Punjab Cafe

Below average. Ordered the butter chicken and tikka masala. Samosas and sauces, delicious. Sauce consistency was like a paste and not creamy. Naan was good

“This restaurant deserves 5 stars! The food is very tasty, and the lassi is delicious 😋. I highly recommend everyone to stop by and enjoy the food — the lamb karahi is especially full of flavor.”

I ordered take out, 2 butter chicken medium spicy (16 oz each) and 2 orders of porotta (total 4 pcs). This has been my go for Indian food, love the flavors here. If you don’t know what to eat, I highly recommend Punjab Café. I mainly order their curry or butter chicken. Each time they were all packed with flavor. The heat level matches the description, so if you are unsure, medium or mild is a safe bet. Butter chicken (4/5) The butter chicken sauce was very creamy and packed with flavor. The medium spicy had a nice kick to it. The sauce is 5 out of 5. The only down side is it had only 5-ish small piece of chicken. Porotta (4/5) The porotta had a nice texture, I love the chewiness, paired well with the butter chicken. We ended up using all four pieces for one order of the butter chicken. Tho, I think I still prefer their garlic naan more.

Superb selection of food. The best chicken vindaloo and garlic Naan in the bay area. The fresh aromatic spices made to order. Perfectly good, flaky warm potatoes and tender chicken. The rice 🍚 cooked perfectly, well done. A small restaurant with an excellent set of chefs. My father praises their chicken curry too. 😊

The experience was awesome and like the food we order aloo tikki paneer naan and samosa. All the items were very tasty.

Tasty, authentic and interesting Indian food! I tried a starter here that I had never had before, and it blew me away - Chat Papri is now a new favourite! Puffed wheat wafers, with potato’s, cucumbers, tomatoes & onions with yogurt and tamarind sauce. I then had a spicy Kadai Chicken with garlic naan which was again, brilliant. Tender chicken, spiced perfectly and very tasty. The naan was a crunchy style and presented well and added to the dish. The staff were friendly, helpful and service was swift. I’ll be back for sure!

Update: they serve lamb on the buffet now. Still my favorite Indian buffet, I even go by myself for lunch sometimes. Buffet is $20 now, but SO WORTH the price for the options. I'm obsessed. *************************************** Found this place by accident. Quaint little hole in the wall with an exquisite indian buffet for only $16.99! Great for people like me who have no idea what to order. Service was GREAT! Very friendly staff. (Buffets are only Friday/Sat & Sun) I wish they offered lamb or different dishes weekly but the buffet dishes I've tried so far (all of them) were pretty terrific.

Very good authentic Indian cuisine. The man and woman running the restaurant are incredibly nice and attentive. We tried their chicken Tikka masala with rice and naan, it was deliciously buttery and flavorful. Not too spicy in my opinion. As for sides, we opted for the Aloo Tikki and the Veg Manchurian. The Aloo Tikki was very tasty, it comes with two different sauces, both are really good. The Veg Manchurian was a lot for a side, a little on the spicy side but equally as good. Would definitely come again, maybe try their lunch buffet :)

Great food, fast wait time and very friendly owner. Naan is always fresh and very soft.

I've been going to Punjab Cafe for a few years now, mainly for takeout. But today I decided to try the weekend lunch buffet for the first time and I can't believe I didn't go sooner! They had my usual favorite vegetable samosas, 8 curries (both meat & vegetarian options) and rice, tandoori chicken and chai. They also quickly served piping hot naan to our table. Everything was so tasty!!! The employees are all very friendly as well. The price is just right at $18.99 which is an incredible deal. Highly recommend!

My review is based solely on my Uber Eats order that I picked up. It was prepared within the given time, well-packaged, and easy to retrieve. The staff member handed it over as soon as I checked in. Food - Chicken Biryani x2 - Chicken Tikka Masala - Palak Paneer - Manchurian - Chicken Samosa x2 - Plain & Garlic Naan - White Rice Everything was delicious! The chicken samosa was a modified version made with phyllo dough and wrapped in a triangular shape. While it wasn't your typical samosa, it was still quite good. I believe they also offer the traditional samosa on the menu. My friend and I enjoyed all.of the food, and there was so much that we had leftovers!

