grrrrrrrrrrrrr..... The worst ever... horrible... I will die starving rather than going there... No option but to give at least one star... that's very bad from yelp!!! when we were in for the dinner on 8/26/2012, we waited for 1.5 hrs to get the food... n when we finally got it, could not even eat enough to feed our hunger... do not know how in the world one can call it "Indian Food"!!!!!!!! there was another group who were there to celebrate a birthday... they even were not prepared to pay their bill since the food was very poor. then the hotel guys called the cops to get the money... all in all a very bad experience... i or my friends/ family will never ever go there.... :@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
(1)
Siraj P.
Is there a way to give 0 or negative stars. As an indian myself, I will not consider this an indian restaurant. Food was horrible. Me and my friends have stories of how bad this restaurant is. 1. There was hair in the biryani which we ordered. When we complained about the hair, he took the hair with his hand and expected us to keep eating. 2. We asked for Salt lassi, he bought sweet. When we said we needed salt lassi, he took it, mixed salt in the sweet lassi (WHOA!!!!!!) and gave it to us. HORRIBLE Tasting. 3. We ordered something with shrimp, which was priced some 13+ $s. What we got was a plate, 5 shrimps breaded and fried. Have no idea what it was, till date. 4. I am sorry but the waiter was stinking, horribly. And was not at all attentive. No No No, dont go to this place.
(1)
Christina S.
The food was great. I had the nihari curry, and mango chutney with tandoori naan. Delicious. Not the best I ever had, but delicious none the less. Plus, they had outdoor seating so I was able to bring my little dog along for dinner. Always a plus in my book. I will go back for sure, probably tonight for lack of dog-friendly outdoor seating in the area (I'm not in Miami Beach anymore).
(4)
Betsey Z.
My husband and I ate from the vegetarian options, we are actually vegan and the manager was nice to make us some chapati bread. We had vegetable samosa, onion bhaji, Bombay Aalo Gobi and Tarka Daal. Everything was delicious! I am not sure why this restaurant has so many bad reviews. The food is not bad at all, it's very tasty and fulfilling :) The ambience was very quiet and enjoyable. The only thing that could have been better was the waitress service, it was bit slow and took longer than expected but we did not mind.
(4)
Rupender t.
This restaurant is the reason for opening an Yelp Account. We visited Orlando in Sep 2008, and one night we visited this restaurant to have Indian food. There is nothing good about this restaurant apart from silence. If you are a regular eater of Indian food, this restaurant is damn waste for your buck.. If you eat rarely at Indian restaurants, then wish your luck to be in favor of you when you visit this place. In one line.. "its just crap"... Just verify if the management changed recently, if so give a try....
(1)
Heather R.
We stopped here briefly the other day just to get a couple appetizers to hold us over until dinner. I was pleased & surprised to see the low rating. Not much to say except for a few things... Service - excellent! The man who took our order was VERY friendly! We ordered the chicken tikka tandoori appetizer and my husband really wanted rice with it. He requested that it be served with rice and the server said sure, I can give you some rice with it at no charge. He said "anything to see a smile." Environment - seemed clean & tidy. Not as dim as your typical Indian restaurant. Lots of windows, brightly lit. Lots of booths. Food We had two appetizers: Vegetable Samosa and Chicken Tikka Tandoori. I ordered vegetable pakora but we got vegetable samosa. But, we were happy with it. The samosas were yummy - crispy fried exterior, potatoes and peas and spices on the inside. They were large samosas and were served with a yummy sweet tamarind chutney sauce. The chicken tikka tandoori was also good. It was chunks of marinated chicken served with green bell peppers and I think onions, if I remember correctly. The chicken was bright orange in color, not smothered in a sauce or anything, but tender and flavorful enough. The rice was perfectly cooked though not as seasoned as I am used to from Indian restaurants - it was plain white, no spices or saffron or anything. Overall I get the impression that this place caters to a more mild American palate, so if you want really bold Indian flavors, I wouldn't come here. But I only had 2 appetizers. Prices - as to be expected for the touristy area, the prices of the entrees were a bit high. The appetizers and the lunch buffet seem to be much more worth the money. That's about all I can say! Overall I would give it a try if you are in the area and wanting Indian food. If you don't want to pay ~$18+ for an entree, just get a couple appetizers or go somewhere else, like Sizler (down the street).
