The Great Indian Restaurant
4400 Avenue of the Cities, Moline, IL, 61265
The Great Indian Restaurant Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Moline for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Moline for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Moline for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
4400 Avenue of the Cities
Moline, IL, 61265 - Phone (309) 797-6603
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Opening Hours
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Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch, Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : No
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Divey
Noise Level : Quiet
Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
Categories
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.
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Benjamin F.
one of the first and (in my opinion) still the best indian restaurant in the QC. go. enjoy.
(5)Julie A.
I have been to this restaurant several times for the buffet - mainly due to proximity (and there's really no "bad" Indian food) - and am somewhat disappointed every time. The curries are bland and the tandoori chicken dry. Something would run out and then take 20 minutes to be replenished. I have visited India many times, and I realize it's hard to duplicate here in the US, but Mantra in Davenport comes close. Unfortunately, it's closed on Sundays. Service is great, and you really can't go wrong with naan and gulab jamun, but I won't be eating here again unless I'm in a pinch and jonesing for Indian with no other alternatives.
(2)Robin R.
So many reviewers write their critique based on environment and service AND the quality of food. In some cases that's not fair when the owners really don't give a crap about environment or service, but they take pride in the food they serve. That's the case upon which I give my review. Great Indian has nothing to offer for ambience or service, but the food is amazing. We enjoyed malai kofta, vegetable vindaloo, cheesy naan, vegetable platter (appetizer), and mango lassi. So the conundrum: what IS eating out if the service sucks and the place is a dump but the food is awesome? You get take-out.
(5)Genevieve C.
My favorite Indian food in the area. The Saag Paneer and the Nan are delicious. The buffet is usually pretty good, and the staff is generally nice and attentive. Great place.
(5)Pratip N.
Best food! Very authentic! Divey good food. Everything is good I like the chicken tikka masala and the paneer tikka masala and love their Saag (spinach) dishes especially the Lamb Saag. Definitely Better than Mantra for sure.
(5)Dipalee P.
January 2015. Right now they can get only 2 stars . Food quality , taste and cleanliness everything has gone down compared to last 2-3 years . I have been going here since last 4 years , we used to love the food , but after new restaurant mantra opened , the great indian restaurent has been gone worst . Floor is always dirty , never moped, buffets are empty, very less variety compared to mantra. Before mantra was competitor , it was really good . We r still going because we r Indians and need some change now n then . But if u expect good, then it's not for u
(2)Dana F.
As other reviews mentioned, this is the only Indian restaurant in town. Unfortunately, I was very unimpressed with the entree. The chicken tikka masala was incredibly bland and the chicken itself was very salty. Also, for the price (dinner portion) it could've been a slightly bigger portion. However, the naan was hot, fresh and tasty and the rice was very well cooked. The ambiance was fairly non-existent, but fairly typical for small Indian restaurants in my experience. I'm going to give the lunch buffet another shot, but as a transplant I'm really missing other cities (no bigger than the QC) who have at least two to three options for Indian.
(3)Lauren W.
What happened?! I have been a customer since they first opened up. They were always spot on with their food until I went this Saturday after not going for a long time... They have lost their passion in maintaining the restaurant and food quality. I ordered the usual which was Chicken Tikka Masala with an order of garlic naan. The garlic naan didn't taste good, very bland, either the recipe was changed or I was given the wrong order. As for the chicken tikka masala, it tasted dried.
(2)Brainmist K.
Literally the only place to go in the QCA for Indian, which is a crying shame; other metro areas get to choose between various regional specializations, and we have just one option. Thank goodness it's a good one! Good, solid food; I'm seldom disappointed. Could be a bit spicier sometimes on the buffet, but I've ordered spicy entrees, and found them to have plenty of fire! Samosas are fabulous; I could live on these and mulligatawny. Lobster kashmiri is like a piece of heaven in your mouth, and the saag is rich and flavorful. Some of the other regular buffet items are less stellar (I'm looking at you, egg curry), but it's a buffet; eat what you love. Good, friendly service, with staff who know their regulars. The venue itself is...well, I've eaten at a lot of Indian places around the US, and they all seem to be squeezed into a re-purposed restaurant/ shop/ trailer home, so I guess it's not atypical. In an area with such a diverse population, you'd expect more variety; I'd love to see more selection. But if we only get one, at least it's good.
