Punjabi Tandoor

Ruturaj Bhalerao

It's a hidden spot in strip plaza and the place is for to-go or sit outside n eat, curries is the specialty along with freshly made Tandoori Naan, Roti, Kulcha. The Chilli(Red Pepper) Cheese Stuffed Naan is must to have one. The main owner and all the staff working are nice, warm and very generous. To be one off the good place for Curries in what I personally had in my tenure of 8 days in an around San Diego.

Ropl

Even though I had my share of Indian food I still know nothing about the difference between North, South or whatever region. Picked this strictly because it's outdoor seating and parking are plentiful. Turned out this Indian place is very delicious. There were prior comments about Curry being too watery etc. Again not professing authenticity for the food here I actually enjoyed the liquidity as I can dip the freshly made and absolutely delicious naan (Palm size) into it. #9 lunch combo of $15.00 with lamb and chicken hit the spot with a small container of Kheer (sweet rice pudding) rounding out a marvelous experience. Service was fast.

Simple human

Authentic taste, NO FRILLS, Reasonably priced North Indian Food cooked to order by a humble owner - Sadarji, and run by his family! What more can you ask for? And yes, they have plenty of vegetarian options for families like ours. During our trip to SoCal, we were searching for good vegetarian food nearby after San Diego #Safari, when we discovered this place 15+ minutes away! My family really enjoyed the food... and I loved this location as well. It is a unique "Food Court" where they have a beautiful "Outdoor sitting area" with umbrella covers and a nice little pond in the middle (see some of the pictures i uploaded). You order food from one of the restaurants in the food court (for us it was Punjabi Tandoor), find a table/sitting of your liking, and enjoy your meal! YUM!! And price wise... typical vegetarian entree here is under $10 and combo meals are under $12!!! Seriously, you can't go wrong!

Shantala Jnanesh Shenoy

Delicious Indian Food in Carlsbad at reasonable prices - total value for money! Though know that there is no indoor seating here, just a counter to order food and refill drinks. This is not necessarily a problem, because they have ample and amazing seating outside by a small pool (which is actually better). Speaking of specific food recommendations - we tried Chicken Pakoras, Dinner Combo #4 (with 2 chicken curries) and Chicken Biryani. And while this is not the best place to go for Chicken Dum Biriyani, the Chicken Pakoras were delicious & juicy with the perfect crisp outer coating. Oh and they had one of the best Butter Chicken I've tasted anywhere in US. Which is saying a lot, because while Butter Chicken is a popular Indian dish, it's also among the most underwhelming ones in most Indian restaurants, who usually serve many variants of relatively bland tomato based gravies in the name of Butter Chicken / Chicken Makhani. So needless to say, I highly recommend this place!

Parvinder Singh

We went there after spending the day in Legoland. Being tied we wanted something quick and tasty which fills our appetite and Punjabi tandoor didn't disappoint. We ordered Chicken tikka masala, chicken curry, chhole, paneer masala and garlic naan. All were amazing. You have to tell them about how spicy you want you curries to be. My kid found the chicken curry to be little spicy but then I wanted it more spicy, hehe. The resturant is hard to notice at night from where we usually park since all the restaurants are in the island, it's kind of a food court. There's no seating inside Punjabi tandoor so you'll have to look for outside seating. If you want a warm seating in cold night, then sit on the 3 high tables with high chair right next to Punjabi tandoor. They have heater hanging from the ceiling. The heaters can be controlled from the side pole (it says how to control) and adjust the time you want the heater to work. All in all we had a great experience and we would definitely come again if we are around. Cheers!

Kalyan Nistala

Food wad excellent. We ordered combos which comes with Naan, rice, dal, curry of our choice and (raita or kheer). Food was fresh, hot and tasty. Baigan bartha, mushroom masala and bhindi (okra) masala were all excellent.

Prafull Kotecha

It's located in a food-court kind of set up. No place to sit inside, but plenty of tables and chairs common to all restaurants in "The Island". Walkable distance from ThermoFisher and SMAC in Carlsbad. Food is great, although the bread (naan) could be a bit better. It's kinda chewy and if you don't eat it while it's hot, it gets harder to break with one hand, like we generally do with Indian bread - naan, roti. The folks in the kitchen and behind the counter are the best. Very friendly and accommodating. Service is quick and always with a smile.

Samuel Lechtman

Incredible Indian food! If you like lamb I highly recommend the #9 lunch combo. I like spicy food so I get the chicken curry to go with the very delicious and mild Lamb

I was in the mood for some quick butter chicken. Very happy I found this place.

Besides the egregious ask for 20-40% tips on the POS machine, the food was very good. Outdoor seating only.

Daniel King

Besides the egregious ask for 20-40% tips on the POS machine, the food was very good. Outdoor seating only.

