The food is delicious and the service has always been good - counter service for lunch and waiter service for dinner. My wife and I enjoy coming here for a nice meal - full of wonderful flavor. read more

Truly some of the best Indian food I've had in the US and defiantly in Texas. The meat was cooked so perfectly, the scallops and chicken were moist and all the flavors were so balanced and unique. Every dish had something very innovative to offer and this was overall a great experience. I wouldn't come here expecting traditional Indian food it's very fusion, but done so well without being performative. Highly recommend the sesame dosa, the scallops, the butter chicken, and the e mango pani puri. Also, the service was super quick and the decorations, cleanliness, and overall vibe were great. read more

Pondicheri - Mango mousse cake, lemon kulfi, Chocolate Almond Cake - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I came in for lunch on a Saturday. The floor was a bit dirty. The portion of the food was super small, so if you are really hungry, i don't recommend. It is very overpriced considering the portion is super small. I got the Texan Thalis - the lamb kebab was the only thing that is good on that plate especially the seasoning but you would be amazed the amount of meat you would get, it's VERY little since it's literally just fat. The waiters were nice but it was mainly self service on the weekend. read more

This restaurant is doing things right! It's a tad expensive, but everything is these days. If I'm going to pay $60+ for a nice dinner with my husband, I want it to be good. Pondicheri is good! I went with three friends, one of whom is a vegetarian. He was excited to see that the items with meat were denoted with a symbol on the menu, which is a refreshing change from what is usually the opposite. I know Indian food is mostly vegetarian, but it's not often you see that at a (not fully vegetarian/vegan) restaurant in the states. We had to wait a bit for our table because it was pretty busy on a Saturday night. We got sat and were taking care of right away. Their mocktail/non-alcoholic drink menu was extensive, which always makes for a better experience for those who don't drink much. The menu was a bit small but with some guidance from our servers and some light googling of what dishes were, we ordered a variety of plates. Everything we tried was delicious. We finished it all and had no leftovers. My husband got some treats from the bakery counter since they were 50% off and they were pretty good. A bit different, but good. Really nice experience! Ambiance was lovely and the service was outstanding. I'd definitely return. read more

Pondicheri - Texan Thali - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

I think it's been 12 years since I visited (I no longer live in Houston), but Pondicheri and Indika have been on my radar since their beginnings since I went to lower and middle school with the owner's daughter. We got both samosas to start. They were smaller than expected, I liked the goat more which also has a kick. Between the 3 of us, we got the Tuesday fried chicken special, green masala shrimp, and lamprais curry. Portion size is good, not huge like you may see at more "standard" Indian restaurants. What I enjoyed about the meal is the variety of flavors and textures. I love parties in my mouth, and Pondicheri delivered. We did make a reservation and "reserved" the special which is good because they did run out otherwise tonight. The fried chicken is an Indian take on chicken and waffles. The dwaffle (dosa waffle) has great chew and some crispiness and a savoriness that goes well with the sweet syrup that's also on it. Lamprais was just a unique mix of flavors not quite like anything I've really had before. I only had a bit of the shrimp since I'm technically allergic and don't really like it, but my sister enjoyed it. The utthapum is similar to a fermented pancake and was another flavor I liked. For dessert we got a chai pie bite and the saffron cheesecake. I only had a small bit of the pie bite but was pleasantly surprised by the custard texture which I was wary about. The saffron cheesecake was delicious, from the aromatic sauce to the creamy (I assume) saffron-ness. read more

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A mainstay in my local establishments- never had a negative or non-top notch dish here. The Thalis offerings change seasonally and are always consistently delicious. read more

Pondicheri - Thalis options - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

The thali plate was Delicious. Good service and nice ambiance! I don't remember the name of the green sauce but it's one of my favorite !! read more

Pondicheri - Thali plate - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

The salad was okay, not too much to write home about - the bean sprouts were good and the greens had a zippy crunch which complemented the pepitas and the dressing well. The real star of the show was the chai pie... It was so delicious. The whipped cream was spiced which was an excellent addition. The service from staff was good and the restaurant was not too crowded/loud at the time we ate. Very nice place. read more

Pondicheri - Pondicheri Salad - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Still amazing and great patio seating! I love the bake lab which is innovative as usual. I also love getting take out from there. The valentines dinner date package is so cute for a stay at home date night. read more

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This is Indian food. The food was amazing. There is no table service, you just order at the register and sit where you wanna sit. I sat outdoors, and it was lovely. After I was done eating, I went upstairs to their bakery, and the experience is more like a coffee shop with very chill vibes. read more

