Nawab of India

We have visited Nawab santa monica for 10 years. No place here in town that can beat them in food quality versus price. We came today on Sunday and they had a great buffet (including an exquisit seabash which taste is unique!) This is the place where my family is always happy to comeback. Their service is fenomenal and they show every moment how happy they are with your visit. Try it! Best indian food in the westside!

The last year or so without Ricky has been tough, but Ricky is BACK and bringing Nawab back to it’s former glory. The nawab of Nawab has returned!
There were a few menu changes after he left and they we’re also totally baited by the ABC guys and ended up losing their license. However, I have on good authority that these things are being fixed, and already the place seems more lively.
Funny how one guy can totally change the experience at a restaurant, but it’s not the same place without Ricky.

To preface, I happen to think the food is fantastic. I think it’s by far one of the best Indian food options in LA – or at least Santa Monica. Unfortunately, the in-​dining experience is miserable. Just walk by the restaurant on Wilshire, and each time you’ll see there’s never anyone inside. It’s weird. The food is really great. However, the service is not. Which is unfortunate because for me, that taints my entire dining experience. I wish there was a secondary option on Unilocal allowing you to rate the food and service separately. But hey, the great places do both well.
To explain further – if you care to read on (it’s not much different than other reviews) – I had gone with two others. There weren’t many people dining, so it wasn’t busy, yet the service was extremely slow. Our waiter took forever to come over when we were first seated. He proceeded to act annoyed with our orders. I quote: «Why don’t you order something more original,» he said to me after I ordered. Honestly, it wasn’t what he said it was HOW he said it. I happen to think people should order interesting things at places like this, but I’ve had a lot of Nawab’s options before via take out (this was my first time eating in the restaurant) and I wanted what I wanted. His demeanor was extremely condescending. After that, we waited for our food. And waited. And waited. It finally arrived – and of course it was delicious. Lastly, our waiter never came back. No idea what happened to him. Another waiter, noticed we hadn’t been checked on for a while, and came over to finish the job.
With service like this, and clearly the absence of people dining in the restaurant, I won’t be surprised if Nawab moves to another location or goes out of business. They must do a lot of take out/​catering, and it sounds like people go there for the buffet. But it’s hard to believe that’s what sustains Nawab.
My advice: Order take out and enjoy your entrée without a side of smug.

Best Indian food on the west side! We have been regular customers here for a long time and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Try the chicken tikka masala for sure but honestly, you can’t go wrong here. You won’t find nicer staff anywhere and we are especially delighted to see Ricky back.

Great food
Warm and friendly atmosphere
The former head waiter, Ricky, is back and we are glad to see him

The place has potential. Up until about a year ago it was pretty good. However, over the past year it has gone down hill. There is never anyone there. The place is always empty. The reason is that he food is just NOT up to the levels of a few years ago. Come on guys get it together!

I’m updating my review with an additional star rating as I am thrilled that Ricky is back!

I loved everything about this place. From the Indian waiters, to it’s mango lassi. I order chicken korma, lamb vindaloo and saag paneer. It was great to go with family because they knew little about the Indian culture so it was great to explain each dish. When they brought out the food it came in little bowls which at first I thought «we might need to order more…» But it actually was a good proportion. Everyone was nice and the food was amazing. Would go back again… too bad I live on the east coast.

The best Indian food in Los Angeles. Have been coming here for years, my friends and I make it a weekly affair. Ricky and the staff couldn’t be any more accommodating and welcoming. The food is amazing. Best vindaloo, chicken tikka masala, and naan I’ve ever had. I highly recommend!!!

This is one of the best Indian restaurants in Los Angeles. Went there last night, had an amazing meal. The manager went out of his way to make sure the food was made exactly how we wanted it.
We had Dal Makhani, tandoori chicken, chicken tikka masala, grilled fish garlic naan and laccha parantha. For dessert we had kulfi. Great ambiance and customer service. Will definitely go back.

I go for the lunch buffet. I usually regret having eaten any lunch buffet but Indian lunch buffets usually leave me feeling dyspeptic and renouncing all Indian food for at least 10 days. HOWEVER, the lunch buffet at Nawab is superior, has never disappointed and the service is always comfortable. I generally leave knowing I’ll be coming back.
There is a generous assortment of meat and vegan options so anyone can be satisfied. I’m not crazy about their dal but the tandoori and curries are worth the trip. All in all, if you go for lunch buffet, you’ll be satisfied. I can’t speak for any other meals because in truth, I’m not impressed enough to step outside the buffet zone at which Nawab exceeds the status quo in offerings and flavor.

I used to order food from Nawab’s 2 – 4 times a month. I would order the same dishes and I’d consider it my delicious cheat meal, looking forward to it the entire week. Alas, the last couple of times I ordered the same dishes they were cooked differently. The food was watery, lacking its former flavor. Simply terrible food. The first time I assumed an under study was being trained in the kitchen. I was highly disappointed but put it down to bad luck.
Couple of weeks later I decided to give it another shot — I had been looking forward to the occasion all week, after all. Alas, the food was EXACTLY the same as the last time. Not good.
I decided to check Unilocal to see if any funny business was going on and indeed discovered that there’s been a change in management, and no doubt with it a change in the kitchen staff. Needless to say, I will not be ordering from Nawab’s again and they’ve lost my regularly monthly $ 200 spend.
Nawab’s used to be the best Indian restaurant in West LA. A real treasure island in an otherwise sea of disappointment — and I’d tried dozens. LA simply isn’t great for Indian food. Based on its Unilocal reviews I’ve switched to Tandoor India and my first order was excellent and surpassed expectations. Nawab’s loss is Tandoor India’s gain.

