Royal India

Absolutely amazing. Seriously, you won’t be disappointed. The staff is excellent and fast. Food was fresh and flavorful. I will be coming back and bringing a friends! Ravi was excellent and made the experience even greater with his humor and customer service.

Ravi was always pleasant and very hospitable. We love the menu and the price works for us. We like coming and would definitely recommend this to everyone.

I adore Indian cuisine and make it a point to seek it wherever I go. Having had Indian food in a lot of major US and Canadian cities, I can say that Royal Indian now ranks high on my list of the best. Their lunch menu offers combos of a few dishes, allowing the customer a taste of a several dishes at once. Their dinner menu is extensive and can be ordered at lunch as well.. My food was fresh, perfectly seasoned and generous portions. The naan may be some of the best I have incurred It’s flaky, light and perfectly seasoned with butter. The service was friendly and attentive. Great experience. I will be back!

I’ve been living in Raleigh all my life and finally stopped by royal India and couldn’t have had a better experience! The food was so so good and the mango lassi tasted so fresh !! This was the best Indian food I’ve ever had, after dinner we received a complimentary dessert which was so nice since it was past closing and the owner was nice enough to come and chat with us about his business, where I learned that their yogurt is homemade !! the whole experience was 10/10 very welcoming and the food was amazing, I would recommend this place 100%

Updated: Absolutely delicious every time we come. My son requested Royal India for his 16th birthday! Absolutely delicious! Best Indian in the triangle!

Royal India is a a really nice place just to sit and talk with friends. The atmosphere is very tranquil and has an elegant feel to it yet, Homey. The food is delicious.

If you're looking for delicious and authentic Indian cusine, then look no further!! This really is the best Indian food in Raleigh. I absolutely love this place. The staff are polite and very friendly. The restaurant is conveniently located right off of Capital Blvd but the inside is decorated where it's quite and private which is great. This restaurant is located on the corner of a larger plaza so tons of parking available. As I mentioned earlier, the food is delicious and I highly recommend the butter chicken, chicken Tikka Masala, the garlic Naan, the mango Lassi and the Gulab Jamun. There's tons of other authentic dishes here that I'm still looking forward to trying. Ravi who was our waiter is so friendly and very knowledgeable about the history of the restaurant-he's been there for 30 years! He even brought us to kitchen to take a look at their charcoal Tandoor and they made us a fresh butter Naan. We even met the chef whose been there for over 30 years! It was a really awesome experience. I highly recommend and I can't wait to return.

If you love mouthwatering Indian food this is the place to go to! My partner and I have tried several Indian restaurants over the years and by far this is the absolute BEST! We will be back here whenever we are in town. Ravi was beyond welcoming, you will feel like family here, the customer service went above and beyond to make sure we had anything we needed. We love it here!! We drove 13 hours and it was WORTH IT!

This was a really nice authentic Indian restaurant! The atmosphere is very fancy and nice and cultural and the food is delicious!!! Ravi was an amazing server as well ask another server along side him and he also was nice enough to give us a sweet treat and tea on the house. I definitely recommend coming here and I plan on coming back! Great service.

The food was amazing and we had an excellent time. Ravie was very friendly and made the experience even more enjoyable. If you have not hand a chance to visit you must. Ohhh and being a friend

The food and service are always amazing! My wife and I have been eating here for over fifteen years. The owner has served every US president dating back to Jimmy Carter to George Bush Jr. The decor is white table cloth and the walls are adorn with maharajas dating back to the fifteen century.

If you want authentic indian food, this is the place to come!! Not only is the restaurant beautiful, but the environment and workers are so welcoming <33 Ravi was very kind, he made my friend and I’s first experience here the best and we will be returning!! :)) 11/10

We ordered pakora, aloo tiki and vegan special #5 absolutely fantastic. The Chana was cooked to perfection the mahkini (spelling) was amazing. The little dessert was really good. Totally loved this place. Worth the hour and a half drive.

The food was amazing and the service was the same. Thanks for making our Christmas Eve filled with great food and fun!

