Modern Indian shareable plates! Friendly service and amazing food We started Bhilwara style, with desserts first and sat outside perched along the sidewalk. Great people watching on this little corner of CapHill, where passerbys stopped to look at our food or meet the buser. The chairs were wobbly and once it was chilly we migrated inside for drinks and dinner. They had a special drink that my +1 decided to get instead of the lassi and we loved it! Will be back to try again sometime read more

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First off, THE COCKTAILS ARE SO GOOD. That's the only saving grace of this place. We tried the Mumbai Mule and the East India #206, which were both top tier cocktails. They got us buzzed but tasted nothing like alcohol, with really good flavors overall. If we had just gotten drinks, it would've been five stars. The food on the other hand... probably wouldn't come back for it. The butter chicken was very sweet, and while they elevated the presentation, the taste wasn't right. The afghani chicken was also weird, as it felt like it was battered(?) but completely soggy with the creamy sauce. So the outer layer of the chicken was sloughing off. I didn't hate the sauce, but it tasted like ranch haha. Was expecting more spices overall. The paratha was very dry and not flaky in the good way. I've had better frozen paratha. The naan was also underwhelming. Overall, not very authentic, but a great place to get some nice cocktails. read more

Zaika - Indian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Arrived for a 5:30, Saturday dinner before an 8pm show at the Paramount- timing worked out perfectly, we weren't rushed and the host made sure we finished at 7. We were the first guests there but it filled in nicely and had a nice energy/vibes about it. The food was delicious and they helped us to order the perfect amount. Will definitely recommend to others- perfect for a pre-show meal. (Though, make sure you have an after dinner mint!!) read more

My friend and I went to Zaika for dinner and we really enjoyed our time there! The staff is super friendly, so we really appreciated that and the ambiance was really clean too! For drinks we ordered the jeera masala mocktail - 11/10 - it was sooo flavorful and unique. It kind of tastes like the pani puri liquid but with more bursts of flavor! I really recommend this drink! For dinner we ordered lamb pepper fry, butter chicken, and garlic naan - which all hit the spot as well! (The butter chicken was our favorite). Overall we had a great time and we would come back again, but I will say the food is a little expensive and the online menu was a little hard to navigate, but it was a great place to catch up with my friend! read more

Zaika - Jeera Masala Mocktail - Indian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Went here for dinner recently and was not pleased with my experience. Although the food was OK, with it leaning to be on the saltier side, the service was not good. We found our server to be very pushy with trying to upsell items and even at one point being rude after we asked him to opt out on an additional serving of rice after seeing a table next to ours receive a portion we knew would be enough for us. He gave us a hard time about this request ultimately making us feel uncomfortable. When asking for suggestions, he did not provide any descriptions, just a "you should get this" and no why without defining what it was. While I understand it is a server's job to upsell and make money for the business, I feel that the server should have taken a better approach with it. All in all, with the food being extremely pricy even for Seattle standards, the not so great service, and mediocre food, I would not recommend coming here. read more

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Very good Pakistani food place, at least that's the vibe you get when you enter the place. Their meat options were fantastic. Vegetarian was not authentic. Service was good. I would go to fusion Indian over this place. read more

Oh how the mighty have fallen. This place used to be solid but I think covid ruined them. I live right around the corner and used to order from them frequently, but after 3+ times of them not wearing masks at the peak of the pandemic i had to give up on them. Fast forward to now when I was hoping for some Naan and their prices are more than double what they used to be. I get that prices have gone up across the board at most places, but Zaika has managed to increase their prices and decrease the quality. I'd avoid this spot and explore the many other Indian options in the neighborhood. read more

Very tasty! It's a fancier restaurant than I was expecting, and I'd originally come for Thali but it turns out that they don't serve that right now and that it used to only be for lunch anyway.. Still, their portion sizes are quite large. They also come with rice! The dishes we ordered were quite tasty . The most confusing part was the menu. It defaults to "non traditional" and you need to select "traditional" to view the more recognizable dishes. They also have some pretty mocktails, although I didn't order any. read more

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- Be prepared to pay 2x and get 1/2 the food - the food was average at best, nothing to write home about - paneer pinwheel and butter chicken are exact same gravy: they steamed chicken and paneer and dropped it in there !!?? Solid pass on my book read more

