The authentic Indian spice flavor is definitely lacking in all of the dishes I tried here. The potatoes tasted like plain potatoes with a little tumeric color added. Spinach no flavor other than spinach. The butter paneer was as bland as tomato soup. The only dish that had any flavor, the spicy chicken, had 2 seasonings, salty and spicy. If you have enjoyed authentic Indian for the last 30 years as we have, this is not the place for you. read more

Don't be fooled by the modest atmosphere. It may not look like much from the outside but the food is amazing! Definitelu our new go to for Indian buffet! read more

This place is awesome! The restaurant was super clean, the people were very friendly and the food was incredible! Since it was my first time they offered free samples!! Some Indian food leaves you feeling "heavy" when your are done....Nope! The naan was freshly and so good. I have eaten Indian food in many places, pretty much every big city in the US and a few overseas locations, this place is in my top 5 easily! Definitely recommend read more

I've always been a fan of Padmini's ever since they opened off liberty road location. Frederick is lucky to have these 2 restaurants. The owners are extremely friendly and courteous. They always let you try their food first before you order and they give out generous portions. I've had the chicken dishes many times and the paneer. I recommended this place to so many folks and they loved it. Thanks team of Padmini for doing a great job in the Indian restaurants field. read more

Decent priced meal here for the lunch hours of offices and students. Not recommended for dinner reservations for sure because of the limited options and not so great taste. read more

Great food. Good prices. I haven't had anything here I didn't like. Chef is super friendly. You can ask for samples prior.

Chicken kabobs are made to order and come with rice and salad. Fresh naan!! For the pick 2, I chose butter chicken and ginger chicken!. Both were extremely tasty!! We will be back again. The wait staff was nothing but super helpful! read more

Padmini's Curry Grill - Pick 2 dish - Indian Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

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Good Indian restaurant that serves food in a cafeteria style, where you pass numerous pans of food displayed in warming trays located behind glass and ask staff to add to your order those items that you want. The staff is very willing to offer samples of any foods in which you might be interested. The food is all of very high quality. I ended up ordering, and eating, nine different items (yes, I ordered more than one container/plate), and the quality of the food was great in every case, and the food was well-seasoned. The owners and managers seem to make a great effort to try to purchase only ingredients that are all-natural, and they also deliberately try to make all foods with low salt content, in contrast to the grossly over-salted foods to be found in many Indian restaurants in the US. The management also tries to avoid offering fried foods, due to the attendant problems of excess levels present in such foods of often-peroxidized polyunsaturated oils. However, I personally wish that they would offer pakoras and samosas at the least, as these are staple Indian appetizer-like foods, and can be quite delicious when homemade. They make fresh batches of naan every few minutes, and their naan is simply delicious. The interior layout and decor of this restaurant, including the great amount of free space in the seating area, the great variety of seating options, and the colors (walls, tables, chairs, etc.) is great. Very bright, very spacious, and pleasantly colorful. I give this place a solid 3 stars. I would be able to give it 4 stars only if they offered a wider selection of cooked dishes, and if they offered samosas and pakoras, and if their bread selection went beyond the basic naan and also included some potato, onion and other kulcha breads, or a similar item such as stuffed naan, and finally, if they offered a selection of various commonly-encountered condiments (accompaniments) for Indian food like jams, dips, sauces, chutneys, and particularly raita, for use by customers while eating their meals (these condiments could be offered, for free, at a condiments bar similar to those found in Indian buffet restaurants, or could be offered for sale in small plastic containers at a small price). After all, even the cheapest low-end Indian buffet restaurants offer such condiments alongside their buffet offerings...! BTW, all of the owners, managers and staffers with whom we have interacted on our visits to this restaurant have been very friendly and incredibly helpful. During our visit to this restaurant last night, I deliberately over-ordered foods so that by the time we were done eating at the table, we had tons of leftover foods to bring home (all of their "plate" containers can accept lids to close the container for takeout; you can get the lids from staffers at the counter) to put in the fridge! So now my fridge is filled with delicious Indian foods! Finally, I must tell you with a heavy heart that this Indian restaurant does NOT offer any dishes that contain brains: there is no brain curry, no brain masala, no brain biryani, nor any other dishes containing brains. This is very sad for me, for I crave brains, and I must eat brains every day. One of my favorite India-Pak restaurants in the world is located in the French Quarter of New Orleans, and it serves several brain dishes (particularly brain masala), along with other organ meat dishes based upon liver, heart, and tripe (stomach). read more

