Good Food for the money, Good Ambience, Welcoming Front desk and Waiter. I felt it was a good bet to the other Indian restaurant. Try the cauliflower specials! and Stir fried Fish with sesame seeds and chilly chicken are few of my picks!
(5)
Jay P.
The ambience is very nice, but the quality of food in buffet wasn't upto the mark for the price. The food was very spicy and the choice was limited for the price. I would probably choose another place for a future lunch.
(3)
Neil M.
new Indian resto just opened in Dec 2011. Great food and atmosphere. Michael(part-owner) is warm and so accommodating. Henry the bartender is also very good. Gotta give it a try!
(5)
Ketan G.
gave it 2 chances, disappointed both times. I wouldn't say the food was bad, but it was like between average-below avg.
(2)
charli s.
i went there first time , restaurant looks good and service is good but the food has no taste , i don't think i go back there again
(1)
Karthik T.
Food not worth the price. and its not a Indian food. Only reason I went is bcoz i bought a Groupon,will never go back.
(1)
CS C.
Wish there was a 0 start in Yelp! This has the worst Indian restaurant amongst all in South Bay. I am pretty harsh on Indian restaurants as their food quality is very bad, but this one was serving distasteful and foul smelling food. The only thing i could eat there was the jeera rice and pakoda. Their food seems to like some leftover food from last weekend's party. They simply warm and serve the food. I wish restaurants like these shut their shops soon or get sued. When other American joints (even the cheap to-go places like McDs) can have good quality standard why cant these places ensure quality. I am sure this place doesn't make any profit, I can guess so by the free buffet coupons they were offering at SFE Dandiya concert in Santa Clara. Food Quality: -1 Ambiance and Cleanliness : 1 Parking : 5 (No one comes here, ample parking spot) Conclusion: Come here if you want to know how stale Indian food tastes/looks like.
(1)
Rohan N.
I've been a fan of Michael (the head honcho here) for a while, at his last few stops. He's always treated our family well, so when we heard about his new place we were quite intrigued. Arka took over the old Spoons location (I think?) but really spruced up the interior. It's reminiscent of the recent high end Indian restaurants (started with the Amber Santana Row and now shown at Sakoon, etc). In fact, I believe they hired the same designer as Sakoon and the similarities are obvious. The menu is heavily fusion-based but covers both North and South Indian food. Usually, this is a warning sign, as restaurants can't do both. However, Arka manages to pull it off reasonably well. We've been here 4 times so I can't remember everything we've ordered. However, the highlights include the gobi (in tomato sauce - quite good), the rava dosa (honestly the best I've had in the Bay Area since scummy Pasand closed down), and the chicken tikka cubes. Also, the fire kulcha is quite good though $5 for a naan makes me sad. All in all, good food, nice location, and good service at reasonable prices - worth a try!
(4)
Shiva V.
Had been to Arka with a few friends on a Friday night. The food was decent, the service was patchy, some things arriving very quickly while some taking a really long time. And finally when the bill arrived an item we ordered togo was not given and took us another 20 min wait to get it. And being a Friday night surprising only a handful of tables were full...! Overall an OK experience, not really looking to be there any time soon
(2)
Stephanie A.
I am super bummed about this place. When it first opened it was so awesome!! I gave it 5 stars and wanted to marry their pesto naan. Unfortunately I went back last week and had an awful food experience. I can't handle spice, and when I had gone here previously, they had been able to make things not spicy. Well, not anymore. So my face was burning off when I ate the pesto naan, so badly that I had to return it. Then I ordered the taziki sauce (which the waiter previous times had so lovingly gave me to make everything better.) and this time it came out and it was like milk. Ordered their lychee champagne drink which previously came with a lychee in it, no lychee this time. Ordered doza's as usual, had about 2/3 the filling it usually did. We went on a Sunday night and there was only one other table in there. I might go back... but only for a cocktail.
(2)
Sharon C.
Oh my GOODNESS. This place is my new favorite Indian restaurant. My bf and I found this place through Groupon and I must say -- I'll be coming back! We ordered the spicy potato cake appetizer (loved the stewed garbanzo beans on top). Then we got this eggplant crepe type thing which was really delicious with the sauce. We also ordered the goat curry...decided to go with the exotic taste...but they did not disappoint. It's hard to cook a good goat dish but the meat was tender and the spices complimented the gamey taste really well. Above all, the chicken biyrani was FANTASTIC. It came out in this souffle-looking dish with a side of yogurt sauce. OH MYYY. The yogurt sauce went really well with the dish. I will definitely be coming back for this dish. The customer service was excellent as well. Michael, the manager, made sure we got booth seating and checked on us every once in awhile to make sure everything was okay. The food came out quickly and each item was delicious. Afterwards, he gave us free desserts! Their frozen custard with noodles and basil seeds was out-of-this-worldddd! They have a nice banquet/private area in the back which my bf and I might decide to utilize for our future engagement party/rehearsal dinner. The food and service were THAT good.
(5)
Vasu P.
Foul smelling food and lassi. Worst service as well. Came twice and both times left with bad experience.
(1)
Vinny B.
This place deserves a 0 star. We went on Easter Sunday dinner and they were only serving a buffet - $18 per person. The restaurant was virtually empty - should have gotten the hint and left. We decided to give it a try - bad idea. The food seemed to be sitting on the burner for several hours - every dish was dry and flavorless. To top it all off, the restaurant was not ventilated properly so the fumes from the kitchen had me coughing all evening. The bill came and I was deciding how much tip if any I should give. My jaw dropped as I noticed they already added a 15% gratuity to the bill!!! What the hell!!??. I have heard of 15% tip added to a party of 6 or more, but it was only the 3 of us. I was so disgusted at this point that I did not even try and question the manager about it, I just wanted to get the hell out of this place. Crappy food, shady service, 15% tip automatically added to bill. Please take my advice and DO NOT come here, I won't be.
(1)
Brenda R.
What a wonderful find! The atmosphere is really cool, it feels like a hip SF restaurant, with upbeat music. The staff were very welcoming, even without a reservation. I have since made them on Open Table. My favorite dish is the Butter Chicken. When getting "take home" for a friend they recommended the Rosemary Lamb, which I tried and it was really good too. Service is good, food is great, atmoshpere fun, upbeat. My new FAVORITE restaurant!
(5)
Deepak S.
Been here quite some time .. And each time I got disappointment then before. Food is below averages, service is extremely poor( it used to be ok before) and for sure over prised. I won't recommend this for buffet at all.
(1)
Kaio B.
i am north indian who cant take a lot of spice so maybe this review is biased. i am only going to review the northern dishes to be fair. the lamb curry was too sour. the chicken biryani was dry. fried fish was yummy. everything else was too spicy. i've had better indian food in chicago which is surprising considering sunnyvale is lil india.
(3)
C S.
Ambience: Good Food : Taste is Ok How many dishes did i try : As many to determine it is ok Price: Egaspensive Worth it : Dont bite urself,, No So,,, Butt,, Always ,,, No
(3)
Jenny P.
$14 a head for lunch buffet! A tad bit on the expensive side for lunch but the selections are great! Came here for my birthday lunch and boss took care of our bill =) Butter chicken, tandori fish, etc... So many to choose from!
(5)
Tanya C.
Normally i hate dosa, but this is the only place where I will EVER eat Dosa. The chicken and naan was delicious as well. Good service from the hosts, downside - dishes had water stains on them Nonetheless, I will be returning and carefully inspecting my dishes before indulging in some delicious food!
(4)
Mamtha A.
We crashed into this place by chance.... but we dint regret it... da food was pretty gud, at least the veggie food( i'm a vegetarian)... their barwan chandi kofta had me licking for the last drop from the bowl.... Their cocktails are worth trying too.... All this counts if u can really pay dat huge bill (thats where they lose a star, frm me)
(4)
Angie I.
Fantastic Dinner! We made a reservation and accidentally showed up a little late. There were already several groups waiting for a table (none with reservations) and all of those groups were seated before us. The manager was obviously disappointed that we were asked to wait so long when we had a reservation and comp'd us with glasses of wine! The waiters were very attentive throughout the night and the food was fantastic. We tried the thyme naan which was lighter than air. It was perfect. The sauces in the dishes we tried were unique (fusion dishes) and better than I expected. Although one of the dishes wasn't as large as we had hoped, the other one was, and we left with leftovers. The pakora were quite tasty although the waitress had forgotten to bring us chutney to go with them. I'm so glad we asked for the chutney because the mint chutney in particular was very good (although not spicy). The drink menu is pretty extensive, with some interesting blended drinks. I would definitely come here again!
(5)
Cassandra E.
I dropped in here for lunch-- and was thoroughly impressed! This is by far, one of the best Indian restaurants I have been to-- I am always searching for a nice place for lunch in this area and I think we've got a winner! The staff, the ambience, the food all went above and beyond the typical indian restaurant that I've experienced. I was completely blown away by the drink menu.. tons of options.. very reasonable prices.. ;-D
(5)
Patrick R.
very good overall trip to Arka I hadn't had indian food in a long time so this was a nice little refresher on how much i liked it. the buttered chicken was absolutely mouthwatering, great flavor, perfectly done the shrimp curry dish that we also ordered was really really good. it had the kind of spice that gets your sinus's running, but not too much accompany this with garlic nan and then some rice? sounds like a good meal for me =) however, the tropical drink that came with the check in? I will definetely pass on that one again. overall, the atmosphere was really good too, the waiters were on their game, food was great, quickly seated. no real complaints about this place.
(4)
Abhishek B.
Can I please give less than 1 star. Please please please. If you love food and good music, No, Nope, Niyat, turn around son, you may end up scarring your date. Okay, imagine : A Bar, dance floor, you with your friends drinking and a bunch of kids screaming and yelling and running around. hahahaha. If you have a 6 months to 5 year old kid, an asymmetrically fat wife and you have already taken enough in your life and you can withstand any unpleasant experience, please, this is the place for you. Go ahead. I was so excited to check it out but I got the shock of my life. The owner of this place is a VERY unpleasant personality. Talk to him and you will recall all the sorrows of your life. The guy doesn't know how to smile and greet. me and my friends visited a couple of days ago and he was totally not friendly. Infact he was offensive. Come on shit hole, I am paying you. We ordered three plates of same dish and it was inconsistent all the time. The alcohol content in the drinks is also not consistent. I ordered scotch. 1st time it was too light, next time it too hard. inconsistent again. I was laughing at the fact they were asking for 10$ cover charge for an empty dance floor playing outdated Indian music. yeah yeah, women working there are pretty nice, but owner killed my mood. We also ordered Aloo tikki (potato patty) there and it tasted like shit. I think if you take the same place to India, people might start throwing stones. It is crappy as hell. Also it is super expensive. I think they are trying to do a fusion of American and Indian cultures and they failed in both. Should You go there: Definitely YES if you want to get Frustrated. hahaha I don't know why people have given 5 stars here. Not worthy. In a nutshell, this place is pathetic.
(1)
Himani G.
3.5 stars actually but rounding up to 4 since you wont b disappointed after eating here. This review is for Tandoori and entrees (have not yet tried their Dosas) 4 stars on Food & drinks, Great ambience and seating capacity / space & privacy between two tables - 1 star on Below average service :-/ this business should really work on Service considering the price they charge Must try --- bharwan chandi kofta!
(4)
Sangeeta L.
Who knew a trendy indian restaurant that plays techno existed on el camino! Overall i think the Ambiance and the service was fantastic but they should work on the overall menu and it being what is exactly described in the Menu. I really enjoyed the Original Dosa. The masala was very tasteful but the Vegetarian Kofta lacked the flavors i was looking for from the description. Also, it wouldn't hurt if the food was served right when i was made so when it comes out to the table its not warm but rather hot!
(3)
Alexandra P.
My hubby and I decided to go to Arka again last night and I just had to post a revision to my last review of this place. It is by far one of my favorite places to go! Trying to eat vegan and gluten free is a nightmare going out to restaurants but they make it so easy here. We ended up ordering a ton of food and could barely force ourselves to finish...but we did. Kaccha kele aur palak pakora -Fried plantain fritters with spinach and chutney (Amazing!) Eggplant dosa -Eggplant and pepper filled a flaky crepe like bread with three sauces (So rich) Jeera mutter pulao -Basmati rice with peas with a hint of clove (cook to perfection) Bhindi la jwaab -Okra with onions, pomegranate seeds, and mango (really amazing but I couldn't taste the pomegranate and mango) Tiffany was our server and she was simply amazing. She made sure we were constantly taken care of and spent a while explaining a special drink menu for the night. I'm going to ask for her next time we come here because she is just so informed about the menu, friendly, and prompt.
(5)
Dawnmarie S.
The service was a bit unorganized, but I assume it's because the restaurant is brand new. The food more than made up for it. I don't recall the real names, so I'll try to pinpoint the dishes we had, which were SO many. Full bar + good wines. Loved the eggplant dish, fried potatoes, cauliflower dish, pesto crape-style dish, pot-pie style dish, and goat curry. We had so much more but I can't recall. I can't wait to go back again.
(4)
En J.
Disappointed! Since the buffet was not impressive at all, I was hesitant to try Arka for dinner but was taken for a family dinner. Let's start with the service, I would give them two stars for the service. To sum it up, laid back attitude, over flowing messy drinks, cold food and no refills on water all night. We were a big group so we were seated in the back room but seems like our servers totally forget about us. The food was Eek! and a bigger MEH! since Arka's menu is led by Sachin Chopra. Agreed! All Spice in San Mateo may be sucking up all your time Sachin but how can your team go wrong with basic Butter Chicken? Extremely salty! We tried the Dosa, chola bhatura, panner tikka and chicken 65 and a bunch of more things, nothing impressed me. The bhindi, had no bhindi, I could only see a broth of tomatoes. The fish was surely stale. Nan/Roti was warm, the whole idea of eating Indian food at a restaurant is to be served fresh bread, just FYI! The dessert menu was very limited, unlike All Spice or even Amber/Sakoon, what happened to all the creative Indian desserts? I did try the kulfi falooda, rock solid lump of ice with no flavor.
(1)
Hariharan S.
1) Well organized buffet 2) Food taste not that great 3) Ambiance is good 4) Bad attitude from the staff 5) Manager was Rude, not a right choice for hospitality 6) Served Lassi in a coffee TOGO cup for $4 (Approx), running short of TOGO glasses. 7) Felt too expensive for the price. Can get better buffet for the same price in Bay area 8) Not recommended for Indian food 9) Not recommended to visit again 10) Management may consider educating the staff about hospitality
(1)
Ros M.
I like the vibe at this place, but nothing is ever consistent. Every time you order a dish, its never with the same flavors that you had it the first time you liked it. They just improvise and add whatever is in the kitchen and mix it. I also prefer female bartenders here. They seem to know their stuff and be very friendly, social, and attentive (although sometimes I'm disappointed at their cheap, slutty clothing. They cant bend over without asses showing). The men bartenders just walk all over the place serving and multitasking. Plus when you ask them for a suggestion they have no clue what to say because they are busy and frazzled.. BARTENDERS DONT LEAVE THEIR BARS, AND THEY KNOW DRINKS VERY WELL. You always have to wait 5 mins for a bartender to return here. Even with only 3 people seated there. Pros: The music is good, the decor is sophisticated. The manager Michael is kind and friendly, helpful. Cons: Food sort of sucks and is bland, and dry. Sauce is important with appetizers and should compliment a dish. I was served calamari with a yellowish mustard sauce once. disgusting. Had a great first impression a week after they opened, so I will give it another shot after having 2 bad visits here. Only because I live very close by
(2)
Tan H.
We had a football game that we won, and the guy in our team has a birthday party. He's Indian of course, so to make up his birthday ,and for the win, we ate at Arka's. It was not the way I'm supposed to experience eating at a Indian Restaurant like this. First off, none of my teammates were Indian, except this guy i'm going to talk about. We never ate at a Indian restaurant, except him, so it was very weird. When we got there, i ordered what looked pretty good, the Garlic Naan. AWFUL food. I wasn't the only one, My teammates got the same thing since they didn't know how to order. The look on their faces says it all. The Naan was mushy, no flavor, and when i picked it up, it was streaming slowly from the side. I asked my teammates if it wasn't me, and they just said it had no flavor, completely BLAND. We only ordered a glass of water after that. The waiter did ask us politely if we wanted to eat something else, but since we didnt know what to order, we said it was fine.I did give it one more star, because my Friend had a wonderful time, possibly because he knew how to order Not the best Indian restaurant experience.
(2)
Stanley C.
ARKA This is by far, the nicest-looking Indian buffet I have ever been to. Not only does Arka offer an Indian buffet, but it is also a lounge and bar also. Came here today with the Wednesday Lunch Club and had ourselves one big lunch. The buffet included goat curry, curry fish, fried fish, tandoori chicken, etc. Lots of choose from. Tops were the fried fish and goat curry. The tandoori chicken was a bit tasteless and not the deep red that I am accustomed to. There were many desserts to choose from, which made the ending to a big lunch all the more enjoyable. Excellent service! This is the only Indian buffet that I know of that has fish as part of the menu, so eat up!
(3)
Sean A.
Went for Friday Lunch Buffet , Really enjoyed the food . Appetizers - Apollo Fish , Charminar Chicken , Madras Bonda Apollo Fish was good could have been better , the masala was just a dressing and did not soak into the dish . Charminar chicken was perfect , cruchy moist and well spiced Main Course Doodhiya Gost , Chicken Biryani were very tasty . Doodhiya gost was my favourite dish in the buffet. Unfortunately butter chicken was ordinary.Goan Goat curry was inedible too satly. Dessert - Loved the Mango Souffle and Cranberry burfi. Tasty food , creative menu and rich ingredients will make me go back to their buffet again. Might not venture into dinner as the price is high and chef does seem to miss the mark on a few dishes. Not a great deal of variety vegetarians although Hyderabadi vegetarian biryani , Eggplant south Indian curry were tasty . Final Verdict - Good Deal for Lunch , might not try dinner for a few months..until they refine their dishes.
(4)
Amy R.
We first went to this restaurant not long after it first opened. We live just down the street, so after a good experience the first time, we have gone back a couple of times. The second two times were nowhere near as good as the first. We tried some other dishes on the menu and just didn't like them. And the service wasn't anywhere near as good either. There are far better Indian restaurants in this area so we won't bother coming back to this one again.
(2)
Ashutosh S.
Had lunch (buffet 09/22) and this was by far my worst experience of any indian restaurants in US. Not only was the food below average and weird, they were short on naans and when me (and other customers) asked for it, the server went inside only to be told by the chef that he is not interested in making naans !!! So all of us had to do with rice, can you believe it? I could hear staff arguing inside, server tried to make sense in to the cooking staff but no luck, finally we walked out after paying for eating crap. Never going to come back to this place again
(2)
Uma V.
Good food, great service, awesome ambience... Hard to find good, clean Indian places that is good for a nice dinner outing. This place definitely fits the bill. We recently catered for our son's graduation party and they went above and beyond and catered amazing food! Will definitely recommend...
(5)
P M.
WORST experience ever! Three out of five items we ordered were stale and smelled terrible. Service was horrible. We had to wait for more than half n hour just to be served water. The worst of all was the manager/owner - very very rude and ill mannered. I have been to many Indian restaurants in bay area, Arka is the worst of all.
(1)
Brian V.
NOT RECOMMENDED! A week ago, I found this place on Yelp while I was in the area. I was craving some Indian food so my friends and I decided to try this place out. Long story short, I was very disappointed with both the food and service. I can't comprehend how this place could mess up on butter chicken... but they did. The dish they served to me was very bland and cold as if though the food was premade and reheated. I was very disappointed and it left a bad impression of Indian food to my friend. Save your time and money and find a better place...
(1)
Raja V.
Terrible food, a blight on El Curry Real, the great Indian beltway The owners of Sakoon (Srini Battu) and General Manager Michael took over the iconic Spoons. Spoons shut down its doors couple of years back, due to the Curry-ization of El Camino Real. Srini and Michael have a bar area,, buffet during lunch and menu inspired by All Spice chef and co-owner Sachin. The expectations are set really high with ample parking, great foyer area and excellent front-end staff. However, once you start ordering food and putting the morsels into your mouth, the expectations go down faster than the food. My wife ordered Blue ginger Cauliflower based on the waiter's recommendation, Erin Brokovich would have been pissed at the metallic taste and reported them to EPA. The main course was Chandi Kofta and Bhindi Masala. Chandi means Silver in Hindi, but this Kofta looked and tasted like chalk, which is not surprising given the current price of Silver. Bhindi is Okra in Hindi, but this is so easy to make, we are still wondering how they slimed their way through this tasteless preparation that is an insult to any Indian kitchen. Being the fairminded bay area citizens, we visited them for the lunch buffet and the disappointment was Super-sized. Avoid Arka, the same advise holds good for the flowering plant, Arka, Indian for the poisonous Milkweed. Your preventing you from Curry-Hell friend, Fred
(1)
Leslie I.
The food here is sooooo good! It is not authentic Indian food, but they have made some great fusion dishes that really wowed me. The atmosphere is also great, it is most tastfully decorated place I have ever eaten Indian food in. The menu is quite large, so my friend and I tried a variety of things: 1) Ginger Califlower (appitizer): so good, really crisy on the outside 2) Fish curry: my favorite dish of the night, soft pieces of fish swimming in yummy sauce 2) Spinach curry with potatoes: very good, an excellent texture 3) Chicken biryani: I don't remember the exact name, but it was good, and comes with a fancy naan topper over the dish 4) Eggplant dosa: not what I usually think of when I think "dosa", but then again I don't usually like dosa and I liked this The wine list is extensive, however, they claim to support local California wines, but they don't have any of them by the glass, so I was a little disappointed. I did really like the "14 Hands" Cab I ordered though, so I shouldn't complain. In weird notes, they were completely out of top shelf vodka, so when my friend ordered a cosmo she couldn't have it with grey goose, ketel one, or belvedere, which was unexpected. The wait staff were very nice, it was a slow night (Tuesdays aren't hopping) so we recieved alot of attention. Overall, I enjoyed the expereince and I would go back!
(4)
Sarah S.
I definitely need to take off a couple of stars. The quality of the food has definitely dropped. I used to come here pretty frequently because of the awesome groupon offer and my love for tandoori but the last couple of times I've been it just hasn't been great. There was almost no meat on the chicken and I swear the tandoor sampler doesn't have as much as they used to! It also tasted old (as if it was reheated). I'm pretty bummed that this has happened to me twice already!
(2)
beno h.
it's about time a really good restaurant took over this nice location at the corner of el camino and fair oaks. i remember when it used to be a "spoons," which was something like chili's. anyway, arka is a very chic and modern indian restaurant. my favourite aspect of arka is how they have a decent grasp of modern nutrition and label items on their menu as gluten.free. i'm on a gluten.free, grain.free, almost.paleo diet. i sometimes really miss naan, biryani, and desserts at indian restaurants. however, i love ordering tandoori meats, curries, fresh vegetables, and salads. when i do indian buffet, i usually pile on the greens and then fill up on meats. i like how the salads at arka's buffet are actually nice. at indian buffets, i'm used to putting up with sort of mediocre salads; but they actually have like nice mixed greens and fresh cucumbers and tomatoes, etc. i like the tandoori chicken here. when you order it off the menu, it's organic. at the buffet, i'm guessing it is as well, but i guess i don't know for sure. i also like the goat and fish curries at the buffet. this is a really classy joint with a loungey atmosphere. a lot of the time, they place nice electronic dance music in the background. the dining rooms are well decorated, and they have a full bar. the website shows the monday through thursday lunch buffet price as $11.95. I did however get charged the friday through sunday price of $12.95 on a tuesday but didn't catch that until too late. the place does often sell discounts through groupon, either as a featured deal or as a groupon now deal. you can also make reservations for this place on opentable.com , which is nice.
(4)
Gail M.
We tried to order from them at 9:45, but they told us they were closed even though their hours are till 10. We definitely won't be back. Too bad because we actually enjoyed their biryani.
(1)
George L.
I had lunch here and it was decent. The spice levels were pretty good although the depth of flavor in the food could have been better. I did like the Tandoori Chicken and the goat curry. The naan was pretty good, but it.was just in a big cauldron, instead of individual baskets. The service was decent. My water glass was refilled frequently, but my dirty plates lingered, even though the restaurant wasn't busy. I might be back if i was in the area and in the mood for Indian food, but there are other options nearby as well.
(3)
Brandon C.
If the only thing that mattered about a restaurant was the food then Arka would easily get 5 stars. They start you off with an Indian version of chips and salsa. It consists of two tasty sauces, one green, one red, coupled with these chip/crackers that are softer than standard tortilla chips. I ordered the butter chicken which came out the way I like my food, searing hot. The tomato based sauce was creamy, spiced nicely, and soaked into the perfectly crispy naan. The reason Arka earns two stars is because they have a massive cockroach infestation! Two crawled on our table and three of them descended down the wall toward us. I would return for the food, but not until they get the place fumigated.
(2)
SATHEESH S.
This place is average. It was 8 45 on a Friday night and they told that they are out of chicken. The only chicken dish they had was the chicken biriyani. We ordered an egg Dosa and that was too salty. We asked them for a replacement and it took for ever to come. They did offer us a complementary desert, but the over all experience was just average.
(3)
Harshit K.
Could have been a could place - but has extremely poor management. I went here 6 months ago, and I had a good experience. My recent experience was horrendous . 1. The place is extremely overpriced - at-least for the quality they offer. 2. They did have have good printed Menus. They placed photocopies of a Menu card on the table ! 3. I did a yelp checking, and it offered a free Indian Colada with any entree. I showed the offer and placed the order, but the free drink never showed up ! 4. Food was very bad. Kofta was undercooked, and dal did not have enough salt. Romaali roti was rubbery. 5. No salt/pepper on the table, you have to ask for it. 6. Although the food wasn't great, I decided to to-go it. They offered to pack, but when I went home, I discoved they simply threw-in the breads in the paper bag, instead of using a foil or a box! 7. They pre-chared a 15% tip on a bill in a group of 4 people. This is usually done by places where they know that people wouldn't tip due to their poor service.
(1)
A K.
Overpriced, Oily Food, Rude Management... I totally agree with the rest of reviews here..The food is not that great and it's ridiculously overpriced for the taste. This tops the worst Indian restaurants in Sunnyvale... Do NOT consider this place if you are trying out Indian food for the first time.. There are lots of other good indian restaurants nearby..
(1)
Stephanie A.
This review is for their dinner. I have yet to try the lunch buffet. My friend and I were totally "wow"ed by both the menu and the ambiance of this restaurant. We came when it was just a couple of months old and the food and service were all amazing. In particular, I love that there are so many options for me being vegan, and my friend who was not vegan. They also have notations on the menu to indicate what is vegan and gluten free so my husband (gluten sensitive) will definitely be coming here with me soon!
(5)
Namita A.
I was a little worried when I saw the mixed reviews of this place, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with this place. The ambience inside is great, and the restaurant is quite large. My friend and I had the pink yumberry's which were awesome. We started out with chili chicken and aaloo tikki, which were both delicious and huge portions. If you cant handle spice though, watch out for the chili chicken, but fortunately i enjoy the burn! We split a dosa, which i was hoping would have a little more kick to it, but I get it--have to cater to the non-indians too. We split a dessert too -- the lemongrass creme brulee which doesnt sound too appetizing but it was YUMMMMY! All in all, I am pretty excited about this place and really want to go back for a date night with the hubby.
(4)
Gregory N.
Food was 4-star, but prices were high, and service poor. The back room was great for meetup purposes, but the food merely good. Plus, those that ordered the naan got it wrong--the crunchy, thin, dry kind vs. the soft, bluffy, warm which I love.
(3)
Hollie S.
We went to Arka for a date night around 5 pm, made a reservation and walked in laughing. There were 5 other people there. It was a weeknight, so it does make sensel. If you want a bustling vibe, go later in the night for sure. I've heard it gets busy later in the day with the working crowd. The decor is interesting, modern, bright colors, hip. The music is sort of club'ish, which could be fun at night. There is ALOT of seating, and a few great looking booths for bigger groups. The menus were kind of grungy and our waiter wasn't exactly helpful when I was asking questions but I'm not too fussy. He also forgot about our appetizer, but in the end gave us a free little dessert and also a free cocktail!! The chefs serve "fusion" dishes which combine Indian cuisine with many other cultures, which is interesting and fun. They have a GREAT craft beer selection my husband was raving over. I got the butter chicken and LOVED it. You have to order rice on the side, it doesn't come with it. The food impressed me. If you decide to sit at the bar, they have a happy hour every day. I think this would be a great place to come later at night for apps and cocktails with friends. I would go back for sure!
(3)
Phil G.
We took a friend out for his birthday dinner here and were less than impressed. You know a place is underwhelming when you make fun of it on your drive home. We arrived and the greeter at the front seemed overwhelmed although the place was 75% empty. It took ten minutes to get a seat and the greeters phone was ringing loudly in the front area the whole time. We sat down and were then handed BADLY printed PAPER menus that were stapled together and even soiled........seriously, WTF. We brushed it off after a couple of jokes but had trouble reading said paper menus because the copies were slightly illegible. After deciding what to get we ordered. The food was decent, we had the butter chicken, yogurt and mushroom dish, and shrimp in red sauce, rice and Naan. Good enough but nothing exceptional. They had Chimay beer on tap, which was a nice treat. After we finished and were busy talking they handed us the dessert menus and guess what, they were also printed on paper and VERY soiled. I was almost embarrassed for the guy handing me this nasty little dirty dessert menu. The waiter then came to our table to ask how everything was and proceeded to complain about his long commute home later and how he was tired. He was basically telling us to get out. I've worked in the food industry and a big no-no is complaining to the guests about anything. You are there to help and make them feel they are cared for while dining. I still tipped well as I felt sorry for him, but lack of professionalism much...sheesh. I left the place slightly hungry and a bit grossed out. Arka, you guys had better get your shit together. I feel that clean, legible menus that don't look like cheap pamphlets are a bit more important than my waiter wearing a dress tie. Overall I would not go back and much prefer Sitar Express for Indian food and House of kabobs for Persian cuisine. yelp.com/biz/sitar-expre… yelp.com/biz/house-of-ka…
(1)
Kevin R.
Buffet - I've been to the buffet 4 times or so. There is a nice selection compared to most Indian buffet's in town. The food is enjoyable, which is why I've gone multiple times. It's 13$ for the buffet, which is not competitive for the area, and not worth the price IMO. Each time I've gone it's been with a Groupon type deal, which then makes the price competitive.
(4)
Albert H.
If you dine at upscale Indian restaurants in Silicon Valley for long enough, you begin to see patterns. Amber India's ever expanding empire, Sachin Chopra leaving his mark at Mantra and then Sakoon before fleeing further north, the same servers and managers popping up at different restaurants as their fortunes rise and fall with the tides. It is my perception that the new Arka forms sort of a high water mark - for at least the time being, most of the *really* good folks have washed up here. It's a beautiful restaurant - not so much hip as modern, with some east coast sensibilities. Not as over-the-top as Sakoon or Amber's Santana Row shop, it's a welcoming, warmly bright and tasteful space. The large and comfortable bar out front is just a little more edgy, without going too far. Their modern, professional design extends to the menu, with its clear indications of gluten-free and vegan dishes. Sachin Chopra is their consulting chef ( he spends most of his time running All Spice - an excellent little place up in San Mateo ), and this menu will be familiar to those who have had his take on Indian food before. He misses none of the standards, but leaves some pleasant surprises for those looking to go further afield. Dark, savory, almost smoky tastes prevail, with plenty of interesting fresh breads, excellent seafood dishes, many dishes featuring dried fruit and nut flavors. Prices are surprisingly reasonable, given the high-end nature of the restaurant. We especially enjoyed the lal belpuri appetizer, a delightfully flavored potato and beet salad, served cold. Macchi samhariya, a lightly fried fish in a wonderfully spicy masala, was excellent as well. The bar program is good. They have a large and widely-ranging selection of draft beers, with something for every taste. Quite some thought seems to have gone into the wine list as well, with a special emphasis on west coast wines and even offering a couple flights. The specialty cocktails are approachable and easy to drink, with a couple very unique combinations available. We liked the "pisco amigo" and "smoky and the bandit". Their happy hour runs 3-7pm and 9pm to close, seven days a week. Service was friendly and remarkably practiced for a restaurant that has only been open a week or so. The place has a lot of promise, and already ranks among the best in the South Bay in my book.
(4)
Kartik K.
The quality has drastically gone down since they started, Their breads are still pretty decent though ( especially the Pesto naan) A lot of the good staff at Arka have also vanished
(2)
Greg B.
Been here twice, once for lunch (buffet) and once for dinner. Lunch Buffet: Good, found the better majority of offerings to be satisfying if not downright tasty. Some were a bit spicy for my palette but that sort of comes with the territory. Good value as well. Dinner: Disappointing, service was slow and awkward, but it was packed. Both entrees were comparable to what is served at lunch time but at least they don't skimp on portion size. What was skimped on was the outrageously priced beer in a tiny glass! Lame. Won't be back for dinner. Lunch, sure. The place is suitable, contemporary trying to be trendy. Get's the job done for a date.
(3)
M R.
Review for the Saturday buffet... Walk in at noon.Some of the featured items on the buffet like the biriyanis were not out yet, and some Curries too,I forget which ones. Fine, we thought we'll start with the appetizers : the veggie fritters, the chaat items, and tandoori chicken.The fritters were brown on the outside and completely raw inside, they were huge, so obviously they weren't cooked all the way through. Plus they were way too salty. The chaat was extremely salty...and I'm not just saying that. I love my salt..and I have a sense of appropriate amounts of salt...Tandoori ckn was good. Anyways...on to lunch...picked up some Curries, more tandoori,noticed that the biriyanis weren't out yet..looked like the naan was to be served at the table...went back to the table....asked the server for naan, his reply: 'didn't you pick it up from the buffet? It's supposed to be there'...he went to go look, came back 10 mins later with a plate of cool naan, turns out naan was to be served table side...by this time, our food is cold, but we're hungry, so we dig in. Most of the Curries tasted like the spice was not allowed to cook, tasted very spicy as a result...not a fan of under cooked spices...and again way to salty... Tried a small portion of the much awaited biriyani - again, under cooked spices...we were very put off by this time. Still tried out the dessert - they were okay.. Then they messed up our check and lost our credit card for a good 20 minutes, they brought out someone else's card....took them so long to rectify... There were too many waiters running around, looking like they were very busy, most tables were empty....so, wonder what they were up to...anyways...don't care..not going back, not recommending..
(1)
Sanchan S.
We tried this place and really enjoyed it. I ordered chicken biryani - it was wrapped in some bread and the presentation was really impressive. The biryani was really flavorful and the chicken was really succulent and well done. My wife ordered South Indian dosa - the presentation, once again, was really good. But the sambhar was very different from anything she has ever tried before. She says that she will stick with north Indian next time :-) The best part - their kulfi faluda. I haven't had this good of a kulfi in a really long time...a must have for everybody. Overall, a must try for bay area folks who enjoy great ambiance, flavorful north indian food and a great customer service.
(4)
Jay F.
A solid new Indian restaurant in Sunnyvale, Arka does not disappoint in food, drink, or desert. I was not disappointed with any of the menu items (and I tried several) and the service was great. What really makes this place stand out over similar restaurants though is their phenomenal bartender. Make sure it's Henry making your drinks and you're assured of a good night out. Highly recommended
(5)
Edward A.
Everything about this place clicks. Came with my daughter and wife on a Sunday night. Was pretty quiet so the waitress was superattentive (kind of reminded my wife of Reece Witherspoon in Legally blond -- in a good way). The dishes are very reasonably priced and absolutely delicious. I ordered the biryani, which was great and was served in a huge portion. I don't live in the area, but if I did I'd definitely be a regular.
(4)
Vinod P.
This is a brand spanking new Indian restaurant in Sunnyvale started by folks who have played a major role in the running of several upscale South Bay Indian restaurants like Amber and Sakoon. We visited Arka for dinner within its first week of opening and spent an enjoyable evening sampling the many different appetizers on the menu. The macchi sambhariya was spicy and delicious and the charminar chicken 65 was succulent and tasty. There was another chicken appetizer that was sent to us, courtesy of the manager, that we thoroughly enjoyed. For our main course we had the Nizami Goat curry and Bhindi la Jawab, both of which were lip-smacking and paired very well with garlic chilli naan. Overall, this is a promising new Indian restaurant that will be a good alternative to some of the established fine Indian dining spots in the bay area.
(5)
Renee L.
You know when you're in a mixed group of friends and everyone wants to go out to Indian food, but there's always that one "Oh! I don't do Indian food" friend? Arka is your answer to this common predicament. Why do I know this? because I am usually the non Indian food loving friend. This place has significantly weakened my long held apathy. So delicious. It is not strictly traditional Indian, many of the dishes have a California twist. My favorite dish so far: Bhindi la Jwaab - okra, pomegranates and green mango. amazing- I particularly enjoyed that they didn't mince or slice the okra - they left it pretty whole so you could actually taste it. I also enjoyed the Akra Shrimp Curry and the Vanilla Cardamom parantha (great for soaking up the last drops of the tasty curry) The mango lassi was thick and not too sweet. I liked the interesting low light fixtures making the rather large restaurant feel more intimate. The service was quick and friendly. The owners also like to find things locally when they can, thus the specials are always interesting tasty fusions not to be missed. I will definitely be back
(5)
J Z.
This is the old Spoons location. It's big and trendy but... Management of this place left a bad impression. Food was ok, nothing to rave or say nay about. We had the buffet on a Monday, they charged us for a Friday and Weekend price. I didn't notice this until we'd left shocked that there was also a 18% service charge for buffet. Thank you for charging us to take our water orders. Better places to spend your money in this area if you want good Indian Cuisine.
(1)
Govind S.
I have been going to Arka for a while now and I have always come back being fully satisfied. This place has some great food especially for the prices, and it isn't your usual Indian fare. The service here has been excellent every time I have been there and the people have been always able to accommodate requests. I would definitively continue going there (being a couple of blocks away from my house makes it easy) and would recommend people to go out and give this guys a try (I dont think you will be disappointed)
(5)
Evonne L.
Decent place for happy hour. $5 cocktails and similarly priced appetizer foods. The drinks weren't too watered down either, which is always good for any happy hour. The HH menu wasn't super expensive, but if you just want bar-grub type food, it works just fine. There's also a regular menu that you can order from. They have pretty tasty Indian dishes. We got the egg, chive, naan dish and it was really quite tasty! Only complaint was that service was really slow at the beginning. I sat for a long time waiting to receive a menu (even though there was only one other table of customers in the restaurant), and then when I did finally get a waiter to stop by, he forgot all about the menu until another 10 minutes goes by. Strange.
(3)
Anna V.
Beware: check your credit card statements! We saw a second charge, for another tip amount, dated the day after the original charges.
(1)
Geri W.
A new twist on Indian flavor... Some dishes familiar, other ones novel. Fancy and flirty and fun!
(5)
JD L.
This place does everything wrong. The food is boring and bland, the music is loud and bad, it is too big and it is not very clean. The day I went they charged a mandatory 18% service charge when there was NO SERVICE due to it being a buffet. I recommend going somewhere that the food is good - like Taste Buds.
(1)
bindu m.
Terrible, stale cold food avoid this place for buffet lunch. We went to Arka on a Sunday first just to check what dishes they serve on buffet, but when I went to have lunch there on Monday it was the exact same dishes they serve old stale food poor service glasses were not washed well and smelled of eggs Yuk....
(1)
Vishal K.
The Buffet was really good. Palak panneer especially was very good
(4)
anjali r.
Overpriced, spicy food (even when we asked for mild, and explicitly told them that a couple of the dishes would be eaten primarily by my 3-yr old). Unbelievably slow service from the bar (our 2 cocktails and 3 juices came after the appetizer and after 1 entree!). We were seated at a tiny booth table for 5 of us once they realized my daughter would be in a high chair. You know they put you at too small a table when every time they bring a glass or dish, they hover for a moment first, perplexing over where to put it, leaving it up to us to stop our conversation and reorganize the table to use every square inch. The place was mostly empty when we got there so they could have easily given us a bigger table. This was our second shot at the place - and will be our last.
(2)
Chitra S.
We went here for lunch few weeks after opening. It was a buffet style lunch and for $11. 99 was a steal. The variety was great and the buffet items were a good mix of regional specialties. Ambiance is very good and the service was excellent. Can't wait to try dinner.
(4)
Radhika D.
There was a rat in the restaurant! The server was at our table and he acted like it was a regular occurrence. To top this, the food was bland & tasteless. I will never ever dine here again.
(1)
Karen H.
Had a great dinner here with a group of five friends on a recent Friday night. I made a reservation on OpenTable and we were seated in a nice large booth with plenty of space. This place is definitely on par with other upscale Indian restaurants in the Bay Area - good food, beautiful space, awesome cocktails and Belgian beer flights (pretty much unheard of at Indian restaurants). I also found the prices to be quite reasonable for this type of place (For example, a $3 Port with any dessert - kind of amazing). Our favorite dish was definitely the biryani, but everything was quite good (note that the appetizer portions are somewhat small, but the entrees are big). -1 star for service. A couple of our drink orders took awhile to come, and weren't timed well with the meals, and the waiter (who appeared to be young and newish) made some quite awkward efforts at making conversation. Is this the best, most authentic Indian food in the entire South Bay? Probably not. But if you appreciate a nice cocktail with your meal, or want to celebrate a night out with friends, definitely give Arka a try.
(4)
Lucy M.
Came here for dinner and the place was empty. Service was attentive, helpful, very friendly and nice. I ordered tandoori chicken - and wow! They literally gave me an entire chicken (a very small one). For what we ordered, we could have gotten 1/2 as much and shared and that would have been plenty. I enjoyed the food.
(4)
Sonu K.
First they added 15% gratuity for a party of 4. In addition, questionable billing practices used with no reasonable explanation. When asked to explain, we were told-We do the same for all our customer, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! WOW!! For food--Very greasy food. Uncooked naans. Avoid and if cant check your bill................
(1)
Eddie I.
Excellent Place. We enjoyed the food. Very High Quality. Excellent Service. ***** 5 STARS. We plan to come here atleast 1/month with the whole family.e
Horrible. We sat on table next to kitchen door. After 15min, cockroaches started coming out from the wall painting. We moved to next table. Not sure about food as I couldn't get those cockroaches out of my head. Never going there
(1)
L K.
I've been to Arka about a dozen times now, and what keeps me (and everyone i bring) coming back, is hands-down the cocktails. Their male bartender, his name is Henry, is AMAZING. His 'mezcal zorro' is the best cocktail I've ever had!! The 'pink yumberry' also doesn't disappoint, nor do the wine flights or beer pairings. - he's the most helpful,relaxed, bartender ever - never pushy, just great suggestions for pairings/food. The atmosphere is also fantastic, you'd never expect it to be so hip and well designed inside from the exterior - well done! In terms of food, we've had hits and misses. The only reason I wouldn't rate them 5 stars is because of the food on 2-3 of the visits - the food all just tasted like straight tomato paste/sauce with no heat or salt, like many other yelpers have said (but i think they're past that phase). But the bar, service, and design, is certainly 5-star worthy (especially for Sunnyvale!). LOVE: -patiala allo tikki (potato cakes w/ curried chickpeas) -his majesty's chili chicken (the perfect level of spicy, love the nuts) -organic tandoori chicken (get the whole chicken, not the cubes, it's much better that way) - butter chicken (on good nights) - bhuna gobhi (curried cauliflower, also the perfect level of spicy) - masala bundh gobhi (brussel sprout masala, the sprouts were so good and still crisp, not overcooked, which we loved!) - dil aloo (potatoes with dill and mustard - great for folks who don't like heat/curry, or a great neutral accompaniment to a spicier dish) - coconut curried vegetables - anari aloo naan!! (it has ginger, potato, and pomegranate seeds stuffed inside (!), soo good to sop up spicy sauce with) - garlic chili naan - fragrant jasmine rice summary: go to the bar, and get some great cocktails with some spicy food or bar-bites and chase down that mezcal with some spiced bar peanuts - you'll go home a happy human. they're open late too!
(4)
silvia d.
Food ranges between the phenomenal (the dosas are to.die.for) and the just OK (many of the vegetarian and meat entrees). Overall, the menu is just way overpriced. Many dishes cost a scandalous $13 (and up) but they taste pretty average and should be, instead, around $8.
(3)
Monica B.
Not impressed at all. Went here a couple months ago, and the food was NOT tasty or flavorful at all... Especially for the high prices. Have had MUCH better Indian food in the bay area. One star = effort. Trying to make it into a fusion restaurant, but the flavors are just not right.
(1)
M G.
worst customer service experience in bay area, and food also tastes horrible, we used groupon here but even with groupon not worth it. so many thins that are bad here 1. bad customer service 2. bad food 3. bad bartender, he is making each drink in like 10 mins 4. dull atmosphere good: nothing
(1)
Aalok S.
A new kid on the old intersection. The best part of this place is ambiance. There are not many Indian restaurant in Sunnyvale with good ambiance. This place is elegantly decorated, spacious and good for small events. I have been here twice, the food is of acceptable quality. I loved the cheese spinach kababs. The buffet was not refilled often and the service was not frequent. Though the manager was quite good and he acted quickly on request. I would ideally give 3.5 stars to this place. Update: My subsequent visits were less than satisfactory. Though ambiance remains cool, food quality has degraded substantially.
(3)
Sunil S.
I really liked going to this place at first because they had some very good dishes. Their service used to be OK, but not bad. All that changed in the recent few months - in the last few visits to this place, the food quality deteriorated and the service went from bad to abysmal (more on the service in a bit). Their buffet especially is terrible - most of the dishes were cold (even the tea that was served) and tasteless. Service has never been their main focus, but in the recent times, they are just plain rude. The waiters don't apologize for messing up or completely forgetting dishes,.. in fact, they don't even show up for a long time! The only reason we went there the last few times was because they had a groupon offer for almost 50% off. One of the servers gave us a 50% coupon and told us to use that instead of groupon the next time - we were actually impressed at that gesture. Turns out, it was only to make us come back - they never honored it when we tried to use it. The manager gave us a ridiculous excuse saying since it's not valid with other promotions, we cannot use it on the Christmas special buffet - given the fact that they were charging more than usual for that buffet + automatically adding gratuity (dunno why you would add gratuity for buffet in the first place!), I don't see how it was a promotion! So we ended up paying around $20 (per person) for an awful buffet and horrendous service. AVOID this place, there are many better Indian restaurants in the bay area that have better food and service.
(1)
Mona S.
My husband and I came here for dinner tonight. We are absolute foodies and I really wanted something very flavorful. The tandoori chicken was the worst tandoori chicken I've ever had! I only took a bite, same with my husband and we left the rest. It actually looks tasty, but don't be fooled its horrible! Doesn't taste like it was in a tandoor and is actually quite bitter. The quality of meat was lacking too. Now on the flip side the butter chicken was amazing! It was spiced just right and rich in flavor. Quality of meat was good. Unfortunately they still charged us for the tandoori chicken that we didn't even eat, which I thought was ridiculous. The server clearly didn't have authority to make things right. What an absolute waste of $14! Their garlic naan was hard as a rock! However their roomali roti was good. It's hard to rate this place since the tandoori chicken and naan were horrible, yet the butter chicken and roomali was delicious.
(2)
Amy M.
We had to try it on a Friday night. No reservations, but we were seated promptly. They have their own parking lot and we had no problem finding space. Overall, the restaurant is pretty spacious and nicely decorated -- very modern and clean. We tried the "Lal Bhelpuri" and it was just OK. I wouldn't recommend it unless you like "red beets" and you've tried all the other appetizers on the menu. We tried the "Hyderabadi dum biryani" and that was good with pieces of chicken, but most probably we'll skip it the next time. It's not something we would re-order again. We ordered a "Sarson ka saag" with paneer and that was good. We ordered some plain naan and raita (they charge each time you want more so beware of that). Arka is a great place to eat if you have visitors/clients and you want a place that's "clean" and presentable. I would return to Arka, but perhaps on special occasions.
(3)
Sridhar D.
The place looks trendy and the menu looks good on paper. Not much to say.
(2)
Elaine T.
Ladies' night? o.0 I had originally come across Arka through a post about the weekly Ladies' night. Have yet to attend but came here for lunch last week! Based on other reviews, I'm assuming that there aren't many upscale Indian restaurants in the area and that Arka comes very close to fitting that bill. Compared to other Indian restaurants, I would have to agree. Despite its "upscale" feel, Arka still manages to carry a very comfortable vibe. The servers were exceptionally attentive. Our waters were constantly refilled but best of all, they kept on bringing the piping hot naan!!! Cutting down on the carbs? Coming here really won't help your case. There was a good selection at lunch. I noticed that food consistently came out of the kitchen. In terms of taste and quality, I was pretty impressed, given that it's a buffet and all. To top it off, I think the management team is really focused on the overall dining experience of its patrons and it really shows, through and through!
(4)
A. A.
As the other reviewer mentioned, you are paying for the decor not the food. Ambiance is very nice but food is not authentic nor good. Hyderabadi biryani was on mushy side with overwhelming taste of garlic. Chicken curry was also very garlicy. Dominating flavor in Chicken 65 was that of garlic as well. Food was clearly microwaved. Two main entrees and one appetizer costed $45. Service was pretty bad as well. Our water was not refilled even once. There were at least 3 parties waiting to be seated while there was no one on the counter. I could see atleast 10 empty tables in the line of sight but we still had to wait.
(2)
Coco A.
If I could give this place 0 stars I definately would! Ive been here twice for the lunch buffet, which was fine. Last night I went there for dinner and it was HORRIBLE! The lamb chops were not fully cooked, my "diet" coke was full of sugar AND was flat. The food (that was edible) did not have any taste to it AT ALL, it was bland. As for the service, the server was not very apologetic and didnt seem to care about the food being disgusting. NEVER AGAIN will I come here!!!
(1)
Shettin A.
Went there as I had a groupon coupon. Had low expectations, but surprisingly the place turned out to be decent. Food was good,not great.Tried Achari paneer,garlic naan and litchi kheer.
(3)
Ms. S.
Went for dinner and enjoyed all the veggie dishes. We felt the food was fresh and not so heavy, like the usual north Indian food. The only waiter was nice, bit not very knowledgeable about the menu. I would suggest they make sure waiters know about the food being served. They also gave us complimentary dessert!
(4)
Dan K.
OK ... So I don't usually write reviews, but after stopping at Arka's I just felt I had to! What a great place. Its so nice to finally have an upscale Indian restaurant with very reasonable prices. The place was very comfortable and the service was great. We tried serveral dishes and each was better then the 1st. Our waitress was very friendly and never let us wait for anything. I strongly recommend the Charminar Chicken, as well as the Butter Chicken. I have been back several times ! Really need to try the happy hour next !
(5)
Eating And Living Well U.
We came courtesy of the groupon deal we saw online. First, we were greeted immediately so the service was good. We were given water and asked what we wanted for drinks several times so it seemed they were pushing beverages since they probably made more $ that way. We ordered the egg plant dosa for appetizers and honestly it was sloppy and a big mess. The eggplant was cooked well though but the pastry (crepe like thing) that was on top of it would not stay with the eggplant. We wanted samosas and the waitress looked like we spoke another language. I guess it's another form of Indian cuisine from another region they didn't cater to there. We ordered the chicken briyani and vegetable curry. I of course can't stand spicey food so can't really rate the meal but that it was spicy as hell like all Indian food. My dinner mate said he would give the place 3 stars for the food it was nothing special he stated so that's why I rated it 3 stars. Honestly due to it being too spicy even though we told them to make it mild, I would give it 2 for effort. I also ordered their mango lassi which was creamy and good and I enjoyed it. All in all, you are going for the atmosphere and dance club vibe and it is a bit strange with the Indian food. The staff was attentive and there was a 'water' boy who refilled our water whenever we were low who also bused other tables. We were thanked for our patronage when we left. We spent $45 in all and with the groupon paid $25 so the food definitely is not cheap. We'll probably not go back because we don't live close by and the food was nothing to call home about and honestly I should stop eating Indian food in general (can't stand spice!).
(3)
A W.
Stylish and tasty Indian restaurant with different/new dishes if you eat Indian. The four of us really enjoyed our meal. We tried lots of different dishes. My kids really wolfed down their food as well. The also chicken dish was spicy and delicious. Service was great as they easily switched a dish that was too spicy for us. We'll be back.
