If you never had indian food before, stop it right here, go to another restaurant. I ordered online, my order came in late and incomplete. An hour later they brought the incomplete items. They brought me the masala sauce without the rice. They brought me 2 extra orderers of samosa because they didn't have the momo instead of refunding my money or even asking me if I wanted a replacement. The Gulab jamun was burned, and the syrup is like glue, I couldn't even bring myself to try it. I spent $37.38 for nothing. Its horrible food, STAY AWAY
(1)
Lauren B.
We bought a groupon for India Express and finally ended up using it. Honestly, it was a bit of a disappointment. We arrived around 1:30 in the afternoon and the restaurant was fairly empty. My husband and I each got the lunch buffet, as it seemed like the easiest/fastest option. There wasn't a ton to choose from, and most of it was very poor quality. The server was nice, but absent most of our time there. Bottom line: you can get far better Indian food at other restaurants.
(3)
Andrea H.
Purchased a Groupon but could not use it on the lunch buffet. Not mentioned in the fine print. We were the 1st customers of the day. Service was odd. Had to get up and ask for menus. Flies were ALL over this place and annoyed us through our entire meal. They need to do something about that. The food was great but even their medium is hot. We were both sweating. The guy next to us had a dead fly in his water. Yikes. If it wasn't for the flies I would have given it 4 stars.
Being new to the Denver area, i was very excited to find an Indian restaurant that would deliver to my work. I told the ladies in my office lunch was on me today and we placed an order Via Grub Hub. The Service was fast i will give them that. The food was here hot and fresh in 50 minutes. We ordered Coconut chicken, Chicken Curry, and Chicken Tiki Masala. Everything was perfect and smelled so good until i opened my Chicken Tiki Masala. The "tomato cream" base was more like soup. I always order the same item as it is my favorite. I understand different places will cook it differently. Never have i eaten a Masala that was more like a water base then tomato. I called the restaurant 3 times with no answer so i turned to Grubhub to correct this mistake. Initially the representative was told that i would receive a replacement Chicken tiki masala and they would ensure that they thickened the sauce. 1 hour goes by and i am sitting here waiting to eat lunch while the other ladies have finished. I call again and this is what really gets me. GrubHub stated that the Manager at this restaurant said, " everybody loves our masala and we actually decided that we will not send another. If they don't like it, don't eat it." "Why didn't you call us or the customer and let us know?" " I am busy, goodbye." Hung up on the Grubhub Rep. WOW~! I work in customer service and if i ever treated a customer like that i would be terminated immediately. The fact that they are too busy to even pick up a phone and call, shows the lack of any respect for their customers. I am pretty sure they just added chicken to the tomato soup on their menu and sent it out. They must not have any Chicken Tiki Masala Made which is why they wont fix the mistake. Grubhub gets the credit here for at least refunding me my portion of the lunch. I will NOT be ordering from here again and i will NOT recommend them. Maybe its good for a quick lunch if you don't care what your eating, but if you have a preference, be prepared to be disappointed.
(1)
Alissa R.
This place has a bad rap, and I am not sure why. Seriously. They have a great all-you-can-eat lunch buffet, that is only $9, and they have two for one select beers all day. And get this, you can fill up a pretty hefty to-go container with your hearts desire for the same price as the sit down buffet. There is definitely some love in the food, and I want more and more of it. I cannot speak of the takeout/delivery and probably never will, because the buffet is not only the most affordable, but has a great variety of items to choose from. We went for late lunch, the lunch buffet runs until 3pm, so we were just 2 of 5 customers. The service was just fine, very laid back but prompt. Just buy the Groupon already and give this place a lunch of a chance.
(4)
Masum M.
Disgusting. Worst Indian food I've ever eaten and they couldn't care less. Inedible. Literally every single thing. Horrendous. At this point a win out of this experience is if i don't get food poisoning and die. For the love of food and India please go bankrupt. Shameful.
(1)
Nickerbacher N.
You will enter into a smokey haze and you will leave with your clothes reeking of a smokey Indian food smell. With less than half the available capacity, it took 10 minutes just to order and about 20 minutes to get our meal. This place is not consistent at all. Neither is the food output. Ask for mild, get hot. Ask for hot, get medium. Instead of telling you that they are out of something, they just randomly replace it for you. Too bad if that's not what you wanted. Sometimes things are overcooked, and sometimes under. Sometimes the Samosas are the best I've ever had and other times it's like it was taken out of a box and microwaved. Sometimes the servers are very attentive and sometimes its 20 minutes without a water refill. They have a 2 for 1 beer sign at each table with 6 beer options listed, BUT they only ever have 2 of the 6 beer on hand. A huge complaint is that the curtains in the front windows smell horrible (much like what you will smell like upon leaving). The curtains also have dirt and old food stains on them. I have had a few good meals here but the consistency is a huge problem. I cannot trust that it will be a good experience for me to return. Management, PLEASE take those curtains down! I will not return until I can see that the curtains have been removed.
(1)
Hannah Y.
This place was pretty good! We had a groupon here and had to use it. After reading some of the reviews, I was concerned and dreading using our groupon. I was pleasantly surprised! The Saag Paneer was really good! We ordered it medium and it was spicy! The paneer was a little dry but I still enjoyed it. The tandoori chicken was good but a little dry. I'm not sure if I'd eat there again but that's only because it isn't convenient to my location.
(3)
Chris L.
I'm always on the road throughout town, but when I'm near 8th and Colorado I always stop at the Indian Express for the buffet lunch. Very authentic. The flat bread is exceptional and the chicken masala is off the charts. I don't usually eat much, but when I leave there I am wholey satisfied.
(4)
Chris T.
Great food. Tasty and better than other Indian restaurant. Just love it. Will go again. Pretty nice and clean dishes. Will go back there again !!!
(5)
Chris Y.
Probably the worst Indian food I have ever eaten. Other comments capture it all. Bland, watered down, stale. Naan was decent, tandoori chicken tolerable. Everything else was terrible. The guy working there was nice though, makes me sad to give it such a bad review.
(2)
Prad N.
Worst ever indian food I had. Food that they are serving is not indian! Never going back there again. I ordered for tandoori chicken and I all I got was onions with chicken painted in pink. Lots of artificial color in it. It was totally bland and tasteless.
(1)
M L.
This review is based on the buffet: I broke rule #1 by not checking Yelp in advance of walking in here. However, I was hungry and took a chance. The whole premise of Indian food is to enjoy the multiple explosion of flavoring and spices beginning with the letter C...Curry, cumin, Coriander, Cardamom, etc. Well, the chef must of bypassed every ingredient because every dish was bland, watery, and flavorless. It was like eating frozen entree passed the expiration date. The bread came out of the kitchen served cold, Beef curry = water soup, and the Raita dressing tasted like Ranch. Fortunately, the buffet was only $10 so it wasn't a huge financial loss. What was good you ask ? The owner (older male) was very nice and the Samosa was mostly edible.
(1)
Aisha R.
I'm not really sure why the reviews for this restaurant are so bad. My husband and I went tonight and we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner. Husband had the chicken tikka masala ($12.99) and I had the shrimp karahi ($13.99). The chicken tikka masala was creamy and delicious. The shrimp karahi had large shrimp and fresh onions, peppers and tomatoes. The customer service was stellar. We actually had an expired LivingSocial deal and the manager was willing to work with us to still redeem it. Again, I'm not really sure why the reviews were so bad, but we'll be back!
(5)
Joe D.
My verdict is still out on this one. It's the closest Indian place to my house so I ordered some Samosa to take home after a shopping trip to Trader Joe's at 8pm on a Sunday. I know this isn't prime time, but essentially the staff ignored me after getting a beer and I waited or 25 minutes without getting my order while the staff was chit-chatting with friends who came in. Granted, I was the only person in there (did that actually mean something?) I don't think if you have orders out there that it would take that long. Scenario 1: If their samosas are pre-made, that's 5 mins fried or 12-15 mins baked. Scenario 2: If fresh, it shouldn't have taken more than 10 minutes. I typically don't write a less than average review after one trip, but the service experience was absolutely terrible. I'd be more than happy to write something better if I saw that this same situation didn't happen into the latter hours of their service - my experience is that's when things get less-than-desirable.
(2)
Tracy B.
I was a little apprehensive going here after seeing these reviews, but I was happily surprised with how delicious the food was! My boyfriend had the spicy chicken curry and I got the coconut fish curry. Both dishes were spicy and flavorful. The service was also excellent. We were seated immediately and given extra rice to take home with us. Overall an awesome experience! We'll be back!
(5)
Laura G.
This place has great food, but the service can be a bit poor. I usually stick to the buffet, which has lots of good vegetarian options. Honestly I think most people do the buffet, which is probably why the service seems poor if you are ordering off the menu. The food is delicious, particularly their Samosas and carrot pudding. OMG their carrot pudding is to die for!
(4)
Pixie M.
Office used their online ordering to have lunch brought in for 7 of us...and the "shared" cart option was awesome that each knew how much we owed with tax included. Service was quick and all the orders were hot and correct. The food? Of course we all tried either other's dishes and everything was delicious. My combo biryani was "medium" spiced.....wozwa, it was spicy but delicious. This will definitely be a place that we order from again at the office!
(3)
Hanh P.
What do you expect when a restaurant is called India Express? We took take out and we were so severely disappointed with the saag and masala. I was eating with 2 other people and we all thought it was no good, very bland, no good flavors. We ordered naan and it took FOREVER to come out. I am not sure why they did that to us. We came in at lunch and ordered to go from the buffet... there was no naan available, we had to order it on the side for extra money AND it took forever. What a horrible establishment.
(2)
Danielle J.
To echo a few yelpers below, I have been ordering from this place for over a year and have very sadly watched it decline. I used to enjoy it b/c I could have it delivered in a relatively quick manner & it was great. I go simple with the Chicken Tiki Masala, which was up there with Little India's, but now it is blah. The saag used to be flavorful but in the two recent times I ordered it, once it was slightly orange (a new experience for sure) to the last time it was almost completely white, thin as water, and without flavor, which stinks b/c this was one of the few places that had nice saag that you could get as a side order. Why are they messing with the recipes? It also takes a CRAZY long time to get your food on delivery. Recently I ordered my food at 6:30, and it showed up at 8:15, even though I received delivery messages that it would be there 7:45. :(
(2)
Svetlana K.
What a terrible experience! Everything I ordered was absolutely terrible, including the service. I started with maligatawny soup. It is my favorite soup-- I even make it some times. It was sooooo salty....I could not even eat a spoonful of it. One of the waiters asked me what was wrong---I told him that I only tasted salt. He took the soup away.....and that was it---did not offer to remake it or anything. Next came lamp korma---also something I get often. It was super spicy-- even though I ordered mild. Brought tears to my eyes and burnt my tongue...but it was not the worst part--- I could not chew or cut through the lamb...and I tried.....nope....the meat was so old, it would not budge.....and the last item to arrive was , strangely, garlic naan.....I don't know what makes naan be both piping hot and soggy at the same time.....but it was....I paid my bill and left. Never again. Btw...the waitress never bothered to check on me....and the guy who took away my soup never came back. Skip this place.
(1)
Millete B.
Gave it a second chance and that'll be the last. ... Burnt naan, uncooked coconut, rice appeared dirty like it was a compilation of leftovers. AND overpriced!
(2)
K B.
Perhaps if we hadn't ordered delivery and had dined in, the food would have tasted better, BUT...yuck! The meat samosas were terrible, as were the pakoras. The vegetable samosas were tasty but rock hard. The Dal Tadka was good. So were the mango lassi's.
(1)
Tirzah S.
Not awful but 100% disappointing lunch buffet. Decent selection everything looked fresh and well layed out, the restaurant was clean and service was alright. It was the flavors, I've never had Indian food that was bland before. Each dish was super muted and just not very good. Really disappointing start to finish.
(2)
Tanner P.
I wont be back until their is a new manager and maybe a new owner. Once, my partner and I walked in during normal business hours on a regular work day and they were having a private wedding event there. There was nothing posted on the door. We walked in and the manager just starred at us and said, "uhhh can I help you?? We're closed!" Total jerk. There was no sign on the door indicating there was a private event. Another time, my partner and I went there during normal business hours for their buffet. They had closed the buffet even though their website said it was still open for one more hour. Yet another time, on a different mid-day, we went to dine and they had changed their buffet hours AGAIN. The manager was literally rude to us and said, "there's a sign on the door". The funny part is that we had literally JUST called, no joke, about 10 minutes prior and we showed up BECAUSE they said their buffet was open for the next hour. The food is amazing, but honestly, I'll never go back because the SAME manager has been (to my face) condescending and rude. Like, I'm honestly amazed at how rude this guy was to two of his regular paying patrons. I believe we finally told him, "you're not the only Indian buffet in town, so we'll go somewhere else. Thanks." --This is all so weird because every time we've actually been sat to eat, they've been very kind and friendly. Great food + Piss poor customer service = loss of business.
(1)
C P.
Terrible terrible terrible. Do not eat here or order to go if you can at all avoid it. The service and the food is the worst I've ever had.
(1)
Geoff O.
We were worried, as the restaurant was empty on a Monday night, but we were very surprised! Great food, good service and lots of food for the price! The spice level (they asked mild/medium/hot on every dish) was just right on everything. The breads were all so fresh and they brought extra rice. Will have to come back and try it on a weekend.
(5)
Gretchen S.
Couple thoughts on indian food: never eat indian for dinner unless it's a birthday or anniversary (always lunch buffet); and if i could cook indian food id be as rich as i am beautiful and intelligent! The quality of this food is slightly below average but most indian i've had in denver is pretty fracking amazing. Sooo if you have a hankering for indian food this place will do, especially for lunch. Also you can take the buffet to go $5.99/lb 11-3p Mon-Sun! Rejoice! That being said the garlic naan was dry and if i had my choice of indian this wouldnt be top 3.
(2)
Kenzie G.
I usually get Indian food from little India but thought I would try a different place. The quality of food from India express pales in comparison. The samosas were too salty, the naan chewy, and the tikka masala wasn't very creamy.
(2)
Mylee K.
This is one of our favorite places for a lunch date. My husband and I love their buffets. Super variety and delicious. And the service is wonderful. They are warm and friendly and attentive here.
(4)
Mark O.
It pains me to write this review, as this place has been my go-to spot since I moved here at the beginning of the year. The staff has always been very friendly, but I feel like the quality of the food has deteriorated in that time frame. I was planning on going down to India's Castle, but didn't feel like fighting day-after Christmas traffic on I-25, so I went to my normal spot. I arrived at opening and nothing was ready. The guy in charge asked if I could wait and I said that would be ok. I ordered a chai. It had some kind of funky film on the top of it, as if it had been sitting out and it got microwaved or something. The chai was $2. Unlike India's Castle and Royal India, it did not get refilled. The full spread wasn't ready until 11:30 AM and I felt like a rush job had been performed. The "gravy" in the chicken curry was pure liquid. The rice tasted like it had been scorched despite it being made fresh. The naan was oily on the surface. Then, when I was rang up, I was charged full price, despite the inconvenience. I think I'll be taking a break from India Express. A side note: On two occasions, they were out of various things for the buffet (one time it was samosas and the other time it was tamarind chutney). I was told they were making more in back. I ate slowly on purpose on both occasions for these items but they never surfaced. That tells me they use frozen or premade.
