Cardamom

Delightful dining experience! The staff & owners were charming, helpful, and kind - but.... the stars of the restaurant are the chefs! Everything was soooo gooood! We have enjoyed their food as take out previously, and loved it. Let me tell you - DINE IN! It is so vibrant, aromatic & the Laccha Paratha just baked, crisp, & with the perfect bite/chew is krey-vuh-buhl. The Special Grilled Lamb Chops were spiced & cooked to perfection. The Chicken Butter Makhani was velvety with a great kick - The Lamb Vindaloo was tender and flavorful. My very favorite dish was their Saag Paneer - they use fresh spinach & it takes it to the next level! The atmosphere is bright, warm & inviting. I look forward to many more wonderful meals here with friends & family ❤️

Great service, delicious food. Newly relocated from LA to Montrose, Cardamom is very tasty. The food is made to order, and features delicious top tier ingredients. You can taste the difference there. Plenty of indoor seating, and a hand full of outdoor tables. The restaurant features great staff, well versed in the menu, and constantly attentive, and going above and beyond for a great customer service. Parking is available nearby, and outdoor dog friendly. We got lamb vindaloo (very spicy, and tasty), chicken Masala (creamy and tasty), garlic nan (delicious and light), saffron rice (not a huge upgrade over the plain rice), and the vegetable samosas (very light and crispy; not oily!). The food was very good. They also treated us to complimentary rice pudding. They are working through the process of getting the final touches up (signage, and art). They have redone the kitchen and interior (previously a chinaware restaurant). Very friendly staff, and rooting for their success. Was busy when we arrived, but we were able to be seated instantly. One area to possibility improve is portions; this place is a bit pricey, and the portions are smaller (as compared to our favorite spot Indian’s Flavor). But the quality is great, and they do offer outdoor seating! Updates: we have been back multiple times, and the team always makes us feel like family. Delicious food, prompt and attentive service. The ingredients are fresh, and the food has depth and flavor as a result.

All dishes are really delicious and environment is really aesthetic. For date, you can make your day. And their service is really awesome too. I really appreciate them. Best wishes for you guys.

The food here was fantastic, I was able to come and eat here close to 9pm (when they usually close) and the employees were friendly and the location of the restaurant is great. Right in the middle of Montrose. I ordered the boneless chicken tikka with saffron rice and lentil soup. What I loved about the food was how fresh and flavorful it was. It wasn’t spicy to the extent of not tasting the flavor, it was just right. I have nothing negative to say about this restaurant. Would definitely recommend for authentic Indian food in Montrose. The menu is very expansive, too.

Cardamom indian cuisine is a great addition in Montrose down town. Food is very delicious and they use fresh ingredients. Service is very professional and friendly. Highly recommend.

Fan of Indian food, so I decided to get takeout with chicken tikka masala, naan and samosas. The tikka masala flavor is subtle, and not overbearing. The naan was pretty good compared to other places. Chutneys were excellent - very flavorful and complementary with the naan. Overall, the meal was very delicious and I would recommend dining in. Interior looks clean and well-maintained.

Paneer tikka masala had so much color lol, but was decent. Garlic naan was below avg felt like some bread with artificial puffiness. Mango lassi was one of the best I had in LA. The other dish was some Parsi dish with Shrimp protein. It was Very tangy and overpriced. Service was pretty avg, not sure why he was unhappy to take the order

Tried for the first time via an Uber Eats order and really enjoyed it. I had hyderabadi chicken tikka masala, zafran rice, and garlic naan. The rice and naan were both fluffy and warm. The chicken had a nice spice (I got mild). Looking forward to ordering again in the future.

Food was savory and delicious! Definitely coming back! Waiters were friendly and amazing! They checked on us often and kept our table clear. Ambiance is quite peaceful! Hooray for an authentic Indian restaurant in our neighborhood!

Came here to kill time before hitting Descanso Garddns. Butter chicken, mango Lasse and Cheese naan

Decent food. Mediocre service. Naan was not good. Chicken tikka masala was 3/5. Vindaloo was 2/5. Won't be back.

