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Cardamom

3.9 (593 reviews)
ModerateIndian
Open • 5:00 pm - 10:00 PM

Cardamom Photos

Business Info

CARDAMOM ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for kids
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Cardamom

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Reviews With Photos

Linda I.

LOVE Cardamom! Delicious Indian food, slightly elevated (ie very well executed, and on the pricier end). My all time faves: - Steamed Chicken Momos. A must. The chutney it comes with is so good and all around this is a flavorful, staple starter. I get them every time. - Karahi Goat. The meat is so tender and savory, complemented perfect with fresh veggies and herbs. From there, pretty much everything is a good bet! Mix and match and eat it all together. This time we also got Lamb Vindaloo, Chicken Biryani, Palak Paneer, and Bhindi Masala. Side of Garlic Naan and some Mango Lassi never hurts! (Except when it literally hurts because you eat too much because it's so delicious oops.)

Kerala Shrimp Curry
Ree T.

How spicy do you like your food? You can choose between mild medium and hot. I chose the medium and it was perfect for me and too hot for my friend. We were the last customers of the evening. It was a beautiful environment. The service for an end of the day was great. The food was delicious. I am pretty partial to particular flavors when I have Indian food and this was on point. I will go back earlier in the day.

Kat H.

Wow!! Truly an Ann Arbor staple!! There was a line out the front door though it moved quickly and we were seated pretty fast. Hostess and server were patient when asking questions about the menu. The food was of excellent quality - savory flavors and the dishes we ordered complimented one another. The dishes appear small yet we found them filling. The garlic naan and paneer are personal favorites! Pricing was on the higher end though it wasn't unreasonable - something to keep in mind though didn't hinder the experience. The atmosphere has dimmer lighting and small table arrangements but that doesn't mean they aren't able to accommodate larger size parties. Our party of six fit comfortably in their booth as well as I noticed there was covered outdoor seating as an option.

Chicken Biryani
Lulu T.

Cardamom has always been my favorite Indian restaurant in Ann Arbor. The food is ridiculously delicious and portions are generous. That being said, this was the first time, in a while, that we dining in. 5 stars for food, 3 stars for service. While the server was nice, we had to ask for things multiple times before receiving them. For example- we needed an extra water and place setting, and were waiting until after appetizers were eaten to finally receive them. The food is better when eaten fresh but might just get takeout next time.

Onion Bhaji
Bella A.

Cardamom is a delicious cute Indian food establishment located in Ann Arbor. Our service was excellent and quick. We started off with the onion appetizer which was so yummy, and the sauces complimented it perfectly. Then we shared the paneer makhni and the chicken tikka masala. Both were so flavorful and creamy. The medium spice was very tolerable. And garlic naan of course as a side was very good. Also enjoyed mango lassi to drink which was delicious. This hit the spot for us last night. A warm and flavorful meal.

Lisa B.

Such a delight! We ordered various dishes, but the Naan- fluffy, light bites of deliciousness!! Everything we had was outstanding (goat curry, bengan bharta, papadam) but I'm not sure if I have had better naan before. The flavors of all the dishes were spot on, the service was spectacular (our waitress even followed us into the parking lot for a forgotten item), and the reception staff was so welcoming. Definitely go there if you are in Ann Arbor.

Tandoori Chicken, Kerala Shrimp Curry
Nik H.

I finally ate here in person instead of just getting carryout. It was fantastic. The drinks are just as good as the food, the service was excellent, and the whole operation was run like a well oiled machine despite operating at maximum capacity. These are the dishes that blew me away: Seafood korma, Karahi goat, tandoori chicken.

Garlic Naan Chettinad Lamb Vegetable Korma
Alina S.

WOW! It has been a minute since I have left a review on Yelp but my goodness i needed to get on here and let you all know about my phenomenal experience at Cardamom. First of all, I got confirmation that the food is halal from the owner, which is always exciting. Secondly, the food was absolutely fire. It was so fresh and warming. With the weather getting more chilly this was the ultimate comfort and cozy dinner. Thirdly, the vibe. This place was bustling but they had enough seating for us. Every single table was full and honestly happy. It was so nice to see so many packed tables with so many happy and satisfied people. I will most definitely be coming back soon!

Cardamom Old Fashioned
Jean M.

Fantastic food, great service and a beautiful decor earns them a 5 in my book! I had some super delicious chicken tikka masala that had a great flavor and the quality of the chicken was top notch too. You could taste the freshness in everything that was served! I ordered it hot, but would probably order the medium spice level next time. My other favorite was their cardamon infused old fashioned! Soooo good Their rice and naan were good as well. I wasn't blown away by their samosas but I'm not a huge fan to start. If you are in search of a great Indian restaurant in the Ann Arbor area, I highly suggest that you check them out !

Tommy V.

Delicious food! This place is awesome. Every item we got was full of flavor. I don't remember what we got exactly, but I would recommend going with some friends and ordering a few items that sound good to you. Share them all, and eat it together! Definitely recommend getting the garlic naan.

