Got there for a late lucnh. Turns out it's a buffet at that time. Was good but limited choice and a bit dry at that late hour of lunch. Had a dinner there before and it was a lot better. Their buffet is cheap in price, but also in choice and quality. read more

Honestly, I don't understand what happened to this place. I used to frequent this place for the buffet, until I got tired of the crappy servers, and found Teji's. The last time few times I've gone, I've been very disappointed. I end up over there on 5:50 pm on a Saturday, under the assumption that if there are reservations available at 6:00, 6:15, 6:30, 6:45 etc, that it may, perchance, be a waste of time to make one. Low and behond, they tell me there will be a 45 minute wait.... And there clearly are empty tables... I'm very confused. But being a pragmatic person, I say "Are, you serious?" and they confirmed, that they were indeed serious, and apparently also bad people. Unfortunately for the piss poor hosting staff, it's the 21st century, and I can make a reservation on my phone, and did get seated, albeit 10 minutes late. The korma was just plain crappy,, the Saag paneer passable, the naan pretty good, and ironically, for the first time at this establishment, our server was just plain incredible. If you're the sort to enjoy pretense, and BS definitely hit up Clay Pit on your way back to Dallas. read more

When I first saw the white brick walls as I was passing by I was immidialaty interested. After seeing the sign I realized it was the same restaurant I saw on this website as one of the top 10 in Austin. As a huge fan of Indian food I knew I eventually had to head over there. Thankfully I did. FOOD: 9 I was pleased that the food wasn't a carbon copy of standard Indian Fare. Unfortunatly it is pretty Americanized, which I was fine with but could be an issue for those conserned about authenticity. The chicken tikka masala didn't have much sauce, which was kind of disappointing considering the sauce was good. Again I did appreciate it being unique though. The tandoori chicken was pretty solid, but it was a little disappointing portion wise. I also had some free cheese naan (that story is in the service section) and that was pretty good too. As much as I harden various aspects the food was really good in general. The rest of the menu looked pretty interesting, I would encourage anyone to explore it more than I did. SERVICE: 9.75 The staff was very friendly and happy to accommodate you as needed. The wait was kind of long but we did come in at a bad time. The servers were pretty attentive and worked very smoothly. The food came out at a good time especially considering the colossal amount of other customers there. Our server missed forgot to bring 2 orders of tandoori chicken, but in apology they swapped our half eaten rice for a new one, tikka masala sauce, cheese naan, and of course our second order of tandoori chicken, all for free. That definitely made my day. The wait times are the only thing that keeps this from being a 10/10, but considering the circumstances the wait was nothing to complain much about. VENUE: 9 The outside was made up of some simple but interesting white brick. There was some outdoor seating, but it was awkwardly stretched in a thin path near the sidewalk. There was a ton of indoor seating but it was still full (during peak time on Friday at least). The seating area was split into two rooms, both unfurnished other then a painting or two on the wall. There was a decent sized bar that looked pretty well run. The wait area was pretty large and comfortable. The restaurant was pretty clean. It's a neat little place. PRICE/PORTION: 8.75 The food wasn't particularly expensive, but like any good Indian restaurant I can't say it was cheap. The portion size was slightly disappointing, but nothing earth shattering. Not a ton to complain about here but the above should be noted. OVERALL: 9.2 Food was great but not extremely authentic. The menu was expansive, interesting, and unique. The servers and staff were outstanding, not over friendly or anything like that either. The wait times were a little bit long but understandable. The venue was interesting and clean. The price/portion wasn't a bargain but still worth it. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone interested in some good Indian food in Austin. tl;dr - Great food and service but not the most authentic read more

Just received our Uber Eats order. The dishes are all completely watery with no vegetables or substance. The Korma is lacking the home made cheese. Sat on hold forever to talk to a manager who was nonchalant and said that they'd had a lot of complaints this evening. Not my problem. Get your sh*t together. read more

Very nice Indian restaurant. Great ambiance, friendly staff. Extensive menu options. Vegetarian and vegan amongst them. Ordered veggie curry, spicy! Curry wasn't spicy at all, added generous amounts of chili paste. read more

