Café Lotus

I love this place! My friend Rosie took me here years ago and now I save time for dinner here any time I am nearby. The food is some of the best i have ever had, but what makes it special is the staff. Very friendly and welcoming. And the Chai is a wonderful bonus. Get the puri (sp)! It is a bread similar to fry bread but thinner, that puffs up and separates in the middle.

I’ve been coming here every now and then for many many years. Now they’ve expanded the restaurant taking over the adjacent old hair salon to create a much larger restaurant. Beautiful interior and a spacious patio in the back. Very friendly and attentive staff and most importantly wonderful food!

Nice eatery, I stumbled upon after trying another place for vegan options. Staff were helpful and friendly. The lunch portions were filling. Complimentary tea is offered while waiting.

Cafe Lotus offers a wonderful dining experience with a delightful Indian touch to its cuisine. The food is packed with authentic flavors, and we were seated immediately without any wait time, which was a great start to the visit. One of the most unique aspects of the cafe is its open kitchen. Watching the chefs expertly prepare dishes adds transparency and an interactive touch that enhances the overall experience. However, there are a couple of drawbacks. While the dishes are undeniably tasty, the prices are on the higher side, which might not appeal to budget-conscious diners. Additionally, the portion size of the curry was smaller than expected, leaving us wishing for a bit more value for the cost.

Nice local Indian restaurant. But of a cafe-like feel but really good food. Onion pakoras were nicely cooked and not oily. Excellent sauces with the lamb tikka masala and chicken coconut curry. Naan was nice and crispy on the outside. Tandoori prawns were a bit overcooked. Service was very friendly and fast. Great place for a quick meal if you are in the mood for Indian.

World-class rice! so light and fluffy! I like things on the saltier side so I’ve been shaking the little thing.. it’s nice to have the option right?.. the garlic naan was really good. baked fresh. Yum! If you like intense flavors, make sure you get the side dish - pickled mango. Eat with caution.. it has some remains of the mango pit in there.. you won’t want to chew it unless you’re a trex. The Chana masala was great! Not spicy at all. The pickled mango is pretty hot 🥵 I eat here when I’m in the area. You should too 😉

Delicious!! We will return! Baingan bhartha, navrattan korma, garlic naan and chai were above and beyond. Service was attentive and kind.

Great place to stop after a day out by Point Reyes. They have a lovely covered patio and also limited indoor seating. Service was friendly and quick. A good variety of gluten free and/or dairy free options.

One of my favorite Indian resteraunts. The food is excellent and the service is very fast and friendly!

We checked this place out over the weekend & loved everything we ordered! We were seated right away & overall the service was okay. The restaurant itself was nice & clean as well. We ordered the paneer tikka masala, which had great flavor, though we wish we ordered it extra spicy. For our sides, we got vegetable momo, & basmati rice. I meant to order biryani rice but I missed up Then for dipping, paneer naan & poori! Everything tasted great!

A must see. I always feel so welcome here. The staff is very attentive and cordial. They also seem to always have a busy takeout following. Sitting next to the window, I enjoyed the neighborhood's activity of people walking or driving by. It's exciting to see them preparing your food as you walk by on the way to the very clean and well-stocked restroom. Their Saag Paneer is gluten-free; made fresh with fresh, pesticide-free spinach and organic paneer. The white Basmati rice is so aromatic and fluffy. The cumin seeds are a great touch. The Garlic Naan is made with organic garlic and fresh cilantro. It can be made gluten free. It was warm and crispy. This batch was crispy, and other batches I've had have been thicker and fluffy. Both versions are wonderful. Today, I chose the local Marin Kombucha Ginger Lemongrass, which is delicately effervescent and mild. They are so accommodating--they made me made their wonderful chai, but with coconut milk. You can sweeten it yourself, if desired, with Sugar in the Raw. There's even a covered patio in the back of the restaurant with a lovely breeze. $35 for all of the above, with enough for a dinner at home tomorrow.

