Thumka offers a warm, authentic vibe that makes for a really enjoyable dining experience. The food was good overall, with solid flavor and thoughtful preparation. Dishes are served à la carte -- something we didn't initially realize -- but it allows you to customize your meal exactly how you'd like. The different sauces were a standout and added great depth to each bite. While some dishes could have benefited from a touch more seasoning, the flavors were still well-balanced and satisfying read more

Thumka Indian Express - Indian Near Me - Algonquin, Illinois

A buddy of mine recommended this place since I was in the area I stopped in. Chicken tikka was a little underwhelming it was thinner than I'm accustomed too almost soup consistency. The chicken vin was much more flavorful but both dishes lacked chicken. Only 5-7 pieces per dish which was disappointing. read more

Thumka Indian Express - MANGO LASSI - Indian Near Me - Algonquin, Illinois

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I don't give negative reviews lightly. The food was just ok. We got the samosas, butter chicken, garlic naan, and jasmine rice. The samosas & garlic nan were the best part of the meal. The butter chicken was so disappointing and just lacked actual flavor. It was oddly sweet and almost like a tomato bisque, lacking Indian spices. read more

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Had takeout from here recently. Would rate the food and service as excellent. My family absolutely loved the food! The premises was also spotless. The ambience was of a small, well-cared-for "mom & pop" type restaurant. Best for carry out, but not unwelcome for dining in. I highly recommend it and I look forward to trying again soon. read more

I've been to Thumka's a few times. It's some of the best Indian food I've ever had. My personal favorite is the Chicken Korma and garlic naan, but honestly you can't go wrong here. Service is always friendly. read more

Sadly this is not my favorite place for Indian cuisine. I ordered Chicken Tikka Masala and Butter Chicken. Both were a good size to share and neither came with a side of jasmine rice. That had to be ordered separately. Each dish was bland and i couldn't really taste the Tikka Masala. This is more of a carry out restaurant with counter service. There are tables but don't expect a nice dine in experience. I think it may be family run and regardless, the people there are super nice. The only reason I've come here is because it's close to home. For just an entree and nothing on the side I think it's pretty pricey. read more

*For the price it was very small portions. Every other Indian restaurant that I have been to has had larger portions for the same price. *The sauce on the chicken tika masala tasted like it came out of a can. *No visible seasonings in the food, not even onions. Place is ok for a quick bite but not if you are looking for something authentic. I understand it is an express restaurant but also have the price reflect that. Panda express does. read more

I recently ordered chicken tikka masala for delivery and was surprised to find that it did not include rice--only the chicken entrée was provided. It is highly unusual for this dish to be served without rice, and there was no indication on the menu or ordering platform that rice needed to be purchased separately. I would appreciate clarification on whether this was an oversight, as the expectation for this type of order customarily includes rice as part of the meal. read more

We did a pick up order from Thumka Indian Express on a Friday night. We ordered butter chicken, saag, naan and a few appetizers. Every thing was good, all edible, but nothing was a stand out to us. Service was great, we placed our order over the phone and had no issues. It was ready for us when we arrived. Restaurant is tiny but clean and bright. read more

Food was good but not great. The vindaloo was oddly tomato forward. The shrimp coconut curry was a bit grainy and the shrimp were small. The spice level was decent. The garlic naan was absolutely perfect - hot and flavorful. The samosa was good but they were pretty small - the dipping sauces were decent. No complaints on the rice. (Rice is extra cost btw). Biggest complaint - if you eat in -- after ordering and tipping at the counter - the food is brought to you in plastic take out containers and you are told where to go help yourself to paper plates and the smallest little plastic utensils I have ever seen. Our dinner for two was about 58 plus a 20 percent tip put us at 70. I would have appreciated real silverware. Place is clean and the owners (I assume) are friendly. There are a few tables for eat in - I think we would do carry out next time. read more

10/10 wow!!!! This place is was so good!! Three of us all got different dishes and they were all as equally good! read more

Great authentic Indian food. Prerfect rice and nan. Quick service. Easy to find in a strip mall. We'll be back soon.

Excellent vegan options here. The punjabi saag is my favorite thing, it is so delicious and flavorful, but I also love the dal palak, bharta, and the aloo tikki chaat. Warning that the aloo palak doesn't look anything like the photo I saw used to depict it- might have been the ordering website's fault, but it was very similar to the punjabi saag, just with chunks of potatoes. Delicious though! My husband has enjoyed all the meat curries he has ordered. The people who work here are very nice too. read more

I just spent over $5 on plain, soggy fries (Masala Fries). I'm assuming they make them differently if you dine in, but for takeout, they know you're not going to search though the bag and you won't drive 15 minutes back to get it corrected. Simple fix for me is that I'll never be back nor recommend this place to anyone. Too bad really. There aren't many other Indian restaurants around. Looks like I'll be driving a bit further. read more

Thumka Indian Express - MASALA FRIES - Indian Near Me - Algonquin, Illinois

I love this place! They have amazing Indian food. I am excited to try more on the menu, but typically I get the chicken tikka masala with garlic naan and it's delicious. read more

