Amisha Indian Cuisine
Amisha Indian Cuisine
1924 Irving Street
San Francisco , CA 94122
United States
ph: (415) 759 7007
fax: (415) 759 7006
contact
Reviews
extremely not bad. not a rousing endorsement but it didn't suck. the chicken tikka masala held up to minimum standards. it did not blow me away. the rice was not good. raita (yogurt with cucumber) was not tasty at all. good naan! i will try again and update.
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When it first opened, I went there all the time for their LUNCH BUFFET. it was awesome! The service was good! Little Amisha was always present as she would skip around the restaurant, smiling, and enjoying herself. That was a joy=] It was nice to have an ETHNIC meal considering the location is in a primarily asian community. I enjoyed it very much so. However.....
Once they stopped offering their buffets, i stopped going. The food was ok and the price to go with it was a downer. Too bad they lost me as a customer. BRING BACK THE BUFFET and I'll reconsider.
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I believe I can most effectively communicate my opinion of this place by repeating a famous quote from a student of Crosstown High School:
Gary: BARF!
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Went there for the first time. We wanted try out the lunch buffet that is advertised on flyers, but it was not available. Instead, we opted for the thali option. Food was okay - not great, not bad - and service was fine. If you are in the neighborhood, and crave Indian food, then the place meets the basic criteria.
As several of the reviews have already indicated, the owner is a really nice man. He prides himself in his place and naming it after his daughter. However, I have to agree with most of the reviewers that the food is a little strange and sub-standard. I quit the Naan N Curry up the street because of a significant drop-off in their food, liberal use of oil (as well as the appalling arrogance of the help), and have been looking for another place in the neighborhood. The Golden Gate Pizza and Indian is pretty good and if you want to drive a little, the Kennedy's Irish Pub and Indian in North Beach is even better. This place is at the level of Ethnic Gourmet in the freezer section at Safeway and not at the level of the prices for take-out Indian.
My roommate and I have ordered from here several times this last year. More I think frequently in the last month or so.
I had come home from a trip and of course, had nothing to eat in my apartment. I was sorta craving some Indian, so I rang up these folks.
I placed my order and unpacked while I waited for my food to arrive. It arrived a little later than I was told over the phone, but that's cool, I wasn't starving and it's also Saturday night. Previously they've always arrived way before, so I wasn't butt hurt about it. Anyway, the food arrived and I thought it was a bit much, but didn't think too much about it.
I unpacked my order and sadly, I received another customer's order. I was like "Oh man, 3 orders of rice??" I rang up the place and told them only 2 items from my order arrived and the rest was incorrect. The guy was super cool on the phone and said he would send the driver back over to sort it out and apologized for the order.
The driver came out who was an nice guy and totally apologized. I packed up the incorrect items and he asked if it was ok it was going to take about 25 minutes round trip to get my order back to me. I said it was ok and I was cool with it. Really, yeah I know folks get upset when their order is incorrect and that it's going to take longer to get it right, but hey, it's a Saturday night and most places are busy. Thankfully too, I don't live far from the place.
Twenty minutes later, the drive arrived with my full order (extra naan and samosas) correctly. Sadly I had the other folks order tag in my bag, but oh well.
The guy at the resturant had called too to make sure my food arrived and apologized again for the error. he also mentioned that he knows that we order frequently from their place and that he'd give us some extra food or something next time we ordered. Either that, or just that he gave me a full order meaning I got extra naan and samosas. Seriously, very nice seeing as how they could have just brought me what was missing.
ANYWAY, I was happy the food came. I think next time I'll order the curry spicy. I think it needs a bit more of a kick. Only other suggestion is to thicken up the sauce a bit. Last time I ordered, I was thinking the tandoori was something in a sauce ... I'm kinda dumb. I wasn't exactly wanted, but man, it was some good freakin' chicken. Great flavor.
Reliable, friendly place. Garlic naan is pretty rockin'. Kudos to them for making the effort in getting my order correct and being nice about it. Quick delivery and easy to order.
