If you're sitting at the bar at The Clay Pit, you're in for a treat; especially if Peter is behind it. Get ready for some laughs and eats. As the bar manager, Pete not only crafts incredible cocktails but also curates an outstanding selection of spirits. His knowledge, attention to detail, and ability to perfectly balance flavors make every drink exceptional. Whether you're looking for a classic or something creative, Peter always delivers. He's the kind of bartender who elevates the whole experience, making The Clay Pit a must-visit for both great drinks and great company. read more

Absolutely delicious food. This is one of the best Indian restaurants in Austin. 4 Cheese Naan - 5/5 Curried Mussels - 5/5 Everything on the menu is amazing. The naans are always sooo fresh, sooo fluffy, and sooo buttery. Best naan in Austin. The curried mussels were recommended by a waiter once, and I always ordered them from them on. The curry is incredible. Their biryanis and other dishes are delicious as well. Service is always great. The downstairs is a great vibe. read more

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What? Calamari at an Indian restaurant?! YES! It was delicious with all the perfect Indian spices. I can't rave enough about this because I actually wanted seafood for lunch but my wife picked Clay Pit and I hadn't been there in like five years. AND I'm SO glad I returned! I started with calamari and was immediately in heaven. It came with a jalapeño cream sauce. Then I had the shrimp tikka masala bowl that came with a fresh arugula chickpea salad and basmati rice. All of it was just the right amount. Enough shrimp (not too little or too much) and lots of tikka masala and basmati rice to scoop up in naan. My wife had the chicken korma bowl with same salad and rice. She loved it and we both ate too much... We had ordered a side of garlic cheese naan but didn't need to. It was a lot of food. Pro tip - park on city streets using app. My parking was $2 for lunch. The little parking lot is sketchy because there is construction work going on next door to restaurant. As I'm writing this review my stomach is growling. It was that good! Way better than before when it was buffet style. Highly recommend. read more

The food here is amazing. Geez what to choose from. Ambiance great, service great, smells amazing. One of my favorite restaurants in Austin!!! read more

pros: -lots of seating; was seated immediately (even without a reservation) when we arrived for an early dinner on friday at 5pm -accepts reservations -clean tables and menus -butter chicken and garlic naan = SO GOOD!!!!! -s/o to our server of the night, AJ!! she seriously needs a raise! she made this dinner one of our highlights of our trip; she was very attentive to our needs and super friendly -excellent, fast service -good ambiance cons: -tandoori chicken lacks flavor and was average read more

Clay Pit - indoor seating - Indian Near Me - Austin, Texas

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It has been a good time whenever we go to claypit. I hope they maintain their food quality.

I was thrilled to have a delicious dinner at the Clay Pit. Dread, the most hospitable manager was very attentive and helpful. Our waitress, Reina, was great. The dining experience was perfect. I had mussels with a spicy and tasty curry sauce. We tried the regular naan and also saag paneer and cheese naan. They were really good. The lamb saag paneer and rice was plentiful and the spices were delectable. I look forward to returning soon. read more

We had a horrible experience at the Clay Pit bar last evening. We stopped in and it was really busy with a 2 hour wait for a table. We decided to order take out and while waiting my daughter stepped over to order a drink at the bar. After patiently waiting she finally got the bar tender's attention. He told her to "just wait a few Bro" while he spent 10 minutes unloading the dishwasher continuing to ignore her. After waiting a bit longer she and her partner just gave up. It was really busy, we understand that, but the customer service was horrible and unfriendly. The food was excellent I must say. read more

We were so excited when we searched for a good Indian restaurant and the ratings. NEVER blindly trust the algorithm used to get such high ratings. This is a place where everything is bought wholesale from Costco or some cheap warehouse and then just heated up in a microwave ( I am sure they do that) and given to customers at a premium price. Please trust me this is NOT an authentic Indian place. We ordered the naan (bread) which was fresh out of the microwave, the paneer, the bhajjis. Throughly disappointing and to top it there is no parking for this restaurant. You will have to use the paid public parking across the street, cross the street without any stop signs ( vehicles plying from all 4 corners in such narrow neighborhoods) and after you manage to navigate all this you get hot proceedings from from microwave to your plate. read more

