Bindi

Love this place. Chicken Tikka Masala is spicy goodness and the prices are good for the lunch combos.
Note in December 2011 they changed their name to Okra. So if you get there and can’t find Bindi, it’s OK. Okra is the same place with the same great food.

Went here for the first time today and was pleasantly surprised.
AYCE for $ 12.95 is worth it for the very fresh salad bar. I got second’s on the crispy coleslaw and I didn’t get a chance to try the fresh strawberry’s– they looked so yummy.
The tandoor chicken was ok, but the curried goat was much better, the palak paneer was good and so was the butter chicken. The naan bread was good, slightly charred and slightly chewy– just right. The rajma (kidney beans was good too, it had this earthy texas chili style that I liked)
The mangoe lassi at $ 3.50 was pretty good too.
Tip: get here before the lunch crowds, 11:45am is perfect.
If you get here later, you will wait in line.
Upscale looking place, nice furniture and décor.
I think the dining experience is worth an extra two bucks and combined with attentive customer service is easily worth $ 2.00
It’s not the best indian food but the tables, décor, soft music and customer service make it another star for them!

This place can do no wrong.
Love their naan, love their chicken tikka masala, love their chicken biryani. It’s slightly more expensive than the usual Indian restaurants (i.e. Darbar, Shalimar’s, Naan n’ Curry), but that’s because a) it’s in the Fidi and b) it’s actually a pretty nice restaurant. Plus, you definitely get your money’s worth. They give you a side of rice with your entrée orders, you don’t have to order it separately.
I usually get dinner here to go when I’m working late, but I’ve also been here for their lunch buffet which is also very yummy.
The 2 waiters that are always there are also super friendly.

Bindi or Mehfil… both have equal claims to the unofficial title of Curry in a Hurry. Both offer to go boxes that are essentially ready to go and both price their dishes around $ 5-​$ 7. I feel like this review cannot be done without comparing it to its fellow Indian cuisine counterpart.
So let’s get straight to the heart of the matter… the food. The one standard dish at all India restaurants have that both Mehfil and Bindi carry every day is the Chicken Tikka Masala curry dish. I personally prefer the sauce of the Chicken Tikka Masala at Mehfil more than here but I do like the chicken itself at Bindi a lot better as its more tender. As for the naan, Bindi wins that battle by a landslide as their naan is so much more soft and tasty than Mehfil’s, regardless of when you go. One other thing I appreciate about Bindi is that they offer their buffet as a to-​go box option in case you feel hungry or want to try a variety of items, such as their Tandoori Chicken or Goat Curry.
For me, Mehfil is a lot closer to my work so I’ll likely go there more often but if they were equal distance from my office, it’d literally be a toss up. When it comes to curry, I may go to Mehfil but if I was craving some naan to go alongside my meal, I’d definitely choose Bindi.

The hubs works pretty close to this place and I was in the mood for either Mediterranean (Sunrise deli yum!) or Indian so we opted for Bindi since we’ve never been here before.
The restaurant is funky. In the front, there’s the regular sit down restaurant. In the second section, there’s a space for the buffet. Then finally when you get to the back, there’s the «to-​go» section where the prices are affordable BUT you can’t eat in the restaurant and it’s cash only. When we walked in there, the place was 30% full, personally, I think it’s sort of tacky cuz it makes you feel hey, if you want the cheap food you gotta find somewhere else to eat.
We got the combos for $ 7 each-​chicken tikka masala and chicken buri with fresh naan and a soda. The chicken tikka was hardly flavorful although the chicken buri was o.k. Either way, both dishes were very rice heavy with very few pieces of chicken.
Definitely having been to Chaat’s (for my quick fix) and Amber (for a more fine dining ambiance) I see no reason for us to ever have to come back to Bindi…

I don’t get to San Francisco very much anymore, but an old friend was in town and wanted to have lunch with me. I am so glad she wanted to come to this place. I love Indian food, and it is even better when they have goat curry on the menu.
I ordered the veggie samosa and the salt lassi to start. The samosa was hot and crisp, the mint chutney very delicious. The salt lassi was very creamy. It ranks with, if not surpasses any I have had in recent months. But the real star I would have to say was the goat curry. Instead of being mild in flavor it was very spicy, which was unusual, but I like spicy food so it was no problem for me. The naan was crispy and tender.
Excellent food, and a nice atmosphere – I would defiinitely return!

I’ve been here twice for the lunch buffet mostly because it’s so convenient to my office. Both times I’ve felt like it was somewhere between ok and good. It’s pretty reasonably priced and the takeout looks like a good deal too. Service is fine and since they redid the upstairs it seems like there is more seating which is nice.
Is it my favorite Indian restaurant ever? No, definitely not. Will I be back? Yup.

3 stars for featuring GOAT CURRY in the buffet.
Extra star for the fact that it was D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S and giving me a 20% of on my bill!
Keep it up guys!

