Reviews of Shalimar India (Restaurant)

Glencairn 04

Indian Restaurants are few and far between in New England, so we were delighted to find this one in Portsmouth. It's a nice restaurant, but we were a little disappointed with some of the things we ordered, but that can be down to interpretation. What we Brits call hot is quite mild in parts of the US.

Aruntej Kothapalli

Not a trendy place but a good atmosphere. Nice for families to dine in. Taste of the food is good. Seems a bit pricey. Good staff. Tried mixed biryani which i feel is a different dish from other Indian restaurants and You can customize it. It tasted good. Limited parking. You can find a paid parking very near.

Shepperd Luce

The food is fantastic! Service was excellent and attentive. If you are in Portsmouth and like Indian food this place is a must.

Mary Offerman

The food was delicious! The service was wonderful, their wine pour was generous, the food came out hot and at the same time.Shalimar India is wonderful.

Kenneth Conti

Great service! Generous portions. Will come back next time I'm in the area!

Hannah Sheridan

Delicious. Every time. No matter what you order. Friendly, family-run feel. Excellent customer service.

Andy Pinzhoffer

I had a couple problems while I was there. The wife and I were super excited to come here because we were really craving some naan bread. We ordered a couple entrees (and fancy naan, of course) and they came out without the bread. We were assured it was coming, but we had almost finished our meals before it did. A small thing but naan was made for dipping, and serving it after the meal was a let down. The entrees were tasty and the rice was good. We asked for the leftovers to-go and I asked for another order of rice (we finished most of it with the entrees). They packed and stapled the to-go bag but I should've checked it. No rice. If this was a small takeout type place maybe I could let this slide, but this is a sit down restaurant and the meal wasn't cheap.

Carolyn R

Just got back from Shalimar and we were very pleased with our first visit to this restaurant. It does live up to its reputation. We have recently moved to Portsmouth from the west coast and are trying a lot of restaurants in the area for the first time. Shalimar was not only the best Indian food I've ever had, it is one of the best ethnic food experiences I've ever had as well. The mild food was mild, the spicy was spicy and everything was delicious. I had been underwhelmed by Indian food before, but now I feel I understand what everyone is raving about - it really is that good! I also want to point out that it was very affordable ($40 for 2 people including drinks, specialty bread, entrees and dessert), a big bonus in a town with so many very expensive restaurants. Try it out! You won't regret it. PS: Wonderful service. The best in town, perhaps.

Paul Gibula

Very good okra curry. Good punjabi style food.

sabaa mohsin

Very good food and friendly staff

Ryan Schwartz

I'm torn on this review. The food is very, very good. But the service is VERY, VERY bad. The place was nearly empty and and the two servers spent much more time cleaning and wrapping silverware than they did paying attention to my small table and me. Truely upsetting. Sorry to say we won't be back.

Colton Westover

Do yourself a huge favor and get the Royal Dinner for One(/Two). It's only 26$(/$50) and you get a delicious Masala tea, enough food to take home for dinner the next day, AND a dessert.

Genevieve Gray

This establishment is easily one of the top 3 restaurants in down town Portsmouth. It has one of he best and most welcoming atmospheres and their wait staff is super friendly. I've been here dozens of times and they have always gotten my food out in under 20 minutes, even when busy. The food is outstanding. It's rich, flavorful and served in generous portions. There are plenty of options for vegetarians too. I always go out of my way to visit.

Cole Tuininga

Very good food and EXTREMELY friendly staff. As a vegetarian, I usually have quite a few options at Indian restaurants and Shalimar did not disappoint.

Jim Guthrie

Great food and service. Lots of vegan options.

Darshan Bangalore Satyamurthy

Great food and excellent service! Loved all the dishes we had ordered.

Georges Lambert

A classic! Great good, excellent service and friendly staff!

Marieange Raimond

Food was good. Waiting sucked

Dave Bochichio

Delicious authentic Indian food with some menu items that I've not seen commonly in an average Indian restaurant. Highly recommend.

Melissa Emberger

Delightful meals! Very nice experience all around! Try the Royal Dinner if you have a chance.

