I feel like this place was sold as the be all end all Indian restaurant in town. The atmosphere and service were great. Food was ok but does not live up to the hype. Maybe it was an off night and I'll give it another shot but I'm not sure some of the takes on preparation worked too well. . read more

Awesome Indian spot in a massive socially distanced restaurant with plenty of room to spread out in. The veggie samosas and cucumber salad to start were both hits and the mains (Goan coconut curry and jeera saag with chicken) were delicious as well and well portioned. Will be back the next time I'm in town read more

Clay Pit - Indian Near Me - Austin, Texas

This is the best Indian food I have ever eaten and it's not even close. Chicken Korma is the best of all time.

My husband and I stopped by there for lunch before going to a doctor's appointment. We got an excellent parking spot right near the entrance. We didn't need to make reservations and were able to get a seat right away. Which was perfect for us because my appointment was about 2 hours later. The staff was excellent and our food was so good. We will definitely be going there for dinner one night. read more

Wonderful atmosphere. Awesome bar staff. Delicious food. Ask to have a tour of the basement.

When I went to UT, the last thing I wanted to do was eat near campus on the weekends. I wanted to get away. But, the problem with this is that I missed out on good places like Clay Pit. No worries though, I finally came. Looking at the menu and everything sounded so good, so I ultimately chose the coconut curry, the tandoori chicken, and garlic & basil naan. All great choices! Good portions as you can see and the prices aren't bad either. Definitely will be back to try other items. Don't be like me - come try this place out. You won't regret! read more

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This was so delicious. We ordered mussels, hummus, samosas, butter chicken, khuroos e tursh, goan shrimp curry, chicken korma, palak paneer naan, basil garlic naan, and jalepeno cheese naan, carrot cake and ice cream, rice pudding, and chocolate cake. The most surprising thing was the cost. We expected it to be way more, but then again they did have smaller serving sizes. I typically always have leftovers at Indian restaurants, but this time I did not have any main course leftovers. The only things we didn't love were the jalapeño cheese naan. There was too much cream cheese and it was a bit too fusion for our tastes. The carrot cake and ice cream was different. The carrot cake is actual shredded carrots spiced like rice pudding. But overall this was the best meal we had all weekend! read more

I have celebrated my last three birthdays at Clay Pit and always immensely enjoyed my visits here. I have been a frequent diner for around 4 years and can confidently say that everything on their menu is incredible. They have great ambiance with their comfortable booths, music, and plants scattered throughout the place. The servers are always friendly and happy to answer questions or adjust the spice level on any dish. I highly recommend trying this place if you're wanting authentic Indian cuisine! read more

Excellent service. Appetizers are delicious. Nice ambiance. Have indoor and outdoor seating.

In town for work and used the carry out service. Service was friendly and the order came out fast. Food was good!

Best meal I've had in awhile. Showed up no reservation had to wait an hour but we don't have any Middle eastern food in Galveston so we waited. Well worth the wait. Food was amazing. Mussels were the best I've ever had. read more

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Had the Lamb Roganjosh and an order of naan. I almost licked the plate clean. I did not eat the rice due to the volume of bread I ate. All very tasty and fresh. read more

Clay Pit - Indian Near Me - Austin, Texas

Some of the best Indian food I've had in austin. Restaurant is really nice on the inside with seating up and downstairs. Only knock is we had a reservation for 6 and they wouldn't seat the 4 of us until the others arrived, even though we told them they were just parking. Would have been nice to get more than 2 menus for 6 people, especially since they were plain printed ones. read more

Food is okay. It's not great but the ambiance is really nice. There were some non conventional menu items

Absolutely delicious. If you're in downtown Austin stop by you won't be disappointed.

