Masala

Well we were craving some Indian food and came here. The flavors were off. Butter chicken was mediocre. Pork vindaloo was actually good. But boy, the chai was a mixture of cardamom and milk with no tea involved. Can't call this thing chai. It tastes more like a watered amul cardamom drink you can buy in India. I will have to go get another tea to get some caffeine. Got both hot and cold version. Do not expect a chai but more of a light sweet drink.

Basically Indian Chipotle. Food was pretty good. Happy to see many vegan options on the menu. Green lentils: 8/10 Korma: 7/10

Amazing! Great food, the staff are amazing- so friendly and professional. It is a great atmosphere, tasty food and I love the options.

Amazing customer service . The food is not authentic ( obviously). But, it does satisfy and serve the need . Clean and kept well area . Sorry couldn’t take a pic before finishing.

This place is one of my go to lunch spots and I think it deserves every bit of 5 stars. It's not 100% "authentic," as some negative reviews point out, and doesn't punch you in the face with flavor like a lot of Indian food. So what, it's delicious. One caveat is that the mild curries are still somewhat spicy so heads up if you're sensitive.

SO GOOD!!! When I tell you to run, don't walk, pick up the pace! While this restaurant seems like a small hole in the wall, it deserves some major recognition. The man helping with creating our bowls hyped up our selections the entire time we were there. He had great suggestions and allowed us to sample the options. This was a healthy food choice with clearly labeled options for vegan, vegetarian, and Gluten free. Think of this like Mod Pizza/Subway style where you go down the line to pick what goes in your bowl. *choose your base (rice) *choose your Currys *choose your chutneys Very clean.

Very large variety of curries with many different flavors. The curry combos are decently expensive but big enough to cover two whole meals. Curry fries are a surprisingly great combination too. Meat was tender too!

Delicious food, awesome customer service, we will definitely be back! We didn't pay much attention to what everyone else was ordering and ordered a 3 curry plate. It was huge! Next time, I'll go with a 1 or 2. The layout wasn't what we were expecting, but the quick serve format worked great and they let us try a few different items before choosing. The spicy coconut pork was out-of-this-world good, especially with the pickled onions and the green daal. We tried the bhaji and it was delicious as well. Compared to the spicy coconut pork, the butter chicken is just okay. I'm sure it's great on its own, we just loved the pork more. They aren't the fastest to dish up, but the employees have a personal conversation with each person that walks in the door. That is a type of service and friendliness that is missing from many restaurants, especially quick serve! Overall, very impressed with the service and food!

Always delicious! Try all of the chutneys! My favorite casual lunch/dinner in the Zoo

Okay food, good service. First, important to understand what this place is. It is Indian-inspired "fast food." The curries are all pre-made and sitting in large serving troughs. You order which type of rice you want, and they put a lot of rice in a very large bowl. Then they add to that bowl whichever curries and chutneys you order, so it's all mixed together (one curry on one side and another on the other side of the bowl). There are no serving dishes, you can't share, you can't take what you like. Just a big bowl of rice, curry, and chutney. It is Indian-inspired, not really Indian. The butter chicken was good, but didn't taste like any butter chicken I've ever had or made (and unfortunately the texture of the chicken wasn't great). The pork vindaloo was also good, but it didn't really taste like vindaloo and of course no one has ever heard of pork at an Indian restaurant. The raita was good, and the hari mirch was very nice and was a great way to add some heat to the curries since they are all very mild. The naan was also nice, but again not "authentic" naan. The portions were good. I got the two-curry combo and it was a huge amount of food. Descent beer selection (would be nice if they had Indian beer like Old Monk 10000 or at least Taj Mahal, but they don't). The servers were very friendly and quick. They also charge an extra 4% if you pay with a credit card, which seems very high. There is a good amount of indoor seating and a few wire tables and chairs outside (which is where I ate since it was 101 degrees and they don't have air conditioning). Overall, good food but not "really" Indian. With the right expectation, this place can be pretty good. I really wanted to give it 3.5 stars because it is better than a 3-star place, but definitely not a 4-star option.

Staff is super friendly and their food is good for the price! Great portion sizes and you're likely to always have left overs. I love all of the sauces and toppings you can choose from.

So good for a cheap meal! Lots of vegetarian options which I love and very friendly staff!

I have never tried this type of food before yet was so pleasantly surprised. It was AMMmmmazzzing. The staff is so nice and pleasant to recommend items. The garlic naan is incredible!! I had the chicken curry, spicy mushroom and veggies. So exceptional !! I shall be back. Food yummy and the staff is very pleasant. Planned to go back next day, didn't make it. Look forward to my next visit.

