Surya India

The food cannot be beat! this is by far the best Indian restaurant in LA. This place should serve as a model for all Indian restaurants! Their Samosa is out of this world! more

I have been eating at Surya, since it opened. It is unlike anyother Indian restaurant. First, the food is delicious and savory. Order every kind of Nan they serve. It is all delicious! The ambience is very warm and pleasant - no shrilly music or gaggy incense. The owner has made a great selection of beer and keeps the wine list fresh. If you are seekiing a buffet with things on it that look better in the dark, this restaurant isn't for you. If you want delicious, traditional food in a great restaurant Surya is for you! The owner is the attractive man that is on the floor. Ask him for help with the menu. Or, do as I do and tell him meat or fish and he will bring you something wonderful! more

Five star indian food with a gourmet flair. The tandoori sea bass was the finest fish I have ever tasted. Lightly crisped on the outside and magnificently tender on the inside. It absoulutely melted in my mouth! The chicken dishes had a nice lemony tang, without being acidic or overly spicey. Very fresh cuisine, and more upscale than your average indian restaurant. The service was superb, and the owner was onsite making sure everything was up to par. A pleasant atmosphere with no irritating loud music or excessive noise. Pros: Superb cuisine. Cons: None. more

You pay for the star sightings and not for the food. Well, the quantity of food is next to none. The menu is priced for A listers only I guess. I have never seen a minimum order price per person at a restaurant. We took our little nieces who are small eaters, guess what I had to pay for their $15.00 minimum or else...hmm. If you eat morsel sized meals, and eat expensive morsels, this may be the place for you. Not for me and my folks. Pros: star sightings Cons: Expensive, small servings, minimum order pricing per person ! more

Normally I don't lean toward the exotic fare, but my friend insisted we go to Surya on Saturday. I had some tandoori chicken that blew my mind. I also had a mango lassi and a few different types of Nann. This is my first time ever having Indian food, so I'm sorry if that doesn't help the conneseurs that are reading this, but I highly recommend it regardless. more

My girlfriends and I have been dying to find some decent Indian food in LA and haven't had much luck until I found Surya. I had seen it several times on my way to the Grove but never knew much about it. This place was amazing. I've never had Indian food that tasted so fresh, or Indian food that had such amazing presentation. Each dish had such distinct flavor. My personal favorite was the Tandoori Sea Bass - boneless, cubed, and came out on this sizzling grill plate. Whether your looking for your traditional indian favorites - Sag, Chicken Tikka Masala or Aloo Gobi - or you want to venture out into "Cal-Indian" - and try some of the exquisite curries flavored with coconut milk Surya is the place to be. The atmosphere here was very cool - very good looking people & dressed very cool! more

I was looking for a good indian restaurant when a girl at Fred Segal recommended this place. I dont get all the negative reviews? This was the CLEANEST, NICEST And Most STYLISH Indian place I have ever been to. The art and paintings were GORGEOUS. The food was spicy, savory and tantilizing. The kebabs were char broiled and sizzling on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. The QUALITY OF MEAT WAS THE BIGGEST PLUS. I Have never been to an Indian restaurant that gives big chunks of all white meat chicken, succulent lamb or savory shrimp. The appetizers were good, but the garlic naan was heavenly. The vegetarian dishes were excellent, esp. the eggplant. Everyone in the restaurant looked like they were dressed to go out to the club, so its definitely a good place to bring your date. When I looked across the room, I saw two people sitting there and I thought I recognized the faces, and my friend said "Is that who I think it is?" And I wasnt sure, but the waitress told me that it was indeed COURTNEY COX AND HER HUSBAND DAVID ARQUETTE...and they come in quite often. Just seeing those two celebrities here, you know the food must be good. I think I was the only indian person inside the restaurant since most Indians dont go to places with Valet Parking. The crowd was cool, and dessert was sensational. I couldn't believe how good my chocolate gelato ice cream was. My friend has the Dulce Duleche, and I was creamy, caramel and soft. I had the best dining exeperience I have ever had at ANY Indian restaurant. Worth the valet parking and price. Pros: I saw celebrities, had good food, GREAT Quality of meat, Nice wait Staff. Not a typical hole in the wall indian place, Intimate and no TV/Indian music playing. VERY Romantic Con's: This is the busiest street in LA (Miracle Mile) so finding parking is tough, but the Valet is excellent and pretty cheap. Recommended for a date, dinner with friends, or even just by yourself for great food. What a Gem of a restaurant! Pros: QUALITY OF MEAT WAS EXTRAORDINARY, DESSERT, STAFF, DECOR Cons: Street gets crowded to park, but there is a Valet more

