This April I spent a weekend in Chicago and the worst experience was this India House Restaurant. We stayed in Comfort Inn and Suites, downtown Chicago; at the reception there was a flier that advertised about this downtown restaurant that was closest to this hotel. Later, on Sunday evening, we were too tired and thought that we could try this restaurant. The India Garden Restaurant which was quite good was farther away. Being an Indian I prefer Indian food, cook Indian food at my home and know a lot about the spices and actual process of cooking.
Service and waiting Time: It was 7:30pm and since we had traveled a lot we were quite hungry. I had my 3-year-old daughter with me. We quickly went through the menu and decided to take the India House Special. We waited for almost twenty minutes but no one came to take the order. The restaurant was not very crowded and the waiters were bringing food to other nearby tables. I tried to call some of them but without any response. Finally, they took our order after half an hour. Another half an hour went by before they brought the appetizers, a basket of naan breads, a soup and salad. The soup was too hot for my child. Unlike any other standard restaurant, they don’t ask you whether you like your food too spicy, medium or mild. My hungry little girl tried to eat those hard naan breads and some salad. At 8:30pm my husband finally went to one of the waiters and asked whether they are going to serve us anything. We were really frustrated by that time. We finally got our dinner by 9 p.m.
Quality of Food: The restaurant advertises that it serves authentic Indian food. Roasted sausages in place of Lamb Shekh kebab is what they give. They are trying to fool people with the names of Indian delicacies while what they serve has sometimes no link with that specific item. Only adding a lot of chili powder does not make great Indian food. The fish tikka and chicken tandoor were OK. The rice was not properly cooked. The lamb Rogan Josh, a specialty from Kashmir did not have the required spices. Rather it tasted like it was made with a lot of tomato and chili. Again it was too hot for an Indian person like me who is used to eating raw chilies in her salad. They, however, gave a kheer and mango desert at the end which tasted good. The kheer was tasty.
Price: They gave enough food for the price. The quantity seemed a lot. Some of their items are quite pricy but the House Special items are a bargain if only they tasted better.
Decoration and atmosphere: The decor is quite good and can falsely give the impression of being a authentic Indian restaurant.
I would strongly advise you to never go to that restaurant. Their food is not authentic Indian food and their service is the worst I ever received in any restaurant.
