most of the time they are not. Check the website ahead of time to see if the items on the lunch buffet appeal to you. Note that the dishes in the lunch buffet are prepared very mild, so if you want something more aggressively spiced, do not have the buffet at lunchtime. Instead, opt for something from the menu; the masala dosa is a solid lunchtime choice. In the Metro Detroit area, as far as I am concerned, there is not yet a good sit-down dinner establishment for Indian cuisine. Instead, eat at the "sweet shops" and "street food" joints that cater to Indian-American clientele. For North Indian/Punjabi dishes, Phulkari in Madison Heights is stellar, with Punjab Sweets in Troy still decent. For South Indian snacks, Sai Sweets in Troy is very good, but it is eclipsed by the newly-opened NeeHees, which serves superlatively excellent Indian foods, with an emphasis on snacks and South Indian and Gujarati dishes.

SC

Scott Aguirre

I love this place. My family and I are vegetarians and have been going to Rangoli for at least the past several years. We really love the food there. We have our favorite "go to" dishes like nargisi aloo and dal mankhani, but we occasionally branch out and try something new. My latest favorite is the palak panir. The food is always great and the service is fine. The atmosphere is nice and the management is friendly. The portions are nice and big--we always end up taking home leftovers for a day or two afterwards. Sometimes we get take-out. I think I can only remember one time over the years where something in the order was slightly off. And considering how messy Indian food can be they always do a really great job of packing up the takeout orders to prevent spills. Assuming that the quality of the food and the service remain at least as good as they are now, I will continue to give them my business.