Gotta give a shout out to our bartender and server Eric... he was wonderful and made us some excellent cocktails! The owner also dropped by our table and chatted for a bit, super nice crew! Food was also good! Gotta try the cottage on the pond appetizer- it's like an Indian mozzarella stick with this amazing sauce! Delicious! Butter chicken was a little sweet but nicely prepared. Garlic naan was the perfect pairing with it! Nice open space, casual and comfortable! Definitely a Good option when dining in the area read more

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Expensive but I had good food and good service here! It doesn't have AC btw and when I went it was super hot. For the price I was paying I would have expected a more fancy vibe so you're paying purely for the food here. Not a place that would be my first choice if I wanted a nice warm cozy vibe. The food is good though and the presentation was good as well. Portions are small though. I wasn't full after one entree and half an appetizer. Mango cocktail: 4 stars it was good Malai chicken fondue: 5 stars it was really good! I probably wouldn't come back unless someone's treating me or for special occasions with someone who loves Indian food. I prefer my Indian food to be good value and big portions. read more

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Great presentation with top-notch service! I've always ordered takeout, but today I learned there was a dine-in menu. I ordered the classic butter chicken to find any differences - definitely more tender and juicier when served fresh. The portion size appears to have less chicken than takeout. Nonetheless, this was a tasty experience and my go-to Indian place downtown. And really friendly staff! I loved the transparency on billing & gratuity, plus the help through the menu. read more

Zaika - Classic Butter Chicken - Indian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

The food and service were great. Everything was flavorful, freshly made, and beautifully presented. The staff was attentive and friendly, making the dining experience even more enjoyable. I highly recommend trying their thali--it offers a perfect variety of dishes in one meal! read more

Zaika - Indian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Food was really good and very flavorful. They prepare all the dishes from scratch so it took some time but definitely worth the wait. Service was exceptional, presentation was top notch as well. The only sad part going there was finding a parking took us around 35 minutes to find parking lol but we will definitely go again. Highly recommended read more

Zaika - Daal Tadka Garlic Naan Chicken Biryani Paav Bhaji - Indian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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We were walking along looking for a place to eat, and the smell from outside is what Drew us in. Cocktails were great. Chili Chicken and butter chicken were possibly the best I've ever had. The staff was very attentive. Would definitely seek this place out again! read more

Not bad food at all! I definitely wouldn't say it's mindblowing Indian food - but hits the spot if you're craving something quick. I liked the flavor of the paneer a lot, but just overall was missing a bit of kick in the dishes. Would recommend overall! read more

Zaika Indian Restaurant in Seattle Presents Specialty and Five-Star Indian Cuisine! This is a one-month delayed review for our favorite Indian Restaurant in Downtown Seattle. We live in California but had a chance to visit Seattle for ten days in late September 2023. During our stay, we had five take-out Indian meals from Zaika, as far as Indian cuisine we would consider this restaurant a premier as they have very high standards for themselves to ensure a quality meal is being presented for their customers. If something you are not sure about, just asking the friendly owner who is the master chef of Zaika and he'll be happy to explain and recommend dishes to meet your expectations. You won't be disappointed about your order and leave hungry here! Also, we'd mention not only Zaika presents five-star Indian food, but also their prices are very reasonable and foods are in large portion come with basmati rice! So, we rate it as our Best-Value Restaurant we visited in Seattle. We cannot wait to have their delicious food again when we revisit Seattle next year! You may check their online menu first if you're interested. We think their lunch menu has the Best Value! read more

Zaika - Indian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

One of the best Indian restaurants here. I have been to couple of them around and this is so far the best one. Caulifllower koliwada - must have dish, a bit on spicier side but we loved it. Chicken fondue/Chicken sheekh kabab - Again must-have - loved the creamy cheesy sauce and chicken was also tender and juicy Mushroom steak - I liked the green chutney, and the dish was good overall. Chicken biryani/Chicken butter masala - Pretty good and I would say better than the average stuff we get at other Indian restaurants Jackfruit Kofta - The Kofta balls were quite good, but the gravy could have been better. The gravy did not have much flavor to it. Mango lassi - Dont miss out on this - So think and creamy - Reminded me of the ones we got in India! Last but not the least. Daulat ki chaat - I was a little disappointed with the dish initially since it was basically whipped cream, but the flavors on top were really good. Nuts + saffron + mawa - Omg! This restaurant is a bit pricey, but overall we were very happy and content when we came out. Money well spent read more

They got us in quickly and everything was delicious. This is one of the few places Indian places that actually brought the naan with the curries. The sheekh kebab was perfectly seasoned and delicious. Enjoyed the Kashmiri Malai kofta. The vegetable paneer shishlak was very good also. Staff was not ce and efficient. read more

