Very bad service , the manager is very rude has no sense of how to serve the customer. Food is very bad and it comes late. By the time you start eating the food is very cold. Please do not order any chicken dishes as chicken was 5 days old. My vegetarian friends had the same comment about the veg dishes.
(1)
Janet R.
After many months of interest, I finally gave Tamarind a try. Man was I delighted!!! The ambience was chic yet cozy and modern. Every customer with the exception of me was Indian. This gave me the idea it must be authentic. I kept it simple and opted for my craving, butter chicken. It was divine! Melt-in-your-mouth marinated chicken thigh with silky smooth gravy!! The curry had a complex taste of tomato, cashews, and plenty of garlic. Had a nice kick level too! Just the right amount of spice. One bite of the curry transported me back to a cool rainy afternoon spent in Jaipur, with my spicy curry to warm my heart and soul! I had garlic naan and rice with my curry. The dinner includes one, and you have to pay extra to get both sides. I'm taking down a star only because of pricing. The portions are generous, but my total came to $20 for a simple dinner. I'll definitely come back for special occasions and to try their new IndoChina menu!
(4)
Jennie M.
Best Indian food around, and superb service! We ate here last night for the first time as it was recommended by a friend. What a treat! Look no farther for the best Indian food in town with an extensive menu. Servers answered our questions and helped us choose a nice selection of items. They even tailor made one of their dishes to make it less spicy for a member of our group! The aromas, tastes and experience was wonderful. Can't wait to go back!
(5)
vincent p.
First of all the management must have seen the people on here complaining about the service because I have never been to an Indian restaurant with anywhere near as attentive wait staff as Tamarind. And all the people that complained about the service should be ashamed of yourself for forcing everyone to act like an American fast food restaurant. The point of going out for Indian is to have amazing aromatic food and to test your patience to the point of breaking. Veggie Pakora was good not great. Kashmiri Naan was incredible, a must get. the sweet spices went so well with spicy entrees. Biryani was perfectly spiced. Tikka Masala was good, Mutter Panner was great. I can't wait to go back to try some more of the menu
(4)
Sujith T.
Pros: Ambience, Quality (excluding food) Cons: Taste, Pricey menu
(3)
Anne P.
Really enjoyed the food and service here Had a great lunch with my family Pineapple cake was delicious. Service was awesome! Will return again.
(5)
Lawrence M.
Authentic and great taste. The appetizers, the main course and desert were excellent. I will happily frequent this restaurant.
(5)
Heli S.
Very very pathetic service , no one come to take order even though they see they try to pretend they are busy. After taking order waiters don't bring it to table form cook , and when you complain to manager he will argue with you and show you time how long it took to cook not even open for any feedback for his restaurants improvement .
(1)
Afzal A.
we decided to go there 6 of us for dinner had reservation for 8pm were seated promptly polite hostess plenty of parking and that's why has 1 stars, waiter took the order and informed us it takes 20 minutes for the food which was ok with us. Food is a disaster, I don't see any other way to describe it.
(1)
Dave R.
My Wife and I ate dinner here last night and everything we ordered was great. The prices are very reasonable and the portions large enough to share. The restaurant was very clean and I could not have been happier. I hope to get back here soon and look forward to trying the buffet with my colleagues for lunch.
(5)
Travis B.
This place sucks, the service is slow and just plain bad. The food is ok at best, we tried 4 dishes all of which tasted like a primary ingredient was sugar. They confused vegetarian dishes with meat dishes when they served them. One of the servers dropped food on my friend when taking away a appetizer plate, a mistake that was not repeated because they didn't remove anything else the rest of the meal. Worst of all they never checked with us to make sure everything was ok with the entrees, which they weren't. The $12.00 breadbasket was missing the onion nann, there was no raita, the dahl makhani was all canned kidney beans and this dish was on FIRE hot. I love spices but damn. There was honestly nothing good about this experience other than our friends, the bill was $120.00 for a table of 4 with 2 apps 1 entree each and 1 round of drinks. In a last ditch effort to inform the management/owner he responded with so very sorry, I want to make sure you try us again, here is a giftcard for $10.00. That's less than 10% of our check and not enough to cover the cost of any one item on their menu. Don't bother with this place, it's a collection of amateurs playing restaurant. Go to Shikara instead they will treat you right, feed you well.
(2)
Lori R.
We were excited to find an Indian buffet nearby so we made it a point to go try it out. We got there a few minutes before they opened and by the time we left every table was full, mostly with Indian families enjoying a weekend lunch. The interior is very sleek and stylish but quite comfortable. Lots of bright colors and art on the walls give it a polished look. The staff was helpful and pleasant, plates were cleared and glasses filled promptly and the owner came by to check that everything was to our liking. The buffet had lots of varied dishes, at least 24, most of which were new to me. Lots of folks are raving about how authentic it is--I can't speak to that as I don't know much about Indian food but I do know that I liked just about everything I tried. There were a couple spicier dishes but those were easily dealt with by eating more of their fresh egg-free naan. ;-) We will definitely be back for more as the price was good, there was a nice variety of foods ( I noticed some veggie options but wasn't keeping track of how many) and the atmosphere was very pleasant.
