Little India Restaurant

My family and I are SOOOOOO sad that Little India has closed! While we’ve always loved Munoj’s food, we’ve also always felt that they’re like family. We’d been going there for over 20 years. Munoj and Sunita, all our best to you in your lives. Good by, dear friends.

I don’t think people are judging this restaurant fairly within its category. This is a very cheap/​affordable buffet restaurant. You can have all you can eat curries and salad and dessert for just 8 – 10 bucks. You get what you pay for, the owner is super sweet, and the location is great.

The grossest India food I’ve ever had!
We ordered take out tonight and were very disappointed.
The chicken in our chicken tikka masala was soooo dry and thin. The lamb curry had so many bones/​fat in it that it was basically inedible. The price was way too high. We are so disappointed, and ended up throwing most of the food away. What a waste.

I had LI delivered tonight, received my order about 5 minutes ago, and am now on my way to the grocery store. Literally everything was bad. The chicken tikka was only wings, no breasts, and was disgusting regardless. Tandoori chicken was inedible squares of red meat. The rice was some low quality white Asian rice. Even the chutneys, raita, and naan were horrible. This was both the worst take out and Indian food I have ever had.

This location has been consistently mediocre. There are very few indian restaurants in redwood city, Belmont, san Carlos area. This one always looks very dirty and food is not that wonderful.
The service is a bit slow if you are not getting the buffet. The buffet has variety but some meat items are overcooked and tough. Beans are mostly undercooked.
I gave this place a chance three times over a period of time, but not going back anymore.

Well I was so excited to try this place and set all of the mixed reviews straight. I’ve never really met an indian restaurant/​buffet that I didn’t like, and I was sure to have a great experience here, and let the world know that Little India, does in fact, have good enough indian food.
Well, unfortunately, I’m becoming a part of the dissention.
My first experience walking into this place was some months ago. It was early eve, and it was SO HOT inside the restaurant, that I knew I couldn’t comfortably sit there and enjoy my meal. So, fast forward to last week, cooler weather, lunchtime… I was excited to go.
I tend to elaborate on good reviews, and be concise on bad ones… so let me be concise.
The first negative was the tired and dirty… everything…inside the restaurant. Its really quite gross in comparison to the way restaurants are decorated and maintained these days, especially in affluent areas, such as the peninsula. Table cloths were sticky, salt and pepper shakers were sticky, furniture was old and tired, lots of kitschy junk everywhere… not a good welcoming sign.
The buffet had a lot of variety… but of course, the restaurant was almost empty. Which is always a concern for me.
I’m not a VEG kind of guy, so I tried all the meat options. The best was the lamb curry. It was just about how I have experienced all the other lamb curry at indian places. This is a plus.
I also had the turkey meatballs in gravy. This was bland and tasteless, though the meatballs were tender and nice. For the first time EVER in an indian restaurant, I was using salt to season my food. It didn’t really help, as the base of flavor wasn’t there, and adding salt just made it taste like… salt.
Finally I tried the chicken tikka masala, one of my favorites. It had, which I would call, a more homestyle flavor. The tomato flavor was a bit more up front than I am used to, so I didn’t really care for it too much.
So all in all, the only indian place I’ve been to, and I’ve been to many, that I wouldn’t care to go back to. And that is saying a lot since its the only buffet in my town, and I crave indian buffet on a fairly regular basis.
If it was my restaurant, I’d gut the whole thing, get clean new furniture, simple paint, simple decorations, and that would increase the quality of the experience exponentially, even if the food is somewhat sub-​par.

Let me begin by saying that those who have had good experiences here were lucky.
I ordered from here via a food delivery service as someone recommended it, but am totally disappointed.
I ordered Tadka Dal. The item description from the menu said it comes with rice, but it did not. Moreover, the dal was not what I expected.
My husband ordered Biryani and it was nothing like a biryani. It was more like rice mixed in spices. My husband says he has had so much better for lesser price.
All in all, I would not go back here again. I have been raised to respect food and hence will say nothing negative about the food. But only because I revere food, not because I liked anything about Little India.

