Honestly, we fly in from DFW just for the dinner here. Every time it's worth the trip! Never had such delicious Indian food, not even anywhere in the UK. Ok, so we haven't traveled to India to experience the real thing, but we will come here for the best we know. Starting with the mussels and garlic naan, on to lamb Korma, chicken tikka masala (of course) and beef Vindaloo. Personally, I wish I had more room to continue eating. The service is ok, but the food is why we come. To top it off, the atmosphere is lovely and not at all what you'd expect an Indian restaurant to look like. We even returned the following day on our most recent trip, just to try the lunch buffet. It was only ok, but perhaps that's because it was an all you can eat sort of style and didn't feature any dishes we would order for dinner. read more

Amazing place. Probably one of the best indian restaurants I have ever had. Can be very crowded and so reservations are ideal, walk-ins are tough. Rack of lamb = perfectly done. Absolutely amazing. Tandoori chicken: Tender beyond tender. Didn't know chicken can be that tender. Had some other things but don't remember. Definitely worth the trip. read more

Great food and ambience. The goat curry was awesome, the meat was soft and preparation was very authentic Indian. read more

Clay Pit - Kingfisher on draft!! - Indian Near Me - Austin, Texas

Pretty ok would be my assessment as a loyal Indian food patron. The restaurant has a very cozy comfortable ambience which I appreciated. The couches in the front waiting are were a pleasant surprise. We didn't have reservations on a Saturday evening and were seated fairly quickly (note they generally only seat complete parties). We ordered samosa chat, the mixed grill, chicken tikka masala, and garlic naan which is plenty of food for 4. The food was fresh but was not as flavorful as I expected. The naan was probably my favorite. Worth a visit if you are in the mood for some mild Indian food, good service and a cozy atmosphere. read more

Awesome customer service! I took my friend visiting from out of town here for the lunch buffet, and he was happy with the authentic Indian flavors. However, I do wish there was a bit more variety in curries and dessert. In regards to customer service, I was looking forward to the mango custard for dessert, but towards the end of the lunch service, it was removed and replaced with rice pudding. I was disappointed and a server (not ours) overheard me and took it upon himself to bring me mango purée to mix in with the rice pudding. Very sweet, both the server and the pudding :)) love me some Clay Pit! read more

Probably one of the best places in Austin to eat. I could seriously eat this every day. Fantastic service Delicious original food Awesome beverages Great environment (it's a historical building of Austin!) Check it out, also go for the lunch buffet if you can! Best way to experiment with lots of items on the menu. read more

It is obvious that these guys take their commitment to delivering a good experience to their customers seriously. I will be giving them return business. The ambiance of Clay Pit is very pleasing and would recommend trying them out! read more

This place clearly holds itself to a high standard regarding customer service!! The hosts, server, and the manager were all extremely sweet and friendly. The manager went table to table and seemed genuinely interested and concerned about the guest experience. Very sweet people read more

If you are vegetarian do not eat here! I recently ordered a Paneer Tikka Masala with Favor delivery, only to get a piece of chicken in my curry. Ended the night puking instead of having dinner. Never returning here! The food is mediocre anyway! read more

Absolutely love this place. My boyfriend and I have been to Clay Pit maybe 5-6 times, each time as amazing as we remember it. All of the staff members, from the hostess to the servers to the bartenders, are welcoming and kind. I can't forget the nice gentlemen that sees wandering people with a confused look and directs them to the bathroom. The food is divine. Love the variety of naan bread and every dish we've had here is packed with flavor. Drinks are affordable and tasty. Clay Pit is by far our favorite Indian Restaurant in Austin. read more

Best tandoori chicken I have ever had in my life! Chana was also very good, gravy had a wonderful onion and tomato richness. Mexican martini was STRONG! read more

We went for the buffet. Even though it tasted almost as good as back in India, I was expecting it to have more variety and to be served more hot read more

A wonderful establishment that served delish Indian food. Happy with the service and great place to bring a date

