Essence of India is the BEST! Bar naan (get it?) bar none. Any who, on my never ending trip to Miami, I made plenty of stops along the East coast, including a pit stop in Tallahassee to see my king for his birthday. Staying there for a few days, I had to make my way to one of the best restaurants in the world! Now hear me out, for eight dollars you get a salad, a bowl of lentil soup, an entree (that could easily feed two), unlimited naan and a dessert of the day. At Essence of India, food is always delicious, and I probably eat four pieces of naan by myself (seriously it's crazy good!). I ordered the Palaki Tofu. I wish it were a little more spicy but nonetheless awesome. My friends ordered curried and makani fish, and everyone left full and satisfied. The desserts are hit or miss, and this day it was a vanilla custard (not my favorite), but I ordered a glass mango lassi as my sweet dessert ending to a fairytale meal. Lunch specials last from 11a-2:30p, but get there before 1:45p if you really want to get the best out of your 8 dollars. I did tell you it's eight dollars right!? Ok good! Visit fortnegrita.com for more.
(5)
Todd L.
Wow! We stopped here while traveling across the country. I have had Indian food in many places, and this might be my favorite Indian food of all time. AMAZING!
(5)
Bryan E.
The best veg samosas ever. Best palak chole hot ever omg. Amazing chutneys and great service. Wow
(5)
Jenna G.
This is my favorite Indian food of all time. I live in Colorado now but I am from Tallahassee. I have tried many Indian restaurants out here and nothing compares to the quality, taste and friendliness of Essence. The food is amazing and you get a lot for your money.
(5)
Allison S.
I guess I am spoiled by homemade Indian food! The food I order was good. But when we requested spicy, the food was not. The naun is good though $5 for a cheese and garlic naun seems a bit much! The waiters are attentive! Basically this is good Indian food and a great way to introduce your friend to ethnic cuisine but
(4)
Lu R.
The waiter is very arrogant and bad temper. The food is also bad. I will never go to this restaurant again. Never!!! Although there are many Indians, I guess that the food fits those people, there is no reason to treat us in that way!
(1)
Justin F.
This is one of my favorite restaurants in Tallahassee. I have never had a bad meal. I've loved Indian food for a long time and have sampled many Indian restaurants, and, after being in Tallahassee a while, I was told this is more authentic than most. While I cannot attest to that statement, I will say that there is definitely a different blend of spices than I've found in most Indian restaurants. I usually get the shrimp saag (saag = creamy spinach) along with garlic naan (GREAT combination) and this past visit I ordered the Beef Nawabi Palak. It is actually quite similar to the saag, but with raisins and almonds. It was absolutely wonderful. The service is ok. They are friendly, but not always the most attentive. They are generous with extra rice, so we can almost always get a second meal out of the leftovers. While I absolutely love this restaurant on merit alone, it can't hurt that it was the location of my first date with my now fiancee. ;-) I highly recommend it to anyone who appreciates or is interested in trying Indian cuisine. Also, I rated it two $'s, but it does fall into the high side of that range, especially with alcohol and appetizers.
(5)
Carly C.
Really tasty, lovely staff, reasonable prices. Love the butter chicken!
(5)
Jenna B.
My husband and I ordered take out from Essence of India on a Saturday night when he was in town and was sick. I had the lamb saag and he had the chicken tikka masala. We shared a garlic naan. The food was amazing, and enough for leftovers for a couple of days. The service was prompt. I can't wait to go and try dining in. I'll definitely be back!
(4)
Michael A.
I see a lot of 4 and 5 star ratings for this place. This leads me to believe that a) the people leaving these reviews have never had good Indian food, or b) that the times I have come here it has been far below it's norm. No offense to other reviewers but I think it's option "a." The food here is nothing special, it's affordable, but if I'm going out to eat I'd pay a couple bucks more for food that makes me want to come back.
(2)
p d.
Their Dal Makhani rivals my favorite version at the famous Khyber in Bombay! Sadly, I haven't explored many of their other dishes because I could eat dal makhani every day and usually get this. Enjoy!
(4)
Paul F.
Outstanding food and Great Service! The suroundings are a bit underdone, but other than that, I think this more than exceeds expectations for a good Indian restaurant. They have a large appetizer selection and an extensive menu, both vegetarian and non. The mixed appetizer is particularly good, as is the special biryani. Service is always prompt and attentive without being intrusive. The prices are quite good as well.
(4)
Whitney N.
The lunch special is good. 8$ for soup, salad, naan, rice, entree and dessert. I've only had the mattar paneer there, because I love cheese cubes. That dish is great! The service is attentive and quick as well.
(4)
Amber V.
My husband and I needed an excellent caterer for our wedding and the Essence of India team was PERFECT! We had several multicultural family and friends coming from around the country and around the globe and needed the best cuisine for our special night. After receiving several recommendations that all pointed to Essence of India, we knew they would be a great place to start. At our tasting, they patiently listened to all of our family needs and provided us with a delicious variety of foods to try out. We loved all of it and knew they were the right team for the job. Throughout the entire planning process, they took care of everything we needed, down to coordinating food labels with the venue. On our wedding day, my husband and I were so busy with photos during cocktail hour we didn't get to try the food but all of our guests raved about the catered horderves by E of I. And during the reception, all of our guests (American and Indian alike) loved the tasty flavors of all the dishes. We are sooo pleased with the quality of service and food we got from Essence of India that we would recommend them to anyone who needs an excellent caterer for their special occasion.
(5)
Scarlett T.
This is one of my very favorite restaurants. The mutter paneer is excellent and goes perfectly with garlic naan. I don't find the "spicy" to be quite spicy enough, so next time I'll have to ask if they do an "extra spicy." Dinner servers are attentive to the point where I feel guilty because my water glass needs constant refilling. The only downsides are the price, though it's worth it once in a while, and that they keep your change if there's less than a dollar left if you pay in cash. which I just think is weird and lazy.
(4)
Crispian G.
pretty good for tallahassee. the curry is really good but sometimes the portions are a little small. love the lamb vindaloo and the goat curry. pretty pricey but so are the other indian places in Tallahassee. better quality than samrat but curry pot has this place beat with portions and menu options.
(4)
David S.
Bad experience for an Indian restaurant. Cons: 1) More expensive than Samrat. 2) Vindaloo wasn't as good as Samrat's usually is. 3) Almost empty on a Friday night. Not a good sign, right? Pros: 1) My roommate liked his chicken biryani.
(2)
Scott L.
