Curry Leaf

In life things aren’t always what they claimed to be. I went to Curry Leaf to enjoy a vegetarian meal with a dear friend, and needless to say she left hungry. Surprisingly they removed one of the most popular vegan entrees (Chana Masala), and haven’t even updated their online menu. The server was polite and did their best to provide an adequate alternative, which ended up being some kind of soup thing. While my dish was generally good (Aloo Palak), it was simply good, not amazing. For those who care about their health, don’t order the Papadum, which was lathered with oil and arrived with a tiny dipping sauce. In all the years I have ordered Papadum, I have never had it lathered with oil, and I could always see the beans crunched up in the flat bread, plus it has always been served with three dipping sauces.
We felt that something has happened at this restaurant, and it is clear in the change of menu. The owner is the cook, and of course defended his style and menu selection. Oh well, I have no need to return. But, if you decide to go there, don’t say you weren’t warned, and watch out for the wobbly toilet.

Went just once. Subpar food; OK service. Door was leaking cold air on a recent windy day.
Dosas and sambar came out cold and in miniscule quantities. Not sure they know what real S. Indian food is like. Had to go eat out a a different place to get full after spending over $ 40. Also not sure how they survive — will not be back.

Good for Gora Loke not for Indian. Got served cold samber size of samber dish is normally for kids Manu.
Chicken pice not cooked. Maybe we got here late 8.40pm anyhow won’t be back.
Service ok.

This place is amazing. Incredible, authentic Indian food, great ambiance, and impeccable service. You want a home cooked meal but don’t feel like cooking? This is your spot.
The Shrimp Tikka Masala is absolutely to die for. It’s spicy, creamy, awesome deliciousness. Seriously. Try it. It’s love at first bite. I will keep coming back because a rare gem like this is so special in a world full of fast food and processed everything. These people understand that food, and sharing a meal is one of the most important staples in life. And they do it beautifully & with love every single time.

this is a great place for authentic indian food in tucson. the dosas are spot on for southern indian cuisine. the naan is made from scratch every day, baked in a clay oven, and you can definitely taste the difference. the owner and chef came out to check on us, they’re both friendly and care about your meal.

Pretty decent Indian food for Tucson. The dosas are good and you can get some other dishes you can’t find in some other Indian restaurants in town, but the service can be a little slow.

Prices were a little high compared to other restaurants in the area, naan was also hard not sure if this was intended our it had been sitting for a while as we picked up the order a little late. All in all food was yummy.

Good authentic food with good service n prices. quiet place to dine in. Highly recommend the Dosai there.

Quiet, clean, fast service, and friendly. Unfortunately, no lunch buffet. They were out of vegetable curry at lunch today. The vindaloo I got instead was of good quality, but this type of food rarely satisfies me with only one type of entrée. A buffet would be much better.

Went here on a whim to have some Indian. I ordered the vegetable samosa which was a wonderfully fried and spiced mashed potato triangle. I also ordered the lamb korma curry. This tasted very good but could have used some vegetables or something along with the rice and meat. Other than that, it was a great experience at a small local restaurant.

I’ve been here twice and unfortunately was disappointed both times.
The food was overpriced and the quality taste wise was subpar. It is hard to find good restaurants offering different world cuisines and it is sad when a restaurant like this disappoints.

Food is pretty good. I like the Corma the most, which is something you can’t miss out on! Great restaurant. My only concern might be a little confusion when I received another plate than the one I already ordered. Didn’t have it fixed tho :)

Place was small, simple, and the food was delicious. We had the lamb vindaloo and it was the best I’ve ever had.

This place is around the corner from me so I WANT to like it. I don’t.
The first time I went, I had some kind of Groupon or Living Social discount. I took my son & his girlfriend, my daughter and my father — it was a special family evening out. The service was uncomfortable. They sat us at a table for 4 and it was too small. The owner sat at a table near the back and stared at us throughout our meal, the waitress seemed very uncomfortable. The dishes were unmemorable, portions were small but we still didn’t finish our food, and did not take the leftovers. Then the owner told us that if we wanted the discount it would come out of the waitress’s pay!!!
Yes, he said that!
We paid the bill in full and chalked it up to a language difference, and I called the originator of the coupon and told them what happened, and forgot about it.
About a year later my father wasn’t feeling well and asked for some soup. That was the closest place so I ran over there. I got a cup of some kind of soup, can’t remember anything except it was $ 7 for a tiny portion, and I had to wait almost 30 minutes.
Okay I WANT to like this place, so my daughter tried it one more time. IT WAS NOT GOOD. Again the owner sat and stared at us. There is no music so our dinner conversation was whispered — each time I’ve been there, there’s only one or two other tables being served. Also at night it’s too dark to see your food. And again, way overpriced.
Even though it’s 2 blocks away I’d rather drive a few miles to Gandhi of India or even our favorite «fast Indian food», Kababeque by the UA. Both have generous portions for reasonable prices.

