We were pleasantly surprised with the quality of food here! We ordered Gorakhpuri kofta which was spicy and flavorful and very authentically made with potatoes. We also got aaloo tiki chaat that was amazingly crispy and dahi golgappe which was great too. The baingan ki launji was delicious with spices that seemed to be freshly ground. Banaras mirch paneer tikka was flavourful as well. Malaiyo was the perfect cherry on top. Service was quick and our server was polite. Restaurant was clean but bathroom was slightly run down. read more

Firstly I appreciate a vegetarian restaurant holding up its own with authentic taste and flavours. I was excited to have the litti chokha and the sattu paratha and they did not fail. The flavour was spot on with mustard oil, fresh and warm. The aloo tikki chaat was reminiscent of the traditional chaat in UP. The tikki was crispy and the sauces were flavourful. We also had the kathal lasooni which was tender and well balanced. For dessert we had the jalebi rabri, I am very nitpicky about my jalebi and it was hot, crispy and the right amount of sweet. I did not want it to be paired with the rabri almost. Service was very hands on and quick. The waitstaff know their dishes and also give the right suggestions for pairings. The ambiance was very clean, benarsi indian heritage. Will be back for the benarsi thandai and dum mirch pulao for sure. read more

Banaras - Litti chokha and jalebi rabri - Indian Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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Good food but overpriced for the quantity served. We loved Bananasi Lassi, Tamatar chaat, Litti Chokha and Banarasi Paneer Tikka. Service is very good. read more

Easily one of the best Indian food experiences in the US. The flavors are authentic, the service is impressively fast, and the staff are genuinely friendly. The litti chokha and kofta were absolutely mouthwatering--easily the highlight of the meal. Dahi bhalla and kachori were also delicious and packed with flavor. To top it all off, the rabri jalebi was the perfect sweet finish. I'll definitely be coming back! read more

Banaras does an amazing job of recreating the authentic taste of chaat from Varanasi, which was an absolute treat! The ambiance and service were impressive, though our server made us feel a bit rushed, and the portions were on the smaller side for the price. The place was packed, so it's definitely best to make a reservation before you go. read more

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Authentic chat dishes and unique indo fusion food! Loved the desert with rabri, it's very fresh. read more

Ambiance 5/5 Service 5/5 Food 5/5 Went for Malaiyo and it closely resembles to Shri ji's Malaiyo. Tried Tamatar chat, it was also tasty but it was very different than Kashi chat bhandar. If you like spicy food ie khada masala then you are in for a treat if you order Gorakhpuri Kofta. For some fried things we smelled taste of mustard oil and we are not big fan of it. So avoided eating fried items from menu. Service is great as always and ambiance is very nice. read more

Banaras - Malaiyo - Indian Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

We decided to give this restaurant another try because the first time we had visited, they were relatively new and we asked they were having some organization issues. Unfortunately that has not been the case. This time around, the restaurant was really loud, the music was so loud that we couldn't hear our friends sitting across from us. They charge a $10 no show fee per person, even though the restaurant had reservations available on a Friday evening. They also charge an extra 3% for you to be able to pay with your credit card. I've never heard of something like that. The staff were more rude than helpful. The cleaning staff kept coming up to our table to take our plates, even before we were done. We tried the matar chat, dahi golgappe, litti choka, paneer kaju, kadhi rice, roti and kulhad chai. The food was honestly subpar. I was too afraid to use their restroom after the last time I visited this place. Don't think we will be coming back here. read more

I tried for the first time in my life. This contains spiced dry lentil powder (besan). I find very spice. My spice level is 3 out of 5. I find this pre-made item spiced almost at 5. The eggplant chutney too was spice. Again, no complaints. It is a cultural culinary. Just for experience, I tried and now I can check off this in my list. read more

Banaras - Printed menu - Indian Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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Great and there are many dishes to try. This menu stands out from your traditional Indian cuisine menu with many vegetarian options to try. The service was friendly and fast. read more

The reception was poor. I may have ordered in excess, but that should not have made them treat me differently. The food was decent, but I will not be visiting this place again. read more

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Service is not that good. Servers didn't come until called and I had to ask for to-go boxes multiple times then they gave one. Food: Chaat and appetizers are good. From the main course, kofta had too much garlic flavor and overall taste wasn't good. When I shared my views with the server, he said they can't do anything about it. On top of the entire $100+ bill for two people, they charged 3% credit card fees. I wouldn't go again. read more

Great Indian food!! Love dessert options Good service Wait time is high for walk -in read more