(4)Kelly H.
I love good Indian food, but I wasn't too sure how good this place would be. I mean, I don't even know if I've seen an Indian person in the Quad Cities, let alone enough Indian people to own and cook at an Indian restaurant. But, some friends like it, so I went for the buffet. Turns out, it was delicious. It tasted like it was supposed to, and even though it doesn't look like much from the outside, the place looks like any other reputable Indian restaurant I've ever been to. Clean and nothing fancy. That's how I like it. My only complaint is the lack of spiciness in the entrees.
(4)Shelane C.
Not as good as the Indian Restaurants we visited in Houston, but really good anyway. Love the matar paneer, just delicious. The naan is fresh and hot, the tandoori chicken is delicious, and my son is addicted to the kheer. I have only tried one other Indian restaurant in QCA and did not think it was as good as this one. The service is always good too! We will keep going for sure.
(4)Samantha D.
I always eat here when I'm home. It's always delicious. The lunch buffet is worth a trip. There's generally 3-4 veg options and 2-3 meat options, always naan, great samosas, a rotating dessert, and galub jamun. When I went back last week they had done some redecorating. I love the orange circles on the walls and the new curtains. Looks great!
(5)Kathiravan K.
Excellent for Carryout. You can call ahead and let them know what you want if you know the menu. The Lunch buffet is a good deal. Food is very flavorful. They have a small selection of beer imported from India and few choices of wine. It adds a nice touch. During dinner, they customized our food based on how spicy we want each dishes to be. The server knows the food and would offer advise when asked about the dishes. There is always some Indian music playing, subtle enough to have conversations without raising voice. The restaurant area is very clean and the service is friendly. The Ambiance is not great, but nothing to complain either. I am knocking off one star because the Restroom is absolutely disgusting and I would advise the management to PLEASE take care of it.
(4)Msrpyxa R.
I love this Indian restaurant. My favorite is the buffet when it's your chance to try a lot of their food. Everything so tasty and delicious. My mouth is getting watery just thinking about it. I love their garlic nan. I'm glad we have a place like this to satisfy out bellies and taste buds.
(5)Joe R.
Best Indian food I've had. Good portions for the price. My favorite restaurant in the quad cities.
(5)Tejas S.
This place is unbelievable. The waitstaff is lame, slow, and lazy. It is hilariously operating inside of an old Taco Bell (the remnants are still there!). The restaurant is sloppy and disgustingly filthy. The food is not worth the wait and is way way overpriced. We came here fooled into thinking it was India House thanks to our GPS. Won't make that mistake again.
(1)Julie K.
This restaurant got me started on Indian food. They offer lunch buffets which is great for people who are new to this genre of food. The shahi paneer is my favorite dish. I love their mango shakes- perfectly refreshing in the summer. Best lunch buffet day is sunday. I would rather have great food in a boring looking restaurant than great ambience and horrible food. The looks aren't there... but the taste is.
(5)Kari H.
The lunch buffet is yumtastic. Pretty sure they put some addictive additive in their food :) Off the menu order is ok. But honestly hit the buffet...best bang for your buck.
(5)Oops A.
Food is good. Price is good. Service is bad. Ambience is terrible- old taco bell look.
(3)Ron H.
If you haven't been here lately... My wife and I live in Muscatine and while we don't get here as frequently as we would like we have always enjoyed the Great Indian Restaurant. A month or so ago we were enjoying the lunch buffet when we noticed something different - in a very good way. We asked our server, the ever-attentive Peter, whether they had made any changes lately. Peter informed us there was a new chef. The change was noticeable and we thoroughly enjoyed our lunch. We highly recommend the lunch buffet. Tonight we went for dinner and had an exceptional experience. My wife had the shrimp kashmiri and I the chicken tikka masala. Both meals were excellent and prepared exactly as we requested. And the service, as always, was stellar--every need anticipated and never an empty glass. We were pleased to see that the tireless Peter was joined by a new smiling face. A young server named Reggie, who informed us that she started only a week ago, was a delight. If you have not been to the Great Indian Restaurant lately, you are in for a treat on your next visit. My wife and I have eaten Indian food all around the world and this place remains a favorite.
