Hema’s Kitchen II

We ordered delivery after having eaten at the restaurant years ago. We could not have been better: delivery was fast, prices were good, portions were satisfying and (most importantly) the food was delicious. We got vegetarian, lamb and chicken dishes and there wasn’t a bad or even «meh» one in the bunch! Top notch and piping hot. This is now our «go-​to» Indian restaurant for delivery nights.

I went here with a friend last night around 9 and found both the food and service to be just fine. The waiter was attentive and gave us good food recommendations based on meat and heat preferences and the food was very good. To be fair regarding other reviews about service we were the ONLY ones in the restaurant when we ordered and only one other couple came in after us.
We had some sort of lamb pie as an appetizer, a lamb dish, a veggie dish, garlic naan bread and rice for about 43 bucks in addition to down sort of mango smoothie thing. I would go back again.

Unilocalers, I should have listened to your reviews before I walked in the door. «It couldn’t be that bad, could it?» It was.
Husband, myself, and our daughter were the first to walk in for lunch, with two other sets of customers immediately after us. After a ten minute wait, we finally were able to put in our order– two appetizers, two entrees, and a drink. I tried to order naan, but was told it wasn’t ready so we settled on rice (this will be important later).
45 minutes later, our appetizers arrive. We waited another 20 before one of the entrees arrived. Meanwhile, another customer received their appetizers (which were exactly the same as ours) before us. I should point out at this point that there were probably about six sets of customers in there the entire time– not even a third full.
Two sets of customers who ordered two minutes after us received Naan at their table. Apparently it was ready for them, but not for us? I have yet to figure out the reasoning behind that one.
I explicitly asked for our dishes to be as mild as possible. The Saag Panneer was super spicy and my kiddo had to eat rice for lunch. We never received my husband’s entrée.
Upon asking for it, the waiter told us we didn’t order it. We assured him that we did, and he had the audacity to walk over, get his ticket, show us that he hasn’t written it down. We reiterated that we both ordered, and he then gives an excuse that he’s the only person there, although we could clearly see at least one person in the kitchen.
At this point we’re so frustrated we just ask for the check. Waiter points out that he hasn’t served my husband’s drink (that was ordered well over an hour and a half ago at this point). We ask for it to be removed, argument ensues.
It was so bad, it was just comical. I’m amazed that this place is still open. We won’t be back.

My friend and I love this place. We call it our secret spot by his place.
Last night they were so accommodating to my friend and I.
We ordered vegetable samosas, naan, and a vegetable soup. He and I were talking and noted how empty the restaurant was and we looked at our phones and it was 9:40. We felt so bad, we asked the gentleman in the store when they shut down, he said around 9:30/10. We felt so bad that they got the kitchen fired up again just for us. They told us they were more than happy to serve us and make sure we had a nice time there. As a server I also had a lot of respect for that.
Great service, great food, and great price– can’t get much better than that.

I’ve been here a few times. The food was good and I never understood all the reviews about bad service… until tonight.
I ordered food for pickup (I only live half a mile away). While I was walking to Hema’s, I got the text from GrubHub telling me that my food was ready. When I got to the restaurant 5 minutes later, I had to walk to the back of the restaurant to get the staff’s attention. I gave my name and they told me it would be a few more minutes. A couple minutes later, one of the waitresses asked for my name again, looked confused, and walked back into the kitchen. She brought out a manager who wouldn’t speak above a whisper.
Apparently, in the 5 minutes since my food was ready, someone walked in, claimed to be me, and took my food. Since there was another take out order on the counter, I think it’s much more likely they just gave him the wrong order. The manager was frustratingly evasive about this, asking if anyone else would have picked up my order and trying to find other reasons why it wasn’t their fault for giving my food away.
The manager said it would take 40 minutes to remake my 2 entrees. He didn’t offer any sort of compensation for the inconvenience. I asked if they would at least deliver the food so I wouldn’t have to sit alone in the restaurant for 40 minutes or go home and walk back.
The cherry on top of this whole thing: they told the delivery guy to get the delivery fee from me. A got a little frustrated with him, but he was very nice. Once I realized that he was a delivery service and he realized I was saying the restaurant screwed up, he said he’d charge them.