This was both my and my friend's first time coming to Clay Pit. The restaurant was a lot bigger than I expected it to be. There is free street parking after 6 pm on Saturday, which is super nice. The inside was cute- loved the stone walls. We were tucked in one of the smaller rooms. We ordered calamari to start, which I forgot to take a picture of. It was pretty good, and whatever the sauce was that came with it was delicious. Plus it was only $7. We ordered two types of naan- cheesy naan and garlic & basil naan. Both were really good. I ordered coconut curry with chicken. I got the mild, but medium might be good to add a little kick. The flavor was really good! It was a solid meal. Would definitely go back! read more

Clay Pit - Garlic & Basil Naan, Three Cheese Naan, basmati rice, Coconut Curry - Indian Near Me - Austin, Texas

I can't think of a more perfect example of location winning out over quality. How can this place apparently be the best Indian in Austin? How? It's so obvious it's popular because of location because it sure as heck couldn't be because of the food or service. Consensus: Nope, not worth it. Go ANYWHERE else in Austin (preferably north) and you'll get far better quality, at better prices, plenty of parking, and no wait. Tonight I tried the kashmiri kofta with garlic Naan. Everything was meh. The rice definitely did not taste fresh or particularly hot for that matter. The bread seemed a tad stale on the edges, and the dumplings were totally mediocre. Not to mention the service was incredibly slow! The waiter legitimately looked like he'd forgotten about us. Honestly, I've had better food ordering over the counter at an Indian grocery store. Trust me, it's worth the drive to go anywhere else. read more

This place is so good! If you are looking for a bomb indian food spot look no further. The chicken tikka masala is so creamy and delicious and the acidity in the salad they give you balances out the heaviness. They give you so much naan for 5$ and the kebabs are also amazing. The service here is also great and its totally worth a visit. read more

Clay Pit - Indian Near Me - Austin, Texas

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A family friend and I celebrated his birthday at Clay Pit. The food was delicious with fast service. We dined in a cave with brick walls, tile designs in the floor, a shrine and built in cabinets for a mystic ambiance. read more

I was treated to lunch here, and a treat it was. Such delicately prepared dishes and divine spices and flavors. Great! Very nice staff, too. A+ read more

Being 50% Indian I have high expectations. I was writing home about this place the whole time. The tikka masala and butter chicken were great. Naan crispy from the clay pit and Brussels sprout app was delicious. We sat in basement and really set in a fun atmosphere. Will be coming back. read more

Clay Pit - Indian Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Love the Clay Pit! My go-to Indian place in Austin. Especially love their tikka masala, korma, and black dahl. Wait staff are friendly and attentive. Their Peacock cocktails are fun and delicious. If you have Celiac, read the menu VERY carefully though. Most things are naturally GF, and they only label things that CONTAIN gluten on the menu, but they don't label for cross-contamination, which is confusing. So we mistakenly ordered an appetizer that I couldn't actually have. But again, lots of great options here. read more

Always wonderful food, service and ambiance! Happy to get to stop here when in Austin. Thank you !

Pretty decent food and good service, Not the best, but, if you craving Indian food, this place is alright. A bit steep in terms of pricing. Food is more geared towards local crowd, but, decent. Tikka gravy was more like what you can purchase the store bottle. They have enhanced or added spices to make it a bit flavorful. read more

We were visiting Austin and everyone recommended Clay Pit. It did not disappoint! We had a little wait before our drink order was taken but that's the only complaint. The butter chicken was delicious! read more

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I have visited the restaurant three times. And every single time food was amazing. We always order a few plates to share, and have loved every single dish, including deserts. Their cocktails are delicious too. Never had an issue with the service, and overall enjoy our visits. Will definetely be back. read more

