Passage to India (Reported Closed)

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Kalvyn

Joined 5 years ago

best tasting curry in town. I love the food at this place. It's the best tasting curry in town and I've been to them all. The lunch buffet is very nice. I take the bus from downtown to save on parking, but the Calhoun Square parking ramp provides ample space to park.

Curry dishes vary widely from region to region and country to country. The dishes at Passage to India suits my palate very nicely. My mouth is beginning to water just thinking about it.

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persephoneblue

Joined 6 years ago

Outstanding food, wonderful service for the most part, great options.. I've probably been to this place 4 or 5 times now and I've never been let down. The first time I went I was a little bit weary, being a vegetarian, but was very pleased. Their vegetarian options are lengthy. I very much enjoyed the aloo palok (spelling?), which is a spinach sauce with potatoes and spices. Their dal is also surprisingly good. More flavorful than a lot of places I've been to. I also enjoyed the garlic nan. All in all it's a great little place with many different options, vegetarian or not. The only thing that I had a hard time with was the service. The waiters were very nice and courteous, but didn't speak much english and, well, many of the dishes don't have descriptions. I didn't know what most things were. When I tried to ask, the waiter had a hard time explaining so I just went with something I knew. Everything I asked about he kept saying "very good, very good." Well, he was right. Everything I have tried has been just that.

The decor of the place was beautiful. It's a small place, but they make up for it. It's also pretty quiet, at least for dinner. Every time I've been there there's only been a few other people in the whole place. Great place for a date, I guess. I've never been to the lunch buffet, but I'm sure it's good, if it's anything like the dinner.

I would suggest going with someone who really knows their Indian food so they can explain the dishes better. I'm a picky eater so I like to know exactly what I'm ordering. That's really the only issue I think I had with the place.

Great authentic Indian cuisine.

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brown_underground

Joined 6 years ago

Good food for a good price - if you know what to order.. I'm always looking for authentic Indian food in the Twin Cities...and I found it in part here, at Passage to India. Avoid the Chicken Tikka Masala, which seems to have added sugar. The absolute best combination for the money here is the Saag Paneer and fresh naan. It's inexpensive and the saag has no cream in it - a real plus if you know homemade Indian food! The shami kabab appetizer was tasty, but it wasn't enough to whet the appetite of a 3 year old. All in all, there are a few standout dishes, but I would go with someone who knows what to order.

Doesn't Recommend

epi001

Joined 6 years ago

Unauthentic Indian food. Food was horrible. We tried vegetarian samosas, those were really oily and filled with some weird mixture of vegetables and beans. Even in the malai kofta, koftas had the same filling.

Naans were too thick. Food was not tasting fresh. Overall, I will not recommend it.

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riely111

Joined 8 years ago

I entered Passage to India as a skeptic and left a faithful follower.. I honestly don't know what is wrong with all of those people who have posted the negative comments about this place. I was totally blown away by the food, the prices, and the service.

I went with my boyfriend last night. We were greeted by lovely lady with a smiling face and sat at a small table in the corner.

Our appetizer consisted of lentil soup laced with cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. It was smooth, spicey, and slightly gritty (in a good way) because of the lentils. With the soup came crispy, fried vegetable fritters with a creamy cilantro sauce.

For dinner we had a balsmati rice dish with many different fruits, vegetables, and beans in it. The server recommended that we pour a cucumber yogurt sauce over it, so we did that (this took that dish to a whole different level. It was amazing). To accompany our rice, we ordered a slow cooked vegetable curry that came with more balsmati rice and a side of sauteed cabbage. The curry was thick, fragrant, extremely flavorful, filled with tons of different vegetables; the cabbage was passable.

We also ordered some garlic nan, which came to our table hot and fresh with the garlic baked inside. On the side was some cool mango chutney, more cucumber yogurt sauce, and a brown cinnamon and clove sauce. Because there were so many different sauces to try, each bite was totally different from the former. That made it so much fun to eat! I loved it. Dessert consisted of a cool, creamy rice pudding with a deliciously sweet and chewy black mystery fruit in it. It may have been chopped dates, but I couldn't tell for sure.

Service as a whole was good. Everybody worked together to get our drinks refilled as needed.

For all of this we only paid $33! The amount of food that we got for the price that we paid was absolutely amazing (plus, we had enough leftovers for another two meals!). I still can't believe it.

Ignore the hype and try this place for yourself. I simply don't see how you could leave dissapointed.

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rusfdlvr

Joined 7 years ago

Good food, bad service. The food was good.

Wonderful nan bread, vegetable turnovers, and shish kebabs.

Service was very poor.

It took the server 30 minutes to approach us after we got our menu to ask if we are ready to order.

Server was not enthusiastic to answer questions or make suggestions.

Quite unhospitable, overall!

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Richly spiced curries and top-notch fresh breads make this Lake Street favorite a standout.. In Short
You'd never know this Calhoun Square neighbor was once a Subway franchise. Ornate, tassled fabrics hang on walls and in windows, and linen-topped tables are set with gilded dishes and flatware. A lengthy menu is dominated by richly spiced (but not necessarily spicy) meat and vegetable stews. Favorites include aloo mottor gobi (potatoes, peas and cauliflower in a flavorful red sauce) and sag ponir (chunks of homemade cheese swimming in creamy spinach sauce).

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sundaze11

Joined 10 years ago

A Great Experience. *UPDATE*- After several years of going here I still love the food here! I have always had a good experience. One caveat- I always ask for extremly spicy food, but it is never very spicy. Flavorful, just not spicy.

This is a really great restaurant!! We had tons of attention, great service. You will notice the beautiful, ornate dishes, silverware and copper drinking glasses. The interior is decent. Unfortuantely, too many tables in a tiny space. Do not expect privacy or secluded dining. The best seat in the house: the outdoor patio seating right on Lake Street (weather permitting). The food is excellent! The extentsive menu choices are well seasoned and delicious. (Although: the shrimp was obviously not fresh, & a little tough.) Love their yogurt drinks! Overall an excellent value!

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s_murali

Joined 7 years ago

tasty food. tasty food, go there often, like the poori and chole, it is best i've ever had...place is small and crowded, so ambience is not really its strong point. some dishes weren't good (dum aloo, uncooked potatoes), but others (veg jalfrezi) are very good.

they have a good lunch buffet, flavorful but does not wreak havoc on your stomach.

Doesn't Recommend

vjagarwal

Joined 8 years ago

Horrible food/terrible service. The food served is not authentic Indian although the name suggests it. We were there on 12/25/05 for a family meal and were utterly disappointed with their preparations and service. Rice was half cooked, Naan was half baked; vegetables had no taste except starch.The excuse offered by the manager: we are busy and nothing could be done.

The food could n't be any worse and service was beyond belief.