If you like your Indian food bland, then Cardamom is the place to go. We arrived just after 4:30 and did not receive the warm welcome often mentioned in reviews. The restaurant itself is small, very clean and spartan in appearance. The round booths are comfortable. We started with the vegetable samosas. They were crispy and hot but had no discernible flavor other than potato. The Chicken Korma was as bland as bland can be. It was not an overly generous portion for the price. We ordered the special rice: again, no seasonings detected. The Peshwari Naan, one of my personal favs when executed properly, was burned on one side and uncooked in the middle although it did have the proper ingredients and flavor. The mango lassi was yummy, but super sweet. All in all, we were underwhelmed. It tasted like Indian food for folks who don't like or know real Indian food.

THE FOOD IS DELICIOUS!!!!! The music is great if you can hear it for the ambience!!!! The most difficult thing is as I mentioned once before having somebody that greets you and makes you feel welcome. I was there today and I ordered the saffron rice, the chicken tikka masala, naan, vegetable samosas. I enjoyed my meal so much but the greeting is like here you go. Here's the lunch menu here the lunch specials and then when you leave, no one says goodbye. It's not like the place is jammed packed but nobody says the greeting needs to be that people need to feel welcome and want to go there and feel appreciated. It's not easy having a restaurant business . A greeting and a goodbye are very important. Anybody can learn how to say that in English no matter where you are from.

First time trying Indian food and I decided to give them a try. The parking is all paid street parking but is usually available so it shouldn't be a problem The restaurant has a lot of seating inside and a few tables outside. The service is great and the staff was friendly. The ambiance was great. We wanted to try a a bunch of things so we ordered a lot. We got a cheese naan, garlic naan, salty lassi, bottle of Perrier, butter chicken, chiken tikka masala, lamb chops, rice and bbq platter. The food was delicious. Highlight was the lamb, VERY GOOD. The bill for all of this was $129. Great price for enough food to feed a family of 4. If you're in the area give them a try

It kinda pains me to leave this review, because the people that run the restaurant are really quite nice. But the food is pretty mediocre, portions are small and it's brutally overpriced. If you order a $15 vegetable entree, you get no rice and no bread with the entre. It's just a small portion of vegetables in a sauce, for $15. It's about $3 of vegetables for $15. You add bread and rice, which are really essential for the saucy entrees, and you are over $50 for two small entrees (without drinks or an appetizer).

As always food & service absolutely excellent. We are so happy we have Cardamom in our amazing town of Montrose. Great location, very very clean and service is truly amazing and very kind family. Everything is so good and fresh.

First time trying this restaurant, and it did not disappoint! We were here on a Thursday afternoon for lunch and sadly the only people dining in at the time. The servers checked in on us frequently. We ordered 4 of the lunch specials for $17 each, and the favorites were the vegetable tikka masala and tofu dish. The food was delicious but we also came home with plenty of leftovers because the portions were large. The only downside was how hot it was inside the restaurant. We stepped out into 80 degree weather and it felt cooler than sitting inside.

It has been over a decade since I've stepped foot into an Indian Indian restaurant and cardamom Indian cuisine was the first time. I was excited to re-enter the Indian food land, and so excited to order the butter chicken, the garlic naan, Zafron rice, vegetarian tikka masala, and aloo gobi. We ordered the vegetarian samosas, and the kind owner brought over some coriander, mint chutney and tamarind chutney to eat the samosas with. The samosas were piping, hot and fresh out of the oven and simply irresistible. The butter chicken was spicy and so freaking good. I ate it too quickly and most burned my mouth. It went excellent with the garlic naan. The vegetable masala was also delicious. The owner was very gracious and took the time to get to know us as well. Everything was delicious! 5/5! We will definitely be back when the craving for Indian food hits!

Best Indian food around! Had the lamb shank the first time, was incredible so tender, this second time he offered me a lamb dish on special Spiced Lamb chop Just as tasty! Had it with some mushroom rice which couldn't stop eating and got so full. Definitely the place to come if you're looking for Indian food.

Best foood around and the service is absolutely amazing maz is the best there ask for him he is gonna hook you up

Five stars for service alone. I had placed a food order with medium spice level, which was too spicy for us. The management/owner offered to replaced all of our food items with a mild spice level. Thank you very much!

