Helps Tremendously that they don't close after Lunch. Splitting into 2 shifts like some Desi Spots do. Thai as well... The straight through helps a lot !!! Sorry for any typos, and sorry for forgetting to Add this detail on my last review !!!! Too - Breds or Rice included w/ Entrees...helps !!!!!! read more

Cafe Raj is my favorite comfort food. Maybe because I've been coming here for over 20 years and the service is so nice! I can always count on the food to be exactly what I have had for 20 years! My go to order? Kofta malai and chicken tikka and pakoras and papadam and cumin mint lassi! The food is mild for American palates so go ahead and order medium, it's still mild! Bonus is the entire menu is gluten free (except naan and samosas obvi) read more

The staff is always considerate and the food is consistently good. I appreciate that they are open late and kind to even people who come in at the last minute. My experience is that they adjust the spice level as requested and the servings are generous. read more

From the moment you open the door the aroma hits you in the face like an angry pimp. A pleasant experience though in an authentic Indian restaurant. Very clean and courteous, the staff was very warm, however for it not being too crowded the service could've used a little bit more attentiveness towards our table. The food was excellent and filling! The naan bread was thick, warm, and tasty! I almost always order saag paneer at every Indian restaurant I frequent. It was fresh and delicious but not quite as creamy as I've had it before. Very decent portions. Some wall art appropriately spaced throughout the dining room. They made the night with a complimentary rice pudding to go. Definitely on the list to return. read more

See all

Great value restaurant in the neighborhood, but flavors were on the bland side. This is the first Indian restaurant in the area I was able to find butter chicken that included naan for only $16! Unfortunately, it was also the blandest curry I've ever tasted. Most of the flavor only came from the seasoning on the chicken underneath all the sauce. I wonder if it'd improve with more spice. I really enjoyed the naan though, and it was quite a generous portion! Overall I'd give the restaurant 3.5* mostly due to the affordable prices and portion sizes. read more

Cafe Raj - Indian Near Me - Albany, California

Cafe Raj nestled in Albany between El Cerrito and Berkeley is a restaurant of Indian auntie's throwing down in the kitchen for us all to enjoy. Food comes out fast fresh and hot. You can control the spice level of your dishes and there are delicious sides to accompany the meal. If you love Indian you will appreciate Cafe Raj's home cooking and decent portion sizes. The servers are so sweet even when they are busy. My favorite part of this visit was seeing all the lovely ladies who work in the back in the kitchen sit with one another for a quick meal break after the dinner rush. I love you feel like family and seeing all the kitchen staff eating the food they are serving is something special read more

See all

Lamb Tikka recommended - not complely charred like elsewhere, but tender and flavorful. Papadam are perfect here! read more

A solid option that's open later than most restaurants that serves generous portions of tasty classics. I tried the lamb tikka and chicken tikka masala along with white rice and naan. The lamb tikka was my favorite as it was juicy and very tasty with a nice char. The chicken tikka masala was just okay but the portion was pretty decent. The naan bread was a little doughy for my taste. We were offered some freebie chai tea and rice pudding which were a nice treat. Service was solid and decently attentive. There were a few others dining in but most people were picking up takeout orders. All in all I would visit again if I was hankering for some late night Indian food. read more

This place is one of my favorites and I come here often. The service, price, and food portions cannot be beat. When I come to take out they have me a full cup of chai on the house while I wait. When I dine in, they have always given me Kheer for dessert for free. Their food portions are very generous and entrees always include rice or naan (15$ average for an entree). Their appetizers are also well portioned and their tamarind chutney was super fresh! I love their mango lassi as well. The place seems to be women run as I see only female cooks and servers. They have a cozy indoor seating area and I haven't never had to wait for a seat. They have multiple spice levels for their food and sometimes I need to add extra salt but everything is very fresh and delicious! read more

See all

Cafe Raj never fails when I feel like butter chicken! Consistency in the meal as well as very hospitable service. Thank you!! read more

Cafe Raj - Butter Chicken - Indian Near Me - Albany, California

See all

We have been going there for over 20 years. Staff are always kind, and food is excellent!