Flavors, disappointing. Some dishes were bland, a few were watery, and others too much spice but not much else.
Kheer, too sweet. Fruit salad, nice touch, and plentiful!
Service = efficient. They refill the water, bus the table between refills, etc.
$ 11.95 for lunch buffet, c’mon, I can get better food for less. (Yes, I know, welcome to FiDi/​SOMA, blah de blah blah.)
Bring cash. Even if you bring your card, they’ll make you use the ATM (inside the restaurant).
Sorry, I really wanted to enjoy this place but I can’t even make myself give the 3^rd star. I already wavered between 1 and 2 stars…

Blah — this place is clearly a lunch-​only hot spot in the FiDi SF. My gf and I happened to be in SF one weeknight and strolled in here for a quick dinner. The whole place was empty so the service was prompt as expected, but I never quite feel right when the one server/​waiter is pretty much watching your every move from a distance to bring you more water, another napkin, the check, even before you glance towards him.
The food was average, nothing great. We had some biryani and they had whole cardamom seeds mixed into the rice. Careless cooking. It’s never fun having to pick out half chewed seeds from your dish with an explosion of spice every time you bite into an unexpected spice seed, yuck.

AHA! I’ve solved the mystery of whether or not I actually like Indian food, and the answer is that I DO. I have had such mixed experiences, my last one being slightly traumatizing with unnecessary spicy-​ness, and after going to Bindi I’m completely sold. (By the way, I get that Indian food is supposed to be hot… but the last joint I went to actually hurt my mouth.)
A group of three of us went during lunch around noon, and we showed up just before a giant lunch crowd rolled in… and this was a scary big crowd! The to-​go line had probably 20 or so people standing in it. Luckily we were sat right away and wasted no time heading to the lunch buffet.
I could go on and on about all the choices that were at the buffet, and each of them were equally as good. Here’s what I recommend you load up on:
–Veggie Pakora (veggies/​most potatoes fried into balls)
–Lettuce and their seasoned tomatoes (to cool your mouth down)
–Baigan Bharta (eggplant cooked and pureed in spices)
–Chicken Tikka (Masala-​tandoori chicken cubes cooked)
–Beef meatballs in curry sauce (self explanatory…)
–Veggie Korma
–Chana Masala (garbazo beans cooked in tomato sauce)
The food rocked, the service was slow as I’ve found to be quite common at most Indian joints, but they played some Indian club-​like music so we got to dance our way out of the restaurant. So glad I finally had an awesome Indian dining experience!

Wow what a deal that Bindi! It starts at $ 5.50 for take-​out-​only, quick-​pick-​up boxes. I usually go for chicken tikka masala with rice and, for just seven dollars, upgrade with a side of saag panir (my fave Indian spinach dish).
Buffet’s just OK for $ 11.95, with a somewhat limited selection.
Order-​from-​the-​menu lunches are $ 11-​$ 13, and the atmosphere is reasonably nice. Chicken tandoori and lamb saag have both satisfied. Service isn’t too fast though.
Dinner is a decent bet, mostly because there isn’t much to choose from around here after quittin’ time. Osha is the best choice, IMHO.
Bonus note, when it’s warm enough, enjoy one of the two outdoor tables.
Overall, Mehfil is still the best Indian cuisine around these parts and Mourya has a cheaper buffet, though not at tasty as Bindi. However, I go to Bindi most frequently, because it’s across the street from my office and the take-​out is so darn fast.

This place is not very good Indian food. If you want a place to go balls out on poor quality food. Then this place is okay, for $ 10 you can have an all you can eat buffet. But I will warn you, it is packed with salt so if you decide to go for it, you’ll be fighting a food coma in the afternoon.
On another note, the guy who I think is a manager is a total prick. He needs to learn how to be nicer to people, the place is not good enough for people to ignore a jackass.

Really decent place for lunch on Saturday and if you ever work in Financial District on weekends, you’ll now you hit the jack pot!
I ordered Shrimp Tikka Masala, but came with the flavor of Lamb which I am not too fond of. They probably share the pans/​pots so be mindful if you cannot handle lamb. Other than that, everything else was decent.

Is Bindi the Curry Bradshaw of Indian cuisine? Methinks not, but for a decent and spice-​filled buffet for about $ 12, you’re going to come away stuffed like a plump samosa.
Buffets are sometimes risky, since you don’t know how fresh every dish is going to be. I normally try and go around 11:30am, but we all have our theories. Anyway, Bindi put out fine versions of tandoori chicken and matar paneer, along with a few flavorful curries. The naan was served piping hot, which is a good indication as well.
There isn’t much atmosphere here, and that’s too bad, but if you work in the area, Bindi’s worth adding to your British Raj lunch rotation.

First of all, I hate misrepresentation on a menu. Specifically, the «Bindi Tandoor Special» is listed as including chicken breast and shrimp, but ours arrived with drumsticks and no shrimp.
On top of that, every other dish we ordered (bhindi, chicken curry, and aloo gobi) was swimming in a shallow pool of oil.
Finally, we were charged for two orders of raita which we never received.
I’ll admit that the food was tasty enough, and reasonably priced, but it wasn’t a pleasant experience overall.