(5)
Gagan S.
Folks.. This review is not about the food..I havent had a chance to eat any out here :( Although, to my defense.. I tried several times. - First time, this place was not open at 3:00 Pm on Sunday even though it is supposed to be Happy hour as per their website - Second time, this place does not accept to go orders in the afternoon (i learned the hard way after being there) - third time.. called in before hand to make sure (based on earlier lessons learn!) The best advise on calling to check about expired groupon coupon - was to get them refunded via Groupon! (2 Stars for giving a wise advise!! Thank You!) I have read a lot of good things about this place, but for now.. I will not go neither recommend this place to anyone just due to my experience!
(2)
Nirmala I.
We were excited to go as a ladies lunch out together and a new place near home. The ambience was good. The service was nice. The crowd was lively. And best of all, the location was a big advantage. However, we were disappointed with the vegetarian options. There could have been more curries for the buffet price we paid. The buffet area could have been larger considering the seating was pretty huge. Basic items in the buffet like raita, chutneys were missing. The appetizers were not tasty. The dessert was too sweet. Could have been made tastier. We were not looking for drinks and preferred the food and had a bad experience overall.
(2)
Jeeten S.
As good as it gets! I was not aware of this restaurant but a colleague suggested me to try it out. By the time I parked my car, I was aware that I am not into any run-of-the-mill bay area desi restaurant. This one was quite exquisite to get a mention. I went there with my wife and friends. We all loved the ambiance as we entered and got seated. All was just great till now. But finally, we Indians are here to eat and only food can make or break this rating. We ordered, We were served, We literally gorged and We were floored! The food, be it presentation, taste or portions was just amazing. This is one of the few desi restaurants in the Bay area to take Indian cuisine dining to the next level. The dishes were garnished and presented in a very appealing way. We loved the attention. There was hardly any time between the dish arriving at our table and the first bites were onto our forks and into our mouths. We ordered Paneer (achari paneer tikka), Chicken (his majesty chilly chicken) and Apollo Fish (machhi sambhariya). All of them very super savory. The Panner was the non-traditional one. By Non-traditional I mean that it was unlike the dish served at most Bay area restaurants. This one had a regal feel and taste to it. Special mention goes to the Fish appetizer which was pure awesomeness. It was so soft, tender, juicy and adequately spicy at the same time. I just melted into our mouth. Perfect! Did I mention that this place also serves some great collection of Beer and Wines? We were happy to find out that they serve a few famous Indian brands like Kingfisher. As I said, we gorged on the food. We then got served our main course, a Paneer dish (bharwan chandi kofta) & Goat curry (Nizami Goat curry) and Garlic Naan's. The paneer dish was something which I had for the first time. It was nutty and savory at the same time. It was very pleasant after all the spices we had for the starters. The goat curry, as I know it, was just as authentic as it gets. To accompany, we ordered a few cocktails/mocktails as suggested in the menu. I guess they did a good job putting in suggestions between the menu items. We were over full by now but we had to have desserts before called it night. We wished to try out Biryani but were just so full to think of trying it out. We however tried that out in our 2nd visit and let me tell you, Biryani was super awesome. We then also ordered Bombay Paneer masala to go with our Biryani. Just great!! Coming back to desserts, we had Kulfi Falooda and Gulab Jamun. Tell me if you find such great Gulab Jamuns in the Bay area. I bet its very hard! I am all praises for this place. I am planning another visit here soon and am for sure going to bookmark this place on my "visit freuently" list. Kudos to the chef, service staff & management!!
(5)
Foody G.
Good ambience and service but food is not that great. We ordered Blue Ginger Gobi for appetizers it was more of Tomatoe Ketchup Gobi. For entrees we ordered Butter Khumb Sabz, it was hard to find khumb(mushroom) in it and it was extra chilli. Bharwan Chandi Kofta gravy was of but koftas were full of spicies. Overall ok place.
(3)
Tal P.
I'm not even sure where to start....It's fairly new to Sunnyvale. I've been wanting to try it because I do love Indian food. First of all, the place is pretty nice looking, both outside and in. I walked in with a friend yesterday for an impromptu lunch. There was no one at the the front when we came in to greet us, which I would have understood if there were plenty of customers, but there was like five employees and two customers in the back. I had to yell several times to get their attention to properly seat us. I went to the buffet was pretty compact, which gives no excuse for why a lot of the food looked old. Hesitantly I tried the food....surprisingly it was tasty. When I did go back to try some different stuff, they had removed all the plates from the dining area....really????? A server went and brought them back. This other server gave us the check waaaaay too early, I felt extremely rushed. The food was decent, but nowhere near good enough for me to have high hopes of coming back. It's the first time in my life I think I haven't left a tip. I usually always leave 20%. There are plenty of nicer places, I'd look elsewhere.
(1)
Srinath S.
The worst indian food in maybe not just in the bay area or even the the US. I am a vegetarian and went for a lunch buffet yesterday. They had a salad made of baby corn and tomato and after having it I realized that even salad can be screwed up if not mixed well. For starters they had some kinda of potato manchurian, which was just big lumps of potato with the potatos skill still on it.(didnt even try it). They also had a onion pakoda that with half cooked batter. for entree i took wanted to have some biriyani and had it on my plate, but didn't dare to eat it, it was full of oil and some exotic veggies. Only thing i felt edible to eat was some paneer curry , the gravy of which was ok. The nan was soft but some of it was burned. The desert had a pink rasgulla which make we want to puke. I dared my friends to have it and just half of them dared to :| The kheer was just milk and rice and the gulab jamun seemed liked it was made with gits instant mix. I ended up going here because of the half off coupon we had and wouldn't dare to go there again or recommend the place to anyone(wouldn't want their spirits haunting me) PS: The buffet in bengali sweets is just 8 $ and is better than this period
(1)
Julie R.
What happen? You provided quality meals. Indigestion! Come on, we love that you went gluten free but we had a terrible pumpkin dosa among other problems last night. Please work on cleaning the dishes and glasses. I like spotless dining.
(2)
Game L.
Its about time they close down the restaurant ... sorry to say this... they cannot prepare half the items on the menu on a Thursday nite. Poor service and taste was anything but authentic.
(1)
Ben P.
Disappointed last time I went here. Food used to be quite good but this time the chili chicken was cold and naan not fresh. Sad as they could do a better job.
worst customer service, had to search and get up to call the waiters to serve us water at least; the veggie biryani smelled, seemed and tasted fishy.... and and thats not at all enough,.. the main thing yet is left to be informed... while having the buffet lunch, a friend of mine explored 2 stapler pins in his mouth while chewing and he took those pins out of his mouth in front of the waiter... still after seeing this scene live, the waiter had no courtesy to at least apologize and on the contrary he left the check on our table and went away taking the pins, thus, we were unable to take a picture of it. (we werent able to finish our food seeing this scary situation.. dont know how many pins might have been roaming in my stomach..) well well well... then the bill on our table and no one turned up till 15 mins... in such situation we expect that at least the responsible person whether the owner or the manager should come and apologize and show some concern that he felt sorry for what happened... but things were vice versa... we got up after 15 mins and asked for the manager. the manager didnt turn up for few mins on his desk... then once more we asked for him, then he arrived and we were so offended by his behavior coz he wasnt at all apologetic, was rude, argued like anything, kept on blaming the dishwasher that its responsible for the pins ,,, and that argument didnt make any sense to us...he didnt show any concern or courtesy to make up for what had happened... and literally asked us to "Leave " his restaurant... the manager has no respect for his customers, no sense of interaction, he seemed totally illiterate of the seriousness of the fact that what would have happened if my friend would have consumed the stapler pins... it was indeed a very BIG DEAL... well there is no option of negative rating otherwise i would have rated by highest negative number... a big NO for this restaurant... :/
(1)
anand r.
Lets be clear of one fact. This place is not your average "authentic" Indian restaurants. The menu and food in here is in a league of its own. If you fancy mass produced, stereotypical food, there are countless places in/around El Curry (Camino) Real. The food here is creative, original and can be found only at this restaurant. Every time on the menu is an original creation. Have been here a few times now. The service has always been fantastic. The manager Michael personally ensures each diner leaves satisfied. If you are looking to pay big bucks and crave rude/indifferent service, do head to Amber India. Complaints about poor service at this location are unfounded. I hope this place thrives. Do give it a try. But do so with no preconceived notion as to how Indian food should taste. There is always Shalimar down the road if greasy food is what you crave.
(5)
Ravish K.
First off we were in a mood for experimenting that evening (round about christmas time). 1) The chicker starter / kebab came out of the kitchen cold and was not fresh. After sending it back, it came back with rest of the course. 2) Their other dishes were quite decent, but value for money is a serious question mark. 3) On a side note, their cocktails were quite decent. I have seen better Indian food options on El Camino Real.
(2)
Muni A.
The other day we ventured into this place for dinner because we thought we had coupon that I had purchased . The Kabobs were salty and stringy. Stuffed chicken was so so. We were not too excited about the food. The food is expensive, not the worth of its price. The climax came when the manager refused to honor the voucher I had purchased. The manager was rude because I had not printed the actual coupon from the internet. I pointed out that I had no way to go back to bring the coupon because I had purchased the voucher about couple of months back. He still would not accept my explanation and gave some absurd reason for not accepting the voucher. I had heard some comments from some other but I wanted to see for myself. I can not recommend this place to other people neither I will go there myself.
(1)
Mor O.
Great food (calamari and buttery chix) friendly but absent minded service
(4)
Tapan K.
Interesting veggie options, naan's are pretty small in size, mandatory 18% tip for using a groupon (even though the groupon doesnt specify anything like that)
(3)
Julia B.
My boyfriend an I came here because I had gotten the Scotch/Tequila Tasting+Appetizer LivingSocial deal. For our appetizer we got the calamari because we were not really hungry but just wanted a little snack to go along with our tasting. This was the worst calamari I have every had. It was super dry and chewy and overall basically inedible. I will admit, i am no scotch/tequila Connoisseur, but I strongly believe that the tastings are not worth the $40 sum that they charge without the deal. For our Scotch tasting, one waitress brought out the small glasses of scotch and set them out on an explanation sheet as they do with most tastings. Before we could taste a single scotch another waiter walks by and starts clearing away the cups! We ask him what he was doing taking away our scotch before we even tasted it, and he says that he thought they were finished coca-cola glasses. I ask him how we are supposed to know which scotch is which and he claims that he remembers where all the glasses go- he couldn't even tell the liquid was scotch, how would he ever know which scotch is which? Now the ambiance, this place claims to be a "lounge" and they do have a lounge-y feel and loud techno music but that's where any type of lounge feel ends. We were there at 10:30 PM on a Saturday and there were screaming children and people having a late night meal in sweats - not exactly my type of lounge.
(1)
Sometimes A.
Very mediocre food! Good ambience. Decent prices. Very eager waiters!
(2)
MURALI K.
We visited this place to try vegeterian food. Pros Vegetables used are fresh Cons Veg Dum Biryani was rice mixed with ginger garlic paste ( seriously!) Same gravy for all curries ordered! Expensive Verdict Avoid, if u are a vegeterian
(1)
Vishvesh M.
The new and hip indian restaurant Pros: 1. Really nice ambience. 2. Feels pretty upscale. 3. Central area in sunnyvale 4. Nice bar Cons: 1. Food here is not that great... and since it is a restaurant first , this is a major setback. 2. Pricey
(3)
Guess W.
Summary: Good food and ambience. Not crowded. Limited menu. Prices above average. Lunch buffet today (Thu) ~12:40pm. Couple of spaces in parking lot available and only about 15 customers in restaurant. This is a plus. No elbowing and long lines in buffet. Table cloths and ambience better than your average Indian restaurant. Vegetarian, so cannot say anything about the 5 meat choices they had. Appetizers: Garbanzo beans/potatato prepared chaat style Indian - good Onion/green pepper/Lemon raw salad - ok. fresh Potato bajji/pakora - hardly any flour covering sticking over the potatoes - not done right Spinach pakora - crisp, I like it but friend said they seemed stale Desserts: Malai channa desert - small rasogollas w/ saffron - xlent Carrot halwa - good, too sweet Fruit selection - water melon, pineapple, orange, grapes - average - grapes large but not tasty - Costco type rather than farmers market type. Water melon seemed a little soft and stale. Very few honey dew melon pieces. Rating - average Veggies: Channa dhal - good, but then this is a simple dish difficult to screw up Spinach saag - very average Jeera rice - - plain rice with cumin seeds. - good Bombay panneer masala - xlent Bengan w/ pineapple - xlent Cabbage poriyal - South Indian style w/ shredded coconuts - good Overall I would say the 3 curries above (esp panneer and bengan) were unique in the preparation, and better than most Indian buffets. The Cabbage was also a good. Overall I would say the food quality is superior to 90% of the Indian buffets, and rates 4 stars. But as you can see, the selection is limited and it is $12 for the buffet. There were three of us and we used a $15 for $30 Groupon.
(4)
Tony B.
We have been living for many years in the UK and have been looking, since we came back, for a good Indian restaurant - that the UK excels in. Mainly we have been disappointed. Groupon offered us a deal with Arka so we gave it a try. From the moment we were greeted at the door and shown to our seat we were made to feel very special and important to them. I have a serious reaction to Canola oil and always have to check usage. Our delightful server went to great pains to ensure that this would not be a problem. I chose their special - Tandoori Pomfret. This is a specialty Indian fish that I was surprised to find on the menu and even more surprised to find how well it was prepared. Spicy but subtle as good Indian food should be. My wife went for the more traditional lamb Rhogan Josh. This was also perfectly spiced - with a kick that was just right and perfect flavors. Throughout the meal we were looked after as though we were family with Michael Agnel, the General Manger, dropping by several times to chat and be sure everything was just right. So after a long time we have found our favorite Indian restaurant and look forward to returning and sharing our find with friends. Go to enjoy a European style meal experience - not rushed, perfectly prepared and attentive service.
(5)
Naveen P.
i had bad experience the only time i went to this place. service is not good even after asking for few times. literally i had to stand behind and get my request done after 10-15 minutes waiting. Food is not great. i ate better indian food !!! predominantly north indian taste and even i am not sure if this is good!!!
(2)
Lane A.
My daughter and I finally got around to trying Arka for a Sunday lunch buffet. At $12 I thought it was a good value for the money. The buffet choices are somewhat limited, certainly comparing to something like Sneha. The buffet area itself seemed a little congested, with food on both sides of a rather small, narrow room. As the restaurant was pretty busy, it was difficult to maneuver in this area. My daughter that the butter chicken was OK, but not as good as she has had at other places. The tandoori was fine, but I didn't care too much for the fish curry dish. They didn't have palak paneer or gulab jamun on the buffet, so that's 1 start off. Service was very attentive, and I liked the decor. Overall 3.5 is my rating, but erring on the side of 3 stars until I get a chance to try them for dinner service.
(3)
Matt T.
In a city with many options for Indian food, Arka was the worst experience I've had. I came here on a Groupon ($20 for $10), but even with the discount, the price was high. Service: Our service was very slow, even with the restaurant nearly empty at 5pm on a Saturday. Once, my girlfriend even had to walk up to the bar to refill our water because nobody came by our table for 10 minutes! If the restaurant didn't automatically add an 18% tip because we used a Groupon, I wouldn't have tipped at all! Food: Equally poor. Here was our order and my feedback. Tandoori cornish game hen: Mine was burned, and there is almost no meat on it at all. Yes, I know cornish game hens are small, but I think I got the runt of the litter. Don't get it. Pumpkin dosa: The pumpkin filling was good, but the dosa wasn't nearly as crispy as it should have been. Mango lassi: They have the smallest ones I've ever seen anywhere, but still cost $3.50. Garlic naan: It was ok, but really, how hard is it to cook naan correctly? I've had better. The only thing this restaurant has going for it is its ambience. It is nice-looking on the inside, so I give their interior designer some credit. I would not return again.
(1)
Therese D.
Food and service quality is below average, overpriced. I had chicken tikka tandori. It looked like they fried first then put on tandori. Only 5 small pieces for 15.95. The worst part was it's not even chicken breast. It was chicken thigh and fatty. The best part was pappard which was actually free! The server did not have much knowledge of the food or the drink items in the menu. There are so many other Indian places which serve better food and provide better service, I am not sure anyone would go back there! I don't recommend this place.
(1)
Dhiti N.
VERY DISAPPOINTED with the lunch buffet. There weren't enough choices for vegetarians - 2 appetizers (soggy bhel that wasn't refilled and tasteless chana chaat that wasn't refilled either) , 2 deserts (carrot halwa with LOTS of red color), don't think I saw a salad, yellow dal with broccoli (yuck! Who adds broccoli to dal...being creative doesn't mean adding random vegetables!), chana saag wala (pretty sure it was left over chana masala mixed with left over palak paneer gravy) OVERALL - A HIT OR MISS KINDA PLACE. I read some good reviews (all by non Indians) which doesn't surprise me ..because REAL Indian food is not bland, tasteless or watered down to this extent. Not value for money either $13 (incl tax) for a lunch buffet on a weekday is pretty lousy. There are PLENTY of restaurants in the whole El Camino-S'vale-Mtn View vicinity - try your luck elsewhere and get a better bang for your buck. Did I mention ..no one ever asked us if we wanted a naan refill ...ignorance is bliss.
(1)
Aditya V.
Only been here 3 times. first 2 times were great but 3rd time was not so great. Have to try dinner so can decide if chef is really good
(3)
Sudha S.
Very average
(3)
Hari D.
Great place, read reviews; quite mixed. Went there for buffet and quite good. Fish curry, chicken biryani, rasgulla were excellent. Like one chilli veg dish too. Mirch ka salan was good too. Butter chicken was good, not too buttery, but little sweet, still good. Lamb was OK. Tandoori chicken was good too, some other kind of dry chicken didn't try, felt it might be deep fried, so wanted to stay away. Liked salad greens with yogurt raita and chutney dressings. Nans were fresh and liked that they were not loaded with butter. Didn't try many dishes, so cannot comment on them. Didn't like aloo tikki, quite plain; but most of the dishes were very good. Also, couldn't eat sawaya kheer, just too sweet. Over all good experience and will surely go back for lunch buffet. Good flavor and not too spicy.
(4)
sha s.
Ambiance - Very Good. Service - Very Good. Noise Level - Ok. Price - so-so Food - mediocre! If I pay a lot of money for something I expect excellence, for a meal with 1 appetizer and 1 side dish, 1 naan, 1 pulao , 1 drink cost $35 and taste was very very ordinary, even had some inedible stuff. The Bhindi dish we ordered oozed a lot of oil, and the lotus shoot deep fried that was used as garnish was unedible. All dishes were bland, lacked spice or any character for that matter. The dishes which said they had pomegranate powder/seeds in it did not have the taste of pom at all.. I can go on and on, but the bottom line is that I'd rather go to a hole in wall that offers better taste than an upscale one without tasty food. A restaurant can have all the ambiance in the world, but so-so food will not keep it afloat for long.
(3)
Eva H.
I had brunch here on a saturday. The place has a nice decor, it's very clean and the staff is courteous. The food was pretty good, I really enjoyed the lamb curry in the buffet (I forget the name). It's a bit spicy, the perfect amount if you ask me. I also enjoyed one of the desserts, I'm also forgetful of the name, it's much like marzipan but with a grainy texture, delicious. I highly recommend this place for a weekend brunch and I look forward to dining here during happy hour.
(4)
Sumesh J.
We recently hosted a baby Shower at Arka... its an excellent upscale indian restaurant in Sunnyvale. The food options are great and not the stereotype indian dishes like saag paneer, channa masala etc... its fine dining at its best and the ambience is great. Many thanks to Mike and his staff who were extremely professional and everything was done as planned and promised. Will definetly recommend this. Regards, Sumesh
(5)
Srinivasan V.
I recently visited this restaurant on a Saturday evening with two other family members. The decor and the newness motivated us to try this restaurant. However at the end of my trip, I am highly discouraged to go to this place again. There are three aspects to the experience in Arka, for that matter any Food hospitality enterprise - Ambience & Decor, Service and Quality of Food 1) Ambience/Decor - I would give 4/5 Stars for this aspect. The property has ample parking. The interiors are inviting and done tastefully and looks clean as one can expect from a new property that promises fine dining. 2) Service - I would give this 0 STARS. Let me explain why. Sloppy operations - We ordered appetizers (3 of them). They brought them at different times and we had to remind about one of dishes. In my prior experience eating at fine dining, they always bring the dishes together so that it can be shared. Same happened for Entree. In fact when the entree was delivered, there was disconnect between the two staff on whether one particular entree that was ordered was even on the menu on that particular day. Read the last section on further reasons. 3) Food - I would give 2 out of 5 stars for this. As Fred S commented earlier, the El Camino Real belt or for that matter south bay is known for amazing Indian food. So when one starts a new restaurant they should keep this in mind and focus on providing high quality food even if the menu is limited. However this place attempts to offer everything from South Indian dosa, few Kerala dishes, Punjabi and north india food, etc. In the end there is disappointment as Quality and taste cannot be provided on all dishes. This was what we experienced. - We ordered dosa and realized that the coconut used in the chutney has gone bad. We ordered dosa since they had a big section on different dosa with many variations, otherwise with so many many great dosa places like Madras cafe, Komala villas, Saravana bhavan we wouldn't be motivated to order dosa at this place. Why would one have a dosa section and not focus on even having fresh chutneys? Also the filing in the dosa was so tasteless (we ordered pumpkin filling). - In the bindi dish we ordered, the bindi was rough making it un-palatable. There were two other dishes we ordered which were good, so I am giving them 2 STARS, otherwise it was disappointing experience. What was difficult for me to understand is the fact that the owners and chef in this restaurant have ample experience in food industry, having run other restaurant including famous Sakoon in Mountain view. It seems to me that their focus in this restaurant was not food. Instead on the bar and banquet facility. My suggestion to them - PLEASE FOCUS ON FEW CORE DISHES and don't try to have the entire India on your menu. In the end when the waiter asked for the customary - How was everything, I gave him my constructive feedback (about the service and food). He appreciated the feedback and wanted the manager to hear this so that the right measures are taken. As he was taking to the manager to explain I would see on my own the disinterest on manager's part to talk. The waiter came and played with words on why the manager could not talk. It is unacceptable, no matter how busy the day could have been, to not have the curtesy to hear a customers feedback esp when the waiter had asked us to wait. My 2 cents.. Go to this place if you are looking for a bar experience Avoid if you want quality food. Instead try places like Amber in Santa Row, Sakoon in mountain view if you are looking for fine dining. Dozen casual places like Madras cafe, Komala villas, Saravana bhavan, Chat house, Chat paradise to eat tasty quality Indian food.
(1)
Deva P.
I tried the lunch buffet on a weekday. Horrible food. Everything burnt and most of the dishes had a strange bitter taste. Maybe they were just reheating the leftovers. Poor service. The only dish that was edible was the colombo fish curry. Stay away from this place ! There are tons of good (indian) restaurants on El Camino. I will try this place again on a weekend for dinner with very low expectations.
(1)
V R.
I have been to Arka several times ever since they opened their doors about a year ago. However, after my last experience, I will not be returning to the restaurant. Pros: - good food, not your usual Indian fare, the menu is imaginative - decent wine list - plenty of seating - good ambience Cons: - poor service or by our last experience, NO service - apathetic management - they just don't care if you are a regular customer and if you have been given service or not. - they keep crossing stuff off their menu - I mean literally crossing stuff off, without reprinting their menus! This makes it look cheap. - a little overpriced considering the service. Go for the food, if you really don't care about service.
(3)
Jan S.
I thought Sunnyvale did not need another Indian restaurant with the existing broad choice. How wrong I was. Arka has an amazing selection of wonderful appetizers, entrees, tandoori and biryani dishes accompanied by a great wine and beer selection, including Duvel and a couple other Belgian beers on tab.
(5)
Patricia S.
We went because we had a groupon. The website says it is open from 9am to 10pm and that happy hour is EVERY day starting at 3pm. We went on a Sunday and met some friends who srove 30 minutes to there. Well, when we got there, we found out they are closed from 3pm-5pm. We double checked the hours on their doors. No where did it say that. And the happy hour that is says on its website and again on the hours posted on their doors that is every day from 3pm, well, it does not exist on Sundays. They need to update their hours on the website and doors. Plus, the guy at the front seemed irritated that we had walked in.
(2)
partha s.
I came here for the food. The food was excellent the first time I went there for dinner -- a couple of weeks after it opened. Nice ambiance in the bar area, but very loud in the dining area. I had no problem paying for the relatively high bill since the quality was so good. The second time I went (again for dinner), the food was a disaster -- tasted bad, not even close to authentic. The bill came to $55 for two people (2 main dishes, 1 daal, no alcohol). For that kind of money, I expect a LOT better. I was too pissed to fight with the management, went home, and discovered one final gift from arka -- diarrhea. I have never had that from any restaurant in the bay area over the last 7 years. So, my advice -- give arka a very wide berth. I for one will never go back there again.
(1)
Bay Area R.
Went there for lunch buffet. Hands down the worst Indian restaurant I have ever been to. The vegetarian options on the buffet were quite limited. I tried most of them. The only edible things were the naan and white rice. They had Sag Chole, a paneer dish, dal makhani, a cabbage dish. All of these were bad to awful. The sweets were terrible for the most part - only the gulab jamun was edible. I am amazed that this restaurant attracts any customers at all, given the many Indian restaurants on El Camino in Sunnyvale, almost all of which are way better than Arka. Will never go there again.
(1)
Ocean P.
The rack of lamb is quite good, especially when the restaurant offered me a butter chicken dipping sauce on the side.
(4)
Marilu H.
OK, I really wanted to like Arka, but after dinner tonight, I'm done with this place. The quality and flavor of the food is totally inconsistent. I've had food from this place five times and every time was worse than the time before. The first time I ordered for Arka, I was amazed at the delicious, super gingery blue ginger gobhi and the juicy and very tasty tandoori Cornish hen. The next time, the gobhi was doughy and the ginger flavor completely nonexistent. Likewise, my first pumpkin dosa was savory and spicy while my second one was bland and greasy. And to top it off tonight I paid $13.95 for ONE bland, cold Kofta! Like I said, I'm done with this place!
(2)
Joey M.
Great brunch buffet. Very nice staff
(5)
silver a.
Husband and I came here last year and we liked the food. It wasn't super amazing, but we liked it enough to return. They had a groupon deal so we came back yesterday with a friend. We were SO disappointed. The two stars here is for the paneer tikka that was quite good. The rest of the food wasn't nice at all. We ordered : Bhel puri : They tried plating this fine dining style with a tangy potato mess in the middle of stale puffed rice and two dots of tamarind chutney in a shallow plate. We had to mix it ourselves which was messy. Bad move guys. I mean, seriously, what were you thinking?! Vanilla scented paratha : We liked it a lot the first time. It was thin, flavorful and flaky. We had high hopes. But this time, we were served a nice thick leathery paratha with no vanilla or cardamom flavor. Paneer masala : Meh. Ordinary. Regular tomato gravy. Nothing special and not worth 13 bucks. Dal Makhni : Terrible. Hardly any flavor and it didn't taste buttery at all. Vegetarian biryani : Clumpy and slightly mushy. Again, no flavor. Garlic and Chilli naan : Hardly any garlic on it and couldn't see any chillies either. Romali roti : At least this was good! I ate this with the paneer masala. We didn't feel like staying for dessert. A waste of $60.
(2)
Ravinder S.
Terrible food...If I could give negative stars for this place , I would The worst buffet experience I ever had in bay area... Rude service. Big attitude problem wid d staff.....especially manager over there who doest know how to speak to customers..... We went during lunch time and hardly we found someone having buffet there....It was totally empty, that might be the reason they are giving deals on groupon( dont buy deals, it is utterly waste ).. That too these guys charge 13$ for buffet without giving much items.....On top of that, food literally sucks....I felt like puking when i tried their 3 or 4 days old mutton curry and tan. If this is the way the owner wants to run his business, then he won't be in business long. First change that arrogant manager and spend some money on chef too for tasty food....
(1)
Sanj B.
Wow, what a disaster... Where do I begin? Let's start with the service, appalling is the word that comes to mind. How about some simple courtesy and politeness? My group of 6 was completely disappointed at my selection to dine out, quite embarrassing. Even getting water took 20 minutes, which came in the middle of ordering! Moving on to the food, it was very late (no surprise there), it was cold, probably had been ready and sitting to delivery. This place must have major communication issues from the kitchen to the front staff. Where was I? Oh yeah, the food was cold, and honestly everything from appetizers to main course was pathetic. I don't know how they can even call this joint an "Indian Restaurant". Question: How do you mess up Potato freakin Cutlet? It's potatoes, spices, fried! Everything fried tastes good! But not this heap of crap. Overall, this place sucked. And the follow up to our complaints was even worse. Desserts were barely OK, way too sweet. How do you make Indian sweets TOOOO sweet? Needless to say, I'm done with this joint. And oh yeah. Good job at trying to copy Sakoon! Everything from ambiance to service was whack. That place is legit, you need to quit!
(1)
Abhishek S.
Great ambience, ok drinks, tasteless food and useless service.. All together not worth spending that much money. There are much better options than Arka.
(1)
R B.
Yummy food. We had achari paneer tikka for appetizer and bombay paneer masala for dinner, both were delicious. Naan was OK. Small quantity for the price though.
(4)
Rick R.
Never Again! Completely disappointed. Expensive and underwhelming, not a good mix. Mediocre would have sufficed, it was not achieved. And for a place that represents itself as what I perceived as "Elegant Indian Dining"? Embarrassing. Flight of wine, flight of Belgian beers, both together would not have been enough for one. Less than a full pint and/or a full glass of wine, and for $24! Seriously? (granted, it was Group-on-ed, but regardless? ) With that, a $12 app that was about 8 bites total.....$32 Group on, and I still shelled out $6, sans tip! CRAZY! On the positive, it tasted similar to Indian food, and I like those flavors. Recommendation - go elsewhere
(1)
Venkatesh N.
Food is good. Service is poor. I loved the dosa. When we got there someone had a birthday party set up. So looks like its good for parties too. A bit expensive for a normal buffet lunch.
(3)
Yelp R.
For $13 Paneer entre', I expect atleast 13 pieces of Paneer cubes (that were mere half inch cubes); I kid you not, just gravy ...that too sweet. Same goes with their Bhatura, are you kidding me...almost the size of a poori. naah. For two people, expect to spend at least $50 there and still not be satisfied, neither with taste nor with quantity.
(2)
Pavi V.
lousy indian food.... we ordered the lal mirch chicken curry - it was nothing but chicken in tomato sauce, no flavour, no spices... it was yuck... then the tandoori chicken - even though it was good it was smeared with butter which is surprising, first time having a tandoori chicken with butter... then the chicken dum biriyani was not good, it again was some rice mixed with chicken.... oh God they have a long way to go to make this place an edible indian food... all i liked was the ambience....
(1)
Chandrima B.
Pros: Ambience. Cons: Extremely over-priced, portion size is too small. If you are looking for a good place to eat Indian food, Arka is not bad. But the portion sizes and price are the killers. We went with our friends, and ordered 4 beers, 2 Mojitos, 2 Mango Lassi, 1 Chilli Chicken and 1 Tandoori Chicken. The bill = $90!!!! Way huge! As for the portions, Chilli Chicken had about 5 small chicken pieces, 2 pieces of peppers (one red piece, one green piece) and about 3-4 pieces of onion, and yes, 2 cashews. When the tandoori chicken came, we were wondering if we should call the Guinness book guys, since it was a smallest chicken we ever saw! The legs were the size of my pinky! The waiters were not very helpful either. The one who took the order suggested that one plate of Chicken Tandoori would be sufficient for 4 adults, but when it came, we were not sure how to divide it among us. The one who served was too eager to remove the plates from the table, at one point my friend had to ask him to put the plate back! He did not even have the courtesy to ask before removing a plate from the table. As for the drinks, I have had Mojito a couple of times before without any consequence, but somehow here, just one glass caused a hangover! I will avoid this place in future.
(1)
Tuyen T.
Well this review is long over due! I've always checked in on Yelp but have never written a review and this will be my first! I went there about 2 weeks ago on a Thursday with a group of 5. Right at the entrance we were greeted by the host who was very friendly. I requested to sit somewhere a little more secluded and she sat us in a secluded room with a table that was bigger than we needed. I thought that was pretty awesome because they weren't worried about reserving tables for "larger" parties, they wanted to make sure we get what was requested. I forgot our server's name but he was very attentive and was able to guide us through the menu. On top of that, the manager himself also came by to make sure we were enjoying our dinner. We ordered: Charminar chicken 65, blue ginger gobi, tandoori mahi mahi, tomato basil biriyani, pumpkin dosa, telicherry chicken dosa, chettinad chicken, bhindi la jwaab, garlic w/ chili naan, potato kulcha, 2 pitchers Arka's sangria, bottle of wine. Everything was AMAZING! Extra compliments to the Arka's sangria ;) I thought the menu was very creative and had different foods that I haven't seen at other Indian restaurants. So food was 4 stars and the extra star I give is for the ambiance and staff. Needless to say, we are excited to go back and try the rest of the menu and different drinks!!!
(5)
Sunny G.
Been here couple of times for dinner and liked it. Good taste and good atmosphere for special occasion. I like veggie curry(mirch baigan and ananas) and others are good too.
(4)
Dustin S.
The only time I've been disappointed here was when it was too crowded for dinner.
(5)
Gene P.
I don't know how Indian people eat here but it has the worst Indian food in the whole bay area. However the service is amazing, I told the manager that I didn't like the food and he was very nice and brought another dish but guess what the gravy was exactly the same, absolutely tasteless. I have been to this place in the past and the food was good but it's gone downhill now. I would never ever come back to this place. There are tons of other places that actually serve good food.
(1)
Benjamin T.
I'm not the hugest fan of Indian food, but what I ate, it was okay. Nothing out of the ordinary or impressive.
(2)
K V.
Very cool place! Looks like a 70's dinner outside and the cheap plastic banners with the restaurants name hanging outside definitely do not do anything positive for this place, but once you get inside...... TOTALLY different world. The restaurant is HUGE! I have no clue how they could stay in business just due to that. It's gorgeous, however. Very chic, fun, and vibrant. Looks like they got a modern decorator in there and also gave it a retro flare. Even the flooring was awesome! Very random and odd music playing from Sade to the Beatles, to Rhianna. Music that wasn't so random and that added to the ambiance would had been much better, My Pali and I ordered the pumpkin dosa, biryanni rice, and a veggie dish which had pineapple and such in it. We also ordered the pakora. All their dishes had some unique flare to them. None were what you are used to seeing in a standard Indian place. Like, some dishes had pesto, or feta, or spices which are not used in traditional Indian dishes, but they make it work. We loved everything! Soo flavorful! Prices were average. Service was attentive, but at the end there was this random waiter we hadn't seen and though our waitress knew we wanted to take food home as we had enough for two meals, this waiter did not. We were so stuffed and ready to leave that we forgot we were wanting out food to go. We had actually sat at the table at least ten minutes after our food was taken, so it;s clear they just tossed it or something. By the time we realized they never gave it to us, we were too far away to go back. Sucked! Other than that, it was awesome and we'd totally return.
(4)
Margaret L.
Whatever. The first time I went they had a pretty good happy hour. Their drinks came out a little week, so the owner had the bartender remake them, which was nice. I think we had the chili chicken and calamari. I think the chicken was good, but wasn't a huge fan of the calamari. Overall, I might go back for happy hour, but probably doubtful. I didn't really like the dinner menu. We got the butter chicken, which was pretty good. A little overly tomato-y for me, but still decent with regular naan. We also ordered the chicken biryani, which was not good. Most indian food I've had, they usually crush the spices and cook with it. This biryani had all the spices floating around within the rice. I would take a bite of rice, and there would be a huge star anise or something equally as weird. Not my style. I ended up having to pick all the spices out of my rice (which really is as frustrating as it sounds and pretty time consuming). Not worth my time or my money. There are much better places for indian food in Sunnyvale. Service was really whatever. I'm not sure what the dress code is there, but all the waitresses and hostesses look inappropriate to be working at a restaurant. Plus our waitress was slow. She'd disappear for like 10 minutes at a time, which would be fine except when you have a question or want your food or your bill. The plus side is that the water guy filled my water cup 400 times.
(2)
Gunj S.
Came here with groupon. Place was very slow, about 3/4th empty.It still took them 35 minutes to sit us - Why? becuase they were preparing our booth! - that's the explanation I got. Took another 15 to get menu, Waitress are not familer with what they serve. they never tried it or dont know indian food in general. they smile and say sorry "i have no idea if the entree is sweet or spicy ? - she suggested she will find out and she did - atlhough it came out neither spicy nor sweet..it came out bland. no taste what so ever. 15 minutes to get someone to order - and another 40 min to get food.. After such a long time food came out bland and cold. just not worth the trouble and money. (they are expensive) They have split up room for private party - although rest rooms are other side of the that private party room. so we have walk through party - (yes pushing through people ) to go to bathroom. ofcourse, you dont fit it the crowd and they think you are crashing their party. who came up with that bright idea?
(1)
Jeffry P.
The lunch buffet was pretty good. It was not very spicy, which I prefer. The waiters were slow removing dirty plates, bringing more bread and refilling water glasses.
(4)
Tim L.
It's been a long time since i've written a review, however when you find that restaurant that deserves positive publicity and you want it to stay around, it's definitely worthy. My review is on lunch buffet, and compared to the old school spoons this place is leaps and bounds better for my lunch fare Ambiance - Beautiful, modern, not over the top, clean, nice music, open floor plan, nice placemats. Feels how i would like to decorate my home. Food - Killer. Everything we had was delicious, however there were a few things that differentiated this restaurant from the rest. The dish that stood out to me was there goat curry with daikon, potato, goat, and most importantly deliciously flavored and beautifully textured brussel sprouts! Talk about farm fresh mixed with tradition Indian fare, this restaurant delivers and executes Indian food correctly and also does a great job of modernizing their food with suprises and combinations you would have never imagined. The saag was delicious, butter chicken was good, Naan charred and chewy, chili fish was excellent. The most important thing about this wonderful buffet (food wise), was that i did not feel overly heavy or weighed down as they did not seem to use heavy globs of ghee. Tandoori chicken was also fantastic as it was moist, flavored throughout, and had an excellent texture by not being pasty etcc.. as typical buffet chicken is. Service - Excellent Put your plate down, a guy comes and picks up your plates. No water, you get some water. They are doing a good job on keeping a good service here. Price - Excellent $10.99 lunch buffet! i would come here for dinner and happy hour also! i wish this restaurant the best in being successful as i truly had an enjoyable and memorable lunch. it feels great to leave a restaurant feeling suprised, happy, and wondering how they put out so much good for for $10.99.
(5)
Akhil L.
Expensive place, Ordinary food. Achari Paneer tikka is good, only if they could increase the quantity.
(1)
PennDesi I.
We were expecting great food from new restaurant so, went here for lunch buffet on weekend. First, no item from the buffet was extraordinary. The potato cutlet were so sticky, we couldn't even take second bite of it . We couldn't find any paneer in paneer masala. All other curries were watered down and very very greasy. Nan were also very hard and dry. The two stars are for gulab jamuns. We are not going back here!
(1)
Mitesh D.
Food is just average, waiters are rude, When asked for vegetarian recommendations server responded i don't eat veg food. Wait time for food was more that 25 minutes in evenings
(2)
Harry D.
Bad food !! made me sick, bad service - had to wait for a long time to be served (under staffed too). Bad ambiance- like a place in some shady gully of chandini chok. Loud music- overall a very lousy place.
(1)
U W.
They have one of the best spot/location for an Indian Restaurant in the bay area but the food quality just ruined it. Went there recently for lunch buffet. Not worth for the price of admission so to say. I wanted to give them 'benefit of doubt' based on location but i was wrong. Should have listened to previous reviews. I will avoid going here again!
Ate at Arka last night. It was very good and the service was great. Perhaps they've worked out some kinks since first opening--I'm not sure about these single star ratings. It is a very pretty and trendy restaurant, fun music (not too loud) nice bar area and as I said the food was really good and the service was fine. We live very nearby so will try it again for sure.
(4)
H D.
We visited on mothers day and had the brunch. The restaurant was full of people, the buffet area is in the back of the place- also where there was a private party going on. We had to share the buffet w/the private party which basically translated to a lot of empty chaffing dishes. They could not refill the food fast enough- even though it was 2pm when we were eating.The food quality was very poor- either very salty (as some other reviewers said), overly spicy, or just very watered down and bland. Very dissapointing- and I should have followed my instinct after reading so many not so stellar reviews. For drinks their cocktails were good,but we ordered a basic Indian drink- Mango lassi and we got mango juice, which wasn't even juice it was mango puree! THICK! The wait staff was very busy and it was hard to even get someone to stop at our table let alone look at us! Won't be going back- I would have enjoyed much more lunch across the street at Spice Hut...even if it was Mothers day.
(1)
Vijay C.
Sunday Buffet was just ok, not that great.
(3)
Nicole C.
Tried Arka's lunchtime buffet today and quite enjoyed it. It is certainly a clean place and much attention has obviously been placed on making the ambiance and experience better than most Indian restaurants. The waiter was very attentive and friendly. I thought it was cute how he refilled my soda with by bringing the soda in a tiny carafe and refilling at the table. The buffet was good; great selection and tasty. They had this cold chickpea salad that was quite interesting and I went back for seconds. The paneers were yummy and the dal was nice and spicy! The lychee rice pudding for dessert was so nice. I found myself eating way too much today because it was just too tasty for me to control myself! I look forward to returning and telling my friends about this place.
(5)
Atul C.
Very expensive but food tastes good. We Indians love to eat a lot and the quantity also matters a lot. I had been here on my birthday for celebrations so was not very happy with the quantity especially when you end up paying entirely for the treat.
(2)
Chad O.
aaah Arka. I have been to Arka a few times since they opened and have enjoyed every experience. There have been bumps and potholes, but the road has been getting better every time I've been back. I love Arka because of the ambiance and variety--along with the quality--of food. It's hard to find an affordable place that carries organic chicken and strives to give back to the community that supports them. They also have very good prices on beers and although not the largest selection, they have one of my favorites, Deschutes Brewery from Oregon. If I were to say anything, I would say they would need to add another dark beer for balance. What I like about there food is that you can taste the vegetables and not the oil/butter that is used to cook them with. If overly oily and salty food is what you like then you should go somewhere else. Compared to other Indian food I have had throughout the bay, for the prices they have, I say the quality is top notch. Highly recommended for couples all the way up to large parties, or if you just want to sit at the bar and watch a game on TV, I really like its flexibility.
(5)
Amol G.
Tried lunch buffet and dinner more than once. The food is very good but what makes it special is how close it really gets to any upscale north indian restaurant in India. The south indian masala dosa was equally good, with yummy masala. The carrot payasam ( dessert ) is exceptionally good and MUST have. A few negatives. They can't prepare dishes with stuffings. Its just not cooked correctly and is a bit soggy. This includes appetizers and the kofta dishes. Lunch buffet was really good and everything they had was good, twice in a row. The vegetable biryani or biryani in general is exactly how it should be. This is the first time i have had authentic biryani ever since i came to south bay. Also, if you are bored of trying Nan and roti, go for the thin rumali roti. It's nice plus one order is sufficient for two people. Hope they keep up the quality of food, if they do this has the potential to be the best in tube bay area for Indian food.
(5)
Kat B.
1st time to Arka with my daughter. it looked a little fancy so i was concerned that i would be tucked away in a dark corner but we got a nice booth. I'm gluten free and neither of us handle spicy too well. We ordered the butter chicken, a little spicy and dry (think they used white meat) we still enjoyed it. ordered plain naan which according to my daughter was delicious. i ordered the chicken briyani which was labeled gluten free and appeared in a big dish covered with naan! the naan was was baked on like a cover. how's that gluten free? the waiter said it didn't touch but the rash on my body says otherwise. this should have been listed on the menu. i gave them 4 because the service was good, the atmosphere was very pleasant and the hostess was fantastic. :) next time i would quiz the waiter about ingredients but we will go there again. :D
(4)
Sushma M.
Been here 2 times.Buffet is good.Used groupon here :)
(3)
Ab Y.
Buffet was not that great or may be not good at all on a friday afternoon(one of the peak times). Not a thing to recomend. Sweets at the buffet was somewhat ok.
(1)
Ketan J.
Nice lunch buffet . went there for farewell lunch with my team. Food was good. place is pretty big, and set up is also nice. Wouldn't mind going there again.
(4)
Vijai S.
I wish we had an option to give this place a half star or zero star. I went there for a buffet lunch and the food was awful. How can any Indian restaurant mess up butter chickec? Well these guys do. The naan was dripping in butter and there wasn't one tasty entree on the buffet spread. To top it all, this place isn't cheap.
(1)
Mansi A.
Excited to see a new Indian restaurant in the South Bay serving both North and South Indian dishes, a somewhat large group of us dined at Arka pre-official grand opening to check it out! First things first, the restaurant is a tad difficult to locate due to lack of proper signage (at least when we went), but it literally sits on the corner of El Camino Real and S. Fair Oaks Dr. Upon entering, the decor is extremely warm, trendy, and inviting. It's definitely reminiscent (yet a toned-down version) of Sakoon/Amber India decor. We were seated in a slightly private area off to the side that had two large U-shaped booths aptly appropriate for larger groups. Loved that seating area! {Note: That would be a good spot to rent for private group events.} As far as the food is concerned, we feasted on the following: Appetizers - Juhu Beach Vada: Extremely tough, spherical vada balls. Not your traditional vada shape, which may be part of the problem, but overall skip this dish. Too tough, too dry. - Karari Calamari: I didn't sample this dish, but given that a chunk of it was left over, I'm not convinced folks fully enjoyed it. - Achari Paneer Tikka: Good stuff. Well-flavored. It could've been a tad softer, but overall good paneer tikka. - Charminar Chicken 65: Yum! Not to be missed. If you like Dosa's chennai chicken, you'll enjoy this. - Watermelon Salad: Refreshing. Great contrast to the other standard appetizer items. Main Dishes - Organic Tandoori Chicken: Your standard tandoori chicken with better quality chicken. I like. - Konkon Fish Curry: Definitely enjoyed this dish. A slight kick with no fishy aftertaste. - Arka Shrimp Curry: I didn't try this dish. - Lucknow Chicken Biryani: Definitely not true chicken biryani; more like rice tossed together with chicken. I must admit the presentation was pretty unique, but I've definitely had much better versions of chicken biryani. - Rava Masala Dosa: Soggy, lacking rava-appeal. Not a good dosa. Pass. - Paneer Keema Dosa: I didn't try this dish. To sum it up: Arka seems like a nice spot to order North Indian specialties, but unfortunately missed the bullseye on pretty much every South Indian entree we ordered. I really wanted to give this place a stellar rating, but I think a lot of the 4/5 star reviews are a bit generous. I'm going with a solid 3-star review, because the North Indian dishes were pretty good albeit being anything special, the decor definitely nice, and the customer service was a friendly and attentive.
(3)
Corinne R.
So I'm not sure why people are complaining about this place. Maybe the restaurant took notice of previous reviews and improved their customer service, food and such. Everything was great for us tonight. We ordered three things and had to take a bag home because we didn't realize there would be so much food. Everything was tasty and not too oily. Very flavourful. The restaurant staff was attentive but not over bearing. We never had to ask for more water or to get our bill, they just knew when to come. The restaurant wasn't busy. Probably five different tables being served. We're definitely going back again and sharing again!
Arka is about a minute walk from my place...and it's really nice having a trendy looking bar/restaurant in good ol' sunnyvale when you don't feel like driving! My husband and I are frequent customers- most of the time we are drinking and ordering (vegetarian) appetizers at the bar. The staff is incredibly friendly and accommodating. My husband would like me to add that they have CHIMAY (beer) on tap which is apparently a rare sighting. I'm not a super huge fan of south indian food...but their pumpkin dosa is DELICIOUS- no crumbs left on my plate. A few girlfriends and I have also been here during their "ladies night" (I believe every Tues evening) and their cocktails are really yummy and unique. All in all, great place to eat, drink, and be merry :-)
(5)
Tejaswini L.
After reading a whole lot of negative reviews about Arka, we had decided not to visit this place. Thanks to the place, time and parking convenience it provides, Yesterday night we took a risk, and it was worth it! I liked it. There were only two tables occupied when we got in. They served complimentary 'crumbled Papad' with menu. I am a pure vegetarian, and the main reason I liked Arka is because of the variety in vegetarian menu they offer. But hello... When you spend so much on your interior and ambiance , why do you have normal printouts as a menu cards with difficult to read font? They have very good options available for drinks. The serving size was OK! In food, we ordered 'Bharwa chandi kofta', 'plain rotis' and 'tomato basil biryani' . portion size was satisfactory. Food had very pleasant aroma and it was really delicious. Service was quick, waiters were trying to communicate with their broken English, which sounded very sweet to me.. 'Biryani..2 min wait...other food.. You enjoy' said the waiter while serving rotis and kofta. Where is the fifth star? 1. Yes, the prices are little higher compared to the other Indian restaurants in Sunnyvale. 2. Lighting was too dim. 3. And Some weird music in the background, we kept asking eachother "why do you think they are playing this?".
(4)
Kat S.
Decor and ambiance are pretty nice but the food and service leaves much to be desired. We tried several dishes and all of which pretty bad. First off, they rubbed us the wrong way by not greeting us nicely at the door. Despite an almost empty house, our party of four waited for almost 10 minutes before we were even greeted (rather abruptly) and seated. Not what I expected given the more upscale ambiance. Next, after we ordered 3 dosas we were told they would take a long time since they only had one dosa pan. Why the heck do you have one dosa pan when you have a WHOLE SECTION of your menu devoted to dosas??! We all were a bit turned off before the food arrived. Finally, our food arrived & we were assured we wouldn't be returning. The dosas were cold, the uttapam was soggy and uncooked in the middle, sambar was too thick and improperly seasoned as was the rest of food. The masala dosa filling reeked of uncooked garlic when garlic isn't normally added at all to this dish, the panneer dosa filling was horrible, and the chole was WAY over spiced with such a strong cinnamon flavor it was almost inedible. Most of our party was Indian and we all agreed it wasn't very good. It's as if they spent all their energy on decorating and didn't have any left for what matters most - the food! Won't be back.
(2)
Abhishek K.
Do they call it an Indian Restaurant ? No way. I am happy that I didn't spend a penny here; have attended two parties here. If you are looking for even an average Indian Food, don't go there. Daal (pulse) was more of sweet tomato pulpy juice and chicken, fish, goat curries were all sweet with little or no taste. If you call it Indian food..sorry I think you have invented some other cuisine. My non-Indian Friends ! if you think you are gonna eat tasty Indian food there, you are mistaken.. that's something else..some other cuisine. You really need to stop calling it an Indian Restaurant or really change something drastically..probably your recipe book.
(1)
S H.
The worst customer service ever. This so called Manager "Ramesh" promised us a day to have a party in the restaurant. We informed all our guests. We had not paid the deposit since he wanted permission from his boss about something. He promised us he would get back ASAP, the deposit was not an issue. We called everyday, his response would be that his boss does not call back. Today when I insisted on finalizing this, he said the date was taken. He refused to give his boss' name or phone number saying he does not know. Never, never have an event at this place. Horrible customer service by uneducated, probably illegal immigrants.
(1)
Annie D.
Finally came back to give this place a full try after being here for a yelp event. We sat at the bar and started with hismajesty chili chicken- very nice spice to this, so a good dish if you like spicy! Shrimp vindaloo uthappam- their version of a pizza, was okay, nothing special and a little soggy. Also tried a lamb dish, this was good, well seasoned. Service was okay, wasn't at their best.
(3)
Dinesh M.
Downgrading to 1-star due to poor service. We asked if we could get some roti since the only bread in the buffet was naan which contains egg (we are vegetarians). Other Indian buffets usually accommodate this request without any questions or hesitation. However, the waiter said they use the same dough so it wouldn't make a difference. I know this is completely untrue - the type of flour and dough are completely different for roti and naan. If the waiter simply said that they cannot accommodate a special request for a buffet, that actually would have been perfectly fine. However, I didn't appreciate that he gave me a completely made-up excuse!
(1)
Brian U.