(4)
Caitlin E.
I've only been to one other Indian buffet in my life - and one other Indian dining/sit-down restaurant. This experience was very positive, and delicious, I had to practically roll myself to my car. I think this is strictly buffet only? There were no menus, and I'm not sure on drink availability since I only had water. Ambience was classy, colorful, and unique. I wanted to stay longer and enjoy it, but on a work lunch there's only so much time! While we were there, I went up to the buffet twice and tried a little bit of everything. I didn't know what any of it was - and kind of figured it out as I went. I would recommend to owners to list additionally a more general description of foods, and ingredients, since it was difficult to tell what things were until you after you ate them. I plan to go back, and eat less. I ate so much delicious garlic naan and curry! Service was fast and friendly, and the owner even came by to ask how we were doing.
(5)
Suresh S.
I been today and its my first visit since they opened . I was their lunch buffet with my friend. I luv this place the owner is soo friendly and the waiter too. I orderd a coke and I got in huge glass and iam soo happy bcz lots of places they don't do it. The food was warm enough and tasty. Gud think they open on monday soo this place is going to be my faverate Monday lunch place.
(5)
Garth P.
Tamarind is a very good Indian restaurant in a sea of TGI Fridays and fast food joints at perimeter of Fox Valley Mall. The decor is relatively restrained but modern and interesting to look at (especially the multicolored elephant on the back wall). Nearly half the main dining room is reserved for the buffet station which I believe is open for lunch. I had the Malai Kofta - vegetable balls in a cream sauce. I've never tried this dish previously but I thought it was quite good, if a little too sweet. My wife had the Lamb Biryani. Another good dish with just the right amount of spice. The lamb was tender and sweet, but the rice was a bit of a disappointment. I can't tell you why, exactly, it just didn't have any umph. I would definitely give this place another try.
(4)
Sam S.
Good food. Good service. Definitely a go.
(5)
Carl F.
This is the best Indian food I have eaten since moving to the area. The selection for the lunch buffet was great and the food had tremendous flavor! I will definitely be back! The service was good as well. I overheard my server telling someone else that it was his second day, but he was very knowledgeable about the various dishes on the buffet and was very friendly. My drink was never empty and the check arrived right on time.
(5)
S J.
We came to this restaurant tonight for dinner. We were a party of 8 -two families. Given that it is X Mas and most other places are closed, we did not expect the place to be jam packed. Sure enough, only a couple other tables were occupied. I had read a few Yelp reviews beforehand and was wary of the service. There seemed to be at most one or two waiters serving the entire restaurant. they did not bother to ask us our drink choices (typical of Indian restaurant serving Indian customers). When our wine glasses arrived filled with water, (!) I asked for 2 kids' cups as there were 2 small ones in our group. This never appeared until I reminded another waiter who brought plates. The food took its time arriving, causing us to note : don't order everything at once. Kids were getting really antsy by the time our orders finally arrived. They brought everything at once, beginning with the biryani : weird because an Indian restaurant typically serves bread and curries before rice dishes. Well this nuance may have gotten lost since like I said, our entire order came at once. the food itself was quite good, a bit on the spicy side for our friends and out of range for kids. Thankfully, we had ordered separate bread for them, and therefore they were okay. Each of the curries came with one naan, which seemed like an OK deal. We ordered extra naan because we just had the one curry. My chole bhatura was good, except that the bhatura was way smaller than I expected. My daughter said the aloo paratha she had was just the same as our naan except it had some cilantro. Back to the service, or lack thereof - with most of us working through the spicy food, nobody bothered to check or refill our water. I asked for it once and got mine topped off, the rest ignored. We ordered another two naan, and I asked for a basic salad (onions and mirchi) since I like that with this kind of food. Started on the biryani by the time the naan arrived. Absolutely no sign of the salad, it's like my request went into thin air. Again, water - i asked for it again and got mine topped off, again the rest ignored. Next, our check arrived unceremoniously. I guess any dessert suggestions on the part of the wait staff went the way of drinks. We asked for separate checks. The waiter made a big deal of it saying multiple times that we should have told him before. I responded saying we didn't know he'd be bringing the check until he did. He then asked us to split the check: we explained that we ordered different items, and went over everything that we had ordered with him until he got our check right. He returned with separate checks, and we saw that they had generously included a 15% tip for themselves just because our party was 4 adults and 4 kids. That is ridiculous because the "service" was not even worthy for 4 diners. That ended up inflating our part of the check to nearly $60. overall, the experience leaves much to be desired. The ambience was OK and the food met expectations, but they have a long way to go in learning how to serve customers.
(2)
Pavan D.
