cali tandoor 🇮🇳

Cali Tandoor is one of our favorite restaurants in LA. My husband and I have been to lots of Indian restaurants (mostly North Indian/Punjabi) across the country and this is one of the best we've been to. The curries are fresh, flavorful, and well-made. We're pescatarian/vegetarian so there are plenty of options for us. We're still making our way through the menu, but so far our favorites are the paneer karahi, chana masala, shrimp vindaloo, and fish tikka masala. The samosas, naan, roti, and kulchas are very good too. Service is attentive and helpful. The first time we visited, Kiran recommended her favorite dishes, which we will continue to order on future visits. Also, it seems like they renovated recently so the interior looks much nicer than from past photos. Highly recommend!

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.

WOW this was such a delicious meal! Had the shrimp korma, lamb vindaloo, Manchurian cauliflower, samosas, and garlic naan. The homemade papadum and chutneys were so fresh and made with incredible care. Everything was incredibly fresh and perfectly seasoned with such precious and depth of flavor. Wow!

We just moved to Palms and were a bit overwhelmed by how many choices there are for Indian food in this neighborhood. Cali Tandoor is one of the best that we’ve been to so far. The chicken saag was excellent and the Chana masala probably the best we’ve ever had. The free Papadam with mint and tamarind chutney is an extra special treat. The servers have all been very nice and did not pressure us into writing a review like another restaurant. My only complaint would be the price of rice. Where we moved from rice was always included with the curry dishes. I guess in LA it is common to charge extra for it. All in all an excellent experience and highly recommend.

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.

Loved the food at Cali Tandoor! The Malai Kofta and Dal Makhani were delicious and full of flavor. Excellent service and very friendly staff. Highly recommended — will definitely visit again!

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.

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 is a hidden gem right up my neighborhood! i've ordered a few times from here at this point and the quality of the food does not miss. i've only ordered the classics - chicken tikka masala and butter chicken with garlic naan and each time it's been nothing but quality. will definitely venture out of my comfort zone next time i order from here!

This place has become such a staple for me. The flavor always hits and the portions are huge, bringing me home at least 2 days of leftovers. You also get complimentary papadam and chutney while you wait. There's plenty of space in the restaurant and never a wait when I go during dinner time. There's parking in the lot but street parking is never difficult.

Stumbled upon this place going for a walk and holy smokes--this is a great Indian food spot. The service was friendly and fast, and the spread we got on their lunch menu was fantastic, as well as very well priced. The butter chicken was great but the chicken tikka stole the show. Tikka had the better cuts of chicken and the curry was phenomenal. Paired that up with garlic naan and rice and it really turned around the whole day. Can't say enough good things about this spot.

We came in because of the glowing 5-star reviews, but found that it fell short of expectations. The lunch specials are a good deal at around $20, and you get rice and naan with the main course. I opted for the chicken vindaloo, and my bf got the chicken tikka masala. We also ordered a side of veggie samosas to start. The samosas were okay, a bit dry and cold. I would not order it again. The chicken vindaloo was bland, and there were some weird pieces of chicken in terms of texture. I didn't finish it and didn't take the leftovers home. The naan was probably the best part of the meal. There was an annoying fly that kept buzzing around our table the entire meal, which was gross and made the meal less enjoyable. The waiter was friendly and the service was pleasant. Overall, the food was a 2, and the service was a 4, so 3 stars. Free parking in the plaza lot.

A great place to dine in Culver City. Lovely food, excellent customer service, beautiful presentation of food & even tastier food. Reshmi Kaboob is extremely delicious & our favorite. You won't be disappointed.

My least favorite butter chicken I've had on the west side, unfortunately. Felt more onion forward than tomato forward. Naan was good.

I've been going to this restaurant for many years. The remodel is beautiful yet very comfortable and welcoming. The food, as always was delicious and the service was fantastic. I'll definitely be back soon.

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.

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've been here several times. The remodel is great. Love the ceiling starlights.The food is outstanding and prices reasonable. The best Saag Paneer I've had in a long time. And a bonus is the delicious reasonably priced margaritas. We'll be back.

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 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.

Amazing food every time. My favorite Indian food in all socal. Kitchen little slow but it's complex food

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.

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.

Huge fan of Cali Tandoor! Great service, amazing vegetarian options, and best naan in the game.

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.

this is the best Indian food I've had in California. Everything we had was fresh and delicious. will be going here again. Ambience is nice and staff very friendly. High

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!

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.

Super high quality butter chicken and naan. I only get takeout but the service is always quick and polite but can't say a ton about the ambiance. But yeah the food is super worth it and reasonably priced. Hidden gem on Venice Blvd!

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.

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.

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.

Amazing food and great service! Every dish at Cali Tandoor is packed with authentic flavor, and the staff is always friendly and welcoming. Easily my favorite Indian spot in town!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!,

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.

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.

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.

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