Morgan Leininger

Shalimar is one of the best Indian restaurants in NH. The food is fresh, delicately flavored, and delicious. The service is friendly and prompt, and the atmosphere is comfortable and spacious.

Andrew Tomas

The best Indian restaurant in Portsmouth

Nyan

Excellent! It was better than the place in Dover; yes it's little more expensive considering the location and there was a bit of a wait but the staff was very friendly and accommodating. Maybe a small thing but very clean place, and the water was really good (for some reason). The food was excellent! The curry was richer, had wide variety of flavors with spices and cream so it was just the kind of curry I was looking for. (I'm reading a lot of reviews that's pretty apparent they don't understand Indian cultures in general.) This place and Sake not too far away sure ranks very high in terms of overall quality and experience! The price is a bit higher though so just keep that in mind.

Naved Ansari

Good food, the portions are a tad small for the price. The place is clean and quiet.

Randy Bunnell

Good food, pleasant staff, just not as tasty as Tulsi.

Christopher Carnett

Good Indian food with a decent buffet spread on Fridays.

Abhi Abhilash

If you are a biryani lover, Never visit this place.

Lucas Perry

This is one of the best indian restaurants in the country - hands down. I've traveled extensively and eaten at many indian restaurants. This place is a gem to behold. And they're not pretentious in the least. The plates and silverware are incredibly authentic, the owners are lovely - "the real deal" . Right in downtown portsmouth too!

sunny mishra

Food wad pathetic and so as the service. Lady owner was quite arrogant with a customer who was giving frank feedback about food. Navratan corma looked and tasted like the curry gets served in hospital and masala paneer looked and tasted like paneer dipped in tomato catchup. Who the hell put broccoli in biryaani...it tasted like crap. When we asked to make biryani spicy..they simply sprinkled chilly powder. Will never go there again.

Cheri

Lost 2 very loyal customers! Will never go back after the way we were treated. Use to live in Kittery & have been a patron of Shalimar for 2 years . Recently moved to North Berwick but still made the drive from North Berwick to Portsmouth only to walk in the door after a long drive to be completely ignored. After being ignored the 1 waitress came over & told us she had to clear some tables & we needed to wait. The restaurant was an absolute sea of open & clean set tables! Everywhere you looked there were available tables. It was absurd she left us to wait longer. After leaving us we were basically forgotten for a long time. The waitress should have just told us to leave & they don't want customers because that was certainly how it felt. Didn't feel welcomed at all. Finally a waiter came & grunted at us to go to the table right next to the door. Restaurant was pretty empty but we were given the worst table in restaurant. He doesn't even seat us properly, doesn't give us menus! Just leaves us to wait for a 3rd time. We felt at this point we should just get up & walk out. Drove all that way to be treated so poorly. After eating we asked for the bill & our food to be packed twice & no one ever helped us. We had to go & get the containers & do it ourselves. All this while the 1 waitress stood & chit chatted for a very long time with a patron. She didn't care others were waiting & dissatisfied. Restaurant must be under new management or something has changed as the vibe is basically we don't care if you come to our restaurant or not. You lost 2 very loyal customers. You won't get our money ever again & we will tell all our friends & family.

bscottb8

Great staff, amazing food, Friday lunch buffet is one of the best around.

Hamad Zaheer

We ordered the lamb biryani. Lamb was good but I didn't like the rice. I was kind of burnt and didn't taste good. Also ordered the nan. The nan was burned at the bottom.

Erica Rock

BEST indian food!! I have gone to counteless indian restaurants and this one is hands down amazing.

alfredo chapelliquen

Above average Indian restaurant and the prices are decent.

Kyle L

A misunderstanding was quickly resolved. Greatly appreciate the swift response.

Rosalin Mangaraj

Loved the food Kheer and kulfi was yummy

Brie Bourn

This place is so good!

Ted Hobson

Very, very basic decor but very good Indian cooking by a family who cares. A Burlington institution.

ajay more

India in New England. If you are really a taste lover try this place

Donna Hylton

Great food!

Peter Stanhope

Best food from India in seacoast and we Always have some left over to take home.

brielle8383

Excellent food!! I am never disappointed when I come here and I have been coming here for almost 20 years.