I don't eat Indian food often, but I was pretty impressed by this place. To start, the service was very good and the staff were very helpful with the menu when deciding what to order. We got the vegetable samosas to start, followed by the butter chicken with saffron rice and garlic naan. The flavor of the butter chicken was outstanding, and the garlic naan stood out as well. For desert, we got the ras malai, which was my favorite thing we had here. I had never tried that dessert before, and it was very unique, delicious, and flavorful. The ambience is very homey and comforting as well, perfect for an easy lunch or dinner. We will definitely be coming back here!

BLAND ... Not bad, but it's WAAAAY overpriced for what it is and the Indian seasonings are seriously lacking, which is the most important part. I just can't find a decent place out here for the life of me and all the reviews seem fake. You might be able to get some customers in with that method, but it's unsustainable. Don't believe me? All the lesser reviews say the same... But go ahead, waste your money. Also, they fill each item with their cheapest ingredient. CHEAP. I spent $80 here on multiple dishes. Maybe they were just the wrong ones? What's with all the sugar in the mint chutney? These people cannot be Indian.

If you're thinking about getting Indian food, Cardamom is the way to go. I first discovered this place years ago during their dine La week and I fell in love. This was my first time coming into the restaurant after years of ordering online and I am so impressed with the service and cleanliness! The owner of the restaurant was there and he greeted us and sat us down right away! He was so friendly and helped us with the menu! We did order the chicken Tikka masala spicy and let me tell you, this place does real Indian spicy so be prepared! We couldn't handle the heat and the owner was kind enough to replace for less spicy even though it was our fault and he did ask us if we like spicy haha no wonder. Nonetheless, for someone who loves spice now I know if I ever want chicken tikka masala the right way I'll always be coming back to cardamom! It's my favorite Indian restaurant in this whole area!

We placed a pretty large order. It was done exactly at our requested pick up time and items were delightfully so warm I could hardly touch the bottom of the bag. The naan breads were huge and tasty. Unfortunately I had a hard time figuring out the difference between the entrees. The Tikka Marsala tasted just like the curry. The sauce seemed the same to me on all the entrees. It was good food, just not exciting.

Really great Indian food! Portions are a lil small but tastes great A go-to spot in Montrose. Yummy

Excellent!! This food was extraordinarily good. So authentic Indian every dish tasted incredible. We had the chicken rice biryani, the vegetable tikka marsala, garlic naan and the most delicious rice pudding we've ever had. The service was nice and location is convenient we highly recommend it ! We are two extremely satisfied customers.

Food was pretty good overall. The barbecue platter was a little on the dry side, but everything else was excellent. I definitely recommend the butter chicken and garlic naan--they were the standouts. The inside of the restaurant was clean, and the service was solid. Parking on the street isn't the best, but they do have some parking in the back, which helps. One suggestion: the bathrooms could be cleaned more frequently--they were a bit dusty with what looked like some mold. Still, a strong 4-star experience.

Good service and nice small place, the food was good and came fast after the order was taken. We had a large party of 8 people which made it a little hard because it is a small place but we made it work. Maybe they can invest in some ceiling fans due to the location being too hot for some of the guests, and well, it was only April, so the heat had not picked up yet. Great experience overall.

I live in an area with a huge Indian population, where excellent Indian restaurants are more common than Starbucks, so keep that in mind when reading this review. Service was extremely friendly and welcoming. We really enjoyed the veggie samosas, papadam (and all the sauces that came with it--mint/coriander chutney, tamarind, mango chutney[?]), and veggie dishes--bhindi bhajee (okra), baigan bhajee (eggplant), and gobi (cauliflower; the menu said it was prepared in a "spicy sauce", but I didn't think it was spicy at all). Unfortunately, we weren't fond of the tandoori chicken or the chicken tikka masala. The former had a nice flavor, but it was strangely hard to cut into the meat/get the meat off the bone. It wasn't tough, just weird to cut. The latter was bland and strangely sweet. The garlic naan also had a sweetness none of us liked. Everything also lacked the heat I'm used to (and enjoy) with Indian food--the spicy sylheti chicken was labeled as "extremely hot" (four peppers on the menu--the spiciest they offered)--and yes, it was hot, but it was akin to a medium-hot at most Indian places I go to. I didn't break out into a sweat and my tongue didn't go numb. I appreciate they label dishes containing nuts. (I think they said it was almonds, but be sure to double check if you have a nut allergy.) There's a tiny parking lot in the back, down a super dark alleyway. There's no signage (or at least not easily-visible signage at night), and we pulled into two wrong lots before finding the correct one.

