Peshwa

I read about this place on a list of best new restaurants of 2014, and had been meaning to try it for quite a while. So I finally did. It’s an unassuming, small storefront restaurant, like many other Indian restaurants. But they do a good job. We went for the buffet option, which I was glad to see is available during dinner hours (at least on Sundays). I don’t know enough about south Asian dishes to be able to tell you what they all were. However, I thought there was a good amount of different dishes (an earlier review in the newspaper had indicated it wasn’t that extensive), and I believe more than half of them were vegetarian. While I am not a vegetarian, I did like that — and in fact, those dishes were all quite delicious. This is not to take away from the chicken-​based dishes, those also were well-​prepared and tasted pretty good. There was also a fish curry option. And while it was good for what it was, it also wasn’t a dish I really enjoyed. One thing that I regretted was that there were no goat-​based dishes. While this seems to have become more common at these buffets, I wish that it would start being a regular dish again. If I remember correctly, all the buffet dishes were mild. While this is my preference, others may desire a bit more spice. The drink options included both a chai tea and a masala chai tea. We ordered the masala chai tea. It comes unsweetened, with sweetener offered on the side. However, the sweetener was only Sweet-​n-​Low. So if we wanted sugar or some other artificial option, we were out of luck.
Overall, the food was top notch. Just a couple of minor quibbles with goats and sweeteners, but still a four-​star experience for me!

I LOVE this place! I try to keep my trips here to twice a month, but that doesn’t always happen. We always get the buffet and it is always fresh and hot. The staff is friendly and attentive. I would highly recommend this place.

We found this restaurant using a deal from
and drove from Wentzville and it was SO worth it! The host was incredibly gracious & attentive. The food was brought out at perfect intervals; appetizers, main course. The portions are VERY generous and the flavor were perfect. Everything was very fresh and the décor was bright & soothing. I tried a Mango Lasse to drink for the first time and I highly recommend! I’m pregnant & will be sending my husband here often over the next 6 months!

Everything was great! The owner talked to us several times and even offered masala Chai when we sat down, it was so good! Why do people drink hot chocolate, I don’t remember after the chai we had for lunch today. Also, the Raita was great, I liked how it had veggies that you could actually pickup instead of the purée. The naan was thicker than most all I’ve had before but still good. She gave us coupons and to-​go menus for future orders and visits. Very nice and hospitable. This place has a lot of regulars, I hope they’re around for a long time. It’s quality Indian food, done right in the west central Indian style!

A nice, small restaurant with fantastically friendly service. That’s all I have to say.

Close to my job, so buffet lunch it is! Great price, friendly staff, and sates my cravings for flavor rich food for very time. Always leave feeling stuffed.

Authentic food that tastes as good as cooked at home. The Veg. Korma is one of the best that I’ve ever had.

Visited St. Louis this weekend from New York and was looking for a nice afternoon meal when I stumbled upon this lil gem of a place on Page Ave tucked away between fast food joints. Was blown away by the selection the buffet had to offer and some of the entrees were completely new to me.
Each dish had a distinct flavor and belonged to different regions in India. Malvani Fish curry, butter chicken, veg korma and the vindaloo were absolutely fab. I’ve never seen as many Vegan selections at similar buffets in NY or elsewhere.
Décor was bright and cheerful and very gracious hosts. Will definitely bring my family next time I’m visiting. Not to be missed!

Some of the freshest and high quality Indian food in metro STL. The owner cooks all of the dishes herself and makes sure to include all regions of India.
I especially like that every day she does some different items so that it is never the same when you go. The chicken tandoori is some of the best that I have had and the her other chicken dishes are made with all white meat!
They have a frequent diner card too.
Great buffet if you want to sample many dishes!

Went for lunch buffet on a Saturday. Very average indian food. A couple of good dishes, but the lack of freshness really put us off.
They have several veg and non-​veg options. For veg, we had veg korma (their best dish), chana masala (good), veg cutlets (too oily, hard), mixed veg masala (carrots primarily, might have even read the name incorrectly, but this dish was not fresh), yellow dal (this definitely did not taste fresh. I had to leave it). Their chicken dishes were okay, including chicken tikka masala.
They have a small chaat section where you can make your own chaat, as well as yoghurt, salad, papad etc.
For dessert, we had fruit and pineapple/​carrot halwa type of dish which was just okay.
Probably would not be visiting again given the quality and taste.
If you are a big veg korma fan though, should probably give it a shot!

