Dosti Bar & Restaurant

This place is great! So great I’ve been twice in the last week! Awesome service, prompt delivery and excellent execution!

Unfortunately Unilocal does not allow to give less than ONE star rating. DOSTI restaurant (now renamed as Sahara most probably) is owned by one shady middle aged man, who took advance money from me to organize my daughter’s Birthday party. As the day approached, he stopped picking up calls and whenever he picked up he said that restaurant is closed due to renovation. We checked and found out that this owner is a shady guy who has run into tax issues and now he is trying to rename the restaurant. Finally I had to shift the party to another restaurant just 2 days ahead of the event, as he said he cannot guarantee any party. However, it is now almost a month and I am yet to get back the advance money. He does not pick up the call and even if he does so mistakenly, he is either in a hospital or he is in a meeting. It is obvious such man cannot run a restaurant as he is a cheat and totally dishonest guy. STAY away from DOSTI /​Sahara or you may face the same.

Went here on a weekday afternoon after a co-worker’s rave review on the food. It was around 1 PM and I walked in with my friend, who had never eaten Indian food before. There were 2 tables with people eating, but no staff in the dining room. We waited around a bit uncomfortably for about 2 minutes, when a man walked out from the back. He looked at us and said «sit anywhere» as he turned around and walked into the back again. We sat in a booth with no menus. It was a lunchtime buffet, which I wanted, but my friend asked for a menu when the man came back to give us water glasses. He was told shortly to «eat the buffet, it’s good» and disappeared again. So much for hospitality on my friend’s first time!
We went up to the buffet and I was not disappointed by the food. From the sauces (especially the sweet chutney) to the rice to the entrees, the food was absolutely excellent. The paneer (my fav) was fresh and cooked absolutely perfectly. The mixed veg dish was more of a purée than chunks of veggies, but the taste and spices were amazing.
There was a choice of hot and cold dessert too.
During our buffet run, a basket of warm, fresh naan was delivered and water glasses were filled. I planned to order a mango lassi when someone came back. However, a few moments later, the same man literally DROPPED off the complimentary sizzling chicken without even looking at us. So I drank water and they lost out on an extra 4 bucks.
Again, my love for ethnic food is about the taste, not the service, as I understand authentic dishes are served by authentic cultures, but I was still a bit surprised seeing as this location is in an upscale part of Schaumburg. The décor is modern and nice, and the restaurant was very clean indeed.
I will definitely be back for the food, but I won’t intorduce someone to Indian food here again. My friend was asking me some questions about the food that I really couldn’t answer. I will bring them to a big restaurant where there is more emphasis on customer service.
Again, AWESOME paneer and bone in goat meat!

Quick Summary:
This place sucks balls and I hope they go out of business
Long Summary:
Went here after seeing good reviews on Unilocal.
We walk in and talk to the server, he just looks down and walks away.
We talk to another guy behind the bar, he doesn’t respond either.
Seemed like bizarro world — we kept asking if something’s wrong — the guy
said the other guy doesn’t speak english… I guess!
Really bad starting point but we decided to eat here anyways.
Some of THE worst food I’ve ever tasted in my life. Absolute garbage.
I’m sure the food is all old, frozen and spoiled. They dump tons of masala into all their meat dishes to hide the bad taste of the meat. And they don’t make authentic indian food.
I don’t know what all the other positive reviewers are smoking — but this is one place that sucks the most. Really rude service.
Finally the guy said they’re turning this place into a nightclub in a few months. Enough said.

This was the 1^st Indian restaurant I went to after coming to Chicago. The dine-​in experience was good and the food we ordered was as expected — spicy. I liked the service the first time.
The second time we went here for a buffet, they had some party. So, when we went inside, the staff was inattentive and rude while informing us that today it was closed. They should have at least had a board outside saying that they were not having buffet today. We didn’t like the experience.
The third time my husband & I went here was for a lunch buffet and I didn’t like it. The tandoori wasn’t as spicy and hot, the non-​veg items were okay, but both of us liked the veg preparation. I would recommend priya (nearby dosti) for the lunch buffet. We keep going there again & again.
I am not going for the buffet again, but going for dine-​in for sure.

I first came here in the winter of 2007 because the Schaumburg Business Association (SBA) had an after-​work meet-​n-​greet held here and Dosti’s was newly opened at that time. I love, love, love Dosti’s and I’ve been to a lot of Indian restaurants in the Schaumburg area. Dosti’s is modern and clean. I had been to Indian restaurants with nasty carpet and/​or bizaar, cheezy décor. You won’t get any of that at Dosti’s.
Gopaul is the main male waiter there and he is awesome and has worked their since it first opened.
My friend and I usually get the chicken tikka masala, palak paneer and garlic naan. She always gets a mango lassie and loves those.
It’d be cool if they added something more Americanized for a dessert like chocolate brownie or soft-​serve mango ice cream or something. I’m not big on traditional Indian dessert.
All-​in-​all, the place is awesome and just writing this makes me want to go back very soon!
Update — 2÷17÷2012 — Can’t believe this place closed! That stinks! Must’ve been poor management. But lately I’ve been going to India House at Higgins and Golf Roads — really great Indian buffet there! Check it out!

