Indian Express

Amazing family run joint, great food, great flavor, great experience. I’ve been there 3 times in the past week and I keep wanting more. It’s officially my home away from home.

We’ve had a craving for Indian food for a while now so we decided to try this restaurant. I have to say that we were very pleased. My husband who is a big meat eater had the samosa platter and he loves it. He wiped the plate clean with my roti. My daughter had been craving dal (probably spelled wrong) and she was very happy to finally have some. The smile on her face said it all! I had the thali platter which was very good. The samosas are amazing. The gentleman that took our order was very helpful in explaining what we were ordering. And he had a very pleasant attitude. We will definitely be coming back to this establishment.

Takeout heaven. Conveniently located in a gas station, so you could literally let your gas tank fill up while picking up dinner (I’d call in advance). Their menu is extensive and completely vegetarian with plenty of vegan options. Very affordable and very tasty!
Now, they’re housed in a gas station’s parking lot. If you’re able to envision that, then you could also envision yourself never eating there. After all, they are called Indian Express.
Pros:
+ Affordable
+ Location
+ Nice variety (sweets included)
+ Vegan options
+ Well prepared
+ Good & fast service
+ Tasty
Cons:
— Location
— Dining-​in
— Aesthetics
Overall, Indian Express is a home run! Their price point is awesome and their food is really good. Yeah, they’re in a gas station and yeah, you probably wouldn’t bring a date here, but so what, their food rocks! Tonight’s looking like a Netflix and Indian Express night!

Ah-​mayyyyy-​zing.
This place is going to be a dangerous addiction for me. As a vegetarian I love Indian food. That’s a given right? And Indian Express is going to add fuel to the fire. Like gasoline levels.
We ordered the Paneer Makhani, an eggplant dish (cant recall the name), rice, paratha, roti, samosas. They were close to closing so I was initially worried the quality would be poor… but Jesus. Everything was fresh and spiced to perfection and just yesssss!!!
And DRUMROLL… the total was $ 18…Whaaa??? How???
So I usually frequent a more pricey Indian restaurant in the Sugar Land/​Stafford area. And by pricey I mean DOUBLE the cost for half the food we received here. And the quality and taste here was on par if not better than our usual bank breaking spot.
Don’t let the odd-​ish location fool you. Eat here… you will be satisfied. Another perk, the food was not super dense or oily. Nice!
Will be back frequently without a doubt. So glad I found this spot.

