I'll start off by saying that my review is biased since I've been going to this joint for way too many years now. I've become a regular and the owner recognizes me instantly. Like ALL restaurants, they have some really great days, and then there's the occasional off day, which is expected since who doesn't have those?? When they're busy, I patiently enjoy my wine and the company I'm with, so if you don't like to wait-- don't come with someone whose company you don't enjoy haha. Good things to eat come those who don't mind waiting. They've implemented a $40 minimum for free delivery. I'm not upset over this as I do prefer to dine there since the food tastes SO MUCH better. Not to mention Indian food isn't like Chinese food where it holds well to being eaten 30 minutes after it's cooked. Naan gets rubbery when it's not eaten fresh, so make the trip in. Free delivery without a minimum is thing of the past...get over it or get take out. Their meats are always perfectly cooked...lamb is fork-tender..no knife needed. Their curries haven't congealed if you're eating leftovers the next day, and there's no thick layer of oily film on top either. These are important things to look for in day old indian food because you'll know if the restaurant is using quality ingredients and cooking techniques! Must try dishes: paneer sizzler (takes about 15-20 mins to make so expect to wait if you want quality food) ..meat samosas...daal makhani...gobi masala...paneer moghlai (has cashews so those allergic beware)...lamb Tikka masala (a must try!!) ...chicken makhani...chicken korma...onion/chili kulcha...garlic naan..bhatura...and all of their tandoori dishes are tender and quite flavorful. BYOB...seriously almost everyone who's a regular comes in with a bag in hand with their favorite beverage of choice. Sadly the liquor store next door closed down, so you absolutely have to remember your beer or wine before leaving the house. They get packed pretty quickly during lunch time, but NO ONE has an all you can eat buffet for under $11 in the tri-state area so you'll have to understand if there's a wait to be seated. You also get to try a variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, so you're better off with that than ordering off the menu during lunch. read more

Heavy Indian food. We started off with a some lassi - a traditional yogurt based drink. Both the mango and sweet lassi was good. Ibshould say - its quite a filling drink. For appetizers we ordered the chaat - Yes we wanted more yogurt. We continued our heavy and flavorful north indian affair - paneer masala, malai kofta and dal tadka. Paneer was the best among the curries. We ordered Peshawari naan, butter naan and rotis. Peshawari naan is sweet, has an inner layer of coconut and is heavy on your tummy. I loved my onion kulcha. I'd try the place again for the buffet if I am in the area. read more

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We just moved to the area and got delivery tonight through DoorDash. We loved Red Pepper! We got three entrees. As others noted, they come with rice at no charge. Paneer Moghlai - So rich and hearty for a vegetarian option. Chicken Tikka Masala - Creamy and flavorful. Chicken Vindaloo - Our favorite of the 3! Tangy, spicy, and so much depth of flavor. We also got garlic naan which tasted good, but seemed maybe a bit dry. Whatever, not a hge deal. We will be ordering again soon. There are 20+ more vegetarian items for me to try, and I plan to make a good dent in the list. read more

Great food and favorite Indian restaurant around! The service is always great too. A must try!

Red Pepper provides a ridiculously inexpensive ($12) and wonderful lunch buffet. The Chicken Tikka Masala is so freaking creamy. Seriously -- I felt like I was eating pieces of chicken-flavored butter given how each piece just decadently melted in my mouth. Aside from the chicken, they had a bunch of my favorite dishes including Malai Kofta and Paneer Makhani. read more

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I have been here twice in one week, the first time being a week ago :) The all you can eat buffet is $9.95! and its amazing. I love the variety of foods they offer. The first time I went I had the vegetable rice and eggplant masala. Everything I ate was good. They are constantly bringing out fresh food and that is because the place is always busy read more

Red Pepper - Bhelpuri - Indian Near Me - Scotch Plains, New Jersey

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Best chicken tikka massala!! (breast meat) Food is good but they seem to be cheap on giving you sauces or rice. If you order a meal, with a bread and a drink they give you a full size order of rice. No sauces. If you by $50 or more worth of food you only get one rice for 2 orders(meals) and a small amount of red onion??? No tamarin or hot sauce, nothing. If you ask for tamarin, they say it's extra... They grudgingly give it to you, if you ask for another rice, they charge you $3???? very disappointed in the way they cut corners!!! I think I will be looking for another Indian restaurant. I woul give it a 4 star for food, but if they're cheap with rice what are they putting in the food....hmmm read more

