 This entry refers to a departed business that has closed or left town. All information here is for historical reference only. |
| Location |
| 132 E Street , Suite 2F/2G/2H, in Mansion Square |
| Hours |
| Sun-Thu 11:30am-9:00pm |
| Fri-Sat 11:30am-10:00pm |
| Phone |
| (530) 757-1400 |
| Website |
| http://www.indynabistro.com |
| Established |
| July 2007 |
| Payment Methods |
| Cash, Credit Cards (Visa, MC, AMEX, DC) |
| Menus |
| http://indynabistro.com/htmls/menu.htm |
New Delhi Chaat Cafe closed in July 2007, and emerged under new ownership as Indyna Bistro. Don't be scared away by the change to a new upscale interior; the prices are reasonable, and they give complimentary papadum. They claim to serve everything on the old New Delhi Chaat Cafe menu even though those items may not be on their transition menu. Their permanent menu, which will be available soon, will include Mediterranean style dishes.
They were reviewed March 10, 2008 in the California Aggie
2007-07-23 14:59:45 The Paneer TIkka Masala ($8.95) had a good balance of spices and was very enjoyable. WIth the ten chunks of paneer came a choice of rice or naan. I chose the naan, and it was the perfect amount to absorb all the sauce. The service was quick, attentive, and friendly. —CraigBrozinsky
2007-07-24 22:48:17 The Delhi Chaat Cafe was easily my favorite place to eat in Davis. Their Indian food was hands-down the best in town but my favorite thing on the menu were the naan wraps— afordable, delicious and just the right amount of food. Indyna claims to serve everything on the old Delhi Chaat menu, which I appreciate; however, my relief upon ordering my favorite- the paneer wrap- soured to disspointment. Unfortunately, it's been so long since I've had a Delhi Chaat wrap that I can't describe quite what it is that makes the Indyna wrap seem less flavorful. On the bright side, the service is great and prices are relatively similar, give or take a buck or so— suprising after a Davis-signature "bistro-ization". I've yet to try their entrees or some of the new seafood dishes but I've heard good things. I'd probably eat there weekly if they made a couple of changes: One, if they'd replicate the old Delhi Chaat wrap recipe (fingers-crossed) and two, do something about that abrasive 'smooth-jazz' muzak! —AndyPastalaniec
2007-07-25 12:47:36 are the owners the same people? I liked them. I'm glad this place is open again. —RohiniJasavala
2007-07-28 15:09:23 I went there yesterday and got the somosa chaat. Oddly enough, it was cold. I preferred how new dehli used to serve it, with a warm somosa and warm chole with the cooler sauce on top. This seemed like it was pre-prepared and waiting. The restaurant sign says something about Mediterranean Indian food? the same family that used to cook there isn't there and now the food is describes as "Himalayan". The decor inside is really nice, though, and I feel like they made better use of the space compared to the previous owners. There is a nice bar area there that could end up being fun to hang out at. Sadly, the restaurant doesn't have any Indian, or "Himalayan", charm left in it.