Server was so nice and friendly! The samosas were okay (sauce was overly sweet) but the chicken coconut curry was incredible. You can choose your spice level and it's so flavorful. The garlic naan is a must as well! read more

Clay Pit - Vegetable Samosas - Indian Near Me - Austin, Texas

The food was flavorful and portions are generous. The infused vodka and cocktails are delicious. Peter the bartender was kind and provided excellent service. The cultural ambience was welcoming! Definitely coming back. read more

Clay Pit - Cucumber Salad - Indian Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Nicely styled Indian restaurant in Asistin. Goat curry and goat Biryani were nicely spiced, naan was tasty and each dish was accompanied by lovely rice. Great friendly service. Pricey so dropped a star. read more

Clay Pit - End of dinner - Indian Near Me - Austin, Texas

The service was the highlight of our visit! Our server was so sweet and the food came out really fast. We came for a weeknight dinner and had to wait 30ish minutes for a party of 5, there were a bunch of people waiting regardless of party size so I would recommend making a reservation. There was a really good variety of food/good portion sizes and it was all pretty good but not spectacular. Our favorites were the vegetable pakora, chicken biriyani, cucumber salad and channa saag. read more

Clay Pit - Indian Near Me - Austin, Texas

Food is fabulous, I really enjoy the downtown feel, combined with a traditional restaurant, slightly elevated experience, food quality is excellent. read more

One of the very best and most creative Indian restaurants we have ever been to, out of more than 50 in the past five years!! Staff very nice and professional, ambiance was authentic, food was great. I had never seen vandaloo presented like this so it was different but equal to the best I have had presented in the usual way. read more

Clay Pit - vandaloo and bread - Indian Near Me - Austin, Texas

Doing pick up at this location when you are unfamiliar with the area is really tricky, but do not let that deter you from getting food here! We were staying at a nearby hotel and had to get take out here! So happy we did. The food is amazing. We got Chana Saag, aloo gobi, naan, and samosas. Oh boy, so flavorful and delicious. I can't even put in words how delicious this was. In fact, we dove in and by the time I realize I had not taken any photos, it was almost all gone. Only regret? We did not order more naan and some of the unique flavored naans that they offered. Whelp, we'll just have to make our way down here again just to eat here! Next time, we will just drive directly to the restaurant and dine in. read more

Consistently good Indian food inside a historic Austin building near the Capitol. Everything is nicely spiced and not overly oily/rich. The rice and the naan on this particular evening was dry and very bland, especially considering that I had the garlic and basil naan. It was also extremely warm inside, but maybe they were having a/c issues? Like that they have various "Tandoori types of chicken options: Traditional on-the-bone, or Tikedar and Mala kebabs. The staff was very welcoming and the service was good. There's something to be said when a restaurant has been around for 25 years. read more

I haven't been to Clay Pit in a few years, but prices have increased and the portions have gotten smaller (shrinkflation). The paneer tikka masala was good, not great. Presentation was stellar but the flavors were flat. In all transparency, the food looked better than it tasted. The mango lassi was the highlight. Rich honey and mango. Clay Pit was always a place we'd take guests from out of town, but now I'm not sure I'll come back. read more

Clay Pit - Paneer Lunch Tikka Masala Bowl ($16) - Indian Near Me - Austin, Texas

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This place was walking distance from our airbnb and we'd pass it a couple times before finally trying. Cost is reasonable and good amount of seating. We did not have reservations but waited about 20 minutes to get seated as it was pretty busy. We got the butter chicken, tandoori chicken, rice, garlic and basil naan and mango lassi. We got the dishes at a medium spice and they were very flavorful. We enjoyed everything we got! read more

I've been wanting to try the Clay Pit and finally made it in. We went for my birthday and had enough guests to reserve the cellar for a private event and the ambience did not disappoint. The building is steeped in Austin history. The food was delicious and the service was amazing. The manager checked on us to make sure everything was good and our server was attentive and friendly especially for a group our size and a little pressed for time that we even had time for cake before we left for a post-dinner ghost tour. The events managers were also very responsive (and patient) with my tons of questions leading up to the event. Would definitely come back, special occasion or not! Highly recommend. read more