Pondicheri - I thinkkkk it was called the Texan sampler. I can't remember tho. I got a lamp chop and garlic naan - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

Very fresh!! First time coming to the restaurant and was able to get seated immediately on a Saturday evening without a reservation. Only downside was their AC was down. Food was great though. Really enjoyed the mango pani poori, had a little kick with the mango sauce and had the perfect crunch/bite into the pani poori. The butter chicken was delicious as well. Quite flavorful and the chicken itself was juicy. The green sauce was minty and light. Garlic naaan was excellent and could tell it was made in house. Really liked the texture of it and all the herbs on it. The sweet potato fries was also home made! Liked how thin it was and crispy and had nice seasoning to top it off and to dip with this homemade ketchup. Good amount of seating indoors and outdoors as well. I'd come back to try their all day breakfast items and desert and drinks! They also have a bakery upstairs in the same plaza serving baked goods and other items. Parking - free parking in the apartment/plaza garage read more

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It was good. The ambience is good, the service is great, the food was underwhelming. I got the Vishnu Thali plate and felt it was really just spicy. The beet soup was delicious. The mushroom utthapam was the best of the meal. The Texan one was better. My husband got that and thought it was okay. The keema was very greasy but the lamb chop was good. The dessert was okay - the parle g ice cream sandwich - but nothing spectacular. Probably won't be back but it was a fun dining experience overall. read more

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Always consistently good food and service! Love that it's locally sourced and seed oil free.

food isn't good & the service isn't good. I ordered the dahi puri and it didn't come with any yogurt (dahi) and they waited 10 mins to tell me that I have to pay for the extra yogurt. By the time they told me, the puri was soggy & falling apart. Which doesn't make sense. I already paid for my meal & it was made wrong. But I have to pay again for you to fix it? If I paid for yogurt, and they don't give yogurt, they won't give you more charge you twice for the yogurt. So I complained, and they "re made" the dish for me. But here's the kicker. The dish originally came with 6 puri balls. I ate 2-3 just trying to find where the yogurt was before complaining. The "remade" dish they brought me only had 4 puri balls. Penny Pinchers OK!! Imagine having a restaurant in river oaks next to Tootsies and being CHEAP!!!! LOL never coming back! read more

For some reason, on my last post all the photos weren't attached, so here you go again on how delicious and nice everything looks read more

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Review is for BRUNCH upstairs at the bake lab. I know that their lunch and dinner service can be kind of expensive and you can get that Indian food craving elsewhere. BUT, I adore Pondicheri's breakfast/brunch items so much. The flavors are unique and the portions just right. My favorite things to get from the display case are the SAM biscuit (flakey, buttery spinach, artichoke and mushroom savory pastry, my favorite item at Pondicheri period) and the chocolate chip mint cookie (they use fresh mint leaves so the mint flavor is not too strong) and the Mawa cake (lightly floral and tender crumb, not too sweet). Everything looks incredibly scrumptious and beautiful. For food items, I love the breakfast Frankie (like a breakfast taco but really gorgeous eggs wrapped in an almond wrap with avocado), the khichri and soup is also tasty and the dwaffle! I love a good dosa so the dwaffle combines dosa with the extra crispy edges of a waffle. I like to enjoy all of this with the pondi latte (with less sugar). The dining space upstairs is really cute. I always see people enjoying the patio with a significant other, or just with a good book. On a nice day, it's absolutely perfect. I highly recommend coming back multiple times so you can try all the things. read more

The food was amazing! It was our first time here to celebrate a good friend's birthday and we were not disappointed. The service was great! We were constantly attended to and had great recommendations for our food and drinks. The restaurant itself had a very vibrant feeling and was very colorful. We will definitely be back! read more

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Greaaaat food! The seasonings and spices were delicious. Great vegetarian and vegan options. Delicate and elegant presentation. The Desi fries with their in house ketchup are delicious, couldn't get enough. Our servers were friendly and our food came out quickly. Would go back read more

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I've tried their bake lab goods before (the gulab jamun doughnut is soooo good), but this was my first time at the restaurant. I got the coconut pancakes for brunch, and they were a cool concept with coconut shavings and almonds mixed in with jaggery caramel for syrup. However, they were a bit too dry for me. The pomegranate pani puri blew it out of the water. They were fantastic, I and will be coming back for those!! Service was pretty hands off, you order and pay first then they bring the dishes to you. It's a nice place with good vibes, and I would want to come back and try other dishes! read more

