I go to Cumin about once or twice a year. It's delicious but a tad expensive to eat at often. On a side note I haven't tried the buffet yet, definitely on my list of things to do. Last time I was here I had the almond curry with vegetables and the veggie samosa. The sauces that come with the samosa taste really good together, one seems to be a plum sauce the other is green and zesty. The curry is very rich and the portions are generous too, so if you're a light eater like me you can count on having a lot to take home with you! They normally serve enough rice for two people and the orders are served in large platters so they can be shared. However, I definitely recommend leaving room for desert, the combo platter is great if you're feeling indecisive. The gullabjaman is my favorite from the combo and is warm dumplings in rose water! Yum! read more

Hadn't been here in awhile - there are just too damn many good restaurants in Chicago - but Cumin's good as it ever was. My wife had navaratan korma, nine veggies cooked in almond curry sauce. A homerun. I had lamb chili masala, boneless lamb with green chili & curry sauce. Just spicy enough and the meat tender as a newborn. But our guest, who used to live in London where there's a curry shop on every corner, had the most demanding palate. He ordered an old standby, chicken tikka masala, white meat chicken cooked in tandoor and simmered in a creamy tomato sauce. Well?? Superb! Love this joint but watch yourself. The affable owner may want to talk your ear off about his beloved Nepal! read more

This place is now my go-to place for Indian in the Chicago area. Vindaloo was very nice and spicy, lamb was tender and flavorful. I had the lamb samosa, and while I did not care for it, that is strictly a matter of taste, not quality. Nan was good, along with side of raita. Chicken Momo was very good with a lovely sauce. All in my party raved about the food. A bit on the pricey side, but it is worth it for a decent Indian meal. read more

Lovely Restaurent with friendly staff and very good food. We are from south Florida and had a dinner. We enjoyed a lots. Thank you so much. read more

Delicious buffet , what I like is the moist chicken tikka, and the star of the show is lamb keema muttor . So fresh!

Very good Indian food. Not too spicy but flavor packed. For appetizer we shared two kinds of samosas. One with lamb and one with chickpeas, chutney and other delicious ingredients. If you like samosas I highly recommend. Atmosphere and service was good. I will go there again to try other dishes. You will not be disappointed. read more

This place is the worst. I used to order from here, but stopped once I started receiving supposedly full orders that were like four pieces of chicken floating around in tasteless sauce. Today because the snowstorm has closed down the city, I was desperate, so I called, confirmed my info., and was told that they didn't deliver to my area. Really? I reminded them that I ordered from them all the time (proven by the fact that they had my info. in their system), and then they agreed but said they'd have to jack the delivery fee way up because this was a one-time favor. Seriously? No thanks. We need more quality Indian food on the westside!!! Places like this can only operate this way because there aren't more read more

I had madras lamb. The spice level was on spot and the dish was well prepared. Ambience could be better.

Review for takeout. Dal tadkaa was tasteless. Chicken chilli Masala was completely unappetizing and was not even close to being spicy despite the name. ( chicken lovers never order this). And on top of these two entrees and 2 naans cost $41.00. They have been consistently dropping in quality and getting pricier.My sincere request to the owners to step up their game and not get complacent. read more

So Delicious. I pray they still have the goat appetizer when I go back. I am fascinated by the flat rice. Great atmosphere, very serene. Be adventurous and try things you thought you might not. read more

The food was excellent. They give you generous portions, and encourage sharing. I also enjoyed the clean and dimly lit ambiance. I look forward to going again and trying different dishes. read more

Get the Monsoon Wedding Platter! We have dined in, and had delivery from Cumin, and every single time it is delicious! The keema samosa is delicious. The naan is amazing! Service was good, cocktails were interesting (I had one with rose water and saffron that was very aromatic). The Monsoon Platter is an easy way to order, and is plenty of food, We usually have at least another meal for both of us. They do enough spice to appease my need for heat, without killing my other half who is not as tolerant of my ghost pepper ways. All around, wonderful! read more

