Shalimar of India
16 N Winooski Ave, Burlington, VT, 05401
Shalimar of India Menu
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Address :
16 N Winooski Ave
Burlington, VT, 05401 - Phone (802) 864-5693
- Website https://www.shalimarvt.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:30 am - 3:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : Yes
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch, Dinner
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : No
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
Categories
India is the birth place of Chicken Tikka Masala and Curries. Indian foods are prepared with a blend of finely mixed spices quite popular across the region. The spices develop the rich taste in Indian food enough to boggle your mind. The ever-increasing fan base of Indian food around the New York city is steadily increasing because of the large number of Indians who traveled to the land of dreams. The Indians also brought their very own vibrant, colorful, and aromatic authentic dishes for the people in the West. While most of the Indian population is Vegetarian, Indian food is great for people who are looking for vegan or vegetarian food option. If you are a Meat lover, don't get disappointed yet. Indian food also boasts of some popular non-vegetarian dishes too. Few examples are the famous Butter Chicken, Mutton Biryani and Tandoori Chicken are enough to satisfy your taste buds.
Indian food has gained reputation all over the world especially in the United States. You can find many places serving the appetizing Indian food across all major cities in the US. India is a diverse country with different food culture originated from different parts of the country. While the Northern region boasts tandoori dishes and korma offering royal taste, the Western Ghats offers sea foods that is made in naturally sweet tender coconut milk. The South Indian food servers a quality of different dishes made from rice accompanied with spicy chutneys, curries and famous sambhar. Also, the Indian sweets are a delight to relish. If you ever want to have a burst of sugar syrup in mouth, don't forget to try few Bengali Sweets. Be it spicy, tangy, or sweet flavor, you can find everything in the Indian cuisine. Be assured that the melody of spices will surely bring delight to you.
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Lydia K.
Gotta agree with several other reviews here... the food was bland... How can Indian food be bland? Well... We ordered the shrimp curry and the eggplant dish, can't remember the name. Both were on the lunch menu. The shrimp curry had 5 small shrimp and the sauce and that was it. The flavor was OK, but hardly enough food. The eggplant portion was good, but with all the items listed in the dish I expected it to burst with flavor and it didn't. The Nan was good, but yeah, covered in oil? It was OK, but having tasted Indian food in many areas of the country, this was my least favorite.
(2)Pat D.
These folks are attentive to your needs. They are friendly and hospitable. Their food is WONDERFUL! It is some of the BEST Indian food outside of India. Unfortunately, my review is only applicable to their vegetarian dishes. I have eaten here on a regular basis, and would do so any time I am in Burlington. If you don't enjoy the food at Shalimar of India then Indian food might not be for you. Highly recommended!
(5)Susan D.
Not that I'm touting India House as being top notch, but being as they are closed for construction, we meandered downtown to Shalimar. None of us three had tried this restaurant before. First impressions: Greeted and seated promptly and in a friendly manner. Drink menu STICKY and visibly gooey. The wall obviously had not been washed...maybe ever. Little bits of lord-knows-what. A bug crawled up my friend's leg. It was hot as hell, ceiling fans on, AC NOT on, windows/door closed (80F outside). Service was terrible (my companions ate while I waited for a plate...a long time). Our rice didn't come until we had to ask the waitress "Doesn't this come with rice?" Ample vegetarian entrees, meager meat entrees. Entrees between $10-$12 each on average. Goat on the specials (didnt try it). Overall, tasty, recommend (for the dollar) stick with vegetarian. Get take-out.
(2)C M.
Okay the food is very average, I just love the owners. They are so nice and their family is just so cute. Also, if your date screws up on Valentines Day and doesn't make a reservation, this place has a table for you. Very good for groups of 6-8 people.
(4)Viraj P.
Inedible. I went here a week after moving to Burlington and have not returned in a year and a half. The food was not spiced properly and not cooked thoroughly. The Tandoori chicken was pink, not red. The samosas were clearly frozen beforehand. Sorry, but the "it's Burlington" argument doesn't cut it here- the owners are Indian and know better. The place felt dingy and dirty, and I would never recommend it to someone coming in to town. If you want Indian food, just come to my place and I'll cook it for you...if you want some real Indian food, a meal at Shalimar will just intensify that feeling, not satisfy the craving.