My go to North Indian food spot. This place has amazing lamb Rogan Josh, Chicken tikka, and saag just to name a few dishes. All served up with a smile in a super clean no frills mom and pop location. Honestly, I don't think it gets much better anywhere in the South Bay.

paneer naan and garlic naan were 10/10. the portions of food are good for what you pay!

This place is close to home (5mins) so very convenient to catch a quick tasty lunch or dinner. Love coming here with my husband. Food is consistent each and every time, well flavored, fresh and abundant for two people (we always have leftovers). We love the butter chicken and the naan bread but everything we've tried has been great. Service is quick, and to the point. It's a cute little spot so if you're looking for no frills tasty Indian food, come here!

Solid place! I really enjoyed their Butter Chicken and Chicken Curry. Their Garlic Naan was so flavorful too. Also their medium was a pretty good spice level. Highlight dish though was definitely the Lamb biryani. Recommend the Veg Manchurian too so much umami! I appreciate their free rice and service was really in point. Server checked up and refilled water so quickly. Note: parking is kinda hard, if you're an student nearby definitely worth walking

Can't beat the lunch buffet- great selection of options. Today they had chaat, paneer and chicken tikka, bhaigan bharta, pulau, goat curry, saag chicken and tandoori chicken and then kesari bath, and rice pudding. All the food tastes great and fresh naan available to enjoy. The service is friendly too! I'd definitely come back!

I ordered take out, 2 butter chicken medium spicy (16 oz each) and 2 orders of porotta (total 4 pcs). This has been my go for Indian food, love the flavors here. If you don't know what to eat, I highly recommend Punjab Café. I mainly order their curry or butter chicken. Each time they were all packed with flavor. The heat level matches the description, so if you are unsure, medium or mild is a safe bet. Butter chicken (4/5) The butter chicken sauce was very creamy and packed with flavor. The medium spicy had a nice kick to it. The sauce is 5 out of 5. The only down side is it had only 5-ish small piece of chicken. Porotta (4/5) The porotta had a nice texture, I love the chewiness, paired well with the butter chicken. We ended up using all four pieces for one order of the butter chicken. Tho, I think I still prefer their garlic naan more.

Had the buffet on Friday had butter chicken, curry lamb, tandoori chicken rice and naan. To drink had chi. Service was very friendly. Great little place very clean. I recommend this place . Food is good. I have been back.

I used to dine here way before the pandemic and it was my GO-TO spot for Indian cuisine. It was all I could think about during quarantine because it's SUPER DELICIOUS! I've written a review for this restaurant previously but I don't know what happened to it so here I go again! I've been to other Indian buffets but I always come back here. Prices definitely have gone up but I still believe it's totally worth the price. At $18.99 per person (buffet price), you have a wide selection of curries as well as tandoori chicken, chaat papri bar and dessert!!! The buffet used to include samosas and chapati but since the pandemic, I haven't seen them bring samosas back to the buffet scene. HOWEVER, buffet now includes fresh naan. It's super fluffy, warm and so so good. My favorite butter chicken has to be from Punjab Cafe. It's super flavorful, creamy and the chicken is so tender. Punjab Cafe also makes the BEST tandoori chicken and chicken biryani. I could literally DEVOUR a plate of chicken biryani and butter chicken in an instant. Overall, Punjab Cafe will continue to be my favorite spot for Indian cuisine. The dishes here are just out of this world and I recommend this place to everyone.

Had a tasty lunch! Was a bit confused by the "order here" kiosk when we first walked which had a limited menu in but we were told to grab a table and they had their full menu available I had the chicken vindaloo and garlic naan and was really happy with it

I came back to Punjab cafe after almost 10 years. Their buffet is great and they've renovated since then! Good price ($18) and good variety of veg and non veg food. The meat was also halal so my coworker was also able to enjoy their food. Nice selection of dessert items too (I love me some kheer with gulab jamun). My favorite food items were the chicken dishes, pakora, and kadhi chawal. The masala chai was a nice touch and helped digest my food!

