Santoor Grill

Been coming here since the 90’s when it first opened up. Pretty good food in the area but not the best. The food taste varies every time, sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s not.

Great food. Go for a sit-​down meal at the restaurant, especially the very nice buffet which in my experience is always fresh and tasty in addition to being a great bargain. Only negative about the food is that it’s not as spicy-​hot as one might normally expect so if you usually order «medium» go for «hot» — this is probably because they’re used to dealing with non-​Indian customers who aren’t used to typically spicy Indian food.
However, do NOT order in advance for a pickup. Today was the second time I placed an order online in the late morning for a pickup later in the day. Both times I showed up and was told with a smile, «Your order came in at 11:30am and we made it right away, it’s been sitting there until now (1:30pm), why didn’t you come to pick it up earlier?» Both times I showed them the email confirmation showing my pickup time of 1:30pm and was told to not worry about it, that the food would be fine; or I could wait while they made a fresh order for me. Of course I didn’t have time to wait — I would have come for the buffet in that case — and they didn’t offer to void my bill so I took the food home. The naan was, naturally, soggy after being wrapped in foil for 2 hours and was completely worthless. Everything else, especially the paneer dish, was cold. The paneer tolerated the microwave well enough but everything else was ruined. Well, the samosas were still OK but that’s about it. If I wanted a microwave meal I could have gone to the supermarket or pulled leftovers out of my fridge. I could have spent ¼ what I paid and gotten a better hot meal at the corner Indian food cart.
Sorry for the bad words, but the first time this happened I just wrote it off as a mistake (everybody errs sometimes) but the identical problem twice in a row shows that they don’t pay enough attention to take-​out orders. I’ll never order take-​out from them again.
So, three stars because this is the second-​best Indian food in Queens (right behind Jackson Diner) but two identical bad experiences in a row with both food and $$$ down the drain has me pissed. I know the food is good here but I’m sufficiently upset about these take-​out orders that I’m going to try other places next time I want Indian food.

Buffet is decent — good for the money. Staff is nice, place isn’t the most modern — and price is good.

This is my favorite local Indian spot for the past few years. The buffet is always fresh. They have a wide variety of food options, which are all delicious.
The place stays busy, especially on the weekends, but there is never a shortage of food, as they replenish the dishes frequently. I have never been disappointed. I highly recommend their mango lassi. It is the perfect blend of yogurt and mango nectar, not too sweet or too sour.
Staff is attentive and friendly. I recommend going for the buffet lunch 12 to 3:30pm. A good price for good food and service.

Great food, great staff ! Every time we eat here we are treated like royalty!!! Love the Chile Chicken, Chicken Tikka Masala and the Vindaloo !!!
Weekend buffet is a wonder treat for the tastebuds!!!

Went to the Queens county fair, and decided to have some chow. The lady wanted some Indian so we ended up here. Glad we did. Good food, good service, and nice atmosphere. Cheers!

Went for dinner and found a hair in my food. They have old rugs which are filthy.
They have a no smoking sign held on with a piece of scotch tape.
There walls are even filthy.

This place is great. The buffet has everything you want from a decent Indian restaurant. Everything is fresh and constantly restocked. The chicken tikka masala is delicious, as is everything else, but that is my favorite. The kheer is so good. You will find yourself getting 2nds and 3rds for dessert.
The waitstaff is tentative and welcoming and everything is always neat and clean looking. I definitely recommend giving this place a try. Plenty of free parking in the back lot. :-)

Pretty decent Indian food. They serve up all the standard faves and their buffet is always a good option as it has plenty of items from which to choose.
Today, however, we ordered a half tray of chicken biryani and it was very generously packed (if not overflowing) with food. That is a very nice problem to have! The biryani itself was piping hot and tasty. It was accompanied by a nice sized container of raita and also a cup of mixed pickle. The latter two items are nothing to rave about but does the trick as far as accompaniments go.
There are several Indian restaurants in the area and Santoor is easily in the top few. It has also been around for quite awhile and has a devoted following. They are busy on weekends and always packed on Sunday afternoons. Parking is available around back if you can’t find an empty meter out front… or don’t want to feed the meter to begin with.

Surprisingly this place was not spicy. Went here for the lunch buffet and nothing really impressed me. It was good but not AMAZING. I think this place is great if you are feeling adventurous and want to find out what your new favorite indian dish is since there is some variety. The chicken masala (can’t really spell it) was my favorite station and the goat was nice and gamey also. Personally my boyfriend and I got bored of the flavors quickly but the $ 5 mango lassi was delicious and refreshing.
Overall this place is a good deal especially for lunch buffet for $ 10.95. If you like or want to try indian food this place may be the one for you.

We’ve been coming to Santoor for years, since the 90’s, and we’re never disappointed. The food is excellent, especially the chicken tikka and dal. The portions are generous and 2 entrée plus a side can feed two adults and two children.
The staff are friendly and helpful. The weekend buffets are almost impossible to beat. During the week they also have a lunch buffet.
The mulligatawny soup is tasty and shouldn’t be missed

I LOVE dosas –wasn’t sure if Santoor would make good dosas as the dosas description came last in the menu. Took a chance — glad I did. Yummy masala dosa (a bit greasy, but I didn’t care). The two sauces were very, very good.
My friend had the buffet, which I sampled. Palek anything is so tasty: the palak paneer is so yummy here: my tastebuds detected fresh ingredients, expertly cooked. Everything was nicely presented.
Yum! You won’t be disappointed.