Came here for my husband's birthday because we both love Indian food and Clay Pit has been our list of Austin restaurants to visit. Everything we ate tasted great and was presented nicely. Our favorite dish was the curry mussels; the flavor of the curry was out of this world! However, the amount of food feel short, especially with the menu prices. The shrimp tikka masala was flavorful but I expected more and bigger shrimp than what we received, same with more kofta with our kofta korma. The actual mussels themselves were very small, only 2 samosas come in 1 order and only 1 roti (cut in 2) came in 1 order. On the bright side, our waiter was great and brought my husband a mango lassi to enjoy to-go after we paid our bill. We both liked the Clay Pit, just a little disappointed in the amount of food we received for the amount of money we paid. read more

Clay Pit - Shrimp Tikka Masala - Indian Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I've been visiting the Clay Pit for now well over 10 years I would say, and I'm happy to point out the quality of their food as not diminished in anyway. The restaurant tends to be full every night so I strongly recommend making a reservation or at least calling in advance to get a sense of what kind of wait there may be. I absolutely love their chicken tikka masala and more recently have come to really enjoy their chicken korma. Both are definitely worth checking out. You have a large servings and will likely end up with some extra to take home for another good meal. The ambience is nice and it's a good spot for a small celebration like a birthday or a date. I'm looking forward to many other nights at one of my favorite spots in Austin. read more

Clay Pit - Indian Near Me - Austin, Texas

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A late stop for Tarka Dal and a cocktail. We sat at the bar and marveled at the quality. Absolutely the best TD in a long while. We Brits are deprived of good Indian food over here. The service was top notch and the ambiance bougie without attitude. Liked it a lot. read more

Being an Indian, i would say flavours are good but not authentic. They have modified the tastes of the dishes which worked well for some dishes, and not that much for others. A few of the curries are way sweeter then they should have been and that kind of disappoints. But overall, if you are craving for good quality Indian food, your taste buds will be almost satisfied from the food here. Service is friendly, not so quick. The parking is small and always full, usually park on the street across. Ambiance is really nice! read more

I had been craving Indian food for a while. Since we were close, we made a reservation. The restaurant is big and the tables are spaced apart. Our waitress was Ye Ji (the whole time I kept thinking about Seo Ye Ji. If you know you know) anyway she was very friendly and attentive. I ordered the duo samosas (chef's kiss) delicious. The chicken one was packed with flavor and the vegetable one was spiced just right. The mint and tamarind chutney were the perfect accompaniment. I also got chicken pakoras and palak paneer naan. I thoroughly enjoyed them both. My husband got the chicken biryani which was fantastic. Yes, of course I tasted his food. You can choose from 4 levels of heat: mild, medium, hot, Desi hot. He got medium. It was not hotter than hot sauce maybe even milder than that which I liked because I can't handle spice. If you like it really hit, you probably should do Desi hot. Oh, it was a lot of food. I think 2 people could eat from that 1 dish. My daughter got the Vindaloo which came with rice. She enjoyed it. I didn't taste it. We also got curry hummus that I thought was interesting and tasty. My craving was fulfilled, and I was pleased. read more

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We've returned a few times for great and fresh Indian food. We always enjoy the specials and tried their mango mojito this time. Recommend for good food and good service! read more

Ordered the crispy brussel sprouts, garlic naan and butter chicken. The naan and butter chicken had wonderful flavor and cooked just right. The crispy brussel sprouts were just a waste of money - no flavor and overcooked. I'll skip that next time. read more

The service was amazing and the food was great! Will definitely be coming here again and would recommend to people looking for a good intro to Indian cuisine read more

i went for my birthday and the staff was amazing! i got the butter chicken of course and it was delicious! the clay pit is such a historic building and it's a perfect place to be with friends and family! i 100% recommend this restaurant for that authentic austin experience! read more