Akbar Cuisine of India
1101 Aviation Blvd
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
(310) 937-3800
Priya Indian Cuisine
15651 Hawthorne Blvd
Lawndale, CA 90260
(310)675-1100
Indian Summer
219 Main St.
El Segundo, CA 90245
(310) 322-7550
India Grill Express
11918 Aviation Blvd
Inglewood, CA 90304
(310) 725-9842
Rating: Akbar – 5 stars
Priya – 4.5 stars
Indian Summer – 3.5 stars
India Grill – 3 stars
Cost for Lunch Buffet: Akbar – $8
Priya – $9
Indian Summer – $10
India Grill – $8
Review: We recently found ourselves at Priya Indian Cuisine enjoying the lunch buffet. I wanted to blog about our experience, but I would have to discuss it in relation to the other Indian buffets in the area. Instead of blogging about each one separately, I thought I would put together a round-up of all the Indian buffets in the area (all the ones I’ve been to at least).
Akbar is my gold standard for Indian buffets. It’s actually quite small (about 3 vegetarian and 3 non-veg. dishes) but what they have they do well. The standard dishes on the buffet include Dahl (kind of like a lentil stew), Gobi Aloo (gobi means cauliflower/aloo means potato… it’s the standard Indian dish cooked with plenty of spices), Sag (spinach stew… with paneer – Indian cheese – if you are lucky), Tandoori Chicken (BBQ’d chicken pieces – without a sauce), Chicken Tikka Masala (boneless chicken in a creamy tomato curry sauce), and either a Lamb or Chicken Curry. All of the vegetable dishes are excellent with plenty of Indian spice; the Tandoori Chicken is juicy and fresh from the Tandoor (Indian clay oven); but the Chicken Tikka Masala is the star of the show. The secret is, they use the Tandoori Chicken to make the Chicken Tikka Masala, and so the chicken by itself is a wonderful dish. Then they bathe it in this rich, creamy tomato sauce… I have dreams about that sauce. Together they are a truly spectacular dish.
The lunch buffet comes with Naan (Indian flat bread) fresh from the oven that is crispy and blistered on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. If you ask (which I suggest you do!) they will give you Garlic Naan. The freshly chopped garlic is an excellent addition to the delicious Naan they serve. In full disclosure, my Indian friend is not as high on Akbar as I am, though I chock that up to his well documented love affair with boneless, skinless chicken breast. The Chicken Tikka Masala is made with dark and white meat.
Priya (pronounced pre-ya), is my new addition to this list and I have to say it makes a decent challenge to Akbar for top spot. What makes Priya unique is that they serve southern Indian cuisine on their buffet. Almost all Indian restaurants in the US, outside of Little India, serve Northern Indian cusine (Korma, Saag, Tandoori, Aloo Gobi…), which is a real shame because Southern Indian food has great flavor and tends to be a little bit healthier. What tips you off right away that they are serving Southern Indian Food is the Idli. Idli is a steamed rice cake that sops up the flavor of Sambar and Rasam to make a wonderful dish. Sambar is a thick vegetable soup made with yellow split peas (dahl in Hindi). Rasam is a thin spicy, sour soup made with tamarind. Sambar and Rasam are a requirement for any Southern Indian meal. I’ve eaten at a lot of Indian buffets in my life and I’ve never seen Idli, Sambar, or Rasam on any of them.
If you like heat, you should try Southern Indian cuisine as it tends to be a bit hotter than their neighbors to the North. Case in point, they had a dish called Chicken 65 on the buffet. It is chicken pieces marinated in yogurt and then bathed in tons of chili peppers. It was hot, but the reward is worth the pain. They also serve many of the standard Northern Indian dishes. These are pretty good too. I would say a step up from what you get at India Grill. The lunch buffet does come with Naan, but they were the biggest disappointment for me. I thought they were greasy and lifeless. Why should baked bread have pools of oil on it?
Indian Summer is located in downtown El Segundo and is the biggest buffet I have found in the area. The main selling point here is variety and they have it in abundance with many vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. The quality is pretty good and they tend to have a sizable lunch crowd. That means high turn-around on the buffet and fresher dishes on your plate. There is one dish on the buffet that looks like chicken meatballs. I can’t recommend staying away from it enough. It tastes like a watery sponge to me. Naan is included on the buffet (versus being made fresh and brought to your table) which means it is usually pretty rubbery and lifeless.
India Grill is your standard Indian buffet. It is a little bit larger than Akbar’s buffet with all the typical dishes you would expect to find. They have a Goat Curry that is quite good and they deliver freshly baked Naan to your table. Also, they ask you when you place your order if you would like Garlic or Plain Naan (again, I recommend Garlic). A year or so back, a couple took over management of the restaurant. They are quite friendly and service tends to be a step above what I normally find at Indian restaurants. The biggest selling point for me (which I didn’t include in the rating) is that I can walk here from my office.
In terms ambiance, Indian Summer is in the nicest part of town (picturesque Main Street, El Segundo). Akbar is the nicest on the inside and they even have cotton tablecloths. Priya and India Grill are both in strip malls in rougher parts of town.
-Ben
You saved my a lot of time thank you so much for sharing your experience. Hope to hear more from you!
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Thanks for the comment! I would love to hear if you experiences matches with my review
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