My wife and I have been eating here for many years now. We almost always go for the lunch buffet and have eaten here at least 25-30 times now. The menu items change every time we're here so sometimes we like it better than others and range from really thrilled by the food to feeling it's ok but are never disappointed. The owners/staff are really very nice too and they serve you fresh naan to order. I am writing now after all these years because another Indian restaurant opened a stones throw away and I want to make sure you try Namaste instead. The service and attitude at the other are just this side of rude and indifferent. Yesterday, I had baigan bharta, chana masala, palak paneer, pakora, chicken tandoor, onion naan and masala tea and all were very very good. I skipped the chicken curry, carrots/peas, rice and tomato soup but thought I would list them to give you an idea of what else they had yesterday. All for $7.95. I hope you'll stop by and give it a try.
(4)
Oren S.
I have dined at Namaste for the final time. I am tired of being served by an individual that does not speak: who treats the customer with disdain and indifference. The words "thank you" and "how are you" are not part of the lexicon here. The buffet items reflect economizing. Virtually no cauliflower is used, thus my favorite dish, aloo gobi, is never offered.. There sometimes is no rice pudding, and in place of the India staple buffet item, chicken tandoori, the cheaper and less appealing chicken wings are offered. It is s shame that such a beautiufl, comfortable restaurant space is being wasted. For a mere $1.01 more, I can receive a spectacular and delicious array of the finest Indian food in the lovely atmosphere of All India, North Craig Street, Oakland, where I receive gracious, personal attention from the owners.
(1)
Simon T.
Great indian food. Buffet is excellent and reasonable price. Friendly staff. LOve it. Thanks Namaste...
(5)
Sm E.
I had lunch here, and I was skeptical of the buffet at first. It turned out to be really tasty, though. Lots of variety, good spice level, and the staff kept an eye on it so that nothing sat too long. I'll definitely go back for dinner sometime.
(4)
page t.
Mediocre Food Service and Atmosphere. Better to stay clear and save your money. Judging from the empty tables the luster and joy of the Namaste we remembered is no longer. We experienced the following sub par dishes while dining after 8 pm on a Friday evening in an empty restaurant: Bland reheated Samosas. Flavorless Malek Paneer. ( the cheese pcs were quite good despite) inconsistent and barely there flavors of certainly fresh frozen spinach mix. Barely reheated Naan. We traveled to eat at Namaste specifically based on delightful past experience. Obviously that feeling is long gone. The staff were content to chat with friends and answer frequent texts and cell phone calls while we ate. The loud thump of bass from modern indian music with the electric din of the TV playing Bollywood extracts might have been a nice distraction in a busy restaurant. Instead when added to the ding of texts and cell phone calls the loud background noises detracted rather than added anything to an already mediocre dining experience.
(2)
Ashley M.
This was probably one of the worst places I've eaten at in a while . I'm not sure what was worse food or service . Never again , the coupon we bought and weren't allowed to use left on the table
(1)
Ryan S.
I regularly order takeout from Namaste and am never let down. The food here is consistently good, the portion sizes are larger than most other Indian restaurants in the area, and the prices are on par with what you would expect from similar restaurants. Don't let the location or allegedly unfriendly old lady (she's actually quite sweet) deter you from dining here--or at least ordering takeout, which is what I primarily do.
(4)
Rick J.
Hard to complain too much about a $7 buffet. Food wasn't bad, I've certainly had worse Indian in Pittsburgh. Limited selection that they don't refill often enough. Odd atmosphere, they need some background music or something. The soap opera on tv just didn't cut it. They do give you fresh naan bread which is nice, old buffet naan always sucks. Good if you're in the area and need a cheap lunch but not worth going out of your way for.
(3)
Darren W.
Note: Namaste is no longer located in the difficult-to-navigate Banksville Plaza. Instead it has moved to the Days Inn (1150 Banksville Road). While the high-quality of their food has not changed as evidence by a recent takeout meal, I felt the decor was a bit gloomy and antiquated (funeral parlor), so much so that I felt as if Robert Irvine would burst in at any moment with his patented golden sledgehammer. The matriarch is still as sweet as Golub Jamun to me. She even gave me a free pen with the restaurant's logo on it as I settled up. P.S. The defunct Billu's Indian Grill was located here before Namaste took it over.
(4)
Nimish P.
I wish I could give this place "-5" stars for its terrible food quality. Oily, greasy and bad taste. All 4 members of our party fell sick, throwing up and/or with a running stomach.
(1)
Alan S.