When I clicked on two stars above, Yelp said, "Meh. I've experienced better," and that's pretty much exactly how I felt about Essence of India. it's not that anything was bad, it just wasn't particularly great. To start, I was expecting to be given the lentil crackers with mint chutney, that every single Indian restaurant I've been to has given for free. Not only do they charge you for the crackers, but they charge more for the sauces! This is kind of how I feel when Mexican restaurants don't give you chips and salsa. But, I can't really take off stars for a lack of free food, so on to the food I actually paid for... I decided to go with the shrimp vindaloo. It wasn't bad and if someone gave it to me, I'd eat it again, but I probably wouldn't pay for it again. It was somewhat spicy (as vindaloo always is), but it was by far the thinnest sauce I'd ever had...watery, in fact. The shrimp were very small and overcooked. There was plenty of rice served with it, but it was probably the smallest portion of vindaloo I've ever received. The naan bread was pretty much the same as it is anywhere else, which is to say it was very good. Unfortunately, I usually use the naan to soak up the vindaloo sauce, and there really wasn't much to soak up. Service was average. The wait staff were all friendly, if not particularly fast. However, the real reason it got two stars instead of three was the price. Along with not giving you the lentil crackers and charging for chutney that should be free, everything was about $2-3 more than I'm used to paying for similar items, but not as good. If you get appetizers or drinks, it will add up quickly to the point that I can not say it's worth the price.
(2)
Cherry J.
Good: - Very consistent - Tasty sauces - Nice cuts of meat Bad: - REALLY expensive for what you get - Too spicy ("medium" here = "HOT" everywhere else) Get the Sweet Lassi!
(3)
Matt J.
I love good Indian food and Essence of India exceeded my expectations for Indian food in Tallahassee. I had the goat curry with garlic naan and was impressed by the prompt and attentive service as well as the quality of the food - it was as good as any Indian food I'd had in a long time. They've got some great lunch specials.
(4)
Christine V.
My friends took me here while I was visiting and I was pretty impressed! Walking in you could smell the spices and it made me instantly hungry. The service was prompt and one of the workers noticed I had a camera on the table so he offered to take a picture of the group. He was a bit talkative but very friendly. :) My husband and I got the dinner for two which included an appetizer sampler, naan, rice, two choices of curry entrees, and dessert. It was a really good deal and everything was yummy. The naan was so good! It was fluffy, warm, and tasty. Just perfect. I also got to taste my friend's chicken vindaloo which had an exceptionally creamy and savory sauce. I might want to come here every time I visit. XD
(4)
Danny B.
Essence of India is one of my favorite restaurants--not just in Tallahassee, but anywhere. The curry is delicious, the rice is amazing, the naan is fantastic, and the samosas are out of this world. The lunch menu is a great deal. For $8, one gets curry, rice, naan, soup, salad, and dessert. I wouldn't mind a slightly larger helping of curry, but you still can't beat the price. The dinner menu is a different story. EOI has raised its price a couple of times, and this has resulted in my going for dinner only on occasion. One used to be able to get a large meal for two for around $30. Now you're looking at closer to $50, and this is without drinks. The food is well worth my time, but I can't say that the dinner menu is worth my money. $14 for a medium bowl of curry and a large plate of rice is too much. Go for the lunch menu and enjoy the deliciousness. The butter chicken is incredible. If you feel like splurging, dinner is well worth a try--I recommend the lamb korma and the paneer methi malai. Five stars, but the price for the dinner menu makes it dangerously close to four stars.
(5)
Lu R.
The best Indian in Tallahassee. The lunch special is a bargain and the food has never missed. Oddly enough the consistency of the food tends to vary a bit --- if you order a dish on one night it may not taste the same and a previous visit (especially with the chutneys) --- but it is all still good. The variations just make me think I'm visiting different Indian/Paki friends who are cooking the same dish with their own little twist. The service has always been good and they seem to have some of the nicest staff people (especially those filling your water and clearing the plates) in all of town. This place has seemingly changed ownership about three times in the three years since I moved here but I have a feeling this one is here to stay --- the food is a great improvement over what used to be there (both times).
(4)
FromScratch M.
Started off promising but now pretty average. Have eaten off the lunch menu several times and its getting less and less flavorful, and the soup is getting thinner and thinner.
(3)
Juan C.
This place never disappoints. Very inexpensive menu and great taste overall. Chicken curry is always awesome and spice level is customizable.
(5)
G B.
Should have ordered the murg shahi saag (not that I know it's good, but it sounded good tonight). Unfortunately, got talked into the chicken tikka masala. So, I asked for added vegetables. Yup, added vegetables, right from the Little Green Giant frozen beans, peas, and corn bag. Honestly, don't they know that green beens don't really look (or should taste) like that? $2 extra, just in case you're curious. So, not terribly impressed, especially since I can't imagine of a milder preparation though I ordered medium. Aloo paratha was pretty good, though. There's got to be better Indian in Tallahassee, right?
(2)
Fahad K.
The only reason I go here is because I have no choice if I want to have Indian food. The two stars are just for service, the good is not that great, the quantity is limited and the price is undeserving. Try restaurants in Orlando, to get the real taste.
(2)
J C.
Walked in here just before the lunch special ended at two -- and what a lunch special it is! I can't recall the price exactly, but I think it was around a tidy seven dollars for lentil soup, a small salad, an entree of your choice, naan bread, and dessert. It wasn't the best Indian I've ever had, but it was very good and definitely filled my craving. I was impressed with the service too -- quick and attentive. Maybe the best part are the totally 80s Miami Vice plush, color-splashed black velveteen chairs we were sitting on. A cute, good place to catch a lunch.
(4)
JD D.
If you like British-style Indian food, you'll love Essence of India. The menu is typical of the genre. They serve liquor and the $8 lunch--which includes soup, salad, entree, naan, and desert--is about as good a bargain as you'll find. I recommend ordering rice pudding for desert.
(5)
Saradhi R.
I've had much better Indian food!! We were passing through Tallahassee on Christmas and this was one of the very few restaurants that were open for dinner. I was doubly delighted to find an Indian restaurant open since I had almost decided that we were going to eat at one of the chain diners open 24 hours. Felt a little odd upon entering when one of the wait staff shouted from across the other end and asked us to get seated. We ordered a Taj mahal beer and a sweet lassi - the lassi had way too much sugar. We got the aloo tikki and vegetable pakora for appetizers. I've had my fair share of aloo tikki in life and the aloo tikki that we got here was more like an aloo bonda. Got the chilli paneer and vegetable vindaloo and some naan bread for the main course. The bread was good. The chilli paneer had a sweet chilli (Chinese) sauce instead of a traditional curry that I was expecting. When I complained that it was way too sweet, I was informed that it was a Chinese dish - no mention of the danger in the menu nor were we told anything when we ordered. The vindaloo also had a weird sour and bitter taste that I couldn't quite place together. I would've given them two stars only based on the food, but, gave them 3 instead since the wait staff and the owner stopped by our table and apologized and took the chilli paneer off from my check after I declined a replacement dish since I was traveling.
(3)
Luke D.
2 words: GARLIC NAAN. We had quite the feast and enjoyed it all. There's not much in this world better a pint of SweetWater 420 for under 3 bucks. I'm sold.
(5)
Stephen V.
Never disappointed with their lunch special. Really good, authentic Indian cuisine at a great lunchtime price. My wife and I had the lamb curry and fish curry, respectively. As always, we left satisfied. We learned on this visit that Essence now offers a weekend lunch buffet. Can't wait to try it.
(4)
Charles L.
Everything is delicious and they are so nice. The buffet is heaven. Make sure you try the butter chicken. Even if you don't come for the buffet and you're getting something on the menu, you still get free rice pudding and it's amazing.