Food is so delicious! I’m referring to the Sunday buffet. It is so packed with delicious options. Tandoori chicken, chicken mahkli, coriander chicken wings, goat curry, etc etc like 21 items. Buffet only is $ 13 tax included.
No compromise on flavors, very rich and complex.

The food was decent, probably a 6.5 out of 10, however it was definitely overpriced for what you get.
Just overall, it was about as vanilla as you can get in terms of a food experience, but if you’ve got a hankering for Indian, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
And you know what? If i’m being honest, I didn’t like our waiters face either — he was slow/​inattentive, and mopey to top if off. I’ve been in the service industry before, even if you’re having a bad day, or are hungover, or whatever, suck it up, because nobody wants to see the cloud over your head while they’re trying to enjoy a meal!
The bill came out to ~$ 60 for two people, all-​in with tip and we didn’t order what I would call a lot of food.

I am writing this review while sitting at the restaurant because of how furious I am.
Horrible service. The waiter was constantly rushing us. He introduced himself by saying the kitchen is closing even though we sat down over an hour before their closing hour, 10pm. We didn’t even finish our food because they were hounding us. The check arrived while we were still eating.
Service charge was already included in the total, perhaps because they already know their service sucks.
Food was mediocre. Won’t be returning ever. Save your money.

I always try to do the buffet, but if I can’t I get take out. I was never disappointed.

Came here for the lunch buffet, $ 10.95, with my mom.
The food was cold and the breads were soggy. The dishes are not covered and have an old crusty film on top. We had to ask them to bring fresh new food.
The masala dosa was good, the naan was great. The veg curry, chicken tandoori and butter chicken were good. The food was good, not great. I shouldn’t have to ask them to bring fresh food.
When they made fresh masala dosa the waiter brought it to our table first which was nice but he didn’t have a serving utensil, he said that’s okay use your fingers… Hmmm not very sanitary.
* I wish they had samosa
I asked if masala tea was included in the buffet and the server said yes. We got the bill and we’re charged $ 6 for 2 teas. This was not authentic, it tasted like black tea with a small amount of mix. Way too expensive.

I honestly love this place for Indian food. I never want to try any other Indian restaurant. I just want to keep coming back here. This is authentic Indian food.
I tend to come here for the lunch buffet which is amazing and so filling. I love the assortment of food you get in the buffet and it’s affordable for great food. The servers are very nice and welcoming here. I sometimes order take out if I have an Indian craving. I order the Palek Paneer and the Chicken Tikka with naan. It comes with basmati rice and it’s so good to mix the rice and the sauces from the dishes. I also tried to samosas.

I had just finished a brisk 4 mile run when I returned home famished. You know it’s true love when one’s wife sees the hunger in your eyes and belly and offers up the words «Indian buffet?» as the solution.
Twenty minutes later, without any need to circle for parking thanks to ample spots in the Glen Oaks shopping center where Santoor resides, I was ready to embark on 22 courses of subcontinental splendor.
There is always the thrill of not having to wait for your order to exit the kitchen and simply walking up to the buffet, creating another heaping plate and repeating the process ad infinitum.
At Santoor I was relishing my chili chicken in less than three minutes from point of entry. If there’s one trait that distinguishes the cuisine at Santoor from what I also enjoyed at another nearby buffet, it’s the level of spice. This chili chicken had an extra kick to it that required me to moderate stuffing my face, which is probably a good thing big picture-​wise but short term just one of the obstacles to overcome in the sport of all you can eat indian buffets.
And the surprise discovery of the day was one of culinary and cultural significance. And it’s reason enough for me to come back for more.
Bhatura, that fried bread which is chewy and a little sweet in flavor is just like bake, a West Indian staple served with shark or salt fish or whatever you’d like. The ancestor of bake, from the old world, spotted as a buffet item at Santoor and absolutely delicious. It’s like an archaeologist seeing the connections between the Venus of Willendorf and Kim Kardashian in their respective societies.
Goat curry, tandoori chicken, dosas, every item I sampled was fresh and defied the risk of buffet overexposure, when once fresh food has sat for too long without being replaced. Not so at Santoor.
Another plus is the availability of kheer for dessert. The cream rice pudding had me coming back for another bowl and tempted me to use a full size plate instead of bowl so as to maximize my serving. Tempting but violating the buffet code undoubtedly.
So you can stuff your face for less than $ 12 in a comfortable, clean restaurant with friendly staff and ample buffet selections. Why am I not going there again today?

Hands down probably one of my favorite Indian restaurants ever — everything is ridiculously authentic and delicious. They are using the right techniques and the right spices along with the right amount of heart to make this food perfection. I have been coming here for 10+ years and the food never, ever disappoints. The samosas are a good starting appetizer with their papadum… but the MUST TRY item on the menu is the butter chicken/​chicken makhani. AMAZING — like best I’ve ever had. It’s flavorful and a bit spicy, very rich and so comforting. If I had to recommend one item on this menu it would be this dish. On the dessert end, there isn’t much for me because I’m not a big indian dessert person, but others have said they are very good.
So why one star off? Well in the past few years service and the restaurant have declined just a bit. The restaurant has gotten kind of old and hasn’t been renovated or refreshed at all and the service has seemed to diminish… maybe less staff/​not so busy? It’s not a big deal really but it just takes it down from a perfect five star to a four star.
Either way, I love this place and always have… will always recommend to everyone for a delicious, casual and authentic Indian dining experience.