(2)
Stephen W.
food was cold and lamb was rock hard in the lamb tikka. uneatable. if it was eatable, the portion was maybe 5 or 6 bites and the rest was sauce and the cost of the item was over 10 dollars. delivery guy took over an hour and 45 minutes. only live 2 miles from the place. ordered during a non peak time. never eat here, little india is 10x better. they deliver food you can eat and its a decent size portion. this place is crap.
(1)
Abby Q.
The food was okay but not anywhere near as good as it needed to be to justify how long we had to wait for delivery. Meh. Get Little India instead!
(2)
Jessica H.
My husband and I go to India Express for Sunday lunch buffet all the time. We've been going for years. It's closer than Little India and is very delicious. Most of the time. They are not always consistent which is disappointing because they have a big menu with many delicious choices. I am vegetarian and there is always four or five items I can eat. Although consistency is not the best I still recommend trying them. When they are on, they are on. When they are off, it's a little bland but still not a bad place and for buffet you can't beat the price. The naan is always ordered once you sit down so it's always hot and the mango lassi's are fabulous! The raita is always thick with lots of carrot and cucumber too. My suggestion, if the food is awesome, tell them!!
(4)
Shanti S.
They gave me chicken pakora instead of vegetable, and then told me that wasn't possible and basically that I was lying. This was a delivery, very disappointed, as I am a lifelong vegetarian and I know what I bit into and then spit out wasn't vegetarian. Never ordering from here again, thanks for telling your customers that they're lying. That's a good way to run a business.
(1)
Tim K.
First of all, the restaurant is clean and bright. The menu is extensive, pages and pages of selections with a good variety of vegetarian meals. Servers are right there to take your order, but after that is when everything goes on "hold". Once our order was in, it took almost 25 minutes to arrive. A metal plate was brought out with three condiments, but we just looked at them until the main course arrived. One of the condiments was white rice, we asked if they had brown rice....and they did not. Another patron arrived after us and he seemed to get his meal right away, maybe they knew him. The food itself was satisfactory, but with the ultra slow service, the best I can give them is a 3 star minus. With so many places to choose from and nothing outstanding at India Express, I cannot recommend it.
(3)
holger p.
I, too, can't understand the low ratings. We have been coming here for 2 or 3 years and it has always been excellent. The owners have always been very nice and accommodating towards our off the menu orders. By reading through the reviews it seems like take-out/delivery orders might encounter issues. We've only ordered take-out (not delivery) a couple of times and we didn't have any issues. Also, these guys also the pizza place next door so we can order pizza for the kids while eating Indian at the restaurant. BIG PLUS! Their spice scale is Indian so medium is rather spicy.
(5)
jesse j.
Good food. Horrible delivery service. I'm writing this while I'm waiting for my food to get here. It's going on just over an hour and a half. The food I've had in the past is delicious. It's more than annoying to wait this long for food. I called and sat on hold for a while and then was told it'd be any minute. But that was about 20 minutes ago. I guess I'll have to just cancel my order before I die of starvation. I'd suggest you find somewhere else to get your food.
(2)
David S.
We've ordered delivery from here a few times and each time it has been delicious. It's always arrived quickly, and the service is super, super friendly. We live a little outside of a lot of restaurants' delivery zones, so other places' food sometimes arrives cold, but it has never been a problem with India Express. We've haven't dined in yet, but if you want great (especially vegetarian) Indian food delivered, give it a shot.
(5)
Jeffrey Y.
I used to really enjoy this place. Their take-out was easily ordered, but took a long time to arrive (an hour+ usually). Did not care for the wait (and you'll wait quite awhile if you dine in, too) They are one of few Denver Metro places with chicken makhani and usually a $1 or two cheaper. The problem is that it isn't very good anymore. The quality of the food has gotten worse with each order, and taken longer to arrive as well. Their sauces are becoming very watery, there are bits of bones and cartilage in the meat, and I picked big bay leaf sized spices out of my teeth last time I think this place will get a break from me for awhile EDIT: as I read more reviews, I'm pretty sure anything over 3 stars is a review by their staff or a friend of the place. It won't make you sick, but "ZOMG THE ABSOLUTE BEST INDIAN IN TOWN!1!!1!!" is a damn lie
(2)
Meghan W.
Ordered their food for delivery. It arrived in just under an hour. The Samosas were as tough as leather and the bhaji had been fried into extinction. They were dark and hard as a rock. For my entree, I ordered the lamb korma and my boyfriend tried the chicken tikka masala. Both sauces were ok, Little India's are WAY better, and I swear that they were the exact same sauce. Anyone that knows Indian food knows that a Masala and a Korma should not look and taste exactly the same. Also, it was a full quart of sauce with only a few small chunks of meat. Mine was supposed to have nuts and raisins as well. I think I had about two nuts and three raisins in my serving. It was pretty pitiful. We tried India Express because it was a little cheaper than Little India but we won't make the same mistake again. You definitely get what you pay for.
(2)
Anais M.
The food is definitely not the finest Indian food I've ever had, but it's still very decent. The staff is very nice. But be careful, if you go there for dinner, medium spicy is very spicy. To get a regular medium spice, ask for "mild plus".
(3)
Megan S.
Ordered food around 6:15 this evening.. Over an hour later the delivery guy arrived with only one of our two entrees. I immediately called the restaurant and they said they would have the remaining entree to us in about 15-20 min. Again we waited over an hour before we saw the delivery driver again with the rest of our food. I've worked in the food industry for nearly half my life and spent years delivering food. 2.5 hours for a full delivery of an order to a customer blows my mind. And one would think that if it takes that long to get food to a customer, there must be a pretty intricate and complicated process for creating the dishes.....sure didn't taste like it! 2.5 hours for very sub bar indian food?... Not for me
(1)
Frankie V.
I read the reviews and I wonder if the reviews are not for the afternoon buffet? I went again. I am sorry to disagree with so many people, but I like their food. I had lamb kebab in a hot sauce with stir fries onions and green peppers. The heat level was perfect, the taste was very good. My wife had chicken in a spinach cheese sauce. Incredible. We shared a side of Dal. I like the way that they cooked the Dal. Very tasty and flavorful.
(4)
Kimberly D.
WAY too over priced for the quantity AND quality food. I figured I would get at least two meals out of this, but it's just enough for one meal. And the food is just mediocre... if that. Sad panda.... still hungry... I should have looked at Yelp before I even ordered! I just called and the guy was really rude to me when I told him this food was disgusting and I wanted a refund. He is making me drive it all the way back to the restaurant... for what? so you can throw it away just like I'm going to do. Well, better than wasting $17 on food I'm not going to eat.
(1)
Akshay S.
Worst Indian food ever. Under cooked Dal. Rock hard samosas with no flavor opr spice. During delivery no silverware is provided and the food is all leaking. Never ever going to order from this place!!!!
(1)
Aaron W.
Have to agree with Brian T. on this one. The average Indian Buffet should be a 4, making a 5 easy to get. This one unfortunately I just don't see as being worth it. I say drive a few more blocks and go to Little India on 6th if you have the time. None of the food had any spice level, and the hot sauce they offered to change that had a lot of vinegar. This is much better at Little India. The variety here was more then normal, but the Saag Paneer didn't have any Paneer Plus, they did have samosa which is rare on a buffet. They did not have a soup though, which I do prefer to start with. The chai was very good here, $2 so not cheap but ok on price. Again, overall I wouldn't tell anyone not to go here, but there are definitely better options around Denver for an Indian lunch buffet.
(3)
Crys A.
I ordered delivery from India Express this very evening, upon seeing several five-star reviews. I was excited for some good food and a nice night. I'm sorry fellow Yelpers, but I don't get it? Five stars? Whaaaat? The food was so bad I literally lost it. As in, it came out of my mouth after I put it in, it was that awful. Yes, I am saying I threw up. The chicken tikka masala was dry and god-awful runny, the lamb korma had a weird after taste, the naan was unforgivably hard and the samosas and pakora were simply terrible. Jesus Crisis but it was bad. I've had great Indian food and this comes nowhere near. I am aghast at how bad it was. Maybe it was an off night? Either way, I won't be patronizing India Express again...no, not ever.
(1)
Mary D.
At some point between October of 2010 and April of 2011, India Express just started sucking. The normally-consistent food got... well, gross. Watery curries, soggy and underdone bread, weird-tasting rice. We kept ordering hoping it was a fluke, but there was no improvement. We had even planed to have them cater our wedding, and ended up using Little India instead because the food had gotten so bad. Today, encouraged by the positive reviews and having moved back into the neighborhood, we ordered India Express again. It was bitterly disappointing. Samosas and mango lassi were okay, but everything else was awful--watery, underdone, and no filling in the "stuffed" naan. It was so bad that my English partner--who, needless to say, has eaten a lot of top-notch Indian food--called and returned all the food. All of it. It was that bad. We've never actually RETURNED a delivery order, or even sent something back in a restaurant. Really, if you're looking for tasty Indian noms, to to Masalaa, Indias, Jai Ho, or Little India. Just stay away from India Express.
(1)
Kelsey W.
Food is mediocre and service is not much better. I ordered delivery online via Living Social. I got the non-vegetarian Thali (which is a combo plate with entree, appetizer, bread and desert). Online it says nothing about which of those (besides the entree) you'll be getting so in my order I specified which appetizer, bread and desert I wanted along with instructions for them to call me to confirm my request. I got a call 20 minutes later telling me that they had pre-picked appetizers and deserts and substitutions could not be made. Well, I said, can I change my order to something else? Or cancel it? The guy on the phone said "Uh, well I already made your order." No apologies, no offer for an alternative or refund, I just got guilted into taking it as is. Food arrived on time but wasn't all that great. I wouldn't order from here again.
(1)
Ruth F.
My husband and I really enjoyed our dinner there. The coconut shrimp curry is to die for. The mango lassi is super delicious. However, without groupon, the price of the food is a bit pricey.
(5)
Heather S.
Indian Express on Colorado Blvd. is one.. no wait, is my favorite place to eat Indian food. Their buffet is always wonderful and their dinner is always yummy. Chicken tikka masala is the best and I have tried many across the Denver Metro area. The owner and employees are very kind which makes this place even better!
(5)
Jennifer K.
1 star taken away because the place smells too smokey! Like cigarette smoke, and I can smell it on my hair and clothes when I leave. At first I thought it was their oven but I went today and sat towards the back where I noticed it was burning incense. I don't usually hate incense but this one just stank the whole place up and nearly made my eyes water. My whole group was complaining about it when we left and several hours later. If management is reading this, PLEASE get rid of the incense. Otherwise, I love this place for their lunch buffet. Cheap price with delicious saag paneer and samosas!
(4)
Lisa M.
A good selection of delicious food. Love coming here for the lunch buffet. It's very reasonable.
(4)
Erich H.
If I could give this place a zero, I would gladly do it. However, Yelp won't let me. At 8:09 I placed an order for food from them, through EAT24. I got the order about an hour later (okay, not so bad for a Friday night). However, the order was missing the main course. I immediately called the place and owner says "The driver has the chicken" and hangs up. Of course, this was completely unprofessional and beyond annoying. So, I called EAT 24 (thank goodness for them, and they refunded my order) and in the mean time the owner calls back and accuses me of lying for free food. This incensed me and I told him exactly what I thought of his shoddy place. If you value good food and service. Never. Never. Never. Never. Order from this place that ought to be shut down and the owners go bankrupt. Simply awful. Do all of Denver a favor and help put this horrible place out of business!
(1)
C W.
This is my regular Indian restaurant to eat at! The food is always delicious and the owner and staff are very friendly. The price for the lunch buffet and dinner is reasonable too.
(5)
Charlie L.
This is my favorite Indian food in town. They have an extensive menu, including Thali plates, which are my favorite, as they are very common in India. This is the only restaurant in Denver I have been to that offers them. The vegetarian dishes are fantastic. I love the Saag Paneer and Dal Makhani. Their lunch buffet is cheap and offers a solid selection. My only complaint is the meat dishes are unpredictable. Sometimes they are amazing, and sometimes they are subpar. Also, if you order hot, be prepared for hot. The heat sometimes is crazy spice and others it is milder than I would like. It is not perfect, but it is my favorite for the great waitstaff, excellent food, and delivery option.
(4)
Adrienne D.
I was disappointed by the lack of flavor in the food.
(2)
Laura L.
Omgoshmmmmmmmsnoshnoshnoshnoshnosh. That was me at lunch just now. It's not often that I can give a 5-star review to a buffet (especially Indian food, which sometimes makes my tummy feel like it's in a centrifuge, as much as I love it) but I confidently declare: I heart India Express! I met with Mary Jo S today for some quality-catching-up-on-girl-time, plus trying out their lunch buffet on her recommendation. You'll notice by the gigantic sign on the front door that they are under new management (although today was my first visit, so I don't know what was illin with the old management) and that you can feast on the all-you-can-eat buffet for $7.99. Interestingly, you can get a pound of food to go from the buffet for $5.99. I'm having a hard time quantifying that in terms of takeout boxes, but it sure seems like a deal/steal. Anyhow, we got there before the noontime lunch rush but within 30 minutes it was packed, so I think that means they are on to something. This really is the most delicious Indian food I've sampled in Denver so far - the saag paneer (spinach with cheese) is my all time favorite, followed up by the curry with potatoes and peas, delish basamati rice and naan...and I'm forgetting in my post-lunch haze what else I sampled, but it was all delicious. Really good chai tea too. If you're looking for a quick, delicious, and healthier meal, you'd be remiss to pass this place up. The only downer is the parking lot - small, tight, and crowded. You're welcome!
(5)
Brian T.
It's hard to really mess up an Indian Buffet. So, remember that the average for indian buffets is already higher than the average lunch place to begin with. Me saying "A-OK" on an indian buffet is almost a 4 star elsewhere. Lunch buffet + drink cost me $10.22 so not overly expensive but still not cheap. I believe India House downtown is about the same price as well. They have a good selection of various buffet items although the pakora looked a little different from what I've seen in the past. Naan is indeed rationed out during lunch, but it's not a big deal as you can always request more. The saag paneer is good and hearty. Not the best I've had, but a close second. The tandoori chicken was cut up in pieces and a light orange as opposed to every other rendition I've had which was whole chicken pieces on the bone that were colored dark red. The cheese balls and carrot pudding were great dessert items and I have no issues with coming back again with friends who are in the mood for indian and want to avoid downtown.
(3)
Jennifer L.
I love India Express! It is my favorite place to eat Indian food in Denver. I have tried other places, and haven not been as impressed. I'm giving them 5 stars because I want everyone to try them, and experience how awesome they are, but I would like to echo the other review on the meat, and spice. Sometimes the meat is awesome, and you can't stop eating it :) other times it can be tough, and you may feel that the dish could have gone without. The spice is awesome, but not consistent. I like ordering medium plus - because they usually get it right. The vegetarian dishes here are always always always delicious! You will not be disappointed :) Also, try the veggie samosa's - awesome.
(5)
Scott T.
Anyone who rates this place more than 1 star has never had Indian food before - this place is a joke. The meal I had tasted like it was covered in hot wing sauce, yuck. These people have no business near food.
(1)
Taylor M.
The owners are friendly and helpful. The food was fabulous and the portions were enough for a second meal! We really enjoy going there.
(5)
Jeremy T.
Pretty mediocre. The service is friendly, but the food doesn't taste particularly authentic. There are MUCH better options for Indian in Denver. This is more of a "Well, I'm driving by, I might as well stop and pick up dinner..." place. And it's expensive. In fact, why am I being nice at all? Expensive and mediocre? Does that sound like a good dinner to you?