I think that they may have changed the exterior and the presentation of the food, but this restaurant might go the way of other other Indian restaurants here - mediocre. I wish Davis could have an Indian restaurant that served south Indian food. New Delhi Chaat Cafe was probably the closest restaurant to that. —RohiniJasavala
2007-07-28 19:29:03 First Impressions: I went by to get takeout this afternoon. The ambience is infinitely better than it used to be. The lighting is perfect and so is the decor. But my order was twice as expensive as it used to be and the portions were very small. Restaurants unfortunately never thrive with poor quality food even if the decor is impressive (usually works the other way around). two stars. —KarthikRam
2007-07-29 10:26:22 went here for dinner last night. best Indian food in Davis. in my opinion, it has much more flavor than New Dehli. the owner is super nice and told us that he hired the old head chef from Kathmandu (from 3-4 years ago). much tastier than Kathmandu too, better spice level and flavor. very willing to make special dishes if you want. the portions were a bit small for the price (chicken vindaloo, lamb curry and appetizer for about $31), but good food and great staff. said they hope to open lunch buffet soon. highly recommend it. —ADP
2007-07-29 16:50:15 Well ill say that i give this place mixed reviews. We ordered the spicy potatp salad, chicken tika tandoori, and the vegetable korma. The vegetable korma was very good (better than new delhi but not by that much). However, the tandoori was nasty, way too much tumeric. It tasted like mustard, bleh. The patato salad was quite tasty. While the atmosphere was much inmproved over new delhi, i would say it looked a little too much like an ikea kind of disign (sort of like it was trying a little too hard). Ill be back but not anytime soon. I want to wait until they get their regular menu, lunch specials/buffets together. —MattHh
2007-08-04 12:52:28 Nice new place. The palak paneer was tasty and the service was good. —ChristianAnderson
2007-08-04 15:28:07 Ergh! Just left a longish comment about Indyna Bistro, but the wiki wiped it clean for being too long. That's annoying. Fine, just a short comment then. The atmosphere truly is quite nice; the food is boring. The Baigan Bharta was delicious and I recommend it, but they completely missed the point of biryani. The menu is uninspired and familiar. What to me is boring might be reassuringly familiar to others. Don't bother ordering stuff that you loved at the Chaat Cafe. Treat Indyna as a nicer version of any Indian restaurant you've ever been to and stick to general items. Safe, but uninteresting. —JoRo
2007-08-05 11:02:44 A group of friends and I went the other night and were surprised to see the menu items carried over from New Delhi. Overall, most everything we ordered tasted better than New Delhi, save the Aloo Paratha, which was made with whole wheat flour and tasted like a flat bran muffin. The Samosa Chaat, which was my wife and my favorite item at New Delhi, was delicious, but less than half the size of the original! The portions of rice that came with the entrees weren't enough as well and we had to request more. I mentioned to the chef that the chaat portions were disappointing and he seemed receptive to the criticism, so hopefully they'll realize soon that customers aren't willing to exchange half of their dish for ambiance and fancy plates. Although I commend them for the renovation—it looks great, especially considering what a dive the place used to be. —MatthewPearson
2007-08-06 22:34:39 I miss the old Chaat and the people that worked there. —JesseSingh
2007-08-10 13:47:50 new delhi chaat cafe was one of my favorite restaurants in town... after the renovation and change in ownership, prices went up, food was not as good, and the owner didn't even know what mango lassi was called! although the renovation made the restaurant look beautiful, new delhi chaat cafe was much better in price and quality. i'm very disappointed. =( —SaThai
2007-08-11 04:53:58 I went back there with a friend a couple of days ago. IHe ordered the matar aloo with rice and a garlic naan. I agree with Rohini's assessment about the items being "boring". I couldn't bring myself to even order a main dish and opted for several side dishes: rice, raita, dahl, and cholle.
Personally, I thought the food was very tasty. And the spiciness was just right. It was too much for my friend, white man's burden I guess. The consistency of several of my items were wrong, tho. The dahl, which had a superb flavor, was the worst of the lot because the lentils were a little hard. They're supposed to be very soft. The cholle was almost like a soup (but it was still tasty). The chai was AUTHENTIC, but if you're going to serve chai offer some sugar.
(BTW, go to Indyna and try the chai. Then go to any one of Davis' numerous cafes and try their "chai tea latte". This is why I hardly ever order chai at cafes.)
My gripes about Indyna are mostly aesthetic: While the owner invested a lot of money into the pretty furniture and repainting the walls, I don't think he realized that it's the ugly looking floor is what makes the place seem so janky. I'm not going to judge the menu because it's a temporary one. The prices are a bit on the high side for the portions served. While the waitress did offer to bring me more rice, it was far too little to begin with. It also was "sticky", ala Chinese restaurants. No, Indyna, this isn't Silver Dragon. Crack open that bag of basmati and add some more water this time.
