This was my second time here. The ambiance and atmosphere is nice. The service is a bit slow and some food was lukewarm temperature when it came to our table, but the staff is incredibly nice! The food was good but it felt like it was missing some flavor. Overall it was decent though I am not sure that I would crave it enough to come back again. read more

I used to love this restaurant. By my count, I have eaten here at least 5 times, each time introducing it to a different friend. This time, it was my niece, who's visiting from overseas and also love Indian cuisine. We decided to have a late lunch on a Thursday. There were no diners when we arrived, which was to be expected since it was around 2pm. While we were dining though, about 5 more parties came in. Upon entering, the employee sitting by the door, not behind the counter, was picking his foot, and seemed surprise by our entry. Not a good sign. Once we were seated, he served us 2 bottled water. Yes, with the same unwashed hands. LOL I wanted my niece to taste the crispy corn which is unique to this place. We wanted garlic naan for sure, so we needed some saucy dishes to go with it. I wanted to try something I've never ordered before. I asked the server (Yes, the guy who was scratching his foot) to recommend a dish to go with our naan. He was completely useless, so we went ahead and picked a vegetable and a chicken curry, based on descriptions on the menu. The crispy corn that I always order was heavily battered to the point that you couldn't taste the corn anymore. We realize the kernels were dry and probably old, which is why they covered it up with lots of batter. The vegetable curry was decent. The chicken was extremely salty and almost inedible. The worst part was... the naan was overly charred, thin and hard like pita chips! We complained but they didn't do anything. Perhaps this server thought we were unfamiliar with Indian food since I was asking him to recommend dishes, and thought they could serve us this naan like we didn't know any better. We ate some and packed up most of the food. (I don't waste food, but I could remedy them if they're not up to par.) I can no longer recommend this restaurant. I will warn all the friends I've introduced Kritunga to. Time to look for another Indian restaurant in town. read more

If you're considering dining at Kritunga Indian Restaurant in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, think again. My recent experience there was nothing short of a disaster, and I would strongly advise against visiting this establishment. Here's why: Firstly, the management of the restaurant is incredibly unprofessional. The place is run by a group of young individuals who seem to have no understanding of customer service or respect for their patrons. Upon arrival, it was clear that they prioritized larger parties over smaller groups like ours. Despite the restaurant being relatively new, it was evident that they had not taken the time to properly train their staff or understand the basics of running a successful business. Our dining experience started off poorly and only got worse. The staff barely acknowledged us and seemed disinterested in providing any sort of quality service. The lack of attention to smaller parties like ours was not just noticeable but blatant. We felt ignored and undervalued, which set a negative tone for the entire meal. The food, which is supposed to be the highlight of any dining experience, was utterly disappointing. We ordered several dishes, hoping to enjoy the rich flavors and spices that Indian cuisine is known for. However, each dish was tasteless and bland. It was as if no thought or care had been put into the preparation. The flavors were flat, and the textures were off. It was a complete waste of money, especially considering there are numerous other Indian restaurants in the area that offer far superior food. Adding to the misery was the state of the restaurant itself. The floor was slippery, making it hazardous to walk around. It was clear that cleanliness and safety were not priorities here. Both bathrooms were lacking basic amenities, such as tissues, which is unacceptable. Additionally, there was no salt and pepper in the shakers at our table, a small but significant detail that further highlighted the restaurant's lack of attention to basic customer needs. The overall ambiance of the restaurant was also lacking. Instead of feeling welcomed and comfortable, we felt neglected and uncomfortable. The staff's attitude was one of arrogance and indifference, which was reflected in the poor service and subpar food. It's truly a shame because the northwest suburbs of Chicago have a vibrant dining scene with many excellent Indian restaurants. Unfortunately, this place does not come close to meeting the standards set by its competitors. The combination of poor service, tasteless food, and an unclean environment makes this place a regrettable choice for anyone looking to enjoy a meal out. In conclusion, I cannot recommend this place to anyone. It was a thoroughly disappointing experience from start to finish. The management needs to seriously rethink their approach to running a restaurant and prioritize their customers' needs and satisfaction. Until significant improvements are made, I would suggest avoiding this place and opting for one of the many other decent Indian restaurants in the area. Save your money and your taste buds--do not dine here. read more

