Chutney Joe's in the Loop

Was wondering if anyone had checked it out yet...

edit: Oops, it's not open yet, though walking by, it looks like they're ready any day now...

phred-

Please be sure to post an address and phone number. Thanks!

-The GP

It looked nearly open yesterday. Here's a post on it from Time Out Chicago.

It's a few doors to the north of Epic Burger. There's also a Thai place opening a few doors to the south. I'm cautiously optimistic about both.

Chutney Joe's
511 S State St
chutneyjoes.com
(312) 341-9755

(edited to add phone number from centerstagechicago.com)

it is official. Chutney Joe's will be opening at 11am on Wednesday the 4th.

looks like this place didnt get good reviews on the first day on yelp at least:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/chutney-joes-chicago

Anyone else tried this new fast food indian restaurant yet?

polster wrote:looks like this place didnt get good reviews on the first day on yelp at least:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/chutney-joes-chicago

Anyone else tried this new fast food indian restaurant yet?

never been there, but I think it is pretty easy to consider those first yelp reviews meaningless. They're all by people who have never reviewed anything else, and happen to be posting about a place that just opened.

Kennyz wrote:

polster wrote:looks like this place didnt get good reviews on the first day on yelp at least:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/chutney-joes-chicago

Anyone else tried this new fast food indian restaurant yet?

never been there, but I think it is pretty easy to consider those first yelp reviews meaningless. They're all by people who have never reviewed anything else, and happen to be posting about a place that just opened.

That, and, there's only one single review since they've opened.

I got to go to a pre-opening party

I thought the food was really good. To me that is saying alot, i went in with the idea in my head that i was going to hate it and was going to need to stop elsewhere to actually get a dinner, but i couldn't eat enough. I have heard that there service is lackluster, but this is a family start up and i am all for the little guy.

I think this will fly, but too many people are used to their complete corporate package, and unfortunately that is exactly who this restaurant is trying to compete against.

I hope it flies, though, i would totally run down the street to grab myself some, but beat footing to the loop is not going to happen. I would totally recommend this place as a lunch spot for all you loopers though.

I finally made it to Chutney Joe's and while I'm always happy to have more options in the area, this place isn't going to be at the top of my list. For $7.99 you can choose two dishes served with your choice of rice or naan. Like a lot of fast Chinese places, you're getting food that's been sitting in a warmer for who knows how long. But the service is very fast and while the place was nearly full, we had no trouble getting a table.

There are eight total choices (four veg and four meat), which you can see on the online menu. It's interesting to see a beef dish and a pork dish at an Indian restaurant. And the chutney selection is a nice touch. I had the Lamb Rogan Josh and the Palak Paneer. The Palak Paneer (I just noticed the menu calls it Spinach Paneer) was a little bland. With the cilantro chutney mixed in, it improved a little. The Lamb Rogan Josh was pretty good for a fast food place. It had a nice flavor and a little bit of heat. One of my companions had a samosa, which he said was good. I didn't try any sides.

So overall it was good but not great. I'm sure I'll be back eventually to try different dishes, but I'm not in too much of a hurry.

I tried it out this week. I ordered the meal deal, getting saag paneer, aloo gobi and some naan. The naan was a little thin--it seemed like a mix between pita bread and naan and did not have much char. The saag paneer was a little heavy on the cream and light on flavor. The cauliflower and potatoes had a little spice, better when I mixed in some spicy pickle. They offer several chutneys, ratia and pickle, which is a nice touch. Overall, I prefer the food at the Indian buffet over the 7-11 at Washington and Wells.

I found it good; not great, not terrible (giving it a discount because it's in the loop and I really love even bad Indian food), but it seemed a little expensive for the quality of the food. I wish I'd ordered just one entree, which seems more economical and a better portion size for lunch. It's a bit of a walk for me, so I doubt I'll be back. If it were closer, I might add it to the rotation, just because of the paucity of options in the loop.

I went for lunch today and I enjoyed it. I had the rogan josh (lamb) and the saag paneer (spinach) which were both good. Sure it's no where near the best Indian food I've had, but for a quick bite for lunch in the loop it's a welcome addition. The owner is very friendly and clearly interested in seeing his business succeed. He walked around to every table taking input and thanking people for stopping by.

