In my continuing journey of trying all the Indian food I can find in Bakersfield I came across this…read morelittle gem. It's located inside of a gas station/convenience store and has some cool stuff inside that you won't see other places like Indian beverages and alcohol. Struggled a little bit at the beginning, the guy that came to the counter and tried to take my order didn't seem to understand much English and after repeating the order 3 or 4 times he said ok and walked off. A few minutes later a different guy came up and took my order. I asked for chicken vindaloo and he seemed confused so I grabbed a copy of the menu and pointed at it and he promptly scratched it out with a pen and said they didn't have it. I went with the chicken curry instead and of course had to try to the samosas and garlic chili naan. -Samosas 10/10, fantastic. Great heat to them, nice and crispy, hot and fresh and packed full of filling bursting with flavor. The chutney was delicious as well. -Curry Chicken 9/10 excellent. Big big pieces of chicken in the curry, more than enough to fill me up. It was really oily which I know chicken curry has oil but it was more than I'm used to and I wish it had a little more spice. -Garlic Chili Naan 10/10 fantastic. Just so packed with flavor and perfectly cooked, not much more to say. Overall it was a good experience and I'd definitely come back to try some more menu options. They need to do a little menu updating it seems but that doesn't take away from great food that I got all for under $20.

Walked in not knowing they had Indian food for sale inside, but as soon as we walked in it smelled…read moreso good. We had to try it so we got the chicken tikka masala bowl and a garlic chili naan. It was very delicious and affordable. Definitely enough for 2, and paid about $22 ish.

Went to this food truck a few weeks ago while returning from Yosemite NP. It's right in the center…read moreof Bakersfield and serves authentic Punjabi food. It is run by two Indian ladies who cook and serve from a food truck. They have a lot of varieties on their menu. We tried sag paneer, kadhi pakoda and roti. All the items were really delicious. They also serve rice with their curries. The ambience is also similar to a traditional indian roadside dhaba. Will surely visit again.

The sign outside this establishment reads Ronak Dhaba, but it is the same place. Stopped off on…read moreour way back from San Francisco. Very unassuming when we parked our car and approached the entrance. It is an outdoor restaurant with a food truck making all the dishes. We ordered the Puri Chole, Mixed Vegetable Parantha, Paneer Bhurji, Rotis, and Raita. The food was amazing! We practically inhaled everything, it tasted so good. It was a bit of a detour for us, but 100% worth it. The hospitality and service was impeccable. It is authentically Punjabi and it did not disappoint. We will definitely be back in the future when driving through.

Yeah, so I think this might actually be my favorite Indian place I've been to in my life, excluding…read morebuffets. I was here a few weeks ago, day one of the 10-day California road trip I'd planned out to visit a bunch of interesting, less-visited parts of California and go to a bunch of historical state parks, which required being there when they're open, which required a pretty detailed itinerary so we could be in the right place at the right time, with food then planned around where we'd be at the time. Over the course of the subsequent week and a half, we ate a *lot* of sandwiches of varying quality in the interest of speed, but when I saw this super highly rated Indian place right midway between SoCal and Fresno, and especially when I saw they had a bunch of interesting, affordable appetizers I don't generally see at the more Americanized Indian places I'm used to - I gambled on having enough time to have a sit-down meal. Gambled quite successfully - this was one of the best meals we had that trip. First off, service-wise, we sat down and then ordered pretty much as soon as we sat down (it was admittedly along empty, a random Saturday around noon). The lassis are premade (fresh, but earlier in the day), so we had a lassi like 30 seconds after ordering one. The appetizer was out in 15 minutes, the 2 entrees in 20 (an entirely reasonable amount of time to get food made from scratch.) Great lassi, too. (We got a second one. It also arrived in 30 seconds.) Wonderfully rich, mango-y, not too sweet or too thick. Great. The appetizer we tried, mirchi bajji, or rather, I tried (I love peppers, my wife... doesn't), I don't have a comparison for, as I'd never had it, but it's quite tasty. Was funny though, the waitress asked to make sure I knew it was just peppers when I ordered it, I was like... yeah, you're correct to assume I've never had it before, but I looked it up, and that's *exactly* why I'm ordering it. It is not actually particularly spicy, but I enjoyed eating it all to myself, anyway. The entrees we shared - a lamb curry, and a lamb biryani. The curry is wonderful - certainly *one* of the best lamb curries I've had - but not terribly large. When it arrived, it looked like a *tiny* portion, but it's also quite rich, so it was bigger than it looked, and wasn't an unreasonable amount for the price, with how expensive everything (like lamb) has gotten. It doesn't come with naan, but you *have* to get naan with it obviously - you also get a good amount of naan, their naan is perfectly fluffy and great, and you can't have curry without naan to sop it up. Wonderfully stewed lamb, too. Not unreasonably priced at all, but we ate all the curry and all the naan. I say that because the biryani, by contrast, was also wonderful, but it was also *stupidly* huge. We stuffed our faces until we were stuffed, still took a bunch of leftovers of the biryani with us, weren't at all hungry for our original dinner plans in Fresno, and ended up both just eating the leftover biryani for dinner in our airbnb. It was a lot of biryani. I hope by saying this, they don't read this and fix this, because I absolutely plan on making this my stop on future trips between SoCal and NorCal, and I absolutely want to get biryani and have leftovers again. Admittedly not literally the best biryani I've ever had (I'm still trying to find anywhere else that makes biryani quite like the the first place I ever had it, 20 years ago...) - but excellent. Anyway, I wish this place would open an off-shoot much closer to me, but I definitely intend to drop by whenever we drive through Bakersfield and have time for a quick sit-down meal instead of fast food. They have a lot of interesting food items I don't usually see on Indian menus here, that I want to try!

