Full disclosure: I've only eaten here during the weekend buffet that they do (I think that this is actually Friday-Sunday, either out of a misunderstanding of the concept of a weekend or as part of a conscious effort to defy it) because home is the southerly parts of Pinellas and, given the existence of thirty-some miles of miscellaneous urban nonsense between where I am and where they are (I need to take three interstates to get here, each more stultifying than the last), it might as well be in one of the Dakotas, or else some forbidding slope in Kamchatka, where the wolves howl and the night does not end. Thus, I've never been here for a normal meal and ordered a normal item off the menu like a normal person. But I've been to the buffet many times, since the place is right across the street (or *almost* just across the street) from Lettuce Lake Park, a lovely place to wander and gawp at the alligators and weird birds for the princely sum of $2. Utterly full disclosure: If I have any tiny trace of blood from the Indian subcontinent, it's been so diluted and diffused by generation upon generation of angry people who make angry-looking buildings that it probably now couldn't fill a grasshopper's coffee mug, and I'm pretty sure that I've never been within three thousand miles of Delhi. So I have no claim to judge what constitutes authentic Indian food of any stripe, and anyone who does should feel free to snort contemptuously and consign this review to whatever part of their brain they use to store voicemails about extending their car warranty or the phone books that regularly land in their yards and absorb rain and reclaimed water until they're a soupy mess. But, even given the above caveats, this very well might be the best Indian restaurant I've ever visited. I've had a long and checkered career of visiting Indian restaurants, from the dismal downtown buffet where you eat too much chicken tikka for no discernible reason (it does not spark joy or create satisfaction, but still you keep eating it) and enter a state of such profound drowsiness that you immediately understand that you will never get anything important done for the rest of the day, to the smalltown restaurant putting on airs with white tablecloths and silver where the most complex item on the menu is saag paneer, to the grotesque and misbegotten Midwestern late-Fifties steadily-collapsing concrete-and-sheet-metal monstrosity where beef vindaloo (???) is on the menu and the servers mispronounce the names of dishes with the insouciant confidence of the utterly damned. So, whatever mitigating factors might be in place, I stand by my pronouncement. The buffet, and the menu in general (which, again, I haven't sampled at length, but have browsed) seem to make reluctant concessions to American taste, offering some of the usual suspects (butter chicken, tikka masala, whatever vindaloo), but seem to be mostly interested in going beyond that. The weekend buffet reliably has goat curry, which is wonderful (and spicy!) and not something that is regularly included in the genre, and the chili chicken (which is usually interpreted as some soupy, sticky variant on Chinese food, as per its origins) is a sort of dry, fried, spice-encrusted dish, gloriously addictive. And many dishes whose names are unfamiliar to me--a sort of rice pudding, but not the kheer that is easily found at every five-and-dime buffet across the nation, instead a complex, spicy concoction with caraway and green chile, or a set of fritters (labeled "baby corn," though I'm not at all sure that's what they were) that become transcendent when dipped in one of the array of lovely sauces that they provide. And it's actually spicy, or, rather, many dishes are (the butter chicken is still, predictably, bland and inoffensive), which is damn near impossible to find in an Indian restaurant around these parts--even some of the buffet items have a decent bite. And the little (free!) cups of chai that they provide--strong, but not too sweet, not like the milky sugared-up lattes that you get at Starbucks. And this, and that, and more. Yes, it's slightly spendy (currently around $15 for the buffet), but you don't eat here every day and, perhaps, like me, you've driven for a while to be here, in a weird abandoned parking lot adjacent to a Holiday Inn Express adjacent to a huge tech park... so it's probably worth it. But if you've just skipped to the end, here, in hopes of discovering whether this restaurant is good and whether you should eat here, the answer is, definitely, yes and yes. If you are even remotely intrigued by Indian food, and if you do not shrink from the notion of capsaicin-laced food as if it were the machinations of the devil himself, you owe it to yourself to visit this place. Yes, it's in the parking lot of a hotel, and it's tiny, and you don't know where you are or what's what (welcome to Florida). Just go in and eat the goat curry, you weirdo. read more

Great food the naan bread was perfect the butter chicken was very flavorful Downfall would be the family members hang out there and play with the remote halfway through dinner the nice mood music I was listening turned into an Indian comedy show because the owners father had the remote. read more

Desi Flavors - Butter chicken. - Indian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

I came in on a lunchtime Sunday ... food is good. Service is good. Overall 4 stars solid for selection / taste / location / flavors & overall buffet experience. 5 stars solid for atmosphere / seating / cleanliness & food layout. I definitely recommend if you're in the em area - check out them out. read more

