Reviews of India Star (Restaurant)

Dana Walker

Love that chicken tikka Masala!

Lee Antoinette

Good food and friendly staff. Price is reasonable and food taste good.

Ken Hale

I've been coming here since before they moved to this location. Consistent quality my "go to" Indian food place. Very much yum!

BraveHomme H

We went in with a lot of expectation..but came back with as much frustration. The food quality/taste is lousy. My friend ordered a kebab platter..and it came with rubber hard fish and can-not-cut-with-knife lamb kebabs. When we complained about the same..we were told that it is a different 'lamb'..a different 'fish'. No apologies tendered. Probably by 'different' he actually meant 'stale'. Dal makhani we ordered was so sweet as if somebody had put sugar in it. If not for KF beer, we probably wouldn't have survived the dinner.. thankfully they had no part in brewing it. Seriously not a place to spend your dollars..

Sultan Zamzami

Please, like my review if you found any of these: Uncomfortable, poor and unfriendly environment, and service at all ways. Poor meat quality. They count what you eat exactly. Less quantity.

Jeremy Sylvis

This is one of my favorite Indian restaurants in the area.

Sahib Qureshi

Decent food at good prices

Kathleen Schiltz

Great food! The staff were very willing to talk to me about the food and how things were made. Loved it! Would recommend it to anyone!

Kendrick Epping III

I waited over an hour an a half for my food ! I'll never go there again!

Andrew Nixon

Good Indian food. Can be slow at times.

Carrie Hill

Food was great! Clean restaraunt.

William Lane

Delicious Indian cuisine, excellent service.

K3N1977

The go-to place for Indian cuisine!

Farfum Ladroma

Great food and service. Will come back again.

Logun Buckley

The lunch buffet is great!

Judi Bohn

Took over an hour to get our food. Very very cold in the restaurant. Bring a jacket if you plan on eating inside!!

Katrease Schaff

Vegetable Samosas were beautifully crispy on the outside and wonderfully spiced on the inside. Chicken vindaloo was perfectly seasoned and tasted delicious. Nice staff that understands the balance between efficient customer service and giving guests space to enjoy their meal. All around was a great experience, will definitely go again.

Jonathan Bond

Delicious! Even my picky children love eating here and always empty their plates!

Amitabh Srivastava

Not great Indian food

jhooy kolasse

healthy food for less. If you are vegetarian, you will find your MEAT here. Lol. I love this place.

mx2118

Simply the best food in des moines! Having tried various Indian restaurants throughout the country and in England and Spain, I can easily say this is my absolute favorite place to eat. The service is always good and the food is delicious! If you're nervous about trying "spicy food" or something new/ different- you have no need, the food can be mild and spiced to your personal taste. I can't reccomend India Star highly enough, just amazing!!!

Rana Attiq

One of the best restaurants in Des Moines. Delicious Food. Ice cream and and spicy food awesome

Hamdi Abukar

This was my first time eating here I would not suggest India Star for anyone. Tajmahal Indian Restaurant in Urbandale is waaaay better than India Star.

Arvind Anand

Good food. Not much vegetarian variety

Trent Thomas

Great place for great Indian food and drinks! First time? Try the Chicken Makhany, naan bread and a Flying Horse to wash it down.

Robert Pittman

Quick and fast lunch buffet. Good service, not to busy. Vegetable balls were great.

Nikki Slack

I've been eating here since before they moved into their current location, and the food is always delicious and the service is very good too. Reasonably priced with lots of vegetarian options.

Bryan Welch

Excellent Indian buffet with good service and reasonable price. Consistently good food for several years now.

Jill Oldham

Amazing food 5 stars! Pretty slow service 4 stars

Hunter Lause

Excellent food, superb service

Erin Miller

Good food perfect portions. I miss living close enough to go Here regularly. Chicken curry and garlic naan is my favorite.

Kathleen Wells

Nice place for an out-of-the-ordinary meal. Knowledgeable, kind staff, incredible food! Try the lunch buffett during the week to find out what your favorite is.

