I'm new to Indian food and absolutely loved this place. Best of all at lunch its a buffet. I can try very small portions to see if I like an item before loading my plate. I didn't know what most of the items were but I love them. Everything is Halal too. The employees were very nice especially the lady working the dining room. This is a must if you want delicious AYCE Indian food for lunch. read more

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Really good indian food for pretty good price around $20. No complaints. Friendly and fast service (made very sure we had enough naan) and the food is great! Clean store and buffet style bar as well Personally wasn't a fan of the donut ball thing, the chicken was alright. Chicken masala on top "This is fire bro" - my friend read more

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Amazing food and great service. Love this tucked away spot for Indian food. At the end of a strip mall, but definitely a great place to check out! read more

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Highly recommended Indian cuisine that did not disappoint! My husband and I love Indian food so we were excited to try this location so close to home. We arrived on a Saturday night and it was already full. Thankfully a table opened up right when we got there so we were able to be seated quickly! We ordered the samosa appetizer, chicken Tikka masala, chicken 65, and garlic Naan. We were very happy with all of our choices. The chicken 65 was our favorite (highly recommend). The samosa was okay and very spicy so we will skip that for next time. As delicious as the chicken Tikka was, we have tried better. It was a different consistency that others we have tried and wasn't as flavorful. Still, it was a good dish and certainly worth a try. The staff were accommodating and welcoming. We will definitely be back again soon! read more

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Indian food in the area is usually pricey and the portions aren't as big. Their lunch buffet serves delicious Indian classics at a good price of $20, the food tastes clean and very flavorful. Overall a pretty good spot. read more

Went here with two friends and we all loved it so much! The staff was so kind, the food was delicious! I also loved this hot and sour soup they had and went back for multiple rounds. The unlimited Mango Lassi was also such a delight! Usually I do not like buffet style since I feel like the quality can be forgotten with quantity, but this was not the case here! Every dish was amazing and flavorful, I even got to try some I don't typically order or see at other restaurants! Would definitely return! read more

Masala Bae - Buffet bar - Indian Near Me - Tustin, California

This excellent indian buffet is located in a plaza on Red Hill in Tustin adjacent to Del Taco. I came here on a weekday for the lunch buffet at $18.99 per person. The place was packed for lunch with people on break as well as families with children. We were sat after about a 15 minute wait and began to get our food. FOOD: I instantly went for the chicken tikka masala and chicken biryani since that's my favorite combo. The tikka masala was seasoned very well and had a generous amount of chicken inside. The chicken biryani was also delicious and paired nicely with the tikka masala. The garlic naan is made fresh to order and was phenomenal, best naan i've had around OC. I love dipping the naan in the tikka masala and eating it with chicken. They also have some greens so you're not loading up on just the savory stuff. In addition, they have a yummy fruit salad and delicious pineapple lassi which I couldn't get enough of. SERVICE: Service was impeccable. The guys there are always looking for things to do and did a great job keeping waters filled and bringing out more naan since I can't get enough. They seem like they take great pride in their work. The restaurant feels a bit cramped towards the middle when it's busy, but it's a nonissue when you a promised a delicious meal. I am happy to have found this spot and I will absolutely be back to try more delicious items soon. read more

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Came by for the first time on a Thursday evening for dinner. We ordered Chicken Tikka Masala, Samosa Chaat, Garlic & Cilantro Naan, Chana Batoora, Biryani with chicken. EVERYTHING. WAS. DEEELICIOUS! Every 5 seconds my mom was saying "wow!" or "this is amazing!" The food was sooo flavorful! Very homemade feeling and great sharing portions (there were 3 of us in our group). The few staff they had were very helpful and nice. We will definitely be back and are now very interested in trying the buffet! One random tip- the tables closest to the entrance are right next to the AC unit, which was pretty cold. So I recommend bringing a jacket in case you are sitting near the cold air! read more

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We dropped by for the lunch buffet since we were in the area. Masala Bae has to be one of the best Indian food spots i've ever been to. The food is incredibly delicious and the staff and super friendly Will return soon read more

