For the last day of Dine L.A. (Aug. 8th), I was excited to try this DTLA outpost of Cali Chilli, the original of which--located in Long Beach--I had eaten at and loved. This visit to the DTLA branch ended up being extremely disappointing...on many levels. Generally, I don't like writing negative reviews. I prefer to not have my words somehow aversely affect a restaurant (or any other business or service). Which is why I was hoping to avoid being put in the uncomfortable position where the only opportunity that I would have to express my views would be by posting a review, publicly. Before deciding to post this review, and as a courtesy, starting on Aug. 9 I phoned this business multiple times (probably, 8 or 9 attempts), seeking to speak with the owner [Praveen] in order to air my grievances, without going public with my discontent. I left my information with two different individuals at this restaurant, and was told that my phone number would be provided to Praveen for him to call me. And, after 16 days of waiting, he--or anyone else associated with Cali Chilli--has yet to reach out to me. I arrived a little after 5 p.m., the beginning part of the posted dinner time on that date (Aug. 8). The Dine L.A. dinner pricing was a little pricey--set at $55--but nevertheless, I had high hopes for a creative, Indian-fusion feast (based on my previous experience at the Long Beach branch of this restaurant). However, sadly, it would be an understatement to say that my experience was disappointing and I would end up leaving the establishment feeling ripped off and still hungry. In spite of being the only customer in the restaurant when I first arrived, the first course--consisting of a small soup and an equally small salad--took an exceedingly long time to arrive at my table. The soup was fine, tasting primarily of coconut milk, but was nothing like what my waiter described it to be. (This was my first inkling that my waiter did not know the menu items well.) The salad was okay, as well, but really nothing exciting. The waiter did such a poor job of describing the menu, that when I received three items that I chose from a section on the menu labeled as "Course 3,"--all, in very small bowls--along with a bowl of rice and a basket of garlic naan, I was wondering to myself why Course 3 came before Course 2. (I was under the impression that I get all three of the items listed under Course 2 on the menu; I, in fact, received none of them, and was told that I had "already made my 3 choices," all of them happening to falling under the listing of Course 3.) One of the items--in the unusually small bowl--was listed on the menu as Veg Mutton Masala. My first thought was was that this dish was vegetarian, but I asked the waiter to be sure. My waiter ended up explaining to me that the dish actually contained mutton meat, but even as he was explaining this to me, I wasn't sure if he knew what mutton was. I took his word for it, and it was only later, after looking online, I discovered that this WAS a vegetarian dish, with mock mutton in the form of jack fruit. Not my thing. I thought it was terrible! The antithesis of aesthetically pleasing--in color, texture and taste. Another dish was what was described on the menu as "Cali Sticky Ribs." What it actually was was a single Cali Sticky Rib (not pluralized). This may be the first time that I had a pork rib at an Indian restaurant, and this rib was really bad. It tasted as if the meat had been sitting out, unrefrigerated for awhile. The sticky glaze wasn't bad, but the meat was. It was paired with a small piece of charred corn. The third teeny, tiny bowl contained a chicken curry, which--along with the naan, the rice and the vanilla flan for dessert--was actually good, even though the curry sauce was only sparsely studded with small pieces of chicken. I ended up asking to speak to the on-site manager, complaining that I didn't get all the items that I thought I would be getting, and mentioning some of the menu items that were clear failures, in my mind at least, and--after [presumably] speaking to the owner on the phone--lowered my check to $27.50, rather than the original $55. This was a really bad meal, incredibly poorly explained by my waiter, and not worth $27.50, let alone $55. So disappointing!!! read more

I was super excited to see them opening nearby after having been to their Long Beach location once before. There are some dishes that are a bit more "classic" and then some dishes which are really unique and unconventional, but everything I have tried on their menu has been stellar (in terms of the flavors, the texture, the presentation). We went on a Sunday night and it's still relatively new for the area, so it was not too busy, but I have a feeling it is going to be one of the area's most popular places before long. read more

Great service at this Indian inspired restaurant. I had the chicken pot pie, an American favorite, but filled with delicious butter chicken. Yum! The cauliflower fritters were nothing really special, but I still ate them all. read more

The food is so good- especially the butter chicken pot pie. My partner loved the tandoori chicken wings. Everything was fresh and delicious. Will definitely be back! read more

I really wanted to write a nice review as I truly enjoyed every dish we had- but there was a sizable COCKROACH crawling on my friend and I. I've never experienced this in a restaurant, ever, so I was definitely in a bit of shock and confusion over what I should've done. I've reached out multiple times, through email, IG dms with no responses. My friend screamed in front of the entire restaurant and swatted it off herself, landing onto my leg. The table directly next to us and another couple diagonal from us all saw it too. Our waitress and the rest of the staff were pleasant and our waitress had apologized to us. Only our dessert was comped, but in hindsight, I don't think that was enough. It's unfortunate, because if it wasn't for that, everything else would've been great. It's beautifully decorated and looked neat, but after this experience I'm questioning the cleanliness of the restaurant. I get that this is in DTLA- but you've got to be a lot stricter about bugs in a place like this. read more

On Friday evening appx 20 members of our family gathered at Cali Chilli Downtown LA just to enjoy a meal. Most of us are not familiar with Indian food but came prepared to try something new. We ALL enjoyed all of the diffuses we ordered and passed around for everyone to sample. Even the picky ones enjoyed their meals. The cauliflower fritters were a big hit! The service was great and very knowledgeable about describing and recommending a dish. They were also very patient with us. We'll be back! read more

Cali Chilli - Indian Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Delicious food and great vibe in the restaurant. Dahi sev puri, keema naan, and saag paneer are my favorites. Excellent service by Sunil! Really enjoyed my evening here. read more

Food, cocktails, ambiance and service were all amazing Sunil was very accommodating and did a great job.