I love this place! I stopped in with a friend for an early dinner. We were seated right away, but it's a pretty small space so I can see how it may be packed for dinner rush. We split the mosaic (fried/battered vegetables) and palak paneer with garlic naan. We agreed that the palak paneer had the perfect combination of spice and heat without being overwhelming. It was all very good, but the garlic naan is amazing. Our server was also very friendly and social, he brought us some mango drinks from the bar. I wouldn't have thought to order them on my own but I highly recommend them and will order one next time I go back! read more

Best Indian food I've had in Chicago. You are getting quality food when you come here. I have come for lunch buffet and dinner and they are equal quality. Chicken tikka masala is my favorite from here as well as the chili chicken. A little pricey but worth it! read more

Not the best Indian food I've ever had, but very good! Went there for the first time last weekend and really enjoyed the vegetarian sampler platter. Been wanting to try it for a while and was thoroughly impressed. The service was great, constantly by our table either filling up water or asking if we need anything. Nice darker ambiance and it was relatively well priced (think we only spent like $15 per person for a lot of food). All in all, I definitely recommend anyone in the neighborhood to give it a go. read more

Excellent Indian cuisine! The chicken tikka masala was perfectly cooked! The restaurant, itself, is very nice too. The service was good as well! I am definitely going back! read more

To cure my craving for Nepali/Indian food, I went to this restaurant directly from the airport. It was my first time in this restaurant. Being a Nepali I can definitely say, they have good authentic Nepali food. A must try is Nepali dumplings or momos ( that would go for every Nepali restaurant you visit). Their chicken curry with basmati rice and Nepali tea is equally delicious. If you like samosa, they do have decent samosa. Their service is also very nice. I saw them serving customers even beyond their hours so I thought that was great. Cant wait to go back again. Just wish it was closer to my home. read more

There are three words that accurately describe this place- inattentive, dry, and shady! Inattentive: My husband and I had a reservation, but still had to wait 30 minutes before being seated at a table, after which, it was another 20 minutes before someone asked us if we wanted something to drink, and another 20 minutes before they actually brought us the drink. (Side note- the drink was a single glass of wine and we had to ask a different server to get it for us.) Even after this, my husband and I refrained from passing judgment because it was nice to have some extra time to talk and we usually LOVE Indian and Nepalese food, so we figured it would be worth the wait....WRONG. Dry: We ordered the wedding platter. Everything but the lamb was so dry that I would swear the chef thought that he must have been told to make jerky. I have to admit that the lamb didn't make me feel as though I was filing my teeth, but at the same time, I can honestly say that it wasn't worth the calories. Shady: And after all this, my husband and I were still about to leave with a "eh, it's not so bad so long as you never had good Indian food and don't know what it's supposed to taste like," until they purposely attempted to take advantage of us. They brought us the check. Everything was accurate, so we gave them our credit card. When they brought the card back for signature however, we noticed that they had taken the liberty of adding additional items to our bill. Of course the new and incorrect itemized bill was neatly tucked behind the signature page in hopes that we would not notice. To make matters worse, when we brought this to the staff's attention, he merely grabbed the check and walked away without listening to a description of what happened, as if to say, "yes, I know that I tried to screw you over, so you don't need to explain it." In the end, they said that they already charged the credit card for the additional items and that they could not void it, so they gave us cash to make up for it. Long story short, my personal opinion and recommendation is to stay far far away. read more

One of my favorite restaurants in the city. The service has always been great and the food comes out pretty fast. I have had chicken, goat and lamb dishes here and all of them were outstanding. You can easily share things or have an entree for yourself. Everything is very flavorful. Beware anything the servers say is spicy is EXTREMELY spicy. I love that but if you're not ready for food that hot keep that in mind. read more

1 star for the water. Calling before arrival, I asked what time the kitchen closed, they said 2:30. My boyfriend and I walked in at 1:40pm for a quick lunch before heading back to work. We were greeted coldly upon entering and told to have a seat. The mumbling waiter told us to help ourselves to the buffet. It's lent, so we asked if they had vegan friendly options. He said yes. But we went up and noticed that we had 2 options. So we went back to our table and asked to see a menu, didn't seem like an issue. He hands us a menu and mumbles, "we close at 2:30, that's why we ask buffet" At this point I'm at my limit and give my boyfriend the signal to leave. We offer to pay for the water and walk out. I will never go back. Words of advice, never remind customers what time you close. Business is business. read more

Loved this place, ordered it out a week after I dined in, everything we had was delicious..chicken tikki masala, mango lassi, garlic naan

After all the hype food was average at most and customer service was nonexistent. Many better options for Indian in town.

