Royal Orchid

Royal Orchid is a refreshing change from the chains the dominate the dining scene in the Westshore area.
Located in the lobby level of a Ramada Hotel, the location is not very noteworthy but the interior of this restaurant is quite attractive. The layout is spacious eliminating any feeling of sitting too close to another party or feeling squeezed in surrounded by too many tables too close together.
We were immediately greeted and seated and service continued to be polite and professional throughout the meal.
I ordered an Indian dish and my guest went for the Grouper sandwich. Two very different dishes but we shared the same sentiment over each of our selections — total delight. I was especially thankful that the server returned to check on the level of spiciness I wanted for my order. I like it hot and even though I often request a high level of heat I am not always accommodated. In this case I was accommodated and enjoyed every spicy bite.
The Grouper sandwich and fries that were also delivered to our table included a generous portion of perfectly cooked fish and tasty, nicely seasoned fries.
The menu features many other Indian dishes, including some very tempting salads and soups, that I know I will try on future visits. Nice to find such a lovely dining spot featuring a wide variety of food so well prepared.

Great curry house and service. Throughly enjoyed our meal and the happy hour! Thanks for having us.

After arriving to the hotel around 9p, I didn’t feel like exploring the area for something to eat so I went downstairs to the Royal Orchid Bar & Grill. I was optimistic after all I was ordering a mango lassie drink and an order of chicken satay. I had to wait about 5 mins before the bartender finally came over only to tell me I needed to go to other side of restaurant to place an order to go.
After waiting nearly 20 mins to get my food, I went back to my room, opened the food box (looks were deceiving)…chicken satay was extremely salty and the peanut sauce sent my taste buds into a state of depression!!! It was not peanut sauce… it was a large scoop of plain PEANUT BUTTER. SIGH!!! the mango lassie was okay however far from fresh mango and I have had much, much better elsewhere.
I would NOT recommend this place to anyone.

This place is awful. A bunch of rip off artists and thieves. DO NOT GO HERE. I cannot stress that enough. Fool me once, f*ck you. Did I mention they have roaches?

Food was good. Wait staff sucked. I have been here for 1.5 hours and have had one refill. One. Food was good.

I ordered room service from my room. The first time they got my order wrong so I sent back burger. Second time (see video). They did remake me a burger after this but it was very under cooked to my liking (I was kind of turned off at this point). I was offered a free meal of my choice for the next day if I wished. I will admit I had the lamb vindaloo w/​garlic naan & guest had a burger which they said was really good, just a few days before this incident.

First and foremost no customer service skills whatsoever. Me and my friend sat at the bar to watch a game and eat. I ordered a lemonade and there were two flies in my drink, I ask the guy about it to get a new a drink and he says «well, welcome to florida my friend, it happens» wtf! Who says that?! So if there were flies in my food that would be okay too? So glad we did not choose to eat here after that.

Is there a way to give less than 1 star?
I went for a lunch buffet at Royal orchid and it was the worst Indian buffet I ever had. Unfortunately, I had a friend with me who was there to try Indian food for the very first time and had huge expectations which later got diminished.
The choice of vegetarian items was too bad and only appetiser was half cooked aloo pakodas. There were no breads available for most of the time we were there.
Lastly, we went to check dessert items and there was the most depressing sweet dish I had ever seen — «mango rice pudding». You must have Gulaab Jamun in any Indian buffet.
I wish I had never gone there and had taken my guest to some better Indian place.

Pleasantly surprised with the food here. I stayed at this hotel twice and wanted some comfort food without getting in my car and actually driving somewhere. SO convenient when there’s a full service restaurant inside a hotel that offers an array of different menu items to satisfy any craving.
I’ve had the Burger here and the Philly Cheese Steak. The burger was actually really good and better than I was expecting. Cooked perfectly and very tasty. The second time I was here I had the Philly Cheese Steak and it was good too but I didn’t enjoy the bread that it was on. It also got a bit soggy and the mushrooms inside did not taste good at all so I would stick with the burger next time.
Overall, it’s a nice convenient place if you’re staying at the hotel because they have many options on the menu. Indian, Thai, American, etc. They won’t deliver the food to your room but walking downstairs to grab it isn’t a big deal, at least you don’t have to leave the hotel when you’re hungry! I wish they were open later, I believe they close at 10 PM so that’s a drawback but overall it’s good for being convenient.

On our way out of town, stayed at the hotel due to early flight. We sat at the bar — asked for wine choices and were told they only carried flip flop brand wines. Ok… so we can be flexible… menu had cosmos and rum runners for $ 8. DO NOT trust the prices on the menu. Went to order when bar tender said «those will be $ 12…what??? Menu states $ 8…“oh, those are 3 yr old menus» he informed us. That is when we left. Wouldn’t trust that the food was good or prices current!