Salvatore Coraccio IV

Let me start with a strings of quotes that my wife and I produced candidly while dining here for our first time. "I think we should move to India. " " I'm eating an irresponsible amount of food, but I can't stop. " "This is the closest I've felt to God in my life, and it's the wrong god!" "This place has takeout!? " " This is delicious. " Other noteworthy things : Service was excellent and informative of the menu. Went at night, it was dark inside, comically so- but its about the food here for sure.

Cave Bear

Hands down Shalimar has the best Indian food! Everything I've ever eaten there - and we often go a few times a week - has been well spiced and delicious, from the chicken korma to the saag. Much, much better than Tulsi for both food and service. Great food, amazing service, and it's affordable. Better than any of the Indian restaurants we've tried in NYC and Boston.

Jake

Great food. Great service

Nabil Al Nahin Chowdhury

Tasty food and good service.

Scott Morash

Lunch Buffet very tasty, responsible price.

Piyush Singh

Average/. Please never order chappati here.

Coco ThePoopCatDog

Great food, make sure you try and attend their yearly buffet, it will be crowded and you will wait for a table, but it is absolutely worth it.

Rod Bowles

Food prepared delicately, service excellent

Pierre Durand

Friendly staff. No expert on Indian cuisine, but thought the food was very good.

mounika n

Worst food any one can take...! I ordered panneer biryani last night and that was the worst biryani I ever ate in my life. Me and my friend both had stomachache after eating the biryani. Though we had only few spoons of it. Food was completely spoiled.

Martha Hernandez

My Husband and I are in new Hampshire for vacation and have eaten from here twice, Great food! Second time i ordered they messed my order up but the manager went out of her way to make it right. Customer service is superb! Thanks again!!

Sohil Gala

Good Indian food, they definitely make food Indian "HOT". Quick service and good number of vegetarian options as well.

Lee Dunn

I had the lamb samosas, onion kulcha, and a chicken curry that I can't remember the name of (it was gingery and delicious!). Everything was fantastic! The dishes my friends got were equally amazing.

Mike Maven

Excellent food, kind staff.

Rob R

Amazing!

Chris Patey

Everything was fantastic. We had the Garlic Nan, one of the lamb dishes and the tandor mixer platter. This was more than enough for my wife and I. The medium heat on the platter was not overly spicy and everything came out perfectly cooked (not dried out). The interior was a bit dark for my liking but it wasn't without it's charm. The service was great. I'm pretty sure I butchered some of the pronunciations but the server was kind enough not to let it show. They were attentive and kind. We will definitely be going back.

Amanda M

We stopped in for a late lunch and shared the chicken tikka masala and naan. By far the best tikka masala we have had--so creamy and delicious!

Capri Singh

Shai Paneer and garlic naan. An awesome combination! Don't forget the mango lassi!

Deepak Pant

Good food, great location, great customer service. Decent portion sizes.

John Dillon

I love Shalimar. I make sure to eat here whenever I'm in Portsmouth. Great food and great staff

Brad Dowding

Friday buffet is awesome.

ItsTheSheppy

Though the food was expensive for a lunch menu, it was tasty and there was plenty on my plate to leave me full and satisfied. The taste didn't floor me, but it was still good, so it's not a perfect score, but really good all the same.

Memewalker B

My granddaughter heads back to college tomorrow. We topped off the summer with a LOVELY lunch at Shalimar. The food was delicious and the service was really pleasant. The rose ice cream was to die for!

Danika Jarvis

I try to eat at an Indian restaurant whenever I'm traveling. This is one, if not the best, that I've come across. The fresh curry leaves and onion chutney were a splendid treat! Food was top notch!

Haley Maynard

Absolutely amazing food!

Aaron Miller

Right in the heart of downtown Portsmouth, we all had a great meal. I generally order Vegetable Biryani where ever I go. The dish here wasn't as good as other places I've been to, but definitely good. If you order a dish here as "hot," prepared for the spice level to be over the top. I could handle it, but others may not. My partner and friends were all really satisfied with their dishes. And yes, the staff were super friendly!

kindflowproduction

Tasty dinner

Paul Gilbert

Always good food

Andrew Sylvia

Portions were very small for the prices they expected. The quality of the meal was just ok, but the portion downgraded it to below average. Taste of India in nearby Dover is a better deal.

