The Indian Bistro Restaurant

The best Saag Paneer and Mushroom Matar I have had in Cincinnati! We ordered take out and the food was hot and very delicious. Service was fast. Food was seriously so delicious! Will be returning.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Food and service are fantastic

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Various Buffet Items, Vegetable Pakora, Garlic Nan, Chicken Tikka Masala, Chicken Tikka Saag

We love the quality and great service at this restaurant. The buffet lunch on Friday and Saturday is also excellent. The spice levels are perfect for us, but that is subjective. They are very accommodating for vegetarian and vegan diners.

Food: 5

Service: 5

Wonderful food! Wonderful family! I've eaten here for many years. I haven't eaten anything that wasn't delicious!

Fantastic!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Lamb Curry, Garlic Nan, Vindaloo

Some of the best Indian food in the area.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Tandoori Chicken, Garlic Nan, Chicken Tikka Masala, Chicken Curry, Special Chicken Tikka Masala, Chicken Biryani

The Indian Bistro is our favorite Indian restaurant! We have tried others in Cincinnati, but they did not hold a candle to Indian Bistro. The food is always delicious and the staff are always friendly and helpful. Whether you order take away or sit in, you will not be disappointed. Thank you Indian Bistro!!!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

They were great at hosting (although the old Sikh man speaks very little English, he was still very nice, but an ineffective host for those who don't speak his language), and went out of their way to please us. I was very impressed with the quality of their customer service!

The atmosphere is somewhat Indian, with paintings and (mostly modern) Indian music playing. The bathroom was clean but lacked any nuance of India.

On the 1st visit, I told them we love genuine Indian food and didn't want the Americanized version, and about our dietary restrictions, which they were very attentive to. We had aloo choley, navratan korma, garlic naan and samosa, all of which were quite good, although the samosa lagged behind the rest and Flavorfull India has better samosa. In fact, the main dishes that come with basmati long-grain rice were delicious; so delicious, in fact, that my son stopped himself once he ate half because he wanted to take the other half home to have for another meal, it was that good! The garlic naan unfortunately has dairy in it, but it is the first time I've EVER encountered spiced naan, and it was great! I left full, replete and very pleased! They even gave us a free dessert I've never had before, which was mildly sweet cookie balls that were nice.

On our 2nd visit, we told the hostess about our dietary restrictions but forgot to mention that we didn't want "fake" food. We had shrimp vindaloo (a spiced tomato sauce with boiled potatoes), mushroom matar, special aloo tikka and regular naan (I'm fairly certain it was made in a tandoor), which tasted just as it should. The vindaloo tasted quite nice but the potatoes had not been boiled long enough. When I pointed it out to the hostess and showed her that I couldn't even pinch the very large piece (another piece had flown off the table when my son tried to cut it with a spoon), she immediately offered to replace or substitute it for free, and didn't take it away, so my son ate it (minus the potatoes). THAT is smart service because they keep building up a positive image even when they make mistakes! By the time the replacement came out with more rice, he was so full that he took it home.

I lauded praise on them and told her how much I love real Indian food, so she said she was going to make a traditional recipe of tarka daal (lentils in a sauce of garlic, onion and finely diced ginger, which reminds me of a Southern Indian recipe as well as an Indonesian one) at no charge for us. I was very surprised and pleased by this. It was quite a nice dish and my son really liked it (possibly more than me), which became my lunch today as I was too full to eat it.

As I told the daughter of the old Sikh man, out of all the Indian restaurants I've been to in the US, Indonesia and Singapore, this is in the top 5!

It's a bit expensive to eat here, as most Indian restaurants are because of how much labor they put into their sauces and spices, I suppose, but it's definitely worth the money! One dish and one appetizer should be enough to sate most people, and maybe even leave them with left-overs.

The only other Indian restaurant that I can think of that may match it is Swad on the west side, but there are many more to try.

Vegetarian options: Vegetarian and vegan options are not labeled, so you'll either have to know that yogurt and paneer are dairy if you're a vegan, or you'll have to ask them for only the vegan dishes, which there are few of. There are lots of vegetarian options.

They were quite happy to substitute coconut cream for the dairy (except paneer, which is cheese), and met our needs. The chef, Hardip, even came out and talked with us directly about our needs.

Dietary restrictions: The accommodated not just our avoidance of meat, but also dairy because we are lactose intolerant. I'm sure, had I mentioned

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Garlic Nan, Vindaloo

Went to the newly reopened Friday buffet and was blown away at the flavor and quality of food. The place was busy and the food was hot. Everything was mild/medium spicy on the buffet which was awesome. Most Indian buffets make their food too bland. $20 a person was a fair price, considering I usually spend $60 for Indian food for 2. Service was quick and friendly and the food was replenished fast. Highly recommend

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food is amazing. Very delicious ?.
Definitely worth the little extra dollars.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Lamb Curry

Great Food and service. I have been enjoying Indian Bistro for many years now. It one of my all time favorites.

Parking: Plenty

Wheelchair accessibility: Definitely

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Lamb Curry, Chicken Tandoori with Bone, Garlic Nan, Chicken Tikka Masala, Chicken Curry

When I travel I like to try various types of food. The server was very helpful with figuring out what I might like. I have to say I was 100% pleased with the choice. I had the lamb combination with chickpeas. It came with rice and the most delicious naan bread I've ever had. You can also choose how spicy you want your meal. The portion was so large that I had two meals from this. I'll definitely go back to this place in the future. Loved it!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Of all the Indian restaurants I’ve eaten at in Cincinnati, this one is the best. Honestly, I wasn’t certain about the location, but it was amazing!

Wonderful food at this family run business!!

Kid-friendliness: My picky eater loved the food!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Chicken Tikka Masala, Chicken Makhani

Always delicious, staff are very friendly. Best Indian restaurant around!

Food: 5

Service: 5