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Dining Out In Rochester, NY

Indian Restaurants

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India House Restaurants. Restaurant: 998 S. Clinton Ave., Rochester, NY 14620. 461-0880. Café: 1009 S. Clinton Ave. Rochester, NY 14620. 271-0242. Store: 999 S. Clinton Ave., Rochester, NY 14620. 244.9210. Fax: 461-5918.

I couldn't mention Raj Mahal without mentioning the India House restaurants. Knowing about all three restaurants makes deciding which one to eat at a hard decision. They all have excellent authentic food. The prices at all three are reasonable. One of the big differences worth considering is that the India House Café is vegetarian. Being an omnivore, I prefer the India House Restaurant. Although the vegetarian café is free of meat, it does deep fry almost everything. If I were going to subject my body to the intake of fat, I would rather do with a meat dish. One of the enjoyable treats of dining at the India House Restaurants is visiting their store either before or after dinner. We buy a great many of our Indian spices there because they cost less and are often fresher than those found in local supermarkets. The store is a visual and olfactory treat. After saying all of this, which would I recommend? All three. Go and see for yourself and let me know what you think?

Thali of India. 3259 S. Winton Rd., Rochester, NY 14623.  Voice: 427-8030.  Fax: 427-8761. 

If you are an aficionado of Indian food the first question you will ask is "is this a south Indian restaurant?"  It isn't and the owners will get this question frequently.  If a friend in New Delhi were to suggest going out for Thali they would mean that they were going to a south Indian restaurant.  Thali of India specializes in northern Indian cuisine, but they do serve thali in the traditional way.  Thali is a kind of Indian version of tapis.  Numerous small metal dishes filled with condiments are brought to the table on a platter.  In India instead of a plate you would use would be a large green leaf.  You eat thali with your fingers.

Our several dinners at Thali were excellent.  Their sauces are slightly more complex and subtle than those found at other local India restaurants.  The service was adequate considering that they had just opened.  A beverage was forgotten and placing serving dishes on the table was a bit awkward.  However, the ambience was cheerful and Indian music is always on the stereo.  We enjoyed speaking about India with the owner.  Although Thali is not spectacularly better than any other Indian restaurant reviewed here we plan to go back frequently.  Maybe we will see you there. 

Thali of India seems to change owners a lot.  However, through each new incarnation, they seem to keep the best of what was before and add something deliciously new. 

Reader comments

"Max, we went to Thali of India for the first time last Friday; overall we enjoyed it, maybe a 8 out of 10. We had a lamb dish that was fantastic and a chicken dish that was a little over cooked.  The lentil soup was excellent, the papadums incredibly light...and oh yes, the KingFisher was cold... :-)" D.L. of Rochester, NY.

Indian Restaurants in the Region

• Kabab & Curry.  Buffalo, NY.  Highly recommended.  Read the review at TravelConsumer.com.