My wife and I celebrated our 28th Anniversary at Clay Pit tonight. The food was exceptional and we were equally impressed with the service. Knowing this was a special occasion, the staff seated us in the lower level of the restaurant in a beautiful old brick cellar. We had this intimate venue all to ourselves and were treated like royalty. Our waiter was knowledgeable, warm and friendly. He even brought us two complementary glasses of champagne to celebrate which capped off a very memorable evening. I highly recommend Clay Pit.Their delicious food, exotic signature cocktails, incredible setting (in one of Austin's oldest buildings) and above and beyond service is well worth the visit. We are already looking forward to coming back here the next time we're in Austin. read more

This is the first time to clay pit after living 5 years in Austin and I can say that it is hands down the best Indian food I've had here. The food is exquisite and the service is great. My family was happy too and we will go back there read more

Appreciated the food being less oily and more health conscious, but the buffet was not very tasty.

Having just moved to Austin I was determined to find a new favorite Indian spot. After having tried a few different places, Clay Pit seems to be my favorite thus far. The Chicken Tikka Masala is the perfect balance of creamy and flavorful. The garlic naan and samosas duo were also great. I've only ever ordered takeout but I would definitely try the lunch buffet sometime. Definitely recommend for Chicken Tikka Masala lovers! read more

Had dinner at Clay Pit a few weeks ago while visiting Austin. Went there often many years ago when we lived in Austin, and thought we would see if was as good as before. The answer? Yes, it is! We enjoyed an appetizer, Chicken Vindaloo, Chana Masala, Chicken Tikka Masala, and garlic Naan. Excellent! read more

Hours on yelp are apparently wrong. They open at 5 not 4. 4 is for happy hour. This should be fixed as we got stuck waiting for 30+ minutes.

This place is super cute. I never ate there for dinner, only for lunch but the lunch is amazing. My boyfriend and I went there one afternoon and we both got a meal, he got a beer, I got a chai tea and it came too under $25. The food is amazing and for lunch you get a side, naan and rice. It's a big portion to so you can have it again for dinner when you take it home. Our waiter was very nice and had a good rhythm when taking care of us. He was loud (in a good way) very straight forward and took care of us very fast while moving onto other tables around the room. I can't wait until I go back here. read more

I'm Indian. Not authentic cuisine. Ordered nann- it was terrible- looked factory made and heated. Ordered paratha - not even close to the real thing. Ordered samosa- typical trader joe stuff from a box. Very disappointed. Sag paneer and chicken korma was ok - heavy on the cream. Wouldn't go back. Sorry. If u don't know real Indian food - it's close enough - you might enjoy it. read more

The food is always great and I love the bartenders. This is my favorite restaurant in Austin, and their tikka masala is to die for. It's usually pretty busy so just keep that in mind if you have a party with you. read more

LOVE this Indian food. It's always our "go too" for special occasions. They have excellent vegetarian options and they're naan is DELICIOUS!!! I would highly recommend this delicious food. read more

One of the good Indian restaurants in the downtown area. Loved the food the last 3 times I had been here. All the curries were very tasty and the portions were great. Ambience is wonderful. Would definitely recommend and visit pretty soon. read more

Clay Pit's lunch buffet does not feature the wide variety of come to expect from Indian buffets. But they made up for it with high quality entrees - spicy and flavorful. This buffet had beef meatballs - something I've never seen at an Indian restaurant. read more

Go eat here when visiting downtown Austin. I love how fresh everything is. The atmosphere is very warm. The food is some of the best Indian cuisine. read more

The food here is very very bad. If you try to express your opinion of the food under the first amendment they will whine to yelp admins and try to have your review spuriously removed in violation of the supreme court's ruling on prior restraint. read more

20 minute late for my pick up order. inexc

We love this place! The best Indian food in Austin. The vegetable pakoras are awesome. We also love the saag paneer!