PESHWA «The Rooyaaal Indian Cuisiiine» vs. HAVELI «IIIIndiaan Restaauuraant»
Let the battle of Page Ave. Indian cuisine* begin! Keep it clean fellas…
Round 1: Convenience & Price
Hours — Open. Close. Open. Close. Both locations are tricky. Give it a Google before making plans.
Location — Peshwa is difficult if you’re going east on Page. Haveli has plenty of parking.
Price — Peshwa’s carry-​out menu is small and priced perfectly. The 2 Entrée Veg Box totals $ 7.49. All. Day. However, Haveli has a much larger menu selection.
Round 2: The Foods
Naan — I have a reoccurring dream of buttery, flaky Naan that only Peshwa can be responsible for.
Eggplant Fry Masala — Eggplant melted in my mouth but I wasn’t expecting THAT many onions. My breath was comparable to my Pop’s who, I swear, bites into onions as if they were apples.
Veg Korma — Pretty good mix of green beans, peas, carrots, potatoes, & cauliflower but I like mine a bit spicier.
Yellow Daal — Just okay, missing that certain something but hey, I’ll eat it.
Round 3: Winner, Winner Indian Dinner (well, lunch)
Peshwa is your champion if you are going west on Page and want a cheap bite. It’s hard to write a review with only one visit under my belt so I intend on going back for more rounds.
Haveli is my Dwayne «The Rock» Johnson of the fight. So bad ass but still approachable. They win by 1 star! No TKO here.
Try ‘em both and decide for yourself!
*Sorry to leave out St. Louis Halal Meat. As a flexitarian, their menu isn’t on the top of my list… But I hear GREAT things.

Peshwa is simply delightful. We were met with a warm welcome and invited to try their amazing signature drink, a mango ice cream milkshake: Mango Mastani. Don’t miss this one.
The buffet selection has a simple variety with a mix of vegetarian and chicken dishes. The Methi Chicken Malai featured tender and juicy chicken in a smooth creamy sauce with just a hint of spicy warm.
My favorite Indian dish is Vegetable Korma and Peshwa does it brilliantly. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, peas, green beans, all bathed in a perfectly flavored yogurt based sauce. Absolute joy.
About halfway through the meal, we were offered fresh hot naan right from the kitchen. The naan is flaky, flavorful, and a perfect compliment to the rich foods.
There are many excellent Indian restaurants in this town but this little place on Page has just be right combination of dishes, service, a simple and relaxing setting with a nice background of popular Indian music… Perfection!

After eating at 4 different Indian cuisine in St louis so far best to me for north Indian food.

Was here for a quick dinner when my girlfriend and I had a sudden craving to eat chaat.
The host/​owner was really nice to us and made sure we got the seating of our preference.
The place is clean and decently decorated. The restroom is a little strange since it has the heating system of the entire place standing in one corner of the place.
We ordered two different chaats (Delhi chaat and samosa chole chat), paneer pakoras and their special mango mastani drink which is a scoop of mango ice-​cream in mango lassi. The drink was unique and quite tasty. Perfect for hot summer day.
The food arrived and we were pleasantly surprised with how tasty the paneer pakoras were. They were bite sized and the chef had sprinkled a tangy spice over them which gave the pakoras an extra zing.
The chaats were good too but could have been a little more spicier. I guess we should have particularly asked them to make the food a little more spicier :)
I want to go back to this place to try their non-​vegetarian dishes too.

Hate to downgrade a review, but there were a few problems this go around. Probably due to the lack of attendance, food freshness has suffered a bit… Naan was hard and for this small venue, the service lost its energy. There’s now an up charge of 3 dollars to their buffet if you have the goat or fish curries… For the price, this is not a good deal. Weekend price is up towards the 15 dollars range for adults… Family enjoyed a gourmet buffet for only 20 dollars a few hours before…
We probably will not be returning, and the writing’s on the wall, this potential gem probably won’t be much longer…

