Tandoori Bistro

I really wanted to love this restaurant. My husband, two young children and I arrived around 6 pm on a Friday, and it was very empty. The waiter was very friendly and knowledgeable in helping us make our selections (we’re somewhat ‘new’ to Indian food). He came back several times attentively with drinks and to see if we were ready to place our order.
And it went downhill from there.
Our appetizer arrived very spicey when we’d made it very clear (and he understood) we wanted no hot spices. My husband found the waiter to tell him and just asked he make sure the rest of the food was made the way we asked (which he had said would be no problem), though they did offer to remake it we declined since my husband does like it cooked in the usual method, he just ate that one on his own.
After that our meal came many many minutes (sometimes 10 or 15) a part, one dish at a time. The restaurant was starting to fill up, but certainly not full. I do not recall anyone ever checking on this, and like another Unilocaler said it was near impossible to leave. I actually left my family there to do some shopping at Trader Joe’s, put everything in the car and came back and he still had not paid or received the take out containers. He finally had to go and ask again for the containers. It took more than a half an hour from when we were finished to actually pack everything up (ourselves, by the way), pay and leave. The service was so inattentive and bad at that point. We’d asked for more of a certain sauce and it never came, we had to ask twice for the Naan and weren’t even certain all of our dinners arrive b/​c it took so long (they eventually did).
We’d ordered four main dishes, four drinks, two orders of Naan and two appetizers (they are small) and with the minimal tip we left it was $ 90. I expect really good service for that price.
Despite really enjoying the food, we won’t be back. It was nearly 8 pm by the time we left. We were not the only ones trying to catch attention for service or to leave, either.
And yes, the Mango Lassi was wonderful! But so was everything else. Such a shame.

My fiancé and I went for dinner. They serve awesome Indian food with incredibly flavorful seasonings and ingredients-​more than other Indian places.
We aren’t vegetarian but we had the sweet potato chat, molai lofta, and some kind of marinated eggplant dish. SO tasty! I can understand how vegetarians survive if they eat amazing food like this.
They also serve a very tasty mango lassi. If you haven’t eaten here, then check them out!

My wife and I love this spot. We were introduced to the lunch buffet and what a treat. For about $ 13 out the door with tip included you get the whole affair. The flavors and spices are amazing in all the dishes. The Butter Chicken was the one dish that made me give this place a 5 star.
The regular menu is also reasonably priced and good sized portions.
The décor and ambience is nothing special. Although, there are two you gentlemen who are the greeters of the restaurant (possibly brothers). Their family is in the back whipping up these genuine arts of flavor. I get the sense that it is a family run business and that is something very special to me.
Keep up the amazing art! We’ll be back soon.

I have stopped by here many times for a cup of tea to-​go, and it’s like a dollar so that is amazing! Finally a place to get regular Indian chai! Woohoo! I’ll be back!
Update: Tried the lunch buffet today with the family. The food selection is limited, it is no Rangoli, but we liked it. 10.95 is as reasonable as it gets. LOVED the naan, it was quite crispy and fresh. Tandoori chicken and butter chicken was average, the dal makhni was yummy. Service is friendly, I like the family-​owned vibe. They have a customer in us!

We recently ordered a large order of takeout items from Tandoori Bistro for a party we were having. Overall, the food was received as tasty, but a bit too spicy.
The items ordered (I’ve reviewed the ones I tasted):
— chicken biryani
— goat biryani
— veggie biryani: Basically your regular pulao with veggies. VERY spicy.
— tandoori chicken
— tandoori pesto chicken tikka (2)
— bhindi masala (2): Great consistency, could’ve been a tad less spicy, as well.
— shahi paneer (2): Totally DELISH! Less like shahi paneer and more like paneer makhani, but I’m not complaining. It was totally tasty.
— raita (3)
— plain naan (10): A bit on the soft and mushy side, but could’ve been due to the takeout aspect.
The above order fed 10 of us with a bit leftover, so food quantity was plentiful!
The owners seemed friendly and social, which is always a nice touch.
Note: There is a discount for for bulk ordering naans (10+).