I really wanted to like this place. The interior decor is fantastic, and their extensive drinks menu really made me want to check out more. Service was reasonably friendly and attentive. Unfortunately, the flavors really weren't there to back it up. My rava masala dosa didn't taste like much -- the sambar may well have been mild Pace picante sauce, and was about as flavorful as the raita. My dining companion's biriyani had a really fun presentation, with a pot pie crust baked atop the serving bowl, and cut open by the server at tableside. Pity tasted like Uncle Ben's. Not even "Uncle Ben's with amazing curry and veggies and flavorings simmered in" but more like plain white rice with maybe a milligram of cilantro and barely anything else added. Even the cocktails were bland. We tried a special that was essentially a mango lassi spiked with vodka, and tasted like just that. No real balance or creativity there, may as well have just ordered a lassi. Other fruity cocktails were similarly bland. Price performance is not great. If it were amazing food, it'd be totally fair, but you're only paying for the decor, not for delicious food. I'm suspecting we may have done it wrong by attempting to come here to eat dinner. This place seems better suited to having a few drinks with friends, or a trendy place to take business colleagues. An appetizer or two would serve as fine ballast, just don't come expecting a satisfying meal. There are dozens of WAY better Indian food options not far from here.
(2)
Michelle B.
The bottom line is Arka is the BEST Indian Restaurant in the Bay Area. The food is fresh with amazing flavor, awesome atmosphere perfect for a date and excellent service Michael the owner roccccks! I go to this restaurant at least once a week because it's so good!!!!!!!!!!! Don't listen to the negative posts...they have no idea what the hell they are talking about...just keeping it real = )-
(5)
Sumana M.
Went here on a Tuesday night, saw a bunch of people unlike what most other reviewers had said. But here's what we felt Pros Decor is nice Service was ok Cons We ordered chicken biryani and tandoori mahi mahi The chicken biryani came out in a humungous size bowl and we were only 2 (probably serves around 4-5 people). Since we don't get anything which has meat in it packed to take home, lots of food got wasted. My husband also mentioned the chicken biryani tasted more like old pulav. The mahi mahi was simply tasteless and rubbery. The only thing I ate on the plate was the one portabella mushroom. The waitress asked us, are you really done, you still have lots of food on your plate. Instead of asking us, that should clearly be a red sign that their food was terrible. Not going again!
(1)
Arnel G.
I went to Arka for the lunch buffet this afternoon. It was packed (there was a baby shower going on at the back end of the restaurant), so the buffet seemed to make sense, as it would be the least affected by any service problems. I sampled most of the buffet items and had mixed results, with the meat, seafood, and rice dishes definitely better in quality and execution than the vegetarian dishes. Here are some highlight of what I sampled, from the best to the worst: * Amritsari Fish - By far the best dish there, the catfish used in this dish was lightly coated in a spicy gram flour mixture. The spices were surprisingly subtle, however - complementing and highlighting the flavor of the fish, rather than overpowering it. This was probably the standout dish of the buffet. * Curry Fish - This was another standout dish, with a gravy flavored with curry leaf, turmeric, mustard seed, and other spices complementing the subtle flavor of the fish. I'm not sure what the fish was (it might have been tilapia), but this curry was executed quite well. * Butter Chicken - Fairly traditional, but with extra chili pepper and maybe tomato paste to give it a deep, zesty flavor. Well executed. * Paneer Masala - Wow. Chunks of succulent paneer in a tomato-based sauce zesty with ginger, chili powder, garlic, and other spices. Very tasty! * Chicken Biryani - Somewhat traditional, though I think they toned down the spiciness of this dish a bit. Still tasty. Wish that they had served it warmer - it was room temperature at the buffet table, and cooled down quickly by the time I had finished it. * Desserts - Included kheer, a custard-like dessert called "shuflee" (souffle?), and gulab juman. All of them were pleasant, not too sweet, fairly traditional. Nice, but not outstanding. * Tandoori Chicken - Not bad, but not great either. Meh. * Rice with Cumin Seeds - More meh-ness. * Muteer Masala - Consisted of some sort of bean (maybe pigeon peas?) in a green sauce. A bit bland, not that exciting. * Tawa - Mixed vegetables fried in a variety of spices. The vegetables were watery and fairly insipid. * Naan - Tough and rubbery. Maybe these were store-bought naan that they reheated in an oven? Felt like I was munching on latex gloves. * Gobi Manhcurian - The worst dish of the buffet. Gobi Manchurian usually consists of battered cauliflower nuggets that should be crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, somewhat hot and somewhat sour. Here, the cauliflower nuggets were greasy, tasteless, and rubbery. I was tempted to see if I could actually bounce the cauliflower nuggets in this dish right off the restaurant's walls! I also ordered the "Indiana Colada" from their bar. "Indiana Colada" is an unintentionally funny name for a decent drink that contained yogurt, a small amount of mango puree, and rum. It was essentially rum with a small amount of mango lassi in it. Not bad, though at $9/glass, it wasn't exactly cheap. I did not find service to be bad (at least they kept my water glass full). Decor is a bit weird - think "California LSD Trip Meets India." The walls are decorated in different colors (deep burgundy red, pastel lime green, pale violet blue), the booths have seats with large polka dots all over them, the lampshades are whimsical and somewhat Dr. Suess-ish. It approaches being too much, without actually getting there. I gave this restaurant 3/5 stars, mainly because of the lack of good vegetarian dishes and the quality of the naan. With some adjustments, they could become one of the better restaurants in Silicon Valley, but they definitely have some work to do if they want to get there.
(3)
Shantha S.
I had dined at Arka a few months ago. The lighting effects in their restaurant is pretty good. They have some pretty good chicken and seafood varieties..Definitely you can visit this place at least once if you love food !!!
(3)
Sandeep S.
Avoid going with your Groupon voucher. They impose gratuity twice- it's no longer a "deal". Ordinary food but good ambiance and service...
(2)
Keven W.
This opened a month ago. Maybe I am not a big fan of Indian buffet, but we went here during lunch to celebrate a coworker's farewell. Overall, the food was okay and serviec was good. But 3 stars meaning that I would go back again, but not for awhile. I enjoyed the chionese chicken that was the best dish, salad was okay and so was the curry. It was somewhat salty for me and the tandori chicken was a little dry. The dessert was okay, nothing to jump up and down for. The place is very good looking and modern, I have to admit, I think chef ramsay would be very impressed. I did not eat more than my usual, but I am still full. Hopefully I won't puke this stuff.
We had just completed a 6 mile hike and so we were hungry. We drove all the way to Sunnyvale to partake in an Indian Buffet Lunch at Arka and was sorely disappointed as on their website they said they were open from 11:30-3pm. It was only 1pm. Not sure if they're open at all but wow...what a way to really kill customers from ever coming back or at all.
(1)
Soumya S.
This place has a very nice ambience and hospitality for their customers; to be particular, you are never out of place. For Indian Cusine I will definitely look to come here all the time. A place where time seems well spent. Do try the rice, yellow tarka dal and tandoori pomfret. It's delicious. Leave a nice tip! ;-) it's worth... Stars awarded on customer and order management, ambience, service, sanitation and efficiency.
(5)
Greg L.
Horrible. Do not eat here. If I could give zero stars I would. Terrible restaurant from servers to food. I love and eat Indian food on a regular basis and this is the worst experience I have ever had.
(1)
Allister D.
Nothing against this place. The place is clean and comfy, the food is prepared quick and tastes fresh, drink menu is extensive with imports, and prices are decent. First off the masala chai is fresh and milky. Great for $2.5 with unlimited refills. The garlic naan is fresh and crispy with a light taste of garlic. The pesto naan isn't over powering and has a good amount of pesto. I enjoyed the Punugulu which are stuffed jalapeños with potato type fillings. This is pairs well with the sweet tamarind sauce. The Paneer Pakora were like fried potato balls that had chutney hints. Great for dipping in the cilantro sauce. Overall this place isn't too busy but is well kept. The service is good! They are on top of refills and orders. I will def be coming back for happy hr and lots more chai time!!
(3)
Sree Sagar R.
The most challenging part with this restaurant is to figure out its timings. There have been several attempts by me around 2pm and they said the place was closed or they do not serve the buffet anymore as they have a group event. However if you manage to be get served, this place goes into the never ending list of average Indian food restaurants. I have been there only for the lunch buffet. There are not a lot of options to select from but I would say around 60% of the items they served was anywhere from good to okay. In my opinion if you have no place to go then come here and have your lunch and forget it as there is not a lot to talk about it.
(3)
Estrella Z.
When I used to dine in this restaurant when Michael was still the manager, the food, the service, and the cleanliness of the restaurant was all GOOD. After Michael left, when I dine in @ lunch time for buffet yesterday, it was all TERRIBLE, the food was not good, the bathroom was sooooooooooooooooooo dirty. this restaurant will not last.. that's it, my last day was yesterday.
(1)
Lorraine B.
Arka catered lunch for my department today (80 people) and everything was great. It was very easy to plan over email, from the menu selection to the scheduling and billing. Delivery was punctual and setup was quick and quiet. (Very important in a busy office!) Food was as delicious as expected, but the service was above and beyond. The two men that delivered the food were well dressed, and wiped down the sides of each tray after setting up. They even spooned some of the excess oil off of the tops of some of the dishes and discarded it. I was very impressed. Our team here enjoyed the food very much as well as the presentation. Everything was perfect. It was a pleasure working with Ravi and the Arka team.
(5)
Jeff Z.
The food is just OK, but the service is bad. The waiter spill the soup on the table and didn't clean it. 10 minutes later, he did bring some paper and cover the spill area and put the plate on the paper... Another thing, don't buy the groupon for this restaurant, they will give you a special menu, which exclude the more expensive dishes. It turns out and you will pay the full price, except for getting two small glasses of cheap drink!
(1)
Jay K.
This place has a very good ambience. I ordered the Bombay Paneer Masala and Naan. It was very good. The servers were friendly.
(5)
Caroline D.
NOTE - this is based on a catering done for our office. Arka folks came by my office to advertise that they deliver and caterer lunch. I like to try to support local businesses, so I decided to give them a try. They arrived on time, but they did not have a cart to bring the food into the office. They had to borrow ours (not a BIG deal). Midway unloading our lunch, the guy took a call and talked loud enough that the whole office could hear. He spoke with his back facing me for at least two minutes while i just stood there and waited for him. When he finished talking and unloading, he just left the cart in our kitchen covered in OIL (BIG DEAL). Now for the food.....the food was better than expected, But that's not saying much cuz it was still NOT good. The nann was doughy, they use bay shrimps in their shrimp curry (we had to fish around to make sure there actually was shrimp inside) and they use SOOO MUCH OIL! (I extracted two 4 oz cups of oil). no good.
(1)
Luke S.
Some things that stand out here are the watermelon salad and the mojitos. The tomato pineapple soup is really good too. I think I got here to close to opening because they werent really ready for me but its all good because once they were, their customer service was excellent. Such great portions I've got enough to last all day the next day. Prices aren't to bad either
(5)
Sakthi R.
I was first doubtful of the quality of this place due to its 3 star rating in yelp. But guess what, I was proved totally wrong. I have since then visited this restaurant thrice, ordering different dishes each time (vegetarian) and every time I was given food that tasted good. What I like more than their food is the ambience. The place is much much better compared to other places of same price. Their entrees cost ~$10 which is very very reasonable for the ambience and food quality.
(5)
Arnab C.
Good dosas and other comfort foods. The decor is fun and modern and the restaurant has tons of room on the inside. Food service is reliably bad -- I stopped going because it always took me multiple hours to get in and get out. Once the food is at the table, they never return until you threaten to leave. Hope you had enough water before it arrived!
(3)
Payal P.
visiting family and they brought me here for the weekend lunch buffet. this place is very nice, it has a nice bar where you walk in and the main dining room was spacious. the waiters were attentive. the buffet was good, the fish pakora were probably the best thing i have ever had on an indian lunch buffet! i stuck to the punjabi dishes and everything i tried was good. my family said we went on a day that wasn;t as good as their past visits but for me it was delicious. only major con i have, no condiment section, there was a tray with chutney and a tossed salad but there was no fresh chilies, limes and onions, an indian lunch buffet must for me. i later looked up the price (they paid) and i would say it is def worth the money!
(4)
James K.
This review is for the buffet only, FYI. My wife bought a groupon for the all you can eat buffet so we ventured out on an early Sunday afternoon. The selections are a bit more limited. I've been to multiple Indian buffets all throughout the bay area and this one is okay. One sour note was that the tandori chicken was lukewarm at best and didn't have the best flavors. They did offer a few unique soups, which I enjoyed. I think based on the smaller selection of food as well as some hit or miss items, along with a price tag that should be a little lower in my eyes, I'll stick with 3 stars. If you want a great buffet, go to the establishment in downtown Sunnyvale or the Bombay Garden (cusp of santa clara/sunnyvale).
(3)
ME Inside M E.
PROS: Ambiance Quality of food was good Wide options for non-veg in buffet. Good and friendly staff CONS: High Price for the options they offer in buffet. Less Veggie options for vegetarians. Will i go again? Yeah, Sure..But when i have a coupon/groupon !
(3)
Devang O.
BIG NO !!! I was already warned by my friends of experience at this nicely built ambience but poor food and service. But I sill went ahead for trying it once and I wasn't disappointed...got poor service as expected. Food that we ordered wasn't available that day. My friend (who is a bartender himself) ordered a Manhattan Cocktail and we saw the bartender smashing oranges with his hands in the glass we thought it was for someone else. But wait, it was ours;) when my friend walked up to the bartender he said this is how it Is made. Finally the cocktail arrived and it had no alcohol and looked and tasted different.Figured that they don't have any bartender and the manager makes cocktail. Really ??? Who serves alcohol without a professional bartender. Good part : they waived off my food as they didn't have what I first ordered and then they took off the cost of Manhattan.
(2)
Alyson A.
If there was a way to give this restaurant no star I would. I went there tonight. The restaurant was almost empty being Labor Day evening. The server took his time to take my order. He asked if I wanted my food spicy and I assures him yes I really did. I also asked to taste one of their Belgian beers. He told me they don't offer that but when I acted surprised he relented. The food took forever to appear as did my beer. It was OK but nothing special. When it arrived, the waiter vanished. After a long wait and massive flagging, his colleague took back the food which had no heat. Eventually if came back spicy and I ate it. Then I got the hiccups. It doesn't happen often but it's annoying when it does. Again I had to work to get any waiter attention to both get the bill and a glass of water for the hiccups. 3 tries later my water arrived. Some time later the bill appeared... long after I had stopped the hiccups. At this point I asked to talk to the manager and was told there was none. Eventually someone appeared who seemed to be the manager and apologized very insincerely and otherwise did nothing other than take my credit card with a $17 bill (for Indian food!) You can imagine that that tip was the 0 it deserved.
(1)
Chris C.
A grand disappointment. When I arrived I was the only patron. I should've known better but I'd hoped for the best because it had nice styling and some decent reviews. Alas, 'hope' is not a great strategy. Uncharmed by their specialty cocktails, I ordered a simple martini. What arrived (after a couple rounds of questions) was a dirty martini made with rancid olives. That went back and I ordered wine - something made by someone else. My appetizer was the highlight. The samosa chaat was quite delicious and spicy. The lamb kabobs however were tough, dry, and too salty. It was the tasty coconut rice that made the entree at all edible. And for dessert... Did you really think I stuck around for dessert? Want a better meal? Try Kabul (Afghani) just up the street a bit.
(2)
Bharti K.
I had their catered food once and it was very very spicy. If you are craving spicy food then you should definitely try this place out. Their chicken tikka and chicken curries are good, naan's are fresh. In appetizers their samosas and pakora's are good. I have not visited their restaurant ever but have seen it from outside. Their ambience seems good. Not sure about their service and parking though.
(4)
Linda P.
I have eaten here at least a dozen times and the food is always fresh and hot and flavorful. The spices are expertly combined and the buffet is already a new mix of inventive items. Many amazing vegetarian options which are irresistible even for us meat eaters. Today they had beet stir fry, squash pakora and numerous daal and samba. Their butter chicken is some of the best around. Always several dessert options and today free beer with lunch! Love their evening cocktail menu too! I am always surprised more people have not discovered this amazing gem of a restaurant!
(5)
Dnivra R.
Updating my previous review from 2 star to 1. Went for the lunch buffet twice recently. One may ask why go the second time when you know the food sucks, well, I had a coupon which i had to use before it expires. Limited options in the buffet unlike other indian places. Veggie options were very few. It seemed like the bought just two vegetables for a week and cooked dishes based on the two veggies they had. Baingan (brinjal) and broccoli were then one's i got. And can you imagine an indian lunch buffet place without paneer ? They had saag paneer though, ratio of 50:1. The pakoda were made of brinjal too, and dint seem fresh either. I would surely not recommend this place to anyone.
(1)
DesiFoodie A.
So, apparently this restaurant is is sold and is going to close pretty soon. Obviously the owner doesn't care anymore about the food quality. Today was my last visit here
(1)
P B.
If only the rating scale was upto -5 its one of the shittest over priced food yo can get with rude waiters
(1)
Jodi C.
For me, Arka teeters between 3 and 4 stars. I WANT to give them a 4, buuuut... There were just a few inconsistencies in the service that they might be able to make up on another trip. The ambiance is pretty great. They have some outdoor seating for nice weather. They have bar seating. They have a main dining area. And then they have a larger area in the back that can be reserved for private events. I saw the staff preparing for a private event the night we were there for dinner, and they took meticulous care of the set-up. The main dining area is dim and contemporary, which is relaxing. I love how their menus are set up. They very clearly label what is gluten free and vegan, which saved me from the normal pestering I have to give to the wait staff. Their drink menu is also pretty fun. Good beer and cocktail selection. We ordered a wine flight (2 out of 3 were delish). The appetizers were beautifully displayed. They weren't bad, but also seemed a bit more "canned". As if the food is made in bulk or not in a very passionate way, if that makes sense. The main courses were not as lovely, but had a little more spot-on flavor. Just a few minor set backs: the waitress, as lovely as she was, didn't know the pricing on their wine flights or if any of the breads were vegan. No biggie. Ya learn as you go. But it caused a minor delay. The first appetizer they brought us was one we didn't order. Woopsie. And the waitress forgot to subtract our Groupon from the bill. The manager was happy to fix the transaction without any fuss. Just another minor delay. For the food: Fried plantain and spinach fritters: beautiful looking. They should warn you to toss out the fork and use your hands. It was tasty with the plum sauce, but awkward to eat with a fork. Potato cakes with garbanzo beans: my partner really liked these. I gobbled up the potatoes, but the garbanzos were actually too spicy for me to eat. Tomato and pineapple soup: had to try it just because it seemed so odd. And it was very good, refreshing. Pumpkin dosa: this is a HUGE piece of dough, filled with pumpkin, and fried. I feel like they should work on making this more... accessible. The dosa was twice the size of the plate, falling over the sides. But the filling was very good. I think if they put a bit more passion into the cooking and get the staff a little more familiar with their offerings, they could potentially be in the top restaurants of Silicon Valley's Indian food. It just needs a bit more.
(3)
Andrew D.
A friend of mine had a baby shower here recently on a weekend. They reserved the private room in the back and it was decorated beautifully. The flat screen provided was a nice feature for them to show off their videos. This time around, I was able to experience the buffet since I'm a HUGE fan of Indian buffets. I was not disappointed and enjoyed the food very much. It was spicy but that's how I like it! The chicken biryani, aloo gobi, naan, etc.., was all good and fresh. I will definitely be coming back here in the future and get in the buffet line.
(4)
Specter B.
Food - very bad. No taste. On top of that they serve roaches. Very unhygenic. When compliant about that the owner/ Manger argues about that. Also boldly mentioned that this is not the first incident and Happened before.
(1)
Morris C.
I came here on a weeknight for dinner to redeem a Groupon I'd purchased. The restaurant seemed maybe half full, but there was still around a 10 minute wait for a table for 2. When we were seated it then took the waiter a noticeably long time to take our drink and dinner orders, and then an even longer time for our food to come out. The food itself wasn't bad, but the portion sizes were rather small considering the prices. If not for the Groupon I'd probably have been even more unhappy with the meal. But even with the Groupon I felt like the meal was much too overpriced for the experience. The decor and mood of the restaurant weren't bad for dinner, but certainly was not enough to make up for the aforementioned shortcomings. There is simply too much competition for good Indian restaurants in the area for me to warrant revisiting this place unless they solve their staffing issues and portion sizes considering their prices.
(2)
Sudhir P.
I took Vijayawada Biryani and veg Biryani to go. Chicken and also aloo in veg biryani was horribly stinking!! Donno how many years old!! My mistake i still ate just rice and stomach upset for two days. I'm never going there again.
(1)
VANESSA H.
No clue how this place doesn't have higher ratings or a line out the door. Literally the best Indian restaurant me and my bf have ever been to. The concept and set up here is unbelievable sure to impress anyone your being here. Atmosphere is incomparable to any other. Then the menu is unbelievably detailed and accommodating. Found this place on groupon which is usually a bust but wow did we score. The service is impeccable and the food/drinks exceptional. Seriously can't wait to come back on an anniversary with my love. If there's an advice I could give to someone reading this it would be to come here and give this place a try.
(5)
Naveen V.
Wow great food Thanks to Arka Am come in evining also. Great free bear I never see in any restaurent such giving as bear free. Awesome Less cost more types of food And good appetizers.gongura chicken toooo tasty.
(5)
Dee S.
My order - Lunch buffet Taste - Bad. Lots if tasteless or salty items. Roti was rubbery and hard. Ambiance - Ok Staff - Rude Value for money - Bad Visit - Can miss it !
(1)
Satish V.
I ordered vijayawada biriyani and panner butter masala for my family to go. The food is not fresh chicken is too old and there are no pieces except for the skin and the rice was way too salty 100% worst biriyani in California . Panner butter masala was for my kids tasting it I threw it into the dust bin afraid of causing food poisoning to my kids
(1)
Shiv S.
Excellent service! My parents had a party and they were the caterers and provided the best catering service we ever had. They were efficient, on time, and had good energy and their food was outstanding. Highly recommended
(5)
Katrina T.
Had to use my Groupon here before it expired, so I took my friends here on a Sunday night. Let me just say that Groupon was TOTALLY worth it! I ended up paying $5 extra and my friends and I shared several dishes. When we arrived the place was full of energy since a party was going on. We waited about 10 minutes before we were seated. Everyone is really friendly, which made our dining experience enjoyable. I was excited to eat Indian food because I hadn't had it for awhile. We went with garlic naan, regular naan, karari calamari, butter chicken, and rava masala dosa. The naans were fresh and enough for the 3 of us. The calamari was very thin cut, but had a bit of a spiced kick to its taste. The butter chicken was so good especially with the naan. I love butter chicken! Their chicken was soft and tender too. The rava masala was a surprise! It looks really plain but has all the flavors and ingredients hidden inside of it. It also comes with 3 sauces to dip with. Inside our dosa was spiced potatoes. My friend wanted this because they didn't have samosas, so this potato ingredient was the closest thing to possibly bringing that taste back. Everything here is really good. I would definitely come back here!
(4)
Anu S.
Stale, chewy pani puris were served on a bed of chopped raw onions, making the bottom really soggy, the only filling in the puris was cilantro stems ( no steamed sprouts or chopped potaoes), extremely salty "paani" & imli chutney gone bad. This not a good place for chaat. My friend ordered fish curry, and was happy with the taste and quality. The servers were lethargic :(
(1)
Frank H.
Arrived at 2 pm hungry for a quick lunch after a busy morning. I was surprised and so thankful that they let us in only 30 min prior their break. The staff immediately went into action to make fresh breads for us, the only two customers. The breads are my favorite, so we ordered 3 times and each order tasted better than the previous one. I used to go to Saneha near my old office but their breads were not as fresh, soft, chewy, and tasty as these at Arka. I am thankful that my associate Kevin Craft introduced me to Arka. Great food, bright room, clean floor, reasonable price, and very welcoming staff. What on earth are you complaining about?!
(5)
Robin L.
First time here for the lunch buffet today and it is very clean, huge assortment at the buffet both of veg and non-veg items, and delicious. Ingredients were fresh, naan served hot, and I was just shocked it wasn't packed. This place for whatever reason may not have caught on, but plenty of parking and great food at a good price. I high recommend coming for the lunch buffet.
(5)
S A.
This review is for a birthday party we hosted at Arka. Pros Arka is expensive but they helped us host a rocking birthday party for our 1 year old. The food was great and the service was great. They are very expensive compared to other banquet halls but I think the ambience and food quality are worth it. Cons They are booked in the weekends for parties for lunch and dinner so if you are hosting a dinner party you will get only 2 hours to decorate. The other problem is that they charge for 65 people minimum do if some of your guests decline at the last minute, you will still pay for the 65 minimum.
(4)
William K.
This is my third time for lunch buffet, with the last two times using a Groupon. I tend to eat lunch past 1 pm, and both times, I am disappointed that they do not refill the meat entrees in a timely manner despite being open for lunch until 3 pm on weekends. Even with new stream of customers coming in, and a private birthday party next door, the meat portions were not refilled. The butter chicken and goat curry is 97% sauce. The remaining tandoori chicken is burnt and was being passed over by most patrons. The naan bread used to be served fresh to the table but is now served at the buffet station. Once the bread becomes available it is gone within minutes. Perhaps they serve fresh naan to the table during the peak lunch window. The goat meat was finally refille at the end our meal and it was tough and did not taste fresh. My wife warned me that the small pieces of chicken hidden in the butter chicken sauce is actually burnt tandoori chicken -- it looked like the leftovers from the tandoori buffet station. This is so not cool -- if you are like me and go out of your way to trim burnt meat to avoid heterocyclic amines that are known carcinogens, you may run risk of accidentally ingesting some that are being masked by the sauce. To balance the negatives there are two positives about this place. The variety of soups is more than most other buffets The service was actually pretty good -- our plates were promptly removed each time. With other nearby competition, this place is not worth it even with a Groupon.
(2)
Sanidhya K.
Worst place ever. The service has been consistently going worse with every visit. Today it reached the limit. I won't be coming to this place anymore. We sat at the bar. There was no bartender to take our order for 30 mins. The guy who finally did gave a different beer from what we ordered. Same happened to another party on the bar. My guess is they mixed our orders. Then we ordered an aalo tikki and after a 45 mins wait we got some Gobi dish dipped in oil. The server didn't even have the courtesy to apologize. Besides this the service. was rude, the bartender uninterested and we left with a bad mood because of the poor service. Even the music that used to be good in the past has gotten lamer over time. Need to find a good replacement. Do not try this place. It's degraded in quality to the lamest desi lounge bar. The kicker was insects crawling on the bar table!
(1)
Cassidy D.
Can't really tell you how the food is because I didn't get a chance to eat it. Service was really slow even though there was pretty much no one in the restaurant, and by the time our food came out I had noticed so many bugs crawling around on the table and the walls that I lost my appetite. Gross.
(1)
V S.
Update: several years after my first review, I have to say that this restaurant is not what it used to be anymore. Went from being excellent the first year to Mediocre.
(2)
Vincent L.
I'd have to agree with the consensus here. Arka is a nice space - well, I dare say somewhat *trendy* for El Camino - and that's about all there is to rave about it. The food is bland and undistinctive, as far as Indian goes. It's well-presented and the service is quite pleasant, but there's honestly nothing remarkable or memorable about the food itself. If I were to go back, it would be for happy hour/Groupon pricing and for their beautiful, modern bar area. As for the food itself, you can do so much better with all the hole-in-the-wall Indian places up and down El Camino.
(3)
Neha J.
Loved the Chicken and Mutton Biryani...There were just awesome. I was incredibly surprised by the excellent service.
(5)
Jay R.
Been here a few times for happy hours or events back in the past. Recently we threw a party here for 50+ people and they were very accommodating during the whole ordeal. I thought the food was good, but nothing can top that LYCHEE KHEER. I seriously did work on the kheer. Do I feel bad that I probably ate 10 servings of it, meaning some of our guests were robbed of the chance of a lifetime? Nope. Whoever thought of that concept of adding lychee flavoring to ride pudding is the real unsung hero of Silicon Valley.
(4)
Steven H.
Not a bad Indian food spot. Little pricey but the food was good. The service was not bad. The place was nicely decorated on the inside. There were not many people there dining for lunch. Not sure how new this place is but they probably need to pick up the pace on their marketing.
(3)
Vrushali B.
The ambience is good. Tried Lunch Buffet here and it was good. Had many options to try out compared to other Indian restaurants nearby.
(4)
Megan K.
I feel slightly bad saying this... But when I left I simply wanted to LOL at this place. We came here on a Sunday evening with a party of 5. All of the guests but myself were indian. The Service: Everyone I talked to is New here. No one seemed to know how to pronounce the entrees, so taking orders was a complete JOKE! Our server found his ignorance amusing. He made a comment about not being familiar with the foods from North India. The water glass situation here was no joke. It was pathetic. All out the glasses were different sizes and they always seemed empty. We had to ask for a pitcher of water 5+ times before they agreed to leave one. Food: Decent. I have no complaints about the tastes. It did take A LONG time, but that could be because the server couldn't figure out what we ordered. I was embarrassed to take guests here.
(2)
Sid M.
Went to the Lunch buffet. Food was very so-so. They have reduced their menu options since the last time I went there. Particularly, in the dessert section, they have a couple of cheap options that don't taste good. Can we say cost cutting? Only upside was ambience and cleanliness.
(3)
Dana L.
I have been here a few times now and the food is always delicious. What leaves room for improvement is the service. The place has always been pretty empty when I've gone (2-5 tables with people) so there's not really an excuse for the lack of attention and flippant behavior of the staff. Once we asked to have our left overs boxed so they took the food away and didn't return for 10-15 minutes. We had to ask someone where it went and there was no explanation. Overall, good food but needs improvement on friendliness and attentiveness.
(4)
Kiran B.
Went there for the lunch buffet. It was the best indian food ever. I dont know why there are such bad reviews for the place. I think somebody is trying to bring the place down. Lovely cocktails too.
(5)
Natalie G.
The buffet here is amazing, especially the fish pakora!
(5)
Kim N.
If you've been going out as long as I have, you eventually run into front and back of house folks at different establishments. So Arka has a few folks that I recognize from Amber, All Spice and Sakoon. Notably, they're the folks that make good restaurants tick. Arka has a great opening team who expect to bring a unique perspective on modern Indisn cuisine to the area. I got a good soft opening view of Arka's operations. Most folks into food will note that Sachin Chopra is consulting on the menu. They're focusing on thibgs like the Monterey sustainable seafood watch list, a cocktail program, a large wine list focusing on local producers but with a worldwide reach, and overall sense of great ambiance. I started off with a tour of the bar, expansive dining room, private banquet, and the various segments of the kitchen operations. Afterwards i sat at the bar and started off with a Mezcal Bandit, which muddles fresh pineapple with agave syrup, and mezcal. Extremely tasty. I then had a plate of lamb curry, tandoori chicken, saag, and rice. This was but a sample of what the menu has to offer. Perusing the wine list while eating, I was surprised to see things like albarino, chenin blanc, gruner veltliner, and riesling. It's a great wine list for almost any restaurant in the area. The crew are super friendly and are both excited and a bit nervous for the opening. For those in the know, this space was empty for years and was previously Spoons bar and grill. Theyve done an amazing job transforming the space into a modern, elegant restaurant. Based on what Ive experienced there's huge potential here as there's nothing like it around. Definitely looking forward to seeing it in full swing
(5)
Ashu B.
Not so good food. They never ever paid any heed to the fact that we wanted to eat spicy food. None of the dishes served were even near to spicy. There are better places than this around, will not visit here again.
(2)
Deb S.
This place is very awkward if you want to go with your wife or GF. The owners are rude and don't mind to keep decency while you are eating. Usually some rowdy people show up from time to time.
(1)
Neesh Q.
I've been here so many times now, I've lost count. Might as well give it a Yelp review, right? It's a large modern Indian restaurant with beautiful decor and lighting. Unlike many Indian restaurants, it isn't a hustling bustling loud joint, thank goodness. The food is delicious, with presentation to match. Chili chicken is hands down the best appetizer on the menu. The biryani comes baked with a puri-like covering which is fascinating in a wowww-how-did-they-do-that kind of way. Tried their special one night- it was a tandoor-style fish- AMAZING. Prices are pleasantly reasonable.
(4)
Manoj G.
Went here with a groupon . Felt like no respect for customers presenting a groupon. Very rude behavior from the person sitting at the front desk when presented the groupon. Food was ok, nothing great though. Will not recommend this place just due to bad service which spoils a dining experience.
(2)
Anson W.
Prior to coming to Arka, I would've never thought that trance music could mix with Indian food. But Arka makes it work. Everything about this place - the upscale bar, the contemporary decor, cozy booths, and yes the trance music in the background - is contemporary and frankly, quite sexy. More importantly, the food satisfies, and with the daily lunch buffet being reasonably priced ($12 Monday - Thursday, $13 Friday - Saturday), you definitely get your money's worth here. The wifey and I had a Groupon for $10 off $20, so we REALLY got our money's worth. It took a while for us to get seated, since nobody was at the front desk for a couple minutes. Other than that, service was alright. We were seated at a swanky corner booth and got nice place settings which included cloth napkins. The buffet had around a dozen items to choose from, about medium size as far as Indian buffets go. I enjoyed the chilli fish the most - it had very tender pieces of fish cooked in a delicious sauce with soft bell peppers. There was lots of chicken to choose from, all enjoyable - charminar chicken, chicken biryani, tandoori chicken and butter chicken. I noticed one other meat dish - a lamb dish that I didn't get a chance to try. The naan wasn't that great - it tasted slightly old, and chewy rather than crispy. There's some real culinary talent ( arkarestaurant.com/arka_… ) at Arka. The food was mostly enjoyable, and the atmosphere is trendy but relaxed. There's plenty of indoor seating, a full bar, and outdoor seating where patrons can relax and hang out at their leisure. All for a price that's reasonable. I'd definitely come back again!
(4)
Rinkon P.
Foods , drinks , ambience all are really with to go ... Best place for organizing party ..
(4)
Kimber C.
The food was surprisingly really good. The restaurant was lacking. It was more like fold out tables covered with a white cloth. This place is a club at night. I wish they would just redo the upstairs to make it a legit restaurant/ maybe a classy VIP lounge or something. There were scuff marks, and I tried not to think of how many non-panty wearing short skirt/ dress wearing girls sat on the bench that I was on... I don't like to know there is a possibility that I'm sitting where a vag was while eating. It seems unsanitary. The food and service are the reasons for the 3 stars. I'm still not a fan of the clubs opening up as a higher end restaurant during the day.
(3)
Cindy L.
This is restaurant has a very cool vibe to it....the decor really sets you up to be impressed....however, the food was only okay. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't anything memorable either. The chicken (bhuna pyaz) was pretty tasty and very tender....but I was a little disappointed in the plantain/spinach fritters (kaccha kele). I wanted a lot more plantain and a lot less spinach. I could barely taste the spinach. Service was good and I do like their late night happy hour! The restaurant has a very large footprint, may be good for banquets and large parties.
(3)
Coco L.
Plus I got a yelp offer on free drink, thanks Yelp! Negative The mango Indian colada free drink - doesn't taste good, has bitter taste and hardly any mango flavor; don't order alcohol drinks here They won't let me use the groupon Chicken Biryani wasn't as nice this time, on dry side lamb in the lamb roganjosh was quite tough
(2)
Badri N.
I've been to Arka a few times. The first was for the Yelp Event held here and it was quite amazing. Great food and very gracious hosts. I've been there a couple of times since then. I owe them a review, I just had dinner there with my mom tonight and it's time to write this review. My mom is a harsh critic of Indian restaurants. She liked the food here. That alone is enough. She only thought it was expensive but coming from India, that's understandable so we/'ll leave that out of the equation. We got seated easily. Waiter was very friendly and courteous. Great specials though we decided to just go off the menu. We had the Achari Paneer Tikka as appetizer, along with a vegetable Hyderabadi biryani (mo is vegetarian - if you go, I recommend ordering the lamb or chicken - it's yummy!!!) and the Bharwan Chandi kofta. All the dishes were substantial - we had enough leftovers for lunch for the day after. The food was out quickly and it was delicious. Only complaint was that it could have been hotter (temperature, not spice) but it was quite amazing. Delicate balance of all the spices and sauces. I continue to be impressed by Arka's reproduction of several of my childhood delicacies. ~ 4 stars overall. Great evening overall. I love the decor, service and the food is definitely top notch. # 281
(4)
Donna C.
Went during lunch buffet...they ran out of Masala Chai and when asked if I could get a cup they said no, they were.out of it, and our request for a Lassi was denied too. Worst of all was the doughy Naan!!!! a disappointment, should have left first 5 minutes!
(2)
Rahul S.
Literally everything I ate here was great! Came here for the lunch buffet. There was a pretty good selection of food and a few varieties of soup. The buffet cost was $11 and the price seems justified by the quality of the food. I would definitely recommend trying arka out if you haven't already.
(5)
Ci W.
I don't know much about Indian food, and usually only care for naan and good curry or butter chicken. I actually was surprised at their cumin seasoned rice. Love the texture and the taste. There butter chicken and curry were also really good. They include beer with the lunch buffet which is really nice even though I don't drink, glad the include the chain tea which I enjoy having. This is the first place I went back, and will be going back for more.
(4)
Courtney R.
I love this place. Nice atmosphere, great drinks and delicious food. Usually you can get seated quickly but sometimes there is a little bit of a wait. All of the food I have tried here has been delicious. My favorite are the pumpkin and eggplant dosas. What i like is that the menu clearly labels what is vegan, gluten free etc. This makes it eaiser for me to decide what to do get, and move through the menu. They have a ton of food to choose from so you are sure to find something you will like. I come here all the time and will continue to go. YUM
(5)
Darien R.
I always go into a restaurant hoping for the best. I want to like my experience, even if other Yelpers have posted negative reviews. But this one did not measure up and I have to give only two stars. My wife and I are Indian food hounds (she is from India and I pretend to be Indian). I've been to India a couple times and have ingested enough Indian food in my lifetime to possibly earn an honorary Indian passport. All that to say, you can trust my review. The inside of the restaurant is nice. I will say that. The ambience is cool. I've heard the cocktails are happening, although I didn't try any--just had a beer. The food. Not good. Just OK. Not good enough to draw either one of us back. And isn't that always the bottom line? Will you go back to the restaurant? The answer is no. This restaurant is all about the glitz and trying to be hip, but that's where it ends. I'll stick to take out with some of the hole in the wall places up and down El Camino.
(2)
Noel M.
This review is dedicated to Khoi N. who reminded me not to let my love (and reviews) for the South Bay diminish. Since moving to SF, the weekends I venture South are packed with a whirlwind of friends, multiple meals and bars. Typically I end up going to establishments I miss until someone set me straight. An Indian menu paired with a full bar, of course I needed to try Arka! The lunch buffet wasn't spicy, nor did I expect it to be since they need to appease the masses. What they did have were dishes with rich, deep flavors. The uttappam (pancake style dosa) station was a nice touch. It's definitely one of the best Indian buffet I've been to and is now yet another place I need to squeeze into the rotation.
(4)
Nitro M.
First visit here was on my birthday. It was a good experience and my girlfriend and I enjoyed the food and the staff was friendly and the food was good.. We decided to try it again .. We ordered the corn soup.. One chicken and one vegetable .. They brought us two chicken.. I pointed out to the water it was wrong .. He's tired the soup and looked at my girlfriend and said it was mushroom in the soup.. We told him it was chicken.. He acted like my girl was stupid and it was vegetable soup... We had them take it back and bring the right soup.. During our meal I was asked if I would like a refill and they took my glass of soda away and had it refilled and left it sit on the bar for 20 mins till I had to ask for it .. At the end of our meal we received the check and it had two chicken soup and a vegetable soup on the bill .. I asked for one the chicken to be removed and they gave me a look of disgust like they expected me to pay for there mistake... When they brought the bill back it had the vegetable soup removed and two chicken still there... The diffrance was one dollar between the two soups we paid the bill and left... I feel we will not be returning due to this incident and how rude the guy was about the soup.. Neither of the sops had mushroom and I felt he was implying my girl was stupid and can't tell chicken from a mushroom .. The rude addutude we got from asking them to fix there mistake over a $3.95 soup... But the topper was they removed the cheaper soup to save loss of one dollar... Pathic management cost them a coustmer and there greed over the dollar assures we will not return
(2)
Naresh R.
Bait and Switch. We attended this restaurant last week and ordered a seasonal bottle of wine which was listed for $30 dollars, the waitress tells us the name so we order it. Then she brings another bottle of wine and says we don't have the seasonal wine but we have this other wine as a substitute. We said sure that's fine. In the mean time, it took about 3 hours for our meal to get completed with missing appetizers and some of the food being incorrect. Slowest service I have ever experienced. We asked for poppadom several times and it took them over 45 minutes to bring some. We asked for a beer that was also on the menu and they didn't have it either. So we finish out meal and get our bill. The bill now has a bottle of wine for $60 dollars instead of the $30 dollar one that we originally ordered. The waitress would not come back to the table to address the issue, she sent someone else who wasn't the manager. Another waiter who was dealing with the issue comes by our table and says yes but you ordered a more expensive bottle of wine. It should be the waitresses obligation to let us know that this bottle of wine is twice the price of the original one ordered. So after arguing with the waiter for about 15 minutes in which he still believed they were in the right he finally agreed to lower the price to $30 dollars. I also asked for the manager and he said the manager was too busy in the back. By far the most shady thing I have ever witnessed at a restaurant. Make sure you go over your check before you pay. The food is decent but the service is just terrible.
(1)
Praveen R.
In arka i like all non-veg items.especially gongura chicken is very nice taste more over quality and serving is very nice.nice waiting staff
(5)
David K.
The food was good. The service was very attentive but there were only two tables of people there for dinner for some reason. They were very formal and helpful and the decorations were very nice. Also the food was well priced. Four stars since the food was simply good. I will be going back some time!
(4)
M R.
I went for lunch with a colleague to this place at 1:30 PM. The decor is nice, consisting of an outer seating area and two halls for indoor seating. We ate the buffet lunch and dined exclusively on vegetarian dishes and fruit. The food was pretty good, the yogurt curry bordering on dangerously awesome. Good job guys. Surprised more people don't eat here.
(4)
Linh T.
The decor was nice. I'm still a newb to indian food. My family and I had garlic naan for appetizer. It was good, warm, hot. They give you like 3 different sauces. They did offer these lite crisp kinda like chips, very flavorful. My sister liked it. I got the chicken baryiyani. Okay so it can feed at least two people. There's naan covering it, and you unwrap it to eat the flavorful rice with chicken. If you pack it home, they don't give you the naan that was covering it. They also have a yogurt sauce to eat with it. It took a while to get refills on water and when the bus boy came to clean up he spilled some of the leftovers, but didn't bother to wipe it up. Overall, food was good. It was something new to try, they had flavorful rice. That's what I remember.
(3)
Reena S.
Arka is totally new and amazing. A fresh and unique twist on traditional Indian dishes. Particular favorites: blue ginger gobhi The decor and service are the cherry on top.
(5)
V R.
Went for a family dinner couple of months ago. We had last been there 2 yrs ago. We were surprised to notice the change in original Arka management. The original menu was selective and delectable. It was crafted with love, style and substance. The food and menu matched the stylish decor and was very good. Under new management the menu was ordinary and had the every Indian dish under the sun. We suspected the worst but decided to give them the benefit of doubt. Looking at the Indian chinese items on their menu we decided to go chinese that night. We ordered Gobi Manchurian, Corn manchurian, noodles and schezwan fried rice. When the Gobi Manchurian arrived we regretted our decision to stay and braced for the worst. It was a red gooey ketchupy heap of mess. A good Gobi Manchurian from streets of Mumbai where I spent 25 years growing up is taut cauliflower dusted with some cornflour deep fried and tossed with a combination of garlic, soy sauce and special schezwan (Sichuan) sauce which is a treat in itself with a lavish topping of spring onions. I can almost imagine the crunch of cauliflower as I write this. Not that night! Sigh! Long story short shezwan fried rice which had schezwan sauce (seemed like store bought siracha sauce) on the side for some reason showed a glimmer of hope. Today I decided to order paneer kadai and a couple other items to see if that night was a bad day for them. I have to say I was shocked to see paneer kadai have the same ketchupy sauce that was used to toss my corn Manchurian and Gobi Manchurian. NEVER AGAIN!
(1)
Bindu A.
We ordered Nizam Goat curry and Naan from here to go. The naan they make is very bulky and chewy. I was so excited looking at the name of the curry, but the goat was not cooked well and it was so chewy, I wanted to floss my teeth even before finishing dinner. Few months back when we tried their Chicken biryani, we thought may be that dish was bad and wanted to give this place another try! We were disappointed yet again!
(1)
Vinay Y.
Second time here one year later. Heard there was a new cook from a well known Indian restaurant in the valley. Paneer tikka appetizer was unique with the addition of chaat masala. If you like chaat and paneer this is a good one. Their version of gobi Manchurian is awesome. I def recommend giving this a try if you find yourself there. Paneer tikka appetizer was good, added style points with chaat masala sprinkled on. Very good choice for chaat lovers.
(5)
Maddi S.
7 of us ordered a number of dishes and all were excellent as we shared everything. Will come back!
(4)
Christopher S.
Came with my coworkers for happy hour after work and there wasn't too many people there, none in fact. We sat down right away and had a pitcher of mai tai, a few other cocktails, and some beer. Pretty good happy hour prices. Then we got to the appetizers. Oh boy.... the chicken along with the complimentary nuts at the table were a whole different level of spicy! My stomach was on fire until the next morning. If I'm feeling a little self-loathing I might come back to feel a little burn, but that won't be for a while.
(2)
Rocker K.
I was curious to try this place after reading about how great the food was at a YEE that some of my yelp friends raved about. Also, I like Indian food. The day that I checked this place out, it was around 6p.m during the dinner rush on a weekday. I had a temp job to do in less than an hour up the street, so I asked the waiter if they could get the food out in less than 15 minutes. I hate to rush people, but I was starving and there already. Well, they said no problem and my garlic naan bread and curry chicken (it wasn't called that on the menu, I think it was the Chikkitan or something like that), came out with my plain basmati rice. Everything was delicious! I thought that I wouldn't like the food to much since it's a fusion place and the only type of food that I normally don't care for is fusion food. Not this time. I loved it! It wasn't really different from the chicken curry I'd get anywhere else. This was by far the HOTTEST curry that I've ever had! I love spicy food and I can handle it better than most people that I know, but damn, it was so hot, I kept on having to drink water and had to ask for a refill on my diet coke! My dish was $13.95. Despite that, the chicken was fall off the bone tender! Since it's a fusion place, they didn't have some of the classic dishes that I'm used to such as samosa-:( This place has quite an extensive list of exotic cocktails, beer, and wine. I like the decor. It's modern and artsy. I like the colored lights at the bar. The waiters were nice and friendly. It did take some time to get change back. I won't deduct a star since they were so busy. I had to ask where's my change after waiting around for almost ten minutes. I'll definitely come back here sometime soon!
(5)
Shrikanth K.
Ah...a nice Sunday afternoon wasted over average food. Went at around 12:30PM with my family today for lunch, headed straight for the buffet...it was more like a delayed brunch for me...the spread out was good(at least the names)...it was crowded maybe a birthday party was being organized in some corner of the restaurant (they should separate the serving for the people who have come for the party vs others) else after they have clapped their hands the immediate rush to the buffet is overwhelming...at such times you feel like the restaurant is seriously understaffed and the waiter is just looking back with a hopeless expression when all you are asking for is a glass of water maybe. I was actually looking for the menu card (for beverages). The food...ah the food...it was cold...all the portions I had on my plate were cold. The chicken tikka was lacking marination, the butter chicken was awfully sweet...the breads were very hard to chew...and Samosas that were served were prepared with stale potato stuffing...the only thing I chewed were the gulab jamuns else everything else I just had to push down my throat. Not good, my advice avoid lunch buffet on Sunday.
(2)
Nandan S.
This place is OK. It does not belong to the league of those great Indian food places Sunnyvale is known for. Their menu is weird and limited. The staff cannot even correctly pronounce the items on their menu. Food was okay and serving sizes were small. I am adding an extra star for their kind kitchen staff member. He came to grab the dishes and noticed that we had a piece of naan left while all the entrees were over. He brought us some additional curry so that we could finish that naan and insisted on it even though we said no.
(3)
Sharra C.
The other day, my co-workers and I decided to try a new place for lunch. Arka wasn't much from the outside (this use to be a SPOONS), but doesn't disappoint on the inside! The restaurant is very clean, spacious and modern/trendy. I was a fan of the fixtures and color scheme. I had the buffet and the food was robust in flavor, fresh and never ran low (side note: we came around 11:30 or so to beat the lunch rush). Arka offered both North and South cuisine, which was nice! The tandori chicken was very tender. I absolutely went back for seconds! Unfortunately, I do not recall the names of everything that I partook in, but I can say that I was pleased with it all! I only wish that the naan was brought to the table immediately after being seated. It was worth the wait, but it would have been even tastier if served BEFORE I was 2/3 through my plate (just saying). Now, my reason behind my '3 star rating': Not so much a negative, but $14 seems pricey for a lunch buffet. Akar will be more of a 'once a month' lunch stop for my co-workers and I. I DO hear however that they have a great happy hour! I will have to try that out and report back...
(3)
Leann K.
Hah When I first read the reviews, I was scared. Since I had already bought the groupon thingy so I decided to come any way. I am not sure about the dinner but we were here for lunch buffet and the place was great. Even my sister, who hates Indian food, admitted that she liked most of the food items. The place is nice and clean. The service is excellent. Even though we came during the busy time, the waiters were still very nice and courtersy. I have to give this place 4 stars instead of 5 because my favorite dish, the chicken tandoori, is a little bit overcooked.
(4)
David Y.
The only good thing about this restaurant is the decore. They make it seems like it's a high end restaurant but the food is mediocre. This review is only for the lunch buffet. There are limited number of parking spaces in the lot and seems like the restaurant can hold a lot more people than cars. The steam trays in the buffet areas are steaming hot, keeping the food hot but the food on the trays do not look fresh, they look like they've been sitting in the tray for a while. The currey all look thick, probably due to the high temperature of the steamers. What should be crispy, such as the battered and fried items are soggy. The naan is part of the buffet so it's not fresh, most are crispy and taste stale as they've been sitting around forever. The meat on the tandaroo chicken tasted old. We used a coupon which entitled us to half off the second meal. Lunch price was 11.95 and the second person's price ended up being 6.95, not sure how that's considered half off. Service was decent, but the food is the main focal point and it failed to delivery.
(2)
Pramod B.
I have been to this restaurant thrice now and my experience with it is only getting worse. 1. Food : very ordinary stuff and don't expect a lot of variety 2. Ambience : brilliant for a date night 3. Service: if you are planning a late evening dinner with your friends, be ready for some rude behavior from the waiter. In all things are getting worse .. Something needs to change soon ..
(2)
Christa S.
Fun atmosphere, the chili chicken was amazing. I will definitely be back. Oh and full bar... Yippee I would definetely reccomend trying this place out.
(5)
Caroline T.
I used my groupon today for the lunch buffet. Most expensive ($11.99) Indian lunch buffet I've been to but also the nicest. I love the interior decor. Colorful but not tacky. There's even a private area for the lunch buffet. I'm unfamiliar with the names with many of the dishes. The chicken tandoori was tender, flavorful, and spicy. I also had a chicken curry and lamb curry. I'm used to a creamier butter chicken curry; however, all the curries (including the vegetable) were full flavored and not overwhelming in the use of their spices. I did miss the spinach garbanzo dish that I always get at every Indian restaurant. The buffet also included cranberry rice, two fried items, fruit, rice pudding, and vegetables. I loved their mint and tamarind chutneys. The best part was that the naan was brought fresh to our table and I was able to order Roti (my favorite) with no extra charge. I believe they also let you order Garlic naan too. Mango lassi was expensive (3.99) for a small glass but I enjoyed it's perfect combo of sour and sweet. Wonderful and friendly service was the cherry on top to our filling lunch, too filling :)
(4)
Amanda C.