(2)
Heather H.
incredible!! this place puts little india (and every other indian restaurant in the metro area) to shame- very unique, flavorful recipes while still maintaining authenticity. very pleasant, helpful staff, too. our new favorite, can't wait to return!
(5)
Nina D.
I ordered delivery from them on their website and it took them an hour and a half to deliver it!! BE WARNED!! On the other hand, the food is quite good. I ordered the Coconut Lamb curry, Saag Paneer, Garlic Cheese Naan, and a side of yogurt(which i thought would be thicker but it is not, more watery texture, but still good). The prices are okay for the food, it is less expensive than Little India. I don't think I would order from them again, but it was a good "i'm-to-lazy-to-cook" meal.
(3)
Jeff H.
I used to really enjoy the buffet, but in the past year I've noticed the flavor has become very bland. Indian food isn't supposed to be bland. Either I smuggle my own spices or I find a new buffet. I chose the latter option
(2)
Raghu K.
Too expensive and food quality is not that good.
(1)
Meredith B.
I've been to India Express several times for the lunch buffet. The service is hit and miss, and is usually better when they are busy. I am a vegetarian (I also eat fish if you've read my other reviews), and I love that they always have a choice of 4 hot vegetarian dishes, as well as samosas and pakora. There is always saag on the buffet, and the other 3 veggie dishes change. Today was an excellent cauliflower dish that I would love to have again. They also sometimes have a spicy cabbage dish that is to die for! The naan is often too crispy, but it tastes okay. Although not the best Indian food I've ever had, it's usually pretty good, and for $7.99 for the lunch buffet, I will keep going back.
(3)
Stephen K.
Proceeding on the assumption that a massive lightning strike (on a sunny day, no less) wasn't going to obliterate the little strip mall where I reviewed the ill-fated Tokyo San Bowl yesterday, I went next door today for lunch buffet at India Express. It is a quiet little place, with haphazard decor tossed about and mixed in together... turned-off Christmas lights adorn the walls over Indian tapestries, gold/black curtains, loaded wine racks, a painted wall map of the Europe and the Mediterranean Sea (Indian *how*, exactly?), and what appear to be 8 giant overhead "blowers" - I am not sure what purpose they serve. O_O So into the buffet we go. The low points first...the tandoori chicken was somewhat dry and tough - and is the only thing to get a 'meh' rating from me. Climbing upwards, I had some saag paneer, or creamed spinach stuff. I'm not sure what this is supposed to taste like since I don't normally grab saag when I dine Indian, but it was tasty enough, I guess. They have meatballs there in some unknown sauce which I'm sure would offend many sacred Indian cows, were they to know about this travesty. :D :D Now onto the good things. The butter chicken, which I *think* is chicken korma, was very tender and the sauce flavorful and creamy. Yums. The chicken curry was mild to moderately spiced and very tasty. Delicious!!! And the naan bread was warm, soft and buttery - I devoured 5 pieces. *Nom nom nom*! This lunch feast, all you can eat, is $7.95. That's quite good for the quality of food you get here. I've eaten at other more expensive Indian buffets and been far less impressed. They also, in a semi-unusual move, allow you to get buffet foods for take-out orders, at $6/lb. Not bad, and a nice option if you want to dine at your place or wherever. Parking semi-crowded during the lunch hour in the little lot they share with other stores, but I didn't have an issue. There is a goodly selection of wines all over, as well as beers both domestic and Indian. I have no idea if this place changes atmosphere over the dinner period or not, but I'd like to hope not. Up for lunch though? (grabs coat) Let's go. Tasty tasty. :)
(4)
Lauren B.
I just tried the Vegetable Korma for the first time, I usually go for a meat option... holy smokes SO MANY VEGGIES and packed full of flavor! this is my new favorite :) nommmmmm
(5)
Demetrius A.
Something I typically do not do, is read other reviews prior to writing my own after visiting a place.... I was somewhat surprised by some of the comments, but oh well.. After visiting Northern India and indulging in the food immensely, I give this place a thumbs up. The Punjab owners are quite nice and I received excellent service. The dal soup is great and the multiple dishes I have had there are pretty good as well. Aloo parantha, chicken tikka masala, naan, mango lassi were all in good standings with me. The location of this place on Colorado and 7th is a great asset as well. I hadn't tried delivery, but I think I am calling in for a meal tonight since I don't feel like cooking.
(4)
Linda C.
This is a hidden gem because of its great Indian food, clean atmosphere, exceptional service -- and the MoMo appetizer (which is actually a Nepalese specialty -- and you'll not find these in most Indian Restaurants. The owner will also explain to you the similariites and differences between Indian and Nepalese cuisine, if you ask him.) The prices are fair, too. Located across from SNOOZE, this small, family owned business is a find for those who look for authenticity and a nice atmosphere.
(5)
Chanh S.
Stay away from here. There are much better places to go around around this area like Royal India, my favorite. (i would give this place a one but I think some ppl could have a decent time there but I agree with the other guy, just come for the buffet or not at all.) We went around 6pm on a Friday and no one was there. We had to wait 2 mins for someone to even seat us, 10 minutes to finally order our drink, she just sat us and left for several minutes even though we were the only customers. The free appetizer came out 20 mins later and you can tell it was just left-over used sauces because you could tell someone else used it before us (gross!). It would have been better if they didn't even give us an appetizer it was so little and gross. The dinner entrees pretty much start at $13.00 so that's what me and the wife got. Food took about 40 mins just an fyi. There were several customers that came after us that waited just as long if not longer. The wife got her usual veggie dish and she seemed happy with it and I got the lamb madras. For $13, i thought it would be a huge serving with a lot of sides and rice. We got served on this huge tin tray but our actual food took up like 30% of it and we got this very tiny dish of rice. We go to Indian places a lot and this is the smallest portion we ever got of rice. Luckily, we got naan too which was actually pretty good but not great. The WORST part of the night was that they had 2for1 drinks. We asked the waitress (who is an azn girl that doesn't speak good english) if we can get that and she said yes. But when we got the check, she billed us for 2 drinks, it took a while to get her attn to inquire about that and she said it's because we got two different drinks and not the same kind. We're like, they're both on the list for the promo. She is like, you have to get the same, so she said all she got do is give us another beer each for free! We're like, then WHY didn't you give it to us SOONER then rather than after we got our check! She knew we asked for the 2for1 deal. So we downed our drinks and left and vowed to never go there again!
(2)
Micah A.
Awesome food! Quick delivery, a great alternative to Chinese food or pizza when you're feeling lazy. I highly recommend if you are within their delivery range. Friendly people on the phone, and the delivery driver was also not unpleasant. I've definitely had better Indian food, but at a higher price and not delivered to our front door.
(5)
S P.
Only thing that we liked there was the mango juice and the paneer masala. Didn't like the food at all. The tomato soup looked and tasted like tomato curry with all the tomato slices. The garlic naan was hard and stale. Didn't like the taste of any of the dishes. There were also few flies in the restaurant.
(1)
Z M.
Just got food from delivery. paid 30 dollars and pretty much got enough food to feed a small child. In my 'chicken' meal got a total of 4 pieces of chicken. Any all-you-can-eat Indian food buffet just blew this out of the water for the pocket and the taste-buds. boo
(1)
Blue S.
I went to India Express to try their lunch buffet and although I've gotten takeout there before and it was quite good, the lunch buffet was awful. There was hardly anything vegetarian to choose from (which has never been a problem at an Indian buffet before), the spinach curry was actually just bland creamed (and somewhat sour) spinach, the yogurt sauce was extremely sour as if it had been sitting out too long, and all I could taste in the mint sauce was lemon juice, for some odd reason. Neither the naan nor the desserts were remotely fresh either, of course. Hours later, I kept tasting this meal which wasn't such a great thing. I can honestly say it was the worst Indian buffet I've ever had. And on top of all that, my friend and I were there not 15 minutes after the buffet was over when a guy who worked there briskly told us which door to use in order to exit. Instead of kindly and politely informing us that they were now closed, he resorted to rude, passive-aggressive behavior. Don't think I'll be going back there any time soon.
(1)
G K.
I asked for extra hot and it was extra hot!!! It's hard to find places that will make it hot enough and they do!!! Their deliver drive was real nice too and come to my door at my apt beside just calling asking for me to meet him outside.
(5)
Annette R.
We've gotten delivery from India Express a bunch of time and have eaten in once. The delivery has always been quick, the food hot and PLENTIFUL. Eating there is just as nice, the service is fantastic (the owner and his wife) and the food is, as always, fantastic. Our top dishes anre the Saag Paneer and the Veggie Korma, both really delicious. I cannot really get behind their meat samosas though as the meat has always seemed a bit over cooked to me. The Lamb stuffed naan, however, is a winner.
(5)
David S.
How do you know you can trust me on this one? Well, I'm the mayor of India Express on FourSquare ;-) This is one of my favorite lunch spots - they've got a great buffet for 8 or 9 dollars. It's rarely crowded, so you never wait for a table or see any empty pans along the serving line. I've never had anything here but the buffet, but judging by the food I've sampled from there, I'd say you'll be happy with whatever you order.
(4)
Idan S.
Wow! A lot of people seem to dislike this place! I'm a huge fan of Indian food, but being that this is Colorado I don't expect much. I've never been there for dinner, but when I used to work in the area, I used to go there for lunch every now-and-again - their buffet is always great! All you suckers who order expensive items for dinner are missing out on their all-you-can-eat great selection. I think that as far as Denver goes this place is probably one of the better Indian restaurants out there (buffet only).
(4)
Bedri G.
I ordered from Indian Express couple times. In general the food was alright. This time as soon as I put the spoon in the delivery container I knew it was going to be bad. The food was watery with out any flavor. The chicken madras was chicken pieces with tomato sauce, no spices or any kind of seasoning. Same goes for the chicken tikka masalla. I will no longer order from them. I paid $35 including tip for Madras that I could not eat and tikka masalla that I eat a little. I do not expect good Indian in Denver but really this was really bad food.
(1)
Jennifer W.
India Express doesn't even deserve 1 star, but in order to express my distaste with them I have to give them one. We've eaten here a couple of times, usually out of desperation for Indian food on the cheap, and it's never been good but this last experience has ended our visits to them. On a Friday night at 5.45pm we stopped in and placed a take-out order and then started waiting, I'll mention that there was only 1 family in the restaurant, and they finished & left, and we kept waiting, finally about 20+ minutes later we took our order home with us. We got home unpacked the bag and saw that there was not any rice with our order, we thought it might have been mixed in with the main dish, it wasn't so we called the restaurant & explained what happened. The person on the other end of the phone appeared to acknowledge that yes they forgot our rice and they would send someone out to deliver it. 40 minutes later I called the restaurant again to ask about the rice and the person on the phone said "mam we gave you the rice in the beginning I'm just being nice sending out more". I couldn't believe he was now telling me that he was just being nice & that we'd already received our rice! Who calls a restaurant and waits 40 minutes for rice! I made it very clear to him that I had not received any, that he was mistaken and then he said "Well it's your fault for not catching the problem before you left"....that's funny, if I pay someone for a service it's not my job to make sure they did their job correctly. I told the guy I wanted a refund that we now had cold food siting on our table waiting to be eaten & the clueless man said "no, it's not cold, I made it fresh"....obviously not understanding that it was cold NOW after waiting for rice for ages. On that note, we finally ate the naan bread and it was chewy and awful, the chicken tikka was so dry and the beloved rice was the funkiest basmati rice I've ever had, so in short we don't have to worry about being disappointed by them again as we'll never be patronizing them and will be letting friends, neighbors & family about our experience!
This place is terrible. Even if the decor is ok, the food and service are atrocious. We went because we had a buy-one-get-one free deal from the Entertainment book. It didn't make a difference because the waitress didn't actully give us the full deal. Instead, she just deducted $10 from the bill after tax even though the book said the value of the free meal was up to $15 and we ordered two dishes that were $11 and $13 each. We sat down at a table that still had rice on it from a previous dinner and started out with one Diet Coke and two bowls of mulligitawny soup. The soup was more like dal and included chicken. It was blazing hot to the point of being inedible for quite a while. The waitress did bring pappadums, too, but the sauces she brought with them were in horribly dirty containers. I ordered mushroom lamb while my boyfriend ordered chicken tikka masala. Right before the main course arrived, a different waiter told me that they didn't have any mushrooms in stock; so, I asked that I get the same dish with the remaining vegetables listed inlcuding onions and peas. Shortly after that conversation, my lamb in sauce with no vegetables except for a tomato garnish arrived. When my boyfriend started to eat his dish, he realized that instead of chicken he got beef, though the waiter claimed it was lamb. In any case, it was the wrong meat and my lamb and my boyfriend's "lamb" weren't the same. Though the waiter offered to have the cooks remake the chicken dish, we opted to forgo waiting again, especially since we didn't expect much better food the second time around. When we got our check we had to remind the waitiress to include the discount; so, for two soups listed at $3.50 each, two meat dishes at a total of $24, and a Diet Coke, with $10 off discount (even though it was incorrect), we paid about $27 before the tip. All I can think is that Diet Coke is really expensive here, too--it must be about $5 for a soda. I will never go back to this place, and based on the lack of customers while we were there, not many other people are returning either.
(1)
Shannon W.
This pains me to say, but just go on over to Little India's. Which in this town is WAY, WAY overrated, but it's not much more expensive and it is, actually, tastier than India express. I have ordered takeout from and eaten in at both restaurants (only the downtown LI delivers, FWIW), several times. Sigh. I really don't want to discourage whatever family owns/operates this restaurant, they are nice. But I really cannot justify spending any more money here. This is sad to me. I wishwishwish this dinky little place were more flavorful. They're missing *something* in the flavor profile... including perhaps real basmati rice? I mean, it looks like basmati, but it doesn't smell or taste like it. And they definitely don't add a few aromatics to the cooking process like most other places. It's just disappointing. Delivery takes a year and a half, and there's always something missing (tonight it was plain naan). Oh, and I branched out and tried the cheese & garlic naan - cannot believe anything with cheese and garlic could be considered gross, but this proves me wrong. It's stuffed with oily, cheap yellow cheddar. Is it so wrong of me to expect paneer? On the plus side, the raita has improved marginally. They put some more carrots and stuff in there, where in the past it was pretty much just watery yogurt. Sorry, India Express. It's best for us to break up for good.
(2)
Greg K.
OK, so this is an update on a review made by a Denver-new-ite that has not experienced enough. Unfortunately this place still kinda sucks; as is evident by the large "under new management" signs all over the place (BTW not true, met the same owner there last week). If you're into their shtick you may be happy, but they literally have changed nothing in the past year. The chicken is still "mystery chicken" and the only dish I can recommend is the pindi chole. Unfortunately, they still ration the naan during the buffet, which is a no-no for me (most calories per minute type buffet man) Do yourself a favor and drive down Colorado (south) and hit up Royal India on the left, much better.
(2)
Nick M.
I've been a few times over the past year, despite some negative reviews, primarily because of convenience and familiarity with the neighborhood. My visit today was outstanding. The most flavorful Indian food I've had in a while. The ingredients seemed especially fresh, the flavors vibrant and distinct - not buried in creamy sauces. They'd get my $9 again before any other I've tried in Denver.
(4)
James S.
