Great eat , god similar to arabica food , i order , beriani , tikka masala and borma . All of them are fantastic. With white rise , read more

Awesome indian cuisine! The jalapeno cheese naan bread is so good as well as their tikka masala. I've heard great things about their buffet but i haven't had the chance to try it. This place is great for a date! read more

Wonderful Meal! We ordered Chicken Samosas, Khuroos-E-Tursh, and Goat Curry, along with Jalapeno and Cream Cheese Naan. Everything was incredibly Delicious! We can't wait to go back again and we live on the Opposite side of town! It's worth the drive!!! We ordered Mild-Medium spice level, which was perfect for us! If you don't like a lot of spice, order Mild. Cheers! read more

Love this place . Great Indian food. Love the ambiance too. Parking can be a little challenging.

My fiancé and I love Indian food. We have tried many places in Austin and this is definitely our #1! We love the lamb chops, korma, and Yellow daal tarka. Everything we've tried from here has been amazing though read more

This place was the first place I ever had Indian food over 10 years ago and many years later, after moving all over the world, I came back and it's the same deliciousness as before. read more

Absolutely incredible food. Great service. Highly recommend. Love the restaurant & ordering take out.

This has to be one of my favorite places to eat! My father takes us here all the time because when he was in UT he would eat here a lot! So it's nice to visit all these older places! The food here is to die for! Seriously! I am obsessed! I mean if you want the best Indian food, just swing in over here! read more

First time trying Indian, and wasn't disappointed. Great flavors! Only complaint is the closed sign was on and didn't know if they were closed for a private party or open to the public. read more

Delicious food, hostess was reluctant to be helpful, server didn't know the menu and wasn't around when we needed him. Dining room is freezing in the summer so bring a sweater. read more

Best Indian food in Austin. This is my go to spot every-time I am in town and I also Make sure all my friends know all about it. Their flavors are on point, the food is so fresh and the portions are great! I moved to Texas from NY and for 3 years I have searched for the perfect Indian restaurant and found it in Clay Pit!! All the way in Austin! I will travel from Houston just for some great food! If you love Indian food, come visit this place you will not be disappointed! The reviews are high for a reason! read more

Ask for Bren!! This place is delish and surprisingly affordable.

The portions are very small. The mixed platter in the starters made us laugh! The coriander squid was quite disappointing: we didn't really expect fried calamari with coriander chutney. The quality of the dishes were not great. The saving grace was the mango cheesecake. Quite disappointed as a tourist. Didn't stand up to what we had heard. read more

Always good food, plenty of variety, but definitely softened for the masses, by example their vindaloo is very very mild in spice more like a tikka masala, but amazing in flavor using different peppers. Their muscles are incredible. This is a great place to go with friends, order family style, order everything, and share it all without worrying some can't handle things are too spicy. read more

This is probably the worst restaurant experience my family had in Austin. All thanks to the blonde hostess and other staff. They were very unwelcoming and had an attitude! We are never returning and making sure all of our friends and family know not to waste their time here. read more

Very nice ambience. Excellent service. Delicious food.

My personal favorite Indian place in Austin, and definitely a great bargin if you go during lunch or weekend brunch for the buffet! The ambiance is very nice with a stone wall interior and a good balance between dark/natural lighting. The waitstaff is great too, very accomodating and friendly, and they refill your water or clear your old plate very quickly. In terms of food, top notch and quite a selection to choose from on the buffet. I love when they have the samosas on the menu, very crispy on the outside, and a generous amount of chickpea on the inside. The other menu items vary week to week, but I'm a huge fan of the lamb biryani (plenty of meat, and good flavor), the various chicken curries they have are very creamy with succulent pieces of chicken, the tandoori chicken is well smoked and very flavorful, and the rice is well cooked as well. For dessert, the gulab jamun is instant diabetes, but oh so good and worth the downgrade in your overall health! For those not in the know, it's literally a fried donut that has been layed in a syrup like concoction for hours. The result is a tender donut bursting at the seams with sweetness, and it helps that it's slightly warm as well. If you're looking to be health conscious though, the mango pudding is quite good. I know a main critique of this place is that it isn't authentic enough, but not being from India or having extensive knowledge of what's authentic as opposed to being a "poser food to appeal to the masses", I can't quite opine. But what I can say is that they serve very tasty food at a reasonable price, and every experience I've had has been phenomenal. The only bad thing I can speak to, is that I feel like taking long naps in the afternoon after eating here, but really, isn't that the pinnacle for a restaurant to strive towards? Or maybe it's cash profits, yeah never mind, the cash profits are probably the pinnacle. read more

The lunch buffet is excellent, and usually has most of (if not all) my favs: butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, something with paneer, at least one lamb dish. If they added samosas, it would be pure five stars. read more

This was the best meal I've enjoyed in Austin in a long, long time. Mark at the bar is legit and the food extraordinary.

