Indian Flavors Express

My daughter’s friends told her this place served better food than House of Curries so we thought we would try it. Eh, the food was alright but the service was terrible. Counter guy was a jerk. He was rude and after our meal he proceeded to lecture us on the proper way to clear the dirty dishes. Won’t be back!

Should be just called Indian flavor. Nothing express about this place. Except for the one time I saw the owner, staff is usually rude.

I’m never going back there again. This happened to me on December 15^th around noon. So before my final I decided to treat myself indian food. As I walked in the person on the counter seems in bad mood as if he doesn’t want any customer. He literally throw the credit card receipt to sign me. Since I didn’t want to ruin my mood right before finals, I just ignored him. When I get my order (to-​go), there wasn’t soda drinks which I paid for. When I asked him about my drinks, he replied (in very rude voice as if I’m asking for free), «get it from the cooler.» How the hell I am supposed to know that I should get myself from the cooler, if he didn’t say anything while he took my order. And BTW I was there very first time and the cooler was in the back corner (not in the obvious location).

Was in Berkeley for the first time in a long time and craving Karahi Chicken.
Walked in: Greeted with smile
Took order quickly
Order was made quickly
Food was really good. They made Karahi Chicken the way I like it, as in, it was pretty spicy (not white-​washed, «watered down» version of spicy for Westerners)
Good portions
Fair price.
Granted, it Was after dinner time, so there was no wait like some of the other Unilocalers have complained about.
I will be back. In fact, I want Chicken Karahi right now.

Good place. I came here with friends on a weekend night, and it was pretty empty. We ordered, paid, then sat down with our number to wait for our food. I got the beingan bharta (eggplant curry) with naan, and it was pretty average. The naan could definitely be fluffier, though the eggplant was delicious. My friend’s meat curry was also really delicious, very well flavored, and spicy enough. It’s a bit pricey for the amount of food at $ 9.71 including tax, but it’s close to campus and portions are fair. I also came here for a lunch buffet two or three years ago, and I don’t remember it to be very good, which is why I haven’t been back since then.

The food was less than mediocre. Costs $ 10+ for buffet. Should be between $ 6 – 7 given how little flavor and quality the food is (go to Biriyani Kebab in Oakland for a much better food and staff experience). The male staff (the younger gentleman with a beard) was offensively rude, colorist, and misogynistic. Unfortunately, given levels of caste-​ism, racism, and misogyny in India this was unfortunately unsurprising. The management of the establishment needs to better their food and staff quality.

There are times in your life when all you can eat KBBQ is inaccessible, too expensive, or you’ve had too much. Well Indians Flavor Express (IFE) is the place to go during lunch. Their $ 10 buffet is a steal for those looking to fill their stomachs with homemade Indian food from Chicken Tikka original to unlimited Naam bread.
Pros:
–Buffett (only open during lunch)
–Restrooms inside
–Nice and enclosed area, away from noisy Telegraph
–Free tea and water
Cons:
–their regular food is okay but pricey for my taste
–can be dirty sometimes

I have made the mistake of eating at Indian Flavors «Express» for the final time. It couldn’t be anything further from express. They take your order and your money and then you wait 30+ minutes with the sweet smell of curry waiting for your food which seems to never come.
Pros:
+ Great curry
+ Garlic Naan is on point
Cons:
— The wait is unbearable
— The staff doesn’t seem to care about the customers

Indian Flavors Express has greater variety and flavor than its nearby competitor House of Curries, but the ambiance isn’t as inviting. Still, I’ve increasingly chosen the former for its incredible spices.
I very highly recommend the veggie wrap and the aloo tikki chaat. Both have melt-​in-​your-​mouth potato patties and so many different delicious flavors at once. The man at the counter is friendly and without fail asks for the spice level you prefer. I’ve gotten their lassi twice, both times choosing the sweetest sweetness option. The first time it was amazing, and the second time it tasted like unsweetened yogurt and I gave it to someone else eating with me. Indian Flavors Express has the same two sauces in the fridge as House of Curries. Also like House of Curries, they serve free chai tea with your meal. I prefer that of House of Curries, not to say that Indian Flavors Express’s isn’t good. Their naan is just ok – nothing like that of House of Curries. It’s much smaller and less fluffy. They have a lunch buffet that is a little overpriced and isn’t worth it as a vegetarian.
The main thing you notice about Indian Flavors Express is how dead it seems. Once I even heard someone snoring in the employee’s area! Their front courtyard seating works against them by creating a long gap between the sidewalk and the restaurant. There’s a lot of seating, but usually not very many people. Inside it’s stuffy and the lighting is dim, so I usually sit on the patio outside.
I want to emphasize their great food, and while it is hard to ignore, don’t let the atmosphere get to you.