Don't waste your time. I placed an order for delivery and after an hour and a half of waiting still didn't receive my food. I called 45 minutes after ordering and was told it wild be here "any minute now". I called back a half hour later and the guy yelled at me and treated me like dirt. If I was starving to death I wouldn't give this place my money.
(1)
Walter P.
Recommend Lamb Biryani Hot. All others compromise. This is the only desi restaurant in Denver worth coming to. Wifi is an added bonus.
(5)
Veronica B.
This place isn't terrible, I've just had better. I went here for lunch yesterday and the interior is very nice, very clean and inviting. The naan was awesome! It came out hot in a basket to the table. I also enjoyed the lentil dishes and the veggie samosa. The aloo pakora had a really weird taste to the batter. Not anything I've tasted before. And the lamb was just ok. The server however was awesome. He was the only one working front of house, seating people, serving people, bringing naan and drinks, and also the cashier. He was super busy for a lunch crowd but handled it all very well. I tipped him well. Not sure if I'd come back here again but I'm glad I gave it a try.
(2)
Catherine P.
THIS PLACE SUCKS. I just ordered two entrees and some naan for $30. When I got it there was hardly any food. It honestly looked like we got someone's leftovers in a take home box. The food tastes pretty good but its definitely not worth the money when you only get about 3 bites per entree. I'm definitely not ordering from here again.
(1)
Mike M.
I'm a sucker for Indian lunch buffet and India express has the best one that I have found in the area. Friendly service, and ownership and employees that care.
(5)
Mark S.
Things to know about Indian Express: 1. A large restaurant, but do not let that fool you, only get take out 2. Food is average at best. Cost is same as other Indian restauarants. 3. Service is average to low. Our waiter (20 year old) was talking on the phone as he was taking our order! 4. The only saving grace of Indian Express is the Mango Ice Cream. Homemade and VERY TASTY.
(1)
Tessa K.
A ton of food for the same price as better quality restaurants. Saag paneer tasted lie the spinach was canned with hardly any cheese. Dahl was good, vegetable curry was decent. Tandoori chicken was okay. Naan was a disappointment.
(2)
Kady T.
I would not go to this establishment.
(2)
Morgen O.
Went there today as I saw their buffet sign out side (all you can eat $7.95) and Indian food sounded good to me. Went in asked if I could get my food in a To-Go box so I could go eat at home as I live close by. *** Warning- if you get a To-Go box they charge $5.99/pound- my bill was $11.75 (much higher than the all you can eat price?!?!) I'm pretty basic when it comes to Indian food. I went for the Chicken Tikka Masala, Rice (2 diff kinds), saag paneer, their yogurt sauce (raita) and naan. Not sure how they managed to make chicken boiled in water & seasonings dry but OMG was it awful and the sauce was bland, could hardly taste the curry?!? The saag paneer was a bit oily and had no cheese in it. The naan was doughy. Very disappointing meal overall. I would not eat here again nor recommend it to anyone. Thumbs down!
(1)
Trista R.
Ugh--the worst Indian food I've ever had! Seriously, I would stay away. I just ordered chicken tikka masala, saag paneer, and veggie pakora for dinner. The chcken was extremely chewy and the curry bland, the veggie pakora was way overfried, and the chutney was really sour and awful. However, this was awesome compared to the big hair I had wrapped around my tongue after my first bite of the baby food saag paneer. I will never, never eat food from this restaurant again. Next time, I'll brave the icy roads and drive to Little India.
(1)
Kate C.
Ordered delivery again, waited 90 minutes, had to give driver instructions over phone, food was cold. Normally there is a different delivery driver who is really nice but this was some guy I'd never seen before. I called to complain that I had to heat up my order and the wait was twice as long as expected and they removed one entree off my order. That was nice. The duck masala is better than their chicken masala--it is a menu specialty. Noor Jahan was realllyyyy delicious! Always sub par naan, though. Really doughy, like it's undercooked--just meh. Though the Alu Pratha naan has been their best in my opinion.
(3)
Maggie T.
Meh. This place is near where I live, and I really wish it would be better. I'm not sure if I'll return. I might order their delivery if I were feeling lazy, but that's it. We went there a few nights ago. The place was practically empty, with one family eating. A guy sat us, gave us menus, and told us he'd send the server over. We sat for a long time, probably over 10 minutes. Finally, a waitress showed up with water and didn't even say hello or anything, she just said "are you ready to order?" A real charmer, that one. And that's how it was the whole time. My boyfriend got a coke and I got a diet. He hot his coke in a regular pint glass and I got mine in a small cocktail glass sort of thing. I don't know if this was supposed to be the lady portion or what, but that was annoying. I have to agree with others on here that the free appetizer is disappointing and I suspect unsanitary. It really looks like they give the same sauces to one table after another. The containers are huge compared to the meager portion of papadan, and when the waitress cleared ours I saw her set it aside up on the counter, rather than taking it away with the dirty plates. I don't want to eat something other people have dipped their chips in, could have coughed/sneezed on, or let their kids put their boogery fingers in. No way. I'm sure it's a health code violation. Not to mention the sauces aren't even good. We had the "Momo" appetizer, which doesn't strike me as a traditional Indian food, but rather bears a strong resemblance to frozen potstickers. But, whatever they were, they were pretty good. The naan was also quite delicious. I had the chicken tikka masala, the boyfriend had another chicken dish. They were ok, but not great. The waitress had warned us against getting them spicy, but we did anyway, and they weren't that spicy at all. The rice portion is laughably small, so we both had to get a second one, which I assume we were charged for. Indian food tends to be a little expensive, but I usually justify it by telling myself I'll have leftovers to take home. Not so with the portion size here. I like to support neighborhood small businesses. If this is a family-owned place, I'd rather it be there than a Qdoba or something. But they need to show a little more respect to their customers. Recycled appetizers, rude, slow service, and dinky portions kind of suggest that they don't really care about the customer's experience. Get your act together, India Express!
(2)
Sasha S.
I am a person of Northern European descent (translation- white skin, light eyes, sadly you know the pasty look I'm talkin about). Well friends, I ate so much take out from India Express when I was pregnant, I thought there was a pretty good chance I would give birth to an Indian baby. Fast forward 2.5 years... I still enjoy the food here and love the the owners who are amazingly friendly. Our favorites here are the chicken or lamb saag, chicken tikka, and their biryanis. We always order the garlic naan (pregnat chics may want an extra order) and the raita. For a strip mall on CO Blvd. India Express is a nice surprise. They do deliver- if you are into that.
(4)
Carlos O.
Descent Indian food that delivers! Probably wouldn't eat in as they're not the best in town but they're not expensive and if you want to stay in and have Indian food they deliver quickly!
(3)
Morgan N.
I've read the other reviews and I'm not a believer. India Express still gets my vote. It's not as much of a killer curry house as say, India's on Tamarac, but the buffet is waaaaay better. Most Indian buffets are dry and dull; this place uses decent meat, good spices, and keeps everything fresh and appealing. On that basis, I went to have dinner there last night and was rewarded with a deliciously spicy chicken madras. First off, my friend and I came in after our post-work workout, so it was close to closing time. No one else was there. They still politely seated us, answered our questions, and served us with pride. (Could've been a little better in the last few minutes, but my friend was also being ridiculously slooooooow and it was well after closing by then.) They also offered to make us things that were clearly shut down--aka beverages they had obviously stopped stocking at that point in the night. The waitress tried to give us the usual Indian food disclaimer when we asked for "extra spicy," but we stuck to our guns. The result was worth it! I didn't totally sob/blow my nose through all of dinner but I came close. The madras was, as it should be, burning hot. I could be wrong, but it also seems healthier than most Indian food (tomato-based?) and so I didn't feel guilty eating it. The onion stuffed naan is fantastic also. Bottom line: I would eat there, but I would do so in person since they sound like delivery is not their strength; also if you like hot food, emphasize in staggeringly obvious terms like "I eat Chinese bull sauce and raw eggs on my cereal i.e. I can handle your spice" how hot you like your food...otherwise they, like all foreign restaurants will assume that you, Whitey, have no idea how spicey you like and you will get an obligatory medium at best.
(4)
Rebecca L.
Loved the chicken vindaloo and the samosa.
(4)
Jason S.
Been here many times. Always great service and very good food. No, it does not have the atmosphere of Bombay Clay oven, or the crowds at Little India, but have you tried their shrimp? Yes, their shrimp has a unique, smokey flavor I have never found before. Give this place a try, it is worth it.
(5)
Gina P.
Just go to Little India. Trust me. I wanted to like this place but found the food to be average and the service to be below average. Walked in and ordered a take-out order - was told 10 minutes. Somehow despite ordering in person and me sitting on their front porch they managed to forget my order. After 20 mins I went in and they had to ask me what my order was again and rush to get it cooked. 30 mins later I had my take out with no apology for the inconvenience. The food was okay..the sauce was thinner than I'm used to but flavor okay. Chicken tasted bland - almost like they cook the chicken separately and just toss it in the sauce. Naan was good. I wouldn't go back...there are just better options in town.
(2)
Mack N.
This looks like a non-descript strip mall takeout joint but the food is actually quite tasty and the service is friendly. The owner seems to smile perpetually, and they are borderline obsequious about refilling your water, bringing another bottle of Taj, etc. I have enjoyed every dish I have ordered from this place. The portions are large and they will bring additional rice but you have to ask. My friend Dale Nixon is a monster of a man and we can't figure out why. Maybe it's all the India Express he eats? He looks like a puffed-up Rulon Gardner and drives around in an old Econoline with a Viking airbrushed on the side. To be honest (since I know he'll never read this as he doesn't know about the interwebs,) he looks like the guy who played "Gluttony" in "Seven." His daddy was a taconite miner in the Minnesota northwoods and makes Steve Buscemi look like Lou Ferrigno. His momma taught charm school and had a gimped hand and a spidery eye. He can crack spark plugs with his fingers. Nobody knows where he got it from. I told him if he got on a TV strongman competiton his kids would be wearing gold-plated diapers.
(4)
R P.
I have ordered food from India Express several times for delivery. The food is decent and edible, but not super, super amazing. Just decent Indian food. The delivery time is average. Normally I would give them three stars. However today I placed an order through the online system. After an hour and a half and two calls about where my food was, I called them again and asked for a refund. They informed me that they had no power to refund the money because the website is through a third party (bull!). I would give them negative stars if I could. The "manager" PROMISES that he'll make it right in the future--without asking my name or providing any kind of coupon or contact info. Great business model there.
(1)
Muriel P.
we are having take out every thursday night there. Lamb saag, chicken tika, roti. They never recognize me (or don't seem to), but anyway. Roti is usually overcooked (for my taste) but i always stick to it. Hesitating between 3 and 4, but put 4 because it is so convenient, to have a fairly good indian restaurant closeby. We are moving to lakewood and i am going to miss this so much
(4)
N N.
This place is awful. the food is terrible, less said the better. The only good thing was you can order online and the food arrives quickly( possibly because no one else wants to eat it). Should close this place down ASAP. HORRIBLE!!!
(1)
Melyssa W.
I have had my fair share of good and bad Indian food, here it is just okay. It will do in a pinch, but I found it kinda pricey in comparison. The menu was a little unclear and our waitress couldn't seem to explain most of it to us. While I appreciate the authenticity of the food, I also appreciate someone I can communicate with about that food.
(2)
Albert H.
I've had problems here with service, delays in getting the food, and the overall food quality is just plain average. I've tried several times and it's just not working out. Too bad, because it is a great location and I have family nearby.
(1)
Ben W.
Went their Thursday, food was amazing and they always have a few dishes different each time. Such an awesome place!
(5)
Modchen M.
the good: - the location is convenient, unlike most other indian restaurants. i love indian, but i'm not going to go all the way out to BFE suburbia to get it -- so it's either this or little india. - friendly, earnest staff. - where else can you get lunch-buffet takeout for 6$ the pound? - excellent naan. really. the bad: - there's not really anything i'd characterize as 'bad' here. however... the Ineffably Meh: - the food is a bit like the indian equivalent of Panda Express. it isn't that it's *bad* food: it's just cheap and bland. the tandoori chicken is a bit on the tough side, and not at all flavorful. saag dishes slouch disaffectedly in their container, as if they've been there for several days already and are quite over it. there are no lamb dishes; i didn't even see any kormas - perhaps i'll try the mysterious 'butter chicken" next time: that may be some kind of watered-down korma. in short, large quantities of the most inexpensive quasi-indian dishes, prepared as inexpensively as possible, in order to garner the largest possible profit. which is, i suppose, the whole point of a buffet, from the restauranteur's POV.
(3)
Matthew F.
Great food and ambience. I would definitely recommend the buffet.
(5)
Jason d.
I stopped in to India Express to grab a quick samosa to go while doing some errands early this afternoon. Things I found disheartening about my experience: 1) It took nearly 20 minutes to get my samosa to go. 2) ...even though the restaurant was empty (at around 2pm on a Thursday afternoon). 3) As I sat waiting, I noticed a posting from the City of Denver citing the restaurant FIVE TIMES in 2008 for failing to observe good hygenic practices. Feeling brave, I ate my samosas in the car as I drove away. ...I'm still alive a few hours later. (They were reasonably tasty, for what its worth.)
(2)
Alx N.
I've ordered delivery from here a few times. While I'm no expert on Indian food, I really like what I've ordered each time. Nothing super spectacular but still good, quick and cheap.
(4)
Dustin F.
This place does not look like anything fancy from the outside. However, I think I've tried every Indian restaurant in Denver and this place is one of the best for the value you receive. The service is friendly, the prices are very reasonable and the food is awesome. I recommend trying the lunch buffet as well, which has a great selection of entrees and desserts.
(5)
Laura N.
My hubby and I hit this buffet with our 4-year-old twin girls. The food was okay. The naan was especially good, at least, as far as the little girls were concerned. I would have given this place one more star if the food had been HOT! There were two steam tables, and only one of them contained chafing dishes billowing with steam. The other one seemed to be turned down or off, as the dishes inside (the rice, chicken curry, and other standbys) were room temperature when I put them on my plate, and ice cold after being blasted by the giant AC vent above our table for a moment or two. I hate cold food! When we were there (about 12:15 on a Monday) there were only a couple of other people inside the restaurant. Within a half an hour or so, I guess they hit their "rush" and we saw 3 or 4 more couples at the tables around us. Not packed by any means. Still, we had to wait awhile for drinks, and extra napkins. No biggie. For seven bucks, it was a nice change from our usual lunch fare. Give it a try - hopefully they'll have plugged the steam table back in!
(2)
Jim R.
Really good Indian delivery if you are in the Congress Park, Mayfair, or Hilltop neighborhoods.
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No 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.
Sarah A.
If you never had indian food before, stop it right here, go to another restaurant. I ordered online, my order came in late and incomplete. An hour later they brought the incomplete items. They brought me the masala sauce without the rice. They brought me 2 extra orderers of samosa because they didn't have the momo instead of refunding my money or even asking me if I wanted a replacement. The Gulab jamun was burned, and the syrup is like glue, I couldn't even bring myself to try it. I spent $37.38 for nothing. Its horrible food, STAY AWAY
(1)Lauren B.
We bought a groupon for India Express and finally ended up using it. Honestly, it was a bit of a disappointment. We arrived around 1:30 in the afternoon and the restaurant was fairly empty. My husband and I each got the lunch buffet, as it seemed like the easiest/fastest option. There wasn't a ton to choose from, and most of it was very poor quality. The server was nice, but absent most of our time there. Bottom line: you can get far better Indian food at other restaurants.