The food and service was excellent! Went with my mother for the first time and we got the Royal Feast so we could try a little bit of everything, and it was definitely the best choice! A big meal with some desert and tea to wind down was just what we needed. We also got a tour of the kitchen where we were shown how they make the naan with the clay oven!

Absolutely delicious! probably one of the best places to have authentic Indian food. The naan was soft and fresh, and the garlic naan was perfectly seasoned. The butter chicken is full of flavour and spice without being overpowering. Very satisfying 🤤 We were served with warm sweet Indian dessert at the end of our meal. You might need to get used to it if it’s your first time, but I found it pretty tasty and comforting. The people were also very nice, friendly and funny, which made the experience even more enjoyable. The restaurant is very well decorated and clean. Definitely coming back.

This restaurant is top tier. The food is amazing with large portion sizes. Butter chicken is my favorite dish to get here. The garlic naan, rice, and chicken together is so flavorful and delicious. My waiter was so kind and attentive. I had one of the best experiences at a restaurant i have ever had. I can’t wait to come back again!

My husband and I just ate here for the first time, visiting from Fayetteville. We drove up to Raleigh for a movie and were craving Indian food, so we looked this place up and thought, “Why not?” From the moment we walked in, we were pleasantly surprised. The atmosphere was calm, relaxing, and uniquely beautiful, unlike anything I’ve seen before. The staff was incredibly kind and welcoming, especially the owner, Mr. Ravi. Our food came out in a timely manner, and every single dish we ordered was absolutely delicious. You could tell each recipe was made with intention and care, and the flavors tasted wonderfully authentic. Before we even learned that they’re the oldest Indian restaurant in North Carolina (as Mr. Ravi proudly shared), we had already decided we’d be making the drive to Raleigh whenever we’re craving Indian food from now on. Fine by me!

Amazing service, delicious flavorful food and great atmosphere.

We went to have dinner at the restaurant. There was plenty of parking space. When we entered, the Ravi welcomed us and showed us to our seats. The place is very elegant. The menu was rich and I chose a sweet vegetarian dish with potatoes called Dum Aloo Kashmiri. It was excellent! Before the food arrived, we enjoyed our papad. My company had chicken Tikka masala. Both dishes were the best we had in the area. The service was great! Before I finished drinking, the server was there to refill it. For dessert we had rice pudding and chai masala. We eat Indian food regularly, and this is our new favorite place!

It was such a wonderful Valentine’s Day dinner There was such a great ambiance with friendly knowledgable staff providing awesome service not to mention the food. Being vegan on Valentine’s is tough enough but for both parties(vegan/non-vegan) to be able to enjoy their meal was exceptional.

We came to celebrate our anniversary. The most spectacular service I think I've ever experienced anywhere. The food was absolutely delicious as well. And the service was truly outstanding; thank you Ravi! We were celebrating our anniversary and they overheard us and they really went out of their way to make it special for us. We had the stuffed potatoes in tomato sauce, I forgot the name, chicken tikka masala, naan, gulab jamun, and rice pudding. Every things was perfectly prepared! Highly, highly, highly recommend!!!! We will be back. Our new favorite restaurant in Raleigh!

Wonderful aesthetic atmosphere and the food is sublime. Service was top-notch and everyone was super helpful. We got the chicken tika masala, Lamb vindaloo, and a bread basket of different naans. I can confidently say that their chicken tika masala was some of the best I've ever had. They do not skimp on spices. Their dishes are full of flavor and they're perfectly seasoned. I left very full and satisfied. Plus, their desserts and chai tea were delicious. The galub jamin was fresh, soft and warm, and the chai tea was the perfect way to end a cold autumn evening.

Always love coming to Royal India! The food is fantastic and the staff make you feel like family. Ravi uncle, our waiter, was so incredibly sweet and attentive, especially towards our big table of 12 guests

I had heard that if I was going to visit 1 Indian restaurant in my time in Raleigh, that I had to go to Royal India, and they could not have been more right! The vibes are immaculate as soon as you walk in. The staff is so incredibly friendly. The food and drink selection is so varied that I will absolutely have to come back to try more! My group got the Aloo Tikka Chaat, Vegetable Pakoras, Palak Paneer, Tofu Paneer, and Chicken Keema. Everything was so fresh and deeply flavorful. Everything was also very fairly priced! Do yourself a favor and visit this staple in the Raleigh restaurant scene!!!!