NOTE : They have moved further North along Banksville Road to the basement of the Days Inn (where Maharaja was for years and then, more recently, Billu's Grill(now closed, obviously.) It's all of the renovations/new furnishings that Billu's put in (Maharaja was circa 1978-esque decor/furnishings.) I tried it, today . Food was better , somehow than it ever was at the prior location . Very friendly/accomodating staff . More centrally-located, now .
(4)
Christina A.
I really liked this food. I'm not Indian, but my boyfriend is. He liked it too! We stopped in on a Saturday afternoon. We ordered from the menu instead of the buffet. We ordered the chili chicken, chicken 65, lamb biryani, Lamb vindaloo, and tadka dal. It was delicious. The chicken 65 wasn't spicy or flavorful enough, but everything else was incredible. We spiced everything at. 7/10. It had a bite, but wasn't too hot. Erythema was freshly made. There were only two other families in the restaurant when we were there, both Indian/Pakistani? Service was slow and grumpy. But it was totally worth it. It's hard to find good Indian food in Pittsburgh. Udipi is ok for pure veg... Corriander is greasy... India gardens dishes all taste the same... I would return. Portions were small, but I like that because then you can order more things to taste! Although, prices were relatively high. Every entree was about $12 and were ordered 4. It was worth it regardless.
(4)
Rinol P.
Loved the food! The food has a home made feel to it! Yes, the old lady seemed rude. but we did not deal with her. The cook (guy in apron) was very friendly and kept coming back to us to see if we need anything.
(4)
Stephen B.
First off i have no idea what these people are talking about when they speak of and mean old lady. The lady was extremely nice to me. We even had a few laughs while trying to communicate with abit of a langue barrier. The only down side to it was the low spicy flavor. I have a high tolerance spicy heat. She tried to hook me up a big bowl of wet crushed peppers and more powder. And the white rice was a tad dried out but never the less all other items where great.
(4)
Boris H.
Restaurant is difficult to find. You need to go through the hotel. Place is OK, simple interior but clean. They have buffet and menu. I went for salad and chicken saag. The taste was good but I bet that it was not chicken.
(5)
Mostafa S.
I really really enjoyed the food, it was rich flavored food, hot, fresh, and delicious. I think I'm going to pick up food from there whenever it's possible for me. Thank you guys for this great food.
(4)
Tabby B.
Lunch time...we opted for the menu vs. the buffet for my family's first time indian...I ordered for them, knowing what they would like. My issues: Holy Sh!t was it expensive for lunch!!!! The old woman was NOT nice. AT ALL. Gobi Manchurian for an appetizer was small and 12.50! what????? however, perhaps the best I've ever tasted...I just refuse to ever pay that ever again for that portion. Crazy. In addition, each entree was $11-$12 and only came with rice. I paid $2.50 additional for each order of naan. Also crazy. That said...for 4 people, my lunch tab came to $70. SEVENTY DOLLARS. For an appetizer, 4 entrees, and naan. No drinks. So, I will never be back. Which is sad, really. However....the food was damn good. We had chicken vindaloo, good and spicy, and chicken tikka masala, mild with a good sweet taste. Hey Namaste....hit me up if you ever work on your prices and customer service....I'll give it another go. Until then, I will be sticking with Cafe Dahli.
(2)
Sunnie H.
Shockingly bad. I know it's Pittsburg so my expectations were low, but there is no call for rudeness. The old lady should retire. The young waiter was ok but clearly scared of the woman. I went to the dinner buffet at 530 pm, the food was obviously left over from lunch, the rice was so old it was crunchy, all other food was very low quality and mostly cold. I always like to say something nice so the sweet carrot dish was not horrible. My search for quality Indian food in the 'burgh continues.
(1)
William M.
I think the quality and flavor of the food keeps me coming back even though the old woman is very unpleasant, I have never been there when there was more than three or four people in the whole restaurant. I don't know how long they could survive and that is unfortunate. On one occasion I was waited on by a young man who was very friendly and pleasant , where did he go? This place has potential but the old lady must go.
(3)
Miriam W.
Just to let everyone know, Namaste Indian Restaurant has moved (January 2013) from it's old location in the Banksville Plaza to 1150 Banksville Rd, adjacent to The Days Inn. I've notified Yelp.
(4)
Jill H.
