Anand Indian Restaurant

A friend invited me to join him for dinner because he had a gift cert from
. I love Indian cuisine and was happy to go. We got to the restaurant a little after 7. It was hard to see the restaurant and we weren’t sure if it was open until we parked right in front of the entrance. It wasn’t very welcoming on the outside (no lights or signs), and the parking lot was a sheet of ice. After risking my life and bones on the way in, I was looking forward to some hot dishes to warm me up. We were seated quickly and were the second table in the whole restaurant. It was chilly inside so I ordered a hot tea and soup right away and my friend got a beer. The interior resembled a hotel from the 1970s, and it was apparent it hadn’t been updated in quite some time.
My cup of coconut and chicken soup came and was a bit of a disappointment. It had raisins and nuts at the bottom with 1 piece of chicken, and was almost like coconut gravy without seasoning. We ended up dipping the paneer naan into it and it helped season the bread. We also ordered the mixed plate, which unfortunately was a collection of bland fried items. The majority were left on the plate after first being tried. By now my friend was disappointed with the meal, and we were waiting for our main dishes while watching American Idol on the jumbo TV, the only sound in the restaurant.
I ordered chicken tikka masala and he ordered gingered lamb. The steaming dishes that came out in ornate metal searching bowls were a welcoming sight! I was able to thaw my fingers and serve the seasoned rice. It wasn’t until the second bite that I noticed the chicken didn’t look so fresh in the dish. It was still good, but I couldn’t tell it that was due to being starving and frozen, or appreciating the flavors of the dish. I said a silent prayer that I wouldn’t get food poisoning, and continued. I was able to take half of it home as the portions were large, as was my friend. I asked for additional rice and it was never brought out. My friend was hoping to doctor his dish when he got home, because even tho he requested a spice level of 3, it was too painful for him to eat. Nothing sexier than eating across a man sweating into his naan… Our server was nice, but the quality of food was low, my water glass had spots on it, and ambiance was below par. I won’t be returning here soon.

I have been going to the lunch buffet at Anand for years and the quality has reached a new low.
The buffet was minimal, very little meat and everything look old and left over, nothing fresh about it, in fact it looked like the Anand parking with a couple of neglected flowers, a few painted stones and plenty of bare dirt.
Time to close the doors guys your done.

I came here armed with a Living Social promotion. We started off with the Assorted Vegetable Platter as an appetizer. This came with like four different items, but it would be helpful if there was some identifier as to what they were exactly (either on the menu or by the server). Usually I order a dish with paneer because it’s so delicious, but I decided to try something different, so I went with the Dal Makhani, which is creamed lentils. It was okay, but I regretted not getting something with paneer. The food was okay — I might return again to try something else (with paneer!) or perhaps the buffet.

I cannot believe people actually eat here. I have rarely ever spouted off how awful a restaurant could be.
Even my kids remarked about how unattentive the staff is.
There were no plates on the buffet and the staff seemed upset we asked for them. The food looked lack luster and tasted the same way. On the greasy side.
I saw a family member/​staff wipe her kids nose with her hand and then go get more plates and stir the items in the buffet all without washing her hands.
The inside of the restaurant would turn 99% of the people off to begin with. As we were leaving we noticed that the entrance smelled like a urine– the bathrooms were worse than most gas stations.
There are so many better restaurants in town. Any of them are better than this. Kids complained of the runs that night so no recommending and really can’t believe this place stays open.

I visited Anand India on a Sunday for lunch. The interior is spacious but a bit dark (some more lighting would make this place feel cheerier). Don’t visit this place for the ambiance. I had the buffet while my dining partner ordered the Gobi Manchurian.
The buffet food was passable for an indian buffet– slightly deflated naan, soft samosa, and a wide selection of vegetarian and non-​vegetarian options. Most of the non-​fried entrees were tasty with the appropriate amount of spice.
My friend’s Gobi Manchurian, to my surprise, was delicious. Each cauliflower was crispy and coated in a sweet and tangy sauce. My recommendation is to order from the menu and skip the buffet!

I came in for the dinner buffet around 7:30 or 8:00 on a weekday. They had about 3 or 4 different chicken dishes on the buffet along with soups, rice, nan, and a few vegetarian dishes. The problem we had when we came in was there was very little food in the trays when we arrived. After my group went through the line there was nothing left. After eating and waiting for about 15 minutes, all they had filled up was the tray for nan.
I can’t remember the names of the dishes, but I thought the dishes were ok. The curry sauces were thick and somewhat sweet. There wasn’t much spice to the dishes and I’m not sure if you could get them hotter since it was on the buffet. I can’t really say much about the food because there just wasn’t much to try. I’m assuming they didn’t refill anything since we were the only ones eating the buffet, but it felt like a waste of money to get the buffet and not have anything to eat. While what I had was decent, there are other and better Indian places around that I’ll go to than taking another risk with Anand.

