Tamarind

Tamarind is a great place for quick and delicious indian food! The owners are very friendly and helpful when asking questions about the menu. I absolutely love the different types of chaats! You can also recommend your spice level as you desire which is great if you cannot handle the heat! The restaurant is always clean and playing great indian music on their TV. I will definitely visit again and recommend this restaurant to all my friends and family. So glad to have a great indian restaurant in the area that can satisfy my street food cravings!

4.5 stars!
Came to visit a friend in Norfolk and we decided to Unilocal a place for dinner and ended up at Tamarind! It’s located in a pretty standard shopping plaza. The restaurant itself is not big and only has a few tables, but it smelled amazing the minute we walked in through the door. The place is very clean and well-​renovated, with an exciting wall filled with words related to Indian food. The restroom was also spotless and modern.
Place your order at the counter. The regular menu is not huge but has a good number of options, and there are also changing specials written on the blackboard behind the cash register. Unilocal has Tamarind listed as vegetarian, but there are also a few meat dishes.
Service at the cashier was AMAZING; we had one of the friendliest and most enthusiastic workers I’ve ever encountered at an Indian restaurant. The owners hired a great employee! You will receive a number and then your order is brought to you if you dine in.
Most dishes are relatively inexpensive (less than $ 9), but it is marketed as street food after all. The size of each dish is not bad for the price, but my friend and I were hungry so we ordered a ton of food: vada, samosa chaat, classic dosa, chicken biryani, and falooda. We also got coconut juice and masala chai tea, respectively, to drink.
The food took a while to come out because everything is made fresh to order, but we were told it would take about 15 – 20 minutes for our food when we placed our order. When it did come out though, it was piping hot and everything was extremely flavorful and delicious!
If you’re willing to be patient for the food here, I highly recommend coming for the excellent food with great service at affordable prices!

So I really liked one dish here the last time we went and promised to give it another go. We stayed away from biryani and desserts this time and it was a much better idea. We had the samosa chaat and aloo puri. The samosa chaat was very good. The aloo puri came out without a «gravy» or sauce and was a bit bland and not at all spicy (the menu says «spicy potatoes»). It was no big deal because we used the left over sauce from the samosa chaat to enhance the flavor. Overall, the food was great.
I guess my only gripe at this stage would be the fact that the service is still a tad haphazard. When two people order a meal together, the expectation is that both meals will come out around the same time. If you are couple and sharing food, then yeah, it is ok that one dish comes out and the second for the table comes out 5 – 10 minutes later. Had I been out with friends instead of my husband, that would be very annoying.
On food alone, I give this place a 5. On service, this was my second visit and the second time one person’s food came out much later than the other so I don’t believe it is an isolated event.

I gave only 3 stars because I was very disappointed with sambhar and chaat. There were no drumstick in my sambhar and it was all frozen vegetables. Papri chaat was full of cheakpeas. Dosa/​idli was good. It’s over priced.

We had heard great things about Tamarind, so we decided to try it. The man at the counter was very friendly and eager to make recommendations. We ordered the Falafel Pita and Nachos. Both of these items were delicious! The falafel was full of flavor, as were the nachos. We will definitely return to Tamarind.

The restaurant had a very modern and cozy feel, with TV playing Indian music videos to entertain guests while they wait for their food. Very friendly staff as well!
The menu was simple, with popular vegetarian dishes and briyani for meat lovers. I wasn’t very hungry so I ordered the samoa for it’s famous crunch and satisfying flavors. I was very happy with the authentic flavors and generous amount of sauce, but it was a little soggier than I would have liked. I also didn’t feel like I got my $ 7 worth of food, as the portion resembled a hearty snack rather than a full meal. Maybe next time I should try the Briyani for the bigger portions.
Overall, I recommend going if you want to try Indian food and live nearby. But it’s definitely not somewhere that I would drive out of my way for.

Fresh delicious Indian food. Lots of vegan dishes and also chicken dishes for us meat lovers. Friendly comfortable atmosphere. Went with a friend and ate family style and tried more than one dish. Thanks Charu and BN for a great reminiscent food experience.