Garlic Naan Chicken Biryani Chicken Makhni

Just what we needed!!! I don't usually write reviews but I just had to for Cardamom. I went the weekend of Thanksgiving, right around 5 PM when they open, not sure what to expect. WOW. The menu, the ambiance, the servers--it was all amazing!!! At first we were hesitant to get the chicken biryani because other Yelp reviewers had said it wasn't good. Those other reviewers were wrong! If you get the biryani in the mildest spice level and then complain it has no flavor, you're the one who asked for less flavor. We got it spicy and it was perfect. We also got the chicken mukhani spicy and it was fabulous. Excellent rice, even more excellent garlic naan!!!

Roasted vegetable salad with tandoori chicken. Delicuous!
Stephanie C.

I have been coming to Cardamom frequently throughout my post college years and have enjoyed every single visit. This review specifically is to encourage every single yelper to order and try their roasted vegetable salad. There aren't that many photos and reviews of it so I was a bit reluctant to deviate from my normal fare but it did not disappoint! Talk about eating the rainbow! It is gorgeous!!! Beautifully assembled and looking salad. They give you three dressings on the side. My favorite was the yogurt dressing very closely followed by the lime dressing. The paneer is a really nice touch to the salad. I also added tandoori chicken. I also had a side of roti. I was so full the remainder of the evening. Definitely consider getting this salad!

Chettinad Lamb Curry + Garlic Naan + Chicken Biryani
Nicole Y.

The food was pretty mediocre for the price we paid. The Chettinad Lamb curry was pretty good and quite flavorful. The garlic naan was alright but also pretty mediocre compared to other naan I have had. The chicken biryani was pretty underwhelming. They provided some sort of white sauce on the side for the biryani but it barely has any flavor. The biryani itself was also pretty flavorless. I was told that biryani is usually default spicy but what I got wasn't spicy at all. We came before the dinner rush (5:30pm) on a weekday so we were able to get seated right away. The ambiance inside is nice but the tables are all really close to each other.

Lamb Saag

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7 years ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

Awesome food, good ambience. The best in Ann Arbor. Will always come back. This is my 2nd time here

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5 years ago

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8 years ago

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2 years ago

After more than ten visits over the past two years, a five star rating is deserved due to the consistently great service and food.

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8 years ago

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7 years ago

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10 years ago

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2 years ago

Delicious I love it so much my favorite Indian restaurant ever. Get the chicken tikka masala

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Desi Ruchulu Indian Cuisine  - Paneer Majestic

Desi Ruchulu Indian Cuisine

4.0(76 reviews)
3.9 mi

This restaurant was the first time I had experienced Indian food. I had the Andhra Lamb curry…read more(Spicy), cheese naan, and samosas. The samosas were very crunchy and delicious. The curry was incredibly flavorful, perfectly spicy, and the lamb was very tender. The naan was also great. Along with the food, I appreciated the service. They made sure I was taken care of without constantly interrupting the meal. Would recommend!

My married friends and I were hoping to try the lunch buffet yesterday after hearing a promising…read morereview from a reliable source about Desi Ruchulu Indian Cuisine. Unfortunately, due to the rainy weather, they weren't offering the buffet that day. The three of us opted to order a la carte and squeezed into a comfortable booth. While glancing at the menu, I noticed entire pages dedicated to dosas, biriyanis, and Indo-Chinese dishes. In hindsight, we probably should've gotten at least one dish from each section, but we weren't really in the mood for dosas or the Indo-Chinese entrees at the time. GARLIC NAAN - 3.49 The garlic naan is a must-order. Each order comes with four quarter pieces, and I honestly could've eaten the entire basket myself. It's topped with plenty of minced garlic and is flavorful enough to enjoy on its own. PANEER TIKKA MASALA - 14.99 The tikka masala leaned heavily on the creamy side and was much less tomato-forward than I prefer -- savory with very little tomato sweetness. There were a few small pieces of tomato, onion, and possibly peppers, along with the paneer. While the paneer was good, there weren't many pieces overall. I enjoyed the dish, but I would've preferred a more tomato-based curry. VIJAYAWADA CHICKEN BIRYANI - 15.99 Highly recommended by our trusted source and echoed by multiple Yelp reviews, this was easily the star of our meal. The rice was fragrant and packed with aromatics, and the chicken was cut very small, almost minced. It was incredibly flavorful and unapologetically spiced, unlike many Indian restaurants in the area that tone things down for the American palette. This biryani did not hold back. While I generally prefer bite-sized chicken for the texture, I can see how the finely chopped chicken absorbs the spice better and distributes the flavor more evenly throughout the rice. That said, I do wish there had been more chicken overall so every bite included some. GOAT KORMA - 17.99 This was a pretty standard, nutty, creamy korma. Unfortunately, most of the goat pieces were very bony, with some pieces being straight up bone. I felt a bit cheated since this is a pricier entree. My friend has a much higher spice tolerance palette than his wife and me, so I only had a few bites before returning to milder dishes. Overall, this is probably the most spice-forward Indian restaurant I've been to in this area, and it genuinely felt like all of my taste buds were waking up with every bite. I highly recommend the Vijayawada Chicken Biryani, especially if you've never had it before, as it's not something I see often at Indian restaurants. The flavors are phenomenal, and next time I'll be back for a lassi, a dosa, and one of their Indo-Chinese dishes.

