Nandinis is hands down the best Indian Buffett in the valley. the rice is perfect, mango lassi and chai come with the meal (and they are both delicious), and all the food is spectacular. I love the tandoori chicken, spinach (paneer I think?) and the paneer masala. Oh an the naan, it is uncomparable. So hot and so garlicky, it might be worth the trip just for the naan. The buffet also has dessert. I am a massive fan of their rice pudding. So food is 5 stars. Service is also 5 stars. We were given plenty of attention and rarely had a dirty dish on the table. The Buffett has a nice ambience and is very clean. At around $11-12 for weekends and $9-10 on weekdays, this place it is affordable but I wish it were a bit cheaper so I could come more often. That being said it is probably some of the best Indian food you will ever eat in Arizona. read more

Original Indian Kitchen - Killer lunch buffet. - Indian Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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This place is incredible! We came here for the lunch buffet and the food and service were AMAZING. The staff members were friendly and came by often to fill up our water. Garlic Naan was brought to our table. There was a wide variety of items up at the buffet. My personal favorites were the Chicken Tikka Masala and the mango drink. The lunch buffet value was amazing... just $9.95 for a huge meal with drinks included. I highly recommend this place! read more

We were really sad to see Royal Taj close down... like seriously, I almost went in to a depression :( So when we heard Nandini's was open we were super excited to go try! The restaurant looks brighter and spruced up... and to our delightful surprise the food was even better than before! Four a party of 4, we ordered the: Lamb Korma (Lamb cooked in special house gravy) $13.99 Chicken Tikka Masala (Boneless chicken pieces grilled in tandoor, cooked in a mild creamy tomato gravy) $11.99 Palak Paneer (Tender chunks of Indian cottage cheese cooked in a spinach sauce) $8.99 With: Garlic Naan (White leavened garlic sprinkled bread baked in clay oven) $2.49 Lamb Naan (White leavened bread stuffed with minced roasted lamb baked in clay oven) $3.99 And Rice I put $$, because they offer a cheaper lunch buffet $, which we have yet to try... dinner is more in the range of $$. At the end they brought over some complimentary Gulab Jamun (Succulent treats from the north made of special dough, fried and served in sugary syrup)! Delicious :) I would recommend these three entrée items for sure! If you are a vegetarian, the Palak Paneer is a must - SOOOO delicious. It's creamy spinach and the cheese is super fresh tasting, they go great together! But the Lamb Korma has to be the winner - with Chichken Tikka Masala as a close second. For something new, we tried the Lamb naan, which was like an Indian version of a quesadilla... with lamb pieces in between their delicious naan bread. Can't wait to try more new items on the menu :) This one was great! For any newbies... this place is a must! The new owner seemed very friendly and accommodating. The restaurant decor is so-so, but I haven't found Indian food this good anywhere else in AZ... we're soooooooo happy they're back! read more

Been trying to find a solid Indian buffet since we came to Phoenix. Here's what I like: 1. They have probably the best garlic naan I've ever had (hot, not burnt, moist but still a little crispy). 2. They have chicken tikka masala served the way I am used to. Very good! 3. They have unlimited indian tea 4. Their desserts are also very good. 5. The lunch buffet price is excellent and they serve the buffet on weekends! (this earned them the 5th star) read more

When I go to an Indian restaurant, these are the flavors I have come to love and expect. We have been working our way through the Phoenix area Indian restaurants, and this one is the definite favorite to date. Is this place fancy? No. Is it delicious? Yes!!! Everything on the buffet was delicious, the bread came out super fresh and piping hot, service was friendly, and $25 for two people was totally reasonable. The samosas were seriously the best I have ever eaten. Keep up the good work! We will definitely be back for more. read more

I went to this place for the first time tonight and LOVED it! Any time I go to a new Indian place, I get the chicken tikka masala as a 'baseline' dish to compare to other restaurants, and Nandini's was delicious. Tender chicken in a great sauce and awesome portions. My boyfriend got the tandouri chicken and it was great as well, again great portions for the price. I also got their homemade chai tea and it was great, not at all the syrupy stuff you get at Starbucks. This is real, authentic chai. The only slight downside is that rice/naan don't come with the meal, you have to order separately, but the portions for these sides are good and it's worth it. Wait staff was friendly and attentive. Dinner took a little long, but was worth the slight wait. Restaurant is clean and cheery, nice environment. I'd definitely recommend! read more

Food was good, but super pricey. Also service was SUPER slow. Not coming back because it's expensive. Update: got an upset stomach after. read more

Health board violation in July of 2022. Issues with food handling, food experation dates, food unrefrigerated.

