The Dhaba

Wasn’t really a big fan of Indian food, but once every ten years or so, I can sample this type of food. Even if you order it level one, there is a chance of sweating. The spices don’t burn, but they do linger for a bit. I can’t pronounce what I ordered, but it involved chicken breast chunks in a heavy sauce with onions and peppers. The dish was good and so was the basmati rice which was included in the price of the entrée. Otherwise, it is essential that you of course order the garlic Naan and that lived up to the hype with a light tough of garlic on soft bread. The mango lassi didn’t taste too mangoey, but was a nice creamy cool down when things got hot. Check-​in on Unilocal for a free rice pudding which has some hidden raisins and nuts buried inside. The place is on the outskirts of a shady neighborhood, but as far as Indian food goes, it was a good new experience.

If I could give this place ZERO stars I would. My boyfriend and I were turned down with the excuse «the kitchen is already cleaned up» while we attempted to celebrate his birthday here. Umm, then why are there at least THREE tables waiting for their food… can’t help but think our skin color contributed to this. I hope no interracial couples or black women ever spend a dime at this place. Apparently the owners forgot that all money is green. Won’t ever try to come back and I hope people reading this take it to heart when I say we truly felt that our skin color contributed to us not being served.

Been to a few other Indian restaurants and this wins first place still. The food taste amazing, love the free appetizers and even the silverware is adorable. Always get the Gobi aloo and veggie curry. So good!!!

We came here over the weekend after my husband had a craving for Indian food and found The Dhaba online and said it had the best reviews he had seen for Indian food near us. We drove out from Gilbert and found the restaurant easily.
Upon entering the restaurant, we saw they had about 15 tables, and about 3 of them had guests. A few had «reserved» signs on them. The woman at the front (I believe she and her husband are the owners, she also took our order) asked immediately if we had a reservation, and we did not. She made it seem like it would be very difficult to get us a table, despite the relative emptiness of the restaurant when we arrived. A minute or two later we were able to be seated.
The place settings were impressive with the heavy brass cups and brass-​accented silverware. We ordered our favorites (garlic naan, chicken tikka masala, lamb vindaloo), and the food came out very fast. I have a low spicy tolerance and ordered my food at a «2» and it seemed more like what I would call a «5» — I would have loved a larger water cup while I was eating, but man was it delicious (though no one should ask me to be a spice judge!). I thought the cart they used to bring the food out was a little weird, and with the napkins clipped on to it, it seemed very unimpressive in a very otherwise impressive setting. Some of the staff could be friendlier, but that didn’t take away from the food, and I even brought my leftover sauce home and cooked more chicken (and added some plain yogurt to temper the spice for this weakling) for leftovers! We will be back (we both like quality Indian food, and The Dhaba certainly delivered!), but we’ll be sure to make a reservation next time. :)

Awesome food and service, butter chicken and chicken tikka masala are a must especially if you area first timer and have never ate Indian food. The food can be suprisingly spicy if you aren’t careful so if you ask for a 7 or 8 your asking for some spicy stuff if your usually a mild kind of person. Overall best Indian food in Arizona by far!!!

We’ve been coming here for the past few years. We consider The Dhaba as one of our favorite Indian restaurants. When it came up for AZ Restaurant week, I jumped on it, great food, great deal. We made the reservation through Open Table at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Hostess, owners, servers are always very nice and polite.
We ordered the AZ Restaurant Menu for 2 for $ 44, Great deal. In addition we ordered 1 extra entrée and beers. Starter of Keema Samosas filled with Lamb was good. Normally I order the Vegetarian Potato Samosas, so this was a change for me. Entrees were the Kashmiri Chicken Tikka Masala which came with Rice and 2 orders of Naan. As an extra we ordered the Murgh Chicken Vindaloo (our spicy spicy favorite). Dessert was included so I tried the Kulfi, Indian Ice Cream. All the food was fantastic. We like the hot level as 8 which is perfect for us.
Food is as good as it gets and service is excellent!

I had an amazing lunch here! I was craving some ethnic food and Indian always does the trick… If it’s good… and I’ve lived in Phoenix for 10 years and have not until recently had very good luck finding a satisfying fix for my Indian cravings.
I got the Chicken Tikka Marsala, which is a Wednesday lunch special and it was exactly what I was craving. It came with rice, Naan (I upgraded to garlic) and side salad and a side, I got the yogurt over the lentils.
The Chicken Tikka was perfect, the tandoori chicken was tender, the sauce robust and thick but not greasy. I asked for mine as a level 5 (they ask 1 – 10) for spiciness and it had some kick but was a perfect heat for me. The rice white is a white/​brown combo was moist and the perfect compliment.
The little side salad was nothing special, a little iceberg and some chopped carrots but the dressing was really a standout. I asked what it was and they said it was «house made» with mango, mustard, and spices. This dressing has a kick and dressed up (pun intended) the boring little salad.
The yogurt sauce I ordered because it came with the meal, but I ended up eating the whole thing and mixing some with the Marsala. It’s was very very good.
Naan, awesome awesome too.
I will definitely go back for lunch here again and maybe dinner (it’s close to work but far from home). The service was very very prompt and there aren’t many tables and they weren’t slammed for lunch but they were steady so there might be a wait, I would imagine dinner may be busier than lunchtime here. Perfect portion and cost for a good lunch at $ 16.