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Food: three things that make food delicious. 1. Flavor harmony 2. Quality ingredients 3. Care in preparation. All three were missing. Three things that make service memorable 1. Attentiveness 2. Clarity and communication 3. Consistency Again all three were missing. We ordered several things off the menu as we were a large group so we hoped that we would have something positive to say about a dish but all were in agreement that none were memorable. In terms of service, we had to keep asking the wait staff for the food as we noticed all the table around us get their food before us. When we did get the food it trickled in one dish at a time. Ambiance: the restaurant was bright and clean. read more

Why don't more people know about this place ?!?! Let's get one thing straight, you're not going to an Indian restaurant for vibes or exemplary service, you're going for soul enriching food, and that's exactly what Kritunga does. Most Indian restaurants make their food "good" by adding loads of oil and butter that tastes good in the morning but makes you feel bloated and unwell later in the day. Not Kritunga. Their curries are rich, wonderfully balanced, and allow each ingredient to carry its flavor onto your palate delicately, without excessive amounts of grease. Highly highly recommend Veg Kolhapuri to vegetarians, but can't go wrong with the Methi Malai, Shahi Paneer, or Malai Kofta (or any of their veg curries). I'm certain their non-veg options are sublime also. Per the staff, the speciality is the Tandoor. Garlic Naan and Onion Kulcha were also fantastic -- pillow soft with a crisp exterior with lots of garlic and onion flavor. Kashmiri Naan, also great, but just note it's a bit on the sweeter side (as it should be). Their appetizers, even the Indo-Chinese ones, were excellently made and didn't feel as heavy as that from other Indian restaurants. Recommend trying them all! Mushroom Pakodi are Indian spiced battered mushrooms, and were absolutely delicious. The staff were all incredibly friendly and answered our questions about their speciality items. The service was also kind and up to par for other Indian restaurants. 2 notes: 1) their portions are fantastic at their price point compared to similar priced dishes from their competitors. 2) their spice levels are per Indian spice grades... even the medium spice will suffice for most Indian people!! Some of the most authentic Indian food we've had in the United States. Eating here is as close to eating your mom's or grandmother's food back in India. Most definitely will be back. read more

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First time here on a Thursday night. We were a group of 5 so we tried many dishes. We tried to order minimally spicy dishes but still ended up with spicy food. The flavors of everything were good. Definitely loved the butter chicken and garlic naan bread. The chicken biryani was also very good. The food is really filling and large portions. I'd say the language barrier and the spice level was probably the most challenging but overall it was a great experience. The servers were very attentive and even helped with recommendations. Would come back. read more

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I just tried this place for the first time. The food is wonderful and the people who run it are very friendly. They are a little difficult to find, but well worth it. Please give them your business. read more

Today (Sunday 9-28-2025) is the second time I've dined here; I dined here last Sunday 9-21! I love this place! An Indian coworker of mine (she's from New Delhi), recommended Kritunga--and she was spot-on with her recommendation! I came here both times for their lunch buffet, which is huge! There are 20 options to choose from! Most of them are vegetarian options, but there are at least 4 or 5 chicken options (including Butter Chicken, Chicken Biryani, and 2 other chicken dishes)! There is also 1 hearty, delicious fish curry dish, plus soft, warm and fresh naan bread! I do wish they had lamb and/or goat options, but I can cope, given the scarcity of Indian buffets these days...sigh/groan!!! The employees here are very pleasant, efficient and quick! The restaurant is elegantly and understatedly decorated, and has an airy, roomy ambiance! Plus it has a lot of comfortable seating options including nice red leather cushioned booths against 1 wall! Plus, it's sparkling clean throughout the restaurant! I would definitely come back for their non-buffet days! I actually used to dine at this same location over a decade ago when it was called Thumka! It was great to see that Kritunga is continuing the tradition of serving hearty, delicious and authentic Indian cuisine! Not many Indian restaurants are having buffets due to the COVID pandemic--I'm so grateful Kritunga is able to do so!! The buffet for adults is $18.99; for kids it's $12.99. Buffet is FREE for kids under 5 years old. Also: on buffet days, you cannot order off their regular menu. The buffet is your only dining option during those days. (I personally don't care because the buffet has a ton of delicious options and is good enough for me!) read more

Kritunga - Additional Lunch buffet info 9-28-2025 - Indian Near Me - Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Food is ok. Same thing at every buffet. Service is good. Limited staff. Ambiance is very loud.