Went with the family & friend’s family on a sunday evening.
We had the Paneer pakora app– a little undercooked, IMO, the butter chicken– excellent flavor, and a spicy lamb dish– excellent flavor, but very spicy (excellent when we asked for a side of yogurt to go with it. Service was terribly slow (I won’t knock off a star this time, but maybe next time), and everything was ala carte, so it was a little pricey, but we had an ‘Entertainment’ book discount.
Overall, will definitely go back, because we were very impressed with the food.

We had been to Dosti once before and decided to go back again since we had a Groupon for dinner.
Dosti Bar and Restaurant is kind of tucked away behind the Littman Brothers Light Company building. It can be easily missed if you are not looking for it.
This particular location used to be a Persian restaurant that we went to and was comparable to one of our favorite Persian restaurants, Reza’s, alas, it closed and said it was moving elsewhere.
Sadly, we never found out where it went and in its place Dosti Bar and Restaurant opened up. We weren’t strangers to Indian cuisine, so, we were anxious to try it out.
When you walk in, you are greeted with a modest host table to the left as well as a large projection screen TV usually showing Indian TV. Bollywood music videos or at this visit, the Cricket League playoffs.
Half of this restaurant is a bar and lounge area, while the other half is the restaurant part. If you don’t mind the loud Bollywood music coming from the bar area as you dine, then it should a good experience, if not, then, perhaps ordering take-​out is a better choice for you.
I don’t mind the loud music videos, etc. It is just kind of distracting and I felt Dosti was more of a bar and grill than a bar and restaurant. I think if they separated the bar further with a taller wall partition it would be beneficial to their restaurant dining only clientele.
Anyway, onto the food, the food here is pretty darned good as there is a large Indian community in the Schaumburg/​Streamwood/​Hoffman Estates area. Also, you KNOW it is going to be good, authentic Indian cuisine because of the numerous Indian clientele dining in the restaurant.
On our first foray into Dosti, it was well populated with patrons and we decided to order our usual Indian food order of Chicken Vindaloo, Naan, Samosas, Chicken Dum Biriyani and Kheer. The female server asked if we wanted it to be spicy and we said, «Yes.» But, when we got our chicken vindaloo it was really not that spicy, but it was tasty.
I had noticed the chicken to potato ratio in the vindaloo was a bit skewed more to the potato. The naan was well done and very fresh and flavorful. The samosas were also big and very delicious! The kheer was a nice finishing dessert to our meal. We also enjoyed the flavor of the chicken dum biryani and had to stop ourselves from eating the whole thing.
We enjoyed our first visit and now that we had a Groupon, we decided to go in again and try something different. We went a bit crazy on the ordering, but we had a Groupon, so, we decided to try new things.
We came in later than the dinner rush and noticed the parking lot was pretty full in front of the restaurant, always a good sign. Inside the restaurant was a large party of at least 20 people who were there dining, so, I wondered if we were going to have to wait. Fortunately, we were served promptly with our pappadum pre-​appetizer and water.
We ordered the samosas, tandoori mixed grill (tandoori chicken, tandoori fish, and seekh kabab), chicken tikka masala, chicken korma, garlic naan, and vegetable biryani. Yes, we went a bit overboard here, but we had a lot of leftovers. :)
Only about 15 minutes, into the meal, we hadn’t gotten any appetizers yet or food, then we got our samosas and tandoori mixed grill (also an appetizer). So, we started to enjoy our appetizers and then not a minute or so later. Our meals come out as well as the garlic naan. (!!!)
Lemme just say, I am all for quick food service, but I would have liked to have enjoyed my appetizers first before the rest of the food came out. Just one quip, they need to space our their food preparation a bit… otherwise, it was quick and the food was hot.
We quite enjoyed the grilled flavor of the tandoori mixed grill. I especially loved the chicken and ponder getting the tandoori chicken meal next time. My husband liked his much more spicy chicken tikka masala and actually felt the spice this time around. The chicken korma, for me, was much spicier than the vindaloo from last time, but not so so spicy though.
I’d like to add that the chicken korma had quite a bit more chicken this time around, so, there was no lacking of chicken here. The garlic naan was fluffy and well seasoned. As I said above, I liked the chicken biryani, but the vegetable biryani, while it had a lot of aromatics… lacked flavor. The Vegetable Biryani was rather bland, tasteless, and made me sad because I was looking forward to the biryani.
We skipped the kheer this time around and just took home our leftovers and rolled on out of there. :) Overall, it was a better experience for us and we’ll definitely be back to try more of their dishes.
They are open for lunch and have a $ 7.99 buffet deal wehre you can get a number of their dishes, naan, etc. ALL YOU CAN EAT! :) I haven’t been there for the buffet, but I’m sure it is yumola!
Definitely a hidden gem in the burbs! Yum Yum Dosti!