If you are looking for a kick in the mouth look no further! In an area lacking ethnic foods this is certainly an oasis of flavor you must not skip. I've had a few different curries my favorite so far is the pork vindaloo, watch out of the spicy dishes as they are def spicy, and no shortage of vegetarian options! Staff is always friendly and happy to answer questions. Some interesting dog portraits on the walls making for a nice dining area, style is bus your own table.

Staff is very friendly food comes hot and is delicious and we make Indian food so we are very familiar It's buffet style so a bit different Highly recommend

I enjoyed my experience at Masala. I came with very low expectations (having been to India) but was pleasantly surprised! They offer fair prices with hearty servings. We had to take half our food home! The food was well spiced with nice flavor. The chai was not great, though. It lacked flavor. Had a skin on it as though it had been microwaved. The service was so friendly, upbeat and congenial. The ambiance was ... not much. But again, expectations low for a order-up-front kind of place.

As I've mentioned in other reviews, as I am Indian, it is difficult for me to give a 5-star rating to any Indian restaurant as compared to my mother's Indian food. I give Masala a 4-star rating but there are a number of factors involved in why I gave it this generous of a rating. 1.) it's in Missoula where options for this cuisine appear to be limited if not existent 2.) it's clearly a fast casual approach to Indian/South Asian food and, as a result, its rating should reflect that as compared to a sit-down Indian restaurant in a bigger market city. First, their menu is confusing as hell and overwhelming for what is supposed to be a quick selection dining experience. Numerous different combos. Luckily I'm not a meat eater so I didn't have to wrap my head around if I wanted a meat & vegetable or whatever was going on. I ordered Saag Paneer with basmati rice & garlic naan. When I ordered the saag paneer, the white employee said to me, "Good choice," and I wanted to jokingly respond, "I know. I'm Indian," but I controlled myself. In general, the staff is very kind. Again, for what is fast casual Indian food, it was sufficient, priced affordably, and had a solid taste. For those reasons, I appreciate that the option even existed while I visited Missoula. I think some more picky individuals who've tried Indian food elsewhere have criticized it here on Yelp (if I was looking at it in that way, sure it's probably 2 or 3 star) and I understand that perspective but when you approach this from the standpoint that there are minimal offerings in this city and this is more of a fast-paced almost buffet-like approach to the cuisine then you can appreciate it for that.

Delicious spices are all on point. I had the white rice with Chana Masala, Hari Mirch, Cabbage Pachadi and naan bread. Staff was friendly and polite offered us samples if we wanted to try something out first. We took our order to go but looking around the dining area was clean welcoming.

Food was amazing and healthy - reasonably priced as well! My favorite place for Indian cuisine.

It's deli style fast food. Food is hot and ready for you. Absolutely love that I can eat so many different options, allergy friendly. Delicious

Food is delicious & consistent! Workers are always fast & friendly. Great place to pop in before a show at the ZACC! They serve canned beer.

I was so impressed to say the very least! I had been recommended by coworkers to eat here, and was a little skeptical at first. Only bone I have to pick with this place is their menu, it can be a little confusing upon your first visit in. Very overwhelming and a little hard to understand how the setup goes here. What the portion/plate options are. I got a large plate with two curry's the coconut vegetable and the lentil both vegan. I LOVED that they had everything labeled, which ones were vegan, vegetarian, etc. I got the chapati, which is a vegan naan and it was made to order! Delicious!!! The plate with a base and two curries was enough food for two! And only for about $15 for all of that food! I appreciated that both of the men serving food up at the front wore gloves! And everything was very clean and well maintained! Will be coming back!!

Food is rather good and good value - a nice variety of dishes. And the specials they offer make sense. Friendly staff, too.

The food was great. I did one of the bowls and the portions are huge. It's kinda like chipotle but with Indian food. It has a sitting area but it's pretty small. It's has a bar type area facing the window so good for people watching.

I am visually impaired and entered the wrong door but the staff were very nice. They were very helpful and the food was amazing. Great service and great food. Very friendly and accommodating.

Fresh naan, beautifully smelling curries, great tasting chutneys, too good for words. I love curries, but I've never had this Afghan-style. Please come and enjoy!

This place is disgusting. No flavor. Not cooked well. No one working the counter can explain much about the food and the people in the kitchen look like they are being milked for the food of their culture. Sad. There was one nice girl working the register, but that isn't enough to allow the bullshit happening here.

The food is unbelievable and very inexpensive. Very quick too. Laid back setting. The service couldn't have been better. Really nice guy behind the chutney and register.

Maybe we hit it at the wrong time. But it was just plain awful. The food was bad, the menu confusing. The service at best apathetic. Not only would I not recommend, I wouldn't take seriously anyone who gave it a five star.

I ate here while visiting Missoula and now I just wish we had something like this back home. The food is affordable, delicious, and extremely customizable. If you're looking for somewhere to eat, give Masala a try!

