Chirag Indian Cuisine and Chat Corner

It’s good food. I’ve been there several times and the food is always good. Service is good, wish there was more parking though. I usually get it to go, and when I get home it is still piping hot and delicious.

I liked this spot, a lot.
Better than Vik’s.
Inexpensive.
Very distinct and lively flavors in each dish– and we ordered a wide variety of them.
I’ll be back!

Huh, I thought I wrote a review on this place before but I guess not. This place is pretty solid and the owner is really nice. He’s the host, waiter and the cook so be patient.
So does anyone know if they are still open? The phone is disconnected and it looks closed down. I hope this doesn’t have anything to do with me declining to go on a date with brother. Sigh.

You know, I like to develop loyalties, and stick to nice places. I was so happy to find an Indian food place near my home. The first few times, the food was pretty good!
But then something changed. The last few times I went, it was just this intense creepy guy there. Nobody else.
The second to last time we were there, he decided to engage us in conversation, and told us all about how white people from the hill side of Richmond were good, and Black people from the flatlands were bad, and how they took his cash register or something? Okay… I THINK that’s what he was saying but it was pretty hard to tell. The food was not good but I thought maybe it was an off-​day, right?
Well the last time I went, the food was terrible. Watery and just not good. With the buffet they give you a basket of naan, and that day it was really flat and dry and just not good. My dining companion ate one wedge of it, and left the other three alone.
The creepy owner dude took exception to this. He asked why we hadn’t eaten our naan. My friend, embarrassed, politely said «I’m sorry sir… it’s just kind of dry today, to be honest with you.»
This is when the dude flipped his sh**.
He grabbed one piece of naan out of the basket and crushed it with his fist.
Then he started ranting about how the woman who was at the table next to ours ate all of her naan. How they make it fresh for everyone. How this was GOOD naan. His volume continued to excalate until he was shouting. He grabbed another wedge of naan, took a bite out of it, threw it down, shouted «IT’S YOUR CHOICE!» grabbed the basket, and stalked off with it.
My friend and I were left staring at each other, bewildered.
We really wanted to run out of there, but we were paying with credit card, which he took forever to run through while we were standing there feeling kind of shell-​shocked. AWKWAAAARD.
D: I mean who runs a business like that???
Now I’ve gone to a couple other places in that strip mall, and the guy is lurking out front glaring at people walking past. I’m actually kind of scared to go by there.
Guess I have to go to Albany for my Indian food now. We just call it the «Crazy Indian Place.»

Indian food is yummy, especially if you go to a legit spot.
This review is based on takeout, which in my opinion makes it better because some places just dont make good takeout food. When you get home it ends up being not that good and cold, or the portions dont correlate to the portion you would get by dining in. I had a taste of this fine food while working on a paper with my homie for class, who invited me to stay for dinner with his fam bam… hella glad he asked me to join or I wouldnt have tasted some yummy Indian food from this joint.
I dont even know all the names of the different foods that we had (im sure it was a chicken tikka masala, we had samosa’s, some green stuff, etc), but all I can say is that they all tasted delicious, just as delicious as a place that serves it higher priced and with a bourgeois atmosphere. I’ve been to some places in the city where they charge an arm and a leg…*cough* NEW DELHI *cough*…and the portions were small and and the food wasnt as flavorful. This place looks down-​to-​earth and even runs a buffet. I bet that stuff is bomb dot com!
This place goes! So go to it!

Heres what I have to say about this place. $ 8.99 lunch buffet. Good enough to go again, but not amazing enough to go to when I want some amazing food.
Went here with my coworker for our lunch break. Pretty good spread of food but it was all meat. I was hoping for some saag paneer… The guys working there were very nice and brought us plenty of hot and greasy naan (which is tasty, but the grease is unnecessary).
The doughnut things were really good and really sweet.
To sum it all up, this place was good. not amazing. but good. and hey, its Richmond… so whattya expect?