So we did " reservation" for 8:45 , once we came in the host explain us that it's will 29-30 min to get us seated ....!!! Food was OK nothing more than that . I will stop by if I will be in are but defiantly wasn't worst the trip . read more

I really like this place, considering that Indian food in Chicago is usually just ok. Unlike most indian restaurants this place has a very chic and modern decor and ambience, something I'd expect to find more in a place like London, which is refreshing after coming from many curry places that seem more or less comparable to the late night, hole-in-the-wall taqueria. Of course the most important detail, the food rocks. When you arrive you are given an order of pompodoms with a side of mango, tamarind and coriander chutneys to munch on with while you look over their menu choices. I ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala with rice (all the curries come with rice, which is nice. Often they make you order this separate), naan and Mutter Paneer. Both curries were very good. The Tikka Masala was fragrant, flavorful and delicious, the Mutter Paneer mild but also very tasty with descent-sized chunks of cottage cheese. The portion size was plentiful, leaving me more than satisfied. I also had a sampling of the Lamb Madras and the Shrimp Jalfreizi. If you're a lamb lover, I highly recommend trying the Lamb Madras. Although it's a bit of a trek coming from the South loop it definitely is worth a visit and very accessible from the Damen Stop on the Blue Line. read more

To be honest, after seeing the prices online I was very skeptical about this place. Sure, the food is expensive ($15 for tikka masala) but it is REALLY GOOD. You can tell a lot of time goes into preparing these dishes and the spices and flavors are really on point. I'll definitely be going back for more of that addicting tikka masala. read more

I came here with a group of ladies one evening for dinner. You can tell when you are getting closer because you can smell it from down the street - Yum! It is a smaller restaurant, so I can see how it could get crowded when they are busy. However, the night we came, they were not busy. Overall, we loved the food. We ordered the Mosaic Samosa (vegetable) and Chicken Momo appetizers, an order of Garlic Naan, Chicken Tikka Masala, Chicken Makhani / Butter Chicken, Shrimp Vindaloo and Navaratan Korma. Everything was delicious. However, the portions were small and pricey for what you get. We also had to order more rice (we each got one scoop for 4 dishes). That was an extra $3. Seems silly. Our main issue was with how slow, unorganized service. We never had a consistent waiter, we had to ask for things more than once and wait around for a long time before receiving it, and it took forever to get the bill paid. That was disappointing. The food is great, but between the poor service and heightened prices, I'm not convinced that it is a 4-5 star place. read more

If there is anything you can learn from this review, let it be this "goat curry". I shall repeat "goat curry". As a result of my Asian mish-mash upbringing, I'm a pretty crappy "Indian". Favorite Indian foods of mine include dosa, chicken tikka masala, and... wait for it... na'an/pratha/roti with cheese. I was a picky eater as a child, and really wished I had paid better attention to the food I was served, and watching my grandmother cook. / sentimental moment. To me, there are 2 kinds of Indian places. The kind of Devon where $15 can feed you, and your entire family, for 2 days. The food is "tasty", it's just probably not the best, nor are the ingredients the best quality. Expect vinyl on the tables, outdated decor, and a little bit of fomica here and there. You refer to your waiter as "bye-a", and respond with a "teek hai" when your meal is over. This isn't bad. It's just how it is. The second kind is "American". There is real cloth on the table, ambient lighting, a semblance of "decor", thorough explanations on the menus for those unfamiliar with the ingredients or culture, possibly a pronunciation. Food is mostly "inspired" by India, or South Asia. You're going to get higher quality meat, veggies, spices, and alcohol. People will order "doll" instead of "daal", "chicken mack-ni" instead of "chicken muck-ni", and will most likely refer to waiter "Ravi" as "Rah-vi" instead of "Ruh-vi". The check will set you back a bit more, too. Enter: Cumin. Firstly, you can smell this place from 3 blocks down. Really. It's like my grandmother came back from the dead, and moved into Wicker Park. Wow. That's a good sign. The food is super fresh and flavorful. Better than "tasty", yet way more authentic than "inspired". You want spicy. There is spice. They will make you sweat, and you won't feel bad about it. Another tip, venture into the Nepalese menu. Just do it. read more

