Dwaraka Indian Cuisine

We had their buffet-style lunch for $18. It was a good opportunity to sample several of their dishes. Those I tried were okay but lacked flavor complexity, being more on a salty and sour taste.

The food is disgustingly sweet. Both curries I got taste like a dessert, and the chicken was tough and chewy. The naan was pale and lacked any sort of flavor. They're appealing to American tastebuds and clearly that has worked for them, but if you care about what you eat, avoid this place at all costs and don't be fooled by the positive reviews. Regret spending my money at this place...

Had a really bad experience here. Food was average, at best. Not a single item stood out in terms of taste. Staff were confusing and weren't really accommodative of our requests. Initially, we were told that we could make changes to "Lunch Specials" as per our choice, and then the owner came in and confused us on what can be customized. We didn't understand what exactly can be changed/modified, but ended up ordering anyway with that confusion. The owner also mentioned statements like "There is no item in India which is made without garlic" when we requested to remove garlic from the curries.

Dwaraka turned up when we were looking for a place that would be open for lunch, and provide multiple options for the vegetarian friend that we would be dining with. It proved to be a wonderful choice. My guess is that very few, if any places that traditionally had buffets have reopened them yet, as pandemic restrictions are fading. Dwaraka has come up with a way to make me not miss the buffet experience at all. When we were seated, the one page lunch menu had approximately 7 or 8 total options, divided into vegetarian and non-veg sections. The meals we received were essentially exactly the kind of selection I would have taken for myself at a buffet, but all portioned into separate metal containers, served within a metal tray. The main dish was in the largest container, and a separate basket of naan completed the experience. Getting a lot of what I specifically wanted and a little bit of many other things gives me exactly what I want from a visit to an Indian restaurant. A light blue arbor-type structure occupies the center of the dining space, providing visual separation without really taking up any room at all. It's a lovely touch.

Worst Indian food ever tasted in my entire life. Food is terrible. Unbelievable how this place is still running with absolutely no complaints from local eaters that appreciate true indian delicacies. I ordered 2 plates of Tandoori Chicken and here is what I got Red colored dry so called Tandoori Chicken and completely white meat inside. No flavor. Chicken Tikka Masala was with Boiled chicken dumped in a Sweet sauce. Butter Naan was a plain Naan with no butter on it.. and i was told thats the way we make Butter Naan Uploading the pictures for reference.

I've eaten here very regularly for a few months now. I've been to many Indian restaurants in town, but this is easily the best. Their lunch buffet is open every day and is fantastic. There's a regular rotation of items and they're all great. Everyone who works here is friendly and welcoming. I'd highly recommend this place to anyone in town.

Lunch buffet is BACK baby! Everything is delicious. Friendly staff and the whole place is very clean. Love it here. I only wish I could eat more than a plate and a half.

Great food, best yet ... service was awesome we came to do lor and we were let in early which was very kind , weren't expecting that... our bartender/servicemen was hilarious...and made our night! And food again holy bleepbleep good! Had to roll us out of there! Thank you 😊

The LUNCH BUFFET IS BACK! This is my favorite Indian restaurant and I highly recommend the the daily lunch buffet!

This is some of the best (if not the best) Indian food I've ever had. The lamb pasanda is insane, super tender meat. The garlic naan is fantastic. They wrote a little thank you note on my Postmates order. Can't recommend enough!

The food was so good. It has been there for a long time because it is so good. It is also nice to hear another language from other customers who were there as a family, too.

Decent Indian food on Hawthorne. Located next to the new seasons. Got the meat samosa w ground Turkey. They were fine - rather heavy. Chicken makhani had decent flavor tho didn't have a lot of chicken - mainly sauce. Dhal was ok. Lamb tandoori was fine

Food taste and quality was poor . Chicken karaoke was not good it was smelling very different and the chicken tasted as though it wasnt fresh meat . Only sambar and desert Kheer was good

Just finished lunch here and it was my first time stopping in. The lunch special was an amazing deal for $15 and included a ton of food. I got the Palak Paneer. Everything was incredibly flavorful. Our server was kind and attentive. I would highly recommend this place!