This restaurant from the outside doesn't look like much and is in a strip mall type deal across from a little carnival. Once you get inside though, it looks much better. The food is awesome (5 levels of heat too). The staff is super friendly. The prices are decent. And unlimited rice, which is always awesome. The menu is quite extensive so there should be something there for everyone! read more

Red Pepper was there for us when we needed delicious food. The online ordering was easy, and food was ready when I arrived for pick-up. I was greeted and attended to by a friendly, professional gentleman who was dressed as if he were serving a full dining room on a busy night. Every dish was cooked to perfection and carefully packaged for easy transport. We've always liked Red Pepper, but we are even more appreciative of their efforts at this time. read more

In the past few year, the lunch buffet ($10.95) has deservedly become very popular, so do not be upset if it is crowded or dishes need to be refilled. The buffet offers many very good meat and veg options and other than standbys chicken tikka masala and tandoori, changes frequently. Bring cash--they do not take cards for lunch. Dinner here is very good, seldom crowded, with an extensive menu, good portions, fair prices, nice decor and helpful staff. BYO, too! The best Edison places are better, but this is a fine local option. The roomy parking lot is a plus. read more

I love that Scotch Plains has such good Indian food. I have eaten at many Indian restaurants, and have traveled to South India so I'm super selective about my dals, and curries. The Lamb specialties are excellent! The menu has many delicious offerings. Have Ras Malai for dessert, you won't regret it. Take out is reliable, efficient and packed with care. Portions are generous, staff is kind and sweet, responsive to specific menu requests. Yum! read more

My favorite Indian take out.. they also deliver quickly! Love their food. We have tried so many dishes and everything is always delicious. Portion sizes are not that large so I would recommend ordering extra. The chicken korma is my favorite. It is a creamy yet light sauce. read more

Bad food and worse worse worse service! They almost drove us out of the door once the clock struck 3pm. Really really poor management. NEVER COMING BACK! read more

Easily my favorite Indian restaurant. This place is such a hidden gem. The food is amazing!! The chicken tikka masala and the lamb pasanda are both must tries! Every time I go the service is fast and the waiters are all very friendly and helpful. Ambience is also very nice. read more

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I ordered Chane Bhature for dinner from Red Pepper ....And guess what ? I got only **1/2 Bhatura** and tasty channe for my dinner ... ::)) who does that ? I called them next day to see if it was a mistake on their part ...and the person who picked up my call, said ," you must have come for lunch buffet" I told the person ...no it was for dinner takeout that I had ordered. The person on the other side did not even acknowledge his mistake nor apologized about it. So for approx 15 bucks, you get 1/2 Bhatura and chane ....everyone ...pls be aware ... read more

Very attentive staff and constantly filling water glasses!!! I honestly wanted to try everything! We got lamb vindaloo and we're very happy with the medium heat. I would definitely say it was on the lighter spicy side and very tasty!!! We also tried the chicken korma which was very creamy and sweet! We ordered the pashwari naan which is heavily stuffed with shredded coconut! It paired perfectly with the spiciness of the vindaloo!!! I saw pictures of the buffet and honestly can't wait to go back and enjoy it! It is my understanding that there are many dishes rotated into the buffet so it's not always the same. I really look forward to going and will update my post! read more

We ordered chicken tikka masala, palak paneer, and Bayngan Bharta and did not have a good experience. None of the dishes were spicy at all! Palak Paneer tasted like frozen spinach with tons of salt. Very very salty and not spicy or seasoned with anything but salt. Eggplant dish was salty as well and no flavor at all. We are extremely dissatisfied read more

Excellent as always and the staff is always so nice and accommodating. Food is well spiced. Priced well

I haven't had much Indian food so I'm no expert here. We got take out and I definitely enjoyed what we ate! Huge helping of rice and decent entree. Everything was very good. Great hearty sauces and nothing on bad on the menu that I have experienced. Many have mentioned the Chicken Tika Masala which I can confirm is delicious! read more

Very good Indian food. My favorite is the Chicken Tikka, med heat. I do takeout most of the time as my wife is not a fan. Have eaten in a few times and even did the lunch buffet. After the buffet I rolled out into the parking lot, I was that full and the food was that good. Place is always hopping and service is top notch. A bit pricey but worth it. Closed Mondays. read more

I called for pick up as there is no indoor or outside dining. The food was ready within 29 minutes and absolutely delicious. I think it is the best Indian food in the area. read more

I always come here with my friends or family, we've been regulars for years now. Every time we come here we leave extremely satisfied. Probably the best Indian food I've ever had! read more

The buffet was pretty good. Very tasty. However, 2 of the 5 main entrees, I liked but had to stay away from. The sauce tasted buttery and creamy. Too creamy. Every bite made me feel guilty. I just couldn't eat it knowing it contained all that "bad chlorlestol" read more

We did pick up, so can't expect to be as good as eat at the place but still delicious food. Order & pick up was easy and fast.

