Masala Cafe

Worst Indian food within a 100 mile radius. There was a hair in the dal and I’m not a fan of halal meat since I don’t condone tortured animals. We saw a roach crawling along the wall while we were eating and the bathroom was rank with the smell of urine. The vegetables tasted like frozen and over cooked. Bad bad place to eat. Rasoi is 100x better then this place.

I am giving one star for barely eatable food. The food was not good and it definitely did not deserve the amount I paid for it. I wish I had spent few more minutes and went to the nearby restaurant.
The plates used were use and throw, they did not serve water until we asked for it.
About cleanliness, the place was ok but the washroom were very dirty.
My suggestion, do not try out this place.

I’m new to Peoria, I love Indian food. I tried this place couple times and the food dint taste good.
When I went there second time I ordered lamb biryani which is my all time favorite so I know how it tastes and what meat it contains. Unfortunately it tasted horrible and the meat they used was just lamb fat as which should not be consumed. I just left the meal, there paid my bill and explained the owner about the food and the bad part is he’s jerk. He tried to justify by telling me that he dint had a person to cut the meat.
What a stupid reason!
Bottom line Would definitely not recommend this place because of bad quality food.
Good luck.

Okay, the atmosphere isn’t great, and sometimes one or two of the buffet dishes will have some kind of major flaw — too salty, not seasoned enough, etc. So maybe it’s not a first-​date or even a second-​date kind of place. But the naan is some of the best I’ve had (fresh out of the oven, always perfectly crisped), 95% of the food is incredibly good, and you can stuff your face for $ 8. I love it, warts and all.

This place is great! I’ve been coming here for 6 years or so, and am totally addicted. The building is a bit run down and the location isn’t great, but the food is awesome. Very unique, which is nice. Definitely has it’s own flavor, and quite a bit differently than your average Indian food restaurant. The new buffet is nice addition also. My only complaint is that sometimes it can be a little too salty, and randomly very spicy. That being said, I highly recommend it! It’s a cheap lunch, give it a try. *****

We tried this place on a whim and was disappointed. I think we were spoiled by the other Indian places in town.
The food was bland and they charged for water. They also didn’t provide rice with our dinners, as other Indian restaurants do. The buffet might be better but dinner there is something to avoid.

Stopped by because I saw they had a buffet. It looks kind of run down from the outside but, inside, it was nice place. The buffet had a nice mix of both vegetarian and meat dishes. I like things a little spicy and I had no problem finding something to fit the bill.

Very tasteful food and friendly service. I come here almost every day. The prices are are very reasonable. I love all their dishes. Their biryani order is HUGE! they give you a mini-​mountain of heaped rice in a plate.

Dropped in to get take out for lunch. Lunch menu has a lot to choose from. Get to choice 2 dishes and it comes with naan bread, dal soup, and rice all for $ 6.99. Lot of food for cheap. And its taste really good. Flavors and consistency were perfect. The staff is really nice. Food come out really fast, wich is important if you are working and only have a short time for lunch break. The outside of the building and the location looks a bit rough, but don’t let that deter you. The inside was really clean and the food was great. There are booths if you care to dine in, but I’d rather get take out.
I Will definitely be coming back.

I had been to this restaurant on 12/​14/​2013. There wasn’t even a single customer. There was a combo option which included Rice, Naan– 4 pieces, Dal, 2 curries. I chose paneer and green beans. They had used the mixed vegetables pack available in walmart for both the curries and just boiled it. It had absolutely no taste. The rice and Naan were okay. But, everything else was horrible. The cost of the combo was $ 6.99 + taxes. It was worth only for $ 3.99 + taxes. One of my worst experiences.

You know when you were younger and your parent or some other formative figure taught you to never judge a book by its cover? And you thought to yourself, «well that’s silly because most people prefer to eat at restaurants that look as if they can pass health inspection.» Well, I’m here to tell you that your parents were wise and despite the sketchy looking exterior… and equally unimpressive interior, somebody in the kitchen of Masala Café is doing something right.
I’m not going to claim to know a ton about Indian cuisine other than being a curry connoisseur (seriously), but I do know about a good deal. And you can get a lot of delicious spiced food for cheap at Masala Café. Their lunch deal is fantastic where you get an option (I’m such a sucker for options) of two appropriately portioned dishes, rice, naan and daal for… wait for it…$ 6! Fantastic. Your average broke-​ass-​living-​on-​a-​budget girl can clearly afford to eat here multiple times a week… and does.
On a recent trip, my eating companions and I decided to get fancy and come here for dinner, where nothing changes except for the price (as an Asian with former experience in the Chinese buffet food industry, I’m familiar with these tactics). I stuck with my usual and got the Aloo Gobi (cauliflower with potatoes) and garlic naan. Call me crazy but the bright yellow color convinces me of the saffron and therefore, authenticity, of the dish.
Butter Chicken and Chicken 65 also made their way onto the table and three different variants of naan (butter naan, cheese naan, plain naan… we got all naan’d up in that joint). Plates were cleaned, which speaks volumes since my friends have very refined palates and in no way have appetites that resemble garbage disposals. But really, bottom line: Masala Café is worth a visit if you’ve got that craving for «Indian soul food» and are living in the cultural food desert of Peoria… especially if you have a durable stomach and a tight budget.

Value for money and the taste is good. Restaurant is small and their kitchen used to be quite dirty (when they were Khana Khazana). Not sure how it is now.

I get the lunch special delivered at work from here almost every Thursday. Two kinds of chicken (one with thick red sauce, the other clear and kind of tangy), rice, soup, and naan. Not too spicy usually, but good flavor. I’m a fan.