This month has a great holiday special pricing of $17.99 for their weekday/weekend buffet on Tue-Sun from 11am-3pm (see their IG). Even without the pricing, we usually come here around lunch time. It varies from how busy it gets, but the wait is never long. Restaurant is very clean and plenty of seating. Parking out in front is fairly easy. Service is amazing. Never really have to ask for water, they come and fill it for you! Garlic naan comes out super fast and they always ask if we want more. You can tell they are constantly churning out fresh dishes for the buffet. What is even more interesting is that it seems to me that they rotate their dishes. One time we had this amazing pasta dish there (yes you heard me right, pasta), and we just haven't had it since! Another notable curry we had was a mushroom one. Obviously they will always have their staple dishes such as biryani, chicken tikka, and tandoori chicken. So I appreciate them trying different options. They also have lassi! Depending on the day it could be either rose milk or mango flavored. Both are super good, not too artificial tasting. So much yum! Extra plus on the way out you get some Andes chocolate too :) read more

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The only Indian restaurant I like. Every time I go to another place, I just keep thinking that Masala Bae is better

Very rude manager with the way he spoke with me on the phone call. He said my group of friends and I cannot break Iftar in his restaurant because other people will be there. His brother Ibrahim said there is a table of 16 and he can add two more chairs and he did not communicate with his brother about this. I called back to confirm how many people like he requested. I asked if we can sit there early and he refused and started speaking very loud and angrily. I asked him to lower his tone of voice. As a manager, you speak with professionalism and this guy needs training on how to speak with customers. I will not give them my business and neither will our friends. read more

I have tried soo many Indian restaurants, this one is here is the best . I got Goat Sukka and lamb biryani. Very flavorful and rich in taste. The only reason am giving them 4 stars is because they forget to put bread naan at my pickup order. Also Goat Sukka it's a heavy nice delicious stew that didn't have any rice with it . And when I called to ask about it , I was told it was appetizer. While on the menu that entry was not on the appetizer section. read more

Came for lunch on a Saturday and realized that they served ayce buffet style only during weekend lunches. Was disappointed at first because we only wanted to order a la carte but we were told that most things were unavailable on the menu. After deciding for a long time, we didn't have the stomach for an ayce buffet so we were going to visit another restaurant instead, but the server came up to us and informed us that she had asked the kitchen and they were willing to cook a dish for us that was not part of the buffet. We were very happy and surprised to hear, and it was really sweet of them to do that. We ended up ordering an Old Delhi Chicken Makhani and Garlic Naan with rice, and this was probably one of the most fulfilling meals I had that weekend. Loved the spice and texture of the curry and the chicken was made with a good texture and softness. Would love to come back next time for their buffet now that we know they only do ayce buffet during weekend lunches! read more

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*HALAL FRIENDLY* We arrived at about 2 PM on a weekday and almost had the entire place to ourselves! The interior was warmly intimate, yet spacious at the same time. Also very clean! There was such a large array of food options that I feel like a one time visit does not do justice on the full Masala Bar experience. For a Thursday, the price for the lunch buffet was $18.99. I thought this was a pretty decent price for a buffet considering the good quality of the food, drinks, and desserts were great. I filled my plate with tandoori chicken, biryani, white rice, butter chicken, and the chicken curry. My favorite has to be the butter chicken! Overall, it was very flavorful and delicious. They brought out fresh garlic and cilantro naan for us which was SO good to pair with all the food. I also got the raspberry lassi which is a flavor I have never tried before. I was surprised in the best way! It balanced the meal perfectly. The service was also very lovely throughout. They were very attentive to us -- taking away any of our finished dishes and offering more naan! We also stayed until the lunch buffet ended and they gave reminders to get more food before they cleaned it up which was kind. They even let us stay after the buffet ended even thought they were closed until dinner time, which was very nice. I plan on returning for sure and would recommend a visit! read more

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Let's start with the parking situation, there are plenty of spots in the strip mall, which makes things so easy. We opted for the lunch buffet on Saturday because we were indecisive about what dish to eat. There were so many options to choose from and the food was coming out consistently throughout the time we sat there. The naan was complimentary and the mango lassi and chai tea. I was disappointed that they didn't have any pani puri on the menu, which was another reason for choosing this restaurant. The food was overall pretty good and was happy with the quality of the food. My favorite was the biryani, chicken tikka masala, and dal tadka. read more