JULIUS OLWENY

Excellent customer service, cheapest buffet in Des Moines yet very delicious and yummy!

Chandra Chevuru

Good food but the buffet menu is always the same!

Gregory Ingram

The previous time I tried India Star I was underwhelmed, to say it nicely. Today I thought I'd give it another try, and couldn't believe my eyes: there were just TWO meat dishes and the other 6 were vegetarian. Chicken curry and Tandoori chicken was it. Seriously? Other restaurants have at least 6 meat options or more. I didn't even bother sitting down to eat, and will not be returning. Amaravati and Lazaza will remain my go-to's.

Russ Baugh

Consistently excellent food at reasonable price. Authentic

Lauren Hill

My favorite Indian restaurant, and favorite Des Moines restaurant period. Good vegan selection and the staff are knowledgeable about which dishes and sides are also vegan. My favorite is the mushroom mataar. Takes a little time to get your food, but that's because they make everything fresh for each order. Staff is super friendly, but quiet and unobtrusive. Love this place!

Hari Krishna Gaddipati

I liked methi chicken only, but this time they spoiled that taste aswell. Quantity is also very less. Charged us for small cup of gravy. Money minded, not worried about customers and their satisfaction.

Art Olson

Delicious food and Great Service! Highly recommend you try it out if you haven't already.

Ahmed Al Kinani

Love the buffet every day, good food in a fair price. Will go there in future definitely.

Matthew Favors

Just go and be happy for once in your life!

Mike Dixon

Wow! Simply amazing! Enough said.

Beedhya Brae

Could be better

Kat Rich

I have been a couple times for the buffet and it was really tasty. There are a good number of options including meat and vegetarian dishes.

Rick Holland

The lunch buffet today was disappointing. I haven't been to this restaurant in years but wanted Indian food. When I was leaving, I asked if I could've ordered something off the menu but they said No on Fridays and Saturdays during the buffet.

Jessie Lemos

It is always a great meal to eat there friendly people and awesome food

Charles Lijadu

Great place to eat wonderful staff welcoming environment and yes good food

Daniel me

If you like mideastern food for a low price, come in for lunch. I love their na'an!

cody bancroft

Very flavorful and delicious food. Super tender meat. Good prices. The coffee float is really good too

Karen Barker

Ok at best, nothing spectacular. Certainly not worth the 4.2 star rating it currently has. We'd been here once years ago and were underwhelmed but decided to give it another try. We allowed an hour to dine before our movie and still barely made it. It was super early... We got there about 5:15pm and there were only a couple other patrons in the place. We knew we were on a time crunch, so we skipped an appetizer and just ordered entrees within about ten minutes. Then the wait began. We waited while two other tables came in about 10 and 20 minutes after we did and proceeded to order. We waited while phone orders were taken and told it'd be ready in 20 minutes. We wanted while the latter of the aforementioned tables got their appetizer. We waited while those phone orders came and picked up their purchases. Then, we waited some more. About 40 minutes into our wait, I began to get nervous and contemplate our bail point. When would we need to Chuck some money down for our lassis and leave to be able to make our showtime? At 30 minutes until the movie (50 minutes into the wait) our food finally arrived. We immediately asked the server for a to-go box and a check, since we only had a few minutes to eat before we had to dash. He seemed surprised, but offered no apology for the nearly-hour wait. He did bring us boxes right away, but no check, though he did bring our neighbors (you know, the ones who ordered twenty minutes after we did?) Their food immediately after we got ours. So we quickly ate a portion and stowed the rest in the box.... Still without the requested check (the server was busy discussing a catering order with another server and a customer) so we went to stand at the cash register so we could pay. Again, he seemed flustered and eventually found our check so we could escape. I'm not sure if they lost our order or if it just gets less priority than take out, but, if they can't handle non-buffet dine-in customers, maybe they should just do take out except for during buffet times But what about the food? It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't memorable. We asked for medium spice level, but it was super bland, almost like they forgot. The spice blend was ... Ok. I suppose that, if this is all you have access to, it's maybe acceptable. It's not Taste of India in Cedar Rapids. Or Seva, Korma Sutra, and India Palace (to name a few) in Kanses City. We'll take our leftovers, add some more vegetables, and definitely more spices, to it and it will be nicer than what we had tonight. I'm also not one to care about decor if the food is tasty, but our 50 minute wait left a lot of time to stare at the walls. The space seems run down and could use some personality. Right now, if you walked in without looking closely at the few prints on the wall, it could be any generic restaurant. I don't think it needs to be over the top or kitchy, but some personality beyond bland walls.