Looking forward to getting some other chicken dishes ... now I'm off for another serving of garlic naan ... yum!
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HIDDEN GEM!
If you live in the Sunset District and want something other than Asian food, Amisha Indian Cuisine is a great choice. Where can you go these days where the owner greets you at the door and offers you chai tea as they lead you to a table? (not that it's a deal breaker but the chai tea is complimentary) You immediately feel like you've been welcomed into their home.
This is a family run business, with excellent home style Indian food. You can't miss the wonderful smells of the tandoori ovens and the smell of fresh Naan emanating from the kitchen as you walk by....
I've been here several times, tired everything, and it's always been fresh and flavorful. It always feels great to support a small local family owned restaurant.
If you're lucky, you will catch the families daughter coloring pictures of her family for her dad's restaurant wall:)
Now I'm not one to hate on Indian restaurants. I thought because I had such a great experience before that I'd order again.
I ordered the generic tikka masala via delivery. When I got it, it was the oiliest, most watery dish every. Oil spots literally were floating around the top of the take out container. Even when I mixed it, oil clung to my plastic fork and tasted bland and fatty on my naan.
I felt like I was eating lard with every bite. The chicken wasn't even that tender.
I will admit their garlic naan was pretty good, but I think they should ease up on the cilantro and focus on the garlic. If I'm paying over $2.00 for it.
I guess go here if you're craving Indian and are too lazy to get your ass over to inner sunset or east bay.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
- 3/19/2009
Indian food never seems to be cheap.
But at least here, it's more or less worth it.
Plus, they… Read more »
It's a lot less greasy than Naan N Curry but not as tasty either. The garlic naan was great! Samosas were so so. The saag paneer was good but the lamb curry was pretty bland. The floors were clean and they serve beer!
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Place looks like a hole-in-the-wall, but the food was excellent.
The service was a bit slow, but the food made up for it. I loved the paneer tikka masala and navratan korma. The aloo saag we ordered was a bit bland. The naan was soft and perfectly done, and the bhajias we started with were crunchy and yummy.
The price is a bit high for the portion sizes, but I'd still recommend this place for a quick Indian food fix.
I received a menu from Amisha on my door, so I just looked at there website then called to inquire about the Lunch Specials. I asked what was included in the Tandoori Platter, which is listed on the website. The woman on the phone was very unclear and kept giving me different answers. I asked her if it was better for me to place an order online and she said that I can only order the Platter in the restaurant.
I asked if it states that on the website. She said "yes" and when I politely mentioned that I didn't see it, she hung up on me.
I will never order food from Amisha.
My dad passed by one day and was surprised and curious to see an Indian restaurant in a predominantly Chinese neighborhood. His curiosity and love of trying new restaurants got to him (yup, I get it from my dad =] ), and he decided he wanted to have lunch with me.
We walk in a little after they open and there is already one patron enjoying her lunch. We are promptly seated and offered free chai.
My dad decided to go with their lunch special in which he could choose one curry accompanied by plain naan, spinach, a vegetable dish, and a sweet bread dessert. I went with a simple chicken curry, aloo ghobi (curry potato and cauliflower), and garlic naan.
The food took some time to come as (I guess) it was made to order. No one was in there at the time, so that must be why it took a little long. But no worries, we were eager to try out their cuisine.
My dad's lunch special was neatly presented on a partitioned platter, with little scoops of food in each section - cute.
Then we tried the food... It was quite bland. My chicken curry was a bit watery. The only flavor that saved the aloo ghobi was the bit of spice that was in it. My dad agreed that his food was bland, too. The only part of his lunch that he enjoyed was the sweet bread dessert.
The bill came out to about $30 for all our dishes, tax and tip. Kind of pricey for the quality of food.
All in all, 2 stars for the friendly service.
My dad and I are always down to try new restaurants. Glad we tried Amisha - now we know.