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This place is tucked away in a strip mall in Tustin. The food hits soooo good! It's really hard to find such a diverse menu in one location and with traditional flavors. The place was alive by dinner time and lots of catering activity. The service was super friendly, at one point the owner and/or chef came out to socialize with us! This without a doubt will be my meet up place with friends when I'm in OC! read more

It's not always real spicy but it's always been good. Nice people serving water and bread, and the buffet is well tended. I have been eating here many times and plan to return. read more

I tried the lunch buffet here and and, as with most Indian restaurants, it's a great deal. Decent selection of curries and side dishes and and also chai tea and mango juice were included. While I was there they had a Bollywood channel on the TV which I always find an atmospheric touch. read more

Saw a TikTok on this place and decided to try the lunch buffet. It was pretty good. We came in and was seated right away. Service was great. Our water was filled and used plates taken away. Restaurant was clean and so was the buffet station. There were several tables occupied during lunch time for a Tuesday. The food was delicious. My favorite was the vegetable pakora. Had to keep coming back for it. I loved the samosas. The outside was crisp and the filling was really flavorful. They had a mutton curry and Chicken Tikka Masala. Both were delicious. The tandoori chicken was a little dry but the other chicken dish was much better. They also gave us some naan bread and it was hot and crisp and garlicky goodness. Overall it was a great experience. For a buffet and the cost, definitely worth it. Will be back for sure read more

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I'm visiting my sister in OC area right now and we both were craving Indian food for dinner so I looked up this spot on Yelp about a 10 minute drive from Tustin and we headed over. We got there kind of early (around 5:15pm and it was still pretty busy surprisingly). I ordered a masala chai for myself which was okay (it was missing clove and had a bit more cinnamon than my liking so tasted a bit more catered to non-desi tastes). We ordered pani puri (which pretty good and covered with sev but I wished it was spicier). The samosa chaat was different than what I was used to since it's usually wet, broken up, and covered in Dahi with the sev on top but it was more of like samosas on top of chaat mix. I asked for Dahi on the side to mix with all the chutneys and get that wet texture and taste that chaat is known for. The butter chicken and garlic naan was absolutely phenomenal in terms of quality of the meat. The meat just melted like actual butter in the sauce but the actual base itself missed a bit of the slight bitterness you typically get from Garam masala so again I felt like it was catered to a non-desi crowd's tastes. Overall the meal was very good and would definitely come back next time! I'm very particular about my Indian food but it's still a great place I'd come visit overall. I regret not using my Yelp check in discount so will be back again to try it out. read more

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Great halal food! Affordable price for buffet style during lunch hours! The staff is very kind and hospitable. read more

Masala Bae - Indian Near Me - Tustin, California

TLDR: Just eat here. Trust. I've been married to this spot for years now. Staff is friendly and attentive. Prices are reasonable and portions are pretty sizable (there will always be leftovers to take home). I've never had to wait more than ten minutes to get seated and food usually comes pretty fast as well. I've tried a lot of items off the menu and nothing has ever disappointed me. They seem to make everything well, so I always feel safe venturing out of my usual orders. That being said, my all time favorites would have to be any of the dosas, the samosa chaat, the yellow daal, and the saag. Their chutneys are phenomenal as well - my favorite is the green minty one. Haven't had a chance to try the lunch buffet yet, but you can never ever go wrong with Masala Bae. read more

I've dined in and taken out from this location and have had pleasant experiences for both. I typically will opt for a curry and naan but have also tried a few of their appetizers. I haven't experienced a bad dish and everything is fairly priced. If you're looking for a go to Indian spot in the Tustin/santa Ana area, this should be your go to! read more

This Indian buffet is a solid option if you're in the area and craving variety. It gets pretty busy, and the seats fill up quickly, so be prepared for a bit of a wait--both for seating and to get food, as the buffet line can get long. The food itself is decent--not on the same level as what you'd find at an à la carte Indian restaurant, but for a buffet, it's satisfying. The staff is welcoming and does a good job of keeping things running smoothly. One thing I appreciated was that they didn't seem pushy about tips, which is refreshing considering how "tip culture" has gone out of hand everywhere lately. Overall good ambiance. While it's not the most memorable Indian dining experience, it's convenient, affordable, and worth a revisit if I'm in the area. Definitely not bad for what it is! read more

