Surabhi Indian Cuisine (Reported Closed)

Recommends

hotfood1

Joined 5 years ago

great lunch buffet. excellent lunch buffet . really authentic and tasty when compared to other restaurants in MN.. I would go again.

Doesn't Recommend

hallons

Joined 5 years ago

Wosrt Indian Place to Eat In MN. I had been to this place 4-5 times(had to follow my friends!),everytime expecting something better but i was all the more disappointed.No one to serve,just sit there for 30 minutes withi on one minding you even.Food is the worst among all Indian resataurants i tried here(Sambhol,Tandoor,India cafe).

Doesn't Recommend

priorlakelisa

Joined 6 years ago

The only Indian restaurant I haven't liked. Indian is my favorite food, hands down. I'd heard good things about Surabhi and looked forward to trying it last night with a friend who also loves Indian cuisine. We were both disappointed. We ordered Chicken Vindaloo and Chicken Jalfrezi and were surprised that both were served with dark chicken meat, not white. Instead of individual pieces of chicken, it was like one big piece of dark meat that hadn't been completely cut apart, and the skin had been left on. I give Surabhi credit for grinding its own spices, but they weren't ground well enough -- several times when I took a bite of either sauce, I got a glob of spices that crunched between my teeth (ugh!). If the food had been good, I wouldn't have minded the poor service, and it really was poor. When we arrived, we were pointed toward a booth, but then it took 10 minutes for someone to come over with menus and water. They were also slow to take our order (we had to flag down a server). We asked THREE times for our bill but no one ever brought it to our table, so we went up to the register and asked to pay. This was no easy task, since the woman at the register was deep in conversation on the phone. (I'd watched her talk on the phone for over an hour as she walked around the restaurant, cleaned tables, etc.; must have been quite an interesting conversation!) Maybe Surabhi was having an off night. Or maybe you'll like the place -- certainly the many Indian families at other tables seemed to enjoy their meals. But in all my visits to Indian restaurants (probably a dozen here in the Twin Cities, plus others in Washington DC, San Francisco, Seattle, and New York), this is the one and only Indian place I haven't liked.

Recommends

Shekar

Joined 5 years ago

Good Indian Restarent!!!. Surabhi Indian restaurant located in Bloomington (Lindale), MN is very good and they will keep lots of varieties in the buffet. We love the food there. The only thing I do not like at Surabhi is neat & some times they keep the previous day?s left over food. I have observed them keeping few last days dishes. When they clean the table they just throw the stuff on the ground and it's kind of uncomfortable to many people.

It will be one of the best restaurants if they stop doing these two things...!

By using the left over food they could save few dollars but they will loose all the credit.

If you wanted see this ?.try to go there continuously for two consecutive days?then you will know.

Recommends

cshore

Joined 5 years ago

Tantalizing tases for those who trust the chef.... I picked up a friend form the airport, tired and hungry. Surabhi was the closest, and as always, the best option near here. I hadn't been to the new location on 98th street which is much more inviting and currently my choice within any distance for authentic Indian cuisine. We were surprised by a special treat when we both decided to order the chef's specials. It was a mouth-watering addition to our order that I hoarded when it came time to box the rest. Get the entree with the entire dinner; it's only a couple of dollars more, but is more than worth every penny. We both had an entree, two soups, yoghurt salad, naan, and a couple of other small dishes plus dessert. There will be enough to take home for two more suppers.

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salty79

Joined 6 years ago

reliable and tasty lunch buffet, and now a charming setting. This restaurant deserves an update: they're currently open at 517 98th (just east of 35W), and the walls are now lovely. Compared to the previous location, I was impressed with the improved decor. I always just get the lunch buffet, and it's above average. The previous reviewer sounds unreasonable. The buffet includes South Indian foods such as idly and sambar, and a great selection of chutneys including coconut and ginger, my favorites. I have always seen them serve goat/mutton, which seems more authentic. Their tandoori chicken is very good, and the entrees overall seem slightly more flavorful to me than most Indian buffets. Perhaps my judgment is tainted by the ginger chutney, but Surabhi one of my favorite local Indian restaurants. I just ate there today, on Christmas, and they were amazingly busy. No one seems to miss the old white walls!

Doesn't Recommend

dreamy23girl

Joined 6 years ago

Bigtime disappointment. After reading the previous reviews of this place I was really excited to go there. But unfortunately Surabhi disappoints big time.

When we went on a weekend night, there were hardly any costumers. There was no smile or greeting. The decor was tacky . We were just shown to a table. The seats were hard as rock. We ordered samosas, gobi machurian, naan and vegetable biriyani. It was one disappointment after another.

The samosas was oily, reheated. It did not taste anything like the Indian version. The gobi machurian was too salty . when we complained, they refused to give us anymore gobi machurian and gave us chefs surabhi special which was under cooked and had no taste in it. The tables did not have salt. Pepper or any chutney which is usally found in Indian restaurants. The naan was ok. The biriyani tasted more like a pulao than a birayani. Nothing authentic there.

Being a Indian my self, I can say this was one of the worst Indian restaurants I have eaten in. Also the service was shoddy. The waiter was speaking on the phone when he was serving us. And he was wearing a backpack all the time.

I would never go there again nor recommend this to anyone. It was a complete waste of money and time.

Recommends

katze

Joined 6 years ago

One of the best around. Surabhi has moved from the address listed and is now on 98th St, 2 stores down from Festival Foods. As of this writing, they have not opened yet.

Otherwise, they have a huge menu and I feel it's the most authentic Indian spice-wise in this area. True, they aren't fall over, big fakey smile in the customer service department, but the customer service is decent.

Recommends

sundaze11

Joined 10 years ago

Spicy!. I decided to give Surabhi's a try after it was voted the best Indian restaurant by Minneapolis/Saint Paul Magazine. I must say- they were dead on. Myself, and the 3 friends I dined with, all loved our dinners. I was impressed that when I ordered a spicy dish, it actually arrived spicy. I ordered the house special (unfortunately, I can't remember the name), but it was a delicious dish with tons of steamed veggies, potatoes, and a fabulous SPICY curry sauce. I also loved the mango lassi! We all ordered Thali style and got tons of great, tasty side dishes and warm pita-style bread.

On a not-so-positive note: the interior definately leaves something to be desired. The acoustic tile ceilings, and the undecorated, banquet-hall-style dining room are lackluster. But, who cares when the food is this good! Maybe this is helping keep the prices reasonable!

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critics_mn

Joined 7 years ago

Best Indian Resturant in MN. This is the best Indian resturant in MN, hands down. If you would like to eat authentic Indian food, try this place. The food is really tasty and spicy like it supposed to be. I hope this place will continue to keep up its food's quality and not twoards pleasing local customers by making bland food like some Indian resturants do. Keep up the good work.