(3)Andrea H.
Purchased a Groupon but could not use it on the lunch buffet. Not mentioned in the fine print. We were the 1st customers of the day. Service was odd. Had to get up and ask for menus. Flies were ALL over this place and annoyed us through our entire meal. They need to do something about that. The food was great but even their medium is hot. We were both sweating. The guy next to us had a dead fly in his water. Yikes. If it wasn't for the flies I would have given it 4 stars.
(2)Samantha G.
Do not bother. It's really bad. I should have read more reviews before ordering delivery, but I was hungry and they were close. Totally flavorless. The chicken makhani was pink... It looked like puréed raw meat. I could actually taste the food coloring. Sag paneer was pale and thin and soupy. I'll say the samosas were ok... But the chutneys were not. The kheer was actually pretty good but not good enough to make up for an otherwise awful meal. I never do this, but I called for a refund and they offered to give me a free order of saag paneer and chicken makhani. No thanks.
(1)Suzana K.
Being new to the Denver area, i was very excited to find an Indian restaurant that would deliver to my work. I told the ladies in my office lunch was on me today and we placed an order Via Grub Hub. The Service was fast i will give them that. The food was here hot and fresh in 50 minutes. We ordered Coconut chicken, Chicken Curry, and Chicken Tiki Masala. Everything was perfect and smelled so good until i opened my Chicken Tiki Masala. The "tomato cream" base was more like soup. I always order the same item as it is my favorite. I understand different places will cook it differently. Never have i eaten a Masala that was more like a water base then tomato. I called the restaurant 3 times with no answer so i turned to Grubhub to correct this mistake. Initially the representative was told that i would receive a replacement Chicken tiki masala and they would ensure that they thickened the sauce. 1 hour goes by and i am sitting here waiting to eat lunch while the other ladies have finished. I call again and this is what really gets me. GrubHub stated that the Manager at this restaurant said, " everybody loves our masala and we actually decided that we will not send another. If they don't like it, don't eat it." "Why didn't you call us or the customer and let us know?" " I am busy, goodbye." Hung up on the Grubhub Rep. WOW~! I work in customer service and if i ever treated a customer like that i would be terminated immediately. The fact that they are too busy to even pick up a phone and call, shows the lack of any respect for their customers. I am pretty sure they just added chicken to the tomato soup on their menu and sent it out. They must not have any Chicken Tiki Masala Made which is why they wont fix the mistake. Grubhub gets the credit here for at least refunding me my portion of the lunch. I will NOT be ordering from here again and i will NOT recommend them. Maybe its good for a quick lunch if you don't care what your eating, but if you have a preference, be prepared to be disappointed.
(1)Alissa R.
This place has a bad rap, and I am not sure why. Seriously. They have a great all-you-can-eat lunch buffet, that is only $9, and they have two for one select beers all day. And get this, you can fill up a pretty hefty to-go container with your hearts desire for the same price as the sit down buffet. There is definitely some love in the food, and I want more and more of it. I cannot speak of the takeout/delivery and probably never will, because the buffet is not only the most affordable, but has a great variety of items to choose from. We went for late lunch, the lunch buffet runs until 3pm, so we were just 2 of 5 customers. The service was just fine, very laid back but prompt. Just buy the Groupon already and give this place a lunch of a chance.
(4)Masum M.
Disgusting. Worst Indian food I've ever eaten and they couldn't care less. Inedible. Literally every single thing. Horrendous. At this point a win out of this experience is if i don't get food poisoning and die. For the love of food and India please go bankrupt. Shameful.
(1)Nickerbacher N.
You will enter into a smokey haze and you will leave with your clothes reeking of a smokey Indian food smell. With less than half the available capacity, it took 10 minutes just to order and about 20 minutes to get our meal. This place is not consistent at all. Neither is the food output. Ask for mild, get hot. Ask for hot, get medium. Instead of telling you that they are out of something, they just randomly replace it for you. Too bad if that's not what you wanted. Sometimes things are overcooked, and sometimes under. Sometimes the Samosas are the best I've ever had and other times it's like it was taken out of a box and microwaved. Sometimes the servers are very attentive and sometimes its 20 minutes without a water refill. They have a 2 for 1 beer sign at each table with 6 beer options listed, BUT they only ever have 2 of the 6 beer on hand. A huge complaint is that the curtains in the front windows smell horrible (much like what you will smell like upon leaving). The curtains also have dirt and old food stains on them. I have had a few good meals here but the consistency is a huge problem. I cannot trust that it will be a good experience for me to return. Management, PLEASE take those curtains down! I will not return until I can see that the curtains have been removed.
(1)Hannah Y.
This place was pretty good! We had a groupon here and had to use it. After reading some of the reviews, I was concerned and dreading using our groupon. I was pleasantly surprised! The Saag Paneer was really good! We ordered it medium and it was spicy! The paneer was a little dry but I still enjoyed it. The tandoori chicken was good but a little dry. I'm not sure if I'd eat there again but that's only because it isn't convenient to my location.
(3)Chris L.
I'm always on the road throughout town, but when I'm near 8th and Colorado I always stop at the Indian Express for the buffet lunch. Very authentic. The flat bread is exceptional and the chicken masala is off the charts. I don't usually eat much, but when I leave there I am wholey satisfied.
(4)Chris T.
Great food. Tasty and better than other Indian restaurant. Just love it. Will go again. Pretty nice and clean dishes. Will go back there again !!!
(5)Chris Y.
Probably the worst Indian food I have ever eaten. Other comments capture it all. Bland, watered down, stale. Naan was decent, tandoori chicken tolerable. Everything else was terrible. The guy working there was nice though, makes me sad to give it such a bad review.
(2)Prad N.
Worst ever indian food I had. Food that they are serving is not indian! Never going back there again. I ordered for tandoori chicken and I all I got was onions with chicken painted in pink. Lots of artificial color in it. It was totally bland and tasteless.
(1)M L.
This review is based on the buffet: I broke rule #1 by not checking Yelp in advance of walking in here. However, I was hungry and took a chance. The whole premise of Indian food is to enjoy the multiple explosion of flavoring and spices beginning with the letter C...Curry, cumin, Coriander, Cardamom, etc. Well, the chef must of bypassed every ingredient because every dish was bland, watery, and flavorless. It was like eating frozen entree passed the expiration date. The bread came out of the kitchen served cold, Beef curry = water soup, and the Raita dressing tasted like Ranch. Fortunately, the buffet was only $10 so it wasn't a huge financial loss. What was good you ask ? The owner (older male) was very nice and the Samosa was mostly edible.
(1)Aisha R.
I'm not really sure why the reviews for this restaurant are so bad. My husband and I went tonight and we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner. Husband had the chicken tikka masala ($12.99) and I had the shrimp karahi ($13.99). The chicken tikka masala was creamy and delicious. The shrimp karahi had large shrimp and fresh onions, peppers and tomatoes. The customer service was stellar. We actually had an expired LivingSocial deal and the manager was willing to work with us to still redeem it. Again, I'm not really sure why the reviews were so bad, but we'll be back!
(5)Joe D.
My verdict is still out on this one. It's the closest Indian place to my house so I ordered some Samosa to take home after a shopping trip to Trader Joe's at 8pm on a Sunday. I know this isn't prime time, but essentially the staff ignored me after getting a beer and I waited or 25 minutes without getting my order while the staff was chit-chatting with friends who came in. Granted, I was the only person in there (did that actually mean something?) I don't think if you have orders out there that it would take that long. Scenario 1: If their samosas are pre-made, that's 5 mins fried or 12-15 mins baked. Scenario 2: If fresh, it shouldn't have taken more than 10 minutes. I typically don't write a less than average review after one trip, but the service experience was absolutely terrible. I'd be more than happy to write something better if I saw that this same situation didn't happen into the latter hours of their service - my experience is that's when things get less-than-desirable.
(2)Tracy B.
I was a little apprehensive going here after seeing these reviews, but I was happily surprised with how delicious the food was! My boyfriend had the spicy chicken curry and I got the coconut fish curry. Both dishes were spicy and flavorful. The service was also excellent. We were seated immediately and given extra rice to take home with us. Overall an awesome experience! We'll be back!
(5)Laura G.
This place has great food, but the service can be a bit poor. I usually stick to the buffet, which has lots of good vegetarian options. Honestly I think most people do the buffet, which is probably why the service seems poor if you are ordering off the menu. The food is delicious, particularly their Samosas and carrot pudding. OMG their carrot pudding is to die for!
(4)Pixie M.
Office used their online ordering to have lunch brought in for 7 of us...and the "shared" cart option was awesome that each knew how much we owed with tax included. Service was quick and all the orders were hot and correct. The food? Of course we all tried either other's dishes and everything was delicious. My combo biryani was "medium" spiced.....wozwa, it was spicy but delicious. This will definitely be a place that we order from again at the office!
(3)Hanh P.
What do you expect when a restaurant is called India Express? We took take out and we were so severely disappointed with the saag and masala. I was eating with 2 other people and we all thought it was no good, very bland, no good flavors. We ordered naan and it took FOREVER to come out. I am not sure why they did that to us. We came in at lunch and ordered to go from the buffet... there was no naan available, we had to order it on the side for extra money AND it took forever. What a horrible establishment.
(2)Danielle J.
To echo a few yelpers below, I have been ordering from this place for over a year and have very sadly watched it decline. I used to enjoy it b/c I could have it delivered in a relatively quick manner & it was great. I go simple with the Chicken Tiki Masala, which was up there with Little India's, but now it is blah. The saag used to be flavorful but in the two recent times I ordered it, once it was slightly orange (a new experience for sure) to the last time it was almost completely white, thin as water, and without flavor, which stinks b/c this was one of the few places that had nice saag that you could get as a side order. Why are they messing with the recipes? It also takes a CRAZY long time to get your food on delivery. Recently I ordered my food at 6:30, and it showed up at 8:15, even though I received delivery messages that it would be there 7:45. :(
(2)Svetlana K.
What a terrible experience! Everything I ordered was absolutely terrible, including the service. I started with maligatawny soup. It is my favorite soup-- I even make it some times. It was sooooo salty....I could not even eat a spoonful of it. One of the waiters asked me what was wrong---I told him that I only tasted salt. He took the soup away.....and that was it---did not offer to remake it or anything. Next came lamp korma---also something I get often. It was super spicy-- even though I ordered mild. Brought tears to my eyes and burnt my tongue...but it was not the worst part--- I could not chew or cut through the lamb...and I tried.....nope....the meat was so old, it would not budge.....and the last item to arrive was , strangely, garlic naan.....I don't know what makes naan be both piping hot and soggy at the same time.....but it was....I paid my bill and left. Never again. Btw...the waitress never bothered to check on me....and the guy who took away my soup never came back. Skip this place.
(1)Millete B.
Gave it a second chance and that'll be the last. ... Burnt naan, uncooked coconut, rice appeared dirty like it was a compilation of leftovers. AND overpriced!
(2)K B.
Perhaps if we hadn't ordered delivery and had dined in, the food would have tasted better, BUT...yuck! The meat samosas were terrible, as were the pakoras. The vegetable samosas were tasty but rock hard. The Dal Tadka was good. So were the mango lassi's.
(1)Tirzah S.
Not awful but 100% disappointing lunch buffet. Decent selection everything looked fresh and well layed out, the restaurant was clean and service was alright. It was the flavors, I've never had Indian food that was bland before. Each dish was super muted and just not very good. Really disappointing start to finish.
(2)Tanner P.
I wont be back until their is a new manager and maybe a new owner. Once, my partner and I walked in during normal business hours on a regular work day and they were having a private wedding event there. There was nothing posted on the door. We walked in and the manager just starred at us and said, "uhhh can I help you?? We're closed!" Total jerk. There was no sign on the door indicating there was a private event. Another time, my partner and I went there during normal business hours for their buffet. They had closed the buffet even though their website said it was still open for one more hour. Yet another time, on a different mid-day, we went to dine and they had changed their buffet hours AGAIN. The manager was literally rude to us and said, "there's a sign on the door". The funny part is that we had literally JUST called, no joke, about 10 minutes prior and we showed up BECAUSE they said their buffet was open for the next hour. The food is amazing, but honestly, I'll never go back because the SAME manager has been (to my face) condescending and rude. Like, I'm honestly amazed at how rude this guy was to two of his regular paying patrons. I believe we finally told him, "you're not the only Indian buffet in town, so we'll go somewhere else. Thanks." --This is all so weird because every time we've actually been sat to eat, they've been very kind and friendly. Great food + Piss poor customer service = loss of business.
(1)C P.
Terrible terrible terrible. Do not eat here or order to go if you can at all avoid it. The service and the food is the worst I've ever had.
(1)Geoff O.
We were worried, as the restaurant was empty on a Monday night, but we were very surprised! Great food, good service and lots of food for the price! The spice level (they asked mild/medium/hot on every dish) was just right on everything. The breads were all so fresh and they brought extra rice. Will have to come back and try it on a weekend.
(5)Gretchen S.
Couple thoughts on indian food: never eat indian for dinner unless it's a birthday or anniversary (always lunch buffet); and if i could cook indian food id be as rich as i am beautiful and intelligent! The quality of this food is slightly below average but most indian i've had in denver is pretty fracking amazing. Sooo if you have a hankering for indian food this place will do, especially for lunch. Also you can take the buffet to go $5.99/lb 11-3p Mon-Sun! Rejoice! That being said the garlic naan was dry and if i had my choice of indian this wouldnt be top 3.
(2)Kenzie G.
I usually get Indian food from little India but thought I would try a different place. The quality of food from India express pales in comparison. The samosas were too salty, the naan chewy, and the tikka masala wasn't very creamy.
(2)Mylee K.
This is one of our favorite places for a lunch date. My husband and I love their buffets. Super variety and delicious. And the service is wonderful. They are warm and friendly and attentive here.
(4)Mark O.
It pains me to write this review, as this place has been my go-to spot since I moved here at the beginning of the year. The staff has always been very friendly, but I feel like the quality of the food has deteriorated in that time frame. I was planning on going down to India's Castle, but didn't feel like fighting day-after Christmas traffic on I-25, so I went to my normal spot. I arrived at opening and nothing was ready. The guy in charge asked if I could wait and I said that would be ok. I ordered a chai. It had some kind of funky film on the top of it, as if it had been sitting out and it got microwaved or something. The chai was $2. Unlike India's Castle and Royal India, it did not get refilled. The full spread wasn't ready until 11:30 AM and I felt like a rush job had been performed. The "gravy" in the chicken curry was pure liquid. The rice tasted like it had been scorched despite it being made fresh. The naan was oily on the surface. Then, when I was rang up, I was charged full price, despite the inconvenience. I think I'll be taking a break from India Express. A side note: On two occasions, they were out of various things for the buffet (one time it was samosas and the other time it was tamarind chutney). I was told they were making more in back. I ate slowly on purpose on both occasions for these items but they never surfaced. That tells me they use frozen or premade.
(2)Stephen W.
food was cold and lamb was rock hard in the lamb tikka. uneatable. if it was eatable, the portion was maybe 5 or 6 bites and the rest was sauce and the cost of the item was over 10 dollars. delivery guy took over an hour and 45 minutes. only live 2 miles from the place. ordered during a non peak time. never eat here, little india is 10x better. they deliver food you can eat and its a decent size portion. this place is crap.
