Absolutely love yellow chili. We frequent yellow chili often as their quality and flavors simply cannot be matched by any other indian restaurant in the area. We order to go more ofter than we would like to admit and our go to are their lamb biryani and their papad. Phenomenal every single time, it is a staple in our household. While i will admit if you are ordering online, try to call before they deliver as we often have had issues missing raita or chutneys. Other than that the food quality is always great. When we are looking for a heavier meal then we like to go in and enjoy. You cannot go wrong with anything on the menu, it is all delicious and crafted to perfection. As a note, their happy hour portions are very small so i wouldn't really recommend for that especially if they are busy. For some reason the service is quicker if you order main dishes and non happy hour drinks during happy hour haha. read more

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Came for birthday celebration. We got sat, waiter came and took our order, we asked if we can have few minutes to look at the menu and ordered drinks only. Waited additional 50 minutes, during that 50 minutes, we looked at waiters and flagged them down to let them know we're ready. Finally after 50 minutes, someone came we said its fine, just give us the check for drinks. Waiter smirked, acted as if we came and ask him to eat for free. Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else! read more

Food: The food at Yellow Chili was really good! We especially liked the methi paneer and pyaaz mirch ki roti. The methi paneer was so flavorful and was generous with paneer with around eight pieces. The pyaaz mirch ki roti was unique and almost like a whole wheat naan with onions and chilis and chili powder on top! This was yummy to eat with gravy but also on its own! Our only feedback would be we wished there were a few more naan pieces, or the four quarters were a bit larger. Service: Our server was such a gem! She suggested such nice appetizers, mains, and drinks for us to try, and we liked both of her suggestions that we tried! She was also attentive and asked us how our food was and gave us two togo boxes, despite taking care of multiple tables at once. Truly her outgoing energy, smile, and suggestions made my night! Ambiance: The ambiance is gorgeous! Love the color combination with the peacock blue and darker yellow! Also there's a beautiful painting at the back with Indian men and women in the foreground and American landmarks in the background. There are also two bathrooms, and they were super clean. Lastly, there was generous seating inside and some tables outside as well! To be honest, this place is slightly pricier, and there is similar Indian food for a much lower price. However, if you want to order two to three dishes and want a wonderful dining experience, highly recommend! read more

Yellow Chili is an excellent Indian restaurant in the Irvine Spectrum. The decor is modern and clean. The restaurant is across from the Bar Louie. We sat in a very comfortable booth in the rear of the restaurant. We ordered a variety of dishes and bread. Everything tasted good and the service was okay. A smile and a friendly welcome would have helped. Our server acted like there was somewhere else he rather be. We had to ask for everything: water, more iced tea. When our busboy? came and asked about would I like some water, I said yes and also include some ice, since the water is just at room temperature. He got confused and brought me iced tea. There was a language issue there. We had a nice meal and everything tasted authentic. We had to order rice since the curries do not include rice. I though the amount of proteins that came with the curries was medium. The chicken was tender and so was the lamb. I recommend Yellow Chili. read more

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I visited The Yellow Chilli recently and had a relatively good experience. It is located in the Tustin District shopping center. Food: I got a chance to try several curries and a meat appetizer. My two favorite curries are the lamb curry and the paneer masala. They were both absolutely delicious and full of flavor. The appetizer tastes great as well. I also enjoyed the garlic Naan. Service: The service here was okay. It took a long time to get the food. Ambiance: The decor inside the restaurant is very nice and there was plenty of seating. read more

The Yellow Chilli Tustin - Menu - Indian Near Me - Tustin, California

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Very low light setting inside the restaurant - very enjoyable! The food was delicious! We offered the chicken curry, buttered chicken & garlic naan and they all tasted good! The only knock I would say is that the service was pretty slow...taking our order, getting our check, and getting our food all took pretty long. I don't mind the food taking long because the quality of food is good but the rest was hard to deal with read more