Jimmy Moore

Friendly service and good food. The veggie korma is top-notch as is the chicken curry.

1995 Toyota Camry

Best indian food i have ever had easily

Jim & Kristin Fotia

Tasty food. Very spotty service.

Ivan Guerra

30 min wait for take-out. Small portions.. Mediocre Indian food.. Friendly staff..

Alexander Whitlow

Always amazing everytime I go!

FM Guez

The management at this place is poor. When any feedback is provided regarding the service or food, they only laugh it out, that is it. Not concerned about customer satisfaction. They provide such less quantities of food for the price they charge and its not worth it for the taste. They even charged an additional amount for a bowl of plain gravy which was less than a cup of tea or coffee as well. Not worth the hype and price.

Sonya Peters

Small portions. Basically was 90% gravy...paid 13.99 for a small container of rice and a bunch of gravy. Had probably 5 pieces of chicken and too much gravy. Not worth it. Better places around Des Moines. Spend your money elsewhere.

chay v

For the price the food is afforded its a great place

Neal Douglas S.

Wonderful food and lovely staff!

BopEMU WORTY316

Not bad, pretty good, not the best Tika masala if had but definitely not the worst

Fana Teffera

Delicious food and friendly service.

Kunal M

I went here for lunch. The buffet had few options. The spice level is very mild. If you want real indian food, certainly this is not the restaurant.

Greg Christie

Best Indian food in town. The restaurant is awesome and staff is very friendly. Great selection for whatever your feeling. From beef to vegetarian they have choices for everyone. Prices are very reasonable for the portions you receive. The appetizers are amazing as well. Though spice is a little less then what I was expecting taste was always there.

Melissa Reyerson

My favorite Indian restaurant in Des Moines. The staff here are super friendly and they have great service. It is a wonderful place for vegans/vegetarians as they have everything labeled and a large vegan menu. The Taj Mahal beer pairs perfectly with the mushroom marsala. Delicious!

David Johnson

Inexpensive lunch buffet.

Amanda Reeder

always great food and very great service

Beth Hainline

Delicious and not too spicy. Attentive staff. Love the Naan bread. Buffet is just right.

Nate Beem

Friendly staff, and they were nice to our angry baby. We have been the only customers every time we've visited, which might not be to everyone's taste. Food was good, if not extraordinary.

Jacqueline Folsom

Hungry? Appetizer

Steve Liao

Took 45 mins for food, small portions, asked for more rice and it never came. Never checked on our food; absolutely terrible service. Preferred lamb curry and it was dry and cold. Dissapointing.

fanax lajeclow

Best Indian restaurant in town , very delicious food.... yum yum

julianne loiuse

Delicious food. For me, the best indian restaurant in town. I always order the chicken tikka masala. I highly recommend it.

Nitin Mohan

Worst Indian Buffet experience ever. We have had Indian buffets at about 10 states in the US, and this was by far the worst. From food choices, taste to prices, everything was terrible. We never understood who was actually cooking this food, and serving it as Indian food. To top it off, its wayyyyyyyy pricey.

Matthew Diehl

The food is amazing. Just get yourself a Taj-Mahal or some other adult beverage because you will most likely be waiting for awhile. Some people would not give a 5-Star rating for this reason, but I just take it as I need to have different expectations. Take the time to have a conversation with your guest and expect to wait 45 minutes at least. When the food arrives, it more than makes up for the delay.