We were excited for gluten free vegan options that were clearly labeled. The food was good, especially for the price. I would highly recommend the Bahji and fried potato dumplings (can't recall the name). Not the most flavorful curries but still tasty and with generous portions.

Terrific Experience- Great Food Great Value Pleasant service Good Location too Only complaint was the extensive wait and very slow moving line (slow counter person filling orders) ... Food flavor / taste was exemplary...

Pretty tasty for a bargain price point. Decent kick on the two curries I tried. Good social distancing. Friendly staff.

I know Indian food well and this is a poor example of it. Honestly it's the worst Indian food I've ever had. That being said at least there's an "Indian" option in Missoula. Some of the menu items are not even Indian food! Very disappointing. I hope a real Indian restaurant comes to town so people will realize how bad this is lol. I'll try them again and if the food is better I'll adjust my review. I hate leaving bad ratings for restaurants but honesty is key.

Been to many Indian restaurants across the northwest. This has been the worst place by far, and if I were wanting to introduce somebody to Indian food, I would absolutely not bring them here. First of all, the service is terrible. 5 people working, they all paid us dust. We finally got helped by a tall man with dark hair who was off putting and unfriendly. Then, we got helped by a big lady with glasses, who obviously did not want to be there. Condescending aura. Tipped $10 on a $30 order, didn't even get a smile or a thank you. Nonetheless, I was excited to try the food. That was, until I bit down into the hard rice, mushy underdone chicken, and bland sauce. Indian food is supposed to be flavorful. You could not taste anything. No garlic, no turmeric, no curry powder, NOTHING! The chicken was absolutely disgusting, to the point where I immediately felt as though I needed to throw up. Only got a couple bites in, threw the rest away. No wonder it's so dark in this place, they don't want us to see what we are eating! Nice plastic utensils though!

Very good Indian food. Had two curry's with a very good green chutney. Staff were very nice and was a good quick meal.

I'm picky about Indian food. I'm traveling up here from the Los Angeles CA area and this may be the best I've ever had. Absolutely delicious

Sometimes VERY good, as close to authentic Indian food you can get in Missoula. However, this place is so hit and miss. This time was a major miss... I had the coconut pork which was fantastic... Unfortunately it was the only part of the experience that was good. The girl behind the counter was super friendly and helpful to the customer in front of me, even offering them 1/2 off sides. To me it was a short "want any sides"? She wasn't willing to tell me about the other dishes, and as we have an allergy to worry about in our house and asking is a safety precaution. No need to be nasty, snide or short about it, there are no descriptions on your menu! Just trying to make sure no one DIES, super sorry to inconvenience you about doing your job... My bad, star off for that. (If I wasn't enjoying the sunshine so much it would be two off, but I'm feeling generous) The white rice in my meal was hard, almost chip a tooth hard, and very dry and everything was a bit on the cold side. Ugh, star off for the rice and cold hard (old) potato ball. I get I got take out, and I have to get it home (5 min drive) but I shouldn't need to throw it in the microwave 5 min after it was served. Star off for that.

They sold me burnt naan. I am in town visiting and came here 4 times. Only half the time the food was good. They are not consistent. The saag paneer, which is typically not a spicy dish was over spiced. The falafel today was overcooked and so dry it is basically inedible. I've never had naan that is literally crispy, usually it's light and fluffy. Very disappointing.

I have had a lot of Indian food, I am very familiar with the spices and techniques. I have eaten here on two occasions and it was absolutely terrible. First of all the rice to curry ration was extremely rice heavy. So much so that there was not enough curry to even cover the rice. The curries I had were bland and had little to no seasoning both times I was in, it was the same. So at least they are consistent. I would not recommend this restaurant to any one... ever.. I am embarrassed for any Indian citizens that reside in Missoula. Masala is not a good representation of their cultural foods. Which are incredible.

I've been in LOVE with Masala for many years now. The food is amazing! Unfortunately, I have had poor experiences with the staff as of late. One woman in particular has been very rude to myself and even my mother the last few times we have been in to eat/pick up food. I know life is hard for many right now, but being rude to patrons who despite what's happening in the world still choose to go out and support a small business is astonishing. The way you have the place set up is great for the times, I just really wish you staffed folks that were not pretentious and rude. I won't be back, and am spreading the word that I love the food but not the service.

Curry in Montana? Yes! My wife and I stumbled across this place while walking downtown, and I'm thrilled to say that the food here is delicious!!! My wife is Indian/Nepali, and I've spent considerable time in the Indian subcontinent, so we know when the food is done right. Until today, we had not been able to find any real curry in the whole state. We were particularly happy to find that this restaurant also has a ton of healthy options for people who are trying to eat healthier. They even have paleo medjool ladoos. They were fantastic. The kebabs were also amazing. And the sauce/chutney options are the best I've ever had at any Indian restaurant in the USA. (I've been to a lot.) I have two criticisms though. Lamb wasn't available and they featured a lot of beef (which is not common in India due to Hindu beliefs). Second, the waitstaff were particularly unkind and treated us very impatiently--as if we were a burden. But the flavors were so good I'm still giving this place 5 stars. And I'm definitely going back tomorrow before I leave town!