Great food & great service. Mathew was on top of it and was very friendly me helpful with dish suggestions. Saag was fantastic! read more

Clay Pit - Indian Near Me - Austin, Texas

Sooooooooo good!!!! This is one of the best restaurants in Austin! Not only is the ambiance great, but the food and service is impeccable! We ordered the mushroom curry dish (forgot the name) along with two different Nans. It was amazing! Definitely check out the cream cheese NaN! read more

This review is strictly on the customer service part of experiencing the clay pit. Growing up I've gone to the clay pit for most of my life and never have I ever had such a terrible experience. My co-workers and I decided to have lunch for a co- worker's birthday, AND it was most people's first time at this establishment. The waitress had an ugly attitude from the start, slamming drinks on the table, being very rude and snappy, and just plain out giving ugly looks at mostly all of us. It took about an hour for us to even get an update on our food. We asked to get it plated to go and the manager with the waitress came out and handed everyone to go boxes, after making us wait all that time for our food they didn't even have the decency to plate it for us. Overall, I'm VERY disappointed and I'm extremely sad to say that I will never go back to an establishment that was a staple in my childhood. read more

This is one of my favorite Austin restaurants. The mussels as an appetizer are amazing!!!

First I want to give a shout to Austin, he works there. We went there today during lunch time. His service was impeccable and patient when asked a 1000 questions. Second let me rave about the food. Yummy!!!! I got the lunch menu butter chicken. It's comes with the right amount of rice, a salad and naan. The curry was so yummy that's leaves you licking your fingers, no I didn't do it. So go here! From the minute we walked in to leave the entire staff was friendly! read more

Let me start by saying that I love Indian food and that it has been a tradition of my family to gather at an Indian restaurant at least once a week together. The Clay Pit is very aesthetically pleasing, but that is all. The food seems more fusion and most dishes are pretty mild to bland. The service is pretty inconsistent as well. I was once given a beer that tasted terrible and when I brought it up to our waiter, he replied that the keg had gone bad and that he thought that I would not like it. -what? I have given this place 5 or 6 tries and was only happy on one occasion. My wife however, who does not really like Indian food, loves the clay pit. I have no idea why. Maybe it is the romantic atmosphere? read more

Phenomenal! The muscles with curry sauce were great, and the Tikka Masala was better than most Indian places. I would highly recommend the mussels!!! read more

I had the most gloriously juicy and savory rack of lamb here....sloberrrrr ahhhhhhhh..... I always wanted to come to Clay Pit when I was in high school but it's in this kind of depressing building, and my cultural awakening didn't really spark 'til college. Anywayyyyy, I came here with my bro and lil sis. The decor is really nice - dim lighting, dark wood, cool stone accents, and interesting paintings - a surprising contrast from the mundane brick exterior. The dips that came with the flakes of carbohydrates were interesting and new to the palate. I don't remember what else we got except that we declared bloody sibling war over the tasty little lamb riblettes. Ridiculously excellent stuff. read more

Dont bother. I moved to Austin this spring from NJ and got spoiled on really good indian food. I had high hopes for this jawn, but every time i go my experience is terrible so i just gave up. Last time I ate here it took over an hour for curry and our naan bread never came. The server said the kitchen was backed up while the manager gave me another story, something about losing a ticket. I dont see how that's the customers probelm, I dont understand why there were two different stories, and i wasn't reimbursed or discounted or anything. What the heck!!? I definitely wasnt the only one waiting for food... but togo orders seemed to be flying out the door on time.. The only good part is the service, but they're too busy apologizng for the business. i feel hella bad for anyone who works there. If you are looking for a nice meal without stress or hassle, go somewhere else. Saffron is great and the food is much better and Teji's is cheaper and the food more authentic anyway. This place is basically Indian Applebee's. Again, don't even bother. read more

What can I say? This is where I go to eat my feelings. Don't even get me started on their all you can fat brunch buffet. Its called Brunch but I believe they open at noon on Sundays. Plus $1 and $2 mimosas and they have theses little dumpling type treats that look and taste like pancake balls and they float in a syrupy dream. They look like, well...you know but they taste amazeBALLS! I never knew I liked Indian food until the summer of 2009 and I have been hooked ever since. The interior is a little cave like. Which I prefer because as mentioned before, I like to eat my feelings and nobody really wants an audience for that. This is comfortable Indian Food. I recommend you get on this wagon. read more