Went here for valentine's dinner w/high expectations thanks to the Yelp reviews and was terribly disappointed. Why? Well let me tell you, 1. WAAAAAY understaffed. The place was completely full, there was a wait if you didn't have a reservation. We had made a reservation so we were seated right away. There were only 2 "servers" for the entire place. They even had a bar w/no bartender. The server attended to us for the first time probably 15 min. after we were seated. I bet they had a bunch of no shows or had a bunch of employees quit on them. There's no way a manager can be that bad at scheduling/staffing on a popular holiday. 2. Food was late We received our food an hour later after we placed the order w/the server. 3. Self serve? After finally receiving our food, we were expected to serve ourselves if we needed anything else. I asked 2 managers, the only busser, and the only server in the dining area for a straw. Nobody got me one. I had to go grab one from the bar myself. I had to do the same, when I wanted a refill on water. 4. Hella bad management Clearly they have no idea how to run a restaurant. For some reason, the place was getting so busy and the management just could not handle it. I can't believe they didn't staff enough people to work that day. Many couples around me were clearly upset as well. I can tell they were also waiting forever for their needs. When I asked one of the managers if they had a bunch of people quit that night he hesitated and denied it. Yeah right. Clearly, I'm asking because I must need some assistance or something is wrong. Management was not apologetic at all for all the annoyed customers and wait. 5. Food was ok. We ordered 2 chicken entrees and couple of naans. The chicken entrees tasted almost the same. Wasn't that great. Gaylord and Viceroy of India is still waaay better. At the end of the dinner, one server did bring us 2 strawberries dipped in chocolate on the house since he noticed how irritated I was. The only staff member that was attentive and hustling was Andre. Maybe he should manage the place instead since he provided 10xs better customer service than other staff member there. read more

Pricier but worth it -- note that the mains don't come with rice but 1 rice per 2 mains should work. Best Indian delivery we've had yet in Chicago! read more

What a wonderful addition to the 'hood! This place is super cute (much nicer decor than I thought it would have), and the food is fantastic. They do the classic Indian dishes so well (Bharta, saag paneer, tickka masala) and have some cool Nepalese dishes I had never heard of. Love it! read more

So good! First time I've really done Indian food and staff was great. Recommended some great dishes and tasted YUM.

The food here is great, and, while the price might put it at four stars, there are two things pushing it into five star territory. 1) Location, location, location. I love Devon as much at the next girl. Cheap and quick, heck yes. But sometimes I don't really feel like spending an hour on the bus just to get my Indian fix. This place is hipper and cheaper, definitely more modern, while being just as authentic as the River North options, so when I feel like staying close to home, this is it. 2) Service. The night we stopped in at Cumin, we were all extremely spacey. My girlfriend forgot her purse. My roommate forgot her leftovers. So, after a trip for yogurt at icream and a visit to a psychic, we noticed things were amiss and when the roomie arrived to check on things, they had the purse AND the food up front, ready to hand them off to the rightful owners. I've had way too many things disappear in a crowded restaurant not to point that out. So really, I guess my point here is, when I want Indian in the 'hood and don't mind paying a midscale price for ambiance and great food, I'm happy to give my cash over to the good people at Cumin. read more

My husband, sister and I were really excited to visit this place. We've read good reviews and the menu looked great. My husband called early in the day to make a reservation at 8pm. The gentleman on the phone told my husband that reservations were not accepted that late, and by then everything was first come first serve. So, we arrived at 8pm and were told there was a 45 minute wait. We added our names to the list and waited. 45 minutes later, we were told there was a 20 minute wait. Another 20 minutes later, we come back and the hostess (a different person now) told us there are reservations ahead of us and we'd have to wait another 45 minutes. We were outraged. Not only was our reservation not taken, but the hostess was being completely rude and snotty. We left and found a wonderful Greek restaurant. Greektown is always friendly and welcoming. It will take a lot for us to consider going back to Cumin again. read more