Punjab cafe offers traditional Indian cuisine, authentic flavors, and aromatic spices. Each dish has a perfect balance of heat, ideal for those who relish a kick but tread lightly if you're heat-sensitive. I wouldn't recommend anything past mild in that case! Ordering ahead online not only ensures timely indulgence but also unlocks exclusive deals, making the wait worthwhile. I would recommend adding a 30-40 min buffer. Ambiance is okay, nothing special. I've never actually sat down and dined here but tables seem fine. Portion sizes are great and generously satisfy appetites. I always have leftovers! While the menu offers a plethora of delights, and I've pretty much tried all of them, I steer clear of the shrimp dishes.

Always great authentic Indian food. Bobby is very kind and customer friendly Chlolay chicken is my favorite

Amazing experience at Punjab Cafe. Located semi-downtown Punjab Cafe has many pros. I'll start by saying parking is tricky (again it's downtown) so expect to park in residential area or make a few spins around the block for meter parking. The establishment itself is medium sized very easily fit a large group for dine-in. The menu is vast and from the dishes we ordered packed with flavor. My favorite part was the portions, it was perfect TL sized for a meal and even some left over for later. The service was amazing, very courteous, attentive and professional. Will definitely be back to continue to explore the menu.

Ordered via doordash. The food was so yummy! I cant wait to order again. The menu is expansive! Vegetarian dishes are various and all so delicious! Love it!

It's always overwhelming blindly ordering DoorDash when traveling based on reviews, but Punjab Cafe had noticeably higher ratings than the rest, so my friend and I took the plunge. We ordered the following, and all were excellent! We ordered medium spice for both entrees and were surprised & delighted by how strong the medium level actually was. - Garlic Naan: No skimping on garlic here, folks! It got a bit soggy throughout the delivery, but that's absolutely no fault of theirs, and I'm sure it's fantastic onsite. - Veggie Pakoras: I was a bit skeptical because these were very dark compared to what I typically see, but it did not taste at all burnt and was great! - Butter Chicken: Solid and satisfying! Not the best I've had, but I also could not fault it. - Bhindi Masala: The star of the show! Very decently spicy, and super flavorful. I'd order this again for sure. Everything was packaged very well with saran wrap to prevent any leakage, and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal!

I had been craving Indian food for a while and in my last trip to San Jose I was unable to find a location. But this time in what I have heard is the mecha of Indian food I would not be denied. I came for dinner to this place, and I very much enjoyed the festive music. One thing I love about dinning in Indian restaurants is the ambiance the music and decor make. The next thing I want to touch on is how great the service was. There was only one person manning the front between taking orders, handing out food to customers, and helping walk ins. This man's attention to each customer and making sure you are never without water or something was a 10 out of 10. For my meal I went with a few staples and something new to me. Vegetable samosa, I went experimental with the Naan and had it filled with ground chicken. Lastly I had the goat biryani for my main. The spices in the samosa where a bit different than I was used to. Even in how the veggies where prepared was a bit different for me, with the peas being very aldente. Even the chutneys were different for me being that their mint chutney was actually spicy. For the samosa overall is would give it a 3 out of 5. Not bad but was different than what I expected or was accustomed to. The Naan was not bad. I think now I know for sure I prefer just plain Naan or garlic Naan. Stuffing the Naan messes with the overall food experience for me. However that biriyani was something special. I one never had it prepared that way with light carmalized onions over the top, which added so much to the dish. Not to mention their spice level. They have no spice, some spice, medium, spicy and extra spicy. I went spicy and for the first time ever it got to me. I was not expecting that spice to kick up the way it did. It just kept creeping up slowly on me. The side of yogurt was my friend for sure. Also the portion was giant. I usually never get this size of food, more than enough to split for sure. This dish was easily a 5 out of 5. Next time I am out here I will be back for more. They also offer to go, which seems to be most of their orders. If I get that level of spice again I would probably do that at home instead.

Today we went to this restaurant around 2:30. We helped our daughter move into SJSU Dorm today and we were tired and were starving. This restaurant was 10 mins walking distance away from the campus. The owner was nice enough and let us have buffet. It's a small restaurant but decent. The atmosphere was warm and inviting. The food was delicious. What I really liked about this place was the owner's kindness and his hospitality. Great food and warm service. Definitely give a try at this place when you visit your kids in SJSU .