Good food and amazing varieties with great pricing and good quality along with a list of items that you only get in Mumbai

My in laws are Indian! we've been back 4 times since January which shows you how much they like the place. The food is authentic, very tasty and the staff very helpful. 5 star read more

Cali Chilli is a really nice discovery in downtown LA. I went with family, a very large group, and had wonderful service and a delicious meal. The staff couldn't have been nicer or more accommodating. We ordered a little bit of everything and it was fun to share. The cauliflower poppers I believe were the favorite because I never got to try them, LOL. They were gone that fast! I did enjoy the tandoori wings, veggie biryani, saag, and stuffed naan. I'm looking forward to trying the sticky ribs and dessert next time... and there will be a next time for sure! read more

Amazing food! The cali chicken pot pie is my favorite along with the lasagna. This place is clean and chill. Staff is kind and friendly.

my wife & i were super excited to try this place, as we love both traditional indian food and more inventive takes (e.g. pijja palace in la., indian accent in nyc). unfortunately, we never really had the opportunity to give this restaurant a fair shot due to the ASTONISHINGLY bad service. i should have known something was amiss when i called to ask where the restaurant was located and the person answering the phone gave me the address (fair). but when i explained i meant where in terms of landmarks he became rather huffy, simply repeating the address again ("it's on the 200 block of los angeles street, you can't miss it"). o-kaaaay. when i arrived i realized a small cut had opened upon my forearm, staining my shirt so i asked the bartender - who as it turned out was also the only server AND the person who had answered the phone - for a glass of soda water, a napkin and a band-aid. he made a huge show of pouring the soda water and folding the napkin before handing it to me, then explained that he did not have any band-aids (not sure if that meant he didn't have a first aid kit at all, but if so i'm pretty sure that's an osha violation). once i cleaned up and my wife arrived we sat in an empty except-for-one-other-table-of-three, but admitted lovely restaurant for what seemed like an eternity waiting for someone to come by. to my surprise it was the too cool for school bartender, who's "real" job i imagine is edm producer(?)! we asked him about the food and rather than ask us how familiar we were with indian food he just launched into what i can only assume was his usual mile-a-minute spiel, treating us as if we had never even heard of indian food before (unhelpful). we asked for "literally 120 seconds" to make up our minds because we were on a timetable, as were seeing a performance at disney hall afterwards (which we also told him). needless to say, his concept of time was more than a bit off, because we didn't see him again for 5-10 minutes, though he did have time to both chit-chat with the other table and walk some rando girl in a tight red dress to the ladies room (even though she wasn't a patron). when we finally did order we were explicit: we need to be out of here by 730. nooo problem, too cool for school guy assured us. this was around 630 so it SHOULDN'T have been a problem. but there we sat, waiting. and waiting. and waiting. and waiting. edm guy never stopped by to check on us or provide an update. at one point my wife flagged him down and asked him "how are things going" - meaning our food - and he replied, "good, how about yourself?!" (did i mention that there was only ONE other table in the restaurant and NO ONE at the bar?!) we finally, asked him what the story was with our food and he confidently - everything he said was delivered with misplaced confidence - explained that "it was in the computer(!)" well, that and $4.75 gets you a latte at starbucks! eventually, we received our food, brought by an incredibly solicitous runner who i wished could have been our SERVER. (btw, the food arrived all together - we were not informed about this nor were we given the option of having it arrive as it was prepared, which probably would have been better.) edm guy "checked on us" once - it was hard to tell because he literally did not stop walking while he did so. the food was presented beautifully, but by the time we received it we were running so far behind we just shoveled it in our mouth so it's unfair to comment good or bad on it's quality (though i will say that $6 for a coffee cup sized portion of "saffron" rice that has no saffron taste is a bit excessive). however, at a restaurant run by a michelin chef, this level of service is unforgivable. do better doesn't begin to describe the changes required. sadly, we won't be back to see if that happens. read more

First time eating Indian food, and the wait staff sat and explained everything to us! The food was absolutely DELICIOUS and the wait staff was so friendly! The ambiance was very classy, with an upscale vibe. Extremely fair prices! We will be back soon!!! read more

Amazing flavors and ambiance. Great selection of traditional Indian cuisine, and inventive original creations with unique flavor profiles. Eggplant lasagna is phenomenal. Saag paneer was delicious. Staff was helpful with suggestions. Bar staff created awesome libations especially the rose lassi. Will definitely return. read more

We had a company dinner for 6 at Cali Chilli with out-of-town team members tonight. The food was decent (not exceptional) but imthe experience was soured by the staff not serving one of our guests until after everyone else had finished their meals, even after several reminders. There was no explanation offered and only a brief "sorry about that" as the plate was finally dropped off. No offer to reduce the bill or any other consideration. They seemed a little ill prepared. A number of things on the menu were not available. The Michelin rating references in their marketing seems opaque, and I can see why, now. read more

Amazing ambiance and beautifully decorated. The food was great, lots of flavor and unique presentations. Service was great, quick, thorough and we had a very pleasant waiter. I really enjoyed my experience and will be coming back! read more

Sooo good! Great service. Delicious twist on Indian and relatively affordable for a nice restaurant experience.