A solid spot for upscale Indian fare in Seattle. The food here is unique and tasty, albeit a bit on the pricey side. That being said, it's a trendy spot that felt worth it to me. I got an appetizer, main, and dessert to split with a friend for a lighter dinner. For the food: Kale Chaat -- so unique and a definite hit in my book! It felt almost like an in-between for a kale pakora and chaat and the flavors were SO good. Veggie Dum Biriyani -- super tasty with the perfect level of spice! I'd never seen broccoli in biriyani before but honestly tasted really good. The raita was also delicious. Mango Mousse -- this was a solid mango dish with such a silky texture and bomb flavor Our waiter was so sweet and the food was all great, so would definitely come back again! read more

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Food was all good. The kale chaat was so refreshing and different. The chicken kababs were also very good. In addition to this we got the butter chicken which was just your classic butter chicken and tasted great. One thing that deters me from going back, at least in the summer, is the temperature inside the restaurant. It was so hot I felt sick/nauseous while dining and couldn't fully enjoy it. Eating hot curry's in a hot room is not very enjoyable. It was literally hotter inside the restaurant than it was outside on an 80 degree day. They should invest in fixing their AC read more

Zaika - KALE CHAAT, Chicken Seekh Kabab - Indian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Zaika is a fairly authentic restaurant in capital hill. I had the kale chaat, chicken burger, cottage on the pond and chili chicken. Everything was amazingly flavorful and authentic. It reminded me of restaurants in New Delhi. The chefs obviously know what they are doing. Anyone who is looking for authentic Indian food should definitely visit! read more

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we absolutely love this place. the food is always incredible and the service is wonderful. you have to go.

If you know me, you know I love a spicy mocktail. My eyes immediately seek out the word "jalapeño" on a drink menu. When I saw that @zaikaseattle offers a drink with habanero, I was convinced. Don't be mistaken, I can handle my spice. But boy believe me when I tell you - I needed a drink for my drink. I slowly nursed it throughout my meal and found myself bogarting the shared dessert just to cool down my mouth. But hey - I guess that means this drink was a success. ... We had been hearing tons of hype around Zaika, albeit from our ABCD friends To get the maximum culinary experience, we decided to order a plethora of appetizers to share. The one I was perhaps most excited for was the cauliflower koliwada - crispy cauliflower / peanut chutney/ sour cream / tomato gel While the sauces were extremely scrumptious, the cauliflower itself was lacking. In true fried cauli fashion, I braced myself for the scalding sensation in my mouth. But to my dismay, the 'freshly' fried cauliflower was room temperature ... Zaika, Zaika, Zaika When anyone asks me what I think of this place, I tell them about this dessert. About the hopes and dreams I had about this sweet medley of delicacies, studded with saffron, pistachios, and mawa. But when the plate arrived, confusion was the only word to describe how we felt. We were met with a tall pile of whipped cream, yellow in hue. Atop the mass laid a single sheet of edible silver, an homage to the delicately decorated mithais Indians so often crave. While the small pieces of mawa were a welcome change in texture, they were few and far between, lost in the mountain of creamy air. The entire spectacle was proof that Zaika has not understood the concept of Indian sweets and is valuing lazy aesthetic tricks such as edible metals over actually creating a plated dessert that does justice to the Indian culture. read more

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My favorite Indian restaurant in Capitol Hill! I always get the chicken tikka masala and garlic naan, it never disappoints. So so creamy, spicy, perfect balance of sweet and salty and delicious. Chicken was still soft and not overcooked. The naan is so soft, it pairs wonderfully. Definitely get this combo! I also got the malai chicken, it's so creamy and soft, it melts in your mouth! The sauce is pairs with is divine too. I did order to-go so I couldn't comment on the ambiance but the hostess was so friendly and kind upon pickup at the entrance. Definitely a bit expensive, I can't afford to eat here all the time but it's something to treat yourself to. read more

I have tried a variety of snacks at this place and thought it was good so decided to check their dinner options. We got the non-veggie thali, which came with 3 different small curries, a pakora, a naan bread, a dessert ball and rice. This was actually a good deal considering it was around $15 and there was definitely a lot of food. The curries were good but i think the butter chicken was my favorite as it was the most flavorful. The only critique i had with this thali was that they used chicken as the protein for all the curries. I was hoping to get a variety. We also got the potato naan. This was softer and more flavorful than the regular naan. During lunch, I have gotten their lentil soup as well as the fish fritters. Both was pretty good. Overall, it's a pretty decent place for both dinner and lunch. read more

