India Sweets & Spices

My go to vegetarian Indian joint it’s inexpensive and offers 10% student discount. Lately their prepared curry selection has been seriously lacking. I usually get the two combo meal with extra salad with no raita, and no naan but extra pappadam. To keep it gluten free. Nowadays, I’ve been ordering their paneer dosa and large chai tea. You can’t go wrong ordering this dish. It’s always tasty.

I had the worst experience here. Ive been coming to this place often and im never coming back. Over the phone, theres an old man that usually is the cashier at the grocery store, he was very rude when taking my pick up order for 10. When i picked up the food, it was food for 2 people that was watered down. Yes folks, these guys charged me for 10 but gave me watered down curry. I got sick after eating it and threw it out instantly.
Did you know that this is not really authentic indian food? Just curried up food for non indian customer base? How many actual indians do you see eating here? Why are you supporting this place?
look at the reviews actual indian folks have given negative ratings.
Ps if youre supporting this place because you think they are pro vegans, did you know they opened up a pro meat restaurant not so far away?
All these folks are is pro screwing you over.

this is heaven, also they sell tiny elephants inside of tiny elephants made out of something white (probably elephant) in the shop next door

well i been coming here for a while already and i like the food because its vegetarian. The food is good most of the time but the rice is always pretty dry, its not to dry but enough to notice. Also there are some days that i go and some ladies serving the food have a bad attitude. but other than that the foods good.

transitional;
i arrive either shortly after the jet-​lag wears off or shortly before precipitating said exhaustion with a northern or eastern lunge. now i am only a little tired, but the excitement of movement keeps me bright-​eyed and full of anticipation. sustenance — emotional & physical — certainly isn’t unwelcome, i’ll jump to say this:
(even on the one or two exceptions to this bookending a segment of sunset city, motion on my mind, alternate skylines or mountaintops in the distant-​distance of my eyelids, drawn slightly to bleakness from the fatigue of yearning — after the meal i’m set right in my place a little, slower & softer than before)
state of mind, state of body — and/​or/​either way there’s something about the setting that perks me up. i love to spend, but have usually ignited all but my last lovely twenty-​one by the time i enter these doors & although i’ve never arrived alone i do snarl a little at continued existence as parasite. here i can drop less dollar than i’d leave at the tobacconist for a pack of black & golds («where is YOUR luxury?») & fill to satiation with absolutely delicious variety two people, self included, who i just love so dearly
maybe even three
honestly, i haven’t been here that many times — enough to wax affection, but not a face familiar enough for the proprietors to wax a return — & perhaps the specialness for me would fade if moments here oversaturated my calendar … but there is something cinematic (or televisual, maybe??) about the atmosphere, a combination of comfort and isolation that lends itself to contained character-​driven moments around each table — never does the restaurant feel gloomy or barren, but it’s easy to exist in one’s own interpersonal microsphere
could see it as a hangout spot for a group of sitcom characters
occasionally apparent non-​customers drift in with atmospheric additions,
a young man with a box of kittens, two older musicians performing violin/​guitar instrumentals of 60s rock & pop — the ambience shifts but it’s always «There»
i don’t really have anything to downshift with — i guess the bathroom mirror isn’t ideal
but i don’t have a forward-​camera on my phone so my vanity is more reliant on these things than that of most folks. if you don’t have an iPhone, well … You know what they say

I usually breeze through this place like lickety-​split, all I need is 5 minutes to grab the essentials for the household feng shui. They have fresh bundles of sage, loads of nag champa, tiki masala ingredients, brass incense displays & traditional Bombay cinema for your viewing entertainment.
On the restaurant side they have a decent selection of vegetarian options, predominantly stews and rice. Homemade quality, with an old world touch. Sort of reminds me of dinner at grandmas house on Sunday.

There are so many options from food to merchandise plus a restaurant that serves delicious food.
Remember to bring your student ID for a discount.
You’ll get a huge amount of food in the restaurant, it’s nuts!
Great for Diwali and all holiday needs.

Decent food, not the best. Some days are better than others. Having lived in cities with larger Indian populations and having been to restaurants with Indians I know good Indian food. The weekend menu is better, the samosas are good and so is the naan. I’ve had better dosas and idlis and curry.
Their Gobi is not that good either. But for the price they are perfectly fine if you crave Indian food in Los Feliz. The restaurant in Silver lake accross from Akbar in the strip mall has better food.

