India Chaat & Sweets

I came for buffet lunch with my parents from out of town. While there was a nice selection, the dishes were cold. It was 12:30 so I’d expect warm food– also because of health code.
Then my dad asked me, is that a cockroach? Sure enough, it was crawling up the wall in the dining area. Consider that roaches are nocturnal. Mmm not coming back.

Strictly OK place. There is much better indian food available in Berkeley.

If you are looking for real chaat, do not come here. The butter chicken was acceptable, but the ambiance and service are so so. I would gone the extra 4 miles to get to Vik’s.

This place has the best chaat. I love chaat and this is the, best I’ve had in Berkeley. The rest of the food is really good also.

I have seen this place by the corner of 6^th street every time I go to Viks with colleagues for lunch. Nobody ever dared to go this place based on one person’s bad experience in the past. I stood by his opinion for about 2 years.
When I saw that the place still exists, I felt I should give it a chance. I tried few dishes and chats over few months and I wasn’t disappointed. I now know what I should order. My top favorite
— Aloo paratha and baingan bartha (stuffed potato-​bread and eggplant dish)
— Masala puri (snack)
— Rasmalai (dessert)
If you have always whizzed past this place in oblivion, then its time to check atleast their best if not all :)

Food was too salty! Ordered for delivery and they refused to deliver to my door, which is the service I paid for! A fat Indian women couldn’t take her flabby ass out of the car and deliver the order! Lousy over priced salty Indian slop! Wouldn’t feed it to a pig!

This restaurant actually catered my brother’s wedding. My family and I decided to dine in there one night before the wedding. The service was horrible. As an Indian myself, I know not to expect the best customer service at any Indian dining establishment. The owner/​manager was very pushy, and the waiter barely acknowledged it. Regardless, the food was tasty. I got the garlic naan and butter chicken… delish! If I lived in the bay area, I would go back again, but I’d probably take the food to go.

2 Stars as an average — food was ok, bordering on mediocre — definitely better to be had in this culinary mecca — but 4 stars for the onion kulcha alone. That in itself is a golden crispy idol.
Now. To GET to the onion kulcha, you WILL have to endure the slightly musty smell, the slightly sticky tables and chairs and the slightly refrigerated-​tasting curries, but I will say, that’s pretty much worth it.
You get what you pay for, and this place is a testament to that; just ok, fast and you only feel slightly like a fat asshole pig when you leave — but that onion kulcha, man that is a diamond in the rough.
Like Aladdin.

I came for dinner. The restaurant smell was horrible. Their chutney was bad and as well as customer service.

I really liked the food. My coworker brought me here first and he did warn me that for dinner it is pricy. But I enjoyed the food and the service was fine and friendly. I loved their curries and naan. I do think this place is worth checking out. I brought my other half and he too enjoyed the food as well.

Mediocre food and outrageous prices? Meh.

This is the first Indian buffet I’ve been to that has a sign that says «do not waste food. Charge of $ 2 for wasted food.» There was no fresh naan like other places where they bring it to your table. No garlic naan. The fish curry smelled horrible. The gulab Jamoon was cut in half… To save money perhaps? We didn’t get asked if we wanted refills until we got our bill. They didnt check on us once. We had to get up to ask for extra napkins and then again for extra silverware. Don’t recommend.

Super authentic really amazing experience
I went for dinner and the food was great.
It looks like a place I would not go in from the outside and the location off the freeway but it’s really worth it. I think the best time to go is for the lunch buffet. Going back here mos def!