My friend and I ordered a veg thali and non-veg thali and both of them were equally delicious! Very satisfying experience! Ravi was an amazing host!

The vibes of this place is incredible! The customer service was so good, they are very attentive and kind. The food is really good with a variety of options.

This was the best Valentine’s Day I’ve had. I came with my mother and we were trying this place for the first time because we love Indian food. Rabi severed us and was the sweetest and very funny too! This just topped off the night and made both me and my Mother’s Day! We will definitely come back. I saw lots of people picking up food but it’s was so comforting to sit down and eat, the atmosphere was comforting and the food was amazing! I got the chicken tikka Masala with Garlic naan and as basic as that is this place had its own individual taste and it was perfect! Then the garlic naan was so delicious I had to get more. Like I said I will come back that’s a fact. Thank you though for the service and the food and great experience!!!!

Mr. Ravi was an amazing and welcoming presence at the restaurant! He made us laugh and made our experience very enjoyable! I came with a group of friends for Valentine’s Day and a birthday and it was amazing! The food was so flavourful and the desert was sweet and well balanced. This was my second time coming here and I definitely plan on coming back! Love the ambience!

I have the most amazing experience here. Mr Ravi welcomed us with warm hearts. The food was amazing with lot of spices but not spicy that you cry and don’t feel the food. The environment is like being in Taj Mahal. Elegant, rich in culture. All the employees make you feel like a Royals for sure. For Valentine we got a sweet and a flowers on the house.

The food was incredible! Ravi, was so nice and made our experience 10x better!! He was very funny, hospitable, and kind. When our dinner was over he gave the women at our table roses for Valentine's day! I recommend to everyone to come and eat here!

Royal Indian is honestly one of the best Indian restaurants I've been to! The food was so good – everything tasted fresh, full of flavor, perfectly spiced, and nicely spicy (just the right kick without being overwhelming). I loved every bite, and the portions were really generous too. The customer service was amazing as well – everyone was so kind, friendly, and attentive. They made us feel really welcome and took great care of us the whole time. Such a lovely place with delicious food and wonderful people. Highly recommend it – can't wait to go back! 😊

Had a wonderful dinner at Royal India tonight. We came in on a Friday night and were seated right away by a very attentive and welcoming staff. Everything we had was deliciously seasoned and spicy. Our Kingfisher beers in frosted glasses were a great accompaniment to the meal. We left Royal India very happy and can't wait to return. The best Indian food I've had in the Triangle! 10/10

Best naan in the state, if not the country because of their authentic tandoori oven! The decor is charming, which is hard to find at Indian restaurants. The service was attentive, and professional. The food was good, and amazingly hot - but other than the naan, the dishes were somewhat unremarkable, especially considering the price. Indian food runs more expensive in general, but this seemed pricier than the usual fare and (other than the naan!!) wasn’t better than the average sit-down Indian restaurant. The complimentary gulab jamun at the end was actually the best we’ve ever had - but it was followed up by a pointed request for a review - not the best ending to a hospitality experience.

I and my friend had visited Royal India for lunch and we really enjoyed two of their lunch special combos here. But the service was so poor that although I would've loved to give a better rating, I cannot. After serving our food, the attendant never returned to check if we needed anything. We wanted to try out one more combo (like a chaat combo), plus we needed napkins but she never came although we kept looking out. We ended up grabbing napkins from the table next to us since it did not have any customers. The restaurant was relatively empty for the lunch hour and yet service was way under par. The waitress came back with the desserts (which were part of the lunch combos) long after we had finished eating. All in all, the food was good and the decor was pretty (the place looked "royal"), but service was very bad.