Pondicheri - Coconut Pancakes, Morning Thali, Butter Chicken - Regular, Pomegranate Pani Poori, Garlic Herb Naan - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

TLDR- yummy food, but kinda $$$ for the service. Not too difficult to get a table, and there's a nice free parking garage for this plaza. They have some fun drinks, my cocktail was tasty. I shared the lamb ribs special with 2 friends and it was a lot of food. We also added garlic naan. The naan is very tasty, nice texture and the perfect complement to everything else. Lamb ribs were fantastic, super tender and flavorful. The things on the side were just ok, the sweet potato fries, okra, salad, were not too special. Food also took a long time to come out and they had forgotten one of our cocktails for a long time until we mentioned it. read more

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This is one of my fave places in Houston. The ambiance is cool and and service has always been good. There are many food options including a lot of healthy, vegetarian options when I'm in the mood for that. I highly recommend any dish with their mushroom including their mushroom (ghee) burger. They also have mushroom momos on their Meatless Mondays which is super tasty. There is slo a lot of options for sweets including their famous chai pie (it's worth the hype!). read more

Pondicheri - Mushroom momos - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Overall excellent place to eat. First off, would go back simply for the chicken wings again; they were so deliciously spicy and flavorful they were easily the best thing we ate for that entire meal. They have really good drinks that pair well with the food, and all of their dishes were really packed with flavor and balanced nicely. Prices were good and the service was great. It may seem somewhat of an odd location, but there's plenty of parking and kind of avoids crowds elsewhere read more

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My first time dinning at Pondicheri was in NY. I was surprised to find a location I Houston so of course my friend and I who I shared this experience with in NY had to have brunch. I'm vegetarian so I ordered the same thing, the green dosa. I was dissatisfied they didn't have a vegetarian option for momos. The quality of the food was great as always, a little pricy if you ask me. Hope to revisit and try something different. read more

I've been to Pondicheri a few times over the past couple years. It's a beautiful spot with yummy "hits the spot" spices and flavors. The atmosphere feels modern and sophisticated. It is located in a shopping area with a free parking garage right next to it. It has indoor and outdoor seating. Lots of cookies and other desserts that would be easy to buy and take out or give as a gift. They also have a small items (jars, sauces, etc) displayed for sale at the front of the restaurant. Staff has always been friendly and informative, which is helpful because the menu can be tricky to navigate for someone not very familiar with the cuisine. I love that the ingredients and meats are locally or intentionally sourced. Highly recommend ordering the jardín cocktail - so good! read more

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Had breakfast this morning with a friend and we both ended up with major gastrointestinal issues all day. We had two separate dishes and didn't share. This seems to indicate it wasn't an isolated spoiled item but more general poor kitchen cleanliness. This is the second time this has happened so sadly we're having to take Pondicheri off the list. read more

Been here several times, and every single time, it seems like the first floor associates are WAY NICER than the second floor associates. Cakes are phenomenal! Not to fond of this version of Gobi Manchurian. It tasted more like sesame chicken and not gobi. (Sad face) Pondi latte tasted nothing like the description. Def try the cakes!!! Beyond delicious! read more

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Great, flavorful food. Countertop ordering. Nice ambiance. My only complaints are that the food is a little overpriced (although, again, it's delicious) and the Thalis don't come with naan! Service is usually good but was not very good this time. I had a small balance left on my gift card. The cashier refused to redeem my gift card. He then gaslit me into thinking it had already been fully redeemed, even though the receipt confirmed the amount left on it. Ultimately, I just said it wasn't worth it and agree to pay for the meal with my credit card. Very frustrating experience. read more

Pondicheri - Sunrise Thali - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

I'm gluten free and seed oil free. Makes me happy there is an indian restaurant option that's both GF, & SOF ! The fenugreek fish, I was told, was prepared in olive oil . The dosa was GF . Everything including the curry, the spinach side and rose laddu (GF !) was delicious read more

Pondicheri - Fenugreek fish - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

I went to Pondicheri to buy a gift certificate and decided to treat myself to lunch while there. On a whim, I ordered the chickpea tofu wrap. I had never before heard of chickpea tofu. That wrap was delicious! It had a slightly sweet sauce, greens, and pomegranate arils. Go try one! To finish up, I bought one each of three different flavors of shortbread cookies. Also very tasty. read more