Shocking night rude mocking looks...even on holidays. I guess the moto is don't notice it's bad. Read below Stephanie's and Elizabeth's and others confirming that this place has lost its respect. Flavor and consistency. Horrible experience. Because you give a customer extra sauces or broken crumbly popodum don't think that's a cure for serving BAD TASTING FOOD.or a reason they should not complain or be heard and chef fired. The biriani is horrible. Years ago it was fabulous. Last 2 times horrendous. Like rice floating in ghee oil. No flavor. No indian spices. It was a vegetarian dish but had no tofu added. And they only wanted to refund then talk back. No I'm concerned. I'd like to get good food and so i told the chef personally as i was directed its his problem. noone apologized or admitted it tastes like shit ..chef said if you dont like it go somewhere else.i said no i want your chefs to adjust your poorly made dishes that's their job its giving lotus a bad reputation. Better to warn others to stop paying..taste it again folks it sucks. The old chef w the turben may be gone this new guy shiv is a horrible cook. And was rude. I'm as nice as they come and friend is handicapped they should make consistently good taste same dish food. It also had like yellow wierd raisins n onions it was a greasy mess and it's not cheap. Why not serve fabulous food without all the excuses we're told that everyone bought biriani so it must be fine. NOT it was hanous. I used to love the politeness but it's only that way if your praising everything. It's our right to fix what's broken. We miss lotus and my friend should have been treated with honor. The cook should have repented and updated his bad cooking. I even went bearing gifts but I didn't leave them. I agree the mango Lassi is kinda like old n unfresh.

Lovely ambiance! So happy to find this place on a hot day after hike. Great food. Salmon was great, I would have preferred a less sweet curry for both tikka masalas. Amazing elaichi chai too!

Comfort food, Cozy vibes, delicious green tea and spicy shrimp. The service was attentive and friendly. They should consider playing a little background music to add to the ambiance. I highly recommend.

Some of the best Indian food I've had in the Bay Area. Super fresh ingredients and some of the friendliest service around. Wonderful patio in the back too, great and relaxing place.

Sorry, but the food my friend brought home last night was very close to absolutely disgusting, and way over priced. The worst was a mixed vegetable curry that was obviously made with frozen vegetables ( perfectly and uniformly shaped carrots, string beans, and contained corn) . The price for a pint of that was 16.00. I can add more......will never get food there again.

Hands down my favorite restaurant around! My gf and I go here at least once a week and it makes us so happy. The food is fresh and incredibly tasty. The space is super clean and we love the bold pink color and wall hangings. Great backyard patio too! The people that work at Cafe Lotus in Fairfax are amazing. Tara is so friendly and always remembers our order. Get the chicken Korma and the veggie pakora :)

One of the best Indian food restaurant specially Momo was so delicious no oily,perfect spicy and healthy food.

Our first visit here was on an absolutely scorching day, on our way home from a super long hike. You might think "spicy and hot curry on a hot day, that sounds crazy!" You'd be right! Nevertheless, that's what we picked and I'm so glad we did. This place is a gem! On our first visit, we ordered the rose lemonade ($5.95) each to drink, which was expensive but delicious and super refreshing. To eat, he ordered the saag paneer lunch ($8.95), and I ordered the vegetarian korma lunch special ($8.95), which came with naan and rice. My korma was the perfect marriage of sweet golden raisins, crunchy cashews, creamy sauce, and a powerful kick of spices. Amazing! The saag was creamy, spicy and substantial, with delicious paneer cubes. The rice was fluffy, and the naan was both fluffy and crunchy-the perfect mix. Our meals were delicious, extremely flavorful, and made with high quality ingredients. We really enjoyed every bite and said "we've gotta come back here!" Fast forward to another scorching day, way over 90 degrees outside and we decide to come out here for Indian food again. We clearly didn't learn last time about hot food and hot days. I ordered the Vegetarian Thali ($15.95) and he ordered the Seekh Kabab lunch special ($12.95). I ordered a cup of chai ($3.95, comes with one refill) to drink because why not when it's 100 outside? I was absolutely delighted when my meal arrived. It had a small bowl of korma, a lentil dish, some saag and rice, alongside some naan. It was perfect for a person like me that wants to try a little of everything and they were all delicious. Hubby loved his kabab dish, which also came with rice, naan and lentils, and we both loved the chai even though it was hot. Service is fast but not super friendly, parking is super inconvenient in the middle of the street area, but it's so worth it to eat this delicious food. Big downside is the restaurant doesn't seem to be air conditioned, and they have all the doors open so it's full of flies, which is obnoxious. Still, the food here is so delicious, I will absolutely be returning!

