1 year later update: my husband and I decided to try out the dinner date for 2 pre fixe special. We absolutely loved it and would highly recommend for a nicer takeout experience. It comes with a small plate, 2 main plates (generous servings), a dessert choice, 2 boxes of rice, 2 naan, and a small bottle of red or white wine. Really good value for the amount and variety of food that you get. Goat chops: we ordered as a starter and thoroughly enjoyed it. The meat was chewy but typical for goat. It had a really nice Indian seasoning on it that gave the meat a lot of flavor. Amount of meat on each chop is pretty generous. Little bit of a kick to it but not too spicy! Chicken korma: I had never tried this before but also really enjoyed it! The sauce was very flavorful and it had a nice garlic taste to it. Chicken pieces were a little tough but with the sauce it wasn't an issue at all. Butter chicken: one of my classic favorites and this one didn't disappoint. The chicken was very tender overall. The sauce was thick -- it had a robust tomato taste mixed with a cream sauce. Both main plate sauces were delicious mixed with some rice and naan. Paan coconut laddoo: I didn't eat this, but my husband said it was interesting. It had the texture of coconut but on the inside had the flavor of candied fruit -- he tasted mint/licorice flavors. Overall we really enjoyed our dinner and would definitely order from Vajra again! Thank you! read more

My family and I cannot get enough of this place. We are an eclectic bunch and it can sometimes be difficult to get us all to agree on what to eat. Vajra is always a unanimous choice. There are two vegetarians among us, myself included, and this has become one of our staples. The food is always delicious, seasoned to absolute perfection. I am a spice queen (if that's a thing) and they really deliver on the heat for me. Now on to serious business. CAULIFLOWER. Although ubiquitous and often controversial in nature, in this essay I will-- haha no but in all honesty is probably the star of their offerings for me personally. I don't care how many fried versions of it you've had, the bar will be set after you try their Gobhi 65 (if it's not sold out). Just spicy tempura goodness. And if that's not your thing, the Alu Gobhi is cauliflower florets and potatoes sautéed in all kinds of delicious spices and aromatics. Is the agenda working? Anyway, just eat some food here is really what I'm trying to say. Oh and best vindaloo I've had to date. Oh and double oh, please get the fluffy garlic naan with whatever you decide to try! read more

Great Covid dinner package option at Vajra with free delivery right now! They did 11 orders for me for an event and everyone loved their food and cocktails. The portion sizes are amazing for $30-$35pp and it's perfect for a date night at home. Definitely get the chicken momos and chocolate truffle cake! The dinner package has rice and naan included too. read more

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Delicious! Ordered from Vajra the other day and it was great. Tried the Gruyère naan (reminded me a little bit of bread with fondue), salmon curry, and chicken momos. Highly recommend all of those dishes. At a minimum don't miss out on the momos! All the food was flavorful and not too oily or spicy. I thought the price for the quality and amount of food was good too. Looking forward to returning, hopefully, dining in next time! read more

I was really disappointed with the food, especially for the price. I tried the butter chicken and garlic naan. The butter chicken was okay, but not the best and not worth ordering again. The butter chicken comes with rice, which granted is just plain basmati rice but it was pretty sad (you could make better steamed rice at home). The naan was the worst I've ever had. It was a very thin naan that tasted like flour. The food was prepared very quickly--I got a text it was ready 6 minutes after I placed the order. It was also pricey for very standard sized portions ($32 with tax). read more

Our go-to Indian spot for takeout. We've tried the samosa, butter chicken, dal makhani (lentils), bhindi masala (okra), various biriyanis, and Goan fish curry (made with salmon --- and comes with so much delicious sauce we didn't want it to go to waste so added another piece of salmon at home and made it into another meal!). All dishes are fantastic. Since we live close we don't mind that they're still takeout only for right now. Menu is on the pricey side, but it just seems like food cost is up overall and not coming down anytime soon. read more