I was very excited to try this place since the closure of Maharaja left us without a good Indian buffet on the side of Pittsburgh where I live, and I wasn't crazy about the restaurant that moved in afterward. The place was relatively deserted on a Saturday afternoon and we were soon greeted by a woman who asked us what kind of naan we wanted (onion or plain). The food tasted fairly good but what really turned us off was the woman who worked there and her constant coughing, hacking and wheezing without even covering her mouth! Clearly she had a nasty cold and should've stayed home that day! I cringed every time she went back into the kitchen (we could here her back there hacking up a lung) or came over to our table. It was so unappetizing that we hardly ate anything and got out of there as soon as possible. I don't think I can go back there given their low standard of hygiene. Ick, I'm cringing right now thinking of it. On the plus side though, it did keep me from overeating. Maybe I should have my husband cough and hack at me whenever we go to buffets from now on! Anyway, I hate to trash a restaurant but I had to voice my concerns. I am very conflicted about giving the second star, but the food itself wasn't bad. Try at your own risk!
(2)
Danielle B.
I am not impressed. The food was so-so and my boyfriend and I had a coupon purchased that morning from restaurants.com and they wouldn't accept it. I bought it that morning, sorry if it should have been taken off the website but you should honor it. I would not pay their full price for it, but with a nice coupon then maybe it could be worth it. The quality of the food was not good enough to outweigh the service.
(2)
Doc F.
My mistake that I went to Namaste India with my cousin. Pappad were served in the beginning and that was the only moment we could afford a smile! Rest was a complete disaster.. We ordered aloo tikki and "much recommended" samosa Chaat!! Samosa chaat was cold to touch- looked like a heap of poorly cooked samosa.. worse was the RED CHILLI powder used as garnishing ( we asked it to be a bit spicy- our fault) ..that too in plenty... we could have used that amount of red chiili powder for cooking food for some 6-7 people!! Taste was below average... we could barely think of ordering main course after the initial encounter.. Malai kofta is what we ordered besides daal... Malai Kofta looked like stuffed with samosa!! ( Pun intended) ... bland and tasteless.. NAAN were good ..thin , baked properly...out only consolation... No wonder we left half of the ordered dishes... Worth mentioning is the fact that..Kohli's store is adjacent and we saw some samosas there..I wonder if the ones we had at namaste were part of the same deal? Please beware of this place- you may end up cursing yourself for your visit later on... as we are doing right now...
Sorry, Store hours have not been updated. If you are the owner of this restaurants. Please update the store hours.
Specialities
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Noise Level : Quiet Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : 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.
Douglas W.
My wife and I have been eating here for many years now. We almost always go for the lunch buffet and have eaten here at least 25-30 times now. The menu items change every time we're here so sometimes we like it better than others and range from really thrilled by the food to feeling it's ok but are never disappointed. The owners/staff are really very nice too and they serve you fresh naan to order. I am writing now after all these years because another Indian restaurant opened a stones throw away and I want to make sure you try Namaste instead. The service and attitude at the other are just this side of rude and indifferent. Yesterday, I had baigan bharta, chana masala, palak paneer, pakora, chicken tandoor, onion naan and masala tea and all were very very good. I skipped the chicken curry, carrots/peas, rice and tomato soup but thought I would list them to give you an idea of what else they had yesterday. All for $7.95. I hope you'll stop by and give it a try.
(4)Oren S.
I have dined at Namaste for the final time. I am tired of being served by an individual that does not speak: who treats the customer with disdain and indifference. The words "thank you" and "how are you" are not part of the lexicon here. The buffet items reflect economizing. Virtually no cauliflower is used, thus my favorite dish, aloo gobi, is never offered.. There sometimes is no rice pudding, and in place of the India staple buffet item, chicken tandoori, the cheaper and less appealing chicken wings are offered. It is s shame that such a beautiufl, comfortable restaurant space is being wasted. For a mere $1.01 more, I can receive a spectacular and delicious array of the finest Indian food in the lovely atmosphere of All India, North Craig Street, Oakland, where I receive gracious, personal attention from the owners.
(1)Simon T.
Great indian food. Buffet is excellent and reasonable price. Friendly staff. LOve it. Thanks Namaste...
(5)Sm E.
I had lunch here, and I was skeptical of the buffet at first. It turned out to be really tasty, though. Lots of variety, good spice level, and the staff kept an eye on it so that nothing sat too long. I'll definitely go back for dinner sometime.
(4)page t.