Shailendra Rae

Nothing good, nothing bad. Unfortunately none of the Indian Cuisine restaurants do any mentionable justice to the cuisine.

Nitin

Really good finger licking food

Nick Canney

Great lunch buffet and for only 8 bucks! Changes day to day. If they have it the spinach with Indian style cheese is amazing!

PC Patel

Appearance is good from inside. They are serving all curries in very tiny plates per se when you serve your kids a meal . They don’t care about customers feedback.It is very expensive for what they are giving. Food is not worth spending more money. If you really want to have authentic Indian taste then sacrifice your 15 mins by driving to wdm and go to Persis. You would never regret.

Shawn Rife

FANTASTIC PLACE!! FANTASTIC PEOPLE!!

Faisal Rahman

It's not the best Indian restaurants. But there are only few in Des Moines so I am glad that I could eat here. The food is ok. The sitting arrangement is ok. The lamb is halal and off course all vegetarian dishes are halal.

Chris Gibbons

This was my first experience with Indian food. Wanted to try something different. Saw they had a lunch buffet and decided to stop in and check it out. It was amazing!!!! The tandoori chicken was smokey and moist. The curry was rich and flavorful. The chickpeas had a little heat and bold flavor. The lentils were just to die for. I will most certainly be back. Restaurant was clean and the service was very fast and friendly. A must try for those looking for something new or who love good Indian food.

Gary Lange

Great veggie somosas!

M E

So tasty. Best Indian rice in town.

Abdelrahman Homedan

Excellent food! A lot of great options in their lunch buffet for a reasonable price! The staff is very friendly and professional.

Ben Bjork

Pretty decent lunch buffet, if you're into that kind of thing. I look forward to stopping by during dinner hours to see how the made-to-order food is.

Amanda Huffman

The food here is delicious and reasonably priced. There are also a lot of vegetarian options . Make sure if you are coming with a big party to call ahead of time. The place is kinda small and can get busy especially during the lunch buffet.

jacob Paul

The food here is always exceptional. They do it right!

Matthew R Eslick

This was my first time at this restaurant for dinner--I've had their above-average lunch buffet numerous times. I was with some Indian food newbies, and the server was very patient in explaining what the various food dishes were, and what to avoid for those averse to spicy foods. I ordered a chicken dish, which came out with the exact amount of spice to make me happy. The desserts were phenomenal, and worth a try for the adventurous. My only knock on this restaurant is that the food took a while to come out, so I wouldn't come here if you're in a rush.

Priyanka Biala

OMG !! Just love the food here ! Best Indian Restaurant in Des monies!

Rev. Dr. Al Adams

Great food selection!

Dana R

Horrible customer service. Not so good food. Waiter ignores you and if you didn't tip he will leave you waiting by the door until he is done so you can pay and leave

Anand Raghuraman

Decent Indian food in Des Moines.

Myessa Nagi

I've been coming here since they were located on Beaver Ave. They have great food and great service. Guys are super friendly. I'm never disappointed with my food decision or the buffet. One of my favorite little joints.

Daniel Ripley

Delicious food and amazing service from a great waiter with quite the professional atmosphere, so long as you have the time to enjoy it.

Marcia Rima

We love the lunch buffet!

Ana Dixit

Their lunch buffet is a little subpar but my favorite thing is to get the "Thali" which lets you pick two entrées. Check the back of the menu to find the option. It comes with yogurt, rice, naan, salad, and a dessert. It lets you try multiple dishes at the same time. Definitely part of the clean plate club after a meal here!

Katie Nelson

Forever loyal to my favorites restaurant

David Coryell

A fun little gem. No frills straight Indian food. And just the kind you want. Go get it.

Amanda Backous

Food was amazing, staff very friendly, decently priced! We'll be returning for sure

Sean Wright

Excellent naan and keema matar. A long time favorite.

Andrew Sullivan

Great flavors.

Karen Smith

Food is always great! People here are amazing, friendly and my daughter and I really enjoy the atmosphere.

