Tava & Grill

It takes a strong restaurant to make me say «wow». It takes an even stronger one to have me tear up a samosa in my car in the parking lot… wow that was good!
Based on Unilocal,I sought this place out and even with the aid of everyone’s directions, I still pulled into the wrong lot. I did find Cherians, a nice little international grocery store, and as soon as you enter into the store, turn right and there you are.
I got one veggie samosa, and one order of chicken samosas (smaller, than the veggie, but you get 2). After waiting 5 minutes, I noticed the chicken 65 and the garlic naan, so I added those to my order! Yea there’s a bit of a wait while they’re making your order, but go walk around the store and time flies by.
I didn’t find one thing wrong with the food. As others mentioned, most things are naturally spicy so if you aren’t into hot, be careful! The chicken 65 was the best i’ve ever had, as was the chicken samosas. The garlic naan was huge, and easily shared by two people.
Didn’t get a chance to try any of their tues — thurs deals and found out today that they aren’t open on Mondays! They will bring your food to you in the small eating area to the left of Tava, but it’s not for crowds, so just get it to go and try to get your car in drive pretty quick, or you may be chowing down in the parking lot.

This is the kind of place that’s made for Unilocal.You’d never know that it exists without Unilocal or the curiosity to go into an indian market on a whim. Tava and Grill is in the market where other markets might house a bank.
I had kadai gosht, which is mutton in a tomato and chili sauce that also has ginger, garlic, and probably lots of other stuff. The mutton was from various cuts, with the bone, and was fall off the bone tender. It was spicy but not overly, though I do have a high tolerance so others might find it pretty hot.
I also had their plain naan and veggie samosas which were both pretty top notch. The samosas were much tastier than others I’ve had. Sometimes veggie samosas just taste like they’re filled with plain, unseasoned potatoes and nothing else. I chalk it up to better seasoning.

Okay, I know it’s a little early to write an update, but I was so impressed with Tava tonight that I felt compelled to do it.
I ordered food for delivery. Allmenus said it would take about an hour, no big deal. 45 minutes later, someone called to let me know they were running late (again, not a huge deal). When the person finally showed up to deliver, he was very apologetic and super nice, even though I insisted that it wasn’t a problem (also, food was still hot. Big plus). He even came back to the door about a minute later to bring me the tea he had forgotten (another big plus — and much more than I can say for my numerous missing cokes and ranch dressings from pizza places). Coincidentally the tea was FREAKING DELICIOUS even with no sugar, and I am a sugar fiend. I high recommend it. It’s savory and creamy and mmm. Also, I’d really like to stress how super awesome the delivery guy was, and the fact that my food still got here in a pretty timely manner despite that Atlanta was facing severe thunderstorms tonight. Basically Tava has it down — if you order take out, you have a great little Indian grocery store to peruse, and if you order for delivery, a super nice man brings it to you. It’s a win-​win!
My order was pretty much the same as last time, except this time I had rice and beef samosas. The rice was great, very fluffy and somehow NONE of the pieces of rice stuck together (I must figure out how they mange to make this happen) and the beef samosas were some of the best morsels I’ve ever had in my mouth. Seriously. No filler here. A thin sheet of fried dough with LOTS of meat filling. No skimping. Who could ask for more?
I seriously might cry if this place ever closes, so if you’re in the Decatur/​Clarkston/​Within-​A-​10-​Mile-​Radius, you should seriously give this place a try.

Wow! I am so glad to have finally visited Tava & Grill. The owner was fantastic, great customer service and took time to explain a couple of the dishes to my wife and I. Food made us both happy as we ordered a couple of wraps to go. The wraps were chock full of Chicken 65, jalapenos and onions and a cilatro chutney that came with it. From start to finish every bite was great and like I mentioned the wrap was completely full with meat and veg. We also ordered the Batata Vada as an appetizer and were not disappointed.
I asked the owner if he was still intending to open a place of his own outside of Cherian’s and he said he was looking at the Toco Hills area. All I know is that wherever they open I’ll be there.
I am so happy that we finally went and that the whole experience was so great.

Pretty darn good indian food inside an Indian Grocery store! While it is not the best Indian I’ve ever had, it is by far the best I’ve had in Atlanta thus far. When you counter in the price, wow, this food is great!
They do a «25 for under 5» deal Tuesday-​Thursday, so you can get a really good deal on these nights.
When you walk in the Cherians immediately turn right, it’s up against the front wall.
They definitely do a lot of takeout and delivery service. It seems that they can get overwhelmed by the number of orders they receive. If you live relatively close, I would definitely recommend takeout. The little seating area (3 booths) is pretty sad and depressing and quite frankly is awkward when you are sharing it with strangers. If you do want to eat there, take advantage of the chance to walk around the store. You may end up buying a few things though!
Rice comes separately so don’t forget to order it with your entrée!
I am looking forward to coming back to try more of their menu!
PS: They said they were working on opening a sit-​down restaurant in the future. I would definitely love to see that happen!