Really good Indian food. Granted this is coming from a white guy from LA, but I work with a lot of Indians, and they even agree it's pretty damn good. I'm pretty sure it's all vegetarian. Worth the visit though.... might be on the expensive side though. read more

This food is to die for. The flavors of each of the appetizers, main dishes was delectable. The chai was flavorful. The lassi....best we've had in all desi restaurants. The server helped us handpick each dish to our liking, but I have to admit, we ate through most of the menu!!! We went there for a girls birthday event and we were not disappointed. One note to the wise, they mean their spice levels here so if you are at all spice averse, consider yourself warned. read more

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This was a treat for the tastebuds! When I was scouting for restaurants with unique menus, I chanced upon Banaras. Even though the reviews on Yelp are not as good as the ones on Google, I was very intrigued to try it out for myself. And boy oh boy! So glad I took the plunge. Loved everything about the restaurant, from food to service! And I don't understand the low ratings by some reviewers. We didn't make a reservation and yet, we were able to get a table after a 10 min wait at 7 pm on Saturday. Reason being service is extremely fast and we were out in precisely 1 hr and 15 mins :) We ordered banarasi lassi to start with. We were a little surprised that it came in a bowl with a spoon with and the malai. Not too sweet, yet so delicious! For starters, we got the rajma galouti and smoky soya chaap. Both were fantastic. I especially liked how the soya chaap had a small piece of coal burning on the plate to give it the smokiness. This is the best I have had so far. Next we got the kachori with aloo sabzi and the litti choka. Kachori was spicy and the aloo was very flavorful. Litti hola was beyond amazing. The mustardy sattu filled litti was nicely done. Perfectly cooked and so fresh. The choka was again smoky and balanced with the litti. We then got the sattu paratha and the gorakhpuri kofta. I loved how the kofta was authentic in the spice levels. I love it when they don't ask "What spice level do you like" and instead serve it the way it's meant to be eaten. The waiter checked on us often without helicoptering. He suggested we try the jalebi for dessert. We went by his suggestion and ordered jalebi with rabdi. It was not too sweet. Just perfect! The ambiance is very casual. Food is mind blowing . And service is great too. We still have so many items on the menu we want to try. And we are definitely going back!! read more

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If you're not Indian, then apparently you're not welcomed here. Arrived here. It was busy sure. Front desk was rude and hard to understand. They had to tell me this is veggies only which I was good with and I knew. They said wait is 30 mins and they will call me. They never called me. I asked later and said the same thing. Front servers are smug and think they're better than you when they just need to look at a mirror to see the problem. Skip this place and eat elsewhere in this plaza. read more

The food is very pricey while the quantity is minimal. The ambiance is the same as taal ( the previous restaurant in this location). They were swamped with crowd and had very minimal staff to handle. The waiter rushed us in ordering the food and gave us no time to glance the menu! While few items like the chaat and jackfruit biryani were amazing, the appetisers and desserts were a let down. (Oh their paan was not even sweet!) Please don't try their malai dessert. It was just whip cream and foam. Their thandai was sooo watery. The paneer handi was not authentic either. We paid 90$ for two people and ended up going to Kwality to get some real deserts ! Never trusting insta reels again read more

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We were very excited about this place based on rave reviews. The ambience is nice overall. We started with Aloo tikki chaat and Kachori with aloo subzi. Aloo tikki was too sweet, would have loved some spicy chutney. Aloo kachori was nice but I am quite sure the kachori served is Haldiram frozen kachori as it tasted exactly like it and didn't look like it was freshly made. We then ordered chatpata gorakhpuri kofta and matka handi paneer for main course. Kofta gravy was really good but was so disappointed with handi paneer. I was expecting paneer handi like we get in India but it tasted like creamy sweet paneer makhani watered down and paneer was quite chewy too. For the quality and quantity served it was priced too high. We paid $100 for two people (2 starters, 2 mains, 2 breads and 1 chai, plus tip) We also ordered kulhad chai - nothing special. Just regular chai without any masala Oh forgot to mention about their over-smart server - when ordering food we were ready to order starters and main course together but he gave us a lecture on savoring the food, enjoy the moment and not be too rushed etc. He took the starters order and we had to wait for main course for a bit. Same guy later rushed us to order dessert because too many people were waiting. Not a very pleasant experience. read more

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Went here for the first time in a group of 5. The restaurant was decorated beautifully and I liked the ambiance. The quality of all of the dishes we ordered was good. The taste was unique (in a good way!) and I loved it. Some of our favorite dishes included the smokey soya chaamp and the kathal handi lasooni! The one minus was that the quantity of some of the dishes were much smaller than they should be given the price. Especially the chaats. I think going back that would be the thing I wouldn't order since the quantity was egregiously small. The service was great! Food came so quickly and they did everything the way we expected. read more

