The restaurant was disheveled and smaller of cleaning floor product. In the dining area a leaf blower was visible and leaning against the bar in open sight. Boxes and cloth napkins and supplies were hazardous stacked in plain sight making for an unsightly environment that reflected management's lack of interest in its customer experience and ambiance. It felt dirty. The servers were matter of fact and unfriendly. The food was lackluster and we sent one plate back. We won't go here again.
Ashish
Menu has changed radically to the detriment of diners. It shows given the lack of a crowd on a Saturday night. Food still tastes good but Massively overpriced - especially prices for north indian fare. Higher priced and smaller portion sizes than high end restaurants in New York.
Ashley
Food was excellent. There was a huge variety in vegetarian and gluten free food and the flavors were so yummy. Will go again for sure!
Gary
Reservation time was not kept. They said they were running behind. Then we waited over an hour to get food after we ordered.
Brandon
My girlfriend and I had reservations at Cholanad on Valentine's day. However the reservation did not matter at all. It was quickly apparent they were very backed up with customers. We arrived on time for the reservation but didn't end up getting the table for at least 30 minutes. There appeared to be one hostess who was mostly not at the hostess stand, and only one server for the entire restaurant. The poor server seemed like she had never even been in a restaurant, let alone worked in one. We sat at our table for 15 or so minutes without any acknowledgement, water, or anything. We had to stop someone to ask for WATER to be brought to the table. I tried to order a cocktail but was asked to order a beer or wine, because no one was working the bar. I suspect they probably only had one poor soul in the kitchen working as well. The server did not come back by to see if we needed more drinks or anything additional. We spent about 2 hours there in all. We saw people give up and leave from being ignored. This was easily the worst restaurant experience in memory. The food was delicious as we had come to expect, but the service and management was terrible. We will not be going back any time soon.
Alexis
Do not plan to return. Took 30 minutes before taking our order. Never returned so we could get another drink (at least they left us with water on the table). The baby eggplant dish had 1-1/2 baby eggplants and a dish full of sauce (was the kitchen overwhelmed and they ran out of food?). Was not enough food to call it dinner. We assume the staff was overwhelmed. Took another 30 minutes after eating to return and ask if we wanted the check. In other words sat there for 2 hours and left hungry.
David
Disappointing not as good as in the past Staff seemed new and was slow Food very slow to appear Meat quality in curry was low Not my favorite Indian place anymore
Prashant
Untrained staff, table was not ready. When we were taken to the table, table was being cleaned in front of us. Food was ok. Did not even offer desrts.
Julia
I gave ambiance such a low rating only because we were disappointed in not being able to eat in one of the outside spaces you have. We hope the restaurant has not given up service out there. We love the food, but also love eating outside, especially in the covered part when the doors are open. Otherwise, ambiance inside was fine.
Susanjill
The food and service were excellent! Dosas- a Special South Indian crepe- were available and very tasty. The Saag Paneer was excellent! My only concern was that an additional 18% charge was added because we had five people. That seems a low bar.
We ate dinner at Cholanad on Sunday evening. It was busy but not noisy. The food was excellent. I had a yogurt drink (Neer Mor) that was new to me, slightly salty, with ginger and cucumber. I really liked it. We also had the paneer pakoras which were delightful and Chettinad chicken curry and Lamb rogan josh. Both were very good. And we ordered the garlic naan which was excellent. My only reservation is that it is in Chapel HIll and we live in Raleigh. I wish it was closer. Service was timely but unobtrusive.
MinnieBee
I would have given Cholanad 5 stars for their food. It was very tasty! I'm a vegetarian so I had plant -based selections. My husband had lamb, which he enjoyed, but had an upset stomach later so gave the food 4 stars. . Can't say for sure that this was the food, though. The service was spot on. We were there late on Saturday night so the restaurant was pretty quiet and but kind of plain atmosphere.
MargaretM
We had a big group over graduation weekend, and we had the best time at Cholanad! The food is amazing: special shoutout to the samosa chaat, lamb rogan josh, and dosa. Everything was delicious!
TalishaC
Cholanad is the best kept secret in Chapel Hill. The food is outstanding, service is wonderful, the ambiance is diverse. I have been here with a large group of friends and sat outside, on a first date in a quiet corner, at the bar to watch a game, and with my family of multiple generations. This is my favorite restaurant in Chapel Hill, mostly because of the food. And dedicated parking!