Desi Flavors - Buffet - Indian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Food was good and I'll be back. The prices were not bad either. If I can make one suggestion, and that would be the gentleman that was taking the orders and ringing up at the register was wearing gloves the entire time. Please stop wearing the gloves. It does no good to touch money and then touch our food. Take off the gloves, and wash your hands. By the way, try the goat fry it's incredible. read more

Best wings I've ever had in my life. Mint masthi and Desi bang bang. Guys it's absolute fire I can't stress enough. Those 2 flavors at least are gas best wings I've ever had. read more

Desi Flavors - Mint masthi, desi bang bang - Indian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

NEVER AGAIN! We ordered the chicken Biryani family pack, but honestly, I don't know how this could be called Biryani anymore. The quality has really dropped. We stored it properly and only opened it right before dinner, but it was already stale and had a strong, unpleasant smell. It felt like it was leftover from their buffet. I wish there was an option to give zero stars because this was one of the worst Indian food experiences I've had. A total waste of both time and money. read more

Desi Flavors - Chicken Dum Biryani - Indian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

See all

I was a bit disappointed as they did not taste as good as I remember. Their garlic naan was not fluffy. The Aloo Gobi was extremely disappointing as the cauliflower tasted like it was previously frozen. I did love the chicken shahi kurma which is a chicken curry that's cashew based (no tomatoes). The curry was creamy and flavorful. I would come back for the curry but not so much for the Aloo Gobi. I do appreciate the lunch buffet specials they offer on the weekends as not many restaurants offer this. read more

Ordered online for dinner takeout. Website is a little awkward to navigate and they use a service for online payment that is out of state so when it processed my bank thought it was fraud . We ordered two appetizers the paneer pakora and the samosas - both were very good! For entrees we tried - Chicken Tikka Massala - son devoured it with garlic naan and the chettinad chicken which was also very good. Flavors were fantastic and the food is very aromatic so the car and house smelled amazing! Overall it was great besides the ordering/payment process. read more

Absolutely the best Indian food I've ever had. Daughter and I went on a Wednesday got the BOGO Biryani paneer. Large size, fresh tasted Devine just wonderful. also had the non veg samosas, small but very tasty filled with meat. The stars though were the garlic naan and butter chicken. The naan was hot, fresh and buttery just wonderful. The butter chicken was tender and so flavorful. Rich , tasty and to die fr. Good service, next to hotel we were staying in . Not very busy but seemed like they had a good takeout business. Will definitely return. 5 stars read more

Not really for eating in but food is SO GOOD my #1 in the university area for takeout Indian

We ordered takeout. One of the worst places I've had Indian food from. The dish was filled with bone and fat. Not a piece of meat. The dish was beyond spicy even though it was not indicated in the menu. Never again! read more

First of all, let me say the service was Excellent!! The waiters and staff were super friendly and helpful when we ordered our meals!! But, most importantly the food was Delicious- compliments to the Chef !!!! The food was prepared quickly and the flavors were outstanding!!! We ordered a lot more but ate it so quickly we forgot to take pictures!! We will definitely be coming back here !! Thank you for this delicious meal!! read more

Desi Flavors - Chicken Tikka Masala - Indian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

See all

Authentic and delicious! We really enjoyed the grilled chicken tikka and the butter lamb! The server was very friendly and the lunch came with naan, rice and a little dessert- we enjoyed ! read more

Desi located at telecom park. Which they can get a lot Hindu customers who work on IT at this commercial park. They located at the end unit of the plaza which allows them to have some outdoor seating. During the weekday, they serve Tali plate. Weekend they serve buffet for lunch. The buffet have a lot meat selection. I like the mutton curry. Among the meat curry, I also like their chili chicken and the chicken curry. Tandoori chicken is also good there. They have served different biryanis. But I like the noodle. One thing special I can said is the shrimp curry. It is interesting. Overall the price is at the high side. I do not get the wow factor. But I can tell you they don't make it less spicy because of Americans. They did spicy the food which suppose to be. I would give them 3.5 star f read more

See all

Nice menu for buffet however I missed goat entries. Having one bathroom for both gents and ladies is something they need to improve on.

