Monsoon Express

Despite the fact that it is in a mall, i think it’s the best Biryani i ever had in San Diego. It’s so good that I keep coming over and over again. However, it’s not that spicy, they have three scales spicy, medium, or mild. I always get spicy and it’s like 4 out of 10, otherwise, it’s great.

Food was pretty good but customer relations not great as the owner lady helped her friend out first even though we were in line first. We had rice, naan, lentil soup, Chana masala.

I’ve only had Indian food a couple times. I Usually go to this spot near LA Mirada, but today my old lady brought me here to give this spot a try. I was very impressed with everything! The service was on point and the food was amazing. Even the rice was perfect. Most mall food that has rice is always under cooked, and i can never really finish it. Not a problem here. I’ll definitely be coming back for more next time I’m in the area!

Rice was undercooked and crunchy. And I’m not sure gristle counts and chicken meat but plenty of that in chicken Masala. And to top it off they only give their discounts if you pay cash… pretty poor business practice.

The guy at the register was extremely helpful, he was nice and answered all my questions.

Chicken vandoolo is the bomb! !
Tiki masala is good as well.
You can’t go wrong everything I tried was good.
I’m hooked lol

1 star because of horrible service, despite the delicious food. The woman who mans the station treats you like she just wants you to pay and leave! She freaking gave me white rice without asking if I wanted yellow or white rice first. Then when the person after me ordered, she went to the back and offered the yellow rice! I asked her «Why didn’t you give me the option of choosing rice?» And she said «Well, I didn’t know it was ready yet.» And I said «You could’ve gone to the back and checked.» And she just shrugged and left it at that! Rude much?! As much as I live their food, it’s hard to enjoy eating when you have such a rude person preparing it for you.

Let me first say that I ended up eating here due to a misunderstanding. I don’t make it a habit to eat at food courts in American malls. (Malls in Asia – different story.)
My meal was not good. The nan was hard and very chewy. The chicken tikka masala looked normal, but somehow had no flavor at all. The sag aloo was also not very flavorful. The only reason this wasn’t a 1 star is because the prices are good for the portion size, plus, my eating partner said his Curry Sandwich was ok.

You know for a place in a food court at the mall you don’t expect much but wow. I almost feel like this place should have its own location. I usually always hit sarku Japan in the mission valley food court if I’m there but monsoon express got me with the giant banner that says «Eat Healthy Indian Food» so automatically I was shamed into going to reduce gut size! I got the chicken tikka masala and sag aloo with basmati rice. Bomb. Just bomb… So maybe its not like super authentic (actually it might be I have never been to India) but its great food for the cost and location. Would recommend if your shopping and need to refuel before bed bath and beyond.

Upon walking up, the cashier took 10 minutes to look up from his phone to acknowledge me. Once I got my food, the naan was too fluffy and seemed a bit undercooked. I tried a sample of the spicy chicken tikka masala to see if it was too spicy, but it hits way after fact and taste test did not quite do the heat justice. Coconut curry was good enough. What more do you want, it is a food court Indian place after all.

One of least authentic and worst in terms of quality. Hard and thick, not so fresh, paneer and chicken.

For a mall food court spot I’ll give it 5 stars. Food tastes great and the woman who has helped me the last two times I’ve been here is really nice.

My grandma isn’t Indian. Nor is she a graduated student from a culinary school that specializes in Indian cuisine. But if she was, I imagine that her home cooked meals would taste something like the food served at Monsoon Express.
I have absolutely zero data to reference when I say that this is what authentic chicken tikka masala is supposed to taste like. None whatsoever. But, it is definitely amazing. That is a cold, hard, scientific fact straight from a leather bound book from the Harvard library. I dare you to check, or even better, just go grab a plate from Monsoon Express. Your taste buds will dance around like they just popped Molly at «festival» where Panjabi MC is headlining.

This place is way too good to be a food court restaurant ! WOW !
The Masala is heavenly ! just about everything is delicious…
The gyros need some work though not the best, but the price and the portions of other items plus the amazing flavor, its a steal ! Your getting spoiled when you order from this place. The two main people that work there the lady and the guy are really good people too. Its crazy that this little place in the mall has the best Indian food Ive ever had in any ‘Dine-​in’ Indian food restaurant in San Diego lol it blows my mind.
You must try this place, warning you will be hooked. You’ll find yourself going to the mall just to get some good Indian food lol

The vegetarian curry dish was ok for fast food Indian food, but the saag panner was meh (even compared to other fast food places).

The Garlic Naan is awesome! This was my first time trying this place and I will go back for more. The menu has a variety.
This place needs better marketing for sure! When I tried to figure out the name of this place it was a random sign off to the side and hard to read. The service at the cash register was quick, however same thing the receipt didn’t say what the name of the place was! LOL While eating in the food court, I felt a little bit bewildered as to what this place was called to be able to write my Unilocal review or to note it mentally to myself to come back to try other items on the menu. In case your wondering, it is located in the food court at Mission Valley mall next to Hot Dog on a Stick. (that place has clear marketing signs)
Each time I have been to the food court I have avoided this place because there never seems to be anyone in line, does that signal bad food — maybe. But I gave it a try admittedly because Hot Dog on a Stick only serves lemonade for beverages and I was thirsty tor a non-​lemony drink. This means that Monsoon got my business.
And I fell in love with the Naan bread. I also ordered some other item which wasn’t memorable compared to the naan bread. The curries looked good and I am going to try them next time I stop by for more naan bread. can you tell I am fan of the naan bread! I think that they had just made it fresh when I ordered it. So it was worth the wait.

The food here is pretty legit. You get a lot for your $. I got food here a few times. My sister and I usually get a 3 item combo and it comes with rice and naan and it’s more than enough for both of us.
The last time I ordered here I got the 2 item combo: chicken tikka masala and saag (spinach & potato). Both were excellent. Total cost with tax came out to $ 7.01. Pretty good deal. The guy getting my food asked me if I wanted white and yellow rice. I had to think about it because I was trying to figure out which color rice had more nutrients. I guess I was taking too long to make my decision and the guy got impatient and asked me again but he asked with an attitude. I didn’t like that. Don’t give me attitude because I don’t know which color rice I want. I ended up getting the yellow.
My roommate ordered the same thing but instead of rice she got the vegetables. The vegetables looked like it was sitting there for a while. She wanted to ‘low carb’ it but ended up eating the naan. That just defeated the whole purpose.

I know this is a food court spot so my expectations weren’t really very high, but this was pretty sub-​par Indian food. Ordered the chicken tikka masala and there wasn’t much chicken. The rice tasted old and the naan was hard. Do yourself a favor and eat elsewhere.

Me and my sis always come here before the movies at Mission. Its fast, convenient, and its tradition!
We always order the Chicken Masala with the grilled veggies instead of rice and we’re happy. Especially when they bring the veggies (& naan) freshly made.

This place ain’t too bad if you are looking for some quick and filling Indian grub! From the last time I ate here, I believe it was about $ 9 or so and you can get a decent 2 item plate with rice and naan along with some mango lassi.
I been here a few times throughout the past couple years. It definitely isn’t the best Indian food as it is a quick bite in a food court but its edible and enough to fill you up. The food at times isn’t so fresh as its been sitting around all day so be sure to see if its not overly dry.