New Indian Food outlet in the loop

I was walking down Wells Street today when I noticed a sign outside 7-11 on the corner of Wells and Washington reading gourmet Indian Food now being sold on the second level. I wasn't too excited because I had just walked past Indian Express (who I have a love/hate relationship with), but thought I would give it a try. I made my way up the stairs and found a couple of tables and buffet setup. It turns out that the food was from India Garden and it is being sold by the pound during the lunch rush, I think the sign said from 11:00 - 2:00. It is slightly pricey at a little under $9 a pound, but I was able to get nice meal of a leg of tandoori chicken, some butter chicken, paalak paneer, 2 pieces of naan and some rice for about $8.50. The food itself was not as warm as I would have like but was damn tasty. Definitely an upgrade from Indian Express and in my personal opinion worth the extra $2 or $3 bucks.

Darn! Just read this post as I am eating my lunch at my desk. Trying it tomorrow! Love this forum!

Finally a friendly place for Indian in the Loop. Tried it today. The price is $12.99 for buffet or $7.99 per pound. Open from 11 to 4. The place is small but has a more than a few tables for dine-in. All self service and there is no cooking on site as everything comes in foil pans-steam table heated. They have a free 20 ounce soda special with lunch. On offer today was saag paneer, butter chicken, muttar, tandori chicken, bismati rice with peas and saffron, veggie samosas, and naan. The naan is included in the weight. Red and mint chutneys are available but the mint chutney is very salty. No raita. The food is not spicey and the butter chicken was boneless and tasty. The saag paneer was good without that raw spinach flavor and plenty pieces of cheese. The curry flavor of the dishes I tried was mild. Very friendly owners from Delhi comped me on the samosa as I told them I was excited to have Indian food in the Loop. The samosa was large and filled with potato and peas. I don't recommend the samosa. Naan is cut into thirds of a typical sized naan. It is definately an alternative to the typical lunch spots in the Loop and no waiting. It is not Devon Ave. but it is way better than Indian Express.

So, I finally tried the 7-11 2nd Floor Indian Buffet today and I was reasonably pleased. The current cost is $10.99 for one trip to the buffet and a Coke (a tad expensive, especially considering I don't drink pop).

Available today were rice, naan, samosas, chana masala, matter paneer, chicken tika masala, and butter chicken. I arrived right at 11:30 and was the first customer, which is certainly the way to go. Although, even though I was first, the bread and samosas had clearly suffered in transit. The rest of the food was good, as far as basic Indian cuisine goes. I just wish it was a couple bucks cheaper.

Best,
Michael

I went this afternoon for lunch and the food was pretty good.

Today, there was Samosa's, rice, naan, chicken tikka masala, saag paneer, some sort of lentils.

The food wasn't really that warm, it was border line warm/cool as well as when I got some raita (spl) the girl informed me that they charge extra for that and honestly the $12.04 is already a lot of money so I don't see why they cannot add the raita. Also, the saag was very very spicey. Now I love spicey but the people I was with thought it was too hot.

eatchicago wrote:The current cost is $10.99 for one trip to the buffet and a Coke (a tad expensive, especially considering I don't drink pop).

Does this mean 1-plate-pile-it-on? They had this sorta thing at Miga59; We'd watch these middle-aged Asian ladies perform these feats of Jenga-esque-plate-stacking wonders...

Jay K wrote:

eatchicago wrote:The current cost is $10.99 for one trip to the buffet and a Coke (a tad expensive, especially considering I don't drink pop).

Does this mean 1-plate-pile-it-on? They had this sorta thing at Miga59; We'd watch these middle-aged Asian ladies perform these feats of Jenga-esque-plate-stacking wonders...

Yes, 1 plate, 1 trip. The bases of most of the food being a sauce makes this a very complex endeavor. Personally, I'm highly adverse to eating off of an overflowing plate. I feel like one plate of food that's cooked off-premises and held is not worth twelve bucks.

Best,
Michael

eatchicago wrote:Yes, 1 plate, 1 trip. The bases of most of the food being a sauce makes this a very complex endeavor. Personally, I'm highly adverse to eating off of an overflowing plate. I feel like one plate of food that's cooked off-premises and held is not worth twelve bucks.

