Tandoor
406 SW Oak St, Portland, OR, 97204
Tandoor Menu
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Soups
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Dishes
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Vegetarian Delights
Healthy Meal suggestions for Tandoor
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Soups
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Dishes
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Vegetarian Delights
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Address :
406 SW Oak St
Portland, OR, 97204 - Phone (503) 243-7777
- Website https://www.portlandtandoor.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:30 am - 2:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Noise Level : Loud
Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
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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Melanie C.
For $8, pretty good all-you-can-eat + Bollywood on the big-screen to keep you entertained.
(4)Kimberly P.
My favorite Indian restaurant in Portland for sure. Though I admit I haven't tried them all...I've tried at least five others. This place has the most flavorful food, friendliest service, lowest prices, and the servings are enormous. Yes the service can be a bit slow at times but this is because everything is made from scratch, including the mango lassies. It's all well worth the wait. Oh and I always go with my friend who is Indian and this is her favorite as well. Maybe this shouldn't mean anything, but it's pretty significant in my book. I just wish this place was in SE close to home and not downtown. Oh and Jonah P. - perhaps it's actually that your review is strangely negative. You see, the majority here are positive, so this would make yours the odd one out. Just an observation.
(5)Tyler E.
Simply put this is easily one of the best Indian reactants in Portland! The lunch buffet is very good and cheap! The best Chicken Masala in town! The owner is always very friendly. If only they were on Alberta St. And not downtown (parking) my wife and I would probably eat here often but for now it's only a treat every once in a while when we have time to head downtown for lunch.
(5)mya j.
It was pretty good Indian food. I really liked the aloo gobi and the naan. I liked it that it wasn't too flavorful. The problem with most Indian places is that they add too much flavor to their food. This place was better than that. More expensive compared to the other indian restaurants. When i was there they were playing a movie. It was some kind of a thriller. It gave me a very bad vibe. I would prefer not having a movie on so loud when i am dining in a place.
(4)James K.
Okay, so it depends on your definition of Indian food is, I think (having never eaten in India). But Tandoor is very enjoyable for what it is. The portions are large with plenty of sauce, which is a plus in my Indian-eating book . The Tikka Masala was moist and tender. We had two entrees,an order of garlic/cilantro naan, a mango lassi, and a bowl of rice for $26. Not bad for good food downtown. The atmosphere leaves something to be imagined. I wish lunch buffet places could magically retract the hot plates for dinner; seems like it would help the ambiance. But aside from the sort of industrial fitting-a-restaurant-into-a-non-restaurant-space feel, it was clean and seemed well maintained. We'll go again when we get that cheap Indian/American food feeling.
(4)Nader A.
I think if I were to compare Tandoor ONLY with other Indian restaurants in PDX it would get a solid 4 stars. On the other hand, since I'm such a fan of Indian cuisine, if I were to hold them to my highest standards they'd probably only get 2 stars - so why not split the difference? I've never really been disappointed with Tandoor, but it still leaves me wishing we had some better Indian food options here in Portland. The last time I went, we got there at the height of the downtown lunch rush - 12pm on a Tuesday - but found a table quickly. They pack 'em in fairly tightly, so expect to bump and be bumped as everyone gets up to head to the buffet line. Speaking of which, the line was quite long which seems to indicate that they've got the customers to survive even these "troubled economic times". By the time we got to the buffet they were running woefully low on a number of items (rice, pakoras, naan, a few curries) - this ACTUALLY isn't a knock, as they were refilling things pretty quickly and appreciate that they seem to be constantly cooking and monitoring the trays, rather than just dumping a ton of food and letting it sit there for hours. While the all-you-can-eat buffet is not cheap ($9) and doesn't include any drink (except water), I love that they give you the option to save $2 by getting just a single plate - probably a good option for regulars who just want to load their plate with a couple of their favorite items. They also have to-go boxes you can fill with pricing based on how many items you pick (I think it was $6 for 2 entrees and rice). I was thrilled to see they had Chicken Tikka Masala (which is not the most common buffet item), but that soon turned to mild disappointment once I got a good look at it - it was a little pale, looking more like a Makhani, and didn't have the little "extras" that I love like cilantro and onions. It was tasty, and it did have actual grilled chicken tika (rather than just chopped bits of tandoori chicken, but the masala was just not quite up to snuff. The number of items was not overwhelming, but the variety was quite good. I tried almost everything and everything tasted pretty good; I've long since learned to accept that no lunch buffet will ever really kick the spice level to where I'd like it, and I would definitely call this stuff mild, but it was at least flavorful. The lamb curry was a little thin but still quite nice, with tender bite-sized bits of lamb and plenty of potatoes. I really have to stop and give them props here for not mis-advertising their lamb curry as "vindaloo" like they do at so many other Indian buffets. The Chana Masala was also a standout, with nicely cooked, firm chick peas - I hate it when they're all mushy. Other than that they had a decent Paneer Saag, and a couple more vegetarian curries. While the entrees are the heart of any buffet, it's the sides and appetizers that can really set a place apart. Tandoor scored points with me by having garlic AND plain naan, both of which were fresh, soft, and chewy. I was also pleasantly surprised by the onion and jalapeno pakoras; for some reason I don't really associate jalapeno peppers with Indian cuisine, and the few times I've had them it was not executed well - but these were delicious! But I was bummed that they didn't offer ANY chutneys at all. Those pakoras would have been perfectly complimented by a sweet and tangy tamarind chutney. The service was pretty no frills, but this IS a buffet so all I really want is for them to keep my water full and clear the plates from the table when I get up, so I really don't have any complaints. I definitely recommend those jonesing for some quality Indian food to stop by and give the buffet at Tandoor a try, especially if you work downtown. I don't know if I'd go out of my way (and pay for parking) just to come here for lunch if you're not already in the neighborhood, but I get the feeling that the chefs here are skilled enough that Tandoor might be even better - maybe 4-star worthy - when you order off the menu for dinner...a theory I hope to test soon!