Giving up cheese for Lent has been a difficult thing. On the plus side, I haven't cheated since the first weekend when I literally completely forgot about my Lenten observance before wolfing down a spinach-and-cheese piroshki. I've been cheese (and guilt) free ever since, but this has seriously crimped my weekend-tradition style of ordering a pizza from a new pizza place and Yelping it.
So I've learned that there are other kinds of delivery besides pizza and Italian food. Limited other kinds, but other kinds nonetheless.
I ordered from Amisha last weekend, and the food was good. I have no idea where this restaurant is or what it looks like; my review is strictly based on the taste and delivery efficiency.
The food came quickly, which was good because I was starving. The servings were a good size, but the spiciness of both dishes was uneven. I don't mind spicy Indian food, but the top of the container shouldn't be significantly less spicy than the bottom. This was the case, though, so I was stuck with not enough naan to sop up the burning spices in my mouth.
The naan was good, and honestly, I think this place could be four stars if I could get over the spiciness switcheroo this place pulled. In fact, I'm going to specifically order from here to attempt to give the place four stars.
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five times, Amisha. i've given you five chances (which, being a baseball fan, is fairly generous) and you've barely stepped up to the plate.
first time: just moved to the 'hood and decided to grab a quick bite before heading downtown with friends. this was probably the best experience i had at your establishment, Amisha. i had the chicken vindaloo and it was decent.
second time: ordered in some shrimp biryani. i'm not expecting basmati rice, but anything even remotely close to Uncle Ben's for an Indian/Pakistani restaurant is inexcusable. i'm serious. i feel i know my rice. the entire dish was just sorta bland too.
third time: decided to try some veggie samosas, a curry dish, and some of their onion kulcha. the samosas were less a medley of veggie but more along the lines of straight-up potato. the curry seemed watery. i say this because i had the exact same dish at another Indo/Pak restaurant earlier that week and the sauce was thick and rich. i suppose the onion kulcha was pretty good.
fourth time: ordered in the chicken tikka masala and received paneer tikka masala. i mean, really?? i didn't want vegetarian that night. fail.
fifth time: ordered the chicken tikka masala again and it was definitely more masala than chicken. i mean, i'm not looking to eat an entire bird, but a bit of succulent fowl in my chicken dish would've been nice.
now, i don't mean to get nitpicky, but the signage on the front is also sort of ridiculous. they could be the stand-out on the street with a nice, well-designed sign, but it seemed they just seemed to follow the other businesses on the street with a sign facing the street that says "Amisha Indian Cuisine" as well as one hanging over the sidewalk as well as board signage standing on the sidewalk. it's just TOO much.
Amisha avoids one star because the people running the place are just super nice people and i like the open kitchen. Maybe the vegetarian options are better?
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I was going to try this place cause its near my house but then again I have to work, so I don't want to get sick. I do have there menu, but I'm figure that I don't see alot of people in there eating that most of their food dry out under the heat lamp. Maybe should just get stew and not roast or cooked meated.
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Very reasonably priced lunch plates. Much to my chagrin, they refused to deliver a lunch plate to me, saying that it was priced for dine-in only. Personally I think they should be like all of the other restaurants in town and just insist on a min balance for delivery, rather than refusing delivery of the thing I want. I have passed them by three times since that phone call since they refused my reasonable request. I would have no problem ordering a few other things, but I wanted the lunch delivered. The woman who answered the phone has probably lost the business sixty dollars of my money so far with her "policy." and I have dropped my rating to a four, because I feel that I am a good customer and I should have been given what I was asking for!
The owners have named this restaurant for their daughter, Amisha, which I think is very sweet!
I have been here a number of times but never see enough people coming in. I hope that they make it though, this is a good place to eat.
The Tandoori chicken plate was really more than I could finish and I gave my leftover naan rice and dahl to a homeless lady and her dog.
I like the staff here. Very kind people.
The building is unfortunately hall-like in appearance, but the food, the service and the ambiance are all very good and they seriously have good prices. They are usually playing some wonderful music at Amisha.
In the past they have shown a willingness to forgo the microwave and heat my food over a flame, and today they let me special order a cucumber salted lassi, which I really like.
