Overall, we had good experience and food was tasty (makhan paneer, Amritsari choley, naan, Kulcha etc) with good service!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Amritsari Kulcha, Naan
Julie T.
Ambiance nice. Service bad. No alcohol except from nextdoor. Food tasty but won't return. Wasn't that good.
Lyn L.
I've eaten in my share of Indian restaurants and feel Essence is the best Indian food I've ever experienced. Aloo Gobi is a revelation. Absolutely fantastic food!
Ellie Zarnegar
The food is delicious, and the staff is courteous, going above and beyond to ensure a pleasant dining experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kent
We showed up to find that they did not yet have their liquor license - not mentioned on their website. Indian food with no beer? Not good. Dal makhani was very good. Chicken dishes at our table had poor quality chicken with good sauces, and not much chicken to boot. They need to step it up.
Sudip J.
Excellent experience both times being at The Essence. Great service, good ambiance, and the food is amazing. One of the Top Indian Restaurants I have been within the East Bay. Will definitely go again, and soon!
Jakelast
Enjoyed the food very much. Went on Valentines day and the place was quite busy which may have explained why service was quite slow. When the food came, it was quite good. My wife and i really like Indian food and this restaurant uses quality ingredients. The lack of a bar is an issue for us but we solved that by bringing our own bottle of wine. Place is pretty noisy also which dampens then comfort level a bit. Will undoubtedly try again and see if they can straighten out the slow servide.
Waheto W.
Ambiance 5 Service 3 Food 4 Overall is 3.5 Walked in to have a dinner with a friend no reservations. Location is convenient and parking is easy. We walked in and wasn't too sure if we should wait to be seated, so after a few minutes we got closer to the area that I would assume people pick up to go and one of the servers acknowledged us and sat us down quickly. Took a while before we were approached to put in orders ( restaurant didn't seem super busy so not too sure why it took that long. Maybe to go orders or a big party upstairs ?). At that time we were ready to order all of our food which we did. Ordered the Samosa Chaat for apps, garlic naan, chicken tikka masala, desi goat curry and rasmali for dessert. This is why the restaurant got an overall 3.5, our apps came about 40 mins after placing order along with our naan, but our food came about 1 hour after planing order. No updates provided or check ins and we had to ask to get an update. They were nice to give us fresh naan as the other one was now cold. They did however forget our drink and charged us for it ( had to request for this to be taken out). The appetizer was great and so was the chicken tikka. The goat curry felt subpar in my opinion and missed the mark. It was good food but not one that would make me rush to go back again. We saw three different servers/ employees. Out of the three, two of them were great and thus the services review too. In terms of pricing I do think it is affordable and portions are great. Nice ambiance, think they have room to improve and be better.
HelenW
A lovely and very tasty indian restaurant downtown! Husband and I went on a Saturday night and it was nice to see it was busy. Food was fantastic - we had samosa, garlic naan, fish fry and butter chicken. Everyhing was fresh and so delicious. Service was a little slow, and our waitress was not very engaged with us. We would have appreciated some note on website that they don't have a liquor license but we did see one group get a bottle from next door. We had some chai and it was perfect. We will definitely go back, and with a larger group so we can try more dishes!
Krithika P.
Once you walk in, the restaurant has beautiful interiors and a great playlist going on. The food was authentic and tasted homemade. Our favorites were the amritsari chole, goat curry and especially especially the jalapeno and cheese kulcha! The kulcha was something different and was the perfect amount of cheesy! It's your typical Indian food (apps were just ok: paneer tikka and fish fry), but done well. Service was great though and waiters were friendly.
This establishment is widely regarded as one of the most exceptional Indian restaurants in Walnut Creek. With a pleasant ambiance and gracious service, patrons are treated to an exemplary dining experience that is truly unique. The food served here is of the highest quality and will delight even the most discerning palate.
food just okay, not as good as yellow chili which is the sister restaurant. Have been meaning to write this review for awhile. what really annoyed me was we went on opening night and kid you not, the chef actually went around to all the WHITE peoples table and didn't bother saying hi to the INDIAN people who came to dine that night. Me and husband were shocked. seriously WTF.
Robert Spankowski
Another overpriced place with underwhelming food. Just under $30 for a to-go order of extremely overcooked curry that was only 3/4 full, and nearly burnt Naan. The curry didn't come with rice either. Restaunt was nearly empty, so not much room for excuses. My to-go order did not include utensils, or napkins. When I inquired about the rice and utensils, the cashier had quite a smug look about him. I will not be back, even if I am a 3 minute walk away
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Reetu S.
Excellent food!! Loved everything we ordered - I can't wait to return! The environment is very nice too. My whole family enjoyed the meal.