The food was everything I expected. The service was prompt and the waiter brought our stuff timely. It's nice cozy restaurant read more

Cafe Raj - Naan Chicken Tikka Masala Daal - Indian Near Me - Albany, California

Ordered takeout as we were craving Indian food and everything was very disappointing. We ordered the lamb saag, butter chicken and garlic naan. All the curries were very bland and the meat was not tender or flavorful. The naan had a good amount of garlic in it but again was lacking flavor and parts of it were dense and chewy. read more

Cafe Raj is a Indian restaurant serving curry and other Indian specialties. Ate dinner here based off my aunt's recommendation. It seemed that the owners of the business were here for decades and the service and quality of the food did not disappoint. Ordered vegetable samosas and the butter chicken curry with naan bread. The server was also nice enough to give me chai milk tea as well as rice pudding dessert. Food was so good I forgot to take a picture. But appearance looks similar to the ones other people posted. Food Quality: I normally don't eat Indian food but the food here was great. The serving portion was big but I did not feel extremely full/bloated right after. The naan bread also went well with the curry I chose. After spending the entire afternoon walking around town, the hot chai milk tea was refreshing. A Price: Very reasonable for the curry (around 15 dollars) and the samosas (around 6 dollars). For the portion size I would expect to pay more. Thank you for keeping the prices affordable. A Ambiance/Service: I ate dinner early so there weren't too many staff walking around the restaurant. No concerns though, they were attentive when needed. A- Overall Rating: A. If I live in Albany/El Cerrito/Richmond, I would come here often. I would see why so many people ordered takeout from this establishment. Good food, simple concept, local business. Would I come back: Yes. I'm so glad I listened to my aunt's recommendation. read more

I like the idea of dining out having good friendly service and not being gouged. I believe this is my first time at this restaurant. With some assistance from the server we ordered pakora and papadam for appetizers. We shared all our dishes. We ordered butter chicken, tandoori chicken and guessing we had mushroom saag. We had two types of bread orders: naan and chappati.We had complimentary chai tea and rice pudding. The bread came with the meal. You certainly get good value at this restaurant. It won't cost you an arm and a leg to eat here. And I came away full. I don't think you can go wrong with any of these dishes. I'm always leery of tandoori chicken because I find out it's often dry at restaurants, but not here! I'm going to come back and try some other dishes. read more

See all

My family and I finally made it back to the Bay Area to visit family and had to stop at Cafe Raj to enjoy a meal prepared by Raj. We felt welcomed back like family by the familiar sights, smells and tastes. We had our Kofta Mahlai as our standard favorite and tried out the Vegan Pakora, Naan with cheese which all were delicious and prepared with great care. Thank you, Raj and to all the many hands for making our visit complete. read more

I ate again here on January 6th. Had a very different experience. I had guests from out of town, and I was really embarrassed by the meal we were served. I would give it 2.5 stars. Literally every single thing was disappointing. The vegan pakoras tasted stale and oily. Clearly, they had already been fully fried, and were then refried when we ordered. Both the chutneys were, frankly, crap. Baingan bhartha was absurd. There was no roasted eggplant flavor, and the dish was pureed, which is absolutely not how it is served. Wasn't even clear to us that we were eating eggplant. The Brussel sprouts curry was still good, but not amazing like it had been the previous time. The rice pudding was bland and tasteless, with not even a hint of cardamom flavor. I don't know if there was someone different in the kitchen that day (it was a Tuesday). But at the very least, the food here can be really uneven. read more

Lately I have been craving anything curry and curious about curry from different ethnic cuisine. So my dining companion took me to her favorite Indian restaurant. It's a women run business. Browsing their menu, my natural curiosity brought me to wonder the difference between the many dishes that have curry like flavoring ie Korean, tikka Marsala, butter chicken, etc. then reading the menu description I narrow my choice to butter chicken at medium spiciness. Personally I thought I took the easy way as my companion ordered the same but at mild spiciness with rice and garlic naan. Ordinarily as a variety I would order a different dish not that we share but simply have something different. The service was friendly and attentive. I did ask the question about the difference but obviously ordered something safe. This was my first time here and it is a small family run business with the hospitality that goes with it. The garlic naan was on the light, not heavy like other places I have had before with a hint of garlic. My medium spicy butter chicken was very pleasant on the first bite. I would say the medium spiciness barely registered but it is slightly different than the mild version that seems to be sweeter. The portion and pricing were reasonable. I would be back because of the hospitality and to try other dishes. read more