PRO's: Friendly Staff Food was ok CON's: Expensive for portion size Served in to go container that got soggy QUICK Menu was very confusing Staff had little knowledge about what they were serving Salad was not included in the meal and if you get the pick two, salad counts as one of the two... Although my experience was not bad, my food was not THAT good compared to other Indian Restaurants in the area especially for the price I ended up paying... all I'm saying was after the meal I was left unsatisfied. read more

Guys. THIS FOOD IS AMAZING. When I visit my folks who live in Mill Pond, Worman's Mill from New York (where all the Indian Restaurants are) we get our Desi fix at PCG because: 1) We are Desi and what we do is eat lots of food all the time; 2) My folks have spent a couple of decades in Bombay (Mumbai), where Padmini and Dilip (the owners) are from so their food is nostalgia-laden AND delicious; 3) PCG have goat curry--made with a light hand (no cream nor sugar just bright, lively masala and fresh ingredients)--that is totally glorious; 4)The sambar has drumsticks galore (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moringa_oleifera); 5) The coconut chutney is sharp yet delicate and super fresh with complex mouthfeel; 6) The Maraathi-style daal is sublime; 7) THERE IS A TANDOOR OVEN that churns out naan; 8) The price points are modest but seriously, I'd sell my friends to buy their food so nbd; 8) And, they are nice AF. GO. Get yourself some Desi Food. And if you need to charge your phone, they have you covered because they have a charging station. ps: Dilip says 99% of their customers are regulars. And my friend Tracy says that PCG knows her family members by name and food preference. read more

We have tried many Indian restaurants but every time something was not right, this one fixes them all. A little hidden Frederick gem! If you're not sure about Indian, they offer to let you taste different things. Fresh baked naan from scratch, a lovely mango lassi that isn't from a carton and spices that will make your taste buds so happy! We will be back again and again! read more

Fantastic place that serves up unpretentious authentic tasty home-made Indian food. Unlike the usual restaurant fare, the food is not oily or overly creamy. The veggie dishes I've tried so far are all amazing but the potato curry really sold it for me. It's the ultimate test of good home-made cooking in my opinion - a simple dish to make but so difficult to get it right. Trust me, I've tried. Padmini is a lovely and friendly person. She was nice enough to make me a vegetarian masala rice on one of my visits. Mango lassi, as you have read in other reviews, is amazing. Portions are generous that I usually have leftovers for another meal. In short: great cooking and generous portions all at an incredibly affordable price. This is now my regular place to eat at when I am on that side of town. read more

The clowns that gave this place 1 or 2 stars have no clue what is good food and great service. Padmini's Grill isn't a sit down and be served restaurant, its more of a served buffet style. Regardless, it has the best indian food in town. Come check it out for yourself. I never leave here hungry or unhappy. read more

My favorite place to eat in Frederick! Great quality food at a more than reasonable price! The food is not spicy at all! The butter chicken Rice and Nann Is my favorite combination! Sometimes I like to get the Lentils too! Everything is good you can't go wrong! I highly recommend the mango lassi as well! If you live in Frederick you NEED to try Padmini's! read more

Padmini's Curry Grill - Butter chicken and rice - Indian Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

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Great for the lunchtime crowd. Went in for Sunday dinner, a slow night for them. Had the extra spicy chicken and chana masala. They were thoughtful to offer a sample, in case it was too spicy. Moist, tender and flavorful, with selections for the vegetarian and vegan crowds. A new favorite place for me. read more

The owners really display courage and patience as Frederick is certainly not a welcoming market for authentic food. So I've considered their venture with a certain trepidation. Still, it looks like they're doing fine. The guy is chatty (a good chatty, let's say conversational, especially if he knows you can cook Indian, he'll tell you all about his business). The selection decent and well separated by veg and meats (I come for the daals). Portion overlarge. Hours extended. More relevantly, cooking unpretentious and more importantly, not americanised. The only downside is the mall location (too high a barrier for casual eateries in downtown) read more

Absolutely delicious. The inside of the restaurant is hardly anything special, but the staff are friendly, and the food is phenomenal. 11/10 Indian takeout. read more