nevermind that the food was tastelessly steamed....the staff is rude....minimum order for dine in...what nonesense..... Pros: ? Cons: whatever else comes to mind more

Anyone that has dealt with Indian people knows how kind hearted we are as a population. Of course, there are over 1 billion of us, and some are nicer than others. I would just like to apologize to anyone who had a bad experience with this restaurant. I love Indian food, and consider myself a conosieure (sorry I'm not a speller, I'm a vet.). I've been to almost every Indian restaurant in Los Angeles. The one I recommend to you, my friends, is called Raja, and it is located on Sunset Blvd. You won't regret it. Tell the owner, Nari, that Raulito "Babito" sent you, and you will be given great portions, and perhaps a small discount as well. Give it a try! more

I have to say that my last and final experience when dining at Surya was nothing less than atrocious. We are very loyal customers anywhere we dine and love to bring custom to small businesses as opposed to larger chain -style conglomerates. Just a little background so you can truly understand the nature of what happened last time we went to this restaurant... My husband and I throughout all of 2006 frequented Surya at least once a week. We always loved the food, BUT at times were treated with a little less kindness than we should have been. (On one occassion we were told that our order hadn't reached the 'minimum dinner quota'. We had ordered 3 dishes for 2 people and the tab reached at least $35... - we were a little shocked considering the fact that we dine there so regularly)... however obligingly ordered another dish to appease the server. We decided to put this down to just being standard protocol and that perhaps they were just having a bad day. (everyone deserves a second chance) However it was our experience with our last vist that truly polluted are perception of Surya and the people who own it..... It was a week night, we entered the restaurant around opening time and were in the company of only one other small table. We greeted the couple who own the restaurant with our usual friendly greeting. And just waited to be shown to a table. After both owners disappeared out the back, the female owner then came out to inform us that our patronage was unfortunately unwelcome on this particular evening because my husband's shirt did not meet the Surya standard for attire... My jaw dropped as I couldn't quite believe what I was hearing. The customers at the other table also fell silent and stared over in obvious disbelief. My husband was wearing, yes a casual but by no means offensive white shirt ... I was actually quite well dressed in a black designer dress and couldn't quite believe what was coming out of their mouths. Pros: Good Food Cons: Shocking service more

We have ordered delivery several times. The last time was the worst, so we felt compelled to write a review, which I have never done before. We ordered and were told 30 minutes. After over an hour of waiting, we called to ask when the food would be arriving and a very arrogant, unconcerned man said that the delivery guy just left. He was unapologetic. When I said so, when can we expect him, he said 10 min. So, 20 minutes later after waiting over an hour and a half, we were about to leave and get food somewhere else, our food showed up. We asked for a receipt and there was none. So, I have no idea what the extra charges on the bill were for. And, honestly with such poor service I decided to just forget it, rather than call and complain. The food was also cold, which made everything that much worse. Cold Indian food! It was horrible. The time before this I called and ordered delivery. 20 minutes after I ordered someone called and said the delivery guy was sick that night and they couldn't deliver. I think they would have known that before they took my order and made me wait 20 minutes. Overall, I do not recommend this place. I think there are a lot of other good Indian restaurants that offer better service, therefore deserve the business. more

Just wanted to comment on the comment posted by hmultani on 01/03/2007. I have many indian co-workers and we tried many indian restaurants in LA. They unanimously voted Surya No 1 for the quality of food. Your comment smels like commercial for Gaylord, which, by the way, is not higly appreciated by a lot India's naitves. Overall it's a great place and I would recommend it to anybody. Pros: Quality of Food Cons: Ambience, Service (sometimes) more