Freeway off-​ramps are usually home to unrefined fast food, gas stations, run-​down lodging, and other seedy operations. Once again, Berkeley bucks the trend: on the corner of University Ave. and 6^th, at the base of I-​80 off ramp, resides Indian Chaat & Sweets (ICnS). Judging by the drab, tattered looks of its exterior, ICnS could easily be mistaken for a wholesale distribution warehouse or small scale factory. Yet the interior is spacious and well appointed, with impressive décor that includes a segmented mural that maintains three-​dimensional spacial registry with the pastoral landscape being depicted. Classy, modern track lighting supplies subtle illumination for the other, traditional Indian adornments.
Our appreciation for ICnS’s interior arose, in part, from our sense of relief that we were actually able to enter. This was our third attempt to dine at ICnS after two failures, both on Tuesdays, when, as we learned, ICnS ic closed. This seemingly uncustomary closure was well rationalized by our prompt and friendly waiter: over the weekend, ICnS capitalizes on the surge of Indians shopping at Indian Markets on San Pablo, and, on Monday, attracts throngs of businessmen. This apparently leaves Tuesday as the slowest day. Fascinating. Two final aspects of the interior struck us: 1) the buffet counter clearly stated that customers would be charged $ 2 extra if any food from buffet was wasted (how is this enforced?), and 2) a large sign on the far wall emphasized that ICS can cater a 10,000 person event anywhere in California. We will be sure to keep this mind the next time the ACS and AAS annual meetings are held atop Half Dome.
ICnS’s menu began with a bold statement: «Welcome to the Real Taste of India.» While we are unable to evaluate the validity of this statement (presumably the fake Taste of India is located in Fremont, outside of our jurisdiction), we appreciate their confidence. As expected, the menu contained a smattering of spelling errors (we particularly enjoyed «Sauvigon,» «Saffaron Chicken,» and «Indin Sweet Barfi»), some of which were hard to discern because the textured plastic menu coatings tended to obscure the print clarity upon bending. What surface roughness would give rise to this phenomenon? We leave that as an exercise for the reader.
The food lived up reasonably well to the uncorroborated claims on the menu. The mango lassi ($ 2) was very good, but was a bit icy, and could have been tangier. The vegetable pakora ($ 3.5) was well presented and was among the best we have tasted thus far. As we requested, the goat korma ($ 13) was exceptionally spicy, so much so that the flavor of spice overpowered the flavor of goat. The dish was exceptional notwithstanding, and the goat was very tender. Our vegetarian eigendish, aloo gobi ($ 10) was far less spicy, but was still flavorful. While the potatoes were slightly undercooked, the cauliflower’s cookitude was nearly perfect. The gobi paratha ($ 3.5) and plain naan ($ 2) were well salted and very fluffy.
We felt the urge to investigate the S in ICnS by sampling the almond & pistachio burfi (or is it «barfi») ($ 2) and the gilabi ($ 2), but were unimpressed. The former was a bit too chalky whereas the latter was, as expected, exceptionally sweet. As was the case at the inappropriately named Breads of India (BOI), ICnS should change its name to the emphasize the exceptional chaat (e.g., pakora) rather than the mediocre sweets.
On many of our past restaurant excursions we have had to presume that deviant after-​hours activities supply the cash that allows many establishments to stay in the black. However, despite ICnS’s low-​brow location, drab exterior, and odd hours of operation, we have every reason to believe it is a legitimate eatery worthy of your patronage. ICnS receives a solid four-​samosa rating, and will set you back two rupees, making for a respectable samosa-​to-​rupee ratio of 2.0. So if at some point you fail to arrange for ICnS to cater your next excursion to the wilds of eastern California, you can at least dine there on your way home.

Not sure why there are not more positive reviews for this restaurant.
My friend and I went for the first time the other night, and utilized an unreal Groupon (one appetizer, two entrees, dessert and 2 glasses of wine or beer). Our food was delicious, and were given large portions. I had excellent leftovers the next day that made my coworkers jealous!
What we ordered: the appetizer sampler (samosas, chicken strips, fried cheese, broccoli/​cauliflower fritter things, potato pancake, and fried fish — awesome deal!), chicken tikka kabab (lots of pieces of chicken, perfectly seasoned and spicy!), prawn vindaloo (generous serving of prawns cooked in a spicy sauce with chunks of potatoes), and two pistachio cookies, which we chose from their large pastry counter at the front. I enjoyed a nice white wine, while my friend got a beer. Our server was sweet and attentive, and we loved the ambience.
We were satisfied and pleased with our experience.
Will be back again!

I am from out of town and don’t come to Berkeley often, but when I do, I’ve always wondered about this place (what could it be?). A few months ago, I came across a Groupon: 2 appetizers, 4 entrees, 2 desserts, and 4 drinks ($ 37 for a $ 99 value or something like that) and decided that it’d be a great opportunity to finally try this place. They also have halal meat which is a bonus.
I went with my family (3 other adults and an infant). When we walked inside, we were impressed by the nice décor and settings because the outside looked a little beat up. We were the only customers and were seated right away. There were two servers who were both very friendly and patient with us. It was nice that they are family friendly and humored my rowdy little nephew.
We ordered a bunch of food: mixed appetizers, chicken tikka masala, lamb korma, goat biryani, and the mixed grill. The food was ok, but it wasn’t spectacular or something I’d crave again. The samosa is the only thing that I would call really good, and the lamb korma would have been good too had the meat not been tough. I also got the chai, which wasn’t flavorful. For dessert, we got the mango ice cream and two pieces of barfi, which were good but the servings were small.
According to the menu online, entrees come with naan or rice, but the waitress said the Groupon didn’t cover them, which was odd. According to the Groupon, we were supposed to get $ 99 worth of stuff, but it didn’t seem like we did. We ended up paying extra (not talking about the tip.) I hate to be negative, but I ended up feeling that the Groupon wasn’t a good deal. Looking at normal prices and what you get, I don’t think I’d recommend this place and am hesitant about coming back.