I had lunch at Punjab on a Tuesday. I had a vegetarian dish with 9 vegetables and paneer and my son had lamb tikka masala. We also ordered garlic naan. Everything was delicious and portions were generous. I think there was one man handling everything in the front: seating, ordering, take out, etc. So, service was a little slow, but he was very polite and made good recommendations. The interior is not fancy, but there are clean tables and booths if you want to eat in. You can also order takeout on a kiosk device in front as well. I would recommend Punjab Cafe highly for casual meals.

My son is obsessed with the Butter Chicken curry here and you really can't beat the BOGO deal on DoorDash when they have it. Happy kid, happy mom!

Good food, reasonable prices and friendly uncle who mans the front of the house. Daal, matar paneer and garlic (and butter) naan were good, though, the latter were way too thick. But overall, reminds me of home. Will visit again!

Exceptionally spicy food. Asked for mild and medium butter chicken but both were extremely spicy. Will not be ordering from here again.

A food delivery experience from these guys via UberEats, so a far cry from a meal inside, but I get the sense these guys care quite a bit about their food so I'm definitely going to make my way to them in person sometime. Our food came packed with loads of care, everything tasted fresh and very tasty (as much as they could for delivery anyway). Garlic Naan that smells absolutely garlicky when you open up the foil? Say no more! Curries were also wrapped thoroughly to prevent any nasty spillage. Most spots wouldn't even bother with that level of care. The curries themselves (butter chicken and lamb korma) were wonderfully fragrant without any dry spots in the meats. Definitely something I'll want to try in person. :D

Absolutely Delicious! I had the Chana Bhatura from Punjab Cafe and it was amazing! The flavors were rich, the bhatura was perfectly fluffy, and the chana had just the right amount of spice. One of the best I've had in a long time. Highly recommend this spot for authentic Punjabi food!

The food is really solid for this area, and the people are nice. 4 stars instead of 5 because it's a bit pricy for weird things that make the cost add up ($9 more for butter chicken/tikka than other chicken dishes, $4 more for lamb than chicken, $6 for garlic naan, etc.) It's not insane pricing, but if those numbers above were a few dollars lower, I'd be eating here at least 2x per week!

Went for dinner dine in, only 1 person he is taking care of phones, orders, takeout orders everything done by only one person, Dal makhni was not good at all as per my taste so immediately I returned, ask for Salt Cz not on table seems he was annoyed with me cz he was busy with takeout and phone calls. I would recommend to hire more staff in front so can give good dining experience, I am giving 5 star Cz of one man handling everything in front. But I had worst dining experience.

I ordered the Mushroom Korma and Mixed Vegetables. The Mushroom Korma is a new favorite of mine, and the Mixed Vegetables was also good; it was quite spicy. The service was excellent, and the ambiance is very casual.

Authentic Dhaba style food! Great vegetarian options. Everything on the menu looks delicious and the flavors don't disappoint. My favorite was the daal makhani! I can't wait to come back to try more. It's a small Family run restaurant, so seating inside is limited. But, the food was delicious!

Found this spot when browsing where to go for dinner and it did not disappoint. We were seated right away and we ordered the classic butter chicken, chicken tikka masala and garlic naan which all tasted delicious! We even had leftovers that we took home. The interior was clean and simple, and the service was good. There was no parking lot but we were lucky to have found street parking in the front. Side note: It's located in DTSJ so make sure to not leave any valuable in the car and lock the doors.

This is an easy review. I do need to preface this with the fact that I am visiting San Jose and I don't get many chances to eat Indian food back home. That being said, I was blown away. The food was delicious and the service was perfect. It's a little place so they don't have a server. I think the owner or manager was taking care of everyone. He helped me pick out a dish and checked on me a few times. The most surprising part was the dessert. I had never seen that dish before. I may go back just for another taste.

Seriously some of the best Indian food we've had in such a long time. The service was great. It's a nice little hole in the wall local spot. We aren't local but whenever we come back, we will for sure come back any time we are in this area.