Really great vegetarian options at affordable prices. The weekend buffet is also great and the restaurant has a "family owned" vibe which I really like. read more

Good buffet with a variety of delicious dishes at a reasonable price! Very nice restaurant. Great service. Shall definitely go back.

This place is amazing! Why isn't it packed? It is authentic and has great flavor. Clearly they use quality spices and make everything from scratch. I love Indian food and this is the only new place I have tried recently that I highly recommend. read more

A MUST VISIT!!!! Went here for the first time today. We ordered Tandoor chicken, vegetable biryani, and the ever popular garlic nann bread. Oh AND dessert the fried dough in sweet syrup (the name escapes me). ALL the dishes were DELICIOUS! and the portions are definitely FAMILY style. SO MUCH FOOD!!! SHARE SHARE SHARE! This place is definitely one we are returning to. We will further explore the menu again ;) The service was great and I think the server was pleased to see how much we were enjoying the meals. read more

Loved it! Ordered delivery around lunch time and my first experience with these guys did not disappoint! Only waited maybe 45 minutes from the time my order was placed. The samosas were perfect and came with both chutneys. Mulligatawny soup was very good however it was not as creamy as I'm used to and was full of chicken! Which was delicious but in the past I thought this was a vegetarian/creamy yellow soup. Guess other places do dishes differently. Garlic naan was what you'd expect only a bit chewy from being steamed in the foil. The malai kofta was also different than what I'm used to and this I didn't care for much; it was very red/tomatoey, even a little sweet and not at all spicy. The dumplings were more like meatballs than the loaves I not know I prefer. All in all a great lunch! Will order again for sure. read more

This was our first time trying Indian cuisine and it was delicious! We tried the butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, basmati rice, and garlic naan. We just found ourselves a gem! If you haven't tried it 10/10 recommend! The service was amazing as well. You will definitely see us coming back! read more

I recently had a lunch Buffet on Saturday Morning with my friends. The interior of the restaurant was good with some Bollywood Music on the side. Positives: I had the all the veggies options, which were good. And also they were serving Garlic Naan's as complimentary in the beginning which was good. Negatives: Two of friends had goat curry, they tried too hard for to chew the meat from the bone, unfortunately there is no meat on them, we find most of the bones in the curry. We don't have any too many options. There is no #NonVeg-BIRYANI,(South India is famous for Hyderabad Biryani) no breakfast items, no non-veg starter too. HIGHLIGHT OF BUFFET: At the end of buffet, we had a dessert called GULAB JAMUN, it don't think so it was a fresh made. I know it was not made by restaurant people they buy it from some where else even though it was fresh. I tried, a lot to make for to make the Gulab Jamun into two pieces, tried and tried finally I leaved it. So horrible you know. Iam From Austin, Texas. For $12 over there, you can had a awesome buffet with more than 15 varieties including all the items that for sure. And Some of the Indian Restaurant Have Special South Indian Dishes. Finally I would like to say that, for $12 its not at all worthy food. read more

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A local search for an indian food fix vetted this relatively new spot in Southeast Tempe for a nice lunch buffet option. Fate would have it that the place is owned and managed by the previous manager of Indian Oven (a place I used to be of check-in royalty for), and all the food is just as delicious and fresh as I can remember. Spot on for value (~$8 lunch buffet) too! From talking with the guy, he is planning to introduce a delivery food service after hours (10PM+) for the hungry late night crowd in the area! When another night of filberto's just doesn't sound appealing anymore, this could bring a really great alternative for the area.. read more

The man that served me was very nice. The rice had lots of flavor. There is a daily lunch buffet. read more

