cali tandoor

What a spot! My gf had recommended this place, and I am so glad she took me finally! We had the butter chicken and chicken tandoori... AMAZING! Both dishes were absolutely flavorful and seasoned so well. We did beat the dinner rush so service was very quick and friendly. My visit was this past weekend, and I am craving these dishes still. I had a long day and was tired so I went with "safe" options, but I can't wait to try some of their other offerings.

Great Indian food and great service. Lamb was tender and savory. I would recommend go one higher on the spice level as I got a medium and would call it more mild/med. Sauces were fantastic.

I was in Culver City, Los Angeles, and was feeling really hungry, so I decided to search for a restaurant nearby. I found one on the map and decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, the experience wasn’t great the food was not at all good, and I didn’t enjoy it at all. When I arrived, I asked the person at the front what their special dish was, and he recommended the karahi goat with garlic naan. I agreed right away and placed my order. When the food arrived, the naan was hard to eat, burnt at the corners, and extremely tough. The goat curry wasn’t cooked well either it seemed like they had used frozen meat that was simply reheated, and it was still hard to chew. The curry itself tasted just okay. I was really disappointed, but since I was already there and quite hungry, I ended up eating what I could. Later, the staff offered me plain rice. I asked if it was complimentary because, at many similar restaurants, rice is typically served with curry. He told me it was around $3 I told him ok However, when I went to pay my bill, I was surprised to see I had been charged $6 for the rice. Honestly, I wouldn’t have cared if he had just informed me upfront it’s not about the money, but about transparency. Overall, I didn’t enjoy the food, and the service was just okay. I’d rate the service 3 stars and the food 1 star. I was only able to finish my meal because I was starving otherwise, I would have left. I’m definitely not going back!!

My nose led me to this place. New to LA and was exploring Culver City for the first time. I got a whiff of something mouthwatering. Following the rich aromas, I came across a rainbow - stopped to admire it and as fate would have it, one end of the 🌈 ended at this little strip mall (seriously!). There are several restaurants here, so I sniffed around to discover the source and landed at Cali Tandoor. Staff couldn’t have been more friendly and helpful with guiding me through how much to order and how to eat Punjabi style. Very family friendly establishment - noticed multiple families small and large, as well as solo diners like myself and couples/duos. I ordered my go-to: Chicken Tikka Masala with rice & garlic naan. Every single bite was better than the one before. Perfect amount of spice, flavors absolutely divine. Like the dancing in my seat kind of delicious. The naan was fresh and appropriately seasoned, light & fluffy with a hint of crispy edges. I’ve never been one to brag about rice as it’s usually an afterthought to be smothered in sauce, but this rice was a perfect compliment to the chicken. I wanted to chug the spicy chutney it was so good! My meal would have been plenty for 2 to share. I took home leftovers and it was just as delicious reheated the next day. I am still thinking about this meal days later and will definitely be returning soon to try everything else. It is obvious that a great deal of care goes into preparing the food and providing sincere hospitality to their guests. Just a note: this establishment does not serve alcohol, offering a small selection of sodas, teas and mango lassi. There is a small parking lot shared with the other restaurants in the strip.

The FOOD, oh the food! 😍 Had a turnaround trip to the LA area for a client. Afterwards, I needed to grab lunch (and blow quite a few hours before my flight home). Since our move to Alpharetta, I've missed really good Indian food. So I did a quick search and found Cali Tandoor. I arrived close to an hour before their dinner switch-over closing. As such, I had the place to myself (though a number of to-go orders were picked up). Chatted with the manager (?) a little and ordered a favorite: Chicken Tikka Masala, Basmati Rice, Naan, Samosa and a Mango Lassi. They serve light, crispy papadum with chutneys (a lightly spicy mint one and a sweet + tangy tamarind one) while you wait. Literally everything was amazing! I knew I'd ordered too much, but it was fine as I figured I'd save it for dinner. Tikka Masala sauce was soo rich and delicious, with big chunks of chicken. Basmati was fragrant and perfectly fluffy. The Lassi was cold, creamy and satisfying. The naan was dreamy! Puffy, golden, and with a light sheen of butter. I wanted to cry happiness tears! 😂 I also wanted to order my OTHER favorites (saag paneer, lamb vindaloo, biryani)! Sadly, I only have one stomach AND I don't think I can take all that on my plane! 😅 They were also so kind while I was there! Checked in on me, gave recommendations on where to walk around, and even told me to return just to hang out while I waited for my flight. Good people! My home neighborhood (Alpharetta/Johns Creek/Duluth) is awesome, super diverse and definitely has Indian restaurants. But I have yet to find "the one". Until then, I'll just dream about Cali Tandoor...and remind my client that I am HAPPY to fly back out when needed! 😁