Rattanakthida Sihock

This is the best Indian food I've ever had. I love everything on the menu. I wish this restaurant is closer to my home. Whenever I come to Carlsbad, I'm going to come here before any other restaurants. Thank you so much. Food is made with love. Please build one in Victorville. 🙏

I ordered dessert while in town for business from this restaurant. I tried the Kheer Rice Pudding and Gulab Jamun. The Kheer Rice Pudding was good. The Gulab Jamun was a bit hard and wasn't that great. I would recommend the Kheer Rice Pudding and would get it again but would definitely stay away from ordering the Gulab Jamun again.

This is casual lunch combo place for Indian food. Overall food tastes good. The servers are friendly. 4 star because of chewy Naan.

Nazim Khan

I ordered dessert while in town for business from this restaurant. I tried the Kheer Rice Pudding and Gulab Jamun. The Kheer Rice Pudding was good. The Gulab Jamun was a bit hard and wasn't that great. I would recommend the Kheer Rice Pudding and would get it again but would definitely stay away from ordering the Gulab Jamun again.

Parthiv Prajapati

This is casual lunch combo place for Indian food. Overall food tastes good. The servers are friendly. 4 star because of chewy Naan.

3.5 . The menu is vast containing all the regular dishes you’d expect from North Indian cuisine. The restaurant itself is rather on the small side. However the food was relatively good, although the dishes were a little thin, chicken quality not the best and spice levels far to low.

When I stayed in Legoland I ordered food from this restaurant through DoorDash. I ordered combo 3. Rice, 2 veggies (kurma and paneer), raita, garlic naan. The portion size was good for 1 and the price was nominal. They sent disposable plates and spoons as asked. They sent rice + 2 curries in a partition-to-go box. 1/4th of the partition had curries and they added little curries on top of the rice. Both curries got mixed. It would have been good if they packed curried in small boxes. Both curries tasted good. Garlic naan turned slightly rubbery.

Adam Schmitt

3.5 . The menu is vast containing all the regular dishes you’d expect from North Indian cuisine. The restaurant itself is rather on the small side. However the food was relatively good, although the dishes were a little thin, chicken quality not the best and spice levels far to low.

Traditionally Modern Food

When I stayed in Legoland I ordered food from this restaurant through DoorDash. I ordered combo 3. Rice, 2 veggies (kurma and paneer), raita, garlic naan. The portion size was good for 1 and the price was nominal. They sent disposable plates and spoons as asked. They sent rice + 2 curries in a partition-to-go box. 1/4th of the partition had curries and they added little curries on top of the rice. Both curries got mixed. It would have been good if they packed curried in small boxes. Both curries tasted good. Garlic naan turned slightly rubbery.

No place to sit, walked in no one greeted 3 men all of them look like havent showered or slept in days older gentleman on the phone very loud middle age gentleman quiet and younger male was on his phone Bluetooth tucked in side his turban, was almost offended why we walked in and order food while he was on the phone with family back home. Menu is too big too many options, while ordering i made an honest mistake/question was immediately scolded by the younger gentleman prices are good i loved the naan but food curries doesn’t back that up it was not good at all Chana was undercooked and watery, veg korma had a weird creamy/yogurty back taste Probably will not return huge turn off not sure why this place has this many reviews

It’s pretty bad lol, if you REALLY want indian food and have no means of leaving the area then this is fine. Other wise it’s overall pretty subpar, even the mango lassi was bad and that’s literally just mixing milk with syrup.

Repsol Singh

No place to sit, walked in no one greeted 3 men all of them look like havent showered or slept in days older gentleman on the phone very loud middle age gentleman quiet and younger male was on his phone Bluetooth tucked in side his turban, was almost offended why we walked in and order food while he was on the phone with family back home. Menu is too big too many options, while ordering i made an honest mistake/question was immediately scolded by the younger gentleman prices are good i loved the naan but food curries doesn’t back that up it was not good at all Chana was undercooked and watery, veg korma had a weird creamy/yogurty back taste Probably will not return huge turn off not sure why this place has this many reviews

I don't normally post restaurant reviews, however we were celebrating my Mom's life and we wanted Indian food for her celebration. My husband raved about this place and their lamb curry. So, I ate here twice to try it out. First the chicken curry then the lamb curry, the latter was out of this world good. That said, I felt comfortable enough to get food catered based on taste. I was concerned, however, that no paperwork was exchanged or given a receipt for our deposit. No brochure with pricing, no paperwork at all. My husband felt Lucky was a stand-up guy and wouldn't disappoint. Well, he was WRONG. Lucky did disappoint, the lamb tasted nothing like the single serving we received. The sauce was watery and the meat was tough. Furthermore, we had to get a friend to pickup the order. No worries I get it, we were not in the delivery radius. My husband confirmed that the price included plates, $20 pp for 30 people, when our friend arrived they refused to give her plates. Let me see, we paid over $600 for food and your not going to include plates??!!! Our friend had to go buy plates on the way. Not good business practices.