Place is good size and can accommodate big parties. Service was not organized well. I ordered mango Lassi, which came after the food when i reminded them. It was good and not super sweet. The spice levels are really high, so careful when you order. I ordered mushroom pachikari, which the server told me was spicy. I could not eat a bite without malbar paratha. We also ordered tandoori panner, which was good and less spicy. Also, order egg fry, which had good curry but egg was overcooked. The gobi 65 was way tart for my taste. We have got egg biryani for takeout. We got all the food except paratha. And we have to remind them we can not eat curries without paratha, so they made urgency for it. read more

Kritunga - Ambiance - Indian Near Me - Hoffman Estates, Illinois

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I asked for mild and said "NO SPICY Please" because my body cant tolerate it and when i got my Dal & Fish Masala they were both too hot to eat so I had to throw them away! $43 in the trash. Then when I came in to pick up my order nobody was in the front and I had rang the bell and even walked to the backing saying "hello" over and over and they were ignoring me. I had to walk all the way in the kitchen and on the floor it was covered with dirty pots and pans I had to go all the way into the back to ask for help and even then 3 of the 4 people in there still ignored me on their phones and talking. The guy that helped me didnt seem to care either. read more

Had a wonderful lunch here! Enjoyed the chili gobi, chicken saag curry, butter chicken, and curry leaf chicken - everything was excellent. And the waitress was very kind and greeted us with a smile read more

Another great experience at Kritunga. Their food is awesome and their waitress and hostess are super friendly. We love their butter chicken, curry leaf chicken, and garlic nan. Today we added chili gobi and chicken saag curry which were both delicious. Highly recommend Kritunga! read more

We came for dinner after hearing great reviews from some friends. We didn't realize this place was BYOB so that's good to know next time. The pictures don't do the food justice. Everything we ordered was good but we especially enjoyed the chili baby corn and the kadai paneer which are some of the best we have had at an Indian restaurant. Can't wait to come back at try more things on the menu! read more

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Spice level is high so make sure to ask for mild. Food was amazing! Though it was spicy, we had asked for medium. One appetizer and one entree is enough for two people. Quantity is great so you will have some left over to take home with. Didn't picture biriyani in here but it was amazing. We will surely be back! Great food! read more

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The apollo fish was chewy and taste was bad. I dont recommend ordering this. Service and ambiance is good. read more

Kritunga - Apollo Fish - Indian Near Me - Hoffman Estates, Illinois

First, a word of caution. The food here is EXTREMELY spicy so please be careful. With that being said, this place is the best South Indian non-vegetarian restaurant in the Chicago suburbs, specializing in Andhra style Rayalaseema cuisine. This is a more casual sit down restaurant and is a little short staffed, but the service was fairly quick and the waiter was friendly, offering good insight into the menu. I tried the paya soup, gongura fish, chicken cheekulu, rayalaseema chicken curry, and paneer masala. The paya soup was solid and hearty. The gongura fish was my personal favorite- it was crispy, had extreme spice even though we asked for medium, and had the classic mildly sour taste of gongura. The rayalaseema chicken curry was similarly spicy but very flavorful, and went well with the Malabar paratha. Finally, the chicken cheekulu was amazing- perfectly charred and had a smoky flavor, the mint chutney it came with was delicious. Overall, this place is a must try but please take care with the spice! read more

Kritunga - Gongura fish fry- weekend special. Amazing! - Indian Near Me - Hoffman Estates, Illinois