Amazing food. We ordered tandoori chicken, Malai kofta, onion kulcha and garlic naan etc. onion kulcha and malai kofta combo was excellent Kulcha was soft and really tasty. Service was really good and she did it with smile.

We enjoyed the chicken Karahi-Tadka curry, tandoori fish, and Naan. All were cooked perfectly, with tender and juicy meat, fresh ingredients, and flavorful spices. Will definitely come again.

A wonderful restaurant, with spot on northern Indian style food, all the hits that you love if you love Indian. We had a wonderful lamb,vindaloo, butter chicken, and saag paneer, this last one was the star, but all were superb. Reasonable prices ($8 beer!) and great, freindly service. Will repeat.

I live in San Diego and this place is a must when I drive thru LA. The butter chicken just melts in your mouth. The rice is perfect. Oh and don't forget to get the cheese naan. Very friendly service. And nice ambiance for a date night.

Weekday lunch. We were looking for a quick Indian lunch and found Cali Tandoor on yelp. Great food. We got two lunch platters, biryani, tandoori fish, butter chicken. All very good and fairly priced. Service and ambiance is fine. But, come for the food and you'll be satisfied.

I was in Culver City, Los Angeles, and was feeling really hungry, so I decided to search for a restaurant nearby. I found one on the map and decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, the experience wasn't great the food was not at all good, and I didn't enjoy it at all. When I arrived, I asked the person at the front what their special dish was, and he recommended the karahi goat with garlic naan. I agreed right away and placed my order. When the food arrived, the naan was hard to eat, burnt at the corners, and extremely tough. The goat curry wasn't cooked well either it seemed like they had used frozen meat that was simply reheated, and it was still hard to chew. The curry itself tasted just okay. I was really disappointed, but since I was already there and quite hungry, I ended up eating what I could. Later, the staff offered me plain rice. I asked if it was complimentary because, at many similar restaurants, rice is typically served with curry. He told me it was around $3 I told him ok However, when I went to pay my bill, I was surprised to see I had been charged $6 for the rice. Honestly, I wouldn't have cared if he had just informed me upfront it's not about the money, but about transparency. Overall, I didn't enjoy the food, and the service was just okay. I'd rate the service 3 stars and the food 1 star. I was only able to finish my meal because I was starving otherwise, I would have left. I'm definitely not going back.

This place is so good. The butter chicken was amazing, as was the garlic naan (I also really liked the green sauce that paired with it). The staff was really attentive and it had a cozy ambiance inside as we dined. I would definitely go back.

Went on a Friday night, and was pleasantly surprised by how cute and cosy this place was! It was full by the time we reached at 7:00 pm, and they have a good setting, and candle lit tables. The food was sooo good! I loved the chicken tikka masala, the Bhuna paneer and the naan, it was so authentic and delectable. 100% recommend trying these when you visit this restaurant. The service was a bit on the slower side, but still very pleasant and understandable given how busy they were.

I was in the mood for Chicken Biryani so i decided to order from Cali Tandoor. First off the dish was quite small compared to other Indian restaurants I've tried. It was mostly Rice and not enough Chicken. I asked for it spicy and they did get that right. Overall my experience here was quite underwhelming so I don't think I would order here again.