(5)Lisa B.
We are recent transplants from Portland Oregon and are always looking for great cultural food here in the Quad-Cities. We LOVE Indian food but had not found a good one (Indian Rasoi, not so good). We decided to try GIR for dinner and was not disappointed! Food was GREAT, had our favorite dishes, and Peter was wonderful! Chef came out to meet us which was a pleasant and welcome surprise. Highly recommend! Maybe with the new management they will add some ambience and new decor which is maybe their only down point and why I didn't give a five star. Warmer paint color and some curtains would go a long ways. :)
(4)Mohit S.
Their buffet is really bad. Never go for buffet.
(2)Air P.
Whenever I come to the Quad Cities I have lunch here at least once, usually a few times! So yummy and so reasonably priced. I always go for the lunch buffet though, not for dinner. The samosas are great and so is the saag paneer. **UPDATE** Ok, we went a few times last month, and it's REALLY hit-or-miss. The last time we went, most of the dishes were intensly salty, to the point that it was inedible! I had finally convinced my food-conservative dad and stepmom to have lunch there, and I was embarrassed and disappointed that everything was so over-salted and dried-out. I suspect that the folks at India House/ The Great Indian Restaraunt realize that most Quad Citians don't have many options for Indian, and take their customers for granted.
(2)Kuhio P.
I called this restaurant before going there on a Sunday evening to reconfirm their hours. I was told to arrive before 9PM. When I arrived at 8:55, I was told the restaurant was already closed. I mentioned that I had driven quite a distance to reach the restaurant, but there was no sense of compassion, just a business-like approach. I did not appreciate the misinformation given over the phone, nor the way I was treated upon arrival.
(1)J M.
When we arrived, there were a few people inside mainly clustered by the front windows. The server took us to a table near the rest of the herd that was literally right on top of another table. I asked to sit another table, but it was one they reserve for parties of 8 or more (which was slightly ridiculous as there were not many people in the place at that time). They finally did get us a table that was not right on top of someone else. The food is good, even if it is in an old 90's Taco Bell building. We had an appetizer, two entres, and two orders of naan for $33. While good, the food is a bit pricey for the amount you get. Customer service needs to be better. Aside from placing the order, receiving the food, and getting the check, we saw our server for "anything extra" once (and that was at the very end of the meal right before the check). I'd return for the food, but do carry-out instead of dining in.
(3)Lyndsay L.
The lunch buffet here is addictive! We went once on a whim and we are now addicts! About once a month we just get a hankering and HAVE to go within days. The matar paneer?? is out of this world good (peas and Indian cheese in an orangey colored sauce), the naan is...I don't even have words for how good the naan is, the chicken tikka is perfect, dry ( I llike dry meat) and super flavorful. Always high quality, tastes like it is all made from scratch. My two and half year old loves the sambahar soup and little pancake things with veggies. Price is about ten bucks for a buffet and that is awesome, especially if you aren't sure if you dig on this kind of food...gives you a chance to find out which dish you love. Items offered change but they always have the paneer! Dessert consists of little fried balls of dough? in a syrupy cardmom-y sauce. So freakin' good. Just remodeled, place is always clean, employees friendly and has coooold a/c. Open late for lunch buffet, like two pm or something. Closed on Tuesdays, at least for lunch. :-(
(5)Lianne N.
Went for the lunch buffet... and it was pretty good. Lots of flavorful dishes and plenty of naan. Ambiance leaves a little to be desired, but it's good other than that, and it was full of plenty of satisfied customers, yet easy to get seated on a Sunday around 1 p.m. It looks like it used to be a Taco Bell or something... there's a defunct drive thru window on the side of the building.
(3)Emma E.
Outrageously good. Small restaurant and buffet. Don't let the kind of crappy building fool you. Really great especially for vegetarians. I love EVERYTHING they cook. Friendly staff too. And open Sundays unlike mantra. Wish I lived closer. Sooooo good!