The Yellow Chilli Tustin - Indian Near Me - Tustin, California

Today we again got the Garlic Naan and the Pyaz Mirch Ki Roti. My wife loved both equally. We should have ordered them at the same time as our entrees because then you get complimentary yogurt dip. Alternatively we ordered a side of the dip (Raita) ahead of time. It had a dill flavor while the complimentary dip did not. I preferred the latter. Once again we got the Butter Chicken and the Murgh Survedaar Chicken. My wife loved both equally. We ordered everything as Spicy and it was perfect. This time we tried the vegetarian rice (Nizami Tarkari Biryani), and it was good but I didn't really care for the flavor. Next time we'll try either the pan tossed rice (Paneer Tawa Pulao) or the chicken rice (Murgh Noormahal Biryani). Today there was no corkage fee. read more

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It's always good to change your plan last minute! Visiting your favourite chef's restaurant is always bang on! The yellow chilli Tustin was amazing! We did the last slot booking ,but we were welcomed whole heartedly ,the owner was amazing... She herself came & offered chai ...which was so good! We are vegetarians ,everything we ordered was yummmm The veg platter Samosas Dal makhni Sanjeev Kapoor's signature sham savera Naan basket Everything was superrrrr Ambiance full marks Highly recommend guys if you are in that area! Specially commuting San Diego to LA or in LA suburbs Will go back again read more

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The service can be a little slow, but the food makes up for it The staff is very friendly and the place is clean. This is one of the few places that I find myself craving quite often. It's in the same plaza as the AMC, so I always try to eat here before watching a movie. read more

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Food is average. Service is horrendous. We struggled to get lunch in 1.5 hours we had allotted. Restaurant was less than half full on a Friday around 1. Servers will acknowledge your questions but not follow through. Ambiance was nice. Pricing was average/high. We will not be coming back. read more

The Yellow Chilli Tustin - Samosa 3 Pcs - Indian Near Me - Tustin, California

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Service and food quality here is lot better than 2 other yellow chilli i have been to. The staff understands vegan options and they clearly labeled vegan food. There is even a nice vegan dessert read more

One of my friend was telling me how delicious the lamb chops are at The Yellow Chilli in Tustin and I had to come here to give them a try. We arrived shortly after the open on midweek day right around lunchtime and were seated right away. Started out with their Chicken Marsala and basmati rice and it definitely hit the spot! Regarding the Lamb chops they were hands down one the best lamb chops I've ever had!!! They were seasoned very well with light kick of chili and grilled to perfection, imho. Another thing I loved that they didn't taste gamey and didn't leave a bad taste in your mouth. While this dish is a little bit on the pricey side it's definitely highly recommended! Enjoy. Bon Appetit! read more

Wife and I ate here last week. Got the lamb and goat with 2 different types of naan and rice. Our server helped us choose which dishes as we're not experts when it comes to Indian food. This was THE best dinner we've had for a very long time! Sauces were incredible, meat tender and juicy, server lead us to perfect dishes after asking our tastes, it was just incredible. You can also adjust for spice level on most dishes so nothing was too bland or overpowering. Coming back soon! read more

The service was awesome, the ambiance beautiful and clean, and the food was so delicious!! I highly recommend. I ordered the paneer curry with garlic naan. I had some leftover and continued eating again and it was just as good as when I ordered! I will be back! read more

The Yellow Chilli Tustin - Paneer Tikka Masala and garlic naan - Indian Near Me - Tustin, California

My parents had been wanting to try this spot for a while since it's a Sanjeev Kapoor restaurant, so we finally made the trip -- and overall, it was a solid experience. The interior is modern and inviting, and our server was great, offering plenty of recommendations. We also came with a baby, and the staff were incredibly accommodating. He was running around the restaurant and no one seemed bothered, which we really appreciated. We ordered a mix of items: garlic naan, bread basket, methi chaman with paneer, fish tikka masala, and the lazeez murgh tikka masala. The food came out fresh and hot. The standouts were definitely the fish tikka masala and the methi chaman -- both were excellent and packed with flavor. Fair warning: the dishes are quite rich and heavy, so even with family-style sharing the meal felt very filling. The lazeez murgh tikka masala was just average in comparison to the other dishes. I also got a mango lassi, which was delicious. And since it was my birthday, they surprised me with a complimentary dessert -- a really thoughtful touch. Overall, I'd give this a 4-star experience. Great service, flavorful food (especially the paneer and fish dishes), though the chicken was fairly standard and the prices were a bit higher than expected for a restaurant that's not quite fine dining. read more

