Hot Or Mild

It’s a hidden oasis of wonderful flavors and reasonable prices. I have never been disappointed by their food. By far the best Indian food in town

Not bad at all, only problem is the place is colder than a son of a bitch and not really set up for dining. Also I was given the wrong change and it actually worked out in my favor and I ended up making a dollar on the deal, plus the food. Can’t beat that

I have always ordered the chicken dum biryani. It used to be good. Since the past few orders, the quality has gone down drastically. The most recent order was so spicy and bad that I had to eat yogurt along with the biryani, just so that I could keep it down. I specifically asked for medium spicy and what I got was plate full of chillies. Look at the pick and see the number of chillies in my plate. There was no onion garnish nor any raita along with it. I’m never ordering from hot and mild again. The place sucks and whoever is taking orders and preparing dishes clearly has no idea what they’re doing. I’m never going to this place again. Really bad!!!

By far the best Indian food I have eaten in Cleveland so far. The flavors are so well developed and the dishes are truly delicious. The pricing is so reasonable too. Have recommended without reservation to any Indian native coming in town (who all vouch for its authenticity), or anyone for that matter! If you can’t handle hear, be sure to request it be made mild. Most dishes are quite spicy. Have loved everything we’ve ordered from here: chicken biryani, lamb korma, chicken vindaloo, chicken 65, samosas, samosa chat, etc.

It’s gone down hill over the past year. I no longer go out of my way to pick up food from here.

Definitely a place I would recommend for take out. Incredibly reasonable prices, good selection, daily specials and super tasty curries! Actually everything we ordered was tasty.
Samosas (and the sauces were yummy).
Chicken makhani with rice or «butter chicken» more recognized by folks was DELICIOUS and all white meat (huge plus PLUS plus with the hubbers!).
The garlic naan moist, tasty and so fresh!
The kheer was just ok — big orders (which I didn’t know so I ordered two but not the best flavor I have had and sort of clumping together like the rice wasn’t all the way done or maybe over done?)
Recommend again for take out — not a bad wait time 25 mins — and worth it as for two we paid what would cost for one at a sit down establishment for about the same thing.

This place was really good, and REALLY cheap. I did a double take when I saw the prices. I also love that they have Indo-​Chinese food (gobi manchurian, chili paneer). The pakoras were solid and the garlic naan is some of the best I’ve had in the area. The samosas were also tasty. Definitely worth our while to stop in and grab some food on the way home from work.

Food was great! 2 meals ready in 10 minutes (pickup) for $ 14. We will be ordering from this place again soon!

A very modest, unpretentious restaurant with OK food. Went there for lunch while visiting Hillcrest Hospital and ate from the pre-​prepared «pick two» lunch choices. I’d describe the choices perhaps as mild or milder, there was nothing approaching spicy. The chicken tikka masala and vindaloo were both fairly tasty. They earned a third star with the naan, which was fresh, hot and well done. I’ll forgive almost anything if the naan is good in an Indian restaurant!
It appears primarily to be a take-​out place, the ambiance was pretty much nonexistent. The cook/​cashier/​server was friendly and prompt. I’d be interested in trying ordering off the menu with a request for spice to see what they can do.

Décor — A small fast food joint for indian food. Unfortunately the facilities here are sub-​par and should mainly be utilized for take out. They had 2 small tables and a large sofa area, but neither were cleaned properly. Their bathroom, located down a narrow corridor, was quite messy.
Service — The server/​cook was very courteous and understanding of our waffling party members. Also the reason for the extra star.
Food —
The pros: each order of rice is large, the naan was also large and hot. My party mentioned that the samosas were piping hot and the best part of the meal.
The cons: chili paneer (too spicy and didn’t have any indian flavors to it), paneer makhani (tasted like it had too much butter and very little heat), bhel puri (it was mainly puffed rice with sauces, rather than the usual ingredients), the flavors were very underwhelming.
Overall — Subpar food and facilities. If I return to eat here again, it’ll only be for a samosa.

Biryani used to be good… not anymore.
It’s like you are playing treasure hunt in that biryani by removing all that masala and things to find chicken and rice.

Indian food is a taste many people are unaware of. Hot or Mild is one of the best Indian restaurants in the area. With new Indian places opening up its hard to meet the expectations of so many palates. Hot or Mild is where it’s at. Great ingredients and just the right amount of spice, you’ll find no better in the northeast Ohio area!

Best naan I ever had. My main complaint is that EVERYTHING is spicy!!! Even the samosas. I love Indian food but can’t tolerate spicy. I uses to go a lot until they started making everything spicy. I complained one time about how they told me a dish was not spicy and it was, they were nice and said sorry, but never offered to replace my order, so I’ve kinda stopped going because I can’t keep paying for dishes that are too spicy for me. Too bad.