Pathetic Service and if you provide feedback on that, the owner/manager behaves rude, We had families and small kids with us, had never seen or imagined some one can do such thing, I will not recommend. Food was also average, way better restaurants in the area, not going here ever again.
I've eaten at this restaurant twice (both lunch buffets). This review reflects the food and service I received most recently (a week ago). The restaurant IMO has become a lot better. I ate here back in either late 2014 or early 2015. I don't remember the specifics of why I didn't like the place, but I do remember the feeling of not wanting to come back. My experience didn't warrant a negative review. It was just kinda a meh experience (a 3 star experience at best). However, I'm really happy I was desperate for Indian lunch buffet last week because the food and the service I received from Tamarind was very good. The food was great! I was really impressed with the dishes --from the taste to the presentation of the food (I did arrive at the lunch buffet early and the place wasn't terrible crowded). A staff member told me they consistently change up the lunch buffet dishes. Possibly they won't be serving dishes you care for some days. Apparently the dishes available for my choosing that day were perfect to my liking. If memory serves correctly, lunch buffet for a single adult is approx. 13 dollars (with tip I paid $15.09). Yes, the price is expensive, but because I really enjoyed the food I didn't mind. FYI, they will serve a basket of bread to the table only (no chicken dish like some other restaurants do). The rest of the dishes are at the buffet line. TLDR: I really recommend giving this restaurant another chance if you've eaten here once and wasn't impressed. It's very possible the restaurant has improved since late 2014/early 2015.
(5)
John S.
Not at all impressed. Not disappointed either. I had the Andhra Fish Pulusu. Somewhat bland. It was supposed to spicy and was not. I also had the Taj Mahal Lager. Also very bland for beer. The Naan was great. This was my first time here so I would come back to give it another shot. I love Indian food and this place is very close to my house so I will come back. Hopefully with a better result. Service was decent. Atmosphere is cool. Seems clean. Not too busy on a Saturday night.
(3)
Apara W.
Speechless! Only giving 1 star as there is no other option. Ambiance is ok, service is ok, parking is plenty. That's it. Food is a DISASTER, I didn't think it was possible to have such low quality food.
(1)
Kaushal S.
The place is well lit, clean, and maintained. Ambience is perfect with excellent wall art and pictures. Service is good. I had visited this restaurant 3rd time for lunch buffet with high expectation every time. My last visit was not very impressive. We went to restaurant 5 minutes before it opened for lunch. Gladly they took us in. Food, was average this time around. Food was not cold, but at a temperature where a kid could easily swallow food without feeling the heat. Food was not warm/hot enough to enjoy the taste. Felt like food had been sitting for 30-45 minutes before the warmer was turned on right before their opening time. Had to request naan be brought to table. Naan should be the first dish on the table before the customers sit with their dishes on the table. I was disappointed the 3rd time around that I visited. Variety in main course can be enhanced. Desert options definitely needs make over, no doubt. Being in the heart of Naperville and around Fox Valley Mall, few improvements can be made to attract general population. Brief description of the dishes would be ideal. Would I recommend others to Tamarind? Not sure. I have visited other restaurants several times, and quality has never dropped no matter when I visited.
(3)
Karan S.
First time at Tamarind. Great service - very professional manager, server and the entire team. Awesome food - Very pleasantly surprised by new authentic take on Classic Indian Dishes - Having enjoyed Indian Food all my life - was surprised by 'Andhra Chicken'; 'Malai Kofta' Highly Recommended
(5)
Christa F.
There have been several places in and out of this location since Fudrucker's kicked it. It would be nice to see once place that serves good food move in and stay. I'm not sure if TIC is the place, but we finally got our chance to check it out. I think for lunch during the week they only offer the buffet. They didn't give us any other options, they didn't ask us if we had been there before, and they didn't attempt to describe any of the dishes or their background to us. We love Indian and Pakistani food, so we stayed to see what they had to offer on their lunch buffet for a Thursday afternoon. Here are some of the things I think we had based on the menu on their website (many options weren't accurately marked): - Paneer Pakora(?) - If this is correct, we ate something similar to a falafel. It was really good with just enough spice! - Naan - It was very good, though I was a little disappointed that they didn't offer other varieties with different flavors (like garlic or onion) when eating the buffet. - Hyderbadi Chicken Dum Ka Biryani - The chicken had a really great flavor and the rice took on the spices nicely. - Vegetable Biryani - I loved the option of a veggie dish and picked out a bunch of the veggies to go with the chicken. - Goat Gongura - The boy didn't realize just how spices this was going to be! He loved the flavor, but ended up drinking a lot of water lol! - Mango Cream (Mango Kulfi) - This was a great way to cleanse your mouth of the burn at the end of the meal! It was too bad some of the mangos weren't ripe and were too crunchy. I think we tried a couple other things, but I'm not sure what they were! Overall, the food was really good (though very spicy!). I was most disappointed in the fact that they did not recognize ME. When they spoke to us, it was always to the boy. He would then look at me for the answer then answer them. At first, I just went with it (culture and all). When the bill came and I was paying, I finally lost it. I understand we all have cultural differences. At some point, when you are running a business, you have to recognize your customers and the country that you live in. They handed the bill to my boy and he handed it to me. I put my card it in with my girlie name on it and set it down next to me. When the waiter picked it up he said, "Thank you sir, I'll be right back with this." I rolled my eyes since this is where I got tired. I appreciated all of the thank you sirs, but there were no thank yo ma'ams... He came back and handed it to my boy and said thank you sir again. I promptly took it from his hand and said, "Thank you sir." He nodded to me in surprise and walked away. Since it's a buffet the tips isn't going to be 20% anyway, but I was aggravated at this point and went for 10% even when I would've gone higher in any other situation. He came back to get the signed slip from us and I made sure that I handed it to him and he finally looked at me and nodded. When we left, our waiter and another waiter were standing at the desk. They fist said thank you sir, but after our waiter said, "Thank you, ma'am." I'm not sure that what I did made any difference at all, but I tried.
