Sher-E-Punjab

It’s just not too good. Too few customers to keep fresh food and lights on. I got sick on their food twice.
5÷5÷14 and now they are out of business… As they should be!

Sher-​e-​Punjab has (or at least used to have) fantastic food and an authentic atmosphere… if you can catch them when they’re open!
I’ve been coming here for several years for the lunch buffets. Great selection of foods, and the naan bread is awesome and plentiful. They play Bollywood-​style music videos on a big screen, but the volume level is not too bad. Service is always friendly and usually very prompt. And for a long time there were quite a few Indian-​Americans eating at the restaurant too, which is a good sign.
However, I’ve noticed over the past few years the restaurant has been getting more and empty. And that has impacted their open hours. I tried going to their lunch buffet today and found the restaurant not open at 2PM. That’s fair enough: times are tough. But what is slightly frustrating is that their open hours are listed differently on different sites. And according to their own website they should have been open today (Sunday) from 11AM to 3PM. I’ve run into problems hitting them when they’re not open during the day before. I think after today I’m giving up, and will try another restaurant (maybe Mehfil Indian Cuisine in Roseville).
It’s a shame: Sher-​e-​Punjab is, in my opinion, being let down by slow business and being in a crumby location. I suspect they won’t be open for too much longer, which will be a shame.

I have coming here regularly since it ‘s local and I love Indian food.
Last night my friend and I came and we were the only customers on a Friday night just before 6 pm. The owner was on his cell phone, he pointed at any table or booth we wanted to sit. We sat down and waited for service. Waited some more until I got up and checked with the owner; still on the phone. He indicated «a few more minutes», assuming we wanted the buffet. We never were asked or given a menu or even water. Eventually we got up and left, without eating, to find some better customer service.
Too bad, the food is normally decent but this time I was embarrassed even suggesting this restaurant.

Came here when I first moved to this area, and I was pretty excited there’s an Indian buffet near by me. Sadly it disappointed me and I will never come again.
Service was great, but the food was cold… like room temperature…
Sorry, but I won’t come again…

Think I got sick… Food didn’t seem fresh, tho the naan wasn’t bad.

Being an indian and I knew they were giving me wrong curries so I asked the owner why is that? He said he is sorry because they didnt have what I wanted so instead they gave me some other similar curry without even letting me know thinking that I will Not find out. Come on, I am indian, atleast do not play games with me.
The owner was nice enough to give free curry next time, but I was not pleased. They did not give me the Refund.
I was only able to tell because am indian if u want right indian food the one that you really like, I would steer clear from this place.
I will DEFINATELY NOT be coming back!

Was in the neighborhood and thought after driving by this place for so many years my wife and I would give it a shot.
Edible but much better places around than this.
Food was bland.

We give this place a «2.5″ — -somewhere between «Meh.» & «OK», but I clicked on 3 stars because «2.5» was not offered & I want to give them the benefit of the doubt.
We went to Sunday lunch. Not many other customers there. The teenaged (?) boy who «greeted» us and «waited on» us gave the impression that it was his first day on the job. He might be better-​suited to a job where it makes no difference whether you are personable or well-​groomed. It appeared that he was doing the best he knew how, so we declined to mention the large booger clearly visible in one nostril. (No, I’m not kidding.) Our hearts went out to him. He did well on water and na’an bread refills. A little careful coaching might help him; I blame management for «tossing him out there» as a «host», at least if they want to create an ingratiating first impression.
As to ambience, it was pretty dark & slightly dingy, but that alone wouldn’t keep us away. When we arrived at noon it was colder inside than it was outside. The prices were very reasonable and the food was not bad. We got the buffet; I was going to order from the menu, but the ambience & the server made me think I should taste a variety of dishes first, since this was our first time there. The food was nothing to «write home about», that’s for sure — -although many others reviewing it seem to feel differently — -and I’m no expert on Indian food. STILL, we both LOVED everything we ate in Sebastopol, CA, which was a VERY SIMILAR TYPE of Indian food: please see my review of «Himalayan Tandoori & Curry House» on 5÷21÷12.
Generally, in spite of their probably good intentions and the favorable reviews, this place left us just feeling «kinda FLAT», if you will, and even my wife, who is easier to please than I, agreed we should NOT bother to return again. We wish them well.