I feel odd writing this and am conscious of how it may sound. I love Indian food firstly. The food…read morehere was good and the service was attentive and friendly. The part I feel weird saying is that this place was named perfectly. My husband and I couldn't get the smell out of our hands for days. We kept talking about how different this place is- the aroma stayed with us. We thought maybe it's a regional thing? I tried a new food that leads me to believe it is regional. Essentially jalapeño poppers but Indian. The masala flavor was amazing and they burned my mouth in a way that lingered. I love spicy so these were perfect. All in all- good. Not amazing, not terrible. Just good. Factor in the smell we couldn't get out (again- I love the spices and scents that come with Indian food I just don't want it on my fingers for days) and it's ok. I think this place is authentic, flavorful, and affordable.

First of all, I've known this place since it was a food truck in the middle of nowhere, and I've…read morealways been a big fan. I moved out of Bakersfield but every time I visited, I had to make sure I go to this place. This time I brought my friends who also live in bigger cities, but everyone ended up falling in love with this place and couldn't stop talking about it. I'm so happy that they moved from the food truck location to a nicer place and more central to the nicer part of Bakersfield (near riverwalk) . My friends who I took to this place, still rave about the food they had here. It's so authentic, delicious, and just special. You ordered at the counter, and during lunch time there are options to get the lunch combo which are two types of dishes with rice or naan. I usually chose the usual, either tikka masala, butter chicken, or curry. But this time I wanted to try something I never got from the menu, which is the Shahi Matar chicken. Oh.My.God, it was the bomb! It's sooo good. The other thing that I always got was the veggie pakora. It goes sooo well with the curry dishes. Amazing. Services were pretty fast, around 10mins of wait during busy lunch time. If you didn't finish the food (which they give you really good portion), they have the lids for everything and ready to take home. Everytime I go back to Bakersfield, I always ensure to come here and bring my visitor friends here too. I already miss all the food here.

Thanks to Michaela J. for recommending this place! Who would have thought I'd find mesmerizing…read moreIndian food in Bakersfield that comes close to what I first experienced in England? I'm glad another business has moved into this location. The Asian fusion restaurant that was here previously was also very good, so it's nice to see another great dining option in the space, I can visit right after my doctor's appointment. On this visit, I ordered the 16-ounce goat curry.. I wanted to make sure I liked their goat curry before committing to the 32 oz beast.. Personally, I recommend ordering it with no added spice if you really want to appreciate the individual ingredients, the flavor of the goat, and the delicious curry sauce served over the rice, but I don't like spice so that's just my opinion. The goat Curry was great my only beef... pun intended was that they were just as many bones as there was meat. Also there were tiny bones almost too tiny which I did not expect. 3.5 out of 5 stars This time, I also tried the garlic naan, and it was very good! It had generous chunks of garlic throughout, with the perfect texture and softness. It was excellent for soaking up the sauce 5 stars The people I dined with ordered the butter chicken and chicken curry both 5 stars The rice here was good it seemed as if it was freshly cooked I wish it was a little hotter to the touch but overall really good 4 out of 5 stars Everyone I at the restaurant was friendly and courteous, and funny. The people here are real and we were able to talk about food in other countries, they were also happy to explain the menu items when asked, which I always appreciate, especially when exploring a cuisine with so many wonderful dishes, I have never tried before. The operating hours for Punjabi Dhaba in Bakersfield seem to be every day 1000 am to 8:30 pm. This means they're open on both Saturdays and Sundays, which is a plus. I visited on a Sunday, and although the restaurant wasn't empty, it had just enough customers to create a short wait for the food. My order was served in a timely manner, and just a pleasant experience. Apparently, this restaurant started as a food truck, but I never had the opportunity to try it back then. I'm glad I finally got the chance to visit them at their brick-and-mortar location! If this visit is any indication, I have a feeling there's a lot more delicious food waiting for me to discover.I'll definitely be back to try the butter chicken and some of the street food items on the menu 4 out of 5 stars

Went to Heart of India with my sister a few weeks ago and everything was absolutely delicious! I…read moretried the medium-spice butter chicken, fried rice, cheese & garlic naan, and aloo paratha. ‍ We definitely ordered A LOT of food, but it was all so good! The butter chicken was so flavorful and practically melted in my mouth. I probably would've gone with the spicier option because the medium wasn't quite spicy enough for me, but it was still delicious! The naan was also perfect for soaking up all that sauce. Definitely a spot I'll be coming back to!