Wow. I stopped by this place and it was so good I don’t even know where to start. Super friendly staff and atmosphere. People there eating were all talking to each other and clearly international from many different places.
Food was SO good. Tried the curry chicken and the samosa. Delish. Watched other people getting their food and it also looked and smelled wonderful. Lady who brought food out told another patron that she makes all of the food fresh on the spot. Service was pretty quick especially considering they make food to Order.
I ended up getting a To Go order of more tot bring home to the family.
Will definitely be coming back. Can’t wait to try the other stuff.
It is a bit small in terms of seating but it really wasn’t an issue. Still plenty of room. I can imagine though they may get crowded at peak times. So good. Yum.

Tamarind is fantastic! Great little menu that is VERY veg friendly. The staff are very courteous and helpful. And the food is fresh, flavorful, and DELICIOUS!
We had some questions about the menu but the server provided excellent guidance and helped us select a couple dishes we’d never tried before: lilva kachori and samosa chaat.
The portions were perfect – we split those 2 dishes between 2 of us and barely finished it all! And the food tasted absolutely fantastic.
I really love this little spot and look forward to many return visits!

I hate to say it, but I really wasn’t pleased with this experience! Upon my first visit (and having no knowledge of chaat) we expressed that to the store worker. She was extremely friendly, but only waited for me to make a selection then assured me if like it. But my husband and I were so confused at the menu. It feels like you have to know a ton about Indian food before going, and we simply didn’t. My only knowledge is of curries and dinner dishes, not street food.
The prices were good, and they really seem to know what they’re doing as far as preparation goes. But I got «mild,» and I couldn’t finish it because it was so spicy. I know Indian food is much spicer than I’m used to, but daaang.
The place is best for takeout, because it’s a small dining area with bulky furniture. If anyone was standing at all you couldn’t walk past (esp not with a baby car seat like we had).
Is like to go back after learning more about the food, but not until then.

This is a nice little family owned restaurant. It’s located a few doors down from planet fitness on military hwy.
When we arrived the place was completely empty as they had just opened 20 minutes prior. There were two very old men at the register and they helped place our order. I showed him a bunch of delicious pics from Unilocal,I didn’t know how to pronounce most of it so they were very helpful in that aspect.
~ I tried their curry chicken and rice which deserved 5 stars on its own it was just amazing!
~ The Uttapum was tasteless, bland and just left me wondering WHY… why would someone create this dish? Guess it’s one of those «acquired taste» things
~ The Mango Lassi, this was ok it was basically pureed mango with cream or milk that’s it.
~ The chicken spring rolls, these were good but there was no Wow factor for me, just ok nothing special.
I’ll come back again for the curry chicken or something similar. The prices are reasonable.

We’ve been here about twice now, and I will have to say that overall the food here is pretty good. I will warn you that some of it can be very spicy, so make sure you have a mango lasi on the side. By the way I think they have the best lasi I’ve tasted around here. Now my only pet pive is the service. The staff isn’t that big, so if you go be prepared to wait for a while. Both times we went we had to wait a considerable amount of time just to put in our order, but other than that it’s a really nice place to eat. The décor is good the food is cheap enough where you can try more than a few things on the menu. Oh yeah and one more thing, the menu mainly caters to vegetarians so go in with your health face on.

Great street food !! Little pricey but you cant beat the flavour! It is great place for snacks and lunch.
My fav: khasta kachori, chat papdi, lilva kachori, samosa chat. They have plenty of other food that i have not tried but i recommend their chicken biryani and chicken curry, uttapam etc. i wish owners good luck and thank you for bringing authentic food to 757!

Tamarind is a beautiful decorated place with equally beautiful food. The meals are well seasoned and feels like a party in your mouth. The curried chicken is one of my favorites. The portion size is enough to share between an adult and a child.
A must try is momosa chaat it is very delicious, a good alternative for those vegetarian people. The price is very reasonable (cheap). If you want homemade Indian food this is where you want to be.