Delicious! My favorite saag paneer in the city. Found the chicken curry to be average for the competition only because the chicken wasn't as tender as I hoped. The spice is not very intense but the dishes were very flavorful. Garlic naan was the bomb. I will definitely be coming back! Portions are average size, cost is slightly higher than others in the area. I expect if dining in some of that is cost of ambiance but I had takeout so can't say for sure. I will have to go in person now that I am hooked on the saag paneer. read more

We had a profoundly bizarre and unpleasant experience at the lunch buffet on Father's Day. Two adults and a baby (6 months old) (reservation specified need for a high chair). Staff told us they could not seat us in the main dining room with the stroller (we would be seated in the room with the bar), which we said was fine. A few minutes later, they told us they could seat us in the main dining room if we only had the car seat, detached from the stroller, which we also said was fine. This whole process of deciding where to seat us took ~10 minutes. We finally arrived in the main dining room where the lunch buffet was being served to find it totally empty. Despite this, they squeezed us into a two-top along the banquet with instructions to put the car seat on the banquet, however, this still blocked the banquet seat of the two-top next to us. No space for a highchair - we just passed the baby back and forth during the meal. Overall, we were made to feel very unwelcome. Food was fine, but nowhere near good enough to make up for this service. read more

The best food. We order from here at least once a week. The food is so flavourful, big portions, perfect sauce thickness and heat. Spice wizards! read more

Yuuuuummmmmmmmm! I'm sooo happy there's some new restaurants in the hood. Vajra didn't disappoint. The food is absolutely fantastic. Amazing flavors. Momo, chicken, you name it...we didn't have a bad dish. We went when they first opened and it was BYOB and recently went and sat at the bar...they have some FANTASTIC bartenders and cocktails. Juan is like a king mixologist. It's almost hypnotic to watch him mix up the drinks. Service was great both times. read more

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Vajra is an upscale Indian/Nepalese restaurant. The atmosphere is lively, the service is great, and they have an extensive drink menu. However, I wouldn't call Vajra authentic. The food is delicious but lacks a certain spice. If you've ever been to Viceroy of India, the food is comparable in flavor. The samosa chaat was my favorite dish of the night and my drink was delicious. I would recommend Vajra for a nice night out or just dropping in for drinks and appetizers. read more

Vajra - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

On a cold Chicago evening, Vajra definitely fulfilled our cravings for warm and savory food! They had an interesting take on Samosas -- instead of the curry potato-filled pockets that I'm used to, they had a more deconstructed version. I'm not sure if it was meant to be served cold, but it was. Either way, it was very flavorful & I loved the sweetness and brightness that came from the addition of pomegranate to the dish. We also ordered classics like the Garlic Naan and Chicken Tikka Masala. The naan was soft and fluffy without being too overpowering with the garlic. The Tikka Masala was creamy and a perfect blend of spices. We had medium level spice; which seemed more like a mild level to me. Our last dish was the Heritage Goat. I don't usually order goat, but this dish was super tender and also flavorful. It paired well with the Basmati rice that came with it. Our servers were attentive and looked genuinely happy to be working there (very smiley). We did family-style for our 2 entrees, appetizer and naan and it was plenty of food. The three of us left with our bellies happily full. I don't live in Chicago, but I would definitely consider coming back here next time I'm in the area! read more

Vajra - Garlic Naan & Cashew Chicken Tikka Masala - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Visited Vajra for friends birthday party. Very nice and cozy ambiance. First glance of the menu it sid not look appealing however after ordering few items they were amazing. We ordered tandoori paneer platter - amazing. Wish it came out in a sizzling platter. We also ordered corn and onion pakodas for appetizer. For main courses we ordered paneer stuffed capsicum, cashew tikka masala, and madras curry. All dishes were amazing. The cocktails were amazing. Tried their habanero mango lassie - yummy. read more