(1)Abby Q.
The food was okay but not anywhere near as good as it needed to be to justify how long we had to wait for delivery. Meh. Get Little India instead!
(2)Jessica H.
My husband and I go to India Express for Sunday lunch buffet all the time. We've been going for years. It's closer than Little India and is very delicious. Most of the time. They are not always consistent which is disappointing because they have a big menu with many delicious choices. I am vegetarian and there is always four or five items I can eat. Although consistency is not the best I still recommend trying them. When they are on, they are on. When they are off, it's a little bland but still not a bad place and for buffet you can't beat the price. The naan is always ordered once you sit down so it's always hot and the mango lassi's are fabulous! The raita is always thick with lots of carrot and cucumber too. My suggestion, if the food is awesome, tell them!!
(4)Shanti S.
They gave me chicken pakora instead of vegetable, and then told me that wasn't possible and basically that I was lying. This was a delivery, very disappointed, as I am a lifelong vegetarian and I know what I bit into and then spit out wasn't vegetarian. Never ordering from here again, thanks for telling your customers that they're lying. That's a good way to run a business.
(1)Tim K.
First of all, the restaurant is clean and bright. The menu is extensive, pages and pages of selections with a good variety of vegetarian meals. Servers are right there to take your order, but after that is when everything goes on "hold". Once our order was in, it took almost 25 minutes to arrive. A metal plate was brought out with three condiments, but we just looked at them until the main course arrived. One of the condiments was white rice, we asked if they had brown rice....and they did not. Another patron arrived after us and he seemed to get his meal right away, maybe they knew him. The food itself was satisfactory, but with the ultra slow service, the best I can give them is a 3 star minus. With so many places to choose from and nothing outstanding at India Express, I cannot recommend it.
(3)holger p.
I, too, can't understand the low ratings. We have been coming here for 2 or 3 years and it has always been excellent. The owners have always been very nice and accommodating towards our off the menu orders. By reading through the reviews it seems like take-out/delivery orders might encounter issues. We've only ordered take-out (not delivery) a couple of times and we didn't have any issues. Also, these guys also the pizza place next door so we can order pizza for the kids while eating Indian at the restaurant. BIG PLUS! Their spice scale is Indian so medium is rather spicy.
(5)jesse j.
Good food. Horrible delivery service. I'm writing this while I'm waiting for my food to get here. It's going on just over an hour and a half. The food I've had in the past is delicious. It's more than annoying to wait this long for food. I called and sat on hold for a while and then was told it'd be any minute. But that was about 20 minutes ago. I guess I'll have to just cancel my order before I die of starvation. I'd suggest you find somewhere else to get your food.
(2)David S.
We've ordered delivery from here a few times and each time it has been delicious. It's always arrived quickly, and the service is super, super friendly. We live a little outside of a lot of restaurants' delivery zones, so other places' food sometimes arrives cold, but it has never been a problem with India Express. We've haven't dined in yet, but if you want great (especially vegetarian) Indian food delivered, give it a shot.
(5)Jeffrey Y.
I used to really enjoy this place. Their take-out was easily ordered, but took a long time to arrive (an hour+ usually). Did not care for the wait (and you'll wait quite awhile if you dine in, too) They are one of few Denver Metro places with chicken makhani and usually a $1 or two cheaper. The problem is that it isn't very good anymore. The quality of the food has gotten worse with each order, and taken longer to arrive as well. Their sauces are becoming very watery, there are bits of bones and cartilage in the meat, and I picked big bay leaf sized spices out of my teeth last time I think this place will get a break from me for awhile EDIT: as I read more reviews, I'm pretty sure anything over 3 stars is a review by their staff or a friend of the place. It won't make you sick, but "ZOMG THE ABSOLUTE BEST INDIAN IN TOWN!1!!1!!" is a damn lie
(2)Meghan W.
Ordered their food for delivery. It arrived in just under an hour. The Samosas were as tough as leather and the bhaji had been fried into extinction. They were dark and hard as a rock. For my entree, I ordered the lamb korma and my boyfriend tried the chicken tikka masala. Both sauces were ok, Little India's are WAY better, and I swear that they were the exact same sauce. Anyone that knows Indian food knows that a Masala and a Korma should not look and taste exactly the same. Also, it was a full quart of sauce with only a few small chunks of meat. Mine was supposed to have nuts and raisins as well. I think I had about two nuts and three raisins in my serving. It was pretty pitiful. We tried India Express because it was a little cheaper than Little India but we won't make the same mistake again. You definitely get what you pay for.
(2)Anais M.
The food is definitely not the finest Indian food I've ever had, but it's still very decent. The staff is very nice. But be careful, if you go there for dinner, medium spicy is very spicy. To get a regular medium spice, ask for "mild plus".
(3)Megan S.
Ordered food around 6:15 this evening.. Over an hour later the delivery guy arrived with only one of our two entrees. I immediately called the restaurant and they said they would have the remaining entree to us in about 15-20 min. Again we waited over an hour before we saw the delivery driver again with the rest of our food. I've worked in the food industry for nearly half my life and spent years delivering food. 2.5 hours for a full delivery of an order to a customer blows my mind. And one would think that if it takes that long to get food to a customer, there must be a pretty intricate and complicated process for creating the dishes.....sure didn't taste like it! 2.5 hours for very sub bar indian food?... Not for me
(1)Frankie V.
I read the reviews and I wonder if the reviews are not for the afternoon buffet? I went again. I am sorry to disagree with so many people, but I like their food. I had lamb kebab in a hot sauce with stir fries onions and green peppers. The heat level was perfect, the taste was very good. My wife had chicken in a spinach cheese sauce. Incredible. We shared a side of Dal. I like the way that they cooked the Dal. Very tasty and flavorful.
(4)Kimberly D.
WAY too over priced for the quantity AND quality food. I figured I would get at least two meals out of this, but it's just enough for one meal. And the food is just mediocre... if that. Sad panda.... still hungry... I should have looked at Yelp before I even ordered! I just called and the guy was really rude to me when I told him this food was disgusting and I wanted a refund. He is making me drive it all the way back to the restaurant... for what? so you can throw it away just like I'm going to do. Well, better than wasting $17 on food I'm not going to eat.
(1)Akshay S.
Worst Indian food ever. Under cooked Dal. Rock hard samosas with no flavor opr spice. During delivery no silverware is provided and the food is all leaking. Never ever going to order from this place!!!!
(1)Aaron W.
Have to agree with Brian T. on this one. The average Indian Buffet should be a 4, making a 5 easy to get. This one unfortunately I just don't see as being worth it. I say drive a few more blocks and go to Little India on 6th if you have the time. None of the food had any spice level, and the hot sauce they offered to change that had a lot of vinegar. This is much better at Little India. The variety here was more then normal, but the Saag Paneer didn't have any Paneer Plus, they did have samosa which is rare on a buffet. They did not have a soup though, which I do prefer to start with. The chai was very good here, $2 so not cheap but ok on price. Again, overall I wouldn't tell anyone not to go here, but there are definitely better options around Denver for an Indian lunch buffet.
(3)Crys A.
I ordered delivery from India Express this very evening, upon seeing several five-star reviews. I was excited for some good food and a nice night. I'm sorry fellow Yelpers, but I don't get it? Five stars? Whaaaat? The food was so bad I literally lost it. As in, it came out of my mouth after I put it in, it was that awful. Yes, I am saying I threw up. The chicken tikka masala was dry and god-awful runny, the lamb korma had a weird after taste, the naan was unforgivably hard and the samosas and pakora were simply terrible. Jesus Crisis but it was bad. I've had great Indian food and this comes nowhere near. I am aghast at how bad it was. Maybe it was an off night? Either way, I won't be patronizing India Express again...no, not ever.
(1)Mary D.
At some point between October of 2010 and April of 2011, India Express just started sucking. The normally-consistent food got... well, gross. Watery curries, soggy and underdone bread, weird-tasting rice. We kept ordering hoping it was a fluke, but there was no improvement. We had even planed to have them cater our wedding, and ended up using Little India instead because the food had gotten so bad. Today, encouraged by the positive reviews and having moved back into the neighborhood, we ordered India Express again. It was bitterly disappointing. Samosas and mango lassi were okay, but everything else was awful--watery, underdone, and no filling in the "stuffed" naan. It was so bad that my English partner--who, needless to say, has eaten a lot of top-notch Indian food--called and returned all the food. All of it. It was that bad. We've never actually RETURNED a delivery order, or even sent something back in a restaurant. Really, if you're looking for tasty Indian noms, to to Masalaa, Indias, Jai Ho, or Little India. Just stay away from India Express.
(1)Kelsey W.
Food is mediocre and service is not much better. I ordered delivery online via Living Social. I got the non-vegetarian Thali (which is a combo plate with entree, appetizer, bread and desert). Online it says nothing about which of those (besides the entree) you'll be getting so in my order I specified which appetizer, bread and desert I wanted along with instructions for them to call me to confirm my request. I got a call 20 minutes later telling me that they had pre-picked appetizers and deserts and substitutions could not be made. Well, I said, can I change my order to something else? Or cancel it? The guy on the phone said "Uh, well I already made your order." No apologies, no offer for an alternative or refund, I just got guilted into taking it as is. Food arrived on time but wasn't all that great. I wouldn't order from here again.
(1)Ruth F.
My husband and I really enjoyed our dinner there. The coconut shrimp curry is to die for. The mango lassi is super delicious. However, without groupon, the price of the food is a bit pricey.
(5)Heather S.
Indian Express on Colorado Blvd. is one.. no wait, is my favorite place to eat Indian food. Their buffet is always wonderful and their dinner is always yummy. Chicken tikka masala is the best and I have tried many across the Denver Metro area. The owner and employees are very kind which makes this place even better!
(5)Jennifer K.
1 star taken away because the place smells too smokey! Like cigarette smoke, and I can smell it on my hair and clothes when I leave. At first I thought it was their oven but I went today and sat towards the back where I noticed it was burning incense. I don't usually hate incense but this one just stank the whole place up and nearly made my eyes water. My whole group was complaining about it when we left and several hours later. If management is reading this, PLEASE get rid of the incense. Otherwise, I love this place for their lunch buffet. Cheap price with delicious saag paneer and samosas!
(4)Lisa M.
A good selection of delicious food. Love coming here for the lunch buffet. It's very reasonable.
(4)Erich H.
If I could give this place a zero, I would gladly do it. However, Yelp won't let me. At 8:09 I placed an order for food from them, through EAT24. I got the order about an hour later (okay, not so bad for a Friday night). However, the order was missing the main course. I immediately called the place and owner says "The driver has the chicken" and hangs up. Of course, this was completely unprofessional and beyond annoying. So, I called EAT 24 (thank goodness for them, and they refunded my order) and in the mean time the owner calls back and accuses me of lying for free food. This incensed me and I told him exactly what I thought of his shoddy place. If you value good food and service. Never. Never. Never. Never. Order from this place that ought to be shut down and the owners go bankrupt. Simply awful. Do all of Denver a favor and help put this horrible place out of business!
(1)C W.
This is my regular Indian restaurant to eat at! The food is always delicious and the owner and staff are very friendly. The price for the lunch buffet and dinner is reasonable too.
(5)Charlie L.
This is my favorite Indian food in town. They have an extensive menu, including Thali plates, which are my favorite, as they are very common in India. This is the only restaurant in Denver I have been to that offers them. The vegetarian dishes are fantastic. I love the Saag Paneer and Dal Makhani. Their lunch buffet is cheap and offers a solid selection. My only complaint is the meat dishes are unpredictable. Sometimes they are amazing, and sometimes they are subpar. Also, if you order hot, be prepared for hot. The heat sometimes is crazy spice and others it is milder than I would like. It is not perfect, but it is my favorite for the great waitstaff, excellent food, and delivery option.
(4)Adrienne D.
I was disappointed by the lack of flavor in the food.
(2)Laura L.
Omgoshmmmmmmmsnoshnoshnoshnoshnosh. That was me at lunch just now. It's not often that I can give a 5-star review to a buffet (especially Indian food, which sometimes makes my tummy feel like it's in a centrifuge, as much as I love it) but I confidently declare: I heart India Express! I met with Mary Jo S today for some quality-catching-up-on-girl-time, plus trying out their lunch buffet on her recommendation. You'll notice by the gigantic sign on the front door that they are under new management (although today was my first visit, so I don't know what was illin with the old management) and that you can feast on the all-you-can-eat buffet for $7.99. Interestingly, you can get a pound of food to go from the buffet for $5.99. I'm having a hard time quantifying that in terms of takeout boxes, but it sure seems like a deal/steal. Anyhow, we got there before the noontime lunch rush but within 30 minutes it was packed, so I think that means they are on to something. This really is the most delicious Indian food I've sampled in Denver so far - the saag paneer (spinach with cheese) is my all time favorite, followed up by the curry with potatoes and peas, delish basamati rice and naan...and I'm forgetting in my post-lunch haze what else I sampled, but it was all delicious. Really good chai tea too. If you're looking for a quick, delicious, and healthier meal, you'd be remiss to pass this place up. The only downer is the parking lot - small, tight, and crowded. You're welcome!
(5)Brian T.
It's hard to really mess up an Indian Buffet. So, remember that the average for indian buffets is already higher than the average lunch place to begin with. Me saying "A-OK" on an indian buffet is almost a 4 star elsewhere. Lunch buffet + drink cost me $10.22 so not overly expensive but still not cheap. I believe India House downtown is about the same price as well. They have a good selection of various buffet items although the pakora looked a little different from what I've seen in the past. Naan is indeed rationed out during lunch, but it's not a big deal as you can always request more. The saag paneer is good and hearty. Not the best I've had, but a close second. The tandoori chicken was cut up in pieces and a light orange as opposed to every other rendition I've had which was whole chicken pieces on the bone that were colored dark red. The cheese balls and carrot pudding were great dessert items and I have no issues with coming back again with friends who are in the mood for indian and want to avoid downtown.
(3)Jennifer L.
I love India Express! It is my favorite place to eat Indian food in Denver. I have tried other places, and haven not been as impressed. I'm giving them 5 stars because I want everyone to try them, and experience how awesome they are, but I would like to echo the other review on the meat, and spice. Sometimes the meat is awesome, and you can't stop eating it :) other times it can be tough, and you may feel that the dish could have gone without. The spice is awesome, but not consistent. I like ordering medium plus - because they usually get it right. The vegetarian dishes here are always always always delicious! You will not be disappointed :) Also, try the veggie samosa's - awesome.
(5)Scott T.
Anyone who rates this place more than 1 star has never had Indian food before - this place is a joke. The meal I had tasted like it was covered in hot wing sauce, yuck. These people have no business near food.
(1)Taylor M.
The owners are friendly and helpful. The food was fabulous and the portions were enough for a second meal! We really enjoy going there.
(5)Jeremy T.
Pretty mediocre. The service is friendly, but the food doesn't taste particularly authentic. There are MUCH better options for Indian in Denver. This is more of a "Well, I'm driving by, I might as well stop and pick up dinner..." place. And it's expensive. In fact, why am I being nice at all? Expensive and mediocre? Does that sound like a good dinner to you?
(2)Heather H.
incredible!! this place puts little india (and every other indian restaurant in the metro area) to shame- very unique, flavorful recipes while still maintaining authenticity. very pleasant, helpful staff, too. our new favorite, can't wait to return!
(5)Nina D.