I’m sorry Tandoori. Had to give you one less star because of the service we received.
Came here last week because my Fiancé and I were craving Indian. It was the day before NYE and it was empty when we arrived. The waitress (who was behind the podium) was listening to music on her iPhone. Okay I get it, slow night, I would be entertaining myself as well. She looked a bit surprised that someone came in.
The food was decent. We ordered the chicken tiki masala and the cauliflower dish with two kids of naan. I haven’t had much Indian food in my life, but I’ve never been disappointed with tiki masala — kind of hard to mess up right? The service on the other hand was really slow.
— After we ordered our food, the waitress left the menus on the table. I know I’m being nit picky and it’s not something I look for when it comes to service, but its something every other waitress/​waiter does, so it was obvious when she didnt take away our menu (btw, we were sitting on a small table and with the big menus, it took up alot of space).
— We had finished our basket of papadum, and when the waitress came by to give us our main dishes, she didn’t take away the basket.
— We waited 10 minutes for the waitress to come pick up our bill, but she never came. We saw her walking from the front to the back over and over again, but with her head down. She wasn’t even looking around to see if anyone needed anything. We decided to leave cash instead of paying with our card and just left.

I had dinner here at Tandoori Bistro this evening. if you are in SJ going south on 85 and get hungry, I highly suggest you seek out this restaurant on/​off the Almaden EXPway.
It’s kinda behind the Bed/Bath&B/TJ Max/​Ross, make your way around those buildings to this find this delightful place. The food was delicious, the décor is attractive and the servers were very polite and attentive.
I indulged in Chicken Tikka Masala and it was very good, the onion and peppers were a welcome addition and the sauce was excellent.
Furthermore, I found it refreshing to find a place like this that was reasonable and pleasant service with good food on table cloths in an area that is over saturated with poor quality fast food and dull corporate chain restaurants.
I will go back to Tandoori Bistro some day…
Thanx!
~AM

I really wanted to like Tandoori Bistro!
This place has a cute interior, and was quiet on a Wednesday night. The food was pretty good, except for a few minor details.
I ordered the palak paneer, seeing as how I love spinach and cheese. That, and I really love the palak paneer from Trader Joe’s frozen food aisle.
Unfortunately, I probably prefer the Trader Joes version a bit better. The palak paneer here was really creamy, and the cheese was delicious, but it was really, really salty.
the rest of the entrees that our group ordered were decently good, however. There was some slight hiccups with our service, including some confusion as to how many pieces of naan are in one serving of naan (it’s 4).

The World According To Noelle
Allergic Girl’s Guide to Life
After stopping by Trader Joe’s I came here and picked up some lunch. I’ve been here numerous times for a to go order of ‘naan’ as my hubby is not a fan of Indian food. I decided on the $ 9.95 lunch buffet and somosa chat. Overall, the restaurant is clean and the staff is helpful. The food was underwhelming. Guess, I’ll have to make the drive out to Santa Clara, Fremont or Sunnyvale for a more authentic Indian meal. South San Jose really lacks good ethnic restaurants that are authentic.
I did like the Gulab Jamun but one cannot live on that and naan alone :)
Noelle’s Notes
Underwhelming at best.
*allergic to cilantro– eat with caution.

Just had a really all around mediocre experience. The service was slow and as dinner progressed, they never seemed to want to bus our table. At one point, we had many plates covering all the table space and I had to make room for the waiter to jam the check down by my elbow. Definitely an inexperienced wait staff that was not in tune with the normal ebb and flow of the dining process. Blondie and I did our best to pile up our dishes so we could be comfortable, but after a while it became a running joke to us. Blondie had to ask more than once to take items off the table as our bowl and dish constructions were not up to code.
After previous positive experiences, the whole meal was a big meh… I ordered 2 samosas and we got one that was over-​fried and cut in half. Also, my prawn biryani had shrimp that were not fresh and had a fishiness to them… and the same damn chlorinated, room temperature tap water for our waters. Thank God we ordered some Taj Mahal beer to accompany our entrees. This must be a thing with these guys… they are the only restaurant I have ever been to that doesn’t bother disguising their tap water with lemon or ice… geez people, throw me a fricken bone here. Even the butter chicken, which I normally fuss over how great it is, seemed to overpower my taste-​buds with tomato… in fact, it was more reminiscent of Campbell’s tomato soup. Needless to say, I am pretty bummed and won’t pass through their doors for some time.