Sometimes convenient location and delivery methods over power the quality of the food in a rating. This is one of those times.
Food is ok. Like Indian you would get at a mall but better - like in the Nan N Curry vein.
I do like their Assorted Bread Basket for 5.95 - A combination of nan, onion Kulcha and Garlic Naan. It's a great deal for a great deal of bread - there must be 8 full loves of Nan in the order.
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I enjoyed having dinner here recently first time.
The naan was excellent to me. They gave nice helpings and
it is very reasonably priced. I tried the chicken tikka masala, tandoori chicken kabab and Fish Vandalu. I pretty much liked it all except for my taste, i'm not into the creamier sauce that was in the chicken tikka dish. Its just my tastebuds not that it wasn't good quality. The service was excellent and nice staff/cook. I will come back here regularly for my naan.
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Amisha I was aware of mostly for the fact that they leave us a new menu every single week. For the fact that they leave menus on all of the cars in Golden Gate Park. For the fact that I see their menus littering the ground all over Irving St. Now, I'm unfortunately aware of Amisha most for how poor I found their food. While delivery was prompt and the menu easy to read and the service on the phone was clear and jovial, the food was just not good. We didn't even finish the Chicken Tikka Masala. I took one bite and couldn't finish it.
Amisha is my favorite Indian restaurant in the neighborhood. (My parents are Indian if that bears any weight on this review).
I love that the owners are extraordinarily friendly, the generous portions of food and the food quality and taste is consistently high. The lunch special Thalis available daily 11am-5pm, are one of the best deals for Indian food in the Inner Sunset, especially if you want to taste a variety of dishes but are dining alone. The lunch Thali includes: 3 main dishes, rice + naan complimentary chai, along with side condiments and/or desert.
I was extremely excited when the restaurant first opened a few blocks from my home, especially since it was the only neighborhood Indian restaurant to offer an all-you-can-eat buffet. Eventually, the owners made a smart decision to offer the lunch Thali instead of the buffet, to avoid wasted food and financial loss. And actually, you get the same amount and variety of food...plus it tastes fresher.
The restaurant has also seen remarkable upgrades to it's decor... bland grey cafeteria bench style seating has been replaced my much more elegant brown tables and comfortable individual chairs. They have a nice big screen TV on the back wall, making it a great place if you want to catch a major sports match.
The owners and cooks have been exceptionally kind to me, possibly because I'm Indian too, possibly because I frequent the restaurant 1-3 times a week...it's almost like home cooking, or a second home away from home. They even figured out that Kheer is my favorite desert, so they make a point to bring me a bit when it's available.
I wish this restaurant and the owners continued success and good business.
We've only ordered take out from Amisha but absolutely love the food every time. The Lamb Biryani and Lamb Karahi are our favorites plus the assorted Naan basket. The owner is extremly nice and always remembers us by our address. If we miss a week ordering he asks where we've been and if we are OK. Definitely recommend.
Matar Paneer too much ghee, not much peas or paneer, the paneer was dry. Lamb Tikka Masala, dry lamb and not much in the dish. Mostly gravy. The rice was under cooked and slightly crunchy.2.00 for mango chutney is a little high. 3.50 for cucumber salad was way high. The salad was not very good. I can make my own for less. Lamb was 9.95 and Matar Paneer was 7.95.
Delivery was fast, and they invested in good to go packaging. (so important with curry)
It could have been an off night. I will try take out once more and re-review.
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Expensive, small dishes, and yuck.
Service was good; a chinese lady served us. My mom asked her what was good, she said the shrimp was not worth getting, and suggested the combination something kebab.
We waited pretty long for our food..when it finally came.......
the kebabs suckkkkkkkkked. All the meats were dry as freak. My mom said, "whats this? cha siu?" [cha siu is chinese bbq pork] the lady said, "no its chicken" my mom said, "oh, chicken cha siu" i LOLed so loud.
The meats were very overly cooked. There was one sausage that tasted like sweat. No JOKE! like human body sweat.