Pondicheri, you blew my mind! I've bookmarked this place 5+ years ago and totally forgot about it until my recent visit to Houston! Beautifully dressed restaurant, loved the saris swaying in the restaurant. Some things you must try: * sweet potato stuffed samosa - wow! Mind blown. * Momos - the saffron based sauce was the best * upma & shrimp - their take on southern favorite shrimp & grits. Well done! * Texan thali: a carnivore journey. Only thing i didn't like was the star of the dish, lamb chop. It was heavily coated in spices, lamb was completely lost! Sad reality. * Chai Pie - WOW! totally borrowing this idea. I've made chai cheesecake before but making this in my kitchen soon. * Chocolate cake - meh. It was quite bland. The red peppercorn as a garnish didn't add enough to make my tastebuds sing. I wish the cake or the frosting had more flavor. Overall, fantastic place. I'll def be back to try more of their creations. read more

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Good food, good ambience! The Earth Thali true to its name had earthy flavors and tasted authentic. Loved the fact that the spices didn't over power the actual greens, lentils or any delicacy. read more

Pondicheri - Earth Thali - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

Chocolate cake is the best here only 1 slice not enough for me! The curry with rice really good too i can't remember the name also love their orange juice really fresh! You'll have to try! read more

Pondicheri - Chocolate cake again! - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

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This spot is located on the upper floor of a shopping center connected to an apartment complex. There is free parking for business customers in the nearby garage. The bakery section is so beautiful and full of yummy treats - many of them vegan which was perfect for me because I can't eat dairy. I would describe the baked goods as being modernized Indian desserts, because they use many flavors and spices of India. I also loved the matcha drink I got. The decor inside is welcoming and colorful. It's a great spot to grab a bite and spend time chatting with a friend or working on a laptop, as I saw several people doing. read more

Pondicheri - Cool wall mural of images from India and quotes - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

Husband had the Texas Thali It was fine, but I guess I expected more flavor. Ambiance was cute. I really enjoyed my lamb and the goat samosa. The pumpkin samosa didn't taste like much. I like that they are baked. Next time I'll try the breakfast. read more

Pondicheri - Texas Thali - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

yum! I love Indian food and I was so happy to have dined here with some friends that live in the area. I went with the texan Thali that had butter chicken, lamb chop, lamb keema, smoked eggplant and garlic naan. My goodness. All of it was divine. I loved the spices, the flavors and the heat. IT was so filling and satisfied my palate and stomach. Will be back again the next time I'm in town. Great location, lovely atmosphere, great service, delicious food, and a good time. read more

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This was a very, very aesthetic restaurant. The service was quick and very attentive. It is very clean overall and they abided to social distancing. We got the buttered chicken, spinach pakora, and Frankie. The Frankie was delicious! I have never had a Frankie before and boy am I glad I tried it. The spinach pakora was great too! It had a nice crunch to it. The buttered chicken was okay. It was creamy, but I wish it had more flavor. We also weren't able to change the spice level which I don't like. On another note, the woman's restroom didn't have stall doors...they had curtains...but the men's did have stall doors... Overall, not a bad place. read more

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Came here for Meatless Monday. Lots of options to choose from. The aesthetics are really pretty and cute for a date night. Good mocktails. Good portions of food. Food came out fast and servers constantly checked on me. Great experience. read more

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I said I would be back, and I kept my word! Once again, Pondicheri over-delivers, and just scratches that craving itch for delicious modern Indian food. We ordered several more dishes and realized we nearly ordered all vegetarian food - which is a testament to the way this menu can suit most (if not all) dietary needs AND entice people without them to try everything. We did not go hungry. read more

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Only Indian restaurant in Houston that we frequent, I know there are other options. Food is always good, but pricing has gotten out of control. Worth trying for your own evaluation, however we will try others to better evaluate the value. read more

Pondicheri - Butter Chicken - Regular - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

We were looking for an Indian restaurant to try in Houston and we were stumbling to this beautiful coffee restaurant. The moment you walked it is like transformed into another place, the restaurant was so well decorated with flowers, plants, table on wheels, coffee, cake, chocolate, etc. We were so overwhelmed with goodness. It was a Monday when we visited and it was a Vegan day! Don't be fool by Vegan food cause they were delicious, we got the roti, pancake , and a latte. I couldn't explain how I felt because the flavors were explosive , honestly, it is one of the few best Indian restaurants that I have (and I have tried so many of them). Another good thing about this restaurant is free parking. So if y'all don't want to pay for parking but want to have a good time and good, give this place a try. read more

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