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Excellent! It's hard to find a really good Indian restaurant with an expansive menu, full bar, elevated interior, plus knowledgeable staff in my area, so being in CA, I was happy to find this place. We had the butter chicken, and my friend had an onion-based chicken curry (can't pronounce the name!). Both dishes were delicious and recommended by who I think was the owner. We paired them with garlic and chili naan. We sat at the bar and watched him expertly make amazing-looking drinks effortlessly. read more

The Yellow Chilli Tustin - Indian Near Me - Tustin, California

Clearly we have over ordered just to take home the left overs. Hahah this place it that good read more

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I recently dined at The Yellow Chilli Tustin that's located at The District with my coworkers and had a decent experience. The restaurant is located in a shopping center with a dedicated parking lot, so finding parking was convenient and easy. Inside, the décor has a modern and upscale feel with warm lighting, stylish Indian furnishings, and a comfortable dining area that gives the restaurant a classy yet welcoming atmosphere. The staff was nice. There were signs that state wait here to be seated. It took about 5 minutes before anyone came to ask us how many people were expected to dine here. Let me give a bit of info as when I arrived the large dining area was barely full but the staff didn't make any eye contact with me until they were ready to ask how many people were in my group. I thought that was odd. Usually I get the greeting and the response "we will be with you shorty". Here , there wasn't any acknowledgement. Upon finslly getting a table, we got our waite and he gave us a few menus to browse. Wihin minutes he came back and asked what we wanted to eat. Given that they have such a large and wide menu selection I didn't get a chance to look al the full menu and we told him to come back to take our order. By the time we were ready to put in our order, I waved at our waiter to come by and he nodded. But hten it took 10 minutes for him to physically take our order down as he was busy walking around other tables and refilling their waters. Anyways, as this was my first time here I just let it go. We ordered the Paneer Tikka Masala, Bread Basket (mixture of garlic naan which was delicious, lachcha paratha, and preshawari naan don't remember which one was sweet and filled with nuts but it was quite tasty), the Kachcha Kele Ki Shaami which is a vegan melt in the mouth raw banana mixture patty which was surprising tasty and spicy at the same time, and the Puran Singh da Tariwala Murgh which ic chicken curry from North India. My vegetarian coworker ordered the Spring Vegetabe Kofta which is cottage cheese potato vegetable dumplings on a bed of luscious cashew gravy. This is now my favorite and go to dishese for future visits. Who knew that cashew gravy was so light and creamy and filling at the same time. Our dishes took awhile to come out but it just made us hungrier and hungrier. We were able to finish all dishes and go home happy. Pricing for appetizers and mains are much higher than other Indian restaurant, but I do see the quality of their dishes. I do highly recommend this place for elevated Indian cuisine with and their beautiful indoor dining environment is a good place for meals and special occasions. Just have to be ready to wait a bit for your entrees to come and sit down and pay a bit extra for tasiter foods. Next time I'll come during Happy Hour for their new deals. read more

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Went again but this time got here early enough for happy hour! The cream cheese naan is so good and paired well with the chili paneer. I also tried a new drink this time with Kiran's recommendation and she was spot on...the IST was delicious! Thank you for the rec! read more

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It had been about a year since my girlfriend and I last visited this Indian restaurant, and we decided to return to celebrate our anniversary. We arrived around 4:30, not realizing dinner service didn't begin until 5:30. No problem--there are plenty of things to do in the plaza, so we wandered until heading back at 5:45. We were the first guests seated, and our waitress was lovely--warm, attentive, and welcoming. For drinks and appetizers, we ordered a mango lassi, crispy cauliflower, and samosas. The lassi came out first--cold, refreshing, and just the right balance of sweetness and tang. Definitely one of the better ones I've had. The samosas arrived soon after, piping hot with a perfectly crisp shell. The mint chutney they came with was vibrant and flavorful, but they were just as enjoyable on their own. About 10 minutes later, the crispy cauliflower arrived, and this quickly became the star appetizer for me. It had the perfect spice kick, was evenly coated, and is something I'd happily order every visit. For mains, we went with butter chicken, saag lamb, two garlic naan, and plain basmati rice. Everything came out about 10 minutes after the cauliflower. The butter chicken was good, though not my favorite; it leaned heavily on tomato flavor when I was hoping for something creamier and richer. The saag lamb, however, was excellent--tender, flavorful, and well-balanced. The garlic naan was buttery, fragrant, and exactly what I wanted. The rice was well-cooked and fluffy, though at $6 for a plain serving, I thought it was pricey. Still, my girlfriend prefers rice while I lean toward naan, so we made it work. Overall, this place delivers high-quality Indian food with great service, but it's definitely on the more expensive side, especially given the smaller portion sizes. For us, it's a spot we'll keep in rotation, but more of a "once in a while" place rather than a regular go-to. read more