Have been here a couple of times since my first review, and I still think the food is awesome and the drinks are awesome. The service has improved. However, one night there was a college send-off party scheduled in their back room with very loud (I'm serious, like a club) music and a smoke machine. It was mostly amusing, since we were in a good mood. I was just cracking up that there was this huge event because someone was going off to UCLA for college. I can't imagine the money that must have been spent on this! I must be poor or something, because it seemed extravagant. But funny. Jokes aside though, this seemed unprofessional. I think they should make a rule: music for catered events should start only after the main restaurant has closed. We had to yell (again, like a club) over dessert to hear each other.
(4)
Chas A.
I tried a couple of appetizers over at Arka which included the karari calamari and the chili chicken. Of the two, the chili chicken was my favorite. It was loaded with flavor and was quite tasty. The karari calamari didn't really appeal to my palate. Though the batter around the calamari had flavor, the dish itself was very chewy. The restaurant's manager, Michael, attended to us during our visit and he was very hospitable. The restaurant itself was bustling with customers on the night that I had visited. Many of whom were very anxious to get seated and/or impatient with the staff. As I mentioned...the restaurant was full of customers, but very few servers. One of which I noticed was busy studying the menu behind the hostess section, another who did not acknowledge a seated guest until after 10 minutes had passed with them waiting, and another who was frantically moving from one table to the next, sweat dripping down his face, with a look of fatigue. We were able to notice these things because while seated at the bar, you tend to be in eyes view of what's going on. In terms of the manager, Michael, we noticed him busily working with the guests, though remained calm with each customer, attending to their concerns. As for the restaurant's decor- it has a very modern and trendy feel to it. I'll one day venture back to Arka to try their dinner menu. Until then, I hope they will provide effective, efficient, and consistent service with their guests.
(2)
Abby S.
Awesome happy hour prices! Grabbed a quick bite to eat at the bar before an event at Arka last week - $5 premium cocktails and $4-6 plates of food? Sold! My expectations for happy hour food and drink aren't very high. What do you expect for just a few bucks? Most of the time the cocktails are watered down or the house stuff that no one likes and the food is teeny tiny. Not at Arka! The pineapple Smoky Bandit packed a mean punch - in a good way. Just enough alcohol to make you forget that you had a long day. Not too boozy, not too sweet. To eat, I tried the calamari and chili chicken. Since the assumption was that food would be very small plates, it seemed right to order two dishes. Wrong! Should have ordered just one, 'cause the portions are pretty generous. My favorite was the chicken. Spicy, but not eye-wateringly so. Turns out that Arka offers all sorts of happy hour specials, both on weekdays and weekends. Ultimate Happy Hour = every day from 3-7, then 9 - close. Ladies Night = $4.50 cocktails from 5-10 pm on Tuesdays. Weekend Brunch = $2 glasses of champagne with purchase of buffet. Not bad at all! My favorite part of Arka? The staff. From Michael, the manager to the sweet, sweet bartenders, I really enjoy spending time here. They want guests to feel welcome and at home, which isn't hard to do when you've got good food and drinks at an affordable rate. If anyone is down for a UYE happy hour here, let's do it!
(5)
Kathy S.
I love the ambiance here! Nice sexy music, dim lighting, open space concept with lots of seating. I would *not* recommend the "fried fritters with raw plantain" as it was super deep fried and didn't seem very healthy. I heard that the dosas here are excellent. I didn't eat much here so I cannot comment on the food but the drinks were absolutely perfect. I had their Plantation 5 yr Barbados rum and their strawberry beer which was very refreshing and smooth. Perfect for large groups, families, date nights, going out for a chill drink after work. **note to owner: you should remove that sign on the front of your entrance as it looks like a "for sale" sign ;)
(5)
Mayank Y.
Their service was pathetic, severs don't care about the guests and have no clue what they were serving, as if they were doing a favor to us. Food was nothing great, very bland paneer tikka (as if it was just paneer) and cold naan. We went to have a few drinks with Indian food, but honestly it was a sucky experience with very average and expensive(relatively) Indian food, I am never going there again.
(1)
T B.
The best lunch buffet in the bay area! Huge selection and free beer with buffet. Free chai too! I've eaten at hundreds of Indian places, lived in Nepal. Fresh, authentic spices and excellent service. My husband and I have eaten lunch and dinner here a dozen times. Fabulous!
(5)
Emily M.
Went for dinner the other night. I thought the food was great! I was in the mood to try something different from what I usually get at Indian restaurants. The waitress recommended I try one of their dosas, and I'm glad I did! It was delicious (although my favorite part might have been all of the dipping sauces they give you for it). I found it a little amusing though that the dosa didn't even fit on the plate. I don't know if this is intentional or what, but maybe they should invest in plates large enough to hold one of their main menu items. But whatever, didn't bother me that much personally. Actually, both my meal and my friend's meal (a chicken biryani bowl) were HUGE, which I was not really expecting. Next time I will know the dishes are large enough to share. Side note, we also got an order of Pesto Naan. SO recommend it, YUM!!! Overall, delicious food, reasonably priced (especially since each meal = about 2 or 3 meals) and very nice modern ambiance. I noticed the bar looked pretty nice too, may go back just to check out the bar sometime! :)
(4)
judy n.
Came for the Lunch buffet with a girlfriend. My fave was the Goat curry. Yum! Tender and not gamey. She even liked it after I told her she should. She dislikes gamey meats and I told her It was great and she liked it! Chicken tikki masala was pretty good. and you get baskets of naan when you ask for them. quick table if you get there before 12. it was starting to fill up when we left.
(4)
Sanket K.
Finally, a meal where I can try a bunch of things (that's not a buffet). The only reason for this is that we had visitors and dined family style! Quick notes on the dishes we had: Achari paneer tikka - good taste to the paneer. solid appetizer. Lal bhelpuri - i wasn't expecting the authentic bhel but this was quite disappointing and something I wouldn't order again. Pappad - came out partially uncooked the first time. Better when we returned it and asked for it to be re-cooked. Sarson ka saag - This dish was bit different than your typical saag paneer. It was a little bit more bitter. It's something you either like or don't. Well I'm still undecided on it but would like towards like. :) Bhindi - was cooked perfectly and the taste matched the cooking dal makhani - this dish was quite disappointing. I've had much better elsewhere. Naan - it was overcooked and way too crunchy. very disappointing! The desserts were quite good! Overall, for a big table, the service was par. Nothing special and nothing fantastic. They were a bit slow despite it not being so busy at the time.
(3)
Jerry Y.
Feeling the interior decor with the mood lighting. From the outside, the restaurants definitely looks less lively but once you step in, the feeling completely changes. This may be the first Indian restaurant that I've been to that plays upbeat ambient electronic music. None of that vocal stuff that drags your thoughts along, just stuff to relax to. Pro tip: Lamb chops - Packed with so much flavor, you won't find meat on a bone this delicious for miles. Pesto/Parmesan naan - I could literally eat this all day. Pair it with some buttered chicken and/or bhidila jwaab (okra) and you got yourself a meal. Make sure you talk up the bartender and try the mango lasse while you're there!
(5)
Partha S.
Surprisingly good! I came in with low expectations given that reviews were a bit all over the place. We came in on a weekend when they had the lunch buffet going on. At $13.95 its slightly more expensive than the other buffets around but completely worth it. Pros 1. Love the decor. An indian restaurant where you can sit peacefully and talk to folks at your table without being drowned in ambient noise is a first. 2. The restaurant is super clean (including the restrooms) 3. The food was delicious. We loved the Lychee kheer and the fish dishes. The biryani was so so. They had a small bhel puri cart which was a nice little surprise too. 4. Full bar - not many indian restaurants have a nice bar. 5. Service was excellent - quick and efficient. 6. Ample parking in the lot. Cons 1. Can't think of any, except that the food is nothing extraordinary. They have a few dishes here and there (Lychee Kheer) which kind of stood out. But that's it. I suspect that (by looking at other reviews) that this place has an awesome buffet but terrible a-la-carte experience. Sounds like really good feedback to the restaurant owners - find a way to take whats working for your buffet sessions and spill it over to the rest of the sessions.
(4)
Srikanth V.
As most of the reviews are 1 (or) 2 stars, I guess I don't have to write much other than agreeing with them. Don't let the great location and nice ambience fool you, the good part ends there, bad service and worse food would make you regret coming here. That was the experience we, around 5 of us, had when we went for dinner on a Saturday night. Now none of my friends come here after their first experience. With all the Indian restaurants in the area, I don't know why anyone would want to come here and be disappointed.
(2)
Jeramy S.
I'm not very good at reviewing restaurants. I'm also easy to please. So this is why I gave it five stars. I love to eat here at least once a week. Charles Stevens
(5)
Kien M.
So far, this is one of the better Indian food buffets I ever been to. Modern decor, spacious, good service, and the food tasted great. At $11 for the lunch buffet on the weekday, this satisfy my starving little stomach any day. What makes this even sweeter is that deal sites are posting half off credit vouchers. Some of my favorites were the butter chicken, toasted naan, and this fried red fish.
(4)
Sandy B.
Came here for my yelp elite event. Decoration is pretty nice. Modern, clean with dim lights and kind of casual fancy. I liked it a lot. Food was OK-plus-plus; nothing extraordinary or very original. It was good without good or bad surprises. Their cocktails were good too. I will definitely come back with friends because the place is group friendly. Staff was effective and nice.
(4)
Lia F.
We placed an order to take out on Friday night. Oh well, it was evening, maybe by 7pm, there were few people sitting. The place looks really nice, for sure, but the food... We ordered chicken, lamb, 3 chapati and 3 naan. The dishes were good, I agree, nothing special, it was alright. The problem is that you have to order many appetizer before the main dish!!! Dishes are incredibly small!!! I was laughing when I opened the box!! Besides, we got 2 naan and 2 chapatti - but they charged us for 3 naan and 3 chapatti!!! Anyways, wish I could give a very nice feedback, but that was my experience....
(2)
Shawn C.
Place JUST opened today. Awesome food, great environment. Lunch-time buffett was a hit and at $11 a person its pretty reasonably priced too. This place should be an awesome addition to the area ( large middle-eastern population). Their site says Tuesday is ladies night and that they have daily happy hours, cant beat that! My lunch was very good. The food was hot and there was plenty of it. Seating was definitely not an issue even though there was quiet a crowd. The Naan was plentyful and it seemed as though there was always a waiter nearby checking to be sure we never ran out of Naan or water. On top of good food and a great environment the Manager/Owner stopped by to say hello and ensure that we were enjoying ourselves. The gentleman name is Michael, he was very easy going and had a positive attitude. He thanked us for supporting our local businesses, asked if there were anything that we needed, and informed us that during Happy Hour they offer $2 beers and $3 appetizers, I'll be back. Awesome job guys!
(5)
Poiuytrewq A.
Mango souffle with hazelnut topping...false advertisement. Secondary Points: Food had good flavor but overpriced. Server was okay. Mango souffle with hazelnut topping...was aerated mango ice-cream with hazle nut syrup kinda decorating the ice-cream and glass...Not souffle and not amazing. I ordered Bharwan Chandi Kofta...or a big cheese ball in soup for $14. The flavor of the curry didn't get into the paneer. I guess you need to mash it up if you wanted to share with someone. I also wish the waiter had suggested rice...because it was near impossible to eat the watery curry with naan. By the time one of the waiters asked how we were doing, we were nearly done eating. Mango lassi was okay. The decor is nice. There was a graduation party in the back, and it would make a nice place for special occasion. Just don't get the mango "souffle".
(3)
Srinath S.
I was out here with my office colleagues for lunch buffet. Food quality on the whole was OK. Nothing really stood out. The buffet items are quite standard compared to a typical Indian buffet in the valley. There were few appetizers, naan, 3 veg and 3 non-veg curries, rice, biryani, fruits and desserts. Naan quality was not all that great. Curries were good. It was hard for me to pick an item that was unique. The restaurant is quite spacious. Neat ambiance. Staff members are polite. Parking was not an issue. May be it's a co-incidence but, there were hardly any people in the afternoon. The occupancy was less than a fourth! It felt somewhat unusual for a restaurant in the heart of Sunnyvale.
(3)
Trupti D.
Wish I could give this place negative stars!! Service was bad, food was bad, and worse of all there was a rat in the dining room!!!! A rat!!
(1)
PR K.
We recently had a lunch time party for 90+ people in arka. It's a wonderful venue - lots of sunshine and an open feel. The food was fantastic too. There is ample parking space for guests and a backside entrance which is very convenient.
(5)
Amy O.
Am glad to see that this space is finally not vacant. Another Indian restaurant on El Camino in Sunnyvale? And did you see the mexican place just a block down (across from Ford dealership) is also going to be Indian now? Anyway...glad to see this place...clean and bright. Came here for Sunday buffet. The process to get your food was pretty easy; however, the buffet had very little variety. What discouraged me with my first few bites was I found two cardamom pods in my mouth. Any cook knows...you take those out before serving. That is too strong of a flavor and horrible texture. For dessert, they have two rice pudding type things, cut up fruit (not fresh), and a fritter station for serving fried bananas and apples. I liked the bananas, but no thanks on the apples and the toppings were odd. As for the restaurant itself, the decor is confusing. Pastels mixed with deep colors. The service is okay. I had an empty glass for a very long time while I watched one of the waiters take pictures and videos of the place with his smart phone. Yah, really...he was walking around with his phone in the air, and my drink was empty and so was our basket of naan. Quite entertaining, but hey, we won't be back.
(2)
Brett W.
My wife says the "Tandoori chicken was the worst I've ever had, and I've had bad ones." The service was slow and the manager insulted other customers. We did takeout on a Sunday night. It took more than 30 minutes and the restaurant was empty aside from one other group. The manager apologized and said something that I took to mean that on Sunday they don't have everything ready to go, so it takes longer. The other group was upset. I didn't follow why, but I think they left without eating. I did overhear them asking for the owner who the manager said was not available. After they left the Indian manager at the Indian restaurant complained to us about Indian people's manners! We got a tandoori chicken. It was a whole chicken which was the thinnest scrawniest chicken I've seen in my entire life. It was tough, stringy, and overly salty. The entire chicken went in the garbage and we had leftovers for dinner instead. The restaurant looks very nice inside, but I'm never going back, and judging from the emptiness, neither is anybody else!
(1)
Beth G.
Just went here tonight for dinner with my husband. We were looking for some high-quality Indian cuisine in our area and Arka did not disappoint. We found a Groupon deal online and that prompted us to give this restaurant a try. I'm not a Groupon fanatic but was really happy with the deal overall. We were seated promptly on a Saturday night around 6:30pm without reservations. The host/manager was courteous and friendly. Arka has a nice ambiance - definitely a hip, young almost nightclub feel to the place. And the restaurant smelled like good food with a hint of lemon zest. We ordered the Butter Chicken and Bharwan Chandi Kofta. Both were very tasty, with nuanced flavors. And both were mild spicy for those with sensitive taste buds like my husband. The Kofta was sweet and the Butter Chicken was tangy with yogurt and tomato flavors. On the side we had garlic chili naan, plain naan and rice. The naan was OK, not the best I've had and not as crispy and fresh (it seemed like maybe it had sat around in a steamer for a while). For drinks the restaurant was out of a number of their wines and beers. We tried to order a stout and sauvignon blanc but both were out of stock (a slight peeve of mine). I did end up with a Chimay beer which was tasty. My husband tried a dirty martini with Death's Door Gin but it seemed a bit watery and lacked flavor. Overall, we were impressed with the food - some of the more flavorful Indian food and trendy atmosphere in Sunnyvale. A few minor kinks with the beverage menu and service to work out but definitively worth a shot!
(4)
C H.
Decent food. Good service. The free drink they give you fr checking in is really tasty. And, I took my dog there; we sat on the deck:)
(3)
Immortal S.
Well, for some reason I decided to pick Arka as the place to celebrate my anniversary with my S.O. They didn't disappoint and I think it's worth trying out. If you're apprehensive because of the reviews here- I'd recommend coming during happy hour to feel the place out. However, my review is on the dinner menu. Walking into the place, we were greeted with lively music and beautiful decor. If I would imagine decorating an Indian restaurant, this place comes close to how I would design it. I really enjoyed everything I saw. We were seated at the back because I wanted to sit in a booth (which wasn't available at the time in the front room). Since it was a late Monday night, the place was pretty empty. So I wasn't surprised when we walked to the back and the back room was empty with a whole lot less vibe going on than the other..but it was okay. We still had the music. Our waitress was friendly and attentive throughout our meal. Drinks were refilled in a timely manner and she checked in with us often. The presentation of the food was impressive on some dishes as well- a nice touch. Yes, the place is a bit pricey but it's not THAT bad price wise. It's cheaper than let's say The Mynt- which is absolutely terrible. Honestly, this place was 100 times better. On to the FOOD: Chicken Bariyani- Fluffy rice, succulent, yummy chicken. The ingredients used in the rice complimented the dish and nothing was over powering. Could have been a tad bit spicier but was still very good. +3 Garlic Naan- Light, doughy, delicious! I wish they gave us more than four pieces for two people. They were small squares, not the elongated pieces I'm use to. +3 Saag Paneer- I was expecting a little more from this dish.. it was a little too bland for my taste but nothing else was wrong with it. +2 Aloo Tikki and Chana Masala- Phew! What can I say? This dish was the DEFINITION of SPICE! It made up for any part of the Saag paneer lacking flavor. It packed a powerful punch..but in a good way. :) Obviously, what I am saying is it was s-p-i-c-y! The flavor was fantastic and the aloo tikki was very good. Crisp, tasty filling on the inside and out. Yum. Easily my favorite of the night. +4 House Raita- Pretty simple yogurt but they did it RIGHT! This is simple side that I have seen been done WRONG many times...but they got it right Wish they added a little tomato but that's me :p +3 Gulab Jamun- Light, fluffy, delicious, made perfect.Came with a side of whip cream. +4 At the end of the night, the owner (Micheal) came over and introduced himself. He told us a little bit about Arka and his experience with other restaurants he runs. A very friendly guy, polite and personable. He even took the time to surprise us with a candle in our complimentary dessert.. a very kind and thoughtful gesture. Thanks again Arka. We plan to come again during H.H.
(4)
Jman S.
Been here twice now. First time was a party where the host had booked the bigger room and the buffet was A-OK. More recently went there for the lunch buffet on a weekday. The food was terrible. Each time they refilled something at the buffet, it was different from the previous time, and kept getting worse. The area has plenty of Indian restaurants. Will definitely avoid this place like the plague.
(1)
Lisa T.
The best item is a watermelon salad with achar oil: very intriguing. They also do fetching South Indian things with sea bass. Get the salted lassi. It's made with creamy house-made yogurt & has a perfect balance of savory tartness. Skip the chai.
(3)
TheMissus O.
Pros: Friendly wait staff, Butter chicken, roomali roti, good banquet area Cons: Will con you if you use your $20 off a $40 purchase groupon. They added a mandatory 18% tip *before* they applied the groupon. We were a party of 3...! I have heard of 18% mandatory tips to parties of 6 or more in other places.. They Took it off when I complained that there was no such fine print on the groupon! Other Cons: Goat curry had only bones. We were seated outside while there was still light outside and when it got dark we found the lights in the patio above our table didn't work. They kept us seated in the dark for our dinner. No offers of a candle.. Banquet area is for private parties unless the regular customers want to use the restrooms... in which case the only way to get there is by cutting through well dressed party goers in the banquet room.
(2)
Archana K.
I have been here about 4 times and even though my first experience was very good, it has been a slippery slope ever since then to the point that I will not be going back again. They have a few good dishes but the service is terrible. Even though the place is big, they don't know how to host big groups. Twice we were shown into a nice secluded place for big groups and we never saw the waiter after that. Orders were messed up and never brought out at the same time (some entrees came at the end of the meal). We were given a coupon once (50% off) and were encouraged not to buy on groupon. And when we went back to use the coupon, we were told the coupon is not applicable because the buffet is a "special promotion" and the coupon is not valid with other promotions. This is such a scam and the management didn't even feel guilty about this. Buffets are terrible too. The food is too spicy and not served hot. Some of the dishes on the menu are very tasty but I would not be going back just because of the sucky service.
(1)
Katherine B.
My roommate and I got a Groupon for this place. We tried it on Monday night about 6:30. It was a warm, pleasant evening so we sat on the balcony. The place is large and the parking excellent. Our server(s) were polite and friendly. The hostess was fun and chatty, and told us about the neighborhood when we inquired (we're thinking of moving to the apartments nearby). The music seemed loud inside, but there were few people at the bar, so perhaps that was just to entice passersby to have a look. Our food was piping hot and served quickly. I loved the spiciness range, nothing was bland but nothing scorching. My masala dosa was perfectly crisp and the filling the best I've had in years. The sauces were particularly good, I believe one was coconut and cilantro with other spices, delicious! The presentation was nice, too. We came home and bought additional Groupons. It was slightly pricey for us to eat there without one, but the portions were generous. It would have had five stars, but our table was visibly dirty and the menus, too. Our server seemed a bit mortified by this. The silverware, dishes, and cloth napkins were fine.
(4)
A G.
Overpriced, Food is not good, many more places serve much better food at a way better rate. Our order was - Tandoori platter, Konkan Fish curry, Bombay Paneer masala, Vanilla Cardomon naan and Fire roasted Naan. For sweet - Faluda kulfi feedback for food is :- pls ensure you tell them to make your meat well done, else its not very tandoori style really. Same goes for Nan, fire roasted nan was very soft !! Quite unlike the name. Konkani fish was of dal like consistency, very thin and very very hot. Paneer was average not a $$ rated dish for sure. Faluda kulfi was a total disaster - it came in a large soup bowl, but the syrup was rooafza. It was utterly sweet and the faluda was not real faluda, it was some thin noodle. Pls dont try it. We went in on friday at abt 6:50. So service was ok. We were done in one hour. All together bad place, serving food at very high rates.
(1)
kuku k.
Only dosas are worth eating. Painfully slow service. We ordered appetizers which took 35 mins to arrive, the waiter forgot half our drinks. We had to flag down the waiter a million times before he paid any heed. The only saving grace was the Rava dosa which the 8 of us unanimously voted was the only decent food the restaurant could offer. If I ever go back Rava Dosa is probably the only dish I would order
(2)
Adwait U.
We were invited to a private event at Arka yesterday. Having never heard of the name or not knowing the cuisine, our expectations were low. When we arrived, I was rather surprised to see the pleasant location and building as well as realize that they serve Indian cusine. P.S. Minor nitpick, perhaps the signs are not yet there but it's hard to spot it from the road, with only a banner hanging across on the El Camino side. On entering, the area was spacious and well lit (not dim), while the bar had a certain edgy feel. The (red) wine they served was excellent as well as the appetizers they offered. My favorite was the lotus root breaded cutlets and the garlic chicken. I was expecting a lot of the lemon-grass and basil cauliflower but it lacked flavors. My only complaint was the service ... perhaps they were busy or whatever, but it was hard to get service at this place. We ordered some rotis which did not arrive till the time we left! So, if the service is beefed up, I think this place has lot of potential, especially if your'e bored with the same old Indian restaraunts on that strip of El Camino. Wish Michael and his crew the best.
(4)
Monica V.
I am going to give this place a CHANCE for the beautiful Ambiance. I would say they found a nitch in the market.... there is no indian restaurant with such a nice ambiance other than Amber which way over priced in Santana Row. I got food to go today just for myself. Total bill was 30 bucks which is high for one person. The quality was just OK for aloo fry and Chettinad chicken. Food doesn't justify the 30 bucks in my opinion but still I am gonna give this place a chance. I will try it again and update my review. In the meantime, great place to meet someone for dinner or drinks!! Cheers to owner for opening this joint.
(3)
Monica S.
PROS - Beautiful, new modern interior decor Attentive service Delicious drinks CONS - Super HOT bar food - expected hot, but it was so hot that was all we could taste, none of the other flavors came through Light cocktails - excellent flavor but needs more alcohol Will definitely be back. Loved the setting.
(3)
Amita S.
Well well! Sunnyvale has a classy new restaurant. Hold on to your seats though, this ride is going to be swanky and a little bumpy! For starters, not your typical Sunnyvale Indian restaurant! Beautiful decor, plush open seating area. A look at their menu and you know, it is in no measure a run of the mill mesh of curries and tikkas. We had the Achari Paneer Tikka, which was presented well. Couldn't get my knife to slice through the piece! Turns out the paneer was rubbery. Next, the Bhuna pyaaz ka murgh kabab...well plated. Oddly the chicken tasted gamey. My vegetarian friend who swears by Paneer Tikka Masala tried their Bombay Paneer Masala, turned out to be a disappointment, heavy tomato base was a joy killer. Overall, the decor, music, ambiance overpowers what we sampled that night. I would like to be fair and still taste some more of their offerings before I solidify my opinion. Look forward to my next visit.
(2)
Nandan M.
Only thing this place has going for it is location .. Food it below average (For the prices u except much better) Service is spotty (Don't expect service when they are busy) Been here twice .. Disappointed both times .. Once for a party. The hosts had called them a week in advance but they still sat our party of about 15 separately. Went back again with a few colleagues from work, it was the lunch buffet. They seemed to re-fill the buffet line only when asked. Some of their creative fusion dishes completely fell flat. They had 'Bhelpuri' which is made of puffed rice and supposed to be crispy, it was completely soaked in chutneys etc. Its a hard thing to put on a buffet line, but my point is it shows they have no planning .. it should not have been there on the line .. $13 weekday buffet .. Just not worth it .. 'Vedas' in Milpitas, 'Mynt' in San Jose, 'Passage of India' in Sunnyvale are much better lunch buffet options
(2)
S G.
Horrible horrible horrible... food is very bad all taste sour like it is rotten even on top that they have worst customer service, they don't know how to talk to customers, bartender doesn't know how to make drinks, well 0 stars from my side especially kudos to their manager who doesn't know how to talk with customers.
(1)
Shivangi S.
I am reluctantly giving one star to this place. We just had the appetizers thanks to the staff since they completely forgot to serve our table. Their appetizers were superbly tasteless. Their bhel was rich in onions and the Juhu wada is tougher than a diamond. My advice: please don't give in to the decor. This place us completely AVOIDABLE!!
(1)
Uma Shankar S.
The ambience is good, gives you an up-scale lounge kinda feeling. Restaurant eats up the major share of the place giving less space to bar ( i don't know if that was intended). The good investment on the place definitely can be seen at different aspects. Now my favorite part, yes the bar: They should have more selection of beers on tap. We were there for Happy hour (after 9 pm everyday), just 3 beers offered for lesser price and Kingfisher was our obvious choice. The bar bites Chilli chicken was spicy and just the way one would want to have while sipping on beer. Good job there cook !! Chicken wings on the other side were delicious as well, tender (seemed fresh, NOT FROZEN) and cooked to perfection. My only complaint..the beer should have been more cold (ice cold), though that did not stop me and my friend from gulping 6 or 7 of them down..but just saying. O..and I don't know if they have one, but yes this place needs a good woofer for the number of speakers they have set up. Its just a few steps away from our place and I guess we'd make it our dive bar for regular chill outs.
(4)
Kasia C.
Love it! Great selection of beers! Food really food! We will be back!
(5)
Sun A.
I live 2 blocks from this place, and glad to see this place not being abandoned anymore. Nice Decor, ambiance and service, I agree with few previous comments that foods is just ok, tastes like some other 2 times cheaper restaurant. Hope they improve it soon.
(3)
Mitu C.
Went for a lunch buffet with a friend from work. The restaurant decor is good but even at high lunch time, it was empty. Just us and one other occupied table. We were there for about 1.5 hrs, simply talking and all we saw were 3 other customers. I am a vegetarian, and thought that the number of dishes was good, however, only 2 items were good. Chana masala tasted like soda, okra was almost sweet, seemed like ketchup had been added to it, saag was tasteless. The day, or rather my meal was saved by daal and gobhi masala, which too had a slight sweet taste. Naan was good, desserts were ok. A fruit-based icecream was nice, where as the gulabjamun was mediocre. My friend liked the chicken curry. I wouldn't be back of my own volition. Way better Indian places around, and its not cheap either. Almost $13 for the buffet.
(2)
Viki D.
I feel fresh all here
(3)
Ninad V.
This is review is for A la Carte. Not tried the buffet yet. The ambience and service is very good, Ordered Lucknowi Chicken Biryani. It was awesome and quantity was great. One Star off for the price. It is expensive.
(4)
crystal b.
I had bought a offer on groupon for this place. On a sunday afternoon around 3.30pm we went there. We entered the restaurant & the man at the entrance counter was busy talking over phone so we sat down in waiting area. almost 7-8mins would have passed, the man who is suppose to attend to the guests is still busy over phone trying to strike out a deal for catering I guess. He was least interested in checking on us & we left place giving him some peace of our mind!! Now that we are stuck with its offer we decided to order over phone rather than going again to this place & facing the very unprofessional guest service. After few days I ordered malai kofta & chicken biryani over phone. After 30mins i went there to pick it was ready on time. Malai kofta was too hard to bite into. Taste not that good. Chicken biryani was ok. Food quantity is enough for 2 people. Overall not a good value for money.
(1)
Pradeep J.
Went for the lunch buffet. The food was bad. It was very bland and lacked the Indian flavors. The place is always crowded only because of it's proximity to the desi community in Sunnyvale. Otherwise none of the dishes are worth mentioning, They could improve the serving quality too.
(1)
Creative G.
The food was ok, but some of the dishes were not recognizable when brought to the table. We asked that the butter chicken be made very mild, but it was just about the spiciest dish. The staff seemed to hover too much and kept trying to take plates off the table that still had food. I had to argue with the busboy to leave the dishes when he didn't understand me. For a restaurant that spent a lot of money remodeling an old Spoons to create an upscale experience, the menus were disgusting! They were ripped and covered with different colored food stains. We felt like we needed to wash our hands after ordering. I miss Spoons. :(
(2)
Rajesh S.
Surprisingly pleasant place. OK!, when I say pleasant,it is not only about ambiance but the food we tried. I give 3 thumbs up (out of 5) for this based on 4 dishes we tried and yes Sunnyvale needed a change of pace Indian joint as compared to all cookie cutter Indian places we have around here. Menu is decently well designed and best part in the Menu is "BELGIAN BEERS" and that too pairing of Belgian beers with Indian food. Why did not anyone think of that except me all along. Finally some one did. So here is the no b.s points Loved It -------- - Range of Belgian beers on the menu, which is hard to find in non-indian restaurant but when Indian restaurant lets you try 3 best Belgian beers for tasters and recommend framboise lambic with lal mirchi chicken, you know that someone has put some serious efforts in designing the menu and it works.!.. - Fish Appetizer - Maachi Sambhariya - no fancy but very flavorful . - Roomali Roti - Tried after ages, At least someone makes it here in Sunnyvale for a change - Chicken Chettinad- Delicious with perfectly spicy. - Pesto Naan - super hit!. - I did notice Dum Biryani in the next table, which I did not order but looked impressive the way they were serving. Its on my list next!. Not so love it! ------------- - Lamb Rogan Josh - No good at all, I could just taste Tomato, on the flip side all boneless. So I would say good place , give it a shot, you might like something else on the menu as they have decent choices Adios!.
(3)
Prathima K.
If you're looking for authentic Indian food, this is NOT the place to go.The food tasted good,but is no where close to being Indian.If you like to experiment with your food, this is the best place to be at, they have fusion of Indian foods with pesto,cottage cheese etc.The appetizers were good,presentation was good.We ordered organic tandoori chicken- the chicken was yummy, but i wont call it Tandoori.Just not authentic.Im not a great fan of Fusion,definitely a bad choice for me.
(3)
Carlene T.
We got the Groupon for $10 for $20 at Arka and we used it for the lunch buffet. It. Was. AWESOME! I know it's not as cheap as normal hole-in-the-wall places, but I think the cleanliness and polite factors really were worth it. They were extremely hospitable, both on the phone and at the restaurant. The food was extremely tasty and all around, we loved it! We'll be back for sure!
(5)
S B.
I have 2 different reviews for Dinner and Lunch. Went for Dinner with a friend and the food was very good, service was great and there was even a spice in most dishes (I am Indian and so know my food :-)). We had a couple fancy drinks each from the bar and Shrimp Biriyani (good but shrimp was litlle tough) , Lamb Roganjosh (yum and spicy), some pesto naans (yum) and the Tandoori platter (yum). Total was around $100 for 2 people dinner and drinks. Lettle expensive for Indian food- but considering it is an upscale place and good quality food I don't mind. Lunch buffet on Friday was crowded - good sign I guess. But the food was not at all like dinner. I really did not enjoy anything other than the biriyani. There was quite a spread but nothing I went for seconds for. :-( So Overall - go for Dinner if you want a good, upscale Indian food experience. I will avoid the lunch buffets.
(2)
James B.
Good food and service!
(4)
Atul S.
Being an Indian I know taste and at least vegetarian tastes very well. Went to this restaurant for dinner. Lot of seating space. Nice ambience. Service isn't good. Waited for more than 30 mins to get order fulfilled. Rasam was good (wouldn't say excellent caz actual rasam tastes very different). Bombay paneer masala was good (3/5). Kofta was bad (1/5). Plain naan or garlic naan or rumaali rooti wasn't cooked properly. Daal makhani was a disaster. Ordered jeera pulao rice... But got only jeera rice. Not sure why did they mention "Pulav" because it has different meaning. And above all gravy quantity wasn't good for the price. Overall very bad experience, wouldn't go again or wouldn't recommend (waste of money even if you get groupon coupons).
(1)
Sharon E.
I cannot, unfortunately, recommend this place. It is not family friendly. The seating is uncomfortable. The menu is vague, using Indian terms to explain the Indian dishes which is no help whatsoever. Allis ala. carte ending up quite pricy. The "slightly" hot dishes were painfully hot and the combination of spices was not outstanding. The waitress could note plain the dishes when asked. Last but bot least, the hostess who was wearing a very shorthand tight dress leaned over at the table next to us revealing way too much. How. Does one explain that to a child? We won't be going back
(1)
Max M.
I get it that they are not authentic Indian, but some sort of indian fusion. For the most part it is tasty and the staff is friendly. But for a pricier restaurant, I expect cleaner menus (there were food smudges on them) and cleaner and well lit restrooms. I am not that kicked about fusion Indian either.
(3)
Thank M.
I dined at Arka last week with a large group. As a friend of mine mentioned, the ambiance is good and the seating capacity looks good. When it comes to food, it offers a range of Indian and some Asian including some noodle varieties cooked in front of you. The food was spicy and hot. Since I don't really eat that spicy and hot food and I had a tough time. The choice of dessert looked good and I had it because of the spicy and hot food. This may be a great place for people who love spicy and hot food but for others you may want to skip. I will rate 3 stars.
(3)
Ramya M.
If you are looking for good appetizers and a couple of drinks , this is the place to go to. Must try is the Belgian beer sampler,my husband loved it. Now , for the not so good part of the story. We ordered a kofta dish and a special sounding gobhi dish. And then, we couldn't make one out from the other.They were both submerged in a sea of uncooked off the shelf tomato puree. The naans were extremely dry, I was witness to my husband gnawing through his. I'm willing to give this place another shot, though. Hope springs eternal , aye?
(2)
RAJ p.
I went yesterday evening 4 of us. it took over 10 minuet to give us seat, no body was there, manager came few time , never ask any thing. we gone to our table after 10 minuet, they was short of staff, i can see it was regular weekday. we order some appetizer came nice, then we order food, for 4 people after 5 minuet waiter came back he says we don't have 3 item out of 4, we said ok, we will order something else, after few minuet waiter came back he said we don't have 2 item out of 3 now, then again we order something eles, then after 20 minuet he brought 2 item very cold, no salt in chess, chilli uttapam, we just kept our mouth shut and eat. another 10 minuet we ask waiter where is rest of food, then he said let me check after five minuet he brought one dish, it was ok no complain, by that time first 2 people was done with there food and 3rd person was half way, then 4th dish came, food quality was ok, we ask to see manger, never came, we ask waiter to smell chutney was rotten tomato, then i ask waiter please tell chef food did not have any salt in first 2 dish, he said ok let me ask and he never given answer. look of restaurant is good, poor waiter can not do any thing. price is very high for quality they serve.
(1)
Ashwin M.
I went with some friends for dinner. We ordered a few drinks and a soup. We got the order after about 25mins. We ordered the blue Ginger Gobi as an appetizer. It was very pathetic. It was just tomato ketchup over fried cauliflower. For the main course we ordered lal mirch chicken and bombay panner along with roti and naan. Roti was cold and hard. Chicken was very bland with almost no gravy. Paneer was far better. I dont think i would visit this place again. Its expensive, service is slow and importantly food is bad.
(1)
Sangamesh B.
I am a vegetarian, so this review for vegetarian food only. I ordered a takeout for vegetarian hydrabadi dum biryani, paneer dish and naans. The naans were ok, the paneer dish was average, but biryani was aweful, I had to throw it away. I woudn't recommend this place for Indian vegetarians.
(1)
Lisa C.
Went here for the lunch buffet today, using a Groupon...This was my second visit, and most likely my last. I was completely disgusted by this restaurant before I even walked in the door...the parking lot was disgustingly filthy and reeked...They say you eat with your eyes first, and had I not had the Groupon I would probably have left before I even went in. There was trash and smashed food (cake) all over the parking lot. The back loading dock was open and looked like a dump...If you're not going to keep it clean, please close the door. I drive by this location several times a day and I have noticed that they have not done anything to make the place appealing from the outside. Inside...nice decor. The Buffet...mediocre at best...Very one dimensional and I didn't find anything spicy at all...We had to ask for Naan; there was no way I would even try the desserts, they looked gross. I had higher hopes for this restaurant given the credentials of the owner (s)...They really need to step up to the plate in this extremely competitive market.
(1)
Debanjan G.
Amazing lunch buffet... very tasty 7 non-veg items 6 veg items... ample space - indoor + outdoor sitting arrangement... music is little to improve
(5)
Shashank R.
Fancy looks, no substance. Based on the Yelp reviews and the nice decor, this place looked very promising. Went with a group of 10 of my friends and had one of the worst "indian" dinners ever. We went to dinner on a saturday night, had to wait abut 15 minutes for someone bring us over some water and take our drink orders. Not only was our food late, but half of it was burned while the other half was undercooked. The undercooked food was especially concerning and could have posed health code violations. The staff was nowhere to be seen so we ended up picking at the food which was edible, while trying to flag down staff. At the end, we mentioned all the issues to the manager who seemed to not care. 4 of us fell sick next day, and not in the typical post indian dinner fashion, but in a much more painful and unpleasant way. This place looks amazing and has a great ambience, but other than that, i would not personally recommend it to anyone used to eating authentic and good indian food. This place would be a gold mine in some place like wyoming, but in sunnyvale/mountain view area, there are just too many good Indian restaurants that puts this place to shame..
(1)
Susy M.
After reading all the other yelp reviews about Akra, I was very skeptical that I would enjoy it. But I'd already purchased a groupon and thought that the restaurant looked pretty cool from the outside, so I gave it a try anyway. We went on a Friday night and it was pretty busy, although not one person was sitting at the bar. We would've been happy to, but we couldn't use the groupon and sit there, which seemed pretty inflexible. They found us a table in the back room instead. The front room is beautifully decorated and lighted, while the back room is extremely dark and not particularly ornate. They could use some tealight candles on the tables at the very least. The menus are really old looking and are practically falling apart, which did not leave a good impression. Service was a little slow but pleasant and we got our appetizer very quickly. We started with the Blue Ginger Gobhi. It tasted like sweet and sour pork, only made with cauliflower. Not bad, but we probably wouldn't order it again. Our main course was a very nice, spicy chicken dish with bell peppers. We also ordered the pesto naan, which we loved, and made a point to order a second plate of it. We did wait at least 20 minutes for our main course to arrive. All in all, polite and pretty good service, fairly good food (but not great) and an okay atmosphere (in the back room.) Frankly, I think this place will need to come up with a more creative culinary playbook in order to be competitive with other restaurants. The decor in the bar/main area is really lovely, and I would probably only go back for appetizers and drinks at the bar.
(3)
Swapnil T.
One of the authentic spicy indian food!
(4)
Abhishek S.
The food was OK, nothing fantastic. It was the night after that made it deserve 1-star. My friend got food poisoning from this place, and she was throwing up and coughing ALL night from 11pm to 5am, to the point that I almost called 911. It almost seemed like due to the Friday rush, they precooked the lamb and goat and just threw it in the gravy when we ordered. Our first clue should have been the fact that rogan josh was on our table within 10-12 mins! And the bill was a neat $75 for just the two of us. AVOID!
(1)
K G.
The food was good. Service is slow. Overall decent.
(3)
Nishad D.
I went here a couple of weeks back with 6 other friends and were seated promptly. We got the booth which is a little isolated, just the way I prefer. This place has great ambiance, something most Indian restaurants lack in the bay area. The service was excellent. Our server was very prompt in getting our order as well as following up on anything we needed from time to time. My favorite thing about this place was that they served rumali roti's, which not many places offer around here. We ordered achari paneer as appetizer and it was excellent. For the main course we ordered bombay paneer, kofta and a mushroom dish. The paneer was good and the mushroom dish was acceptable but the kofta was very disappointing. Mind you this place is expensive. We ended up paying almost 26 bucks per head. I've had much better Indian food at much cheaper prices in the bay area, but I guess the great ambiance makes up for it. It may be worth a revisit but I will stay away from their kofta in the future.
(3)
Prasanna D.
Very standard Indian fare and not really an innovative food fare as advertised. The beer menu is really good with a broader variety of beer choices. We had Achari Paneer for appetizers. The Paneer pieces were huge and covered with Achari masala. It was fine but not really very delicate or creative. We wanted to order Juhu Vada but they didn't have that available. We had Kofta, Butter Chicken, Dal Makhani, Jeera/Pulao Rice and Garlic-Chili Naan. The Butter chicken wasn't really butter chicken but more like chicken achari curry. It was tasty but NOT butter chicken. The Kofta was with white gravy and single HUGE kofta in it. Not very interesting. The Dal Makhani was good. The Pulao also was good. We couldn't really find much garlic and/or chili on the nan although the nan were very good. On to dessert....wanted to order the Lemongrass Brulee as the description looked very interesting...but alas they didn't have it either. Not really sure about why you would have it on the menu and not serve it. The service was okay..they were definitely wanting to rush through it so they can free up the tables. Not really impressed with the food, service or the ambience...two star is just about right for this restaurant and wouldn't plan on going there again..plenty of other places to spend my money..:-)
(2)
Stef H.
food's ok, drinks are better. come here for the happy hour!
(3)
Vengat C.
we went for a sat lunch buffet. the ambience is good but the items in the buffet were way less than expected.
(3)
Srini B.
This is our second visit to their weekend Buffett. The experience first time was nice, but today's, not so much. We entered at 2:30 pm and the Buffett closes at 3pm apparently. With 30 minutes still left, they did not refresh any items. They had completely run out of pakoras, few naans left in the cauldron and the oothapam station closed. Given that they charged the same amount for scrapped food, the least they could have done is to tell us that they will not be refilling the dishes, as we were seated. This is unethical business practice for sure. Forget the food, even the water was not refilled without asking them. Will not go there again.
(2)
Aniket S.
Lets see where to start. Well I went on a weekday during dinner time with family friends around 8. The restaurant was busy, but not packed. I had my friends go over early to get a table, which they waited for 10mins and by the time I reached another 5mins passed by. For a grand total of 15mins just to be seated,talk about customer service huh! But wait it gets better. As we finally got to sat down we were given the menu with many of the main courses crossed off. We ordered what ever that was available. The waiter took our order and came back about 10-15mins telling us that they are our of that course as well. We had to change about three times, because they ran out of the courses that we wanted to eat which was ridiculous. By the time we got the food it was about 15mins later, but only two of the orders had arrived leaving two more orders open. We were a group of four and we each ordered 1 item so it wasnt a lot of food either. Honestly i would of been more happy if I didn't even receive my food because the food was just horrible, cold, soggy, and smelly. Uthppaam was not fresh at all seemed like it was microwaved, which i think it was, sambar was to thick, tomato chutney had a weird smell to it and their was no seasoning nor taste what so ever. I have never experienced such horrible quality and service any where. Over priced with very little quantity of food. I had high expectation for this place!
(1)
Colleen C.
A little more upscale ambiance than the average Indian restaurant. I went for the lunch buffet. The food was okay...good naan, butter chicken, and carrot halwa. The rest kind of tasted the same. Plenty of selection, though. I got a chai at the end which took a really long time because they were making it fresh...it was really good chai and they comped it on my bill because of the wait.
(4)
anil f.
Well, we heard alot about this new indian restaurant. I went there with my co-workers on a lunch buffet. The place is good exept the food, it was not fresh and the service was not organized. I ask the waiter for some fresh naans and he just bring the old nans in a new basket twice. The drinks were ok, saw the guy who made our drinks doing multiple jobs(serving, cleaning the tables and billing at the same time) was kind of unprofessional. The owner or manager stare at you with a weird look that says its enogh. The one star is for the ambience. WILL NOT RECOMEND THIS PLACE TO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO HAVE A GOOD FRESH INDIAN FOOD.
(1)
V A.
Average food with below average service. Not going back anytime soon.
(2)
S K.
after an awful Sunday buffet, my stomach feels sick. Decor looks good and the service is above average. But the food needs to improve immensely if they want to survive in Sunnyvale.
(1)
Nita B.
We found out about Arka from Groupon. While the decor is modern and parking is plentiful, the food was disappointing. Even though the Groupon does not say this, they charged 18% gratuity on the amount including tax. Normally we pay 15% on amount before tax. But requiring 18% gratuity and that too on amount including tax, is just not the right thing to do. There are plenty other better Indian restaurants
(2)
R C.
Attended as a +1 for the Yelp Elite Event, so it was a set menu for a private party. I must admit that I walked in to this place expecting authentic Indian, only to be surprised [pleasantly] by an Asian-fusion Indian spread. Cocktails were deeelish! Service was excellent, manager Ramish was patient, attentive and even brought me a glass of water himself. Ambiance was good and appeared family friendly. Look forward to returning with friends and family!
(4)
Srikanth M.
I gave 5 stars for dinner but I had to write an update after I have been to their lunch buffet. 3 star for lunch buffet. Vegetarian choice are few. I was disappointed by that. Also, I have been to dinner again recently and I can clearly say that it definitely tasted 1000 times better on their opening day. Maybe I was expecting too much from an average India restaurant. This place is still much better compared to the rest but the quality is going down at a fast pace. They say their food is Indian with a twist. Maybe too much of experimentation is resulting in a bad outcome. The people are still nice. They treat me well. Service is good except this one time when they took 100 hours to deliver my order.
(3)
Deepa B.
This review is for their lunch buffet. The ambiance inside the restaurant is good and the servers were very attentive. However, the food quality and variety was very average for the $12 charge.
(3)
Chellam C.
This place is a must visit upscale indian restaurant. I was there for their lunch buffet and I totally enjoyed the food. It was so good and delicious, (fresh too). The ambience is really good, the bar was plus. Their hydrabadhi biriyani , fish curry, butter chicken, tandoori chicken are delicious. The service was good too, a quite nice place for lunch or dinner. This place is amazing and I definitely recommend.
(4)
Scripps M.
Good food, Good service and good vibes. Kudos to Michael for taking good care of all the customers. We were there on a saturday night, the place was buzzing and as a result it was quite loud. The Mahi- mahi was well balanced and served over a portobello mushroom. The portions are generous. we also ordered a Lucknow style Chicken Biryani. Both the dishes suited our milder heat preferences. Good selection of IPAs. Next time the beer flight! Took a ton of food home. At last a decent Indian place which is quite affordable. Keep it up Arka.
(4)
Vivek N.
Mockery of Indian cuisine! This sums it up. I have been here several times and each time was worse than before. The curries are flat and tasteless. On my last trip I ordered Chettinad chicken, Mirchi Chicken, Chandi malai kofta, baingan keema and other curries. The naans arrived cold. One of the curries was left out by the waiter and had to wait 20 minutes before second order of naans. And all this on an evening that was not busy at all. Chettinad chicken was watery and baingan keema was yuck. Only life saver was Chandi malai kofta which was OK. I have been to lunch buffet too where I found shredded chicken in curry that was again tasteless. When I raised the point to the manager he said that that is how it is cooked. OK! I have traveled all over South Asia and eaten every cuisine possible. Please don't fool me. If you have money to waste ..please go here...The only thing worth eating here is the ambiance..but that can't satisfy my hunger....I am off to Rajjot, where $5 can make me extremely satisfied....! By the way creating a forest of cilantro leaves on curries don't make them any tastier...!
(1)
Santosh P.
Worst food.. went for dinner with group of friends on Friday night.. nothing tasted like Indian food. Kebab was too dry, Chicken tandoori smelled like it was prepared 10 days back, stay away from this place
(1)
A D.
We had ordered a take-out order through Living Social somewhere around 4:30PM for a pick-up at 7:15PM. When we reached the place, they had no clue of any 'to-go' order being placed. On asking a number of people, their manager eventually came and took our order (again!) and said it'll be ready in about 20 minutes since they never received any order information from Living Social. He also asked me to substitute an appetizer I had initially ordered for something else since they were out of it - on a week-day night how can you run out of something?! Anyways, we returned after 30 minutes only to learn that we have to wait longer. Eventually, our food showed up with 'dal' and 'curry' packed in paper boxes!! By the time we reached home, the dal was leaking everywhere in the plastic bag we carried it home in. The food was probably tasty, but left a bitter after-taste because of the entire take-out experience.
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Specialities
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Trendy Noise Level : Average Music : Background Good For Dancing : No Alcohol : Full Bar Happy Hour : Yes Best Nights : Fri, Sat, Sun Coat Check : No Smoking : No Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
India is the birth place of Chicken Tikka Masala and Curries. Indian foods are prepared with a blend of finely mixed spices quite popular across the region. The spices develop the rich taste in Indian food enough to boggle your mind. The ever-increasing fan base of Indian food around the New York city is steadily increasing because of the large number of Indians who traveled to the land of dreams. The Indians also brought their very own vibrant, colorful, and aromatic authentic dishes for the people in the West. While most of the Indian population is Vegetarian, Indian food is great for people who are looking for vegan or vegetarian food option. If you are a Meat lover, don't get disappointed yet. Indian food also boasts of some popular non-vegetarian dishes too. Few examples are the famous Butter Chicken, Mutton Biryani and Tandoori Chicken are enough to satisfy your taste buds.
Indian food has gained reputation all over the world especially in the United States. You can find many places serving the appetizing Indian food across all major cities in the US. India is a diverse country with different food culture originated from different parts of the country. While the Northern region boasts tandoori dishes and korma offering royal taste, the Western Ghats offers sea foods that is made in naturally sweet tender coconut milk. The South Indian food servers a quality of different dishes made from rice accompanied with spicy chutneys, curries and famous sambhar. Also, the Indian sweets are a delight to relish. If you ever want to have a burst of sugar syrup in mouth, don't forget to try few Bengali Sweets. Be it spicy, tangy, or sweet flavor, you can find everything in the Indian cuisine. Be assured that the melody of spices will surely bring delight to you.
Arvind P.
Good Food for the money, Good Ambience, Welcoming Front desk and Waiter. I felt it was a good bet to the other Indian restaurant. Try the cauliflower specials! and Stir fried Fish with sesame seeds and chilly chicken are few of my picks!
(5)Jay P.
The ambience is very nice, but the quality of food in buffet wasn't upto the mark for the price. The food was very spicy and the choice was limited for the price. I would probably choose another place for a future lunch.
(3)Neil M.
new Indian resto just opened in Dec 2011. Great food and atmosphere. Michael(part-owner) is warm and so accommodating. Henry the bartender is also very good. Gotta give it a try!
(5)Ketan G.
gave it 2 chances, disappointed both times. I wouldn't say the food was bad, but it was like between average-below avg.
(2)charli s.
i went there first time , restaurant looks good and service is good but the food has no taste , i don't think i go back there again
(1)Karthik T.
Food not worth the price. and its not a Indian food. Only reason I went is bcoz i bought a Groupon,will never go back.
(1)CS C.
