Royal Indian Restaurant
| Address: | 1250 Emmet St N, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA |
| Phone: | +1 434-973-2288 |
| Site: | royalindianofcville.com |
| Rating: | 4.3 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 12–3PM 12–3PM |
Location
Photos 43
Reviews 11
MR
Mrinal Kumar
So Ill start with standard dissatisfied customer statement: "I wish I could give less than one star". Only difference is, I mean it. **Good ambiance but food was horrible.** Let me explain: We were super hungry after hectic hike which makes even normal food taste great but on the contrary we were disappointed at several different levels. Biryani: chicken biryani came with veggies, not just any veggies but the FROZEN ones and were super bland. Puri(wheat flour fried bread): was not just fried but burnt. Same was the papadam not slight burn but "Major Third Degree burn". Vindaloo: had exactly same veggies which was in chicken biryani. Had whole peas accompanied by turnip and asparagus. Same bland taste and to our surprise they were cut exactly the same in chicken biryani. Palak paneer: so horrible cant even describe. Again frozen vegetable mostly just microwaved. We called the server to tell her about our concerns to which she replied "I dont know where you came from but this how we make these dishes in Charlottesville". We were taken aback by this argument and had no idea what to say. This was an eye opening experience for all of us. We were fools who thought Indian food in an Indian restaurant can be only cooked in Indian food way then we discovered CHARLOTTESVILLE way. I would not deny that we were amused by CHARLOTTESVILLE way but would suggest you guys to avoid such golden opportunity. But did I say everything was BLAND. Do yourself a favor and avoid this place.
A
A google user
Daily buffet is consistent and fresh, but could do with more variety from month to month. Great option for those out of town, and evening fare is of a good standard. Now Milan is so unreliable at least its good to have somewhere that one may dine well. That being said, the lunch curries tend towards the predictable and bland, which are helped by the good condiment selection but from this diner it would be good to see a better blend between the staples mixed with a little more variety in the spices. The palette in this town deserves a little more attention and can certainly handle a little more adventure. Too safe, too same old and has become too bland. Again, dinner and a la carte experiences always good so I know what they are capable of. At least put some of it out there at lunch in one or two surprise dishes. It may just keep away that tendency to glide along.
VI
Vipin Pillai
This is the worst Indian restaurant that Ive come across in the US. We had ordered Chicken Biryani as one of the entrees. We were surprised when the dish arrived which was served with asparagus, peas, cherry tomatoes, turnips, potatoes (Yes, you read that correct). When we asked the waitress if this was just a Veg Biryani with added chicken, she agreed to this along with the justification that this is how they prepare Chicken Biryani in Charlottesville. Even the veggies were frozen veggies. We know this because we found the same set of vegetables cut in the exact same shape in Vindaloo. We had ordered 2 other chicken dishes which were equally bland and disappointing. I would never recommend this restaurant to anyone unless they want to dump reheated frozen food in their stomach.
AN
Anupama Pasumarthy
Good ambience but TERRIBLE food. Badly prepared dishes, all of them had the same vegetable base/gravy and the vegetables themselves did not have any flavor to them. Not authentic Indian cuisine, seemed like the restaurant only targets non-Indians who dont know how the dishes should taste. Ive eaten at tens of Indian restaurants in the US but none of them used asparagus, cherry tomatoes or turnips. Indian food usually does not use those, but even if they chose to go for a fusion cuisine, they definitely couldve made it taste better. Their vindaloo entree felt as though they put boiled frozen veggie mix in a poorly made gravy. Very disappointing meal overall. Will NOT recommend to any Indians. Non-Indians: please explore other restaurants.
JA
jazz king
Lol it seems some people are just use to what commercial Indian is suppose to be like as opposed to what to authentic Northern Indian food really is.... Naan NEVER COMES OUT BURNED but, every pot has its normal hot spots is part of the authentic charm of eating fresh naan made to order Ice been coming here for years now and its THE BEST Indian in the area, when your ask for mild, medium, hot or Indian hot you what you ask for... The food is AWWWWSSOMME! The service you cant any better no matter where else you go soooooo with that said..... Anyone that wants to trash a perfectly fantastic Indian restaurant really should stick to American dinner cuisine!
GI
Gina Jollofsky
Royal Indian Restaurant has the most amazing food I’ve ever tasted out of any previous Indian restaurant. The menu has so much to offer and all the dishes are cooked to perfection. What I appreciated most is that the mild dishes are truly toned down so that someone, like me, who cannot handle the very hot spices, can still enjoy the quality and flavor of the food. Apart from their superb menu, the staff is extremely friendly and accommodating. The food arrived within a reasonable time and there was plenty on your dish to enjoy.
AD
Adam Johnson
GREAT place to get Indian food. The staff was extremely friendly and VERY accommodating. They had great outdoor seating (and they had no problem with my dog sitting with me outside!) The menu was well designed and the interior was beautiful... and as for the food; sublime. Great presentation, and tasted great! I eat Indian food a lot, and out of all the Indian restaurants in Charlottesville I recommend this one. They care about your dining experience and are willing to go out of their way to make sure you have a great time.
JU
Julie
I go here with my friend and her boyfriend every-time she comes to visit him in town. Its now become a tradition of ours to go here together and I could not have asked for better service! We all love the owner, he has hooked us up with a few deals w/ desserts on the house. The food there is absolutely amazing! I highly recommend anyone whos into Indian cuisine to go to Royal Indian Restaurant. This is coming from someone who had not tried any Indian food whatsoever until I moved to Cville!
AB
Abhinav Sharma
These guys provide really good customer service in terms of paying special attention to the customers order and there dining area is also quite spacious. I found , both their vegetarian and nonvegetarian dishes to be really delicious. I would definitely recommend folks to try their Paalak paneer, Vegetarian Pulao, Garlic Naans in the main course category and the Rasgulaas in the dessert, those are my favorite.
CH
Cheryl Gillispie
When I moved from England to Virginia, one of the things I missed the most was good Indian food, then I found Royal Indian! Their Sunday buffet is wonderful, I especially love that you can get chai tea with your meal (real chai, not the stuff Starbucks calls chai)! Most of the items on the buffet are mild yet very flavourful. Excellent service every time, without fail.
LA
Laura Keppley
I have been here several times since moving to Charlottesville, and Royal Indian lunch buffet is hands-down the best buffet in town. They serve unlimited baskets of fresh naan and chai, included in the buffet, and have an excellent variety of dishes. Service is attentive and there is a very relaxed atmosphere. We look forward to the next time that we can join you!