Came here Friday afternoon for their lunch buffet and it was magical! No wait, UNLIMITED mango lassi and masala chai, delicious food all around, and quick table refills of naan/water from the staff in a cozy, medium-sized restaurant. Lunch here is a good deal, and I can't wait to come back!! read more

This place is a very strong Indian buffet! For $18.99, you get a broad variety of delicious cuisine. I've been twice; when I went most recently I enjoyed chicken masala, saag paneer, delicious and abundant garlic naan, Dahl, complimentary mango lassi, veggie pakora, spring rolls, samosas, goat curry... fantastic! And at the time, they had a 25% off early bird special (unfortunately now over). This clean family-operated restaurant boasts strong service and a wide variety of tempting and appetizing Indian cuisine. Highly recommended! read more

Masala Bae offers a nice assortment of vegetarian and meat appetizers and entrees. We really enjoyed what we ordered including... Dahi puri appetizer: A stuffed puff pastry topped with a yogurt mousse. This is one of the more popular items on Yelp reviews and we can see why. Excellent butter chicken and tandoori chicken... though we wished the accompanying onions were grilled rather than raw. Garlic naan which was nice and chewy. Saffron rice which was good, but we realized that it's much better value to get regular basmati rice since the hint of saffron flavoring is lost when mixing entrees with the rice. The staff and our server were very friendly and attentive. read more

What a delicious experience! Food was great, pipping hot and for non-spicy lovers - you can get by! I love spicy food so I was snacking some hot peppers from the salad bar with everything on my plate to give it an extra kick. It was just so tasty and flavourful. And they have REAL NAAN! We had to wait around 10 minutes, in hindsight to give a better flow to the buffet line, which was okay. Also, I thought they offered plain hot tea (along with Mango Lassi), but surprise surprise - it was Chai with spices in them. What a lovely touch! For the price, it honestly is unbeatable! read more

Masala Bae - Food!!!!!! - Indian Near Me - Tustin, California

Food was amazing! This is our 3rd time here and the food always tastes delicious and fresh. Customer service is always 10/10 they're always nice people helping us. The vibe of the place is very warm and friendly and good music to vibe to. 10/10 Masala Bae read more

Simply said, a really good stand alone hole in the wall Indian restaurant. It's a simple looking restaurant with a decent amount of seating area inside but provides a good menu with lots of delicious options. As for starters I had tried the Dahi Puri (which instead of Pani Puri) is filled with yogurt which I personally enjoy much more. Great crisp to it and simple unique flavors that really make it delicious. For dinner I went back and forth between many items but I have not had a good Biryani in a while so I had ordered the Karachi Biryani with Chicken. It comes with a side of Raita which is like a yogurt sauce that you can mix with your biryani. The flavors were popping and just a warning, it's spicy, but I like spicy food so some may not be able to enjoy this. Finally, once I saved some of the food to go, I had to order the Rabri Falooda which is a dessert I order every time I go to any Indian restaurant. I have to say out of everything the faloodah was my least favorite but that's because I'm not sure if they used a good kulfi for their ice cream. In my opinion that makes or breaks the dessert and maybe not enough (or any) rose syrup or rooh afza. Over all definitely good quality, presentation and service experienced here. read more

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This is very amazing food. Delicious sauces and spices. It really feels authentic here. It feels like India. Very good very nice. Hallelujah praise the Lord Jesus Christ. read more

Masala Bae - Indian Near Me - Tustin, California

The ambiance here is homely and welcoming, they were playing a movie (muted with subtitles) and had some good (at least in my opinion) music playing in the background! The staff were all very friendly and kind, the food came out fairly quickly and was presented well with a thought out variety of dishes for the corresponding items. The food overall was really quite good, with a larger tending portion size. My partner and I each ordered our own main dish and have about half left over that we took with us, so this would be a good restaurant to share a dish and some appetizers with a friend or significant other! read more