Tasty Indian comfort food for those wet Portland evenings! My sister and I both chose the Thali for bhengan bartha and CTM. It was fun to have lots of tastes and plenty of naan. We even had leftovers. I would recommend getting this if you're not sharing several items with a group. The restaurant is cozy and the service was friendly and prompt. They seemed to have a nice selection of drinks and a wine list, but we stuck to water on that particular weeknight. I would definitely recommend.

Been to this place several times. It's hard to say how I feel about it. Depends on where you sit and who's working. Sitting in the back is great, sitting out front - not so much. Some servers are nice and helpful, some are full of attitude. It's Portland, so not surprising. Anyway, menu is great - definitely have gluten-free dairy-free options. Yummy food and drink. I'm always trying something different. Street parking is sometimes available right out front. Otherwise, you have to find a spot on a side street.

Definitely not impressed. Biryani was sweet and Medu Vada was dry. This was last meal in Portland during my visit and feel bad that it ended with this.

Dwaraka turned up when we were looking for a place that would be open for lunch, and provide multiple options for the vegetarian friend that we would be dining with. It proved to be a wonderful choice. My guess is that very few, if any places that traditionally had buffets have reopened them yet, as pandemic restrictions are fading. Dwaraka has come up with a way to make me not miss the buffet experience at all. When we were seated, the one page lunch menu had approximately 7 or 8 total options, divided into vegetarian and non-veg sections. The meals we received were essentially exactly the kind of selection I would have taken for myself at a buffet, but all portioned into separate metal containers, served within a metal tray. The main dish was in the largest container, and a separate basket of naan completed the experience. Getting a lot of what I specifically wanted and a little bit of many other things gives me exactly what I want from a visit to an Indian restaurant. A light blue arbor-type structure occupies the center of the dining space, providing visual separation without really taking up any room at all. It's a lovely touch.

Took someone brand new to Indian cuisine and of course it was a hit; Dwharka is always a safe predictable yummy bet. I do think they've lowered the meat in their servings though.

Naan was warm, soft, and fluffy. The paneer tikka was well-spiced, had a good kick, and the paneer was soft and not chewy. The palak paneer also had good heat, but there was a tiny bit of bitterness to the spinach. Price was average and the service was friendly and quick. Lots of space and bright, welcoming interior.

Very delicious vegetarian dishes. The staff are very friendly and helpful. Come visit if you haven't been here previously. Again the food is worth every delightful bit!

I was visiting Portland for one day and sitting in my hotel room at 845pm not wanting to go out. I placed an Uber order and they closed at 9pm. I'd like to acknowledge them for accepting my order that close to closing. Now for the food. I ordered chicken tikka and a side of garlic naan. WOW! It was amazing! The sauce was perfectly sweet and a little spicy. Buttery perfection. There was a ton of large chunks of chicken and it was good proper white meat chicken. The garlic naan serving was two massive pieces and crispy and chewy. Just delicious! I would highly recommend ordering from this place if you visit Portland.

We ordered on Postmates both times we've eaten here. The first time the food was so spicy we couldn't eat it. We decided to try it one more time this evening and I wrote in the notes mild/not spicy. When the food arrived, on top of the container it said Mild, so they clearly got the message and then when I dipped the Naan in the sauce of the Chicken Korma I was shocked that yet again it was very spicy. I proceeded to try the rest of the dishes and again all were very spicy. We're talking nose dripping, eyes watering spicy. Now you wouldn't catch me on an episode of Hot Ones, but I also can take a bit of heat. This is just too much. We were unable to eat our food yet again. So this is a warning for those that are not into SUPER SPICY food stay clear of this spot.

Randomly dropped by Dwaraka on a weekday because I just had a hankering for a dosa and I needed one or I was going to DIE. Of course, I can't go to an Indian place and not get the gobi manchurian either -- had to introduce my friend to its greatness! The gobi manchurian came out piping hot, spicy, crunchy - definitely and solid highlight! Dosa wise I grabbed the mysore masala dosa which came out not quite as warm or crispy as I would have liked but still pretty darn tasty! The masala on the inside was well seasoned and great portion -- not too much, not too little. My dosa craving was appropriately satisfied. The inside of this place is interesting aka I didn't expect a tunnel-esque area branching all the way back. Pretty cool tbh. Service...was interesting to say the least. Our server was a bit short with us when we asked questions to make sure my friend with allergies could safely eat what he'd ordered. We also felt pretty rushed because plates would be cleared ASAP and we had to stop them from taking things we were working on a couple times. Our bill came out IMMEDIATELY after we were done eating and it just didn't feel great overall. I mean I completely get turning tables and it is a business but it wasn't crowded AND we weren't loitering for any prolonged period of time. Strange but hey the food was good and no one was outright rude. Solid Indian food option in the city that I would probably return to in the future.