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Really good food, everything we had was delicious and the happy hour prices are totally worth it for the variety of options available.... the ambience could use an upgrade it didn't feel like fine dining, although the food was fancy read more

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What the locals will tell you is that there aren't many great Indian places in the center of Seattle, you generally have to go to Kirkland or Bellevue. Zaika is Indianish in that it takes some classic Indian dishes and then fuses them with Western ingredients and concepts to perhaps reflect the reality of the existence of many from the subcontinent now living in PNW. The menu (available only online) is substantial with many recognizable items if slightly modified. What they don't tell you is that they have two menus: traditional and non-traditional. Having seen only one we would go for the non-traditional, but do check the website while ordering. A risk of the pandemic is that guests get lost while ordering via barcodes. Also served are cocktails, and Indian and local beers. I had the Shikanji others the old-fashioned, both were strong, flavorful and worked well with the apps. We'd have the Kale Chat (think a crispy fried kale pakora with tamarind sauce and fried bits of gram flour, yogurt and pomegranate seeds), Cottage on the pond (paneer and mozz sticks fried and dipped in a spicy tomato sauce), Chicken Zafrani (mildly flavored Afghan style yogurt chicken with cream cheese) for starters. All three were good, angling for authenticity here would be silly as these were kind of unique to the place. Nothing was the "Indian spicy" if that's what you look for in apps. For the main course, we had Chicken Biryani and Lamb pepper fry. The biryani was good enough but nothing unusual, the lamb I liked better despite not usually liking the protein in particular. The portions are reasonable, and the prices are up 50% (from those I see on Yelp menus) based on what's on the website. The location is great, and the ambiance pleasant if nothing extraordinary. All in all perhaps a little pricey but good food, good service in a happening part of town from where one could go on to many other things. Order plenty, choose your spice levels and read the menu carefully. read more

Zaika - Indian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Looking for a good place near the Paramount before a show, and decided on Zaika! I am a big fan of Indian food and this place was very good. It's not your typical Indian food, they put a modern spin on the traditional. We had a group of 6 so we tried a few different apps and then got our own mains. I had the butter chicken and it was really good I also had the Bira lemonade, i had them add mango purée and OMG, soooooo good!! The Kale chaat was really good and really fresh! All the food was really good and the service was outstanding from the hostess to the waiter. Will definitely go back and so convenient to the theater!! read more

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The service was amazing and all the dishes we ordered were delicious. They had more than enough options for our vegetarian friends as well. Highly recommend the butter chicken and the kale appetizer read more

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Pretty solid indian food! I was very excited to try this place out looking at all interesting dishes you don't see on most indian restaurants. Stuff tried: Paneer pakora: sort of like fried cheese curds ! Taste better dipped in the mint or tamarind sauce! Onion pakora: a bit undercooked on the inside so the batter was a bit wet. I would like this otherwise Palak paneer: one of my go to dishes. Very solid version with big chunks of paneer cheese! Great with rice or naan Rosemary naan: loved the bit of char and the subtle herb flavor! Unfortunately, the take out only menu wasn't as interesting as some of the things which seem to be offered only with the dine in restaurant menu. I really wanted to try the cheese sesame toast and the "cottage on the lake" dishes. More than enough reason to come back when they open dine in services again read more

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This was by far the most fantastic and innovative Indian food I've eaten in my life. And I've tried a lot of Indian restaurants. The cocktails were delicious and creative. The Butter Chicken was on point. And the dessert was truly next level! read more

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I came here with a group of friends and was greeted very welcomingly at the door and seated. The ambience is eclectic. We ordered the Cottage in the Pond and Kale Chaat as appetizers from the non traditional menu. The Cottage in the Pond came in a fancy shot glass with schezwan sauce and a well fried fingerling stuffed with paneer & mozzarella. The Kale chaat had crisp kale pakoras with flavorful chutneys. For the main course, we ordered the pav bhaji and the chicken tikka masala with tandoor roti - the bhaji was delicious & the pav was well buttered in an Indian style! The chicken tikka masala was my less favorite and yet so creamy and well cooked chicken. I was also impressed with the presentation of food. I'd give it a 4.5 star rating! Will definitely be back. read more

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Happy hour at Zaika! Sneak in 5-6 pm for some great deals on their best small plates. Ten dollars for Cottage on the Pond or Kale Chaat??? Yes please!!! read more