(3)Allen W.
A friend and I were vistiing PDX, and we wandered in to this place after scoping out the Yelp iPhone app for some good Indian downtown. It was quite tasty, but they were out of the stuff for the southern Indian stuff my friend wanted. The oven for the naan was acting up and taking longer so the owner brought out a plate of chicken rice for free, then the naan came about 4min later. It was a cozy little place with a TV playing a Hindi movie. Lacked beer, but I guess it saved me some moola. Plus its gotta mean something when the restaurant is moderately full and your the only non-Indian in it right?
(4)Cortney R.
So being the fun, fancy pants friends that Brice B. referred to, I will give this place a 4 for the fabulous food and grace under pressure. My hubby was initially horrified with the atmosphere, but settled down quick enough when his attention was caught by the strangely mesmerizing Indian music vids. Once the food was served, it was game on! Although the service was indeed slow, our waitress was sweet, and relaxed. Being the only server in the restaurant, one might expect to be greeted with the typical irritation and impatience of overworked service staff, but happily this was not the case. Yum!
(4)Greg W.
Perhaps it was an off-day, but I was seriously underwhelmed by the lunch buffet here. The chicken tikka-masala dish tasted strongly of butter - and not much else. It lacked the nuanced spices that usually mark a good tikka-masala dish. The tandori-style chicken was served off-bone and cut into little chunks. It was very dry and flavorless. The chicken curry dish wasn't spicy at all. The naan was average. The vegetarian potato dish was O.K. Another issue is that all of their meat dishes are chicken - no lamb or goat dishes were offered in their buffet. As for service, our water glasses were filled once at the beginning of our meal - and weren't filled once afterwards. For the record, I dined there with three Indian friends from work. The conclusion of one was that the food was "below average", another thought that it was "O.K." and the other thought that it was "good." According to them, they eat here because there really aren't many good options for Indian restaurants downtown. As far as Indian buffets go, I thought that this one was definitely below average. I can get better Indian food from the downtown food carts.
(2)Craig L.
One of my favorite lunch spots when Im feeling hungry. For 10$ you can feast on fresh, delicious Indian cuisine. The Gobi is delicious and perfectly seasoned, ask for it !
(4)Dave M.
Best Indian lunch in PDX. Food is fresh everyday and is excellent. Owner and staff very friendly.
(4)Christian B.
*This review is specifically talking about the lunch buffet* I'm a huge fan of Indian food. I can't get enough of it. That being said, I've been to the lunch buffet at Tandoor a couple of times spread-out in a couple of months... and everytime, I come away not very impressed but not incredibly disappointed (hence the 'average' three star rating, har har har). First, to gauge my Indian food tastes, my favorite Indian restaurants around the area are Swagat, Namaste in Vancouver, WA and (can't believe I'm admitting this) Bombay Express in Washington Square Mall in Beaverton. Now, about Tandoor specifically: I actually went to this restaurant before it was Tandoor. It was a Chinese food place before becoming Tandoor. Interestingly enough, the gal that's the primary cook in the place worked as the primary cook when it was a Chinese food restaurant. Not sure how I feel about that, but eh, so it goes. The buffet does offer a nice variety of Indian food samplings. My go-to entree - chicken tikka masala - was OK except on every occasion the masala itself was extremely 'soupy.' I enjoy a thicker masala that I can put all over my rice and dip my naan into; this masala didn't sit on the rice at all, it went THROUGH it. The chicken was fairly tasty though. My second love of Indian food is naan and the naan here was adequate. Not crispy but not very dough'y either. It was fine. Had a nice texture and is relatively warm for the buffet. Other dishes were, again, just OK. The pakora is pretty good and packs a nice spicy punch. The atmosphere of the restaurant mimics the atmosphere when it was a Chinese food place; kind of barren walls, fairly dark, and a big TV showing some Indian show. A single plate for the lunch buffet will run you $7 with an unlimited plate usage will be around $9 or so. This is to be expected. If you're downtown and in the area, if you're FEELING like an Indian food buffet, Tandoor won't be the best place you'll ever experience. But it's adequate. If you're not feeling like buffet style Indian, I would actually recommend going a block away and hitting either the Real Taste of India or the New Taste of India food carts (a discussion on which is better is a whole new topic).
