Hot N Chili Indian Restaurant

Nice atmosphere, good and friendly service. Even though I gave it a 5 stars due to this, the food was not quite as good. The biriyani was a bit too oily. We chose medium for the spice level but everything was a bit bland. Maybe everything would be better if someone were to pick "spicy". That said, overall, the restaurant was enjoyable. The best of the foods were the naan and the tandoori.

Came here with the family for lunch and we all enjoyed the food. It was all you can eat. I must have had 5/6 plates. It was so delicious! I like spicy food and they had this sauce that was good with anything. I’m definitely going to be coming back soon!

Food is delicious and comes in generous quantities. Had the chicken Karahi, could feed 3-4 people on its own, tastes amazing and even better with the Naan, highly recommend. Also had samosas for appetizer, pretty good too.

Best Indian food in town, in the area, even! My husband and I went for a walk near the beach and after we decided on Indian food. We chose Hot n Chili based on amazing reviews. We were not disappointed one bit, the food is so delicious! I had the tastiest butter chicken ever! I can't wait to come back here again!

Amazing place we came across. Outside seating is pretty cute and lively. Service was quick and food was good too. Surprised with potion of food per dish. Strongly recommend to split the naan with someone, its big dish. Free Papad and riata in appetizers and sweet funnel seeds with the check was a nice thanks touch. Will definitely come back again.

Great Indian food. It is so nice to be here checking out new places. We saw this place has many good reviews and decided to give it a try. They did a good job with COVID compliant policy. Most people seat outside. The staff was polite and attentive. They recommended us to order the vegetarian chef special dish. It came with a huge wok. Food was delicious and medium spicy made it taste even better. They can make garlic naan without butter which is plus for vegan folks. I absolutely love this place and will come back again.

Tried this place recently and absolutely adore it! The food you get for the price is mind blowing. I got the chicken biryani ($19 I believe) and it was enough food to feed me and all of my children with some left over. There had to be the equivalent of half a chicken or more in this dish. The naan was really good as well.

Ryan Cullen

Wow! Probably the last place I’d expect to find good Indian food before getting to San Diego. Overall, this food was amazing and definitely satisfied our craving. For three people, we shared lamb curry, chicken vindaloo, butter chicken, and garlic naan. Although it didn’t look like much, it was a lot of food, and we definitely had to lock in to finish everything in the end. Would come back!

shelley herbelin

Chicken shish kabob and lamb Curry were phenomenal and the lamb cheese bread was delicious and best thing to have is the mango smoothie the people there that run it are very very nice nice service beautiful atmosphere well worth the go

Juan Camilo Vanegas

No wonder it’s the most highly rated restaurant in town.. the food was absolutely spectacular. So much flavor and generous portions. Stella, our server and also the manager, was so lovely. She provided excellent service with great recommendations and made us feel so comfortable.

Daniel Gomez Corona

Some of the best food I have ever had, amazing service, the lady who served us was so kind :) will definitely be coming back !

jolene holmstrand

Everything was so authentic, tender, and delicious! All the food had bright, vibrant colors, which tells me it’s fresh! What a sweet tasty Indian spot. We will be back many times.

Bryan Lambert

The good…. The food is good. No not just good, great…. No, great is too mild a word…. The food is superlative…. If you’re in the mood for good Indian food, you need to go to Hot N Chili Indian Restaurant. Tucked into the “old town” shopping center, this gem of a restaurant is sure not to disappoint. The bad… Nope…. It was all good The ugly… Again, nope. If you’re in San Clemente, be sure to stop by for some GOOD Indian food at Hot N Chili!

Katada Siraj

Food is delicious and comes in generous quantities. Had the chicken Karahi, could feed 3-4 people on its own, tastes amazing and even better with the Naan, highly recommend. Also had samosas for appetizer, pretty good too.

Kristina Lukin

This place is so good I get it once a week religiously. The flavors are unreal and the staff is super friendly. A must try!!!

sourabh chavan

Amazing place we came across. Outside seating is pretty cute and lively. Service was quick and food was good too. Surprised with potion of food per dish. Strongly recommend to split the naan with someone, its big dish. Free Papad and riata in appetizers and sweet funnel seeds with the check was a nice thanks touch. Will definitely come back again.

Benjamin Kastelic

Delicious Food 🥘 amazing atmosphere, sitting outside is amazing. I would recommend this place to anyone in the area. Stella took great care of us and had such a cheerful. Clean amazing bathroom, you can tell a lot about a place by the bathroom, and this one is the best I have ever seen.

Dr. Abdullah AlHomeadan

Hot N Chili Indian Restaurant is a great mix of Indian, Pakistani, and Kashmiri cousins. We tried the goat and lamb dishes and they were really good. You can decide the level of spiciness from zero to unlimited. The biriyani is good, especially with basmati rice. The owner/chef, Mr. Zafar is one of three chefs " as he told me" is very focused on customer needs. Muss. Sidra was our host and she is extremely curtious and exemplified a true care and service. San Clemente is gorgeous. When there, try to enjoy the San Clemente peir area and the Outlets.

EPPICRAIN

This is definitely our new go-to spot for local Indian cuisine. The food was spectacular, flavorful, and came to us so fast! The “bread” they bring out before your meal comes with 3 dank dips that will light up your palate in preparation for the amazing meal to come. The little copper bowls everything was served in were so cute too! Our waitress, Stella, was very kind and attentive & we really enjoyed chatting with her for a while. The other staff members were just as nice, welcoming, and hospitable. We came around 8:30pm and had the place pretty much to ourselves. The outdoor seating area, ambiance, and music made our date night so romantic!! If you like Indian food, this is THE SPOT👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Ben Park

Nice atmosphere, good and friendly service. Even though I gave it a 5 stars due to this, the food was not quite as good. The biriyani was a bit too oily. We chose medium for the spice level but everything was a bit bland. Maybe everything would be better if someone were to pick "spicy". That said, overall, the restaurant was enjoyable. The best of the foods were the naan and the tandoori.