My food was great. Samosas and naan and Mughlai Chicken was really really good. I wish I had two extra stomachs. read more

Clay Pit - Mughlai Chicken Boneless chicken cooked in a rich, savory almond-cashew yogurt sauce, infused with Indian Spices. - Indian Near Me - Austin, Texas

Service is still good...mussels, however, seem to have fallen in quality and taste. They ended up tasting overcooked and not very fresh at all. Blech...very very disappointing, as this was one of their fortes in the past. Kormas and tikka misala are both still delicious, as is the mattar paneer. Drinks are still very expensive and very delicious! read more

The Curry's were so good that we are stopping by on the way home to take some with us. The stuffed chicken entree (don't remember the name) was the tables favorite! Hummus was a little bland. Naan was decent but could be baked just a smidge longer. Our server was new so no complaints on him, he was sweet. Drink selection is a bit limited. For my biggest con... I didn't like that they allowed a reservation that only gave you 15 min before the kitchen closes. I felt so rushed and had to mental check myself after I ordered to relax and enjoy the evening. My BF really enjoyed the ombiance, layout, and decor of the restaurant. read more

I've passed by the Clay Pit tons of times and it's always piqued my curiosity. Is the food good? Is this place legit or is it Americanized Indian food? Is it expensive? So many questions but no time to go. That was until recently when all my ducks lined up in a row and I was able to satiate not only my monthly Tikka Masala craving but my curiosity as well. I ordered my usual, chicken tikka masala + plain naan, no rice. Man, the chicken tikka masala? Delicious! The naan, though? Not so much. It seemed like it might've been from an old batch cause it seemed hard and no longer fluffy. I am torn between 3 and 4 stars since the chicken tikka masala may be one of the better ones I've had in Austin but since the naan was kind of no bueno, and that's a must-have at Indian restaurants, I think I'm going to have to take the difference and give the CP 3.5 stars. No return visit planned any time soon but it is good to have a nearby Indiain-food-stand-by! read more

If you want Indian food in Austin you will be hard-pressed to find a better option at a better price. I can only speak to the lunch buffet but I can speak to the fact that we will back again because everyone in our party was impressed. The cost is reasonable and the selection is decent. It would be great if that added one or two more main dish options on the buffet but that disappointment was mitigated by the great salad and side options. Be sure to consider The Clay Pit the next time you are in the mood for Indian. read more

It's official. I want the last meal I eat on earth to be the Chicken Tikka Masala from Clay Pit. If I got some of that, their basmati rice, and a good fluffy naan ... I'll be set. read more

Solid Indian food in a beautifully decorated space. It was a bit too large for me (rd: seemed commercial) but the food was perfect. I had the coconut shrimp and the suace was perfect mild. Overflow of basmati rice - yum! What i didn't like was that I was burping up chutney all night long which i think says something about my digestive system and not an indicator of yours... but just saying! read more

Its hard not to like the Pit. Although they have menu service in the dozen or so times I've been I just get the buffet. Not overwhelming in variety, but delicious and the soups are usually killer. Cold weather? Hot soup? Delicious fresh nan? I'm in. Weekday prices are a little better than weekend but if you arrive during the week right at noon, you will often wait. There are a few things the Pit does that are just goofy. For example; they refuse to pull out the buffet line from the wall so people can go down twice as fast (both sides); why? I don't know. They just don't. And they often have one poor hostess seating people, answering the phone and running around while others watch her. You see that line of customers backing up at the desk? Those are hungry people watching the lone hostess pull her hair out. Service is a crap shoot: I've never had a great server, and I've had a couple of wacky ones (welcome to the ATX) but its a buffet: how much damage can a bad server do? Not much. Should you go? Yes. Should you wait till noon on a weekday? No. Should you just chill if you do? Yep. You're gonna be waiting. read more

The food was really good. REALLY good! But... service was slow as a snail. No, that's insulting to snails, they move faster. We waited in the ballpark of 90 minutes for our food. We were only a party of 6 and they didn't seem to be too busy. Like I said, the food was 5 stars but the slow service lost them 2, almost 3. read more

I have only ever had takeout from Clay Pit, but everything is so delicious every time. The Chicken Tikka Masala, Saag Paneer, Lamb Korma and Samosas are my go-tos and they are all so hearty, filling and yummy in their own ways. Highly recommend. read more

Excellent location very poor Sunday buffet - very few vegetarian options - attitude of maitre d.