We enjoyed our meal on a Sunday afternoon and it was very pleasant. There was not a wait and the service was kind and gracious. The food was complex and served in a nice manner. We enjoyed butter chicken, a fish dish a rice and garlic naan. The fish won out and I regret that I can't recall the name! You will enjoy your meal from Cardamom, as the child seated next to us stated, "If I were to rate this on yelp I would give it ten stars".

I've been meaning to check this place out for ages, and it did not disappoint. Our meals were fantastic, and the naan was amazing! I wasn't sure if my wife was going to enjoy it, but she's now decided it's her new favorite place. Only one vegan meal on the lunch menu, but it was good, and a number of other vegan choices within the larger menu.--Will be going back to try it all.

The food is delicious and I just went there for lunch and they have lunch special for $16.95. Let me tell you the naan is so so good. Service was awesome and the ambiance is amazing since it's in Montrose!!!

Some of the best Indian food I have ever tasted. High Quality and Flavorful right on Honolulu such a Quaint little strip in Montrose very relaxing atmosphere full of nature.

One of our favorite Indian restaurants in the area. The service is excellent, the food is tasty and flavorful and the setting is quite nice. The location is also awesome as it's located right in downtown Montrose on the cutest street. Parking is relatively easy and the menu is reasonably priced. Note: Their new location is not able to serve alcohol due to building code regulations regarding bathroom size (annoying liquor license rules), however you can BYOB. My hubby and I always make sure to bring some beer and wine while we dine here and the restaurant has wine and beer glasses for us to use. Go check them out for your Indian food fix!

Great food and service. The coconut naan bread and chicken tikki are amazing. Will be back again!

Family was scattered and I, the adventurous eater of the family, headed for Indian food based on Yelp recommendations. Very friendly attentive staff. Kept my water glass full and checked in periodically. Ordered the Butter Chicken, white rice and Peshwari Nan. The Butter Chicken was wonderful. Had just a little heat, but I love spicy food so you can't take my word for it. Chicken was tender and loved the sauce. I have no idea how they get the rice like the way it was. I'm so used to Asian style rice to see it with the individual grains was something else. The Peshwari Nan was new to me, but I really enjoyed it. Now I want to go with a bigger group so I can try more things.

We had a really warm welcome, and the owner was friendly. The food was quite good, but it was on the sweet and spicy side and lacked the smoky and complex flavors of Indian food I have tasted in other curry houses; I had the feeling this was tailored to the palate of the locals and didn't seem very authentic. It was well-cooked food, though - hot and fresh, and the chicken was succulent and not overcooked. They have no license to serve beer or wine, so they offered to give us the phone number of a liquor store down the street. (strange, I thought) We walked to the liquor store and found that it was closed. (Aha!) So we walked on to Trader Joe's and grabbed some off the shelf. We drank warm beer with our curry--which was a shame, but at least now we know if we go back to come prepared. The ambiance was not what I expected at all. It was very clinical, and the tables were very small, so it felt more like a fast-food place than an Indian restaurant. There wasn't enough space to eat family-style, so our food was all crammed onto the small table. We tried this place based on the Yelp star rating, but I wish I had checked out the photos, etc. We were hoping and expecting more of an evening-meal restaurant experience, but we got a more lunch canteen-type experience with above-average food.

I would like to give credit to Nas for his excellent service. He was attentive and gave us recommendations that were superb. We had the samosa, paneer, and lamb. Everything was delicious! Their mango lassi was pretty good too. Prices were reasonable and affordable. There is parking around the restaurant. I would definitely come back here and try other dishes soon!

