Bhelwala Indian Street Food

Food was fresh and served hot. Got the Chicken Tiki Masala bowl with brown rice. Many various options available and the staff are helpful in assisting with recommendations and tasting. Can’t wait to return to try something different.

Don’t let the Indian part of the name fool you. Excellent food every time. I love chipotle but this is my new favorite. Definitely a good alternative as it is served chipotle style. I suggest getting the sauces on the side and just the tzatziki sauce on the bowl itself. You can definitely adventure in the sauces if you get them on the side. The food is always fresh, I stopped at random times of the day and was never disappointed. The food overall is definitely organic. Everything has a perfect seasoning. I have yet to use the salt shaker. You don’t have be feel adventurous as many ethnic places. This is definitely a must try place.

I tried bhelwala on a whim tonight, I’m so glad I did! this is absolutely amazing. I got the chicken Tika I believe it was, I love it. the man who helped me was amazing and I’m thankful that I had him to help me! go try this.

The food was delicious and the staff was really friendly and happily walked us through the ordering process. It’s set up like a Chipotle, where you choose a base, a protein, veggies and a chutney. Their recommendations were spot on. Highly recommend it.

Fast and delicious! I love the different options! Anyone can eat here — vegetarians, meat-​eaters, spice lovers, and people who cry at the smallest piece of a red pepper flake! The employees are very friendly and helpful. We have tried a lot of recommended dishes and haven’t tried one that we didn’t love! I can’t wait to go back :)

Walking into Bhelwala, you can instantly tell it follows Chipotle’s fast-​casual formula. You go down the line ordering rice bowl or wrap, then you select your proteins, veggies, and sauces. Even the layout and the industrial-​modern décor of the interior is Chipotle-​esque.
If you’re unfamiliar with the process or the food, the employees are extremely helpful and more than willing to let you sample everything prior to ordering. The customer service was the best part of the experience. Everyone was friendly and genuine, and you could tell they put a lot of effort into trying to make this concept work, which makes the next part harder…
The food. It isn’t good. I’m not an expert on Indian food, but I’ve tried enough from several places to know what *I* at least like, and sadly this place misses the mark. I was able to try the chicken tikka masala and lamb meatball with spinach masala. Both were bland, room temperature, and just way overpriced for what you get. And the naan was pretty obviously of the prepackaged, store-​bought variety, just reheated on a flattop grill into a dry, stale disc.
I really wanted to like this place, but it unfortunately misses the mark where it matters most: the food. I love the excellent service and that they brought a different concept to an area that is otherwise oversaturated with tired ass chain restaurants, but I can’t say I’ll be back.

Let me begin by saying I was unsure about Indian food. I’m a picky eater but wanted to try something new. Soooo glad I did!
Like others said, this is similar to chipotle or piada. The staff is super helpful and explain what everything is as you go down the line. The girl helping me not only said what was in each item, but informed me of her favorites and allowed me to try a small spoonful first.
This was a great experience and so yummy. I may be back tomorrow!

Have enjoyed Imdian foods for many years. The food here was ok but nothing special. I have had better. The one striking thing is the food is way overpriced.

5 stars for the original idea alone!
We were in Strongsville for a skating event and the name caught my attention. We are vegan which is not the easiest in this mediate area.
Their menu fully denotes Vegetarian, VeGan and Gluten Free… And where there was not a vegan sauce option, they made one for us!
Everything tasted fresh. The spices and chutneys were very flavorful, with the right hit of tang and spice. The service is stellar. And the price is amazing for both quality and quantity!
We sent a few skaters over and they liked it as much as we did.
3 choices: wrap, bowl or salad, then the sky’s the limit of fillings, toppings, sauces and chutneys. I really enjoyed the chick pea wrap with the coriander mint chutney and tiki masala!

Our first experience at Bhewala was fantastic. The man who led us through our menu options was very helpful. We ended up with a brown rice bowl with lamb meatballs & Okra. It was a substantial portion of which the left overs are going to make the perfect lunch tomorrow.
I’ve left out the most important part of my review — the food was delicious!!! The meatballs were great, vegetables perfectly seasoned, all of the wonderful Indian spices you would want to have shined through, and the condiment sauces really let you personalize your dish.
I can’t wait till the open more in other local cities.