Being from Mumbai n NJ was skeptical of getting authentic street food… But was blown away by the quality. Everything including tea was delicious paired super courteous service from the host… Certainly will be back here everytime we are around Virginia Beach… Deserves all 5 stars.

One visit and I am hooked! Tamarind’s specialties are chaat — Indian street food. Their menu is small but believe me — you will be overwhelmed with all the options. We had:
Pani puri — little puff accompanied with a mix of mashed potatoes/​chili and came with tamarind water and another sweeter, chili kind of sauce. It’s kind of like a chip and dip situation. This was full of flavor and was our favorite.
Samosa chaat — two hefty samosas smothered in a sauce with tons of garbanzo beans and various spices. This came at a VERY close second — SO much awesome flavor going on with just a touch of heat!
Dosa masala — large portion of a dosa (kinda like a crispy crêpe) filled with a potato mix and a side of chutney. In comparison to the other two items, this was a touch on the bland side.
Mango lassi — sweet, smooth, and delicious!
Prices are extremely fair for the amount of food you get. For about $ 24, we were STUFFED. The craziest part is that nothing had meat. and we are carnivores. We didn’t even miss it! There are also daily specials and items on their menu that have meat as well. The older man who helped us was extremely kind and gave great recommendations on what to try.
Don’t miss out on Tamarind. It is a gem and worth trying!

Finally made it to this new little restautant this week. I was excited to try indian chaat (street food). Had these light airy puffs called Pani Puri… my gosh soooo good! Another fave is the Lilva Kachori. Chicken spring rolls are a tad spicy, but good. Also tried the chicken curry, but prefer just eating the snack foods. I noticed everyone around us ordered the Dosa. This thing is huge! It just so happened we were having dinner last night at another new Indian restaurant in Virginia Beach and asked the owner if they had any. He said no, but he goes to Tamarind for the best Dosas!!! I can’t wait to go back to try one!

This is a first visit review which I do not condone. However, I was so overjoyed with this experience I have to put this place on blast. I wasn’t hungry but, wanted a snack and was in the area. From the pics, it appeared as though they served small appetizers. However, they also serve full entrees.
As I walked up, there was a sign on sidewalk and on the front door displaying specials. I like this! When I walked in, a man with the biggest smile welcomed me! I LOVEEEE THIS! I had the typical kid-​in-​candy-​store look & had no idea what I wanted. He hands me a paper menu (point again!!) and says I can take my time!!! What!?? (LOVE!) Basic social skills and customer service should be a given in any establishment IMO… Period & this owner had it down. I was immediately won over.
I wasn’t that hungry and the owner gave recommendations. I chose the Lilva Kachori. They were round fried balls of Lilva (Pigeon Peas) and spices. If you like Indian spices and heat… you will want this! It is served with two sauces, a cilantro and a tamarind sauce. Sooooo delicious. I could drink them both. Spicy! Unless, I’m a weakling but, I LOVED the kick of the Lilva and the Cilantro sauce.
By the way, another first-​time customer was sitting behind me eating and making sounds of utter joy. He looked so happy & satisfied as he rubbed his belly. He devoured the Chicken Curry entrée which I have marked for my next visit!

I like the taste of the mango lassi. Def. tastes like there’s more than just what I think is in there. I don’t know how they make it but it is good. My vegetable lattice as it was called left me puzzled. I like some of the flavor but not sure if i’ll be getting it again. It had a nice heat to it but had a flavor profile that i’m just not use to. It also had dried bits on it; not sure what they were but again wasn’t something I am use to.
I like the look of this place. Modern yet it really had the indian inspiration. The owners are cool. You place your order and they come bring it to you.
I don’t know if i’ll be coming back here anytime soon but if I do I will get something i’m more familiar with.

Visited this place again and enjoyed the food. It’s quite authentic and tasty. I was disappointed when one menu item was not prepared. I ordered something else, but it didn’t fill me up. Unless they have certain items on special, you have to order more than one item to have a proper meal.