Quiet restaurant when we went on a Friday night - a few other diners and regular take out/delivery…read more Makes it easy to get in and parking on metered side streets go free early. It's table service and we went with trying their chicken seekh kabob and palak paneer along with jeera (cumin) rice and a paratha naan (naan that has been pan fried) to try. The chicken seekh kabob is well sized and good pieces of garlic in the mix (not raw). The palak was richer than we've had it elsewhere. The paratha naan fills a space that is neither of its namesakes. Will cost a little more than other counter service options nearby, less disposable ware with family style dining, and number of staff available to take care of you.

I had a Groupon and tried this place out today with my wife. At first glance, was not sure about…read morethe restaurant as was old and only one server. We ordered the Tandoori Chicken plate and Butter chicken. Naan, rice and Mango lassi too. All of it was good portion size and excellent food. We asked to have the Tandoori well done and they cooked to perfection. Don't judge a book by cover and food was very very good for this guy who usually eats at fancy restaurants. If you want food value and tasty food, come to this reataurant. The server was answering phones, waiting tables, and felt like he was overworked but he managed well. Very nice young man as you can tell he cares.

Rude af. Never again. Ruined our expensive delivery meal by leaving a dinner out then being rude…read moreabout it. Nope.

This was pretty phenomenal Indian food for such a low key place. I would absolutely recommend it to…read moreanyone! We came for restaurant week and left with enough food for two more whole meals. It seems unassuming from the outside, but please don't let that deter you because the service was friendly and the food was delicious. Between the two of us we spent 60 dollars (again keep in mind this is north side restaurant week pricing) and we had the chicken tikki masala, chicken vindaloo, chicken madras, basmati rice, garlic naan, chicken soup, rice pudding, and gulab jamun. I have zero complaints about anything! The chicken all ranged in spice level so make sure you're paying attention to that. I will say the soup was very very spicy but if you're not afraid of that it was delicious. They offer carryout as well and I will definitely be back!

sooooo yummy and friendly service! Will be back, such a lovely experience overall! It was my first…read moretime having Indian food and it surpassed my expectations! Everything was so flavorful and delicious!

The food is incredible and the service is super quick, dude was really nice. Music wasn't bad…read moreeither.

Had a severe craving for Indian. Very cute little restaurant. Not too big. Had super cute stained…read moreglass hanging lamps and table lamps. Love a place with cute low lighting. Got a spiced mango martini. Was good! Love a mango drink. Always worth it for me. The samosas were delicious. Could have had 5 more. The mains were good! Well flavored, but we got medium and it came out like mild. Next time will definitely be getting hot (or asking for hot sauce).

The Essence of India serves amazing food! I love this…read morerestaurant, and in my opinion, it's one of the best Indian restaurants in Chicago. We usually order vegetable biryani, vegetable korma curry, garlic naan, and samosas--everything is always delicious. The wine selection is good too. The owner is very welcoming, and the staff is friendly as well. Highly recommended!

I've known this restaurant 20+ years. Food is amazing!! So many dishes to choose from, they are…read morevery tasty and flavorful.

We saw they have a chicken Tikka pizza so that was the primary reason we visited the restaurant. We…read morefound out it's only for online order and not on their regular menu but they were super nice to make it for us for dine in. The pizza has a lot of cheese. Some cilantro and fresh onions would've added a nice element. It's even better if you dip it in their makhani sauce. The everest biryani comes with chicken, shrimp, and lamb. The biryani is worth trying especially with their house raita.

The Food was delicious and the service was excellent. I highly recommend the Gobi Manchurian, it…read morewas delicious and will have me coming back again soon!

The food including naan was fantastic! Our server was so kind and friendly too! Definitely coming…read moreback during our visit to Evanston!

There are new owners here and a new chef. My meal was incredible.... the best Indian food I have…read morehad in years. I had the Gobi Manchurian for an appetizer and it was perfection. The cauliflower was crispy with a mild Chinese spiciness. The saag paneer was incredible.

We came here shortly after they opened and finally got back around to visiting again…read more It was delicious! I had the Shapta. Unfortunately they were out of the tingmo, so I got the garlic naan instead. My partner got the chow mein with chicken (fair warning, the chow mein noodles are spicy!) I also got the masala tea and it was prepared the traditional way, you can tell because as it cools it forms a skin on the top. Our order was slightly delayed, so they gave us a complimentary dessert. I won't wait as long to come back next time.

I won't say too much about the business that was here before, but let's just say I'm not surprised…read morethey went under. Kathmandu, meanwhile, shows some promise. However, they are not without their kinks that need to be worked out - growing pains, if you will. I ordered the Butter Chicken with rice. Getting the food took somewhere between 10-15 minutes. I am going to assume it was made fresh, but considering it was just rice, chicken in sauce, and a couple veggie slices, I couldn't tell you for sure. With the veggie slices, I am left wondering "why?" It was a couple slices of carrot and cucumber. They lacked any kind of preparation or seasoning (not even salt), and took up half the tray. Again, why? The rice, meanwhile, was cooked perfectly. It wasn't at all sticky, and each grain could be seperated. The issue here is with portion size. Rice not only serves as a carb/starch element, but also works to absorb sauce. While I don't like it, I understand why a business would skimp on proteins... but skimping on rice seems, for lack of a better term, inappropriate. Then we come to the protein. There was an ample amount of chicken. The meat itself was tender, and the sauce had good flavor. While not mind-blowing, it had a mild heat, and light tomato, cream, and spice notes. While I would have liked the flavors to be bolder, I cannot in good conscious call the dish bland. Finally, there is the matter of price. After tax, the Butter Chicken came to just over $14. Even though I appreciate that nothing is cheap anymore, this felt a little excessive considering the quality and quantity of food I received. Final verdict: While Kathmandu Cafe had great potential, andn I am especially looking forward to trying their momo, as well as their Tibetan menu, where it comes to the Indian side of their menu, I do not feel a draw to return and order more.