Tried Bhelwala for the first time last night. First, the staff was very helpful and even offered tastes. As others have pointed out they seem to be modeled after Chipotle which is a good idea. I do like Indian food and was excited to try this. I was a little disappointed in the taste as it lacked the Indian spice I am used to with other Indian restaurants. I think I is good for Americans who want to try something different but not too spicy. I will probably come back and give it another try but will not rush in.

Chipotle but with Indian food! You pick roti, rice, or salad then your meat, veggies, & sauces.
Highly recommend! The staff was super sweet and helpful too. Can’t wait to go back.

Bhelwala’s was fast, convenient, and filling — I had enough leftovers after stuffing my face for a second meal later in the day (or for my husband to steal… grrr). If I lived nearby this would be an easy to-​go repeat. The food and options were tasty; I loved the paneer (they gave me a lot and I was sooo excited about it) and the Tikka sauce was good as well. I wasn’t a huge fan of the naan, but they don’t bake it in house– which is normally the draw for me anyways. It’s priced a little high for the concept. I think, but for the amount of food you get I can accept that. The staff were super friendly and helpful, and quick to provide samples and answer questions to those apprehensive about the food/​combinations — my mom and brother really appreciated this.
Anyone writing reviews complaining that this isn’t authentic Indian food, please quit. It doesn’t claim to be. Appreciate it for what it is and take the time to USE Unilocal and find what you think is «authentic Indian food» in CLE. It’s great that you can walk in, get a quick Indian fix with less than $ 10 and 5 minutes of your time, which would be unheard of somewhere that is «authentic». Great place!

I love Indian food and this concept. First, remember that this isn’t any more «authentic» Indian than Chipotle is authentic Mexican or Piada is authentic Italian. It is similiar in taste profile, but I wouldn’t compare this to my favorite full service Indian restaurant. However, it is super fast and lets me get a quick taste of Indian when I don’t have much time.
The spice levels vary with what you order. One dish was very mild. Another was «I need more water» spicy. I liked both, but I always prefer spice to no spice. They let you taste the items and sauces and you can even ask to have a bunch of sauces on the side so you an decide which flavors you like. And the staff has been friendly and willing to offer suggestions.
It has a «chain» feel to it but it’s a single, locally owned location. I’m sure they hope to open more. I hope they do well. I love having something different in the ‘burbs.

Concept is good based on chipotle, but the food has no flavor. Spice level is zero or can say suited to American taste buds. chipotle or Italian food has more flavors .
In the name of street food they just hav 2 options CINNAMON bhelpuri (I guess Americanized) and samosa chat only
Again the chutneys r watery, salt less and flavorless
Paneer tikka was more like paneer cooked in tomato and yogurt
A small bhelpuri cup for $ 3.50 pricey food huh !
Coming to Indian place and getting pita bread as naan and wheat tortilla as roti was big turnoff
The portions r small, so If ordering rice bowl for 1 person than be prepared to order something else or u can remain hungry .
In an all I was here to have some street food And all I got was cinnamon flavored bhelpuri and choley chawal .
Next time I’ll prefer going to chipotle rather going to bland indian food .
For me it’s a big NO NO

As an Indian, did not liked the food. It would be more suitable to American folks. Here nothing tastes like the great Indian street food.
Would prefer Chipotle more.
Highly disappointed with the taste, not advisable to people looking for the Indian taste.
Ambiance and Hygiene is good.

Fast-​casual Indian food that unfortunately totally missed the mark the night we tried it… overall a disappointing experience, and I had such high hopes after a few glowing reviews from friends who had been there.
The naan we ordered was taken out of a tray and reheated on a flattop giving it a somewhat soggy/​chewy consistency instead of that charred/​crisp outside you’d normally expect.
The samosa we tried was baked (not fried) so it was kind of mushy, but the potato and spice filling was tasty.
Our Paneer Tikka roll with Palak (Spinach) Masala was tasty and is something I might try again. The chicken Tikka Masala was okay, sauce was not as flavorful as I expected (too much rice in the bowl relative to the meat and sauce combination). The lamb meatballs with Palak Masala and yogurt riata was the best dish of those we sampled, although it had a distinct Greek (not Indian) flair to it.
I’m pretty sure I’ll give this spot another try as I really want this place to succeed, given the lack of interesting (and diverse) eating spots around town.