Stopped in for a Sunday evening dinner before leaving Austin. Restaurant had nice ambiance and was comfortable. Service was prompt and very friendly. We had a main server, but there were also food runners, and others that refilled drinks. This was a nice feature that made sure that we always had the right amount of attention. The food was very good and was nicely presented. Nothing fancy, but appetizing. We started with Samosas and than shared garlic Naan, Chicken Tikka Masala, Aloo Gobi, and Khuroos-E-Tursh. All were very flavorful. One of the best Tikka Masalas I have had in a while. We finished with an Expresso Martini and Masala Chai Tea. Very nice evening with great food. read more

With hearts full of desire to eat India food. We show up here with our family of 4. The person checking in said we are not welcome here because we didn't have a reservation. I said we are ok to wait. But the person made it clear we better just leave as they have a lot of 5pm reservation and we will have to wait 45 min for table then even longer for food to prepare. It's ok to go here if u have a reserved table eat good food with negative energy. read more

So... sometimes you have to test the Yelp reviews... Disclaimer: Saturday night. Alone. Hungry. In the mood for Indian food. Several locals said "Clay Pit". Yelp reviews looked promising. Tried it. I waited a while without a reservation (knowing that a table for ONE can be problematic for any restaurant on a Saturday night.) They seated me about 30 minutes later. First, the Samosa Chaat was excellent, as others had noted. I might have enjoyed it a bit more if it had been served a little warmer (thermally). I added some tamarind chutney and some surprisingly lemony mint chutney. Didn't need the Taj Mahal lager to wash away the taste on my dancing tastebuds... 4/5 Entree decision was tough. Tandoor? Curry? House special? I elected to try a simple, creamy chicken korma. This was the first Indian restaurant I have ever been in where they asked me my preferred heat level on korma! I asked if "hot" was "Texas hot or India hot". My nice server clarified that they have an extra level called "Desi-hot" for real Indian hot. I chose Texas hot to be safe. The korma was creamy, nutty, hot and tasty. I have had more tender chicken (and the prep line did miss a sizable bit of gristle), but, over all, tasty. 4/5 The garlic naan was simple, well prepared, and flavorful. 4/5 Now, about the environment... I love old buildings. But they have challenges. This place is really nice, but it IS an auditory assault to dine there. Solid rock walls and tile floors combine to make it loud and sometimes painful. There are some things they could do to soften the environment a bit, but such fixes might not be noticed by many... Next time I might try something other than the featured items in Yelp reviews. You never know what you might discover... A few photos included. read more

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Our favorite place to have Indian food. We stop by every time while in Austin. Love the korma and the naan!

Very good food! Love the chicken tikka masala ! First time trying Indian food there and now I am a reoccurring customer. Amazing vibes and good staff! I will always recommend this place. read more

Great atmosphere. Good service. The food was yummy and the server was very knowledgeable.

I'm a long time customer, and Clay Pit has been a great place to eat. The service is great, and the food is even better. Appetizers, especially the samosas, are exceptional. I highly recommend trying it out. 4.9 out of 5. read more

I lived in Austin for 6 years and I only tried this for the first time after i moved to Dallas. What a mistake! The food was amazing and the prices were great. The stuffed naan and the calamari were fire. read more

Always consistent with great service. Don't forget to get reservations before planning to go.

Best Indian restaurant around this area! The staffs are super nice and very helpful with the menu. And the food is amazing! They have special vodka called Chakra which is infused with a lot of interesting ingredients including mango and jalapeño and it's so smooth and good! read more

Clay Pit - Curried Mussels Garlic and Basil Naan Dahi Puri - Indian Near Me - Austin, Texas

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First off , there's a reputation among UT alum... the worst place for Indian around campus is tejis , and this place is a close second. Got the achari paneer , only to find its uncooked paneer with pickle and thrown on a dish. The ambience is good, the food is terrible and there's a reason this place is this empty @ this good of a location. Do better... oh also "the computers were down" when we were tryna pay so we had to wait an extra 30 mins read more

Clay Pit - "Paneer achari" - Indian Near Me - Austin, Texas

Delicious Indian food in downtown Austin! Chicken Tikka Masala and garlic naan were excellent! Great ambiance and a quick walk from the capital. read more