Haven't been here since they moved to the new location in a small strip mall, much better than that gross old building. Parking can be challenging around this area, oh well. I always figure it out. Very nice service. Same good curry. Good naan and delicious mint chutney. They have lunch specials but only for dine in, so I had lunch there instead of taking it to go. Under $20 before tax/tip for a generous amount of food. I always love the butter chicken.

I came here in a group of 3 on a Friday night around 6:40pm, we had no reservation but were seated immediately and it wasn't busy at all! If you are a vegetarian, this is definitely a good place for you - every single food option had a vegetarian equivalent. Also, the food portions are HUGE, perfect for groups and we even ended up with two boxes of leftovers still. This was *not* my first time having Indian food and I am certainly no stranger to curry. I felt that the curry had a bit toooo much butter/oil. It didn't sit well and triggered a lot of acid reflux for all of us. I really enjoyed the vegetable biryani, it was VERY flavorful. I wish the garlic naan was a little bit softer all around, the edges were pretty crispy and it sort of broke off into the curry like chips. We ordered another naan that was filled with potatoes and that was really good - I think when I paired it with the curry, it helped soak up the oily parts of the curry. The mango lassi was pretty good, not overly sweet at all. The vegetarian falafel curry dish was OK. You could realllyyyyy taste that it was falafel - since we had a vegetarian in our group, I didn't eat much of that dish. It was very very quiet in there. I'm not sure if there was music playing but if there was then the volume was very low. I think the silence of the place stood out because we were 1 of 3 groups in there. As a group of 3, we spent around $90 in total (no including tip). There was street parking and a small parking lot at the business as well.

This is my go to takeout place for Indian food in Culver City. The food is awesome. We get the same things every single time we get chicken, tikka masala, saag paneer, and samosas. They cater to allspice levels. In addition to the food being delicious. The staff and owner are exceptionally nice if you're looking for great Indian food do not hesitate to go here.

I ordered via Uber eats so I can't say whether or not the building had a cool vibe or not but the food was outstanding! I ordered a mixture of everything (didn't eat it all) and I asked for extra spicy - The driver came quickly as possible in LA traffic and nothing was forgotten. Top five Indian joints in LA

Since my last review we've eaten at the restaurant a few times. We usually get One order of potatoe samosas, the Lamb Briani which is great and the rice is usually outstanding and moist. We get a garlic naan and the chicken tikka Marcella. Tonight the chicken didn't taste moist and freshly made so it wasn't tender . I don't know if they cook the chicken or buy pre processed but it definitely lacked tonight! When I spoke to the waitress she said she would discuss this with the kitchen. Hopefully the chicken situation improves because it was not great. Good luck Cali Tandor!

Their butter chicken and saag paneer are my go-to items. Mid-day lunch specials are a decent deal and each entree can last more than one meal. I usually pick up to-go and haven't eaten in at their new location, but service was always great at their first location. Parking outside the restaurant is very easy-- there's a small lot and free street parking nearby.

Ambiance: the Indian food place is located in the in a small plaza shared with few other restaurants, most people get takeout or delivery from here Service: very friendly though slow, it took a while to place the order and wait for food Food: classic Indian curry choices PAPADAM - ***** char grilled crispy ground lentil wafers, very thin and crispy, highly recommend TIKKA MASALA ENTREE - **** rich creamy tomato curry base, choice of chicken, recommend SAAG ENTREES - **** full of healthy blended green spinach curry base, choice of lamb, recommend BASMATI RICE - *** cooked w/ cloves, cardamom, whole cumin, and bay leaves, average STUFFED KULCHA - **** naan baked in tandoor and stuffed with choice of onion, recommend Price: moderate portions and reasonable prices, about $30 per person

My friend suggested Cali Tandoor because of the high Yelp reviews. Parking is difficult in this area since the parking lot is tiny. I had to park on the street, which I was lucky to find. Service was mixed - we were able to sit down immediately, yet it took forever for them to take our order. They also almost forgot our vegetable samosas, and brought them half way through our meal. Other than those set backs, the servers were nice overall. We ordered a bunch of different things from the menu and shared family style, which is the way to go. The food was DELICIOUS. Everything came out freshly made with excellent flavor and a kick of spice. My favorites included the Lamb Shahi Korma, Chicken Tikka Masala, vegetable samosas, and biriyani. An enjoyable experience overall. Wish this restaurant was closer to where I live.