Zaika - Shikanji cocktail - unique! - Indian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Still great to taste and great food. Check out my earlier review. This time around we tried their Kale chaat , cottage in pond, Onion Cilantro naan and Chicken Kadhai. Also for their dessert we got Chikoo (sapota ) kulfi and Mango Kulfi. The brittle served with this one was bit too sugary and stuck to my teeth like caramel. but the taste of dessert and the combination was great. Maybe if they just do something about the texture it would be perfect :) read more

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Delicious Indian cuisine! The naan, chicken dishes, vegetarian dishes, and rice were all excellent. read more

Zaika - Indian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Fantastic Indian fusion cuisine. The non traditional fusion menu has creative innovative dishes mixed with traditional dishes. Dinning at Zaika was such a treat and was an experience beyond my expectations. The staff were super patient, professional and very attentive. Loved the cocktails we ordered! My absolute favorite being the Mumbai Mule! The aloo tikki burger was a twist on vada pav which was fantastic! The peri peri fries with it was fresh crispy and brilliant. The dum Biryani was wholesome and flavorful! Every grain was tasteful and the dum was evident! Loved that they were liberal with masala coz I love that in my Biryani. The pinewheel paneer was so unique and original! I've never had anything like this! So intricate that it is also appetizing to the eyes! Loved loved loved this twist on paneer! So much time, effort and detail went into creating this deliciousness! The butter chicken was so wholesome and fresh! The chicken was nicely grilled and was brilliant. The cauliflower was so unique that it knocked my socks off! I've never had something so creative and delicious! So many flavors in one dish! There was sweetness of khadhi cream and crisp of cauliflower. There was a hint of heat from chili and coolness from cream! So much happening in one dish. It was absolutely fantastic. Ample paid parking across the street! Such an amazing experience. This restaurant food is michelin star caliber the only thing that it misses is ambiance. I wish they did more for the decor. Other then that, it was phenomenal. Can't wait to be back and try more items! read more

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Is it weird to write a review for somewhere based almost exclusively on their sauces?? Seriously, the sauces here are SO GOOD. My friend, who ordered the mozzarella and paneer cheese sticks, was literally using every utensil she could find to extract the spicy red sauce that the sticks are perched in. I can also attest to the sauce's deliciousness. It tastes super fresh like just-ripe tomatoes but also has some other complexity and spice to it. The cheese sticks alone were not that memorable. They made a tasty snack but I'm not sure if I would get them again. I ordered the chicken appetizer that came with a creamy white sauce on the side. Again, the sauce was killer. I found myself wishing we had ordered naan simply to serve as a vessel for the sauce. The chicken, again, was not amazing nor was it bad. I will say that it was well-cooked...not too much or too little. I wasn't that impressed by the drinks except for the Mumbai Mule (not pictured here). The mango purée tasted so fresh and the spice had a gradual build-up that I loved. The other drinks were gorgeous in presentation but lacked flavor for the most part. Our waitress mentioned that their lunchtime thalis are popular...I'll have to come back and see for myself! Overall, a fun concept and a refreshing replacement for Tango that used to be in this space. read more

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Food was over oily- kale chaat and garlic naan(too much butter) Paneer pinwheel had too much sugar and cream read more

Went to Zaika with my friend this weekend and it definitely was absolutely amazing. I still dream about the food I ate! Five stars for sure! For drinks we started out with the Mumbai mule. They ran out of the habanero mango infused vodka, so we got a jalapeño infused one instead. Still amazing. I loved the heat from the drink. For the appetizer, we got the Cottage on the Pond with Paneer and mozzarella cheese in a chili sauce. Man the cheese sticks were perfectly made and paired so well with the chili sauce. It did have quite a bit of heat, but I really enjoyed it. The sauce was also a little sweet, which complements the paneer and mozzarella. For large plates, we got the seabass moilee and nargisi kofta. Seabass Moilee- a very good portion of seabass. I really enjoyed the coconut cream. It went well with the seabass. The vegetables were al dente just as I like them. The potato cake was too dense for me and I didn't really taste any flavor that may have been added to it. Nargisi Kofta- if you get this, get some naan with it. You definitely need a vehicle for the sauce. The kofta was great tho! I'm posting pics, but lighting wasn't too good. Don't let the pics fool you- food was amazing. Dessert Mango mousse- light and not too sweet! It put a lovely bow on top of our amazing meal. Definitely check it out! I made reservations. That might be a good idea since I'm not sure how busy this place gets. read more

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