If I could leave zero stars, I would.
I’ve given Chirag 2 chances, no chance for a 3^rd.
1^st try was dinner. Buffet, blinding fluorescent lights, & a very pleasant server greeted me. Menu font was microscopic. Server apologized & said improved menus had been ordered. Ordered fish tikka masala, described as «bite-​sized mahi-​mahi pieces…» It took about 20 minutes — not long at all. Looked tasty, smelled strong. When I bit into it, it was bright red & tasted much like salmon, not mahi mahi. I asked the server what kind of fish it was — she replied, «I think salmon.» I told her it was supposed to be mahi mahi & she sent for the chef. He insisted it was mahi mahi & the spices had colored it red. Hmmm… OK.
Barely edible & the rice was a bit soggy.
About a month later, was craving Indian & thought I’d give it a 2^nd try — no fish this time. Same 1^st impression, only server was not at all pleasant, menu font was the same. Won’t comment on the food, as I never did see it. There were only 3 of us, so we didn’t order a lot of food. We waited an hour before finally asking the waitress how long? She apologized for how «busy» they were & said we would be the next table served. The other 4 parties were already dining when we arrived. 15 minutes later, the table next to ours was served, even though they had come in well after us, so we got up to ask for our meal to go. She went into the kitchen & shut the door & came back saying it was almost ready — just 10 more minutes. We had already been there an hour & 20 minutes & walked out the door. There were no apologies.
No wonder there are no reviews posted on their website.

Just brought myself and my folks there for buffet lunch at 1100: only ones in the house for a Monday lunch. One hasn’t taken 2 steps into the place, and bam! the food serving trays are laid out (no more than 6 silver lids covering party pan sizes) as one enters doorway. That rubbed me wrong. Yep; SIX offerings, and those included the salad as well as the desserts? wow…
some saag paneer, mixed veg curry, chicken tikka masala, and tandoori chicken, as well as an aloo something or other was present.
@horrible first impression, and NOTHING compared to Viks in Berkeley
The male server and female counterpart wore scowls on their faces the whole time we were there. Service seemed from another world; it was as if they were upset for our patronage, and having to bring us naan (much flatter and lacking the spongy chewiness of usual tandoori naan i am accustomed to). It was piping hot, however, and brought to the table.
Their offerings honestly tasted like leftovers from the weekend. No joke; I know what fresh potatoes taste like and fresh tandoori chicken. My mom let out a small Unilocal when she was dark dark blood (looking black) in the middle of her thigh piece of chicken.
chai tea was sweetend, which I don’t prefer.
Worst of all: i could not take my concentration off of the constantly revolving door that the 2 folks kept coming in/​out of. And fear not: it was not to service us, but rather to serve themselves cups of tea and food. The centerpiece door was stained heavily with grime, dark spots from usage and, simply, dirt. It gave me the impression that because their door was so dirty from their hands pushing it, the food prep and its sanitation might be iffy?!
Do not come here if you are looking for ambiance. It is simply not there, and in a recession, how hard is it to force a smile or two for the sake of repeat business, and continuing cash flow?
In a depressed strip mall off the west side of San Pablo Ave

The Best Indian Food I Had E.V.E.R!
the bf and i were debating eating prime rib or indian food for dinner, and thanks to the bf who decided that we go indian that nite, we decided to check this place out.
Service was great, a little slow. HOWEVER, one of the ladies who works there came over and explained to us that everything is made fresh, so that’s why it takes awhile, I didn’t mind that.
We ordered veggie samosa, Chicken Tikka Masala, Lamb Korma, sweet bread naan, and the onion naan. A mango lassi, and a banana lassis to finish. The food were piping HOT, and stayed hot throughout the whole meal! Portion looked small but it’s actually huge, and we only finished half of our food.
Everything we ordered were mind-​boggling good. The Chicken Tikka masala was the best I ever had! Soooo creamy… Lamb Korma’s freaking awesome. LOVE the naan, LOVE the samosa… LOVEEE this place.
We’ll be back! Again, and again, and again!!!

If you like your Indian food cheap and dirty this is the place to go! Very casual place… I walked in with spandex and flip flops and I was over dressed. Don’t ask me why I was in the Richmond having Indian food on a Thursday night. Dinner for two was $ 33 for two including tip. We ordered 2 garlic naan, saag paneer and vegetable curry with a side of rice. This was way more than enough. The garlic naan came out piping hot out of the oven and was filled with garlicy doughy goodness. I liked the food but not sure I’d go back for more.