Mediocre Food Service and Atmosphere. Better to stay clear and save your money. Judging from the empty tables the luster and joy of the Namaste we remembered is no longer. We experienced the following sub par dishes while dining after 8 pm on a Friday evening in an empty restaurant: Bland reheated Samosas. Flavorless Malek Paneer. ( the cheese pcs were quite good despite) inconsistent and barely there flavors of certainly fresh frozen spinach mix. Barely reheated Naan. We traveled to eat at Namaste specifically based on delightful past experience. Obviously that feeling is long gone. The staff were content to chat with friends and answer frequent texts and cell phone calls while we ate. The loud thump of bass from modern indian music with the electric din of the TV playing Bollywood extracts might have been a nice distraction in a busy restaurant. Instead when added to the ding of texts and cell phone calls the loud background noises detracted rather than added anything to an already mediocre dining experience.
(2)Ashley M.
This was probably one of the worst places I've eaten at in a while . I'm not sure what was worse food or service . Never again , the coupon we bought and weren't allowed to use left on the table
(1)Ryan S.
I regularly order takeout from Namaste and am never let down. The food here is consistently good, the portion sizes are larger than most other Indian restaurants in the area, and the prices are on par with what you would expect from similar restaurants. Don't let the location or allegedly unfriendly old lady (she's actually quite sweet) deter you from dining here--or at least ordering takeout, which is what I primarily do.
(4)Rick J.
Hard to complain too much about a $7 buffet. Food wasn't bad, I've certainly had worse Indian in Pittsburgh. Limited selection that they don't refill often enough. Odd atmosphere, they need some background music or something. The soap opera on tv just didn't cut it. They do give you fresh naan bread which is nice, old buffet naan always sucks. Good if you're in the area and need a cheap lunch but not worth going out of your way for.
(3)Darren W.
Note: Namaste is no longer located in the difficult-to-navigate Banksville Plaza. Instead it has moved to the Days Inn (1150 Banksville Road). While the high-quality of their food has not changed as evidence by a recent takeout meal, I felt the decor was a bit gloomy and antiquated (funeral parlor), so much so that I felt as if Robert Irvine would burst in at any moment with his patented golden sledgehammer. The matriarch is still as sweet as Golub Jamun to me. She even gave me a free pen with the restaurant's logo on it as I settled up. P.S. The defunct Billu's Indian Grill was located here before Namaste took it over.
(4)Nimish P.
I wish I could give this place "-5" stars for its terrible food quality. Oily, greasy and bad taste. All 4 members of our party fell sick, throwing up and/or with a running stomach.
(1)Alan S.
NOTE : They have moved further North along Banksville Road to the basement of the Days Inn (where Maharaja was for years and then, more recently, Billu's Grill(now closed, obviously.) It's all of the renovations/new furnishings that Billu's put in (Maharaja was circa 1978-esque decor/furnishings.) I tried it, today . Food was better , somehow than it ever was at the prior location . Very friendly/accomodating staff . More centrally-located, now .
(4)Christina A.
I really liked this food. I'm not Indian, but my boyfriend is. He liked it too! We stopped in on a Saturday afternoon. We ordered from the menu instead of the buffet. We ordered the chili chicken, chicken 65, lamb biryani, Lamb vindaloo, and tadka dal. It was delicious. The chicken 65 wasn't spicy or flavorful enough, but everything else was incredible. We spiced everything at. 7/10. It had a bite, but wasn't too hot. Erythema was freshly made. There were only two other families in the restaurant when we were there, both Indian/Pakistani? Service was slow and grumpy. But it was totally worth it. It's hard to find good Indian food in Pittsburgh. Udipi is ok for pure veg... Corriander is greasy... India gardens dishes all taste the same... I would return. Portions were small, but I like that because then you can order more things to taste! Although, prices were relatively high. Every entree was about $12 and were ordered 4. It was worth it regardless.
(4)Rinol P.
Loved the food! The food has a home made feel to it! Yes, the old lady seemed rude. but we did not deal with her. The cook (guy in apron) was very friendly and kept coming back to us to see if we need anything.
(4)Stephen B.
First off i have no idea what these people are talking about when they speak of and mean old lady. The lady was extremely nice to me. We even had a few laughs while trying to communicate with abit of a langue barrier. The only down side to it was the low spicy flavor. I have a high tolerance spicy heat. She tried to hook me up a big bowl of wet crushed peppers and more powder. And the white rice was a tad dried out but never the less all other items where great.
(4)Boris H.
Restaurant is difficult to find. You need to go through the hotel. Place is OK, simple interior but clean. They have buffet and menu. I went for salad and chicken saag. The taste was good but I bet that it was not chicken.
(5)Mostafa S.