My family just had a nice dining experience at the Clay Pit. The food was delicious, prices very reasonable, and the ambiance was nice, but the service is what prompted me to leave a review. We had a server and a trainee taking care of us. They were both courteous and attentive and even played along with my family's goofiness. The real star of the show was the manager (Dread), who had come by to check in. You know the type you run into every now and then that just seems to have all the answers (in this case related to gluten and dairy sensitivities), but also displays a passion for what he does. He was one of those......and they can really makes a difference! While we venture to consistently try new restaurants, this one is on the "must return" list! read more

The curry mussels + naan garlic bread combo is incredible! Amazing aroma, flavor and pairing. Aside from a glass of wine. That's all we ate! We ordered two portions and loved every bite! read more

Pretty good Indian food, service not so good. I went to Clay Pit during my lunch break with some coworkers. They were pretty crowded, but nothing crazy. Our server never brought us the naan that we ordered and very rarely came back to check on us/refill our drinks. I enjoyed my meal, but was dying for more water. read more

***This review only concerns Amazon Restaurant Delivery*** I ordered two entrees, a mango lassi, an iced masala chai and samosa from Amazon Restaurant, and my delivery came with only two entrees. The restaurant missed THREE items out of only five items. This is horrible. Avoid this place if you want to order delivery. read more

Y'all this is THE place to go for Indian food in Austin! Especially the weekday buffets!! ($9 all you can eat). My favorite days to come is the Friday lunch where they have a hearty chicken tikka Marsala and creamed corn soup (chicken was really tender and soup has a nice balance of savory and sweetness). Thursday lunch buffets have this meatball dish that's really good too and well worth the price. Service was great everytime as well. read more

Clay Pit - Indian Near Me - Austin, Texas

Good food I'll definitely try them again maybe for Togo though, the staff was very slow and I got charged for something I didn't order but the waiter was so slow I didn't want to wait another 10 minutes to have him take it off. read more

Ordered the Khuroos-E-Tursh for lunch and I was surprised that the dish came with measly 2 Tiny Chicken Medallions swimming in a dish full of sauce and a large heap of rice. 2 tiny pieces of chicken would probably feed a small child but not a full grown adult. Dish just seemed highly unproportional unless their goal is to stuff you with rice and skimp on the meat. My 7 year old nephew could eat a whole lot more than what this dish had to offer. Very disappointing. read more

Was told by an Indian friend that this was the best Indian food in town. Definitely met that expectation.

Best Indian food we have found so far in the Austin area. Great food, good presentation, nice atmosphere and friendly servers.

I was under the impression that The Clay Pit was the Kmart/John Grisham/Highlights Magazine/Tickle Me Elmo/Hot Topic/Sarah Palin/Ashlee Simpson/Delaware/Hunt's Ketchup/Kraft Cheese/Nixon Administration of Indian food: bad. But boy was I wrong; this place is good. read more

It does not matter what time of day or what day it is or if it's a full moon or half moon or Jupiter is in the seventh house, you will wait for a table. Even if it is 6:00 a.m. on Monday. We waited for 25 minutes while at least a dozen tables sat empty and ready. I think it may have something to do with the stories that The Bertram Building, c. 1853, is haunted. It is said that party noises are sometimes heard on the second floor. Most likely it is the people missing from the empty tables. I love a server who knows his way around a menu. And Wolfgang certainly does. He was clipped and not very personable, but he knows the food intimately and made great recommendations. Our appetizers of veggie and chick tandoori bites were very good with two dipping sauce options, one sweet and spicy and the other savory. If the Mister sees rack of lamb on a menu, he has a hard time passing it by for something else. I saw that special where the little lambs are cooped up in cages and crying for their mothers as they are fattened. I just can't order lamb. However, I did have three bites of an incredibly delicious little chop. Don't tell me it's the same thing. I had my eyes closed. My Kabuli Chicken, smothered in Korma sauce and infused with a paste of nuts, raisins and cherries, was spectacular. Wolfgang recommended "dusty hot" since it is somewhat sweet like many Indian dishes. I loved the sweet tempered with the heat in this dish. We tried several vegetarian dishes that were wonderful. The Channa Sang, chick peas and spinach in a cheese and spice sauce, was fantastic as was the Kashmira Kofta Korma, a lovely potato offering. I think I will go the veggie route next time for the servings are hearty and delicious. And I must atone for the bites of lamb. read more