After being on my list for quite some time I finally tried the Clay Pit, ironically the week it opened back up which we had no idea. We came on a Friday night and even though we had no reservation we got a table for 5 right away. We got seated in one of the front rooms, unfortunately we weren't able to get seated in the cool all stone room, and had only one other party in same area. We ended up ordering a couple of appetizers, but the real delight was the cheese filled naan breads. After trying those we ended up trying multiple others such as the jalapeño and and cream cheese as well as the paneer. Before ordering we had the pleasure of speaking with Dread who was one of the managers and knew how to answer every one of our questions. He was well experienced and very knowledgeable making our experience that much better because of his recommendations. Our food took quite some time, but ended up being worth the wait. Everything here was delicious, however I think I ordered the wrong thing that was almost entirely rice because I didn't know they had complimentary rice. Overall great experience and some of best Indian food I have had. Will definitely be returning here next time I have an Indian food craving! read more

We visited Clay Pit on our trip to Austin over the Spring break. The food quality was good. We tried butter chicken, chicken biryani, chicken Kabab and naan. The flavor is on the milder side but flavorful. So if you are seeking something more authentically Indian, you may want to reconsider. Overall, we enjoyed the food and service. read more

Seriously couldn't stop shoving my face with the naan bread. Came to Clay Pit for the lunch buffet with a large group of friends, and we RSVP'd beforehand so we were in a private room. Food was delicious, comforting, and worth the $10 price of the lunch buffet! Plus, the interior design is very lovely and gives a great ambiance. I would definitely come back again. The only downside is parking since it's paid street parking (especially before 6pm), so finding a spot can be tricky. read more

Clay Pit - Lunch buffet mash-up! - Indian Near Me - Austin, Texas

This place is so good. I ordered the Butter Chicken To-go and picked it up thru grubhub. I had some issues with grubhub and the ordering experience online, but the curry was soooo good that I still have to give 5 stars. My only real complaint was that the Garlic Naan kinda sucked. It lacked flavor and had a bad smell to it, like it was sitting on top of a bucket of bleach. (similar to how a bleached countertop would smell, which is not what you want your bread to smell like lol) but regardless , the Butter Chicken was amazing! I got it mild bc I assumed Butter Chicken shouldnt be spicy, but i think it'd be great with heat as well. If you like curry and indian food, check this place out !! read more

The food was expensive and under seasoned which is the exact opposite of what you want when you get Indian food.

This place is great! Really loved their lamb curry. Also had the chicken wings and garlic/herb Naan! Really great tasting food! Went with medium heat and will probably bump it up next round. Still great flavor though. read more

Clay Pit - Lamb Curry/Garlic Herb Naan - Indian Near Me - Austin, Texas

Came here for a large group function. The function was held up stairs. The upstairs is very large. Rustic looking. Wood floors, white brick walls. A small bar. Bathrooms, for the women's bathroom there were 3 stalls. Bathroom was clean with supplies such as paper towels, soap, and toilet paper. No seat covers. Food was just appetizers and the few items that I had were very good. But with my diet, I wasn't able to try all the foods served. The staff was very nice. There was a lady that came around to collect our plates and 1 bartender taking drink orders. Drinks were pretty simple. Beer and wine. And maybe 4 bottles of liquor. Prices were high. I think someone ordered a cocktail and it was $14.00. The parking is limited to a small parking lot. With a lot of signs that have restrictions towing enforced. But there is a parking garage on the other side and that is free. I would like to come back and have an actually dinner to compare. read more

I have been craving Indian food for so long and would have to say the Clay Pit satisfied that today. Although 3* isn't amazing, it is solid in its decency. The Sunday buffet had decent entrees with good variety, but was around $5 more expensive than coming during weekday lunch. Temperature is a big determent of quality in my opinion. Despite being a buffet, I was not stoked to find my coconut tilapia to be at a room temperature, however delicious. The curries were all good, and the lentil soup was not oversalted at all, the tendency that restaurant soups lean toward. I loved dipping the naans into all the curry and chutney options and found myself content with each's taste profile. The samosas were amazing and I made sure to grab a piece on both trips. The salad, although not an Indian specialty, is my biggest gripe with the experience. Both the spinach and lettuce were wilted, either by the dressing or time sitting out. Indian buffets are known for fewer but relatively high quality options, so for appearance's sake, I hope the Clay Pit puts a bit more effort into it's most basic dish. read more

Had heard about this place for a while now and finally made it. Great Indian Food! One of the best Gulaab Jaman's I've ever had!