I came here with a friend on a Friday night — we arrived at about 6 PM and it was empty. It was awesome for us. Slowly filled up over the next couple of hours. I’d never eaten here before, so I didn’t know what the price point was, and was surprised that the menu selections were slightly more expensive than I expected them to be, especially since I eat Indian food all the time.
I am vegetarian — I ordered the Vegetarian Thali. Normally, I don’t because there are always items in the selections that I don’t like. But I like just about everything on it. I was hoping I would get to choose from the list of desserts, which I didn’t, but they were incredibly nice and brought me mango ice cream after I told him that I’d hoped to choose mine. They did let you choose your own naan, which was awesome, and everything tasted amazing. I’m really picky with saga paneer and Bengal bartha — and they were both really amazing.
Overall, good service and really delicious. And about ½ of what I ordered came home for tomorrow’s lunch, so, bonus!

Wow, I was surprised to see the low ratings as this used to be one of the best Indian places in Los Angeles. I have gone twice in the past couple months and each time has been more disappointing than the last though.
I think they have changed chefs at the very least. The first time, the dal was watery and tasted like garlic. The second time it was thick, dry, and uncooked and tasted more like a cheap khichdi. Still the flavor was not there.
The first time the okra (bhindi)was pretty good. The second time it was swimming in oil and lacking flavor and was overcooked. Their shrimp was way over cooked and rubbery. And their property seem like those cheap fast-​food kinds baked in rancid oil.
On the upside, the staff is still very kind and decent. But unfortunately it does not make up for the food. I will not be going there again.

Do not waste your time and money here. My husband was kept waiting for an hour in the half-​empty restaurant to pick up dinner for ourselves and friends. The food which I had ordered ahead by phone was «being prepared» and would be ready «any minute», he was assured. A total lie, as it turned out. He asked repeatedly, without joy, to speak to the manager. Eventually he cancelled the order and demanded a refund. It took another 20 minutes for this to be authorized.
Starving by now, we headed to Bristol Farms where it took less than 10 minutes to pick up smoked brisket, creamy mash and home-​made slaw. Not the Indian feast we had wanted but it was delicious and we saved nearly 200 bucks!
Ironically we had stopped dining in at Nawab because of the terrible service and dreary atmosphere. I guess we, won’t be ordering take-​out either.

Great restaurant with delicious food. Restaurant is located in a perfect lovely neighbourhood. I love their chicken tikka masala, special fish dish (with sea bass) and briyani. Owner kamal is a very kind person so does Jaggi and other people. You can get a delicious Buffet for a decent price only at this restaurant. Try having your lunch here and going for a walk in ocean blvd. It is a wonderful experience. Oh last time I was here I met Jym Carrey… it turns out that he is one of their regular customers Love it all!!!

The service here is excellent! My friend was in a wheel chair and they went out of their way to accommodate.
I got the buffet and the tandoori chicken and fish curry was soo good and fresh. Definitely I’ll be back !

Oh no! What has happened to Nawab? The food was consistent for years and then there seemed to be a radical turnover in staff and in the kitchen. Suddenly the dishes were very very different, and not that enjoyable.
And yet another change — whoever was cooking isn’t cooking because it seems that yet another chef has taken over the kitchen, and again the food is different — but not for the better. Makanwala very tomatoey all of a sudden. Gobhi saag a kind of green mush. Vegetable biryani has a weird mint flavor. Chicken tikka had to be sent back because it came out almost raw. The raita is thick and Greek yogurt like so that’s an improvement. Plus there’s some problem with the licquor license. They suddenly can’t sell wine anymore. What happened?
My wife, who has been the biggest fan of this restaurant, has taken it off the list. This is really unfortunate as we’ve been going there for more than 20 years.

We went today. My Carnivorous friend liked it. This Vegetarian didnt like it.
I am only rating the lunch ‘All U Can Eat Buffet’.
So for me, 1 Star. For Him, 5 stars, average 3 stars.
I found the food bland and forgettable, except the bread plate, which is ‘Restaurant Quality’.
Even the Rice Pudding was lacking raisins, nuts, sweetness. If you like taseful vegetables, curriews, etc, I doubt they are on this buffet.
We arrived around 1 pm and I think there were more young Indian waiters than eaters.
We were told ‘seat where ever you like’. When I sat at the window table I was told to move.
‘That table is for six’. Does he think six are going to sow at one on a Thursday? I guess ‘rules are rules’.

I came for the lunch buffet on a weekday and it was pretty empty. There was no one at the door when I entered. The servers were quiet.
The lunch buffet is pretty minimal compared to the others I’ve tried. It didn’t have my favorites: chicken tikka masala or any kormas which was disappointed about. The chicken curry was a bit watery and lacked flavor. The saag was ok. Very light on flavor. What was good was the fresh naan and the thin crispy crackers. There were about 6 main dishes total. They had the rice dessert which was also pretty light on flavor.
Overall, it was a lackluster experience. It’s $ 11 for the buffet.