Excellent food! Attentive service :) The house Korma gravy was dreamy and the vindaloo packed the perfect kick. The naan was pillowy soft and perfectly spiced. The owners were friendly, and when my engineer boyfriend expressed an interest in the pictures of architecture on the walls, they were glad to discuss it with him :) We can't wait to come back and try the buffet! read more

I went there last week during my stay in the Phoenix area. I was very please with the flavors of the lamb korma. It was different than places I went to before, but in a very pleasant way. Additional spices were added to the cream and as I mentioned above, the flavors were wonderful. The garlic naans were very good. It is definitely not a place you go to for the hustling and bustling of the atmosphere, but the staff is very pleasant and attentive. read more

Excellent little buffet. Very filling. And a variation of flavors. Almost hard to eat more than one plate because the cuisine is so filling with the rice. Super nice staff. A must try read more

Original Indian Kitchen - Helping staff - Indian Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Pretty good Mattar Paneer and Garlic Naan. read more

Original Indian Kitchen - complementary chutney and paped. - Indian Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

I visited this place initially when they re-christened as Nandini. Quality in lunch buffets can go south but at Nandini when I visited the following were what I found to be turn offs : 1. They served rice in a cooker ( could have changed over time) 2. The naans were extremely greasy and charred 3. Almost all the curries I tried were greasy and bland I hope they have/ will improve and serve better food . read more

I tend to get the same thing each time: palak paneer (spinach + cheese) and spicy vindaloo, garlic naan. I really should branch out but these two dishes are so good at Nandini....the lamb is tender, good cuts, ample serving... not chewy. Cheese isn't spongy but silky and the spinach has a kick to it. I go out of my way to come here, plus the owner & staff are super nice, make you feel welcome! I came here by myself tonight and had a wonderful experience. read more

Had the spicy beef curry. It was great. Always order it as spicy, not as mild, otherwise the flavor will be bland. Great Curry!

Worst experience EVER, 1 hour or more left for lunch buffet, nothing left but scraps left from luch crowd, ask for fresh food and all I got was a few pieces of chicken, worst of all had to go to restroom immediately after eating read more

I was just crossing from the streets and came across the place. Good is average. Only Panner was yummy as per me. Sweets were really good. I wouldn't want to come back but wouldn't avoid if I was near by. read more

I decided to try this place out with my two friends, one of whom has lived in India for some time. We got there right at 5:05 so the restaurant was empty when we arrived. Firstly, the naan is AMAZING. If you think you only want one order, get two. Trust me. I got the butter chicken and it had to have been the best I've had. My friends dishes looked amazing too. We constantly got our water refilled, and were never lacking anything. The portions were great, and the restaurant itself was clean and very interesting. We're definitely going here again! read more

We went for lunch and during that time its buffet. It was delicious! My husband LOVES spiced food and this was just enough to satisfy her craving. Everything had so much flavor. We want to go back one evening to try their dinner menu. My only "complaint" is that the wall we were sitting next to needed to be wiped down and the table cloth, underneath a glass topper, need to be washed. They had a significant amount food splatters on them. I could see how this might deter some people from coming back. Not me though. The food was amazing. read more

Had a quiet dinner with my brother here, only been here once and we were the only ones there...in general I don't think it gets very crowded but anyway the food is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! Tastes very home cooked, and comparable to some homemade Indian food I've had. Seriously, so yummy, be ready to GRUB. Highly recommend everything we ate- garlic naan, samosas, biryani, and chicken tikka masala. Our server was also very polite and friendly. read more

The guy that owns this place is very customer oriented. I'm not even sure if he's the owner or not. Who ever he is, he is really into keeping customers happy. The best part is he is very reasonable with time. He was catering for a party once and i walked in to make a take out order. He told me the wait would be about an hour and half before i ordered. I can tell he wanted to make sure i was ok with it. Because he was honest I decided to stay and order food. It actually took and hour and half and he called to let me know when the food was ready. He didn't rush through the order and he took the time to cook everything properly. His lunch buffet is always a good deal. I would go early so that way you're not getting the left overs. Even then the buffet is freshly stocked. read more