(1)Rabid T.
I cannot remain silent about this: I love Indian food, but in my part of the state, there is none, so I was excited to try this place while visiting. Deja Vu (RIP) was good. The India House used to be good, but I haven't been there in decades. Competition is not a bad thing. EI always ask for food in Asian restaurants to be "authenticly" spiced, like the staff would eat at home. That is far hotter than ordinary American tastes would care for. I ordered "medium", as recommended. Perfect spicing, a slow burn that you don't notice until a few bites later: "Hot" would have buried the complex flavors, but I'll try it next time! The food was about the best Indian I have eaten (US and UK), and the service was all I could ask for. The naan (strange: they spell it "nan") was excellent, and that is not as easily achieved as most people might think. My point is, I read all the Yelp reviews, and noticed something odd: There are about an equal number of "great food, great service" and "horrible food, lousy service, overpriced" comments, with no reviews in between. Odd. When we were ready to leave I spoke at some length with the owner: They weren't busy, so he had the time to talk. Nice fellow. I told him about the discrepancy between reviews. He was familiar with them, and explained the situation. The details don't really matter, so I'll cut to the chase: 18 ethnic Indian young folks came in. They are lucky they didn't leave in handcuffs. Count the bad reviews: These are REVENGE REVIEWS from the guilty parties! "Overpriced"? The two of us got out of there for $45 (before tip). I'm used to paying that much EACH, for good food. No, this is not "fine dining": It's not fancy. There's no leather upholstery or wine steward. So what? You can't eat the decor. In conclusion, I can be very brief: Try it, you'll like it.
(5)Ram S.
I was here to pick up food for my uncle, and there was just one other family in the restaurant. This family was waiting for a member to join them, and the proprietor asked them rudely to order immediately or that he'd take our order on priority and delay theirs by a half hour. No matter how courteous people were to him, he was snappy and curt with them. This was the first of many rude gestures by the proprietor towards the customers. Honestly, I don't care about the food in a place where they treat customers like garbage.
(1)Rohan K.
Awesome food that tasted just like the kind mom makes at home. It was like eating home food far away from home. Great service and the restaurant owner stayed past closing time just to serve us the food that we had ordered for to go....now who does that these days?
(4)Kunal K.
Amazing authentic food and a very warm host ....sardar ji opened until 11:00 coz we were running late..now how can you even beat such hospitality? i am definitely coming back again!
(5)Pooja G.
Worst food ever. It was a home cooked badly cooked meal. Sweet was the worst. My daughter felt so nauseous after the meal. Worst meal ever.
(1)Phil D.
The food is usually great. I've had mixed experiences here over the years. The staff is always friendly and welcoming. You can tell this is a family owned business. It seems somewhat inconsistent with flavors of certain dishes on the dinner menu. I have always had great success with their take-out and Sunday buffet. The Sunday buffet is the best deal in town for quality food. Lots of great meats and veggie options. All you can eat paneer and naan for 12$. c'mon now - that's just awesome! I'm surprised there is not a line out the door every Sunday.
(4)Winfield T.
I've been eating at Shalimar for at least five years and it's the go-to place in town. The staff are friendly, genuinely good folks who always make us feel welcome. They will happily take special requests like "make this as hot as possible." They're also very tolerant of my kids, who are loud and poorly behaved. Generally speaking I like the food: when it's good it is spicy, aromatic, and there's a certain sweet pungency in the aloo mutter that I can't replicate in my own kitchen no matter how I try. Since 2010 or so they've gotten a bit hit or miss: the most frequent issue is the naan being sodden and weird-tasting, and a couple times the veggies tasted canned. This doesn't happen often, but it does occur. Overall, though, I like Shalimar a lot: when it's good, it is very good: their Aloo Mutter and Pindi Chana are excellent, their ginger Naan is crisp and delicious, and if my wife is to be believed their Shahi Paneer is quite good. They've begun doing their rice differently recently, and it's a standout now: springy, flavorful Basmati fried with herbs.
(3)Sara C.
I've been here many, many times since I moved to Burlington. The curry is fantastic (naan is hit or miss depending on the night), the service is about what you'd expect at a small family run joint, and I'll keep coming back.