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Assuming you are okay with the prices, we thought the experience at Vajra was excellent. I say that because now that I have been to India (twice), it is hard to sometimes justify $6-8 for butter naan or other Indian breads once you have had amazing paratha on the streets of Delhi for pennies on the dollar! My wife and I gave the former restaurant in this space, Charlatan, a lot of time and cash. Like Charlatan, every dish on the menu is maybe $3 more than you would want to spend...but also, like Charlatan, every dish I tried was excellent. Saag paneer? Strong. The lamb samosas? Great. The vegetable vindaloo was spicy as we asked and the flavor profile was a nice contrast to the paneer dish. We also splurged on the $8 gruyere cheese naan, and I must say--that on its own was almost too much cheese for us (in a good way). The presentation of the Chesterfield Promontory was over the top, even if the actual cocktail was a little boozy for my wife's tastes. We skipped dessert because I have a nut allergy...and all three desserts featured cashews or pistachios. (A loss for Vajra but maybe a win for me!) Because of the prices, I'm not sure this will become a good takeout option for us, but for date night this is perfect! read more

Consistently consistent in constantly putting a smile on my face every time I order food from Vajra. Very high quality well perfected indian food near downtown which even Devon fails to offer. I have been ordering almost every time from here when someone visiting me craves Indian food... and walaahhhhhhhhh always get praises. 5 stars read more

My sister and I ordered take-out from Vajra via Caviar (if you haven't used Caviar before, then you're in luck because the first order is free). One thing I appreciate about ordering online is that the webpage lists Vajra's popular items, such as the vegetable samosa and saag paneer. Our order: -Samosa Chaat -Saag Paneer (comes w/ rice) -Bhindi Masala (comes w/ rice) -Garlic Naan All of the items were great. I especially enjoyed the bhindi masala, as I have never had okra in an Indian dish before. If I were to order take-out again, I would save the samosa chaat for a dine-in experience, given that there are both warm and cold elements in that appetizer. read more

Went for the John Paul tasting experience - what a creative and well thought out event! This is the most fun I've had on a Tuesday in a long time! The menu was prix fixe, and I enjoyed everything. Lobster momo with a side of duck meat was beyond good. Just the right amount of spice! The main platter was a small goat steak with an assortment of vegetables. The goat was marinated beautifully. Some saffron scallops served with a cheesy naan was also very creative (haven't had scallops at a Nepalese restaurant before). And all of this accompanied by some creative and tasty John Paul drinks. It takes a lot to pull off a tasting menu, so I applaud Vajra for taking that leap. And the fact that all of the food was very good, I can't wait to come back and try some off the menu items! The only real feedback I have is for the tasting logistics. But these are things that Vajra will work out over time. Like how to orchestrate seating on a continuum so we aren't all waiting for everyone to arrive. Or ensuring there is an initial starter drink, while we wait for food. Like I said, all details that can be worked out...but I definitely hope they continue doing tasting menus! read more

Vajra - Lovely presentation! - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I have found it harder and harder to find decent Indian food in the city without having to trek to Devon, and I have loved everything I have ever ordered from Vajra. They don't skimp on the ingredients which is common with a lot of Indian restaurants and I really appreciate that. The quality of the food is great. All of the entrées have been excellent including my go-to chicken tikka masala and butter chicken, basic I know lol but oh so good. I have also tried the appetizers with my favorites being the samosas, onion bhaji and dilliwala aalu tikka. The garlic naan I always have with my entree is good. I am curious to try the Gruyère naan next time. I also have gotten the mango lassi and it tastes fresh and is always delicious. read more

Excellent Indian food. I went there yesterday and met both the owner and the manager who were welcoming and very professional. The staff was very attentive and super nice, they made the whole experience amazing as well as the food. read more

Vajra - Chicken curry masala - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Worst $75 I've spent on Indian food. I've heard great things and have been excited to come here. For some reason this gorgeous and large restaurant does not allow you to eat there, it's carry out only and the beautiful restaurant sits empty. The naan was terrible, it had so much dough, was not crispy at all, and had very little flavor. The butter chicken was fine, but was $24 and came in a tiny pint size container with 10 tiny pieces of chicken. The brittania biryani was the best item of the bunch served in a larger container and having some flavor. Sorry Vajra, I wanted to love you but was very let down. read more