Tues/​Wed/​Thur has $ 4.99 specials, and I can’t believe I ordered something NOT on the $ 4.99 list of specials AND ordered the exact same thing as my first visit in Sept … BOO! :(
This place has «Bombay» style food. The people who work here are very nice, and the food is cooked-​to-​order … but that means you do have to wait about 15 minutes for your food. However the fact that they’re located inside Cherians International Grocery Store is a good thing b/​c there is a lot of exploring you can do to pass the time. The dining area is just 3 booths and you do feel a little confined … honestly I think this place is better suited for carry-​out food.
They have a pretty good menu of vegetarian & non-​vegetarian selections incl. tandoor dishes. Portions are generous … you might consider eating family-​style so you can try more dishes :)
VEGETABLE SAMOSA — $ 1.00
Their samosas are big and very good. The inside contents were all mashed unknowns except I could ID potatoes :)
CHICKEN SAMOSAS — $ 2.49
One order has 2 samosas. Very hearty, and the insides had minced chicken … not mashed contents like the vegetable samosas.
CHICKEN BOTI KABAB — $ 6.49
The owner recommended this dish both times … still mad at myself for ordering the same dish again (I always like trying new things). Obviously it wasn’t memorable. It’s tandoor chicken and comes w/​sauteed onions & peppers, and a green yogurt sauce. Tasty but on the salty side.
TADKA DAAL — $ 4.99
Vegetarian dish, tasty, and pretty spicy. Plenty of sauce to eat for another meal.
BUTTER CHICKEN — $ 6.99
No surprise, this is their most popular dish. Yummy sauce :)
GARLIC NAAN — $ 1.99
Their naan is very delicious with lots of chopped garlic … honestly I don’t think I’ve ever had «bad» garlic naan. I love the smell of garlic naan :) The size is huge and could be shared by 2 people. I ordered two for 2 people, and we had leftovers to take home.
PLAIN RICE — $ 1.99
One order of the basmati rice is plenty for 2 – 3 people.
As mentioned in the other reviews, this place can be hard to locate on the address alone. When you’re on Dekalb Industrial, look for the hill between US1 Discounts and Malani Jewelers. Go up the hill toward Cherians International Grocery — they are located inside.
FYI — Tava & Grill is closed on Mondays.
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UPDATE: Got a nice note from the owner. He recommends that I try the «Reshmi Chicken Boti Kabab» or the «Pahadi Chicken Kabab» next time :)

Cherians Market is hard to find. If I wasn’t hungry from a morning of taking a prego pictures I probably would have given up the search. Like the other people say… if you are driving from Scott Blvd slightly pass the Cherian sign then look to the left and up, turn and drive up the hill.
Chicken 65 is some tasty stuff, but it reminds me of every other chicken 65 I have had. No really difference in flavor/​texture/​whatever. I am not sure I would pick this joint over another Indian place for that.
However the veggie samosas are damn good. I would come here just for those luscious, delectable, potato and veggie filled handheld fried pockets of pastry. Does that make sense probably not. However those little bitches are tasty. I say buy a couple of orders, you are gonna want them.
Chicken biryani. Another meh dish. Not any better or worse than any other bland version I have had.
The owner mentioned he is looking for a small spot in Virginia Highland for a new restaurant. That would probably take my 3 stars to 4 because I am sick as shit of driving the Ponce De Leon trail out to Decatur just for some decent Indian food.

There is a definite wait to receive your food from Tava but the service is pretty good. Based on the other Unilocal reviews I was expecting some delicious butter chicken that was decadent and would leave me wishing I had ordered more naan to dip it in. That did not happen.
The butter chicken was spicy and good but nowhere near the best in Atlanta. The butter chicken from Planet Bombay in Little Five Points is still the best that I have had.
Also tried the rice and naan which were both fresh tasting but didn’t come at optimal temperatures. The paneer was quite good though and has me thinking that the next time I order from Tava to try more vegetarian options. and the samosas. Be ready for spice, this place should adopt the Spice Market name because they use them liberally.