The food was perfectly indian… enjoyed d butter chicken n goat curry… bhindi fry was closest indian taste one cud ever get in Tampa.

OK so here’s the deal… Indian food is definitely a 4 or 5 star. The buffet is expansive and the options change — recently I went and had an eggplant dish that I hadn’t tried before and loved it! But the service is seriously 1 star. I don’t know what the deal is… it’s impossible to get drinks, a check, water, etc. Every time we go it’s something else. I don’t know if they are understaffed or just don’t have good staff, but it shouldn’t take 15 minutes to flag someone down for our bill after a lunch buffet. I love going here for the food, but leave frustrated by the service every time.

I will give 4 since I can’t give 3.5 this is a little nice place in the Ramada on west shore blvd in s Tampa I was surprised by the authenticity of the Indian cuisine which is one of my favorites. Gothem runs the place he has good customer service skills and helped me decide what to order I ordered the whole menu as you can see in the pictures me being a chef will say there were many flaws in the execution of the sauces but not in the flavor very good will go back !!!

Dreadful, it has to be experienced to be believed.
This place doesn’t function as a restaurant on any level. It lacks any sort of managerial professionalism.
I’m staying at the Ramada adjacent to the restaurant. I have been to the restaurant a couple times, but my lunch experience today was the icing on the cake!
The first night: They iced my fireball after I asked for it straight up (2x) I also witnessed a bartender cutting bar fruit on the open bar, no cutting board, just on the dirty bar surface. How sanitary of them!
The second night I had ordered dumplings and coconut shrimp. I waited 40 minutes for my food at the bar, there were three other tables in the restaurant. The bartender was sitting there watching the game on the television. I finally asked for my food and he said they were busy, unbelievable! lol — When I was finally brought my food, it was cold but the plates were crazy hot. You could tell it sat under the heat lamp for a long time. It baffles me with all the other employees in the restaurant, doing nothing — they couldn’t perform a simple task to run the food or at least communicate to say it was ready. I ate cold food, as it was around 9 o’clock and I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. The bartender gave me a deal, instead of charging me full price for my Blue Moon’s, he rang up some cranberry juice instead and gave me a discount… mmmm-​kay
Today — I played it safe and placed a to go order. He said 15 minutes on the phone. I went down there at 20 minutes. I stood at the bar for 10 minutes, watched the servers seat three different tables. They made eye contact with me, but none of them spoke a word to me. I counted 4 servers on the floor and 7 tables. There’s also a lunch buffet, with some fruit, vegetables, bread and eight variations of dried out chicken (I experienced the lunch buffet during my fireball on the rocks experience) It couldn’t have been that hard, unless you’re completely clueless lacking any sort of service experience. I finally got up from the bar and was walking get out. One of the servers came behind the bar and greeted me. I explained the situation, told her that I placed a to go order — I told her I was leaving, keep the to go order, that I’ve had enough. I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant to my worst enemy. After three bad experiences… I have to question in my head why I even went back for more. I’m staying at the Hotel, it’s the only bar and restaurant within walking distance besides the strip club next door.
On that note, this hotel is the nicest Ramada property I have ever seen. It’s such a shame it has the worst restaurant in the country connected to it.

If you are a fan of Indian food, you are in for a treat, my foodie friend. No more gas station Indian fare for me. This place is the real deal and the people who serve you here are nice. The location is a bit odd– it’s the restaurant in the Ramada on Westshore. But the food is why you go, not the atmosphere. We had dinner with four friends here recently and every dish was excellent. The lunch buffet is a deal and they almost always have my favorite dish on it, Palak Paneer. I could have just that with some rice and dal and be very happy. Check it out!

I am always wary of an Indian restaurant situated in a hotel as they usually are pretty bad. I am delighted to say that this is the exception. The place is pretty huge compared to most Indian restaurants, massive bar that is inside on one side and outside on the other and there is also outdoor seating.
The staff here isn’t that great, slow, and always seem to be concerned about something other than the guests. I came for lunch so I was asked to seat myself where ever I wanted. They had the buffet in the back but you could also order off the menu which had bar food, thai food, indian food but it seems like they try to steer you away from the menu. No matter, I wanted the buffet anyway.
They had a rather good selection of items such as Tandori chicken, butter chicken, chicken curry, palak paneer, lentils, rice, pakora, naan, and some other vegetarian dishes. Here they actually had goat curry! It is hard pressed to find a lunch buffet with goat or lamb curry, usually I see it on weekends or on certain days of the week but they tell me they have it all the time.
The food tasted surprisingly good which was a shocker for me as I find most Indian food in Florida is third rate compared to what I’m used to in NYC. This is now my second favorite Indian place in the Tampa area, number one is in St. Pete, and this is after trying numerous places between Orlando and St. Pete.
Will I be back? Been back twice more already, mostly because my office is just down the street. Still, I would recommend this place, I know I’ll be back again.