See all

This is one of the most kindest, humble places I had privilege to eat at. 1. I reached at 10:45pm and they close at 11:00pm.Yet the lady who greeted me at the front was so so kind and humble. She made me comfortable. 2. I was feeling bad that because of me they have to close the restaurant late but the cute girl and the other woman made me feel so at home. 3. Then I ordered Chapati, Saag (Spinach) Paneer and Mango Lassi. 4. Saag Paneer Quantity was excellent and so was the taste. I ordered spicy with spice level 4 and it was very easy to handle 5. Chapati and Wheat roti on which they put butter was awesome too. 6. I also asked for Onion Lemon and Mirchi (hot green pepper) and they happily served me with Salt and Pepper. 6. Then the sweet and noble uncle came and he gave me aachaar also (pickle) 7. Sweet Uncle also gave me Kheer (Rice Pudding) and did not charge it too and gave it complimetary. 8. I asked for togo boxes and One Chapati was filling. It was huge size. 9. Sweet Uncle also gave me rice and togo boxes. I am just elated with experience at Cafe Raj. The fact that such nice people with such noble and good hearts exist and serve people around itself has moved my heart. God bless all of you at Cafe Raj and may you always "Raj" our hearts forever. 6. Mango Lassi recommended. read more

See all

In my objective honesty, this is probably some of the better Indian food I've had in the bay. It's so incredible and the butter chicken with garlic naan is really special. Also their mango lassi is wonderful. You have to try this place. read more

Excellent food, excellent service (always nice), generous portions! Never fails to satisfy!

My wife and I are big fans of Raj. We like the butter chicken, lamb vindaloo, tandoori chicken. The vegetable samosas are great too, especially with the tamarind sauce. The service is courteous and friendly. The restaurant is homey and feels like a warm hug. If you get take out from them they also give you a complimentary rice pudding! We love ordering from them. read more

There's no option to order online except by phone, so I just went in person. Staff were super friendly and I only waited around 15ish minutes for my food. The Lamb Shai Korma was excellent and I loved dipping the naan in it. The lamb chunks were super tender and flavorful. I did get the stuffed naan expecting like a samosa type filling, but the potato inside of the stuffed naan was just unseasoned or minimally seasoned, in other words, it was literally just potato. Next time, I would probably get my usual at Indian places which is the garlic naan. But the food is fantastic and it's not overly priced. I also received a complimentary Kheer which was cold, not too sweet, and a good dessert to follow up with the Korma. Inside, there's a counter for all the takeout orders, but there are about 20ish seats available inside if you would like to dine in. There is street parking and if it's a busy Friday or weekend, parking may be more difficult because it's on Solano. Overall, I will definitely be back because this food was amazing and it might become my usual spot! read more

I got takeout dinner on Friday night, a busy time on Solano Avenue. The staff was very pleasant, and offered me chai while I waited, on the house. The meal was ready in the suggested timeframe, and packaged securely for my drive home. Once I was home, my husband and I delighted in the beautifully seasoned chicken DeliciousSaag. Rice was done perfectly. The noun was the best I have had. read more

Maybe these guys give everyone free chai and free rice pudding, but every time I get these things offered to me it feels so special and personal; the staff here is so nice! The food is delicious too! Good quality and quantity of meat if you're into that, and well-seasoned and hearty veggie dishes if you prefer that. I would say that the quality and sauces have improved over the past year. I haven't tried a lot of the dishes here but haven't experienced "blandness." I will say that things are on the "milder" side, no heavy cumin, smokiness, or certain spices that present more boldly in dishes from specific parts of India. "Hot" here is what most places would call "medium" as far as heat/spicy level. Observation, not complaint. Chicken Tikka masala came with golden raisins and slivered almonds on top which I don't believe I have seen elsewhere but really enjoyed. And they're open late! read more

My main takeaway from this meal is that their spiciest level is...really spicy! We went with a friend who had been here before and he mentioned to the waitress that the spicy level wasn't that hot last time. After he said that, the dishes became next level! We got the lamb vindaloo ($12.95), butter chicken ($11.95), and chicken biriani ($12.75). My predominant memory is how spicy all of them were (lol), but I do recall good flavor, nicely cooked meat, and everything pairing well with the rice & garlic naan. The staff was also nice enough to give us rice puddings on the house to help with the spice when they saw how much we were suffering. Overall, I enjoyed the food, service, and memories from eating here. I'd come again, but definitely order the medium spice level instead! read more

Cafe Raj - Lamb Vindaloo ($12.95) and Butter Chicken ($11.95) - Indian Near Me - Albany, California

See all

Portions and prices are great. The tikka masala and saag paneer were great. Beef naan also. I will return. read more

See all

It was really cozy and homely. The waitress was friendly and attentive- the lunch time wasn't busy and chicken tikka masala got the job done. The cost was very affordable for the amount of food- the portion and chicken were great. I will definitely be back on my lunch time! read more