The Yellow Chilli Tustin - Indian Near Me - Tustin, California

Visited here on a Saturday night and there was no wait. Chai martini: 9/10, much better than I was expecting! didn't taste the vodka much which I prefer Amritsar machchi: 9/10, has a nice crisp to it! Masala papad: 5/10, the toppings made the papad soggy Lamb Rogan Josh: 10/10, my favorite dish here Butter chicken: 7/10 Naan: 9/10 The menu is very extensive so I'd come back to try more dishes! read more

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Absolutely Amazing Experience! The food was delicious, the ambience was perfect for a date night or outing with family! The playoffs were going on and they put the game on for us. Service was outstanding and we got great recommendations on what to try. read more

The Yellow Chilli Tustin - Indian Near Me - Tustin, California

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KIRAN..you're the best! From the moment we sat down, the service was exceptional. She carefully checked on our dietary restrictions and spice levels before making any suggestions.We decided to trust her judgment and go with her exact recommendations(Murgh Angaar Bedgii and Murgh Suvedhar), and it was the best thing we did. Every dish she highlighted was absolutely phenomenal and perfectly tailored to what we could eat. It is rare to find like her who is not only attentive and knowledgeable but also genuinely cares about their guests' dining experience. We will definitely be back, and we will be asking for her table again! read more

What a perfect way to end the week! Every dish was packed with flavor! My favorite was the Chilean sea bass. It was so moist! A pinch of lemon juice and green sauce made the dish HARMONIOUS! My friends and I went to town with dipping the garlic and chili naan in the curries. They didn't skimp on the alcohol. I'd say the drinks are very strong, but didn't overpower the flavor of the drinks. Great service and very personable! Our waitress complimented us and asked if us if we were celebrating anything. We just wanted to dress up. :) She mentioned there's happy hour Monday through Thursday between 5-7, appetizers for only $9! Ambiance -- Indian decor decked throughout the inside of the restaurant. My friends and I sat on the outside patio which was really nice for dinner. There was a nice breeze. There were tiny birds that came close to us, asking for some naan. lol read more

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Best lamb chop ever! My brother absolutely does not like lamb or goat. This restaurant is very nice it reminded me of a restaurant I ate at last year in New Delhi India. The decor is very nice. I came here after the gym so I worked up an appetite ordered a good amount of food and it is all delicious. Absolutely try the lamb chops. Friendly staff great food you have to try it and I got everything lowest spice I suggest you do the same it is hot. Staff is very friendly read more

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Greetings all, and what do we have here today? Some stellar stylings from celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor! Yep, we're at The Yellow Chilli in Tustin, and it's a gorgeous Indian restaurant serving up savory and sweet specialties from the South Asian Subcontinent! We're tellin' ya, there's nothing but delicious dishes coming out of the kitchen here. We even got to see a little bit of the action go on! Amazing color on the food here. It definitely delights the eyes! We came really hungry...and thirsty, so we had to get some drinks first! They have a nice little mocktail menu for those who don't drink that much, so we got some refreshments from there! But onto the food! The shaam savera was actually invented by chef Kapoor. Charming balls of spinach-wrapped cheese float above this rich makhani gravy, and you get the soft, mild cheese contrasting with the earthy spinach, finished off by that rich and tomatoey gravy. Wow. Incredible flavor here. The chicken chettinad was suggested to us as well, and this might have been my personal favorite. It was tenderly stewed chicken in this onion and coconut curry sauce that I think might have made me question all other Indian curries I've had before this. Of course, you gotta be using bread to get into that gravy. And today we chose paratha. It's the perfect vessel for dipping, grabbing, and shoveling all of that flavor into your mouth! Finally, the Shrimp Tawa Pulao, a pot of rice adorned with pieces of shrimp and some aromatic gravy as well. The shrimp was perfectly cooked, along with those spices that just make everything taste better.. For dessert, we had some Pistachio Kulfi, which was an iced dessert that was complimented by some condensed milk and pistachio sprinkles. From sights to smells, there's nothing that gets us going more. The aroma of these dishes is the real winner. There's something about this food that you just have smell in person to appreciate! Whew! We know it was a mouthful, but be prepared to have YOUR mouth full at The Yellow Chilli! read more