This place is basic. As a tourist, I am excited for Indian dinner before the week starts. I ordered Chicken Madras and Paneer Makhni with garlic naan. It was a total of $63. Yes, that’s unbelievable. It doesn’t even cost that much in NYC or Seattle or SFO. Ok, cost is not a problem if food is good. Went back to my hotel to enjoy my meal. First of all, the chicken, it is not chicken madras, taste nothing like spices from madras, absolutely no taste, 2/5. Very disappointed for $25. Paneer was ok, like 10 small pieces of paneer for $22. I asked for hot and it was mild. (2/5) Garlic naan was ok, very small for $6. (3/5) They charged me $5 for onions but when complained they said they charged by mistake and gave me 1 Gulab jamun on the house. lol. Gulab jamun was ok. (3/5) Not sure how an Indian restaurant can mess these basic dishes. The food was def oily. This is my second bad Indian meal in Raleigh and feels like this city can’t do Indian food. And above all this was $63 so more disappointing. I give up on Indian food in Raleigh.

Total let down… I’ve never had tough chicken chunks before so I’m kind of amazed. I was so excited to try this place based on the reviews but I’m totally disappointed. I ordered for take out the butter chicken and a garlic nan, total was $33. I have to admit I’ve never spent that much on Indian food before, for the small portions they give you. The butter chicken had too much tomato sauce, so it overpowered the flavors of the chicken that was already tough. I was looking forward to that rich Indian flavor and spices but this totally lacked. As bad as it looks, the rice was the only thing I enjoyed. I will have to pass on this place moving forward.

After reading so many glowing reviews, I decided to visit Royal Indian Restaurant for dinner tonight. I walked in with high expectations. The place looked nice and the staff were friendly, they greeted me warmly and took my order right away. So far, so good. But the real test is always the food, and that’s where things completely fell apart. I ordered samosa chaat, malai kofta, and naan — dishes that should be simple yet flavorful. Unfortunately, every single one of them missed the mark. The samosa chaat was dull and lifeless, the malai kofta was surprisingly hard and tasted off, and the naan was dry instead of soft and buttery. It honestly felt like the food had been sitting around too long or wasn’t made with much care. Such a pity, because the service and ambiance were actually decent. I’m giving 2 stars only for the staff’s politeness and how quickly they served the food. If they can improve the taste and freshness of the dishes, this place might live up to its reputation. But as of now, I left more disappointed than satisfied.

Would NOT recommend this place. The food was terrible. The paneer and naan were not fresh. The dishes were very oily. The atmosphere there also seemed very off. There was no one else other than us. The place was looking dirty and run down. There was food on the seats. We went here due to the high number of reviews. Little did we know why it was this way: Towards the end of our meal the owner forced each and everyone in the table to scan a QR code and leave a good review on Google there itself. (I had to lie that my phone was dead) Avoid this place. Don’t be fooled by the reviews. There are many other good Indian restaurants in the area.

Visited for lunch with my friend. Food, service and atmosphere was good. However, they secretly added some charge to meal from each person. We asked what is the additional charge, and the lady said "tax" when sales tax was charged already. Another gentlemen said "I don't know. It's machine does this". I assume they are charging the highest % (my case, 3.5%) of credit card fees that business has to pay to the credit card company to customers. I am ok to pay the fees if credit card fee charge was noted on the menu like large group gratuity, or some how informed in prior, but it wasn't. I thought it is shady that they didn't tell us and kept giving us very inconsistent excuses. Also, we needed to pay directly from hand-held device so no way to see the charge breakdown or check extra charge was added. I requested to print receipt but she did not give it to me first. After requesting receipt again and confirmed extra charge, we asked about extra charge to two people in the restaurant but they could not tell us. The lady manually added extra to my charge to hand-held device so she knew exactly what she was doing. With their dishonesty, and no transparency, I have to give one star even though the food, service and atmosphere was good. I don't think I will come back to the restaurant unless they are transparent with extra charges or charge exactly what shows on the menu. I would strongly recommend people to check receipt. Otherwise, you will be end up paying additional charge, additional sales tax and additional tip for credit card charges (because they bake in additional charge to meal cost) !!