(5)
Art C.
Awesome. Great service. Food was over the top great. Very clean I would have no problem taking business associates here for dinner. the decor is India but elegant and subdued. Cool chandeliers reminiscent of a oceangoing cruise. Very good bar and prices very reasonable. A home run :)
(5)
Nick A.
Very expensive and service was crap. Food was ok, had goat curry and ws more bones then goat. Curry was kinda sweet. In all I was very disappointed with service and food.
(1)
Erin R.
essenceofindiafl.com If you need more info... Out of town and waiting on my take out but I have high hopes!
(5)
Vanessa C.
Best deal: Lunch buffet 8.99 M-F includes rice, naan, and dessert Chicken curry, chicken tandoori, butter chicken are all incredible so the lunch buffet is so worth it. Service is crappy but the food is phenomenal. Vegan/vegetarian options available, the vegetable curry is on par with chicken curry. Check them out and you can walk over to New Leaf after to support your local co-op.
(4)
Ginevra A.
I am obsessed with this Indian restaurant. It is delicious and always liked everything. The vindaloo and tikka masala are really good. If you want really spicy ask for Indian hot!
(5)
Lisa A.
I have been to essence a few times for their lunch buffet and it is definitely my favorite in Tallahassee. They have a great selection and the na'an is very good! Everything seems to be fresh and authentic and I would recommend it to someone who has never tried this type of cuisine.
(4)
Jayy P.
I love love love the food here!! Everything is hot and fresh! I love the warm bread and crisp spices! I also love the traditional menu
(5)
Daniel P.
One of the pioneering Indian restaurants in TLH. This restaurant offers a lunch buffet of Friday, Saturday and Sunday only. Throughout the week, however, diners can enjoy a "prix-fixe" lunch option that includes a salad, entree and dessert. The price simply cannot be beat. During previous visits (perhaps a dozen or so over the past 8 years) I was struck by how uncongenial the staff was - but during this past visit, the opposite was true. Not only were staff and owners attentive and pleasant, but table service was swift and virtually invisible. My wife and I both noticed the difference. Tallahassee now has at least five indian restaurants from which to choose - and this one is a strong contender that we enjoy.
(4)
Lauren C.
I have always loved Essence, but I gained a new appreciation for their delicious food while traveling and realized that I was really just looking for their food in other cities. The food never disappoints, and they are always very accommodating about making sure to give me ample vegan options, even if it requires going off menu. The wait staff is nice, if a little disorganized at times, and my girlfriend and I have come to love watching the head waiter go everywhere at a sprint. Vegetable curry, samosas, and roti are on point. Reportedly the chicken dishes and naan are of similar quality.
(4)
Paige C.
I got the lamb curry, medium spice, with garlic naan and I was delicious! The curry was "holy-s***-spicy" so next time I think I'll go with mild. But still very very good!
(4)
Matt W.
A very good local Indian restaurant/buffet - I visited Essence of India for the first time recently, and was very pleased with my experience. This eatery is tucked in the corner of the New Leaf plaza on the parkway. It was $9.99 per person for a Saturday buffet. We were greeted promptly upon entering and seated in the dining room, already bustling even at 11:30am. The restaurant, as compared to Curry Pot, had a much more pleasant vibe - whereas Curry Pot is kind of dark and subdued, the large windows at Essence of India allowed for a much brighter dining room and good visibility. The buffet itself was medium-sized, but had a good selection. All your staples: Tandoor chicken, naan (which was delectable), basmati rice, paneer, chutneys, yellow curry chicken, chili chicken, lentil stew, and a number of dishes I was not familiar with (if you're like me, every time you eat Indian food, as a relative novice, you constantly compare things to your existing culinary experiences to try to understand what you are eating - like I'm pretty sure I had the Indian equivalent of vegetarian nachos). Drinks are served in nice heavy glasses. Refills and plate removal were frequent and unobtrusive. Some of the guests were a bit weird, but that's to be expected in Tallahassee, home of the leather sandal brigade. Service was friendly, and while there was an older man up at the cash register, our server took our check for us so we effectively paid at the table. Also, bathroom was adequately clean and had a hand dryer, no paper towels. Hey, I'm giving you every bit of knowledge I have here, use what you will! Bottom line: I've yet to try all the Tallahassee Indian restaurants, but I'm confident that Essence of India is a worthy choice when craving Indian food.
(4)
Patricia B.
I end up here regularly. For a vegetarian, their menu has many wonderful choices and I've always left satisfied and full! Never been during lunch time rush, but even in time is enjoyably quiet with quick service. The waiters can be a bit abrasive, but mean well - its hard as wait staff not to seem intense when there are just a couple tables in the evening. Despite what others have said, you're served good portions of food. I always suggest getting naan with your meal as well, lots of choices for every kind of dish and pallate!
(4)
Nathan H.
The buffet is great for lunch. The butter chicken and naan bread was fantastic.
(5)
Karl L.
We stopped in while driving East on I-10. Well, it was a bit of a hike off of the highway, but worth it. As is our usual when eating Indian, we ordered about 6 dishes with the intent of saving some for later. All of them were to go because it was early and we just didn't want to miss the opportunity for good food before we hit the back roads. Butter chicken wasn't on the menu, but was happily made for us and was good, though not the best I have had (my own is better!). Aloo gobi (potatoes and cauliflower) WAS the best however, and was matched well with eggplant, peas in curry, and several others. Naan was as usual, naan. There's no doubt I would return again. Now, be careful, because there are several sham reviews in the area for Indian restaurants. I have flagged a few which may disappear, but take note on who is writing one star reviews for several businesses and five stars for only one. They should be easy to spot.
(4)
Caroline G.
We came on a Saturday night. We received amazing service and the food was absolutely delicious. We got the appetizer sampler platter, which was fun and tasty, especially with the three main sauces provided. Each curry and vindaloo entree was outstanding. Highly recommend!!!
(5)
Leanne R.
It feels good to actually give a five star review! This place has wonderful food. The flavors, were bold like I like without being too much, their mild is a less mild than I was expecting. Next time I will try med. The naan is soft and full. Soup perfect! Will come again the next time I am in Tallahassee!! **As a side note even though I thought the food was excellent, I am admittantly not extremely familiar with Indian cuisine. It could be authentic or not and I would not know the difference. All I know is its good.**
(5)
Mariam S.
Best food, Indian restaurant which serve halal food. I love the lunch buffet. My husband like goat curry and I like the veges. We have often brought our friends to dine in and it turns out to be always a good experience. My little boy likes the sweet rice pudding and gulab jaman. Superb.
(5)
Aaron M.
After a few weeks of travelling in the South, my wife and I were craving Indian food. To our delight, Tallahassee had a few to choose from. We chose the Essence of India and were very happy with our meal, with two exceptions ... price and quantity of chicken in the Chicken Tikka Masala. We placed our order for pickup and the food was ready within the 15 minutes quoted. The food was thoughtfully packaged and even after a 20-minute drive home, it was still very warm. The spice level, the quality of the food and quantity (with the exception of the Chicken Tikka Masala) were perfect. The Chicken Pakora was a delightful surprise, we had never ordered it before but we felt adventurous and it paid off... definitely a must order. We are in Tallahassee for a week and I am pretty sure we will visit Essence of India at least one more time before we leave.