I love Indian food and have been on a hunt for decent Indian food in the southern parts of Tampa for a while. Royal Orchid is not a bad option.
I tried out their lunch buffet. For $ 11.95 you have a decent selection of curries. I found the vegetable curry way too salty, but the spinach paneer was quite good and so were the garbanzos. The goat curry was tender and wonderful, but the butter chicken was utterly forgettable.
The location is clean and a good deal more comfortable (and roomy) than the nearby India’s Grill. Also, my waitress was very sweet and attentive.

I have never been a fan of Indian food, until now. Indian food to me has always been too spicy or smelled too much of curry.
My fellow Unilocaler and crazy friend, Nick S and I decided to try Royal Orchid out last week. It had just opened in early November of 2014. When I heard that Royal Orchid was located in the Ramada on Westshore, I was very intrigued. The Ramada has been in that location for years and is not in the best shape.
When we walked in, we were amazed. The restaurant was huge and was decorated beautifully! The restaurant wasn’t too busy, but we were also having a late lunch at 3 PM. There was one person working as a server/​bartender, Raul.
There were many items to choose from on the menu. Too many. We asked Raul to recommend an appetizer and he suggested the Chicken 65. The Chicken 65 was a dish of boneless chicken cubes, cooked and tossed with an Indian spice and chili garlic sauce. I am wimp, so we ordered medium. There was a little kick to them, but I managed to enjoy the dish, which was very good.
After we finished our appetizer, Khristina took over as our server. We decided to split the Naan, the Tom Yang Koong (Thai Shrimp Soup), and the Lamb Korma. All the dishes were very rich and flavorful.
I recently went back this past weekend with a vegetarian friend and we ordered the Gobi Manchurian, Chicken Tikka Masala, and Navratan Korma. Once again, all dishes were very flavorful and delicious. My favorite dish was the Gobi Manchurian which are cauliflower florets, marinated and deep fried, then tossed with ginger soy sauce. So good that I couldn’t get enough!
The Executive Chef, came out both times and said hello and checked on us. Raul and Khristina were both very friendly.
There are still some kinks to be ironed out. For example, both times I dined here there were only two of us, yet the other two settings were still left on the table. Other than a few minor kinks, I would recommend Royal Orchid. I will definitely be back.

Royal Orchid is a very large restaurant with multiple seating areas and an open bar area in a Ramada Hotel in Westshore. They serve up some first rate Indian cuisine and also have other Asian and continental dishes in an extensive menu to meet all tastes. They are introducing a lunch buffet for 2015. They also have an extended happy hour and lunch specials.
The multiple seating areas at Royal Orchid can accommodate a very large gathering but the setup maintains intimacy and comfort and isn’t overwhelming at all. The main space is a large open area with a bar area and dining space with high tables and comfy booths. There is also a patio area, more secluded side dining area and banquet rooms.
Royal Orchid serves various Asian dishes and offers a lunch buffet. The Tom Yam Goong, Thai shrimp coconut lemongrass soup, was tasty. The lamb korma was excellent with a rich subtle taste. The mango lassi was rich and delicious. The naan was excellent. They will spice to the heat desired and the food tends to have some zip.
Dishes are served in hammered silver bowls and rice (white, brown, jasmine) that are conducive yo family style and group dining. Have as much or as little of any one dish as you like! They also split a soup no problem so two of us could share it. Serving various dishes over a rice felt traditional and everything tasted very good.
We met the chef who has more than two decades of experience internationally. Our server Kristina was super and sweet. It’s a classy tasteful feeling space but also relaxed. There are even nooks with pool and Foosball for gamers.
Look forward to returning. Hope people find this great space with some very tasty dishes.

Opening night. A lot of excitement. Free food until 9 pm tonight 11-​6-​2014. They have a 40 feet long of buffet table as a feast for the open night. They have cuisine of Indian, Chinese, Thai, Arabian. The opening night party include belly dancer, hoopla hoop dancing. If you are not here, you are missing out. This restaurant locate below the Ramada hotel.
They restaurant menu include Kosher Meat. Catering and banquet is available. The food is excellent. The goat curry is cook perfectly. There is a long line of people on the buffet opening night. I also have the tandoori chicken. It is serve at the hot platform. I have a lot food and entertainment and it is free at opening night.
They have outside sitting and full bar. Cannot said enough. This is a party. Great party.