Sorry Dad and Toni, but this place (at least the day we went) was meh.
We went as family (minus my husband), for lunch on Friday. Mostly because we 4 like Indian food and because the other options thrown out were not appealing to me.
Upon entering the restaurant, you enter into the buffet table right through the door. This is kind of yucky to me aesthetically, but I just went with it. The buffet offerings were not terribly impressive nor terribly good. The rice was watery, as was the raita. The food offerings (butter chicken, curry chicken), etc. were sparse in meat and most things were cream based. The lentils were gingered and all I could taste was the ginger. The naan brought to the table was very doughy and I only had one piece (maybe this is a good thing). The people working were very nice, but the food and ambiance were lacking, so this will not be a place I visit again.

Alan had lunch here yesterday and so when I expressed interest in lunch here today I figured he wouldn’t be interested, even though he liked it a lot. To my surprise he was willing to go two days in a row. He’s not been feeling great this week. Otherwise we would have gone to the Cinco de Mayo festivities at La Bourinqueña. Or, failing that, to Angeline’s. But Chirag is closer so we drove over there.
You walk in and the first thing you see the buffet, w/​the kitchen behind it. We were the first ones there at 11:45. Ambiance is spare and faintly industrial, w/​the stainless steel buffet setup, tightly woven neutral carpet and largely unadorned walls. The food is where all the love and attention goes and that’s how it should be. Today there was dal w/​blackeyed peas, vegetable korma, garbanzo beans w/​matchstick pieces of fresh ginger, a chicken curry, butter chicken, lamb curry, tandoori chicken, rice, and salad. I felt as if I had created my own thali, w/​tastes of many dishes. They also had raita, naan, chai and rice pudding. All the food was fresh and very flavorful. Alan reported the dal was the spiciest of the dishes. I didn’t taste it. The tandoori chicken had a bit of a kick. The raita was tart and nicely balanced, full of shreds of carrot and cucumber. The naan was hot and good and was replenished if we wanted. I was able to refill my chai from the thermos. Every dish was excellent, each distinct from the others. Although I wanted to taste the rice pudding I didn’t have room. My only complaint is that the napkins are flimsy. I’d have appreciated ones that were a bit sturdier. By the time we left more people had come in and tables of two and four were filled.
We had the coupon that the woman gave Alan yesterday and when we used it today the man asked if it had come in the mail. When Alan told him he’d been given it yesterday (we got one in the mail too, a couple of days ago) instead of giving us $ 2 off lunch he gave us 50% off the second meal and then followed us outside to give us back the coupon so we could use it again. It was very generous and we wish them success. We’ll be back.

Ok, I had to update my review another star after last night’s dining experience. It really is amazing food. I was so impressed with the malai kofta. I usually hate it when other Indian places serve this nice sauce with soggy cheese and nuts in it. Chirag made the sauce amazing AND the items inside were crunchy. Perfect.
Also, the owner gave us a coupon that they have put in the ValueSav. I think that speaks volumes of customer appreciation. We are regulars, yet she still gives us discounts?
She also mentioned that she is updating her menu to add some more items. She let us know that they will be adding goat. Very interesting! I can’t wait to see the new menu.

This place is awesome. To give you an idea of how good it is — my wife and I drive from Berkeley to get Indian food from this restaurant. If you throw a rock in Berkeley it will probably hit an Indian restaurant, and I haven’t been to a bad one yet (not that I’m suggesting throwing rocks at Indian restaurants). But this place is better.
It’s in an ugly strip mall in Richmond right near where the freeway crosses over San Pablo. But, once you’re in the restaurant you forget that the surroundings are kind of ugly. The server is the owner and she is the nicest person. We’ve been twice — a month apart — and she recognized us.
The menu is very big with plenty of standards and plenty of things I haven’t seen before. A large vegetarian selection, too. There was an amazing samosa appetizer with a garbanzo bean sauce that was out of this world. I tried the combo appetizer which was a bit of everything. Had some chicken dish stewed with peppers and onions. It almost tasted like a cross between Italian and Indian food — incredible. There are still dozens of dishes on the menu that I haven’t tried yet — including an entire seafood section. The flavors are big without being overpowering and refined without being too bland. I can’t really explain it — but try it and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
No liquor license yet so bring your own or stop at the Safeway down the block (that will save you a couple of bucks). Prices are very reasonable. We paid $ 33 for more food than 2 people can eat (appetizer, 2 entrees, naan, rice). They also have a lunch buffet which I haven’t tried yet.
Try this place once, you will be back.