Oh Clay Pit. You're an Austin OG and I dig it. And you've held up! Our food here was fresh and good, the atmosphere is great and on some nights, they've got salsa happening upstairs. That's right - salsa. We had two veggie dishes - a paneer curry and some cauliflower dish. Both were tasty, not mind-blowing, and reasonably priced. My friend loved her hibiscus tea and I had a bowl of soup that really kind of tasted just like a sauce. It was fine but I wouldn't waste tummy space on it again. Their naan tastes fresh and the place is brightly lit, clean and packed all the time. If you're looking for non-threatening indian, this is definitely the spot. Sure, you leave smelling like curry but that's always going to be the case. Expect it and relish it - but maybe don't eat here if you have to go to a meeting afterward. read more

There's always a long wait here. Make sure to reserve a table or you're going to be sorry! It looks like Diana D. and I have the same taste as we ordered 2 of the same things. I started off with the Curried Mussels and it did not dissapoint. The pairing of the flavors was perfect and I only wish I had ordered another. My main course was the Chicken Tiki was a little above average, but what really got me happy was the garlic naan that came with it. They make some serious naan. read more

I returned to the Clay Pit, Pith helmet in hand, to discover a land and a cuisine told of by an aged goat herder I met in a market stall in Bengali. He told me of many things, but of great interest to me was a place called "Mitti gaddhe." His tales were fanciful, extraordinary, and surely had to be false. Yet, curious, I had to see with my own eyes and taste with my own tongue these things he spoke of. As I was leaving he had whispered two cryptic phrases in my ear with a raspy voice and a strange accent: "Khuroos-E-Tursh" and "Kothmir Samana". I went with a companion, a world traveler with experience in such adventures, for who could say what dangers we might face? The structure was of stone on a major thoroughfare in town. Cautious, we ventured inside, the aroma's wafting through the room were delightful. Summoned to a table we perused the script written in a tongue long forgotten. We found the two cryptic phrases and the charming and good humoured manservant clucked in what we assumed was an approving manner. The dishes were beyond compare! Chicken in an almond cream sauce, subtle and oh so satisfying. Salmon rubbed with garlic in a korma sauce, splendid. The basmati rice seasoned perfectly, a salad with a light fruit dressing. This kitchen resonated with Nirvana. A lunch worth traveling a continent for. If this is what is served for lunch, I'll have to return to sample the dinner. I have to thank the old man for his wise counsel. read more

Not good, I waited for 15 minutes for a seat when it wasn't busy, at all. Waited another 45 minutes for cold food that was mediocre I've had better before, and the price was just the cherry on top of why I wont go back. read more

I went there for Friday lunch buffet. It was only $10 which is great and food was tasty for that price. But desert "mango khir/firni" was a 1 star, there was no flavor of mango. Service was good, but the waiter was bit too loud , especially for the size of the room that I was sitting in, felt like no privacy. Lastly, thing that really annoyed me was, waiter bought the check before I even asked for it, he assumed we were done, felt rushed. read more

Shalimar is an ode written to the old country in the countryman's native language. Clay Pit on the other hand, is one written in the audience's own familiar language, albeit written with a graceful mastery of the audience's language. By far, the Clay Pit is not authentic Indian. But I promise, this lack of strict authenticity is not a bad thing. Although, retaining a lot of the better elements of Indian cuisine, the Clay Pit has incorporated some elements of Afghani and (surprisingly) American cuisine, with splendid fucking results. With that preamble out of the way, let's get to the food. If you're getting appetizers, you need to follow two rules. Don't get the samosas. They are miserable, dry, blandish affairs. Definitely get the curry crab cakes. Also don't go to the Clay Pit if you are not going to be ordering any naan. Clay Pit naan is life-affirming. And don't just get garlic naan. For the love of whatever you hold holy, try the other naans. Personally I wait for the day the Clay Pit decides to incorporate elements of faux-Italian-slash-American cuisine and already invent the naan pizza. For the main course, get stuff off of either the Specialities of the House or Vegetarian Delight on the menu, for some easier-to-pick great fucking food. If you dare to venture off of those two choices however, rest assured that most of them explorations will yield something pleasant. If you feel like getting the Korma, don't. Get the Kabuli Chicken instead. It's basically Chicken Korma 2.0. (And thank the pretty waitress Sarah for the recommendation.) The lunch buffet, although a fun experience in its own right, is not the most optimal way to experience the Clay Pit. You owe yourself better than that. Please. Dessert. I'd stick with the kheer. Everything else is meh. However, be aware there is better kheer in Austin. I think that's all the information you need to be armed with to enjoy the Clay Pit. For some interesting trivia, keep reading. Otherwise, make reservations as the place tends to get crowded for dinners. Or show up for a decent happy hour (all appetizers are half off) and stick around till dinner. Okay, trivia starts in the next paragraph. Naans are made in an oven made of clay. Hence, the name. Incidentally a lot of Afghani bread is made in a clay pit. Before housing the Clay Pit, the address has housed a brothel and a grocery store. As some of Austin's older residents will still remember, the grocery store that once was also has a horror story that some claim still haunts the Clay Pit. This yelp review however, wouldn't be an appropriate venue to share the story. Google it. read more