(4)Sa R.
Extremely bad food !! Though der naans n parathas wer gud !! Except fr dat everything we had was really bad !! I wud say it's d worst indian food we ve had !!
(1)Heidi M.
Great Indian take-out. Love the chicken saag and garlic naan. A little pricey, but the portions are good and it's always delicious. My go-to is the chicken saag and garlic naan. I don't know why they aren't more busy!
(5)Amy K.
I had high hopes as we walked into the fragrance of food. I shouldn't have looked around and realized there was only one other table of people on a Saturday. We started with the samosas. Not sure if they make their own or not. The crust was nice, and not greasy. However, the filling was just one solid pasty clump, with a random green pea every so often. I am used to samosas where you can identify the small chunks of potatoes, tomatoes, peas - solids amongst a thick sauce. Flavor-wise, it was okay, probably because the bit of spiciness was enhancing the flavor. My husband had the chicken tikka marsala, which he describes as ok. I had the fish marsala, which was clearly not cooked in the sauce. If you cook the fish with the sauce, the fish tends to be tender, and the edges of the fish sometimes break into the sauce, just from the stirring. Here, the fish pieces were neat little rectangles that had been possibly pan fried, and then mixed with the sauce. Oh, the mango lassi was nice - should have stopped there. Would love to support a local family business, but it really wasn't very good.
(2)Brian C.
We took the whole family here, girls from 4-12. It was a hit! The food was fresh and expertly prepared. Waitstaff was attentive and friendly. I suggest the naan, chicken pakora.
(5)J Z.
Went in for dinner on a Sunday night. The restaurant itself isn't incredibly eye pleasing but the family atmosphere and authentic artwork is nice. A pleasant woman and what I believe is her husband were running the entire show. The food was FANTASTIC, with room to customize amount of spice/heat. My boyfriend and I were both very satisfied with our meals. We ordered an appetizer and two entrees each which we knew would be too much but we wanted to have leftovers. Still full from dinner but excited to dive into our leftovers!
(4)Isabella R.
The only Indian place in town happens to be the best! Wonderful spices and kind service. If you're looking for cocktails and ambiance this is not your spot. Seeking delish food? Stop by! Go for the tender chicken curry dishes. Not a lot of diverse food in Burlington, VT so here it is.
(3)Cori C.
This was the only place to eat open on Thanksgiving and I was a little nervous going into a place that was completely empty. The food was great. The spice had been toned down, but that makes sense for a place in Vermont, and I'm sure they would adjust it for you. Our waitress didn't forget about us or hover (as tends to be the case in an empty restaurant). It was one of the better meals I had in Burlington.
(5)Louise L.
Great food. Great service. Definitely a family-owned restaurant. Was able to accommodate us and made us an okra dish!
(5)Shirl D.
Got the Chicken Saag. It was a bit bland for my taste. Husband got vindaloo and said it was tasty. Friendly staff. Food was a bit overpriced for the portion size. Rice and cheese naan was a bit dry and tasteless. Overall not bad, but I wouldn't come again.
(3)L T.
I guess some people love this place, and some people hate it. Me, I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It's a small family-run restaurant with friendly staff and delicious food. (Having not been to India I cannot personally vouch for the authenticity of the food, but I can say that I have a friend who lived in India for 6 years who thought this was the best Indian food in Vermont.) The brunch buffet is a great deal, but so is just a regular dinner out as prices are very reasonable and portions ample. The decor is a little scruffy: old carpet, old chairs and tables, etc. But for me, the quality of the food and service outweighs dining in a fancier restaurant. Try the Shahi Paneer or Malai Kofta, you won't be sorry!
(5)Marguay P.
The service was nice and friendly, the atmosphere was casual-indian-restaurant casual. It was half full on a Friday night. The four of us shared four dishes. As soon as the dishes arrived, I was disappointed. The chicken tikka masala looked great, but the appearance of the other three dishes was not encouraging. The color was very bland, and so was the taste. The rice was nice, and so was the chicken tikka masala, but the rest wasn't very tasty. The other four in the party agreed. To be fair, we asked for "mild" for most of the dishes, and they were very mild. We like our Indian food a little spicy, and usually "mild" is a little bit spicy enough. But this time "mild" really was too "mild". I'm sure we won't return here.