(4)
Maayan Y.
Expensive, especially when you consider the size of the dishes. Pretty tasty, though, for the most part. The only dish I've tried and not liked is the vegetable biryani - the vegetables tasted like they were made from frozen. The garlic naan, though - outrageously delicious. I would get into a fistfight with somebody over the last piece.
(4)
Keagan W.
I tried Indian food for the first time here. I had a smaller platter of sorts. I didn't like everything but mostly it was because it was unfamiliar or I just didn't like the ingredients... but I could tell everything would have been good to someone who liked that sort of stuff. I did enjoy the naan, rice and the chicken.
(4)
Dodgy D.
"ESSENCE OF SALT" I am a big fan of Indian food. This was my first time at this restaurant. I ordered onion bhajis and chicken bhuna. The bhajis were passable. At the outset, the chicken bhuna was tasty until, a few bites in, I realized the"taste" came from an abundance of salt. Not good. I have eaten Indian food at various places, both in America and the UK. The food at this restaurant is nowhere near the real deal. If you want authentic Indian cuisine, do yourself a favour and eat elsewhere.
(2)
Amy T.
The food here was amazing, and I've eaten a lot of Indian food in recent years. Mango chicken is one of my favorite dishes, this being the best I've ever had. I also ordered the shrimp masala, and like someone else said the sauce was watery compared to what I'm used to. The flavor sand spices were great on everything.
(4)
Niki A.
I am perplexed by the good reviews posted here because the food was just horrible. We ordered two vegetarian dishes and a naan and what we received was a soupy mush lacking flavor or spices. Awful! The soup was nothing more than frozen vegetables thrown into a greasy broth. The garlic naan lacked garlic flavor or proper consistency of an Indian bread. To add insult to injury the server kept dipping his finger into the bowls of food when serving it to us -- utterly disgusting! Obviously, Tallahassee is not exactly an ethnic food Mecca, but this experience was just a gigantic disappointment with a hefty price tag. Do yourself a favor and stay away!
(1)
Brett K.
Came in from Los Angeles and had to go back to my favorite Indian restaurant. Lots of good indian food in LA, but none cook just like Essence. It's still my favorite after 6 years apart!
(5)
Isaac G.
My wife and I are from New York and we love Indian food. In New York there is a plethora of Indian restaurants, now we live in Panama City where they don't have any decent ones. We decided to go to this place on a whim. This place is about a two hour drive from where we live. Not taking into account the time zone difference, we realized that we were barely going to make it there. We decided to call ahead and put our order in because we wanted some Indian food badly. The host told us to call back when we were five minutes away. When we called back, about 40 minutes before they closed they insisted we ordered to go. We get there and our food is packed and ready to go; we asked if we could eat in, and very rudely they said no. I asked why not, it was still 30 minutes before closing time, they said no and pretty much made us feel as unwanted as someone could feel. I was compelled to leave the food and just walk out, but I had driven two hours to get there, so I was like F it. Bottom line, food was expensive, they were rude, forgot our drinks, and the food at a minimum was decent. Chicken Mahki was salty as hell, and the Briyanni was mostly onions. I wouldn't recommend this place with other options available. They don't care about customers.
(2)
Gary J.
Very finicky and unreliable hours. Went there for lunch. Very small menu and the food had no flavor and the sauce tasted like the chef just opened a can and added it to the meat. We both had lamb curry and I asked for mine to be seasoned spicy and my wife's to be mild - when it arrived they both tasted identical , the server said they were seasoned as we requested. Not very likely to come here again.
(1)
Amy A.
The Chicken Vindaloo was very good. I asked for it hot...and it was hot enough for me, but some people would probably like it hotter. However, they did include an extra portion of some chili paste to make it hotter, so there you go. The garlic naan is amazing...I would highly recommend getting this along with whatever you order! The lentil soup was good, but not great. It was a pureed lentil, which I did not expect. I am going to try some of the recommendations people have here next time.
(4)
Barb D.
This was a wonderful relaxing atmosphere. Wonderful service. I think every staff member made sure I was ok and that I was happy. Would highly recommend the lamb dishes!
(5)
Lisette F.
My husband picked up our takeout order of chicken tiki masala, vegetable curry and samosas. Everything was delicious! Even the condiments and papadam. As good as our favorite Indian place back home. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is that I didn't eat at the restaurant itself.
(4)
Joel T.
This is definitely the best Indian food restaurant in Tallahassee. Now that i think of it probably the best one i have ever been to. I don't really do the lunch buffet things at these type of places because the food during that time seems to be considerably under par compared to the cooked to order dinner menu. I have to start with saying that the Methi-Melai sauce is the best thing on the menu. You can get it with chicken or for the vegetarians with paneer (which is their homemade cheese cubes that are similar to tofu but way tastier). Whenever my girlfriend and i go there our bill is around $50 but that's because we order several dishes and share them all. There are 3 main dishes we order every time we go there because they are our favorites and you cant go wrong with favorites We also order one additional dish to try something new each time. Here is a description of the 3 dishes ordered every time. Chicken Methi-Melai Probably the greatest Indian food dish in the world which is odd that this is the only restaurant i have ever seen it served. Eggplant Bhartha Great vegetarian dish smokey eggplant flavor make sure you tell them NO FRESH GINGER on top it will seriously ruin the entire dish. They have just recently started putting it on top. Muttar Paneer Before Methi-Melai this was my favorite dish. The homemade cheese is absolutely delicious, and seriously who doesn't like peas. If your like me you love the bread here known as naan and will eat at least one order to yourself. I'm still on the fence about ordering the garlic version because it does cost more but i don't think it adds that much to the party. The only downside to this place that i have noticed of the 20 or so times i have been here is the service seems to be slow. and by that i mean the wait between finishing your meal and getting everything paid for. Don't know if its part of the culture but we have waited around 15 min before actually getting our check paid on several occasions. I have given serious thought to applying for a job here just so i can learn how to make the Methi-Melai sauce. It is just that good you really do have to try it. The food here is just so much better than any other Indian food restaurant that it is worth facing the slow service and will receive the very rarely given out 5 star rating from me.
(5)
Chris L.
This is the type of indian food that I like. I have been here several times with my parents and the food is always delicious. I love the breads. I usually order vegetarian foods while my parents always get chicken and lamb curry. We all share and it is all delicious. Only one little gripe, my parents ordered the dinner for two and the appetizers had one of each item rather than two. The really spicy food is perfect level of spice.
(4)
Adina F.
This place has really good food but it is sooooooo overpriced for not much food at all. You'll get a tiny little dish of tikka massala and a ton of rice and that'll cost about $14. Not worth it. Lunch is cheaper and its a la carte (not buffet style which its my favorite) so I'd definitely recommend going a little earlier to get the deals. Even still, not enough food!
(3)
Renee B.
Loved this place too while I lived in Tally!! The food is excellent and made me feel like I was back home dining at an Indian restaurant on Devon St. in Chicago.