I’m pretty new to Indian cuisine – only other time having it was in Kuwait – so keep that in mind as I go on to rave about this place.
While currently located in a small town, my buddy and I find ourselves wanting more diverse and unique food options. Good Indian food was brought up in conversation. Thus, our journey begins. We do research on Tucson’s Indian food offerings and The Curry Leaf was the first round pick. An hour and a half drive later, we find ourselves in this quaint little restaurant. I like the vibe. Smaller places like these have me thinking that it’s all about the food; not the show. Our waitress assures us that we’ll enjoy their food after we inform her that it’s our first time here. We’re off to a good start.
We want to make this trip count, so we order quite a bit. To start, we go with garlic naan and paneer pakora. The naan was garlicky, warm, and delicious. Finding garlic cloves within the dough was a pleasant touch. The paneer pakora reminded me of a McNugget substituted with tofu – a tofu nugget, if you will. I don’t know how, but it worked. The green chili (?)-based dipping sauce was awesome. I decide on the shrimp tikka masala for my main dish. I regret nothing – it was fantastic. The kind waiter/​host asked me how spicy I wanted it beforehand. Due to my indecisiveness, I respond with a simple «spicy.» And that’s just how it came. It contained a good amount of spice that had my sinuses open, but no sweating and/​or begging for more water. This spicy and somewhat sweet dish went very well with the basmati rice it came with. It almost reminds me of the Japanese-​style curry dishes I’ve had while in Korea. You know you’re enjoying your food when it brings back fond memories.
My friend enjoys the food so much that he orders another entrée for dessert! The man can definitely eat. I decide to split an order of gulab jamoon and kheer with the other buddy. Again, I’m new to this stuff. It was pretty damn good. If I had to compare the gulab jamoon to anything, I’d say it’s like a donut hole swimming in simple syrup. It works. The kheer was the more complex of the two desserts. I enjoyed every bit of it. This chilled rice, milk, cashew, and raisin dish was much like homemade bread pudding I’ve had. Needed to google «cardamom,» which this ginger-​like spice brought the delightful complexity to it.
Our adventure ends and it’s time to pay the cashier. I feel a subtle warmth in my gut. «Ooh, this feels kinda nice.» As we take turns paying, the chef enters the dining area and asks if we enjoyed the food. She appreciates our enthusiasm for her cooking and tells us to come back again. We definitely will.
Great food and great service from a friendly staff. I think Indian cuisine found a special place in my heart. Now, should I venture out and see what others can offer? Is that even possible? I just might be stuck here for a while.

My boyfriend and I decided to try this quaint little Indian restaurant and it was overall an enjoyable experience.
The staff was friendly and helpful as we looked over the menu and the atmosphere was subdued and relaxing. I ended up going with the lamb saag which was tasty but not out of this world delicious. Maybe if I would have asked for it to be a bit spicier it would have hit that mark.
My boyfriend chose the chicken tikka masala and it was nice and creamy but lacked some complexity, again probably relating to the fact we went with the more mild version. We’ll know better for our next visit!
The mango lassi was a sweet and creamy treat; a great way to end the meal.
As I said before an overall enjoyable experience and we look forward to trying it again.

Seriously, Tucson, start making the right restaurants popular (and start eating here more). You do have good food in town, but the mediocre joints are the ones you so often patronize. *OK, brush that chip off my shoulder* Sorry. And on with the review…
I can’t believe it took me so long to try Curry Leaf. I’ve eaten here twice now and the food has been excellent. Good samosas, good distinct curries, good naan. They have a whole section of dosas I haven’t tried yet.
The ingredients are treated with respect. The preparation is light and healthy, the way Indian food should be. Not the heavy, greasy preparations found at the NY style Indian places in town.
It’s hard to believe people have gotten bad naan here, but every restaurant sends out bad food sometimes, so I’ll believe those reviewers. However, both naans I’ve gotten here were perfect. Crispy bits on the outside, fully-​cooked but steamy and pliant on the inside. The garlic naan had a hint of fennel that made it beautifully balanced.
That sense of spice, coupled with the lightness of the preparations makes me suspect ayurvedic techniques at play, but that’s a bit more than I understand about Indian cuisine. That quality and level of thought in the food makes the smaller portions/​higher prices thing well worth it; you actually feel good after eating here.
That said, the gulab jamon was second, or even third rate. Hard and dense in an uninteresting syrup, but truth be told, I’ve only once in my life had this dessert at a restaurant and thought it was better than second rate. So getting that dish right is a bonus, not a necessity, in my book.
Missing one star because of the dessert, and I’d like to see a few other dishes on the menu, but maybe I’m being unfair on both counts. This might go to five after a couple more meals.