Fantastic! This is not a traditional Indian restaurant, just like Mr. Chow is not traditional Chinese. The food is exquisite, and follows in the Southern Califronia tradition of re-inventing classic styles in lighter, healthier and tastier ways. This was my first time in the restaurant, we had a party of eight and shared almost everything on the menu. The service was excellent. The owner Shiel talked to everyone, and made our group feel like friends. I'm impressed with the owner's mission statement, on the first page of the menu, he's a pinoeer. Indian food is not an easy category to modernize, as people's perceptions of spicy food for low prices is ingrained, but for those who "get-it", will love it, and those looking for their next Indian hole in the wall need be warned, $15 per person. Pros: Food, Menu Choices, Cons: Little loud in the room, but I'm hard of hearing more

I feel very mixed about my experience at Surya. Let me begin by saying that the food tasted very very good. But whether it is authentic or not, I am not sure. Also, let me say, that it was more upscale than I was expecting, and not in a good way. The service was very good in general, but our waitress really made us feel really bad and awkward, like we were doing something wrong. When my husband and I go out for Indian food, we often share stuff in attempts of being thrifty and saving money. So we usually get an appetizer, and an entree, along with naan and rice to share, sometimes we'll share a lassi too. When we tried to order this, our waitress said "Um, you can't do that. They won't allow you, there's a $15 minimum per person." Which just made us feel really weird. So I (really really nicely) tried to explain that we were just trying to be thrifty, and that this was something we often did. But she didn't budge, and so we asked for more time to decide what to do. I think we upset her, because after that, the dynamics between the waitress and the two of us just felt really strained and weird. As someone who worked for a waitress for many years, I think it's really important not to make customers feel like they are "wrong" or "stupid," but unfortunately, this is really how we felt. I'm still recommending this restaurant, because I don't believe it's fair to rate poorly based on this experience, and I still want people to know the food tasted very good, but I don't know if this dining experience was for us. Unlike the review below (which I perceive as incredibly inappropriate), I want to go to an Indian restaurant where there are a lot of Indian people. I think it was really in poor form for the reviewer below to imply that having fewer Indian patrons would indicate a better dining experience. I'm still looking for an Indian restaurant that is authentic, resonably priced, and makes me feel welcome and comfortable when I eat there. Surya is not it. Pros: Food was delicious, ambience was nice Cons: Expensive, smallish portions, a little snooty more

I read the reviews on this website and went to Surya. I am originally from bombay, India and have a good idea what authetic indian food tastes like. We ordered a mix vegetable and biryani. I have not had food at any indian place in the world which has 'Lima beans' in it. Not one, but both of these items. The restaurant basically uses those mix vegetable packets available in Wal-Mart. The food was pathetic. The biryani was sour, it felt as if it was heated in a microwave. You know it when you heat older rice and eat it. Next, the waiter at this restaurant was rude. We were giving the order and he walked away while my friend was saying something. The table behind us he refused to get a to go box since they didn't have a smaller one for the quantity the group wanted to take home. I mean, come on, how rude is that? Finally, the best (worst) part, you need to order a minimum of 15 dollars per person or else you can't order food, you should leave. And expect a 25 percent gratuity added to you bill for any tables of 2 or more. I mean are u kidding me? 25 percent? 2 or more? and he doesn't even mention it on his menu? He just adds it to you bill. Upon asking, that is what people usually tip in CA. This is the worst indian restaurant I have been to in my life. And I mean, not last year, not the last 5 years, not a decade, I mean all my life. There are much better Indian restaurants in LA that you can go to (Gaylord Indian restaurant had at least average food). This one ' LEAVE IT FOR THE DOGS' Pros: Ambience Cons: Food quality, service, value and everything basically more