Truly top notch Indian food. The chicken biryani was the best I've had. Samosa are really good, slightly different than what you often get. Hard to go wrong. read more

We stumbled upon Vajra a few weeks ago and decided to sit at the bar for some drinks. We tried a few different drinks and their Clarified Gin Fizz is the best drink I have ever had, truly! The bartender was so knowledgeable and explained the process of how the variety of drinks came to be. We are having dinner there for the first time tonight, and hoping the food is just as good as their drinks are! read more

We were here celebrating one of our friend's birthday. We were a big and loud group to handle. Pros: Attentive server. They knew what we were talking about and asking in regards to the menu and food due allergy reasons. They were very attentive to our orders, water glass empty, drinks that needed to be refilled, serving us the food in time as they come out of the kitchen piping hot. Good atmosphere, really interesting cocktails and great food overall. Cons: I ordered $14 wine and I got a shot worth of wine. Dahi bhalla was salt-less. The dishes were quite expensive Overall a good experience but would only visit this place on some big celebrations only. read more

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The best Indian food that I've ever had. We tried the chicken tikka masala and it was really tasty. The portion is also really large. The naan were really good. We tried the one that had grounded goat meat in it and it was the most delicious Indian naan I've ever had. Can't wait to go back! The staff were also really friendly. read more

Vajra - Cashew Chicken Masala - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Great restaurant in Wicker Park! It's located in an area with free street parking that's not very busy (we went on a Sunday for dinner), so it was convenient for all of us driving from the suburbs. The ambiance is very nice and decorated with Indian/Nepalese art. I made a reservation a couple weeks ahead since I had a big group of 15 people. I emailed Vajra and they were so good about getting back to me promptly; we exchanged many emails because my group size kept changing and I was so impressed at how accommodating and quick Vajra was to respond. The food and drinks didn't disappoint either; we ordered kebabs, samosa chat, a couple chicken dishes and a curry with paneer. Our group loved the food, which I think speaks volumes as we were all Indian and critical of good Indian food! This restaurant has a great mix of classic Indian dishes and newer fusion dishes with wonderful Indian flavors. My family enjoyed the drinks as well; I loved the one with kiwi purée (last on the drink menu). And the paan kufli dessert was also a bit hit. The only thing that disappointed us was that the restaurant was out of habanero mango lassi and another alcoholic lassi. Both sounded so unique so we are looking to come back soon! read more

This place is an absolute gem! The food was tasty and the service and as excellent. Highly recommend: cheesy naan, stuffed capsicum, the spicy curry (forgot the name), and the Dahl. I'd ask for th stuffed capsicum to be made spicy because everything was rather mild except the 'most spicy' thing on the menu. read more

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One of the niche places to go out if you feel like eating Indian food. I went there with a friend on the 5th day of business since they opened it. The place has a good vibe and the ambience is quite authentic. They said they are trying out different menus but I absolutely loved the Cashew Chicken Korma. Being an Indian the entree really lived upto the mark. I was able to recognise the blend of spices just by the aroma of it! Tasted great with garlic naan. The goat seek kebab was a really good looking dish, not too bad on the taste though. Personally I have found the goat meat to taste a bit different than India so maybe that's why it felt okayish to me. Do visit this place. I am definitely going back to try other items from their menu. 4/5 because I want to go again and then give it 5. read more

Vajra - Goat seekh kebab - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Update: I've come here a few times after my initial visit and everything was much much better. The cocktails are on point. My favorite dish on menu has to be the shrimp biryani. The servers and bartenders are doing a great job as well! I think they had some kinks they needed to iron out in the beginning and it seems like they have found their groove! Go check this place out. We live in the neighborhood and eagerly anticipated going here. Service Our server was great, big smile, she was very helpful answering any questions we had. Our glasses were always filled with water. 5 stars for our server. Ambiance Great set up here, feels very comfortable, I like what they did with the space! Food We were underwhelmed with our food. I had the goan fish curry which was OK at best, the flavors weren't really popping out. I did ask for it be spicier but that wasn't done either. We also had the daal and saag paneer, again nothing that would stand out. The gruyere cheese naan was really good! I really had high hopes for this place and I want to give it 5 stars as I can see plenty of people have but there are plenty of choices for south Asian cuisine in Chicago. We will be back and bring some more folks to explore more of the menu, would really like to try their shrimp biryani! I'm hoping the next visit will be bw read more