I ordered delivery from them on their website and it took them an hour and a half to deliver it!! BE WARNED!! On the other hand, the food is quite good. I ordered the Coconut Lamb curry, Saag Paneer, Garlic Cheese Naan, and a side of yogurt(which i thought would be thicker but it is not, more watery texture, but still good). The prices are okay for the food, it is less expensive than Little India. I don't think I would order from them again, but it was a good "i'm-to-lazy-to-cook" meal.
(3)Jeff H.
I used to really enjoy the buffet, but in the past year I've noticed the flavor has become very bland. Indian food isn't supposed to be bland. Either I smuggle my own spices or I find a new buffet. I chose the latter option
(2)Raghu K.
Too expensive and food quality is not that good.
(1)Meredith B.
I've been to India Express several times for the lunch buffet. The service is hit and miss, and is usually better when they are busy. I am a vegetarian (I also eat fish if you've read my other reviews), and I love that they always have a choice of 4 hot vegetarian dishes, as well as samosas and pakora. There is always saag on the buffet, and the other 3 veggie dishes change. Today was an excellent cauliflower dish that I would love to have again. They also sometimes have a spicy cabbage dish that is to die for! The naan is often too crispy, but it tastes okay. Although not the best Indian food I've ever had, it's usually pretty good, and for $7.99 for the lunch buffet, I will keep going back.
(3)Stephen K.
Proceeding on the assumption that a massive lightning strike (on a sunny day, no less) wasn't going to obliterate the little strip mall where I reviewed the ill-fated Tokyo San Bowl yesterday, I went next door today for lunch buffet at India Express. It is a quiet little place, with haphazard decor tossed about and mixed in together... turned-off Christmas lights adorn the walls over Indian tapestries, gold/black curtains, loaded wine racks, a painted wall map of the Europe and the Mediterranean Sea (Indian *how*, exactly?), and what appear to be 8 giant overhead "blowers" - I am not sure what purpose they serve. O_O So into the buffet we go. The low points first...the tandoori chicken was somewhat dry and tough - and is the only thing to get a 'meh' rating from me. Climbing upwards, I had some saag paneer, or creamed spinach stuff. I'm not sure what this is supposed to taste like since I don't normally grab saag when I dine Indian, but it was tasty enough, I guess. They have meatballs there in some unknown sauce which I'm sure would offend many sacred Indian cows, were they to know about this travesty. :D :D Now onto the good things. The butter chicken, which I *think* is chicken korma, was very tender and the sauce flavorful and creamy. Yums. The chicken curry was mild to moderately spiced and very tasty. Delicious!!! And the naan bread was warm, soft and buttery - I devoured 5 pieces. *Nom nom nom*! This lunch feast, all you can eat, is $7.95. That's quite good for the quality of food you get here. I've eaten at other more expensive Indian buffets and been far less impressed. They also, in a semi-unusual move, allow you to get buffet foods for take-out orders, at $6/lb. Not bad, and a nice option if you want to dine at your place or wherever. Parking semi-crowded during the lunch hour in the little lot they share with other stores, but I didn't have an issue. There is a goodly selection of wines all over, as well as beers both domestic and Indian. I have no idea if this place changes atmosphere over the dinner period or not, but I'd like to hope not. Up for lunch though? (grabs coat) Let's go. Tasty tasty. :)
(4)Lauren B.
I just tried the Vegetable Korma for the first time, I usually go for a meat option... holy smokes SO MANY VEGGIES and packed full of flavor! this is my new favorite :) nommmmmm
(5)Demetrius A.
Something I typically do not do, is read other reviews prior to writing my own after visiting a place.... I was somewhat surprised by some of the comments, but oh well.. After visiting Northern India and indulging in the food immensely, I give this place a thumbs up. The Punjab owners are quite nice and I received excellent service. The dal soup is great and the multiple dishes I have had there are pretty good as well. Aloo parantha, chicken tikka masala, naan, mango lassi were all in good standings with me. The location of this place on Colorado and 7th is a great asset as well. I hadn't tried delivery, but I think I am calling in for a meal tonight since I don't feel like cooking.
(4)Linda C.
This is a hidden gem because of its great Indian food, clean atmosphere, exceptional service -- and the MoMo appetizer (which is actually a Nepalese specialty -- and you'll not find these in most Indian Restaurants. The owner will also explain to you the similariites and differences between Indian and Nepalese cuisine, if you ask him.) The prices are fair, too. Located across from SNOOZE, this small, family owned business is a find for those who look for authenticity and a nice atmosphere.
(5)Chanh S.
Stay away from here. There are much better places to go around around this area like Royal India, my favorite. (i would give this place a one but I think some ppl could have a decent time there but I agree with the other guy, just come for the buffet or not at all.) We went around 6pm on a Friday and no one was there. We had to wait 2 mins for someone to even seat us, 10 minutes to finally order our drink, she just sat us and left for several minutes even though we were the only customers. The free appetizer came out 20 mins later and you can tell it was just left-over used sauces because you could tell someone else used it before us (gross!). It would have been better if they didn't even give us an appetizer it was so little and gross. The dinner entrees pretty much start at $13.00 so that's what me and the wife got. Food took about 40 mins just an fyi. There were several customers that came after us that waited just as long if not longer. The wife got her usual veggie dish and she seemed happy with it and I got the lamb madras. For $13, i thought it would be a huge serving with a lot of sides and rice. We got served on this huge tin tray but our actual food took up like 30% of it and we got this very tiny dish of rice. We go to Indian places a lot and this is the smallest portion we ever got of rice. Luckily, we got naan too which was actually pretty good but not great. The WORST part of the night was that they had 2for1 drinks. We asked the waitress (who is an azn girl that doesn't speak good english) if we can get that and she said yes. But when we got the check, she billed us for 2 drinks, it took a while to get her attn to inquire about that and she said it's because we got two different drinks and not the same kind. We're like, they're both on the list for the promo. She is like, you have to get the same, so she said all she got do is give us another beer each for free! We're like, then WHY didn't you give it to us SOONER then rather than after we got our check! She knew we asked for the 2for1 deal. So we downed our drinks and left and vowed to never go there again!
(2)Micah A.
Awesome food! Quick delivery, a great alternative to Chinese food or pizza when you're feeling lazy. I highly recommend if you are within their delivery range. Friendly people on the phone, and the delivery driver was also not unpleasant. I've definitely had better Indian food, but at a higher price and not delivered to our front door.
(5)S P.
Only thing that we liked there was the mango juice and the paneer masala. Didn't like the food at all. The tomato soup looked and tasted like tomato curry with all the tomato slices. The garlic naan was hard and stale. Didn't like the taste of any of the dishes. There were also few flies in the restaurant.
(1)Z M.
Just got food from delivery. paid 30 dollars and pretty much got enough food to feed a small child. In my 'chicken' meal got a total of 4 pieces of chicken. Any all-you-can-eat Indian food buffet just blew this out of the water for the pocket and the taste-buds. boo
(1)Blue S.
I went to India Express to try their lunch buffet and although I've gotten takeout there before and it was quite good, the lunch buffet was awful. There was hardly anything vegetarian to choose from (which has never been a problem at an Indian buffet before), the spinach curry was actually just bland creamed (and somewhat sour) spinach, the yogurt sauce was extremely sour as if it had been sitting out too long, and all I could taste in the mint sauce was lemon juice, for some odd reason. Neither the naan nor the desserts were remotely fresh either, of course. Hours later, I kept tasting this meal which wasn't such a great thing. I can honestly say it was the worst Indian buffet I've ever had. And on top of all that, my friend and I were there not 15 minutes after the buffet was over when a guy who worked there briskly told us which door to use in order to exit. Instead of kindly and politely informing us that they were now closed, he resorted to rude, passive-aggressive behavior. Don't think I'll be going back there any time soon.
(1)G K.
I asked for extra hot and it was extra hot!!! It's hard to find places that will make it hot enough and they do!!! Their deliver drive was real nice too and come to my door at my apt beside just calling asking for me to meet him outside.
(5)Annette R.
We've gotten delivery from India Express a bunch of time and have eaten in once. The delivery has always been quick, the food hot and PLENTIFUL. Eating there is just as nice, the service is fantastic (the owner and his wife) and the food is, as always, fantastic. Our top dishes anre the Saag Paneer and the Veggie Korma, both really delicious. I cannot really get behind their meat samosas though as the meat has always seemed a bit over cooked to me. The Lamb stuffed naan, however, is a winner.
(5)David S.
How do you know you can trust me on this one? Well, I'm the mayor of India Express on FourSquare ;-) This is one of my favorite lunch spots - they've got a great buffet for 8 or 9 dollars. It's rarely crowded, so you never wait for a table or see any empty pans along the serving line. I've never had anything here but the buffet, but judging by the food I've sampled from there, I'd say you'll be happy with whatever you order.
(4)Idan S.
Wow! A lot of people seem to dislike this place! I'm a huge fan of Indian food, but being that this is Colorado I don't expect much. I've never been there for dinner, but when I used to work in the area, I used to go there for lunch every now-and-again - their buffet is always great! All you suckers who order expensive items for dinner are missing out on their all-you-can-eat great selection. I think that as far as Denver goes this place is probably one of the better Indian restaurants out there (buffet only).
(4)Bedri G.
I ordered from Indian Express couple times. In general the food was alright. This time as soon as I put the spoon in the delivery container I knew it was going to be bad. The food was watery with out any flavor. The chicken madras was chicken pieces with tomato sauce, no spices or any kind of seasoning. Same goes for the chicken tikka masalla. I will no longer order from them. I paid $35 including tip for Madras that I could not eat and tikka masalla that I eat a little. I do not expect good Indian in Denver but really this was really bad food.
(1)Jennifer W.
India Express doesn't even deserve 1 star, but in order to express my distaste with them I have to give them one. We've eaten here a couple of times, usually out of desperation for Indian food on the cheap, and it's never been good but this last experience has ended our visits to them. On a Friday night at 5.45pm we stopped in and placed a take-out order and then started waiting, I'll mention that there was only 1 family in the restaurant, and they finished & left, and we kept waiting, finally about 20+ minutes later we took our order home with us. We got home unpacked the bag and saw that there was not any rice with our order, we thought it might have been mixed in with the main dish, it wasn't so we called the restaurant & explained what happened. The person on the other end of the phone appeared to acknowledge that yes they forgot our rice and they would send someone out to deliver it. 40 minutes later I called the restaurant again to ask about the rice and the person on the phone said "mam we gave you the rice in the beginning I'm just being nice sending out more". I couldn't believe he was now telling me that he was just being nice & that we'd already received our rice! Who calls a restaurant and waits 40 minutes for rice! I made it very clear to him that I had not received any, that he was mistaken and then he said "Well it's your fault for not catching the problem before you left"....that's funny, if I pay someone for a service it's not my job to make sure they did their job correctly. I told the guy I wanted a refund that we now had cold food siting on our table waiting to be eaten & the clueless man said "no, it's not cold, I made it fresh"....obviously not understanding that it was cold NOW after waiting for rice for ages. On that note, we finally ate the naan bread and it was chewy and awful, the chicken tikka was so dry and the beloved rice was the funkiest basmati rice I've ever had, so in short we don't have to worry about being disappointed by them again as we'll never be patronizing them and will be letting friends, neighbors & family about our experience!
(1)Karen G.
Honestly I don't even remember why we went here. I do however remember it was the day of my race. After doing a half marathon(colfax half marathon) with out really practicing which by the way i don't recommend, i was really tired!!! and went home and slept lol. so waking up i was super super hungry and we ended up here. like i said i don't remember how. I order the shrimp tikka meaning its suppose to be grilled and come on a sizzling platter. Well it was on a some what sizzling platter but was not grill. I worked at an Indian restaurant for 3 years i know how grill shrimp is suppose to look and taste. here they sautéed the shrimp dried up the oil on it but not very well and placed it on the sizzler. The mango lassi was ok, thankfully. Naan- i have had better. Regardless of the food, the service was so disappointing. I don't blame our server. I blame the restaurant. There was one server 6 tables inside and while we were there about 3 to 4 people came in to either do a take out or a pick up. It was a sunday first of all not a monday, so why would you ave only one server?? I can see the poor girl running around as a server I know how frustrating it can be but at least i now my tips will go to me not the restaurant. If u want to tip, i suggest tip her in cash and tell her its for her to keep the money, other wise it will go to the restaurant- they put the servers in a salary(and not a good one) How do i know this?? she's from Nepal which is where my boyfriend is from and thats what he was told by her after he asked her in nepali of course who was getting the tip.
(2)Liz V.
This place is terrible. Even if the decor is ok, the food and service are atrocious. We went because we had a buy-one-get-one free deal from the Entertainment book. It didn't make a difference because the waitress didn't actully give us the full deal. Instead, she just deducted $10 from the bill after tax even though the book said the value of the free meal was up to $15 and we ordered two dishes that were $11 and $13 each. We sat down at a table that still had rice on it from a previous dinner and started out with one Diet Coke and two bowls of mulligitawny soup. The soup was more like dal and included chicken. It was blazing hot to the point of being inedible for quite a while. The waitress did bring pappadums, too, but the sauces she brought with them were in horribly dirty containers. I ordered mushroom lamb while my boyfriend ordered chicken tikka masala. Right before the main course arrived, a different waiter told me that they didn't have any mushrooms in stock; so, I asked that I get the same dish with the remaining vegetables listed inlcuding onions and peas. Shortly after that conversation, my lamb in sauce with no vegetables except for a tomato garnish arrived. When my boyfriend started to eat his dish, he realized that instead of chicken he got beef, though the waiter claimed it was lamb. In any case, it was the wrong meat and my lamb and my boyfriend's "lamb" weren't the same. Though the waiter offered to have the cooks remake the chicken dish, we opted to forgo waiting again, especially since we didn't expect much better food the second time around. When we got our check we had to remind the waitiress to include the discount; so, for two soups listed at $3.50 each, two meat dishes at a total of $24, and a Diet Coke, with $10 off discount (even though it was incorrect), we paid about $27 before the tip. All I can think is that Diet Coke is really expensive here, too--it must be about $5 for a soda. I will never go back to this place, and based on the lack of customers while we were there, not many other people are returning either.
(1)Shannon W.
This pains me to say, but just go on over to Little India's. Which in this town is WAY, WAY overrated, but it's not much more expensive and it is, actually, tastier than India express. I have ordered takeout from and eaten in at both restaurants (only the downtown LI delivers, FWIW), several times. Sigh. I really don't want to discourage whatever family owns/operates this restaurant, they are nice. But I really cannot justify spending any more money here. This is sad to me. I wishwishwish this dinky little place were more flavorful. They're missing *something* in the flavor profile... including perhaps real basmati rice? I mean, it looks like basmati, but it doesn't smell or taste like it. And they definitely don't add a few aromatics to the cooking process like most other places. It's just disappointing. Delivery takes a year and a half, and there's always something missing (tonight it was plain naan). Oh, and I branched out and tried the cheese & garlic naan - cannot believe anything with cheese and garlic could be considered gross, but this proves me wrong. It's stuffed with oily, cheap yellow cheddar. Is it so wrong of me to expect paneer? On the plus side, the raita has improved marginally. They put some more carrots and stuff in there, where in the past it was pretty much just watery yogurt. Sorry, India Express. It's best for us to break up for good.
(2)Greg K.