I prefer my Indian food spicier, but I understand that a lot of people are scared off of Indian food because it's too spicy. They even have something on the tables offering suggestions for how to make the food less spicy. They have a decent selection of chutneys which ranged from terrible (the mango) to pretty good (the green cilantro onion). The naan is freshly baked and spongy. No char, as mentioned above, since they don't have a tandoor oven.

This place will definitely enter my regular rotation. I wouldn't go out of my way for it, but since it's relatively near by and the portion sizes are good, it serves my needs.

I had high expectations for Curry House and it fell short. Lowered my expectations for Chutney Joe's -- ditto. Any number of places do Indian better (although not a 5-minute walk from my office) and their menu is extremely limited.

For that area Cafecito and Epic have yet to let me down.

Stopped in around 3:00 earlier this week. Although the counter service was awfully slow, especially considering we were the only ones currently in line, they were very helpful in making suggestions and very friendly. The counter girl gave me suggestions and also brought out a tray of chutneys after I had all ready sat down and she realized that she forgot to offer me some at the register.
I tried one of their special combos: choice of curry with naan and side dish. The potato-pea filled samosas were great, far exceeding my expectations. Typically, fried foods don't survive well sitting around on chafing dishes. Really good with the cilantro chutney! I didn't care for the naan. Even though the server told me it was piping hot, it really wasn't. Very soft and bland. I did like my spinach paneer curry though. Mildly-spiced and in perfect portion size, it was the saving grace for the naan. Good for spreading on the flavorless bread.

-M@

In terms of the overall experience, the ordering and so forth, and in terms of the quality and authenticity of the foods, Chutney Joe's appears to me to be the precise Indian version of Chipotle.

The chutney is sort of interesting to the same degree as the salsa choices at Chipotle.

I'd have more interest in this place at a $6 price point in the -no-better-option- category. I guess they have a $6 rice bowl which might be ok doctored with the chutney.

All the new corporate places opening up, such as The Counter and Chutney Joe's, seem like very subtle overpriced scams. As opposed to the less subtle and less overpriced corporate whores such as Chili's or even Mcdonald's. You'd think in this economy places would be hawking value.

Sitting here and typing as I eat my lunch, I find myself pretty much in accord with all the preceding posts: a nice change of pace, new option that I didn't really have before. That said, no one will mistake this for "real" Indian food. I opted for the chana masala--oops, that's "garbanzo masala" on the menu. Why they'd change that but not saag paneer to spinach paneer is anyone's guess.

In any event, the masala is better than I'd have expected: a bit spicier and with more depth of flavor. Not "good" but manageable. The chutneys, such as they are, are...uh...different. The mango is spicy but has no resemblance to any mango chutney I've ever had. It's really a spicy mango soup--about a tablespoon's worth. Too sweet and there's something odd in it. And it's like soup or a drink. I would not go with this again. The tamarind is similar in its way, which is to say that there's something odd in there and more in the nature of soup or a thick drink. And again a bit sweet. But definitely better than the mango. At least in the sense that I'd have this again. Finally, the rice is pretty good: reading the posts above, I decided to skip the naan and the rice is fine. (I'd be tempted to say "what can you do to rice?" but I know the answer and, in the event, this rice is quite good.)

The big surprise: the number of Indians in the line. I guess this is more a testament to curiosity or homesickness than anything else. Orbitz has three floors in this building and it employs a lot of Indians, not Indian-Americans (this intelligence drawn from elevator conversations: Orbitz has the three floors directly beneath my office so almost any elevator ride is guaranteed to stop on at least one Orbitz floor, sometimes all three.)

I'll go back, I imagine, mostly for the change of pace. But I don't expect to go very often.

Maybe they like it because it's the best Indian restaurant in Chicago.

Habibi wrote:Maybe they like it because it's the best Indian restaurant in Chicago.

Was that based on post-rave voting by the dorm residents upstairs? Chutney Joe's was just okay when they first opened and have declined from there ever since. I get dragged in every couple of months by a co-worker who refuses to accept its decline and every single time the food looks like it's been sitting out too long. These guys have lost interest in running a business, in my estimation.

spinynorman99 wrote:

Habibi wrote:Maybe they like it because it's the best Indian restaurant in Chicago.