Mmmmm Indian food!
Set up almost like a cafeteria/​chipotle style, hot n mild is a good place to stop in for some good Indian food.
I definitely did not think it matches the spice level of its rival down the street (it was definitely much more milder), but still good. We got the combo meals of dal, chicken vindaloo, butter chicken and chicken tikka marsala. All were very good– we even got a side of garlic naan and the veg samosas. Very fast and good.
Seating is limited, but there are a couple of seats there.
The food is definitely milder here, but it’s also very good as well. I recommend here– it definitely satisfied my hungry stomach.

Not the best Indian food I’ve ever had but online ordering and fairly quick pick up is convenient. Samosas were good (not too spicy), the paneer was okay, but a little overcooked. The garlic naan was delish! (but unfortunately comes as a verrry small order). Over all, I would try it again, but not sure it’s anything super speical… especially since Taste of Kerala is right down the road.

Well, let’s make this as simple as it can get !
The food is fresh and outstanding.
My family has had much Indian Food at friends home and YES we do cook our own Indian Food if we have enough time, yet you just can’t just make your own Naan.
To make the next step about the truth and efforts.
People DO care and do their best to accommodate your requests and this is not a fast food restaurant or some drive trough joint you can just be in a hurry to get your food and move on.
Like said before, Indian Food is prepared different and fresh, not just cut and paste and microwaved.
So for all the self opinionated UnilocalER’s out there that tend to ruin some other business because they do not care about what they write, it is important to preserve other peoples live and their source of income.
Unless you have given a place more than 2 times a try, you will never know the true value of the place.
In other ways, do you ditch ever date after the first time ?
Now, this is to the owner ;
Suri,
You have been doing an outstanding job and we have never been disappointed by the food or service.
Advice to people who never had Indian Food ;
Look, ask, sample, taste, don’t be afraid to explore.
My wife never liked Indian Food ever.
Yet, I made her finally venture and explore.
Now she wont pick a Steak over Indian !!!
Namaste my friends.
Stefan

Tip: Go to
and order your food if you are not going to get the quick carry-​out options (Customers Choice veg/​non-​veg). If you order food from their kitchen — for example, Goat Biryani — it will take a while to make! They do prepare their food fresh. Think sit-​down restaurant style cooking but prepared in to-​go only style due to limited space.
Hot or Mild is only a few minutes from my work and I absolutely love Indian food. Needless to say, I visit Hot or Mild quite often.
Simply put: Hot or Mild is my absolute favorite Indian food restaurant.
… and here is why!
Food:
I am the type of person that samples a few menu items that I am familiar with before making a real decision on how I feel about their quality and taste. Unfortunately, because this is Indian food, I was unable to do that. You cant exactly get a burger and fries here. But, that’s a good thing! You would be missing out on way too much if you could. My coworkers used to make Indian food and bring it in for lunch. Therefore, I would expect that whatever food they prepare is as close to ‘authentic’ as our grocery stores allow it to be. Hot or Mild is no different. I feel that their food is of equal quality or better than the food that my coworkers have cooked for me. I do NOT feel as though they skip out on certain ingredients to keep prices low.
I have had the privilege of enjoying many menu items at this restaurant.
— Chicken Tikka Masala: Classic taste. Great for someone new to Indian food!
— Chicken Vindaloo: You can taste the mix of spices very nicely in this one. A second favorite here.
— Chicken Curry
— Butter Chicken: Essentially a less spicy tikka masala. Still good but I prefer the Tikka Masala!
— Paneer Tikka Masala: Replace the Chicken in Chicken Tikka Masala with cheese.
— Vegetable Jalfrezi (Added 11÷3÷14): My absolute favorite vegetarian dish that I have tried here. The spices are nice, complex, and delicious. The heat was spot on.
— Dal Tadka (Added 11÷3÷14): My least favorite dish over all. The spices were nice but they texture and flavor were not expected. The heat seemed to be a lingering after-​burn.
— Samosas: Always delicious.
— Chutneys (all 3): Delicious!
— Rice, of course
— Salad
— Chapati
Next time I go I will be sure to get something that I have not had. This time around was Chicken Vindaloo — I might actually get this as an entrée rather than in the Customers Choice combo box. It was really delicious! I also need to try some of their dessert options. Unfortunately, I have not tried any so I cannot comment on them. One other thing I feel necessary to add is consistency! Every single time, not just most of the time, that I have ordered from Hot or Mild my food has been pretty much the same quality as the food that I have ordered in the past!
Everything that I have tried has lots of flavor and leaves me happy and full! :)
Drink:
The only drinks that I have purchased from Hot or Mild are the pre-​bottled soda type (coca-​cola, pepsi, etc). Their prices are average for a restaurant that offers bottled soda and they keep them at a good temperature; Cold.
Customer Service:
I have been to Hot or Mild 20+ times and have had the opportunity to speak with the owner about his restaurant, food, etc. He is a nice Indian man who is trying to provide delicious, quality, indian food to the area. The guys who man the front counter are always helpful and when asked will help you in trying to decide. Just today I asked about Chicken Vindaloo versus Chicken Curry to see which had more spice. The chicken Vindaloo was definitely spicier than the Chicken Curry that I have ordered in the past.
Other Thoughts:
I need to start asking for my food to be spicier. Most people are likely good with the food exactly as it comes. Some items are spicier than others simply because of the types of spices being used in them. When ordering, make sure you specify your own level of spice or it will come the default ‘mild’ that is prepared to appeal to a greater audience.
I in no way want to bash Hot or Mild so please do not take it that way but keep in mind that the food and quality are appropriate for their prices. Some people, myself included, will feel that their food can rival other indian restaurants charging $ 12 for the same thing that you can get for $ 7 here. I have ordered take out from at least one other Indian restaurant in the area and it was far more expensive. You could easily feed two mouths with the same money you feed one elsewhere.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to order your food online, or by phone. This is kind of like ordering a pizza — you don’t go to the store and sit and wait for them to make it. Even when I make indian food at home, from a jar, it takes me 30+ minutes and all I have to do is brown some chicken and then let it simmer in sauce.
A friend of mine said their garlic naan is fantastic. I really want to try.