Having heard good things (and also scary things about the long lines!) we managed to get a reservation for 6 at opening time (11:30AM) on Mother's Day Sunday. As a meat loving foodie I am always a bit apprehensive about veg-only restaurants, but this one delivers what it promises - impeccable north-Indian veg food. In fact I'd go to the extent of saying the lassi and the kanthal biryani are the best versions of these dishes I have had anywhere, including in India. Quantities are on the smaller side, as is usual with more upscale places, but a sampling of few dishes should be good for most. The service is extremely fast and the waitstaff are friendly, checking in on the experience multiple times. I noticed some negative reviews about the pricing and the lines. Well, both are true, but depends on the baseline. If you're expecting great Indian food at Indian prices, then that's unfair to begin with. I felt the pricing was at par with any other nice restaurant, across cuisines, in this region. Also, since it's getting known for their good food, not surprisingly the wait times are long, which is never fun. We will only visit if we get reservations in advance. read more

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Amazing Indian food. Memorable experience with great service and beautiful ambiance for anniversary celebration. read more

Banaras - Indian Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

I have been probably 3 times and have not yet reviewed this place. The food is amazing, authentic, spicy and flavorful. I was this time disappointed by the scent of the chai cup (pottery) it had an odd stench and honestly I do not know if that is the norm. I did enjoy everything else. They do not disappoint. Their service was good and no I did not mention the tea cup stench to the waiter. I will be returning but likely not for chai in a pottery mug. The most interesting dish I had was the dum biryani, which I am craving to have again already! read more

They have managed to recreate authentic taste of chaat from Banaras (Varanasi). Ambiance and service are impressive as well. Our server Dinesh took good care of us and provided valuable suggestions. We loved aloo tikki chaat, lassi (viscous just like in Banaras city), Banaras Kachori Aloo subzi. Parking is free and easy. They opened recently and I wish that they continue to maintain the food and service read more

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Amazing vegetarian food, great ambiance & awesome service. We had a team get together lassi , thandai, aaloo tikli chaat , tomato chaat, soya chaap, dahi gulguley, kofta, kathal , litti chokha, biryani, pulao, jalebi & falooda Food was on the spicier side, but very authentic. Enjoyed everything read more

I have been there twice now!! And will go there again when I get a chance. Such delicious food!! Try: Palak chaat Mushroom kulcha Jalebi Rabdi read more

Banaras - Palak chaat - Indian Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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Safety Concern: I would strongly advise not going to this restaurant since they have zero control over insects, pests and serve you cockroach in your order (See attached photos). The owners, who also manage the waitlist / reservations are extremely rude in general, which you can ignore for the taste of the food, but they were super casual, cocky and unapologetic for this gross violation of food safety. He barely seemed concerned, behaved as if it's no big deal, and took zero accountability for this. Some of the wait staff is great, but overall the service quality leaves a lot to be desired, and can sometimes spoil your dinner. I would discourage people from visiting the establishment until they can really internalize that food safety and hygiene is not a casual matter, and that they need to take it very seriously. Customers are there to enjoy the food, not insects in it. read more

Banaras - Indian Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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One of the good Indian restaurants in Seattle area. We tried Lassi which is really amazing, Thandai is perfect. Soy chaap, Hariyali paneer tikka, litti choka, aaloo puri everything was just perfect. Tried Rabdi jalebi and it was delicious! Would definitely recommend this place. We also tried kathal biryani, it was good but not something we would prefer again. We had a reservation so did not have to wait but otherwise it was about 20-30min on a Saturday night. Ambiance is good. The restaurant is in a complex so has plenty of parking space. Reduced one rating since we think it was a bit pricey. P.S. please do not go by the quantity of jalebi Rabdi in the picture. It was about 4-5 pieces of jalebi. It was so amazing that I forgot to click the picture and took after it was half gone! read more

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I really enjoyed the appetizer. But I did not enjoy the main course. For some reason, the spices were coming out more than the taste. The Kathal handi lahsooni gravy was not what i thought will be considering this is a beneras themed food. I cannot finish it. I ordered litti choka aswell and it was ok not great. The portions were very small considering the price. I will go again for the appteizers. read more