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Vajra always seems to impress me! They have a great new take on take out food! Instead of boring old take out food they give us some nice options of family meals, date night option, and of course a la carte! Their date night option is really cool. You get to choose an app, 2 entree meals, a dessert and their famous cocktails! How cool is that, it's like being at the restaurant but in the comfort of your own home. Also the price is very reasonable for all of the food you get plus I had left overs too! I highly recommend this restaurant for anyone who is looking to spice up their tastebuds! read more

Vajra - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've heard good things about Vajra and had plans to go for my birthday back in March but the pandemic hit right before I was able to. I've gotten takeout a few times recently and the food and cocktails here are amazing! My favorite cocktail so far is the Mexican Fruit Punch. It's super light and fruity and I could easily drink the whole bottle myself (which is two servings). As for food I've tried the samosas, momos, butter chicken, garlic and butter naans, and the lamb curry. I can't wait to order from here again and someday hope to dine in here so I can have the cocktails freshly made (since my sister said they're even better when made there). If you're looking for Indian/Nepalese food, this is your place! read more

Vajra - Cocktails to Go: Mexican Fruit Punch and Maybach Chronicles - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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It's been days since I enjoyed a meal from Vajra and I still can't stop thinking about it. We got an order for takeout and it was super smooth and easy as they have a designated space for pickup orders. We ordered vegetable samosas, Dal Makhani, gruyere-stuffed naan, and mango cheesecake for dessert. The samosas were perfect and not at all oily. The naan bread was expensive, but sooooo worth it for the gruyere cheese component. We dipped the naan bread into the curry and it was such a flavorful and heavenly bite. The curry could have been spicier, but we didn't add a preference for that so it was understandable. Save room for the mango cheesecake for dessert as well. It is by far one of the best cheesecakes I have ever tasted. I can't wait to come back and try their mango lassi and more vegetarian curries, including their Baingan Bharta. Keep up the amazing work, Vajra team! read more

We've been looking for a good Indian Restaurant for a while as our favorite place closed two years ago. We have had some delicious meals downtown, but since we were on the North side, we decided to try Vajra, based on some online reviews. Wow. Just Wow. This place is amazing. Since this is during the COVID19 outbreak, they are on a reduced menu; takeout only. We bought the take out dinner for four with an extra order of chicken tikka masala and some amazing naan (with gruyere) so we could count on leftovers. Not a cheap meal, but portions were generous and the food was DELICIOUS. What we got: Dal tadka, dal makhani, matar paneer, cashew tikka masala (x2), madras curry, garlic naan and gruyere naan, raita, and a lovely basmati (cooked with saffron and cardamom). Everything was excellent. Note: the gruyere naan--which we bought as a lark because it was so unusual--we will buy in triplicate next time. It was beyond amazing. Who knew? This the best Indian food we have had in *years*. And even though this place is well outside of our normal restaurant range (we live in the far south suburbs), we WILL becoming back to this place. A completely outstanding meal--especially considering that this was take-out that required a 40 minute drive home! We got two full meals for four from our purchase, although I did need to make up some more Basmati rice for the second meal. And we still had some leftovers after that that made for delicious lunches. I can live off of dal! read more

Did the family meal tonight from Vajra. It was excellent - well packaged, fresh, piping hot, and the food quality was top notch. We ordered the saag paneer, cashew tikka masala with chicken, matter paneer, and bhindi masala (my wife is nuts about okra). The portions were huge - this is easily enough for 2 meals for a family of 4. We are just a family of 2....so we'll be gladly eating this for days. Can't wait to come back once the restaurant is open but until then, this family meal is a stellar way to enjoy Indian food at home. Will certainly be ordering this again before the lock down is over. read more