This is THE go-to Indian restaurant in the area. My only complaint is the prices are about $2-3 too high for the portion sizes... but we act like Elsa and let it go, because it's good! If you've never tried Indian before, I'd recommend going with the more tame flavors... go with the biryani or tandoori chicken tikka and add some naan bread. The masala fries are simple and full of savory flavor! We've had so many items here, I can hardly figure out which ones we haven't had. We highly recommend any kadai, saag (spinach), or vindaloo (hot) and we suggest you stick to "normal" spicy, because even medium packs a punch. We're also fans of the currries and the dals (lentils, beans, peas) over a bed of rice or dipped into with a piece of naan. The flavors are strong here, which we love, but our kids are still getting used to it, so we overbuy on the naan and we get some mango lassis (yogurt smoothies) for them and supplement with chicken fingers from elsewhere. read more

I ordered the chicken tikka masala and the butter naan. For the price, you are basically being scammed, the chicken tikka masala is so watered down you barely taste anything and my naan came burnt. My service was great but the quality of the food was GENUINLY terrible. I only came to this location because it was close but, never again. read more

Food is good. Service is good, right on time as promised. Place is clean and good atmosphere.

I'm a vegetarian and I love Indian food. This place delivers on my needs :) I've had the paneer tikka masala and the tandoori paneer tikka. Both are so delicious!!! Their garlic naan is hot and garlicky and the rice is fluffy. Love eating here. read more

Thumka Indian Express is our go to for winding down after a long weekend and enjoying some good food. The ethnic food choices are very limited living in the Crystal Lake area with the area being dominated by either fast food, Japanese/sushi, Chinese, or Mexican cuisine. Honestly, I'd give up my world famous Pad Thai recipe for a Puerto Rican, Korean, Jamaican, or even a legit Mediterranean restaurant to open in the area (Kosta's doesn't count). So after Yelping Mexican restaurants after Chinese restaurants we get sick of the same old fare. So Thumka Indian Express is a great change to this. We've been ordering from TIE for years and every dish is always outstanding. And their flavors and spices provide us with that unique flare that we miss so much when we order out and try something different besides a burrito and Mongolian beef. We always pair our meals with their basmati plain rice and garlic naan. Those two things alone are really good. My wife's go to is the butter chicken and that's a must. A note: When choosing the spicy level, regular has a good kick and is not overwhelming. I consider myself a champion when it comes to eating spicy foods since I've grown up eating it all my life but man that SPICY is spicy, please heed my warning! For the meat entrees I've tried most of them. Chicken Tikka Masala, Chicken Kadai, Chicken Vindaloo, Chilli Chicken, Lamb Curry, and Lamb Kadai all are outstanding and delicious and provides that eccentric flavor that someone people just don't know how to make at home. To end our meal I'm a big fan of the sweet Gulab Jamun. This doughy syrupy dessert is FIRE! I'm extremely glad TIE is in our neighborhood and it's great to have these different flavors to choose from when ordering food. You've earned your 5 star YELP review Thumka Indian Express, keep up the great work! read more

Great butter chicken and the to-go containers are to the BRIM. If you're looking for some good tasting curry along with good service, then this is the place. I'll be coming back to this location for my next curry craving :) read more

Some of the best Indian food I've had, definitely the best in the area! Person working when I went in person was extremely nice and even gave me some free rice when he noticed I had run out of the order I bought. Highly recommend trying if you haven't yet. read more

I got Lamb Vindaloo with Naan bread. I loved it but my wife wasn't as much in favor. A great tomato sauce, tender lamb, and some excellent spice. Inside is clean, comfortable temperature and no offensive odors. Seating for around 25 people. Prices are a bit high for lunch but they should have started lunch specials by the time this was submitted (targeted Aug 26, 2019). The Indian food choices in this area are limited so I hope they do well. read more

Thumka Indian Express - Bottled and soft drink station - Indian Near Me - Algonquin, Illinois

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Thumka is primarily a Take Out establishment, but they have a small Dine In area which was perfect for celebrating my birthday with some friends. The Mango Chicken Curry had tender chicken and the curry was sweet with a rich depth of flavor from all the spices. This paired delightfully with the delicious Garlic Naan that I dipped into my curry and the perfectly cooked Basamati Rice. Jay who runs the front of the house told us he runs this place with his family and they make you feel like part of the family too. He gave us all Cadbury 5 Star Candy Bars to celebrate the special occasion, which was a fitting way to finish a 5 Star dining experience. I will mos def be going back. Nuff said. read more

Good food and great service. Would recommend to anyone who wants to try Indian food as it is very authentic and fresh

I have been looking for a good Indian restaurant around this area. Let's see how this restaurant is. Ambiance Looks nice. I would say it is clean, but I am not sure if they were still setting up. I looks nice and not cluttered. Service The service is good. The staff is friendly and seem to check on us to see how we were doing. Food The food is pretty good. I would say the taste is a little more tamer than some of the sit down restaurants. We ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala which was very good, especially paired with garlic naan. We also ordered Palak Saag, which I enjoyed. They also had a drink called thumbs ups. I would say it tasted like a Pepsi, but not as sweet. All in all, it was a pretty good meal. I guess, one complaint would be that the dishes did not come with rice, so it just seem like an added cost, but I might be used to how some restaurants give a side of rice with a order. Overall This was a good experience. Where I live, I have not really found a indian restaurant that I really liked. I would probably say that I little more flavor would be to my liking but that would be my own preference to food. I would definitely go back and try the other dishes. read more