(4)
Megan A.
We just decided to visit here since it was nearby and we found a restaurant.com certificate. Even with the $25 certificate it wasn't worth the money. We started with veggie samosas and mine was still cold inside. Then we had Chicken vindaloo and chicken korma. We also had a side of garlic naan which was made with garlic powder and not fresh garlic. I had to ask 3 times for a side of raita. The waiter was at our table at least 3 times while my water was empty before I finally had to ask for more water. There seemed to be a serious communication gap with our waiter. After we were done with our meal we had to ask for the check after waiting for a while because he spent all of his time cleaning off another table. He didn't come over for our payment until we got up to walk over to a manager. On top of all the poor service we got, this place was loud. There were only 2 other groups in the restaurant. Once with a screaming child at the front of the restaurant, which I normally wouldn't complain about, but the place seemed to echo the screams. The other group was about three tables away but I could hear their conversation word for word. I can only imagine how loud this place would be on a busy day! As many other reviews said, I wish I checked Yelp first!
(1)
Melly H.
Over priced. Restaurant was actually ok, quiet atmosphere & relatively clean. Sweet tea was a bit weak. Veg pakora was decent. I ordered the spinach & potato dish & it was perfectly seasoned. My Bf ordered vegetable biryani & said it was way too bland. If not for the 50% off coupon we had, I doubt we'd have stopped in thanx to YELP reviews. Not as bad as we expected but not soon to be a favorite either.
(2)
Shelly M.
This was the most horrible dinner experience I ever had. DO NOT GO to this restaurant. The food was horrible. The waitress tried to rip us off. The dishes and utensils were dirty. The restaurant was way over priced. The food was tasteless. Bad bad experience
(1)
Kaushik S.
The service is very bad and we had to wait for almost 30 minutes to get the bill after dinner. The food quality was average and the quantity was definitely much smaller compared to other Indian restaurants. The price was high and they automatically add a 18% gratuity for their horrible service. Definitely will not recommend this place.
(1)
Mike B.
I should've Yelped this place before eating here. To begin with, the food is pretty bad. The service is worse and it's the main reason why I writing this review. The tip is automatically included in the bill, so the waiter doesn't have to go out of his way to make your experience pleasant. My friend and I were one of the only ones in the restaurant. He was prompt in taking our order. After a few minutes, 2 Indian families sat down. He took there orders. I guess they were more important to this establishment because they got their food first. My friend walked out but I was stuck waiting for my 1 dish while the 2 tables were already feasting on several different plates of food. Finally, I got my food and it's awful. I wasn't going to leave a tip for horrible service, but I had no choice since it was already added to my bill. I pay and had to wait and wait and wait for the waiter to bring me my change. STAY AWAY...However, you could always recommend this place to someone you hate.
(1)
Craig S.
I read plenty of negative reviews for this place as my wife and I were sitting in the only occupied table on what should have been a busy night. We decided to just have a couple appetizers and see where things went... By my rating, you can tell it went well. The lone server, while quiet and a bit hard to understand because of it, was very friendly and gave us very good service. He provided recommendations, some clarification regarding the dishes, brought us all the sauces we asked for, and even offered some hot chili peppers because we enjoy the heat. Altogether a very pleasing service. Our appetizers were vegetable pakoras and the garlic naan. Both were delicious. It's pretty amazing what cooks trained in the Indian-style can do with vegetables and flour! We really enjoyed the pakoras dipped in any one or a mixture of the three sauces. There was a hot and sweet sauce, a green chutney, and really hot tomato-based sauce. We were both very pleased with the service and the food. I would go back to try the dinner items if I am ever in the area again. If I could make a couple suggestions, they would be 1) the bathroom needs a makeover. Nothing major, but an update would do wonders for the overall feel of the restaurant. 2) I can't imagine sitting outside on their deck in the middle of summer with no canvas or umbrella blocking the sun. I visited during an evening in January, but it was still 80 degrees during the day.
(4)
Ravinaa S.