(5)
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Address :1105 Apalachee Pkwy,Ste A
Tallahassee, FL, 32301
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No 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 : No 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.
Anamarie S.
Essence of India is the BEST! Bar naan (get it?) bar none. Any who, on my never ending trip to Miami, I made plenty of stops along the East coast, including a pit stop in Tallahassee to see my king for his birthday. Staying there for a few days, I had to make my way to one of the best restaurants in the world! Now hear me out, for eight dollars you get a salad, a bowl of lentil soup, an entree (that could easily feed two), unlimited naan and a dessert of the day. At Essence of India, food is always delicious, and I probably eat four pieces of naan by myself (seriously it's crazy good!). I ordered the Palaki Tofu. I wish it were a little more spicy but nonetheless awesome. My friends ordered curried and makani fish, and everyone left full and satisfied. The desserts are hit or miss, and this day it was a vanilla custard (not my favorite), but I ordered a glass mango lassi as my sweet dessert ending to a fairytale meal. Lunch specials last from 11a-2:30p, but get there before 1:45p if you really want to get the best out of your 8 dollars. I did tell you it's eight dollars right!? Ok good! Visit fortnegrita.com for more.
(5)Todd L.
Wow! We stopped here while traveling across the country. I have had Indian food in many places, and this might be my favorite Indian food of all time. AMAZING!
(5)Bryan E.
The best veg samosas ever. Best palak chole hot ever omg. Amazing chutneys and great service. Wow
(5)Jenna G.
This is my favorite Indian food of all time. I live in Colorado now but I am from Tallahassee. I have tried many Indian restaurants out here and nothing compares to the quality, taste and friendliness of Essence. The food is amazing and you get a lot for your money.
(5)Allison S.
I guess I am spoiled by homemade Indian food! The food I order was good. But when we requested spicy, the food was not. The naun is good though $5 for a cheese and garlic naun seems a bit much! The waiters are attentive! Basically this is good Indian food and a great way to introduce your friend to ethnic cuisine but
(4)Lu R.
The waiter is very arrogant and bad temper. The food is also bad. I will never go to this restaurant again. Never!!! Although there are many Indians, I guess that the food fits those people, there is no reason to treat us in that way!
(1)Justin F.
This is one of my favorite restaurants in Tallahassee. I have never had a bad meal. I've loved Indian food for a long time and have sampled many Indian restaurants, and, after being in Tallahassee a while, I was told this is more authentic than most. While I cannot attest to that statement, I will say that there is definitely a different blend of spices than I've found in most Indian restaurants. I usually get the shrimp saag (saag = creamy spinach) along with garlic naan (GREAT combination) and this past visit I ordered the Beef Nawabi Palak. It is actually quite similar to the saag, but with raisins and almonds. It was absolutely wonderful. The service is ok. They are friendly, but not always the most attentive. They are generous with extra rice, so we can almost always get a second meal out of the leftovers. While I absolutely love this restaurant on merit alone, it can't hurt that it was the location of my first date with my now fiancee. ;-) I highly recommend it to anyone who appreciates or is interested in trying Indian cuisine. Also, I rated it two $'s, but it does fall into the high side of that range, especially with alcohol and appetizers.
(5)Carly C.
Really tasty, lovely staff, reasonable prices. Love the butter chicken!
(5)Jenna B.
My husband and I ordered take out from Essence of India on a Saturday night when he was in town and was sick. I had the lamb saag and he had the chicken tikka masala. We shared a garlic naan. The food was amazing, and enough for leftovers for a couple of days. The service was prompt. I can't wait to go and try dining in. I'll definitely be back!
(4)Michael A.
I see a lot of 4 and 5 star ratings for this place. This leads me to believe that a) the people leaving these reviews have never had good Indian food, or b) that the times I have come here it has been far below it's norm. No offense to other reviewers but I think it's option "a." The food here is nothing special, it's affordable, but if I'm going out to eat I'd pay a couple bucks more for food that makes me want to come back.
(2)p d.
Their Dal Makhani rivals my favorite version at the famous Khyber in Bombay! Sadly, I haven't explored many of their other dishes because I could eat dal makhani every day and usually get this. Enjoy!
(4)Paul F.
Outstanding food and Great Service! The suroundings are a bit underdone, but other than that, I think this more than exceeds expectations for a good Indian restaurant. They have a large appetizer selection and an extensive menu, both vegetarian and non. The mixed appetizer is particularly good, as is the special biryani. Service is always prompt and attentive without being intrusive. The prices are quite good as well.
(4)Whitney N.
The lunch special is good. 8$ for soup, salad, naan, rice, entree and dessert. I've only had the mattar paneer there, because I love cheese cubes. That dish is great! The service is attentive and quick as well.
(4)Amber V.
My husband and I needed an excellent caterer for our wedding and the Essence of India team was PERFECT! We had several multicultural family and friends coming from around the country and around the globe and needed the best cuisine for our special night. After receiving several recommendations that all pointed to Essence of India, we knew they would be a great place to start. At our tasting, they patiently listened to all of our family needs and provided us with a delicious variety of foods to try out. We loved all of it and knew they were the right team for the job. Throughout the entire planning process, they took care of everything we needed, down to coordinating food labels with the venue. On our wedding day, my husband and I were so busy with photos during cocktail hour we didn't get to try the food but all of our guests raved about the catered horderves by E of I. And during the reception, all of our guests (American and Indian alike) loved the tasty flavors of all the dishes. We are sooo pleased with the quality of service and food we got from Essence of India that we would recommend them to anyone who needs an excellent caterer for their special occasion.
(5)Scarlett T.
This is one of my very favorite restaurants. The mutter paneer is excellent and goes perfectly with garlic naan. I don't find the "spicy" to be quite spicy enough, so next time I'll have to ask if they do an "extra spicy." Dinner servers are attentive to the point where I feel guilty because my water glass needs constant refilling. The only downsides are the price, though it's worth it once in a while, and that they keep your change if there's less than a dollar left if you pay in cash. which I just think is weird and lazy.
(4)Crispian G.
pretty good for tallahassee. the curry is really good but sometimes the portions are a little small. love the lamb vindaloo and the goat curry. pretty pricey but so are the other indian places in Tallahassee. better quality than samrat but curry pot has this place beat with portions and menu options.
(4)David S.
Bad experience for an Indian restaurant. Cons: 1) More expensive than Samrat. 2) Vindaloo wasn't as good as Samrat's usually is. 3) Almost empty on a Friday night. Not a good sign, right? Pros: 1) My roommate liked his chicken biryani.
(2)Scott L.
