India Joze

This place is awesome except that it is small, max seating probably 15 – 20 at a time.
It shares a space with a dance studio.
The food has always been delicious, anything you get would most likely be a good choice. It seems they have a lot of South Asian-​fusion dishes (pretty strong flavor palette). Good number of vegan options.
We got the Tahu (or Tofu) Djawa, and we thought it paired best with the Adrak Chatni (Sweet Ginger-​Raisin Chutney). The sauce bar is great; we recommend you try all of them.
You can either order at the counter, or you can order online at your seat (or in advance), which will get you a $ 1 discount (WOO HOO!)
And the head cook Jozseph Schultz is passionate and caring about his customers and food. He makes it a point to walk around and talk to his patrons, which we really enjoy. His specialty and love lies in calamari (he’s even written a cook book ft. only calamari dishes). Our last visit, he passed out some crispy, perfectly-​seasoned, kale chips on the house.
The décor of the place is eclectic and well-​done, with cute hanging lamps and a good color scheme (yellow walls and red fabrics). There is a cool metal sculpture of a squid hanging from the ceiling by the entrance. We suggest you admire it.
Bathrooms are all right. Well-​maintained, and shared with the dance studio.

I visit this restaurant about once a month. I will not deny that some of the flavors can be a little unique and not for everyone’s palette. When I was younger, teenager and below, it probably wouldn’t have been for me. I was too interested in, American, traditional flavors. India Joze, and Jozseph Schultz, is not the place for your more, American, traditional flavors.
This restaurant’s staff has always been nothing but friendly, and helpful. When an error is made on either party’s end, within reason, they do their best to solve it and are friendly about it. An example of this would be when I ordered the wrong drink, doogh, online by accident. After serving it I tried it first, and once Joe realized I wasn’t enjoying the drink he was more than happy to take the drink and served me the drink I had meant to order.
The food itself is great and I have not had an instance I did not enjoy the food. I personally feel his rocca is a little too bitter from the times I have tried it, but it is still magnificent and closer to just right to me than unpleasant. His Persian Almond Baklava is quite enjoyable, albeit reliant on the rosewater syrup. His Loukamade/​Loukoumade was absolutely delectable and the dollop of meyer lemon curd with it brought it altogether magnificently.
I have ordered a few too many entrees to be too specific about them all. I will say that I have never been disappointed in any of them, although some have been better than others. Unfortunately the Pad Thai noodles I got with my meal were a bit overcooked likely by over 30 seconds when I ordered it, which is my biggest complaint about the place. I likely could have mentioned it and the problem would’ve been fixed or something, but I did not have the time that day. I personally feel his flavors could be a little more spicy in his sauces, but I should note I want it extra spicy or something myself and since I don’t I believe I get the normal amount. The chicken with all his dishes is generally well portioned and cooked close to just right. The gado-​gado sauce is average, but the spicy mint sauce was great. I felt latter of the two mentioned sauces was incredibly delicious, although I may be remember the name of it incorrectly if so I apologize.
The tri-​tip he cooks has been good each time, although the cuts were a bit large for a smaller mouth but close to just right for my mouth size. The vegetables are generally cooked to al dente pretty well. The sauces they make for their food is enjoyable from my experiences.
The staff also makes sure to clean pretty often, and I have never been rushed out or asked to move my vehicle for any reason. The restaurant isn’t dirty or the like as some people note, although I didn’t start frequenting this place until August of last year. I will not deny that I have not had these items from a person’s family that specializes in the cuisines cook in so maybe it isn’t up to snuff there, but as someone who has been to various restaurants that are thought to be good for the cuisines this place holds up.
I generally come to this place for dinner once a month like I said, which I enjoy. I have to note that you should order your stuff from their online menu it allows you to see their daily specials a bit easier. This restaurant is better with use of the online menu as well, since it rotates out their stuff fairly often based on seasons and printed menus wouldn’t do that justice and a whiteboard wouldn’t cut it.

