India Grill

I had not heard about this place from my usual sources so I was not sure what to expect. A few friends decided to dine here and I joined them, with an open mind, to try some Indian food. By the end of the meal I was very happy that I decided to try this place as the food was pretty good.
My favorites were the Shimlamirch Mayuri and onion kulcha. The Shimlamirch (basically Indian name for capsicum) Mayuri was very tasty and I loved the flavor of the dish. The onion kulcha was also very well done and I would definitely adder it again. Amongst the non vegetarian dishes I tired I liked the Chicken tikka masala.
The staff was helpful and courteous, and the service was prompt. So I would try this place again for sure.

Very disappointed.
Take some Trader Joes curry sauce and add chunks of chicken and call it good. Chicken Masala lacked any real flavor and the naan was not fresh.
After reading good reviews I had high hopes. Not sure if this was a bad night but I don’t get the great reviews.

YUM! Had the Chicken Tikka Masala with a few sides and everything was tasty. The main had the perfect amount of flavor and spice, and the jasmine rice is aromatic and delicious. Would recommend.
There’s a serious shortage of good Indian food in Portland and trendy ‘small-​plate’ spots don’t really cut it for me– which is why I’m happy to be in such close proximity to India Grill.

Tired of seeing India Grill with an average of 3 & a half stars so giving it all five to give you all a nice accurate portrayal of it.
As a Scottish person I think good Indian food is hard to come by in the USA. India Grill is my favourite place to get take out Indian food. It’s consistently good and well priced. We rarely sit in but those windows overlooking outside look like a good place to sit.
Chicken Tikka Masala and Saag Alu are both dynamite dishes here and they can make them as spicy as you like. Naan breads are tasty and plentiful and their Veggie Pakora is an awesome selection of veg fried to perfection and it comes with some nice spicy dipping sauces. On our most recent visit (a week after Thanksgiving) I’m pretty sure one of the sauces was cranberry based. Top marks for seasonal fare India Grill!
The lassi is a tasty beverage to tackle the heat if you’re dining in — give it a try.
Thanks very much for all the food, we’ll be coming back again and again.

Take my review with a grain of salt, because I only go there for the lunch buffets when my Moon Goddess feels full of largess — I haven’t eaten a dinner there yet.
On that note, however, it’s the best Indian lunch buffet I’ve been to so far. The selection is pretty burly, and everything is fresh, spicy, and overall delicious. By spicy I mean wuss-​spicy by my standards, but I’m sure «normal» people will find it just right. Not only that, but it gets switched up every so often, which is nice.
Now, this is a buffet, so there will be times when the tandoori chicken or the nan bread will get a little dry. Just let them know, with Portland civility, and they’ll take care of it. (It’s not always easy to keep track of water levels in steam tables; I know from experience.)
That mint chutney is what always stands out foremost in my mind whenever I reminisce gustatiously on this place. I seriously want to learn how to make that stuff!
Oh, a caveat: if you like strong, spicy chai, theirs will disappoint.

I’m such a fan of this place. Every time we go, the food makes us melt (and we’ve never once had to wait for a table). We’ve tried just about everything on the menu and I can’t think of anything I’ve had a complaint about. I always have to stop myself from eating everything — with the added incentive that I’ll have amazing leftovers for lunch the next day. I love the charmingly weird upstairs location and the family-​run aspect, too. Their chai is bottomless and so, so delicious.

Service can be a little off and sometimes the cooking is not perfect. The remodeled décor is better than before but this place is far from fancy… However, we’ve gone here for years and their Palak Paneer is the best I’ve had anywhere. Chicken dishes are quite good too. The owner is really great at making things right. I give it 5 stars because it is our go to Indian restaurant and when they are on they are on!

great food & service! I got the chicken cheera and really enjoyed the flavor

This review is for dinner on a Saturday.
Overall, our meal felt high quality but the dishes weren’t quite as delicious as I would have hoped. This would be 3 stars in another city, but I’m raising it to 4 given Portland’s dearth of good Indian food.
Atmosphere was alright, service was good, prices were reasonable, and selection was good.

Best Indian food I’ve had probably ever. It made my brain a have a party of flavor awesomeness. If you want to have an explosion of flavor awesomeness then get the tikka, korma, garlic naan, meat combo appetizer and pistachio ice cream for dessert. You will have a dancing elf party in your brain, I promise.

I am sure most folks who may have read this original review may have thought I was on serious drugs as everything i described is now gone…
The new owners have spiffed up the place and it is a nice upgrade. The food remains to be solid and they have kept the original favorites on the buffet, plus a few new entries have broken ground there.
Still the place to go on chilly, raw days to get that warm, comfort food into you.
One of the best things I can report is that every time I go here, I see patrons that I have seen for decades at lunch times. Food remains consistently good and the atmosphere is laid back to take your time to enjoy your multiple plates of plenty.
Love their mint sauce. I would drink it if I could…

It has been a long time since I stopped in here. Earlier this week we wanted something spicy, so we gave them a call for take out. It was a good choice.
We ordered chicken vindaloo; we needed something with good spice and a bit of heat. This was very good. it was hot, but not too hot. We ordered medium plus and hit it right. The chicken was tender; there were also potatoes. it was a good dish. We also ordered vegetable Pakoras; they come with a sweet sauce and a hot sauce; they were a very good combination. We got some broccoli and cauliflower. We also wanted a separate vegetable dish; I asked for a suggestion. Though a bit of trial and error, we ended up with a dish with okra and onion. it was very good and i wish I knew its name. I would order it again.
I suspect we will order from her again. It was nice to go back to a place that has been part of the neighborhood for such a long time and get an enjoyable meal.

