Royal India Express

Closed in 2011 more

I really enjoy Royal India on Capital Boulevard. I recently moved near Express, so I thought I'd give it a try for lunch. Big mistake. The food is not fresh nor nearly as flavorful as Capital's. The service was inattentive and the selection slim. I noticed that instead of replenishing the buffet, they would just stir the dishes to make them look fresh again - even when there was less than a serving left.\r If you like the one on Capital then make the drive- the Express one isn't the same thing! Pros: Location Cons: Food, Service, Quality, Selection more

For the options available in Raleigh Royal India is a fine place to eat lunch. Raleigh is not London as another reviewer pointed out, so one can't really compare the Indian food available here to some other locale. The restaurant is small and is at the back of a strip mall. But it has become one of my regular lunch places, and for lunch it fits the bill. They offer a lunch buffet for a fixed price, and it is cheaper then ordering a la carte off the menu, plus most of the things on the buffet are from the regular menu. They also change some of the dishes daily, so it is not the exact same food every time you dine, although certain things are always going to be standard. I'm surprised by the fact that they always offer at least one dish on the spicy side. Some days the dishes seems spicier then others, but this is better in my opinion then only putting out bland or very mildly spiced dishes as I've found with other buffets because they want to cater to the masses. I love the lentils and load up my plate with those every time. Pros: buffet at lunch, good value, food is always hot and fresh, well spiced Cons: small restaurant, very basic decor more

This restaurant is not worth!! Don?t ever go there. I am originally from India and I know what Indian food is. I have tried several Indian restaurants all over Europe and North America, and Royal India is the worst one. The food is tasteless recycled from previous days. If you really want authentic and fresh Indian food I will recommend ?Biryani House? in Cary. Cons: Too many to write more

If you don't know good Indian food, you will think this pace is pretty good. Those, like me, who have experienced Indian food in London or other places in England will find this food somewhat disappointing and the menu items somewhat strange. Great side dishes are completely absent in this restaurant which we did not expect. There is a problem of communicating with the waiting staff who seem not to understand our English very well, plus they didn't know what Balti is. \r \r The restaurant is very small - seats about 30 in my view. The interior of the restaurant is spartan-esque in its decoration & furnishing and the tables are small and barely dressed with a paper tablecloth. In comparison to another Indian restaurant in Falls of Neuse Road, the food is of better quality, but for me and others who know how good this kind of cuisine can be, it is disappointing.\r \r If you ever get to go to London, try eating at the Indian restaurants in the west of London (such as Ealing, Acton, Southall - they will also deliver) and also those in the east of London, especially Brick Lane, which are feted as the best in the world. Then you can compare. Pros: Haven't found anything better in Raleigh, yet, but we won't be rushing back here. Cons: If a truly authentic restaurant opened up in Raleigh, they would clean up and this place wouldn't survive. more

We think the food is great, It is a reasonable price and we both ate there for less than $25 dollars and ate all we wanted. The butter chicken is my favorite with Naan. Buffet during the week isn't as good as the weekend buffet but it is still good. It is sometimes hard for the server to understand what your saying. That can be a bad thing. Pros: Delicious Food Cons: Server cant understand you more

I love eating out and have tried several restaurants.Indian food being my favourite.Royal India Express or Royal India at Glenwood as its known now is one of the best. A la Carte menu is great .""(Chicken 65"" a must try appetizer)Menu Covers all kinds of Dishes from North India.In addition to that I have developed a liking for their Indo-Chinese dishes. The Chilli Chicken is worth a try.\r Lunch Buffet is value for money.All the items are great.The spice level is just perfect as my kids can handle it too.My husband would prefer it to be hotter but the indian / onion pickle and chutneys in the salad bar compliments it.Sat-Sun buffets with Indo-Chinese noodles works great for families as kids just love it.South Indian food is an added attraction.Above all the richness and authencity is found here. Pros: ample parking , open seven days week. Cons: cant think of any more

Familiar with great India food from the Washington DC and London UK, my wife and I tired the lunch buffet. There was a definite value for the price - warm cooked meal, not fast food and pretty decent India food. From the other reviews, it seems that this restaurant could have a really decent dinner. I also enjoy very hot and spicy foods. India food can be this way. When I mentioned to one of the fellas working there that the food wasn't very hot, he pointed my to a salad bar where they had the chili sauce you would expect from a chinese restaurant. I said that's not what India's use. He said we make it ourselves. I am not so sure I believe this. I have to rate it as average.\r Pros: quick, warm, use knife and fork, fair price Cons: slow service for water, not spicy, more