Here's another add for the list of "Places I like that make me feel awful." Seriously, I love the Clay Pit. It was my first intro to Indian food and the place where I fell in love with Saag Paneer and Channa Masala. But this relationship is another one of those love/hate things for me. It tastes so good, but it makes me feel so awful. Which is a shame because when you eat with as many vegetarians or otherwise dietarily restricted people as I do, you hate to have to knock another place off your list. The lunch buffet is a steal at $6.95, and even with a limited array of foods, it's plenty to fill you up. The vegetarians I eat with complain because there's usually only one veggie options, but there's also a good lunch menu from which to order as well. The space is awesome, especially if you can get seated in one of the rooms that's not the main dining room (which is a little loud). For full disclosure's sake, my landlord used to be a part owner, but they sold the place to the chef recently. It's a great place, but I have to minus it two stars because it makes me feel so awful. read more

First, strategy: if you're in a group of fewer than three people, I feel sorry for you. I pity the foo'. The dishes I tried were served family style, and you, too, can recreate this experience! Just follow these simple steps: 1. Gather a group of friends. 2. Order several dishes to share. 3. Take all their food. 4. Make new friends to bring next time. We tried everything, starting with a luscious, plump shrimp atop a small something-cake appetizer. It was cooked perfectly, and the piquant sauce sealed the deal. This was part of a group dinner (see Qarnival review), which afforded us servings of four items (along with naan and rice): Lamb: divine. I've had lamb before that was gamey and underseasoned. Clay Pit prepared it with love in a flavorful, earthy stew. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Chicken: we were served the rolled version. It was moist, with a delicious nutty sauce. The nuts added texture and diversified the dish. Saag Paneer: it's like they invented it. Another veggie item: delicious. Big surprise? The drink pricing. Any libation under $6 in or around the downtown area (not during happy hour) is a small miracle. The boy had a spiced-up version of a margarita, and it briefly appeared that he might propose to the bartender, who was thankfully unavailable. While contemplating the precise area of the floor I would occupy at home in fetal-recovery position, the dessert appeared. I have space allocated for that. It was mango cheesecake and it was good. I'm a crust girl and theirs was thick - a bit too moist, but entirely loveable. We were eating in a separate room, and our waiter was a pleasant, albeit measured, participant in our dining conversation. Grab some friends, grab their food, then grab a pillow and coma (verb). read more

After a glorious weekend, it was becoming a pissy Monday, cold, wet, with stupid little things popping up at work that should have been handled Friday (when I was off), a new deadline at 1500, and the co-workers doing their best Grumpy and Sneezy impersonations--trust me, we're not doing brain surgery here, just call-in sick if you can't or don't want to play. The obvious move was to work through lunch and nourish bodies and souls from the nearest drive-thru, so of course, we zip down Mopac through the rain to storm the Clay Pit castle. You know it's a karma sign when a parking spot opens up and beckons to you right in front of the place. I have no reservations about places that only do buffets, but at real restaurants, I shy away from brunch and other buffet-type endeavors. But the time constraint on this particular journey meant one group pass at the Clay Pit's lunch buffet. So one small step for man, one giant leap for tandoori chicken. I actually did the rice (like it), most of a bowl of jeera saag (ooops, sorry), their mulligatawny (like it), a cream of garlic soup I've never had here before (like it), and the kheer (love it). Cool. What I really enjoy about Clay Pit is the building itself and the ambiance they've created, a perfect place for a faux esprit rebuild. We were all in a great mood as we zipped back. Within the ambiance of my own special world, I amuse myself with random thoughts: Would the cast of "Slumdog Millionaire" enjoy eating at The Clay Pit in Austin? And if you accept that premise, would the cast of "Friday Night Lights" insist on finding bbq in Mumbai? Oh my, these sleepless nights... read more

What is wrong with you people giving this place 3 stars or more?? Have you never had real Indian food before?? The last time we went here, about a year ago, the food was horrible! We ordered the mixed grill plate and tikka masala. The flavor of the meats in the mixed grill were almost completely inedible. It was pretty disgusting, actually. The tikka masala was pretty awful too. Very bland and the flavors that were there were very unusual and not what tikka masala is supposed to taste like. My (ex)husband is from India and I've been there twice thus far. This is NOT Indian food. Not even close!! When we asked the waiter for our check he didn't even ask if we wanted to box our food even though most of it was still on our plates. Guess he knew how terrible the food really was. Save your money and time and go to a more authentic Indian place in town. Trust me, your wallet and tastebuds will thank you. read more