I love indian food so i was excited to try them for the first ttme. I went there to order dinner for my nieces birthday to have at the house. We ordered the chicken curry, tandori chicken & another chicken dish which was similar to chicken chili at other indian restaurants & naan. The naan was just ok. The chicken curry was bland and runny for a curry dish. My husband’s chicken tandori was not fully cooked which was a bit scary. My stomache paid for it later in the night-​i will not be back. I guess i’m still in search for a local indian restaurant that tastes good and won’t make a person sick.

We randomly came here for dinner on a Sunday night. The service was great and the staff was helpful and warm! For dinner we had:
Chicken Sagg (medium spicy — full of flavor)
Curry Lamb (ok, but wasn’t as good as the chicken)
Rice
Garlic Naan (Yum)
Dessert — Gulab Jaman (warm dumpling dipped in syrup) — Yum
Beverage — Mango Lassi (Good, but had a thick smoothie consistency… kind of heavy with dinner).
Overall I would rate Chirag 3.5 stars. I definitely plan to come back and try the lunch buffet.

Amazing! I’m so excited that there’s such a fabulous Indian restaurant in my neighborhood! The owner, Kapreet, was so sweet and friendly and eager for feedback. My belly is still full and I have that big cheesy grin I always get after a great meal… I couldn’t wait any longer to post on Unilocal.
Our order: Paneer Korma, Aloo Gobi, Chicken Tikka Kabob and garlic basil Naan.
Every dish was perfectly seasoned and the chicken was so incredibly tender. The Paneer Korma was my veggie bf’s dish and I stole a good 3^rd of it anyway. =D He better not leave it in my fridge overnight!
I will definitely be back.

More like 3.25 stars but we only ate at the lunch buffet.
Buffet had pretty meager selections compared to other Indian buffets we have been to. Only 5 or 6 entrees (only 2 vegetarian; only one of which wad vegan), no soup, no papadam, no appetizers, no chutneys. Food was good. but some of the dishes were too salty. Also some of the entrees were warm and not hot even though they were in warming pans.
Hot naan served with meal.
Perfectly seasoned hot chai with meal.
We have been to all the previous Indian restaurants at this locale.
RIP to the brothers from Sahib.
The new décor is bright and sunny.
Staff is friendly, but seemed surprised when we were asked about the food and we said it was «salty.» Don’t understand why restaurants oversalt. As a customer you can always add salt.
They have only been opened for a month or so, so we’ll probably try them again later this year when they have settled in.

My husband and I were so excited to hear Chirag had opened up in the former Sahib location. The previous tenants were good friends and we missed having our local Indian restaurant close by. Chirag did not disappoint! Every dish we ordered was flavorful and delicious, most especially the Chicken Korma… one of my all-​time favorite dishes. The first time we ordered was take-​out and most recently we ate in for their Sunday lunch buffet. The new owners are really warm, friendly and accommodating and you leave there feeling happy and full. We are definitely new fans and will keep coming back for more!

The food was wonderful… We started with the veggie Samosas and had Butter Chicken since the other reviewers all liked it. We also had the veggie Korma with plain Naan. They don’t have their beer and wine license yet so we had water and their Indian Tea which have unlimited refills. The owner came over and gave us a dessert sampler which was nice. It was alot of food but very good.
The place is very bright from the white walls and overhead lighting. It would be nice if they could tone it down some.
They only take cash right now just to be warned.
The owner also said that she plans to get free wireless.