My first impression was that this is a very unusual-​looking restaurant. Everything about it is unconventional — the fact that it looks like a diner, it has a drivethrough, and the ladies’ bathroom has 2 toilets but only 1 swinging door. I found that more amusing than anything else.
As for the food, I’m not gonna lie — this buffet was the most mediocre I’ve ever had at an Indian place. They had the basics: curries, spinach saag, chicken tandoori, and naan… but something was off about every single one. It didn’t taste bad, but maybe everything needed more ghee? Of course, the plus side is that it’s just over $ 8 for dinner. Where can you find that price anymore? Pretty much nowhere. So if you’re really hungry and anything will do, pop on over to Anand and eat til you can’t anymore, while you watch the latest Indian music videos on the flat-​screen overhead :)

I visited Anand after purchasing a «good deal» on Groupon. I will never return to eat there again.
As soon as I walked in, I smelled the bathroom and the general uncleanliness of the place. I would have usually turned around immediately and left, but I stayed because I had already paid for my meal via Groupon.
We arrived for dinner at about 5:50pm and the place was pretty empty. They have a large screen facing the dining area and were playing an episode of LOST on Netflix. The volume was VERY loud, so much so that I could hear every word. Not appropriate for a business if you have customers.
Their spicy scale is 1 – 6. I ordered a 4, because I like my food spicy but I don’t like it to burn my mouth. Too bad, it was fire-​engine worthy. I had to send it back because it was (for me) inedible. She brought me a 2 and it was just fine. The staff was generally inattentive, and I could just not get over THE SMELL. It should smell like Indian food. Not the bathroom.
Perhaps the lunch buffet is nicer, but the environment makes it a definite that I will never go back.

So so so good. Great buffet for those who haven’t eaten this type of food yo sample different dishes. Service is always good. Try the naan, it’s amazing.

The buffet had a good selection, all the typical dishes and a few more. However almost all the dishes were very salty. I will stick to my Favorite indian resturant Shaan in Oakly.

Food was pretty good, but service was poor. Had to ask for napkins, water refill, and they rarely refill the buffet. Also, generally felt a little dirty.

Anand is grand. Friendly service and good food.

I give Anand ³⁄₅ stars because 3 out of 5 times, their lunch-​time buffet is awesome. Those other two times, it’s hit or miss. However, I will say that the reason for that is when you work nearby and get there at 1:30, and their buffet closes at 2pm, you’re dredging the bottom of the buffet pans for scraps. So if you plan on going there, plan for going closer to noon, when it might be a little more crowded, but the food will be much fresher and oh so delicious.
I have only been to a non-​buffet here once, and that was my 30^th birthday party a couple of years ago. The menu food was decent, but I prefer the in-​and-​out of the buffet. Apparently, that’s just the kind of girl I am.
Now, I am no newb to Indian food, but I do, as we say in my grad school program, lack the literacy to explain which dishes are which. The spinach baby-​diaper looking goop with the cheese chunks = AWESOME. Sometimes they sub out the cheese for chickpeas. Their Aloo Gobi is outstanding, and whenever they do something crazy with okra or cauliflower, well, they sometimes do something so amazing to the cauliflower that it makes me blush. I find that they offer different things each day of the week, but I never found a pattern to it, it was always a nice surprise to see what they had when walking in the door.
So anyway, if you’re not in the Clifton Indian food mega-​verse, but are ‘oop North and craving some delicious Indian cuisine, Anand is the place to go. They fairly recently lowered their buffet prices (like in the past 3 – 4 months), and for some reason they have wi-​fi, which as an Internet addict, I have tested without any problems.

Anand is my family’s favorite Indian place, and has been for about fifteen years. It has always looked a little sketch from the street but don’t let that deter you because inside it’s friendly and the employees are always great. Although there are now about three other Indian restaurants in closer proximity to home, I still believe it’s the best in Cincinnati (and I have indeed tried the hyped Clifton spots). Overall Anand always seems fresher and far less greasy than many other places. I love saag paneer and butter chicken as much as the next American girl, but I’d rather not die right after eating them.
A few things we’ve enjoyed over and over: aloo choley, the aforementioned saag paneer, chicken curry, tandoori chicken, malai kofta, and their Kashmiri naan which I’ve never seen done with the same filling anywhere else!
The parking lot is rarely full in the evening so I assume they must do good business with their lunch buffet, however i haven’t been in many years and can’t speak to the quality.

This restaurant gets this brown girl’s stamp of approval. All the food is awesome and the buffet is great. Have an event you want catered? Have Anand do it. Our family has used them for parties at our home and even for our Mehndi (pre-​wedding) celebreation.
Very similar to Ambar, but with more parking. If you want it hot and spicy just let them know.

Pakoras are not all onion, which is good for me. The aloo tikki was delightfully spicy. The samosas had just potato, were a little light on the spices, and had a thicker, chewier crust than I typically prefer.
The special tea is bland; more milk than spice.
The décor hasn’t changed in years and is a little on the sad/​dingy side. The bathroom was neglected and bit gross.
Restaurant was somewhat empty yet the service was very slow. The staff had to be asked to refill drinks if you could get them to the table at all.
The food in general was not bad, but not great. I doubt I’ll be going back when there are better options available.

The buffet on Saturdays is absolutely amazing. There are like 20+ options, they make you dosas, and the staff is extremely pleasant. How pleasant you ask? The owner himself took time to wrap my turban for my Bengali wedding ceremony.
I haven’t actually been there to eat dinner, so I don’t know how much the menu changes. I’m sure it’s fantastic though.

Awesome little family owned place. Very authentic Indian food, with a good range of spiciness. First timer without a menu, I ordered the chicken curry which was delicious.
Prices are very reasonable, we got a meal for 8 for less than $ 50.
They also have a buffet in the afternoon, I wish I was still in Ohio so I could visit it.