If you look at all my other reviews, you can see I rarely give a bad rating. But I have to say that India Joze is terrible. We ordered the Dragon Chicken, Mandy’s Sauce Bowl, Sumac Spuds and the Gado-​Gado. First, the girl at the counter got our order wrong (fish) and later someone discovered the mistake because the order made no sense and came to our table to fix it. Then we had to have a refund. I suppose it would have been worse to actually receive the wrong order.
When the food arrived it was sloppily set up on the plates. Neither of us liked any of the seven sauces on Mandy’s Sauce Bowl, and after we had tried them all, the bowl sat untouched. The Sumac Spuds and the vegetable portion of the Gado-​Gado were so salty that they were inedible. The peanut sauce on the sauce bowl and Gado-​Gado was okay but not really good. Same with the Dragon Chicken — very spicy but just okay in flavor. And same with the marinated salad on the Gado-​Gado plate — I ate it, since little else was edible, but it was not delicious.
The restaurant is in kind of a hallway between a door and a theatre, so it was very loud. We were also kicked out of the India Joze free parking lot before we’d even gotten out of our car because there was going to be a show in the theatre and they wanted the whole lot for the showgoers. So then we had to search for parking and pay for it. The variety of seating in the restaurant is nice and I enjoyed looking at the nature photographs on the walls and reading their descriptions, but we will never go back to India Joze. One goes to a restaurant for good food. The food at India Joze is awful.

great first experience. initially went in because we had a coupon but so glad to have gone. great food. Joseph came out to check on us. Great good.

Had another great meal from Joseph Schultz!

I have been here a couple of times and each visit has been awesome. First of all, the food is great. I can’t describe the type of food that is served here, but they are all definitely well prepared, the flavors are well blended together. Second, at India Joze, they really want you to enjoy the food, it’s all about the food. My 5 yr old didn’t quite like it, and Jo’s wife (? I think) noticed that and brought out something for him to try, all without us asking. Simple grilled chicken with peanut sauce. My kid thinks it’s the best peanut sauce ever. Third, Jo pretty much always has the time to make sure we are enjoying his food. I love that he cares that we enjoy his food! It’s that simple. Nothing pretentious… I love the chai, my husband loves the huge selection of condiments… What more can I say…
Btw, I’m from Southeast Asia living in Santa Cruz, i would say that the flavors, spice level are muted down but not in a bad way.

I could live off of the dal and chai alone. Yum!

My gf and I love coming from SF just for this place. It’s an experience that’s worth it… a truly culinary global adventure so fasten your seatbelts!

A restaurant really shines the hours right before it gets very busy. Joseph of India Joze is a person to get to know when it’s not too busy (try anytime before 6−7pm). Then you should try his chai, the daal, and the dragon chicken. Also check out his sauces that he has out all the time. I would say he’s a very good experimentalist. He does the cooking very nicely but there’s something missing. The flavors almost come together… But the reason I go back to this place is because it’s more intimate than a usual restaurant and you can feel his passion. Also ask for his cooking classes, it’s one of the nicest most intimate cooking classes around.
The décor is also very exotic and at night the lighting gets even more romantic. The warm yellows and the lights cast a slightly dim romantic splash to the place. Plus, this place is connected to the 418, a great location for dance so you might see dancers pop in and out of the restaurant for a meal or a quick sip of water.
And this man knows Santa Cruz, he’s been cooking for the city since the 70s, I think, if not the 80s.
Be warned though, if you’re picky about cleanliness, you might not like this place’s first impression. However, I’ve never gotten sick here.

I cannot stress enough how much I absolutely LOVE India Joze and want everyone in the world to try it. It does have a tight and cozy feel but if you’re into those hidden amazing hole in the wall places this is for you.
India Joze is absolutely my favorite restaurant in Santa Cruz County because of the flavors used in their food. Their menu is full of passionate & flavorful dishes that are sure to leave your palate in awe after your meal. Most of their produce & products they try to source locally & organically. Every single entrée has extremely different yet phenomenal flavors that all represent different regions around the world. Every single time I am looking to impress someone with dining out in Santa Cruz I bring them here.
Some of my personal favorite dishes are always starting off with the Sumac Spuds (OMG even 2 sometimes! They are sooo addicting!!!) & the Pakora which is a chickpea battered veggies with a seasonal chutney that is to die for every time.
For dinner a great go-​to is the Dragon Chicken! Especially if you have never eaten here before. As well as the Djawa Chicken, basically perfectly cooked chicken in creamy pesto sauce with amazing flavors. One of my personal favorites however is getting the Kaliya but with Chicken :) It is in the yummiest creamy sauce with veggies, rice & yummy yogurt sauce for dipping.
I could go on and on but basically everything about India Joze is amazing. The food, the atmosphere, the people behind it.
Thank you every single time for amazing food!