(3)Ann S.
I am new to Portland and had not had Indian food here. So of course I checked out Yelp for some direction on where to go. With all the great reviews on Tandoor, I had to check it out. As previously mentioned, the decor was pretty simple. I'd say it definitely was clean and spacious, although kind of cold (it was a chilly evening). I would not call this a hold-in-the-wall establishment. There was a TV playing Indian videos, which was kind of fun and added a little authentic ambiance to the place. There are some big tables there, so I think this would be a good place for larger groups. However, the service was on the slow side. We ordered two dishes, tandoori chicken and aloo gobi -- your basic Indian fare, along with some onion naan. Overall the food was very high quality with good ingredients. I'd say they had a slightly fresh twist on Indian fare, as it definitely didn't seem quite as oily, as it can sometimes be, and thus not as heavy. The portions sizes were pretty nice as well. (Except for the naan, they seemed to skimp here and gave you sliced pieces instead of the whole thing like every single other Indian restaurant. This is so inexpensive to make, not sure why they skimp here.) The one thing sorely missing -- the spice! Given that I'm an Asian lady, I thought maybe I had some street cred here, and they would know, yes, she likes spicy. Hmm, not so much. The spice was lacking big time, and this was a big let down to me and my dining partner (non-Asian). So not sure if the spices were off this evening or if Portlanders perfer more mild Indian fare or what? I definitely want to go back to Tandoor, I just will request a little more spice. Please.
(3)Ranjesh C.
Had lunch buffet on a weekday. Simple ambiance. All the non veg dishes were not too spicy but tasty. Veg dishes are not too gerat. Biryani was at it's best. Close to the real hyderbadi style. Price is reasonable. Highly recommended.
(4)Z Z.
What a cool, low key place. It is hidden, they don't have much sinage and I have walked by it several times without ever noticing it before. After reading the reviews though, we headed to downtown to check it out. We drove by it the first time, even with our GPS telling us we were there! We were greeted by one of the owners who was just so nice and super cute! It is not all that decorated in there, pretty much bare bones but it was bright and friendly at the same time. I loved the big flat screen playing Bollywood videos, that was a fun bonus. They were out of most of the items that I wanted to order but I ended up happily ordering the Chana Masala which was delicious. The portion was huge, I couldn't finish even a small portion of it! The mint naan was quite good also, it was served right out of the oven. I loved it. Paul got the tandoori chicken, spicy and rice. He really liked it, in fact he had the leftovers for breakfast this morning! We both loved how they brought us more rice which most places don't do. That was great. Overall, great place. Very low key, cozy....very enjoyable. I hope that more folks discover it, I would like it to stay around for a long time. The folks that work there were incredibly nice and everything was just so tasty. I highly recommend it.
(4)Jeremy S.
I found Tandoor during a trip to the Portland area, and I am extremely glad I gave it a try. I come from the SF Bay Area (Berkeley), and Indian is one of my favorite cuisines, so it is saying a lot when I assert that the food from Tandoor is by far the best Indian food I've ever had. The portions were large (HUGE), the food was 100% fresh, and the service was outstanding. The palaak was well flavored, the paneer was extremely fresh, and there was ample delicious masala filling inside our dosa.
(5)Jay S.
Man, this place rocks. I'd been struggling for a few years to find some Indian food worth eating in Portland. I lucked into Tandoor Cafe when it was recommended from one of my friends who works downtown. The place rocks it. The ambiance leaves something to be desired, but the cuisine does everything you would hope it would. Their portions are large and you always leave with a few more meals in covered plastic. The sauces are lights out, they even impress my friend from India; reminds her of the cooking at home. They even pull out a few fun variations. I highly recommend the lentil soup with lentil donuts, fun, but still drawing on traditional Indian cooking. The one knock on the place is meals take a long time. Don't expect to walk in and make it to a movie that starts an hour later, meals are long and luxurious, not fast and efficient. If you have tickets or an appointment, don't expect to be one time. That said the time is well spent.
(5)Lisa k.
Wow! Just speaking on Yelp reviews alone, I felt that all the good reviews of this place were actually spot on! I just have to say how happy I was to not have been lead astray by good reviews by people with no taste buds. Anyway, I had been looking for some good Indian food in this place for quite sometime now and Tandoor is as close as it's going to get in Portland proper. I have to say that it's not as good as the Indian food in London, but it is really really good! I write this review many weeks after the fact, but what I remember, is that the sauces were delicious, the meats tender, the portions decent, the naan was ehh, and the beverages wonderful. Really, I was surprised just how good it was. It's true, the decor is sparse, and feels like it's unfinished or put together a little sloppy. Watching Indian soap operas kept me from my conversation with my dinner pals. I thought Spanish novelas were full of drama until I watched a silly bit about a woman who had on fake jewelry and another woman intrigued by it (she thought it real) and wanted to take it and appraise it for her. It was the silliest five minutes. The camera would pounce from one face to another with the dramatic music to accompany it. Everything was extremely dramatic no matter what the topic or situation was. Anyway, I was disappointed, that I asked for extra spicy and still got a mild heat on my food. My boyfriend's masala was the same. It was good, just not spicy. I'm hoping next time I go in, I can ask for "Indian spicy" and get some heat out of it. The service was friendly but a little slow. The drinks, which were a chai, a mango lassi, and a lime and mint juice came mid-meal, but I must say, it was worth the wait. These drinks are made to order so be patient. They do have a great lunch buffet, but if you're in a hurry, again, don't order a drink on your lunch break. Cheers!