(5)K- K.
I live in Chicago, and my best friend lives in Rock Island. Up until she visited me summer '10, she'd never had Indian food. I took her to my standard Indian restaurant and she fell in love - she was so happy to discover Great Indian Restaurant! And now whenever I visit her, we go here. The only reason why I don't give 5 stars is that bones will show up in meat every now and then.
(4)Lori D.
It was horrible service...took forever to get our food. I ordered it mild because my 4 year old was with me and everything came out too spicy for him to eat. They did remake one item mild which ended up being ok but why not do that when I asked and you offered in the first place. The guy who rang me up didn't know the prices on items so at the end when he ended up charging me $49,00 for me and my 4 year old I questioned it....yup....way overcharged...good thing I questioned it. The food was not good either...I am a huge fan of Indian food and can eat it daily....this was not edible daily...or monthly for that matter. I looked at the other reviews and thought the rating seemed high enough to try this restaurant...do NOT make the same mistake unless you don't know Indian food...horrible...don't bother!
(1)Brandon B.
When it comes to Indian restaurants, I always like to try their lunch buffet to get a feel for whether or not I would want to eat during dinner service. Today I finally decided to give The Great Indian Restaurant (TGIR) a try. I read a lot of positive reviews and have to say that I was sort of let down... maybe my expectations were too high. Ambiance: TGIR is located in an old school Taco Bell that was built in the arches and brick adobe style building. The drive through lane and window still exist. The interior decorating appears as a halfhearted attempt to make the restaurant feel "traditional" or "authentic". There were Christmas light hung, orange polka dots painted on the walls, cheap booth coverings... and where there was once an overhead Taco Bell menu, there is now really old, outdated, faded pictures of Indian Food. Overall, TGIR has a sort of odd, but not horrible, even somewhat interesting feel... work could be done make improvements. The ambiance is NOT what you would consider a romantic or fine dining setting. side notes re: ambiance: For half the meal the music was on the loud side and they were playing Indian Pop/Dance music. I felt I had to "move it, move it". The other half of the meal was in complete silence. ?? Normally I wouldn't think to include this in a review, but the music (and then lack of music) was very hard to ignore. In the bathrooms, there wasn't a permanently fixed soap dispenser, just a hand pump of store bought hand soap... and they had one of the old school towels where it's just one long towel that spins around in the box. There was an air hand dryer, but it looked like people were using the nasty hand towel. I hope it wasn't the staff. I'm a bit of a food-safety nazi, so these things slightly concerned me. Service: Friendly enough fellow. It was a buffet, so there wasn't a lot of actual "service".. but when the nan bread came out of the kitchen fresh and hot, he did bring it to the tables rather that just putting it on the buffet. bonus points there. The Food: plain and simple: some of it was really good, and some of it was really bad. And really, more of it was really good as opposed to bad.. but some of the dishes were hard to get past. The most disappointing thing to me was that there were only six dishes to choose from. I guess the place I used to frequent before moving to the QC spoiled me. Part of the problem may be the size of their kitchen, and serving area, it is a little cramped. There were two soups (a Shorpa and a Mulligatawny - both very lack luster) and a small salad bar, with EXCELLENT authentic salad dressings. I actually tried all four of them... really good. The nan bread and rice were good... what you would expect. And as mentioned there were six dishes. Two chicken dishes, four vegetarian dishes. 3 out of the 4 vegetarian dishes were REALLY good... the uttapam was absolutely amazing (i wanted to stick some in my pocket to bring home!) I also had to go back for a second serving of the dal and the potato dishes. Really good flavor. Personally, I would have liked the heat kicked up a bit, but the flavor was so good I didn't mind the milder heat. Where the wheels fell off was the chicken dishes. The tandoori chicken sauce was INCREDIBLE. The chicken itself was NOT EDIBLE. The chicken had started to completely break down where there was cartilage and small bones in every bite. In fact, you couldn't take a bite without having to pull things out of your mouth. I even almost choked on a bone at one point. This was tragic because the sauce was so good; i found myself at the buffet just scooping the sauce on to my plate so i could dip my nan in it. I could have rated this with 2 stars, however, at some point I want to give TGIR another try and sample more of their dishes; because, despite some of the negatives, there were more positives in the food. Now, as far as whether or not I'm ready to try their dinner service, I'm not there yet.