Wish there was a 0 start in Yelp! This has the worst Indian restaurant amongst all in South Bay. I am pretty harsh on Indian restaurants as their food quality is very bad, but this one was serving distasteful and foul smelling food. The only thing i could eat there was the jeera rice and pakoda. Their food seems to like some leftover food from last weekend's party. They simply warm and serve the food. I wish restaurants like these shut their shops soon or get sued. When other American joints (even the cheap to-go places like McDs) can have good quality standard why cant these places ensure quality. I am sure this place doesn't make any profit, I can guess so by the free buffet coupons they were offering at SFE Dandiya concert in Santa Clara. Food Quality: -1 Ambiance and Cleanliness : 1 Parking : 5 (No one comes here, ample parking spot) Conclusion: Come here if you want to know how stale Indian food tastes/looks like.
(1)Rohan N.
I've been a fan of Michael (the head honcho here) for a while, at his last few stops. He's always treated our family well, so when we heard about his new place we were quite intrigued. Arka took over the old Spoons location (I think?) but really spruced up the interior. It's reminiscent of the recent high end Indian restaurants (started with the Amber Santana Row and now shown at Sakoon, etc). In fact, I believe they hired the same designer as Sakoon and the similarities are obvious. The menu is heavily fusion-based but covers both North and South Indian food. Usually, this is a warning sign, as restaurants can't do both. However, Arka manages to pull it off reasonably well. We've been here 4 times so I can't remember everything we've ordered. However, the highlights include the gobi (in tomato sauce - quite good), the rava dosa (honestly the best I've had in the Bay Area since scummy Pasand closed down), and the chicken tikka cubes. Also, the fire kulcha is quite good though $5 for a naan makes me sad. All in all, good food, nice location, and good service at reasonable prices - worth a try!
(4)Shiva V.
Had been to Arka with a few friends on a Friday night. The food was decent, the service was patchy, some things arriving very quickly while some taking a really long time. And finally when the bill arrived an item we ordered togo was not given and took us another 20 min wait to get it. And being a Friday night surprising only a handful of tables were full...! Overall an OK experience, not really looking to be there any time soon
(2)Stephanie A.
I am super bummed about this place. When it first opened it was so awesome!! I gave it 5 stars and wanted to marry their pesto naan. Unfortunately I went back last week and had an awful food experience. I can't handle spice, and when I had gone here previously, they had been able to make things not spicy. Well, not anymore. So my face was burning off when I ate the pesto naan, so badly that I had to return it. Then I ordered the taziki sauce (which the waiter previous times had so lovingly gave me to make everything better.) and this time it came out and it was like milk. Ordered their lychee champagne drink which previously came with a lychee in it, no lychee this time. Ordered doza's as usual, had about 2/3 the filling it usually did. We went on a Sunday night and there was only one other table in there. I might go back... but only for a cocktail.
(2)Sharon C.
Oh my GOODNESS. This place is my new favorite Indian restaurant. My bf and I found this place through Groupon and I must say -- I'll be coming back! We ordered the spicy potato cake appetizer (loved the stewed garbanzo beans on top). Then we got this eggplant crepe type thing which was really delicious with the sauce. We also ordered the goat curry...decided to go with the exotic taste...but they did not disappoint. It's hard to cook a good goat dish but the meat was tender and the spices complimented the gamey taste really well. Above all, the chicken biyrani was FANTASTIC. It came out in this souffle-looking dish with a side of yogurt sauce. OH MYYY. The yogurt sauce went really well with the dish. I will definitely be coming back for this dish. The customer service was excellent as well. Michael, the manager, made sure we got booth seating and checked on us every once in awhile to make sure everything was okay. The food came out quickly and each item was delicious. Afterwards, he gave us free desserts! Their frozen custard with noodles and basil seeds was out-of-this-worldddd! They have a nice banquet/private area in the back which my bf and I might decide to utilize for our future engagement party/rehearsal dinner. The food and service were THAT good.
(5)Vasu P.
Foul smelling food and lassi. Worst service as well. Came twice and both times left with bad experience.
(1)Vinny B.
This place deserves a 0 star. We went on Easter Sunday dinner and they were only serving a buffet - $18 per person. The restaurant was virtually empty - should have gotten the hint and left. We decided to give it a try - bad idea. The food seemed to be sitting on the burner for several hours - every dish was dry and flavorless. To top it all off, the restaurant was not ventilated properly so the fumes from the kitchen had me coughing all evening. The bill came and I was deciding how much tip if any I should give. My jaw dropped as I noticed they already added a 15% gratuity to the bill!!! What the hell!!??. I have heard of 15% tip added to a party of 6 or more, but it was only the 3 of us. I was so disgusted at this point that I did not even try and question the manager about it, I just wanted to get the hell out of this place. Crappy food, shady service, 15% tip automatically added to bill. Please take my advice and DO NOT come here, I won't be.
(1)Brenda R.
What a wonderful find! The atmosphere is really cool, it feels like a hip SF restaurant, with upbeat music. The staff were very welcoming, even without a reservation. I have since made them on Open Table. My favorite dish is the Butter Chicken. When getting "take home" for a friend they recommended the Rosemary Lamb, which I tried and it was really good too. Service is good, food is great, atmoshpere fun, upbeat. My new FAVORITE restaurant!
(5)Deepak S.
Been here quite some time .. And each time I got disappointment then before. Food is below averages, service is extremely poor( it used to be ok before) and for sure over prised. I won't recommend this for buffet at all.
(1)Kaio B.
i am north indian who cant take a lot of spice so maybe this review is biased. i am only going to review the northern dishes to be fair. the lamb curry was too sour. the chicken biryani was dry. fried fish was yummy. everything else was too spicy. i've had better indian food in chicago which is surprising considering sunnyvale is lil india.
(3)C S.
Ambience: Good Food : Taste is Ok How many dishes did i try : As many to determine it is ok Price: Egaspensive Worth it : Dont bite urself,, No So,,, Butt,, Always ,,, No
(3)Jenny P.
$14 a head for lunch buffet! A tad bit on the expensive side for lunch but the selections are great! Came here for my birthday lunch and boss took care of our bill =) Butter chicken, tandori fish, etc... So many to choose from!
(5)Tanya C.
Normally i hate dosa, but this is the only place where I will EVER eat Dosa. The chicken and naan was delicious as well. Good service from the hosts, downside - dishes had water stains on them Nonetheless, I will be returning and carefully inspecting my dishes before indulging in some delicious food!
(4)Mamtha A.
We crashed into this place by chance.... but we dint regret it... da food was pretty gud, at least the veggie food( i'm a vegetarian)... their barwan chandi kofta had me licking for the last drop from the bowl.... Their cocktails are worth trying too.... All this counts if u can really pay dat huge bill (thats where they lose a star, frm me)
(4)Angie I.
Fantastic Dinner! We made a reservation and accidentally showed up a little late. There were already several groups waiting for a table (none with reservations) and all of those groups were seated before us. The manager was obviously disappointed that we were asked to wait so long when we had a reservation and comp'd us with glasses of wine! The waiters were very attentive throughout the night and the food was fantastic. We tried the thyme naan which was lighter than air. It was perfect. The sauces in the dishes we tried were unique (fusion dishes) and better than I expected. Although one of the dishes wasn't as large as we had hoped, the other one was, and we left with leftovers. The pakora were quite tasty although the waitress had forgotten to bring us chutney to go with them. I'm so glad we asked for the chutney because the mint chutney in particular was very good (although not spicy). The drink menu is pretty extensive, with some interesting blended drinks. I would definitely come here again!
(5)Cassandra E.
I dropped in here for lunch-- and was thoroughly impressed! This is by far, one of the best Indian restaurants I have been to-- I am always searching for a nice place for lunch in this area and I think we've got a winner! The staff, the ambience, the food all went above and beyond the typical indian restaurant that I've experienced. I was completely blown away by the drink menu.. tons of options.. very reasonable prices.. ;-D
(5)Patrick R.
very good overall trip to Arka I hadn't had indian food in a long time so this was a nice little refresher on how much i liked it. the buttered chicken was absolutely mouthwatering, great flavor, perfectly done the shrimp curry dish that we also ordered was really really good. it had the kind of spice that gets your sinus's running, but not too much accompany this with garlic nan and then some rice? sounds like a good meal for me =) however, the tropical drink that came with the check in? I will definetely pass on that one again. overall, the atmosphere was really good too, the waiters were on their game, food was great, quickly seated. no real complaints about this place.
(4)Abhishek B.
Can I please give less than 1 star. Please please please. If you love food and good music, No, Nope, Niyat, turn around son, you may end up scarring your date. Okay, imagine : A Bar, dance floor, you with your friends drinking and a bunch of kids screaming and yelling and running around. hahahaha. If you have a 6 months to 5 year old kid, an asymmetrically fat wife and you have already taken enough in your life and you can withstand any unpleasant experience, please, this is the place for you. Go ahead. I was so excited to check it out but I got the shock of my life. The owner of this place is a VERY unpleasant personality. Talk to him and you will recall all the sorrows of your life. The guy doesn't know how to smile and greet. me and my friends visited a couple of days ago and he was totally not friendly. Infact he was offensive. Come on shit hole, I am paying you. We ordered three plates of same dish and it was inconsistent all the time. The alcohol content in the drinks is also not consistent. I ordered scotch. 1st time it was too light, next time it too hard. inconsistent again. I was laughing at the fact they were asking for 10$ cover charge for an empty dance floor playing outdated Indian music. yeah yeah, women working there are pretty nice, but owner killed my mood. We also ordered Aloo tikki (potato patty) there and it tasted like shit. I think if you take the same place to India, people might start throwing stones. It is crappy as hell. Also it is super expensive. I think they are trying to do a fusion of American and Indian cultures and they failed in both. Should You go there: Definitely YES if you want to get Frustrated. hahaha I don't know why people have given 5 stars here. Not worthy. In a nutshell, this place is pathetic.
(1)Himani G.
3.5 stars actually but rounding up to 4 since you wont b disappointed after eating here. This review is for Tandoori and entrees (have not yet tried their Dosas) 4 stars on Food & drinks, Great ambience and seating capacity / space & privacy between two tables - 1 star on Below average service :-/ this business should really work on Service considering the price they charge Must try --- bharwan chandi kofta!
(4)Sangeeta L.
Who knew a trendy indian restaurant that plays techno existed on el camino! Overall i think the Ambiance and the service was fantastic but they should work on the overall menu and it being what is exactly described in the Menu. I really enjoyed the Original Dosa. The masala was very tasteful but the Vegetarian Kofta lacked the flavors i was looking for from the description. Also, it wouldn't hurt if the food was served right when i was made so when it comes out to the table its not warm but rather hot!
(3)Alexandra P.
My hubby and I decided to go to Arka again last night and I just had to post a revision to my last review of this place. It is by far one of my favorite places to go! Trying to eat vegan and gluten free is a nightmare going out to restaurants but they make it so easy here. We ended up ordering a ton of food and could barely force ourselves to finish...but we did. Kaccha kele aur palak pakora -Fried plantain fritters with spinach and chutney (Amazing!) Eggplant dosa -Eggplant and pepper filled a flaky crepe like bread with three sauces (So rich) Jeera mutter pulao -Basmati rice with peas with a hint of clove (cook to perfection) Bhindi la jwaab -Okra with onions, pomegranate seeds, and mango (really amazing but I couldn't taste the pomegranate and mango) Tiffany was our server and she was simply amazing. She made sure we were constantly taken care of and spent a while explaining a special drink menu for the night. I'm going to ask for her next time we come here because she is just so informed about the menu, friendly, and prompt.
(5)Dawnmarie S.
The service was a bit unorganized, but I assume it's because the restaurant is brand new. The food more than made up for it. I don't recall the real names, so I'll try to pinpoint the dishes we had, which were SO many. Full bar + good wines. Loved the eggplant dish, fried potatoes, cauliflower dish, pesto crape-style dish, pot-pie style dish, and goat curry. We had so much more but I can't recall. I can't wait to go back again.
(4)En J.
Disappointed! Since the buffet was not impressive at all, I was hesitant to try Arka for dinner but was taken for a family dinner. Let's start with the service, I would give them two stars for the service. To sum it up, laid back attitude, over flowing messy drinks, cold food and no refills on water all night. We were a big group so we were seated in the back room but seems like our servers totally forget about us. The food was Eek! and a bigger MEH! since Arka's menu is led by Sachin Chopra. Agreed! All Spice in San Mateo may be sucking up all your time Sachin but how can your team go wrong with basic Butter Chicken? Extremely salty! We tried the Dosa, chola bhatura, panner tikka and chicken 65 and a bunch of more things, nothing impressed me. The bhindi, had no bhindi, I could only see a broth of tomatoes. The fish was surely stale. Nan/Roti was warm, the whole idea of eating Indian food at a restaurant is to be served fresh bread, just FYI! The dessert menu was very limited, unlike All Spice or even Amber/Sakoon, what happened to all the creative Indian desserts? I did try the kulfi falooda, rock solid lump of ice with no flavor.
(1)Hariharan S.
1) Well organized buffet 2) Food taste not that great 3) Ambiance is good 4) Bad attitude from the staff 5) Manager was Rude, not a right choice for hospitality 6) Served Lassi in a coffee TOGO cup for $4 (Approx), running short of TOGO glasses. 7) Felt too expensive for the price. Can get better buffet for the same price in Bay area 8) Not recommended for Indian food 9) Not recommended to visit again 10) Management may consider educating the staff about hospitality
(1)Ros M.
I like the vibe at this place, but nothing is ever consistent. Every time you order a dish, its never with the same flavors that you had it the first time you liked it. They just improvise and add whatever is in the kitchen and mix it. I also prefer female bartenders here. They seem to know their stuff and be very friendly, social, and attentive (although sometimes I'm disappointed at their cheap, slutty clothing. They cant bend over without asses showing). The men bartenders just walk all over the place serving and multitasking. Plus when you ask them for a suggestion they have no clue what to say because they are busy and frazzled.. BARTENDERS DONT LEAVE THEIR BARS, AND THEY KNOW DRINKS VERY WELL. You always have to wait 5 mins for a bartender to return here. Even with only 3 people seated there. Pros: The music is good, the decor is sophisticated. The manager Michael is kind and friendly, helpful. Cons: Food sort of sucks and is bland, and dry. Sauce is important with appetizers and should compliment a dish. I was served calamari with a yellowish mustard sauce once. disgusting. Had a great first impression a week after they opened, so I will give it another shot after having 2 bad visits here. Only because I live very close by
(2)Tan H.
We had a football game that we won, and the guy in our team has a birthday party. He's Indian of course, so to make up his birthday ,and for the win, we ate at Arka's. It was not the way I'm supposed to experience eating at a Indian Restaurant like this. First off, none of my teammates were Indian, except this guy i'm going to talk about. We never ate at a Indian restaurant, except him, so it was very weird. When we got there, i ordered what looked pretty good, the Garlic Naan. AWFUL food. I wasn't the only one, My teammates got the same thing since they didn't know how to order. The look on their faces says it all. The Naan was mushy, no flavor, and when i picked it up, it was streaming slowly from the side. I asked my teammates if it wasn't me, and they just said it had no flavor, completely BLAND. We only ordered a glass of water after that. The waiter did ask us politely if we wanted to eat something else, but since we didnt know what to order, we said it was fine.I did give it one more star, because my Friend had a wonderful time, possibly because he knew how to order Not the best Indian restaurant experience.
(2)Stanley C.
ARKA This is by far, the nicest-looking Indian buffet I have ever been to. Not only does Arka offer an Indian buffet, but it is also a lounge and bar also. Came here today with the Wednesday Lunch Club and had ourselves one big lunch. The buffet included goat curry, curry fish, fried fish, tandoori chicken, etc. Lots of choose from. Tops were the fried fish and goat curry. The tandoori chicken was a bit tasteless and not the deep red that I am accustomed to. There were many desserts to choose from, which made the ending to a big lunch all the more enjoyable. Excellent service! This is the only Indian buffet that I know of that has fish as part of the menu, so eat up!
(3)Sean A.
Went for Friday Lunch Buffet , Really enjoyed the food . Appetizers - Apollo Fish , Charminar Chicken , Madras Bonda Apollo Fish was good could have been better , the masala was just a dressing and did not soak into the dish . Charminar chicken was perfect , cruchy moist and well spiced Main Course Doodhiya Gost , Chicken Biryani were very tasty . Doodhiya gost was my favourite dish in the buffet. Unfortunately butter chicken was ordinary.Goan Goat curry was inedible too satly. Dessert - Loved the Mango Souffle and Cranberry burfi. Tasty food , creative menu and rich ingredients will make me go back to their buffet again. Might not venture into dinner as the price is high and chef does seem to miss the mark on a few dishes. Not a great deal of variety vegetarians although Hyderabadi vegetarian biryani , Eggplant south Indian curry were tasty . Final Verdict - Good Deal for Lunch , might not try dinner for a few months..until they refine their dishes.
(4)Amy R.
We first went to this restaurant not long after it first opened. We live just down the street, so after a good experience the first time, we have gone back a couple of times. The second two times were nowhere near as good as the first. We tried some other dishes on the menu and just didn't like them. And the service wasn't anywhere near as good either. There are far better Indian restaurants in this area so we won't bother coming back to this one again.
(2)Ashutosh S.
Had lunch (buffet 09/22) and this was by far my worst experience of any indian restaurants in US. Not only was the food below average and weird, they were short on naans and when me (and other customers) asked for it, the server went inside only to be told by the chef that he is not interested in making naans !!! So all of us had to do with rice, can you believe it? I could hear staff arguing inside, server tried to make sense in to the cooking staff but no luck, finally we walked out after paying for eating crap. Never going to come back to this place again
(2)Uma V.
Good food, great service, awesome ambience... Hard to find good, clean Indian places that is good for a nice dinner outing. This place definitely fits the bill. We recently catered for our son's graduation party and they went above and beyond and catered amazing food! Will definitely recommend...
(5)P M.
WORST experience ever! Three out of five items we ordered were stale and smelled terrible. Service was horrible. We had to wait for more than half n hour just to be served water. The worst of all was the manager/owner - very very rude and ill mannered. I have been to many Indian restaurants in bay area, Arka is the worst of all.
(1)Brian V.
NOT RECOMMENDED! A week ago, I found this place on Yelp while I was in the area. I was craving some Indian food so my friends and I decided to try this place out. Long story short, I was very disappointed with both the food and service. I can't comprehend how this place could mess up on butter chicken... but they did. The dish they served to me was very bland and cold as if though the food was premade and reheated. I was very disappointed and it left a bad impression of Indian food to my friend. Save your time and money and find a better place...
(1)Raja V.
Terrible food, a blight on El Curry Real, the great Indian beltway The owners of Sakoon (Srini Battu) and General Manager Michael took over the iconic Spoons. Spoons shut down its doors couple of years back, due to the Curry-ization of El Camino Real. Srini and Michael have a bar area,, buffet during lunch and menu inspired by All Spice chef and co-owner Sachin. The expectations are set really high with ample parking, great foyer area and excellent front-end staff. However, once you start ordering food and putting the morsels into your mouth, the expectations go down faster than the food. My wife ordered Blue ginger Cauliflower based on the waiter's recommendation, Erin Brokovich would have been pissed at the metallic taste and reported them to EPA. The main course was Chandi Kofta and Bhindi Masala. Chandi means Silver in Hindi, but this Kofta looked and tasted like chalk, which is not surprising given the current price of Silver. Bhindi is Okra in Hindi, but this is so easy to make, we are still wondering how they slimed their way through this tasteless preparation that is an insult to any Indian kitchen. Being the fairminded bay area citizens, we visited them for the lunch buffet and the disappointment was Super-sized. Avoid Arka, the same advise holds good for the flowering plant, Arka, Indian for the poisonous Milkweed. Your preventing you from Curry-Hell friend, Fred
(1)Leslie I.
The food here is sooooo good! It is not authentic Indian food, but they have made some great fusion dishes that really wowed me. The atmosphere is also great, it is most tastfully decorated place I have ever eaten Indian food in. The menu is quite large, so my friend and I tried a variety of things: 1) Ginger Califlower (appitizer): so good, really crisy on the outside 2) Fish curry: my favorite dish of the night, soft pieces of fish swimming in yummy sauce 2) Spinach curry with potatoes: very good, an excellent texture 3) Chicken biryani: I don't remember the exact name, but it was good, and comes with a fancy naan topper over the dish 4) Eggplant dosa: not what I usually think of when I think "dosa", but then again I don't usually like dosa and I liked this The wine list is extensive, however, they claim to support local California wines, but they don't have any of them by the glass, so I was a little disappointed. I did really like the "14 Hands" Cab I ordered though, so I shouldn't complain. In weird notes, they were completely out of top shelf vodka, so when my friend ordered a cosmo she couldn't have it with grey goose, ketel one, or belvedere, which was unexpected. The wait staff were very nice, it was a slow night (Tuesdays aren't hopping) so we recieved alot of attention. Overall, I enjoyed the expereince and I would go back!
(4)Sarah S.
I definitely need to take off a couple of stars. The quality of the food has definitely dropped. I used to come here pretty frequently because of the awesome groupon offer and my love for tandoori but the last couple of times I've been it just hasn't been great. There was almost no meat on the chicken and I swear the tandoor sampler doesn't have as much as they used to! It also tasted old (as if it was reheated). I'm pretty bummed that this has happened to me twice already!
(2)beno h.
it's about time a really good restaurant took over this nice location at the corner of el camino and fair oaks. i remember when it used to be a "spoons," which was something like chili's. anyway, arka is a very chic and modern indian restaurant. my favourite aspect of arka is how they have a decent grasp of modern nutrition and label items on their menu as gluten.free. i'm on a gluten.free, grain.free, almost.paleo diet. i sometimes really miss naan, biryani, and desserts at indian restaurants. however, i love ordering tandoori meats, curries, fresh vegetables, and salads. when i do indian buffet, i usually pile on the greens and then fill up on meats. i like how the salads at arka's buffet are actually nice. at indian buffets, i'm used to putting up with sort of mediocre salads; but they actually have like nice mixed greens and fresh cucumbers and tomatoes, etc. i like the tandoori chicken here. when you order it off the menu, it's organic. at the buffet, i'm guessing it is as well, but i guess i don't know for sure. i also like the goat and fish curries at the buffet. this is a really classy joint with a loungey atmosphere. a lot of the time, they place nice electronic dance music in the background. the dining rooms are well decorated, and they have a full bar. the website shows the monday through thursday lunch buffet price as $11.95. I did however get charged the friday through sunday price of $12.95 on a tuesday but didn't catch that until too late. the place does often sell discounts through groupon, either as a featured deal or as a groupon now deal. you can also make reservations for this place on opentable.com , which is nice.
(4)Gail M.
We tried to order from them at 9:45, but they told us they were closed even though their hours are till 10. We definitely won't be back. Too bad because we actually enjoyed their biryani.
(1)George L.
I had lunch here and it was decent. The spice levels were pretty good although the depth of flavor in the food could have been better. I did like the Tandoori Chicken and the goat curry. The naan was pretty good, but it.was just in a big cauldron, instead of individual baskets. The service was decent. My water glass was refilled frequently, but my dirty plates lingered, even though the restaurant wasn't busy. I might be back if i was in the area and in the mood for Indian food, but there are other options nearby as well.
(3)Brandon C.
If the only thing that mattered about a restaurant was the food then Arka would easily get 5 stars. They start you off with an Indian version of chips and salsa. It consists of two tasty sauces, one green, one red, coupled with these chip/crackers that are softer than standard tortilla chips. I ordered the butter chicken which came out the way I like my food, searing hot. The tomato based sauce was creamy, spiced nicely, and soaked into the perfectly crispy naan. The reason Arka earns two stars is because they have a massive cockroach infestation! Two crawled on our table and three of them descended down the wall toward us. I would return for the food, but not until they get the place fumigated.
(2)SATHEESH S.
This place is average. It was 8 45 on a Friday night and they told that they are out of chicken. The only chicken dish they had was the chicken biriyani. We ordered an egg Dosa and that was too salty. We asked them for a replacement and it took for ever to come. They did offer us a complementary desert, but the over all experience was just average.
(3)Harshit K.
Could have been a could place - but has extremely poor management. I went here 6 months ago, and I had a good experience. My recent experience was horrendous . 1. The place is extremely overpriced - at-least for the quality they offer. 2. They did have have good printed Menus. They placed photocopies of a Menu card on the table ! 3. I did a yelp checking, and it offered a free Indian Colada with any entree. I showed the offer and placed the order, but the free drink never showed up ! 4. Food was very bad. Kofta was undercooked, and dal did not have enough salt. Romaali roti was rubbery. 5. No salt/pepper on the table, you have to ask for it. 6. Although the food wasn't great, I decided to to-go it. They offered to pack, but when I went home, I discoved they simply threw-in the breads in the paper bag, instead of using a foil or a box! 7. They pre-chared a 15% tip on a bill in a group of 4 people. This is usually done by places where they know that people wouldn't tip due to their poor service.
(1)A K.
Overpriced, Oily Food, Rude Management... I totally agree with the rest of reviews here..The food is not that great and it's ridiculously overpriced for the taste. This tops the worst Indian restaurants in Sunnyvale... Do NOT consider this place if you are trying out Indian food for the first time.. There are lots of other good indian restaurants nearby..
(1)Stephanie A.
This review is for their dinner. I have yet to try the lunch buffet. My friend and I were totally "wow"ed by both the menu and the ambiance of this restaurant. We came when it was just a couple of months old and the food and service were all amazing. In particular, I love that there are so many options for me being vegan, and my friend who was not vegan. They also have notations on the menu to indicate what is vegan and gluten free so my husband (gluten sensitive) will definitely be coming here with me soon!
(5)Namita A.
I was a little worried when I saw the mixed reviews of this place, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with this place. The ambience inside is great, and the restaurant is quite large. My friend and I had the pink yumberry's which were awesome. We started out with chili chicken and aaloo tikki, which were both delicious and huge portions. If you cant handle spice though, watch out for the chili chicken, but fortunately i enjoy the burn! We split a dosa, which i was hoping would have a little more kick to it, but I get it--have to cater to the non-indians too. We split a dessert too -- the lemongrass creme brulee which doesnt sound too appetizing but it was YUMMMMY! All in all, I am pretty excited about this place and really want to go back for a date night with the hubby.
(4)Gregory N.
Food was 4-star, but prices were high, and service poor. The back room was great for meetup purposes, but the food merely good. Plus, those that ordered the naan got it wrong--the crunchy, thin, dry kind vs. the soft, bluffy, warm which I love.
(3)Hollie S.
We went to Arka for a date night around 5 pm, made a reservation and walked in laughing. There were 5 other people there. It was a weeknight, so it does make sensel. If you want a bustling vibe, go later in the night for sure. I've heard it gets busy later in the day with the working crowd. The decor is interesting, modern, bright colors, hip. The music is sort of club'ish, which could be fun at night. There is ALOT of seating, and a few great looking booths for bigger groups. The menus were kind of grungy and our waiter wasn't exactly helpful when I was asking questions but I'm not too fussy. He also forgot about our appetizer, but in the end gave us a free little dessert and also a free cocktail!! The chefs serve "fusion" dishes which combine Indian cuisine with many other cultures, which is interesting and fun. They have a GREAT craft beer selection my husband was raving over. I got the butter chicken and LOVED it. You have to order rice on the side, it doesn't come with it. The food impressed me. If you decide to sit at the bar, they have a happy hour every day. I think this would be a great place to come later at night for apps and cocktails with friends. I would go back for sure!
(3)Phil G.
We took a friend out for his birthday dinner here and were less than impressed. You know a place is underwhelming when you make fun of it on your drive home. We arrived and the greeter at the front seemed overwhelmed although the place was 75% empty. It took ten minutes to get a seat and the greeters phone was ringing loudly in the front area the whole time. We sat down and were then handed BADLY printed PAPER menus that were stapled together and even soiled........seriously, WTF. We brushed it off after a couple of jokes but had trouble reading said paper menus because the copies were slightly illegible. After deciding what to get we ordered. The food was decent, we had the butter chicken, yogurt and mushroom dish, and shrimp in red sauce, rice and Naan. Good enough but nothing exceptional. They had Chimay beer on tap, which was a nice treat. After we finished and were busy talking they handed us the dessert menus and guess what, they were also printed on paper and VERY soiled. I was almost embarrassed for the guy handing me this nasty little dirty dessert menu. The waiter then came to our table to ask how everything was and proceeded to complain about his long commute home later and how he was tired. He was basically telling us to get out. I've worked in the food industry and a big no-no is complaining to the guests about anything. You are there to help and make them feel they are cared for while dining. I still tipped well as I felt sorry for him, but lack of professionalism much...sheesh. I left the place slightly hungry and a bit grossed out. Arka, you guys had better get your shit together. I feel that clean, legible menus that don't look like cheap pamphlets are a bit more important than my waiter wearing a dress tie. Overall I would not go back and much prefer Sitar Express for Indian food and House of kabobs for Persian cuisine. yelp.com/biz/sitar-expre… yelp.com/biz/house-of-ka…
(1)Kevin R.
Buffet - I've been to the buffet 4 times or so. There is a nice selection compared to most Indian buffet's in town. The food is enjoyable, which is why I've gone multiple times. It's 13$ for the buffet, which is not competitive for the area, and not worth the price IMO. Each time I've gone it's been with a Groupon type deal, which then makes the price competitive.
(4)Albert H.
If you dine at upscale Indian restaurants in Silicon Valley for long enough, you begin to see patterns. Amber India's ever expanding empire, Sachin Chopra leaving his mark at Mantra and then Sakoon before fleeing further north, the same servers and managers popping up at different restaurants as their fortunes rise and fall with the tides. It is my perception that the new Arka forms sort of a high water mark - for at least the time being, most of the *really* good folks have washed up here. It's a beautiful restaurant - not so much hip as modern, with some east coast sensibilities. Not as over-the-top as Sakoon or Amber's Santana Row shop, it's a welcoming, warmly bright and tasteful space. The large and comfortable bar out front is just a little more edgy, without going too far. Their modern, professional design extends to the menu, with its clear indications of gluten-free and vegan dishes. Sachin Chopra is their consulting chef ( he spends most of his time running All Spice - an excellent little place up in San Mateo ), and this menu will be familiar to those who have had his take on Indian food before. He misses none of the standards, but leaves some pleasant surprises for those looking to go further afield. Dark, savory, almost smoky tastes prevail, with plenty of interesting fresh breads, excellent seafood dishes, many dishes featuring dried fruit and nut flavors. Prices are surprisingly reasonable, given the high-end nature of the restaurant. We especially enjoyed the lal belpuri appetizer, a delightfully flavored potato and beet salad, served cold. Macchi samhariya, a lightly fried fish in a wonderfully spicy masala, was excellent as well. The bar program is good. They have a large and widely-ranging selection of draft beers, with something for every taste. Quite some thought seems to have gone into the wine list as well, with a special emphasis on west coast wines and even offering a couple flights. The specialty cocktails are approachable and easy to drink, with a couple very unique combinations available. We liked the "pisco amigo" and "smoky and the bandit". Their happy hour runs 3-7pm and 9pm to close, seven days a week. Service was friendly and remarkably practiced for a restaurant that has only been open a week or so. The place has a lot of promise, and already ranks among the best in the South Bay in my book.
(4)Kartik K.
The quality has drastically gone down since they started, Their breads are still pretty decent though ( especially the Pesto naan) A lot of the good staff at Arka have also vanished
(2)Greg B.
Been here twice, once for lunch (buffet) and once for dinner. Lunch Buffet: Good, found the better majority of offerings to be satisfying if not downright tasty. Some were a bit spicy for my palette but that sort of comes with the territory. Good value as well. Dinner: Disappointing, service was slow and awkward, but it was packed. Both entrees were comparable to what is served at lunch time but at least they don't skimp on portion size. What was skimped on was the outrageously priced beer in a tiny glass! Lame. Won't be back for dinner. Lunch, sure. The place is suitable, contemporary trying to be trendy. Get's the job done for a date.
(3)M R.
Review for the Saturday buffet... Walk in at noon.Some of the featured items on the buffet like the biriyanis were not out yet, and some Curries too,I forget which ones. Fine, we thought we'll start with the appetizers : the veggie fritters, the chaat items, and tandoori chicken.The fritters were brown on the outside and completely raw inside, they were huge, so obviously they weren't cooked all the way through. Plus they were way too salty. The chaat was extremely salty...and I'm not just saying that. I love my salt..and I have a sense of appropriate amounts of salt...Tandoori ckn was good. Anyways...on to lunch...picked up some Curries, more tandoori,noticed that the biriyanis weren't out yet..looked like the naan was to be served at the table...went back to the table....asked the server for naan, his reply: 'didn't you pick it up from the buffet? It's supposed to be there'...he went to go look, came back 10 mins later with a plate of cool naan, turns out naan was to be served table side...by this time, our food is cold, but we're hungry, so we dig in. Most of the Curries tasted like the spice was not allowed to cook, tasted very spicy as a result...not a fan of under cooked spices...and again way to salty... Tried a small portion of the much awaited biriyani - again, under cooked spices...we were very put off by this time. Still tried out the dessert - they were okay.. Then they messed up our check and lost our credit card for a good 20 minutes, they brought out someone else's card....took them so long to rectify... There were too many waiters running around, looking like they were very busy, most tables were empty....so, wonder what they were up to...anyways...don't care..not going back, not recommending..
(1)Sanchan S.
We tried this place and really enjoyed it. I ordered chicken biryani - it was wrapped in some bread and the presentation was really impressive. The biryani was really flavorful and the chicken was really succulent and well done. My wife ordered South Indian dosa - the presentation, once again, was really good. But the sambhar was very different from anything she has ever tried before. She says that she will stick with north Indian next time :-) The best part - their kulfi faluda. I haven't had this good of a kulfi in a really long time...a must have for everybody. Overall, a must try for bay area folks who enjoy great ambiance, flavorful north indian food and a great customer service.
(4)Jay F.
A solid new Indian restaurant in Sunnyvale, Arka does not disappoint in food, drink, or desert. I was not disappointed with any of the menu items (and I tried several) and the service was great. What really makes this place stand out over similar restaurants though is their phenomenal bartender. Make sure it's Henry making your drinks and you're assured of a good night out. Highly recommended
(5)Edward A.
Everything about this place clicks. Came with my daughter and wife on a Sunday night. Was pretty quiet so the waitress was superattentive (kind of reminded my wife of Reece Witherspoon in Legally blond -- in a good way). The dishes are very reasonably priced and absolutely delicious. I ordered the biryani, which was great and was served in a huge portion. I don't live in the area, but if I did I'd definitely be a regular.
(4)Vinod P.
This is a brand spanking new Indian restaurant in Sunnyvale started by folks who have played a major role in the running of several upscale South Bay Indian restaurants like Amber and Sakoon. We visited Arka for dinner within its first week of opening and spent an enjoyable evening sampling the many different appetizers on the menu. The macchi sambhariya was spicy and delicious and the charminar chicken 65 was succulent and tasty. There was another chicken appetizer that was sent to us, courtesy of the manager, that we thoroughly enjoyed. For our main course we had the Nizami Goat curry and Bhindi la Jawab, both of which were lip-smacking and paired very well with garlic chilli naan. Overall, this is a promising new Indian restaurant that will be a good alternative to some of the established fine Indian dining spots in the bay area.
(5)Renee L.
You know when you're in a mixed group of friends and everyone wants to go out to Indian food, but there's always that one "Oh! I don't do Indian food" friend? Arka is your answer to this common predicament. Why do I know this? because I am usually the non Indian food loving friend. This place has significantly weakened my long held apathy. So delicious. It is not strictly traditional Indian, many of the dishes have a California twist. My favorite dish so far: Bhindi la Jwaab - okra, pomegranates and green mango. amazing- I particularly enjoyed that they didn't mince or slice the okra - they left it pretty whole so you could actually taste it. I also enjoyed the Akra Shrimp Curry and the Vanilla Cardamom parantha (great for soaking up the last drops of the tasty curry) The mango lassi was thick and not too sweet. I liked the interesting low light fixtures making the rather large restaurant feel more intimate. The service was quick and friendly. The owners also like to find things locally when they can, thus the specials are always interesting tasty fusions not to be missed. I will definitely be back
(5)J Z.
This is the old Spoons location. It's big and trendy but... Management of this place left a bad impression. Food was ok, nothing to rave or say nay about. We had the buffet on a Monday, they charged us for a Friday and Weekend price. I didn't notice this until we'd left shocked that there was also a 18% service charge for buffet. Thank you for charging us to take our water orders. Better places to spend your money in this area if you want good Indian Cuisine.
(1)Govind S.
I have been going to Arka for a while now and I have always come back being fully satisfied. This place has some great food especially for the prices, and it isn't your usual Indian fare. The service here has been excellent every time I have been there and the people have been always able to accommodate requests. I would definitively continue going there (being a couple of blocks away from my house makes it easy) and would recommend people to go out and give this guys a try (I dont think you will be disappointed)
(5)Evonne L.
Decent place for happy hour. $5 cocktails and similarly priced appetizer foods. The drinks weren't too watered down either, which is always good for any happy hour. The HH menu wasn't super expensive, but if you just want bar-grub type food, it works just fine. There's also a regular menu that you can order from. They have pretty tasty Indian dishes. We got the egg, chive, naan dish and it was really quite tasty! Only complaint was that service was really slow at the beginning. I sat for a long time waiting to receive a menu (even though there was only one other table of customers in the restaurant), and then when I did finally get a waiter to stop by, he forgot all about the menu until another 10 minutes goes by. Strange.
(3)Anna V.
Beware: check your credit card statements! We saw a second charge, for another tip amount, dated the day after the original charges.
(1)Geri W.
A new twist on Indian flavor... Some dishes familiar, other ones novel. Fancy and flirty and fun!
(5)JD L.
This place does everything wrong. The food is boring and bland, the music is loud and bad, it is too big and it is not very clean. The day I went they charged a mandatory 18% service charge when there was NO SERVICE due to it being a buffet. I recommend going somewhere that the food is good - like Taste Buds.
(1)bindu m.
Terrible, stale cold food avoid this place for buffet lunch. We went to Arka on a Sunday first just to check what dishes they serve on buffet, but when I went to have lunch there on Monday it was the exact same dishes they serve old stale food poor service glasses were not washed well and smelled of eggs Yuk....
(1)Vishal K.
The Buffet was really good. Palak panneer especially was very good
(4)anjali r.
Overpriced, spicy food (even when we asked for mild, and explicitly told them that a couple of the dishes would be eaten primarily by my 3-yr old). Unbelievably slow service from the bar (our 2 cocktails and 3 juices came after the appetizer and after 1 entree!). We were seated at a tiny booth table for 5 of us once they realized my daughter would be in a high chair. You know they put you at too small a table when every time they bring a glass or dish, they hover for a moment first, perplexing over where to put it, leaving it up to us to stop our conversation and reorganize the table to use every square inch. The place was mostly empty when we got there so they could have easily given us a bigger table. This was our second shot at the place - and will be our last.
(2)Chitra S.
We went here for lunch few weeks after opening. It was a buffet style lunch and for $11. 99 was a steal. The variety was great and the buffet items were a good mix of regional specialties. Ambiance is very good and the service was excellent. Can't wait to try dinner.
(4)Radhika D.
There was a rat in the restaurant! The server was at our table and he acted like it was a regular occurrence. To top this, the food was bland & tasteless. I will never ever dine here again.
(1)Karen H.
Had a great dinner here with a group of five friends on a recent Friday night. I made a reservation on OpenTable and we were seated in a nice large booth with plenty of space. This place is definitely on par with other upscale Indian restaurants in the Bay Area - good food, beautiful space, awesome cocktails and Belgian beer flights (pretty much unheard of at Indian restaurants). I also found the prices to be quite reasonable for this type of place (For example, a $3 Port with any dessert - kind of amazing). Our favorite dish was definitely the biryani, but everything was quite good (note that the appetizer portions are somewhat small, but the entrees are big). -1 star for service. A couple of our drink orders took awhile to come, and weren't timed well with the meals, and the waiter (who appeared to be young and newish) made some quite awkward efforts at making conversation. Is this the best, most authentic Indian food in the entire South Bay? Probably not. But if you appreciate a nice cocktail with your meal, or want to celebrate a night out with friends, definitely give Arka a try.
(4)Lucy M.
Came here for dinner and the place was empty. Service was attentive, helpful, very friendly and nice. I ordered tandoori chicken - and wow! They literally gave me an entire chicken (a very small one). For what we ordered, we could have gotten 1/2 as much and shared and that would have been plenty. I enjoyed the food.
(4)Sonu K.
First they added 15% gratuity for a party of 4. In addition, questionable billing practices used with no reasonable explanation. When asked to explain, we were told-We do the same for all our customer, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! WOW!! For food--Very greasy food. Uncooked naans. Avoid and if cant check your bill................
(1)Eddie I.
Excellent Place. We enjoyed the food. Very High Quality. Excellent Service. ***** 5 STARS. We plan to come here atleast 1/month with the whole family.e
(5)Neran M.
OMG...be ware folks.... Restaurant looked good from the outside and had somewhat Ok reviews , so we decided to try it. It was sort of busy . We thought we made the right choice until my entrée arrived , as I picked up my fork to start eating , there was a COCKROACH right underneath my fork...I screamed so loud, my poor husband didn't know what was going on. The waitress came by and asked if we wanted to move tables? Are you friking kidding me? Like there's not going to be more of these disgusting creatures anywhere else in this dirty place? I could not touch anything else and wanted to leave immediately. The manager comes by and has the audacity to offer a coupon for 50% for the next visit, really? I would have to starve to death first!
(1)Gaurav S.
Horrible. We sat on table next to kitchen door. After 15min, cockroaches started coming out from the wall painting. We moved to next table. Not sure about food as I couldn't get those cockroaches out of my head. Never going there
(1)L K.
I've been to Arka about a dozen times now, and what keeps me (and everyone i bring) coming back, is hands-down the cocktails. Their male bartender, his name is Henry, is AMAZING. His 'mezcal zorro' is the best cocktail I've ever had!! The 'pink yumberry' also doesn't disappoint, nor do the wine flights or beer pairings. - he's the most helpful,relaxed, bartender ever - never pushy, just great suggestions for pairings/food. The atmosphere is also fantastic, you'd never expect it to be so hip and well designed inside from the exterior - well done! In terms of food, we've had hits and misses. The only reason I wouldn't rate them 5 stars is because of the food on 2-3 of the visits - the food all just tasted like straight tomato paste/sauce with no heat or salt, like many other yelpers have said (but i think they're past that phase). But the bar, service, and design, is certainly 5-star worthy (especially for Sunnyvale!). LOVE: -patiala allo tikki (potato cakes w/ curried chickpeas) -his majesty's chili chicken (the perfect level of spicy, love the nuts) -organic tandoori chicken (get the whole chicken, not the cubes, it's much better that way) - butter chicken (on good nights) - bhuna gobhi (curried cauliflower, also the perfect level of spicy) - masala bundh gobhi (brussel sprout masala, the sprouts were so good and still crisp, not overcooked, which we loved!) - dil aloo (potatoes with dill and mustard - great for folks who don't like heat/curry, or a great neutral accompaniment to a spicier dish) - coconut curried vegetables - anari aloo naan!! (it has ginger, potato, and pomegranate seeds stuffed inside (!), soo good to sop up spicy sauce with) - garlic chili naan - fragrant jasmine rice summary: go to the bar, and get some great cocktails with some spicy food or bar-bites and chase down that mezcal with some spiced bar peanuts - you'll go home a happy human. they're open late too!
(4)silvia d.
Food ranges between the phenomenal (the dosas are to.die.for) and the just OK (many of the vegetarian and meat entrees). Overall, the menu is just way overpriced. Many dishes cost a scandalous $13 (and up) but they taste pretty average and should be, instead, around $8.
(3)Monica B.
Not impressed at all. Went here a couple months ago, and the food was NOT tasty or flavorful at all... Especially for the high prices. Have had MUCH better Indian food in the bay area. One star = effort. Trying to make it into a fusion restaurant, but the flavors are just not right.
(1)M G.
worst customer service experience in bay area, and food also tastes horrible, we used groupon here but even with groupon not worth it. so many thins that are bad here 1. bad customer service 2. bad food 3. bad bartender, he is making each drink in like 10 mins 4. dull atmosphere good: nothing
(1)Aalok S.
A new kid on the old intersection. The best part of this place is ambiance. There are not many Indian restaurant in Sunnyvale with good ambiance. This place is elegantly decorated, spacious and good for small events. I have been here twice, the food is of acceptable quality. I loved the cheese spinach kababs. The buffet was not refilled often and the service was not frequent. Though the manager was quite good and he acted quickly on request. I would ideally give 3.5 stars to this place. Update: My subsequent visits were less than satisfactory. Though ambiance remains cool, food quality has degraded substantially.
(3)Sunil S.
I really liked going to this place at first because they had some very good dishes. Their service used to be OK, but not bad. All that changed in the recent few months - in the last few visits to this place, the food quality deteriorated and the service went from bad to abysmal (more on the service in a bit). Their buffet especially is terrible - most of the dishes were cold (even the tea that was served) and tasteless. Service has never been their main focus, but in the recent times, they are just plain rude. The waiters don't apologize for messing up or completely forgetting dishes,.. in fact, they don't even show up for a long time! The only reason we went there the last few times was because they had a groupon offer for almost 50% off. One of the servers gave us a 50% coupon and told us to use that instead of groupon the next time - we were actually impressed at that gesture. Turns out, it was only to make us come back - they never honored it when we tried to use it. The manager gave us a ridiculous excuse saying since it's not valid with other promotions, we cannot use it on the Christmas special buffet - given the fact that they were charging more than usual for that buffet + automatically adding gratuity (dunno why you would add gratuity for buffet in the first place!), I don't see how it was a promotion! So we ended up paying around $20 (per person) for an awful buffet and horrendous service. AVOID this place, there are many better Indian restaurants in the bay area that have better food and service.
(1)Mona S.
My husband and I came here for dinner tonight. We are absolute foodies and I really wanted something very flavorful. The tandoori chicken was the worst tandoori chicken I've ever had! I only took a bite, same with my husband and we left the rest. It actually looks tasty, but don't be fooled its horrible! Doesn't taste like it was in a tandoor and is actually quite bitter. The quality of meat was lacking too. Now on the flip side the butter chicken was amazing! It was spiced just right and rich in flavor. Quality of meat was good. Unfortunately they still charged us for the tandoori chicken that we didn't even eat, which I thought was ridiculous. The server clearly didn't have authority to make things right. What an absolute waste of $14! Their garlic naan was hard as a rock! However their roomali roti was good. It's hard to rate this place since the tandoori chicken and naan were horrible, yet the butter chicken and roomali was delicious.
(2)Amy M.
We had to try it on a Friday night. No reservations, but we were seated promptly. They have their own parking lot and we had no problem finding space. Overall, the restaurant is pretty spacious and nicely decorated -- very modern and clean. We tried the "Lal Bhelpuri" and it was just OK. I wouldn't recommend it unless you like "red beets" and you've tried all the other appetizers on the menu. We tried the "Hyderabadi dum biryani" and that was good with pieces of chicken, but most probably we'll skip it the next time. It's not something we would re-order again. We ordered a "Sarson ka saag" with paneer and that was good. We ordered some plain naan and raita (they charge each time you want more so beware of that). Arka is a great place to eat if you have visitors/clients and you want a place that's "clean" and presentable. I would return to Arka, but perhaps on special occasions.
(3)Sridhar D.
The place looks trendy and the menu looks good on paper. Not much to say.
(2)Elaine T.
Ladies' night? o.0 I had originally come across Arka through a post about the weekly Ladies' night. Have yet to attend but came here for lunch last week! Based on other reviews, I'm assuming that there aren't many upscale Indian restaurants in the area and that Arka comes very close to fitting that bill. Compared to other Indian restaurants, I would have to agree. Despite its "upscale" feel, Arka still manages to carry a very comfortable vibe. The servers were exceptionally attentive. Our waters were constantly refilled but best of all, they kept on bringing the piping hot naan!!! Cutting down on the carbs? Coming here really won't help your case. There was a good selection at lunch. I noticed that food consistently came out of the kitchen. In terms of taste and quality, I was pretty impressed, given that it's a buffet and all. To top it off, I think the management team is really focused on the overall dining experience of its patrons and it really shows, through and through!
(4)A. A.
As the other reviewer mentioned, you are paying for the decor not the food. Ambiance is very nice but food is not authentic nor good. Hyderabadi biryani was on mushy side with overwhelming taste of garlic. Chicken curry was also very garlicy. Dominating flavor in Chicken 65 was that of garlic as well. Food was clearly microwaved. Two main entrees and one appetizer costed $45. Service was pretty bad as well. Our water was not refilled even once. There were at least 3 parties waiting to be seated while there was no one on the counter. I could see atleast 10 empty tables in the line of sight but we still had to wait.
(2)Coco A.
If I could give this place 0 stars I definately would! Ive been here twice for the lunch buffet, which was fine. Last night I went there for dinner and it was HORRIBLE! The lamb chops were not fully cooked, my "diet" coke was full of sugar AND was flat. The food (that was edible) did not have any taste to it AT ALL, it was bland. As for the service, the server was not very apologetic and didnt seem to care about the food being disgusting. NEVER AGAIN will I come here!!!
(1)Shettin A.
Went there as I had a groupon coupon. Had low expectations, but surprisingly the place turned out to be decent. Food was good,not great.Tried Achari paneer,garlic naan and litchi kheer.
(3)Ms. S.
Went for dinner and enjoyed all the veggie dishes. We felt the food was fresh and not so heavy, like the usual north Indian food. The only waiter was nice, bit not very knowledgeable about the menu. I would suggest they make sure waiters know about the food being served. They also gave us complimentary dessert!
(4)Dan K.
OK ... So I don't usually write reviews, but after stopping at Arka's I just felt I had to! What a great place. Its so nice to finally have an upscale Indian restaurant with very reasonable prices. The place was very comfortable and the service was great. We tried serveral dishes and each was better then the 1st. Our waitress was very friendly and never let us wait for anything. I strongly recommend the Charminar Chicken, as well as the Butter Chicken. I have been back several times ! Really need to try the happy hour next !
(5)Eating And Living Well U.
We came courtesy of the groupon deal we saw online. First, we were greeted immediately so the service was good. We were given water and asked what we wanted for drinks several times so it seemed they were pushing beverages since they probably made more $ that way. We ordered the egg plant dosa for appetizers and honestly it was sloppy and a big mess. The eggplant was cooked well though but the pastry (crepe like thing) that was on top of it would not stay with the eggplant. We wanted samosas and the waitress looked like we spoke another language. I guess it's another form of Indian cuisine from another region they didn't cater to there. We ordered the chicken briyani and vegetable curry. I of course can't stand spicey food so can't really rate the meal but that it was spicy as hell like all Indian food. My dinner mate said he would give the place 3 stars for the food it was nothing special he stated so that's why I rated it 3 stars. Honestly due to it being too spicy even though we told them to make it mild, I would give it 2 for effort. I also ordered their mango lassi which was creamy and good and I enjoyed it. All in all, you are going for the atmosphere and dance club vibe and it is a bit strange with the Indian food. The staff was attentive and there was a 'water' boy who refilled our water whenever we were low who also bused other tables. We were thanked for our patronage when we left. We spent $45 in all and with the groupon paid $25 so the food definitely is not cheap. We'll probably not go back because we don't live close by and the food was nothing to call home about and honestly I should stop eating Indian food in general (can't stand spice!).
(3)A W.
Stylish and tasty Indian restaurant with different/new dishes if you eat Indian. The four of us really enjoyed our meal. We tried lots of different dishes. My kids really wolfed down their food as well. The also chicken dish was spicy and delicious. Service was great as they easily switched a dish that was too spicy for us. We'll be back.
(5)Gagan S.
Folks.. This review is not about the food..I havent had a chance to eat any out here :( Although, to my defense.. I tried several times. - First time, this place was not open at 3:00 Pm on Sunday even though it is supposed to be Happy hour as per their website - Second time, this place does not accept to go orders in the afternoon (i learned the hard way after being there) - third time.. called in before hand to make sure (based on earlier lessons learn!) The best advise on calling to check about expired groupon coupon - was to get them refunded via Groupon! (2 Stars for giving a wise advise!! Thank You!) I have read a lot of good things about this place, but for now.. I will not go neither recommend this place to anyone just due to my experience!
(2)Nirmala I.
We were excited to go as a ladies lunch out together and a new place near home. The ambience was good. The service was nice. The crowd was lively. And best of all, the location was a big advantage. However, we were disappointed with the vegetarian options. There could have been more curries for the buffet price we paid. The buffet area could have been larger considering the seating was pretty huge. Basic items in the buffet like raita, chutneys were missing. The appetizers were not tasty. The dessert was too sweet. Could have been made tastier. We were not looking for drinks and preferred the food and had a bad experience overall.