Brad Bales

Excellent food and service. Will definitely be back.

Victoriano Aquino

I ordered food to go. They said it would be 30 minutes. I got to the restaurant, at the 30 minute mark, and they haven’t even started making it. This, Making me wait another 10. Treat your customers the same as if I dined in. It shouldn’t take 40 minutes to make 1 dish - especially when it would take no more than 20 if I dined in.

Stacy Thornton

This is my absolute favorite Indian cuisine place ever. I will travel 2+ hours just to eat here. I cannot think of a single dish I haven't liked. The prices are really good as well as the generous portions. It doesn't look like much from the street view, but the food is what counts.

BB U

Very good good ! Nice place

Nolan Scott

Great food but the service was pretty slow when we were there

Noah Pirozzi

Decent Indian food. Medium spicy not spicy is not spicy.

Hunter Cook

Great service and pretty good buffet even though it doesn't have the biggest selection.

Jacob Ayala

Probably some of the best Indian food I've had in Des Moines.

kanna pandu

The most worst restaurant !!! Very very rude staff and mannerless people. That hefty person there doesn't even have minimum hospitality ... food wise very bad ! Pls avoid this place . Curry express is multiple times better ...

Mike Savits

Not impressed. Overcooked chicken, portions too small for price point, 12 dollars for a chicken breast, a quarter of an onion, 3 slices of green pepper and two lemon wedges. 3 dollars for dry nan bread lightly sprinkled with garlic and a drizzle of oil, no sauce to dip in. Servicewas ok, and food came out fast. A one time place for me.

Sum Moore

Tastee

Brett Antczak

Pretty good food, just not a big selection at the buffet. Building is a bit outdated but still looks nice. Friendly staff. We were in and out quickly and worked great as a quick bite to eat before heading to the airport.

Hannah Shaik

Food is super good

Chris Lauck

Excellent service and food highly recommended

Coley Monster

Great food, always fresh even on the buffet.

Phylicia Fitzsimons

Great food. Quite on most week nights. I enjoy eating here alone or bringing a date. Staff is very nice and helpful.

Pinky Kasotia

Good healthy food - less oil, less spicy. My son and his son and wife go there every Saturday.

Jen Noe

Waiter really friendly, good variety of food choices, very few dishes to worry about with my nut allergy, lots of vegetarian options. Dishes a little smaller than other restaurants we've been too but definitely a good size for the meal itself.

Nel Nel

If I could give 0 stars I would. Went here once maybe 3-4 years ago and left disgusted. I still cringe whenever I drive by it. Had the shrimp tandoori - I kid you not it was 3 small shrimp (NOT jumbo) and a quarter of a bell pepper. Literally that is what I got for $12. The other person had some kind of mixed meat platter - obviously OLD meat, dry, half of it was cold, some tasted like dish detergent...it was so bad that its funny now. Weird place, our server had dandruff so bad that I actually watched it fly off his head and onto our food....needless to say we left hungry. I'm surprised the place has such good reviews - maybe new owners/staff?

Amanda Jackson

Food is absolutely delicious!!! And the staff are amazing. I recommend trying their lunch buffet too

Dana Bohan

Really excellent Indian food. Extremely consistent, varied menu, absolute gem on the Des Moines area. Highly recommended.

Denise Diaz

My number 1 pick for Indian food. I love this place. Great food and wonderful service. Locally owned. Great lunch buffet as well.

Jeremy Phillips

We love the chicken makhani. The chicken sag walla and chicken curry are also excellent.

Nick Slade

Had the lunch buffet a few times and have really enjoyed it. Small but delicious selection, reasonably priced. They have a good selection of beers too.

Steve Rivera

Great tasting food ...friendly service but slow getting food to the table. Could use some updating... but again great tasting food , will definitely come again.

Aaron Strong

India star is by far the best Indian joint in the Des Moines area! I highly recommend anyone to try this place for their great food, great service, and great prices!

Danny Challis

Slow and not the best atmosphere but very tasty!