(4)Jason M.
Reading Yelp reviews has made me a little nervous about going out for Indian since I moved to Portland. It was like reading an endless stream of hopelessly mixed reviews. Tandoor's reviews were different though...a little more positive...so I decided to give it a try. The inside decor is pretty low key. Nothing incredibly fancy or special, with the exception of a tv playing Indian Music Videos. The food was sensational. They didn't have samosas, but the incredible nan and tika masala more than made up for it. I will be back many many times.
(5)Eric N.
Came here on a whim after having a bad experience at the Blueplate diner a few blocks away. It is a good size restaurant for the area. There was enough room to accomodate a stroller. The staff was friendly and helped accomodate us with a newborn. We had the lunch buffet. The food was decent, pretty much what I'd expect from an Indian buffet. The spiciest dish was had, surprisingly, was the chicken and rice mixture (briyani?). The naan was the biggest standout for us. If I am in the area and craving Indian again, I would consider this place.
(3)Michael Q.
I'd read some great reviews of this place on one of Portland's incestuous Internet food forums and was eager to check it out. Thought I'd start with the lunch buffet to sample a wide variety of dishes. Drove downtown, found parking, walked to the restaurant. When I entered, it was about one-third full (does that make me an optimist?). No one greeted me, no one directed me to a table. So I grabbed a table next to what appeared to be the owner's table since it was littered with newspapers and magazines from India, in Hindi. I sat down and waited a minute or two. No one greeted me, no one directed me to the buffet, no one offered me a menu, no one asked what beverage I might want. After five minutes or so, and unable to find anyone who seemed to work there, I got up and went to the buffet, loaded a plate and sat down and waited a minute or two. No one greeted me, no one asked what beverage I might want. I ate the food, I can't recall now, but I may have gone back to try a couple of other items on the buffet. I sat down and waited a minute or two. No one greeted me, no one asked what beverage I might want. I ate the food. I finally spotted a pitcher of water and some empty glasses and took the initiative to get a glass of water. I sat down to drink the water. I waited a minute or two. No one greeted me, no one asked if I need anything, no one asked if I wanted the check. I finally got up, approached the register and extended money. I am now quite certain that the woman behind the register never uttered a single word to me, she didn't greet me, she didn't ask what beverage I might have had, she didn't ask if everything was ok. I waited a minute. She gave me my change. I walked out. I don't think I've ever had a meal in a commercial establishment without exchanging a single word (in any language) with the staff or the owner. This was creepy. And, the food was really not that great. I don't reckon I'll ever go back. So much for incestuous Portland food forums. Those are really creepy too. There is a comment below from a fellow who, I assume, is the owner of this place. He may be correct about the nature of the newspapers, I honestly don't recall....maybe they were restaurant industry pubs, but somehow I connected them with the people who own or work there. It really doesn't matter. What happened to me happened to me. And there WAS a woman at the register. I do know that for sure. And I do know that NOT A SINGLE PERSON addressed me the entire time I was in the restaurant...about 45 minutes??? Not sure how this is not a real review. I went in, I ate, I had a bad experience. Does he think I made this up? Why? Does he think I'm in cahoots with some other restaurant? Not likely. I have eaten in plenty of restaurants, and I know lots of people in the biz. But NOT IN PORTLAND. I just moved here. I don't know very many people. So, pal, tell me what was not real about the review??? The fact that it panned your business???? That's a risk you take. I'm in business too, in Austin, Texas...I get panned from time to time, but mostly, because I do a good job, I get raves. As y'all younguns say, "just sayin'"
(2)Neil W.
Where all my Indian consultants ask to eat. Good not great, good Nann. Though they seem to have lamb/goat dishes less and less these days which is disappointing. But a good way to get a quick fast and tasty injection of Indian food.
(4)Greg L.
We ate here for the lunch buffet today. Overall we both felt it was pretty good. The food was fresh and delicious. We arrived around 12:30 pm and had to wait just a few minutes before getting a table. The price was pretty good at $8 per person. Only negative is that there is no service. We had to fill our own water glasses. The one bathroom in the location was a little messy but considering it was the lunch time rush at a small buffet place then that is not too out of the ordinary. I would recommend the place since the food was pretty good and probably the best out of the three Indian food places that we have eaten at so far in Portland.