Overall, we had good experience and food was tasty (makhan paneer, Amritsari choley, naan, Kulcha etc) with good service!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Amritsari Kulcha, Naan
Ambiance nice. Service bad. No alcohol except from nextdoor. Food tasty but won't return. Wasn't that good.
I've eaten in my share of Indian restaurants and feel Essence is the best Indian food I've ever experienced. Aloo Gobi is a revelation. Absolutely fantastic food!
The food is delicious, and the staff is courteous, going above and beyond to ensure a pleasant dining experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We showed up to find that they did not yet have their liquor license - not mentioned on their website. Indian food with no beer? Not good. Dal makhani was very good. Chicken dishes at our table had poor quality chicken with good sauces, and not much chicken to boot. They need to step it up.
Excellent experience both times being at The Essence. Great service, good ambiance, and the food is amazing. One of the Top Indian Restaurants I have been within the East Bay. Will definitely go again, and soon!
Enjoyed the food very much. Went on Valentines day and the place was quite busy which may have explained why service was quite slow. When the food came, it was quite good. My wife and i really like Indian food and this restaurant uses quality ingredients. The lack of a bar is an issue for us but we solved that by bringing our own bottle of wine. Place is pretty noisy also which dampens then comfort level a bit. Will undoubtedly try again and see if they can straighten out the slow servide.
Ambiance 5 Service 3 Food 4 Overall is 3.5 Walked in to have a dinner with a friend no reservations. Location is convenient and parking is easy. We walked in and wasn't too sure if we should wait to be seated, so after a few minutes we got closer to the area that I would assume people pick up to go and one of the servers acknowledged us and sat us down quickly. Took a while before we were approached to put in orders ( restaurant didn't seem super busy so not too sure why it took that long. Maybe to go orders or a big party upstairs ?). At that time we were ready to order all of our food which we did. Ordered the Samosa Chaat for apps, garlic naan, chicken tikka masala, desi goat curry and rasmali for dessert. This is why the restaurant got an overall 3.5, our apps came about 40 mins after placing order along with our naan, but our food came about 1 hour after planing order. No updates provided or check ins and we had to ask to get an update. They were nice to give us fresh naan as the other one was now cold. They did however forget our drink and charged us for it ( had to request for this to be taken out). The appetizer was great and so was the chicken tikka. The goat curry felt subpar in my opinion and missed the mark. It was good food but not one that would make me rush to go back again. We saw three different servers/ employees. Out of the three, two of them were great and thus the services review too. In terms of pricing I do think it is affordable and portions are great. Nice ambiance, think they have room to improve and be better.
A lovely and very tasty indian restaurant downtown! Husband and I went on a Saturday night and it was nice to see it was busy. Food was fantastic - we had samosa, garlic naan, fish fry and butter chicken. Everyhing was fresh and so delicious. Service was a little slow, and our waitress was not very engaged with us. We would have appreciated some note on website that they don't have a liquor license but we did see one group get a bottle from next door. We had some chai and it was perfect. We will definitely go back, and with a larger group so we can try more dishes!
Once you walk in, the restaurant has beautiful interiors and a great playlist going on. The food was authentic and tasted homemade. Our favorites were the amritsari chole, goat curry and especially especially the jalapeno and cheese kulcha! The kulcha was something different and was the perfect amount of cheesy! It's your typical Indian food (apps were just ok: paneer tikka and fish fry), but done well. Service was great though and waiters were friendly.
Restaurantji Recommends
Well I placed an order but when I got there they lost it. So unfortunately didn't get to taste much. Maybe next time.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Chicken Tikka, Naan, Jeera Rice
This establishment is widely regarded as one of the most exceptional Indian restaurants in Walnut Creek. With a pleasant ambiance and gracious service, patrons are treated to an exemplary dining experience that is truly unique. The food served here is of the highest quality and will delight even the most discerning palate.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Naan, Malai Kofta, Gobi Manchurian
food just okay, not as good as yellow chili which is the sister restaurant. Have been meaning to write this review for awhile. what really annoyed me was we went on opening night and kid you not, the chef actually went around to all the WHITE peoples table and didn't bother saying hi to the INDIAN people who came to dine that night. Me and husband were shocked. seriously WTF.
Another overpriced place with underwhelming food. Just under $30 for a to-go order of extremely overcooked curry that was only 3/4 full, and nearly burnt Naan. The curry didn't come with rice either. Restaunt was nearly empty, so not much room for excuses. My to-go order did not include utensils, or napkins. When I inquired about the rice and utensils, the cashier had quite a smug look about him. I will not be back, even if I am a 3 minute walk away
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Excellent food!! Loved everything we ordered - I can't wait to return! The environment is very nice too. My whole family enjoyed the meal.