Pretty mediocre as Indian style food goes, and I wasn’t hungry nor did I have a terrible experience. but the meal did leave a bit to be desired. I will say the garlic naan was delicious and perfect for the 2 orders we had. but some of the dishes like a mixed grill of seafood, sausage and chicken was dry and underwhelming in flavor.
The server was attentive and helpful in decisions about what to get, though he did appear to be going for the higher priced items on the menu, but as the food isn’t expensive, it wasn’t a huge deal. many entrees around $ 10.99.
The main area of dissatisfaction was lack of flavor and over cooked meats that left them dry. We ate what we could, took home leftovers and paid $ 50 for two people. It was more food than we needed and 2 could easily spend less and be just as full.
I don’t like to be negative about a place, but i think these are issues that are easily fixed by the establishment. For around $ 25 a guest, it’s something that should be addressed. Not an expensive meal, but not completely satisfying for what you spend either. Happy Eating to you!

First and last time I am going here…
So I had a groupon deal (paid $ 37 for $ 75 worth of value) for 2 appetizers, 4 entrees, 4 drinks (alcoholic), and 2 desserts – which i thought was a decent deal but it turned out it wasn’t so because the service was poor. Here are a few examples:
1) So it is a Friday night and we come in at around 8:45pm (they close at 9:30pm). I walked in and the place was totally empty. I’m looking around for someone to greet me. Finally I see a waiter on the phone who looks like he’s being staring at me the whole time and eventually gives me the «sup» head-​nod. Talk about first impressions.
2) During our order, he shows multiple signs of impatience. It’s our first time to the restaurant and want to know what’s good but apparently that was too much for him. Also when we asked for water with lemon, he came back with just water. We have a party of five so when we asked for some lemons again he rolls his eyes and turns away at the same time quickly and he brings back 3 slices (obviously not enough for the 5 glasses of water)… come on now.
3) Now, I understand that we come in sort of at a late time but regardless waiters should treat all customers nicely… bottom line. This waiter’s impatience was particularly evident when he came to serve us the food. During our brief conversation he somewhat jokes that the restaurant opens 9:30am to 9:30pm and nagged at the fact that he was there 12 hours and that they are tired and want to go home. It may be true but saying that as a waiter to your customers? We tried to enjoy the food but felt too rushed. Also the dessert was terrible. We quickly ordered a cheese dessert and a fried dish but it looked disgusting and tasted just as bad. Needless to say we did not finish it.
Thank you but I am not coming again…

I hate writing a bad review but I’d like to save you from being tempted with that
deal. I went cause of that deal and was disappointed.
The food is mediocre, not bad but nothing spectacular either. And for what it is, it’s extremely overpriced. Curry which is included with one naan is 13 dollars. I’m more familiar with curry priced at 7 – 8 dollars. I came with my girlfriend and we shared two of the chef special’s curries, the chicken in saffron and lamb in this spicy pepper curry.
The lamb was very juicy and good while the chicken was boring and not as tasty. With an order of vegetable samosas, a chai, and mango lassi, the total came to 34. For the
deal we needed to meet at least 35, so we got some random rice ball in honey which was absolutely disgusting. It took work to put that down, my girlfriend and I were about to just leave the remains of the dessert there but because we were the only ones in the restaurant (it was like 7:45 pm on a Friday), she convinced me to just finish it.
Overall, the price does not justify the food. Usually I don’t incorporate price into my rating but I found it completely ridiculous. Even with the
deal we still felt a little shafted. I think this place is pretty quiet during dinner, which is why the coupon specifies it for dinner only. This place seems to have customers walking in during lunch often for their buffet. So until I try that, this review stands at 3 stars.
Note: Location is kinda strange, sitting at the bottom of the ramp before the freeway. I do not know where the parking is because we walked to the location.

*so sorry, guys… I had mistaken this place for Chaat Café – hence you see this review posted, correctly this time!*
2.3
3 for naan
2 for samosas
weathered place that needs some TLC to rectify the dingy/​grunge feel
Daniel L’s recent comment about Cinnamon looking a whole heckuvalot like Indian/​Paki food jogs the memory of my recent (mis)foray for some naan and samosas…
Hey folks. they’re currently running a $ 1/​samosa special. to which end I bought 2 *hey, I’m chinese! that should explain a lot*, and one plain naan.
The naan: mmMM… that tandoor oven sure was getting its heat on the right way, and my bread was the perfect shade of tan…
The samosas… i’m not trying to be nit-​picky, but I don’t like fried wrapped skin looking like a 3^rd degree burn with little holes all up in there… raggedly-​looking (err… as in, I like Vik’s samosas better?!) some potatoes, some peas, some cardamom, few other spices, but still ended up bland for my buds… I’ll pass and twas a mistake to try to maximize value there.
As for lunch, there is a $ 8 buffet offered in the afternoons… fyi, Yeeps!
Parking along the side and the back. The interior needs an overhaul badly (i.e. carpet so worn, i was using my x-​ray vision to try and spot for actualy holes while waiting). And though I did ask for a to-​go menu, they opened at least 3 drawers (which were waaay disheveled) and apologized that ‘they were out’.
Hm