Food - 3/5 Service - 5/5 I got the chicken vindaloo and my friend got the chicken tikka masala. The vindaloo was spicy and slightly sour. I wish it had more depth of flavor. The chicken masala was richer and had more flavor in my opinion. I definitely recommend paying a little extra for the thali option. The curry and naan that come with it were incredible. Service was amazing. We didn't know what paneer was but our server accepted our weird request and let us have a small sample of their palak paneer.

Surprisingly large pakora portions (we got spinach and chicken) and the chutney/sauce portions are almost absurdly large. The naan and papadams were fresh and tasty. We got the palak paneer and the baingan bharta, both were very tasty. Considering how many previous favorite Indian spots have gone down hill, we may be ordering here often!

It's post-pandemic and time for an updated review! We love Dwaraka, we always get delivery as the restaurant itself is very small. The food is always delectable and the portions are quite generous. Our recent order included chicken tikka masla, which was rich and tasty, very good raita, that was a nice consistency and not watered down like some places do. We also had spinach pakora, which are tasty, fried, battered spinach fritters, lamb curry, the lamb was so tender and tasty. And of course, naan and rice. Everything was superb. You really cannot go wrong with Dwaraka!

Delicious food, generous servings. I had the lunch special palak paneer. It came with rice, naan, and several small side dishes. It was quiet on a Tuesday lunchtime, we received attentive service. We will definitely go back!

This place is great, I always enjoy the food and the service is good. I like how it's not dumbed down for white people like Bollywood is. Overall it's a great place that I honestly don't frequent enough.

This place is one of my top two Indian restaurants in Portland and being a South Indian, this is my fav go to South Indian restaurant. Their South Indian dishes like dosa, idli, vada, etc. remind me of my mom's cooking! And everything else is also super delicious. I started ordering from Dwarka during pandemic, so always did take out. But, last month happened to go for lunch coz i always thought their ambiance looked cool. For lunch they only have thalis, which turned out to be even next level from all the food i had been ordering from a long time. So, went back again this month for that to die for thali!! Also, lesson learnt to go in to eat whenever you can at restaurants whose take outs you like coz freshly prepared food tastes way better of course. Both the time we had same server and he was super sweet and provided great service. Highly highly recommend this restaurant!

I had the pleasure of dining at Dwaraka tonight with a long time friend and the cuisine was amazing. Their chicken appetizer was delicious and very spicy - be prepared (Yummy) ! I had their house special - A family receipt - goat stew - if you dine here- it's a must do - scrumptious at all levels. There dips - sauces were also fresh and very tasty. Oh their Naan is fresh and hot So for all you that love Indian cuisine - enjoy! Bon Appetite Ronn just Ronn The hole in wall food guy....

Good place but no more buffet for lunch. When you one person looking for an Indian food lunch, buffet is best so you're not limited to a dish of butter chicken that's really for 3-4 people.

Ordered up a storm of food for takeout and was pleasantly surprised when we got home. We started with three vegetarian dishes of Aloo Gobi(cauliflower and potato), Paneer Tikka Masala (Cheese in a masala sauce), Palak Paneer, Garlic Naan, Goat Curry, Lamb Biryani, Masala Dosa, and a Thar Fire Margaria while waiting. Every dish was perfectly cooked and we ate most of it in one sitting (6 people). We will be back someday.

So I've been here a few times. I travel to the Portland area frequently and this is what I have found to satisfy the Indian food craving. The neighborhood is busy and fun. Parking can be a hassle. The restaurant itself is clean but dark. Service is always prompt. If you go before 5 pm, you can even get HH prices on food. I always opt for the thali and haven't had a terrible food experience. The naan is always fresh. The rice is never fresh on the thali. They definitely do the spice level right. However, in general, it's the basic curry based restaurant. I'll still go there and eat though because I still like the atmosphere and the neighborhood and the prices! Did I say how the service was efficient as well? Overall, a decent experience. Just don't expect to be wow-ed specially if you like Indian food.