Banaras is a super amazing Indian restaurant where I love the food, service and ambiance. The chef understands north indian flavours and provides authentic banarsi dishes. We have tried several different things- aloo tikki being my favourite. We also tried their dahi gulgule from new menu and it was flavourful. Their kofta is super yummy and my all time favourite, with rabri jalebi being my goto dessert. read more

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We went around 5.30pm without a reservation and the staff accommodated us! Thank you. We only had two appetizers - smoked soy chap and mirch paneer and both were awesome! We will make a reservation and come back for dinner some other time! :) I will say the price was a bit high - our bill was $35 just for these two items read more

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Selected this place on a whim. So glad we did. The food was delicious. Flavor popped, presentation was excellent and environment was pleasant. The waiter had good recommendations and took his time walking us through the menu. I will definitely be returning to try more of their offerings and recommending this place to others. I generally avoid vegetarian restaurants but Banaras is an outstanding example of how to do food so well that I didn't miss a meat option at all. So good that this place changed my thinking on vegetarian restaurants. read more

Been already there twice, liked their kachori aloo sabzi, satoo paratha and litti chokha quite a lot, very authentic in taste. I'm yet to taste their soya chaap, on my list for next visit. Even their pyaazi kadhi pakora tasted very good in taste. Their host and staff , all are also very friendly and great service. Only one feedback- since it's on the pricey side, i would consider it to be on fine dining side, so they can work on their noise management. Last night for dinner, some ladies kept on talking beside our table so loudly for more than 10 mins, it was quite annoying and distracting while having our food. They definitely lacked restaurant etiquette, if they wanted to talk, they should stand near their table not near other people's table. So, may be this is something host can watch out for and manage in the future to improve overall experience! Overall food , service and host were all amazing! :) read more

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Place looks beautiful, but food is really bad. Too much salt in all curries , starters and chaats. Management don't care even when you tell them it is too salty. All items have complex names we need to read ingredients to see what exactly dish might be. One of the chaat named as tomatoes chaat and it was priced $15 and it is small cup. Expensive and not worthy menu. I agree they have good presentation, but food is not tasty. No aloo's in aloo curry. Service is poor, they didn't pour water in the glasses; they just kept a water jar on the table and asked us to help ourselves . Over all compared to other restaurants this is not a good one. Most of the restaurants they ask us at the end how is the food? I guess this restaurant know the answer and they don't want to hear it. I rather prefer making some paneer fry myself / bake some frozen food from Indian store. read more

I'd heard really good things about this place so had very high expectations going in. Banaras exceeded all of them! I feel like the chef/owner put all of his creative energy into building a unique menu and then coming through with rich flavors. We ordered the soya chaap, aloo tikki, handi paneer and garlic naan. All of them were great but the soya chaap especially was unbelievable. I'm still trying to figure out how they made it so delicate and juicy. For dessert we got the jalebi and makkan malai. Again, both were great but the makkan malai was basically like eating fluffy saffron clouds. I will be back! read more

Food was excellent - tried the following items : - palak paths chat - Gulguli - Sathu paratha - Kadi - bhindhi potato veggie - garlic naan Every item was very good. Service was awesome Ambience good , but would have liked it to be a wee-bit quieter. read more

food was good. Rajma galouti, palak chaat were amazing. Gorakhpuri kofta was very spicy (We were advised by the server, thank you); but we did not quite enjoy the taste. We went in with a toddler, and they did not have cutlery, watercup for toddlers. Also, we really wanted to get desserts as takeout but could not as they did not have containers. read more

Food ratings: Aloo tikki chat - 5/5 , probably my fav out of all the things we ordered Aloo kachori -4/5 , could use some more tanginess Soy Chaap- 2/5, I dint enjoy it Main course : Gorakhpuri kofte- 4/5, nice in itself, needs bread to eat it along with Sattu ke parathe-3/5, the stuffing was quite masaledar Aloo tamatar and puri -4/5, very home made style Lassi and Thandai-5/5, yummy , lassi is shrikhand consistency Jalebi - 5/5, fresh Reservation: They have a cancellation fee for online reservations and walk in service It's usually crowded most of the times. Service, Staff - Polite read more

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They told us to wait in the car because they don't want the place to look busy for others for whom they don't have space and who would basically behind us in a line. We were a party of 3 and were told we have a wait for 35 minutes, so it makes no sense that what so ever The hostess told us that they also own Farsi, so basically they are being so proud about their brand that they feel fine with treating people as shit Poor Service Rude Service read more

Food 5* (tiki chaat, kachori chaat, litti chokha, jalebi) Service 5* (thanks Dinesh!) Ambiance 5* ( we had a gala time) We'll be back soon!! read more