We were looking for a family style carry out dinner to celebrate a special occasion with family. We had heard good things about Vajra & looked at the website to check it out. They have an expansive menu with a family style option that included 4 entrees, appetizer, naan, and rice. They also had optional add ons in the form of food & drinks. It was super easy to order pickup online (used our existing Tock account but lots of options). We arrived about 10 minutes early & they were just finishing packing up our food. Customer service was excellent & they offered us a complimentary bottle of wine as well. We unpacked at the house & found well-packed, steaming hot food. Everything was delicious & the quantity was exceedingly generous. We are excited to make this our go-to Indian restaurant in the Chicago are! read more

Dinner Date Meal Kit -Goat Chop -Butter Chicken -Goan Shrimp Curry -Mango Cheesecake -L'Jardin D'Anais -Extra side of that fire cheese naan Aight so good Indian food is hard to come by in Chicago, unless my mother's making it. This place though is legit AF for a family style Indian restaurant. The goat chop was good, but a lil dry. That butter chicken was amazing. It has way more flavor than that basic ass butter chicken you get at all the other Indian restaurants. The Goan Shrimp (south side what up) was also packed with flavor I was like *Drooling Face Emoji*. Can't go wrong with cheese naan, although idk if we actually got the cheese naan. There was this green stuff all in it and didn't know where the cheese was. The cocktail we got was vodka and sake based. It was too sweet in my opinion, but I don't like sweet cocktails at all. I hate them actually so maybe you'll like it if you're into that. I just put that in some Topo Chico and it was better. The Mango Cheesecake was pfffff unbelievable, I love cheesecake though. We were starving and had plenty of leftovers. The kit already comes with rice and naan so you don't need to get extra but I had to try that cheese naan. This place earns the highest honor of *3 Fire Emojis*(fire food) *3 Check Mark Emojis*(gotta go) because I've eaten at a lot of family style Indian restaurants and this is by far the best I've had. Rooh is my other favorite Indian spot in Chicago, but it's kinda different. read more

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Vajra is my new fave and go-to Indian spot in Chicago (but I didn't have one before :( ). Everything here was amazing-- the food, the cocktails, the service. My favorite dishes were the saag paneer and the Matar paneer, but I also loved the tikka masala sauce (not a fan of chicken so much so next time I will get the sauce with paneer). The onion pakoras were pretty good as well, along with the chili paneer (can you tell I love paneer?) but it's the sauces and flavors of the other dishes that really got me. All the cocktails were well mixed, and I can see why the bartender was nominated for the Jean Blanchet awards. Of the drinks, I loved the Field of Elysium drink and the L'Jardin D'Anais drinks. I tend to like sweeter drinks, but these also had complex and original flavors that I really enjoyed. I had the Clandestino, which I was hoping would be a bit spicier but it wasn't- not bad, just not one of my favorites that night. There were so many more that I want to go back and try though. Our server and the rest of the staff were really attentive, often coming up to fill our water, check on us, see if we needed boxes, and making sure that I didn't have to flag one of them down. I will definitely be coming back. They did the staple Indian dishes really well, with quality ingredients and a nice ambiance and decor. read more

Had the saag paneer, chicken biryani, tikka masala, and the naan with Gruyère. Everything was great! Not crunchy with spice so as to kill your palate like some places can be. Perfectly balanced flavors. read more

We ordered food delivered and it was very good. Vegetable Korma and Chicken Tikka Masala were both hot and tasty. The Garlic Naan was also good, but of course it didn't transport as well. Samosa Chat was an interesting appetizer, very different than normal samosas. read more

I am surprised I haven't reviewed Vajra yet! Being an Indian, it is very difficult to find consistently good Indian food from most restaurants. Everything we have eaten here is great! Their meal for two is amazing and plenty of food, so worth the value! I highly recommend their samosa chat and their lasuni chicken ( garlic chicken). Try them out if you haven't and you won't be disappointed! read more

So sad to hear they have closed. Hopefully they will reopen in a new location. The food was consistently good. We will miss you Vajra!