The ONLY reason this place gets a star is because the food was amazing. We ordered mango lassis, shrimp pakora, chicken tikka masala, lamb chili masala, fish curry, and garlic naan. All of it was great. HOWEVER - we got there at 730 p.m. on a Sunday with a party of three. The hosts said it would only be a half hour wait, so we ordered drinks at the bar. Well... tried to for at least 20 minutes before we actually got someone at the bar to acknowledge us. Each of the servers were behind the bar, making their own drinks for their tables, and it was insane. Trying to get another round was like pulling teeth. We saw people come in and get seated before us as well for over an hour. We finally were seated at 8:45 p.m. The manager took our order at the bar right before we were seated. Yet, it still took 45 minutes for us to get our food. It wasn't until two hours after we walked in that we finally got our food. When I complained to the manager about our ridiculously delayed service, the manager told us they were busy because it was Sunday and they had reservations that they had to seat before us. Literally, they sat their 8:30 reservation before us even though we had been waiting for over an hour and there was a second table minutes away from being open. Poor decision if you ask me. Then the manager said our food took 45 minutes to make because it is Indian food and they have to cook it to order. NO KIDDING! I am Indian, so I know how long it takes to cook Indian food, but a 45 minute cook time is unreal. Let alone, not one single person came to our table to check on us while we waited. Then he said that he served us a drink at the bar and it was fine. No, also not true. By the time he got our drink order, we were on our third round and had been there for an hour already. This place needs a service crash course. Being a server in the industry, I was appalled at their complete lack of consideration for any step of our dining experience. I will say, the manager discounted our food, so at least there was some sort of recompense for two hours of wasted time. But in general, if you want good service, don't go here. If you really want Indian/Nepalese food, order take out. read more

Long gone are the days of having to drive to Devon street for Indian food, This place can hold it's own. Absolutely fantastic. Don't overlook the Nepalese dishes, they're great. read more

Food is great. Service is great. I had waited anxiously for this place to open and it was worth the wait. We particularly like the lunch buffet. The variety of food ordered from the menu was also delicious. It is nice to have a new go-to Indian restaurant in Wicker Park. read more

WORST PLACE EVER! Yes you can smell the spices for miles away but thats all. The food is bland and has no taste whatsoever! I love Indian food & frequent Devon Ave this place is overpriced and such a waste of money. Go to Sabri's Nihari on Devon Ave not this place with terrible service and worst food!!!! read more

Oh my! One of the best meals I've had so far. Chicken chili is excellent so are the goat dishes. The service is excellent, fast and courteous. I literally do not have one bad thing to say. Bring a hearty appetite and wear your stretchy pants. read more

trying to start this off with something positive. the bar area is nice. Free papadams at the table with three dipping sauces was nice. If you don't eat a lot of indian food and want the americanized version, this is the place. (nothing wrong with wanting an uneventful tikka masala in a setting thats a bit fancier than your microwave) if you are looking for some indian beyond Dominick's Indian ready meals - this is not the place. the vegetables in my okra dish (bihndi massala) were not what I would describe as fresh. my friend had an overly bland chicken curry dish. maybe an extra spicy version would have been better? still, even the mild should still taste good (i mean, thats why you would go to a restaurant , right?). However, after two bites it was boring-- just chicken and a rather heavy creamy sauce with no other interesting ingredients. Finally, the place is ridiculously cramped. maybe this was only the case on friday nights but they are really pushing the limits on fitting people into the space. surprised they didnt try a bunk bed style, adding another layer. its like they are just trying to cram as many paying customers into the place as possible, at the expense of dining comfort and atmosphere you move your chair and you bump into person behind or next to you. (may be understandable if im 200 pounds but i am not). Did not have salty lassis- only had mango lassis from a ready-made jug. wont go again. REAL Indian food is so much better! read more

The food here was excellent. But everything else (save for the company) fell short. The tables are so close together that you can share your neighbor's entree. They're also too small for the giant menus or more than one appetizer. The server broke the cork off in two bottles of wine before suggesting a screw-top option. Really. I am, in general, pretty forgiving of little things especially when I'm enjoying good food, wine, and company, but there were a few too many glitches and I was very nearly annoyed. read more