Oh man, oh man. I LOVE this place!!! I had never ate at an Indian restaurant before but the contemporary cool outer design and inviting smells of the building begged me to come in and try one night. And I'm so glad I did. For the first Indian dish I thought to go basic: Tikka Massala mild. I have been to Clay Pit about 20 times since and have only had the Tikka Massala! It is just so incredible! The veggie samosas (sp?) are awesome too! I love this place and bring every out-of-towner here! Highly recommend!!! read more

This is not a quiet, boring little Indian restaurant. It is a bustling, bumpin' place with an active bar and delicious, spicy food. Vindaloo goes Hollywood. At least that's what it feels like on a busy Saturday night. You'll probably have to wait. Relax. Have Dred the bartender mix up a little something, order an appetizer, and enjoy the atmosphere. The food service was a bit detached. The servers, who were very busy, never quite engaged, but they got the job done. It seemed to be the same at other tables I observed. Note to manager: staff hospitality training. At one point the hostess came around all the tables apologizing for the delays and handing out free-appetizer-next-time cards. We hadn't noticed any particular slowness. Yes, it took time to get a table, but we expected that, and Dred made the wait a pleasure. I did think it was notable that the hostess was pre-armed with a stack of gimme cards; they must do a lot of apologizing around there. We had a great time and great food. read more

I'm a big fan of this place. The curried mussels are top-notch. The lamb is good. Sauces are rich, but if you order them mild, they will taste pretty bland. The food doesn't taste quite like the "normal Indian" (whatever that means) food you get in the US or in London, but it sure is delicious. The menu is pretty varied - I've never seen beef on an Indian restaurant menu before, and it's rare to find goat on a menu. The place has a nice, friendly, urban & vibrant atmosphere. The staff is always ultra-friendly. They have a rather nice bar service. Downsides: parking lot is tiny and on-street parking is a challenge. The place gets quite crowded and you can find yourself waiting a long time for a table (hint: make reservations! or camp out at the bar and order the mussels and a drink or two while you wait). It is pretty pricey for an Indian restaurant - food & drinks for two typically add up to around $80. But I keep going back. It's my "go to" place in ATX for Indian-inspired food, read more

The lamb korma (sp?) is legit, perfect like. Traipsing through a meadow of exotic greenery speckled in crimson and violet perfect like. The rice is a more complex basmati with various flavor enhancements. The tikki masala sauce, whatever meat or veg you put on it, is proper. Medium spice is enjoyable and will cause a slight fluster, the hot is delicious and recommended to eat at home, alone or with close ones, with 80's style wristbands to wisk away the marathon-style perspiration you will experience. For the burrito lover in you, at lunch they have a naan wrap, and I prefer it to the best of Mexican burritos. Truth. I would prefer their naan, when served simply as such, be stretched slightly more before baking to thin it out a bit, and baked either slightly longer or hotter, I am not certain which, the dynamics of that scientific balance between crispness and elasticity that Teji's occasionally achieves being alien to my brain matter. Nonetheless, the best Indian I have ever had the pleasure of, and I go relatively often. If you know of somewhere better in Austin do send me a message telling where and what I need to get. I've yet find the elusive slow cooked goat dum biryani... read more

Good, but not great. I had the lunch buffet and options were very limited. The food was tasty, but I've had much better. Meh. Fabulous mango cheesecake, though! (Not included in the buffet.) read more