Wowzer! This is deeelish Indian food. Like everyone else said, we had a hard time finding it because it was inside the Indian grocery store (very cool store btw), but we’re glad we did! We called and the lady stayed on the phone with us and gave us great directions. Anyway, we were surprised to see that it was just a little stand. You order and then you walk around a bit, keep checking back and then when it’s ready you can eat in their little room that consists of three booths… very DIRTY booths that still had cups and trash on them and were covered in nasty filth. Not an appealing place to eat. That’s basically why I only gave it 4 stars. I asked if I could have a paper towel so I could just clean it off myself and she begrudgingly asked if I wanted her to send someone over there to clean off of a table, so I said, «Nah, that’s ok, I can do it». But without any sanitation spray, it didn’t do much good. So I layed out some napkins around my plate to create a barrier between my food and the table. I would suggest getting the food to-​go. OH! And you have to order rice separately. Weird, huh? Did they expect us to eat our sauce and meat without rice? Whatevs. Anyway, I got the butter chicken — spicier than usual, but creamy and very tasty! We also got some awesome samosas and naan. Mmm! My boyfriend got some vegetable byrani thing, which I didn’t try, but he said it was very good. Next time we are going to split a meal and only get 1 piece of naan, because we had so much extra food! They have a special on Tues, Wed and Thurs where you can get certain dishes for only $ 4.99. That’s a crazy good deal!

Great food. The curry was complex and spicy. The chicken 65 was almost as good as zyka and less spicy. The tandori lamb was a bit dry. Great samosas. Naan was good. Garlic was better than chilli. The key to this place is they deliver all the way to ponce and Virginia highland so I will definitely be ordering delivery next time.

Now I’m totally in lust!
Came to take advantage of the lunch specials (25 dishes under $ 5), and out of consideration for the BF, ordered Tandoori and butter chicken, since they’re usually the mildest items on the item. Hah! They were both too spicy for him (all the more for me, hehehehe!), but I LOVED THEM! But he ate almost all the naan, trying to put the fire out, and loved it. Grrrrrr! Guess I’ll have to get T&G when he’s at work and I don’t have to share! ;)

YUM! This is our regular place now. I’m tasting through the menu…
Saag is made with fresh spinach, and it’s delicious.
Chicken 65 is addictive, and even my 4 year old fights and to get the last piece (after scraping jalapenos to the side).
Best (Takda) Daal in town, hands down. Udupi used to be this good. Not sure what happened…
Frankie wrap is a giant mass of shredded meat with a thin egg slid in the roll up. Wouldn’t get it again, as I prefer the kebab roll.
Pahadi Boti Kabab is dayglo green outside, but tangy and spicy.
Reshmi Boti Kabab has a yogurt almond marinade, and is very tender. Even the mildest thing on the menu has a little heat.
Leg and Thigh tandoori is good if you want a cheap chicken snack.
I’m not keen on their excessive use of Styrofoam, tho. A peeve of mine, you may have noticed.
Cheers~

The best Northern Indian food I’ve had in Atlanta. The butter chicken is positively sinful.
Every meal, if you have rice and bread with it, is enough for 2 people (or 2 meals).
I would suggest take-​out or delivery. They only have a few clean-​it-​yourself type tables in the back and the food is in take-​out containers, but, given their current grocery store location, not suprising!
(If you need «atmosphere,» there’s always Bhojanic — if you can find parking!)
The staff is super friendly.
If, like me, you’re not from India (or neighboring countries), be prepared for a very unique experience in Cherians too! If you go the take-​out route, take a walk around while waiting for your food.

This place isn’t obvious from the road. The arrow on Google Maps is actually accurate — you’ll have to drive toward the Cherians grocery store all the way in the back. Tava & Grill is a small counter-​service operation within that store.
Having expected an actual restaurant, I was a little thrown off, though pleasantly surprised. A small eatery within an Indian grocery, with just a few dingy tables in the back? I immediately raised my culinary standards, expecting them to really bring their game with regard to the food.
They, for the most part, brought it.
We started off with the Gobi 65 appetizer, a vegetarian riff on the classic Chicken 65 dish. Wow. Freshly fried and crispy, intensely spiced and flavorful, and decently spicy. Definitely give this dish a shot.
For the main meal, I went with the veg lunch special … or, at least, I thought I did. I ended up with the nonveg special. Not a big deal, I suppose, but that’s just me. Regardless, my order came with butter chicken and a dal, served with a generous helping of rice and naan. They were all pretty solid dishes, though nothing’s a must-​try.
Unfortunately, I found the mountain of Styrofoam and plastic left in our wake after the meal a little disconcerting. I know that counter-​service places are designed for take-​out. But a clam-​shell Styrofoam container for my entrée, another plate for the naan, another plate for the appetizer, plastic cutlery … it feels a little gross.
Service is friendly and quite helpful. Prices aren’t particularly high, either. And, if you’re still hungry, the grocery store has a counter stocked full of dosas, idli and vada sambhar, and other chaat offerings just a few feet away.