Really bad experience. We ordered two dishes and the quantity was lesser than a soup bowl and the prices are exorbitantly high for a usual Indian restaurant and for the quantity they provided, it wasn't fair at all. This is the place if you want to have the so called "Indian food" for a high price and lousy service. Oh and they present tomato sauce as chutney.
(1)
Ashwin M.
Definitely isn't Indian food as they claim. Not even close. The food is simply over over priced and you get quantity worth quarter of the cost!
(1)
Niki A.
I wish I could award negative stars. Shalimar was a total disappointment. First, the menu information on the restaurant's website grossly misrepresented prices, by abut 30% to 40%: vegetarian dishes that we wanted to order were listed on the website at $9.95 but in the restaurant they were priced at $14 to 15$. The lassie tasted like thinned sour milk without even a hint of rose water or other flavors. Nevertheless, we were hopeful, given the restaurant's glowing Zagat review that was prominently placed all over the restaurant, that the rest of the meal would be adequate. We were the only customers present during the peak dinner hour on Saturday night and we were expecting a modicum of attentiveness. However, the waiter, who was dressed in a soccer jersey and looked like a punk, was brusque and bent out of shape when we asked him for a clean plate. He plunked the dishes on the table with a grace of a bull in china shop, hovered uncomfortably over us when we paid the check with the credit card, and had the audacity to ask how we were planning to pay his tip. The food, like the service, was the worst we have ever experienced in Orlando. The three dishes that we ordered represented a mixture of ketchup and sriracha sauce and all tasted the same: salty and tasteless. Even plain basmati rice served with the entrees was limp, stale and cold. Orlando has many outstanding Indian restaurants -- Shalimar, regrettably, failed on all parameters: taste, price, and service. Cannot get any worse than that.
(1)
Ryan K.
That's not fair. Yelp should assign negative stars as well. I been there about more than 2 years ago. And that was last time. I live 10 minutes away from this place but ain't going back there. Extremely overpriced considering quality and quantity. Stay far away.
(1)
Mimi M.
Eating here was an awful experience. I came here with my family and the service was so bad, it was painful! It took us almost 45 minutes to get water and the restaurant had barely any people in it. The food could be described as only ok, so there was nothing redeemable about this place.
(1)
Hal R.
Horrible Experience! First of all, when I went there the first time their advertisement said that they were open for lunch but they were closed we I got there. When I actually went for lunch there another day, I waited a long time just to be seated. The lunch buffet wasn't that good excess of oil and greasiness, the silverware was very dirty and to make things even worse the AC was not working especially in the Florida heat !
(1)
Bill H.
We decided to give this place a try after driving by and seeing the sign. I should have checked the yelp reviews before we were seated. I thought the service was decent. I really liked our waiter, he was courteous and prompt. The food was bland and the dishes were small for the price. But hey, this is the big tourist-trap area. I think this place is really trying hard to improve but it will take a while.
(2)
Prasen P.
Food was not at all great. Service was pathetic. Just go to some other indian restaurant.
(2)
G B.
It was late at night and this seemed to be the only Indian restaurant that was open. Such an unclean place. The restrooms were dirty and the window blinds had months of dust. The people taking the orders were dirty. We should have walked out after that. But we made the mistake of placing an order. It took them about an hour to bring us our butter naans that didn't have any butter on them. When we asked why it was taking so late, the reply was they have a table of 14 people and that was a huge order for them. For goodness sake, this is supposed to be a restaurant. People who came in about 45 mins after us were served before us. These people shouldn't be running a restaurant. When we were ready to pay our bill, it took another 15 minutes for them and they had already messed up the bill of someone who was paying before us. If you don't have a choice, visit one of the nearby fast food restaurants but don't ever eat in here.
(1)
michelle k.
we loved our dinner here. the whole family was able to sit down and actually eat real food. will definitely go back.
(5)
Tom T.
I should of listened to all the other Yelp reviews.... I feel I got taken for a ride, trust these yelp reviews and avoid this place. Last night I ordered two entrees (chicken tika masala and lamb vindaloo) and some vegetables (aloo gobi). I asked for them to be spicy. When the food arrived it was hot not spicy just hot and the chicken tikka masala had maybe 10 or 12 small rectangles of chicken that would of barely been one breast. At over $18 for that entree I felt the quantity of meat should of been greater. This was more of a soup than a meal. The I brought my unhappiness with the dish to the waiters attention he said he would pass it along to the manager. Imagine my surprise that instead of the manager coming to speak to me I got the bill instead with no change to it. I will say the waiter was very friendly and attentive but the high cost of the meal for so very little was unacceptable. Well there was lots of sirachi in the dish but that is not the flavor one expects in an Indian meal.