(2)Jeeten S.
As good as it gets! I was not aware of this restaurant but a colleague suggested me to try it out. By the time I parked my car, I was aware that I am not into any run-of-the-mill bay area desi restaurant. This one was quite exquisite to get a mention. I went there with my wife and friends. We all loved the ambiance as we entered and got seated. All was just great till now. But finally, we Indians are here to eat and only food can make or break this rating. We ordered, We were served, We literally gorged and We were floored! The food, be it presentation, taste or portions was just amazing. This is one of the few desi restaurants in the Bay area to take Indian cuisine dining to the next level. The dishes were garnished and presented in a very appealing way. We loved the attention. There was hardly any time between the dish arriving at our table and the first bites were onto our forks and into our mouths. We ordered Paneer (achari paneer tikka), Chicken (his majesty chilly chicken) and Apollo Fish (machhi sambhariya). All of them very super savory. The Panner was the non-traditional one. By Non-traditional I mean that it was unlike the dish served at most Bay area restaurants. This one had a regal feel and taste to it. Special mention goes to the Fish appetizer which was pure awesomeness. It was so soft, tender, juicy and adequately spicy at the same time. I just melted into our mouth. Perfect! Did I mention that this place also serves some great collection of Beer and Wines? We were happy to find out that they serve a few famous Indian brands like Kingfisher. As I said, we gorged on the food. We then got served our main course, a Paneer dish (bharwan chandi kofta) & Goat curry (Nizami Goat curry) and Garlic Naan's. The paneer dish was something which I had for the first time. It was nutty and savory at the same time. It was very pleasant after all the spices we had for the starters. The goat curry, as I know it, was just as authentic as it gets. To accompany, we ordered a few cocktails/mocktails as suggested in the menu. I guess they did a good job putting in suggestions between the menu items. We were over full by now but we had to have desserts before called it night. We wished to try out Biryani but were just so full to think of trying it out. We however tried that out in our 2nd visit and let me tell you, Biryani was super awesome. We then also ordered Bombay Paneer masala to go with our Biryani. Just great!! Coming back to desserts, we had Kulfi Falooda and Gulab Jamun. Tell me if you find such great Gulab Jamuns in the Bay area. I bet its very hard! I am all praises for this place. I am planning another visit here soon and am for sure going to bookmark this place on my "visit freuently" list. Kudos to the chef, service staff & management!!
(5)Foody G.
Good ambience and service but food is not that great. We ordered Blue Ginger Gobi for appetizers it was more of Tomatoe Ketchup Gobi. For entrees we ordered Butter Khumb Sabz, it was hard to find khumb(mushroom) in it and it was extra chilli. Bharwan Chandi Kofta gravy was of but koftas were full of spicies. Overall ok place.
(3)Tal P.
I'm not even sure where to start....It's fairly new to Sunnyvale. I've been wanting to try it because I do love Indian food. First of all, the place is pretty nice looking, both outside and in. I walked in with a friend yesterday for an impromptu lunch. There was no one at the the front when we came in to greet us, which I would have understood if there were plenty of customers, but there was like five employees and two customers in the back. I had to yell several times to get their attention to properly seat us. I went to the buffet was pretty compact, which gives no excuse for why a lot of the food looked old. Hesitantly I tried the food....surprisingly it was tasty. When I did go back to try some different stuff, they had removed all the plates from the dining area....really????? A server went and brought them back. This other server gave us the check waaaaay too early, I felt extremely rushed. The food was decent, but nowhere near good enough for me to have high hopes of coming back. It's the first time in my life I think I haven't left a tip. I usually always leave 20%. There are plenty of nicer places, I'd look elsewhere.
(1)Srinath S.
The worst indian food in maybe not just in the bay area or even the the US. I am a vegetarian and went for a lunch buffet yesterday. They had a salad made of baby corn and tomato and after having it I realized that even salad can be screwed up if not mixed well. For starters they had some kinda of potato manchurian, which was just big lumps of potato with the potatos skill still on it.(didnt even try it). They also had a onion pakoda that with half cooked batter. for entree i took wanted to have some biriyani and had it on my plate, but didn't dare to eat it, it was full of oil and some exotic veggies. Only thing i felt edible to eat was some paneer curry , the gravy of which was ok. The nan was soft but some of it was burned. The desert had a pink rasgulla which make we want to puke. I dared my friends to have it and just half of them dared to :| The kheer was just milk and rice and the gulab jamun seemed liked it was made with gits instant mix. I ended up going here because of the half off coupon we had and wouldn't dare to go there again or recommend the place to anyone(wouldn't want their spirits haunting me) PS: The buffet in bengali sweets is just 8 $ and is better than this period
(1)Julie R.
What happen? You provided quality meals. Indigestion! Come on, we love that you went gluten free but we had a terrible pumpkin dosa among other problems last night. Please work on cleaning the dishes and glasses. I like spotless dining.
(2)Game L.
Its about time they close down the restaurant ... sorry to say this... they cannot prepare half the items on the menu on a Thursday nite. Poor service and taste was anything but authentic.
(1)Ben P.
Disappointed last time I went here. Food used to be quite good but this time the chili chicken was cold and naan not fresh. Sad as they could do a better job.
(1)Harold W.
Ocra is good
(3)Akshay N.
Mediocre. The food was certainly edible, but the ambience was somewhat overdone - while the lighting fixtures were certainly attractive, they contrasted sharply with the cheap menus and somewhat blasé service. Not worth the price, in my humble opinion.
(3)Priyanka P.
worst customer service, had to search and get up to call the waiters to serve us water at least; the veggie biryani smelled, seemed and tasted fishy.... and and thats not at all enough,.. the main thing yet is left to be informed... while having the buffet lunch, a friend of mine explored 2 stapler pins in his mouth while chewing and he took those pins out of his mouth in front of the waiter... still after seeing this scene live, the waiter had no courtesy to at least apologize and on the contrary he left the check on our table and went away taking the pins, thus, we were unable to take a picture of it. (we werent able to finish our food seeing this scary situation.. dont know how many pins might have been roaming in my stomach..) well well well... then the bill on our table and no one turned up till 15 mins... in such situation we expect that at least the responsible person whether the owner or the manager should come and apologize and show some concern that he felt sorry for what happened... but things were vice versa... we got up after 15 mins and asked for the manager. the manager didnt turn up for few mins on his desk... then once more we asked for him, then he arrived and we were so offended by his behavior coz he wasnt at all apologetic, was rude, argued like anything, kept on blaming the dishwasher that its responsible for the pins ,,, and that argument didnt make any sense to us...he didnt show any concern or courtesy to make up for what had happened... and literally asked us to "Leave " his restaurant... the manager has no respect for his customers, no sense of interaction, he seemed totally illiterate of the seriousness of the fact that what would have happened if my friend would have consumed the stapler pins... it was indeed a very BIG DEAL... well there is no option of negative rating otherwise i would have rated by highest negative number... a big NO for this restaurant... :/
(1)anand r.
Lets be clear of one fact. This place is not your average "authentic" Indian restaurants. The menu and food in here is in a league of its own. If you fancy mass produced, stereotypical food, there are countless places in/around El Curry (Camino) Real. The food here is creative, original and can be found only at this restaurant. Every time on the menu is an original creation. Have been here a few times now. The service has always been fantastic. The manager Michael personally ensures each diner leaves satisfied. If you are looking to pay big bucks and crave rude/indifferent service, do head to Amber India. Complaints about poor service at this location are unfounded. I hope this place thrives. Do give it a try. But do so with no preconceived notion as to how Indian food should taste. There is always Shalimar down the road if greasy food is what you crave.
(5)Ravish K.
First off we were in a mood for experimenting that evening (round about christmas time). 1) The chicker starter / kebab came out of the kitchen cold and was not fresh. After sending it back, it came back with rest of the course. 2) Their other dishes were quite decent, but value for money is a serious question mark. 3) On a side note, their cocktails were quite decent. I have seen better Indian food options on El Camino Real.
(2)Muni A.
The other day we ventured into this place for dinner because we thought we had coupon that I had purchased . The Kabobs were salty and stringy. Stuffed chicken was so so. We were not too excited about the food. The food is expensive, not the worth of its price. The climax came when the manager refused to honor the voucher I had purchased. The manager was rude because I had not printed the actual coupon from the internet. I pointed out that I had no way to go back to bring the coupon because I had purchased the voucher about couple of months back. He still would not accept my explanation and gave some absurd reason for not accepting the voucher. I had heard some comments from some other but I wanted to see for myself. I can not recommend this place to other people neither I will go there myself.
(1)Mor O.
Great food (calamari and buttery chix) friendly but absent minded service
(4)Tapan K.
Interesting veggie options, naan's are pretty small in size, mandatory 18% tip for using a groupon (even though the groupon doesnt specify anything like that)
(3)Julia B.
My boyfriend an I came here because I had gotten the Scotch/Tequila Tasting+Appetizer LivingSocial deal. For our appetizer we got the calamari because we were not really hungry but just wanted a little snack to go along with our tasting. This was the worst calamari I have every had. It was super dry and chewy and overall basically inedible. I will admit, i am no scotch/tequila Connoisseur, but I strongly believe that the tastings are not worth the $40 sum that they charge without the deal. For our Scotch tasting, one waitress brought out the small glasses of scotch and set them out on an explanation sheet as they do with most tastings. Before we could taste a single scotch another waiter walks by and starts clearing away the cups! We ask him what he was doing taking away our scotch before we even tasted it, and he says that he thought they were finished coca-cola glasses. I ask him how we are supposed to know which scotch is which and he claims that he remembers where all the glasses go- he couldn't even tell the liquid was scotch, how would he ever know which scotch is which? Now the ambiance, this place claims to be a "lounge" and they do have a lounge-y feel and loud techno music but that's where any type of lounge feel ends. We were there at 10:30 PM on a Saturday and there were screaming children and people having a late night meal in sweats - not exactly my type of lounge.
(1)Sometimes A.
Very mediocre food! Good ambience. Decent prices. Very eager waiters!
(2)MURALI K.
We visited this place to try vegeterian food. Pros Vegetables used are fresh Cons Veg Dum Biryani was rice mixed with ginger garlic paste ( seriously!) Same gravy for all curries ordered! Expensive Verdict Avoid, if u are a vegeterian
(1)Vishvesh M.
The new and hip indian restaurant Pros: 1. Really nice ambience. 2. Feels pretty upscale. 3. Central area in sunnyvale 4. Nice bar Cons: 1. Food here is not that great... and since it is a restaurant first , this is a major setback. 2. Pricey
(3)Guess W.
Summary: Good food and ambience. Not crowded. Limited menu. Prices above average. Lunch buffet today (Thu) ~12:40pm. Couple of spaces in parking lot available and only about 15 customers in restaurant. This is a plus. No elbowing and long lines in buffet. Table cloths and ambience better than your average Indian restaurant. Vegetarian, so cannot say anything about the 5 meat choices they had. Appetizers: Garbanzo beans/potatato prepared chaat style Indian - good Onion/green pepper/Lemon raw salad - ok. fresh Potato bajji/pakora - hardly any flour covering sticking over the potatoes - not done right Spinach pakora - crisp, I like it but friend said they seemed stale Desserts: Malai channa desert - small rasogollas w/ saffron - xlent Carrot halwa - good, too sweet Fruit selection - water melon, pineapple, orange, grapes - average - grapes large but not tasty - Costco type rather than farmers market type. Water melon seemed a little soft and stale. Very few honey dew melon pieces. Rating - average Veggies: Channa dhal - good, but then this is a simple dish difficult to screw up Spinach saag - very average Jeera rice - - plain rice with cumin seeds. - good Bombay panneer masala - xlent Bengan w/ pineapple - xlent Cabbage poriyal - South Indian style w/ shredded coconuts - good Overall I would say the 3 curries above (esp panneer and bengan) were unique in the preparation, and better than most Indian buffets. The Cabbage was also a good. Overall I would say the food quality is superior to 90% of the Indian buffets, and rates 4 stars. But as you can see, the selection is limited and it is $12 for the buffet. There were three of us and we used a $15 for $30 Groupon.
(4)Tony B.
We have been living for many years in the UK and have been looking, since we came back, for a good Indian restaurant - that the UK excels in. Mainly we have been disappointed. Groupon offered us a deal with Arka so we gave it a try. From the moment we were greeted at the door and shown to our seat we were made to feel very special and important to them. I have a serious reaction to Canola oil and always have to check usage. Our delightful server went to great pains to ensure that this would not be a problem. I chose their special - Tandoori Pomfret. This is a specialty Indian fish that I was surprised to find on the menu and even more surprised to find how well it was prepared. Spicy but subtle as good Indian food should be. My wife went for the more traditional lamb Rhogan Josh. This was also perfectly spiced - with a kick that was just right and perfect flavors. Throughout the meal we were looked after as though we were family with Michael Agnel, the General Manger, dropping by several times to chat and be sure everything was just right. So after a long time we have found our favorite Indian restaurant and look forward to returning and sharing our find with friends. Go to enjoy a European style meal experience - not rushed, perfectly prepared and attentive service.
(5)Naveen P.
i had bad experience the only time i went to this place. service is not good even after asking for few times. literally i had to stand behind and get my request done after 10-15 minutes waiting. Food is not great. i ate better indian food !!! predominantly north indian taste and even i am not sure if this is good!!!
(2)Lane A.
My daughter and I finally got around to trying Arka for a Sunday lunch buffet. At $12 I thought it was a good value for the money. The buffet choices are somewhat limited, certainly comparing to something like Sneha. The buffet area itself seemed a little congested, with food on both sides of a rather small, narrow room. As the restaurant was pretty busy, it was difficult to maneuver in this area. My daughter that the butter chicken was OK, but not as good as she has had at other places. The tandoori was fine, but I didn't care too much for the fish curry dish. They didn't have palak paneer or gulab jamun on the buffet, so that's 1 start off. Service was very attentive, and I liked the decor. Overall 3.5 is my rating, but erring on the side of 3 stars until I get a chance to try them for dinner service.
(3)Matt T.
In a city with many options for Indian food, Arka was the worst experience I've had. I came here on a Groupon ($20 for $10), but even with the discount, the price was high. Service: Our service was very slow, even with the restaurant nearly empty at 5pm on a Saturday. Once, my girlfriend even had to walk up to the bar to refill our water because nobody came by our table for 10 minutes! If the restaurant didn't automatically add an 18% tip because we used a Groupon, I wouldn't have tipped at all! Food: Equally poor. Here was our order and my feedback. Tandoori cornish game hen: Mine was burned, and there is almost no meat on it at all. Yes, I know cornish game hens are small, but I think I got the runt of the litter. Don't get it. Pumpkin dosa: The pumpkin filling was good, but the dosa wasn't nearly as crispy as it should have been. Mango lassi: They have the smallest ones I've ever seen anywhere, but still cost $3.50. Garlic naan: It was ok, but really, how hard is it to cook naan correctly? I've had better. The only thing this restaurant has going for it is its ambience. It is nice-looking on the inside, so I give their interior designer some credit. I would not return again.
(1)Therese D.
Food and service quality is below average, overpriced. I had chicken tikka tandori. It looked like they fried first then put on tandori. Only 5 small pieces for 15.95. The worst part was it's not even chicken breast. It was chicken thigh and fatty. The best part was pappard which was actually free! The server did not have much knowledge of the food or the drink items in the menu. There are so many other Indian places which serve better food and provide better service, I am not sure anyone would go back there! I don't recommend this place.
(1)Dhiti N.
VERY DISAPPOINTED with the lunch buffet. There weren't enough choices for vegetarians - 2 appetizers (soggy bhel that wasn't refilled and tasteless chana chaat that wasn't refilled either) , 2 deserts (carrot halwa with LOTS of red color), don't think I saw a salad, yellow dal with broccoli (yuck! Who adds broccoli to dal...being creative doesn't mean adding random vegetables!), chana saag wala (pretty sure it was left over chana masala mixed with left over palak paneer gravy) OVERALL - A HIT OR MISS KINDA PLACE. I read some good reviews (all by non Indians) which doesn't surprise me ..because REAL Indian food is not bland, tasteless or watered down to this extent. Not value for money either $13 (incl tax) for a lunch buffet on a weekday is pretty lousy. There are PLENTY of restaurants in the whole El Camino-S'vale-Mtn View vicinity - try your luck elsewhere and get a better bang for your buck. Did I mention ..no one ever asked us if we wanted a naan refill ...ignorance is bliss.
(1)Aditya V.
Only been here 3 times. first 2 times were great but 3rd time was not so great. Have to try dinner so can decide if chef is really good
(3)Sudha S.
Very average
(3)Hari D.
Great place, read reviews; quite mixed. Went there for buffet and quite good. Fish curry, chicken biryani, rasgulla were excellent. Like one chilli veg dish too. Mirch ka salan was good too. Butter chicken was good, not too buttery, but little sweet, still good. Lamb was OK. Tandoori chicken was good too, some other kind of dry chicken didn't try, felt it might be deep fried, so wanted to stay away. Liked salad greens with yogurt raita and chutney dressings. Nans were fresh and liked that they were not loaded with butter. Didn't try many dishes, so cannot comment on them. Didn't like aloo tikki, quite plain; but most of the dishes were very good. Also, couldn't eat sawaya kheer, just too sweet. Over all good experience and will surely go back for lunch buffet. Good flavor and not too spicy.
(4)sha s.
Ambiance - Very Good. Service - Very Good. Noise Level - Ok. Price - so-so Food - mediocre! If I pay a lot of money for something I expect excellence, for a meal with 1 appetizer and 1 side dish, 1 naan, 1 pulao , 1 drink cost $35 and taste was very very ordinary, even had some inedible stuff. The Bhindi dish we ordered oozed a lot of oil, and the lotus shoot deep fried that was used as garnish was unedible. All dishes were bland, lacked spice or any character for that matter. The dishes which said they had pomegranate powder/seeds in it did not have the taste of pom at all.. I can go on and on, but the bottom line is that I'd rather go to a hole in wall that offers better taste than an upscale one without tasty food. A restaurant can have all the ambiance in the world, but so-so food will not keep it afloat for long.
(3)Eva H.
I had brunch here on a saturday. The place has a nice decor, it's very clean and the staff is courteous. The food was pretty good, I really enjoyed the lamb curry in the buffet (I forget the name). It's a bit spicy, the perfect amount if you ask me. I also enjoyed one of the desserts, I'm also forgetful of the name, it's much like marzipan but with a grainy texture, delicious. I highly recommend this place for a weekend brunch and I look forward to dining here during happy hour.
(4)Sumesh J.
We recently hosted a baby Shower at Arka... its an excellent upscale indian restaurant in Sunnyvale. The food options are great and not the stereotype indian dishes like saag paneer, channa masala etc... its fine dining at its best and the ambience is great. Many thanks to Mike and his staff who were extremely professional and everything was done as planned and promised. Will definetly recommend this. Regards, Sumesh
(5)Srinivasan V.
I recently visited this restaurant on a Saturday evening with two other family members. The decor and the newness motivated us to try this restaurant. However at the end of my trip, I am highly discouraged to go to this place again. There are three aspects to the experience in Arka, for that matter any Food hospitality enterprise - Ambience & Decor, Service and Quality of Food 1) Ambience/Decor - I would give 4/5 Stars for this aspect. The property has ample parking. The interiors are inviting and done tastefully and looks clean as one can expect from a new property that promises fine dining. 2) Service - I would give this 0 STARS. Let me explain why. Sloppy operations - We ordered appetizers (3 of them). They brought them at different times and we had to remind about one of dishes. In my prior experience eating at fine dining, they always bring the dishes together so that it can be shared. Same happened for Entree. In fact when the entree was delivered, there was disconnect between the two staff on whether one particular entree that was ordered was even on the menu on that particular day. Read the last section on further reasons. 3) Food - I would give 2 out of 5 stars for this. As Fred S commented earlier, the El Camino Real belt or for that matter south bay is known for amazing Indian food. So when one starts a new restaurant they should keep this in mind and focus on providing high quality food even if the menu is limited. However this place attempts to offer everything from South Indian dosa, few Kerala dishes, Punjabi and north india food, etc. In the end there is disappointment as Quality and taste cannot be provided on all dishes. This was what we experienced. - We ordered dosa and realized that the coconut used in the chutney has gone bad. We ordered dosa since they had a big section on different dosa with many variations, otherwise with so many many great dosa places like Madras cafe, Komala villas, Saravana bhavan we wouldn't be motivated to order dosa at this place. Why would one have a dosa section and not focus on even having fresh chutneys? Also the filing in the dosa was so tasteless (we ordered pumpkin filling). - In the bindi dish we ordered, the bindi was rough making it un-palatable. There were two other dishes we ordered which were good, so I am giving them 2 STARS, otherwise it was disappointing experience. What was difficult for me to understand is the fact that the owners and chef in this restaurant have ample experience in food industry, having run other restaurant including famous Sakoon in Mountain view. It seems to me that their focus in this restaurant was not food. Instead on the bar and banquet facility. My suggestion to them - PLEASE FOCUS ON FEW CORE DISHES and don't try to have the entire India on your menu. In the end when the waiter asked for the customary - How was everything, I gave him my constructive feedback (about the service and food). He appreciated the feedback and wanted the manager to hear this so that the right measures are taken. As he was taking to the manager to explain I would see on my own the disinterest on manager's part to talk. The waiter came and played with words on why the manager could not talk. It is unacceptable, no matter how busy the day could have been, to not have the curtesy to hear a customers feedback esp when the waiter had asked us to wait. My 2 cents.. Go to this place if you are looking for a bar experience Avoid if you want quality food. Instead try places like Amber in Santa Row, Sakoon in mountain view if you are looking for fine dining. Dozen casual places like Madras cafe, Komala villas, Saravana bhavan, Chat house, Chat paradise to eat tasty quality Indian food.
(1)Deva P.
I tried the lunch buffet on a weekday. Horrible food. Everything burnt and most of the dishes had a strange bitter taste. Maybe they were just reheating the leftovers. Poor service. The only dish that was edible was the colombo fish curry. Stay away from this place ! There are tons of good (indian) restaurants on El Camino. I will try this place again on a weekend for dinner with very low expectations.
(1)V R.
I have been to Arka several times ever since they opened their doors about a year ago. However, after my last experience, I will not be returning to the restaurant. Pros: - good food, not your usual Indian fare, the menu is imaginative - decent wine list - plenty of seating - good ambience Cons: - poor service or by our last experience, NO service - apathetic management - they just don't care if you are a regular customer and if you have been given service or not. - they keep crossing stuff off their menu - I mean literally crossing stuff off, without reprinting their menus! This makes it look cheap. - a little overpriced considering the service. Go for the food, if you really don't care about service.
(3)Jan S.
I thought Sunnyvale did not need another Indian restaurant with the existing broad choice. How wrong I was. Arka has an amazing selection of wonderful appetizers, entrees, tandoori and biryani dishes accompanied by a great wine and beer selection, including Duvel and a couple other Belgian beers on tab.
(5)Patricia S.
We went because we had a groupon. The website says it is open from 9am to 10pm and that happy hour is EVERY day starting at 3pm. We went on a Sunday and met some friends who srove 30 minutes to there. Well, when we got there, we found out they are closed from 3pm-5pm. We double checked the hours on their doors. No where did it say that. And the happy hour that is says on its website and again on the hours posted on their doors that is every day from 3pm, well, it does not exist on Sundays. They need to update their hours on the website and doors. Plus, the guy at the front seemed irritated that we had walked in.
(2)partha s.
I came here for the food. The food was excellent the first time I went there for dinner -- a couple of weeks after it opened. Nice ambiance in the bar area, but very loud in the dining area. I had no problem paying for the relatively high bill since the quality was so good. The second time I went (again for dinner), the food was a disaster -- tasted bad, not even close to authentic. The bill came to $55 for two people (2 main dishes, 1 daal, no alcohol). For that kind of money, I expect a LOT better. I was too pissed to fight with the management, went home, and discovered one final gift from arka -- diarrhea. I have never had that from any restaurant in the bay area over the last 7 years. So, my advice -- give arka a very wide berth. I for one will never go back there again.
(1)Bay Area R.
Went there for lunch buffet. Hands down the worst Indian restaurant I have ever been to. The vegetarian options on the buffet were quite limited. I tried most of them. The only edible things were the naan and white rice. They had Sag Chole, a paneer dish, dal makhani, a cabbage dish. All of these were bad to awful. The sweets were terrible for the most part - only the gulab jamun was edible. I am amazed that this restaurant attracts any customers at all, given the many Indian restaurants on El Camino in Sunnyvale, almost all of which are way better than Arka. Will never go there again.
(1)Ocean P.
The rack of lamb is quite good, especially when the restaurant offered me a butter chicken dipping sauce on the side.
(4)Marilu H.
OK, I really wanted to like Arka, but after dinner tonight, I'm done with this place. The quality and flavor of the food is totally inconsistent. I've had food from this place five times and every time was worse than the time before. The first time I ordered for Arka, I was amazed at the delicious, super gingery blue ginger gobhi and the juicy and very tasty tandoori Cornish hen. The next time, the gobhi was doughy and the ginger flavor completely nonexistent. Likewise, my first pumpkin dosa was savory and spicy while my second one was bland and greasy. And to top it off tonight I paid $13.95 for ONE bland, cold Kofta! Like I said, I'm done with this place!
(2)Joey M.
Great brunch buffet. Very nice staff
(5)silver a.
Husband and I came here last year and we liked the food. It wasn't super amazing, but we liked it enough to return. They had a groupon deal so we came back yesterday with a friend. We were SO disappointed. The two stars here is for the paneer tikka that was quite good. The rest of the food wasn't nice at all. We ordered : Bhel puri : They tried plating this fine dining style with a tangy potato mess in the middle of stale puffed rice and two dots of tamarind chutney in a shallow plate. We had to mix it ourselves which was messy. Bad move guys. I mean, seriously, what were you thinking?! Vanilla scented paratha : We liked it a lot the first time. It was thin, flavorful and flaky. We had high hopes. But this time, we were served a nice thick leathery paratha with no vanilla or cardamom flavor. Paneer masala : Meh. Ordinary. Regular tomato gravy. Nothing special and not worth 13 bucks. Dal Makhni : Terrible. Hardly any flavor and it didn't taste buttery at all. Vegetarian biryani : Clumpy and slightly mushy. Again, no flavor. Garlic and Chilli naan : Hardly any garlic on it and couldn't see any chillies either. Romali roti : At least this was good! I ate this with the paneer masala. We didn't feel like staying for dessert. A waste of $60.
(2)Ravinder S.
Terrible food...If I could give negative stars for this place , I would The worst buffet experience I ever had in bay area... Rude service. Big attitude problem wid d staff.....especially manager over there who doest know how to speak to customers..... We went during lunch time and hardly we found someone having buffet there....It was totally empty, that might be the reason they are giving deals on groupon( dont buy deals, it is utterly waste ).. That too these guys charge 13$ for buffet without giving much items.....On top of that, food literally sucks....I felt like puking when i tried their 3 or 4 days old mutton curry and tan. If this is the way the owner wants to run his business, then he won't be in business long. First change that arrogant manager and spend some money on chef too for tasty food....
(1)Sanj B.
Wow, what a disaster... Where do I begin? Let's start with the service, appalling is the word that comes to mind. How about some simple courtesy and politeness? My group of 6 was completely disappointed at my selection to dine out, quite embarrassing. Even getting water took 20 minutes, which came in the middle of ordering! Moving on to the food, it was very late (no surprise there), it was cold, probably had been ready and sitting to delivery. This place must have major communication issues from the kitchen to the front staff. Where was I? Oh yeah, the food was cold, and honestly everything from appetizers to main course was pathetic. I don't know how they can even call this joint an "Indian Restaurant". Question: How do you mess up Potato freakin Cutlet? It's potatoes, spices, fried! Everything fried tastes good! But not this heap of crap. Overall, this place sucked. And the follow up to our complaints was even worse. Desserts were barely OK, way too sweet. How do you make Indian sweets TOOOO sweet? Needless to say, I'm done with this joint. And oh yeah. Good job at trying to copy Sakoon! Everything from ambiance to service was whack. That place is legit, you need to quit!
(1)Abhishek S.
Great ambience, ok drinks, tasteless food and useless service.. All together not worth spending that much money. There are much better options than Arka.
(1)R B.
Yummy food. We had achari paneer tikka for appetizer and bombay paneer masala for dinner, both were delicious. Naan was OK. Small quantity for the price though.
(4)Rick R.
Never Again! Completely disappointed. Expensive and underwhelming, not a good mix. Mediocre would have sufficed, it was not achieved. And for a place that represents itself as what I perceived as "Elegant Indian Dining"? Embarrassing. Flight of wine, flight of Belgian beers, both together would not have been enough for one. Less than a full pint and/or a full glass of wine, and for $24! Seriously? (granted, it was Group-on-ed, but regardless? ) With that, a $12 app that was about 8 bites total.....$32 Group on, and I still shelled out $6, sans tip! CRAZY! On the positive, it tasted similar to Indian food, and I like those flavors. Recommendation - go elsewhere
(1)Venkatesh N.
Food is good. Service is poor. I loved the dosa. When we got there someone had a birthday party set up. So looks like its good for parties too. A bit expensive for a normal buffet lunch.
(3)Yelp R.
For $13 Paneer entre', I expect atleast 13 pieces of Paneer cubes (that were mere half inch cubes); I kid you not, just gravy ...that too sweet. Same goes with their Bhatura, are you kidding me...almost the size of a poori. naah. For two people, expect to spend at least $50 there and still not be satisfied, neither with taste nor with quantity.
(2)Pavi V.
lousy indian food.... we ordered the lal mirch chicken curry - it was nothing but chicken in tomato sauce, no flavour, no spices... it was yuck... then the tandoori chicken - even though it was good it was smeared with butter which is surprising, first time having a tandoori chicken with butter... then the chicken dum biriyani was not good, it again was some rice mixed with chicken.... oh God they have a long way to go to make this place an edible indian food... all i liked was the ambience....
(1)Chandrima B.
Pros: Ambience. Cons: Extremely over-priced, portion size is too small. If you are looking for a good place to eat Indian food, Arka is not bad. But the portion sizes and price are the killers. We went with our friends, and ordered 4 beers, 2 Mojitos, 2 Mango Lassi, 1 Chilli Chicken and 1 Tandoori Chicken. The bill = $90!!!! Way huge! As for the portions, Chilli Chicken had about 5 small chicken pieces, 2 pieces of peppers (one red piece, one green piece) and about 3-4 pieces of onion, and yes, 2 cashews. When the tandoori chicken came, we were wondering if we should call the Guinness book guys, since it was a smallest chicken we ever saw! The legs were the size of my pinky! The waiters were not very helpful either. The one who took the order suggested that one plate of Chicken Tandoori would be sufficient for 4 adults, but when it came, we were not sure how to divide it among us. The one who served was too eager to remove the plates from the table, at one point my friend had to ask him to put the plate back! He did not even have the courtesy to ask before removing a plate from the table. As for the drinks, I have had Mojito a couple of times before without any consequence, but somehow here, just one glass caused a hangover! I will avoid this place in future.
(1)Tuyen T.
Well this review is long over due! I've always checked in on Yelp but have never written a review and this will be my first! I went there about 2 weeks ago on a Thursday with a group of 5. Right at the entrance we were greeted by the host who was very friendly. I requested to sit somewhere a little more secluded and she sat us in a secluded room with a table that was bigger than we needed. I thought that was pretty awesome because they weren't worried about reserving tables for "larger" parties, they wanted to make sure we get what was requested. I forgot our server's name but he was very attentive and was able to guide us through the menu. On top of that, the manager himself also came by to make sure we were enjoying our dinner. We ordered: Charminar chicken 65, blue ginger gobi, tandoori mahi mahi, tomato basil biriyani, pumpkin dosa, telicherry chicken dosa, chettinad chicken, bhindi la jwaab, garlic w/ chili naan, potato kulcha, 2 pitchers Arka's sangria, bottle of wine. Everything was AMAZING! Extra compliments to the Arka's sangria ;) I thought the menu was very creative and had different foods that I haven't seen at other Indian restaurants. So food was 4 stars and the extra star I give is for the ambiance and staff. Needless to say, we are excited to go back and try the rest of the menu and different drinks!!!
(5)Sunny G.
Been here couple of times for dinner and liked it. Good taste and good atmosphere for special occasion. I like veggie curry(mirch baigan and ananas) and others are good too.
(4)Dustin S.
The only time I've been disappointed here was when it was too crowded for dinner.
(5)Gene P.
I don't know how Indian people eat here but it has the worst Indian food in the whole bay area. However the service is amazing, I told the manager that I didn't like the food and he was very nice and brought another dish but guess what the gravy was exactly the same, absolutely tasteless. I have been to this place in the past and the food was good but it's gone downhill now. I would never ever come back to this place. There are tons of other places that actually serve good food.
(1)Benjamin T.
I'm not the hugest fan of Indian food, but what I ate, it was okay. Nothing out of the ordinary or impressive.
(2)K V.
Very cool place! Looks like a 70's dinner outside and the cheap plastic banners with the restaurants name hanging outside definitely do not do anything positive for this place, but once you get inside...... TOTALLY different world. The restaurant is HUGE! I have no clue how they could stay in business just due to that. It's gorgeous, however. Very chic, fun, and vibrant. Looks like they got a modern decorator in there and also gave it a retro flare. Even the flooring was awesome! Very random and odd music playing from Sade to the Beatles, to Rhianna. Music that wasn't so random and that added to the ambiance would had been much better, My Pali and I ordered the pumpkin dosa, biryanni rice, and a veggie dish which had pineapple and such in it. We also ordered the pakora. All their dishes had some unique flare to them. None were what you are used to seeing in a standard Indian place. Like, some dishes had pesto, or feta, or spices which are not used in traditional Indian dishes, but they make it work. We loved everything! Soo flavorful! Prices were average. Service was attentive, but at the end there was this random waiter we hadn't seen and though our waitress knew we wanted to take food home as we had enough for two meals, this waiter did not. We were so stuffed and ready to leave that we forgot we were wanting out food to go. We had actually sat at the table at least ten minutes after our food was taken, so it;s clear they just tossed it or something. By the time we realized they never gave it to us, we were too far away to go back. Sucked! Other than that, it was awesome and we'd totally return.
(4)Margaret L.
Whatever. The first time I went they had a pretty good happy hour. Their drinks came out a little week, so the owner had the bartender remake them, which was nice. I think we had the chili chicken and calamari. I think the chicken was good, but wasn't a huge fan of the calamari. Overall, I might go back for happy hour, but probably doubtful. I didn't really like the dinner menu. We got the butter chicken, which was pretty good. A little overly tomato-y for me, but still decent with regular naan. We also ordered the chicken biryani, which was not good. Most indian food I've had, they usually crush the spices and cook with it. This biryani had all the spices floating around within the rice. I would take a bite of rice, and there would be a huge star anise or something equally as weird. Not my style. I ended up having to pick all the spices out of my rice (which really is as frustrating as it sounds and pretty time consuming). Not worth my time or my money. There are much better places for indian food in Sunnyvale. Service was really whatever. I'm not sure what the dress code is there, but all the waitresses and hostesses look inappropriate to be working at a restaurant. Plus our waitress was slow. She'd disappear for like 10 minutes at a time, which would be fine except when you have a question or want your food or your bill. The plus side is that the water guy filled my water cup 400 times.
(2)Gunj S.
Came here with groupon. Place was very slow, about 3/4th empty.It still took them 35 minutes to sit us - Why? becuase they were preparing our booth! - that's the explanation I got. Took another 15 to get menu, Waitress are not familer with what they serve. they never tried it or dont know indian food in general. they smile and say sorry "i have no idea if the entree is sweet or spicy ? - she suggested she will find out and she did - atlhough it came out neither spicy nor sweet..it came out bland. no taste what so ever. 15 minutes to get someone to order - and another 40 min to get food.. After such a long time food came out bland and cold. just not worth the trouble and money. (they are expensive) They have split up room for private party - although rest rooms are other side of the that private party room. so we have walk through party - (yes pushing through people ) to go to bathroom. ofcourse, you dont fit it the crowd and they think you are crashing their party. who came up with that bright idea?
(1)Jeffry P.
The lunch buffet was pretty good. It was not very spicy, which I prefer. The waiters were slow removing dirty plates, bringing more bread and refilling water glasses.
(4)Tim L.
It's been a long time since i've written a review, however when you find that restaurant that deserves positive publicity and you want it to stay around, it's definitely worthy. My review is on lunch buffet, and compared to the old school spoons this place is leaps and bounds better for my lunch fare Ambiance - Beautiful, modern, not over the top, clean, nice music, open floor plan, nice placemats. Feels how i would like to decorate my home. Food - Killer. Everything we had was delicious, however there were a few things that differentiated this restaurant from the rest. The dish that stood out to me was there goat curry with daikon, potato, goat, and most importantly deliciously flavored and beautifully textured brussel sprouts! Talk about farm fresh mixed with tradition Indian fare, this restaurant delivers and executes Indian food correctly and also does a great job of modernizing their food with suprises and combinations you would have never imagined. The saag was delicious, butter chicken was good, Naan charred and chewy, chili fish was excellent. The most important thing about this wonderful buffet (food wise), was that i did not feel overly heavy or weighed down as they did not seem to use heavy globs of ghee. Tandoori chicken was also fantastic as it was moist, flavored throughout, and had an excellent texture by not being pasty etcc.. as typical buffet chicken is. Service - Excellent Put your plate down, a guy comes and picks up your plates. No water, you get some water. They are doing a good job on keeping a good service here. Price - Excellent $10.99 lunch buffet! i would come here for dinner and happy hour also! i wish this restaurant the best in being successful as i truly had an enjoyable and memorable lunch. it feels great to leave a restaurant feeling suprised, happy, and wondering how they put out so much good for for $10.99.
(5)Akhil L.
Expensive place, Ordinary food. Achari Paneer tikka is good, only if they could increase the quantity.
(1)PennDesi I.
We were expecting great food from new restaurant so, went here for lunch buffet on weekend. First, no item from the buffet was extraordinary. The potato cutlet were so sticky, we couldn't even take second bite of it . We couldn't find any paneer in paneer masala. All other curries were watered down and very very greasy. Nan were also very hard and dry. The two stars are for gulab jamuns. We are not going back here!
(1)Mitesh D.
Food is just average, waiters are rude, When asked for vegetarian recommendations server responded i don't eat veg food. Wait time for food was more that 25 minutes in evenings
(2)Harry D.
Bad food !! made me sick, bad service - had to wait for a long time to be served (under staffed too). Bad ambiance- like a place in some shady gully of chandini chok. Loud music- overall a very lousy place.
(1)U W.
They have one of the best spot/location for an Indian Restaurant in the bay area but the food quality just ruined it. Went there recently for lunch buffet. Not worth for the price of admission so to say. I wanted to give them 'benefit of doubt' based on location but i was wrong. Should have listened to previous reviews. I will avoid going here again!
(2)Rajeev G.
Tried this upscale-looking, neighborhood Indian restaurant tonight (group of 7 adults and kids). Ambience was great, but music was a tad loud and they seated us in a crowded U-shaped table near the patio window where we missed out on the ambience. Initial service was prompt, but with time, it slowly became less responsive even though the restaurant was not crowded on this Sunday night. They brought food in random order at different times (not altogether). One item was not available, but they took the order anyway, and substituted something else without asking! They could not even find a plastic cup we requested for the baby. In the end, no one came to collect our check payment, so we had to walk to the counter ourselves. But the most disappointing was the food quality. The menu looked refreshingly novel, but the food quality did not keep pace. The Eggplant Dosa was too oily and the stuffing was almost sweet; the accompanying chutneys and sambar lacked flavor and heat. Next came the staple, Butter Chicken -- again, very bland and creamy. The plain naan, as well as pesto naan, were too greasy and lacking crispness. The final entrees were two biryanis -- vegetable and chicken. The presentation was unique, with a semi-cooked bread "lid" to retain the favors inside. But, the rice was almost separate from the meat and spices, so they did not mix well into a composite flavor for the dish. We tried to recover with dessert orders, but should have known better. The lychee Kheer was too sour, almost as if it had turned! Lemongrass creme brûlée was too squishy. The carrot payasam was actually dense halwa, not liquid milk texture. Taste was good, though quite heavy with cream and nuts. Gulab jamuns were decent, and the baby lapped it up. As we wrapped up, I noticed they had charged 18% gratuity (even though we were 4 adults, 2 kids and a baby), and did not even bother to ask how things were. Very disappointing. I am unlikely to return, which is a waste given that the ambience and the menu were so promising -- if only the service and food quality had kept up :-(
(2)Julie B.
Ate at Arka last night. It was very good and the service was great. Perhaps they've worked out some kinks since first opening--I'm not sure about these single star ratings. It is a very pretty and trendy restaurant, fun music (not too loud) nice bar area and as I said the food was really good and the service was fine. We live very nearby so will try it again for sure.
(4)H D.
We visited on mothers day and had the brunch. The restaurant was full of people, the buffet area is in the back of the place- also where there was a private party going on. We had to share the buffet w/the private party which basically translated to a lot of empty chaffing dishes. They could not refill the food fast enough- even though it was 2pm when we were eating.The food quality was very poor- either very salty (as some other reviewers said), overly spicy, or just very watered down and bland. Very dissapointing- and I should have followed my instinct after reading so many not so stellar reviews. For drinks their cocktails were good,but we ordered a basic Indian drink- Mango lassi and we got mango juice, which wasn't even juice it was mango puree! THICK! The wait staff was very busy and it was hard to even get someone to stop at our table let alone look at us! Won't be going back- I would have enjoyed much more lunch across the street at Spice Hut...even if it was Mothers day.
(1)Vijay C.
Sunday Buffet was just ok, not that great.
(3)Nicole C.
Tried Arka's lunchtime buffet today and quite enjoyed it. It is certainly a clean place and much attention has obviously been placed on making the ambiance and experience better than most Indian restaurants. The waiter was very attentive and friendly. I thought it was cute how he refilled my soda with by bringing the soda in a tiny carafe and refilling at the table. The buffet was good; great selection and tasty. They had this cold chickpea salad that was quite interesting and I went back for seconds. The paneers were yummy and the dal was nice and spicy! The lychee rice pudding for dessert was so nice. I found myself eating way too much today because it was just too tasty for me to control myself! I look forward to returning and telling my friends about this place.
(5)Atul C.
Very expensive but food tastes good. We Indians love to eat a lot and the quantity also matters a lot. I had been here on my birthday for celebrations so was not very happy with the quantity especially when you end up paying entirely for the treat.
(2)Chad O.
aaah Arka. I have been to Arka a few times since they opened and have enjoyed every experience. There have been bumps and potholes, but the road has been getting better every time I've been back. I love Arka because of the ambiance and variety--along with the quality--of food. It's hard to find an affordable place that carries organic chicken and strives to give back to the community that supports them. They also have very good prices on beers and although not the largest selection, they have one of my favorites, Deschutes Brewery from Oregon. If I were to say anything, I would say they would need to add another dark beer for balance. What I like about there food is that you can taste the vegetables and not the oil/butter that is used to cook them with. If overly oily and salty food is what you like then you should go somewhere else. Compared to other Indian food I have had throughout the bay, for the prices they have, I say the quality is top notch. Highly recommended for couples all the way up to large parties, or if you just want to sit at the bar and watch a game on TV, I really like its flexibility.
(5)Amol G.
Tried lunch buffet and dinner more than once. The food is very good but what makes it special is how close it really gets to any upscale north indian restaurant in India. The south indian masala dosa was equally good, with yummy masala. The carrot payasam ( dessert ) is exceptionally good and MUST have. A few negatives. They can't prepare dishes with stuffings. Its just not cooked correctly and is a bit soggy. This includes appetizers and the kofta dishes. Lunch buffet was really good and everything they had was good, twice in a row. The vegetable biryani or biryani in general is exactly how it should be. This is the first time i have had authentic biryani ever since i came to south bay. Also, if you are bored of trying Nan and roti, go for the thin rumali roti. It's nice plus one order is sufficient for two people. Hope they keep up the quality of food, if they do this has the potential to be the best in tube bay area for Indian food.
(5)Kat B.
1st time to Arka with my daughter. it looked a little fancy so i was concerned that i would be tucked away in a dark corner but we got a nice booth. I'm gluten free and neither of us handle spicy too well. We ordered the butter chicken, a little spicy and dry (think they used white meat) we still enjoyed it. ordered plain naan which according to my daughter was delicious. i ordered the chicken briyani which was labeled gluten free and appeared in a big dish covered with naan! the naan was was baked on like a cover. how's that gluten free? the waiter said it didn't touch but the rash on my body says otherwise. this should have been listed on the menu. i gave them 4 because the service was good, the atmosphere was very pleasant and the hostess was fantastic. :) next time i would quiz the waiter about ingredients but we will go there again. :D
(4)Sushma M.
Been here 2 times.Buffet is good.Used groupon here :)
(3)Ab Y.
Buffet was not that great or may be not good at all on a friday afternoon(one of the peak times). Not a thing to recomend. Sweets at the buffet was somewhat ok.
(1)Ketan J.
Nice lunch buffet . went there for farewell lunch with my team. Food was good. place is pretty big, and set up is also nice. Wouldn't mind going there again.
(4)Vijai S.
I wish we had an option to give this place a half star or zero star. I went there for a buffet lunch and the food was awful. How can any Indian restaurant mess up butter chickec? Well these guys do. The naan was dripping in butter and there wasn't one tasty entree on the buffet spread. To top it all, this place isn't cheap.
(1)Mansi A.
Excited to see a new Indian restaurant in the South Bay serving both North and South Indian dishes, a somewhat large group of us dined at Arka pre-official grand opening to check it out! First things first, the restaurant is a tad difficult to locate due to lack of proper signage (at least when we went), but it literally sits on the corner of El Camino Real and S. Fair Oaks Dr. Upon entering, the decor is extremely warm, trendy, and inviting. It's definitely reminiscent (yet a toned-down version) of Sakoon/Amber India decor. We were seated in a slightly private area off to the side that had two large U-shaped booths aptly appropriate for larger groups. Loved that seating area! {Note: That would be a good spot to rent for private group events.} As far as the food is concerned, we feasted on the following: Appetizers - Juhu Beach Vada: Extremely tough, spherical vada balls. Not your traditional vada shape, which may be part of the problem, but overall skip this dish. Too tough, too dry. - Karari Calamari: I didn't sample this dish, but given that a chunk of it was left over, I'm not convinced folks fully enjoyed it. - Achari Paneer Tikka: Good stuff. Well-flavored. It could've been a tad softer, but overall good paneer tikka. - Charminar Chicken 65: Yum! Not to be missed. If you like Dosa's chennai chicken, you'll enjoy this. - Watermelon Salad: Refreshing. Great contrast to the other standard appetizer items. Main Dishes - Organic Tandoori Chicken: Your standard tandoori chicken with better quality chicken. I like. - Konkon Fish Curry: Definitely enjoyed this dish. A slight kick with no fishy aftertaste. - Arka Shrimp Curry: I didn't try this dish. - Lucknow Chicken Biryani: Definitely not true chicken biryani; more like rice tossed together with chicken. I must admit the presentation was pretty unique, but I've definitely had much better versions of chicken biryani. - Rava Masala Dosa: Soggy, lacking rava-appeal. Not a good dosa. Pass. - Paneer Keema Dosa: I didn't try this dish. To sum it up: Arka seems like a nice spot to order North Indian specialties, but unfortunately missed the bullseye on pretty much every South Indian entree we ordered. I really wanted to give this place a stellar rating, but I think a lot of the 4/5 star reviews are a bit generous. I'm going with a solid 3-star review, because the North Indian dishes were pretty good albeit being anything special, the decor definitely nice, and the customer service was a friendly and attentive.
(3)Corinne R.
So I'm not sure why people are complaining about this place. Maybe the restaurant took notice of previous reviews and improved their customer service, food and such. Everything was great for us tonight. We ordered three things and had to take a bag home because we didn't realize there would be so much food. Everything was tasty and not too oily. Very flavourful. The restaurant staff was attentive but not over bearing. We never had to ask for more water or to get our bill, they just knew when to come. The restaurant wasn't busy. Probably five different tables being served. We're definitely going back again and sharing again!
(5)S K.
Tasteless foood ever had.
(1)Nasir M.
I have been here on two separate occasions for the lunch buffet and both times I was thoroughly unimpressed. I normally try to stay away from buffets unless I am in Vegas because from what I have seen quality is always inconsistent and this place is no different. The first time I went, Arka had a check in offer for an Indian Colada. I ordered the non-alcoholic variant which turned out to be a mango lassi which frankly tasted like mierda. Thank God it was free or else I would have been really pissed. The buffet selection is fairly extensive however the quality of food is consistently mediocre and nothing really stood out. The Tandoori Chicken was dry and a little too spicy for my tastes. I found it odd that they did include CTM in their line up and more importantly chai. How the hell can you have a Indian buffet and not include chai? Its practically sacrilege. I also found it annoying how instead of having naans at the buffet area they would be brought to your table in small baskets and each time they ran out, which was quickly, you had to call a waiter over. Unfortunately, since the service is crappy (they rarely checked in on us) there were long delays in naan re-ups and soda refills for that matter. The only saving grace for this place was that they had amazing gulab jamaan, which given the quality of the rest of the food, I am assuming came from somewhere else. With all the other good dining options in Sunnyvale (ie: Kabul, Sunnyvale Café, Taco Bell) don't waste your money here. And if you are really are craving desi food make the drive to Shalimar in Fremont.
(2)Dee V.
Arka is about a minute walk from my place...and it's really nice having a trendy looking bar/restaurant in good ol' sunnyvale when you don't feel like driving! My husband and I are frequent customers- most of the time we are drinking and ordering (vegetarian) appetizers at the bar. The staff is incredibly friendly and accommodating. My husband would like me to add that they have CHIMAY (beer) on tap which is apparently a rare sighting. I'm not a super huge fan of south indian food...but their pumpkin dosa is DELICIOUS- no crumbs left on my plate. A few girlfriends and I have also been here during their "ladies night" (I believe every Tues evening) and their cocktails are really yummy and unique. All in all, great place to eat, drink, and be merry :-)
(5)Tejaswini L.
After reading a whole lot of negative reviews about Arka, we had decided not to visit this place. Thanks to the place, time and parking convenience it provides, Yesterday night we took a risk, and it was worth it! I liked it. There were only two tables occupied when we got in. They served complimentary 'crumbled Papad' with menu. I am a pure vegetarian, and the main reason I liked Arka is because of the variety in vegetarian menu they offer. But hello... When you spend so much on your interior and ambiance , why do you have normal printouts as a menu cards with difficult to read font? They have very good options available for drinks. The serving size was OK! In food, we ordered 'Bharwa chandi kofta', 'plain rotis' and 'tomato basil biryani' . portion size was satisfactory. Food had very pleasant aroma and it was really delicious. Service was quick, waiters were trying to communicate with their broken English, which sounded very sweet to me.. 'Biryani..2 min wait...other food.. You enjoy' said the waiter while serving rotis and kofta. Where is the fifth star? 1. Yes, the prices are little higher compared to the other Indian restaurants in Sunnyvale. 2. Lighting was too dim. 3. And Some weird music in the background, we kept asking eachother "why do you think they are playing this?".
(4)Kat S.
Decor and ambiance are pretty nice but the food and service leaves much to be desired. We tried several dishes and all of which pretty bad. First off, they rubbed us the wrong way by not greeting us nicely at the door. Despite an almost empty house, our party of four waited for almost 10 minutes before we were even greeted (rather abruptly) and seated. Not what I expected given the more upscale ambiance. Next, after we ordered 3 dosas we were told they would take a long time since they only had one dosa pan. Why the heck do you have one dosa pan when you have a WHOLE SECTION of your menu devoted to dosas??! We all were a bit turned off before the food arrived. Finally, our food arrived & we were assured we wouldn't be returning. The dosas were cold, the uttapam was soggy and uncooked in the middle, sambar was too thick and improperly seasoned as was the rest of food. The masala dosa filling reeked of uncooked garlic when garlic isn't normally added at all to this dish, the panneer dosa filling was horrible, and the chole was WAY over spiced with such a strong cinnamon flavor it was almost inedible. Most of our party was Indian and we all agreed it wasn't very good. It's as if they spent all their energy on decorating and didn't have any left for what matters most - the food! Won't be back.