I'm curious as to why the owners opted for an Indian restaurant. Davis has quite a few North Indian restaurants, did it really need another? Personally, I'd rather see a South indian place open up. The owner also didn't seem too familiar with Indian food, as he was mispronouncing several items and the menu had a few mistakes on them ("achar" is not a chutney, it's pickle.) —JesseSingh
2007-08-17 13:29:59 Their wraps are never spicy enough. —YuanNiu
2007-08-27 16:59:21 Indyana bistro is a sad change from New Delhi Chaat. I ate there last night, and the food was mediocre at best. The paneer was so dry that it was rubbery, and the Tikka Masala sausce that Chaat did so well was lukewarm, spiceless, and too sweet. The other dish we had was okay, but also just warm. The naan was overcooked and dry. Apparently the money that used to go into the food went into buying new place settings for this upscale-looking restaurant (prices remain the same as chaat). Luckily for Davis, Kathmandu shaped up their inconsistent act just in time and appears to have a new, wider menu, if not new managment. I would definitely go there instead. —TawnyMata
2007-08-28 10:58:39 I will never go back to Indyna bistro or recommend it to anyone. The atmosphere was just okay; trying to be nice but something just not right about the place. the lighting over our table was so bright it gave me a headache. The service was overattentive and a bit annoying. the menu was limited and prices too high for the quanity of mediocre food that was served. The food was heavy as well. —nec
2007-08-31 15:17:21 My wife and I just discovered this place (thinking it was still New Dehli Chaat Cafe), and we're very impressed. We ordered the Veggie Special, Paneer Tikka Masala, a Gobi Paratha, and naan. We thought that it was all excellent! The spices in the curries were very present and distinct on the palate, not muddled at all. The vegetables were not overcooked. The rice and naan were both fresh, fragrant, and excellent, and the Gobi Paratha was made with whole wheat flour which we thought made for a great contrast to the naan. I definitely look forward to sampling other dishes. We were served by the owner (I think) who used to be chef at Kathmandu Kitchen a long time ago, and he remembered us and our preferences. He told us that he opened this restaurant after working at Cache Creek for some years, and seemed very interested in our opinion about the food. Prices were quite fair and there is a very reasonable lunch special section. I miss New Dehli but remain excited about Indyana and plan on going back... —RichardJacobsen
2007-10-15 10:20:17 I wanted to add a positive comment to offset all the negative ones. When I went here last night with my boyfriend, I was still under the impression that it was the New Delhi Chaat Cafe, but I was confused by the elegant decor. Then I was afraid it would be very expensive. Luckily it was reasonably priced and delicious. I ordered my chana masala "hot" and it was so hot I was crying tears of joy. I still had enough left over to take home. I would recommend this restaurant. —CalamityJanie
2007-11-07 16:25:03 I'm surprised at the negative comments on this site regarding Indyna Bistro. My husband and I went here recently and found it to be much tastier than its predecessor Chaat Cafe. The flavors are much bolder, and the options for vegetarians are fantastic. The atmosphere is great too. We highly recommend the samosas and the tikka masala. Also, for an extra $2 the meal deal is great (but sadly only available for dine-in). —ABlack
2007-11-10 10:45:44 Since the Indyna Bistro has such funky ass hours (closed on Wednesdays???)... my beau and I have been trying to eat there for weeks. Imagine our surprise that last night was finally the night! And upon entering this place that we held in high regards, we were greeted with a psuedo-facade of thai place meets Ikea. I felt like I could break every article of furniture over my knee. The tables were awkwardly positioned, but we were all fine and dandy with that until we recieved our food.