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The food is decent. The ambience is good. We took a take away with bunch of items. The spice level is high. Their scale aligns with traditional Indian spice level. So, for people who are not accustomed to super spicy levels, beware and order 2 levels lower than what you think you are ordering. No item we ordered was awesome and no item we ordered was bad. So, it was average. All items were spicier than what we assumed it would be. What disappointed us was what we ordered for our kid. We clearly said "no chili"/ "zero chili". They recommended something with a lot of confidence. Our kid could not have it because it WAS spicy. The weird thing is that when I called to provide the feedback the lady started arguing and telling that the item is not spicy. How could she know what's spicy for my kid is what baffled me. Also when I sent a photo of the item to show how spicy it looked, she made weird comment that the photo shows a red item while usually the item is dark, indirectly hinting that I doctored the photo. When I ordered to make a video call, she backed out. In general they care for customers (I think). read more

Kritunga - Supposedly "no" or "zero" spice item. - Indian Near Me - Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Amazing food, service, and ambiance! The food was unique, I don't think I've had South Indian food before and it was incredible. So full of flavor and different than what I have had before. I'm glad the waitress suggested badam milk instead of mango lassi. It was so interesting and paired perfect with the food. I appreciated great vegetarian and seafood options. My only regret is not bringing more people to share this meal! The portions were generous. The waitress also suggested the perfect spice level for us and made the meal perfect. I'm not from the area, but can't wait to come back to eat here again. Probably my favorite Indian food ever. So perfectly spiced and flavored. I won't forget this meal!! read more

Excellent service, clean and butternut chicken with spices is best I ever had. Can bring liquor inside also.

Our server was very helpful in helping us order things from the menu. It was a busy night for the restaurant. Everyone looked like they were enjoying the food. Grateful for the experience and flavor read more

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This is where sad sad Thumka restaurant once was. They have since moved. This replacement is FAR better! Kritunga is clean and well-kept. I love how they take pride in their specialty food and share the origins in the menu. They do have some extremely wobbly tables that will instantly knock down your Great Value room-temp bottled waters...which brings me to my biggest pet peeve! Come on people, if you're not deemed as fast food, (certainly not fast food prices), invest in a few pitchers and maybe a refrigerator? I wouldn't even mind if you chilled your great value bottles behind closed doors and then served water in glasses. Sigh. Anyway, they have an impressive, awesome menu of super spicy veg and nonveg Rayalaseema region food. We ordered a ton of items and all were delicious. FYI, even if you order a spice level of medium, it will still be very spicy if you don't have a Hyderabadi pallet. I'm cool with it. Highlights for me were the mushroom pepper fry, chicken and gobi manchurian, and their pulusu items (chicken and fish). The dum biryani was excellent but by the time it was presented at our table, we were stuffed. We saved that one for later. It takes a lot to endure when our full family shows up, so I applaud the young lady that was helping us, she didn't miss a beat. I must come back and try the many other menu items because sometimes, having a spread in front of you lessens the appreciation of the individual dishes. read more

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I live in Chicago, and it isn't often that a restaurant is good enough for to travel this far, but Kritunga is now one of them. I went there for lunch on a Sunday with my wife and mother in law. I knew going in that food here is spicy going in, but it wasn't really much of an issue. To combat the spicy, if it's an issue for you, order one of their great mango lassis or, I highly recommend, the chikoo shake. Also don't forget the white rice. The food itself is was amazing. My favorites were the onion samosas, lamb vindaloo and the chili paneer. The onion samosa can out hot (temperature) and crispy. They were so delicious we gobbled down the entire order so quickly. If you like paneer, the chili paneer is a must order. The lamb of the lamb vindaloo was tender, delicious and fall apart. Yes it's spicy, but that just goes with the territory. It's one of the better lamb vindaloos I've ever had. The atmosphere is light and fun. The interior is large and decorated with fun colors. When I was there, the restaurant was mostly filled with families which made for lively atmosphere. Finally, the service was excellent. Our server was attentive and brought out our food quickly. In sum, this is fun and lively Indian restaurant with some delicious and flavorful food. It was worth the drive from Chicago. read more