We heard about hot or mild from a friend and decided to try it out! My husband has been getting take out from them at lunchtime during the workweek. It’s takeout only.
I tried it for the first time yesterday (husband went to go pick up so I have no idea what the service is like.) He got the chicken masala and I got the goat curry. We both shared naan and the takeout came with a huge batch of rice.
We are really impressed with the quality of food for the price. It’s much cheaper than indian sit down restaurants and overall very good. We really liked the flavor of the goat curry and they gave a pretty decent amount of meat for $ 6.99. He tried the chicken masala for the first time — not his favorite, but he said that the other dishes he’s gotten before have been good. The naan was really good. We had enough for leftovers.
We would definitely come back again for indian take out!

It’s a good place to have authentic indian food, service is good.
I recommend chicken wraps and sweet.
Service credits to abhi and akhi…

I really didn’t know what to expect when I tried Hot or Mild yesterday– especially since the only legit looking review gave it 2 stars… but I decided to try it anyways. It’s purely a takeout restaurant. I went in around 2:30 in the afternoon and was the only customer. They have whatever curries they are serving that day laid out behind a counter– like Panda Express style, I’d say. And, you can order the snacks, breads, etc. from the menu. I ordered a Veg wrap and papdi chaat (fried dough pieces, topped with chick peas, onions, tomatoes, spicy and sweet chutneys, yogurt, spices, and thinner fried dough pieces) and was told it would be about 10 – 15 minutes. Not bad at all — but again, I was the only customer. After the fact, I decided to get one of the vegetarian curries that was set out — Paneer Tikka Masala. There’s an option to get the «Customer’s Choice» which is pretty much a combo meal with (*i think*) 2 curries, bread, fried rice (? did they mean biryani??), and some other things. I opted out of it and they just gave me rice with my Paneer Tikka.
I decided to wait in the store so walked to the front where there were a few couches. There’s a TV for people who are waiting, but it wasn’t working. There’s also a decent size open area between the counter and these couches which could easily hold a few tables and chairs for people to dine in — or even more seating for people to wait, but right now its just empty, awkward space. I asked if they were planning on adding seating and they said no, they will remain strictly take out. They said since there isn’t sufficient parking spaces, they won’t be able to successfully do dine-​in.
The total for my food was 18 dollars — not THAT bad if you think about the price of curry dishes alone at sit-​down indian restaurants, but I would think a fast take-​out restaurant would be cheaper.
The Papdi chaat was good. Each of the bigger fried dough pieces (papdi) seemed to be individually seasoned and were delish. I could probably have gotten a bag full of those and eaten them like chips. All the toppings on top were super flavorful. I thought the sweet chutney was pretty potent and overwhelming so I may ask for it on the side next time.
The Veg wrap was DELISH. It was pretty much freshly grilled vegetables (peppers, onions, cauliflower, carrots, peas, potatoes, etc– seasoned and mixed with some curry (I was told it’s the chef’s secret by the guy at the counter) — all wrapped in a thick roti/​naan. I had a good 25 – 30 minute drive home and it was still nice and hot when I got home — and the bread was nice and thick that it really wasn’t as soggy as I thought it would be.
I only tasted the Paneer Tikka Masala — b/​c I gave it to my friend — but from what I tasted, it was super rich, creamy, and flavorful. I hate when Paneer Tikka is made very runny, and that was not the case with this dish.
Overall, the food was really good. The people behind the counter were friendly and fast — again, I was the only customer, so take that with a grain of salt. It’s further from me than many indian restaurants I can get take-​out from, but if I’m in the area or craving their Veg wrap again (which I def may), I’ll be back. I’m sure it’ll be busier and more successful on weekdays, but it was just empty when I went — Hope that changes for their sake.