(3)
Sowmya M.
I have taken a Mutton and Chicken Dum Biryani which were not at all like the layered Hyderbadi Dum Biryani. The mutton was burnt and the pieces were hard. Atleast a decent biryani is expected for the price. Quality must be improved.
(3)
Jai S.
Tamarind haas a good ambience, like the wall of Comic book (Amar chitra katha) covers. They get you started with some roasted papaya and chutney. Liked the paneer tikka sizzler plate that came with green chutney. The chole subzi (chick pea curry) and dosa were ok, nothing memorable. I would describe Tamarind as a back up option. If I don't feel like going my usual restaurants, I might go in here for a meal.
(3)
Ankit P.
This maybe the first time I am reviewing a restaurant twice. We went out to lunch wife wanted dosa since she won't be able to eat it anytime soon. Got there at 235 they close at three they made her a rava dosa even though the buffet was out and they were almost closing Her rava Dosa was a 3.5 /5 but considering they made it we are happy now let's talk buffet; I personally hate Indian buffets except tamarinds. All the meat dishes were perfect as good as I would expect during dinner perfect spice a little kick but still eatable but most. Service: As mentioned before they made a rava dosa when they were closing Nitin the manager was awesome and extremely accomdating. 315 buffet should have been gone but he waited for me to finish before he wrapped up. The server we had (sorry didn't get his name) was extremely nice and courteous even offered me fresh dosa instead of the buffet ones. The adage is affordable, good food or good ambiance choose two. This place has all three!!!
(4)
Gayathri S.
I am new to Naperville, tried this restaurant twice, both of the times, the service, food, ambiance never disappointed us. Being a vegetarian, love the veggie spread on weekend buffets, service was quick. Highly recommend this place.
(4)
Gerino C.
First time customer, and not gonna be the last! Fell I love with the gulab at first site. Never been to a place with better service then here. Especially my waiter nathan, he was a big help for us since we weren't sure what to make in a combination plate to begin with. I will definelty be here once again. ******stars!!!! At least come and try it let!!!!
(5)
Parag P.
Recently visited the Tamarind restaurant located in Aurora, IL and the food was quite delicious. Particularly loved the paneer masala dosa, the dish was absolutely delicious. Also, the decor and ambience of the restaurant was unique with an Indian theme and the fresh sweet paan as an after dinner mint was simply mouthwatering. Would recommend going and trying out the wonderful items in the menu.
(5)
Deshna G.
We recently tried Tamarind Indian Restaurant. They were very courteous and accomodating. We are Jains. They were very kind in making fresh veggies without onion patatoes or garlic. Their naan is also eggless. Overall good service with good food, relatively reasonably priced. Definite retry. Recommend to all, but especially vegetarians and Jains.
(5)
Prabha R.
So I saw their buffet post on FB on Saturday and decided to have lunch on Sunday. I was surprised that the menu was pretty much the same. Food was ok. There were a lot of varieties though!
(3)
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Address :4250 Fox Valley Centre Dr
Aurora, IL, 60504
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Classy Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
India is the birth place of Chicken Tikka Masala and Curries. Indian foods are prepared with a blend of finely mixed spices quite popular across the region. The spices develop the rich taste in Indian food enough to boggle your mind. The ever-increasing fan base of Indian food around the New York city is steadily increasing because of the large number of Indians who traveled to the land of dreams. The Indians also brought their very own vibrant, colorful, and aromatic authentic dishes for the people in the West. While most of the Indian population is Vegetarian, Indian food is great for people who are looking for vegan or vegetarian food option. If you are a Meat lover, don't get disappointed yet. Indian food also boasts of some popular non-vegetarian dishes too. Few examples are the famous Butter Chicken, Mutton Biryani and Tandoori Chicken are enough to satisfy your taste buds.