Nadim Farah

I liked their food and they had generous serving of wine and good service and fair prices but on lunch they close too often

Eugene Corey

Great food with lots of vegetarian and vegan option

William Pentland

Excellent food, terrific ambience and reasonable prices. Parking is a bit of a headache but otherwise this was a great experience.

Xavier S

Authentic and delicious. Friendly staff, relaxing atmosphere and very quick with the food. I’ll be back when I’m next in town.

Avinash PERINGOTH

To Go..

SHARMAN MAHONEY

What a good Indian restaurant. Simply scrumptious and reasonably priced

Katrina Ahuja

This is an incredible Indian restaurant. The moment I stepped in the door, the decor and smells transported me back to India. They have great affordable lunch specials. The Masala Chai tea is perfectly authentic. All of the food was delicious and tasted like it was shipped express from India. The staff is warm and friendly. The portions are generous. It's amazing that such an authentic place exists in Portsmouth!

Scott Forte

Awesome food! Buffet on Fridays is Amazing :)

Jason Nadeau

The people here are absolutely fantastic. Great food and service. Nice intimate setting, perfect for a birthday date. They are also willing to answer questions.

Sarah Patey

I love Indian food, always have. Shalimar India provides great food and great service. Highly recommend. Certainly will be going back!

Ryan Johnson

Good food for the most part, Staff a bit strange or sluggish at times.

Dawn DeCoste

Love the curry! Curry chicken was a teeny bit dry the last couple times I've gotten it, but the lamb is phenomenal! Love all the naan choices, too.

Erik Johnson

Best Indian food in New Hampshire

Alu Chatri

Authentic (north) Indian food! Highly recommend. The chicken Peshawari, paneer do piaza, paratha and badami kulfi are some of the best items in the menu! Paratha reminded me of my mom - it was that good! Badami kulfi was also very refreshing and amazing flavor. Definitely recommend this place!

Mario Benavides

Love this place. Best Indian food in the area. Probably in all of New Hampshire.

Nic Laue

It was bland and uninteresting.

Norma Jimenez

Amazing Food!!! Friendly staff.. Very good prices and worth every penny. Fridays they have Buffett which is amazing for kids who may be picky eaters.

All Political

If you think you've ate great Indian food before, come here first and see if that opinion remains the same. This is probably the best exotic food restraunt I've been to in years, and look forward to going again. The spice is spicy and the rice is ricey, and it's surprisingly not all that pricey.

Sarah Ferrency

Best Indian food I’ve had outside of India, and we eat Indian wherever we go.

Virginia Taylor

I have never had a bad experience at this restaurant. The staff are always gracious, helpful. The food is always exceptional, and the atmosphere is relaxing.

Gourav Kalra

If you are looking for authentic indian food, not the place to go. Very few veggies options. Very reasonably priced and nice ambience.

Dan Schiffmacher

Great food, great flavors, great atmosphere!

Jon Shutt

The food was amazing! Not to mention it was a buffet! I have never seen a buffet at an Indian food restaurant. I can't wait to go back.

Jenny Prokopowicz

Delicious Indian cuisine. The buffet was very large and had many different foods. It is beautifully decorated on the inside. Will defiantly come again when I’m in the area.

Ryan Gursky

First off, I've had Indian food around the world. We are well travelled. The food from here has the wow factor. Did takeoutguys to get this to the hotel as I'm working from my room, so can't review the staff or restaurant direct. I had the chicken Tikka masala and must say this is in the top 10 dishes I've had period, if not in the top 3. Wow, will most certainly return. Only suggestion to management would be to provide utensils. If I were not at a hotel that supplied them, I would've needed to eat with my fingers (which is done in other places of world) no problem but a suggestion. Thanks and I WILL be back.

Benjamin Cole

Excellent!

Komal Gupta

We ordered chana masala and lamb biryani. The taste was really good. In the end we got tempted by kulfi on menu. Kulfi tasted quite different and was not so creamy. It had semolina in it which is unusual ingredient for kulfi. Would have given 5 star if kulfi tasted as good as the main course. Service and ambience is remarkable.