I have eaten here at least 6 times with my boyfriend, and I LOVE their food. It is super delicious, presentable, and very very reasonably priced. The chicken, goat, paneer, garbanzo beans, lentils, vegetables, rice, naan, mango lassi, gulab jamun (syrupy donuts)... I've tried it all and give all of them two thumbs up!! Only once the lentils were a little undesirable, and that's perhaps because they don't douse it with heavy cream and additives. Some of the dishes are not your typical rich and heavy Indian restaurant dishes because they (allegedly) don't use MSG, food additives (color, preservatives, etc.). That's why a few dishes could look less vibrant. Don't be fooled, it tastes like mom-made home food. I have NEVER felt bloated and uneasy after eating here, which I usually do after eating at an Indian restaurant. The service is impeccable. You get to sample the dishes before ordering them. The naan (NOT naan bread) is freshly made and yummy! The owner goes around asking if people like the food or not. It's a shame that I haven't seen many Indian people eating here. Oh well...more food for the rest of us! read more

Good, reasonably priced Indian food! Can get a full meal for just under $10. This is not a sit down place like most Indian restaurants in the area, it's one where they have options, you pick one or two entrees with rice and naan for a set price. They will let you sample as many as you want and are very helpful and attentive. The food is good quality and tastes fresh. A great place for a casual meal! read more

Padmini's Curry Grill - Indian Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

One my collegue suggested to try out new Indian joint in fredrick. Very friendly staff and good spot to eat there or to pick up to go. Owner is a very friendly guy who came upto us and asked about our overall experience. Lets talk about the food. The food is excellent and different from traditional Indian restaurant. All the entrees are fresh and hot ready. Staff is very keen to help to make the pick by giving free samples of everything. The owner is proudly describing the food being very "homemade" and free from all chemical and taste enhancers. I loved that part of the food the best. We ordered giner chicken, chhole, daal makahani and potatoes. Ginger was my favourite and chhole second. Daal makahni had genuine homemade taste. Highly recommended for all who is intended in authentic indian flavors. read more

Padmini's Curry Grill - Pick 2 with Potatoes and Daal makhani. The best part is the homemade taste. - Indian Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

I came here when this place just opened and was not impressed (my review disappeared) but figured I'd give it another shot to be fair...my opinion has not changed. The atmosphere is a by awkward; the colors look like a fryo place and it's dead silent with no music and you feel odd talking too loud. There are vegetarian and meat options so that's great but neither were very good. We happened to be there when they were adding more chicken into the butter chicken masala and essentially they threw cooked chicken into the in of sauce...how is the chicken supposed to be flavorful if it's not even cooked in the sauce?!? You do get a good amount of rice and entree and you get 2 pieces of naan (before you had to pay for it). The food itself is SO bland! Both the meat and vegetarian options were missing flavor and seasoning and the masala entrees were majorly lacking masala flavor. Also the tofu was really chewy and almost rubber like. This has to be one of the most bland Indian places I've been to - I'm not sure how the owners think this food is remotely comparable to other Indian food or flavors. Additionally, this place is always empty when we drive by and on a Saturday afternoon that was no exception. We were the only customers there and all of the sudden we heard someone sawing wood in the back. It was extremely loud and obnoxious and this is something that should be done after hours and not when you have clientele, no matter if there are only 2 people there. read more

The curry, dal and chana, and biryani were wonderful! So good! but the naan was a real disappointment. Tasted like regular bread.

Decent Indian food. Very fresh, friendly customer service and great portions. The owner gave me a lot of samples before i made my decision. The spicy curry chicken was no joke though. I love my spicy food, but this was to the core the most spiciest chicken I have ever had. It just about almost burnt my mouth off. Price wise was good as well. Paid $13 for two meat platter, side salad and rice. I'll be back to try more. read more

I love the ginger chicken here! Also the naan and rice are fresh and tasty. It is great comfort food at an affordable price!