Indian food has gained reputation all over the world especially in the United States. You can find many places serving the appetizing Indian food across all major cities in the US. India is a diverse country with different food culture originated from different parts of the country. While the Northern region boasts tandoori dishes and korma offering royal taste, the Western Ghats offers sea foods that is made in naturally sweet tender coconut milk. The South Indian food servers a quality of different dishes made from rice accompanied with spicy chutneys, curries and famous sambhar. Also, the Indian sweets are a delight to relish. If you ever want to have a burst of sugar syrup in mouth, don't forget to try few Bengali Sweets. Be it spicy, tangy, or sweet flavor, you can find everything in the Indian cuisine. Be assured that the melody of spices will surely bring delight to you.
Saurabh S.
Very bad service , the manager is very rude has no sense of how to serve the customer. Food is very bad and it comes late. By the time you start eating the food is very cold. Please do not order any chicken dishes as chicken was 5 days old. My vegetarian friends had the same comment about the veg dishes.
(1)Janet R.
After many months of interest, I finally gave Tamarind a try. Man was I delighted!!! The ambience was chic yet cozy and modern. Every customer with the exception of me was Indian. This gave me the idea it must be authentic. I kept it simple and opted for my craving, butter chicken. It was divine! Melt-in-your-mouth marinated chicken thigh with silky smooth gravy!! The curry had a complex taste of tomato, cashews, and plenty of garlic. Had a nice kick level too! Just the right amount of spice. One bite of the curry transported me back to a cool rainy afternoon spent in Jaipur, with my spicy curry to warm my heart and soul! I had garlic naan and rice with my curry. The dinner includes one, and you have to pay extra to get both sides. I'm taking down a star only because of pricing. The portions are generous, but my total came to $20 for a simple dinner. I'll definitely come back for special occasions and to try their new IndoChina menu!
(4)Jennie M.
Best Indian food around, and superb service! We ate here last night for the first time as it was recommended by a friend. What a treat! Look no farther for the best Indian food in town with an extensive menu. Servers answered our questions and helped us choose a nice selection of items. They even tailor made one of their dishes to make it less spicy for a member of our group! The aromas, tastes and experience was wonderful. Can't wait to go back!
(5)vincent p.
First of all the management must have seen the people on here complaining about the service because I have never been to an Indian restaurant with anywhere near as attentive wait staff as Tamarind. And all the people that complained about the service should be ashamed of yourself for forcing everyone to act like an American fast food restaurant. The point of going out for Indian is to have amazing aromatic food and to test your patience to the point of breaking. Veggie Pakora was good not great. Kashmiri Naan was incredible, a must get. the sweet spices went so well with spicy entrees. Biryani was perfectly spiced. Tikka Masala was good, Mutter Panner was great. I can't wait to go back to try some more of the menu
(4)Sujith T.
Pros: Ambience, Quality (excluding food) Cons: Taste, Pricey menu
(3)Anne P.
Really enjoyed the food and service here Had a great lunch with my family Pineapple cake was delicious. Service was awesome! Will return again.
(5)Lawrence M.
Authentic and great taste. The appetizers, the main course and desert were excellent. I will happily frequent this restaurant.
(5)Heli S.
Very very pathetic service , no one come to take order even though they see they try to pretend they are busy. After taking order waiters don't bring it to table form cook , and when you complain to manager he will argue with you and show you time how long it took to cook not even open for any feedback for his restaurants improvement .
(1)Afzal A.
we decided to go there 6 of us for dinner had reservation for 8pm were seated promptly polite hostess plenty of parking and that's why has 1 stars, waiter took the order and informed us it takes 20 minutes for the food which was ok with us. Food is a disaster, I don't see any other way to describe it.
(1)Dave R.
My Wife and I ate dinner here last night and everything we ordered was great. The prices are very reasonable and the portions large enough to share. The restaurant was very clean and I could not have been happier. I hope to get back here soon and look forward to trying the buffet with my colleagues for lunch.
(5)Travis B.
This place sucks, the service is slow and just plain bad. The food is ok at best, we tried 4 dishes all of which tasted like a primary ingredient was sugar. They confused vegetarian dishes with meat dishes when they served them. One of the servers dropped food on my friend when taking away a appetizer plate, a mistake that was not repeated because they didn't remove anything else the rest of the meal. Worst of all they never checked with us to make sure everything was ok with the entrees, which they weren't. The $12.00 breadbasket was missing the onion nann, there was no raita, the dahl makhani was all canned kidney beans and this dish was on FIRE hot. I love spices but damn. There was honestly nothing good about this experience other than our friends, the bill was $120.00 for a table of 4 with 2 apps 1 entree each and 1 round of drinks. In a last ditch effort to inform the management/owner he responded with so very sorry, I want to make sure you try us again, here is a giftcard for $10.00. That's less than 10% of our check and not enough to cover the cost of any one item on their menu. Don't bother with this place, it's a collection of amateurs playing restaurant. Go to Shikara instead they will treat you right, feed you well.
(2)Lori R.