Was craving some good Indian food and decided to order from Masala Bae given the good Yelp reviews. We got 5 dishes to share amongst 4 people. I could never tell the difference between butter chicken and chicken tikka masala- so I ordered both to compare. They are definitely similar, but i preferred tikka masala slightly as it has a bit more acidity (tomato sauce maybe?) while still very creamy. The flavor is a bit more complex than butter chicken. I also really liked the lamb rogan josh - the pieces of lamb were perfectly tender and the sauce was a little bit spicy but still enjoyable. I was a little disappointed of the garlic naan, it was pretty thin and not super flavorful. When we picked up the order around 11:30, the restaurant is packed with people having lunch buffet and the dishes looked great! Will come to try the buffet next! read more

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Indian buffet with good quality food and unlimited chai tea and lassi! Masala Bae is an Indian restaurant located in Tustin. Parking is easy since it's in a large mall. Price for lunch buffet is $18.99 on weekdays and $21.99 on weekend. My Bf and I waited around 25 min for a Sunday lunch. Interior is on the smaller side, food is self serve with buffet and drinks in the back. Some of the foods were a hit and some were a miss. I really loved the naan! So fluffy and light, I liked it better than India kitchen. The mint and tamarind chutney was a little watered down to be. My favorite from the buffet is the spicy chicken, fish curry, and the paneer saag. Wish they had tandoori chicken and aloo gobi since those are my two favorite Indian buffet dishes. Mango pudding was so delicious and fresh, perfect dessert after all the savory food. The raspberry lassi was okay, was a little watered down but when I tried the fresh jug it was better. Atmosphere wise I do prefer India kitchen since it's more of a traditional Indian restaurant vibe. Overall solid Indian eatery with filling dishes. Prepared to be food comaed after visiting here! read more

Masala Bae - Lunch buffet - Indian Near Me - Tustin, California

Masala Bae... with its charm took took me to a world of deliciousness. 1- The environment is very nice with its lots of wood and subtle lightning. The music really sets the tone, and overall, it's a lovely place to dine. 2- The service was spectacular... both hosts had amazing suggestions and made sure we were tended to. They were both very sweet, and honestly, I appreciate the hospitality. 3- ... everything we had was delicious... I had the Lamb Vindaloo and the garlic cilantro Naan. The flavors were not overpowered they were on point, and even though we had a few curry dishes, they were so distinguishable by their delicious flavors. None of the meats came out top dry, and the sauces were just beyond delicious. We also had the cheese Naan and the Pav Bahji and the Pani Puri for appetizers. I thoroughly enjoyed this restaurant and the food. It definitely has a family style so you can share the food you get and it will be perfect. Overall.. I'll be back its as simple as that ... read more

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We ordered the Paneer do pyaaza and vijawada style biriyani, which was excellent. Perfect flavors and really delicious. We also ordered the Avial which was vegetables in coconut chutney and kinda missed the mark for me, but the owner was very gracious and took it off the bill. Service is slow here but staff is very friendly. Ambiance was good and I liked the music they were playing.So come here with patience because you will enjoy the food. read more

Masala Bae - Avial - Indian Near Me - Tustin, California

Chicken tikka masala was really creamy and savory. The naan was so good and soft. The peri peri fries was really good as well and stayed crispy all through read more

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After finding an Indian restaurant in OC via yelp, I had to come with my friend to try the food here. We got the chicken tikka masala and karahi chicken, both which were amazing! Of course we also got garlic naan on the side. The karahi chicken portion size is huge, and definitely more than enough for two people. The chicken tikka masala was creamy and not overpoweringly tomato flavored, it was delicious! The waiters were very attentive and amiable, ensuring that our glasses were always full. The portion sizes here definitely make up for the price. Highly recommend if you're in the mood for Indian comfort food. There were plenty of booths available when we came on a Thursday evening. read more

Masala Bae - Chicken Tikka Masala and Garlic & Cilantro Naan - Indian Near Me - Tustin, California

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there was so much food included in the buffet, and the waitress was very nice and helpful to us when we were there. the wait time was very short, the background music was very good, and overall everything felt pretty of a good deal! read more