We just finished our meal and have to say thanks to all you Unilocalers who pointed us here. It was the perfect choice for a late Sunday dinner.
And it was delivered!
The person who took our order was very polite and helpful in recommending great dishes. Our favorite was the Kadai Chicken which was super tender and had a good amount of heat. I’m almost sad that there isn’t any leftover for tomorrow.
I’m excited to dine-​in one day so I can see more of the dishes in person and try these samoas everyone is raving about!

Now that is what you call a samosa! WOW!!!
I try not to curse in my reviews because, *clutches pearls* I’m a lady. However, the beef samosas at Tava & Grill are so fucking good. Oh. My. Goodness! Like happy dance, hip twerk, slap yo momma upside the head good; and Lord know I love my momma.
First off I feel like anyone who finds Tava Grill deserves a prize. I say a sticker and a star by your name on Tava’s wall will suffice. This place is super duper hard to find. Talk about a hidden gem. I literally rolled around in my car a couple of times until I happened to look up at the sky and, thanks to one very smart Unilocaler who posted in their review Tava Grill is in Cherians International Groceries Market, saw the sign for Cherians. FYI this place is not technically on DeKalb Industrial Way. Once on DeKalb Industrial way you have to turn in front of K Indian Mart to access the street to Cherians in the back.
Regardless of the difficulty to find the location, Tava Grill is so worth the trouble. The thing about Tava Grill is the food is not prepared until you order it, so go ahead and «window shop» the aisles of Cherain and relax for about 15 – 20 minutes until your food is done. It’s worth the wait.
I ordered the Chicken Boti Kabab Roll, extra spicy for $ 5.49, and 2 Chicken Samosas for $ 2.49. When I say my food was deelish, that is an understatement. The chicken boti was similar to tandoori chicken. It was very spicy (per my request), flavorful, and tender. The Boti Kabab Roll is in essence, per the person who took my order, an Indian burrito. Yeah, I know who knew?! Order it!!!
I’m not sure what the Chicken Boti Kabab Roll consisted off, as far as the outside, but inside was what I think was cilantro, onions, jalapenos, and the chicken boti meat. Simple, but again delicious. As far as the beef samosas they were crispy, flavorful, and hot. When I say they were THE best samosas I have ever had in my life, I mean it. In fact, the man who took my order even finished my sentence for me when I told him they were the best samosas I’ve ever had. So I am assuming he has heard that from more than one customer in his lifetime.
I will definitely be back to sample the remaining menu at Tava Grill.
My verdict: Get your tail down there, now! Just remember what I said about the location.
Also, be aware Tava Grill has limited seating. In total I counted about three small booths in their dining area. Yet again, location and limited seating aside this place is a must!

After reading about it here, we had to try it. Excellent stuff. We got the butter chicken, chana masala, lentils.
All were very good, the first two especially. The butter chicken is addictive: pieces of tandori looking chicken in a thick butter/​curry type sauce with medium heat.
It’s rich stuff and goes a long way if you eat it with some rice. We look forward to trying more of it.

I just want to keep the word out that Tava & Grill is amazing and delicious. Seriously, if you live within 3 miles just call ‘em up and let ‘em deliver to your house. It’s not just good-​for-​delivery, it is GOOD.
I always get the chicken samosas, butter chicken, and garlic naan. They are all primo offerings, and they are all hot enough (temp-​wise, not spice-​wise) to burn my mouth when they show up at my house.
I admit this review is up mostly for selfish reasons – I really want them to stay in business! So PLEASE order from them, and then tell everyone how much you love it.

5 Stars. The best indian restaurant in ATL, and pretty damn close to India itself… although it is only a hole-​in-​the-​wall in Cherians Indian Supermarket in Decatur.
Having just come back from Mumbai, was delighted to see Vada Pav «The mumbai hamburger» here. It was almost as good, and priced under $ 2. There also have other Bombay Chaat.
I have tried the mutton (goat) biryani and the lamb boti kebab. everything is excellent, very spicy and very well balanced.
Tava’s nan bread is also very good.
I will continue to go here at least twice a week. Amazing!

I’ve been introduced to Indian street food over this past weekend. This is the stuff that my new friend would eat while he worked there, essentially Indian fast food, which is a little healthier than American fast food but they are both deep fried.
Well, at least what I had here was, the vada pav, which is a potato patty that was deep fried. It tastes a lot better than it sounds, it’s spiced and really good. Also, did I mention that it’s under two bucks? Even their entrees are under the eight buck mark.
It’s just a simple counter that’s in an Indian grocery store but I’m impressed by the service. My friends didn’t have cash but said they’d possibly order more so they held off on ringing us up even after we got our food, and then moved out of sight into a small dining area they have.
I don’t want to give a place five stars without a more comprehensive sampling so it warrants another visit for sure.