Bryan “Chapel Hill Athletes” Yonish
Hit everything on my list. Good food, service, atmosphere.
The restaurant was disheveled and smaller of cleaning floor product. In the dining area a leaf blower was visible and leaning against the bar in open sight. Boxes and cloth napkins and supplies were hazardous stacked in plain sight making for an unsightly environment that reflected management's lack of interest in its customer experience and ambiance. It felt dirty. The servers were matter of fact and unfriendly. The food was lackluster and we sent one plate back. We won't go here again.
Menu has changed radically to the detriment of diners. It shows given the lack of a crowd on a Saturday night. Food still tastes good but Massively overpriced - especially prices for north indian fare. Higher priced and smaller portion sizes than high end restaurants in New York.
Food was excellent. There was a huge variety in vegetarian and gluten free food and the flavors were so yummy. Will go again for sure!
Reservation time was not kept. They said they were running behind. Then we waited over an hour to get food after we ordered.
My girlfriend and I had reservations at Cholanad on Valentine's day. However the reservation did not matter at all. It was quickly apparent they were very backed up with customers. We arrived on time for the reservation but didn't end up getting the table for at least 30 minutes. There appeared to be one hostess who was mostly not at the hostess stand, and only one server for the entire restaurant. The poor server seemed like she had never even been in a restaurant, let alone worked in one. We sat at our table for 15 or so minutes without any acknowledgement, water, or anything. We had to stop someone to ask for WATER to be brought to the table. I tried to order a cocktail but was asked to order a beer or wine, because no one was working the bar. I suspect they probably only had one poor soul in the kitchen working as well. The server did not come back by to see if we needed more drinks or anything additional. We spent about 2 hours there in all. We saw people give up and leave from being ignored. This was easily the worst restaurant experience in memory. The food was delicious as we had come to expect, but the service and management was terrible. We will not be going back any time soon.
Do not plan to return. Took 30 minutes before taking our order. Never returned so we could get another drink (at least they left us with water on the table). The baby eggplant dish had 1-1/2 baby eggplants and a dish full of sauce (was the kitchen overwhelmed and they ran out of food?). Was not enough food to call it dinner. We assume the staff was overwhelmed. Took another 30 minutes after eating to return and ask if we wanted the check. In other words sat there for 2 hours and left hungry.
Disappointing not as good as in the past Staff seemed new and was slow Food very slow to appear Meat quality in curry was low Not my favorite Indian place anymore
Untrained staff, table was not ready. When we were taken to the table, table was being cleaned in front of us. Food was ok. Did not even offer desrts.
I gave ambiance such a low rating only because we were disappointed in not being able to eat in one of the outside spaces you have. We hope the restaurant has not given up service out there. We love the food, but also love eating outside, especially in the covered part when the doors are open. Otherwise, ambiance inside was fine.
The food and service were excellent! Dosas- a Special South Indian crepe- were available and very tasty. The Saag Paneer was excellent! My only concern was that an additional 18% charge was added because we had five people. That seems a low bar.
Restaurantji Recommends
We ate dinner at Cholanad on Sunday evening. It was busy but not noisy. The food was excellent. I had a yogurt drink (Neer Mor) that was new to me, slightly salty, with ginger and cucumber. I really liked it. We also had the paneer pakoras which were delightful and Chettinad chicken curry and Lamb rogan josh. Both were very good. And we ordered the garlic naan which was excellent. My only reservation is that it is in Chapel HIll and we live in Raleigh. I wish it was closer. Service was timely but unobtrusive.
I would have given Cholanad 5 stars for their food. It was very tasty! I'm a vegetarian so I had plant -based selections. My husband had lamb, which he enjoyed, but had an upset stomach later so gave the food 4 stars. . Can't say for sure that this was the food, though. The service was spot on. We were there late on Saturday night so the restaurant was pretty quiet and but kind of plain atmosphere.
We had a big group over graduation weekend, and we had the best time at Cholanad! The food is amazing: special shoutout to the samosa chaat, lamb rogan josh, and dosa. Everything was delicious!
Cholanad is the best kept secret in Chapel Hill. The food is outstanding, service is wonderful, the ambiance is diverse. I have been here with a large group of friends and sat outside, on a first date in a quiet corner, at the bar to watch a game, and with my family of multiple generations. This is my favorite restaurant in Chapel Hill, mostly because of the food. And dedicated parking!
Hit everything on my list. Good food, service, atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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