(4)alex w.
What a funny place. We never had the chance to eat. We walked in at 1 pm, thinking another hour until lunch ends. The owner walks up and tells us that they ran out of food! I went there another time, just after their 2 pm closing. The owner said to just come in and help myself. I liked the food. I helped myself. I went to pay. He said no. The food had been on the buffet table since 11:30. No need to pay. I can't wait to go back and see what happens the next time! I give it four stars. Two four food and two for the eccentricity of the owner. What a hoot.
(4)Mel E.
Friend: What'd you just say? Me: I dunno. What'd you just say? That was the sort of "conversation" I had with a friend as we received our three-course feast on New Year's Eve. So glad I found this downtown gem because the food will make you shut up and eat, and eat and eat. Oh yeah, and we kept glancing over at the big screen TV showing Bollywood flicks. While they don't offer the feast on a regular basis, this 6-month-old restaurant has an extensive menu and entrees run about $10-14 from what I remember. I've never been there for lunch buffet, but it is $7.99. The owners say they may raise the price by $1 in February. I just went there again last night and didn't realize they had closed. We got there about 9:30, but they had closed at 9. Even though the nice couple who own the place looked weary, they let us in. Maybe it was the I'm-so-hungry-I'm-going-to-eat-my-arm sad face I gave them. The wife even remembered where I sat and what I ordered the last time I was in! I ordered tandoori chicken, rice and naan and was only able to finish two pieces off the massive chicken mound they served. A box of six more pieces is now chillin in my fridge. When the meal was over, the weary chef returned to our table to see if we liked it. Rather than try to kick us out, he chatted with us about the SportsCenter recaps on TV. These folks are the bomb. The food is fresh, flavorful and the owners are the shiz....check it out.
(5)Sam D.
People are always loyal when it comes to food,especially choosing the quality,quantity and the cost.Well for me I've always been a great fan of curries and Indian delights.I'm in Portland for over a year and never had better Indian Buffet than this place has to offer.The food there is made from scratch on daily basis,they have lots of vegan options as well as non-veg items.The chicken tika masala is one of my favorites.The all you can eat buffet is only 10 dollars and free chai is included for everybody.The friendliness of the staff is very remarkable despite the busy lunch crowd.I think the place is suitable for birthday evening parties as well.I would suggest the chef to make more desserts as they are out of them time to time. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone visiting Portland,
(5)Pamela S.
We came here for lunch, the food was good. Not really what I expected though when you walk into the restaurant no one talks to you the staff just points at a booth you sit and then you just help your self to the buffet. The food was good, and a good deal, when it is raining this is a nice alternative to the carts.
(3)a. b.
How can you beat a good Indian buffet? It wasn't any better or worse than the kind of buffet you want to eat at once a week. Good price, though the service was not so great. I had to go up to the counter to order my drink. But that didn't stop me from enjoying myself.
(4)Jonah P.
WTF?? This is easily the worst Indian food I have ever experienced (all four in our party were in agreement). I love Indian food and have been to at least 30 restaurants in Portland/Beaverton, OR and Boston/Cambridge, MA. Our companions frequently enjoyed Indian while living in San Francisco. Having been to the semi-renowned Shalimar in San Fran, I appreciate that the best food can be found in unpolished atmospheres. We hoped this would be a quirky hole-in-the-wall, where the food would easily make up for the depressing abandoned-office-like ambiance. Sadly, Shalimar it is not. The Tandoori chicken was adequate, with quality chicken that was tender and well-cooked. The seasoning was mild/bland and it was garnished with what could be described as shredded iceberg lettuce with a ranch-like dressing. Both of our curries were closer to soups in texture, seemingly composed of mostly cream and ghee to simulate flavoring with fat. Subtle textures and spices were completely absent. The only positives of the restaurant were that the portions were very generous and prices fairly low. But if quality is what you are looking for, go anywhere else. I would summarize this restaurant as the "McDonalds of Indian food". The strangely positive other reviews suggest that someone is manipulating the Yelp reviews, or they just reflect that many people value quantity over quality.
(1)Marie K.
This is one of the best Indian restaurants in the city. I would definitely recommend going here but for the dinner and not the lunch buffet. I went to the lunch buffet first and I think I may have chosen the wrong things. Good thing I gave it a second chance because when I returned for dinner I was blown away! The paneer was amazing! Hands down best thing was the Afghani Naan bread it is STILL ON MY MIND! soooo good!