Haven’t had Indian food since moving to Tucson. Thought we would try this place. I drive by it all the time. The reviews are good. It was the worst Indian meal I have ever had. The palak paneer was especially disgusted. The garlic naan was dry and flaky. I don’t remember the last time I left garlic naan on the table. I would add that the ambiance was really odd. The servers were really annoying in a bubbly airhead sort of way. When our server asked how the food, we told her it wasn’t very good. She giggled and ignored our experience. Okay. We hold this isn’t the best Indian food Tucson has to offer. Gross.
This is a response to the owner’s response to my review posted on 11/​22/​2014.
So it took the owner 7 months to TROLL my honest review of the worst Indian dining experience that we have ever had. This suggests two things. First, the owner doesn’t care enough to check public reviews of his restaurant. Second, the owner has no idea how to respond to public criticism. Here’s a hint: trolling is not the answer.
Ultimate Conclusion: Loser behavior from a loser restaurant.

I chose this place to dine with a friend when spending a night in Tucson (LOVE the landscape here). I hope this little restaurant was having an off day b/​c we had a bad experience.
The food was under cooked.
Found a hair in dish.
The worst part as the hostess/​waitress who was indifferent and borderline rude from the get go. And they were barely busy so not sure what the deal was.
Basically paid $ 40 for mediocre food & unpleasant experience.

Really good! Satisfied my craving. I just wish it was more affordable. Good quantity, good quality. just a tad pricey.

Terrible. The papadam tasted like French fries. The rice was overcooked short grain. Chana masala not as bad but not very good.

The food was very good. The veggie samosa’s were something I have never tried before, and I enjoyed. The Aloo Mutter was spiced just right, and was enjoyable. The service was mediocre. The waitress was short, but not unfriendly. The atmosphere could use a little help. I went with a friend who said the soup she had was way too spicy, and there was no offer to replace it, or take it off the bill.

In Tucson and want to try something new and light? Dosas at Curry Leaf are a good option.
I’ve been there twice and here are my three pointers about this restaurant:
1. The dosas are freshly made and they are really really good. My fave: Mysore Masala Dosa for its amazing flavor and aroma. The sauce it is served with is decent as well.
2. It can take a good 25 – 30 mins for food to be served. I mention that because unfortunately, serving time can make or break a persons experience. The folks who do serve are the nicest though.
3. They’re closed on Sundays! I wish this wasn’t true but it is what it is. Sigh.

After dining here, my search for «my» indian restaurant continues …
I was impressed that they offer both north and south cuisine, so we tried one of each.
The masala dosa was average, a huge portion, which is typical. Yet what was offered in size, lacked in flavor. It was served with two dipping sauces, the peanut one being very thick and odd.
I was pretty disappointed with the chicken tikka masala. The sauce reminded me of something jarred, rather than home made. The chicken was all evenly cubbed, yet was quite dry.
On a positive note, beers start at $ 2.50, rice comes with entrees and the naan was good.

Let me start by saying that I moved here from a city that had almost as many indian restaurants as american, so I realize I’m polarized for having that luxury.
I ordered for two to-​go. I ordered spicy (~7−8/10) madras curry and my boyfriend ordered spicy korma (also ⁸⁄₁₀), and they were honestly really underwhelming. We asked the waitress what she thought of the spice scale and she said to her, something incredibly spicy would be a 9, so we thought we’d go just slightly below that to make sure we were on the same page.
First, neither of them were even remotely spicy. I realize spice is a little objective, but if someone asks for a 7 or 8 out of 10, I expect to at least need a glass of something cool to drink.
The actual spices in the dish were right, but the portions of them were wrong. There are many kinds of korma, some creamy, some less sweet, I’ve tried a lot. This didn’t really taste much like any korma that I’ve ever had, the anise was more overbearing than other flavors so it lacked a lot of depth that kormas usually have.
The Madras curry was honestly all right, but nothing special. I wouldn’t order it again.
Additionally, the portions were seriously disappointing. For $ 40, we ordered two entrees (with rice), peshwari naan and kheer, but when we got it, there were maybe a total of 7 bites of the entrees (each), three bites of the kheer and the naan was one piece cut into halves. For the price, that feels a little unreasonable.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t impressed enough to go back.