(1)
Ramya N.
Food is pretty good, that too when it was overcrowded with holiday traffic. Service from at least the one American guy at this joint is awesome! Ambiance leaves a lot to be desired :-( More of a hole in the wall type spot. The spicy paneer makhan masala was toooo good!!
(3)
Zahra N.
Terrible! Don't come close to this place. I cannot even begin to describe my disappointment. If it was possible I would rate this place in the negatives. The menu is extremely overpriced, but that would've been okay too; however, when we received the food, which by the way took forever, the quantity was extremely minute. I was appalled! There was almost nothing I liked about the service or the food. They were literally stealing. Afterwards, my fathers stomach was hurting. I have been to many restaurants around the world and this is one of the worst. Trust me when I say, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE! It's better to go to Burger King or Mc Donalds. It's definitely not worth it.
(1)
Valarie G.
Terrible service, really awful food, dirty establishment, and double charged my credit card and not willing to do anything about it. Stay far far away!
(1)
rauver z.
It is horrible and I really want to give negative stars. The comment I left before was removed by the administrator since I really really really can't find a non-bad-word to describe this restaurant. A $20 entree = a tiny bowl of rice with a mini bowl of curry, which tastes like the heated frozen-food and has you wait for half an hour. Dont go to this place!! Better starve to die but to be killed by so "unbelievable" food.
(1)
Kamran A.
I wish I would have checked Yelp before going here! Buffet was hopeless! Total rip off! They have a sign that says HALAL outside which attracts customers, then they trap you!
(1)
Shweta A.
This is the worst restaurant I have ever ever been to !! I had visited orlando and wished that I could eat some great Indian food. So I thought about going to this restaurant which was nearby. From outside, it really seemed that I am entering some awesome place. But when I entered it was a nightmare !! First of all there were Americans trying to serve Indian food in an Indian Restaurant !! The waiter who took the order didn't really understand what we were ordering. By the way, paneer kofta was 17.2$ out here and the waiter did not know what it meant !! Somehow we managed to explain want we wanted. Then we waited for 1/2 hour and he comes and tells us that he doesn't know when the food would arrive as there was only a single chef !! N the place was really overpriced. Then we continued to wait. We heard someone shouting at the waiter !! He ordered for paneer makhani and they served him something else !! Another group of people walked off telling us that this place is lousy, so are the waiters and the food !! We felt a sense of insecurity. But we just like kept waiting as it was late and we were really hungry. But after an hour of waiting time, the waiter comes and tells us that our food was still being cooked. We told him that thank you. We are not interested and we walked out and ate at Pizza hut and got done in 15 mins!! This place is lousy and terrible. I have never seen such awful service and such dissatisfied customers !! I am happy we didn't eat the food. I am sure they would have served us stale food and charged us like anything. Please do not enter !!
(1)
Sara H.
What a pleasant surprise! In Orlando for a conference, and we decided to try this since it was close-ish to our hotel. Pleasant service, and the food was fantastic! We sampled a number of dishes, and were blown away with how good everything was. Such a wonderful experience! The pistachio ice cream with rosewater for desert? Divine! Don't be scared off by some other reviewers. For dinner, we would happily visit weekly if we lived in town. Try it, and enjoy the experience that dining at an Indian restaurant is supposed to be. We had a quiet, enjoyable evening out. Loved it!!!
(5)
Jatin R.
This review refers to the sunday buffet and to vegetarian food only. This is the worst indian restaurant I've ever eaten at. I'm Indian, so I've been to thousands of restaurants. Food is very salty and oily. Rice is old and crusty. Kheer was gross. Silverware and plates are worse than my college dining hall. Dhal was watered down, oily and salty. Saag wad very salty. Waiter added paneer on request. Chole was salty and gross. Chai was disgusting. Naan was good. Raita was good as well. Please, never come here. I made a mistake.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : No Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Quiet Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
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.