Washington and Wells isn't that far from Klay Oven (Orleans & Hubbard) where the "all you can eat" lunch is a regular buffet with repeat trips, and I'm pretty sure it's less than $10.

Klay Oven is not as good as India House, which also has a true AYCE lunch buffet, but it's closer to the place under discussion.

Klay Oven
414 N Orleans St
Chicago, IL
(312) 527-3999‎
klayovenrestaurant.com‎

India House
59 West Grand Ave
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 645-9500‎
indiahousechicago.com

So I went back today and found that they are really playing around with pricing if the food. Today it was $6.99 per pound with free drink (I opted for water). Today's menu included Mutter Paneer, Butter Chicken, Saag Paneer, and Chicken Tikka. I was able to get some Saag Paneer and Butter Chicken with Rice and Naan for just under $7.00 including tax.

Value wise definitely not as good as an true AYCE, but was good for quick 15 minute lunch run that you bring back to your desk and eat. The one other thing I noticed today was the food was significantly warmer today then in the past, so it looking like they are listening to feedback.

It did get me thinking what would be best way to maximize the value for the money. One of my friends suggested BYOR (Bring your own rice), which had me rolling.

Has anyone been here lately? If so how was it?

Just got back from here 10 minutes ago...I wonder if people have shared similar complaints with them in the past, because it seems some of these issues were taken care of.

The price options were $5.99/lb (in a foam container), or $10.99 all-you-can-eat (using real plates). After scoping out the options, my coworker & I went for the AYCE.

The menu today was aloo samosa, tandoori chicken, butter chicken, saag paneer, chole, aloo jeera, chicken biryani, plain rice, and naan.

The food was nice and hot (temp-wise, not spice-wise)...I jumped the gun on a bite of saag paneer & had to do the goofy open-mouth panting to keep from burning the roof of my mouth too badly. The owner, whose family also owns the local India Garden chain, said the food comes from their Schaumburg location. He pointed out their shiny new insulated food transporters, and made sure to mention that the food is maintained at a constant 146 degrees while on the buffet table.

I thought the food quality was consistent with the India Garden in Streeterville (which is the only one I've visited, and is my fave of the Indian restaurants in the Gold Coast/River North/Streeterville area). However, the chole was a real standout. It tasted like they threw in a bit of mango pickle while cooking it up, which gave it a tangy, unique twist...I was a big fan, and went back for seconds.

On the other hand, the aloo jeera was quite bland, and the naan, while soft & chewy, was slightly soggy from being trapped in transit in the chafing dish (which was sealed up with cling wrap). Interestingly, the samosas' shells had a decent crispness to them...I didn't find mine to be soggy at all. I don't know what they did differently to package up the samosas, but they should try doing that with the naans too.

Not sure if the AYCE deal comes with a soft drink...I just grabbed a cup & filled it from one of the icewater pitchers on the ledge by the buffet table, and one of the 7 Eleven employees topped it off every time she walked by.

The food didn't blow me away by any means, but in my opinion, it's about as good as you're gonna get without venturing to Devon. And considering how otherwise nonexistent the Indian lunch options are in the Loop, I could see 7 Eleven Café (as it is officially named, come to find out) becoming a once-a-month treat.

Now to spend the rest of the afternoon sluggishly refreshing lthforum as I'm overcome with food coma...

You're talking about Indian Express next to Bacci Pizzeria on Wells, right? I thought that place was closed...

Scotty2Hotty wrote:You're talking about Indian Express next to Bacci Pizzeria on Wells, right? I thought that place was closed...

Nope, I'm referring to the one above the 7 Eleven (to get to it, you go into the store, then up some stairs) at the corner of Washington & Wells.

Khaopaat wrote:

Scotty2Hotty wrote:You're talking about Indian Express next to Bacci Pizzeria on Wells, right? I thought that place was closed...

Nope, I'm referring to the one above the 7 Eleven (to get to it, you go into the store, then up some stairs) at the corner of Washington & Wells.

I should have been more specific. I meant to address I the OP. Indian Express on Wells (which he has a love/hate relationship with) is closed, I think.