Truly a hometown favorite. Some of the tastiest chicken tikka masala, chana masala, and saag paneer I've ever had. A great place for takeout because all food is neatly packaged.

This was the worst Indian food I've ever had. Rice missing from our order, one small piece of inedible and stale naan, curry so salty I could barely eat it and felt sick after. Please go anywhere else.

The veg lunch curry at Cafe Lotus was exceptional, and the servers were warm and accommodating. Each Lunch Combo Special comes with one curry but because they graciously agreed to split the two curries when plating, we were each presented with a beautiful 2-curry thali. They also substituted garlic naan, and the meal was topped off with really good self-serve, unlimited chai. Big shout out for Cafe Lotus' lunch specials, which for some reason are not listed on the website.

Consistently good food. Well spiced and flavorful. I have been here several times and will return.

We live close and used to get delicious Indian food there. It has gone down hill. The shrimp tandoori with marsala sauce had nine small shrimp with 1/2 cup of sauce. The sauce tasted like tomato soup-nothing tandoori about it! The lamb curry was bland- I ordered medium heat- there was NO heat at all. The meal was $50. A total waste on money! I will not go back.

Aloha, traveling with my vegan friends checked on Yelp where to eat. Thank you Yelpers for guiding us to Cafe Lotus. Wow, what a great find. Nice cold beers in fridge (yes Sculpin. IPA) to compliment our spicy Indian dishes. They accommodated all veggie dishes. Awesome Saag with mushrooms (not on menu) as well as chickpeas in our coconut curries. So yummy. Will definitely e back again. Enjoy!

I'm a huge fan of Indian food and can honestly get super picky about where we go out to get Indian food. I was trying to eat something light so I ended up choosing the eggplant curry and the Tandoor chicken. I couldn't leave without the chai tea which was absolutely delicious! Usually I write more but I've said what I said and recommend Cafe Lotus.

"The chicken tikka masala was creamy and perfectly spiced. The garlic naan was fresh out of the tandoor--soft, buttery, and basmati rice a perfect companion to the curry. I also loved the chicken tandoori two whole legs chicken marinated in yogurt and perfectly spiced .it was fragrant and flavorful with just the right balance of spices."

Quality food.decent service.best vegan option.Best gluten free nan option. free welcome masala tea. love it.

Picked up take out after a long hike and was able to order 30 min before their closing. I ordered samosas, vegetable biryani, and aloo gobi. The samosas were excellent including great potato and veggies filling plus added tastiness when dipped In the sauces. The biryani was flavorful. I liked the cashews on top for crunch but not the grape/raisin fruit in my rice. The aloo gobi was also tasty. They made sure I had my complete order to go. The portion size was perfect for leftovers to enjoy for a couple days.

Good enough all around. Did not rock our world but wasn't bad either. Curry was a bit thin to my taste. Soup was OK. Naan wrap was (all together now) OK. Garlic Naan had been prepared in advance and was room temp. Spice level was very low. Service was serviceable.

Overall, a great Indian restaurant with great flavor and service. We came here on a Saturday afternoon, it was not busy. We ordered an appetizer, a thali and an eggplant curry. The portion was on the smaller side, but I'm impressed at the quality of their food. Everything was made fresh and the ghee was on point. Their prices were a bit high for the portion but I think that their ingredients are thoughtful and fresh. Their service is great and I would recommend this place to people of Fairfax!