Worst service ever! I went there twice for dinner. First time, the food was good but the service was very long. It took us around an hour to get our food on the table (and the restaurant was half empty).
Still, I gave it another chance and went a second time. I specifically told the waitress that I didn’t want my dish to be spicy at all. But it came out very spicy. and I couldn’t eat it. And my husband who asked for a spicy dish got a mild one. I asked for a replacement and once again, it took for ever! At the end we weren’t even hugry anymore. We wanted to cancel the order but then the food came. Less spicy than the first one but still spicy. We paid and left.
There are many good indian restaurants in Chicago, this one was just a waste of time.

I shouldn’t be surprised by good food here… but I am. I should’ve listened. The bartender at the Field House recommended it. It’s Thanksgiving and most places are closed. We were resolved to eat nearly anything… and then THIS PLACE made us soooooo happy! We ordered the tandoori chicken dinner for him and chicken tikka masala for me, naan for both of us. We didn’t order anything unusual or complicated, obviously, but what we got were the most tender, beautifully seasoned, balanced Indian meals we’ve EVER had! The spices were perfect: flavorful and zingy but not ‘burny’. Each came with rice, also perfect. We’re still kinda stunned. The green pepper stuff they included was a treat for the hubby. I really need to learn more of the names of the particular dishes and sides! We certainly love the food enough! Especially from THIS PLACE! Oh… and the servers were very helpful, friendly, and welcoming… love it!

The worst thing about this restaurant is Ms Hema herself. My husband and I had ordered take out. The person on the phone said «10 minutes.» This surprised us, but it was our first time so we didn’t know what to expect. Well, my husband went to pick up the food about 20 mins later, and it wasn’t ready, so he mentioned to them that we were told it would be ready in 10. Instead of just explaining that they cook fresh food which takes time or accepting that they must have mistakenly said 10 mins, the person on the counter started accusing my husband of lying. Well my husband called me to ask me what was said and I said that I clearly heard 10 mins. At that point we let it go and husband came home.
Then Hema called. I thought definitely this would be to try to clear up the misunderstanding, but actually she proceeded to YELL at me. «how could you expect us to be done in 10 minutes? Have you never eaten fresh Indian food?!» And that was completely unnecessary so I was shocked and asked «is this what you called to do?! Yell at me?!» And that didn’t help either. She proceeded to lecture me and then hung up. I’ve never experienced anything like this EVER.
Food: basic Indian food that I can make at home. Except much much oilier. I’m not going to go to a restaurant to get food that is worse than what I make at home. There’s no question I’m never coming here again. (If Hema is reading this, this happened several months ago, but it was such an unforgettable experience that I remember the details even today.)

After a few wild weekends, I decided to lay low and have some mellow spices at an Indian restaurant.
The restaurant was moderately filled when we arrived and were quickly seated. The first thing that i noticed was how the waiter had bunched all the guests into the far side away from the door, which made it quite uncomfortable, but maybe it was my OCD kicking in. The food appeared moderately priced, but definitely had a lot of a common items. The orders for the night was the shami kebabs, ghosh rogan josh (GRJ), and garlic naan.
So… it begins, the two-​course meal. In the appetizer round, I was presented with lamb kebabs. The flavors were one-​sided and were quite disappointing, since I expected more of a kick from the roasted spices. The meat was very mushy. What a shami… The final round was the GRJ which was tender lamb in a sauce similar to Tikka Masala. The flavors were definitely consistent to standard Indian cuisine that I’ve had around the Midwest, so no complaints there. It went great with the rice; one rice order is big enough for two people, despite what the waiter said.
Hema’s Kitchen is a great name and has the appear of a home-​cooked, locally-​owned Indian restaurant. However, it was average overall. I am indifferent in coming back or making a recommendation.

The service is friendly but a little incompetent. The food however is great, though slightly overpriced. The store is smaller and less busy than it’s Devon St counterpart, and the biriyani comes with yogurt instead of raitha, but the it otherwise equals in quality but pales in experience despite a more commercial and accessible location.

Came here with a friend. We ordered Lamp Vindaloo, Chicken Tikka Masala, rice and Naan.
There were only 2 tables in the whole restaurant but FOOD TOOK FOREVER!
We were wondering what it would be like if the restaurant was full.
Service is ridiculous. Never come back.