Photos
Desi Ruchulu Indian Cuisine
Desi Ruchulu Indian Cuisine  - Chicken 65

Chicken 65

Desi Ruchulu Indian Cuisine  - Mysore Masala Dosa

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Mysore Masala Dosa

Taste of India - Butter Chicken, Palak Paneer, Garlic Naan

Taste of India

3.7(200 reviews)
1.6 mi•Downtown Ann Arbor
•$$

I wasn't to eat meat the day of my travel. I got in after 8PM and didn't want to drive anywhere as…read moreit was foggy and they don't believe in street lights over there. I looked up DoorDash and saw this place and wanted to try it. Con: I did not know which type of vegetables were in the vegetable biryani. Also, no utensils write given so I got creative and used the condiment lid for the mint and cilantro chutney to eat but not too long I was not enjoying my meal because I didn't have a spoon or fork to eat. I was in my hotel room alone but I refused to use my hands to eat rice. I didn't even finish half. The samosas on the other hand were yummy. The potatoes, peas, and lentils were predominantly filled and fried to perfection; not oily or greasy. It came w/ 3 sauces (mint and cilantro, yogurt based, and tamarind). Pretty solid Indian food.

Guys, I'm not BSing when I tell you I goto *A LOT* of Indian buffets…read more This place is *NO JOKE DELICIOUS*. The weekday buffet is awesome, consistent flavors, but the magic happens on Sundays --we're talking multiple curries, veg + meat, kabobs, soup, South Indian breakfast (idli etc), biryani, salad, AND mango lassi, all you can freaking eat. I used to have to drive all the way to Farmington Hills to find buffets this good. To have one in Ann Arbor is a blessing. Thank you Taste of Suvai, this place is fantastic

Photos
Taste of India - Sunday Buffet

Sunday Buffet

Taste of India - Masala dosa

Masala dosa

Taste of India - Vegetable Biryani.

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Vegetable Biryani.

Madras Masala Express - Lamb Biryani + Chicken Kurma

Madras Masala Express

3.9(17 reviews)
1.0 mi

My friend and I grabbed dinner near North Campus this past Tuesday and ended up at Madras Masala…read moreExpress. True to the "Express" name, the space is small with just a few tables for dining in. It's fully self-service: you order at the counter, pick up your tray when it's ready, and grab your own cups and utensils. Nothing fancy. LAMB BIRYANI - 16.99 This came in a large paper to-go box with generous portions. The biriyani was a bit saucy, but each grain of basmati rice was still distinct and packed with spice and heat. The lamb pieces were cut into uneven sizes; I personally would preferred smaller, bite-sized pieces. Overall, pretty solid, but slightly too salty. CHICKEN KURMA - 15.99 Creamy, nutty and rich, the chicken kurma was homey and comforting. It was quite flavorful and heavy -- we finished all the rice and still had some left over. Similar to the lamb biryani, the chicken pieces were unevenly sized, with some too large to eat without cutting. We paid with cash, which knocked 10% off the total bill. While the food isn't stellar, it's familiar and satisfying, and we spent under $32 for full bellies plus leftovers for another meal.

Great location as it's close to the hospital and has a free parking lot (rare in Ann Arbor) but it…read morefills up quick! I was in the mood for a Tandoori chicken so we ordered the boneless Medium spice. I was pretty disappointed as it was very dry and lacked any spice at all. I would recommend trying the bone-in Tandoori instead as hopefully that is more moist (I didn't try it think would consider other dishes before trying this here tho based on my experience with the boneless). I decided to also get the Chicken Chettinadu (curry) Hot which was good. Note that this curry only has chicken chunks (no veggies at all). I would order this dish again to go and likely add cauliflower etc at home.). My friend got the (Saag?) Paneer which she enjoyed. We came early enough so getting a table was easy (it's a super casual place) and by the time we left, the place was full and every table was full. You ordering at the counter and then when your food is ready the buzzer they give you will go off. They only have plastic utensils and self-serve water (bring your own large water bottle since the cups are pretty small). Overall, I would come back and like to try more dishes. I would have to order anything there Hot to get to the level of spice that I like (aka their Hot is probably about a Medium spicy for me). I do enjoy Indian food so this is a pretty good option when I'm in Ann Arbor.

Photos
Madras Masala Express - Boneless Tandoori Chicken

Boneless Tandoori Chicken

Madras Masala Express - Paneer (sorry not the best photo)

Paneer (sorry not the best photo)

Madras Masala Express - Chicken Chettinadu

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Chicken Chettinadu

Cardamom - indpak - Updated May 2026

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