Let’s judge this in context. It’s a hole in the wall behind a gas station. So five stars is not a Michelin pronouncement. It is a judgement in context.
The kids groaned when they saw the place I had in mind for lunch. «It’s next to a gas station!!» moaned the oldest girl. Wife had a skeptical look on her face but, prudently, said nothing. A few coughs from the back seat that I also ignored. «Fine, sit in the car,» I finally barked. They of course gave in.
We had passed the relative bright lights of Sugar Land and the corporate restaurant offerings, each one branded by a team of PR and social media experts but decidedly lacking in heart and soul. Graphic designer heaven, real food hell. Names tested before focus groups, and later microwaves blazing to give you your «special meal.» Right.
So we pulled in to Indian Express today. We parked in a dirty parking lot facing the drones waiting in car lines for Jack-​in-​the-​Box GMO drive-​thru hell lunch. Suckers!
Walked in as the only non-​Indians in the place. Great sign. The place was bare bones. A few raggedy scattered booths and tables. Windows dirty and so were the floors. Good so far! A fellow at the cash register in the back greeted us and beckoned us to order our meal. Though I have had many an Indian meal I confess I have not paid much attention to the finer details of the cuisine. For me it’s simple: I love the flavors of the Indian kitchen and I don’t feel the need to get a PhD in Indian foodology to pursue my passion. In fact I have little interest in studying the finer points of an Indian menu. I place myself in their hands with total trust and I have never been disappointed.
In this case that trust was well-​placed. «Look,» I said, «I am not an expert in Indian food though I have eaten plenty of it. But I am willing to hear your suggestions and run with those.» He did not hesitate for a minute. He knew what he was dealing with and he adjusted accordingly. He recommended the thali plate for the wife, myself, and the teenaged son. «But I like it really really spicy,» I said. He grinned: «I can do anything really spicy.» «Do it!» I said.
At his suggestion, the young girls shared a Channa Bhature, and all skepticism melted away in puffy fried bread and delicious curried chickpeas. Let me make this point perfectly clear: the young girls who are less adventurous — picky even — were delighted by their lunch.
Here’s the mark of a great place: an Indian woman customer waiting for her to-​go order listened to our order, noticing our lack of expertise with the complicated (not geared to non-​Indian) menu and very politely asked if she might make a suggestion. She recommended an additional dish to share, with spicy chickpeas and fried paratha (Indian flatbread). She also, to the kids’ delight, pointed out the best after meal sweet. This is the most wonderful way different cultures can communicate: through food! I thanked her and took her every suggestion. She politely smiled and nodded her head. What a delight!
The food came. Let’s be honest this is a bare bones place. Plates are styrofoam and spoons are plastic. It’s hard to eat this way. If I am forced to find criticism I would place it here, in funky plates and junky cutlery — but before you sniff at this, have a look at the prices. You want to pay three more bucks per selection for a proper plate and silverware? Don’t be stupid!
Bottom line: the flavors are so totally craftsman-​like real — it’s like a transportation to another dimension. I love Indian cuisine so I was of course in heaven. More importantly the kids who have never had Indian cuisine (I know, it’s criminal!) who were totally skeptical going in, were licking their plates and contemplating which visiting family member we could take to this place.
The proprietor came by to see how we were doing and I had a question about Indian customs regarding the use of paratha to sop up very liquid delicious sauce. «Am I doing this right?» I asked. He smiled and asked for a napkin to demonstrate how one is to tear off a bit of the bread and make a little canal to fill with the liquid goodness. The proprietor came back several times to see how we liked the food and he seemed so genuinely pleased that we relative neophytes really and honestly enjoyed his offering. He was proud of his restaurant and it showed!
He asked somewhat curiously whether we were vegetarians and I replied that we were not but that on Fridays we are forbidden from eating meat. «Is it religious?» he asked, with genuine curiosity. «Yes,» I replied. «Can I ask what religion that is?» he continued. «Yes, we are real Catholics, I replied.» He smiled. For that day we had a bond in our very different cultures.
Would I go back? Please, get me in a car immediately I am ready to go this instant!

Accidentally found this place while looking for another place. It may not strike good with it’s location and ambience but food here is way on opposite extreme, and will remind me of dhaba or homemade food. For as little as $ 4, you get full of subjis and homemade rotisserie and nan. Navaratan korma, paneer bhurji are pure Amritisiri cooked and way better than other so called, Punjabi restaurants around. Need to visit more than twice a month to get full taste of Indian Express.

Very low priced fresh punjabi home cooked style food specially to go, dine in is ok if you don’t mind foam plates and plastic spoons, my fav is their paneer parathas! Must try.

Indian Express food was delicious. At first we weren’t going to order because it was vegetarian and we aren’t. But because the reviews on Unilocal were amazing, we decided to try. We got the Aloo Parotha Platter and the Channa Bhature. We will be back for sure!!!

Average food. Not very clean place. Moreover quality isn’t that good either. i’d rather not go at this place.

One of the best authentic North Indian vegetarian food. Best parathas. Family owned and operated. Owners are very nice people. Punjabi kadhi is to die for.

If you haven’t had the paranthas at Indian Express, you are seriously missing out on the BEST home-​like food in Houston.
LOVE their makki ki roti with sarson ka saag. It is our go-​to-​place for homemade rotis.
Also love their mithai (sweets), especially the chocolate barfi. It is the closest to the melt-​in-​your-​mouth barfi we have in India.

I beckoned a friend to meet here for lunch a couple of months ago and I was all kinds of excited because I always get excited about Indian food. Also, the raving reviews further bolstered my confidence that this would be winner of a meal for us both.
Well, it regretfully kind of wasn’t. The service was perfect — extremely friendly and attentive and the prices were insanely low for the massive amount of food. Which should have perhaps indicated that the ingredients weren’t the freshest. In that all of the vegetables — in the Mixed Vegetables, Aloo Gobi, and Vegetable Biryani were reheated frozen vegetables. Not to say that the spices and sauces weren’t decent (although blander than I prefer), just the unsatisfying extreme sogginess of frozen vegetables (they were really really old frozen and overheated into a limp soft mess) can really be a letdown. At least the Samosas were good, I’m sure they were of the pre-​made frozen variety too, but they were crispy and nicely seasoned.
I think I may have been more disappointed than I would have been on an usual every day basis because it was my friend’s birthday and I had treated him to subpar Indian food. For shame! I mean, okay, for the price point, I completely agree it was a competent meal. Plus I had leftovers for days (my friend wasn’t keen on taking any of it home, hah!), but maybe I should have accordingly adjusted my expectations based on the inexpensive prices and humongous portions. Lesson learned.