When I clicked on two stars above, Yelp said, "Meh. I've experienced better," and that's pretty much exactly how I felt about Essence of India. it's not that anything was bad, it just wasn't particularly great. To start, I was expecting to be given the lentil crackers with mint chutney, that every single Indian restaurant I've been to has given for free. Not only do they charge you for the crackers, but they charge more for the sauces! This is kind of how I feel when Mexican restaurants don't give you chips and salsa. But, I can't really take off stars for a lack of free food, so on to the food I actually paid for... I decided to go with the shrimp vindaloo. It wasn't bad and if someone gave it to me, I'd eat it again, but I probably wouldn't pay for it again. It was somewhat spicy (as vindaloo always is), but it was by far the thinnest sauce I'd ever had...watery, in fact. The shrimp were very small and overcooked. There was plenty of rice served with it, but it was probably the smallest portion of vindaloo I've ever received. The naan bread was pretty much the same as it is anywhere else, which is to say it was very good. Unfortunately, I usually use the naan to soak up the vindaloo sauce, and there really wasn't much to soak up. Service was average. The wait staff were all friendly, if not particularly fast. However, the real reason it got two stars instead of three was the price. Along with not giving you the lentil crackers and charging for chutney that should be free, everything was about $2-3 more than I'm used to paying for similar items, but not as good. If you get appetizers or drinks, it will add up quickly to the point that I can not say it's worth the price.
(2)Cherry J.
Good: - Very consistent - Tasty sauces - Nice cuts of meat Bad: - REALLY expensive for what you get - Too spicy ("medium" here = "HOT" everywhere else) Get the Sweet Lassi!
(3)Matt J.
I love good Indian food and Essence of India exceeded my expectations for Indian food in Tallahassee. I had the goat curry with garlic naan and was impressed by the prompt and attentive service as well as the quality of the food - it was as good as any Indian food I'd had in a long time. They've got some great lunch specials.
(4)Christine V.
My friends took me here while I was visiting and I was pretty impressed! Walking in you could smell the spices and it made me instantly hungry. The service was prompt and one of the workers noticed I had a camera on the table so he offered to take a picture of the group. He was a bit talkative but very friendly. :) My husband and I got the dinner for two which included an appetizer sampler, naan, rice, two choices of curry entrees, and dessert. It was a really good deal and everything was yummy. The naan was so good! It was fluffy, warm, and tasty. Just perfect. I also got to taste my friend's chicken vindaloo which had an exceptionally creamy and savory sauce. I might want to come here every time I visit. XD
(4)Danny B.
Essence of India is one of my favorite restaurants--not just in Tallahassee, but anywhere. The curry is delicious, the rice is amazing, the naan is fantastic, and the samosas are out of this world. The lunch menu is a great deal. For $8, one gets curry, rice, naan, soup, salad, and dessert. I wouldn't mind a slightly larger helping of curry, but you still can't beat the price. The dinner menu is a different story. EOI has raised its price a couple of times, and this has resulted in my going for dinner only on occasion. One used to be able to get a large meal for two for around $30. Now you're looking at closer to $50, and this is without drinks. The food is well worth my time, but I can't say that the dinner menu is worth my money. $14 for a medium bowl of curry and a large plate of rice is too much. Go for the lunch menu and enjoy the deliciousness. The butter chicken is incredible. If you feel like splurging, dinner is well worth a try--I recommend the lamb korma and the paneer methi malai. Five stars, but the price for the dinner menu makes it dangerously close to four stars.
(5)Lu R.
The best Indian in Tallahassee. The lunch special is a bargain and the food has never missed. Oddly enough the consistency of the food tends to vary a bit --- if you order a dish on one night it may not taste the same and a previous visit (especially with the chutneys) --- but it is all still good. The variations just make me think I'm visiting different Indian/Paki friends who are cooking the same dish with their own little twist. The service has always been good and they seem to have some of the nicest staff people (especially those filling your water and clearing the plates) in all of town. This place has seemingly changed ownership about three times in the three years since I moved here but I have a feeling this one is here to stay --- the food is a great improvement over what used to be there (both times).
(4)FromScratch M.
Started off promising but now pretty average. Have eaten off the lunch menu several times and its getting less and less flavorful, and the soup is getting thinner and thinner.
(3)Juan C.
This place never disappoints. Very inexpensive menu and great taste overall. Chicken curry is always awesome and spice level is customizable.
(5)G B.
Should have ordered the murg shahi saag (not that I know it's good, but it sounded good tonight). Unfortunately, got talked into the chicken tikka masala. So, I asked for added vegetables. Yup, added vegetables, right from the Little Green Giant frozen beans, peas, and corn bag. Honestly, don't they know that green beens don't really look (or should taste) like that? $2 extra, just in case you're curious. So, not terribly impressed, especially since I can't imagine of a milder preparation though I ordered medium. Aloo paratha was pretty good, though. There's got to be better Indian in Tallahassee, right?
(2)Fahad K.
The only reason I go here is because I have no choice if I want to have Indian food. The two stars are just for service, the good is not that great, the quantity is limited and the price is undeserving. Try restaurants in Orlando, to get the real taste.
(2)J C.
Walked in here just before the lunch special ended at two -- and what a lunch special it is! I can't recall the price exactly, but I think it was around a tidy seven dollars for lentil soup, a small salad, an entree of your choice, naan bread, and dessert. It wasn't the best Indian I've ever had, but it was very good and definitely filled my craving. I was impressed with the service too -- quick and attentive. Maybe the best part are the totally 80s Miami Vice plush, color-splashed black velveteen chairs we were sitting on. A cute, good place to catch a lunch.
(4)JD D.
If you like British-style Indian food, you'll love Essence of India. The menu is typical of the genre. They serve liquor and the $8 lunch--which includes soup, salad, entree, naan, and desert--is about as good a bargain as you'll find. I recommend ordering rice pudding for desert.
(5)Saradhi R.
I've had much better Indian food!! We were passing through Tallahassee on Christmas and this was one of the very few restaurants that were open for dinner. I was doubly delighted to find an Indian restaurant open since I had almost decided that we were going to eat at one of the chain diners open 24 hours. Felt a little odd upon entering when one of the wait staff shouted from across the other end and asked us to get seated. We ordered a Taj mahal beer and a sweet lassi - the lassi had way too much sugar. We got the aloo tikki and vegetable pakora for appetizers. I've had my fair share of aloo tikki in life and the aloo tikki that we got here was more like an aloo bonda. Got the chilli paneer and vegetable vindaloo and some naan bread for the main course. The bread was good. The chilli paneer had a sweet chilli (Chinese) sauce instead of a traditional curry that I was expecting. When I complained that it was way too sweet, I was informed that it was a Chinese dish - no mention of the danger in the menu nor were we told anything when we ordered. The vindaloo also had a weird sour and bitter taste that I couldn't quite place together. I would've given them two stars only based on the food, but, gave them 3 instead since the wait staff and the owner stopped by our table and apologized and took the chilli paneer off from my check after I declined a replacement dish since I was traveling.
(3)Luke D.
2 words: GARLIC NAAN. We had quite the feast and enjoyed it all. There's not much in this world better a pint of SweetWater 420 for under 3 bucks. I'm sold.
(5)Stephen V.
Never disappointed with their lunch special. Really good, authentic Indian cuisine at a great lunchtime price. My wife and I had the lamb curry and fish curry, respectively. As always, we left satisfied. We learned on this visit that Essence now offers a weekend lunch buffet. Can't wait to try it.
(4)Charles L.
Everything is delicious and they are so nice. The buffet is heaven. Make sure you try the butter chicken. Even if you don't come for the buffet and you're getting something on the menu, you still get free rice pudding and it's amazing.
