It’d been 6 years since my original visit to (and review of) Taste of India in Buttonwillow and I was a bit surprised to see that things haven’t changed that much. The restaurant seems a bit more run down, the menu has been streamed line and now you order at the counter, but the restaurant still serves mostly North Indian food at relatively high prices (dishes are mostly priced around $11, same for dinner and lunch). The food is pretty good for Indian food in the middle of nowhere, but not outstanding.
We ordered our standards, chicken tikka masala and lamb korma (both $11), with a side of garlic nan and a large rice. The rice was purely white, no hints of saffron or mixed peas for appearance sake, which is fine with me. The nan was a bit thin but passable. The curries were better. The lamb korma was probably the best of the two. The pieces of lamb were tiny, but they still had considerable flavor. The curry was smooth and balanced. I liked it. The tikka masala substituted salt for smokyness, and its sourness was too one-noted, but it was still OK. Mika liked her mango lassi and I my sweet one, which once again was almost too sweet.
In all the meal was pleasant but we spent over $40 and only ordered two entrees, too expensive a lunch.
We’ll probably stop at Taste of India again, but given the prices and the location (a bit too close to LA), it may be a few years.
Taste of India
20687 Tracy Avenue
Buttonwillow, CA
661.764.6464
Original Review