We were excited to find an Indian buffet nearby so we made it a point to go try it out. We got there a few minutes before they opened and by the time we left every table was full, mostly with Indian families enjoying a weekend lunch. The interior is very sleek and stylish but quite comfortable. Lots of bright colors and art on the walls give it a polished look. The staff was helpful and pleasant, plates were cleared and glasses filled promptly and the owner came by to check that everything was to our liking. The buffet had lots of varied dishes, at least 24, most of which were new to me. Lots of folks are raving about how authentic it is--I can't speak to that as I don't know much about Indian food but I do know that I liked just about everything I tried. There were a couple spicier dishes but those were easily dealt with by eating more of their fresh egg-free naan. ;-) We will definitely be back for more as the price was good, there was a nice variety of foods ( I noticed some veggie options but wasn't keeping track of how many) and the atmosphere was very pleasant.
(4)Caitlin E.
I've only been to one other Indian buffet in my life - and one other Indian dining/sit-down restaurant. This experience was very positive, and delicious, I had to practically roll myself to my car. I think this is strictly buffet only? There were no menus, and I'm not sure on drink availability since I only had water. Ambience was classy, colorful, and unique. I wanted to stay longer and enjoy it, but on a work lunch there's only so much time! While we were there, I went up to the buffet twice and tried a little bit of everything. I didn't know what any of it was - and kind of figured it out as I went. I would recommend to owners to list additionally a more general description of foods, and ingredients, since it was difficult to tell what things were until you after you ate them. I plan to go back, and eat less. I ate so much delicious garlic naan and curry! Service was fast and friendly, and the owner even came by to ask how we were doing.
(5)Suresh S.
I been today and its my first visit since they opened . I was their lunch buffet with my friend. I luv this place the owner is soo friendly and the waiter too. I orderd a coke and I got in huge glass and iam soo happy bcz lots of places they don't do it. The food was warm enough and tasty. Gud think they open on monday soo this place is going to be my faverate Monday lunch place.
(5)Garth P.
Tamarind is a very good Indian restaurant in a sea of TGI Fridays and fast food joints at perimeter of Fox Valley Mall. The decor is relatively restrained but modern and interesting to look at (especially the multicolored elephant on the back wall). Nearly half the main dining room is reserved for the buffet station which I believe is open for lunch. I had the Malai Kofta - vegetable balls in a cream sauce. I've never tried this dish previously but I thought it was quite good, if a little too sweet. My wife had the Lamb Biryani. Another good dish with just the right amount of spice. The lamb was tender and sweet, but the rice was a bit of a disappointment. I can't tell you why, exactly, it just didn't have any umph. I would definitely give this place another try.
(4)Sam S.
Good food. Good service. Definitely a go.
(5)Carl F.
This is the best Indian food I have eaten since moving to the area. The selection for the lunch buffet was great and the food had tremendous flavor! I will definitely be back! The service was good as well. I overheard my server telling someone else that it was his second day, but he was very knowledgeable about the various dishes on the buffet and was very friendly. My drink was never empty and the check arrived right on time.
(5)S J.
We came to this restaurant tonight for dinner. We were a party of 8 -two families. Given that it is X Mas and most other places are closed, we did not expect the place to be jam packed. Sure enough, only a couple other tables were occupied. I had read a few Yelp reviews beforehand and was wary of the service. There seemed to be at most one or two waiters serving the entire restaurant. they did not bother to ask us our drink choices (typical of Indian restaurant serving Indian customers). When our wine glasses arrived filled with water, (!) I asked for 2 kids' cups as there were 2 small ones in our group. This never appeared until I reminded another waiter who brought plates. The food took its time arriving, causing us to note : don't order everything at once. Kids were getting really antsy by the time our orders finally arrived. They brought everything at once, beginning with the biryani : weird because an Indian restaurant typically serves bread and curries before rice dishes. Well this nuance may have gotten lost since like I said, our entire order came at once. the food itself was quite good, a bit on the spicy side for our friends and out of range for kids. Thankfully, we had ordered separate bread for them, and therefore they were okay. Each of the curries came with one naan, which seemed like an OK deal. We ordered extra naan because we just had the one curry. My chole bhatura was good, except that the bhatura was way smaller than I expected. My daughter said the aloo paratha she had was just the same as our naan except it had some cilantro. Back to the service, or lack thereof - with most of us working through the spicy food, nobody bothered to check or refill our water. I asked for it once and got mine topped off, the rest ignored. We ordered another two naan, and I asked for a basic salad (onions and mirchi) since I like that with this kind of food. Started on the biryani by the time the naan arrived. Absolutely no sign of the salad, it's like my request went into thin air. Again, water - i asked for it again and got mine topped off, again the rest ignored. Next, our check arrived unceremoniously. I guess any dessert suggestions on the part of the wait staff went the way of drinks. We asked for separate checks. The waiter made a big deal of it saying multiple times that we should have told him before. I responded saying we didn't know he'd be bringing the check until he did. He then asked us to split the check: we explained that we ordered different items, and went over everything that we had ordered with him until he got our check right. He returned with separate checks, and we saw that they had generously included a 15% tip for themselves just because our party was 4 adults and 4 kids. That is ridiculous because the "service" was not even worthy for 4 diners. That ended up inflating our part of the check to nearly $60. overall, the experience leaves much to be desired. The ambience was OK and the food met expectations, but they have a long way to go in learning how to serve customers.