I travel an hour and half whenever I have the change to eat here and bring all of my friend to this place. This the best food you'll have of your entire life. I no longer live in CA, but every time I visit I take the hour and a half trip to come here to enjoy their food. Start with the tikka masala, the best you will ever have and work through their menu from there. Bless all the hands that work this place and make the food and their families I cannot praise this place enough!

Delicious! The chicken saag and garlic Naan was so yummy and full of flavor. Not too spicy, but definitely not bland. My friend loved her eggplant curry, which was creamy and delicious. Service was excellent, and we liked the family vibe. The decor is authentic and charming. I highly recommend this spot for delicious, authentic, and well priced Indian cuisine!

I love that they have organic options. I've only taken out, never ate in. The food is delicious and reasonably priced.

I was not a fan of Indian food UNTIL I started eating here. Amazing butter chicken. Amazing curries. The staff is very nice and knowledgeable, as well as a beautiful restaurant on the inside.

This used to be my favorite Indian food restaurant in the world. I used to live in Fairfax and ordered it almost weekly. I now live in Santa Rosa and will make special trips just to have it. I ordered it last night and everything has CHANGED! The sauces, the currys, the samosas even the rice!!! What happened Cafe Lotus? Are there new owners or a new chef? The korma was a completely different flavor profile with no raisins or sweetness. The paneer was off and the tamarin sauce was a different color and flavor! What the hell?!?!? This makes me very sad and I will likely never be back. Bring the old lotus back please!

Best Chicken Tikka Masala I have ever had. Friendly and attentive service. Will return!

It is a treat to find an organic Indian spot with a variety of gluten free and vegan options. (Couldn't even find something like this in LA!) Both the smaller cafe and the restaurant delivered the same quality. The shop at the back of the restaurant also had a great selection of food to purchase and bring home to make for yourself. My deducted star is only for the mildly undercooked gf dough on the samosas and pakoras. It's not a big deal.. GF is hard to get exactly right. I still very much enjoyed it and will return often!

When we lived in the area years ago, my then girlfriend, now wife, would eat here and rave to me about it. I never tried it until today. No complaints, only regrets. Regrets that I did not frequent this place while I could have.

Are used to be five stars. I think they underwent change of ownership. Kind of bland now.

We always get take away. It's consistently delicious. Standard order includes tikka masala, saag paneer, and vindaloo. Always so enjoyable with naan and with rice. And as leftovers!

I love the coconut veggie curry and mango chutney. I like that they offer gluten free naan.

Giving them the benefit of the doubt, but we went at 2pm, they closed at 2:30 but refused to seat us... Crazy, they insisted we should get food to go Maybe a cultural thing... but not clear why they post hours if they don't recognize them

Pretty decent Indian food, although Arti in Lagunitas is better and there are some better options in San Rafael. Mango lassi, my all-time favorite thing at Indian restaurants, was disappointing. Didn't taste fresh at all, and it was served in a plastic to-go cup. I can make that at home... I'd expect it to be freshly made and in a real glass cup for the price. My boyfriend had one too and agreed with my assessment. My chicken tikka masala was good. Nothing special but solidly fine. His chicken coconut curry was apparently bland, although I didn't try it. Rice was fine of course... and the garlic naan was the highlight of our dinner. Service was alright, price was reasonable compared to the competition and the portions are filling. We might be back but we'll definitely skip the mango lassis, or we'll drive further to get something great.

Great food and great service. We usually order it as takeout. The staff is very friendly.

I took guests from San Francisco who love Indian food and they raved about the food! We sat outdoors in the serene courtyard in back. It was so busy that the wait people were literally running. Been there many times. The food never disappoints.

I placed an order for pick-up on Cafe Lotus's website, only to be told one hour later (the website asks customer to wait at least 40 minutes of weekends due to order volume) that the order never went through. This is despite a confirmation email with a $ total. Worse still, the gentleman ("Sam") at the front didn't offer to put it in or rush an order - just told me that he didn't see it and there was nothing they can do. I left with no dinner for my family. Abysmal service - no food is worth this type of experience. Very disappointing for a restaurant that spends so much of its advertising talking about how the community is so important.