I have been coming to Surya for over 5 years now. The owner is one of the nicest, most hospital , kind and genuine people you will ever meet. It is so nice to go to an Indian restaurant where the food, ambiance, quality and decor is all excellent. Being south Asian everyone asks me "Where is there a good Indian restaurant?" and its so hard to answer since most are filthy and gross. We all think of dirty, disgusting, tacky, hole in the wall restaurants but not SURYA. The decor is nice, the staff is friendly and helpful, there is a hip cool crowd and AMAZING FOOD. Their chicken tikka and biryani is amazing. Good quality all white meat chicken, same with their lamb. Only the best cuts of meat charbroiled to perfection and it comes with several types of chutney. The vegetarian dishes are great too. The Palaak, Eggplant and Potatoes are all spiced just right. Not too hot, not too soft, but hot enough so you dont get burned. The wine list is amazing and the dessert is phenomenal too. The chocolate mousse cake, mango mousse and coconut sorbet are all very tasty and refreshing after a hot indian meal. This restaurant is like a cool NYC SOHO type restaurant. The people are cool , lots of hip 20 and 30 somethings, and the ambiance is fun and not pretentious. I was suprised that I saw a few celebrities in my last visit. Its so nice to finally find an Indian restaurant that isn't dirty, tacky, ugly and gross. Its perfect for a date or even with a small group of friends. You won't find cheap Indian people here either. I didnt notice many Indian customers here but those that do come are very classy and refined. The highlight of the meal is the fact that the owner Sheel will greet you and talk to you. I have never met such a refined, articulate and well spoken Indian man. I drive all the way from Orange County to come here, but it is worth it! Forget Gaylord, Gate of India, Electric Karma, & Bombay Palace...SURYA IS THE BEST INDIAN FOOD IN LA! Pros: Food, Service, Staff Cons: NONE more

The first review of this restaurant (above), written by Giggles438, was hilarious. By their remarks, it is obvious they have never before had authentic Indian cuisine: "i got the Chicken Vindaloo (not sure of the spelling), which was almost unbearably spicy (i asked for a little spicy) and had almost a hint of a tomato-like flavor. i felt it lacked the traditional curry spices that are often associated with Indian food." #1 Vindaloo is hot. There is no making it mild. Someone told you that Vindaloo was cool, so you tried it. Get over it. #2 Vindaloo has tomatoes in it. Due to this, it is going to have a "tomato-like" flavor. Did you read the menu when you ordered?? #3 NOT ALL INDIAN FOOD TASTES LIKE YELLOW CURRY. If you had ever eaten Indian food before, you might know. You should really stick to Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee and Stouffers. I absolutely love this restaurant. Ever since I first darkened their door, the owners went out of their way to chat with me and to show me a good time. If you have not tried the Tandoori Sea Bass, you are really missing out. So, to sum up, don't listen to ol' Giggles, go eat some killer Indian food at Surya!!! Pros: Graciousness of the Owners and Preparation of the Food Cons: Uh.......can't think of any. more

Prior to going to Surya, I had another favorite Indian Restaurant, but going there once won me over. The food is absolutely delicious and the service is great. I read the reviews on here, and although I respect everyone's opinion, I don't believe people are being just to this restaurant. Come on now, crying over not being able to bring one's own wine? COME ON! It's a business! I am sure if you owned a restaurant, you'd do the same! Basically, I recommend this restaurant to anyone and everyone. It is a friendly place (the family/owners sure remembered my face), the food is tasty and not overpriced and did I mention, GREAT food?! If you love great Indian food, this is the place to try! Pros: Food, Ambiance Cons: Have to valet more

i'm always on the hunt for great indian food in los angeles, and i thought my search would end at Surya. unfortunately, it wasn't as good as i hoped it would be. i got the Chicken Vindaloo (not sure of the spelling), which was almost unbearably spicy (i asked for a little spicy) and had almost a hint of a tomato-like flavor. i felt it lacked the traditional curry spices that are often associated with Indian food. i also tried my friend's chicken tandoori, and found it bland and dry. the naan was good, especially the cheese naan, but i'm not one to frequent a place for its bread. finally, the prices were average, but the staff was great and accommodating. Pros: the friendly staff Cons: i didn't really care for the food more

Definitely not cheap, but also not that expensive, wine and beer is overpriced though. Overall a good ambience that's not ostentatious. Pros: ambience, staff, food Cons: price, parking more