OK, so this is an update on a review made by a Denver-new-ite that has not experienced enough. Unfortunately this place still kinda sucks; as is evident by the large "under new management" signs all over the place (BTW not true, met the same owner there last week). If you're into their shtick you may be happy, but they literally have changed nothing in the past year. The chicken is still "mystery chicken" and the only dish I can recommend is the pindi chole. Unfortunately, they still ration the naan during the buffet, which is a no-no for me (most calories per minute type buffet man) Do yourself a favor and drive down Colorado (south) and hit up Royal India on the left, much better.
(2)Nick M.
I've been a few times over the past year, despite some negative reviews, primarily because of convenience and familiarity with the neighborhood. My visit today was outstanding. The most flavorful Indian food I've had in a while. The ingredients seemed especially fresh, the flavors vibrant and distinct - not buried in creamy sauces. They'd get my $9 again before any other I've tried in Denver.
(4)James S.
Don't waste your time. I placed an order for delivery and after an hour and a half of waiting still didn't receive my food. I called 45 minutes after ordering and was told it wild be here "any minute now". I called back a half hour later and the guy yelled at me and treated me like dirt. If I was starving to death I wouldn't give this place my money.
(1)Walter P.
Recommend Lamb Biryani Hot. All others compromise. This is the only desi restaurant in Denver worth coming to. Wifi is an added bonus.
(5)Veronica B.
This place isn't terrible, I've just had better. I went here for lunch yesterday and the interior is very nice, very clean and inviting. The naan was awesome! It came out hot in a basket to the table. I also enjoyed the lentil dishes and the veggie samosa. The aloo pakora had a really weird taste to the batter. Not anything I've tasted before. And the lamb was just ok. The server however was awesome. He was the only one working front of house, seating people, serving people, bringing naan and drinks, and also the cashier. He was super busy for a lunch crowd but handled it all very well. I tipped him well. Not sure if I'd come back here again but I'm glad I gave it a try.
(2)Catherine P.
THIS PLACE SUCKS. I just ordered two entrees and some naan for $30. When I got it there was hardly any food. It honestly looked like we got someone's leftovers in a take home box. The food tastes pretty good but its definitely not worth the money when you only get about 3 bites per entree. I'm definitely not ordering from here again.
(1)Mike M.
I'm a sucker for Indian lunch buffet and India express has the best one that I have found in the area. Friendly service, and ownership and employees that care.
(5)Mark S.
Things to know about Indian Express: 1. A large restaurant, but do not let that fool you, only get take out 2. Food is average at best. Cost is same as other Indian restauarants. 3. Service is average to low. Our waiter (20 year old) was talking on the phone as he was taking our order! 4. The only saving grace of Indian Express is the Mango Ice Cream. Homemade and VERY TASTY.
(1)Tessa K.
A ton of food for the same price as better quality restaurants. Saag paneer tasted lie the spinach was canned with hardly any cheese. Dahl was good, vegetable curry was decent. Tandoori chicken was okay. Naan was a disappointment.
(2)Kady T.
I would not go to this establishment.
(2)Morgen O.
Went there today as I saw their buffet sign out side (all you can eat $7.95) and Indian food sounded good to me. Went in asked if I could get my food in a To-Go box so I could go eat at home as I live close by. *** Warning- if you get a To-Go box they charge $5.99/pound- my bill was $11.75 (much higher than the all you can eat price?!?!) I'm pretty basic when it comes to Indian food. I went for the Chicken Tikka Masala, Rice (2 diff kinds), saag paneer, their yogurt sauce (raita) and naan. Not sure how they managed to make chicken boiled in water & seasonings dry but OMG was it awful and the sauce was bland, could hardly taste the curry?!? The saag paneer was a bit oily and had no cheese in it. The naan was doughy. Very disappointing meal overall. I would not eat here again nor recommend it to anyone. Thumbs down!
(1)Trista R.
Ugh--the worst Indian food I've ever had! Seriously, I would stay away. I just ordered chicken tikka masala, saag paneer, and veggie pakora for dinner. The chcken was extremely chewy and the curry bland, the veggie pakora was way overfried, and the chutney was really sour and awful. However, this was awesome compared to the big hair I had wrapped around my tongue after my first bite of the baby food saag paneer. I will never, never eat food from this restaurant again. Next time, I'll brave the icy roads and drive to Little India.
(1)Kate C.
Ordered delivery again, waited 90 minutes, had to give driver instructions over phone, food was cold. Normally there is a different delivery driver who is really nice but this was some guy I'd never seen before. I called to complain that I had to heat up my order and the wait was twice as long as expected and they removed one entree off my order. That was nice. The duck masala is better than their chicken masala--it is a menu specialty. Noor Jahan was realllyyyy delicious! Always sub par naan, though. Really doughy, like it's undercooked--just meh. Though the Alu Pratha naan has been their best in my opinion.
(3)Maggie T.
Meh. This place is near where I live, and I really wish it would be better. I'm not sure if I'll return. I might order their delivery if I were feeling lazy, but that's it. We went there a few nights ago. The place was practically empty, with one family eating. A guy sat us, gave us menus, and told us he'd send the server over. We sat for a long time, probably over 10 minutes. Finally, a waitress showed up with water and didn't even say hello or anything, she just said "are you ready to order?" A real charmer, that one. And that's how it was the whole time. My boyfriend got a coke and I got a diet. He hot his coke in a regular pint glass and I got mine in a small cocktail glass sort of thing. I don't know if this was supposed to be the lady portion or what, but that was annoying. I have to agree with others on here that the free appetizer is disappointing and I suspect unsanitary. It really looks like they give the same sauces to one table after another. The containers are huge compared to the meager portion of papadan, and when the waitress cleared ours I saw her set it aside up on the counter, rather than taking it away with the dirty plates. I don't want to eat something other people have dipped their chips in, could have coughed/sneezed on, or let their kids put their boogery fingers in. No way. I'm sure it's a health code violation. Not to mention the sauces aren't even good. We had the "Momo" appetizer, which doesn't strike me as a traditional Indian food, but rather bears a strong resemblance to frozen potstickers. But, whatever they were, they were pretty good. The naan was also quite delicious. I had the chicken tikka masala, the boyfriend had another chicken dish. They were ok, but not great. The waitress had warned us against getting them spicy, but we did anyway, and they weren't that spicy at all. The rice portion is laughably small, so we both had to get a second one, which I assume we were charged for. Indian food tends to be a little expensive, but I usually justify it by telling myself I'll have leftovers to take home. Not so with the portion size here. I like to support neighborhood small businesses. If this is a family-owned place, I'd rather it be there than a Qdoba or something. But they need to show a little more respect to their customers. Recycled appetizers, rude, slow service, and dinky portions kind of suggest that they don't really care about the customer's experience. Get your act together, India Express!
(2)Sasha S.
I am a person of Northern European descent (translation- white skin, light eyes, sadly you know the pasty look I'm talkin about). Well friends, I ate so much take out from India Express when I was pregnant, I thought there was a pretty good chance I would give birth to an Indian baby. Fast forward 2.5 years... I still enjoy the food here and love the the owners who are amazingly friendly. Our favorites here are the chicken or lamb saag, chicken tikka, and their biryanis. We always order the garlic naan (pregnat chics may want an extra order) and the raita. For a strip mall on CO Blvd. India Express is a nice surprise. They do deliver- if you are into that.
(4)Carlos O.
Descent Indian food that delivers! Probably wouldn't eat in as they're not the best in town but they're not expensive and if you want to stay in and have Indian food they deliver quickly!
(3)Morgan N.
I've read the other reviews and I'm not a believer. India Express still gets my vote. It's not as much of a killer curry house as say, India's on Tamarac, but the buffet is waaaaay better. Most Indian buffets are dry and dull; this place uses decent meat, good spices, and keeps everything fresh and appealing. On that basis, I went to have dinner there last night and was rewarded with a deliciously spicy chicken madras. First off, my friend and I came in after our post-work workout, so it was close to closing time. No one else was there. They still politely seated us, answered our questions, and served us with pride. (Could've been a little better in the last few minutes, but my friend was also being ridiculously slooooooow and it was well after closing by then.) They also offered to make us things that were clearly shut down--aka beverages they had obviously stopped stocking at that point in the night. The waitress tried to give us the usual Indian food disclaimer when we asked for "extra spicy," but we stuck to our guns. The result was worth it! I didn't totally sob/blow my nose through all of dinner but I came close. The madras was, as it should be, burning hot. I could be wrong, but it also seems healthier than most Indian food (tomato-based?) and so I didn't feel guilty eating it. The onion stuffed naan is fantastic also. Bottom line: I would eat there, but I would do so in person since they sound like delivery is not their strength; also if you like hot food, emphasize in staggeringly obvious terms like "I eat Chinese bull sauce and raw eggs on my cereal i.e. I can handle your spice" how hot you like your food...otherwise they, like all foreign restaurants will assume that you, Whitey, have no idea how spicey you like and you will get an obligatory medium at best.
(4)Rebecca L.
Loved the chicken vindaloo and the samosa.
(4)Jason S.
Been here many times. Always great service and very good food. No, it does not have the atmosphere of Bombay Clay oven, or the crowds at Little India, but have you tried their shrimp? Yes, their shrimp has a unique, smokey flavor I have never found before. Give this place a try, it is worth it.
(5)Gina P.
Just go to Little India. Trust me. I wanted to like this place but found the food to be average and the service to be below average. Walked in and ordered a take-out order - was told 10 minutes. Somehow despite ordering in person and me sitting on their front porch they managed to forget my order. After 20 mins I went in and they had to ask me what my order was again and rush to get it cooked. 30 mins later I had my take out with no apology for the inconvenience. The food was okay..the sauce was thinner than I'm used to but flavor okay. Chicken tasted bland - almost like they cook the chicken separately and just toss it in the sauce. Naan was good. I wouldn't go back...there are just better options in town.
(2)Mack N.
This looks like a non-descript strip mall takeout joint but the food is actually quite tasty and the service is friendly. The owner seems to smile perpetually, and they are borderline obsequious about refilling your water, bringing another bottle of Taj, etc. I have enjoyed every dish I have ordered from this place. The portions are large and they will bring additional rice but you have to ask. My friend Dale Nixon is a monster of a man and we can't figure out why. Maybe it's all the India Express he eats? He looks like a puffed-up Rulon Gardner and drives around in an old Econoline with a Viking airbrushed on the side. To be honest (since I know he'll never read this as he doesn't know about the interwebs,) he looks like the guy who played "Gluttony" in "Seven." His daddy was a taconite miner in the Minnesota northwoods and makes Steve Buscemi look like Lou Ferrigno. His momma taught charm school and had a gimped hand and a spidery eye. He can crack spark plugs with his fingers. Nobody knows where he got it from. I told him if he got on a TV strongman competiton his kids would be wearing gold-plated diapers.
(4)R P.
I have ordered food from India Express several times for delivery. The food is decent and edible, but not super, super amazing. Just decent Indian food. The delivery time is average. Normally I would give them three stars. However today I placed an order through the online system. After an hour and a half and two calls about where my food was, I called them again and asked for a refund. They informed me that they had no power to refund the money because the website is through a third party (bull!). I would give them negative stars if I could. The "manager" PROMISES that he'll make it right in the future--without asking my name or providing any kind of coupon or contact info. Great business model there.
(1)Muriel P.
we are having take out every thursday night there. Lamb saag, chicken tika, roti. They never recognize me (or don't seem to), but anyway. Roti is usually overcooked (for my taste) but i always stick to it. Hesitating between 3 and 4, but put 4 because it is so convenient, to have a fairly good indian restaurant closeby. We are moving to lakewood and i am going to miss this so much
(4)N N.
This place is awful. the food is terrible, less said the better. The only good thing was you can order online and the food arrives quickly( possibly because no one else wants to eat it). Should close this place down ASAP. HORRIBLE!!!
(1)Melyssa W.
I have had my fair share of good and bad Indian food, here it is just okay. It will do in a pinch, but I found it kinda pricey in comparison. The menu was a little unclear and our waitress couldn't seem to explain most of it to us. While I appreciate the authenticity of the food, I also appreciate someone I can communicate with about that food.
(2)Albert H.
I've had problems here with service, delays in getting the food, and the overall food quality is just plain average. I've tried several times and it's just not working out. Too bad, because it is a great location and I have family nearby.
(1)Ben W.
Went their Thursday, food was amazing and they always have a few dishes different each time. Such an awesome place!
(5)Modchen M.
the good: - the location is convenient, unlike most other indian restaurants. i love indian, but i'm not going to go all the way out to BFE suburbia to get it -- so it's either this or little india. - friendly, earnest staff. - where else can you get lunch-buffet takeout for 6$ the pound? - excellent naan. really. the bad: - there's not really anything i'd characterize as 'bad' here. however... the Ineffably Meh: - the food is a bit like the indian equivalent of Panda Express. it isn't that it's *bad* food: it's just cheap and bland. the tandoori chicken is a bit on the tough side, and not at all flavorful. saag dishes slouch disaffectedly in their container, as if they've been there for several days already and are quite over it. there are no lamb dishes; i didn't even see any kormas - perhaps i'll try the mysterious 'butter chicken" next time: that may be some kind of watered-down korma. in short, large quantities of the most inexpensive quasi-indian dishes, prepared as inexpensively as possible, in order to garner the largest possible profit. which is, i suppose, the whole point of a buffet, from the restauranteur's POV.
(3)Matthew F.
Great food and ambience. I would definitely recommend the buffet.
(5)Jason d.
I stopped in to India Express to grab a quick samosa to go while doing some errands early this afternoon. Things I found disheartening about my experience: 1) It took nearly 20 minutes to get my samosa to go. 2) ...even though the restaurant was empty (at around 2pm on a Thursday afternoon). 3) As I sat waiting, I noticed a posting from the City of Denver citing the restaurant FIVE TIMES in 2008 for failing to observe good hygenic practices. Feeling brave, I ate my samosas in the car as I drove away. ...I'm still alive a few hours later. (They were reasonably tasty, for what its worth.)
(2)Alx N.
I've ordered delivery from here a few times. While I'm no expert on Indian food, I really like what I've ordered each time. Nothing super spectacular but still good, quick and cheap.
(4)Dustin F.
This place does not look like anything fancy from the outside. However, I think I've tried every Indian restaurant in Denver and this place is one of the best for the value you receive. The service is friendly, the prices are very reasonable and the food is awesome. I recommend trying the lunch buffet as well, which has a great selection of entrees and desserts.
(5)Laura N.
My hubby and I hit this buffet with our 4-year-old twin girls. The food was okay. The naan was especially good, at least, as far as the little girls were concerned. I would have given this place one more star if the food had been HOT! There were two steam tables, and only one of them contained chafing dishes billowing with steam. The other one seemed to be turned down or off, as the dishes inside (the rice, chicken curry, and other standbys) were room temperature when I put them on my plate, and ice cold after being blasted by the giant AC vent above our table for a moment or two. I hate cold food! When we were there (about 12:15 on a Monday) there were only a couple of other people inside the restaurant. Within a half an hour or so, I guess they hit their "rush" and we saw 3 or 4 more couples at the tables around us. Not packed by any means. Still, we had to wait awhile for drinks, and extra napkins. No biggie. For seven bucks, it was a nice change from our usual lunch fare. Give it a try - hopefully they'll have plugged the steam table back in!
(2)Jim R.
Really good Indian delivery if you are in the Congress Park, Mayfair, or Hilltop neighborhoods.
(4)