Hands down my favorite Indian spot on the westside. Their butter chicken, Cheese naan, and Mango lassi are delicious. Even their Lamb Curry is delish!

Food was Delicious, Tasty , good presentation and quick service for the tables. Would like to visit again and again. I would recommend definitely try once here.

My friend and I were meetng at this little strip mall to eat at a different place, but the aromas wafting from Cali Tandoor were far too enticing so we decided to eat here instead. My friend got the lamb biryani (I don't know how to spell any of these) and I got the chicken tikka masala. Friend is an experienced Indian foodie and she asked for not quite medium spicy / hot. We shared both and wow, honestly some of the most delicious food ever, and I am not one of those people who says that. I told my husband that I wanted to order it for pickup for us for Christmas Eve, but sadly they were closed. As soon as we can (we don't eat out much) we will be ordering for pickup. Honestly very delicious.

Great food - last time they forgot my Mango Lassi in our takeout order and then never refunded it after multiple requests, so I don't love that. But it was $5, so.

This is probably one of the best Indian food restaurants I've tried in the area! I ordered the chicken tikka masala, medium spice, and it was fantastic! It had the perfect amount of kick to it and was packed with flavor. They are pretty generous with the amount of chicken they give you and the chicken was extremely tender. Garlic naan was solid too. I ordered delivery, so the naan was kinda soggy when it got to me, but it's probably really good in person. Rice is fresh too. I have no complaints!

Overall, things have improved from old establishment. New location is much better, but still finding parking will be difficult. It's best to park on Venice. The standout here was the quality of the chicken, top shelf.. The curry was good, but definitely could have been spicier as I requested.. The only real letdown is with the service. The young woman waiting on us seemed very absent minded and was too casual. She also did not check up on us during the meal and we had to wave her down for the check. A table next to us was also disappointed with her.

Enjoyed the food here. Wasn't super busy on a Friday night which was nice to get seated right away. The menu wasn't super extensive but had enough selection. Everything tasted great. Asked for medium spice level and come to think of it, I didn't taste any heat at all. Small parking lot.

HANDS DOWN. BEST. INDIAN. EVER. I got one of my usual favorites, Butter Chicken. The sauce was so creamy, spiced so well, so balanced. The fenugreek, the coriander, tomato and nuts. MWAH! Not white checked, but rich thigh meat. This was one of only two times that I've ever asked to personally thank the chef. It was truly that mind blowing. The recipe is his family's, more specifically his father's. Direct from India and shared. I already can't wait to come back and try something else.

We haven't been back to this restaurant since it moved to a smaller location. We were the only customers seated in the restaurant around 6:00 pm on a Saturday evening. The server immediately provided us menus, water and Papadams. The Papadams were delicious and so were the sauces. The Tikka Masala and Chicken Tikka were delicious. The Garlic Naan was good but needed more garlic on it. The only downside is the service. Be prepared to ask them you are ready to order and ask for the check. Our server never once stopped by our table to ask if everything was okay or if we needed anything. A table across from us finally had to ask for a server to take their order. I overheard her telling the server that they were seated first before another couple.

A hidden gem. Delicious delicious delicious. Everything was prepared fresh and was so tasty. The staff was incredible. So kind and helpful. Our server helped us choose complimenting dishes so we weren't repeating flavors. The spices were front and center. The portions are very generous. 2 people stuffed ! Plenty to take home for an entire other meal. Highly recommend.

Really wanted to like this place. I thought the paneer and tikka masala were pretty good. But they forgot our garlic naan! How does this even happen?! An Indian joint literally forgetting its bread and butter. Oh well, might give them another chance down the road. The staff were very friendly.