Zulma Fisch

Ahhh! Delish!

Petar Petrov

This place is absolutely one of the best Indian restaurants in New England. The staff is super friendly and every Friday offers a lunch buffet which is of exceptional quality.

rishi lad

Delicious

ambassador smudge

so good

Shawn Shapiro D.C.

loVE THE mOLI kFTA AND GARLIC NAN!

Ian Logan

Honestly one of the best Indian restaurants in the area . The food is exceptional.

Anna Gerber

Nice place. Good food and good service. They can do many of the things with very mild spicy, which is great for people like me who can't eat spicy.

eric johansson

Great food. The host had an attitude but the food was worth it.

Peter Gaeta

Good, consistent food. Reasonable price. Friendly staff. Not great Indian food, but I am spoiled. Parking is a pain, but that's Portsmouth.

Aishwarya Sharma

Very good Indian food! The quality of food, the presentation, the service were all top notch! The samosas were delicious, the Mughlai Chicken was lip smacking and the badam kulfi was to die for. We did not like the gobhi paratha as the filling was not as spicy as we would have liked, but to each his own! Highly recommended.

Debbie Champagne

Great food!! Love the Chicken Tika Masala and the Lamb Curry. Great service, nice people, pleasant ambiance.

Raghu Saranathan

Decent food. Friendly staff. Right in the middle of downtown.

Ginger Beauty

I have eaten at many Indian restaurants all around New England and Shalimar India is by far the best! I am so glad my husband introduced me to this place. We both love it so much we eat here once a month. I'm gluten intolerant and I have issues with soy as well. Shalimar India can cater to both my needs, which is a rare gem to me. If you are gluten sensitive like me you know how hard it is to get delicious food. Not here. I must say I'm a creature of habit and I tend to order the same thing sometimes but everything is always delicious, fast and proper portion size too. I love that I can choose my spice level as well. The decor is simple and I find it less distracting than other places. This restaurant makes it easy to have a real conversation with someone and enjoy amazing food! Even if you've never had Indian food I'm sure you can find something on their menu to suit your taste. Everyone is always friendly and welcoming and have never had a bad experience here. You have to go! You will not be disappointed!!

Carly França

Best Indian Food I've had other than at the homes of Indians. Complex flavors excellent spice profiles. Tandoori was moist and flavorful, vegetable dish blew my mind with spice meaning runny nose and dragon breath in the best way. Also dig the interior decoration walls are nicely painted big and open, maintaining a low key relaxed vibe

Ted Simeonov

I enjoyed the Pakora, Punjabi tomato soup and the Chicken Tikka Masala. I love their basmati rice. It's the best.

Sarah Lavoie

My favorite Indian restaurant for over 20 years!

Eddie Webb

Best Indian cuisine on the Seacoast. The staff and owners are all super friendly and remember you after a few visits. We've had just about every dish on the menu and it's all great. Our favorites include the murg pakora, aloo naan and the muglai . Also the veggie biryani is amazing

Vikas Divakaruni

Great food, nice ambience and the restaurant is at nice location. Overall a great experience at Shalimar India.

Hasna Abboud

Best indian food! Everything tastes great! Nice people! :)

Moinul Hossain

Had beef biriyani. Was good. I don't like nuts in biriyani, other than that it was a great meal.

Dan Metivier

Always a pleasant experience.

Justin Richardson

Great Indian cuisine, very authentic and a fantastic lunch buffet on Friday with decent vegetarian options too.

Heather Davis

Friendly staff. Good is good..

Javian Picardo

Excellent for Friday Buffet's

Rainbow The Macaw

Great Indian food, great service. Decent price. Well worth a lot of visits

Apeksha Rao

Very good place for authentic Indian food. Nice appetizers, main course . Neat and clean place. Only the quantity served could have been a lot more for the prices charged.

Joe Salsbury

We hadn't been here in several years & had a great meal. Chicken Makhanwala & Aloo Gobhi were awesome. The garlic nan was spot on. Really nice family? working there. We'll be back

Jason Cipriano

Food was fantastic. We stopped in for lunch with a big crew (8), including 4 kids. Everyone found something they liked, the spices were really good - many choices for naan, description of spiciness was accurate. We would definitely come again!