The restaurant was really cold so we asked to be moved to another section that wasn't as cold. But the staff said our food would take even longer. I definitely understand that it was busy but he could have put it in a nicer way than being passive aggressive. read more

I have been coming to the clay pot for many years and each time it gets worse and worse . The quality has diminished considerably since they opened . Tonight my naan wasn't freshly baked in the tandor making it soft with crispy edges . It had been probably microwaved and cooked earlier to make it easier to fill the orders . Other than that the entree was ok , and the bartender didn't offer to take the naan off my bill after letting her know it want fresh. The ambience was ruined near the end of my meal when a machine at the bar started emitting a 1 kHz frequency that drove me out .! read more

It is located in one of the oldest buildings in Austin and part of a ghost tour. Apparently there are ghosts in the basement. We were seated in the basement for dinner. Caution tall people- duck down. The ceilings are low. It feels like the catacombs in France or Eastern Europe. Hence the five stars. The food was very good. My husband got chicken stuffed with spinach in purée cashew, raisin and cinnamon sauce. It was unique. Kind of a modern Indian dish. I got the bengan bartha with medium spice. It was better than any other restaurant I've been to so far. However it lacked the depth of flavor. I would eat there again during the weekday. They have a small parking lot. There is a parking garage across the street. I don't like looking for parking when eating at a restaurant. read more

I'm not sure if there's a whole lot of Indian options in Austin, but Clay Pit is everything one would need. It hits the spot quite nicely. The food is filling and tasty. Each time I went I leaned on my friends for assistance with ordering. Each meal was full of flavor and all sorts of goodness. Highly recommend! read more

Great Happy Hour. Yes, not as traditional, but still mucho delicious. Shout out to the Bartender with dreds. Knowledgeable, friendly, helpful. He makes your drink even better just with his good attitude. read more

I used to eat here a lot for lunch because it is within walking distance of the capitol complex. Plus, their lunch buffet is super cheap ($7 as of summer 2010, though I understand it may have gone up). The food here is excellent, and the naan is second to none- warm and fluffy the way I like it. I don't order off the menu very often, since the buffet has a nice variety of curries available, and the selections change daily. I wish they would put more paneer in their paneer tikka masala, but I found the level of spiciness to be good and the sauce consistency to be just right. I'd recommend for lunch, but don't have any experience with dinner to speak of. read more

Couldn't get a phone reservation on a busy Saturday night. Online reservation through Yelp bypassed the crowd and got us right in!! Great food. If you like hot, go with the one just below the hottest. You have to be SERIOUS about hot to get the hottest one. All food was delicious, and served hot and fast. read more

Having been to India, my boyfriend and I went to the Clay Pit with high expectations. And they were definitely met. Delicious, hot, perfectly spiced food. Really helpful and speedy wait staff, clear menu (with asterisks by the vegan stuff!). The only downside: the long wait. If you want to come for dinner on a weekend, I suggest making a reservation. We found a table at the bar and ordered drinks and an appetizer for our 45 minute wait, but ended up waiting for almost an hour. Still worth it! read more

I've only ever come here for the buffets. There are always dishes I don't really like and dishes I go back for thirds on, but I'm not enough of an Indian food aficionado to memorize which spice combinations are which. Whatever else they have, the naan is always dreamy. Yeah, carb fix! Others have commented on the lovely interior-but what always surprises me is the rabbit warren of interesting back rooms and the mirror on the back wall of the main area that makes the place seem much roomier than it really is. Waiters are attentive without being intrusive. The old building is a really fun place for a restaurant and the location is convenient for UT students. read more

This place is great!! We went out on a date night and I couldn't have asked for anything better. The ambiance is great, warm lighting, very cozy. My husband is not an Indian food kind of guy but he LOVED it! So yay for me, that means more curry for future date nights! I had the Vegetable Jalfrezi (hot), it was hot! But fantastic. My husband had the Vegetable Biryani with rice, absolutely delicious! The prices are very good too! If you're vegan/vegetarian, this is a must try spot. Drinks are also very tasty. read more

For a lunch buffet, this is about as good as it gets. Everything on the buffet was very tasty, and the price is more than reasonable (especially during the week). I liked the layout inside too, pretty spacious and inviting plus a full bar. Awesome downtown spot to add to your lunch list. Never been for dinner, so I can't talk about what it is like in the evening. Oh yeah, and the staff is friendly too. Nothing was out of this world, thus the lack of the fifth star. But, overall it was very good! read more