(2)Matthew T.
I have had Indian food all over the world and strangely, this is one of the best Indian restaurants I have been to. After a couple of attempts to spruce up the place it still looks like a dump but some how the food is outstanding. Ignore other reviews who are mad because they showed up at 8:55 for dinner even though they close at 9pm. What a dick. The food is great and you will like it too!
(5)Pritesh P.
When it comes to Indian food in the Quad Cities, this is the place only to go... No, really, it's literally the only place to go. There are no other Indian restaurants in the area! Outrageous! But I guess it's to be expected in the armpit of the Midwest that is the Quad Cities (no offense). I've eaten here a handful of times, but the experience was enjoyable enough each time that I'll go back for more when I have the chance. The Butter Chicken and Tandoori Chicken are on point, I have yet to be disappointed, although the food could stand to be spicier (I'm not sure if I'm supposed to request that when I order or how that works). The naan was fresh and hot out of the oven and buttered perfectly. Be aware though, the meal can quickly turn expensive. Also, I'm not sure if they still have it, but they used to have a tiny little walk-in closet that they had converted into a Indian food store, selling various Indian spices and such. The store was a bit overpriced, but cheaper than driving to Chicago. All in all, the place (combination of staff, food, and ambiance) is about 3.75 stars, but it deserves the extra 1/4 star for being the only Indian restaurant in the area. To the reviewer that commented on the Christmas lights... you'd be surprised how authentic that actually is lol
(4)Jeff R.
Any time entrees cost less than $8 you know you're in trouble! I had the chicken curry with Naan bread. Tasted ok going down, but I was so sick 3 hours later! Avoid this place!
(1)Jenny A. L.
I have moved to Upstate New York, but the Indian food does not compare to this place. It really is great. I've tasted chicken tikka masala in my area and even New York City, and I swear the dish tastes better in Moline, Ill. The chicken sagwala is outstanding. They butter their naan bread. I always, always order the mango lassi, which has the right tartness and sweetness for a yogurt drink. Several years ago, the place used to be called India House and then the restaurant changed its name. How to get there: If you're not from the area, 23rd Avenue was officially changed to Avenue of the Cities because it runs through Moline, East Moline and Silvis.
(5)Private I.
The Great Indian Restaurant is a great place to eat. It's my "go to" place whenever I visit the Quad Cities. My wife loves it too. The waiters always remember me, and there's one in particular who usually serves our table. This is a great feature because it cuts down on my having to explain my likes or dislikes and general interests each time. Service that is personalized in this way always makes our experience better because we feel more connected to the restaurant, and we feel more comfortable when our waiter suggests things to us (because he knows a lot of what we're about). You gotta go to The Great Indian Restaurant with a group to get the most out of the menu. This kind of food is meant to be passed and shared. So, yes, take the hint: don't just do the buffet (which is very popular). Order off of the menu because it'll give you even better variety, and you can ask for the heat level (think chili powder and the like) to be altered to fit individual tastes. Some of our favorite things: Dosa! Masala tea Curried spinach with chicken Tandoori chicken Dal Makhani (spelling?) - curried lentils If you like dessert, their gulab jamun is outstanding! You can taste spices! It's better at the Great Indian Restaurant than at any of the restaurants I've been to in Boston, D.C., San Franciso, or Chicago.
(4)Eli W.
Good all around Indian food. On par with anywhere else I've been.
(4)Dave B.
Wonderful to find in this area- Plenty of parking and good menu especially if it is your first time to eat Indian food
(3)Scott C.
Decent. Everything was decent - nothing amazing. Best part was probably the veggie samosas. Mango lassi was good. Naan and parantha were ok. Chicken Tikka Massala was a tad dry. Friendly service. I'd come back to give it one more shot. Looked like they did a lunch buffet...
(3)