I enjoyed every single dish here all the food was delicious would definitely come here again if I…read morewant good food 5/5! It was a bit cold but other than that the atmosphere is nice and looks pretty fancy. The customer service was great and definitely welcoming to all of us. The place smells beautiful and the water was good too. They didn't have orange juice which is fine bc it probably wouldn't have gone with the food. I 100% will go back and try other dishes bc all of these were amazing!!!!

These guys are great at making delicious food with fast service and quality. Indian lamb biryanis…read morespicy.

Came on Sunday with a decent variety of food. Help yourself buffet with the server bringing naan…read moreand drinks. Goat curry, fish Pakora and tandoori chicken standouts. Also comes with garlic naan and drink. $17.99+ tax. Dark interior but expected with Indian places. Only missing was palak paneer or aloo gobi.

I never leave reviews but this place is just too good for me not to, in a city (Bakersfield) with a…read moreseemingly endless sea of mediocre at best restaurants. My GF loves Indian food and extra spicy, but for me it's not a usually a top choice. JBV however is completely different. I'm only in Bakersfield a few days a month but I always try and squeeze in a meal at Jay Bhavani because the food is outstanding. The flavor and texture of each dish is dialed to perfection and the quality is consistently top notch. The servers are always friendly (shout out to Nirav) and they give helpful descriptions/recommendations if, like me, you aren't super familiar with the wide variety of dishes they serve. My favorites are the JB Special Dosa and Vada Pav (great for eating on the go) The food is always made to order and fresh. They also have beer on draft or glass bottled soda (the good stuff) to wash it down with. My spice tolerance is relatively high, but they do offer many dishes mild/no spice by request for those that can't handle the heat. The digs are humble so you won't mistake this place for fine dining, but the important stuff (THE FOOD and SERVICE) are right up there with the best in Bakersfield.

Taste is very good. Paratha's are awesome. Food is prepared fresh after the order. Tried bhelpuri,…read morehad authentic Indian street taste.

This little hole in the wall is a true gem. The food is amazing. Husband & wife team. Support…read moreour local

I came into this place looking for something cheap to eat. I go inside and am greeted by a lady and…read moretold to sit wherever I like. The place was a little warm, and there was a tower fan oscillating to bring some breeze inside. I'm given a menu and asked what I'd like to drink. I get a water and the water tastes good, not like sink water. The menu was a little confusing, and seems to not have everything they seem to offer. I was planning on ordering the chicken tikka masala, but didn't see it on the menu, but looked on doordash after I ordered and saw that there sell it on there, must be something you just have to ask for. I order a butter chicken instead, and the lady taking my order was very kind. It was $15 for the butter chicken and it comes with naan, rice, salad, and the butter chicken. Initially I didn't think the place was cheap like Yelp said it was based off the menu prices but when I saw how much food I received for it, I think it was well worth the money. The naan was pretty good, especially good being dipped into my butter chicken sauce. The salad was quite refreshing, usually I don't like cucumber but for some reason I enjoyed it in my salad, and I didn't expect to enjoy strawberries in my salad but I did! The butter chicken had great flavor. After I ate all the chicken, I poured the rest of the sauce on top of my rice and ate my rice. The rice was pretty good to me. After I ate I went to the counter to pay and I wasn't even asked to tip, which was refreshing to me although I would've been happy to tip. There was a tip jar I believe but I didn't have cash on me, and I was paying with card. Overall, service great, food great, price great, menu and air conditioning could use some work but I know things aren't cheap so I understand, it wasn't unbearable. Looking forward to coming again in the future!

We absolutely love this restaurant..The food is fantastic! 10/10 definitely recommend. I…read morepersonally feel like it's the best Indian cuisine in Bakersfield. I love how lowkey the location is. The service was very quick. We basically had the whole place to ourselves other than the people coming to pick up their food.

Forget any preconceived notion of where one can find good Indian food. The Indian Oven is one of…read morethe absolute best Indian restaurants I've been to in my life. In fact I'm hesitant to share because if I have to wait for a table at a restaurant which sits next to an abandoned and boarded up "food store" (that is literally the signage next to 'restaurant' which is for Indian Oven), then I may be somewhat unpleasant to deal with. We started with Aloo Tikki with Channa and Chili Paneer. The Channa was nice and peppery (order mild if you're unaccustomed to Indian spice levels), and the Chili Paneer was delightfully tangy. The mains were lamb vindaloo and goat biryani. The goat is on the bone, so be careful. The meat is nice and tender, the sauces are super flavorful without being overwhelming, and while I wasn't super hungry when I came in, I couldn't stop eating until my date made me. If you're in Bakersfield, make the drive.

Great service and fresh aloo paratha. Chai was fresh and hit the spot. Nice pit stop on our travels.read more

Best Indian food in Bako hands down! It's always amazing and…read morewe try new things every single time!