Delicious lunch today at The Dhaba
Favorites were:
Pindi Chole (fried bread and curried chickpeas), Sharabi Kababi Gosht (lamb with spinach, ginger, garlic and spices) and Machi Masaledar (aka Fish Vindaloo, hot hot hot!).

Mmmm, incredible! Loved my meal here!!! First time at the Dhaba and I am so impressed! We ordered paneer tikka masala, lamb curry, and aloo gobi… And naan of course! The main dishes come with jasmine rice. Everything was fantastic. Rich, flavorful, and fresh! I will be back VERY soon!
5 stars, no doubt!

They’ve got an enormous menu with choices for everyone. We ordered mild and got some pretty well-​spiced dished. Delish, and with great intensity. We felt it was a bit pricey for lunch, and they sadly do not have a kid’s menu, but the food and service were very good — some highlights…
Nan — perfectly cooked with great char
Chicken Tika Masala — excellent complex flavors (our favorite of the meal)
Lamb Curry — ordered medium, which means spicy, but very tasty
Okra — dry fried with perfectly camamelized onions
They also have an Indian grocery and shop next door, and extra parking in the back too.

I love all the vegan options they had. Great small atmosphere, make sure you get a reservation!
The food was really spicy, I’m on an all plant base diet and don’t usually eat such prepared foods without getting sick.
As spicy as it was, my stomach is only warm, not bad at all. I took home the leftovers and can’t wait to eat them tomorrow!

I had a higher expectations considering the reviews. The place is quite packed up during weekend dinner hours with a good amount of people. We had ordered kebab platter but was told to replace tandoori chicken with chicken tikka which we readily agreed. The kebabs come on a sizzler which keeps it hot. We all friends are quite used to spicy food but it was quite bland as per our taste buds. Next we had goobhi fry which crispy and good. For main course we ordered dhaba korma chicken, paneer, kasmiri naan, chili naan and garlic naan. Kashmiri naan and garlic are good, chilli does not a distinct chilli taste. Desert was Ric’s pudding thanks to Unilocal!
I would prefer a more spicy food though.

All-​star Indian food again! My wife and I stepped out for some Indian cuisine this evening and we’re delighted yet again with The Dhaba.
I literally opened my Unilocal app, looked up my review, we ordered the same things, and it was wonderful. We got a little lively and went with a heat index of 7 this time (too hot for the wife, we’re sticking with 6 from now on). Service was on point, food was amazing, atmosphere is authentic.
Thanks again for an amazing dining experience!

I was so glad I actually had time to try this authentic Punjabi Indian restaurant located on Apache Boulevard. Outside, they have a number of rickshaws which make excellent photo ops, as well as a Tandoori oven. Inside, you will be pleasantly surprised to find a small, quaint restaurant with about a dozen tables. It definitely has that mom-​and-​pop type of feel. The menu is expansive, had wine pairings in the margins, and their spice scale is from 1 to 10. We started off the meal with mango lassi (really creamy and refreshing) and complementary papadum. Instead of the usual brown tamarind or green cilantro chutney, they actually have a third chutney that will make you sweat and clear your sinuses with about two bites. We decided to order two meat dishes and two veggie dishes, one of each would be super spicy and the rest would be mild so the whole family including the kids could enjoy. We ordered: chicken korma, tava sabji, lamb curry, palik kofta, a spiced veggie dish, and two types of Naan. Basmati rice was included. All the food was wonderfully spiced and well balanced. Our two spicy dishes, which we had requested a seven, was too mild. The chicken and lamb were extremely tender and broken apart with your fork.
Speaking of forks, each place setting must’ve cost $ 100. All of the plates, utensils, and cups were handmade copper imported from India. The drinking cup would have made a fine Moscow Mule cup.
For dessert we received our free complementary house desert by checking in on Unilocal,as well as the ras malai. Both were fantastic and did not overdo the cardamom.
Service did feel rushed. Naturally, the place is small, so they want to turn the tables over quickly. They need to take a chill pill. Additionally, another huge negative is that they are located next to a gas station were a lot of undesirables were hanging out. I went to check in my car twice just to make sure it was not broken into.
I definitely can’t wait to come back and try more items from the expansive menu