Annabel Naglak

Great flavor!! Will definitely come again when I'm in the area.

Hamid Awan

Nice decent Indian restaurant

TiktokPhComplenation

Most of the food is very delicious and my favorite is their milk cake and their chicken curry

shani h amin

Good food in town

Ahraz Husain

Amazing, authentic food; great folks; love eating here.

william spencer

Good buffet but some what limited on options.

Alma Silva

We went to the resturaunt with 9 people. They were unwilling to sit us together. The server told us to wait for another party to leave to accommodate us. We had to leave because they were unwilling to service us after repeatedly asking them too plus their servers are too busy on their phones to give their customers refills. Extremely bad service, they lost a customer.

Krishna Bharati

Great food, weekend buffet is pretty cheap $7.99

Esther Canas

Good customer service, very affordable price,very clean

Alicia O'Connell

Everything is super tasty, lots of vegetarian options!

Frankie Hughes

Too delicious to express.

Josh E.

This place doesn't look that good from the outside but is actually pretty nice inside. The food is also good but not great.

Mickala Elwell

Food is amazing and the service is good. However it did take a long time to get our food. Great place to eat of you arent in a hurry.

JUSTIN DYAR

Love the chicken biryani! Great with an order of murg naan. One of my weekly staples.

Mou Bhattacharya

Quantity is very less as compared to other Indian restaurants. Even taste wise the food is not good. NOT at all value for money.

David Buttz

I am very disappointed. I came to dine here on Monday July 3rd at 8:50 pm. The website said they are open until 9:30. The sign on the door says they are open until 9 30 yet they told me they were closed because it was a slow night and refused me service. I normally have great experience here. My family ran restaurants for 20 years and as long as a customer walked in the door before closing time, we served them. It is hard to find true customer service in this day and age. I may find another Indian restaurant to patronize.

Lance R

I've been coming to India Star for years. The food is always excellent. Service is kind and courteous. Try there lunch buffet, it's fast and you will leave with your belly satisfied on a variety of quality dishes from there menu.

Kristen McCaslin

Love this place!

Jared Brees

Food and service are always top-notch. My favorite dish is the navratan korma. Sometimes you can get burfi for dessert if you ask, though it's not on the menu.

Jimmy Franco

This is my favorite indian spot anywhere because the food is very tasty and not oily!! I love all indian food, even if it is oily, but this place doesnt give me a feeling that a big greasy meal does because their food is so clean.

Zairem Renthlei

As an Indian national heres my review of their food: 1. The food was bland and tasteless. I couldn't taste the any spices. 2. The buffet had a very limited selection. 3. The chicken was undercooked. This is a very poor representation of Indian food.

Hemant Thaman

India Star is the only place I go to eat for indian food whenever I come in Des Moines, have travelled all mid west and tried the best rated places in other metros, India Star shines - hands down :), coming here since 07. They serve authentic indian cuisine and since its family owned they have maintained their taste since started. food quality 5/5 ambience 4/5

Cody Fredericks

Food was good and service was quick. I would have preferred the curry be spicier, but they are catering to Iowans, still gave me a sweat though. Good experience.

Dean Wheeler

Very clean bathroom, nice decor. Potato and greenbean dish was delectable. Fresh salad and fruit. Fancy rice, good bread.

Vedran Djuric

The food here form my experience has been great. Every time I go, I try to get something different. I've pretty much went through all of their lamb dishes, and my recommendation would be the lamb sagwala and a side of the flat bread with cauliflower. The bad reviews I've read on here seem to be from people who were there during buffeit hours, and I've never been there for their buffeit, but lunch and dinner. I've never had a bad experience with the food, and the waiters seem friendly enough, plus I've looked in the kitchen before when one of the waiters walked back there, and from a quick glance, it looks really clean! All in all a cozy atmosphere, and great food.

Chris Peterson

The food and service was amazing.

Robert Schulte

The food is great ....the decor not so much

Robert Sheeder

Lunch buffet is a quick, affordable, and delicious meal. Dinner menu is even better.