(4)chris m.
am just back from tandoor's buffet lunch @ $8.99 and find it to be a decent, tasty value for all-you-can-hoover indian food downtown. i still stand by Abhiruchi [ yelp.com/biz/abhiruchi-s… as my metro-area favorite (and at the same price!) but the haul to get there from downtown turns my lunch hour into a double--good when you're drinking, bad when you're adding an hour on the end of a 9-5. so tandoor: close-in and decent (but not exceptional) variety, a fresh-made mango lassi that at least showed some care (not too sweet, in case you're a sugar-hound), obvious care from the proprietors, and well-made food. nothing about this was exceptional, but it was all so much better than the india house [ yelp.com/biz/india-house… that it definitely gets a 4-star. call it a low 4-star, but i round up. some specifics: i tried almost everything on the buffet, and some things that are really hard to do well (biryani, and aloo gobi) were very flavorful and rich, while the standards (chicken tikka masala, saag paneer) were just ok. the mushroom mattar was great, except, i didn't see many mushrooms in! that's ok, i'm really mostly in it for the sauce to soak up on the naan. from the buffet angle, the food seemed fresh and more importantly, in small serving dishes, so that they would either make the rest on demand or bring it out from where it was still simmering--a vast improvement over a huge vat that gets scummy over the course of a lunchtime. i'll go back here another day to see if the buffet variety changes, but it probably won't turn into my weekly pig-out location while there are other buffets to be tried (sadly, no more indian ones downtown that i can find beyond this and india house...clue me in if i'm wrong!) oh, and the plasma showing bollywood videos next to the woodcarving of the Last Supper was an interesting juxtaposition to contemplate as i stuffed face.
(4)Jonathan D.
Tandoor is simply top notch and has some of the best Indian food in Portland at the best price. I have going to lunch there since the week it opened. The lunch buffet can't be beat. The food is always fresh, and there is an assortment of excellent meat, veggie and vegan options. The budget conscious, Tandoor has multiple options for the buffet from veggie take out, to the single plate and the all you can eat. The food is never reheated and always made with care. In addition, the owner is always happy to take suggestions and I will often find my requested dish the next day. The dinner is a great value. The food will often not come out quickly, but that is because it is made fresh by the owner. He even takes requests. The portions are generous and the price very reasonable. I have tried all the Indian places in Portland, and this is by far the best.
(5)Rhesa N.
I get the buffet here when I get that craving for indian food midweek and can't make it to Beaverton. I love that I can get a $7 to go box where I get to fit as much as I want into the box. You also have the option of a $5 or $6 to go box. The last time I went there, they had shrimp as part of the lunch buffet and fresh strawberries!! Nice!! The to-go boxes are a great deal since the various indian carts are now $6 and the quality here is way better. I have had the full buffet as well but mid week I am not trying to stuff myself too much, which I am tempted to do whenever I am in a "all you can eat" situation. They also have really good authentic chai. There is chai all over portland but it is almost never the type of chai you actually get in India. This is the real chai, where the spices are just in the background and the main flavor is the boiled tea, milk and sugar.. yum!!! But it does take a while to make so order it about 15 mins before you are ready to have it. Anyway, this is my favorite indian food in Portland, well as far as carts and buffets are concerned. I have never had dinner at any of them. Oh and whenever I am here, there is always tons of Indian people eating here... so I guess they like it too.
(4)Dave L.
Went in for dinner with some friends who are regulars, so we got to bask in their, uh, regularity. The owner came by and hung out after the meal - really friendly guy. Of the food we got, the samosas, pudina ghost (lamb in spicy mint curry), tandoori fish (salmon), and hot chai were all so delicious that I was actually kind of startled. The spinach dal was just OK, though our friends swore it's usually amazing, and the nan was just sort of nan. They've been having a slow week, but apparently certain menu items (like lentil donuts swimming in lentil soup?!) become "unlocked" when they're doing a high enough volume. So go to Tandoor - if not for the meal itself, we need your help to get at those donuts.
(4)Greg D.
By far the best Indian restaurant in Portland. Generous portions with complex spicing and seemingly cooked to order. I've had four dishes: Tandoori Salmon was moist and delicate. A lamb dish in a mint sauce was incredible. My fried ordered this and although I'm not a fan of lamb, I pretty much ate my cilantro garlic naan dipping into the sauce. Palak Paneer was creamy spinach good and the cheese cubes were not at all like the spongy tasteless things I usually encounter. Finally, the Aloo Gobi was a tongue full of flavor. All the dishes weren't hot. I'm a fan of hot spicy food, but I found that I didn't miss that aspect at all. The other flavors more than made up for that. You owe it to yourself to give this place a whirl.
(4)Jonathan G.
Stay away from the chicken tikka masala. I have never had a really really bad chicken tikka masala until I went here for dinner one night. The dish was overwhelmingly buttery and the chicken tasted really old. After tasting the ctm here, I couldn't get myself to order it at other places for a while ... I don't like to be so harsh, but it was really that bad.
(2)Aloysius J.
I had very bad experience with them, the behavior was not professional wouldn't suggest them to anyone ! Food I ate was semi cooked and cheap quality !
(1)Bonnie S.
The only reason this wasn't 5 stars is because of the limited selection on the buffet. The food is flavorful and inexpensive. The chicken in the curry and tikka masala was fall-apart tender and the seasonings were spot on. Definitely a repeat lunch venue.
(4)Phil M.
