Ashoka

I walked by this restaurant every day for a week but never noticed it. Found it here and thought the reviews sounded good so we gave it a try and I’m so glad we did. We ordered two dishes, the chicken tikka masala and the butter chicken. Both were excellent. The first one was a little spicy, the chicken was moist and flavorful and there was plenty of sauce. The second was milder but just as tasty. I saw another customer practically lick the bowls clean and I understood why after I tasted the sauces. Not only was the food great, but the portions were big so we had leftovers. Service was also great; the staff was friendly and responsive.

Great Indian food. We had the butter chicken, and the fish curry (the one marked with a Nepalese flag). The mango lassi and lamb starter was good too (marked with Nepalese flag). Definitely coming back for the butter chicken, as it’s something I’ve been deprived of in London for the past two years.

I’ve said it in other reviews of Indian restaurants: I’m no expert. But I’ve had years being in love with Indian food, and a short stint in India itself, so I like to think I know a little something.
The place itself is small, but cute. The colours are friendly, the furniture is comfortable and suits the space and atmosphere well, and the place is very clean. Seriously, even the bathroom was tiny, cute, and spotless. Cleanest men’s bathroom I’ve experienced in a long time… anyway…back to the restaurant…
The owner — or at least I think he’s the owner — was extremely friendly. We ordered a couple glasses of wine, the mutter masala, chicken tikka masala, butter naan, and garlic naan. The service was excellent, and the food did not take very long. I prefer my food spicy, but in the interest of having to share my dish I got ‘medium.’ Even with the sad limitation placed upon my spice loving taste buds the food had a nice kick and a delicious flavor. We finished the naan, emptied both serving dishes, and polished off the rice — a clear sign of a meal well appreciated.
After dinner we ordered two chai masala which was the perfect end to a perfect meal.
Was this the best Indian I’ve ever had? Probably not, but I am having a difficult time remembering when the last time I had Indian as good as this.
If you go, I am certain you won’t be disappointed.
…also…seriously clean bathrooms.

Ordered a takeaway from Ashoka and it arrived with an item missing and the dish which did arrive contained 4 pieces of meat. I called up the restaurant to see what their response would be (I wanted to give the place a second chance to at least get their customer service right). The man who answered was helpful and went to investigate; he called me back within minutes and offered to bring more meat and the missing item. I actually said not to bring it (which must have surprised him) and he kindly said he will make sure there is more on my next order. I considered making a second order with them in the future… and then I tucked into the Lamb Korma… no second order for me, I’m afraid. However top notch response to my complaint.

Amsterdam being such an international city, it becomes difficult to find places to eat when you’re not sure what you want. Despite the summer heat, my family and I came upon Ashoka to satisfy our craving for something more Asian!
I ordered the chicken dahsak, which came with extremely tender chicken in a tomato and lentil sauce. The sauce was slightly sweet, but overall the dish was good. We also ordered the chicken saag, which was definitely on the saltier side. My favorite dish was the chicken tikka tandoori as it was the greatest portion size and the meat wasn’t drowning in overly salty sauce. Their basmati rice is also cooked nice and fluffy, and it becomes essential when eating any of the chicken dishes! Overall, the meal filled our stomachs and satisfied our palates, but it wasn’t the most exceptional Indian food that I’ve had.