(2)Pavan D.
Pathetic Service and if you provide feedback on that, the owner/manager behaves rude, We had families and small kids with us, had never seen or imagined some one can do such thing, I will not recommend. Food was also average, way better restaurants in the area, not going here ever again.
(1)Niraj R.
We went on a Monday night, and the service was great because it wasn't too busy. We ordered Malia Kofta, Panneer Tikkha Masala and Chicken Biryani for a table of 4. It was delicious with good portions. One great thing about this place is that the naan comes with the entrée. A lot of indian restaruants will charge you extra for naan or rice, and that extra cost just get annoying. Overall, great dining experience, and will be going back to it.
(5)Bruce G.
I've eaten at this restaurant twice (both lunch buffets). This review reflects the food and service I received most recently (a week ago). The restaurant IMO has become a lot better. I ate here back in either late 2014 or early 2015. I don't remember the specifics of why I didn't like the place, but I do remember the feeling of not wanting to come back. My experience didn't warrant a negative review. It was just kinda a meh experience (a 3 star experience at best). However, I'm really happy I was desperate for Indian lunch buffet last week because the food and the service I received from Tamarind was very good. The food was great! I was really impressed with the dishes --from the taste to the presentation of the food (I did arrive at the lunch buffet early and the place wasn't terrible crowded). A staff member told me they consistently change up the lunch buffet dishes. Possibly they won't be serving dishes you care for some days. Apparently the dishes available for my choosing that day were perfect to my liking. If memory serves correctly, lunch buffet for a single adult is approx. 13 dollars (with tip I paid $15.09). Yes, the price is expensive, but because I really enjoyed the food I didn't mind. FYI, they will serve a basket of bread to the table only (no chicken dish like some other restaurants do). The rest of the dishes are at the buffet line. TLDR: I really recommend giving this restaurant another chance if you've eaten here once and wasn't impressed. It's very possible the restaurant has improved since late 2014/early 2015.
(5)John S.
Not at all impressed. Not disappointed either. I had the Andhra Fish Pulusu. Somewhat bland. It was supposed to spicy and was not. I also had the Taj Mahal Lager. Also very bland for beer. The Naan was great. This was my first time here so I would come back to give it another shot. I love Indian food and this place is very close to my house so I will come back. Hopefully with a better result. Service was decent. Atmosphere is cool. Seems clean. Not too busy on a Saturday night.
(3)Apara W.
Speechless! Only giving 1 star as there is no other option. Ambiance is ok, service is ok, parking is plenty. That's it. Food is a DISASTER, I didn't think it was possible to have such low quality food.
(1)Kaushal S.
The place is well lit, clean, and maintained. Ambience is perfect with excellent wall art and pictures. Service is good. I had visited this restaurant 3rd time for lunch buffet with high expectation every time. My last visit was not very impressive. We went to restaurant 5 minutes before it opened for lunch. Gladly they took us in. Food, was average this time around. Food was not cold, but at a temperature where a kid could easily swallow food without feeling the heat. Food was not warm/hot enough to enjoy the taste. Felt like food had been sitting for 30-45 minutes before the warmer was turned on right before their opening time. Had to request naan be brought to table. Naan should be the first dish on the table before the customers sit with their dishes on the table. I was disappointed the 3rd time around that I visited. Variety in main course can be enhanced. Desert options definitely needs make over, no doubt. Being in the heart of Naperville and around Fox Valley Mall, few improvements can be made to attract general population. Brief description of the dishes would be ideal. Would I recommend others to Tamarind? Not sure. I have visited other restaurants several times, and quality has never dropped no matter when I visited.
(3)Karan S.
First time at Tamarind. Great service - very professional manager, server and the entire team. Awesome food - Very pleasantly surprised by new authentic take on Classic Indian Dishes - Having enjoyed Indian Food all my life - was surprised by 'Andhra Chicken'; 'Malai Kofta' Highly Recommended
(5)Christa F.