Dylan Jones

Very good food and fullfilling. Lots of vegan options, good looking spot, definitely worth going too

Kimberly Hall

Love this place have been coming here for years! Food and service is always outstanding!

Jack Leuchtner

One of my favorite places to eat since I was a kid!

Jose Caraballo

This was our first time eating Indian food and It was absolutely delicious! The service and the place we’re great as well. Best meal in a long time!!!

Joiya Sousa

Great, authentic food.

Dhruvakumar Gaonkar

Food taste was okay! Not authentic Indian.

Hassan Mbatch

Great & Authentic

genine b

Absolutely love this place! My boyfriend and I went for dinner last night (9/30/17) -- it was busy! We didn't mind the wait, and the service team crushed it. We know how hard it can be and they apologized, but we were happy when our food came and despite them being busy, the quality was there in spades. I tried something different, their Shalimar Baji, and it was divine. I've always loved their sauces and their keen attention to flavor. Where some restaurants steer away from the spice to suit Western palates, they keep things perfectly spicy and I'm in love with their red onion sauce. My boyfriend got his usual chicken tikka masala and cleared the plate. We love this place and it was nice to see it hopping. I hope Portsmouth will always have a home for Shalimar. Outside of Jewel in the Crown in Newburyport there aren't many strong choices for quality Indian food cooked authentically with care.

Ribhav Kansal

Tasteful and delicious North Indian food!! Must try :)

Cathie Greenlaw

I love Shalimar! The best Indian food I've ever had. The staff is so friendly. The food is so fresh, and decadent!!! Your missing out if you haven't tried it yet.

Alan Inacio

Best tomato soup I've ever had! Everything was absolutely delicious and the the staff was super friendly and helpful.

Sameer Moreshver

Great food staff,music,location and ambiance. This is the only indian eestaurant in New England that serves CHAPATI. It is a whole wheat bread and healthier than Naan. Shalimar India Chapati's are soft, thick and hence very filling. I am going to come back to Shalimar India again and again. Sameer Moreshver

anamgari anamgari

I was surprised when I read some good reviews. I asked for a Biriyani. It was horrible! Basically most of the Indian Restaurant make average or bad food pretending that that is the best Indian Food. They are trying to fool all of us. No one knows the real recipe of a biriyani, dhum biriyani, chicken chettinadu, chilli chicken, or even chicken fried rice. Please Google it ,download some real recipe and learn and do cooking. Please don't say that this is the real Indian Food.

Kush Mangat

Everything was great! Next time going with hot though, the medium was pretty tame. Mango lassi reminded of home, so good!

Marc Nozell

Delicious

Tango Charlie Tactical

Best Indian food ever. Great people. Great food. Good times.

Mary Terwiske

Great food ... vegans and omnivores in our party were all well satisfied.

Victor Longtin

Northern Indian cooking at its very best ! Excellent ambiance and service at moderate prices !

David Ruth

No complaints, food good and reasonably priced

stlscotti

Great service and amazing dishes. I’m looking forward to coming back for the Friday buffet.

Jesus Garcia

Wonderful food and service. Atmosphere is warm and welcoming. Especially love the lunch time buffet on Fridays.

Marixa North

Enjoyed the place. Nice and Clean with a variety of Indian cuisines. Great services.

Rohit Jain

Great Indian food experience and excellent ambience. Their service was really good.

Dave Ostrander

Best Indian food around.

Abu Sayed

Great food. Loved the royal dinner for one person!

Ashesh Goswami

Excellent food, and a good portion size. They have a variety of options for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Nice light decor complements the atmosphere. Overall, a good Indian restaurant in the area.

Diana Lucas

I've been going there for ages. And the foods just get better every time.

Christopher Muro

Best Indian food in Portsmouth. The lunch buffet is awesome.

Matthew Hipple

Had the extra polish and and variety of flavors to make the meal interesting.

Neha Singh

Food is very tasty, Authentic Punjabi style food. Chicken do pyaaza, mughlai chicken etc dishes were mouth watering. Must try this restaurant. Our host,she was very sweet, Definitely must visit restaurant.