Temptations

Temptations has come (or should I rather say, gone down) a far way since its inception. I was there on opening night and the place is so different right now. My last visit there was over three months back for dinner. I went there with my wife and two kids. 15 minutes after we were done ordering, we were told that ¹⁄₃^rd of the items we ordered were not available that night. Another item we ordered would take an hour to make, we were told. We had to settle for other dishes. Even then, the food took a long time to arrive and tasted ordinary. We were all tired and cranky by the time everything arrived and were in no mood to eat.
I still love the ambience of the place and that’s the only reason why I’d give it two stars. Never going back there again until many people tell me things have changed…
Get your act together, guys!

Husband and I weren’t too impressed. Went on a Sat. for the lunch buffet – it was okay, but for the price we expected tastier food!

It’s been a long time since I last reviewed and I thought it necessary to give you a more recent spin on this place. I heard Temptations had done a remodel and changed a lot of things, including the menu itself — simplified but very expansive and flexible, and also the prices came down a lot. New ownership, perhaps? Anyway, I decided to go back and give it another try because it’s literally just up the road from my flat. And, besides, it’s now cheaper than it’s Ann Arbor competitors.
Since that initial return visit, I’ve stopped in for dinner several times. I think it’s fair to say my regard for Temptations has gone way up.
The aesthetic of the interior is very unique, unlike anywhere else I’ve eaten at (except, maybe, the Detroit Seva location), but I really liked it. It was comfortable and welcoming. The service is a bit spotty, as in there are still some long gaps between visits from your server (also, by the way, the whole staff seems to rotate serving duties or something because I’m not sure who my server actually was), but the restaurant is clean, the staff are friendly, and my food didn’t take too long, so it was okay. Also they provided a free appetizer, which was nice.
The food was great, simply put. I’ve had a handful of dishes since returning — my favourites being Baingan Bharta and Vegetable Vindaloo — and they’ve been excellent, extremely flavourful. The Roti was also crispy and chewy and fresh. The only complaint I had was the spice level, which I would rate as being on the milder end. I’m a big fan of spicy food and I’ve eaten curry on three continents, so when I order my food «extra extra spicy» I can’t help being a bit disappointed when it comes out more like «medium.» That’s really the only reason I’m not giving this five stars, because frankly everything else I’m quite a fan of.

My rating is SOLELY based on their food. I a lot of people have knocked the rating down due to service… but as I only get carry out from here, I can’t comment on the service.
Temptations has become my favorite Indian restaurant in the area. My usual place was Shalimar… but carry out was a pain in the ass (as anyone who tries to find parking near main street can attest) and the prices are pretty high. From temptations, I can get 2 entrees and extra naan for around $ 20. I love their buttered chicken and the vindaloo. I usually get med+ and it’s the perfect amount of heat… and the heat doesn’t hit you square in the face. It sort of sneaks up on you as you eat.
I also think their naan is the best. It has a more chewy consistency than naans from other places, which I personally prefer. Take out times can take long… on average it takes about 30 mins. But hey… just call ahead and you won’t have any issues.

Well, I came back to give this place another try. Unfortunately the service was just as bad, it took just as long, and they still didn’t have the Gulab Jamun I so badly craved (even though it WAS on the menu). While the food is good, I just don’t think it is good enough to make up for the bad service. I think I’ll stick to take-​out from now on.

Went here for the buffet at lunch today and… there’s no more buffet. There is a menu that appears to be the lunch/​dinner menu which has some entrees listed and prominently offers their box lunches. The $ 5+tax lunch includes two entrees, rice, naan and a small desert. If I were an EMU student who could easily get off campus I would come here often for what struck me as a cheap, filling lunch of average quality Indian food. Except I’m not an EMU student looking for a cheap, filling lunch of average quality Indian food.
When Temptations’ buffet was good, it was plentiful, well-​cooked food. I loved that they changed up the vegetable entrees according to what was in-​season. However, the quality of the buffet diminished over the years and I hadn’t been back for several months for that reason. Even when the food was good, I agree with adjectives used by other reviewers which aptly describe the general personality of the restaurant: inconsistent, disconnected, not well thought out. Too bad.

Their buffet is GREAT. Totally worth it to try and go during lunch so that you try all of their amazing dishes. I loved my classic, the chicken makhani, but also a lot of the other veggie entrees. Great service and staff.