Sumptuous flavors, delectable dishes, and authentic Indian fare await you at Cardamom in Montrose. Located in Montrose's quaint downtown on Honolulu Street, Cardamom offers an extensive menu of all things delicious: soups...salads...samosas... paneer...chutneys...naan... roti...lamb...chicken... beef...shrimp...whitefish... lassis, both salty and sweet... It is hard to choose when it all sounds so good. We finally settled on a family-style order: - Chutneywala paneer appetizer (an Indian cheese, firm, salty, and non-melting) - Tandoori fish - Tandoori shrimp masala - Zafron Pilau rice - Keema naan (stuffed with minced lamb) - Mango lassi for dessert It was an amazing meal. Everything was superb, savory, and artful on the plate. My eyes were as happy and as satisfied as my mouth and my stomach. Service was polite, quiet, and friendly. Decor was simple, spare, and clean. The salmon colored walls and matching napkins was a subtle touch, but lovely. The energy on Honolulu Street added to the enjoyment of the evening. Happiness exuded from both the street and the restaurant. There are those who say that staying in is the new going out, but I don't agree with that ethic. Going out is fun, exciting, an exploration and an adventure, almost like traveling for a couple hours. Cardamom Indian Cuisine in Montrose was my Saturday night wanderlust, and it was a great trip.

Repeat customer here at Cardamom. The food is always delicious. The staff is very welcoming and even gave a complimentary dessert. Would recommend to anyone wanting a great meal!

I am a repeat customer because this restaurant is fantastic! Delicious food and friendly staff makes this one of the best Indian restaurants! I highly recommend everyone to stop by and try them out :)

Excellent Indian Food. My wife and I have been eating Indian Food for 40 years, tried many locations, and there's Nothing wrong with this one. Not sure who wrote the bad reviews here, but believe me, just ignore them. We ordered Tandoori Chicken, Chicken Vindaloo, Lamb Biriyani, vegetable Samasas, Lamb Samasos, Raita, and it was ALL Very Good. The chutney are Great as well. And yes, we took home plenty of leftovers!

We've been coming here for years. It gets better every time. Where is cannot even express how amazing and authentic this place is. Everything is amazing. Great vegetarian meat and fish options.

I'm vegan and they had plenty of labeled vegan options on the menu. went with my mom who got the chicken vindaloo curry and she said it was pretty spicy in a good way and she really loved it, couldn't stop saying how good the flavors were. I had the tarka daal and this is a go to dish for me at Indian restaurants and I loved it, stacked up well against others I had. I did ask for it to be spicy and asked for the 4 level of spice which had a solid kick to it but it wasn't crazy spicy at all. If you can handle spice I'd suggest doing this bc it added nice flavor. We didn't end up getting any appetizers or naan this time bc we ate kinda late but looking forward to trying some other items next time. The owner and help were nice and attentive, and I'm happy to give them my business. Will 100% be back and will frequent this new gem in Montrose!

I found this gem, while looking for lunch one day near work and the food is delicious. And the service is great. I will definitely be coming back!

Excellent cuisine! Had a day of moving from one location to another - furniture etc w/no stove to cook with i decided to get a 'take-out' for me & helpers. This was the right choice! The ibterior itself is very welcoming & I was even given a free appetizer of samosa's while i waited for the food to be freshly cooked I would recommend anyone looking for authentic Indian food at a reasonable price w/fast friendly service to try this restaurant

This was the second weekend I have tried to order delivery from Cardamom. Last weekend they cancelled my order and when I called they explained they had a broken kitchen hood and couldn't cook. Understandable situation and he said he would take care of me next time. Tonight I placed an order on their website and they called to confirm the delivery time. Shortly after I received a text message that the order was canceled. I tried to call them many times to find out why, but they did not answer the phone. Very disappointed.

The seasonings are rich, complex, and well-executed. The saag dishes celebrate the spinach flavor with delicate spices instead of burying it in too much cream. The mushroom rice is a standout among the rice dishes, with a mouth-watering umami flavor from the mushrooms. Potatoes and paneer are gently cooked so they give the softest resistance before giving way to your teeth -- in any kind of a creamy sauce, they will captivate your palette. Highly recommend the peshwari naan, filled with sweet coconut and dried fruit, with either a sweet or savory meal. The spice level scale is average, so feel comfortable ordering your "actual" spice preference. The dining room is casual, and the dim evening lighting sets a cozy mood. Staff are very polite and helpful, know the menu well, and are good at recommending food pairings. If the staff that if wrap up your food at end of your meal, they'll include the creamy sauce left in your dish even if you've finished all the chunks of meat or veggies-- they know the sauce is that good and you'll want to warm it up at home with any leftover rice or bread!