Yummy! The food was very tasty - nicely fragrant. We popped in just before lunch hour closing and the staff was still very nice and accommodating. You should go here for delicious Indian food. And the place is so nicely decorated - clean restr

The drastic increase in prices across all main dishes has left my taste buds for this once affordable restaurant. You have made Sol Food affordable for me any likely manner others who should take a closer look at their receipts. $21 plus tax for a plate that is 3/4 sauce and maybe 1/4 of minced protein. Good luck!

I'm celiac/gluten free with allium sensitivity and this place does a remarkable job working around my dietary challenges. Last night we ate there and I was able to enjoy a delicious, 100% gluten free pilsner. Service was terrific.

Excellent Indian food, high quality and many Gluten-free options! You can't miss it! Service is very friendly.

Lovely dinner last night at Cafe Lotus. Butter chicken, lamb curry and appetizer plate. All tasty, well prepared and delicious. Service is friendly and inviting. Decor is a little bright but in keeping with Indian theme. As is the music.

AMAZING. Just as yummy as India Palace in Alameda. They have patio and INDOOR SEATING!!!

If the Lotus trifecta of restaurants were a children's story it would be "Goldilocks". First there is Papa Bear ("Lotus Cuisine of India" in San Rafael) which serves grown-up food for grown-ups in a quiet, orderly, traditional restaurant. Mama Bear is "Lotus Chaat & Spices" (also in San Rafael), which features a concrete floor and a hip menu of unique offerings including the best and most ample Bhel Puri I've come upon. Finally there is Baby Bear of Fairfax, more commonly known as Cafe Lotus. Baby got a menu that most resembles that of Papa Bear but a hip environment more reminiscent of Mama's vibe. Cafe Lotus is a crowded, bustling, uber-casual little place serving good Indian food. Of the three, it is likely the one which most closely resembles what you'ld find in India though I imagine it's still light years away from being anything of the sort. It's located right down the street from the Fairfax 5 Theatres making it a great post or pre-movie destination. Cafe Lotus is always a bit more expensive than I think it should be or than I wish it were but that's not to say it's expensive. A meal here for two consisting only of a shared chickpea chaat, a shared chicken tikka masala ($12.95), some white rice with peas, and nothing to drink ran about $30 which is just expensive enough to put me off ordering additional food even if I so desired. There's nothing fancy about Cafe Lotus which means that it fits perfectly into Fairfax. You could drop in here dressed up for a date or down for a hike and nobody would bat an eye. And if a place dares to open three restaurants with similar menus all within a two mile span they had better be serving pretty good food to pull it off. Cafe Lotus is and does and even though my personal preference is for "Lotus Chaat and Spices" (owing to that Behl Puri) I'm not at all disappointed when I wind up here.

Kids n I love this place !!! The whole menu is great n yummy.. Yes yes it's pricey !!! Portions are small....So bring your wallet n credit cards lol ... Oh ask for extra ice in the water .. Weather n food is hot n spicy up in fairfax !! There are parking lot right across street...come early cuz always crowded.. But today we notice they also have outdoor tables behind the kitchen area... Wow so nice..

Undeniably ABSURDLY DELICIOUS. We did hike close to 10 miles before eating, so I only have one photo.... This meal was TOO GOOD .... once I took one bite I couldn't hold back! Must try Cafe Lotus Special NAAN!!!!

I can't recommend this restaurant. Asked the waiter for their best lamb dish and ordered Lamb Saag which looked great on the menu as well. $21 and had 3 pieces of lamb with a curry sauce thickened by flour? corn starch? Way overpriced and a small quantity. There were only 2 other couples there on Saturday night, probably for a reason. I support small restaurants whenever possible but can't give them a pass when the food just isn't authentic or good.