I ordered the vegetarian appetizer platter, some eggy things were good but I could make a better samosa; and I make mine from tortillas. We also ordered some curry (Dopiaza?) it tasted like cream of tomato soup, and the brown rice was questionable, tofu was..........acceptable. They never brought us our Mango Lassi which sounded delicious. The dessert was absolutely disgusting. Frozen testicle-esque donuts drowning in sugar sauce. I don't even think its what I ordered.My dessert was supposed to be fried and covered with yogurt. The dessert was late too, and we had to ask where it was. The service was.....bipolar. This really (seemingly) sweet lady was determined to keep my water glass filled up, and was very concerned with our well being, but after our meal, they were all cleaning up and setting tables.
we were done and we wanted our check. We waited for so long listening to really odd "cultural" music watching fruit flies dance around our dishes. When we asked if we could get our bill the nice waitress barked something at us and ran back to the kitchen in a great hissy. A true Jekyll and Hyde moment. We suspect kitchen soap opera drama with the talkative host with the ear piece. When we recieved the bill, they charged us for our mango lassi (that we never recieved). to conclude, I tipped the waitress too much and we spent $23 so we can now know that Indyna Bistro is not a suitable alternative to Silver Dragon or thai Bistro.We had such high hopes too. —Domlertylique
2007-12-14 18:37:23 Is it just me, or is their website broken? —KellyM
- The link is going to the right place, but their website isn't returning any viable content, just the framework for some frames. —JasonAller
2008-01-10 22:29:44 Their food is very good (especially the paneer tikka masala), but I agree with the majority of comments... Chaat seemed better. The food is less spicy and flavorful, but the atmosphere and ambience have greatly improved. Still the best Indian restaurant in town. —CParker
2008-01-11 13:19:09 Have been here 3 times and really liked everything I've tried. Was a bit pricey for lunch but it gave me enough leftovers for another lunch so I guess it worked out ok. Great vegetarian options. —CindiDrake
2008-01-19 18:12:01 My boyfriend and I went to eat there for the first time. We both love Indian food and were excited to try out their menu. It was very delicious, I strongly recommend the samosa appetizer and the tikka masala curry. They serve proportional serving of naan with your meal, which is very yummy. The food is very flavorful. I will definitely go back there again. —SanaaJarrahian
2008-01-27 17:45:49 Had lunch there a few weeks ago. The food was elegantly prepared and reasonably tasty, but tended towards the bland side—lighter on the spices than I prefer. Very good for a somewhat toned-down and European-influenced Indian place, however. —LaughingLoafer
2008-02-18 17:06:07 Very nice addition to Davis. The tandoori is quite good, alone with the various curries. While some commenters express concerns that the food wasn't spicy enough, we've found no problem if you simply ask for it spicier. After all, most diners around here complain that food is too spicy. —ScottLay
2008-03-10 15:16:32 I have eaten twice at Indyna Bistro since they changed ownership, and the food is excellent. Everyone in our group was impressed with their meals, which included curries, biryanis, and tandoori dishes (including both meat and vegetarian meals). My favorite was the tandoori rack of lamb - yum! Highly recommended. —professorsteve
2008-03-14 20:59:56 I had a wonderful lunch at Indyna last month, but the restaurant was quite empty which seemed unusual for the Davis weekday lunch hour surge. I would go back for lunch if they served a special lunch menu, with prices reflecting a lighter, quicker meal. —ClaireB
2008-04-04 22:31:03 Had dinner at Indyna Bistro this evening, and boy howdy!!! The waitstaff operated with android-like/otherworldly precision, I think the entire ordering process lasted 4 seconds for two of us. "Ready?" "Saag paneer, please." "Rice, naan, dinner set?" "Naan." "You" "Lamb curry please." "Rice or naan?" "Dinner set please?" "Ok." And that was it. The interesting contrapositive to the efficiency was the 10 minute wait to get seated in an empty restaurant and 10 minutes sitting around with closed menus prior to our 4 second exchange. I think the ear-piece allowed him to read our minds. Ah well.
The food was pretty bland, the Daal (lentil soup) bore close resemblance to a gruel of yore. The only spices that were apparent was the "spicy" in the saag paneer, a dish typically revered for it's subtlety and depth of flavor. Not that anything was inedible, it's just better left for the "all I like are quesadillas" crowd.