I didn’t know a bindi is the red dot that Indian women put on their foreheads to symbolize concealed wisdom. Seems like a good name for the place since it’s in the middle of the lower FiDi concealed on Second Street. It’s actually open on Sunday evenings, a rarity in these parts since it is rather deserted without the office workers scurrying about. Jamie W. and I tried it on a whim this past Sunday and was pleasantly surprised how good the food was.
It’s standard Indian fare but really well handled. My good mood was enhanced by the fact that the place was clean and quiet with just some rhythmic world music in the background. The waitstaff was very low-​key, and it was comfortable sitting on the banquette with the big colorful pillows. Jamie W. and I were pretty hungry, so we went for three dishes. The first was the $ 8.95 Bhindi Masala, as I was having a hankering for fresh okra (see photo). It came mixed with tomatoes and onions and a whole bunch of spices including the masala. Tasty.
The second was the $ 9.95 Chicken Tikka Masala, which was spicy and creamy since it was obviously stewing in the tandoori (see photo). It took a lot of Garlic Naan ($ 2) and Jasmine Rice (free) to sop it up — but we managed to scrape the serving dish. The third was the heartiest of the trio, the $ 10.95 Karahi Gosht, which was full of big chunks of lamb mixed with the familiar spices and chiles with a lemony finish. It was like a good mutton stew with Bollywood zing. It was a satisfying meal.
I came back today with a colleague for the lunch buffet. In contrast to the quiet Sunday dinner, it was bustling with activity. Yet, the food was still very good. For $ 11.95, you can have unlimited eats, but I was good. I only went up twice and had the salad both times. But I was getting addicted to the Chicken Tandoori. Very tender. Oh yes, I’ll be coming back with some Tupperware. Is that wrong?
FOOD — 4 stars… surprisingly delish
AMBIANCE — 3.5 stars… not that atmospheric but clean, spacious… fits the FiDi vibe, for sure
SERVICE — 4 stars… low-​key and efficient
TOTAL — 4 stars… I’m wearing a dot and a sari next time… I’m getting into Bindi, man

My choice for the lunch was take-​out chicken tikka masala with rice and naan. $ 6.50 total
This place looks quite clean and nice inside — I could see myself actually eating here, and spending my lunch hour over fragrant bowl of indian goodies :)
Naan was crispy and simply wonderful!
I actually was picking well prepared chicken with naan, and threw away the rice (empty calories :)) — was full till 9 pm…
I will be back, for naan for sure!

A weird combination of waiter service & wine bar contrasting a limited to go steam table counter for lunch. It was decent Indian take away for the FiDi, but not sure I’d want to pay 2x-​3x the price for the same food in a sit down service. I don’t normally comment on portion since that’s so unbecoming (or «trifling» as others may say), but I feel compelled to given what I read when pre-​Yelping. I ordered the 3-​items over rice ($ 6) and a garlic naan ($ 2). I finished all the curry, half the naan and barely dug into the rice. I’m not Mary Kate skinny and I’m not Precious-​sized «Rubenesque», but I felt more than satisfied. Perhaps other Unilocalers are taking advantage of the sweater weather by eating more…
Chicken Tikka Masala: The masala had the right mix of tomato and cream. It was very spicy hot, though lacked an aromatic complexity favoring high salt as the predominant flavor. The chicken itself was a little tough, perhaps cooked too quickly on too high a temperature instead of more slowly.
Malai Kofta: Kind of like a falafel with peas and carrots inside. Probably strays from tradition. The creamy sauce was suspiciously similar to the chicken tikka masala.
Saag Chicken: More tender than the chicken tikka masala oddly enough. Maybe more dark meat focused? A tad bland, but saag is usually bland, so no biggie.
Garlic Naan: I don’t know how they make it, but it felt saturated with garlic salt or garlic powder instead of fresh garlic. Also, the naan was a weird yellow instead of the expected crisp white. Reminded me of cheap garlic bread from a middling Italian-​American restaurant.

I’m willing to bet that within about 3 weeks, this new SOMA lunch spot will be packed. It’s only been open since mid-​September, but they seem to be acquiring a solid group of regulars for their $ 5 lunch boxes. I can almost see a new jingle coming on: ‘five… five dollar… five dollar lunch boooooooooxx.”
For $ 5 (in cash, no cards), you can walk directly to the back of the restaurant, throw down an order of chicken marsala, chicken curry, mixed vegetables or spinach/​garbanzo beans, and bail in under two minutes. No joke, I took a look at my phone as soon as I strolled in, and 120 seconds later, I was zipping down 2^nd street back to my office. Efficiency, FTW!
If you’re torn on which dish to smother over the Basmati rice, you can add $ 0.50 for each additional item. Even $ 6 for three sides is pretty darn good.
Was it the best Indian food I’ve ever consumed? Well, no… but it was definitely good and the speed at which I was back at my desk and eating was pretty remarkable.
If you’d rather sit down and grind, you can do that as well. It’s a huge space, so I highly doubt you’d ever have to wait longer than a few moments to be seated. Be warned, however, that the $ 5 lunch box is only to-​go. If you decide to eat in, the offer isn’t valid and you’ll be spending twice as much on your lunch.