Idk I’ve had better, and they didn’t have p-​cola which is an Indian soda … Service was ok, food coukdve been better thou

I’ve been here twice in the past year and the food has been splendid. Very flavorful, rich, savory and large portions. The service is just okay but it doesn’t bother me because the food is fantastic! The décor is simple and nothing spectacular.
Appetizers:
–Vegetable Pakoras — wonderful and crunchy and served with two sauces; one is spicy (green), one is sweeter (red)
–Potato Cutlets — superb
Entrees:
–Aloo Matar Paneer — savory rich sauce and cheese with potatoes and peas; delicious!
–Chicken Tikka Masala — perfectly spiced
Bread:
–Garlic Naan — a bit bland but we still ate it all!

Went here for lunch on a friday. Service is lacking a bit but thats not why you come here. We started with the veggie samosas (2 for $ 2 amen), then had the pureed lentil soup which is really a winner. We split the butter chicken, naan, and basmati rice. Butter chicken not too spicy and the chicken was shredded to perfection.

Pros– great food, big portions, huge roti, perfect spices, not expensive
Must try– mango Lassi
Cons– slow service
I’m definitely gonna come back.

I highly recommend this location for Indian food
The chicken biryani is still fantastic so is the Shrimp biryani!
I also recommend the Shami Roll and Kheema Samosas had both of these Tuesday and it melted in my mouth!
Great customer service as well

Ugh. I feel bad giving poor reviews, but here goes. Indian food is my favorite, and I am on a constant quest for the best.
Came here with my fiancé on Sunday night for a pre-Oscar’s dinner. Got there at 5:30 ish, didn’t leave till close to 7:30. When we walked in there were five other tables, all parties of two people with the exception of one. Two of the tables were already eating. So I thought we would be in and out in no time.
We sat for 10 minutes with no service, and finally flagged someone down for drinks. Got those about 5 minutes later. Then flagged someone down again to take our order.
Our order…
Matar Paneer: It was okay. Small portion, cheese was a bit tougher.
Chicken Korma: Very little chicken, mostly sauce.
Garlic Naan: Plain bread, no garlic…
Rice: Can’t screw this up. Odd we had to order and pay extra for rice though although I am seeing more and more Indian restaurants do this.
Raita: Delicious
Two stars for service. I noticed people sitting around and rolling silverware and standing around talking. I’ve edin restaurants before. When it’s busy, get off your butt and help out. I couldn’t tell who the waiter was, because a different person came to our table each time.
Also, up the portions a bit. Thankfully I had a Groupon so it softened the blow, but still.

WOW — great place for veggie lovers! Their vegetarian selection is really good.
I had a chicken dish — name totally escapes me (sorry). It was spicy and warmed me up on a super cold winter day,
Hema’s is also BYOB so that’s pretty AWESOME too!

I am surprised by how negative the reviews are for this place! I thought all of the food we had was tasty, and the service was good. It is a little pricey, and entrees don’t come with naan or rice, but this is in Lincoln Park!
We stopped here after going to zoo lights last night. We had 9 people, about half of which were vegetarian. Ethnic food was our best option, and Hemas was the best choice within walking distance to the zoo.
I’m glad we choose Hemas. The food was good. There was only one other set of diners when we arrived late in the evening, but there was not much going on in the rest of Lincoln Park. (That was so strange to see. Does the whole area just go back to Ohio/​Michigan/​Indiana for the holidays?)
I didn’t think this was the best deal or the best Indian food I’ve ever had, but I was impressed by it given its location. If you are in the area, this is a great choice, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here.

I know the world has gone crazy when Hema’s averages 3 stars. This is why we can’t have nice things.
Hema’s was my first and is still my fav Indian in the city. Not just because it’s BYOB but because it is the ultimate homemade comfort Indian food. I’ve never had to wait, even with a group of 10 or for primetime weekend dinner.
Veggie samosas, garlic naan, saag paneer, tikka masala, the daal, oh hell– just get everything. It’s all freaking great. For a quick lunch, group dinner or date night, Hema’s will make you happy. While it’s not the fanciest or most modern of spaces, it’s clean, charming and fills up your belly with warm food.
Don’t listen to other crazies and do it. Then do it again.