I’ve been here several times, but after the last few times I honestly don’t think I’ll be back. I’ve given it more than a fair chance, ordering a wide variety of menu items, but the fact that they give you smaller portions than House of Curries (one street over), for the same price, makes it clear to me which place I’ll be going to from now on. Plus, they don’t really seem to have any consistency when it comes to how spicy things are. A «medium» Chicken Tikka Masala was hotter than the «spicy» one I had last visit.
Pros:
Taste is excellent
Free tea and chutney
Cons:
House of Curries has the same pros
Smaller portions (both dishes and naan) than House of Curries
Wildly inconsistent spiciness levels
Rice not included (House of Curries includes rice)
I think you get my point. House of Curries is pretty much the same thing, but more food. If you’re not getting the buffet, it’s just not worth it to go to Indian Flavors Express.

Whenever I come here my friend and I order the paneer tikka masala, naan, and sometimes another item on the menu to try.
Some things have been meh, but the paneer tikka masala has always been spot on, and when we ask for it «very spicy» they do give it a bit of spice!
Overall, considering how cheap it is, the taste, and the free chai tea, this is basically my go-​to place for Indian in Berkeley.

i highly recommend the chicken tikka masala! that would be a solid 5 stars for the taste, honestly. omg it was so delicious.
so the reasons for the a-​ok review:
1. came here with my family (mom, dad, brother and i) and we all ordered different things. glancing at the menu for the first time i thought the price was really good BUT you don’t get anything other than your item. what? that’s right. you don’t get rice or naan with your dish so be sure to order it, which means that a meal ends up being a little over $ 10 anyway so price is just meh.
2. mom and i love spicy food, dad and brother can’t handle. SO, reasonably, my mom and i ordered the «medium» for our food (i got the chicken tikka masala and mom got the lamb meal) and my dad and brother ordered «mild» (dad: some wrap thing, brother: meat and vegetable stir-​fry type thing). somehow, my chicken and my mom’s lamb wasn’t spicy at all but my dad’s wrap was EXTREMELY spicy for a «mild» and he was sweating the entire time he was eating. i felt bad because he was drinking water and that spicy feeling obviously wasn’t going away.
3. the flavors, my chicken tikka masala was BOMB like seriously delicious. everyone else’s taste was just meh. not worth the price BUT i hear that they have an AYCE lunch buffet so that’s probably better to try more things before you’re forced to order just that dish for dinner!
TL;DR: GET THE CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA.

I first tried Indian Flavor Express a few months ago when I was craving chai tea and went back again a few days ago. I went for the all you can eat lunch buffet for $ 9.99 (came out to a little under $ 11 after tax). For only an hour lunch, I wasn’t sure what to eat first. There was plain and garlic naan, basmati rice, chicken tikka masala, chicken tikka kabab, mixed vegetables, saag paneer, and vegetable pakora. For dessert, the first time they had a sweet carrot dessert one time, gulab jamun (fried milk balls in syrup) another, and recently the almond kheer (rice pudding).
I would go back purely for the fluffy naan and flavorful curries. The chicken tikka masala was a little dry but came right off the bone. The pakora was very nicely fried. I really enjoy their chai but if you go around lunch time it may be a little watered down. The desserts were all good. They normally only have one at the buffet and I normally find myself so stuffed that I only scoop out a little of what is being offered to try it.
There are plenty of places to sit down and eat and since it’s buffet style, you don’t have to wait to eat! Just remember, try to eat only what you can finish!