Vineeth R.
grrrrrrrrrrrrr..... The worst ever... horrible... I will die starving rather than going there... No option but to give at least one star... that's very bad from yelp!!! when we were in for the dinner on 8/26/2012, we waited for 1.5 hrs to get the food... n when we finally got it, could not even eat enough to feed our hunger... do not know how in the world one can call it "Indian Food"!!!!!!!! there was another group who were there to celebrate a birthday... they even were not prepared to pay their bill since the food was very poor. then the hotel guys called the cops to get the money... all in all a very bad experience... i or my friends/ family will never ever go there.... :@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
(1)Siraj P.
Is there a way to give 0 or negative stars. As an indian myself, I will not consider this an indian restaurant. Food was horrible. Me and my friends have stories of how bad this restaurant is. 1. There was hair in the biryani which we ordered. When we complained about the hair, he took the hair with his hand and expected us to keep eating. 2. We asked for Salt lassi, he bought sweet. When we said we needed salt lassi, he took it, mixed salt in the sweet lassi (WHOA!!!!!!) and gave it to us. HORRIBLE Tasting. 3. We ordered something with shrimp, which was priced some 13+ $s. What we got was a plate, 5 shrimps breaded and fried. Have no idea what it was, till date. 4. I am sorry but the waiter was stinking, horribly. And was not at all attentive. No No No, dont go to this place.
(1)Christina S.
The food was great. I had the nihari curry, and mango chutney with tandoori naan. Delicious. Not the best I ever had, but delicious none the less. Plus, they had outdoor seating so I was able to bring my little dog along for dinner. Always a plus in my book. I will go back for sure, probably tonight for lack of dog-friendly outdoor seating in the area (I'm not in Miami Beach anymore).
(4)Betsey Z.
My husband and I ate from the vegetarian options, we are actually vegan and the manager was nice to make us some chapati bread. We had vegetable samosa, onion bhaji, Bombay Aalo Gobi and Tarka Daal. Everything was delicious! I am not sure why this restaurant has so many bad reviews. The food is not bad at all, it's very tasty and fulfilling :) The ambience was very quiet and enjoyable. The only thing that could have been better was the waitress service, it was bit slow and took longer than expected but we did not mind.
(4)Rupender t.
This restaurant is the reason for opening an Yelp Account. We visited Orlando in Sep 2008, and one night we visited this restaurant to have Indian food. There is nothing good about this restaurant apart from silence. If you are a regular eater of Indian food, this restaurant is damn waste for your buck.. If you eat rarely at Indian restaurants, then wish your luck to be in favor of you when you visit this place. In one line.. "its just crap"... Just verify if the management changed recently, if so give a try....
(1)Heather R.
We stopped here briefly the other day just to get a couple appetizers to hold us over until dinner. I was pleased & surprised to see the low rating. Not much to say except for a few things... Service - excellent! The man who took our order was VERY friendly! We ordered the chicken tikka tandoori appetizer and my husband really wanted rice with it. He requested that it be served with rice and the server said sure, I can give you some rice with it at no charge. He said "anything to see a smile." Environment - seemed clean & tidy. Not as dim as your typical Indian restaurant. Lots of windows, brightly lit. Lots of booths. Food We had two appetizers: Vegetable Samosa and Chicken Tikka Tandoori. I ordered vegetable pakora but we got vegetable samosa. But, we were happy with it. The samosas were yummy - crispy fried exterior, potatoes and peas and spices on the inside. They were large samosas and were served with a yummy sweet tamarind chutney sauce. The chicken tikka tandoori was also good. It was chunks of marinated chicken served with green bell peppers and I think onions, if I remember correctly. The chicken was bright orange in color, not smothered in a sauce or anything, but tender and flavorful enough. The rice was perfectly cooked though not as seasoned as I am used to from Indian restaurants - it was plain white, no spices or saffron or anything. Overall I get the impression that this place caters to a more mild American palate, so if you want really bold Indian flavors, I wouldn't come here. But I only had 2 appetizers. Prices - as to be expected for the touristy area, the prices of the entrees were a bit high. The appetizers and the lunch buffet seem to be much more worth the money. That's about all I can say! Overall I would give it a try if you are in the area and wanting Indian food. If you don't want to pay ~$18+ for an entree, just get a couple appetizers or go somewhere else, like Sizler (down the street).