This is an Indian restaurant with a casual feel to it, falling somewhere between «fast food» Indian restaurants and the really expensive formal places.
The food is quite good — I prefer the food here than to some of the more formal Indian restaurants in the nearby area. Portions are just about right.
So the three star rating is not based on the food. It’s based on two things: the location (sandwiched between a Trader Joe’s and a Costco, so parking can sometimes be a real challenge), and the service. The service is hit-​or-​miss, depending on when you go. I’ve had really excellent, and quite poor service here on various occasions.
This is on my regular list of places to go eat when I want a quick Indian meal, but my expectations are pretty much set. If I can find a place to park and a bit of attention from the staff, the food is worth it!

THE MOST HORRIBLE DINING EXPERIENCE EVER!
We were excited to find an Indian restaurant literally 2 minutes from our house. But we should have known better when we got there. First of all, it took someone about 10 minutes to even address us. I felt like we had to flag the guy down just to tell him we wanted to dine there. Then it took him 15 min to take our order.
THEN THE REAL HORROR BEGAN. Apparently there was a buffet was set up for a large Indian party (for a holiday?). There were about 3 kids between the ages of 4 – 6 running around the restaurant screaming at the top of their lungs. Then the party grew bigger and bigger, and the 3 became 10 screaming children who were also bumping into me constantly. The adults didn’t tell them to stop, nor did the waiters or managers (safety issue there). The adults were just as obnoxious screaming and backing into me to take pictures without an apology.
When we got the food, we were hoping for it to be a good distraction. But the pesto naan was just plain naan with pesto slatthered on top of it. My husband choked on a few small bones in the butter chicken and the palak paneer was extra salty. With the mediocre food and obnoxious large party screaming and running around, mid-​meal, we couldn’t take it anymore. I even lost my appetite! And that never happens. I forced my husband to ask for to-​go containers and the check b/​c I couldn’t even hear myself think. He wanted to pay with a credit card, but I wanted to get out of there so fast I threw cash onto the table and literally ran out of there.
Even 20 minutes after we left, our ears were still ringing from all the screaming. We even saw another couple from the restaurant at Home Depot afterwards. I said, «You guys ran out of there too?» and they said «yes». Never the same mistake again. Not even good enough for take-​out. =(

Why such a low limit on number of Groupons? It was gone before 9am!
Food here is okay, but their prices make me cringe at the same time. That’s why I was delighted to see a Groupon email with Tandoori Bistro. But to my dismay, it was sold out!!! only 110 Groupons and sold out? I have to say that this gesture will go down in my book as not wanting more customers.

Saw this place a few times while leaving costco, the décor is what made me wanna try it since I’ve been looking for another local Indian place.
Tried this place out for dinner with a foodie friend and I was definitely disappointed. We got there and it was near empty so we figured a quick and easy meal, boy we were wrong. Finding parking is no problem but I took forever to get our food and even longer to pay and leave. We eventually just had to go up to the front counter and re-​ask for the bill.
The staff was far from rude, they are very polite and nice but the sense of urgency was lacking. it wasn’t busy yet the line to either take a seat or pay didn’t move.
We ordered the chicken 65 appetizer to start, followed by the sun dried tomato, basil, and cheese naan. We both got a wrap for our course, chicken tikka and seekh kabob of course. The only good part of the meal was the naan and chicken 65 as they actually had some flavor. The chicken however in all the meal was over cooked, the chicken 65 sauce barely held it together. The wraps were pathetic, hardly an meat, bland an not spicy (we asked for spicy b/​c you can choose 3 levels –mild med or hot) The wrap was without and mint sauce or tahini, my lamb was unsalted an mealy in texture. The side salad I didn’t even touch because it just looked sad. The bittersweet moment was when thy said they didn’t have any Taj Mahal beer, so I settled on the Kingfisher for $ 6.75.
This is the type of place that has décor that is better than the food and speed of service. For me that’s no bueno, I prefer a whole in the wall that serves food that turns you out like crack. =)

Interesting little restaurant in the Almaden plaza. Ventured in here during lunch time and was interested in the $ 5 lunch specials. They do offer an okay buffet for $ 9.95. After being seated, the wait staff of two kind of ignored me in the mostly empty restaurant.
After ordering the chicken tikka wrap special, I had asked for the golub jamin to round out my dessert need. They brought me one golub jamin in tiny dish. Typical Indian restaurants serve you at least two good size, but I thought maybe this was a weird lunch deal.
My chicken tikka wrap was pretty tasty except the chicken wasn’t really hot. After I finished my meal, the wait staff pretty much ignored me, so I walked up to the desk to pay and was shocked that they were trying to charge me $ 3.95 for the one tiny golub jamin. I protested of course because that is ridiculous. She said I was supposed to be served more, but wasn’t. Good customer service prevailed and she didn’t charge me for the error.
I’d definitely go back to try dinner as the lunch buffet didn’t seem to offer exciting dishes for $ 9.95. The $ 5 lunch specials were okay, but I wish the chicken was a tad warmer, temperature wise.