What a nice little gem hidden in a nondescript strip mall!
–First impression-​Modern
–Second impression-​A well stocked bar (A must for me and my group)
We were greeted promptly and seated, Our water glass was filled and the server took our drink orders. (Nice!)
We then reviewed their extensive menu… so many choices! We decided to stay safe and ordered a more traditional offerings.
Starters: Samosas/​Veggie and meat kind=very well done! Yum Yum! It was hot and non greasy with full flavor.
Main Course: Tandoori Mix Grill (fish, lamb & chicken)=Excellent Yum Yum! Came to our table sizzling hot and I finished it by squeezing the lemon that came on the plate. Oooh I can still smell the fragrant aroma of all those yummy exotic spices.
–Chicken Tikka Masala-​love that sauce! We didn’t go crazy asked for medium hot which just enough heat to enhance rather than overwhelm the dish.
— Aloo Gobhi-​cauliflower & potatoes –Solid well done.
–Onion Nan Bread-​Yum! A great way to mop up all those yummy sauce.
Ok so they passed our test for basic Indian food, it did not disappoint; we are excited to go back and try their more interesting dishes.
**Bonus Love the big screen tv playing Bollywood music video!!!**

I was invited to a luncheon at Dosti for our group meeting. I was pleasantly surprised by the contemporary décor with simple clean, but colorful lines. The service was great and the food was some of the best that I have had in a long time.
We had been looking for a place to host our meeting and after doing some research we found this gem of place, reasonable cost, great ambiance, and excellent food.
Too often I find myself staring at a menu that tries to over promise, but actually under-​delivers. I like to get service when needed and don’t want someone buzzing over my head all the time. The staff and owner were discreet, yet attentive.
I love to cook as well as eat so I appreciate it when I get to eat great tasting food that is not easy to make in a flavorful manner without going overboard on the heavy spices and the greasy gravy.
Give the place a try if you are in the mood for GREAT INDIAN FOOD at a very reasonable price!

I had the buffet ($ 8) while my partner ordered a lamb dish ($ 14). There were fewer choices than other Indian buffets I’ve been to (one appetizer, 4 veg entrees, 2 non-​veg, 2 desserts), but the food was tasty. The highlight was the spinach/​potato pakora that seemed to be battered in corn dog batter. I loved the Kheer too.
As for the mango lassi ($ 4), I wasn’t a fan. It was much more sour/​yogurty than other mango lassis I’ve had, with barely any mango flavor.
Service was just okay… one staff member was very friendly but the other was not friendly, and actually quite rude.
Note: Another time got saag (palak) paneer for carry-​out. Yum! The paneer had a wonderful texture – firm and springy on the outside, soft on the inside. Only complaint was that, despite the $ 12 price, it didn’t come with rice.

Went for pick-​up tonight. Much better than India House and Gaylord. Super-​friendly owner. Yummy paneer tikka appetizer. And even my mom liked it, and she almost never likes any Indian restaurant. Thats how I know food is good. 1 star off — a little too spicy and its expensive. Maybe I’ll try buffet next time.

LOCATION
Hidden away in a strip mall. GPS can help only SO much. had to kinda wing it when in the area…
AMBIANCE
Very cute… Décor and dishes are very nice… liked the video screens of dancing Desi shows. Nice staff. High privacy booths…
FOOD
Baaaah…so not impressed. Was it because it was Sunday night?
1) ROTI with Cheese — waitress recommended, came out fresh but so bland… much tastier versions at India House (Devon OR Roosevelt locations)
2) SHRIMP BIRYANI — rice was old or overcooked AND had the MOST RUBBERY shrimp I have ever tried to eat… the butter knife almost didn’t get through the rubber factor… granted, it was 8pm on a Sunday night — but don’t give new visitors reheated stuff from the buffet.
3) TANDOORI MIXED GRILL — fish lamb sausage? chicken pieces… on bed of onions, in a skillet was okay… again just mediocre, not flavorful… Quantity and quality could have been a bit better. Not the best value.
4) TANDOORI PRAWNS — given as a ‘comp’ to make up for the rubbery shrimp… either they were trying to insult our intelligence (?) with 5 baby shrimp rolled in Tandoori powder paste… on a thin bed of shredded iceberg (I know what this appetizer is supposed to be like FYI) OR they have the most rip off ‘Tandoori Prawns’ entrée ever… WHO would pay $ 15 for this plate? That would be like $ 3 per 1″ diameter shrimp.
I expect large 3−4″ prawns, steamy moist from clay-​baking all day in tandoori spices. I have powder at home, and cocktail shrimp larger than these. GEEZ…
Good thing I had a
certificate… otherwise I would have been pretty annoyed…

Great Indian food… and the best thing is the unique setting (like a sports bar) !! Not many places serve Indian food in this environment. The buffet is fantastic with succulent options.
They also have a fully stocked bar and Victoria does a great job with the drinks !
Whether you are for the bar or drinks, this place has it all !