Just awful! When you walk in, someone will either tell you "just sit anywhere" or point and say "sit over there". No one will show you to a table. Once seated, nobody comes around to ask if you'd like a drink or anything. It is totally self-service there. Nobody ever came by to ask "how is everything". They are very unprofessional, and seemed understaffed. The buffet selection was very disappointing. There were some chicken dishes, but not much in the way of vegetables. They had okra, but no saag dish, no potato dish, no saffron cabbage, or naavratan korma. They had fish that tasted ok, but was full of bones and hard to eat. They kept running out of clean plates and dessert dishes. They charge $21.99 per person. There are better places to go. read more

Desi flavors is one of, if not the best Indian Curry establishments I've had the pleasure of tasting. My mom had just moved back into town and wanted to try something new so the three of us went to try this place nearby. I was very surprised by the quality of curry and the elevation of flavor when I took that first bite of the chicken Tikka masala. Although it's been a simple go to for those new to Indian curry, it seemed a safe way to go. However, the curry far surpassed my expectations. The curry had more richness in flavor and balance than any curry establishment I've dined at before. The paneer Naan was the perfect pairing to each of our chosen curries. We shared an appetizer of the Paneer Tikka sizzler and it was far better than the place we had gone to previously in tampa. The other location for curry had this item and was almost twice the price while the entree was dry and not well seasoned. Each piece was well seasoned and still moist on the inside (especially the fish!!). My partner and I have since gone back a few times and our experience is the same, pleasant and wonderful. I highly recommend this place for its flavors and it's prices!!! read more

Desi Flavors - Paneer Naan, Lemon soda, Chai drink, Butter Chicken curry with rice, Chicken Tikka masala curry and goat curry. High and low spice levels - Indian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Beware when you order / prices on menu are lower than what rings up. When I pointed it out they say "oh, we are changing out prices" like it's no big deal. What a shame that they have no idea how to run a business. read more

Food is average, and the wait is crazy long if you want to order your food. Ordered as soon as they opened and it took about 45 mins...

It's really worth visiting this restaurant. The food is absolutely outstanding with great taste and good portions size. This is the first time in Tampa I had delicious Indian food. Ambience is okay but sure nothing beats the food. read more

2023-03-26 Update: Earlier today I sat and watched the hostess as she was confronted by a guest over a table choice. She insisted he sit at a table he did not want to sit at, and when he suggested an alternative table, she resisted. And then she changed her mind and said "that's okay - you can sit there." That guest was right! She deserved what he gave her and I applaud his correction to her. And then I saw her do the exact same thing with guest after guest. Absurd! And her first biggest problem was allowing a single woman to sit at a preferred table - a booth. HELLO!! Don't you get it?! Most groups much prefer booths over tables in the open room!! She was a complete flake-oid! One more thing: Why don't they have plastic gloves for guests to utilize? It's a buffet and every person is touching the serving spoons and tongs. THIS IS NOT SAFE and I suspect the Health Department may have something to say about this! Same good food. Same clean restaurant. A hostess who doesn't have a clue, and an owner or manager who is not offering plastic gloves for his guest's safety. I'm less impressed and hope they'll take a hint from this update. read more

I've been pleasantly surprised on my business trip here for the week of exploring ethnic foods. This is the second Indian restaurant I've tried and so far both have been fantastic. Here I tried the kadai chicken and Gobi manchurian cauliflower. The chicken was tender and fell apart with a spoon a very flavorful and delicious dish. The Gobi Manchurian fried cauliflower and chili sauce was fantastic. read more

Takeout order of vegetable biryani - glad to see multiple cauliflower pieces in addition to the usual potato, carrots and peas. They had a buy one, get one free Wednesday special which we couldn't mix and match items - so with one order of vegetable biryani, we got 2 portions of the same. Flavor was good and not super oily like other places. Might not be best ambience to sit and eat, but definitely recommend takeout. Gobi Manchurian was ok - nothing much to say. My husband liked the veg biryani to the point he said we can stay at the same place next time we visit Tampa so we can eat here:) read more

We went for a lunch buffet on Sunday. This indian restaurant is a small one just behind of USF. The lunch buffet had various options including 2-3 options for chicken, 2-3 options for rice, nice veg options. They offer USF student discounts also. Please do try this place. read more

See all

A tucked away treasure! In short: Eat here. Restaurant appearance: Desi Flavors is a cozy little Indian restaurant located in a strip mall. Inside is quite roomy with wooden tables and booths. They play Indian music and it gives a lively, upbeat feel. Food: I ordered Kadai Chicken with rice, plain naan, and idli sambar. I eat Indian food often and have never seen idli on a menu, so I had to try it! Idli is a South Indian dish and is basically a steamed rice cake. They serve it with chutney and sambar, which is a vegetable stew. You can dip the idli in either and it's wonderful. I really enjoyed the sambar because it has a savory vegetable flavor. The chutneys were good too though. The Kadai was great- green peppers and onions in a lovely tomato sauce seasoned well. The chicken was very tender. They serve this with a large portion of basmati rice. The naan was interesting in the sense that it was more crispy, than chewy. I love big, fluffy, and chewy naan, but this was much thinner than what I'm used to having. It wasn't bad at all- just different. Staff: Very polite, well mannered, and helpful! Overall: Highly recommend eating here. The food is delicious and I enjoyed ever read more