My husband and I moved in from London last year.We have visited several restaurants since . We love eating out....Royal India Express located on Glenwood avenue in Raleigh so far tops all of the Indian Restaurants.After having eaten the best of Indian food in London it took us a while to discover the same taste here in Raleigh.The curries are rich and the Naans (Tandoori Bread) are even better than in London.The Chicken Korma Kashmiri is to die for with all the creamy sauce and dry fruits.Quantity is great .I always have leftovers to take home.\r I have heard of their new Lunch Buffet service with Fresh Bread served on the table during the week.Great no cold breads in buffet that takes all the fun away.\r \r Do try them out.Wont regret. Pros: very authentic Cons: closed on mondays more

We have been patrons of Royal India Express for a long time and have been very impressed with all of the recent changes. The chef provides excellent quality as well as consistency with each meal and introduces tasty new items from time to time. The new lunch buffet is fantastic and breaks the mold of typical Indian buffets by rotating new items and providing the same quality for the buffet as they provide for menu items. Royal India express provides exceptional value for the price and should be on anyones short list of local ethnic restaurants. The owners and staff are as honest as the day is long and treat everyone like family. You won't be sorry for going there! Pros: Excellent chef, great value, variety of menu items, good service Cons: Not open on Mondays more

I've visiting Royal India Express ever since it has come under new management last year. I've truely enjoyed their clay oven bread, tandoori, and curry. They also serve wonderful vegan dishes, full of spices and flavor. For those whom haven't tried Indian Yogert drink, lasse, you ought to order their mango lasse, the best in town. more

My Fiance and I moved to Raleigh a year ago. We had been looking for a great Indian place to try. After asking around, we found this place it was very quiet and pleasant the food was good the service was slightly below par at first but all in all was an excellent evening out. At the time we enjoyed it so much we became regulars eating their 2-3 times a week to the points where we'd walk in, sit down and they would bring our drinks to us without even asking for it... we thought WOW Great Service huh? wrong!! 1 month later i had recieved my credit card statement and as i glanced over the bill i noticed that These people were not only charging us for the meal which was between 40-50 bucks + the 15 dollar tip i was leaving. They also tacked on EACH TAB an additional 25 dollars now i could see if there were 4 or 5 of us eating out but dinner for 2 costing 40-50 bucks 3x a week + TIP and then taking another $25.00 per bill is fraudulant rediculous and in my eyes makes the wait staff no better than common theives. if you want to eat out the foods great sure but just be careful when you get your bill!! Pros: Food was great Cons: Watch your credit card statement more

I am ashamed of myself. I have lived around the corner from Royal India for years and never been until last night. The service was good, everyone was so nice but the food blew my mind. Do yourself a favor and eat here. The price is right and the food is fantastic. Pros: FOOD! FOOD! FOOD! Cons: Beer is overpriced more

We've been eating at Royal India Express for years and are now eating there 1-2 times per week. The staff is amazing, always ready to greet you with a smile but the food is what keeps you coming back. The new Dosas are fantastic, best I've had at any South Indian restaurant. The butter chicken literally melts in your mouth. The goat thali has exceptional flavor and the Bhiryani outshines anything I've had here or anywhere else. I'm told it is not ""traditional"" but don't let tradition spoil your enjoyment, I think my relatives only come visit so they can get a Royal India Bhiryani fix. Overall, I can't recommend it enough. You can even dine in now with all the nice cosmetic improvements they've completed. Pros: Still a great place to eat! Cons: not open Mondays more

I've been going to Royal India Express on Glenwood for about 2 years now and I love it. The food is authentic and delicious, especially the Palek Paneer (creamy spinach) and the naan is excellent, tasty and just right. I don't know if they had problems in the past, prior to my patronage, but I have never had a problem with them. Lunches are an especially good value - you seat yourself and things are kept simple, paper plates and plastic forks to go with the excellent courses. My fave is the Chicken Tikka kebab, with the palek paneer, naan (try the garlic naan sometime, it's divine!), and a mango lassi. Service is friendly and good. Just remember, nothing is very fancy there, but it doesn't matter because the food is so good!! Pros: Great food, Inexpensive, easy parking Cons: paper plates more