Good food, authentic tasting. Reasonable priced. Definitely on my list of go-to places for Indian food. The buffet is the best as they offered mutton curry.

Great buffet with fresh naan brought to the table. Even the deserts were delicious with a particular halwa you don't normally see at restaurants. Staff were attentive and decor was basic but clean

I use to order take out here frequently about 7 years ago. Moved out of the area so stopped ordering since it was out of the way and I found a different spot that I liked better. Recently in the need of a new Indian spot so I decided to give this place another try since the reviews are still good. Was very disappointed and will not be coming back. Ordered butter chicken, lamb rogan josh, palak paneer, tandoori chicken, nann and rice. This in total costed $100...super pricy in my opinion based on what I got from it. The butter chicken and lamb rogan josh was ok with the curry flavor and was spicy as I requested but there was not much meat in them. The palak paneer was the main thing I was looking forward to and was SO disappointed. I barely ate any bc it wasn't good and might just throw it away. It was nearly as spicy as the other curries I ordered and it tasted a lot more like over blended cream vs having any essence of spinach like they use to. The tandoori chicken was ok, nothing really special about it. Sadly still on the look out for a go to Indian spot.

PLEASE DO NOT EAT HERE! This has given me nothing but a long night of misery; Had some chicken curry and it has given me violent diarrhea and I am just now vomiting a mere 7 hours later. Getting people this sick could cost them their livelihood! You should be ashamed of yourselves!

So delicious!!! Palak Paneer, balsamati rice, any of the lamb dishes. Been going there since it opened. Quali

Went for a quick lunch and it didnt disappoint . Loved the combo plates which was flavorful . Service was fast and had ample seating outside and indoors foe such a small place

Came here on a Saturday and to our surprise they were serving a buffet. They had a good selection of options and everything was tasty. They also provided complimentary chai, but to my surprise (pleasantly) it was actually milk tea...my favorite. Service was excellent. A young man greeted us, brought us waters and told us if we needed additional naan to just ask. He was also wonderful at answering questions. As for the space, it's small, quaint and cute.

The only place in San Jose I go to! Never disappoints! Delicious and fresh! The paneer masala is to die for

Best Indian restaurant in San Jose! Highly recommend, the flavors are amazing you have to get the mango lassi too!

We ordered the meal for two $60 which came with two choices of curry, rice, garlic naan, appetizers (lamb samosa and papadam ), drink and dessert. What a deal! There was enough food for four people! We decided on the Chicken Coconut and the Lamb Masala. Both were excellent! Would definitely come back again. And the service was great!

Quick + friendly service, and delicious Indian cuisine -- what more can I ask for? The spot is pretty small and easy to pass, but definitely head in for flavorful and piping hot Indian food. Our waitress was so attentive, and the food came out hot and fast despite everything that we ordered. One note though, if you like spicy spicy food, I recommend getting the hottest level because even medium was mild for us.

Butter chicken had no flavor. We got food from DoorDash from this place and the butter chicken was watery and no flavor. I won't ever eat from here.

This place definitely has such delicious Indian food! I am so glad to have discovered it downtown! Parking wasn't an issue (curbside parking is available right in front!) and there were a bunch of metered parking too. Ordered an order of rice, butter chicken and garlic naan, and it was all so yummy. The portions were very generous and it was definitely leftovers for me for the next few days! I also just love dipping the naan in the yummy sauce. I can't wait to go back and try more dishes! It was helpful when I called to let them know how many people were going to be eating, so they helped me figure out portions and how many of each dish to buy. I did not go inside so I don't know what the ambiance is like, but I am certain that the vibe is that it is easy going, and what's more to know than to try it yourself? Looking forward to my next visit!

I found the food to be just average despite the glowing reviews. I tried the Garlic Naan, Chicken Tikka Masala, and Lychee Paneer, but was hoping for more.

The garlic naan is fantastic. We ordered more than we could handle but it was well worth it. I highly recommend this place.

Super chill and unassuming spot that serves amazing food. Mostly for pickup or deliveries but there are tables to dine in. I've tried probably half of the menu by now and it was all delicious. My only tiny gripe would be that they could season their rice more in some dishes.