(5)Art C.
Awesome. Great service. Food was over the top great. Very clean I would have no problem taking business associates here for dinner. the decor is India but elegant and subdued. Cool chandeliers reminiscent of a oceangoing cruise. Very good bar and prices very reasonable. A home run :)
(5)Nick A.
Very expensive and service was crap. Food was ok, had goat curry and ws more bones then goat. Curry was kinda sweet. In all I was very disappointed with service and food.
(1)Erin R.
essenceofindiafl.com If you need more info... Out of town and waiting on my take out but I have high hopes!
(5)Vanessa C.
Best deal: Lunch buffet 8.99 M-F includes rice, naan, and dessert Chicken curry, chicken tandoori, butter chicken are all incredible so the lunch buffet is so worth it. Service is crappy but the food is phenomenal. Vegan/vegetarian options available, the vegetable curry is on par with chicken curry. Check them out and you can walk over to New Leaf after to support your local co-op.
(4)Ginevra A.
I am obsessed with this Indian restaurant. It is delicious and always liked everything. The vindaloo and tikka masala are really good. If you want really spicy ask for Indian hot!
(5)Lisa A.
I have been to essence a few times for their lunch buffet and it is definitely my favorite in Tallahassee. They have a great selection and the na'an is very good! Everything seems to be fresh and authentic and I would recommend it to someone who has never tried this type of cuisine.
(4)Jayy P.
I love love love the food here!! Everything is hot and fresh! I love the warm bread and crisp spices! I also love the traditional menu
(5)Daniel P.
One of the pioneering Indian restaurants in TLH. This restaurant offers a lunch buffet of Friday, Saturday and Sunday only. Throughout the week, however, diners can enjoy a "prix-fixe" lunch option that includes a salad, entree and dessert. The price simply cannot be beat. During previous visits (perhaps a dozen or so over the past 8 years) I was struck by how uncongenial the staff was - but during this past visit, the opposite was true. Not only were staff and owners attentive and pleasant, but table service was swift and virtually invisible. My wife and I both noticed the difference. Tallahassee now has at least five indian restaurants from which to choose - and this one is a strong contender that we enjoy.
(4)Lauren C.
I have always loved Essence, but I gained a new appreciation for their delicious food while traveling and realized that I was really just looking for their food in other cities. The food never disappoints, and they are always very accommodating about making sure to give me ample vegan options, even if it requires going off menu. The wait staff is nice, if a little disorganized at times, and my girlfriend and I have come to love watching the head waiter go everywhere at a sprint. Vegetable curry, samosas, and roti are on point. Reportedly the chicken dishes and naan are of similar quality.
(4)Paige C.
I got the lamb curry, medium spice, with garlic naan and I was delicious! The curry was "holy-s***-spicy" so next time I think I'll go with mild. But still very very good!
(4)Matt W.
A very good local Indian restaurant/buffet - I visited Essence of India for the first time recently, and was very pleased with my experience. This eatery is tucked in the corner of the New Leaf plaza on the parkway. It was $9.99 per person for a Saturday buffet. We were greeted promptly upon entering and seated in the dining room, already bustling even at 11:30am. The restaurant, as compared to Curry Pot, had a much more pleasant vibe - whereas Curry Pot is kind of dark and subdued, the large windows at Essence of India allowed for a much brighter dining room and good visibility. The buffet itself was medium-sized, but had a good selection. All your staples: Tandoor chicken, naan (which was delectable), basmati rice, paneer, chutneys, yellow curry chicken, chili chicken, lentil stew, and a number of dishes I was not familiar with (if you're like me, every time you eat Indian food, as a relative novice, you constantly compare things to your existing culinary experiences to try to understand what you are eating - like I'm pretty sure I had the Indian equivalent of vegetarian nachos). Drinks are served in nice heavy glasses. Refills and plate removal were frequent and unobtrusive. Some of the guests were a bit weird, but that's to be expected in Tallahassee, home of the leather sandal brigade. Service was friendly, and while there was an older man up at the cash register, our server took our check for us so we effectively paid at the table. Also, bathroom was adequately clean and had a hand dryer, no paper towels. Hey, I'm giving you every bit of knowledge I have here, use what you will! Bottom line: I've yet to try all the Tallahassee Indian restaurants, but I'm confident that Essence of India is a worthy choice when craving Indian food.
(4)Patricia B.
I end up here regularly. For a vegetarian, their menu has many wonderful choices and I've always left satisfied and full! Never been during lunch time rush, but even in time is enjoyably quiet with quick service. The waiters can be a bit abrasive, but mean well - its hard as wait staff not to seem intense when there are just a couple tables in the evening. Despite what others have said, you're served good portions of food. I always suggest getting naan with your meal as well, lots of choices for every kind of dish and pallate!
(4)Nathan H.
The buffet is great for lunch. The butter chicken and naan bread was fantastic.
(5)Karl L.
We stopped in while driving East on I-10. Well, it was a bit of a hike off of the highway, but worth it. As is our usual when eating Indian, we ordered about 6 dishes with the intent of saving some for later. All of them were to go because it was early and we just didn't want to miss the opportunity for good food before we hit the back roads. Butter chicken wasn't on the menu, but was happily made for us and was good, though not the best I have had (my own is better!). Aloo gobi (potatoes and cauliflower) WAS the best however, and was matched well with eggplant, peas in curry, and several others. Naan was as usual, naan. There's no doubt I would return again. Now, be careful, because there are several sham reviews in the area for Indian restaurants. I have flagged a few which may disappear, but take note on who is writing one star reviews for several businesses and five stars for only one. They should be easy to spot.
(4)Caroline G.
We came on a Saturday night. We received amazing service and the food was absolutely delicious. We got the appetizer sampler platter, which was fun and tasty, especially with the three main sauces provided. Each curry and vindaloo entree was outstanding. Highly recommend!!!
(5)Leanne R.
It feels good to actually give a five star review! This place has wonderful food. The flavors, were bold like I like without being too much, their mild is a less mild than I was expecting. Next time I will try med. The naan is soft and full. Soup perfect! Will come again the next time I am in Tallahassee!! **As a side note even though I thought the food was excellent, I am admittantly not extremely familiar with Indian cuisine. It could be authentic or not and I would not know the difference. All I know is its good.**
(5)Mariam S.
Best food, Indian restaurant which serve halal food. I love the lunch buffet. My husband like goat curry and I like the veges. We have often brought our friends to dine in and it turns out to be always a good experience. My little boy likes the sweet rice pudding and gulab jaman. Superb.
(5)Aaron M.
After a few weeks of travelling in the South, my wife and I were craving Indian food. To our delight, Tallahassee had a few to choose from. We chose the Essence of India and were very happy with our meal, with two exceptions ... price and quantity of chicken in the Chicken Tikka Masala. We placed our order for pickup and the food was ready within the 15 minutes quoted. The food was thoughtfully packaged and even after a 20-minute drive home, it was still very warm. The spice level, the quality of the food and quantity (with the exception of the Chicken Tikka Masala) were perfect. The Chicken Pakora was a delightful surprise, we had never ordered it before but we felt adventurous and it paid off... definitely a must order. We are in Tallahassee for a week and I am pretty sure we will visit Essence of India at least one more time before we leave.