When my first choice for lunch had a line around the block, I stopped in here with the sign outside promising an $8 Indian buffet. And while the buffet is pretty basic, it has all you need to make a fool of yourself and get ridiculously full on some good food. The food bar is pretty much made up of 2 sections: chicken-based items and vegetarian dishes. I stuck with the veggie side, and everything was fantastic. Palak paneer and the potato eggplant items were my favorite. Plus, there's lots of fresh naan on hand. Really, at the price, you can't go wrong at all!
(4)Kenny P.
We came here for our lunch buffet. It was just an OK. The service: what you can say more about the service. It's a buffet style. They did come occasionally to check on you. They cleaned up the dirty dishes on our table fairly fast. Nothing really bad or exceptional for the service. The food: this is a fairly disappointment. The food quality is not that good. Compared to other indian lunch buffet that i went, this one is not very appealing. The taste was a bit plain, vegetables pakoora or something like that was soggy. They did not always fill it up. We have to wait and came back to keep check if they have fill up the empty tray. Usually, we can eat a lot for lunch buffet, but we only have about a plate and a half then we were done. The location: It is located in downtown. Parking would not be horrible since you can find parking structure. But really, you should just take max. It did not stop that far from the restaurant. The atmosphere: It is kind of dark and not so cheerful. Might be another reason why we did not really enjoy our experiences there. Will I come back ? Probably not
(3)Misty S.
*****They exceeded my expectations when I asked them to cater our meeting today. We had 50 people and I received nothing but compliments. We've had a couple other Indian food caterers but Tandoor Indian Kitchen is the winner. Other business owners in our building were asking me about the caterers we had this time because it looked and smelled amazing. Ramesh and Shamla are very professional and great to work with. We will be doing business with them again. Thank you for making my life easier, Tandoor *****
(4)M W.
I've been coming here for years, and I'm surprised to see some of the negative reviews on this site. Some of the reviewers do understand Indian food, and the reality is that Portland, in general, has really, really bad Indian restaurants. If this were London, it would probably be a two-star review. But we're not in London, and the truth is that Tandoor is one of the few Indian restaurants in Portland that cooks food fresh daily. If you've eaten at the restaurants in NW and SE, you've probably come to expect Indian food to taste a particular way. That's because most of it is two-day-old food with lesser quality ingredients. Everything is fresh at Tandoor, though if you're getting the last of a dish in the buffet, it certainly doesn't taste the same as when the tray is full. The problem with Tandoor is that the food really is the best part. The ambiance isn't very good, there's never more than one server to fill your water (and sometimes zero servers), and there's nearly always Indian music videos playing on a TV in the restaurant. I don't know if the restaurant is currently open for dinner (it changes from time to time), but when it is, I encourage you to go. The owner will make a dish however you want it, and the flavors are excellent. As anyone would expect, made-to-order food is generally better than buffet food.
(4)Parker T.
My girlfriend & I visited Tandoor (their lunch buffet is 11:30am-2:00pm Monday through Friday) today & were received with friendly, helpful service (they explained to us which items were vegan: a squash coconut curry, the pakoras, the aloo gobi, the channa masala & the basmati rice) & were pleased with the slightly spicy, satisfying yet not-oily flavor of their vegan dishes. We do wish there were a few more vegan options. A single plate lunch is $8 & a two plate lunch is $10. We'll visit again.
(4)Theresa C.
Good selection on the buffet and quick in and out if you get there early. Place fills up fast.
(3)April E.
We order catering from them all the time. The owner is super chill -- we tell him our budget and the number of people we need to feed, and he makes it happen. Then we have great Indian food, and we always have leftovers at the end of the event.
(5)Bobby H.
What I really like about Tandoor is you get a large plate and fill it up for $8. The food is very good, and the location is also nice. I can fill up on zesty Indian grub, but just enough so I make sure to leave enough room for a macchiato from Starbucks, which is right next door. Win!
(4)Melissa L.
One of the lamest lunch buffets I've ever seen at an Indian place. Small, weak flavors, and not well-stocked. And apparently you have to ask them specifically if you want any mango pudding for dessert. WTF? You can fill your belly here, as long as you're not very picky, but very much not worth the $9.
(2)Eric H.
Cheap and filling. The rice tastes like instant rice, and the curry was a bit too creamy. It was good, but felt like straight CRAP afterwards.
(3)Jeremy J.
Went for the lunch buffet. Reasonably priced and had a pretty decent selection of dishes to choose from. Everything I tried was good but nothing was necessarily exceptional. The paneer was good and I enjoyed the tofu in it, but I wanted just a bit more flavor in it. In fact, every dish seemed like it needed just a little extra punch. I did appreciate the large eggplant wedges in the eggplant coconut curry. The naan was too hard and was maybe the least tasty of any naan I've tried at an Indian restaurant. Still, I at least want it to soak up my sauces, but they ran out half way through my meal! I also was surprised that there was no dessert item for the buffet. I missed having some rice pudding at the end! Overall, the food here was tasty enough and priced well for all you can eat. Just not the best I've ever had.
(3)Elizabeth E.