Cafe Raj - Chicken Tikka Masala - Indian Near Me - Albany, California

Disappointing experience overall. The Tamarind Chutney tasted jam-like and the Green Chutney was lacking mint/cilantro flavor. The Butter Chicken and Chicken Shai Korma were both bland, but the chicken was quite tender. The Lamb Vindaloo was very flavorful and spicy. Most strange, however, was the Cheese Naan, which did not include cheese but rather cream cheese spread--pretty unappetizing. The service was subpar too: one of the waitresses hurriedly refilled our water, causing some of it to spill in our curry. She also tried to take our plates away before we were finished eating. It made for a rushed, unsatisfying dining experience. There are many better Indian options on Solano Ave. read more

Cafe Raj didn't meet the expectations we had. Their curry's are on the bland side and not typical of similar Indian restaurants in the Bay Area. Their prices are pretty good and the service is prompt. The garlic naan had way too much raw garlic inside the bread, which I would have loved but the garlic was raw and didn't feel cooked. The Prawns Zafarani is on the sweeter side with nuts and such. We also got a chicken curry, we liked this the most. read more

See all

I've come here two nights in a row for the CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA which might be the best I've ever had! It comes with a side so I choose long grain basmati rice which is cooked with a few fennel seeds for extra flavor. I also love getting the yogurt RAITA which is a must have for me and here at Cafe Raj it's a creamier consistency with small cubed cucumber and tomato, it's just fantastic. This is totally my go-to now that I've moved to the area. Thank you so much for providing amazing quality!!! read more

The paratha was great the curries were clunky and the spices weren't developed properly The texture was off I expected better They had the strangest tamarind water I've ever tasted more like jam the green chutney had almost no flavor The cicken was very well cooked but the flavor was weak Good basmati read more

Awful food. I ordered chicken pakoras and Indian onion rings and a salad and they were all tasteless and uninspired. I was hungry but the food was so bad that I didn't eat much of it. For what it's worth I was with a few other people who didn't think it was that bad and they ate what I didn't. read more

Ordered a late night meal and it was packed to the brim. The chicken tikka masala was flavorful, creamy, and had the perfect blend of seasonings to warm my stomach. And the garlic naan was light, fluffy, and delicious! While I was waiting for the food, I had a conversation with the owner Raj and he offered me a hot cup of chai, which was delightful considering how warming it was for the cold night. This is now on my go to spot for Indian food in Albany, and I hope to return many more times! read more

We drove from SF for this! It's iconic! Best Chicken Korma of all! Amazing birriani. And Naan to die for! Do go way out of your way for this gem of authentic family recipes for over 20 years now! read more

See all

I love eating here simply because my taste buds are so happy. Nothing fancy hence the name, but so flavorful. The sitting is casual and bigger parties can group tables together. Also quiet enough so you can go with one of your besties as I did and enjoy sharing a delicious meal served by very pleasant staff. There is always a chai or rice pudding for grab. I would personally go there just for the Massala or a simple glass of Lassi. read more

Cafe Raj - Menu - Indian Near Me - Albany, California

Awful service and worse food. Forgot that I didn't like the food the last time I ate here, perhaps, because the food is forgettable, and best. Even the Raita was lame, with barely any cumin or cucumber. Overcooked chicken in one-note curry with painfully overcooked okra that looked and tasted like a large heavy mass of brown food. Definitely NOT medium spice. Just kinda tasteless milk. Server disinterested. read more

Never been in person but I've ordered via doordash. Great food IMO, but be warned that their definition of spicy is spicier than most places! I have a pretty good spice tolerance - I literally grow my own cayenne peppers, and I basically always select "spicy" when it's an option on doordash. This will be the first place where I'll have to start ordering "medium spicy". read more

I would like to start off by saying the food was amazing. The service was excellent and very fast. The restaurant seating and environment is very simple and clean. We had ordered the chicken tikka and the chicken korma and 2 naan. Everything was amazing. I was very happy the person who took our order asked our spice level. I asked for spicy and spicy was delivered. The chicken tikka was very tender and the chicken korma had an amazing flavor the naan wasn't heavy just made perfectly. I was so surprised when I seen our bill it was only $30. For a sit down restaurant that took our order at our table and brought us food. That's an amazing price not to mention the portions are very big also. We were only two people but there was enough food for 3 adults. That's only $10 a person for this restaurant. I will definitely be coming back here. Will be a new go to spot. read more

Came here with a friend wanting to eat Indian food. We ordered few items to share. We tried the nann bread, I like the dipping curry. We also ordered the lamb masala, I usually don't eat lamb so I just tasted a little but my friend likes it a lot. I like their brown basmati rice with curry. The foods are cooked with so many different kinds of spices and very reasonable prices. read more