(4)Maayan Y.
Expensive, especially when you consider the size of the dishes. Pretty tasty, though, for the most part. The only dish I've tried and not liked is the vegetable biryani - the vegetables tasted like they were made from frozen. The garlic naan, though - outrageously delicious. I would get into a fistfight with somebody over the last piece.
(4)Keagan W.
I tried Indian food for the first time here. I had a smaller platter of sorts. I didn't like everything but mostly it was because it was unfamiliar or I just didn't like the ingredients... but I could tell everything would have been good to someone who liked that sort of stuff. I did enjoy the naan, rice and the chicken.
(4)Dodgy D.
"ESSENCE OF SALT" I am a big fan of Indian food. This was my first time at this restaurant. I ordered onion bhajis and chicken bhuna. The bhajis were passable. At the outset, the chicken bhuna was tasty until, a few bites in, I realized the"taste" came from an abundance of salt. Not good. I have eaten Indian food at various places, both in America and the UK. The food at this restaurant is nowhere near the real deal. If you want authentic Indian cuisine, do yourself a favour and eat elsewhere.
(2)Amy T.
The food here was amazing, and I've eaten a lot of Indian food in recent years. Mango chicken is one of my favorite dishes, this being the best I've ever had. I also ordered the shrimp masala, and like someone else said the sauce was watery compared to what I'm used to. The flavor sand spices were great on everything.
(4)Niki A.
I am perplexed by the good reviews posted here because the food was just horrible. We ordered two vegetarian dishes and a naan and what we received was a soupy mush lacking flavor or spices. Awful! The soup was nothing more than frozen vegetables thrown into a greasy broth. The garlic naan lacked garlic flavor or proper consistency of an Indian bread. To add insult to injury the server kept dipping his finger into the bowls of food when serving it to us -- utterly disgusting! Obviously, Tallahassee is not exactly an ethnic food Mecca, but this experience was just a gigantic disappointment with a hefty price tag. Do yourself a favor and stay away!
(1)Brett K.
Came in from Los Angeles and had to go back to my favorite Indian restaurant. Lots of good indian food in LA, but none cook just like Essence. It's still my favorite after 6 years apart!
(5)Isaac G.
My wife and I are from New York and we love Indian food. In New York there is a plethora of Indian restaurants, now we live in Panama City where they don't have any decent ones. We decided to go to this place on a whim. This place is about a two hour drive from where we live. Not taking into account the time zone difference, we realized that we were barely going to make it there. We decided to call ahead and put our order in because we wanted some Indian food badly. The host told us to call back when we were five minutes away. When we called back, about 40 minutes before they closed they insisted we ordered to go. We get there and our food is packed and ready to go; we asked if we could eat in, and very rudely they said no. I asked why not, it was still 30 minutes before closing time, they said no and pretty much made us feel as unwanted as someone could feel. I was compelled to leave the food and just walk out, but I had driven two hours to get there, so I was like F it. Bottom line, food was expensive, they were rude, forgot our drinks, and the food at a minimum was decent. Chicken Mahki was salty as hell, and the Briyanni was mostly onions. I wouldn't recommend this place with other options available. They don't care about customers.
(2)Gary J.
Very finicky and unreliable hours. Went there for lunch. Very small menu and the food had no flavor and the sauce tasted like the chef just opened a can and added it to the meat. We both had lamb curry and I asked for mine to be seasoned spicy and my wife's to be mild - when it arrived they both tasted identical , the server said they were seasoned as we requested. Not very likely to come here again.
(1)Amy A.
The Chicken Vindaloo was very good. I asked for it hot...and it was hot enough for me, but some people would probably like it hotter. However, they did include an extra portion of some chili paste to make it hotter, so there you go. The garlic naan is amazing...I would highly recommend getting this along with whatever you order! The lentil soup was good, but not great. It was a pureed lentil, which I did not expect. I am going to try some of the recommendations people have here next time.
(4)Barb D.
This was a wonderful relaxing atmosphere. Wonderful service. I think every staff member made sure I was ok and that I was happy. Would highly recommend the lamb dishes!
(5)Lisette F.
My husband picked up our takeout order of chicken tiki masala, vegetable curry and samosas. Everything was delicious! Even the condiments and papadam. As good as our favorite Indian place back home. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is that I didn't eat at the restaurant itself.
(4)Joel T.
This is definitely the best Indian food restaurant in Tallahassee. Now that i think of it probably the best one i have ever been to. I don't really do the lunch buffet things at these type of places because the food during that time seems to be considerably under par compared to the cooked to order dinner menu. I have to start with saying that the Methi-Melai sauce is the best thing on the menu. You can get it with chicken or for the vegetarians with paneer (which is their homemade cheese cubes that are similar to tofu but way tastier). Whenever my girlfriend and i go there our bill is around $50 but that's because we order several dishes and share them all. There are 3 main dishes we order every time we go there because they are our favorites and you cant go wrong with favorites We also order one additional dish to try something new each time. Here is a description of the 3 dishes ordered every time. Chicken Methi-Melai Probably the greatest Indian food dish in the world which is odd that this is the only restaurant i have ever seen it served. Eggplant Bhartha Great vegetarian dish smokey eggplant flavor make sure you tell them NO FRESH GINGER on top it will seriously ruin the entire dish. They have just recently started putting it on top. Muttar Paneer Before Methi-Melai this was my favorite dish. The homemade cheese is absolutely delicious, and seriously who doesn't like peas. If your like me you love the bread here known as naan and will eat at least one order to yourself. I'm still on the fence about ordering the garlic version because it does cost more but i don't think it adds that much to the party. The only downside to this place that i have noticed of the 20 or so times i have been here is the service seems to be slow. and by that i mean the wait between finishing your meal and getting everything paid for. Don't know if its part of the culture but we have waited around 15 min before actually getting our check paid on several occasions. I have given serious thought to applying for a job here just so i can learn how to make the Methi-Melai sauce. It is just that good you really do have to try it. The food here is just so much better than any other Indian food restaurant that it is worth facing the slow service and will receive the very rarely given out 5 star rating from me.
(5)Chris L.
This is the type of indian food that I like. I have been here several times with my parents and the food is always delicious. I love the breads. I usually order vegetarian foods while my parents always get chicken and lamb curry. We all share and it is all delicious. Only one little gripe, my parents ordered the dinner for two and the appetizers had one of each item rather than two. The really spicy food is perfect level of spice.
(4)Adina F.
This place has really good food but it is sooooooo overpriced for not much food at all. You'll get a tiny little dish of tikka massala and a ton of rice and that'll cost about $14. Not worth it. Lunch is cheaper and its a la carte (not buffet style which its my favorite) so I'd definitely recommend going a little earlier to get the deals. Even still, not enough food!
(3)Renee B.
Loved this place too while I lived in Tally!! The food is excellent and made me feel like I was back home dining at an Indian restaurant on Devon St. in Chicago.
(5)