We went to Padmini's for lunch, the portions were large and the food excellent. There were several items to choose from. The food was hot and well seasoned. I had the potato curry, with yellow lentils and naan. I was very satisfied with my meal, the service, the location and the atmosphere. read more

We love this place. As vegans there are plenty of options for us and the food is delicious. All the staff that work here are friendly and helpful. My husband and I stopped in for some carry out the other night and we had questions about the best sizes to order. They were very patient and friendly even though we were taking lots of time to decide. Highly recommend. read more

Extremely good food, extremely friendly staff, wonderful service, and hands down the best Indian food in the Frederick area! Have eaten here a handful of times and I have had a great experience every time. They even have a kids area with TV, so it is an easy place to take your kids with you to eat. read more

Best indian food I've ever had. I really wish that I lived closer. Very affordable and authentic cuisine. Workers are very friendly. I'd rather spend my time with their naan rather than christmas with my family. read more

Awesome food , excellent prices and fast service!! Portions are just perfect when you get the pick combos for your meal, depth of flavor and different types of curry are abundant here, don't miss out! read more

The food is amazing, the portions are large and the price is very affordable. The owners and the folks that work with them are super kind and friendly. We go at least twice a week. read more

Wonderful!! Very friendly folks. Fresh, very tasty food. My hubby can't do gluten so this was a great option. The spicy chicken and chickpeas were to die for. Love the spicy rice and Naan bread. Just spicy enough for our American taste. Great prices too. Will definitely be back..... Update..ordered catering for Christmas and everyone loved it! They were very nice to come in and cook it that day so everything would be fresh and yummy! read more

We tried this place last weekend and it's awesome! As Desis, we know what we're looking for in an Indian/Pakistani restaurant. There are a couple of other Indian restaurants in Frederick but we didn't like them at all. So when we tried the food at Padmini's Curry Grill, we were pleasantly surprised. I'm so glad they're in Frederick! Now we don't have to drive down to Germantown or further when we crave "real" Desi food. The owner as well as the other employees were super friendly. They offered to let us taste all the dishes that were included in the buffet. I have to admit, all the food was great but their goat curry was amazing! And the service was wonderful. We also ordered their chicken kabab biryani... that was ok. Not an authentic biryani and the rice seemed to lack flavor. That's the only item we weren't fans of and probably won't order it again. If you've never had biryani, you may like it. And I appreciate their effort to create something a little different than traditional biryani but the dish just seemed to lack flavor overall. If they work on that, then I think it would be good. Overall, I highly recommend this place, esp for all the local Indians/Pakistanis that live in Frederick. Aside from the biryani, all the other dishes were great and their mango lassi was sooo yummy! Now go keep them in business!! I don't want to lose this newfound gem in Frederick. Lol :) read more

When I first walked in I was hesitant to try anything since it was empty but I'm glad I stayed. The gentleman working behind the counter was so nice and let us try everything. The food is amazing and so cheap! I had leftovers for lunch the next day. They offer an all day special of $7.99 for two meats and rice. That is almost unheard of, I hope they stay around. read more

The service was great, i was able to sample several of the entree's before i chose. The price and portion size was perfect! Great choice!

Frederick is EXTREMELY lucky to have Padmini's. First of all, the place is very clean & everyone who works there provides great customer service. The food is well seasoned & very tasty, but also very accessable to people with a wide range of experience eating Indian food. In fact, I'd highly recommend Padmini's to anyone who wants to try Indian food, but has been hesitant or intimidated by a more traditional sit down restaurant with an expansive menu. If you don't know what you want, just ask. They'll give you some samples. Bonus: I'll never complain when I can get a quality for 2 for ~$17. My order? Pick 2 with Spicy & Butter Chicken. Half rice/half naan. read more

If you love authentic Indian food, you'll love this place. Food is delicious and consistent. Only complaint is sometime they skimp you on meat but most of the time it's plenty. I love coming here on a regular basis. read more

SO GOOD Got the ginger chicken, butter chicken and Chana masala. Portions are enough for one person but it's very yummy. They're brand new so the place is really clean and they make the kabobs fresh. The guy who was working let us try 8 different dishes they had on the buffet and they were all delicious. Place could use some music though. read more

I got the best response ever from the owner and staff at this location. I was contacted with 24 hours about the food situation on my last visit. Even though we did not expect a replacement meal for free, they gave it to us. Not only that, the chef has made sure that our food is absolutely fresh. Everyone still treats us with kindness. This is the best experience I've ever had with a business owner making a situation right! Thank you! read more

Food is good but... I felt ostracized when I went in. The individual behind the counter did not have good English and I didn't know the EXACT language for what I wanted . Needless to say when he realized what I did want he started talking down and had a bit of an attitude. read more

Worst Indian food ever. Butter chicken sauce tasted like it came straight from a jar. Only good thing I can say is naan was fresh and hot.