The change in scenery from the old Chaat Cafe is a mixed blessing. It's definitely improved from "so funky it's sketchy", but the new look is pure ikea, with a touch of exposed wiring and a new paint job. —ShortRound
2008-04-13 08:32:36 This isn't the best indian food, but it is better than Kathmandu. The vegetarian appetizer platter was good as is the naan. The main dishes were a bit on the bland side - even after ordering it spicier. It actually wasn't the heat level, it was the lack of spices (spicy doesn't mean burn your tongue hot). However, that being said, it was the best indian meal I've had in Davis and I would go back. —AcMach
2008-04-13 23:23:31 Was always a little put off by the "fancy" tables and settings of this place (plus it's always empty when I walk by), but I checked it out recently and was SHOCKED to have a truly delicious meal. great naan, super good samosa, my curry was definitely the best I've had in Davis. I was bummed that they didn't have malai kofta but the meal was excellent and they even have Riesling by the glass, which is a great find. WAAAAY better than Kathmandu, reasonable prices, I'll definitely be back. —soledad101
2008-04-14 10:30:31 I made my first visit to this restaurant (under any name) this past weekend and left wondering why it had taken me so long. Our meal was an unequivocally enjoyable experience. The clientele were uncomfortably sparse on this warm Saturday afternoon, but that did not deter our server from being dutiful, pleasant, and efficient: he was attentive without being overbearing. The dining room was peaceful, clean, and the background music was loud enough to set an appropriate atmosphere, but not so blaring (as seems to be the minimum norm these days) as to be annoying and precluding of quiet table conversation. The menu was interesting and diverse; the numerous vegetarian options were a welcome sight. The vegetarian platter appetizer was sizeable enough to have been a meal in itself. As our entrees came with large portions of rice as well, we ended up taking home a considerable care package of naan, in addition to that which we took home internally. Our request for "medium" spice fell a mite short of the bite we anticipated, but as this was our first visit we can now adjust our request to the restaurant's particular spice scale. Some may complain that the prices are excessive. This is not a cheap eats spot, but is well within the norm for a sit-down restaurant. I have no complaints and will undoubtedly return...some time this week. —Cassandrasdad
2008-04-28 20:06:02 Very dissapointing. I visited this restaurant after reading mostly positive reviews, in mid April. The atmosphere was nice, but the food was very overpriced for what it was. I got the chickpea curry, and it was very small for $10 ( maybe because I come from Fremont, where good plentiful Indian food is everywhere =)), but it was NOTHING special. Also my boyfriend ordered the Chicken stirfry ( told him not to) and it was at least 70% onions! The menu stated a variety of vegetables but the majority was onions, with 6 pieces of chicken.. The waitress also completely ignored us most of the time, and was not attentive at all despite the restaurant being half empty. DO NOT GO, very dissapointg service, food, the atmosphere was the only positive aspect.
Will never go back! —sgent
2008-06-01 16:38:27 this place answered my cravings for indian food. try the butter curry with the chicken like they suggested, except dont make it spicy at all. In my opinion the food is better when its not too spicy. I never had Lassi before but it was interesting. The service was great but it was pretty empty when My friend and I went. The somosas and tamarind sauce is so good and flavorful. I definitely want to come back here, except my wallet is empty :( —chand3123k
2008-06-16 18:26:46 Sadly, it appears that Indyna is closed, after nearly two weeks of a "closed for kitchen repair" sign on the door. During the first year at King Hall, torts professor Margaret Johns tells students that if a restaurant has a "closed for remodeling" sign, it means it's out of business. Unfortunately, it looks like Jerry has given up on Indian food in Davis and returned to his focus on Gaesorn, his Thai restaurant in downtown Sacramento. —ScottLay
2008-07-12 19:55:45 I think they are completely closed, it's sad!!!! —song
2008-07-12 20:00:56 I remember going by here some time ago and overhearing the owners talking with some sort of person who appeared to be an inspector saying that certain changes needed to be made (I'm guessing to keep things in code and/or legal). I'm guessing these changes weren't made... —SunjeetBaadkar
2009-03-17 15:45:43 WHYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHYYY! I guess its time to move on = ( —chand3123k
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