Okay so… This place is most definitely worth more than 1 star. I’m giving it 4 because I think it’s unfair that some people are giving it 1 star reviews without saying why, which almost lead me to never trying this place. Here are my reasons:
1. I have definitely had way way way worse. And to add to that, it’s not even bad food. In fact, it’s good.
2. Like I said, the food is good. Maybe not the best ever Indian food I’ve had, but good nonetheless.
3. For a student who doesn’t like to spend $ 10 on one little sandwich with a side of fries at school that doesn’t even make me full (I’m not fat so don’t even assume that I have a big appetite), the lunch buffet is super worth it. I can eat a full meal here at a more affordable price than at school.
4. It’s not one of those high end indian restaurants that make you feel bad for walking in with jeans. It’s relaxed. The ambiance is relaxing, at least during lunch. I don’t know about night life but there’s a TV in the corner with a football displayed next to it so maybe people come here to watch sports at night.
5. The service is fast and friendly, at least during lunch. I didn’t have to ask for anything which is awesome because I hate waiting on the wait staff lol
So for all of us who are looking for good, affordable, quick lunches, this place is an option worth keeping. For those of you looking for bourgie restaurants, maybe find a different place? It’s up to you!

Came here for dinner, amd it was… fantastic! Great food, great service, and not noisy! Deliiicious! Will come again soon!

Yikes! We decided to try Little India’s lunch buffet one Saturday afternoon — bad idea! The place was nearly empty and the décor felt neglected — that was my first clue.
Indian food buffets tend to give the average person substantial cravings. This lunch buffet just made my appetite disappear. Despite the friendly owner, the food was completely unappealing.
From all of the dishes I sampled, only the pakoras seemed freshly fried. The dahl and rice was edible albeit being oily.
Overall, Little India is not an adequate representation of Indian food nor an Indian buffet.

I love this place! I’ve been here multiple times for the lunch buffet and the food and service has always been consistent. Don’t come here expecting to be dazzled by a fancy interior or table setting. It’s more homey/​no frills, and the food tastes authentic. If you read the bio of the owner on the paper menu, you’ll appreciate this place even more.
My favorite dish here is the lamb – so tender and falls off the bone. If you’re lucky, you might even snatch a piece with some bone marrow. The butter chicken and mango pudding are also yummy.
Thinking about giving this place a go? Get the $ 10 for $ 20 Unilocal deal!

— Sub-​par naan (likely reheated frozen naan)
— Several of the dishes were over by the time we started and we were not informed that they would not be refilled
— One of the desserts had sunk into the melted ice, in the tray that was holding them
— The rice in kheer (rice pudding) felt like it was made from plastic
— None of the dishes had the taste or texture that they should have had
— The tandoori chicken looked sick

This is a buffet place right next to my boyfriend’s work. He doesn’t usually get off work until around 8:30pm (we sleep in), so it makes it really difficult to find a place to eat, since Redwood City closes so early. We came here once around 8:30pm, and the owner essentially said they were closing soon and the kitchen was closed, so what was left on the buffet was what we could get. We decided to leave because they were entirely out of vegetables at that time, and hoped to come a bit earlier the next night. I was a little disappointed as I was looking forward to some Indian food that night, and 30 minutes until closing seems like quite a while, but I guess that’s how Buffets work. However, I think he could have offered us a discounted price or something, for the smaller options of food on the buffet (at that time). What else is he going to do with the extra food?!
Anyways, we came back the next night, around 8:15pm (I know not much better). But we thought we would give it a second chance at being our later night option. He said the kitchen was closed again, but we could order Naan. We wanted a lot of Naan, but they only gave us two half slices. Of course, we ordered more as soon as we were finished, but we had to wait for it by then.
They were out of Biryani Chicken which was sad. But we were getting way more options than at a normal Indian place still. I am sure this doesn’t happen during their normal hours. However, half way through my first plate, a worker from the place comes to serve himself a plate (which is completely fine), but then proceeds to take the REST of the fruit (watermelon) of which there were a TON of pieces. I was planning to eat that as a dessert, but they disappeared in 10 seconds when he loaded all of them onto his plate, and proceeded to finish off a couple other dishes. D: I realize he has to eat too, but I felt like he was taking more than necessary for one person, at a time when there is barely any food for the last two customers in the place.

Went here for the lunch buffet. It’s just so DIRTY. I can’t handle it. The placemats were grimy, the floor needed to be swept, dust on the plastic coverings over the buffet table, dead flies all along the windowsill we were sitting by. Just, ugh.
I have nothing to say about the food. But, to the guy behind the register all lunch: you run a buffet. Compared to a regular lunch service, this seems pretty low maintenance. So, maybe you could keep yourself busy by getting out some 409 and going at it.