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Solid Indian restaurant for take out food. One small table to eat in, but you'll eat out of take out containers. Vegetable pakora is very well made and delicious. I was a little disappointed that there were no white meat chucked dishes available, only dark meat. That changes the butter chicken or tikka masala dishes to a less than ideal place. Good selection of lamb dishes and other options. Worth a try. read more

This place used to be great, not sure what went wrong. For the past 6 months has all gone downhill; food (quality & taste), customer service, but prices still have stayed the same. We didn't mind paying what they ask for good food, but like we said, it's all gone downhill. Last time my wife was there picking up carry out, the guy behind the counter (not sure who he was) was rude to her, and had made comments referring to her appearance, not cool!! Like I said, all gone downhill! read more

Zero stars for this place. We have tried this place twice and have been disappointed both times. Yesterday 's food was horrendous. We ordered 2 plates of chicken 65. They gave us overcooked chicken in what seemed like a badly prepared dry chilly chicken. We ended up throwing at least one full plate of this dish. Never going back here again read more

Had a number of dishes and really enjoyed them. The Naan was a bit flat, but the dishes were yummy.

This has been our go-to place for Indian for years. It's fine, but the spice levels are very inconsistent. They offer five spice levels. I always order level 2, the next one above the mildest, and I never know what to expect. Tonight's eggplant is way too hot. Last week's chicken Tikka Masala had almost no heat. Unfortunately, I can't take the inconsistency anymore and am looking for a new go-to. read more

Food was delicious and fresh tasting, service was good too. Small dine in or takeout service.

Accidentally ordered from this place again. Once again, the most disappointing $75 I've spent in a long time. I seriously don't understand how Indian food can be so tasteless. Spicy, but tasteless. Ugh! Never again! read more

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Came here for the first time at about 2:30 on a cloudy and cool Sunday afternoon. The only other table was a two top who seemed very happy with their food. While here there was brisk takeout service. The menu has substantially grown from what was previously posted by Yelper. I was delighted with the variety of options. You order at the counter and the food is brought out to you. Paper plates, plastic utensils, napkins and "to go" containers are all self help. It's "hole in the wall" vibe for sure, but I don't mind (probably explains the brisk takeout business). I ordered chicken vindaloo "as spicy as you can make it" (I was asked if I was sure I wanted to do that), plain basmati rice, and butter naan. I was given a complimentary bottle of water. The meal with tax was about $20.00. I LOVE spicy food and have a high tolerance. My chicken vindaloo made me sweat but my mouth is happy. Will probably order one spice level down next time so my family can also enjoy the dish. I was a bit disappointed in the basmati rice --- it's not aromatic and many grains were broken. I belong to a culture that takes great pride in rice preparation so I'm not sure how others will feel about it here. The butter naan was excellent. Soft and pillowy and everything a naan should be. The portion sizes were generous, especially given the reasonable price of the food. The only employee I saw working (he took orders and brought food) was friendly, efficient, hustled, and polite. You can't ask for better than that (pandemic or not)! 4 stars because it's excellent food, at a reasonable price. 5 stars can only be earned if it's 100% perfect --- and I can't quite justify that here. I'm definitely coming back and probably regularly. I hope you will give this place a try and enjoy it too! read more

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Pretty good food, but dont expect too much. The garlic naan was very good, but the butter chicken was questionable. . There is almost no ambiance as this seems to be a mostly carry-out place and boxes are randomly stacked around the place. If you dine in they also dont serve you. read more

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Either this restaurant is not owned by someone who has eaten Indian food or they have purposely catered it to the non-Indian population up north. We ordered chicken 65 , shrimp curry and fish fry masala. I'm pretty sure none of these three dishes had any Indian spices in it whatsoever. Chicken 65 - they got the red color correct but no flavor. Shrimp curry looked and tasted like an Italian boullibase with lots of tomato. Shrimp curry had a good amount of shrimp so I guess I can take it home and fix it. Fish fry masala looks like fish sticks see pics. Naan was good. Giving two stars as the place is clean and the staff is friendly. read more

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i ordered this and it could've been really good but the chicken it's not fully cooked, the rest of the food is really good but the chicken is the only thing that kinda messed up the meal:( read more

Thumka Indian Express - Butter chicken GARLIC NAAN - Indian Near Me - Algonquin, Illinois

Quality of food is average. Would expect bit more Innovative tastes given that area is surrounded by multiple better Indian restaurants. Ambience begs some class. Would not visit again. read more

Worst Indian food I've had. Biryani was so over salted it was inedible. Only 8 pieces of bland chicken in the Butter Chicken. Waste of money. read more

Very tasty, fresh food at a reasonable price. People are super friendly and helpful (especially handy since I'm a little hard of hearing). Last night we had samosas, saag paneer and butter naan, all excellent. read more