Pamposh Restaurant

The food is okay but their prices are a bit high, especially for the amount of food served.

Our first visit to Pamposh Restaurant was a pleasant experience with delicious food, friendly and competent staff, and outstanding value! Every dish was fresh and presented steaming or sizzling hot, ample portions, flavorful curries with choices of mild, medium, or spicy, with thoughtfully paced courses. Try the lamb kabobs! We added an organic Sauvignon Blanc and local Pinot Noir to complete our meal. We’ll be back.

Love, love, love! I have been to many an Indian restaurant and this is my favorite. Quaint, accommodating, delicious!!! Took our daughter here when she was one week old and it’s been her favorite restaurant ever since, she is now five.
Small place, gets crowded, go early.
Everything is delicious.

The food tonight was delicious. Everything was very fresh, The atmosphere was comfy and the service was friendly and excellent. My only comment is that their specials should have prices on them. I certainly could’ve asked how much the special squash soup was before ordering however $ 9 for a bowl of soup was a surprise since the menu soup was $ 6.

* Welcome Experience
— Ordinary
Was greeted and seated promptly when we arrived. The restaurant was empty at 1pm on a Tuesday afternoon.
* Establishment
— Ordinary
Sort of feels like an AT&T store space converted to a restaurant. It was nice enough and clean.
* Service
— Ordinary
The two people we interacted with were hospitable. Table service was attentive and timely.
* Food Quantity /​Quality /​Presentation
— Ordinary
I’m going to be careful not to be negative about the food because I don’t have a great understanding of this cuisine and am not sure if some of the things I encountered were intentional…
The paneer naan was great naan but the paneer was just sort of warm /​slimy in the middle of the bread. It didn’t melt or blend with the bread and sort of felt /​tasted out of place. It wasn’t bad but I don’t think it was good either. Next time I’ll order the naan without paneer.
The lunch plate was fresh except for a few issues. The chicken was not fresh or tender. It was definitely pre-​cooked then re-​cooked for this meal. It was hard and dry for the most part. Not inedible but there was no delight there. Also the dish was underseasoned… I mean downright bland. There were no vibrant flavors. I had to use salt several times trying to get the flavors to shine. The side of yogurt /​cucumber sauce was room temperature and runny /​watery so I left it alone. I wish it was creamy and cold and flavorful but it was NOT!
As I stated above, this could just be me not understanding the cuisine, however I’m just speaking of my experience with it.
I won’t return to Pamposh because there wasn’t much interesting in the food I ordered. The dish I did try left me unimpressed, but overall the experience wasn’t bad.
Friendly staff, clean restaurant and ok food was a solid three stars.

Got this for takeout tonight and it was such a bummer. The portions are TINY and come in flimsy containers. Did I mention how tiny the portions are for the price? About 6 oz of rice for $ 3.50!!! The worst part though — it’s not even good. Not very fresh tasting and bland. We got channa sag, chicken tikka masala and chicken vindaloo with 2 rice and 2 garlic naan. Didn’t get our Indian craving satisfied and out $ 70 for two people. 2 stars because the rice was good (stupidly expensive) and the channa decent. Won’t be back.

Had lunch with my mom at Pamposh today and it was a pleasant experience. The service was friendly and helpful. We ordered the Chicken Biriyani and it was a large enough portion to share. It was an excellent dish! The generous chunks of chicken were tender and together with basmati rice, baby spinach, cashews, and raisins it was a very nice flavor combination. The garlic naan was good and a nice side dish. This place was not crowded and it should be!

Very good. Awesome service and fantastic flavors. I will most certainly be back!

Always delicious and consistent! The lamb is so tender, the chicken perfect, and the Pampas Salad a favorite. We like it for dinner or lunch!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS RESTAURANT. The service was impeccable and the food was fresh and delicious for a very decent price.
After reading some of the reviews on here, I think it needs to be explained that Pamposh (and a lot of other Indian restaurants) are family style. A couple of entrees on the menus are meant to be shared along with some rice or naan. People who order one entrée for themselves are just not eating Indian food properly. It is culturally correct to eat family style and this happens to be how the restaurant is set up. So when you say one serving was not filling enough, it not necessarily is supposed to be.
The Rogan Josh, Chicken Tikka Masala and Adrikki Lamb are by far my favorites. The local lamb is so tender and juicy and I just devour it.
Thank you Pamposh, I will be back again.

The food was good — but did not blow me away. I was hoping for my spices and nuance in the food.

My boyfriend and I have decided that eating at Pamposh is akin to culinary sex. Every dish we’ve tried here has been amazing. We go in expecting just to eat main dishes, but end up ordering apps and dessert, and everything is delicious, rich, flavorful and amazing. The service is also very attentive and friendly. Highlights are the battered artichoke leaves, which comes with two incredible sauces (plum and mint, we’re guessing?), the apricot chicken main dish, and the custard dessert. Oh my gosh, that custard, with fresh berries and garnished with mint leaves. It’s decadent. It’s heavenly. It’s amazing.

We were there a week ago around 8:30 pm on Friday night. Our waitress (I believe her name was osin) recommended some lamb dish and tandori. It was a great combo. She also recommended a bottle of wine which complemented our food.
Food– Great
Service — great
Ambiance– Great
This was our first time in the restaurant and definitely not the last one.