By far, the best Indian restaurant I have been to in St louis so far… And, I have been to almost half a dozen of them.
Food: The food here is closest to the indian food back home. Spread is good, including good salads and starters. Best part was the different varieties of chutneys… I liked the bhindi and baingan a lot… chicken kolhapuri was also amazing…
Ambience is also very pleasant with my favourite bollywood music playing everytime I go… Very neat and clean and buffet is well arranged and described.
Courtesy: This is one thing I have found missing in Indian restaurants in St Louis. But, this place makes you feel like visiting again and again because of the warmth offered by the head chef. She is very sweet Marathu woman, who is so fond of cooking and serving.
Overall, best restaurant. the only tip is to have more starters in lunch buffet on weekends, You can increase the price for more starters. but thats what i look forward to looking at the mouth watering chutneys…

I came here for dinner with a few friends who highly recommended the place and were willing to drive out 20 minutes just to get here. So far, this is the best place I’ve had Indian food in STL. We mainly tried the different types of biryani which is what they are known for. I really enjoyed all the types we tried — goat, chicken, and chicken 65. The one dish I wasn’t thrilled with was the lamb saag.
The service was really good. We had a large party of about 8 people and they took very good care of us which was awesome!
I would like to come back and try the buffet on the weekend sometime as I see many other reviewers recommend it!

This may be my new favorite STL Indian food. Been here twice for the buffet and both times there was a great (and different) selection of yummy things to try.
Favorite things about this place:
— They have those cracker things that Taj Palace serves as an app on the buffet. Only place I have seen these on a buffet and they’re SO yummy!
— Their Naan is always fresh and hot and has a great texture and flavor.
— They have enough vegetarian dishes to easily make a meal of, plus a few varied meat offerings. My favorite Indian dishes are all vegetarian, so I am kind of an Indian food vegetarian and this place does not disappoint.
— The guys who are working are both so nice, and accommodating. Really make me feel welcome.
Why I took a star: I like to have hot tea with my lunch. Both times I asked for hot tea, and both times it arrived too late to go with lunch. Once I was completely finished eating; the other time I was having dessert.
On another note that is completely unrelated to the food, there is an old Porsche 944 that is always parked in back. You don’t see too many of those anymore and it brings back fond memories of high school.

Great lunch buffet! Love their take on Indian food and I especially like the fact that they kick up the heat just a little. Still comfortable for the masses but a hint of heat adds a lot to their offerings.
I tried a little bit of just about everything on their buffet. I loved their take on paneer — larger, firmer pieces than most other places. Add in a little heat in the sauce and the distinct creaminess of a tikka sauce and you wind up with a great dish. I also really enjoyed their take on the butter chicken. The pieces of yardbird were large enough that they stayed juicy even though they were sitting in a steam table pan which inherently causes additional cooking to take place. The sauce was smooth and rich. Ditto for the sauce on the vege korma. I loved the little bit of heat that accompanied the peas, spinach and potatoes.
There were other notables as well — I loved the fact that they have the chutney, tamarind sauce and those delicious cracker things at lunch. Not sure of another place that does the same.
Final note — their naan has a certain buttery taste to it that I really enjoyed. They are not buttering their naan; rather, they are baking this flavor in to their bread. It was really good!

My wife and I visited Peshwa for dinner tonight, exactly one month after they opened. The interior was freshly painted in bright colors and the restaurant is bright and clean. They have a lunch and dinner buffet every day (except Tuesday). One side of the buffet is vegetarian (some dishes are vegan) and the other had a few chicken dishes. There were probably 8 – 9 main dishes, plus rice, naan, chaat, three desserts, and condiments.
The food was overall very good… they had a fried eggplant dish that was amazing. The naan might be the best I’ve ever had. The chicken biryani was dried out (as a previous review has said) which was a shame — the taste was good. I like that they had chaat on the buffet (Delhi Chaat) — like Gokul used to have. They also have other chaat items on the menu.
The spicy dishes were more spicy than I’m used to… especially some of the vegetarian dishes. I’m sure I’m just a wus when it comes to authentic spice… I had to add a little yogurt sauce to some of the dishes to be able to eat them.
It seemed a little expensive — dinner for two was $ 28 (without beverages).
We met the chef (also an owner) and she was very friendly. I asked her about a couple of the dishes and she was happy to tell me what was in them. (Just a thought — post a card describing each dish, at least the less common ones? It might look nicer than the dish written on the buffet sneeze guard.)
Overall I enjoyed my visit, especially the chance to try a few dishes I haven’t had before.
I look forward to going back again soon.