AMAZING food. Highly recommend chicken Makhani with naan, perfectly creamy and spiced. Seriously my favorite food in all of portland. Palak Paneer, Chicken Korma, Veggie Samosa (with mango chutney/pickl, and Goat Curry also to die for. Never disappoints, extremely consistent with food quality, and outstanding service, especially if you're lucky enough to stop in at a time when Yuck is serving. Ambiance is fun and not at all overwhelming, space is usually not overcrowded and parking around the corner is decent.

They have a great lunch special going on that will definitely satisfy any purveyor of this style of cuisine. Be cautious of the chai. It is very hot. The dessert of the day was nice and fresh tasting. The naan couldve been a little bit fresher (it was somewhat dried out). Other than that, great food and pleasant experience. I hope they bring back the lunch buffet.

At 7pm on a Saturday night...food was good, empty restaurant ambiance kind of a bummer. Good service but I felt bad for his lack of customers.

Beautiful decor inside. Very cozy and quiet with incredible food. Crazy spicy so be careful! I get the mild. Lovely family owned place that we have been regular customers at for years. Love this area of Portland!

The food was delicious! I actually ordered online for take away, so I can't speak to the dine-in experience. But, ordering online was really easy and convenient, I appreciate that. And, the pick up was really quick and easy as well. Their food was delicious. I loved what I ordered!

Excellent Indian food and wonderful friendly service. I'd definitely go back. :) The naan is especially delicious. Homemade and done to perfection.

This is my go to! One of my favs. Everything on the menu is delish. Service in the restaurant is great and take out is good too. Portions are usually good for 2 meals for me. My only complaint is I can't (shouldn't) order every item on the menu. An absolute amazing appetizer is the Spicy Chili Pekora!! THIS IS SPICY!!!

Went looking for yummy makhani (butter) chicken and we were not disappointed. The meat samosas were large, a little spicy and very tasty.

If I had a superpower it would be to make butter chicken the way these folks do. Dwaraka what sort of souls contract is require for you to tell me your secret?! Most of my family picks Dwaraka as their special occasion/birthday dinner because everything this restaurant makes is so good. They always accommodate our 7-entree orders quickly and are kind to us everytime. Thanks for making our neighborhood so special!

How have I never reviewed this place?? I stumbled upon it purely by accident years ago while on tour going through the Hawthorne Theater. That initial experience resulted in me eating way more than was prudent and waddling back to the venue. Since then I have moved to Portland, and this is quite possibly my favorite restaurant on the planet. I ordered from them just about weekly during the pandemic, and now any time I'm on tour with a band I make it a point to stop by to share their glory with my friends. Now: everyone is all about how good the Indian food is in the UK. Sure! It's great! Dwaraka blows it out of the water. Everything they make is perfect. Their staff is always incredibly accommodating of things like food allergies and sensitivities: and my vegan friends love the fact that there are so many options for them. Their thalis offer an amazing experience with a variety of delightful culinary surprises. Their house curry rules. Their saag rules. The hot chili pakora rules (and sometimes the peppers are atomic hot which is awesome.) The mixed pakora is a chaotic extravaganza of fried deliciousness. Their naans are the perfect combination of chewy with a tiny bit of char from the tandoor. Their chutneys are delightful: I don't even know what the green one is but with enough of it I could eat a Buick. I really can't recommend Dwaraka enough. I hope they make a billion dollars and expand and buy big houses and fast cars and keep making my favorite food literally anywhere. I wish I could give six stars just for this one restaurant. Eat there or live in a world of sadness.

Not messing around with the heat! My work got lunches for the whole crew here the other day, so I got to try a lot of dishes. I got the palak paneer, and it was fantastic. Samosas, pakora, naan, chutneys and chicken korma was also fantastic. Looking forward to trying again!

Great food and service. We will most definitely eat here again. All of our thali lunches were fantastic, I had the butter chicken. The chai tea is just right as well.