I recently moved to the North Bay area from SoCal. I was spoiled by having authentic, fresh, Indian food down the street from my home (you can see my review). Since moving here my significant other and I have been eager to find a similar location.
First red flag– the restaurant was completely empty at 6pm on a Friday night. But, the décor was nice, the restaurant appeared to be clean, and the staff were friendly. So we proceeded to be seated.
We ordered the chicken masala, 2 naan, rice, and an appetizer (forget what it was called).
Second red flag– the meal came out in literally only five minutes. In the past when I have ordered Indian food it took at least 20 minutes because it was fresh and made to order. There is no way fresh food can be made in five minutes.
The naan was hard and crunchy. Naan is supposed to be soft and chewy if it is made to order.
The chicken was dry. I ordered for medium spice expecting it to be spicy, Indian food is known for its spices. The masala was not spicy AT ALL. It had no flavor. What is the point of Indian cuisine if it doesn’t have authentic Indian spices?
I also noticed that halfway through the meal there was a film forming over the sauce. That means it was most likely microwaved beforehand.
The worst part was the bill. It was 45 $ for the meal. It was barely enough food for two people. The Indian restaurant where I used to live would give triple the amount of food for half the price… and it was fresh!
Hopefully I will find a place that serves authentic Indian food. I will not be returning to Pamposh.

YUK– at least don’t go to this place for lunch. I got there tandori chicken salad to go.
The chicken was terrible-​SOOO DRY it tasted like I was eating shoe leather. That was the worst tandori chicken I have ever had. I am an indian food freak-​I usally love it– that chicken was horrifying. Then they put so much dressing on the lettuce that by the time I got back to my office (10 min. away) it was warm and completly wilted– I couldn’t even eat anything in that salad other than the tomatos. BLAAAA N.A.S.T.Y.

The best BEST BEST in the North Bay! The Chicken Tikka Masala is seriously off the hook! Doesn’t get fresher than Pamposh. I eat there and don’t feel like I have to take a nap afterward, and that’s really saying something for Indian food. It’s not greasy like a lot of places and is really just so fresh.
Lunch is so yum and so reasonably priced. Everything under $ 10. Not a bad thing on the menu. I’m partial to the Chicken Biryani which they will also make Veg for you with absolutely no problem. Oh and the Choli Bhatura. Yum! They bend over backwards to accommodate and the entire staff is absolutely wonderful.
Ok, now I’m hungry for Pamposh.

Very good. Everything is fresh, nice atmosphere, great service. We ordered a lot — curry was a standout.

The naan and papadum were decent. They forgot to add the flavor to the chicken tikka masala and the chicken korma. The samosa was also very bland. I never knew Indian could be so tasteless. The tenderness of the chicken and the kind people who helped us kept this from being 1 *.

I had the tandoori chicken and date had the soup. We shared naan and mango chutney. It was very simple and light meal.
Food was great and the service was also very good.

I am always leery about restaurants that do not post their menu prices on their website. My hunch is their prices are high and I am usually right. Pamposh is a little spendy in the context of Santa Rosa and I am comparing prices, food quality and portion size with other Indian restaurants in the area. All entrees are served ala Carte and rice is not included. This is the only negative I have as otherwise it serves some of the best Indian fares I have eaten. The restaurant exudes a warm and inviting vibe with some booths and neatly arranged tables and chairs. If you are a cleanliness freak, this is your place. The lady owner is very friendly and personable and this definitely adds to the relaxed and non-​stuffy atmosphere.
Here is a run down of some select entrees that I have tried:
— VEGETABLE SAMOSA is a fried triangular pastry stuffed with a savory filling of mashed and curried potatoes and green peas. The samosa is obviously pre-​made and heated prior to serving. The outer crust is temperature hot and gets colder as you bite into the filling. I agree with some Unilocalers that it is a little bland. However, the dipping sauces (tamarind and mint) do help to boost up the flavor.
— CHICKEN VINDALOO is the quintessential Indian curry that is hot and fiery and is just the way I love it. Every restaurant prepares it a little differently and Vindaloo is easily the spiciest of all the Indian curries that I know. I love Pamposh’s version as the curry is spicy without losing its flavor. In some restaurants, the curry tastes bitter when it gets too spicy. Pamposh uses boneless cubes of white meat chicken and potatoes although a few more pieces will be nice. Also I prefer chicken with bone on.
— TANDOORI CHICKEN
— TANDOORI TIGER PRAWN
In my opinion, this is the piece de resistance in their menu. Pamposh excels in this department. The chicken/​prawn are marinated in some secret spices and cooked in the intense heat of a tandoor oven. The menu says the spices used are ginger, garlic, yogurt and mustard but who knows what else! The meat is moist and tender with an explosion of exotic flavors from the tandoor. Squeeze a little lemon juice on to the meat and supplement the meat with slices of yellow onion and green bell peppers and that will surely send you to tandoori heaven! Most other Indian restaurant’s tandoori has a fiery red color but not Pamposh’s. The tandoori retains the original brownish color of the chicken or prawn. Years ago, the owner did give me a cogent explanation as to why this is so but I can’t for the life of me remember!
— CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA is a little too rich for my blood. The chicken cubes are marinated in yogurt and cooked in a tomato cream sauce. This is a good alternative for someone who cannot put up with the heat of the Vindaloo.
— BASMATI RICE and NAAN are the only way to go with any Indian curry. The rice is fragrant with green peas and cashews sprinkled on top. There are several kinds of naan and my personal favorite is onion kulcha. It is fluffy and shaped like a small pizza with lots of chopped onions.
i realize that Indian cuisine is not everyone’s cup of chai but is fast gaining popularity as we are now ready to tantalize our taste buds with new and spicier foods.