India Sweets and Spices reminds me of the Indian restaurants/​grocery stores of my childhood in 1980s Chicago: poorly kept, bad service and super cheap. In a way, coming here was like going back in time to my traumatic upbringing. I didn’t realize there were any places like this left in the US (by contrast, Samosa House in Culver City is pristine, clean and modern).
The grocery portion of the store is a mess, with goods and pallets piled everywhere, including at the entrance and in the aisles. Shelves are overfull or under-​stocked. Many items are expired (make sure to check before you buy anything). The floors are sticky.
The restaurant portion is grimy and decaying. In hot weather, there’s no air conditioning, so be prepared to sweat. Tables aren’t cleaned, so you might end up sitting on food/​cooking remnants from the last diner.
The food in the heat trays looks disgusting and like it’s been sitting out for days. I’d recommend ordering something made-​to-​order from the menu, like a dosa.
We got a masala dosa ($ 5), a tofu dosa ($ 7) and two samosas ($ 4). The service was both rude and slow. They shout your order when it’s ready; then you have to go up and get the food, which is hastily thrown onto styrofoam plates.
The masala dosa was passable but you can get a much better one at Annapurna on Venice Blvd. The tofu dosa was bland (the tofu was loosely sauteed in turmeric and oil and that’s about it), though kudos to ISS for offering it; I’ve never seen a tofu dosa anywhere else in the US or India.
The samosas were unremarkable. Samosa House has the best ones in the LA area.
One massive positive (which I’ve never seen elsewhere): ISS labels all of its vegan desserts, all of which are nut/​sugar concoctions. For American palates, Indian desserts will come across as sickly sweet. Indeed, as a kid, I couldn’t stomach Indian desserts.
I give India Sweets and Spices two stars only because it’s cheap. Otherwise, this place is basically a travesty.

People need to chill the fuck out about this place being dirty or the service being unfriendly or whatever. Honestly, at these rock bottom prices, you’re not allowed to complain, especially since the food is friggin’ bomb. And it’s all vegetarian. My girlfriend and I came here Saturday for some Combo 2 and Combo 5 action, and we weren’t disappointed. Yeah, place could use a cleaning and sometimes the clerks aren’t super friendly, but all that gets washed away when you dig into the delicious food.
Actually, one thing that annoyed me was that on the way out the guy at the Vonage table asked me if I wanted to sign up. «You don’t want to call China?» says this Asian dude. Motherfucker, do I LOOK Chinese??? I mean I guess I do but fuck him and Vonage. Skype for life, son.

Indian Sweets & Spices Grocery needs a good cleaning. They have a huge selection of pantry and cooking utensils and other things like music, cookbooks, movies, personal hygiene supplies and pictures. There are limited advertised namebrands like SWAD, Lakshmi and Tilda. I didn’t magazines like Stardust. Also, the store is crying to be cleaned. The fresh produce is limited, however, they carry some must have’s like fresh chili peppers and herbs.
Indian Sweets & Spices Restaurant is vegan/​vegetarian. They have skimpy iced tulsi tea servings for two bucks. This isn’t Starbucks, but it was holistically refreshing. The cooking area looked clean. Most of the foods and sweets were readymade. I ordered dinner togo for my auntie and myself with extra ladoos. It was under $ 20 for both of us. Service was rude. They serve men over women versus order number to pickup. So, we waited over 15-​minutes.

Was a bit dissapointed… I’ve been coming here since it opened many years. Recently, went back to this place only to feel dissapointed. First, the lady server gave my wife and I Chapati on each tray. Upon sitting down and eating she then brings our Naan bread and she said we had extra Chapati, then she decides to grabs from my wife’s tray and takes it back to counter. That was a bit tacky for someone who thought she made a mistake on the order.
On top of that the Naan tasted like it’s been reheated several times or been in a plastic bag for days.
But the curry still the same, spicy and tasty…
Also, thanks to the gentleman who was in the cashier who gave a complimentary sweet to my 2yr.

Love this place. It takes a few visits to get used to what they serve and when they serve it, but it was worth putting the effort in. One of my favorite places to eat, and I love checking out the cool stuff in the connected store afterwards. They also play Bollywood music videos to compliment the experience.
Note: They close at 9:30, even if they don’t kick you out. Made that mistake, felt awful for keeping them late.