(4)Megan A.
We just decided to visit here since it was nearby and we found a restaurant.com certificate. Even with the $25 certificate it wasn't worth the money. We started with veggie samosas and mine was still cold inside. Then we had Chicken vindaloo and chicken korma. We also had a side of garlic naan which was made with garlic powder and not fresh garlic. I had to ask 3 times for a side of raita. The waiter was at our table at least 3 times while my water was empty before I finally had to ask for more water. There seemed to be a serious communication gap with our waiter. After we were done with our meal we had to ask for the check after waiting for a while because he spent all of his time cleaning off another table. He didn't come over for our payment until we got up to walk over to a manager. On top of all the poor service we got, this place was loud. There were only 2 other groups in the restaurant. Once with a screaming child at the front of the restaurant, which I normally wouldn't complain about, but the place seemed to echo the screams. The other group was about three tables away but I could hear their conversation word for word. I can only imagine how loud this place would be on a busy day! As many other reviews said, I wish I checked Yelp first!
(1)Melly H.
Over priced. Restaurant was actually ok, quiet atmosphere & relatively clean. Sweet tea was a bit weak. Veg pakora was decent. I ordered the spinach & potato dish & it was perfectly seasoned. My Bf ordered vegetable biryani & said it was way too bland. If not for the 50% off coupon we had, I doubt we'd have stopped in thanx to YELP reviews. Not as bad as we expected but not soon to be a favorite either.
(2)Shelly M.
This was the most horrible dinner experience I ever had. DO NOT GO to this restaurant. The food was horrible. The waitress tried to rip us off. The dishes and utensils were dirty. The restaurant was way over priced. The food was tasteless. Bad bad experience
(1)Kaushik S.
The service is very bad and we had to wait for almost 30 minutes to get the bill after dinner. The food quality was average and the quantity was definitely much smaller compared to other Indian restaurants. The price was high and they automatically add a 18% gratuity for their horrible service. Definitely will not recommend this place.
(1)Mike B.
I should've Yelped this place before eating here. To begin with, the food is pretty bad. The service is worse and it's the main reason why I writing this review. The tip is automatically included in the bill, so the waiter doesn't have to go out of his way to make your experience pleasant. My friend and I were one of the only ones in the restaurant. He was prompt in taking our order. After a few minutes, 2 Indian families sat down. He took there orders. I guess they were more important to this establishment because they got their food first. My friend walked out but I was stuck waiting for my 1 dish while the 2 tables were already feasting on several different plates of food. Finally, I got my food and it's awful. I wasn't going to leave a tip for horrible service, but I had no choice since it was already added to my bill. I pay and had to wait and wait and wait for the waiter to bring me my change. STAY AWAY...However, you could always recommend this place to someone you hate.
(1)Craig S.
I read plenty of negative reviews for this place as my wife and I were sitting in the only occupied table on what should have been a busy night. We decided to just have a couple appetizers and see where things went... By my rating, you can tell it went well. The lone server, while quiet and a bit hard to understand because of it, was very friendly and gave us very good service. He provided recommendations, some clarification regarding the dishes, brought us all the sauces we asked for, and even offered some hot chili peppers because we enjoy the heat. Altogether a very pleasing service. Our appetizers were vegetable pakoras and the garlic naan. Both were delicious. It's pretty amazing what cooks trained in the Indian-style can do with vegetables and flour! We really enjoyed the pakoras dipped in any one or a mixture of the three sauces. There was a hot and sweet sauce, a green chutney, and really hot tomato-based sauce. We were both very pleased with the service and the food. I would go back to try the dinner items if I am ever in the area again. If I could make a couple suggestions, they would be 1) the bathroom needs a makeover. Nothing major, but an update would do wonders for the overall feel of the restaurant. 2) I can't imagine sitting outside on their deck in the middle of summer with no canvas or umbrella blocking the sun. I visited during an evening in January, but it was still 80 degrees during the day.
(4)Ravinaa S.