My biggest disappointment is myself for not visiting in person and also for misjudging spice levels... why did I underestimate Indian spice? I ordered the medium spicy Hyderabadi Chicken Tikka Masala (BOGO) via UberEats, and it felt very underwhelming in size. Delivery? Never again... Taste wise, I have to admit this was top quality; I will physically drive in the next opportunity. I really enjoyed the sweets and spices of each bite. I wasn't expecting the complimentary rice, either, so that was an appreciated addition. Now for the regret... what was I thinking thinking that I could handle a medium spicy? The entire chicken tikka masala tasted great, but I felt like taking any breath after a hot bite was like unleashing a flamethrower from my mouth. The after dinner experiences were slightly unpleasant, but hey we live for the moment right? And dinner was delicious!

Honestly the worst Indian I have ever had. We got the chicken tikka masala and the lamb bhuna curry. They were very bland dishes. The tikka masala came out a very bright, vibrant orange color, which was alarming when it was first brought out. It looked like a highlighter orange. The garlic naan was good, but there were ginormous chunks of garlic on it. The serving size was ridiculous, not worth the price at all. The rice was also dry, which I've literally never experienced before. I don't think this place deserves 4.5 stars. Service was good, they were nice.

Have been wanting to try and finally grabbed an order to go last night. I wanted to love it but was very disappointed. Aloo was undercooked and watery. And both Aloo and Lamb dish were full of chunky veggies instead of being a curry that was cooked long enough for flavors to meld and break down. Despite staff being lovely and kind when I picked up and restaurant being clean and cute, I don't think I'm going back.

Delicious Really nice Indian food. Always good service. Chicken & rice never fails me.

I ordered online couple of times but this time I came for a dine inn with friends. Food was delicious as expected. I love the heydarabadi chicken tikka masala. Garlic naan is delicious. And samosas were very crunchy on the outside and soft with lots of flavor inside. Overall quality authentic food. Very friendly customer service. They also served us with complimentary dessert. Which was very pleasant. Ver clean and peaceful ambiance. Would recommend and will continue going.

I love this place so much that I haven't reviewed it until because subconsciously I was gatekeeping. The food is absolutely delicious and delicious and not overly salted. The flavors are more natural to my tastebuds, and I can pick out these selections on a blindfold test. Also while we are talking about food - the spice levels are actually meaningful (consider this a slight warning). As good as the food is, the people are better. They are always accepting people with a smile, they do not get upset when a order is placed late (and close to closing time. I hate to do it, but twice I have ordered late and they were VERY accommodating). If you're not a local, the spot is very quaint. You can walk the block(s) pre/post meal and it is very nice (tree lined street with multiple vendors to check out). Next door is my fav ice cream shop in LA county. Can't beat a nice dinner+dessert combo. Sorry the review is coming in late, but if you want Indian food this is a GREAT choice.

Came here for lunch and tried their lunch specials @ $16.95 each. This place had good reviews on Yelp so we decided to try instead of going to Black Cow, Casa Córdoba, etc. (our go to places on Honolulu Avenue). Like every restaurant post-COVID, looked like prices went up...be that as it may:/ Here are some helpful tips and info: 1. Parking - there are about 3 FREE public parking (for 2 or 3 hours) areas a block away so just drive around and look for "public parking" signs or if you are like my friends despite my parking info above they preferred to not walk a block away (lol) so they found street parking (just ensure you have coins) 2. Ok, ok enough about parking ...Food Chicken tandoor- lunch special came with rice, veggies and salad (all of them tasted bland). Thank goodness the chicken itself was tender so finished the protein but hardly touched the rest Chicken curry - just ok Mango lassi - they got the flavor right on my favorite drink so was a welcome diversion to the bland side dishes I had on my plate 3. Service - good

From Babajanian- I had an amazing meal at this Indian restaurant! I ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala and Butter Chicken, and both were packed with rich, flavorful sauces and perfectly cooked meat. The spices were well-balanced, and the naan was fresh and warm--perfect for soaking up every last bit of sauce. The service was friendly and attentive, and the ambiance made for a cozy dining experience. Definitely a spot I'll be coming back to!