Came here one afternoon to try some Indian food. We entered and waited to be seated. There was no one to greet us. One man stood behind the at, looked at us and continued with whatever paperwork he was doing. We were finally seated and were given menus. We then waited ages for anyone to come to us to greet us, take our drinks order or just acknowledge us. The staff would walk past us and go to the tables next to us to serve them. It was all very bizarre. And we could not imagine how long the food service would take us based on this. We decided to take our money elsewhere and walked to the Italian restaurant round the corner and had the best meal. read more

Went here for a birthday dinner for my sister and had an amazing experience! We had reservations and were seated right away. The decor is really cute and upscale, however the attire is casual. Staff were very kind, attentive & patient! Loved the service The meaty appetizers were really juicy and tender. We also had the biryani, lamb curry & butter chicken. I took 1 star off because the butter chicken isn't what I expected/wanted but was still good. The star of the entire dinner was this Gulab Jamun filled with rose dessert!! So balanced & delicious. Also, my sister's birthday dessert was a kulfi & it was so nicely presented! read more

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We must have passed by this place multiple times prior to stopping by and wondered why it took us so long to do so! Everything we had was delicious! The service took 35min+ until the main courses came out, so that was quite longer than expected. Luckily, we had ordered some veggie samosas that came out earlier to hold us over until then. It was definitely worth the wait! We got their stir fried cauliflower with green peas, Bindhi Chholay, Jeera rice, and plain naan. They were big portions, which we ended up taking some home to enjoy the next morning. read more

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Updated to 5 stars in May 2025 - have always done takeout until now. Service was wonderful and happy hour provides a perfect opportunity to try new dishes. The chili chicken was incredible. Jeera rice as good as always. 2024:Service could be friendlier (owner walked in behind me as I was getting carry out and didn't acknowledge or nod/smile. Felt a bit like ego vs pride of ownership.) Best tikka masala in Irvine. Jeera rice is equally delicious as is the naan (both garlic and plain). Price is steep likely due to the rent in The District so portions could be a little larger for the price. Nearly $75 for two entrees, rice and naan, a special treat. Bartenders are friendly and hostess is hit or miss. read more

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Had dinner here and was disappointed with the service. We ordered two soups and I was served my soup and the other soup came 10 minutes later. Now before the second soup was done, mains were served. The messing up of timely serving of dishes messed up the experience for us The food itself was good, dum aloo and butter naan is a definite recommendation. The ambiance was good in the restaurant with good lighting and seating. read more

The Yellow Chilli Tustin - Outdoor - Indian Near Me - Tustin, California

Paneer Tikka and Avocado Salad - 5/5 always a staple for us. Good fiber/prebiotic but is also sooo delicious! Never had paneer in salad before what a great idea! Shabnam ke Moti - 5/5 stuffed mushrooms with paneer. Also such a hit and balanced nicely with the cilantro chutney! Baghare Baingan - 3/5 more on the bland side with not a whole lot of flavor or spice. This was underwhelming. I would have preferred a classic baingan bharta instead. Service is super great and it's a nice spot for a date or a group gathering! read more

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i loved all the foods we ordered. so much flavor in these dishes!!! my favorite of the night was the Puran Singh Da Tariwala Murgh, which is inspired by a famous roadside joint. there was so much depth to the dish and all the flavors complimented each other so perfectly. the chicken was so soft and tender. the butter chicken was also great but a little bit on the sweeter side~ do love the tomatoey taste tho! we got two orders of garlic naan which came out to 6 pieces. very fragrant with garlic and perfect texture! easy to rip apart and also keeps its hold when dipping it in curry! service was good! wasnt sure if they usually ask for spice levels but we werent asked. maybe they knew to make it not spicy bc we seemed new to indian cuisine (and we were). the place is super cute inside. the decor is really nice and it feels classy yet cozy and charming at the same time read more