See all

Food was good. I did not know it was buffet style later on a Sunday. They kept running out of popular items. It was crowded. read more

Great food, very authentic and delicious. Service isn't bad either. Ambience is exotic but nothing fancy.

Good Indian food is hard to find in Tampa Bay, but Desi Flavors is great. Their food is fresh and the service is great - the owners were super friendly. Will be back to try the buffet! read more

Great food, great service. A little out of the way, but among the most flavorful tika chicken I've had. The nan was fluffy, fresh and crisp on the bottom-amazing! read more

The service was great, the food was fine. I had the chicken tikki masala. It was okay but lacking flavor.

My daughter and I were craving Indian cuisine and our town is depressingly devoid so it was time for a run to Tampa. We were sold on Desi Flavors when we saw it had a weekend buffet because where better for the opportunity to try a handful of new things without committing to a single dish, right? The food was delicious and there was a great selection. We got to indulge in our usual favorites (butter chicken, gobi) and try a handful of new items too (curried goat, Afghani chicken kebab). I particularly loved the chicken biryani and honestly wish I had daily access to it. Everything was great and the staff were courteous and helpful, ready to explain any dishes we were curious about. Whenever we're in Tampa, this spot will be on our short list for a good meal. read more

Some good dishes, nothing to write home about, but nothing to be disappointed in either. Went in for the weekend buffet. Plenty of options. Like many of the other reviews, I liked the butter chicken best. The curry was great, really flavorful. I'm not sure how the chicken was cooked, but it literally melted in my mouth. But not in a good way. It was odd and a bit difficult to describe. The goat curry was similar in that the curry was great and really flavorful, but the goat was a bit tough. Admittedly, this was the first time I've had goat. Maybe that's just what it's like. Overall, if someone was dying to go here, I'd tag along. But it wouldn't be an out-of-my-way stop for me. read more

We went for the weekend lunch buffet and we're NOT disappointed! Everything was delicious, and the staff was super helpful and kind. 10/10 would recommend. Also the fresh naan was TO DIE FOR!! Sooooo good!!!! Come support this local business! read more

Desi Flavors - $14.99 weekend lunch buffet!!! SO SO GOOD - Indian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

The biryanis are excellent especially at the BOGO pricing! Friendly and efficient...we live a little far so don't go as often as we would like read more

I was too busy eating to take pictures of the fantastic lunch buffet this place has. My mom and I drove out of our way to come to this restaurant because we enjoyed it so much after our first visit. Everything is fresh and they change up the dishes offered in the lunch buffet. The service is attentive and they take COVID precautions seriously. This is definitely a new favorite for us! read more

Desi Flavors - Indian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

This place needs some advertisement. Here for the first time. Saturday lunch buffet. Much better quality than Minerva. Moderately spicy. If you're white, your nose will run. You know it has to be good when your fellow diners are all Indian. I still prefer Curry Kitchen back home, but this is the best we've had in Tampa. Just go. I doubt you'll be disappointed. read more

This is my wife and I's go-to place for Indian food. I've never had a bad meal here, and the staff is always friendly. It's the best Indian food in the Temple Terrace/USF area. Eat in or dine out, the quality doesn't change. read more

This is the second time we visited the establishment first time is when they first opened and it was great second time ehhh it's still good but not great wishes they had their chai all throughout the time but they didn't however their juice was yummy the food was ok I kinda wish they had more options like some appetizer and small things but it was ok if we are in the area and want to have Indian food we might stop in again btw the staff is friendly so they do have a plus for that! read more

I would recommend you give Desi Flavors a try. This was my first meal at a restaurant in over a year because of the beautiful shaded patio area. I ordered the veggie lunch special and was pleased with the food. I will be back whenever I get the chance. read more

Desi Flavors - Veggie lunch special - Indian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

See all

Ordered from here multiple times. The portion was big and the biriyani tasted amazing! Must try their mutton biryani my favorite! They have lunch buffet as well on Friday Saturday and Sunday till2:30pm. they offer many options goat , fish , chicken, biryani, sweet, etc. Will come again. read more

See all