We really enjoyed our Christmas dinner at The Dhaba. Given it was just two of us in town, I couldn’t be bothered to cook a big traditional meal — this was one of the most memorable Christmas meals we’ve had!
My husband was immediately excited when we pulled up and noticed they have a store attached to the restaurant advertising British food (he’s from Scotland). So in addition to a delicious meal we were able to purchase Cadbury Flakes for dessert. The meal itself was unexpectedly good. We started out with an order of onion bhaji and a dish I don’t remember the name of (aloo tikki chaat perhaps?), but it resembled a deconstructed samosa — AMAZING!
We knew we wanted to try the Lamb Vindaloo and the waitress recommended we also go with the Chicken Tikka Masala. We asked the dishes be prepared based on the chefs recommended spice level. I was shocked by how much my husband enjoyed the tikka masala — not usually his favorite as he doesn’t like anything sweet. The dish had the perfect amount of spice and creaminess. I also really enjoyed the lamb vindaloo, the flavors continued to build as the meal went on — and was really good for breakfast the next day.
The service was excellent. We found everyone to be very personable and able to provide great recommendations with some funny stories to tell. We sat near the hostess stand and I noticed that many people with 7pm reservations arrived early. The hostess handled the groups early arrival well, especially given there were two people serving all of the tables.
The menu is unique, offering much for vegetarians and carnivores alike. I wasn’t feeling well and was happy sipping on my Chai tea (so yummy). We will definitely be back to enjoy another meal soon!

I never had Indian food this unique. The first thing that I noticed was the good smell of Indian curry and the overall atmosphere featuring many Indian decorations. Everything from the bronze plates, spoons, heavy metal water cups, baskets, added onto the experience. My friend who is from an Indian family actually said that the restaurant served good authentic food, so I’ll take her word for it.
My friends and I went as a large group, and was attended and helped frequently. The lunch came with a complementary appetizer with different sauces and something that resembled crackers (refer to picture), and we ordered an additional garlic naan. When we were about to order, there were an overwhelming amounts of different kinds of curry — I appreciated the choices, but it was somewhat hard to decide because I wanted to try it all. People can request for different spice levels — I wouldn’t recommend going too high though because the food can be very spicy. I’m awful at eating spicy foods so I ordered the no-​spice-​at-​all curry, which was still great. I had the chicken curry, and my friend had the one with cheese chunks inside. I know that sounds weird, but I think I actually liked her curry better than mine.
Along with our curry, we got large platters of rice with hints of different spices. I wish I could explain it better, but the taste was something that I haven’t personally experienced before. Take my word for it though — the food at this place was good.
I will go back to The Dhaba again for sure because I found out that I really do love authentic Indian food, and I’d give more than 5 stars if I could. With amazing setups, great food, kind service, I’ll be sure to bring my sister over for a meal!

Man. ⁵⁄₅ stars on Unilocal stands for «Woohoo! As good as it gets!», and that’s exactly how I’ll describe my experience at The Dhaba. Every item we ate was flavorful and unique, the service was spectacular, and the setting, with ornate decorations and cool water goblets, definitely qualifies as a perfect selection for a date or anniversary. We had the chance to chat with the owner and his family — they’re huge on service to the community, and they take care of the nearby metro stop (I believe they even donated the land to build it). Food-​wise, everything was delicious, but I especially recommend the mango chicken curry dish. Seriously, though, just ask for recommendations and they’ll guide you right.
Definitely will be back. This one is going on my «best of Phoenix» list.

Terrific Food. Average Service.
The Dhaba clearly has some of the better prepared Indian dishes in probably all of Phoenix /​Tempe AZ area. It begins right at the menu where the items are listed in a clever fashion with an intelligent play on words. The touch of an actual Rickshaw at the store entrance was quite interesting.
We had dishes from the tandoor including chicken, fish and lamb. Food was excellent and went even better with a bottle of wine. This establishment clearly has a terrific grasp on the tandoor oven and the accompanying and associated tastes and flavors.
The service on the other hand did not match the excellence of the prepared foods. Service was slow at times and we had to get the attention of the server a few times. Service needs a little bit of professionalism added to it.
We will go back to eat at this establishment again because the food was that great.

Out of all the Indian restaurants that I’ve been to in the valley, this one is definitely the best one I’ve been to so far. Their curry dish is amazingly delicious. I wanted to order one that tastes sweet and this one is definitely favorable. Their flat bread is so fresh and I can’t get enough of it.
I order a Mango Lassi and it tastes a bit weird to me. As for the dessert, I ordered rice pudding and it is a bit too sweet for my taste (still delicious). Service was average.
I will come back here again to try other dishes.

The food is good I have always been a regular here more with pick up, after a long day I prefer to call and place my order so i don’t have to go there and wait but the time duration specified by them is more than 25 minutes which is a tad too much.
Also they refused the free In House dessert which was a deal on Unilocal for check in, they said it was not valid on pickup!
Wish they would step up the service and make it as good as the food.
I will keep coming back because the food has never disappointed, the service however is questionable!
They also have a little store next door which is great if you’re looking for Indian spices.