The Yellow Chilli Tustin - Samosa 3 Pcs - Indian Near Me - Tustin, California

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I came here to celebrate Lunar New Year after a recommendation from my coworkers and wow they did not disappoint! Their happy hour is a generous time of 5-7pm Monday- Thursday. We made a reservation on open table but we didn't need a reservation on a Wednesday around 6:30pm. They get really busy around 7pm. We got served by the owner and she gave us the background of the restaurant and how their recipes are based on a celebrity chef back in India. The appetizers are a decent size- we LOVED the crispy cauliflower and it had a kick. The chili paneer was good too (and on the happy hour menu). They have so many curries to choose from whether you like meat or veggies. At the end of our meal, the owner insisted we couldn't finish our Lunar New Year meal without a dessert so she sent one out on the house and even wrote Happy New Year on it! What a nice touch. 10/10 will be coming back for the good food and even better hospitality. read more

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I loved: Dum Gosht Biryani Butter Chicken I really liked: Tandoori Sea Bass Mango Kulfi (Ice Cream) Chanajor Garam Tikka I liked: Garlic naan Phenomenal Indian #goodeats that rival Silicon Valley's best Indian restaurants. The Chanajor Garam tikka looks like a donut but it's more like a vegetarian crab cake that's crispy and has a great crunch. The Sea Bass Tandoori has a sharp kick while being incredibly moist. The Lamb Biryani is what put this resturant over the top for me. The rice is made overnight and so flavorful that the normal practice of eating it with the curry feels like doing it a disservice. I'd recommend eating this on its own. It's that good. Service is excellent here. We felt well attended even though there's only 2 people in the front of house. Our table was a little dusty (probably from the overhead lamps that need some love) but they were very accommodating in moving us to a cleaner table. Waters were refilled quickly and we didn't have to wait for anything for too long. We also noticed the tables with kids were given coloring books and other accommodations as needed. The resturant itself is decorated in a cozy warm aesthetic and the noise level is very comfortable. If you're on the shorter end, I'd sit in the booths as they're a bit more elevated than the chairs. read more

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We were a party of 8 and were immediately sat. Server was less than warm but took our order. Food came out on time. Everything was fine, but when they served the food they didn't bother to ask who had what dish. They just placed food randomly. When asked to move the food to the person who ordered, thet literally pushed the entrees over our silverware. Food was good albeit a little mild but that was fine. Will not return as the service is unforgivable. read more

We went midweek for a birthday dinner. The place is cute. Our server very nice. We ordered our food and then waited and waited and waited. I think there was a big party on the patio area that took all of the kitchen and server help. The restaurant filled with people. No one was getting food, but after the party was settled, the inside clientele was taken care of. We never had the same server twice. And only once did the bus person come to refill our waters. Our vegetarian food was good- although a bit bland!! We had asked for medium spice, but this could have been given to an infant. Indian food and bland are NEVER in the same sentence, but we were expecting more robust flavors. We asked for a chili just to give some flavor. The naan was amazing!! The crispy cauliflower was tasty. The egg rolls were cut in half and anticlimactic. We want to give the restaurant a second chance-there's a lot of potential, we just think we came on the wrong night. read more

The Yellow Chilli Tustin - Vegetarian entrees - Indian Near Me - Tustin, California

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Excellent food, I ordered soup and paneer chilly - spot on taste loved the ambiance absolutely 5 star for the food taste, service and ambiance read more

This is the best Indian food in the area. A bit on the pricier side but it's worth it! Coming back soon

Came here with family on Father's Day. FOOD: The food was good, but I think it's overpriced for what you get. An order of Samosas comes with only two and for the price, it's not worth it. The portions are not that great for what you're paying, but the flavor was good although I've had better Indian Food elsewhere. Also the food took some time to come out. SERVICE: The server was nice and friendly. DECOR/AMBIANCE: The decor is nice and the restaurant is clean. I don't think I would come back here. I would go to another Indian restaurant that has better food and prices. read more