Very good lunch buffet but not amazing. They have the standards and I enjoy them but I’ve had far better in my time as well overall a little pricey. I don’t get around here that often but when I do I’ve never had a particularly bad time just not particularly amazed ever either

If i was judging only on food taste i would give 4 star but the service here is terrible. The majority of customers are ordering buffet so this is really a hard one to mess up. Also don’t arrive at 11am when they are open cuz door is usually locked and food not ready til noon.

Came for dinner since I had a groupon.
The food here is all right. Big restaurant with lots of seating. Pretty good customer service.
I think we got a complimentary soup, which was pretty bad tasting. The rest of the meal was fine though.

One of the better Indian lunch buffets in the area. Their lunch items are not quite as watered down/​blanded down as most indian lunch buffets, and still retain the integrity of the flavors and actual spices. Sometimes they’ve got items with actual heat to them. I appreciate that, so I dine here for lunch, which is reasonably priced for what they offer.
Their dinner food? CRAVE-​ABLE. I especially love the lamb saag here. Fully flavorful and generous portions. Pricing is reasonable.
Onto their service. Honestly, I haven’t experienced abhorrent service here, but not once was it great. The servers (also maybe management) seem disconnected and careless about what is going on around them. I’ve called them about their hours and have gotten different answers from different people. I’ve ordered takeout with an estimated time of 20 minutes and it wasn’t ready until about 40. With every visit, I get to the bottom of my water glass and it doesn’t get filled for much longer than my parched self cares for. I’ve gotten to a point where I go here expecting sub-​par service, but for lunch buffet, who cares? I always get take out for dinner.
The interior is kept clean. Sometimes it is decorated like a 6 year old’s birthday party, with corny streamers strung up in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes the entire section near the water fountain wall reeks like soap. Yes, soap is a preferable scent compared to what is probable, but it doesn’t make my food taste better.
I’ve seen Groupons for Temptations. It’s a good value, try it out if you’re curious.

This is one of the better Indian restaurants in washtenaw co. I’ve been here a few times and have noticed some changes. I’ve gone here for the lunch buffet a couple times and once for dinner. I wasn’t expecting the dinner to be a buffet and it would’ve been nice if they offered the full menu. A couple things I noticed that was different about the dinner or the last time I went was that they offer less choices and they brought us a small basket full of naan bread. They used to have plenty for you to take at free range, with the rest of the food. Im giving this place a 3.75 =)

This is a dinner-​only review. I’ve never been in there for the lunch buffet.
The food is always delicious. They tend to the milder end of the spice spectrum, which is great for the group I usually go with. (I prefer Ashoka in Canton for the spicy stuff.) I’ve been very happy with everything I’ve gotten off the menu.
The service, however, is very slow. When we’re going, it pretty much has to be for a night where we don’t plan on getting anywhere on a schedule. We’ll get our food… eventually. When we do, it will be tasty.

Temptations has never been busy when I’ve gone for dinner, yet somehow, I still get the worst service ever. I’ll run out of water/​pop and not get a refill for 10 – 15 minutes.
Their food, however, is usually good and spicy. Unfortunately, last time I went, they screwed up one person in my party’s order TWICE, and also didn’t add any spice to another order. On top of that, we ran into someone we knew who was doing take-​out and a) he had to wait forever to get his order, then b) he had to come back after they screwed up his order, and, c) they still had his order screwed up. Tough night, I guess…
In summary… USUALLY good food, but ALWAYS horrible service.

I have eaten at Temptations several different times over the years and never been so completely dissatisfied… until today. (but let’s start with the good stuff)
For many of the times I’ve dined here, I’ve come for their lunch buffet. Best Indian buffet I think I’ve ever had, their variety is great! The food is delicious, the naan is fresh, the rice is plentiful, and the service is excellent. Truly a well oiled machine, the buffet is constantly stocked with goodies! And for all this their lunch buffet deserves 4 stars!!!
However, there is a dark side… dinner time.
Since I had enjoyed my experiences at Temptations previously, my expectations were running high for my dinner visit. The food was delicious as always but service was horrible. How could Temptations, that makes running a restaurant look effortless during lunch, get it so wrong during dinner?!? Their dinner wait staff knew little about the food, we had to ask for our water glasses to be filled, I didn’t even have flatware at my table and we had to wait what seemed like forever to get our food… what is going on here?! The kitchen was backed up and not even half of the restaurant is filled up, how could they be running behind? I still don’t know the answers to my questions but I’m confused by this bi-​polar restaurant environment. Because of the lousy service, I’d have to give their dinner time experience a 2. I don’t think I’ll be coming back for dinner any time soon.
Long story short (a little too late): Enjoy their great lunch buffet or just order dinner out.