[…] Chutney Joe's was just okay when they first opened and have declined from there ever since.

Well, okay. They're obviously out of their depth when compared with “real” Indian restaurants. But I'm sad to see such negative takes on this place. I work a few blocks away, and it's a reasonable option when I want a spicy(-ish) lunch. Curry House is better but considerably more expensive, and both of the Thai restaurants on Harrison—Thai Spoon and Amarit—are pushing mediocre from below. So, no, it's not great Indian food, but along with Flaco's Tacos, it fills a niche.

The Chipotle comparison is doubly apt, because they serve a hilariously stoner-esque “Bombay-rrito”: a tortilla rolled up with basmati rice, pico de gallo, and a small scoop of “entree.” I've had good results with the pork vindaloo and lamb rogan josh. They will also add Sargento-style shredded cheese, if you're dumb enough to ask for it. For all that it looks like something you'd throw together on fridge-clean-out day, the thing actually tastes pretty good, but note that not all the servers are equally adept at rolling a burrito, so the shape may range from the familiar “cigar” to the more innovative “blob.”

It used to be available only after 2 p.m. but has now joined the regular lunch menu, along with biryani, samosa chaat, and a “naan sandwich.” (Apparently “naanwich” would have been even more embarrassing than “Bombay-rrito.”)

So this is it. After years of lurking, I post in defense of a ridiculous $5 fast-food Indian burrito.

Peto wrote:So this is it. After years of lurking, I post in defense of a ridiculous $5 fast-food Indian burrito.

That $5 is still better spent across the street at Cafecito.

Peto wrote:

spinynorman99 wrote:

Habibi wrote:Maybe they like it because it's the best Indian restaurant in Chicago.

[…] Chutney Joe's was just okay when they first opened and have declined from there ever since.

Well, okay. They're obviously out of their depth when compared with “real” Indian restaurants. But I'm sad to see such negative takes on this place. I work a few blocks away, and it's a reasonable option when I want a spicy(-ish) lunch. Curry House is better but considerably more expensive, and both of the Thai restaurants on Harrison—Thai Spoon and Amarit—are pushing mediocre from below. So, no, it's not great Indian food, but along with Flaco's Tacos, it fills a niche.

The Chipotle comparison is doubly apt, because they serve a hilariously stoner-esque “Bombay-rrito”: a tortilla rolled up with basmati rice, pico de gallo, and a small scoop of “entree.” I've had good results with the pork vindaloo and lamb rogan josh. They will also add Sargento-style shredded cheese, if you're dumb enough to ask for it. For all that it looks like something you'd throw together on fridge-clean-out day, the thing actually tastes pretty good, but note that not all the servers are equally adept at rolling a burrito, so the shape may range from the familiar “cigar” to the more innovative “blob.”

It used to be available only after 2 p.m. but has now joined the regular lunch menu, along with biryani, samosa chaat, and a “naan sandwich.” (Apparently “naanwich” would have been even more embarrassing than “Bombay-rrito.”)

So this is it. After years of lurking, I post in defense of a ridiculous $5 fast-food Indian burrito.

The motivation behind a first post...sounds like an interesting thread topic (probably already on here somewhere but I haven't seen it!) Welcome to the board Peto--look forward to hearing more from you

spinynorman99 wrote:

Peto wrote:So this is it. After years of lurking, I post in defense of a ridiculous $5 fast-food Indian burrito.

That $5 is still better spent across the street at Cafecito.

Fair enough. While I find some of their sandwiches unpleasantly sweet (especially the Guava-Q), others are truly wonderful (Ropa vieja), and no one could fault their staff for lack of "interest in running a business."

boudreaulicious wrote:The motivation behind a first post...sounds like an interesting thread topic (probably already on here somewhere but I haven't seen it!)

Funny you should mention it: I registered last night after a terrific meal at Amelia's, but when a search turned up this thread about new posters being suspected of shilling, it seemed wiser to start by posting about something for which my affection is tempered—hence the Chutney Joe's burrito. Thanks for the welcome.

Peto-

Welcome to LTH! I encourage you to forge ahead and post about your Amelia's meal. (Is this the thread? You've kicked open the door with your first post and that's where we all started.

Happy eating!