I am a huge fan of Indian food but my husband never has been due to a bad experience a while back. At my persuasion (and my groupon didn’t hurt!) he agreed to go here with me. He gave it a thumbs up! His shrimp curry was simply amazing, some of the best curry I have ever tried. We were fighting over the last drops of it! I ordered my personal favorite, baighan bhurta. So Spicy. It hurt so good. The owner was kind and attentive and had several recommendations. I wanted to wrap myself in a big blanket of their buttery naan. At the waitress’ suggestion, we got the mango ice cream too, which was just OK. Be sure to bring home your leftovers, they’re better the 2^nd day! We will be back!

Ambiance: Sparkling clean, modern, upmarket, artsy. fun
Drinks: Best Mango Lassi in town
Food: Fantastic and authentic, breads: excellent and made on site, loved the main courses rich and savory and spiced precisely to my request, for dessert get the home made mango ice cream
Service: attentive yet not hovering, just right, and they ACTUALLY CARE about your satisfaction and comfort

I was pleasantly surprised by Dosti: the food, décor, and service were all good (a rare trifecta for Indian restaurants in the Schaumburg area). The latter especially was excellent given the fact that the place was absolutely mobbed. The owner came to introduce himself and the head waiter stopped by mid-​meal to get our impressions of the restaurant. All in all, one really gets the sense that they care about the quality of the food and your experience.
We ordered some veggie samosas, mango lassis, plain naan, tadka daal, and the dosti lamb curry. With the exception perhaps of the samosas, all were excellent (the ingredients inside were mashed finely — I prefer chunks of potato, carrot, etc vying for my attention). The dosti lamb curry was my favorite: a pleasant tomato curry with chunks of spiced lamb followed by a healthy kick of hotness. Yum. The daal, likewise, is highly recommended. Be careful though as it comes out very very hot; we had to let it sit for a good 10 minutes before it was a safe temperature to eat. The naan was light and fluffy and the lassi pleasantly salty.
Dinner for 2 runs around $ 50 for the spread above (enough where we had leftovers for two the next day).

Dosti is Indian for friendship.
After going to Gaylord’s and not being overly impressed we received a recommendation to visit Dosti. We went for the lunch buffet, very reasonably priced at $ 5.99. (M-​F) There was a small salad buffet to compliment the very nicely spiced hot dishes. The tandoori juicy chicken was cook fresh and brought to your table sizzling along with the warm naan. Ya gotta love that! Nice marble high tops in the modern bar area and high back booths for privacy. The staff were helpful and expressed several times their appreciation for our business and invited us back. It is always nice when you feel your business is not taken for granted. We will for sure be back and will bring friends and family. Keep up the great work Dosti!

I’m a huge fan.
After reading reviews, the hubby, Dad and I decided to give this place a try. There are several indian restaurants in the area, so we’d been loyal to a few others… However, after being at Dosti, I will most likely be their patron 90% of the time.
We went for the Sunday lunch buffet and got there around 12:15pm. We were the first people in there, which is kind of scary at first, but families starting streaming in shortly after.
The buffet consisted of the regular lineup (coincidentally my faves): Condiments, Rice, chickpea patties, veggie eggrolls, veggies makhani, cauliflower and potatoes, saag paneer, chicken makhani and goat curry. I may be missing a dish or two.
They also serve fresh naan and tandoori chicken to your table. Big plus!
We ordered mango lassis, which were smooth and delicious! Perfect to offset the spicy food.
The food… it’s like you’re eating from their home kitchen! It’s delicious, hot, fresh and spicy. Surprisingly enough, the veggie dishes were the spiciest for me. Still delicious though.
For dessert, more faves: Kheer and Gulab Jaman.
YUM.
Not only is the place very nice — quite modern but still traditional decorations, spacious, a great bar area — but another bonus for me — they had an Indian talent show on tv. Lol. :)
Overall, such a nice place. Nice people too… We’ll definitely go back and bring friends as well.

Went here for the lunch buffet. The quality of the food was above average, but so was the price for a suburban lunch buffet, IMO.
Worth a visit if you want good Indian, but probably not on my usual roster, because of price.