We had been wanting to try this place again for a while since they remodeled recently. And finally on a date night last week, we did. I was excited about the bar. And I wasn't disappointed with a drink menu full of Indian-spiced versions of our favorites. The drinks were tasty although neither of us could really taste the spices. The food was amazing. We had the mix pakoras, goat curry and masala Dosa. All was delectable and served quickly. My main complaint is the service was less than accommodating. I had questions about menu items and was greeted with incomplete answers, blank stares, and even the server walking away while still talking to me, which forced me to turn around and look behind me to finish the conversation. And still I didn't get much of an answer. Also, the aesthetics and acoustics of the tunnel don't lend to a relaxing dining experience. Not sure why they're seating in the tunnel instead of in the more open areas of the dining room.

I can't speak to their food but I've delivered orders here dozens if not more than a hundred times and I've never once had single poor experience here. They're respectful of everyone's time, their employees are polite, the ambiance is super relaxed and guests always look happy. Given the number of orders and how many repeats customers I deliver to the food must be solid as well. Can't recommend them enough if you care about service.

This place is delicious and the food comes out quickly. Get your dish with the "For Thali" for a few dollars more and experience an array of wonderful tastes that compliments any dish.

We are originally from the Seattle area around Microsoft and I'm beginning to realize that if you're looking for good, authentic Indian fare then you'll have allot more luck in Seattle. We LOVE Indian food. Until recently we lived down the street from a Michelin started Indian restaurant and ate there regularly. We have had Indian food across the world and let me tell you I'm really sad to say so far the Portland/Vancouver area has the worst Indian food we've ever had. We are vegetarians, we ordered: Gobi Manchurian, Paneer 65, Curry (I can't remember what they chose to call it but the equivalent of butter paneer), garlic naan, mango lassi and a cocktail. The Gobi just literally tasted like deep fried food with no seasoning, it was bizarre and a bummer as it's one of my favorite dishes. The curry was one of the wateriest curries I've ever experienced (seriously you needed to pour it, a spoon was pretty useless) the naan in the curry obviously had no previously cook to it. Many good Indian restaurants will add a char to the paneer or at least cook it well enough that it gets some flavors infused but no, nothing. Honestly the only thing done well was a cocktail.

Ordered lamb biryani and , goat curry via postmates. The food came in good sealed containers that stayed intact. The goat curry was delicious, decently spiced and well flavored. The biryani was more like seasoned rice, unlike any other I've had and I've had a lot. It was pretty disappointing. And I found a hair in my goat curry:(

It was a slow night at the restaurant as we went on a weeknight. Our waiter was slow to respond, slow to move and didn't seem too entertained. The ambiance of the place was alright. The food was alright. I ordered the lamb curry and would not order that again. It was spicy but not super flavorful. I really wanted this place to be good as I have been looking for a good Indian spot, but the search goes on...

Surprised that my experience didn't match the reviews on yelp that led me to Dwaraka. The Chicken 65 appetizer was essentially breaded and fried buffalo style chicken, not what you expect from an Indian restaurant. And it was not warm when served. The rest of the meal was piping hot but the chicken tikka had zero signs of being in a tandoor (crispy, blackened) but on saying that it tasted great. Lamb Korma was good not great, I've had better at Silsila. Not in a hurry to go back but I would give it another chance.

I really miss their lunch buffet and the nice family-run feel I always encountered. Since COVID, and their beautiful addition/renovation, the lunch buffet is no longer. Service is now via irritated 20-30 somethings. Food is the same (tasty).

The lamb saag was spicy and tasty. Very nice room and very good food. Excellent experience.

The thing that makes the restaurant 5 stars is everything! The owner is available at all times... watching over dish preparation and making sure the customers are completely satisfied. This a beautiful and casual restaurant with the best vibe ever. There are 3 separate sections to the restaurant so you'll be able to find one that fits your mood anytime you're here. I ordered veg pakoras, veg samosas, and naurattan korma with naan. I ended up with a to go box with a whole samosa and 1/2 of my entree. Great experience!

I'm rating based on takeout, which was good, but I have a feeling sit down would be way better. I really liked my Dahl and garlic naan, but the chicken masala & lamb with basmati were also very good options. Packaging was labeled and placed nicely in a bag for us but the portions were small due to container sizes.