Honestly, this place made me love Indian food. The Dal Tadka is a great vegetarian option-- I'm not even vegetarian and I still get this dish because it's just that good. I also discovered that I love paneer because of Cali Tandoor! The Saag paneer changed me. Also just a general warning-- I can handle (and enjoy) a lot of heat in my food so I personally love the spice in a lot of their dishes but if you can't handle heat, I'd recommend making sure you communicate that. The popular dishes should be pretty balanced in terms of their spice level and most people should be fine with it. This spot is one of my favorite lowkey Indian restaurants in Culver City. I'm here every time I'm working late at Sony.

If I could give this place 11/10 I would! Before you even enter this restaurant, you smell the delicious aromas of the kitchen. We were sat quickly and had our pick since 1. It's a restaurant with a lot of seating and 2. We came before the rush started. My friend had recommended this place from ordering through ubereats and she was excited to try this restaurant in person like I was. For food we ordered the chicken Tikka Marsala, the lamb vindaloo, chicken samosa's, chicken tandoori and the garlic cheese naan. Everything was absolutely delicious. I could absolutely eat the cheese naan by itself but I would have been missing out with all of the flavors the rest of the food gave it. Service was amazing as well. As soon as we entered, each person was so attentive and nice. All of our food came out in a timely manner as well!

Amazing food and service!! We stumbled upon it while walking near our new place, and decided to try it out. The staff were all super pleasant and helpful, and every dish we tried was delicious!

So this is a new spot that replaced a Thai restaurant I used to go to. I've never expanded into really trying Indian food in fear that I would not like it because of the strong herbs and spices that they use. But this day I decided to give it a try and take a baby step into trying something new. So the first thing you you notice when entering the restaurant is the amazing smell of spices very strong but the smell is very nice on the nose lol I wasn't sure what to order and was shy to ask for any guidance so I took a small leap of faith and just ordered the chicken tikka and some rice and got it to go. I wasn't sure what to expect from my food all I knew is I was hungry and ready. I opened up my container and saw nicely seasoned chicken and all around it some bell peppers and onions. My first bite was so great all those seasonings and the chicken was so juicy almost made me want to cry, they served it with two sauce a green one which was really fresh kinda reminded me of cucumber and a second one was a brown one which tasted like tamarind that one was my favorite something about the sweet that went so well with all those spices. I will be eating here again but next time I think I will be getting the buttered chicken. Great experience for my first time.

I hadn't eaten all day and my friend promised me good Indian food and Cali Tandoor's Tikka Masala was the best I've ever had. I cannot express how good this meal was. I inhaled it with the Cheese (the favorite), Garlic, and Potato Naan we ordered so quickly I had to take a break in the middle of eating. It was one of those meals where you don't talk to the other person because you're both so busy eating. Service was incredible too, the waiters dressed nicely and were very respectful. I thanked the owner(?) who checked in on us when we were finishing up with tears in my eyes and a few seconds later he came out with free dessert for us. I can't recall the name of the (cheesy with condensed milk and almonds) but it was the perfect ending to our already perfect meal.

One of the best Indian restaurant in California, which is Cali tandoor ! very good food and hospitality Nice location good service well organize and neat and clean restaurant !

We picked this place after reading both Yelp and Reddit reviews, and let me tell you, the reviewers were NOT lying about how quality and delicious this spot was! This place was phenomenal! We are super impressed. The food was delicious and served promptly. Our server was attentive and fun. We left feeling full and happy and will certainly be back! I'd recommend the Shahi paneer if you're looking for a veggie dish and my dad loved the chicken tikka masala for your meat eaters. The garlic naan was to DIE for and the serving was quite abundant. We'll certainly be back!,

Love the food here. If your like me definitely get Medium to push your heat tolerance but the people are extremely friendly and overall I have no complaints. Both To go orders and eating there is great.

Amazing food! Straight fire! The shahee paneer with roti was sooo good. Vegetables samosas were amazing. The aloo parantha - fresh authentic. They have a bunch of vegetarian and meat options. You can tell the chef is Punjabi! Delicious and highly recommend.