Best Indian food I’ve had for the price. The Saag Paneer is my favorite dish, bit the different options for dishes are always really good. Ask for sweets — they make them with authenticity.

I went there with my friend I am not vegetarian but I LOVED the food It was amazing. I really don’t care about the location the food is good, it’s clean and the people there are really nice.
the food is fresh,
I was there around 7 I wanted to get a dessert I guess it was ras malai but he told me it’s not fresh so don’t get it. it meant a lot to me he could have given it to me and not care. but I think it was really nice. over all everything was perfect. going back there for sure

Great good at a great price. Ordered a Thali (2 sabzi, daal, raita, rice, 2 rotis, dessert), Paneer Paratha. Most of the food was decent. LOVED THE GULAB JAMUN (it wasnt too sweet… just perfect). The Salt Lassi was the only thing i didnt like.
I wish this place was closer to where I live :)

Have visited this place twice and left very satisfied both the times. Fresh good tasty food.

Great punjabi food. No matter what u order it’s is the best. Place to sit is somewhat average but because of quality of the food giving it 5 stars. Very reasonably priced food too.

Seriously the best gulab jamuns ever! The food is low fat and delicious. Imagine North Indian food without any floating layers of oil or butter! Their paratha platters are excellent! So glad we found this little gem on our trip to Houston!

Whenever I feel too lazy to cook, this is where I end up. Friendly service, food is awesome and the sweets are fresh, reminds me of home. I usually order the thali, and it is filling, and consistently yummy fr just $ 5… I also love their jalebis, gulab jamuns, barfis this is a must try place

I live inside the loop, and not really near any decent Indian restaurants. There are three really great, higher end restaurants nearby, but nothing everyday affordable. They don’t have chaat and no sweets counter. Okay, one has a cookie counter, but think gourmet chocolate chip cookies and the occasional Ladoo, not any Gulab Jamun or Burfi. Nothing lounging in aromatic simple syrup.
For me, Hilcroft is a bit of a leap outside of «my area» to be going on a regular basis, so I subsist on perhaps once a month heading in that direction. I have my favorites, which lean towards the Southern Indian and vegetarian (or at least chicken and fish varieties). So, why would I catapult myself so very far out of «my area,» when a leap would find me knee deep in Sambar, Thali Plates, Dosi, Gulab Jamun, etc?
Indian food, an article in the paper regarding said Indian food (with pretty pictures), a review or two, a mention of Punjabi-​style cuisine, and my Indian food cohorts. Also, I didn’t have to drive.
Indian Express is worth the drive (or in my case, ride in the car). The food AND the service.
I had the Halwa Plate. Get the Halwa Plate. Any Thali with a heaping scoop of halwa is going to put you in momentary paradise. Certainly it’s dessert, but so what. It also came with a rather spicy Chana Masala and some sort of Aloo Curry. I was oscillating between sweet and spicy, sweet and spicy. Lots of spicy. (It was a cleansing sweat.)
The owner/​son took care of our group. He waited on us, took our order, and brought us a few extras. One of which was some sort of Chana flour based snack. Think bar food (eat with your hands, small bite-​sized pieces, a little fatty, a little carby, a bit of protein), but Indian and most likely healthy. They were shaped like those fried lo mein noodles, but healthier. There was actually a counter full of various types of snack type food, but between the sweets and savory snacks, I was all about the Gulab Jamun.
I picked up a few sweets on my way out. Gulab Jamun, Pista Burfi, and Jalebi. When we first arrived, we were treated to a piece of Jalebi, piping hot. It was fresh! I got some to go for good measure. Of the three, I liked the Gulab Jamun and Jalebi best. If I were to rate the Gulab Jamun, I’d say it’s pretty close to Raja’s. I grew up on Raja’s, so that’s saying quite a bit. I also had some other sort of cheese in syrup. I can’t recall the name, but it was pretty tasty, as well.