I’ve been to other Indian Sweets & Spices before, so I’m not clear if this is a family run franchise or a local chain. My previous visits were at the Culver City location which this location doesn’t come close to in regards of freshness and quality.
When you enter the parking lot there is trash and clutter strewn all over the place that doesn’t give a good first impression. Inside, there is a large dining hall with a long counter displaying all the offerings. Nothing looked to be too fresh or appealing and I almost hesitated to the point of walking out.
I ordered the combo plate which came with a choice of curries, a samosa, rotti, rice, and a mango lassi. The price was spot on at $ 6.99, but nothing tasted great or again… fresh. The rotti was wrapped in a piece of aluminum foil and when I took it out, it was cold and (not kidding here folks) smelled like mold.
After picking at my food, I headed to the grocery side to find their spice selection and possibly hygiene lacking. Needless to say, last time I visit this location. My two stars are only because I didn’t manage to come down with food poisoning.

What’s the fuss with the three stars? The point of a business like this is for it to be a cultural and non fancy experience!
The market has a lot of great Indian spices and goods, and the restaurants has delicious Indian fare! Yes, the place is really simple, so if you expect some fancy establishment, go elsewhere! Otherwise, enjoy this great spot!

If your a meat lover like me then this place is not for you! They mostly have vegetarian and vegan dish available. The only thing they have that has meat is the yogurt chicken curry. When I was waiting in line the lady behind the counter microwave the chicken and just dump it in the yogurt curry. I look at her and was like uhhh okay… The only thing I like here was the spicy tofu curry and the mango lassi! They do take credit card and there is plenty of parking.

Pros:
+ Combo plates give you the most bang for your buck. Load up on whatever your stomach desires and knock yourself out. I’m a big fan of their pakoras and samosas. Finish your meal with a chai.
+ Generous portions.
+ If you stare at whatever random set of Bollywood music videos they have playing hard enough, you’ll appear on the TV screen.
+ Their Indian market is next door, so you can load up on masala powder and Arabic bread if needed. I know I do.
+ Parking is easy, whether on the street or in their lot.
Cons:
— Staff can be rude and inattentive at times, but I’m not one to point fingers. They’re standing on their feet in front of hot food all day. It gets stuffy in there some afternoons.
— Not the cleanest joint around, so wipe down your eating area before getting your grub on.

There is no human sense that is not affected by an intense aromatic journey into India Sweets & Spices.
Incense and marsala linger in the air and mix with the bright colors envelop you as you move through the rows of loose colorful spices, indian goods and specialty foods.
This is an invaluable marketplace to explore the full span of flavor humanity as extracted from the earth since the dawn of civilization.
The journey ends at the cafeteria style restaurant — simple and good vegetarian /​vegan focused indian food.
you can watch some vintage bollywood as you devour your daal and samosas… making for a perfect, cheap fully baked experience.
The best you have had… certainly not… but at 5 bucks for a giant plate it over delivers for the price.
Casual, easy, good.

We’ve been coming here for years and always loved the food. Until last time (weekend after New Years Day). Everything was so spicy that we (spicy eating folks) couldn’t eat. At first I thought it was just one of the curries but it was everything… including the Samosa. The Mango Lassee helped a bit but not much. Now it makes sense why so many of the patrons kept asking for milk. I’m not sure if they have a new chef or what went wrong last time but it was awful! We were actually feeling sick after eating here.
Will most likely give them another shot for old times sake. I truly hope they fix this super spicy issue and go back to the way they use to cook.

I’ve always been curious about this place because I adore Indian food and culture. So on a recent trip through the area, I was brought here. Mind you, it was by someone I’ve been BEGGING to come to Electric Lotus with me and refused for more than two years on the grounds that Indian restaurants are filthy and can’t be trusted. So imagine my anger being taken to this dump that has crusted food on the chairs, stains on the walls, bitchy, toothless food servers, dirty tables and trash strewn about its floors.
How gross. At least Electric Lotus is clean. The food here was served from these large, unappetizing vats. It looked runny. There were flies all around. The yogurt looked unsanitary. I had a fountain drink (ginger ale and lemonade). But the ginger ale fountain was flat and it tasted more like Sprite.
Finally, it was freezing cold that day, but all the doors were wide open. Probably to diffuse the stench. Still, why make an already barf-​worthy experience that much worse? I haven’t shopped at the market. I will stop by. Hopefully it’s much better than the restaurant.