Darie Jane Oliveros

Came here with the family for lunch and we all enjoyed the food. It was all you can eat. I must have had 5/6 plates. It was so delicious! I like spicy food and they had this sauce that was good with anything. I’m definitely going to be coming back soon!

Sasha Matusevich

Best Indian food in town, in the area, even! My husband and I went for a walk near the beach and after we decided on Indian food. We chose Hot n Chili based on amazing reviews. We were not disappointed one bit, the food is so delicious! I had the tastiest butter chicken ever! I can't wait to come back here again!

pett beleno

Perfect place to feast for Indian Food. Outdoor dining at night is romantic for a date. Parking is a bit small but cars come and go so you can have one very quick. Tried their Chicken Masala and they are very tasty and delicious. Had their Chicken Tikka too and they are good also especially when you dip them to the sauce of the Masala. Garlic Naan is delicious too.

My husband and I were thrilled. It's delicious, it's unbelievable. We ordered the dal soup, prawns, lamb and curry chicken. We asked for everything not spicy. The soup was not spicy at all and was very tasty. The rest of the spicy dishes were just perfect, a little spicy. Thank you to your chefs. Highly recommend this place.

Hot N Chili is easily one of the best Indian spots around. The chicken tikka masala was rich and perfectly spiced, the lamb korma was tender and full of flavor, and the dahl was comforting and delicious. Every dish we tried was outstanding and tasted fresh and authentic. The flavors were balanced, the portions were generous, and you can tell everything is made with care. Service was friendly and attentive, which made the whole experience even better.

Had an excellent meal at this Indian restaurant. The flavors were rich, authentic, and perfectly balanced—everything from the curries to the fresh naan tasted homemade and full of depth. The service was friendly and super attentive, making great recommendations without being pushy. Portions were generous, the atmosphere was warm and welcoming, and the whole experience felt comforting and satisfying. Whether you’re craving classic favorites or trying something new, this spot absolutely delivers.

Amir Mahdavi

Ordered food for pick up, and it’s very good. I got a mild spice level curry, I wish I ordered it to be more spicy but regardless it was delicious!

Conan Hill

Had an excellent meal at this Indian restaurant. The flavors were rich, authentic, and perfectly balanced—everything from the curries to the fresh naan tasted homemade and full of depth. The service was friendly and super attentive, making great recommendations without being pushy. Portions were generous, the atmosphere was warm and welcoming, and the whole experience felt comforting and satisfying. Whether you’re craving classic favorites or trying something new, this spot absolutely delivers.

Kris Brand

My husband and I were thrilled. It's delicious, it's unbelievable. We ordered the dal soup, prawns, lamb and curry chicken. We asked for everything not spicy. The soup was not spicy at all and was very tasty. The rest of the spicy dishes were just perfect, a little spicy. Thank you to your chefs. Highly recommend this place.

T Hartman

I don’t post reviews online unless I feel strongly about something. And I feel like I owe a public announcement after my experience last night. I’m not blaming the restaurant but hear me out. Please stir your dal (lentil soup) if you order an individual bowl. It seems to me like my dal was heated in the microwave even though the sweet server told me it wasn’t. Either way, please stir, stir, stir and test the temperature. My soups usually are steaming when I cook at home. However, visually my bowl was very deceiving because there was no steam coming out of it. The dal was brought out first, which is not how I’m used to eating since I’m been eating dal my whole life. Usually it’s paired with rice or some sort of flatbread. Anyhow, I was first served the bowl of dal, and I waited for the rest of my food. When it didn’t come, I worried about my dal getting cold and had a little spoon off the top layer. It was ok. Next I took a spoonful. OMG!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🥵👅☄️ 😱😳The spoonful of soup sat right in the back of my throat and was scalding hot!!!! There were diners around me. 🫢😳 And I didn’t want to gross them out by spitting out this yellow dal! In retrospect I should have! 😢 Oh my lord! Turns out the dal had hot spots. I thought I was going to die. I decided to swallow and the scalding spoonful burned the back of my throat and esophagus on its way down! I immediately went inside and asked Stella, the server for ice and told her the reason. She didn’t seem to think it was an emergency because she then went on to chatting casually with other customers while I waited for ice. Turns out later that their “ice machine was broken.” It came about ten minutes later. Luckily, I had my water bottle that had cooler water than what was served so I kept chugging down water. Please be warned and be careful when you order soups because they could have hot spots like they always warn you when you use the microwave. I’m a mom and I always test the temp for my kids before serving them if I use the microwave. Sadly this time, I didn’t realize it had been heated that way. Otherwise, the food that I was able to taste towards the front and middle of my tongue seemed very good and the flavor was on point. Unfortunately, I couldn’t enjoy it like I normally would have. I had scooped out the place the night before and was so looking forward to it. So for service, I give 5 stars for friendliness because Stella was very nice and friendly, 2 for service since the I’ve didn’t arrive in time and there was no explanation till it came why it was late ( I would have just asked the server from the next restaurant myself since it was close to a medical 🆘 emergency ‼️., and TBH, 5 stars for the flavor. So enjoy the food but just cool your ENTIRE bowl of soups down before you take a gulp. 🙏🙏🙏