A rather delicious way to induce a post-lunch food coma. Service is efficient, and you can easily fit in a sit-down lunch on a workday, plus here is plenty of room to go with a group of friends or co-workers without having to wait for a table. Once seated, you can let the feasting begin. The food is solidly good, though not my favorite in town. The nann is lackluster, and sometimes the dishes aren't as flavorful as I'd hope, but they always have a good selection all my favorite dishes. I also appreciate that they have a relatively tasty salad option as a part of the buffet. Fortunately, there is some incentive to not stuff myself silly - because a single plate buffet lunch has a different, cheaper, price than unlimited trips to the buffet. So if I really feel full after one trip, my wallet can keep me from returning for more food even when my taste buds disagree and lust for more food. Either way - its less than $10 for a full, tasty, satisfying lunch.
(3)Varun S.
The lunch buffet at this restaurant is spectacular. I have eaten here numerous times. I really enjoy the biryani, and the variety of chicken curries that are available. The food has a lot of flavor. And the variety of Indian dishes is really nice. Tandoori chicken, biryani, chicken curries, kheer, raita. The food is on par with food I had at home as a kid. It is also on par wit food I had in New Delhi. In other words, it's authentic Indian food.
(5)Kevin W.
I love coming her for lunch. The indian food is delicious, yummy and lots of selections. I enjoy everything here. The price is reasonable for a buffet.
(4)Sunny D.
Being an Indian myself, my expectations when it comes to Indian food is high as it is. In spite of this, I've seen some pretty decent Indian restaurants, Tandoor NOT being one of them. The food here is very tastes very westernized (very creamy, lack of spice or any real taste), the chicken and vegetables just taste stale, and for some reason I just feel miserable after eating their buffet. It's definitely not worth the $9-10 you have to pay for the lunch buffet. If you want to experience real indian food please IM me and I'll be happy to provide you with better places around Portland. If you want to ruin your conception of what Indian food is, then by all means visit Tandoor.
(1)Matt L.
Out of the half-dozen or so indian lunch buffets I've visited around portland, this ranks pretty highly - my friends and I customarily go to Swagat by default, but we decided to branch out the other day, and hit up Tandoor instead. And it was good. Opinions varied as to how it compared with our usual haunt, but I thought that it was better - although the selection was analogous, it seemed like the flavour was a little better developed, a little more complex. The cheesy chicken was tasty, the lamb was delectable, the nan was fresh (and came with some sort of green herb baked onto one side), the rice just right, and the green spinach stuff was as good as everything else. We got there right before the lunch crowd, which I'd recommend if you're thinking of making a trip of your own - it seemed to get busy quick right after noon, and the buffet line stretched across the restaraunt... with all those people lining up for a plateful, you know they're doing something right.
(4)Sara G.
If you think this is good Indian food, I beg you to leave Portland. IM me and I would be happy to direct you to actual good Indian restaurants in other cities and then you will understand how you have been lied to. The curries are all so runny that even rice is not enough; they PUMP UP THE VOLUME by adding liquid, I would assume it's stock. /They are nondistinct, tasting basically of cream, ghee, and meat or spinach. The Naan is as tasteless as store bought pita bread--Trader Joe's frozen naan is miles superior. The "salad" is iceberg lettuce with bland raita. Be advised that the all you can eat buffet is 2 dollars more ($10) than loading your plate up with bulk on one trip. I made the mistake of choosing several items, not liking 3/4 of them, and then going back to get more of the one thing I actually liked. So it was a ten dollar very bad meal. I give them 2 stars instead of 1 because I am probably too much of a foodie snob to be satisfied at a buffet, but I have been to other ones that at least had higher quality fare.
(2)David J.
This is one of the most convenient places to have Indian food and sit down for me as I work downtown near the big pink building. Their competition are a number of Indian food carts that will give you huge helpings of food for less than the cost of the buffet. Their distinctive edge is that you can sit down, enjoy the TV, have a drink, and get up and have seconds (or thirds). Plus they have a variety which changes each time I go.
(3)Brice B.
Double date night, and it was my turn to pick. We were heading to the neighborhood, so when Tandoor showed up on Yelp, I figured it was a sure thing. The verdict: It's a sure-ish thing. Our friends are fun and fancy pants, and we often wind up at swanky destinations in the Pearl. When we walked into Tandoor, I realized that I had sorely misjudged the atmospheric component. This place has all the ambiance of a hospital cafeteria, with the added (and fascinating) delight of a TV blasting Indian music videos nonstop. The service wasn't just slow, it was fabulously slow. Our server was really sweet and well intended, though, so we totally forgave her. We ordered a ton of different naans, lamb tikka, a curry and some other dish whose name I missed in the ordering process. I took almost 20 minutes, but... Holy shit. This is some good food. The spices were well balanced, the meat was tasty and well prepared, and the naan was freaking awesome (you really have to try the garlic cilantro... thank me later.) I know that PDX doesn't do Indian well, but this little hole in the wall bucks the trend. My advice? Reserve Tandoor for lunch and/or carry out and you've got yourself a bona fide winner.
(3)