Great concept. Think Chipotle but Indian food. Exactly the same idea. The food was great, the staff was terrific. It’s different than an Indian buffet. You choose sauces and that had me wondering if it was too many different flavors in my bowl but it turned out fine. I got the chutney on the side and even that went with the main courses I chose. I also ordered a samosa. Less than fresh but you couldn’t make them from the order or people would be waiting around forever. It was still good and I really liked it with my tamarind sauce.
I really liked the choice of material for the bowl. Cardboard is biodegradable. I wish the plastic picnic ware followed suit, however. They also serve the chutney in plastic and there’s no place to recycle there. It’s not enough to deduct a star. They made an effort here but could do a better job. Try this place, it’s a lot of fun.

I love Indian food and I was so excited for this place to open up. I also love small businesses and I would rather spend my money at a small, family-​owned place such as Bhelwala, than a large corporate diner, like Chipotle’s.
So why did I only give 3 stars?
PROS:
1) Food was tasty
2) Service was friendly
3) Restaurant was clean + pleasant
4) Free wi-​fi
CONS:
1) Portions were small
2) Food was pricey
3) Naan wasn’t very good
4) Rice was mushy
5) Food was barely warmer than room temp
I have to say that I came on a day that Bhelwala was having trouble with their rice cooker (s) I don’t know if they have 2 separate rice cookers, however, there was no brown rice available and the white rice wasn’t ready until 20 minutes after opening. The white rice was bland and pretty mushy, almost like porridge.
Since the rice wasn’t ready when the restaurant opened, the four customers, including myself, waited patiently. None of us wanted to be pushy, so none of us waited AT the counter. Instead, we all sat at tables, waiting for a signal when the rice would be ready. The owner/​manager Chris was very apologetic and kept thanking us for our patience.
It was upsetting when a fifth customer walked in, went straight for the counter (because he didn’t know that the rest of us had been waiting) and the Bhelwala girl just took his order, letting him order ahead of all of us. She should have said, «Sir, these people have been patiently waiting, so if you don’t mind, I’ll tend to them first»
Anyway, we finally got to order. The Bhelwala girl was very friendly and helpful in describing the various meats, veggies, sauces and whatever else you could pick to add to your order. It was nice that she took the time to explain all the items.
I ordered the chicken and my husband ordered the lamb meatballs. While the meat was tasty, it wasn’t very hot. I’m referring to the food temperature. Everything felt only a little warmer than room temperature, and this was just as the restaurant opened. (We dined in) We also ordered naan (bread) which was bland and did not have a great texture. I’ve bought better naan at Costco, ready-​made. The portions of the food were pretty small. The bowls were just over half full. We still felt hungry after our meal, and we are not big eaters at all.
We ordered the 2 entrees, one piece of naan and no drinks and our order came to $ 23, which seemed like a LOT for such little food. We could have gotten more food at Chipotle across the street, with drinks for less than that. We also could have gone to our favorite Indian place, Jaipur Junction, and gotten all-​you-​can-​eat Indian food for under $ 20 total.
I understand that the issues with the rice cooker (s) might have made a significant impact on the food we received. However, the food being lukewarm, the portions being small and the overall price of the meals weren’t impacted by the rice cooker problem.
Again, I love small businesses and I feel a little sad posting this review. The owner/​manager seemed like a very nice man and I hope this business is successful for him. He did offer us a coupon for a free meal (to compensate for our wait) so perhaps we will give this place a second chance.

So I’ve been meaning to check out this place for a while and since I was in the area today, I decided to check it out. It is located in a strip mall off Pearl Rd in Strongsville. Walking in the décor is modern and clean– it does remind me of Chipotle and has a cool quote from Gandhi on the wall. The server was very friendly and generous in her offerings of samples. She was patient in explaining how the system works which I appreciated.
Ultimately, I got two entrees to go– rice bowls with Lamb meatballs, paneer and chicken. I tried each of the sauces as well as accompaniments and got a samosa to go. Overall, it was decent. It seemed like flavors might have been toned down a bit for American tastes. Would’ve appreciate some stronger spices since that is what Indian food is known for. Lamb meatballs were delicious and numerous. Chicken was a little bit overcooked. I wish they were more generous with their rice. My wife and I finished the meal not quite full despite having the tasty and well made samosa.
Overall, I’d come again but not make a special trip out to Strongsville to go here. If I was a local I’d probably be back more often. Ultimately I think that I liked Flavors of India a little more, especially their buffet even though it costs a little more. Hope this place succeeds– we need more of these kinds of restaurants in CLE.