Really bad experience. We ordered two dishes and the quantity was lesser than a soup bowl and the prices are exorbitantly high for a usual Indian restaurant and for the quantity they provided, it wasn't fair at all. This is the place if you want to have the so called "Indian food" for a high price and lousy service. Oh and they present tomato sauce as chutney.
(1)Ashwin M.
Definitely isn't Indian food as they claim. Not even close. The food is simply over over priced and you get quantity worth quarter of the cost!
(1)Niki A.
I wish I could award negative stars. Shalimar was a total disappointment. First, the menu information on the restaurant's website grossly misrepresented prices, by abut 30% to 40%: vegetarian dishes that we wanted to order were listed on the website at $9.95 but in the restaurant they were priced at $14 to 15$. The lassie tasted like thinned sour milk without even a hint of rose water or other flavors. Nevertheless, we were hopeful, given the restaurant's glowing Zagat review that was prominently placed all over the restaurant, that the rest of the meal would be adequate. We were the only customers present during the peak dinner hour on Saturday night and we were expecting a modicum of attentiveness. However, the waiter, who was dressed in a soccer jersey and looked like a punk, was brusque and bent out of shape when we asked him for a clean plate. He plunked the dishes on the table with a grace of a bull in china shop, hovered uncomfortably over us when we paid the check with the credit card, and had the audacity to ask how we were planning to pay his tip. The food, like the service, was the worst we have ever experienced in Orlando. The three dishes that we ordered represented a mixture of ketchup and sriracha sauce and all tasted the same: salty and tasteless. Even plain basmati rice served with the entrees was limp, stale and cold. Orlando has many outstanding Indian restaurants -- Shalimar, regrettably, failed on all parameters: taste, price, and service. Cannot get any worse than that.
(1)Ryan K.
That's not fair. Yelp should assign negative stars as well. I been there about more than 2 years ago. And that was last time. I live 10 minutes away from this place but ain't going back there. Extremely overpriced considering quality and quantity. Stay far away.
(1)Mimi M.
Eating here was an awful experience. I came here with my family and the service was so bad, it was painful! It took us almost 45 minutes to get water and the restaurant had barely any people in it. The food could be described as only ok, so there was nothing redeemable about this place.
(1)Hal R.
Horrible Experience! First of all, when I went there the first time their advertisement said that they were open for lunch but they were closed we I got there. When I actually went for lunch there another day, I waited a long time just to be seated. The lunch buffet wasn't that good excess of oil and greasiness, the silverware was very dirty and to make things even worse the AC was not working especially in the Florida heat !
(1)Bill H.
We decided to give this place a try after driving by and seeing the sign. I should have checked the yelp reviews before we were seated. I thought the service was decent. I really liked our waiter, he was courteous and prompt. The food was bland and the dishes were small for the price. But hey, this is the big tourist-trap area. I think this place is really trying hard to improve but it will take a while.
(2)Prasen P.
Food was not at all great. Service was pathetic. Just go to some other indian restaurant.
(2)G B.
It was late at night and this seemed to be the only Indian restaurant that was open. Such an unclean place. The restrooms were dirty and the window blinds had months of dust. The people taking the orders were dirty. We should have walked out after that. But we made the mistake of placing an order. It took them about an hour to bring us our butter naans that didn't have any butter on them. When we asked why it was taking so late, the reply was they have a table of 14 people and that was a huge order for them. For goodness sake, this is supposed to be a restaurant. People who came in about 45 mins after us were served before us. These people shouldn't be running a restaurant. When we were ready to pay our bill, it took another 15 minutes for them and they had already messed up the bill of someone who was paying before us. If you don't have a choice, visit one of the nearby fast food restaurants but don't ever eat in here.
(1)michelle k.
we loved our dinner here. the whole family was able to sit down and actually eat real food. will definitely go back.
(5)Tom T.
I should of listened to all the other Yelp reviews.... I feel I got taken for a ride, trust these yelp reviews and avoid this place. Last night I ordered two entrees (chicken tika masala and lamb vindaloo) and some vegetables (aloo gobi). I asked for them to be spicy. When the food arrived it was hot not spicy just hot and the chicken tikka masala had maybe 10 or 12 small rectangles of chicken that would of barely been one breast. At over $18 for that entree I felt the quantity of meat should of been greater. This was more of a soup than a meal. The I brought my unhappiness with the dish to the waiters attention he said he would pass it along to the manager. Imagine my surprise that instead of the manager coming to speak to me I got the bill instead with no change to it. I will say the waiter was very friendly and attentive but the high cost of the meal for so very little was unacceptable. Well there was lots of sirachi in the dish but that is not the flavor one expects in an Indian meal.
