Upscale Indian Suggestions in LA/SFV?

[Cher D.]

Taking a friend from Texas to dinner this week, he has a hankering for Indian food. Any suggestions for something somewhat upscale with good food and nice ambiance? Woodland is my fave, but I need something a little less “authentic” for this meal. Santa Monica, Hollywood, Valley or anywhere in between is fine. Thanks!!

[karynx78]

I really like Electric Lotus in LA. I had a birthday party there for a friend there before and we had a wonderful time. The decor is really nice in the restaurant. Flamboyant colors and Indian artifacts. There are areas where you can sit on the floor on pillows and have a more traditional feel. They have a great menu. Amongst my favorites were their chicken tikka marsala and their palek paneer. Their naan is also superb.

Many people come to Electric Lotus for birthday parties and special ocassions. It's a nice and trendy place perfect to take out of town guests to.

http://www.electriclotus.com/

[LAmonkeygirl]

Bombay Cafe on the corner of Pico and Bundy. Always great.

[QualityMart]

Yeah second for Bombay Cafe, especially if you need something less authentic. They're not very authentic, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I think the food there is superb and the atmosphere is nicer than your average neighborhood Indian restaurant. A very "LA" kind of place.

[sweetTooth]

Surya on West 3rd Street is good. I also like Nawab in Santa Monica. Agree with India's Oven on Beverly - had lots of good meals there. Not upscale exactly, but not hole-in-the-wall either.

[socalqtpi]

Gangadin in Studio City has good food, though not much ambiance.
I second Tantra...more for the ambiance than for the food.

[lotto]

you should look up Nirvana in beverly hills or Bombay Palace, also in beverly hills. Both of which are upper scale and very good!

[estone888]

I seem to be in a minority, but I'm very fond of Tantra on Sunset, right here in Silverlake. A beautiful, comfortable restaurant, full bar and I think excellent Indian food - if rather on the nouvelle side and rather expensive. (A word of warning: I hate almost all the other Indian restaurants in town. As a matter of fact the only Indian restaurants I've ever been really enthusiastic about were in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. In India itself, I've always had much better food in people's homes than in restaurants. Anyone in India who can afford to go out to eat, can afford to have a cook at home, or they have a relative at home, so there isn't a particularly well-developed restaurant culture there for local cuisine.)

[Cher D.]

I haven't been to Tantra or Nirvana, looks like either might be just the ticket. My LA Hounds never let me down! Thanks much!!

[azibo]

I've heard great things about Tantra from many people but have never been. If you do go, please post here letting us know what you thought!

[sweetTooth]

I went once with a large group. Most people liked what they ordered. There were some lamb chops that I tasted a bit of, and they were fantastic. My husband and I shared a corn salad since we'd already had dinner and we didn't like it at all. The corn was tough, starchy and mostly raw - this is how I imagine #2 corn (feed corn) must taste like. Simplicity can be a good thing for salads, but this thing was just bland and inedible.

[losfelizhound]

"Anyone in India who can afford to go out to eat, can afford to have a cook at home, or they have a relative at home, so there isn't a particularly well-developed restaurant culture there for local cuisine."

With all due respects, this is an extremely far fetched statement. I am not interested in flaming estone888, but anybody who has visited India should know that "eating out" in any major city in India caters to people from every socioeconomic strata.

"...there isn't a particularly well-developed restaurant culture there for local cuisine"

This is again, highly debatable, as on my last visit, I enjoyed eating out at places which cost $5 per person to $40 per person and a host of places in between (that the tummy gave up eventually is a story for another day).

Also, Tantra is about the ambiance and not the food but that's my opinion.

[losfelizhound]

"Anyone in India who can afford to go out to eat, can afford to have a cook at home, or they have a relative at home, so there isn't a particularly well-developed restaurant culture there for local cuisine."

With all due respects, this is an extremely far fetched statement. I am not interested in flaming estone888, but anybody who has visited India should know that "eating out" in any major city in India caters to people from every socioeconomic strata.

"...there isn't a particularly well-developed restaurant culture there for local cuisine"

This is again, highly debatable, as on my last visit, I enjoyed eating out at places which cost $5 per person to $40 per person and a host of places in between (that the tummy gave up eventually is a story for another day).

Also, Tantra is about the ambiance and not the food but that's my opinion.

[silverlakebodhisattva]

Though it has many detractors, my first thought is India's Oven, on Beverly. Not too "authentic" (i.e. not a hole-in-the-wall) but very tasty; I've never had a bad meal there, and I ate their lunch specials almost weekly for three or four years...