I have been coming here for years. I love Indian food and theirs is delicious. I go for the lunch buffet, which is pretty typical in price at just under $ 9. I like how they have one side of their buffet table vegetarian with the meat dishes on the opposite side. Their plain and garlic naan is always good and brought fresh to the table and refilled as often as you want. I would prefer more than one choice for dessert, but since that is not primarily what I come for, I can live with it.
I have always found the service friendly and attentive. They keep my water glass filled, the dirty dished removed, and the naan coming out fresh and hot.

Where to begin…
Went as part of a small group on Friday evening, and having heard «great» things about this restaurant from another member of our little group, I had pretty high expectations. I was truly disappointed.
1. Poor to almost non existent exterior lighting in the parking lot.
2. Super HOT inside, to the point of becoming unbearable.
3. Chairs that were rock solid and not at all comfortable to sit on.
4. Food was warm at best. not hot, but more of a room temperature kind of thing. It became apparent, as I noticed that someone from the back came out and started lighting burners under the chafing dishes where the food being served at.
5. A rather limited selection on their buffet, I believe there were maybe a dozen items. The chicken was DRY… almost to the point of tasting like jerky, instead of the tandouri that it was supposed to be.
6. I will give credit to our server who was prompt, filling our water glasses, and bringing out some rather tasty na’an.
All in all, I will NOT be returning to this place.

Have been here a number of times after driving by it so many times. I’m leaving off a star for the ambience. The restaurant itself really out of date and just slightly dingy but the food is awesome. The buffet has so many options, usually with as many Veggie options as meat. Awesome pakoras and Naan. Everytime I go there are at least one or two Indian families here. Love to see that.
The service deserves a mention as well. They are incredibly nice, come by your table to check on you and refill your Naan without asking (its made fresh, not left on the buffet). So many other more expensive places have worse service. I love that they don’t nickel and dime you here.

I’ve been to Sher-​E-​Punjab twice. About 12 months ago, the Hubby and I came for dinner. Only one other diner was here and we attributed it to the bad economy. The dinner was decent — not fantastic — and the waitress was friendly.
I came again with some work friends last week, and the same thing — just one other diner in the restaurant. We had buffet again, but selections were poor and the meat was dry. The owner was friendly, if a bit odd.
Toward the end of our meal, he comes over and asks if we want more naan. Seeing how we are finished, you would think he’d realize we are also full. We said no and he asks again. After second inquiry, and second no, he begs, «Please. Have some more naan.» No really, we’re full, we try to tell him, and again he pleads, «Please. Have more naan.»
I was a bit creeped out as were my other lady friends. We said ok, so he’d stopped pleading, and a couple of my lunchmates packed up the naan to take home with them.
I feel kind of bad for them. I don’t know how much longer they can stay in business. Even so, this was a very strange experience and I won’t be going back.

I went here for the first time on Friday night and I wish I went sooner! This place has an awesome buffet. I can never really take full advantage of a buffet because I simply don’t eat that much but I love to be able to taste a wide variety of food. I’m not a vegetarian, but I don’t like to eat just meat and this place offers so many non-​meat infused delicious curries and concoctions! The wait staff is very friendly and accomodating. I particularly like the chai tea because it isn’t overly sweet. It’s delicately spiced and easy to drink in large quantity. I prefer to have it at the end of my meal with the ricey-​pudding like dessert they have at the buffet. The garlic naan was delicious but I like plain naan to eat with my food because the flavor gels with more stuff. I can’t say what my favorite curry/​concoction was because there were a few. I can’t wait to go back!

Been here twice now, the service was, and is, incredible. Very good food, and there is allot of vegetarian options.
Coming back again soon I hope!