Could survive off tikka chicken marsala & garlic naan for the rest of my life w/​zero complaints.
The food is both authentic and delicious.
This is a neighborhood favorite owned by a local family in Portland. Give them all your love.

I’ve been eating at the India Grill since I was a kid. Do yourself a favor and go get yourself the Palak Paneer, for the love of god. Order it spicy if you can with your choice of cheese or potato stuffed kulcha. Get a beer or whatever’s your thing and enjoy the authentic, unpretentious atmosphere while you wait (a very short while!) for some seriously good North Indian fare.
I was in for dinner just recently and the recent remodel is fantastic. The service is better than ever, and everything tasted fresh, real. Family owned and operated for ages, they’ve proven they can adapt and compete in Portland’s wack culinary scene, whatever that is.
So go forth, babes! Support a stellar place run by people of color and get ya naan on!

There isn’t much I could find to not like about this place. I just adore the multi-​floor house converted into a restaurant, the fabulous and bright dining area overlooking the neigborhood, and the cheap all you can eat buffet ($ 1 less than the others nearby).
The food is solid. Not the best in town, but good. Some of it even quite good. Standard indian buffet fare. One or 2 dishes could use a little umph. And my friend seemed to think they had fewer options in the buffet than the average. But it’s such a bright place that being there made me happy while the plates of yummy food made my belly happy.

There was a time when I wasn’t so fond of India Grill; mishaps in both food and service kept me pessimistic and paranoid about all future visits. That of course, was several years ago but instead of lamenting another poorly rated review, I gave them another chance recently and was pleasantly surprised that things seem to be on the up and up.
First off, there are actual greetings. Not by just a hostess but by a lineup of eager servers. They were cordial and efficient, which was not the case the first time around. They refilled the waters, did a swapping of the plates, and the bathrooms were clean. I was already in a happy place.
Then the food hit me (again). Samosas were a tad dry, the naan was a tad too chewy for my tastes, and the traditional chicken curry was just bland to the bone. Not much to report on the lamb rogan josh, which was equally unmemorable. There was a group wide consensus in the disappointment of the mixed grill, which included shrimp, chicken, and seekh kebabs. All were lacking quality flavor, to which we felt defeated.
There were some standouts however, and dishes certainly worth mentioning. First off, the sag paneer was creamy and hearty. Chunks of paneer cheese bathing in a soft, fluffy pillows of spinach is always best accompanied by rice and a voracious appetite. The rasmalai is always a welcome treat in Indian desert land, which was in the paneer realm of creamy and just sweet enough to notice.
Returns are to be merited and the prices are still so reasonable after all of these years. $ 8.95 buffets that include any semblance of meat is a rarity for Indian buffets nowadays, but I’m hoping India Grill continues to make improvements in all facets.

Vegan options abound, and they even let us know that something we ordered wasn’t vegan. The rice is flavorful and we had the cauliflower dish and the spinach and potato dish plus some roti.
Asked for mild spice and it was perfect for my sensitive stomach, left a little warmth in my mouth but not so much I needed to hit my water every second, flavors were well developed. Definitely will be back.

Best Indian food in Portland, hands down. I spoke to the owner, who greeted me so kindly, and let me know the place has been in business for 17 years, run by family!
Anyway, the food was spectacular. Much better than other Indian places I’ve tried (Swagat, Namaste, Bombay Cricket Club, and dwarka). The prices also can’t be beat! You can easily stuff two people and have left over for later for under $ 25!
The only con I’d say is the space. It definitely needs more seating.

In the past 10 years, I’ve had to luck to try most of Portland’s «best» Indian food. So here is the deal:
1. Indian food is my fav (nxt to Mexican) food.
2. I am a vegetarian, so spices and authenticity matters.
3. I never had Indian food until I had Saag Paneer, so I base a lot on sauces.
India Grill was the first Indian food I had in PDX. Since then… I traveled the city for amazing Indian… turning time and time again to our beloved Unilocal in hopes I could find something more amazing tham the last Indian food joint. I’ve tried them all… and I have to say… many reviews really confuse me. I feel… they have better reviews because folks like shitty, bland, deep fried, poorly balanced food. Or perhaps it’s conveince (think a popular SE Hawthorne joint, that has good reviews and I’ve been dissapointed in a number of times) …but trust me… I wouldn’t be writting this if I didn’t enjoy, believe in or know authentic taste.
While I will admit, this spot can be a lil hit and miss at times… it’s mostly a hit. The creamy, spicy, deliciousness of the sauces… the tenderness of the cheeses and meats… are absolutely legit. This is a true family establishment passed down through the hands of hard work and tradition. If you like Indian food… I can honestly say this is one of the best Portland can offer… and I hope more ppl get a chance to eat some REAL Indian food ;) 7years behind me (in a rapidly growing city) has to be right!

Indian cuisine! High quality date place. Good for carnivores and vegetarians. A variety of curries, meats, and vegetables — don’t forget the paneer! Did I mention samosas — some of the best samosas around. Chicken tikka misala is my favorite, with an order of garlic naan and vegetable samosas.
Some of the men-​waiters can be grumpy, I’m told that is cultural. If you «take out», the portions are bigger. The restaurant can be a furnace in the summer, but the décor is overall pleasant and clean.