Being an Indian by birth and lived in india for 22 years and 5 years in the bay area, I’ve been to almost all indian buffets in the Bay Area and by far this is THE WORST buffet ever…
If u really relish true indian food stay out! You will hate it.
I and my wife both had an upset stomach for 2 days after this food.
Pros:
Friendly owner.
Bread was soft.
Samosa was good
Cons:
Food quality HORRIBLE.
The utensils seem to have never been washed.
The chicken was stale for more than a day.
Butter chicken masala did not have any butter!
Lamb curry was not cooked. The meat chunks were red.
Tandoori chicken was barbecued. Really? It’s Never barbecued EVER.
Upset stomach for 2 days.
I wish Unilocal allows to negative rate a place!

Smells Great! Not crowded at all. Seperate buffet for vegetarian.
Went with a co-​worker. There were two other patrons.
One waiter, who I am pretty sure was the owner. The buffet was right down the middle of the restaurant. We went only because of the Unilocal deal ($ 10 for $ 20). I am a vegetarian. The veg buffet is $ 7.95 the reg. buffet is $ 9.95. The waiter brought us 1 piece of Naan cut in half. And filled our water. Never saw him again.
The food was good. It was Indian food.
When we asked for the bill, I presented the Unilocal deal. I was instructed to leave $ 2. I inquired how that all worked out, as I was veg. He gave some interesting explanation, so I left an equally interesting tip.
I wouldn’t go back at regular prices. Sorry.
Service means a lot people. Eat rainbows & shit stars.

Came here for the lunch buffet recently. I had read all the reviews in the past, but was really dying for some indian food and I was in the area.
Pros:
— the waiter was nice
Cons:
— food doesn’t look or taste fresh… sauce dishes had a nasty film on the top
— agreed with another reviewer… food had a slimy texture
— everything was bland… spicy, yet bland
— the naan was lame… I’ve made better naan from frozen bought at the grocery store
— flies everywhere so be prepared to be swatting them away the whole time
— dated restaurant gives it an unclean feel
This restaurant would be a great place for Kitchen Nightmares and Gordon Ramsey to come to. That’s not a nab or personal attack on the management, it’s just a fact. The manager has responded to other reviewers saying he takes customers suggestions into consideration, but honestly… reading all these negative reviews and then experiencing it for myself… he isn’t listening. Just basic changes are needed… from quality of food to minor cleaning like dusting and getting rid of the flies would help. They may have 20+ years in the business, but clearly it’s not working and the food is not good. I won’t be back and wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone.

:(
Try if you are a bleeding heart.

What a darling little place. I want to give it 5 stars for the food. I haven’t been a huge fan of Indian food in the past. MY only experience was this dumpy cafeteria place in Sunnyvale that this girl once tried me to convince was the best Indian food ever, needless to say, I never went again. It was terrible.
Fast forward to 2013. Date night. Hubby and I strolled along main street in Redwood City and came across this little gem. It’s buffet style but not overwhelming (I don’t like buffets normally). It feels like you are sitting in a cozy home in India and your friends put out a great spread for you.
The naan bread is great and the Lamb was my favorite dish. Tandori chicken is excellent and all the sides are great too. The veggies were a little too curried for me, but that’s just my taste. The staff was super friendly and we plan to come back. It’s like rainy day comfort food.
The mango custard is fab too! Highly recommend this spot.

We went here on a Monday evening and surprisingly, it was open for New Year’s Eve (although hours were only 5−8pm). I’ll keep this review short and sweet — don’t go if you like good Indian food.
This place has lukewarm food and service is almost non-​existent. You have to ask for extra naan bread if you want it and they don’t clear any of your plates (usually happens when you have Indian buffet but not at this restaurant). The mango pudding and butter chicken sauce were good (except the chicken itself was pretty dry).
The other dishes were okay but nothing memorable. Basics such as basmati rice, tandoori chicken, spicy tomato soup, ground lamb, turkey ball, dal makhni, alu gobi and a few more.
Regular price is $ 13 for dinner buffet. All I can say is thank goodness we had a Groupon so we didn’t pay full price. Our meal included wines (chardonnay and merlot) but they were terrible.
All in all, AVOID at all costs. Don’t even ask me about the weird yellow décor. I will give them props for having an interesting men’s bathroom (random calenders of cheerleaders/​bikini girls). Haha.