Went here with the family for a Friday night dinner and left really disappointed. My wife has a gluten intolerance and Sher-​E-​Punjab was listed as having a friendly gluten-​free menu. When we asked the waiter for the gluten free menu he brought her the same menu he handed me. ???
Speaking of the waiter, we were one of three parties in the restaurant on a Friday at 6:30, and the service was positively GLACIAL! We waited and waited to order, and then we waited, and waited, and waited for our food.
My wife had goat curry that she found to be okay, and the kids split a lamb biryani that was not too bad. A little spicy for kids, but they soldiered through it. The naan was crummy. Stale, cold, and burnt is not a good combo.
I made the titanic mistake of going for the dinner buffet. I think they just left the same crap out from lunch and doubled the price. Nice. There were four sad, dried pieces of tandoori chicken on some limp onions to choose from. The lamb curry had a half inch of grease floating over it, and the vegetable dishes were bland and mushy. Gross.
The service was the slowest I’ve ever experienced, the food mediocre, and the prices out of touch with the product. Give it a miss.

Most horrible experience ever! This review is being written by an Indian himself so you can mark my word.
The food was so stale and tasteless that it was the first time in my life that I walked out with an empty stomach in a buffet. My Girl friend ordered A-​la-​carte and she said that tasted awful too. 1-​star is too much for this.

Here’s the rub, folks, I have yet to find a great Indian Buffet that serves buffet for both lunch and dinner. Sher-​E-​Punjab is the only place near me that does. Anybody have any other suggetions, near Fair Oaks/​Carmichael/​Citrus Heights, please let me know.
So, the run down on the place that used to house a Lion’s:
The food is good, borderline «really good». The fresh naan delivered to the table was top notch, and everything I tried was good.
Kudos for the dish that wasn’t Chicken Tikka Masala, but tasted just like Chicken Tikka Masala. I forgot what it was called.
All-​you-​can-​drink-​Chai with the buffet! Lovin’ it!
The service is friendly and efficient enough. They have a TV with Bollywood films on a constant loop.
Okay, the gripe: The cost. The dinner buffet is $ 14.99. Ouch! I’m sorry, but that’s a bit steep for Indian buffet. I mean, the dinner buffet is $ 5 more than lunch? Why?
Okay, maybe I’ll come back for lunch (although there are Indian lunch buffets everywhere), but for an Indian buffet dinner, I’ll have to keep looking.
Hey, can we get a Naan N Curry in Sacto?

Always wanted to try Indian food. One of my co workers suggested this place. Told me its the best! I took my sis with me. The place was empty. We were the only two pple there! Inside was kinda dark. The waitor that seated us smelled real bad. We did the all you can eat. There wasn’t very much to choose from. The food wasn’t the best. The only thing that stood out to me was the nan bread. It was tasty reminded me of a pizza. It had herbs and garlic on it.
Once we left the place… i needed to use the restroom real bad. The food didn’t sit well. It gave me a stomach ache. Not sure if it was the curry or what… but no bueno! Pricey too!

For the people commenting about the food wasting, I’m not sure why you’d take heaps of a food you’re not sure you’d like. How about trying a smaller portion and seeing if you like it first?
Surely this policy was borne out of someone wasting food. I think I read someone misquoted the sign and said they’d measure 50 percent of the food wasted? WTF?
Anyway, the hot naan (garlic and regular) are bomb. The waiters are friendly and attentive. I actually usually see the same guy a lot. He’s always smiling and asking you if you want more naan. I’ve had the buffet every time I went, and they generally have at least two veggie dishes, several meat dishes (including the obligatory tandoori chicken). They also have papadum every time I go. Sometimes they have egg curry, which is interesting but not a keeper for me.
I love the chicken masala, and the palak paneer myself. The lamb curry does have bones, but if you fish the ladle around in there you can get some meaty pieces. It’s really tender and delicious. I guess being a descendant of a Trinidadian helps not put me off to the bones. You just have to eat a little more carefully, but the meat is delicious. :)
This place is generally pretty empty and that’s a shame.
As mentioned by others, the Bollywood playing on the TV is pretty entertaining and distracting.
They also have free wifi. The password is posted on a white board as you come in.

I’ve never had indian food. My sister suggested this place because she heard so many good reviews about the buffet. I think it was pretty pricey 15.99 all you can eat, but if you can’t finish it… they will charge you 50% so you better not take huge portions if you don’t know what the hell you’re about to put in your mouth.
The place wasn’t as busy at 7pm… the staff was friendly, but personally… I don’t like to smell the stench of the waiters while I try to eat my food. The floors/​carpet was dirty…
The food could have been better for the price… I did like the nan, Tandori Chicken and the chicken tikimasalalala or whatever you call it.