Dined in with my family tonight using a Groupon. I downgraded my rating. I do not know how this place still stays in business. They were out of Indian beer & malbec. We waited a long time for the food, and the place was practically empty. Tons of people in the kitchen too. The meat samosas were good, but they served it with ketchup?! Come on?! Where’s the green/​spicy chutney?! I had the chicken korma, it was decent, the chicken was tender, but nothing to write home about.
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Ordered carry out tonight with a Groupon. The food was delicious — lamb hydarabadi biryani was enormous and well spiced. Paneer makhni was tasty. Naan was perfect (I like the edges spongy). The only disappointment was the «salad», which was a bunch of chopped up onions, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes and a little bit of lettuce. Flavorful, but strange. That teaches me to order salad at an Indian restaurant!
The ambiance is better than in the past, but it’s not great, thus take out.
Shalimar still has the best tasting Indian food in AA.

Went recently with a group of friends — food was quite good, if a bit spartan on the plate ($ 12-​$ 16 range for most things).
I had the ubiquitous chicken korma — sauce was creamy, spiced-​just-​right, chicken was tender and juicy. Also tried the Tandoori chicken, which was a teeny-​tiny bird and rather dry. The highlight of the Tandoori was the spiced and sauteed green beans served along side with a ½ cup of brown rice. I’m used to dishes at Indian restaurants being served «family styel» not as a platter with starch and veg. The Naan was good, but I could not detect any cherry whatsoever in the Kabuli Naan *sigh*. Some of the appetizers ordered by our friends were garnished with ketchup… which was weird. The staff were nice, the restaurant clean. They add 18% gratuity if you have 5 or more people at your table — which can be confusing when the bill comes and you’re trying to figure out a tip.
I am not sure we’ll be back as it’s just not memorable enough to warrant driving almost to Ypsilanti to dine-​in. If you are closer, it’s a good option.

I just was treated to Temptations by my sister for a belated birthday present. What a great gift to give!
Not only was this the best Indian food in the area, but I felt literally transported from a strip mall restaurant into an elegant lounge complete with interesting water feature and decadent plates.
I had the Malai Kofta & my sister had the Chandni Kebab. I enjoyed the Kofta immensely but was blown away by the Chandni Kebab. It included rice, garlic naan and an additional sauce. The portions were perfect and the flavors were well crafted. I will definitely be adding this one to my great Ypsi restaurant list!

My lunch here today was initially confusing (Where is a staff person? Um, OK, the waitress I found is nice but obviously not trained to be working over here…), and then just plain disappointing.
The layout of Temptations has two areas — the «WiFi Lounge» and the main restaurant. Given the good reviews for the main restaurant, I would give that a second chance.
However, the lounge idea doesn’t seem very well thought-​out, and since you can’t get wifi in the restaurant (at least that’s what the waitress told me), for today’s purposes, I had to eat in the lounge.
The idea of the food service in the lounge area is that it looks like a buffet, but you can’t serve yourself. Instead, you have to find an employee to scoop one portion of 2 entrees into a to-​go container (even if you plan on eating there in the lounge area).
You also get rice, a tiny bit of boring iceberg-​y salad and naan, but there’s a problem with the way they package the naan. It says «naan» above some wadded up tinfoil. If you grab said tinfoil, though, and try to delicately unwrap it, all you get are some soggy crumbs stuck to the foil. Pretty gross. I’m not much of a complainer, but this spurred me to ask the staff person if perhaps they could bring out some fresh naan. It his credit, he did — and also brought out a small cup of raita.
The staff here was very nice, but sadly, they couldn’t save the awkward «lounge» concept for me. Did I use the wifi? You bet? Did I feel like I got my $ 7 worth? Not really, and I felt like I had to work to get even close.

I am not generally a huge fan of Indian cuisine as I have not been exposed to it much, but a friend of mine from work brought me here to ease me into it with a group of our coworkers.
Location is a bit hidden. Atmosphere is indeed odd as Sej mentioned. Very airy. service was good but my coworker seems to be friendly with the owner.
Overall I liked it though. It was great going with a group as we got many dishes to share and sample. The murg tikka was good. The lamb mehti was interesting. The vindaloo was spicy and more my speed. The korma was decent. I liked both the naans but I am no expert or anything. I think the buffet would would best for people like me who are so new to it they don’t know where to start.
I was not a fan of the desserts, just odd flavors and not sweet necessarily. I am sure its because I am not used to it.
I drank lots of tea which was quite nice and refreshing.
I need to experiment more with Indian food to be a good judge, it is one of the very few cuisines I am not familiar with.