I got the Lamb Masala, i always get masala, the dish was sooooooo small. I think i will take my mom to naan and curry next time.
Overallllllll.........things good here were: garlic naan, water, and this black vinegary sauce they gave us for the meat?
I would not come back sorry.
OH! and you come out stinky, or stinkier than you were before.
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I went here once with a friend, and have been meaning to get back ever since.
The mango lassi was wonderful! You could tell it had been made with fresh mangos. I loved the shrimp saag, and the chicken masala, and the bread was very good as well.
I don't get to that area very often, but I know where I'll want to eat when I do!
Wow yelpers, shame on you. Seriously. WOw.
The best part was that it was cheap.
The worst part was that it didn't stay in me for the hour.
Despite all the food in the toilet, I still had this nagging feeling that there was poison inside me for the next few days.
I took a big group of friends here when I realized it was the cheapest Indian buffet in SF, but I felt so bad and ended up apologizing to most of them. In our group of 8, only 1 person thought the food was good. That means only 12.5% of people will like Amish Indian Cuisine.
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I like this place because they deliver. My roomie and I have always been curious about this place and we ordered delivery finally one night. Food came and we tried, it is better than naan and curry, but not as authentic as tikkamasala on judah i would say. It's more on a mild side, so its very easy to almost drink the food lol. We ordered chicken tikka masaka, I liked that the meat was tender, very tender, not dry at all because when you order chicken tikka masala, it is very likely that the chicken is very white and dry inside, but not this time. I was very happy about that. spinach curry with cheese was good, average. shrimp biryani was good as well, garlic naan was eh, ok. mayb it got soggy on the way to deliver.
Overall, this place in now added to our new delivery list ;)
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I'm not a huge fan of Indian food, but this place was okay. Got delivery this weekend and it came in a timely manner. We got the assorted nan and that was pretty good. The lamb samosas were fried well enough to bring out the flavor of the dough, but were a little overdone. The chicken tikki masala was alright. I wish the curry had more flavor, but everything was a-ok.
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Food = good. It was well seasoned, not too greasy and just good.
Service = friendly.
Prices = moderate for the quantity and quality.
Decor = American diner-esque.
Unfortunately, I'm just not that impressed with the place. I'll eat here if I can't find something else in this area....but I know of much better Indian joints.
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after being gone in hong kong the past week, i was ready for non-chinese food. i actually wanted to get tacos, but it was too crowded for my liking. taco tuesday and cinco de mayo. eek. so we walk down the block and pass by a chinese restaurant. no thanks. then amisha... indian! okay!
the curry itself was okay. we got two vegetarian curries. the cauliflower and potatoes was not memorable. the spinach was good with the cubes of cheese. but i was say i was eating the curry for the naan.
the naan was amazing. they have this variety plate with three different naan: regular, onions and garlic. the garlic naan is so strong, i love it. so save it for last or the regular and onion naan taste too plain.
next time i want to try the potato naan. yum.
EWW NO way...jose...the worst Indian food ever. I came here with my sisters during the weekend for lunch and the place at the time had just opened. We all love Indian food and so we decided to try it. The atmosphere was depressing, dark, and isolated and the food was terrible dry and tasteless.
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Plus one star for a thoughtful, polite, and sincere owner. I'm going to give it another shot.
The service was very attentive. The food was very good. Nice and spicey.
The only downside was it did take a while for our food,but was worth it.
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Amisha is right near my house, and since I have a sick addiction to paneer I can't stop returning. My boyfriend hates the food there, but I like it okay. It's cheap and satisfying. The paneer dishes are always quite tasty. I had fun sitting there watching jeapardy and wheel of fortune the other night while sipping tea and eating. Its a new place so they are working out the kinks slowly but surely. If you've had it once, give it another try.
Amisha's is a great little Indian restaurant in the Sunset. The food is all North Indian style, with a wide variety veterinarian choices. I have to say the signature dishes are the Lamb Chop Tandoori, Seek Kabobs, and the Wok style Chicken Karahi. All dishes are made to order/Spice level and come with a few additional condiments.