I predict I'll be back here once a week for the foreseeable future. I am vegetarian and I have two vegan eaters in my family and there are many GREAT tasting options for all of us. There's a whole vegetarian menu and you can ask which of those are vegan. We got the samosas chaat to start, then I got paneer tikka masala and the vegans got chana masala. Order of naan for the table. Everything tasted beautiful. On the spicier side, but I love that. It was quiet and really chill. Perfect for the four of us to catch up and enjoy each other's company over some great tasting masala. read more

This place is a hidden gem and I would recommend it to anyone looking for authentic Indian food in the Tempe area. I I really like how they give you options of how spicy you want your dish so if you're not into spicy food, like myself, no need to worry. Also the restaurant was very clean and the service was great. I would highly recommend this place. read more

I've visited Nandini's lunch buffets for approximately 5 times over the last year. Initially, I was really impressed with the spread and the price (i twas 7.99 a year ago). The mango lassi, was good, although sweet. Their tandoori chicken was delicious, better than most other Indian buffets. They also had lamb curry when it was 7.99. Now, the price is 9.99, and a lot of things changed. I was expecting the food to get better when they raised the price, but they did not. During my most recent visit, there's no longer lamb, the naan was over-charred, and the tandoori chicken doesn't taste as good anymore. What happened here? Nandini used to be cheaper and better! Now, it's just decent and priced same as other Indian Buffets. It's still worth a try for yourself, but I will stop frequenting Nandini. read more

Excellent Indian food. EXCELLENT. They have a ton of delicious stuff that I have never had/heard of, but expect tons of veggies, chicken, potatoes, and curry. The lunch buffet (yes, a GREAT Indian buffet), was under $10!!!!! ALL YOU CAN EAT!!! Seriously though, if you want some awesome Indian food here in Tempe, this is the place to go. Check it out. read more

Really enjoy this place and have been returning fairly regularly, especially for the well-priced lunch buffet. I've had difficulties in the past with locating an Indian restaurant that I liked in the area, and even though many others are closer, this has become the one for me. The buffet selection is smaller than some other places, but I prefer quality over quantity anyway. Most dishes are there every day, while a couple seem to rotate in and out. Including free unlimited garlic naan and mango lassi with the buffet is a nice touch and something other places don't offer. The service here has been good as well, which is important considering service has been a struggle at many Indian places I've visited in the past. Waiters fill your water and check on you frequently. My one minor ding would be that the tikka masala could use a little more flavor, at least for me, and a couple dishes could stand to be spicier. I believe when you order off the menu here, you specify how spicy you want the dish, so it's very possible they make buffet dishes a little blander to cater to all audiences. Admittedly, I like my food spicier than the average person. Still, it's overall a clean, tasty place that I try to eat at once or twice a month. Keep up the good work! read more

I love coming here for there buffet. I love the variety of options. There very polite & never rushed. I like that you can put several things on your plate the first go around & for seconds get what you like!! This place is a must try :) read more

Wonderfully yummy food, large portions, fast and friendly service--what more could you want? We tried the tandoori chicken and lamb boti kebab, with garlic naan and basmati rice. You can order your food mild, medium or hot. We went with the medium and it was perfectly spiced: just enough spice to add some heat, but not enough to need constant water. Service was excellent. Our food came out fast, waters refilled before we realized they were low, and they really cared if we liked the food. We will definitely be back! read more

I think this might be the best Indian food I have had in Phoenix. The only reason I am not giving it five stars, is because I ordered a rum and Coke and it was eight dollars. The food was off the hook though. Service was excellent. Highly recommend. When I go back, maybe they will lower their drink prices, and I'll change this to five stars. read more

Original Indian Kitchen - Not much from the outside, but great food inside. - Indian Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Food is freaking amazing but there is one problem with my experience. Waiter decided to give me and my girl an order of garlic Naan even though we did not order/want it. We asked why he gave it to us when we didn't order it and he said "most people like eating this type of Naan with what you ordered". Now we thought this was nice of him for giving us an order of what we thought was complimentary Naan. But the bill came and we were charged the $ 2.19 for the Naan we didn't even order. So we took it out of his tip. No big deal but really lame of him to do that to us and not very professional and imply it was free after we inquired about it. But the food is amazing I recommend anything on the menu and you've got to get basmati rice with any entree you decide. read more

Love this place!! I can't believe I never went here sooner. Incredible service everyone was so nice. Will definitely be back soon!!