I really really enjoyed the food, it was rich flavored food, hot, fresh, and delicious. I think I'm going to pick up food from there whenever it's possible for me. Thank you guys for this great food.
(4)Tabby B.
Lunch time...we opted for the menu vs. the buffet for my family's first time indian...I ordered for them, knowing what they would like. My issues: Holy Sh!t was it expensive for lunch!!!! The old woman was NOT nice. AT ALL. Gobi Manchurian for an appetizer was small and 12.50! what????? however, perhaps the best I've ever tasted...I just refuse to ever pay that ever again for that portion. Crazy. In addition, each entree was $11-$12 and only came with rice. I paid $2.50 additional for each order of naan. Also crazy. That said...for 4 people, my lunch tab came to $70. SEVENTY DOLLARS. For an appetizer, 4 entrees, and naan. No drinks. So, I will never be back. Which is sad, really. However....the food was damn good. We had chicken vindaloo, good and spicy, and chicken tikka masala, mild with a good sweet taste. Hey Namaste....hit me up if you ever work on your prices and customer service....I'll give it another go. Until then, I will be sticking with Cafe Dahli.
(2)Sunnie H.
Shockingly bad. I know it's Pittsburg so my expectations were low, but there is no call for rudeness. The old lady should retire. The young waiter was ok but clearly scared of the woman. I went to the dinner buffet at 530 pm, the food was obviously left over from lunch, the rice was so old it was crunchy, all other food was very low quality and mostly cold. I always like to say something nice so the sweet carrot dish was not horrible. My search for quality Indian food in the 'burgh continues.
(1)William M.
I think the quality and flavor of the food keeps me coming back even though the old woman is very unpleasant, I have never been there when there was more than three or four people in the whole restaurant. I don't know how long they could survive and that is unfortunate. On one occasion I was waited on by a young man who was very friendly and pleasant , where did he go? This place has potential but the old lady must go.
(3)Miriam W.
Just to let everyone know, Namaste Indian Restaurant has moved (January 2013) from it's old location in the Banksville Plaza to 1150 Banksville Rd, adjacent to The Days Inn. I've notified Yelp.
(4)Jill H.
I was very excited to try this place since the closure of Maharaja left us without a good Indian buffet on the side of Pittsburgh where I live, and I wasn't crazy about the restaurant that moved in afterward. The place was relatively deserted on a Saturday afternoon and we were soon greeted by a woman who asked us what kind of naan we wanted (onion or plain). The food tasted fairly good but what really turned us off was the woman who worked there and her constant coughing, hacking and wheezing without even covering her mouth! Clearly she had a nasty cold and should've stayed home that day! I cringed every time she went back into the kitchen (we could here her back there hacking up a lung) or came over to our table. It was so unappetizing that we hardly ate anything and got out of there as soon as possible. I don't think I can go back there given their low standard of hygiene. Ick, I'm cringing right now thinking of it. On the plus side though, it did keep me from overeating. Maybe I should have my husband cough and hack at me whenever we go to buffets from now on! Anyway, I hate to trash a restaurant but I had to voice my concerns. I am very conflicted about giving the second star, but the food itself wasn't bad. Try at your own risk!
(2)Danielle B.
I am not impressed. The food was so-so and my boyfriend and I had a coupon purchased that morning from restaurants.com and they wouldn't accept it. I bought it that morning, sorry if it should have been taken off the website but you should honor it. I would not pay their full price for it, but with a nice coupon then maybe it could be worth it. The quality of the food was not good enough to outweigh the service.
(2)Doc F.
My mistake that I went to Namaste India with my cousin. Pappad were served in the beginning and that was the only moment we could afford a smile! Rest was a complete disaster.. We ordered aloo tikki and "much recommended" samosa Chaat!! Samosa chaat was cold to touch- looked like a heap of poorly cooked samosa.. worse was the RED CHILLI powder used as garnishing ( we asked it to be a bit spicy- our fault) ..that too in plenty... we could have used that amount of red chiili powder for cooking food for some 6-7 people!! Taste was below average... we could barely think of ordering main course after the initial encounter.. Malai kofta is what we ordered besides daal... Malai Kofta looked like stuffed with samosa!! ( Pun intended) ... bland and tasteless.. NAAN were good ..thin , baked properly...out only consolation... No wonder we left half of the ordered dishes... Worth mentioning is the fact that..Kohli's store is adjacent and we saw some samosas there..I wonder if the ones we had at namaste were part of the same deal? Please beware of this place- you may end up cursing yourself for your visit later on... as we are doing right now...
(1)