We tried again, but couldn’t get past the dirty tables, ants, rude staff.
1 Star is for interesting desserts like the home made puddings and baklava (which wasn’t fresh).
The poor, tired, lukewarm and wilting middle of the road Gado gado much better (fresher, spicier, warmer!) at other places in town like Charlie Hong Kongs, Asian Fusion down the street.

CASH ONLY.
The people are super nice and the food is okay, but I just couldn’t get past the dirty kitchen.

I’ve had a few unmemorable meals here in the past few years although consistently uninspired.
In a white bread beach town I suppose the menu here could pass as exotic.
The cup of tea was undrinkable, resembling the last dregs of the pot. Counting cash meant they were not interested in anything other than closing up shop for the night. Gado gado had a steam tray look and taste which is great if you seek out that sort of cuisine. Suppose I had envisioned something entirely different.
I won’t be back, when people ask me what I like about the place I always say it’s on the route home after a Warriors game– not the reason to recommend a dining establishment, but wouldn’t it be nice if it was a spot to recommend.
Maybe this review will get scrubbed like my last one. basically this: Stopped in last night after a warriors game. The place has a dirty feel, the back splash is coated in grease, and maybe daily use or perhaps time for a scrub. It wasn’t a great selling point (my last review, that is no longer here)
Perhaps you’ll have a better experience, since people seem to like this place
(caveat refer to second sentence of first paragraph of why this might seem so.)

EXCELLENT PLACE! We completely happened upon it and were greeted by the amazing Joe himself! Very eclectic VERY delicious… everything we had was so different (Indian? Mediterranean? Somehow both!), extraordinary. Great for those with dietary restrictions (vegans/​vegetarians/​GF). Also — TRY THE DRINKS the hot teas are unreal!

People with allergies/​vegetarians beware. Being a local and never having eaten here I thought I’d try it. Horrible customer service. Place just served me chicken when I ordered a vegetarian dish. Didn’t realize until I was more than half way through. Notified staff and never even got an apology. I’ve been vegetarian and haven’t eaten meat in 7 years until tonight. Just bummed no one apologized. Needless to say, I am going to warn everyone I know about India Joze.

amazing! I have been looking for a new restaurant to make my daily spot and I have found it!
Everything I have order here has been delightful!

I’d previously come here with my boyfriend about a year ago, and whatever we got (some mushroom dish, some tofu dish, don’t remember names) wasn’t very memorable. The dishes were very spicy, which was great, but lacked the depth of flavor that I expect in South/​Southeast Asian food. However, I gave them another try last night and it was so much better! I had the Ca Nuong (spicy), and the ingredients tasted fresh, with lots of lemon-​grassy flavor and a really nice dressing of some sort on the salad. The pickled vegetables were nice too. I really liked that the food wasn’t super oily or super salty, which can sometimes happen at «authentic» Asian places. It was just as delicious as the real deal, but tasted healthier, sort of like home-​cooking. My housemate ordered the Tofu Taotjo and she really enjoyed it.
It’s easy to miss this place because it’s hidden behind a bunch of bamboo plants, but that’s what makes it great — hidden gem! Cute place with interesting décor. Not much seating, and it’s cash only, but they have an ATM inside.

Had an AMAZING meal last night — stopped by on a whim while in town.
The chicken laab is a hot dish — thai-​ish thin chicken breast — on a cold salad. The combination of hoot temperature, spciy chicken on cool/​palate-​cooling salad greens and cucumber/​tomato/​fresh herbs was KILLER. SOOO delicious.
Counter help was really nice, and I watched the cooks chop fresh veggies as they worked. The dishes couldn’t be fresher.

Mmm, Berber Burger — «Free Range Lamb cooked on Fresh Flatbread With Duk’kah spice, Skordalia, carrots, cabbage.»
A must try if you go here. Also got the thai iced tea which was also delicious. Great quiet place with some cool art!

Very good food! Was visiting Santa Cruz for a day with some friends and stumbled upon this place. The décor was unique — loved the Moroccan lamps! The restaurant is a bit small though.
We ordered the chicken vindaloo, gado gado, and adobo negro, which I think was one if the specials. All of them were tasty and well seasoned, but my favorite was the gado gado. I liked that when I asked for the Vindaloo to be spicy, they made it SPICY. No skimping on the spice!
Overall, I would definitely come back to try the other dishes.