Only in Missoula can you do fast food Indian and I've never seen pork curry before! However, the last time I was in, I chose my two curries with meat and paid a dollar extra per curry for MAYBE 4 small pieces of meat each, which made it $14 for a lot of rice (which to be fair is very flavorful and delicious), sauce and some meat -- no veggies or anything else. I'm not going here again because of that.

I enjoyed the food very much. Fresh tasti mg and the achar or chutney was very good compliment.

Just passing through town but I got the butter chicken, some spicy pork, aloo chop, and green chile corn fritter. Beware when it says spicy, its really spicy! Really good and filling for its price!

We stopped at Masala during our recent visit to Montana. Fast, fresh, healthy Indian food. We had the two curry combo with Palak Paneer and Vegetable Korma and corn fritters and aloo chop for appetizers. They also let you choose two free chutneys with the combo. We got the apple cherry (sweet) and mint chutney. Everything tasted great and the entire meal cost us less than 20 bucks.

Staff is super friendly and wonderfully diverse, ordering is easy, and the friend who accompanied me said it was the best Indian food he has ever had -- and he's had a lot. He spoke about how each dish had a unique and distinct flavor (butter chicken, another chicken dish as well (I think), and the sag paneer). The sag paneer was more spicy than I'm used to, but I concur that the food was delicious. The drink selections are great, too, for a small, simple, order-and-grab-at-the-counter restaurant.

For what it's worth... Masala is the ONE RESTAURANT I wish I had access to right now. This coronavirus, keep your distance, stop eating at restaurants - sucks. I really don't think about any place more than I think, "damn... wish I could order some Saag Paneer right now." or then later I find my self thinking, "wouldn't some Vegetable Korma be good right now!" UHHHGGG! Daily... I have thoughts of it. LOL. I'm obsessed even more now that I know I can't have it.

Tasty, fun, and fresh. Sitting at the corner of Ryman and Main this jem features a menu that if full of flavour and is vegan friendly. The sides and sauces will blow your mind. Setup in a semi cafeteria style, you can get in and out quickly. If you have more time, drop the needle on some vinyl and enjoy. Will be back the next time I am in Missoula.

Delicious. Way better than some random McDonalds in the middle of nowhere. I had the butter chicken and the green daal. The chicken was really good. The daal was pretty good, too. (This review was starred and written by my seven year old son. I'd give it four stars for some watery vegetarian dishes, but this is a solid stop in Missoula)

One of the BEST Indian food places I've been!!! I really enjoyed being able to pick and choose the items in my combo! Highly recommended you will NOT be disappointed.

When there are only two Indian restaurants in town, you're just happy you have them. I like both of them although neither are buffets which is unfortunate. Masala is the most classy of the two and less traditional. They don't even have mango laasi. It's served Chipotle-style. There is no table service. There are a bunch of white kids serving the food so you kinda wonder if it's gonna be good. But it is good and really spicy. It's not as good as the Indian Grill and Curry House on Broadway. And it's more expensive, especially if you want to try everything. I was confused how best to order. I think getting the large plate with three options, rather than the bowl with two options is the best deal. You get a choice of an additional side like samosa whereas if you choose the cheaper bowl and add that on, it's more expensive. The Samosas were my favorite item. Beyond that, the food was not memorable. But it is made with quality ingredients. The naan was good too. We'll be back, but if an Indian buffet comes into town, oh man, that would create some awesome competition!

Butter chicken 4/5 Baklava 4/5 Naan 4/5 Coconut pork curry 3/5 Tandoori Chicken 3/5 Butternut Squash 3/5 Spicy Thai wings 3/5 Saag Paneer Curry 3/5 Kale - Standard

Amazing and cheap food!! $15 for 2 adults was more than enough. Lots of vegan and vegetarian options

the servings here are huge! i ate so much i was full and still had two meals after with my leftovers! You get your food in a buffet type way like chipotle which is nice because you can ask questions and see what exactly the food looks like!

Great selection of items and so tasty. Had the butter chicken and spicy coconut pork. Portions were generous.

Freaking amazing curry here. Their spiciness ranges depending on the day but the flavors are worth it. Recently had their shawarma and garam masala fries and couldn't recommend it more. The Nan and chapati are fantastic. Couldn't recommend this place more.

Some nice people work there are some people that are not so nice not so really good customer service skills. Especially if you're older and maybe promote a certain political belief by what you will wear and they tend to ignore you. I have seen that happen they even would stare at my hat. All of the women treated me great I stopped going after college CCP virus for guys that work there have not given good customer service