(2)Abhishek K.
Do they call it an Indian Restaurant ? No way. I am happy that I didn't spend a penny here; have attended two parties here. If you are looking for even an average Indian Food, don't go there. Daal (pulse) was more of sweet tomato pulpy juice and chicken, fish, goat curries were all sweet with little or no taste. If you call it Indian food..sorry I think you have invented some other cuisine. My non-Indian Friends ! if you think you are gonna eat tasty Indian food there, you are mistaken.. that's something else..some other cuisine. You really need to stop calling it an Indian Restaurant or really change something drastically..probably your recipe book.
(1)S H.
The worst customer service ever. This so called Manager "Ramesh" promised us a day to have a party in the restaurant. We informed all our guests. We had not paid the deposit since he wanted permission from his boss about something. He promised us he would get back ASAP, the deposit was not an issue. We called everyday, his response would be that his boss does not call back. Today when I insisted on finalizing this, he said the date was taken. He refused to give his boss' name or phone number saying he does not know. Never, never have an event at this place. Horrible customer service by uneducated, probably illegal immigrants.
(1)Annie D.
Finally came back to give this place a full try after being here for a yelp event. We sat at the bar and started with hismajesty chili chicken- very nice spice to this, so a good dish if you like spicy! Shrimp vindaloo uthappam- their version of a pizza, was okay, nothing special and a little soggy. Also tried a lamb dish, this was good, well seasoned. Service was okay, wasn't at their best.
(3)Dinesh M.
Downgrading to 1-star due to poor service. We asked if we could get some roti since the only bread in the buffet was naan which contains egg (we are vegetarians). Other Indian buffets usually accommodate this request without any questions or hesitation. However, the waiter said they use the same dough so it wouldn't make a difference. I know this is completely untrue - the type of flour and dough are completely different for roti and naan. If the waiter simply said that they cannot accommodate a special request for a buffet, that actually would have been perfectly fine. However, I didn't appreciate that he gave me a completely made-up excuse!
(1)Brian U.
I really wanted to like this place. The interior decor is fantastic, and their extensive drinks menu really made me want to check out more. Service was reasonably friendly and attentive. Unfortunately, the flavors really weren't there to back it up. My rava masala dosa didn't taste like much -- the sambar may well have been mild Pace picante sauce, and was about as flavorful as the raita. My dining companion's biriyani had a really fun presentation, with a pot pie crust baked atop the serving bowl, and cut open by the server at tableside. Pity tasted like Uncle Ben's. Not even "Uncle Ben's with amazing curry and veggies and flavorings simmered in" but more like plain white rice with maybe a milligram of cilantro and barely anything else added. Even the cocktails were bland. We tried a special that was essentially a mango lassi spiked with vodka, and tasted like just that. No real balance or creativity there, may as well have just ordered a lassi. Other fruity cocktails were similarly bland. Price performance is not great. If it were amazing food, it'd be totally fair, but you're only paying for the decor, not for delicious food. I'm suspecting we may have done it wrong by attempting to come here to eat dinner. This place seems better suited to having a few drinks with friends, or a trendy place to take business colleagues. An appetizer or two would serve as fine ballast, just don't come expecting a satisfying meal. There are dozens of WAY better Indian food options not far from here.
(2)Michelle B.
The bottom line is Arka is the BEST Indian Restaurant in the Bay Area. The food is fresh with amazing flavor, awesome atmosphere perfect for a date and excellent service Michael the owner roccccks! I go to this restaurant at least once a week because it's so good!!!!!!!!!!! Don't listen to the negative posts...they have no idea what the hell they are talking about...just keeping it real = )-
(5)Sumana M.
Went here on a Tuesday night, saw a bunch of people unlike what most other reviewers had said. But here's what we felt Pros Decor is nice Service was ok Cons We ordered chicken biryani and tandoori mahi mahi The chicken biryani came out in a humungous size bowl and we were only 2 (probably serves around 4-5 people). Since we don't get anything which has meat in it packed to take home, lots of food got wasted. My husband also mentioned the chicken biryani tasted more like old pulav. The mahi mahi was simply tasteless and rubbery. The only thing I ate on the plate was the one portabella mushroom. The waitress asked us, are you really done, you still have lots of food on your plate. Instead of asking us, that should clearly be a red sign that their food was terrible. Not going again!
(1)Arnel G.
I went to Arka for the lunch buffet this afternoon. It was packed (there was a baby shower going on at the back end of the restaurant), so the buffet seemed to make sense, as it would be the least affected by any service problems. I sampled most of the buffet items and had mixed results, with the meat, seafood, and rice dishes definitely better in quality and execution than the vegetarian dishes. Here are some highlight of what I sampled, from the best to the worst: * Amritsari Fish - By far the best dish there, the catfish used in this dish was lightly coated in a spicy gram flour mixture. The spices were surprisingly subtle, however - complementing and highlighting the flavor of the fish, rather than overpowering it. This was probably the standout dish of the buffet. * Curry Fish - This was another standout dish, with a gravy flavored with curry leaf, turmeric, mustard seed, and other spices complementing the subtle flavor of the fish. I'm not sure what the fish was (it might have been tilapia), but this curry was executed quite well. * Butter Chicken - Fairly traditional, but with extra chili pepper and maybe tomato paste to give it a deep, zesty flavor. Well executed. * Paneer Masala - Wow. Chunks of succulent paneer in a tomato-based sauce zesty with ginger, chili powder, garlic, and other spices. Very tasty! * Chicken Biryani - Somewhat traditional, though I think they toned down the spiciness of this dish a bit. Still tasty. Wish that they had served it warmer - it was room temperature at the buffet table, and cooled down quickly by the time I had finished it. * Desserts - Included kheer, a custard-like dessert called "shuflee" (souffle?), and gulab juman. All of them were pleasant, not too sweet, fairly traditional. Nice, but not outstanding. * Tandoori Chicken - Not bad, but not great either. Meh. * Rice with Cumin Seeds - More meh-ness. * Muteer Masala - Consisted of some sort of bean (maybe pigeon peas?) in a green sauce. A bit bland, not that exciting. * Tawa - Mixed vegetables fried in a variety of spices. The vegetables were watery and fairly insipid. * Naan - Tough and rubbery. Maybe these were store-bought naan that they reheated in an oven? Felt like I was munching on latex gloves. * Gobi Manhcurian - The worst dish of the buffet. Gobi Manchurian usually consists of battered cauliflower nuggets that should be crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, somewhat hot and somewhat sour. Here, the cauliflower nuggets were greasy, tasteless, and rubbery. I was tempted to see if I could actually bounce the cauliflower nuggets in this dish right off the restaurant's walls! I also ordered the "Indiana Colada" from their bar. "Indiana Colada" is an unintentionally funny name for a decent drink that contained yogurt, a small amount of mango puree, and rum. It was essentially rum with a small amount of mango lassi in it. Not bad, though at $9/glass, it wasn't exactly cheap. I did not find service to be bad (at least they kept my water glass full). Decor is a bit weird - think "California LSD Trip Meets India." The walls are decorated in different colors (deep burgundy red, pastel lime green, pale violet blue), the booths have seats with large polka dots all over them, the lampshades are whimsical and somewhat Dr. Suess-ish. It approaches being too much, without actually getting there. I gave this restaurant 3/5 stars, mainly because of the lack of good vegetarian dishes and the quality of the naan. With some adjustments, they could become one of the better restaurants in Silicon Valley, but they definitely have some work to do if they want to get there.
(3)Shantha S.
I had dined at Arka a few months ago. The lighting effects in their restaurant is pretty good. They have some pretty good chicken and seafood varieties..Definitely you can visit this place at least once if you love food !!!
(3)Sandeep S.
Avoid going with your Groupon voucher. They impose gratuity twice- it's no longer a "deal". Ordinary food but good ambiance and service...
(2)Keven W.
This opened a month ago. Maybe I am not a big fan of Indian buffet, but we went here during lunch to celebrate a coworker's farewell. Overall, the food was okay and serviec was good. But 3 stars meaning that I would go back again, but not for awhile. I enjoyed the chionese chicken that was the best dish, salad was okay and so was the curry. It was somewhat salty for me and the tandori chicken was a little dry. The dessert was okay, nothing to jump up and down for. The place is very good looking and modern, I have to admit, I think chef ramsay would be very impressed. I did not eat more than my usual, but I am still full. Hopefully I won't puke this stuff.
(3)Alice C.
Came here with a groupon for dinner for two including an appetizer, 2 salads or soups, 2 entrees and 2 drinks. The restaurant was quite large (seems to server mostly the lunch buffet crowds) and was pretty empty for a Friday night. The host welcomed us and sat us promptly. It was very considerate of him I noticed where the different diners were all spaced out reasonably in the restaurant so you could enjoy your dinner and conversation without being privy to the conversation next to you. Appetizer - his majesty's chicken. This was our favorite of the dishes, spicy and full of flavor, comes with onions and peppers. It was also a good sized amount of food and can stand alone as an appetizer. Salads/Soups - the watermelon salad was refreshing and complimented the strong meat dishes we ordered well. Entrées - seafood curry and goat curry. The curry were strong and the sauce thick. The goat was very tender. The host did warn with the goat curry it's more on the sour side because of the spices used, and I enjoyed it a lot. We ordered fire nana and roti to go with the entrées. The fire naan tasted just like plain naan, with not much of the chili and cheese flavor coming through. I did enjoy the Indian Pina Colada I got, which was like a mango lassi spin on te drink. One downside is definitely that the portions were small for the price. The pregroupon deal came to $71 for what we had. I would go again with the group on but would likely not go without.
(3)Carolen M.
We had just completed a 6 mile hike and so we were hungry. We drove all the way to Sunnyvale to partake in an Indian Buffet Lunch at Arka and was sorely disappointed as on their website they said they were open from 11:30-3pm. It was only 1pm. Not sure if they're open at all but wow...what a way to really kill customers from ever coming back or at all.
(1)Soumya S.
This place has a very nice ambience and hospitality for their customers; to be particular, you are never out of place. For Indian Cusine I will definitely look to come here all the time. A place where time seems well spent. Do try the rice, yellow tarka dal and tandoori pomfret. It's delicious. Leave a nice tip! ;-) it's worth... Stars awarded on customer and order management, ambience, service, sanitation and efficiency.
(5)Greg L.
Horrible. Do not eat here. If I could give zero stars I would. Terrible restaurant from servers to food. I love and eat Indian food on a regular basis and this is the worst experience I have ever had.
(1)Allister D.
Nothing against this place. The place is clean and comfy, the food is prepared quick and tastes fresh, drink menu is extensive with imports, and prices are decent. First off the masala chai is fresh and milky. Great for $2.5 with unlimited refills. The garlic naan is fresh and crispy with a light taste of garlic. The pesto naan isn't over powering and has a good amount of pesto. I enjoyed the Punugulu which are stuffed jalapeños with potato type fillings. This is pairs well with the sweet tamarind sauce. The Paneer Pakora were like fried potato balls that had chutney hints. Great for dipping in the cilantro sauce. Overall this place isn't too busy but is well kept. The service is good! They are on top of refills and orders. I will def be coming back for happy hr and lots more chai time!!
(3)Sree Sagar R.
The most challenging part with this restaurant is to figure out its timings. There have been several attempts by me around 2pm and they said the place was closed or they do not serve the buffet anymore as they have a group event. However if you manage to be get served, this place goes into the never ending list of average Indian food restaurants. I have been there only for the lunch buffet. There are not a lot of options to select from but I would say around 60% of the items they served was anywhere from good to okay. In my opinion if you have no place to go then come here and have your lunch and forget it as there is not a lot to talk about it.
(3)Estrella Z.
When I used to dine in this restaurant when Michael was still the manager, the food, the service, and the cleanliness of the restaurant was all GOOD. After Michael left, when I dine in @ lunch time for buffet yesterday, it was all TERRIBLE, the food was not good, the bathroom was sooooooooooooooooooo dirty. this restaurant will not last.. that's it, my last day was yesterday.
(1)Lorraine B.
Arka catered lunch for my department today (80 people) and everything was great. It was very easy to plan over email, from the menu selection to the scheduling and billing. Delivery was punctual and setup was quick and quiet. (Very important in a busy office!) Food was as delicious as expected, but the service was above and beyond. The two men that delivered the food were well dressed, and wiped down the sides of each tray after setting up. They even spooned some of the excess oil off of the tops of some of the dishes and discarded it. I was very impressed. Our team here enjoyed the food very much as well as the presentation. Everything was perfect. It was a pleasure working with Ravi and the Arka team.
(5)Jeff Z.
The food is just OK, but the service is bad. The waiter spill the soup on the table and didn't clean it. 10 minutes later, he did bring some paper and cover the spill area and put the plate on the paper... Another thing, don't buy the groupon for this restaurant, they will give you a special menu, which exclude the more expensive dishes. It turns out and you will pay the full price, except for getting two small glasses of cheap drink!
(1)Jay K.
This place has a very good ambience. I ordered the Bombay Paneer Masala and Naan. It was very good. The servers were friendly.
(5)Caroline D.
NOTE - this is based on a catering done for our office. Arka folks came by my office to advertise that they deliver and caterer lunch. I like to try to support local businesses, so I decided to give them a try. They arrived on time, but they did not have a cart to bring the food into the office. They had to borrow ours (not a BIG deal). Midway unloading our lunch, the guy took a call and talked loud enough that the whole office could hear. He spoke with his back facing me for at least two minutes while i just stood there and waited for him. When he finished talking and unloading, he just left the cart in our kitchen covered in OIL (BIG DEAL). Now for the food.....the food was better than expected, But that's not saying much cuz it was still NOT good. The nann was doughy, they use bay shrimps in their shrimp curry (we had to fish around to make sure there actually was shrimp inside) and they use SOOO MUCH OIL! (I extracted two 4 oz cups of oil). no good.
(1)Luke S.
Some things that stand out here are the watermelon salad and the mojitos. The tomato pineapple soup is really good too. I think I got here to close to opening because they werent really ready for me but its all good because once they were, their customer service was excellent. Such great portions I've got enough to last all day the next day. Prices aren't to bad either
(5)Sakthi R.
I was first doubtful of the quality of this place due to its 3 star rating in yelp. But guess what, I was proved totally wrong. I have since then visited this restaurant thrice, ordering different dishes each time (vegetarian) and every time I was given food that tasted good. What I like more than their food is the ambience. The place is much much better compared to other places of same price. Their entrees cost ~$10 which is very very reasonable for the ambience and food quality.
(5)Arnab C.
Good dosas and other comfort foods. The decor is fun and modern and the restaurant has tons of room on the inside. Food service is reliably bad -- I stopped going because it always took me multiple hours to get in and get out. Once the food is at the table, they never return until you threaten to leave. Hope you had enough water before it arrived!
(3)Payal P.
visiting family and they brought me here for the weekend lunch buffet. this place is very nice, it has a nice bar where you walk in and the main dining room was spacious. the waiters were attentive. the buffet was good, the fish pakora were probably the best thing i have ever had on an indian lunch buffet! i stuck to the punjabi dishes and everything i tried was good. my family said we went on a day that wasn;t as good as their past visits but for me it was delicious. only major con i have, no condiment section, there was a tray with chutney and a tossed salad but there was no fresh chilies, limes and onions, an indian lunch buffet must for me. i later looked up the price (they paid) and i would say it is def worth the money!
(4)James K.
This review is for the buffet only, FYI. My wife bought a groupon for the all you can eat buffet so we ventured out on an early Sunday afternoon. The selections are a bit more limited. I've been to multiple Indian buffets all throughout the bay area and this one is okay. One sour note was that the tandori chicken was lukewarm at best and didn't have the best flavors. They did offer a few unique soups, which I enjoyed. I think based on the smaller selection of food as well as some hit or miss items, along with a price tag that should be a little lower in my eyes, I'll stick with 3 stars. If you want a great buffet, go to the establishment in downtown Sunnyvale or the Bombay Garden (cusp of santa clara/sunnyvale).
(3)ME Inside M E.
PROS: Ambiance Quality of food was good Wide options for non-veg in buffet. Good and friendly staff CONS: High Price for the options they offer in buffet. Less Veggie options for vegetarians. Will i go again? Yeah, Sure..But when i have a coupon/groupon !
(3)Devang O.
BIG NO !!! I was already warned by my friends of experience at this nicely built ambience but poor food and service. But I sill went ahead for trying it once and I wasn't disappointed...got poor service as expected. Food that we ordered wasn't available that day. My friend (who is a bartender himself) ordered a Manhattan Cocktail and we saw the bartender smashing oranges with his hands in the glass we thought it was for someone else. But wait, it was ours;) when my friend walked up to the bartender he said this is how it Is made. Finally the cocktail arrived and it had no alcohol and looked and tasted different.Figured that they don't have any bartender and the manager makes cocktail. Really ??? Who serves alcohol without a professional bartender. Good part : they waived off my food as they didn't have what I first ordered and then they took off the cost of Manhattan.
(2)Alyson A.
If there was a way to give this restaurant no star I would. I went there tonight. The restaurant was almost empty being Labor Day evening. The server took his time to take my order. He asked if I wanted my food spicy and I assures him yes I really did. I also asked to taste one of their Belgian beers. He told me they don't offer that but when I acted surprised he relented. The food took forever to appear as did my beer. It was OK but nothing special. When it arrived, the waiter vanished. After a long wait and massive flagging, his colleague took back the food which had no heat. Eventually if came back spicy and I ate it. Then I got the hiccups. It doesn't happen often but it's annoying when it does. Again I had to work to get any waiter attention to both get the bill and a glass of water for the hiccups. 3 tries later my water arrived. Some time later the bill appeared... long after I had stopped the hiccups. At this point I asked to talk to the manager and was told there was none. Eventually someone appeared who seemed to be the manager and apologized very insincerely and otherwise did nothing other than take my credit card with a $17 bill (for Indian food!) You can imagine that that tip was the 0 it deserved.
(1)Chris C.
A grand disappointment. When I arrived I was the only patron. I should've known better but I'd hoped for the best because it had nice styling and some decent reviews. Alas, 'hope' is not a great strategy. Uncharmed by their specialty cocktails, I ordered a simple martini. What arrived (after a couple rounds of questions) was a dirty martini made with rancid olives. That went back and I ordered wine - something made by someone else. My appetizer was the highlight. The samosa chaat was quite delicious and spicy. The lamb kabobs however were tough, dry, and too salty. It was the tasty coconut rice that made the entree at all edible. And for dessert... Did you really think I stuck around for dessert? Want a better meal? Try Kabul (Afghani) just up the street a bit.
(2)Bharti K.
I had their catered food once and it was very very spicy. If you are craving spicy food then you should definitely try this place out. Their chicken tikka and chicken curries are good, naan's are fresh. In appetizers their samosas and pakora's are good. I have not visited their restaurant ever but have seen it from outside. Their ambience seems good. Not sure about their service and parking though.
(4)Linda P.
I have eaten here at least a dozen times and the food is always fresh and hot and flavorful. The spices are expertly combined and the buffet is already a new mix of inventive items. Many amazing vegetarian options which are irresistible even for us meat eaters. Today they had beet stir fry, squash pakora and numerous daal and samba. Their butter chicken is some of the best around. Always several dessert options and today free beer with lunch! Love their evening cocktail menu too! I am always surprised more people have not discovered this amazing gem of a restaurant!
(5)Dnivra R.
Updating my previous review from 2 star to 1. Went for the lunch buffet twice recently. One may ask why go the second time when you know the food sucks, well, I had a coupon which i had to use before it expires. Limited options in the buffet unlike other indian places. Veggie options were very few. It seemed like the bought just two vegetables for a week and cooked dishes based on the two veggies they had. Baingan (brinjal) and broccoli were then one's i got. And can you imagine an indian lunch buffet place without paneer ? They had saag paneer though, ratio of 50:1. The pakoda were made of brinjal too, and dint seem fresh either. I would surely not recommend this place to anyone.
(1)DesiFoodie A.
So, apparently this restaurant is is sold and is going to close pretty soon. Obviously the owner doesn't care anymore about the food quality. Today was my last visit here
(1)P B.
If only the rating scale was upto -5 its one of the shittest over priced food yo can get with rude waiters
(1)Jodi C.
For me, Arka teeters between 3 and 4 stars. I WANT to give them a 4, buuuut... There were just a few inconsistencies in the service that they might be able to make up on another trip. The ambiance is pretty great. They have some outdoor seating for nice weather. They have bar seating. They have a main dining area. And then they have a larger area in the back that can be reserved for private events. I saw the staff preparing for a private event the night we were there for dinner, and they took meticulous care of the set-up. The main dining area is dim and contemporary, which is relaxing. I love how their menus are set up. They very clearly label what is gluten free and vegan, which saved me from the normal pestering I have to give to the wait staff. Their drink menu is also pretty fun. Good beer and cocktail selection. We ordered a wine flight (2 out of 3 were delish). The appetizers were beautifully displayed. They weren't bad, but also seemed a bit more "canned". As if the food is made in bulk or not in a very passionate way, if that makes sense. The main courses were not as lovely, but had a little more spot-on flavor. Just a few minor set backs: the waitress, as lovely as she was, didn't know the pricing on their wine flights or if any of the breads were vegan. No biggie. Ya learn as you go. But it caused a minor delay. The first appetizer they brought us was one we didn't order. Woopsie. And the waitress forgot to subtract our Groupon from the bill. The manager was happy to fix the transaction without any fuss. Just another minor delay. For the food: Fried plantain and spinach fritters: beautiful looking. They should warn you to toss out the fork and use your hands. It was tasty with the plum sauce, but awkward to eat with a fork. Potato cakes with garbanzo beans: my partner really liked these. I gobbled up the potatoes, but the garbanzos were actually too spicy for me to eat. Tomato and pineapple soup: had to try it just because it seemed so odd. And it was very good, refreshing. Pumpkin dosa: this is a HUGE piece of dough, filled with pumpkin, and fried. I feel like they should work on making this more... accessible. The dosa was twice the size of the plate, falling over the sides. But the filling was very good. I think if they put a bit more passion into the cooking and get the staff a little more familiar with their offerings, they could potentially be in the top restaurants of Silicon Valley's Indian food. It just needs a bit more.
(3)Andrew D.
A friend of mine had a baby shower here recently on a weekend. They reserved the private room in the back and it was decorated beautifully. The flat screen provided was a nice feature for them to show off their videos. This time around, I was able to experience the buffet since I'm a HUGE fan of Indian buffets. I was not disappointed and enjoyed the food very much. It was spicy but that's how I like it! The chicken biryani, aloo gobi, naan, etc.., was all good and fresh. I will definitely be coming back here in the future and get in the buffet line.
(4)Specter B.
Food - very bad. No taste. On top of that they serve roaches. Very unhygenic. When compliant about that the owner/ Manger argues about that. Also boldly mentioned that this is not the first incident and Happened before.
(1)Morris C.
I came here on a weeknight for dinner to redeem a Groupon I'd purchased. The restaurant seemed maybe half full, but there was still around a 10 minute wait for a table for 2. When we were seated it then took the waiter a noticeably long time to take our drink and dinner orders, and then an even longer time for our food to come out. The food itself wasn't bad, but the portion sizes were rather small considering the prices. If not for the Groupon I'd probably have been even more unhappy with the meal. But even with the Groupon I felt like the meal was much too overpriced for the experience. The decor and mood of the restaurant weren't bad for dinner, but certainly was not enough to make up for the aforementioned shortcomings. There is simply too much competition for good Indian restaurants in the area for me to warrant revisiting this place unless they solve their staffing issues and portion sizes considering their prices.
(2)Sudhir P.
I took Vijayawada Biryani and veg Biryani to go. Chicken and also aloo in veg biryani was horribly stinking!! Donno how many years old!! My mistake i still ate just rice and stomach upset for two days. I'm never going there again.
(1)VANESSA H.
No clue how this place doesn't have higher ratings or a line out the door. Literally the best Indian restaurant me and my bf have ever been to. The concept and set up here is unbelievable sure to impress anyone your being here. Atmosphere is incomparable to any other. Then the menu is unbelievably detailed and accommodating. Found this place on groupon which is usually a bust but wow did we score. The service is impeccable and the food/drinks exceptional. Seriously can't wait to come back on an anniversary with my love. If there's an advice I could give to someone reading this it would be to come here and give this place a try.
(5)Naveen V.
Wow great food Thanks to Arka Am come in evining also. Great free bear I never see in any restaurent such giving as bear free. Awesome Less cost more types of food And good appetizers.gongura chicken toooo tasty.
(5)Dee S.
My order - Lunch buffet Taste - Bad. Lots if tasteless or salty items. Roti was rubbery and hard. Ambiance - Ok Staff - Rude Value for money - Bad Visit - Can miss it !
(1)Satish V.
I ordered vijayawada biriyani and panner butter masala for my family to go. The food is not fresh chicken is too old and there are no pieces except for the skin and the rice was way too salty 100% worst biriyani in California . Panner butter masala was for my kids tasting it I threw it into the dust bin afraid of causing food poisoning to my kids
(1)Shiv S.
Excellent service! My parents had a party and they were the caterers and provided the best catering service we ever had. They were efficient, on time, and had good energy and their food was outstanding. Highly recommended
(5)Katrina T.
Had to use my Groupon here before it expired, so I took my friends here on a Sunday night. Let me just say that Groupon was TOTALLY worth it! I ended up paying $5 extra and my friends and I shared several dishes. When we arrived the place was full of energy since a party was going on. We waited about 10 minutes before we were seated. Everyone is really friendly, which made our dining experience enjoyable. I was excited to eat Indian food because I hadn't had it for awhile. We went with garlic naan, regular naan, karari calamari, butter chicken, and rava masala dosa. The naans were fresh and enough for the 3 of us. The calamari was very thin cut, but had a bit of a spiced kick to its taste. The butter chicken was so good especially with the naan. I love butter chicken! Their chicken was soft and tender too. The rava masala was a surprise! It looks really plain but has all the flavors and ingredients hidden inside of it. It also comes with 3 sauces to dip with. Inside our dosa was spiced potatoes. My friend wanted this because they didn't have samosas, so this potato ingredient was the closest thing to possibly bringing that taste back. Everything here is really good. I would definitely come back here!
(4)Anu S.
Stale, chewy pani puris were served on a bed of chopped raw onions, making the bottom really soggy, the only filling in the puris was cilantro stems ( no steamed sprouts or chopped potaoes), extremely salty "paani" & imli chutney gone bad. This not a good place for chaat. My friend ordered fish curry, and was happy with the taste and quality. The servers were lethargic :(
(1)Frank H.
Arrived at 2 pm hungry for a quick lunch after a busy morning. I was surprised and so thankful that they let us in only 30 min prior their break. The staff immediately went into action to make fresh breads for us, the only two customers. The breads are my favorite, so we ordered 3 times and each order tasted better than the previous one. I used to go to Saneha near my old office but their breads were not as fresh, soft, chewy, and tasty as these at Arka. I am thankful that my associate Kevin Craft introduced me to Arka. Great food, bright room, clean floor, reasonable price, and very welcoming staff. What on earth are you complaining about?!
(5)Robin L.
First time here for the lunch buffet today and it is very clean, huge assortment at the buffet both of veg and non-veg items, and delicious. Ingredients were fresh, naan served hot, and I was just shocked it wasn't packed. This place for whatever reason may not have caught on, but plenty of parking and great food at a good price. I high recommend coming for the lunch buffet.
(5)S A.
This review is for a birthday party we hosted at Arka. Pros Arka is expensive but they helped us host a rocking birthday party for our 1 year old. The food was great and the service was great. They are very expensive compared to other banquet halls but I think the ambience and food quality are worth it. Cons They are booked in the weekends for parties for lunch and dinner so if you are hosting a dinner party you will get only 2 hours to decorate. The other problem is that they charge for 65 people minimum do if some of your guests decline at the last minute, you will still pay for the 65 minimum.
(4)William K.
This is my third time for lunch buffet, with the last two times using a Groupon. I tend to eat lunch past 1 pm, and both times, I am disappointed that they do not refill the meat entrees in a timely manner despite being open for lunch until 3 pm on weekends. Even with new stream of customers coming in, and a private birthday party next door, the meat portions were not refilled. The butter chicken and goat curry is 97% sauce. The remaining tandoori chicken is burnt and was being passed over by most patrons. The naan bread used to be served fresh to the table but is now served at the buffet station. Once the bread becomes available it is gone within minutes. Perhaps they serve fresh naan to the table during the peak lunch window. The goat meat was finally refille at the end our meal and it was tough and did not taste fresh. My wife warned me that the small pieces of chicken hidden in the butter chicken sauce is actually burnt tandoori chicken -- it looked like the leftovers from the tandoori buffet station. This is so not cool -- if you are like me and go out of your way to trim burnt meat to avoid heterocyclic amines that are known carcinogens, you may run risk of accidentally ingesting some that are being masked by the sauce. To balance the negatives there are two positives about this place. The variety of soups is more than most other buffets The service was actually pretty good -- our plates were promptly removed each time. With other nearby competition, this place is not worth it even with a Groupon.
(2)Sanidhya K.
Worst place ever. The service has been consistently going worse with every visit. Today it reached the limit. I won't be coming to this place anymore. We sat at the bar. There was no bartender to take our order for 30 mins. The guy who finally did gave a different beer from what we ordered. Same happened to another party on the bar. My guess is they mixed our orders. Then we ordered an aalo tikki and after a 45 mins wait we got some Gobi dish dipped in oil. The server didn't even have the courtesy to apologize. Besides this the service. was rude, the bartender uninterested and we left with a bad mood because of the poor service. Even the music that used to be good in the past has gotten lamer over time. Need to find a good replacement. Do not try this place. It's degraded in quality to the lamest desi lounge bar. The kicker was insects crawling on the bar table!
(1)Cassidy D.
Can't really tell you how the food is because I didn't get a chance to eat it. Service was really slow even though there was pretty much no one in the restaurant, and by the time our food came out I had noticed so many bugs crawling around on the table and the walls that I lost my appetite. Gross.
(1)V S.
Update: several years after my first review, I have to say that this restaurant is not what it used to be anymore. Went from being excellent the first year to Mediocre.
(2)Vincent L.
I'd have to agree with the consensus here. Arka is a nice space - well, I dare say somewhat *trendy* for El Camino - and that's about all there is to rave about it. The food is bland and undistinctive, as far as Indian goes. It's well-presented and the service is quite pleasant, but there's honestly nothing remarkable or memorable about the food itself. If I were to go back, it would be for happy hour/Groupon pricing and for their beautiful, modern bar area. As for the food itself, you can do so much better with all the hole-in-the-wall Indian places up and down El Camino.
(3)Neha J.
Loved the Chicken and Mutton Biryani...There were just awesome. I was incredibly surprised by the excellent service.
(5)Jay R.
Been here a few times for happy hours or events back in the past. Recently we threw a party here for 50+ people and they were very accommodating during the whole ordeal. I thought the food was good, but nothing can top that LYCHEE KHEER. I seriously did work on the kheer. Do I feel bad that I probably ate 10 servings of it, meaning some of our guests were robbed of the chance of a lifetime? Nope. Whoever thought of that concept of adding lychee flavoring to ride pudding is the real unsung hero of Silicon Valley.
(4)Steven H.
Not a bad Indian food spot. Little pricey but the food was good. The service was not bad. The place was nicely decorated on the inside. There were not many people there dining for lunch. Not sure how new this place is but they probably need to pick up the pace on their marketing.
(3)Vrushali B.
The ambience is good. Tried Lunch Buffet here and it was good. Had many options to try out compared to other Indian restaurants nearby.
(4)Megan K.
I feel slightly bad saying this... But when I left I simply wanted to LOL at this place. We came here on a Sunday evening with a party of 5. All of the guests but myself were indian. The Service: Everyone I talked to is New here. No one seemed to know how to pronounce the entrees, so taking orders was a complete JOKE! Our server found his ignorance amusing. He made a comment about not being familiar with the foods from North India. The water glass situation here was no joke. It was pathetic. All out the glasses were different sizes and they always seemed empty. We had to ask for a pitcher of water 5+ times before they agreed to leave one. Food: Decent. I have no complaints about the tastes. It did take A LONG time, but that could be because the server couldn't figure out what we ordered. I was embarrassed to take guests here.
(2)Sid M.
Went to the Lunch buffet. Food was very so-so. They have reduced their menu options since the last time I went there. Particularly, in the dessert section, they have a couple of cheap options that don't taste good. Can we say cost cutting? Only upside was ambience and cleanliness.
(3)Dana L.
I have been here a few times now and the food is always delicious. What leaves room for improvement is the service. The place has always been pretty empty when I've gone (2-5 tables with people) so there's not really an excuse for the lack of attention and flippant behavior of the staff. Once we asked to have our left overs boxed so they took the food away and didn't return for 10-15 minutes. We had to ask someone where it went and there was no explanation. Overall, good food but needs improvement on friendliness and attentiveness.
(4)Kiran B.
Went there for the lunch buffet. It was the best indian food ever. I dont know why there are such bad reviews for the place. I think somebody is trying to bring the place down. Lovely cocktails too.
(5)Natalie G.
The buffet here is amazing, especially the fish pakora!
(5)Kim N.
If you've been going out as long as I have, you eventually run into front and back of house folks at different establishments. So Arka has a few folks that I recognize from Amber, All Spice and Sakoon. Notably, they're the folks that make good restaurants tick. Arka has a great opening team who expect to bring a unique perspective on modern Indisn cuisine to the area. I got a good soft opening view of Arka's operations. Most folks into food will note that Sachin Chopra is consulting on the menu. They're focusing on thibgs like the Monterey sustainable seafood watch list, a cocktail program, a large wine list focusing on local producers but with a worldwide reach, and overall sense of great ambiance. I started off with a tour of the bar, expansive dining room, private banquet, and the various segments of the kitchen operations. Afterwards i sat at the bar and started off with a Mezcal Bandit, which muddles fresh pineapple with agave syrup, and mezcal. Extremely tasty. I then had a plate of lamb curry, tandoori chicken, saag, and rice. This was but a sample of what the menu has to offer. Perusing the wine list while eating, I was surprised to see things like albarino, chenin blanc, gruner veltliner, and riesling. It's a great wine list for almost any restaurant in the area. The crew are super friendly and are both excited and a bit nervous for the opening. For those in the know, this space was empty for years and was previously Spoons bar and grill. Theyve done an amazing job transforming the space into a modern, elegant restaurant. Based on what Ive experienced there's huge potential here as there's nothing like it around. Definitely looking forward to seeing it in full swing
(5)Ashu B.
Not so good food. They never ever paid any heed to the fact that we wanted to eat spicy food. None of the dishes served were even near to spicy. There are better places than this around, will not visit here again.
(2)Deb S.
This place is very awkward if you want to go with your wife or GF. The owners are rude and don't mind to keep decency while you are eating. Usually some rowdy people show up from time to time.
(1)Neesh Q.
I've been here so many times now, I've lost count. Might as well give it a Yelp review, right? It's a large modern Indian restaurant with beautiful decor and lighting. Unlike many Indian restaurants, it isn't a hustling bustling loud joint, thank goodness. The food is delicious, with presentation to match. Chili chicken is hands down the best appetizer on the menu. The biryani comes baked with a puri-like covering which is fascinating in a wowww-how-did-they-do-that kind of way. Tried their special one night- it was a tandoor-style fish- AMAZING. Prices are pleasantly reasonable.
(4)Manoj G.
Went here with a groupon . Felt like no respect for customers presenting a groupon. Very rude behavior from the person sitting at the front desk when presented the groupon. Food was ok, nothing great though. Will not recommend this place just due to bad service which spoils a dining experience.
(2)Anson W.
Prior to coming to Arka, I would've never thought that trance music could mix with Indian food. But Arka makes it work. Everything about this place - the upscale bar, the contemporary decor, cozy booths, and yes the trance music in the background - is contemporary and frankly, quite sexy. More importantly, the food satisfies, and with the daily lunch buffet being reasonably priced ($12 Monday - Thursday, $13 Friday - Saturday), you definitely get your money's worth here. The wifey and I had a Groupon for $10 off $20, so we REALLY got our money's worth. It took a while for us to get seated, since nobody was at the front desk for a couple minutes. Other than that, service was alright. We were seated at a swanky corner booth and got nice place settings which included cloth napkins. The buffet had around a dozen items to choose from, about medium size as far as Indian buffets go. I enjoyed the chilli fish the most - it had very tender pieces of fish cooked in a delicious sauce with soft bell peppers. There was lots of chicken to choose from, all enjoyable - charminar chicken, chicken biryani, tandoori chicken and butter chicken. I noticed one other meat dish - a lamb dish that I didn't get a chance to try. The naan wasn't that great - it tasted slightly old, and chewy rather than crispy. There's some real culinary talent ( arkarestaurant.com/arka_… ) at Arka. The food was mostly enjoyable, and the atmosphere is trendy but relaxed. There's plenty of indoor seating, a full bar, and outdoor seating where patrons can relax and hang out at their leisure. All for a price that's reasonable. I'd definitely come back again!
(4)Rinkon P.
Foods , drinks , ambience all are really with to go ... Best place for organizing party ..
(4)Kimber C.
The food was surprisingly really good. The restaurant was lacking. It was more like fold out tables covered with a white cloth. This place is a club at night. I wish they would just redo the upstairs to make it a legit restaurant/ maybe a classy VIP lounge or something. There were scuff marks, and I tried not to think of how many non-panty wearing short skirt/ dress wearing girls sat on the bench that I was on... I don't like to know there is a possibility that I'm sitting where a vag was while eating. It seems unsanitary. The food and service are the reasons for the 3 stars. I'm still not a fan of the clubs opening up as a higher end restaurant during the day.
(3)Cindy L.
This is restaurant has a very cool vibe to it....the decor really sets you up to be impressed....however, the food was only okay. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't anything memorable either. The chicken (bhuna pyaz) was pretty tasty and very tender....but I was a little disappointed in the plantain/spinach fritters (kaccha kele). I wanted a lot more plantain and a lot less spinach. I could barely taste the spinach. Service was good and I do like their late night happy hour! The restaurant has a very large footprint, may be good for banquets and large parties.
(3)Coco L.
Plus I got a yelp offer on free drink, thanks Yelp! Negative The mango Indian colada free drink - doesn't taste good, has bitter taste and hardly any mango flavor; don't order alcohol drinks here They won't let me use the groupon Chicken Biryani wasn't as nice this time, on dry side lamb in the lamb roganjosh was quite tough
(2)Badri N.
I've been to Arka a few times. The first was for the Yelp Event held here and it was quite amazing. Great food and very gracious hosts. I've been there a couple of times since then. I owe them a review, I just had dinner there with my mom tonight and it's time to write this review. My mom is a harsh critic of Indian restaurants. She liked the food here. That alone is enough. She only thought it was expensive but coming from India, that's understandable so we/'ll leave that out of the equation. We got seated easily. Waiter was very friendly and courteous. Great specials though we decided to just go off the menu. We had the Achari Paneer Tikka as appetizer, along with a vegetable Hyderabadi biryani (mo is vegetarian - if you go, I recommend ordering the lamb or chicken - it's yummy!!!) and the Bharwan Chandi kofta. All the dishes were substantial - we had enough leftovers for lunch for the day after. The food was out quickly and it was delicious. Only complaint was that it could have been hotter (temperature, not spice) but it was quite amazing. Delicate balance of all the spices and sauces. I continue to be impressed by Arka's reproduction of several of my childhood delicacies. ~ 4 stars overall. Great evening overall. I love the decor, service and the food is definitely top notch. # 281
(4)Donna C.
Went during lunch buffet...they ran out of Masala Chai and when asked if I could get a cup they said no, they were.out of it, and our request for a Lassi was denied too. Worst of all was the doughy Naan!!!! a disappointment, should have left first 5 minutes!
(2)Rahul S.
Literally everything I ate here was great! Came here for the lunch buffet. There was a pretty good selection of food and a few varieties of soup. The buffet cost was $11 and the price seems justified by the quality of the food. I would definitely recommend trying arka out if you haven't already.
(5)Ci W.
I don't know much about Indian food, and usually only care for naan and good curry or butter chicken. I actually was surprised at their cumin seasoned rice. Love the texture and the taste. There butter chicken and curry were also really good. They include beer with the lunch buffet which is really nice even though I don't drink, glad the include the chain tea which I enjoy having. This is the first place I went back, and will be going back for more.
(4)Courtney R.
I love this place. Nice atmosphere, great drinks and delicious food. Usually you can get seated quickly but sometimes there is a little bit of a wait. All of the food I have tried here has been delicious. My favorite are the pumpkin and eggplant dosas. What i like is that the menu clearly labels what is vegan, gluten free etc. This makes it eaiser for me to decide what to do get, and move through the menu. They have a ton of food to choose from so you are sure to find something you will like. I come here all the time and will continue to go. YUM
(5)Darien R.
I always go into a restaurant hoping for the best. I want to like my experience, even if other Yelpers have posted negative reviews. But this one did not measure up and I have to give only two stars. My wife and I are Indian food hounds (she is from India and I pretend to be Indian). I've been to India a couple times and have ingested enough Indian food in my lifetime to possibly earn an honorary Indian passport. All that to say, you can trust my review. The inside of the restaurant is nice. I will say that. The ambience is cool. I've heard the cocktails are happening, although I didn't try any--just had a beer. The food. Not good. Just OK. Not good enough to draw either one of us back. And isn't that always the bottom line? Will you go back to the restaurant? The answer is no. This restaurant is all about the glitz and trying to be hip, but that's where it ends. I'll stick to take out with some of the hole in the wall places up and down El Camino.
(2)Noel M.
This review is dedicated to Khoi N. who reminded me not to let my love (and reviews) for the South Bay diminish. Since moving to SF, the weekends I venture South are packed with a whirlwind of friends, multiple meals and bars. Typically I end up going to establishments I miss until someone set me straight. An Indian menu paired with a full bar, of course I needed to try Arka! The lunch buffet wasn't spicy, nor did I expect it to be since they need to appease the masses. What they did have were dishes with rich, deep flavors. The uttappam (pancake style dosa) station was a nice touch. It's definitely one of the best Indian buffet I've been to and is now yet another place I need to squeeze into the rotation.
(4)Nitro M.
First visit here was on my birthday. It was a good experience and my girlfriend and I enjoyed the food and the staff was friendly and the food was good.. We decided to try it again .. We ordered the corn soup.. One chicken and one vegetable .. They brought us two chicken.. I pointed out to the water it was wrong .. He's tired the soup and looked at my girlfriend and said it was mushroom in the soup.. We told him it was chicken.. He acted like my girl was stupid and it was vegetable soup... We had them take it back and bring the right soup.. During our meal I was asked if I would like a refill and they took my glass of soda away and had it refilled and left it sit on the bar for 20 mins till I had to ask for it .. At the end of our meal we received the check and it had two chicken soup and a vegetable soup on the bill .. I asked for one the chicken to be removed and they gave me a look of disgust like they expected me to pay for there mistake... When they brought the bill back it had the vegetable soup removed and two chicken still there... The diffrance was one dollar between the two soups we paid the bill and left... I feel we will not be returning due to this incident and how rude the guy was about the soup.. Neither of the sops had mushroom and I felt he was implying my girl was stupid and can't tell chicken from a mushroom .. The rude addutude we got from asking them to fix there mistake over a $3.95 soup... But the topper was they removed the cheaper soup to save loss of one dollar... Pathic management cost them a coustmer and there greed over the dollar assures we will not return
(2)Naresh R.
Bait and Switch. We attended this restaurant last week and ordered a seasonal bottle of wine which was listed for $30 dollars, the waitress tells us the name so we order it. Then she brings another bottle of wine and says we don't have the seasonal wine but we have this other wine as a substitute. We said sure that's fine. In the mean time, it took about 3 hours for our meal to get completed with missing appetizers and some of the food being incorrect. Slowest service I have ever experienced. We asked for poppadom several times and it took them over 45 minutes to bring some. We asked for a beer that was also on the menu and they didn't have it either. So we finish out meal and get our bill. The bill now has a bottle of wine for $60 dollars instead of the $30 dollar one that we originally ordered. The waitress would not come back to the table to address the issue, she sent someone else who wasn't the manager. Another waiter who was dealing with the issue comes by our table and says yes but you ordered a more expensive bottle of wine. It should be the waitresses obligation to let us know that this bottle of wine is twice the price of the original one ordered. So after arguing with the waiter for about 15 minutes in which he still believed they were in the right he finally agreed to lower the price to $30 dollars. I also asked for the manager and he said the manager was too busy in the back. By far the most shady thing I have ever witnessed at a restaurant. Make sure you go over your check before you pay. The food is decent but the service is just terrible.
(1)Praveen R.
In arka i like all non-veg items.especially gongura chicken is very nice taste more over quality and serving is very nice.nice waiting staff
(5)David K.
The food was good. The service was very attentive but there were only two tables of people there for dinner for some reason. They were very formal and helpful and the decorations were very nice. Also the food was well priced. Four stars since the food was simply good. I will be going back some time!
(4)M R.
I went for lunch with a colleague to this place at 1:30 PM. The decor is nice, consisting of an outer seating area and two halls for indoor seating. We ate the buffet lunch and dined exclusively on vegetarian dishes and fruit. The food was pretty good, the yogurt curry bordering on dangerously awesome. Good job guys. Surprised more people don't eat here.
(4)Linh T.
The decor was nice. I'm still a newb to indian food. My family and I had garlic naan for appetizer. It was good, warm, hot. They give you like 3 different sauces. They did offer these lite crisp kinda like chips, very flavorful. My sister liked it. I got the chicken baryiyani. Okay so it can feed at least two people. There's naan covering it, and you unwrap it to eat the flavorful rice with chicken. If you pack it home, they don't give you the naan that was covering it. They also have a yogurt sauce to eat with it. It took a while to get refills on water and when the bus boy came to clean up he spilled some of the leftovers, but didn't bother to wipe it up. Overall, food was good. It was something new to try, they had flavorful rice. That's what I remember.
(3)Reena S.
Arka is totally new and amazing. A fresh and unique twist on traditional Indian dishes. Particular favorites: blue ginger gobhi The decor and service are the cherry on top.
(5)V R.
Went for a family dinner couple of months ago. We had last been there 2 yrs ago. We were surprised to notice the change in original Arka management. The original menu was selective and delectable. It was crafted with love, style and substance. The food and menu matched the stylish decor and was very good. Under new management the menu was ordinary and had the every Indian dish under the sun. We suspected the worst but decided to give them the benefit of doubt. Looking at the Indian chinese items on their menu we decided to go chinese that night. We ordered Gobi Manchurian, Corn manchurian, noodles and schezwan fried rice. When the Gobi Manchurian arrived we regretted our decision to stay and braced for the worst. It was a red gooey ketchupy heap of mess. A good Gobi Manchurian from streets of Mumbai where I spent 25 years growing up is taut cauliflower dusted with some cornflour deep fried and tossed with a combination of garlic, soy sauce and special schezwan (Sichuan) sauce which is a treat in itself with a lavish topping of spring onions. I can almost imagine the crunch of cauliflower as I write this. Not that night! Sigh! Long story short shezwan fried rice which had schezwan sauce (seemed like store bought siracha sauce) on the side for some reason showed a glimmer of hope. Today I decided to order paneer kadai and a couple other items to see if that night was a bad day for them. I have to say I was shocked to see paneer kadai have the same ketchupy sauce that was used to toss my corn Manchurian and Gobi Manchurian. NEVER AGAIN!
(1)Bindu A.
We ordered Nizam Goat curry and Naan from here to go. The naan they make is very bulky and chewy. I was so excited looking at the name of the curry, but the goat was not cooked well and it was so chewy, I wanted to floss my teeth even before finishing dinner. Few months back when we tried their Chicken biryani, we thought may be that dish was bad and wanted to give this place another try! We were disappointed yet again!
(1)Vinay Y.
Second time here one year later. Heard there was a new cook from a well known Indian restaurant in the valley. Paneer tikka appetizer was unique with the addition of chaat masala. If you like chaat and paneer this is a good one. Their version of gobi Manchurian is awesome. I def recommend giving this a try if you find yourself there. Paneer tikka appetizer was good, added style points with chaat masala sprinkled on. Very good choice for chaat lovers.
(5)Maddi S.
7 of us ordered a number of dishes and all were excellent as we shared everything. Will come back!
(4)Christopher S.
Came with my coworkers for happy hour after work and there wasn't too many people there, none in fact. We sat down right away and had a pitcher of mai tai, a few other cocktails, and some beer. Pretty good happy hour prices. Then we got to the appetizers. Oh boy.... the chicken along with the complimentary nuts at the table were a whole different level of spicy! My stomach was on fire until the next morning. If I'm feeling a little self-loathing I might come back to feel a little burn, but that won't be for a while.
(2)Rocker K.
I was curious to try this place after reading about how great the food was at a YEE that some of my yelp friends raved about. Also, I like Indian food. The day that I checked this place out, it was around 6p.m during the dinner rush on a weekday. I had a temp job to do in less than an hour up the street, so I asked the waiter if they could get the food out in less than 15 minutes. I hate to rush people, but I was starving and there already. Well, they said no problem and my garlic naan bread and curry chicken (it wasn't called that on the menu, I think it was the Chikkitan or something like that), came out with my plain basmati rice. Everything was delicious! I thought that I wouldn't like the food to much since it's a fusion place and the only type of food that I normally don't care for is fusion food. Not this time. I loved it! It wasn't really different from the chicken curry I'd get anywhere else. This was by far the HOTTEST curry that I've ever had! I love spicy food and I can handle it better than most people that I know, but damn, it was so hot, I kept on having to drink water and had to ask for a refill on my diet coke! My dish was $13.95. Despite that, the chicken was fall off the bone tender! Since it's a fusion place, they didn't have some of the classic dishes that I'm used to such as samosa-:( This place has quite an extensive list of exotic cocktails, beer, and wine. I like the decor. It's modern and artsy. I like the colored lights at the bar. The waiters were nice and friendly. It did take some time to get change back. I won't deduct a star since they were so busy. I had to ask where's my change after waiting around for almost ten minutes. I'll definitely come back here sometime soon!
(5)Shrikanth K.
Ah...a nice Sunday afternoon wasted over average food. Went at around 12:30PM with my family today for lunch, headed straight for the buffet...it was more like a delayed brunch for me...the spread out was good(at least the names)...it was crowded maybe a birthday party was being organized in some corner of the restaurant (they should separate the serving for the people who have come for the party vs others) else after they have clapped their hands the immediate rush to the buffet is overwhelming...at such times you feel like the restaurant is seriously understaffed and the waiter is just looking back with a hopeless expression when all you are asking for is a glass of water maybe. I was actually looking for the menu card (for beverages). The food...ah the food...it was cold...all the portions I had on my plate were cold. The chicken tikka was lacking marination, the butter chicken was awfully sweet...the breads were very hard to chew...and Samosas that were served were prepared with stale potato stuffing...the only thing I chewed were the gulab jamuns else everything else I just had to push down my throat. Not good, my advice avoid lunch buffet on Sunday.
(2)Nandan S.
This place is OK. It does not belong to the league of those great Indian food places Sunnyvale is known for. Their menu is weird and limited. The staff cannot even correctly pronounce the items on their menu. Food was okay and serving sizes were small. I am adding an extra star for their kind kitchen staff member. He came to grab the dishes and noticed that we had a piece of naan left while all the entrees were over. He brought us some additional curry so that we could finish that naan and insisted on it even though we said no.
(3)Sharra C.
The other day, my co-workers and I decided to try a new place for lunch. Arka wasn't much from the outside (this use to be a SPOONS), but doesn't disappoint on the inside! The restaurant is very clean, spacious and modern/trendy. I was a fan of the fixtures and color scheme. I had the buffet and the food was robust in flavor, fresh and never ran low (side note: we came around 11:30 or so to beat the lunch rush). Arka offered both North and South cuisine, which was nice! The tandori chicken was very tender. I absolutely went back for seconds! Unfortunately, I do not recall the names of everything that I partook in, but I can say that I was pleased with it all! I only wish that the naan was brought to the table immediately after being seated. It was worth the wait, but it would have been even tastier if served BEFORE I was 2/3 through my plate (just saying). Now, my reason behind my '3 star rating': Not so much a negative, but $14 seems pricey for a lunch buffet. Akar will be more of a 'once a month' lunch stop for my co-workers and I. I DO hear however that they have a great happy hour! I will have to try that out and report back...