I'v been there many times pre-covid and food have always been delicious and the staff is nice!

Ordered food for pick up- everything came as ordered with no missing items, easy and convenient place for take out Indian. I enjoyed their chhole and vegetable pakora. Everything came with rice, naan an additional charge. Will definitely be back here! read more

Red Pepper - Indian Near Me - Scotch Plains, New Jersey

Good food. They can improve service. When there was a problem with my order the lady at the register resolved it very well.

This Red Pepper take out order was horrible my mouth was on fire,the yellow Dahl and Lamb tikka masala was not medium the heat from the chili was so hot not even yogurt, or the mango Lassi calm the level heat down. Called back the store and frankly they didn't care , claimed. The chili came from India that why level heat was so hot. Far as I concerned they only care about getting the dollar bill in the register and forgot to care about the customer very disappointed I used to love eating from there but this is second time the food been far to spicy hot too eat. read more

Food is ok but so under spiced I would NOT buy again. Not cheap either. There are way better Indian restaurants just a pop away in Edison. If you want to pay more and not travel to Edison, go to Spice Bazaar in Westfield. They food there is good but overpriced. I am gonna stick to Edison read more

Am wondering who gave them 5 Star . Ordered three times a Biryani , Kadai chiken and Goat curry . It was a real disappointment thinking are they making fun of indian food ? read more

Very good choice for Indian in the Scotch Plains area. It's the middle of a small strip mall off Rt 22...a bit away's from the chaotic portion of the road way. We went on a Saturday night and it was virtually empty. A little concerning but based on previous Yelp reviews we stuck with out plan. No apps selected because our goal was try 3 entrees (family -Indian- style). Veggie Korma - vegetables were still crunchy which shows me that it was prepared recently and not just sitting there. Chicken Tikka Masala (an Indian staple for the less knowledgeable folk) - Delicious. Chicken absorbed the sauce (which by the way was fantastic). A definite must try. Chicken Dhansak - Delicious as well. Chicken was off the bone variety and no struggle to cut it when eating. The sauce was bit unique yet flavorful. Service: Good. No waiting. All business with a smile. Water glass consistently filled. Prices: Nothing different than other places I have been to. ENJOY! read more

Having heard consistently good things about Red Pepper, my wife and I decided to give it a try. Neelam. Poojah. You're out!! Red Pepper is in We spent some enjoyable time going over the menu. Always a good sign when I go into vapor lock because everything looks so damn appealing. But, we narrowed down our choices, placed an order with a friendly fellow who answered the phone, and sped down the hill to Scotch Plains twenty minutes later. It was a spicy night for me. Medium means hot! Good, great, bring it on. To start, chili bhajia. Whole green chilies stuffed with a spicy mixture and deep fried. Great heat, light batter. Delicious! Spicy goat curry was next. Plenty of tender goat in a great sauce. But what bread did I choose to mop up the sauce? Chili naan of course!! Awesome. We wife kept the spicy theme going with palak paneer, bayngan bharta and yellow daal tarka. Lots of roti, spicy indian pickle(achar) and some raita to cool things off. I had a fair amount of the daal and it was outrageously good. My wife loved every spicy flavorful bite of her treats. Ok, that's enough with the raves. Just go here and enjoy. We'll be back soon. read more

I like the food here a lot and have gone to the lunch buffet a bunch of times. Today I left 2-bucks as a tip and went up to the front to pay. Owner grabs my tip off the table and I watch him stuff it into the cash register. I said "that was a tip for the guys" and he said "We keep the tips". Seriously??? 5-stars for food. -2 stars for keeping the tips for the house. read more

This is a quintessential Americanized Indian restaurant.They have lunch buffets(I think it was 10/pp)and a la carte as well.Most of the Indian restaurants in Edison area charges ~15/pp for a lunch buffet,and here they charge 50% less and the lower quality of buffet reflects in that lower price. If you like authentic Indian food with reasonable spice level and flavor this is not the place you should go.Their biriyani have green pepper added in them(I was born in Indian and never had a chicken biriyani with green peppers in the 15 states I have travelled in India)The worst part of this restaurant is the ketch up that they add as top up on all chicken entrees especially on take outs.If you order,chicken chilly,you get half a bottle of ketch up free as a topping!This happened to me three times and even if you explicitly ask them not to do it,they still do it.I am completely stopping ordering from here! read more