(1)Ramya N.
Food is pretty good, that too when it was overcrowded with holiday traffic. Service from at least the one American guy at this joint is awesome! Ambiance leaves a lot to be desired :-( More of a hole in the wall type spot. The spicy paneer makhan masala was toooo good!!
(3)Zahra N.
Terrible! Don't come close to this place. I cannot even begin to describe my disappointment. If it was possible I would rate this place in the negatives. The menu is extremely overpriced, but that would've been okay too; however, when we received the food, which by the way took forever, the quantity was extremely minute. I was appalled! There was almost nothing I liked about the service or the food. They were literally stealing. Afterwards, my fathers stomach was hurting. I have been to many restaurants around the world and this is one of the worst. Trust me when I say, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE! It's better to go to Burger King or Mc Donalds. It's definitely not worth it.
(1)Valarie G.
Terrible service, really awful food, dirty establishment, and double charged my credit card and not willing to do anything about it. Stay far far away!
(1)rauver z.
It is horrible and I really want to give negative stars. The comment I left before was removed by the administrator since I really really really can't find a non-bad-word to describe this restaurant. A $20 entree = a tiny bowl of rice with a mini bowl of curry, which tastes like the heated frozen-food and has you wait for half an hour. Dont go to this place!! Better starve to die but to be killed by so "unbelievable" food.
(1)Kamran A.
I wish I would have checked Yelp before going here! Buffet was hopeless! Total rip off! They have a sign that says HALAL outside which attracts customers, then they trap you!
(1)Shweta A.
This is the worst restaurant I have ever ever been to !! I had visited orlando and wished that I could eat some great Indian food. So I thought about going to this restaurant which was nearby. From outside, it really seemed that I am entering some awesome place. But when I entered it was a nightmare !! First of all there were Americans trying to serve Indian food in an Indian Restaurant !! The waiter who took the order didn't really understand what we were ordering. By the way, paneer kofta was 17.2$ out here and the waiter did not know what it meant !! Somehow we managed to explain want we wanted. Then we waited for 1/2 hour and he comes and tells us that he doesn't know when the food would arrive as there was only a single chef !! N the place was really overpriced. Then we continued to wait. We heard someone shouting at the waiter !! He ordered for paneer makhani and they served him something else !! Another group of people walked off telling us that this place is lousy, so are the waiters and the food !! We felt a sense of insecurity. But we just like kept waiting as it was late and we were really hungry. But after an hour of waiting time, the waiter comes and tells us that our food was still being cooked. We told him that thank you. We are not interested and we walked out and ate at Pizza hut and got done in 15 mins!! This place is lousy and terrible. I have never seen such awful service and such dissatisfied customers !! I am happy we didn't eat the food. I am sure they would have served us stale food and charged us like anything. Please do not enter !!
(1)Sara H.
What a pleasant surprise! In Orlando for a conference, and we decided to try this since it was close-ish to our hotel. Pleasant service, and the food was fantastic! We sampled a number of dishes, and were blown away with how good everything was. Such a wonderful experience! The pistachio ice cream with rosewater for desert? Divine! Don't be scared off by some other reviewers. For dinner, we would happily visit weekly if we lived in town. Try it, and enjoy the experience that dining at an Indian restaurant is supposed to be. We had a quiet, enjoyable evening out. Loved it!!!
(5)Jatin R.
This review refers to the sunday buffet and to vegetarian food only. This is the worst indian restaurant I've ever eaten at. I'm Indian, so I've been to thousands of restaurants. Food is very salty and oily. Rice is old and crusty. Kheer was gross. Silverware and plates are worse than my college dining hall. Dhal was watered down, oily and salty. Saag wad very salty. Waiter added paneer on request. Chole was salty and gross. Chai was disgusting. Naan was good. Raita was good as well. Please, never come here. I made a mistake.
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