Nice interior, good service, delicious food - it was worth driving there from Houston!

I grew up eating Indian food and I have to say this is by far one of the best I've had. I ordered the Coconut Curry and my fiancé ordered the Butter Chicken. Definitely won us over!! This will be our go-to from now on for Indian. Other places for me are either a hit or a miss because the curry may not be creamy enough or it might be too watery but, I can even say that the rice had the perfect amount of aroma. read more

Great service, food, and ambiance. We ate at the bar before a concert, and the bartender was attentive and prompt but never intrusive. Really liked the assortment of small plates, especially the cauliflower with humus. Another favorite was the cucumber salad. read more

This was a pretty strange experience, and will be our last with the Clay Pit. The summary is that our order never got sent to the kitchen and started, and when we showed up to pick the food up, the owner really didn't care. In more detail; I run a business and we bring in food for our employees. We ordered from the Clay Pit online at 11am via Grubhub; it wasn't a huge order, but it was about 10 people's worth of food. We received an email confirming the order and explaining it would be ready between 11:30 and 11:40. We got there at 11:40 to pick up the food. The hostess told me that the order had been received, but hadn't been sent to the kitchen yet, and it would be another 30 minutes. She seemed pretty apathetic. I was disappointed, and asked her to have the food delivered when the food was ready, because we couldn't wait for another 30 minutes. She told me she would have to ask her manager. Bali, who I understand is the owner, came downstairs. He very directly told me that there was nothing he could do, and I had two choices - I could wait for 30 minutes, or he could cancel the order. It was extremely abrupt. I requested that he have a service like Favor deliver the food. He again repeated that I had two choices, and he became very agitated, very quickly. I was pretty calm, and recognized that mistakes happen, but I had an office of people waiting for food, I couldn't hang around for 30 minutes, and I would appreciate him working with me. At this point, it really didn't seem like a huge deal to me - I just wanted help having it resolved. I made it clear that I wasn't looking for a discount or free food or anything special - just for his team to deliver the food when it was ready so we didn't have to wait. He became clearly pissed off, and told me that he didn't appreciate MY putting HIM in this situation. We went back and forth, and each time, he became ruder and ruder. I was blown away that he wasn't willing to find a creative solution to a problem that was pretty clearly the fault of his company (or, as he blamed, the technology that he was using - still ultimately his responsibility), and when I asked him to try to empathize with my situation and my employees, he flat out refused to even consider the question. Finally - it seemed, mostly to get rid of me - he went to the kitchen and came back. He told me, "Tell me your address." I told him. He said something to the effect of "The food will be there within an hour" and then walked away. We went back to the office. Eventually, we called to see if the food was actually coming. We heard the hostess go ask him, and in the background, we heard "Just hang up on them." So, there's my experience. I get being short staffed, having technology not work well, and having a crappy day. But for a $200 order, there's really no call for this type of behavior or response. I see a history of Bali or his social team responding to each negative Yelp review, and they sort of follow a pattern of an empty apology, a comment about how they pride themselves on something, and then welcoming someone back. That's nice, but it might be useful to describe how things will change to accommodate problems in the future, and to actually implement changes. The reviews that reference a poor delivery or online order are discounted as "Sorry, that's the delivery service, not our problem." But Bali, it really IS your problem - the Clay Pit Experience is start to finish from someone thinking "Wow, I really want some Indian food" to "Wow, that was an awesome meal." If your third party suppliers gave you crappy produce or meat, you would get new suppliers. If your delivery services or online order tools suck, get new ones. But please, don't blame the customer. I didn't do anything wrong. read more