Ordered takeout, everything was delicious :) Should have ordered more Samosas!! Chicken Jal-Frozi is great too. Excited to try other dishes in the future read more

Thank you fellow Yelpers for your insightful reviews of Red Pepper! I wanted to find a new Indian establishment after becoming jaded with other places (Sona in Maplewood and Palki in East Hanover (RIP) so I had to try this place for dinner after rave reviews! To start, the vegetable samosa was delicious (comes with two hearty pieces, great to split with your date). The spinach soup is really tasty as well as the coconut soup my husband had enjoyed. When we asked for our dishes to be spicy, Red Pepper definitely delivered, where other restaurants hold back on the spice all too often. I had the Sabzi Vindaloo which had a great portion of crazy spicy vegetables and my husband had the Curry Chicken...the meat was tender and the sauce, delicious! Word of caution to the Naan lovers: One order of naan is one piece cut into quarters. Usually, other places provide two pieces within an order which would be more suitable for sharing. Unfortunately, I would recommend ordering two naan if there is more than one of you. The service was friendly, but our waiter was pretty forgetful, especially when the restaurant started to pick up a bit. Each course that was brought out wasn't timed suitably. There was too long of a time gap between appetizer and main course. I had to ask for the check twice, but it still took over 20 minutes to deliver our bill. The decor was modern, atmosphere was buzzing on a Friday night, and the prices were terrific! The strangest part of this place is the "Disney" font they use sporadically on their menu. What's up with that?? lol. Overall, great experience! I can't wait to visit Red Pepper again! read more

I have ordered delivery from this place several times in the past because they are the only Indian restaurants in the area that delivers to Summit. All of a sudden tonight, they have a $40 minimum, which is an astronomical request for a food order for one person and something which was never before shoved into my face like it was this time. The people on the phone have always had a general air of rudeness, but being of Indian decent, I have experience with this type of personality, and usually just let it slide, but whomever it was that picked up the call tonight was over the top rude and offered very poor customer service. He was such an as*hole that I flat out told him I would never buy from his restaurant again. I wholeheartedly recommend you go to any other Indian restaurant, where they are kind and respectful and love what they do. Knowing that there is such attitude behind their product makes it revolting to even consider this place as an option. I feel bad for the chefs, because the quality of food isn't bad, but it isn't just the taste of the food that makes a good experience. read more

First time trying the buffet here. Feel like I am an Indian food buffet expert. Best tikka masala and gulam I have had at a buffet. Tandoori chicken mediocre, all other dishes were very good. Wished they had samosas and or fried veggies and a nicer cold bar area. The area is pretty small for a buffet. Great service and items were replenished quickly. Priced at $15 for weekends is slightly higher than I usually pay for this size buffet. Definitely will be back. read more

This is by far my favorite Indian place in the area. It is actually better than places that are loaded with Indian restaurants (like Edison). I have problem been here about 15 times and I am constantly wanting to go back! The lunch buffet is ridiculously affordable (i think it's like $9) and it is always stocked with a variety of vegetarian and carnivorous dishes. There is not a dish I have tried that I didn't enjoy. (I think I have tried about 1/4 of the menu so far.) The service is also great, empty plates are quickly taken, low water glasses are constantly replenished, and I have never had to wait long for any requests. I know someone who brings Indian clients to this restaurant and they also thoroughly enjoy their meal. I honestly have nothing bad to say about this place. I will be coming here for all my Indian food cravings as long as I am in the area and I suggest you do the same! read more

Just took a coworker here to try and prep her for a trip out to India. Is it as good as the Indian food I had when I was out in Delhi? No. Is it the best Indian restaurant within driving distance of my office? Also, no, that honor goes to Raagini and its bigger selection. But is it a cheap, reliable lunch buffet with quality food that I would go back to? Definitely, yes. Tandoori chicken was tangy and juicy, picking up a satisfying crust from its long yogurt marinade. Chicken tikka masala was a perfectly fine rendition of a classic. Vegetable samosas were crisp and hearty, without being greasy. A vegetable curry (I forget the name) of tomatoes and eggplant was very assertively spicy, and probably the most authentic dish tasted. Textures of the kofta and paneer were both slightly off. Kofta had a too smooth mealy kind of texture, and the paneer was on the dry end. Gulab jamun was a syrupy and over-sweet, just as it should be. A nice cap to the meal. Deductions for some misteps in the service. The waiter gave my friend way too much of a hassle about his request for a second basket of naan. read more