There have been several places in and out of this location since Fudrucker's kicked it. It would be nice to see once place that serves good food move in and stay. I'm not sure if TIC is the place, but we finally got our chance to check it out. I think for lunch during the week they only offer the buffet. They didn't give us any other options, they didn't ask us if we had been there before, and they didn't attempt to describe any of the dishes or their background to us. We love Indian and Pakistani food, so we stayed to see what they had to offer on their lunch buffet for a Thursday afternoon. Here are some of the things I think we had based on the menu on their website (many options weren't accurately marked): - Paneer Pakora(?) - If this is correct, we ate something similar to a falafel. It was really good with just enough spice! - Naan - It was very good, though I was a little disappointed that they didn't offer other varieties with different flavors (like garlic or onion) when eating the buffet. - Hyderbadi Chicken Dum Ka Biryani - The chicken had a really great flavor and the rice took on the spices nicely. - Vegetable Biryani - I loved the option of a veggie dish and picked out a bunch of the veggies to go with the chicken. - Goat Gongura - The boy didn't realize just how spices this was going to be! He loved the flavor, but ended up drinking a lot of water lol! - Mango Cream (Mango Kulfi) - This was a great way to cleanse your mouth of the burn at the end of the meal! It was too bad some of the mangos weren't ripe and were too crunchy. I think we tried a couple other things, but I'm not sure what they were! Overall, the food was really good (though very spicy!). I was most disappointed in the fact that they did not recognize ME. When they spoke to us, it was always to the boy. He would then look at me for the answer then answer them. At first, I just went with it (culture and all). When the bill came and I was paying, I finally lost it. I understand we all have cultural differences. At some point, when you are running a business, you have to recognize your customers and the country that you live in. They handed the bill to my boy and he handed it to me. I put my card it in with my girlie name on it and set it down next to me. When the waiter picked it up he said, "Thank you sir, I'll be right back with this." I rolled my eyes since this is where I got tired. I appreciated all of the thank you sirs, but there were no thank yo ma'ams... He came back and handed it to my boy and said thank you sir again. I promptly took it from his hand and said, "Thank you sir." He nodded to me in surprise and walked away. Since it's a buffet the tips isn't going to be 20% anyway, but I was aggravated at this point and went for 10% even when I would've gone higher in any other situation. He came back to get the signed slip from us and I made sure that I handed it to him and he finally looked at me and nodded. When we left, our waiter and another waiter were standing at the desk. They fist said thank you sir, but after our waiter said, "Thank you, ma'am." I'm not sure that what I did made any difference at all, but I tried.
(3)Sowmya M.
I have taken a Mutton and Chicken Dum Biryani which were not at all like the layered Hyderbadi Dum Biryani. The mutton was burnt and the pieces were hard. Atleast a decent biryani is expected for the price. Quality must be improved.
(3)Jai S.
Tamarind haas a good ambience, like the wall of Comic book (Amar chitra katha) covers. They get you started with some roasted papaya and chutney. Liked the paneer tikka sizzler plate that came with green chutney. The chole subzi (chick pea curry) and dosa were ok, nothing memorable. I would describe Tamarind as a back up option. If I don't feel like going my usual restaurants, I might go in here for a meal.
(3)Ankit P.
This maybe the first time I am reviewing a restaurant twice. We went out to lunch wife wanted dosa since she won't be able to eat it anytime soon. Got there at 235 they close at three they made her a rava dosa even though the buffet was out and they were almost closing Her rava Dosa was a 3.5 /5 but considering they made it we are happy now let's talk buffet; I personally hate Indian buffets except tamarinds. All the meat dishes were perfect as good as I would expect during dinner perfect spice a little kick but still eatable but most. Service: As mentioned before they made a rava dosa when they were closing Nitin the manager was awesome and extremely accomdating. 315 buffet should have been gone but he waited for me to finish before he wrapped up. The server we had (sorry didn't get his name) was extremely nice and courteous even offered me fresh dosa instead of the buffet ones. The adage is affordable, good food or good ambiance choose two. This place has all three!!!
(4)Gayathri S.
I am new to Naperville, tried this restaurant twice, both of the times, the service, food, ambiance never disappointed us. Being a vegetarian, love the veggie spread on weekend buffets, service was quick. Highly recommend this place.
(4)Gerino C.
First time customer, and not gonna be the last! Fell I love with the gulab at first site. Never been to a place with better service then here. Especially my waiter nathan, he was a big help for us since we weren't sure what to make in a combination plate to begin with. I will definelty be here once again. ******stars!!!! At least come and try it let!!!!
(5)Parag P.
Recently visited the Tamarind restaurant located in Aurora, IL and the food was quite delicious. Particularly loved the paneer masala dosa, the dish was absolutely delicious. Also, the decor and ambience of the restaurant was unique with an Indian theme and the fresh sweet paan as an after dinner mint was simply mouthwatering. Would recommend going and trying out the wonderful items in the menu.
(5)Deshna G.
We recently tried Tamarind Indian Restaurant. They were very courteous and accomodating. We are Jains. They were very kind in making fresh veggies without onion patatoes or garlic. Their naan is also eggless. Overall good service with good food, relatively reasonably priced. Definite retry. Recommend to all, but especially vegetarians and Jains.
(5)Prabha R.
So I saw their buffet post on FB on Saturday and decided to have lunch on Sunday. I was surprised that the menu was pretty much the same. Food was ok. There were a lot of varieties though!
(3)