Valerie Shultz

I don't normally post restaurant reviews, however we were celebrating my Mom's life and we wanted Indian food for her celebration. My husband raved about this place and their lamb curry. So, I ate here twice to try it out. First the chicken curry then the lamb curry, the latter was out of this world good. That said, I felt comfortable enough to get food catered based on taste. I was concerned, however, that no paperwork was exchanged or given a receipt for our deposit. No brochure with pricing, no paperwork at all. My husband felt Lucky was a stand-up guy and wouldn't disappoint. Well, he was WRONG. Lucky did disappoint, the lamb tasted nothing like the single serving we received. The sauce was watery and the meat was tough. Furthermore, we had to get a friend to pickup the order. No worries I get it, we were not in the delivery radius. My husband confirmed that the price included plates, $20 pp for 30 people, when our friend arrived they refused to give her plates. Let me see, we paid over $600 for food and your not going to include plates??!!! Our friend had to go buy plates on the way. Not good business practices.

​I always try to begin a review by highlighting something positive, but in the case of Punjabi Tandoor, the only compliment I can offer is its convenient location. Beyond that, the experience was a profound disappointment. ​As a Punjabi, I was excited to taste food from my home region, but it seems the owners have spent so much time in the USA that they've forgotten what our cuisine is supposed to taste like. I can state with 100% certainty that the food served here is not authentic. It was painfully bland, lacking the complex and robust spice profile that is the hallmark of Punjabi cooking. The dishes tasted of little more than turmeric and salt, a far cry from the rich flavors I know and love. ​What soured the experience further was the owner's attitude, which I felt was quite rude. While I could hear him speaking Punjabi with his colleagues, he consistently replied to me in English, even when I addressed him in Punjabi. There's nothing wrong with speaking English, but using our shared language offers a personal touch and a sense of community. It felt like a deliberate and impersonal snub. This establishment deserves its one-time visitors; it’s a classic case of "once a customer, never a customer again. Look at the presentation and delivery, to top of it samosa was something that I can't even eat. an Indian low grade dhaba will do a better job. Not worth spending your time and money on this.

Not good at all No way it's Indian Punjabi food .Biryani was GujratI KHICHADI. SHOULD BE OUT OF BUSINESS SOON. No vegetables at all in Biryani. Paneer Tikka Masala was just tomato gravy and home made very hard paneer. Please serve food with passion bro. Please check below pictures before even thinking to order paneer tikka masala and Paneer Biryani. lady was so rude and pathetic about her excuse. Told us thats how we been cooking birayni. Seriously Mam ?. that's not biryani in any shape or taste. DESERVE ZERO STAR

Bharat

​I always try to begin a review by highlighting something positive, but in the case of Punjabi Tandoor, the only compliment I can offer is its convenient location. Beyond that, the experience was a profound disappointment. ​As a Punjabi, I was excited to taste food from my home region, but it seems the owners have spent so much time in the USA that they've forgotten what our cuisine is supposed to taste like. I can state with 100% certainty that the food served here is not authentic. It was painfully bland, lacking the complex and robust spice profile that is the hallmark of Punjabi cooking. The dishes tasted of little more than turmeric and salt, a far cry from the rich flavors I know and love. ​What soured the experience further was the owner's attitude, which I felt was quite rude. While I could hear him speaking Punjabi with his colleagues, he consistently replied to me in English, even when I addressed him in Punjabi. There's nothing wrong with speaking English, but using our shared language offers a personal touch and a sense of community. It felt like a deliberate and impersonal snub. This establishment deserves its one-time visitors; it’s a classic case of "once a customer, never a customer again. Look at the presentation and delivery, to top of it samosa was something that I can't even eat. an Indian low grade dhaba will do a better job. Not worth spending your time and money on this.

Vijay Rathod

Not good at all No way it's Indian Punjabi food .Biryani was GujratI KHICHADI. SHOULD BE OUT OF BUSINESS SOON. No vegetables at all in Biryani. Paneer Tikka Masala was just tomato gravy and home made very hard paneer. Please serve food with passion bro. Please check below pictures before even thinking to order paneer tikka masala and Paneer Biryani. lady was so rude and pathetic about her excuse. Told us thats how we been cooking birayni. Seriously Mam ?. that's not biryani in any shape or taste. DESERVE ZERO STAR

Traveling USMC Veteran

This place doesn’t even deserve a star, The older man who rings up the food is rude and disrespectful.I was working for DoorDash one evening, I was complimenting the aroma of the food, the older gentleman said he was going to call the person who I’m delivering the food to, he said he’s gonna check and ask if she got her food delivered, (implying that I’m not gonna deliver the food to the customer) . His bias statement was uncalled for and very disrespectful. The man there is not friendly to DoorDash drivers and very rude ..