The Naan is brought out fresh, and if you are daring try the Keema Naan :) It's Naan stuffed with spicy ground lamb.
The service is good and the restaurant is clean. Nice little place for lunch, or take out.
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Inexpensive, no frills Indian. Really, really good Indian, that is. The decor is a little off putting, but you can get over it, settle into a booth, and order up some of the dishes we tasted tonight:
Lamb Saag
Vegetable Biryani
Chicken Tikka Masala
Tandoori (Chicken)
Bread Basket (assorted Naan) x 2
You can order everything mild, medium or hot. And I really prefer this place over a couple of the Indian places I've tried on Geary. The meats were all nicely done and not overcooked at all. And the dishes weren't overly salty, especially if you consider that they were meant to be eaten with the naan, which are on the blander side (even the flavored ones).
The bill came out to about $85 for six people...not bad. They also have a buffet lunch at $7.95 per person. And free delivery with minimum order of $15.00 (I am so keeping this menu for the stormy days ahead).
I was a little thrown off by the Asian wait staff, but she was cool. I think it makes sense since this restaurant is located on a strip of Irving that is really "Little Chinatown." She can attract those Chinese speaking customers who are looking for a culinary adventure. But really, she knew her stuff - we used her expertise to navigate the menu, because we were no experts ourselves.
Bottom line: Good Indian in the Sunset for a reasonable price with free delivery and lunch buffet to boot. Can't go wrong if you're in the neighborhood.
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The food overall is pretty bland :*(
I really want to go back and try the buffet lunch, judging by the reviews it definitely seems like it's worth a visit.
I recently ordered some food to go, on Election night, actually. We ordered garlic naan, kema naan (stuffed w. ground spiced lamb), chicken tikka kabobs and chicken korma. I thought everything had really great taste and there were none of those scary what-did-I-just-bite-into moments with any of the meats.
I thought the price to be a fair value considering the taste and quality of the meal. My only real complaint about the meal was that the naan had less of a bread consistency, and seemed more like an asian-style pancake -- firm, slightly chewy and spongy. That may just be a result of ordering to-go and keeping the naan in a steamy environment for so long, but I guess I will find out when I dine-in during my next visit.
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You know, i could say something clever and perhaps compare Amisha to the other Indian restaurants I've eaten at already. The only thing to say about Amisha is it's good Indian food. It's not great, but it's not horrible. I got it delivered and it was hot and didn't take to long. If it's one of those days where you are craving Indian food and don't want to go anywhere, then by all means, go for Amisha. However, if you want to get something special, you might want to go somewhere else.
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I came here with my boyfriend for the lunch buffet. He got the buffet while I ordered chicken vindaloo.
No wonder the buffet was only $7.95. There was no variety at the buffet table. It was like being in elementary school again, except I was in India. There was chicken, and a few sauces. There was fruit and veggies, but I'm on freakin' Irving and 21st, I can get that for cheap down the street.
The food also wasn't very fresh. The bread was hard and the chicken was dry.
My chicken vindaloo was a little better.. the meat was tender and the curry was almost spicy.
+1 for the smiling waitress.
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I absolutely love the food here. I've only ever ordered delivery, so while I can't speak for the restaurant itself, I know that their menu and delivery are fantastic. Tonight I ordered the chicken tikka masala, lamb vindaloo, keema naan, aloo gobi, chicken pakora, raita, and rice rice rice. Everything was very tasty with the vindaloo being my favorite. Just the perfect amount of flavor. I always order tikka masala and it never disappoints. The pakora doesn't hold up well for delivery, so I am going to stick with samosas. I always order a lot of food because the portions are on the small side, so it's not too difficult for me to drop fifty bucks on a meal for two. But, for the consistent quality and speedy delivery, it's well worth it. 30 minutes to bliss!
Amisha Indian Cuisine
1924 Irving Street
San Francisco , CA 94122
United States
ph: (415) 759 7007
fax: (415) 759 7006
contact