We went here after our friends told us how amazing this place was - especially in the "date night" category. We were celebrating our first wedding anniversary so we were pretty excited to give this place a whirl. There was no wait since we made reservations and were seated a table. Our waiter was nice and suggested many interesting items. For drinks I got the "pirate lassi" aka a mango lassi with some captain morgan and my husband got a plain old mango lassi. Served in the same glass we couldn't tell which was which - that should have been a pretty good indicator on the strength of the cocktails. Appetizers: we got the coriander calimari and lamb kabobs. The calimari were pretty bland and gave your stomach that greasy icky feeling. The lamb kabobs were probably the best I've ever had. So tender and spiced perfectly. The waiter told us everything was served family style and that it comes in "a pretty big bowl" now that wasn't a HUGE bowl but it was more than enough. Entree's. Now here is where I am horribly disappointed. After the waiter's information that everything is served family style we got 2 entrees. I got the chicken tikka masala and some regular naan and my husband got the lamb joshrogan and garlic basil naan and we had intentions to share each other's main dish. Imagine my anticipation when I see our waiter coming towards me....bringing my bowl over aaaaanddd.....there are 8 bite sized pieces of chicken swimming in a bowl of sauce. 8. Not even chicken nugget size. For $16? Are you kidding me? My husband's lamb wasn't far off that mark but at least his tiny nuggets were about twice the size of mine. I can not believe how ripped off I felt! The best part of indian food is taking leftovers home to get EVEN BETTER the next day. Shame on your clay pit read more

We enjoyed what we ordered. Channa Masala, samosas, potato pancake, garlic naan, tandoori salmon, calamari, and a few other dishes. The tandoori broccoli was not worth it (lots of long stems and just a little sauce brushed on top) for $6. Service was good. read more

Upon writing this review, I have visited the Clay Pit five times for dinner. The food is really quite good and reasonably priced. I have read reviews calling it overpriced but find it to be quite the opposite. In fact, for my last visit we had a $25 Restaurant.com voucher and also went on Tuesday when $30-90 dollar bottles of wine are 50% off. I went with three others, ordered multiple apps including curried mussels, six different dinner dishes, several orders of Naan, several mixed drinks and a $85 bottle of wine. The bill was only $108 ($118 if you include the voucher cost). If you can't handle $30 per person for a nice multi-course meal, drinks and good wine, go to the Masala Wok. If by "authentic" reviewers mean "traditional", then no, the food is not all traditional Indian. The giant sign outside says "Contemporary Indian Cuisine". It's been adapted for its location and quite successfully in my opinion. It's still Indian food and still damn good. read more

I would be very honest about my review. We went in to the restaurant with a high hope enjoying a delicious Indian food. Reservation was done well in advance, and were told to come by 8:30 PM, and we were there at 8:23 PM. Expected to be seated. First issue, had to wait for almost 30 minutes before we got seat, We though that's okay, if food is good, it would be worth the wait. However management should be better than this and shouldn't overbook, its better to say NO, then to make someone wait for the food. Second issue, After we were seated, and ordered for food, it took another 25 mins for the food to show up. Which is again ok since it was a long weekend and with so much crowd, it would take time for to cook good food. Food would have been little better if it was little hot. Hope to have a better experience next time. read more

One of my professors and I went here yesterday to talk about my thesis research. It was wondering and delicious -- the lamb tiki masala (mine) and vegetarian entrees (his -- don't remember, something with potatoes) were very enjoyable, with delicate spicing, subtle flavors and just the right amount of oil. What I liked most about this restaurant is that there were healthy oils in the food, something you do not find at most Indian restaurants. I checked with the waiter and they use safflower oil (still highly processed, but not quite like vegetable oil) and olive-based ones. read more

The food is pretty good, but nothing I couldn't make at home. It's a little too pricey for the quality you get. Was less than impressed.

You must go here! Best Indian Food downtown, hands down! Definitely start with the curried mussels, and if you're extra hungry, get the samosas too. You can't go wrong with the Tikka Masala with any protein, but I personally prefer the paneer. Other favorites of mine are the Biryani and Tandoori Chicken. Don't forget that Garlic and Basil Naan to go with everything! Yum. read more

1st time I've ever had Indian food and it was AMAZING!!! All kinds of Deliciousness! Excellent Lunch Specials. Definitely coming back!!

Excellent service and the food was tasty and good. The lamb rack was good, the chicken Marsala nice too. Bonus - yelp check in gives a free appetizer. Good choice for decent Indian food at a good price. read more