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I read the reviews and wanted to try. The food was very flavorful and portion was good size. I have been eating Indian for years and have been to Indian several times. What people need to know is South Indian food is so much hotter than Northern. This place did not disappoint. The girl I ordered from asked me several times " Are you sure you want HOT". She warned me and I decided to go ahead. The spice level is not for the faint of heart. I did enjoy it and survived! Excellent flavors if you are unsure ask them for medium. I will be coming back with family. They use me as the crash test dummy. read more

We stopped in for a carry out . I used to come here years ago but was a different name. We ordered our usual Butter Chicken mind & garlic naan. We were delighted to find it absolutely perfect, mind as requested and silky smooth delicious perfect flavor. The basmati rice as well was very very nice even on its own. Delicious and we will be back read more

Great food. Great service. Some words of warning: Portion sizes are bigger on the entrees. We really enjoyed the egg pepper fry appetizer. The table voted that as the flavor favorite read more

Kritunga - Saag paneer. Portion size of 1 order. - Indian Near Me - Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Food was phenomenal, and the staff was friendly. We enjoyed watching the Bollywood dancing on the tv while we waited. Will definitely be back. read more

What a great meal! Delicious lamb vindaloo & butter chicken! Wonderful service and nice atmosphere

I'm Indian and I eat a lot of spicy food, but the food here was definitely off the charts with how much all of us were crying and chugging water. Still, the food tasted great even though it was spicy. When we ordered mild, however, it became almost sugary and difficult to eat. The service was very slow even when we were the only customers at opening time, but I can excuse this since they're new and still figuring things out. I'll be sure to come again in a few months given how close this is to home and hopefully things will have improved, since the staff was very nice and the food we could swallow was tasty! read more

Had the Malai Kofta and an order of garlic Naan. The Malai Kofta is several savory potato dumplings in I think a cashew based curry sauce. I ordered "medium spice" - really delicious. Portion is big enough to share, especially if you get a side item. Garlic Naan is light and a little crispy which is how I like it. Restaurant was very clean, server was friendly and checked in regularly. I think this restaurant is fairly new, but they seem to be doing things the right way. Recommend for sure! read more

Amazing food. Seems like all the spices and flavors are made fresh in house and all the food is unlike any Indian restaurant I've ever been too. Runs a bit spicy, even if you say mild. So be warned! read more

Outstanding. The best chicken tandoori we've ever had. We ordered a smorgasbord as one does and everything was delicious. Mushroom masala. Samosas. Idlys & Sambar. Dosa. Chicken tikka. All fantastic. read more

This was awesome! So much flavor and freshness and loved the heatin some of the dishes. Everything was exceptional!

Nice atmosphere and good food. I wanted to try all their dishes. Everything is so delicious. Will come back again.

The restaurant ambiance was something i have been looking from a while and the staff were very pleasing . The location of the restaurant is very convenient and upbeat!! The variety of the dishes they offer is something we have not seen in a while. The food was awesome !! We tried an appetizer a main course and tandoor item and everything came on time and very delicious. This is the restaurant i would go with my family as we have vegetarian and non-vegetarian options along with tandoor options i would say 3 restaurants in one. read more

If you can be patient with wait times then this is the place to eat best authentic rayalseema food.

The food is ok. You have to say the level of heat you want. It's very oily too with spicy. The service is extremely slow C, the two hostesses are managing the show well. But the staff inside needs more training to dish out food in a good flow. You get bored and not as hungry by the time food arrives. It's big place with too much noise. read more

Kritunga restaurant in Hoffman Estates, IL offers an outstanding dining experience with delicious, fresh food that captures authentic flavors from the Rayalaseema region of southern India. The welcoming ambiance enhances the meal, making it a perfect spot for any occasion. Bindu, one of the receptionists, stands out with her professionalism, grace, and attentiveness, ensuring guests feel valued and comfortable throughout their dining experience. If you're anywhere within a 10-15 mile distance and hankering for good, finger-licking Indian food, this is the place to go !! read more

Best Indian food ever! My kids brought us here for our 70th birthday. It was great! Very good service and a warm and attractive ambiance.

True (south) Indian food. Amazing experience, tasty, authentic dishes and good portions