(3)Leann K.
Hah When I first read the reviews, I was scared. Since I had already bought the groupon thingy so I decided to come any way. I am not sure about the dinner but we were here for lunch buffet and the place was great. Even my sister, who hates Indian food, admitted that she liked most of the food items. The place is nice and clean. The service is excellent. Even though we came during the busy time, the waiters were still very nice and courtersy. I have to give this place 4 stars instead of 5 because my favorite dish, the chicken tandoori, is a little bit overcooked.
(4)David Y.
The only good thing about this restaurant is the decore. They make it seems like it's a high end restaurant but the food is mediocre. This review is only for the lunch buffet. There are limited number of parking spaces in the lot and seems like the restaurant can hold a lot more people than cars. The steam trays in the buffet areas are steaming hot, keeping the food hot but the food on the trays do not look fresh, they look like they've been sitting in the tray for a while. The currey all look thick, probably due to the high temperature of the steamers. What should be crispy, such as the battered and fried items are soggy. The naan is part of the buffet so it's not fresh, most are crispy and taste stale as they've been sitting around forever. The meat on the tandaroo chicken tasted old. We used a coupon which entitled us to half off the second meal. Lunch price was 11.95 and the second person's price ended up being 6.95, not sure how that's considered half off. Service was decent, but the food is the main focal point and it failed to delivery.
(2)Pramod B.
I have been to this restaurant thrice now and my experience with it is only getting worse. 1. Food : very ordinary stuff and don't expect a lot of variety 2. Ambience : brilliant for a date night 3. Service: if you are planning a late evening dinner with your friends, be ready for some rude behavior from the waiter. In all things are getting worse .. Something needs to change soon ..
(2)Christa S.
Fun atmosphere, the chili chicken was amazing. I will definitely be back. Oh and full bar... Yippee I would definetely reccomend trying this place out.
(5)Caroline T.
I used my groupon today for the lunch buffet. Most expensive ($11.99) Indian lunch buffet I've been to but also the nicest. I love the interior decor. Colorful but not tacky. There's even a private area for the lunch buffet. I'm unfamiliar with the names with many of the dishes. The chicken tandoori was tender, flavorful, and spicy. I also had a chicken curry and lamb curry. I'm used to a creamier butter chicken curry; however, all the curries (including the vegetable) were full flavored and not overwhelming in the use of their spices. I did miss the spinach garbanzo dish that I always get at every Indian restaurant. The buffet also included cranberry rice, two fried items, fruit, rice pudding, and vegetables. I loved their mint and tamarind chutneys. The best part was that the naan was brought fresh to our table and I was able to order Roti (my favorite) with no extra charge. I believe they also let you order Garlic naan too. Mango lassi was expensive (3.99) for a small glass but I enjoyed it's perfect combo of sour and sweet. Wonderful and friendly service was the cherry on top to our filling lunch, too filling :)
(4)Amanda C.
Have been here a couple of times since my first review, and I still think the food is awesome and the drinks are awesome. The service has improved. However, one night there was a college send-off party scheduled in their back room with very loud (I'm serious, like a club) music and a smoke machine. It was mostly amusing, since we were in a good mood. I was just cracking up that there was this huge event because someone was going off to UCLA for college. I can't imagine the money that must have been spent on this! I must be poor or something, because it seemed extravagant. But funny. Jokes aside though, this seemed unprofessional. I think they should make a rule: music for catered events should start only after the main restaurant has closed. We had to yell (again, like a club) over dessert to hear each other.
(4)Chas A.
I tried a couple of appetizers over at Arka which included the karari calamari and the chili chicken. Of the two, the chili chicken was my favorite. It was loaded with flavor and was quite tasty. The karari calamari didn't really appeal to my palate. Though the batter around the calamari had flavor, the dish itself was very chewy. The restaurant's manager, Michael, attended to us during our visit and he was very hospitable. The restaurant itself was bustling with customers on the night that I had visited. Many of whom were very anxious to get seated and/or impatient with the staff. As I mentioned...the restaurant was full of customers, but very few servers. One of which I noticed was busy studying the menu behind the hostess section, another who did not acknowledge a seated guest until after 10 minutes had passed with them waiting, and another who was frantically moving from one table to the next, sweat dripping down his face, with a look of fatigue. We were able to notice these things because while seated at the bar, you tend to be in eyes view of what's going on. In terms of the manager, Michael, we noticed him busily working with the guests, though remained calm with each customer, attending to their concerns. As for the restaurant's decor- it has a very modern and trendy feel to it. I'll one day venture back to Arka to try their dinner menu. Until then, I hope they will provide effective, efficient, and consistent service with their guests.
(2)Abby S.
Awesome happy hour prices! Grabbed a quick bite to eat at the bar before an event at Arka last week - $5 premium cocktails and $4-6 plates of food? Sold! My expectations for happy hour food and drink aren't very high. What do you expect for just a few bucks? Most of the time the cocktails are watered down or the house stuff that no one likes and the food is teeny tiny. Not at Arka! The pineapple Smoky Bandit packed a mean punch - in a good way. Just enough alcohol to make you forget that you had a long day. Not too boozy, not too sweet. To eat, I tried the calamari and chili chicken. Since the assumption was that food would be very small plates, it seemed right to order two dishes. Wrong! Should have ordered just one, 'cause the portions are pretty generous. My favorite was the chicken. Spicy, but not eye-wateringly so. Turns out that Arka offers all sorts of happy hour specials, both on weekdays and weekends. Ultimate Happy Hour = every day from 3-7, then 9 - close. Ladies Night = $4.50 cocktails from 5-10 pm on Tuesdays. Weekend Brunch = $2 glasses of champagne with purchase of buffet. Not bad at all! My favorite part of Arka? The staff. From Michael, the manager to the sweet, sweet bartenders, I really enjoy spending time here. They want guests to feel welcome and at home, which isn't hard to do when you've got good food and drinks at an affordable rate. If anyone is down for a UYE happy hour here, let's do it!
(5)Kathy S.
I love the ambiance here! Nice sexy music, dim lighting, open space concept with lots of seating. I would *not* recommend the "fried fritters with raw plantain" as it was super deep fried and didn't seem very healthy. I heard that the dosas here are excellent. I didn't eat much here so I cannot comment on the food but the drinks were absolutely perfect. I had their Plantation 5 yr Barbados rum and their strawberry beer which was very refreshing and smooth. Perfect for large groups, families, date nights, going out for a chill drink after work. **note to owner: you should remove that sign on the front of your entrance as it looks like a "for sale" sign ;)
(5)Mayank Y.
Their service was pathetic, severs don't care about the guests and have no clue what they were serving, as if they were doing a favor to us. Food was nothing great, very bland paneer tikka (as if it was just paneer) and cold naan. We went to have a few drinks with Indian food, but honestly it was a sucky experience with very average and expensive(relatively) Indian food, I am never going there again.
(1)T B.
The best lunch buffet in the bay area! Huge selection and free beer with buffet. Free chai too! I've eaten at hundreds of Indian places, lived in Nepal. Fresh, authentic spices and excellent service. My husband and I have eaten lunch and dinner here a dozen times. Fabulous!
(5)Emily M.
Went for dinner the other night. I thought the food was great! I was in the mood to try something different from what I usually get at Indian restaurants. The waitress recommended I try one of their dosas, and I'm glad I did! It was delicious (although my favorite part might have been all of the dipping sauces they give you for it). I found it a little amusing though that the dosa didn't even fit on the plate. I don't know if this is intentional or what, but maybe they should invest in plates large enough to hold one of their main menu items. But whatever, didn't bother me that much personally. Actually, both my meal and my friend's meal (a chicken biryani bowl) were HUGE, which I was not really expecting. Next time I will know the dishes are large enough to share. Side note, we also got an order of Pesto Naan. SO recommend it, YUM!!! Overall, delicious food, reasonably priced (especially since each meal = about 2 or 3 meals) and very nice modern ambiance. I noticed the bar looked pretty nice too, may go back just to check out the bar sometime! :)
(4)judy n.
Came for the Lunch buffet with a girlfriend. My fave was the Goat curry. Yum! Tender and not gamey. She even liked it after I told her she should. She dislikes gamey meats and I told her It was great and she liked it! Chicken tikki masala was pretty good. and you get baskets of naan when you ask for them. quick table if you get there before 12. it was starting to fill up when we left.
(4)Sanket K.
Finally, a meal where I can try a bunch of things (that's not a buffet). The only reason for this is that we had visitors and dined family style! Quick notes on the dishes we had: Achari paneer tikka - good taste to the paneer. solid appetizer. Lal bhelpuri - i wasn't expecting the authentic bhel but this was quite disappointing and something I wouldn't order again. Pappad - came out partially uncooked the first time. Better when we returned it and asked for it to be re-cooked. Sarson ka saag - This dish was bit different than your typical saag paneer. It was a little bit more bitter. It's something you either like or don't. Well I'm still undecided on it but would like towards like. :) Bhindi - was cooked perfectly and the taste matched the cooking dal makhani - this dish was quite disappointing. I've had much better elsewhere. Naan - it was overcooked and way too crunchy. very disappointing! The desserts were quite good! Overall, for a big table, the service was par. Nothing special and nothing fantastic. They were a bit slow despite it not being so busy at the time.
(3)Jerry Y.
Feeling the interior decor with the mood lighting. From the outside, the restaurants definitely looks less lively but once you step in, the feeling completely changes. This may be the first Indian restaurant that I've been to that plays upbeat ambient electronic music. None of that vocal stuff that drags your thoughts along, just stuff to relax to. Pro tip: Lamb chops - Packed with so much flavor, you won't find meat on a bone this delicious for miles. Pesto/Parmesan naan - I could literally eat this all day. Pair it with some buttered chicken and/or bhidila jwaab (okra) and you got yourself a meal. Make sure you talk up the bartender and try the mango lasse while you're there!
(5)Partha S.
Surprisingly good! I came in with low expectations given that reviews were a bit all over the place. We came in on a weekend when they had the lunch buffet going on. At $13.95 its slightly more expensive than the other buffets around but completely worth it. Pros 1. Love the decor. An indian restaurant where you can sit peacefully and talk to folks at your table without being drowned in ambient noise is a first. 2. The restaurant is super clean (including the restrooms) 3. The food was delicious. We loved the Lychee kheer and the fish dishes. The biryani was so so. They had a small bhel puri cart which was a nice little surprise too. 4. Full bar - not many indian restaurants have a nice bar. 5. Service was excellent - quick and efficient. 6. Ample parking in the lot. Cons 1. Can't think of any, except that the food is nothing extraordinary. They have a few dishes here and there (Lychee Kheer) which kind of stood out. But that's it. I suspect that (by looking at other reviews) that this place has an awesome buffet but terrible a-la-carte experience. Sounds like really good feedback to the restaurant owners - find a way to take whats working for your buffet sessions and spill it over to the rest of the sessions.
(4)Srikanth V.
As most of the reviews are 1 (or) 2 stars, I guess I don't have to write much other than agreeing with them. Don't let the great location and nice ambience fool you, the good part ends there, bad service and worse food would make you regret coming here. That was the experience we, around 5 of us, had when we went for dinner on a Saturday night. Now none of my friends come here after their first experience. With all the Indian restaurants in the area, I don't know why anyone would want to come here and be disappointed.
(2)Jeramy S.
I'm not very good at reviewing restaurants. I'm also easy to please. So this is why I gave it five stars. I love to eat here at least once a week. Charles Stevens
(5)Kien M.
So far, this is one of the better Indian food buffets I ever been to. Modern decor, spacious, good service, and the food tasted great. At $11 for the lunch buffet on the weekday, this satisfy my starving little stomach any day. What makes this even sweeter is that deal sites are posting half off credit vouchers. Some of my favorites were the butter chicken, toasted naan, and this fried red fish.
(4)Sandy B.
Came here for my yelp elite event. Decoration is pretty nice. Modern, clean with dim lights and kind of casual fancy. I liked it a lot. Food was OK-plus-plus; nothing extraordinary or very original. It was good without good or bad surprises. Their cocktails were good too. I will definitely come back with friends because the place is group friendly. Staff was effective and nice.
(4)Lia F.
We placed an order to take out on Friday night. Oh well, it was evening, maybe by 7pm, there were few people sitting. The place looks really nice, for sure, but the food... We ordered chicken, lamb, 3 chapati and 3 naan. The dishes were good, I agree, nothing special, it was alright. The problem is that you have to order many appetizer before the main dish!!! Dishes are incredibly small!!! I was laughing when I opened the box!! Besides, we got 2 naan and 2 chapatti - but they charged us for 3 naan and 3 chapatti!!! Anyways, wish I could give a very nice feedback, but that was my experience....
(2)Shawn C.
Place JUST opened today. Awesome food, great environment. Lunch-time buffett was a hit and at $11 a person its pretty reasonably priced too. This place should be an awesome addition to the area ( large middle-eastern population). Their site says Tuesday is ladies night and that they have daily happy hours, cant beat that! My lunch was very good. The food was hot and there was plenty of it. Seating was definitely not an issue even though there was quiet a crowd. The Naan was plentyful and it seemed as though there was always a waiter nearby checking to be sure we never ran out of Naan or water. On top of good food and a great environment the Manager/Owner stopped by to say hello and ensure that we were enjoying ourselves. The gentleman name is Michael, he was very easy going and had a positive attitude. He thanked us for supporting our local businesses, asked if there were anything that we needed, and informed us that during Happy Hour they offer $2 beers and $3 appetizers, I'll be back. Awesome job guys!
(5)Poiuytrewq A.
Mango souffle with hazelnut topping...false advertisement. Secondary Points: Food had good flavor but overpriced. Server was okay. Mango souffle with hazelnut topping...was aerated mango ice-cream with hazle nut syrup kinda decorating the ice-cream and glass...Not souffle and not amazing. I ordered Bharwan Chandi Kofta...or a big cheese ball in soup for $14. The flavor of the curry didn't get into the paneer. I guess you need to mash it up if you wanted to share with someone. I also wish the waiter had suggested rice...because it was near impossible to eat the watery curry with naan. By the time one of the waiters asked how we were doing, we were nearly done eating. Mango lassi was okay. The decor is nice. There was a graduation party in the back, and it would make a nice place for special occasion. Just don't get the mango "souffle".
(3)Srinath S.
I was out here with my office colleagues for lunch buffet. Food quality on the whole was OK. Nothing really stood out. The buffet items are quite standard compared to a typical Indian buffet in the valley. There were few appetizers, naan, 3 veg and 3 non-veg curries, rice, biryani, fruits and desserts. Naan quality was not all that great. Curries were good. It was hard for me to pick an item that was unique. The restaurant is quite spacious. Neat ambiance. Staff members are polite. Parking was not an issue. May be it's a co-incidence but, there were hardly any people in the afternoon. The occupancy was less than a fourth! It felt somewhat unusual for a restaurant in the heart of Sunnyvale.
(3)Trupti D.
Wish I could give this place negative stars!! Service was bad, food was bad, and worse of all there was a rat in the dining room!!!! A rat!!
(1)PR K.
We recently had a lunch time party for 90+ people in arka. It's a wonderful venue - lots of sunshine and an open feel. The food was fantastic too. There is ample parking space for guests and a backside entrance which is very convenient.
(5)Amy O.
Am glad to see that this space is finally not vacant. Another Indian restaurant on El Camino in Sunnyvale? And did you see the mexican place just a block down (across from Ford dealership) is also going to be Indian now? Anyway...glad to see this place...clean and bright. Came here for Sunday buffet. The process to get your food was pretty easy; however, the buffet had very little variety. What discouraged me with my first few bites was I found two cardamom pods in my mouth. Any cook knows...you take those out before serving. That is too strong of a flavor and horrible texture. For dessert, they have two rice pudding type things, cut up fruit (not fresh), and a fritter station for serving fried bananas and apples. I liked the bananas, but no thanks on the apples and the toppings were odd. As for the restaurant itself, the decor is confusing. Pastels mixed with deep colors. The service is okay. I had an empty glass for a very long time while I watched one of the waiters take pictures and videos of the place with his smart phone. Yah, really...he was walking around with his phone in the air, and my drink was empty and so was our basket of naan. Quite entertaining, but hey, we won't be back.
(2)Brett W.
My wife says the "Tandoori chicken was the worst I've ever had, and I've had bad ones." The service was slow and the manager insulted other customers. We did takeout on a Sunday night. It took more than 30 minutes and the restaurant was empty aside from one other group. The manager apologized and said something that I took to mean that on Sunday they don't have everything ready to go, so it takes longer. The other group was upset. I didn't follow why, but I think they left without eating. I did overhear them asking for the owner who the manager said was not available. After they left the Indian manager at the Indian restaurant complained to us about Indian people's manners! We got a tandoori chicken. It was a whole chicken which was the thinnest scrawniest chicken I've seen in my entire life. It was tough, stringy, and overly salty. The entire chicken went in the garbage and we had leftovers for dinner instead. The restaurant looks very nice inside, but I'm never going back, and judging from the emptiness, neither is anybody else!
(1)Beth G.
Just went here tonight for dinner with my husband. We were looking for some high-quality Indian cuisine in our area and Arka did not disappoint. We found a Groupon deal online and that prompted us to give this restaurant a try. I'm not a Groupon fanatic but was really happy with the deal overall. We were seated promptly on a Saturday night around 6:30pm without reservations. The host/manager was courteous and friendly. Arka has a nice ambiance - definitely a hip, young almost nightclub feel to the place. And the restaurant smelled like good food with a hint of lemon zest. We ordered the Butter Chicken and Bharwan Chandi Kofta. Both were very tasty, with nuanced flavors. And both were mild spicy for those with sensitive taste buds like my husband. The Kofta was sweet and the Butter Chicken was tangy with yogurt and tomato flavors. On the side we had garlic chili naan, plain naan and rice. The naan was OK, not the best I've had and not as crispy and fresh (it seemed like maybe it had sat around in a steamer for a while). For drinks the restaurant was out of a number of their wines and beers. We tried to order a stout and sauvignon blanc but both were out of stock (a slight peeve of mine). I did end up with a Chimay beer which was tasty. My husband tried a dirty martini with Death's Door Gin but it seemed a bit watery and lacked flavor. Overall, we were impressed with the food - some of the more flavorful Indian food and trendy atmosphere in Sunnyvale. A few minor kinks with the beverage menu and service to work out but definitively worth a shot!
(4)C H.
Decent food. Good service. The free drink they give you fr checking in is really tasty. And, I took my dog there; we sat on the deck:)
(3)Immortal S.
Well, for some reason I decided to pick Arka as the place to celebrate my anniversary with my S.O. They didn't disappoint and I think it's worth trying out. If you're apprehensive because of the reviews here- I'd recommend coming during happy hour to feel the place out. However, my review is on the dinner menu. Walking into the place, we were greeted with lively music and beautiful decor. If I would imagine decorating an Indian restaurant, this place comes close to how I would design it. I really enjoyed everything I saw. We were seated at the back because I wanted to sit in a booth (which wasn't available at the time in the front room). Since it was a late Monday night, the place was pretty empty. So I wasn't surprised when we walked to the back and the back room was empty with a whole lot less vibe going on than the other..but it was okay. We still had the music. Our waitress was friendly and attentive throughout our meal. Drinks were refilled in a timely manner and she checked in with us often. The presentation of the food was impressive on some dishes as well- a nice touch. Yes, the place is a bit pricey but it's not THAT bad price wise. It's cheaper than let's say The Mynt- which is absolutely terrible. Honestly, this place was 100 times better. On to the FOOD: Chicken Bariyani- Fluffy rice, succulent, yummy chicken. The ingredients used in the rice complimented the dish and nothing was over powering. Could have been a tad bit spicier but was still very good. +3 Garlic Naan- Light, doughy, delicious! I wish they gave us more than four pieces for two people. They were small squares, not the elongated pieces I'm use to. +3 Saag Paneer- I was expecting a little more from this dish.. it was a little too bland for my taste but nothing else was wrong with it. +2 Aloo Tikki and Chana Masala- Phew! What can I say? This dish was the DEFINITION of SPICE! It made up for any part of the Saag paneer lacking flavor. It packed a powerful punch..but in a good way. :) Obviously, what I am saying is it was s-p-i-c-y! The flavor was fantastic and the aloo tikki was very good. Crisp, tasty filling on the inside and out. Yum. Easily my favorite of the night. +4 House Raita- Pretty simple yogurt but they did it RIGHT! This is simple side that I have seen been done WRONG many times...but they got it right Wish they added a little tomato but that's me :p +3 Gulab Jamun- Light, fluffy, delicious, made perfect.Came with a side of whip cream. +4 At the end of the night, the owner (Micheal) came over and introduced himself. He told us a little bit about Arka and his experience with other restaurants he runs. A very friendly guy, polite and personable. He even took the time to surprise us with a candle in our complimentary dessert.. a very kind and thoughtful gesture. Thanks again Arka. We plan to come again during H.H.
(4)Jman S.
Been here twice now. First time was a party where the host had booked the bigger room and the buffet was A-OK. More recently went there for the lunch buffet on a weekday. The food was terrible. Each time they refilled something at the buffet, it was different from the previous time, and kept getting worse. The area has plenty of Indian restaurants. Will definitely avoid this place like the plague.
(1)Lisa T.
The best item is a watermelon salad with achar oil: very intriguing. They also do fetching South Indian things with sea bass. Get the salted lassi. It's made with creamy house-made yogurt & has a perfect balance of savory tartness. Skip the chai.
(3)TheMissus O.
Pros: Friendly wait staff, Butter chicken, roomali roti, good banquet area Cons: Will con you if you use your $20 off a $40 purchase groupon. They added a mandatory 18% tip *before* they applied the groupon. We were a party of 3...! I have heard of 18% mandatory tips to parties of 6 or more in other places.. They Took it off when I complained that there was no such fine print on the groupon! Other Cons: Goat curry had only bones. We were seated outside while there was still light outside and when it got dark we found the lights in the patio above our table didn't work. They kept us seated in the dark for our dinner. No offers of a candle.. Banquet area is for private parties unless the regular customers want to use the restrooms... in which case the only way to get there is by cutting through well dressed party goers in the banquet room.
(2)Archana K.
I have been here about 4 times and even though my first experience was very good, it has been a slippery slope ever since then to the point that I will not be going back again. They have a few good dishes but the service is terrible. Even though the place is big, they don't know how to host big groups. Twice we were shown into a nice secluded place for big groups and we never saw the waiter after that. Orders were messed up and never brought out at the same time (some entrees came at the end of the meal). We were given a coupon once (50% off) and were encouraged not to buy on groupon. And when we went back to use the coupon, we were told the coupon is not applicable because the buffet is a "special promotion" and the coupon is not valid with other promotions. This is such a scam and the management didn't even feel guilty about this. Buffets are terrible too. The food is too spicy and not served hot. Some of the dishes on the menu are very tasty but I would not be going back just because of the sucky service.
(1)Katherine B.
My roommate and I got a Groupon for this place. We tried it on Monday night about 6:30. It was a warm, pleasant evening so we sat on the balcony. The place is large and the parking excellent. Our server(s) were polite and friendly. The hostess was fun and chatty, and told us about the neighborhood when we inquired (we're thinking of moving to the apartments nearby). The music seemed loud inside, but there were few people at the bar, so perhaps that was just to entice passersby to have a look. Our food was piping hot and served quickly. I loved the spiciness range, nothing was bland but nothing scorching. My masala dosa was perfectly crisp and the filling the best I've had in years. The sauces were particularly good, I believe one was coconut and cilantro with other spices, delicious! The presentation was nice, too. We came home and bought additional Groupons. It was slightly pricey for us to eat there without one, but the portions were generous. It would have had five stars, but our table was visibly dirty and the menus, too. Our server seemed a bit mortified by this. The silverware, dishes, and cloth napkins were fine.
(4)A G.
Overpriced, Food is not good, many more places serve much better food at a way better rate. Our order was - Tandoori platter, Konkan Fish curry, Bombay Paneer masala, Vanilla Cardomon naan and Fire roasted Naan. For sweet - Faluda kulfi feedback for food is :- pls ensure you tell them to make your meat well done, else its not very tandoori style really. Same goes for Nan, fire roasted nan was very soft !! Quite unlike the name. Konkani fish was of dal like consistency, very thin and very very hot. Paneer was average not a $$ rated dish for sure. Faluda kulfi was a total disaster - it came in a large soup bowl, but the syrup was rooafza. It was utterly sweet and the faluda was not real faluda, it was some thin noodle. Pls dont try it. We went in on friday at abt 6:50. So service was ok. We were done in one hour. All together bad place, serving food at very high rates.
(1)kuku k.
Only dosas are worth eating. Painfully slow service. We ordered appetizers which took 35 mins to arrive, the waiter forgot half our drinks. We had to flag down the waiter a million times before he paid any heed. The only saving grace was the Rava dosa which the 8 of us unanimously voted was the only decent food the restaurant could offer. If I ever go back Rava Dosa is probably the only dish I would order
(2)Adwait U.
We were invited to a private event at Arka yesterday. Having never heard of the name or not knowing the cuisine, our expectations were low. When we arrived, I was rather surprised to see the pleasant location and building as well as realize that they serve Indian cusine. P.S. Minor nitpick, perhaps the signs are not yet there but it's hard to spot it from the road, with only a banner hanging across on the El Camino side. On entering, the area was spacious and well lit (not dim), while the bar had a certain edgy feel. The (red) wine they served was excellent as well as the appetizers they offered. My favorite was the lotus root breaded cutlets and the garlic chicken. I was expecting a lot of the lemon-grass and basil cauliflower but it lacked flavors. My only complaint was the service ... perhaps they were busy or whatever, but it was hard to get service at this place. We ordered some rotis which did not arrive till the time we left! So, if the service is beefed up, I think this place has lot of potential, especially if your'e bored with the same old Indian restaraunts on that strip of El Camino. Wish Michael and his crew the best.
(4)Monica V.
I am going to give this place a CHANCE for the beautiful Ambiance. I would say they found a nitch in the market.... there is no indian restaurant with such a nice ambiance other than Amber which way over priced in Santana Row. I got food to go today just for myself. Total bill was 30 bucks which is high for one person. The quality was just OK for aloo fry and Chettinad chicken. Food doesn't justify the 30 bucks in my opinion but still I am gonna give this place a chance. I will try it again and update my review. In the meantime, great place to meet someone for dinner or drinks!! Cheers to owner for opening this joint.
(3)Monica S.
PROS - Beautiful, new modern interior decor Attentive service Delicious drinks CONS - Super HOT bar food - expected hot, but it was so hot that was all we could taste, none of the other flavors came through Light cocktails - excellent flavor but needs more alcohol Will definitely be back. Loved the setting.
(3)Amita S.
Well well! Sunnyvale has a classy new restaurant. Hold on to your seats though, this ride is going to be swanky and a little bumpy! For starters, not your typical Sunnyvale Indian restaurant! Beautiful decor, plush open seating area. A look at their menu and you know, it is in no measure a run of the mill mesh of curries and tikkas. We had the Achari Paneer Tikka, which was presented well. Couldn't get my knife to slice through the piece! Turns out the paneer was rubbery. Next, the Bhuna pyaaz ka murgh kabab...well plated. Oddly the chicken tasted gamey. My vegetarian friend who swears by Paneer Tikka Masala tried their Bombay Paneer Masala, turned out to be a disappointment, heavy tomato base was a joy killer. Overall, the decor, music, ambiance overpowers what we sampled that night. I would like to be fair and still taste some more of their offerings before I solidify my opinion. Look forward to my next visit.
(2)Nandan M.
Only thing this place has going for it is location .. Food it below average (For the prices u except much better) Service is spotty (Don't expect service when they are busy) Been here twice .. Disappointed both times .. Once for a party. The hosts had called them a week in advance but they still sat our party of about 15 separately. Went back again with a few colleagues from work, it was the lunch buffet. They seemed to re-fill the buffet line only when asked. Some of their creative fusion dishes completely fell flat. They had 'Bhelpuri' which is made of puffed rice and supposed to be crispy, it was completely soaked in chutneys etc. Its a hard thing to put on a buffet line, but my point is it shows they have no planning .. it should not have been there on the line .. $13 weekday buffet .. Just not worth it .. 'Vedas' in Milpitas, 'Mynt' in San Jose, 'Passage of India' in Sunnyvale are much better lunch buffet options
(2)S G.
Horrible horrible horrible... food is very bad all taste sour like it is rotten even on top that they have worst customer service, they don't know how to talk to customers, bartender doesn't know how to make drinks, well 0 stars from my side especially kudos to their manager who doesn't know how to talk with customers.
(1)Shivangi S.
I am reluctantly giving one star to this place. We just had the appetizers thanks to the staff since they completely forgot to serve our table. Their appetizers were superbly tasteless. Their bhel was rich in onions and the Juhu wada is tougher than a diamond. My advice: please don't give in to the decor. This place us completely AVOIDABLE!!
(1)Uma Shankar S.
The ambience is good, gives you an up-scale lounge kinda feeling. Restaurant eats up the major share of the place giving less space to bar ( i don't know if that was intended). The good investment on the place definitely can be seen at different aspects. Now my favorite part, yes the bar: They should have more selection of beers on tap. We were there for Happy hour (after 9 pm everyday), just 3 beers offered for lesser price and Kingfisher was our obvious choice. The bar bites Chilli chicken was spicy and just the way one would want to have while sipping on beer. Good job there cook !! Chicken wings on the other side were delicious as well, tender (seemed fresh, NOT FROZEN) and cooked to perfection. My only complaint..the beer should have been more cold (ice cold), though that did not stop me and my friend from gulping 6 or 7 of them down..but just saying. O..and I don't know if they have one, but yes this place needs a good woofer for the number of speakers they have set up. Its just a few steps away from our place and I guess we'd make it our dive bar for regular chill outs.
(4)Kasia C.
Love it! Great selection of beers! Food really food! We will be back!
(5)Sun A.
I live 2 blocks from this place, and glad to see this place not being abandoned anymore. Nice Decor, ambiance and service, I agree with few previous comments that foods is just ok, tastes like some other 2 times cheaper restaurant. Hope they improve it soon.
(3)Mitu C.
Went for a lunch buffet with a friend from work. The restaurant decor is good but even at high lunch time, it was empty. Just us and one other occupied table. We were there for about 1.5 hrs, simply talking and all we saw were 3 other customers. I am a vegetarian, and thought that the number of dishes was good, however, only 2 items were good. Chana masala tasted like soda, okra was almost sweet, seemed like ketchup had been added to it, saag was tasteless. The day, or rather my meal was saved by daal and gobhi masala, which too had a slight sweet taste. Naan was good, desserts were ok. A fruit-based icecream was nice, where as the gulabjamun was mediocre. My friend liked the chicken curry. I wouldn't be back of my own volition. Way better Indian places around, and its not cheap either. Almost $13 for the buffet.
(2)Viki D.
I feel fresh all here
(3)Ninad V.
This is review is for A la Carte. Not tried the buffet yet. The ambience and service is very good, Ordered Lucknowi Chicken Biryani. It was awesome and quantity was great. One Star off for the price. It is expensive.
(4)crystal b.
I had bought a offer on groupon for this place. On a sunday afternoon around 3.30pm we went there. We entered the restaurant & the man at the entrance counter was busy talking over phone so we sat down in waiting area. almost 7-8mins would have passed, the man who is suppose to attend to the guests is still busy over phone trying to strike out a deal for catering I guess. He was least interested in checking on us & we left place giving him some peace of our mind!! Now that we are stuck with its offer we decided to order over phone rather than going again to this place & facing the very unprofessional guest service. After few days I ordered malai kofta & chicken biryani over phone. After 30mins i went there to pick it was ready on time. Malai kofta was too hard to bite into. Taste not that good. Chicken biryani was ok. Food quantity is enough for 2 people. Overall not a good value for money.
(1)Pradeep J.
Went for the lunch buffet. The food was bad. It was very bland and lacked the Indian flavors. The place is always crowded only because of it's proximity to the desi community in Sunnyvale. Otherwise none of the dishes are worth mentioning, They could improve the serving quality too.
(1)Creative G.
The food was ok, but some of the dishes were not recognizable when brought to the table. We asked that the butter chicken be made very mild, but it was just about the spiciest dish. The staff seemed to hover too much and kept trying to take plates off the table that still had food. I had to argue with the busboy to leave the dishes when he didn't understand me. For a restaurant that spent a lot of money remodeling an old Spoons to create an upscale experience, the menus were disgusting! They were ripped and covered with different colored food stains. We felt like we needed to wash our hands after ordering. I miss Spoons. :(
(2)Rajesh S.
Surprisingly pleasant place. OK!, when I say pleasant,it is not only about ambiance but the food we tried. I give 3 thumbs up (out of 5) for this based on 4 dishes we tried and yes Sunnyvale needed a change of pace Indian joint as compared to all cookie cutter Indian places we have around here. Menu is decently well designed and best part in the Menu is "BELGIAN BEERS" and that too pairing of Belgian beers with Indian food. Why did not anyone think of that except me all along. Finally some one did. So here is the no b.s points Loved It -------- - Range of Belgian beers on the menu, which is hard to find in non-indian restaurant but when Indian restaurant lets you try 3 best Belgian beers for tasters and recommend framboise lambic with lal mirchi chicken, you know that someone has put some serious efforts in designing the menu and it works.!.. - Fish Appetizer - Maachi Sambhariya - no fancy but very flavorful . - Roomali Roti - Tried after ages, At least someone makes it here in Sunnyvale for a change - Chicken Chettinad- Delicious with perfectly spicy. - Pesto Naan - super hit!. - I did notice Dum Biryani in the next table, which I did not order but looked impressive the way they were serving. Its on my list next!. Not so love it! ------------- - Lamb Rogan Josh - No good at all, I could just taste Tomato, on the flip side all boneless. So I would say good place , give it a shot, you might like something else on the menu as they have decent choices Adios!.
(3)Prathima K.
If you're looking for authentic Indian food, this is NOT the place to go.The food tasted good,but is no where close to being Indian.If you like to experiment with your food, this is the best place to be at, they have fusion of Indian foods with pesto,cottage cheese etc.The appetizers were good,presentation was good.We ordered organic tandoori chicken- the chicken was yummy, but i wont call it Tandoori.Just not authentic.Im not a great fan of Fusion,definitely a bad choice for me.
(3)Carlene T.
We got the Groupon for $10 for $20 at Arka and we used it for the lunch buffet. It. Was. AWESOME! I know it's not as cheap as normal hole-in-the-wall places, but I think the cleanliness and polite factors really were worth it. They were extremely hospitable, both on the phone and at the restaurant. The food was extremely tasty and all around, we loved it! We'll be back for sure!
(5)S B.
I have 2 different reviews for Dinner and Lunch. Went for Dinner with a friend and the food was very good, service was great and there was even a spice in most dishes (I am Indian and so know my food :-)). We had a couple fancy drinks each from the bar and Shrimp Biriyani (good but shrimp was litlle tough) , Lamb Roganjosh (yum and spicy), some pesto naans (yum) and the Tandoori platter (yum). Total was around $100 for 2 people dinner and drinks. Lettle expensive for Indian food- but considering it is an upscale place and good quality food I don't mind. Lunch buffet on Friday was crowded - good sign I guess. But the food was not at all like dinner. I really did not enjoy anything other than the biriyani. There was quite a spread but nothing I went for seconds for. :-( So Overall - go for Dinner if you want a good, upscale Indian food experience. I will avoid the lunch buffets.
(2)James B.
Good food and service!
(4)Atul S.
Being an Indian I know taste and at least vegetarian tastes very well. Went to this restaurant for dinner. Lot of seating space. Nice ambience. Service isn't good. Waited for more than 30 mins to get order fulfilled. Rasam was good (wouldn't say excellent caz actual rasam tastes very different). Bombay paneer masala was good (3/5). Kofta was bad (1/5). Plain naan or garlic naan or rumaali rooti wasn't cooked properly. Daal makhani was a disaster. Ordered jeera pulao rice... But got only jeera rice. Not sure why did they mention "Pulav" because it has different meaning. And above all gravy quantity wasn't good for the price. Overall very bad experience, wouldn't go again or wouldn't recommend (waste of money even if you get groupon coupons).
(1)Sharon E.
I cannot, unfortunately, recommend this place. It is not family friendly. The seating is uncomfortable. The menu is vague, using Indian terms to explain the Indian dishes which is no help whatsoever. Allis ala. carte ending up quite pricy. The "slightly" hot dishes were painfully hot and the combination of spices was not outstanding. The waitress could note plain the dishes when asked. Last but bot least, the hostess who was wearing a very shorthand tight dress leaned over at the table next to us revealing way too much. How. Does one explain that to a child? We won't be going back
(1)Max M.
I get it that they are not authentic Indian, but some sort of indian fusion. For the most part it is tasty and the staff is friendly. But for a pricier restaurant, I expect cleaner menus (there were food smudges on them) and cleaner and well lit restrooms. I am not that kicked about fusion Indian either.
(3)Thank M.
I dined at Arka last week with a large group. As a friend of mine mentioned, the ambiance is good and the seating capacity looks good. When it comes to food, it offers a range of Indian and some Asian including some noodle varieties cooked in front of you. The food was spicy and hot. Since I don't really eat that spicy and hot food and I had a tough time. The choice of dessert looked good and I had it because of the spicy and hot food. This may be a great place for people who love spicy and hot food but for others you may want to skip. I will rate 3 stars.
(3)Ramya M.
If you are looking for good appetizers and a couple of drinks , this is the place to go to. Must try is the Belgian beer sampler,my husband loved it. Now , for the not so good part of the story. We ordered a kofta dish and a special sounding gobhi dish. And then, we couldn't make one out from the other.They were both submerged in a sea of uncooked off the shelf tomato puree. The naans were extremely dry, I was witness to my husband gnawing through his. I'm willing to give this place another shot, though. Hope springs eternal , aye?
(2)RAJ p.
I went yesterday evening 4 of us. it took over 10 minuet to give us seat, no body was there, manager came few time , never ask any thing. we gone to our table after 10 minuet, they was short of staff, i can see it was regular weekday. we order some appetizer came nice, then we order food, for 4 people after 5 minuet waiter came back he says we don't have 3 item out of 4, we said ok, we will order something else, after few minuet waiter came back he said we don't have 2 item out of 3 now, then again we order something eles, then after 20 minuet he brought 2 item very cold, no salt in chess, chilli uttapam, we just kept our mouth shut and eat. another 10 minuet we ask waiter where is rest of food, then he said let me check after five minuet he brought one dish, it was ok no complain, by that time first 2 people was done with there food and 3rd person was half way, then 4th dish came, food quality was ok, we ask to see manger, never came, we ask waiter to smell chutney was rotten tomato, then i ask waiter please tell chef food did not have any salt in first 2 dish, he said ok let me ask and he never given answer. look of restaurant is good, poor waiter can not do any thing. price is very high for quality they serve.
(1)Ashwin M.
I went with some friends for dinner. We ordered a few drinks and a soup. We got the order after about 25mins. We ordered the blue Ginger Gobi as an appetizer. It was very pathetic. It was just tomato ketchup over fried cauliflower. For the main course we ordered lal mirch chicken and bombay panner along with roti and naan. Roti was cold and hard. Chicken was very bland with almost no gravy. Paneer was far better. I dont think i would visit this place again. Its expensive, service is slow and importantly food is bad.
(1)Sangamesh B.
I am a vegetarian, so this review for vegetarian food only. I ordered a takeout for vegetarian hydrabadi dum biryani, paneer dish and naans. The naans were ok, the paneer dish was average, but biryani was aweful, I had to throw it away. I woudn't recommend this place for Indian vegetarians.
(1)Lisa C.
Went here for the lunch buffet today, using a Groupon...This was my second visit, and most likely my last. I was completely disgusted by this restaurant before I even walked in the door...the parking lot was disgustingly filthy and reeked...They say you eat with your eyes first, and had I not had the Groupon I would probably have left before I even went in. There was trash and smashed food (cake) all over the parking lot. The back loading dock was open and looked like a dump...If you're not going to keep it clean, please close the door. I drive by this location several times a day and I have noticed that they have not done anything to make the place appealing from the outside. Inside...nice decor. The Buffet...mediocre at best...Very one dimensional and I didn't find anything spicy at all...We had to ask for Naan; there was no way I would even try the desserts, they looked gross. I had higher hopes for this restaurant given the credentials of the owner (s)...They really need to step up to the plate in this extremely competitive market.
(1)Debanjan G.
Amazing lunch buffet... very tasty 7 non-veg items 6 veg items... ample space - indoor + outdoor sitting arrangement... music is little to improve
(5)Shashank R.
Fancy looks, no substance. Based on the Yelp reviews and the nice decor, this place looked very promising. Went with a group of 10 of my friends and had one of the worst "indian" dinners ever. We went to dinner on a saturday night, had to wait abut 15 minutes for someone bring us over some water and take our drink orders. Not only was our food late, but half of it was burned while the other half was undercooked. The undercooked food was especially concerning and could have posed health code violations. The staff was nowhere to be seen so we ended up picking at the food which was edible, while trying to flag down staff. At the end, we mentioned all the issues to the manager who seemed to not care. 4 of us fell sick next day, and not in the typical post indian dinner fashion, but in a much more painful and unpleasant way. This place looks amazing and has a great ambience, but other than that, i would not personally recommend it to anyone used to eating authentic and good indian food. This place would be a gold mine in some place like wyoming, but in sunnyvale/mountain view area, there are just too many good Indian restaurants that puts this place to shame..
(1)Susy M.
After reading all the other yelp reviews about Akra, I was very skeptical that I would enjoy it. But I'd already purchased a groupon and thought that the restaurant looked pretty cool from the outside, so I gave it a try anyway. We went on a Friday night and it was pretty busy, although not one person was sitting at the bar. We would've been happy to, but we couldn't use the groupon and sit there, which seemed pretty inflexible. They found us a table in the back room instead. The front room is beautifully decorated and lighted, while the back room is extremely dark and not particularly ornate. They could use some tealight candles on the tables at the very least. The menus are really old looking and are practically falling apart, which did not leave a good impression. Service was a little slow but pleasant and we got our appetizer very quickly. We started with the Blue Ginger Gobhi. It tasted like sweet and sour pork, only made with cauliflower. Not bad, but we probably wouldn't order it again. Our main course was a very nice, spicy chicken dish with bell peppers. We also ordered the pesto naan, which we loved, and made a point to order a second plate of it. We did wait at least 20 minutes for our main course to arrive. All in all, polite and pretty good service, fairly good food (but not great) and an okay atmosphere (in the back room.) Frankly, I think this place will need to come up with a more creative culinary playbook in order to be competitive with other restaurants. The decor in the bar/main area is really lovely, and I would probably only go back for appetizers and drinks at the bar.
(3)Swapnil T.
One of the authentic spicy indian food!
(4)Abhishek S.
The food was OK, nothing fantastic. It was the night after that made it deserve 1-star. My friend got food poisoning from this place, and she was throwing up and coughing ALL night from 11pm to 5am, to the point that I almost called 911. It almost seemed like due to the Friday rush, they precooked the lamb and goat and just threw it in the gravy when we ordered. Our first clue should have been the fact that rogan josh was on our table within 10-12 mins! And the bill was a neat $75 for just the two of us. AVOID!
(1)K G.
The food was good. Service is slow. Overall decent.
(3)Nishad D.
I went here a couple of weeks back with 6 other friends and were seated promptly. We got the booth which is a little isolated, just the way I prefer. This place has great ambiance, something most Indian restaurants lack in the bay area. The service was excellent. Our server was very prompt in getting our order as well as following up on anything we needed from time to time. My favorite thing about this place was that they served rumali roti's, which not many places offer around here. We ordered achari paneer as appetizer and it was excellent. For the main course we ordered bombay paneer, kofta and a mushroom dish. The paneer was good and the mushroom dish was acceptable but the kofta was very disappointing. Mind you this place is expensive. We ended up paying almost 26 bucks per head. I've had much better Indian food at much cheaper prices in the bay area, but I guess the great ambiance makes up for it. It may be worth a revisit but I will stay away from their kofta in the future.
(3)Prasanna D.
Very standard Indian fare and not really an innovative food fare as advertised. The beer menu is really good with a broader variety of beer choices. We had Achari Paneer for appetizers. The Paneer pieces were huge and covered with Achari masala. It was fine but not really very delicate or creative. We wanted to order Juhu Vada but they didn't have that available. We had Kofta, Butter Chicken, Dal Makhani, Jeera/Pulao Rice and Garlic-Chili Naan. The Butter chicken wasn't really butter chicken but more like chicken achari curry. It was tasty but NOT butter chicken. The Kofta was with white gravy and single HUGE kofta in it. Not very interesting. The Dal Makhani was good. The Pulao also was good. We couldn't really find much garlic and/or chili on the nan although the nan were very good. On to dessert....wanted to order the Lemongrass Brulee as the description looked very interesting...but alas they didn't have it either. Not really sure about why you would have it on the menu and not serve it. The service was okay..they were definitely wanting to rush through it so they can free up the tables. Not really impressed with the food, service or the ambience...two star is just about right for this restaurant and wouldn't plan on going there again..plenty of other places to spend my money..:-)
(2)Stef H.
food's ok, drinks are better. come here for the happy hour!
(3)Vengat C.
we went for a sat lunch buffet. the ambience is good but the items in the buffet were way less than expected.
(3)Srini B.
This is our second visit to their weekend Buffett. The experience first time was nice, but today's, not so much. We entered at 2:30 pm and the Buffett closes at 3pm apparently. With 30 minutes still left, they did not refresh any items. They had completely run out of pakoras, few naans left in the cauldron and the oothapam station closed. Given that they charged the same amount for scrapped food, the least they could have done is to tell us that they will not be refilling the dishes, as we were seated. This is unethical business practice for sure. Forget the food, even the water was not refilled without asking them. Will not go there again.
(2)Aniket S.
Lets see where to start. Well I went on a weekday during dinner time with family friends around 8. The restaurant was busy, but not packed. I had my friends go over early to get a table, which they waited for 10mins and by the time I reached another 5mins passed by. For a grand total of 15mins just to be seated,talk about customer service huh! But wait it gets better. As we finally got to sat down we were given the menu with many of the main courses crossed off. We ordered what ever that was available. The waiter took our order and came back about 10-15mins telling us that they are our of that course as well. We had to change about three times, because they ran out of the courses that we wanted to eat which was ridiculous. By the time we got the food it was about 15mins later, but only two of the orders had arrived leaving two more orders open. We were a group of four and we each ordered 1 item so it wasnt a lot of food either. Honestly i would of been more happy if I didn't even receive my food because the food was just horrible, cold, soggy, and smelly. Uthppaam was not fresh at all seemed like it was microwaved, which i think it was, sambar was to thick, tomato chutney had a weird smell to it and their was no seasoning nor taste what so ever. I have never experienced such horrible quality and service any where. Over priced with very little quantity of food. I had high expectation for this place!
(1)Colleen C.
A little more upscale ambiance than the average Indian restaurant. I went for the lunch buffet. The food was okay...good naan, butter chicken, and carrot halwa. The rest kind of tasted the same. Plenty of selection, though. I got a chai at the end which took a really long time because they were making it fresh...it was really good chai and they comped it on my bill because of the wait.
(4)anil f.
Well, we heard alot about this new indian restaurant. I went there with my co-workers on a lunch buffet. The place is good exept the food, it was not fresh and the service was not organized. I ask the waiter for some fresh naans and he just bring the old nans in a new basket twice. The drinks were ok, saw the guy who made our drinks doing multiple jobs(serving, cleaning the tables and billing at the same time) was kind of unprofessional. The owner or manager stare at you with a weird look that says its enogh. The one star is for the ambience. WILL NOT RECOMEND THIS PLACE TO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO HAVE A GOOD FRESH INDIAN FOOD.
(1)V A.
Average food with below average service. Not going back anytime soon.
(2)S K.
after an awful Sunday buffet, my stomach feels sick. Decor looks good and the service is above average. But the food needs to improve immensely if they want to survive in Sunnyvale.
(1)Nita B.
We found out about Arka from Groupon. While the decor is modern and parking is plentiful, the food was disappointing. Even though the Groupon does not say this, they charged 18% gratuity on the amount including tax. Normally we pay 15% on amount before tax. But requiring 18% gratuity and that too on amount including tax, is just not the right thing to do. There are plenty other better Indian restaurants
(2)R C.
Attended as a +1 for the Yelp Elite Event, so it was a set menu for a private party. I must admit that I walked in to this place expecting authentic Indian, only to be surprised [pleasantly] by an Asian-fusion Indian spread. Cocktails were deeelish! Service was excellent, manager Ramish was patient, attentive and even brought me a glass of water himself. Ambiance was good and appeared family friendly. Look forward to returning with friends and family!
(4)Srikanth M.
I gave 5 stars for dinner but I had to write an update after I have been to their lunch buffet. 3 star for lunch buffet. Vegetarian choice are few. I was disappointed by that. Also, I have been to dinner again recently and I can clearly say that it definitely tasted 1000 times better on their opening day. Maybe I was expecting too much from an average India restaurant. This place is still much better compared to the rest but the quality is going down at a fast pace. They say their food is Indian with a twist. Maybe too much of experimentation is resulting in a bad outcome. The people are still nice. They treat me well. Service is good except this one time when they took 100 hours to deliver my order.
(3)Deepa B.
This review is for their lunch buffet. The ambiance inside the restaurant is good and the servers were very attentive. However, the food quality and variety was very average for the $12 charge.
(3)Chellam C.
This place is a must visit upscale indian restaurant. I was there for their lunch buffet and I totally enjoyed the food. It was so good and delicious, (fresh too). The ambience is really good, the bar was plus. Their hydrabadhi biriyani , fish curry, butter chicken, tandoori chicken are delicious. The service was good too, a quite nice place for lunch or dinner. This place is amazing and I definitely recommend.
(4)Scripps M.
Good food, Good service and good vibes. Kudos to Michael for taking good care of all the customers. We were there on a saturday night, the place was buzzing and as a result it was quite loud. The Mahi- mahi was well balanced and served over a portobello mushroom. The portions are generous. we also ordered a Lucknow style Chicken Biryani. Both the dishes suited our milder heat preferences. Good selection of IPAs. Next time the beer flight! Took a ton of food home. At last a decent Indian place which is quite affordable. Keep it up Arka.
(4)Vivek N.
Mockery of Indian cuisine! This sums it up. I have been here several times and each time was worse than before. The curries are flat and tasteless. On my last trip I ordered Chettinad chicken, Mirchi Chicken, Chandi malai kofta, baingan keema and other curries. The naans arrived cold. One of the curries was left out by the waiter and had to wait 20 minutes before second order of naans. And all this on an evening that was not busy at all. Chettinad chicken was watery and baingan keema was yuck. Only life saver was Chandi malai kofta which was OK. I have been to lunch buffet too where I found shredded chicken in curry that was again tasteless. When I raised the point to the manager he said that that is how it is cooked. OK! I have traveled all over South Asia and eaten every cuisine possible. Please don't fool me. If you have money to waste ..please go here...The only thing worth eating here is the ambiance..but that can't satisfy my hunger....I am off to Rajjot, where $5 can make me extremely satisfied....! By the way creating a forest of cilantro leaves on curries don't make them any tastier...!
(1)Santosh P.
Worst food.. went for dinner with group of friends on Friday night.. nothing tasted like Indian food. Kebab was too dry, Chicken tandoori smelled like it was prepared 10 days back, stay away from this place
(1)A D.
We had ordered a take-out order through Living Social somewhere around 4:30PM for a pick-up at 7:15PM. When we reached the place, they had no clue of any 'to-go' order being placed. On asking a number of people, their manager eventually came and took our order (again!) and said it'll be ready in about 20 minutes since they never received any order information from Living Social. He also asked me to substitute an appetizer I had initially ordered for something else since they were out of it - on a week-day night how can you run out of something?! Anyways, we returned after 30 minutes only to learn that we have to wait longer. Eventually, our food showed up with 'dal' and 'curry' packed in paper boxes!! By the time we reached home, the dal was leaking everywhere in the plastic bag we carried it home in. The food was probably tasty, but left a bitter after-taste because of the entire take-out experience.
(2)