I was nervous coming to eat here. I’m not familiar with Indian cuisine and didn’t know what to order/​expect, but I ate here anyway because I was feeling adventurous. At first, I felt dismayed seeing my karahi paneer with rice. It was smaller than expected, and I had already paid $ 10.33 including tax. Gradually, I became impressed. They put fragrant spices in the rice and the vegetables in my food were cooked just right. Vibrant bell pepper and sweet tangy spicy tomato tickled my palette with the paneer intermittently chiming in to mellow out the excitement. Although the portion size seemed small, I left satisfied. I’m glad I came. You come too. Wait time is not long. Though, allow enough time to savor the food.

W.o.w.
My perception of this place changed within minutes of entering today for lunch. I was first greeted with a smile and polite hello by a seemingly knowledgeable staff member. After taking my order, I was informed the restaurant was going to close at 3:30 BUT was told it was perfectly fine to dine inside.
As soon as the server came out (a young Indian guy w/​ZERO manners or customer service etiquette) put the food down and said to «HURRY UP». He did not offer the outdoor seating as an option or ANY OTHER OPTION than to «HURRY UP». I reminded him in a polite tone that he offered for us to dine in and to provide us TIME to eat without interruption.
What was the most aggravating was that he proceeded to stand in front of our table EXPLAINING why he said to «HURRY UP» not seeing that it was rude to begin with but instead: 1) wasting precious eating time 2) trying to defend HIMSELF 3) ruining my lunch ENTIRELY by asking only a few minutes later if I and my lunch companion were «done yet»!!! LOL
I ABHOR servers in the food service industry that ARGUE with people instead of doing the RIGHT THING for the customer you expect a tip from.
SAVE yourself the trouble of being pushed out of here for their mediocre food and TERRIBLE service…
Go to VIK’S or FLAVORS of INDIA instead.

still in shock about what happened. Granted, my partner and i were coming in about 3:15p and were told they were closing soon for the break.
We asked if it was still ok or if we should get to go, and they insisted it was fine.
And THEN, the man who brought out our food dropped it on the table and said
«hurry up»
He gave us a whopping 10 minutes and came out again and said «are you done yet!?»
Cheap ass chicken, but decent tikka sauce.
Worst service ever… NOT EVEN TREATED LIKE A HUMAN

It’s kind of funny. You wouldn’t expect a buffet place to be THIS good, but Indian flavors express must be an exception. I absolutely love coming here. For only 10 $ you can get the standard Indian lineup of bismatti rice, curry, naan, etc. what more can you ask for?!
Update:
I went for dinner one night with my friends, and I noticed that it’s definitely not as worth it if you don’t get the lunch buffet. The prices are pretty standard: around 7 – 8 for curry, but naan or rice are not included? I love IFE, but for the price I wouldn’t really go here for dinner. The best option in my opinion is Chaat Café. For around ~9 $ you have enough for two meals. And plus, IFE needs to up their spice game. Their spicy option takes like tabasco.

Food: Got there chicken tikka masala and plain naan. Personally like their sauce better than house of curries, but their portions are smaller (I guess it’s slightly cheaper though). You get to pick how spicy you want your food (mild, medium, spicy) which is nice too.
Service: My friend had to wait 30+ minutes for her order to come when mine came in ~10 minutes. The group of 4 who ordered after us got their food before my friend and not until we asked about it did they say the food is coming. It took them another 10 minutes after that so I’m assuming they forgot her order.
Overall good food but disappointed in the service.

Fast Indian food.
I’m not a big fan of Indian food so I didn’t really like it here.
The place has a funky smell. But apparently, their food is known to be pretty good.

I used to come to IFE all the time as a student– their paneer wraps and the naan/​palak paneer combo were my favorite. We came here after graduation last month and, although they had buffet, decided to get chana bhaturas, chaat, naan, and chili paneer.
The bhaturas were fairly oily and the chana was just okay, nothing too special. The chili paneer was SUPER oily and the portions felt small. It definitely wasn’t the same feeling of IFE that I used to get back in the day (three years ago lol).
Would I come back? Eh, I’d rather try something else in Berkeley– there’s so much other amazing food around.