I must say, judging by the name I expected it to be much better than it actually was. I’m not Indian but I eat a lot of Indian food, both homemade and at restaurants, very often. Granted, I ate at the lunch buffet.
To start, there were only two meat (chicken) dishes and everything else was just beans in different sauces. I started, and ended, with some basmati rice, chicken «mahkni», spinach w/​corn, dahl, and some type of chicken kebab.
–The spinach w/​corn was a lil weird and didnt taste like anything other than spinach and corn w/​no seasonings.
–The chicken «mahkni» literally tasted like they drained the red sauce from several cans of Chef Boyardee Ravioli and added chicken and more sugar to it.
–The chicken kebab was awesome in both flavor and texture. It was extremely moist and tasty, something that most restaurants don’t take the time to do when it comes to chicken breast.
–The rice was okay, kinda hard to mess up.
–The dahl was tasty but had some kind of potato-​like cubes in it that didnt go well with the flavor and messed up the texture.
–By the time I sat down, the waiter brought freshly made naan. The naan was awesome!!! It was cooked perfectly with no burns and the bread wasnt thin in some places and thick in others. It seemed like the cook really perfected the recipe.
All in all, I will never return to this place but if I did, I’d just get the naan! lol

I’m giving it 3 stars for primarily the food.
There was about five different dishes on the buffet. I tired all and only liked the vegetarian dish Veggie Korma. What a surprise. That’s the dish that I normally avoid in an Indian restaurant. It was really tasty.
Restaurant décor: Five Stars. The restaurant was clean with nice amount of tables and chairs without being too crowded.
Five stars for their bathroom. Separate ones for the Male/​Female. Checked the bathroom out and it was clean.
Staff: 3 Stars. Company went for a second helping and I noticed a staff saw the dirty plate and did not bother to pick it up at all. The good natured hotess did it. Considering it wasn’t busy when we went in. There were about 8 people there around 12:30.
Parking: Two Stars. You share the space with the Costco shoppers and many other stores. SO that means you have to do the usual circle to find a spot. The mall sits on a busy strip.
I will go back and find other dish to try. We heard that their buffet actually serves different dishes on different days. They deserve more than one chance.

Tasty food, neat interior, and I especially like their effort to present the food nicely, which is hard for Indian food since they are mostly mashed in curry.
The butter chicken and the Nann with sun-​dry tomato are good.

What an awesome find in our area! My husband was craving Naan so we decided to try this place out.
Décor is really nice here… I was surprised how cute and nice it is for a strip mall. This restaurant is family owned and the daughters were waiting on us and as cute and friendly as could be. Super attentive to us and went out of their way to make us feel at home. They even made us some fresh chai tea. It was cute how one of them was telling us about when her parents opened the restaurant and how a lot of their items look authentic but were actually purchased at Cost Plus World Market. She was very candid and sweet and I enjoyed her company.
Food was delicious! We ordered the chicken tikka massala and chicken Makhni. Both were spicy and flavorful and served on a bed of rice shaped like a pyramid! Cool! They gave us plenty of naan that was hot and crispy.
We really enjoyed this place and I have a feeling it’s going to be a «Go To» place for us since it’s close by. I really enjoyed the food and the excellent customer service here. Plus dishes are reasonable at about $ 10 a dish.

This restaurant just opened in the area and all I can say is it’s GREAT! You’ve got to give it a try for yourself. It’ll certainly become a regular favorite of mine.
They offer all-​you-​can-​eat buffet lunches from 11AM-​3PM daily. At 5PM they start their dinner menu.
GOOD:
–Food is very tasty and authentic
–Staff is very helpful and very friendly
–Ambiance is clean, well-​decorated, and comfortable
FAIR:
–Menu is varied (though limited when compared to other similar restaurants).
–Parking could be a challenge as this restaurant is located in a busy shopping center with a Costco nearby (who doesn’t know how difficult it could be to find a parking at Costco?).
BAD:
–Nothing, except that I eventually had to leave feeling happy and full (not a bad problem to have).
I’ll be back again as I can’t wait to try more of their menu items.
Woo Hoo!!!