The ambience of this place is so cute and homey. The tandoori chicken was fireee and well seasoned. I got the chicken tikka masala and we asked the waiter to make it spicy but it wasn't spicy at all for two desi girls. We also got kabobs which were juicy and well seasoned. The naan was good too. Overall a solid 8/10 would've been 10/10 if our chicken tikka masala was spicy.

One of my favorite spots to get takeout in LA! Can't miss the super fluffy classic naan and butter chicken.

This place is Bark Nation!!! Soooo good!! Great food, great service! Definitely planning on coming back.

No beer :( Slow service. Decor needs to be updated. Parking is not convenient (not their fault). Meh.

Authentic Indian restaurant in a cozy setting. I loved everything from the appetizers to the chicken tikka masala. Great service, come try this place if you are searching for some wholesome, flavorful Indian cuisine with generous portions.

Cali Tandoor was my introduction to Indian food, and it did not disappoint. I had the pulav rice, saag paneer, butter chicken, vegetable samosas, and the garlic naan. I loved eating the pulav rice with the butter chicken on top - they were a perfect match. The saag paneer grew on me once I paired it with the garlic naan and ate it as a dip. Most of the dishes I had were on a higher spice level than I'm accustomed to but they were too overbearing. The customer service was good but it did take a super long time for the food to come out, and the restaurant wasn't that busy.

When I called to order 2 curriee, he asked if I wanted rice too and he didn't mention there is a $ 6 charge so I said ok. I assumed it came with it. When i saw the bill i saw the rice charge added. They r deceptive and cunning. Will never come back. These ppl keep changing the name of the restaurant but same place as I'd been there to the same location but different name.

Came here with a friend for an early dinner around 6pm on a Saturday. Restaurant was clean, had a nice ambiance and wasn't too crowded. The service was good and quick. The staff was very attentive and friendly! We had the raita, korma, tikka masala, and garlic naan. Everything was really delicious. The curries were thick and hearty, and the raita was generously portioned, too. Probably some of the best Indian food I've had in a while. Really happy with the experience overall. I'm not from the area (it's about an hour and a half away from me) but will definitely stop in next time I'm around-- it was that good!

Food was good was service was sloppy so that brought the vibe down. We didn't get everything we ordered.

Incredible. We ordered medium tikka masala and mild butter chicken, along with garlic naan, it was all incredible. We will be craving Cali Tandoor often!

Everywhere else in this city has diluted their curry and masala's with water/oil/tomato sauces but not this one! It taste so rich and creamy! Authentic! Worth every dollar YUMMMMM! 10/10!! My new favorite spot!!

Cali Tandoor is temporarily closed due to a kitchen fire. Their neighbor around the corner shared this info with me. I typically get their 1. Dal (4.6/5): Lentil soup w/ spices & chili. Delicious. Highly recommended. Paneer Pakora (4.4/5): Fried Cheese Curds. Yumm. Highly recommended. Shashi Panner (4.5/5): Cheese Curds mixed w/ tomato sauce and spices. Highly recommended. Samosa (4.7/5): deliciously deep fried. Eat w/ the chutney sauces they provide or ask for more. 2. Ambiance (4.2/5): Nothing special; light shines through windows. Decent tables. 3. Service (3.6/5): It's mixed. Sometimes it's great, sometimes not so good. Depends what time you arrive.

I was craving Indian food and decided to try this place for the first time. It's a nice sit down restaurant but I ordered carry-out. Food was ready in 15 minutes. Take it home and it's still hot. Then look inside the bag and all I see is this! I ordered the chicken tikka masala and the portion is tiny! And this is with a $4 purchase of extra rice! The meal cost $23 after tax. The curry was delicious and the chicken tender but I was still hungry afterwards. I've had Indian food of similar quality cost me $16-$18 and with much larger portions! Overall food was pretty good but wayyy overpriced for what it is. If money is no object, then it's worth the trip.

Love it. Order from here all the time. Highly recommend the butter chicken, chicken tolls masala and naan.

My favorite Indian restaurant in Los Angeles. The lunch special offers delicious food at an incredible value.