(2)Tianna T.
Shalimar of India is Burlingtons premier Indian cuisine. Be sure and hit up brunch on Sunday-
(4)Michael M.
Whats with all the haters? Your in Burlington Vermont what do you expect? This isnt vegas. Anyways this is the premier place for your sunday all you can eat brunch buffet. It is the best deal in town and I save up my appetite all week for this place. Very good indian buffet on Sunday only. Not very spicy the curry is very mild because Vermonters on average cannot handle hot food. Good tandori chicken good pakoras and all the nan you can eat. Coffee and tea included as well. I wish the buffet had tikki masala and gulab jamun!
(5)Chris Y.
If this is the best Indian food Burlington has to offer, I might have to move...or start cooking it myself. The chicken, although prepared well, had more cartilage than meat, and the sauce lacked the richness and complexity I've come to expect from a truly good curry. The "medium" spicy packed a good about of heat. The naan was bland, and we found a small piece of metal on one piece, that looked like it had broken off from the oven. Service was passable, with one water refill, but not overly friendly. I suspect we won't be back.
(2)Quinn S.
Consistently tasty, inexpensive Indian food at a small family-run restaurant. The food is just as good as the only other Indian restaurant in town, but a little less expensive and scores a big victory in terms of atmosphere. Shalimar fits right into the funky, bohemian, working class neighborhood of North Winooski. Sunday Brunch is a friendly, slow-moving mix of hippies and hipsters. The spread of food is diverse and delicious and THE BEST PART is grandpa who cruises the place in white turban and white sneakers, just refilling water glasses with a pleasant smile that never leaves his face.
(4)Kimberly A.
Positives: I read the reviews and then tried take out from this place and I have to admit... I thought the food was a lot better than it was given credit for. We have a very large Indian population in San Diego, and I would say my expectations are pretty high. I got Paneer Tikka Masala and my BF tried a Lamb curry dish. We both enjoyed our meals to the fullest. The portions were very generous, the accompanying chutneys were delicious, as was our garlic naan. Fast forward two days... Negatives: We decided to go back for another dinner but opted to dine in this time. Our food (shahi paneer and chicken curry) were again delicious. The problem lies in the service. My boyfriend (turning 30 in two weeks and sporting a very full and not even slightly prepubescent-patchy beard) ordered a Taj Majal beer. The woman serving us quizzed him harshly about his ID, bent it (not in the appropriate "I'm a professional door guy and I know what I'm doing" manner, but rather in the "leave a crease so you can wait in line at the DMV for a new one" manner) and then stared at him silently for an awkwardly long period of time until he finally said "If it is this big of a deal I will do with out". She sent another man out to check his ID and grill him again before bringing the beer (which was at that point not enjoyed). There was no need for this, the ID is current (and recent- so it looks exactly like him). It should also be noted that I opted out of enjoying a drink with my meal after witnessing this extraordinary exchange. I am 26 with a current ID, but wasn't in the mood for any additional debate. This experience ruined our meal. I highly recommend this restaurant for take out- the quality of food is spot on. Dining in is okay too- just don't expect to ENJOY a beer casually with your meal unless you're looking to be interrogated like you're 16 and sneaking through your bedroom window at 2 AM.
(3)K M.
I wasn't feeling very well so I ordered in. I usually get indian food at the other restaurant in town (India House) and after got my food I wished I had sucked it up and gone to get food from there. I got Shalimar delivered out of convenience and it wasn't worth it. I was just delivered the worst chicken vindaloo I have ever had and the garlic naan tasted rubbery, seemed deep fried and like chemicals. NEVER buying food from here again. I have had Chicken Vindaloo all over the country and in Montreal and the dish I got doesn't even look the same. It tastes like tomato sauce with some curry spices and the chicken and potatoes didn't absorb any of the flavors. Needless to say I am very disappointed and could have made it better myself (if I wasn't sick and had chicken on hand.) Vermont or not, the ingredients to make this dish are available locally and it just wasn't up to par.
(1)Jon H.
The chicken tikka masala tastes like the sauce came out of a can. The chicken is passable and decently juicy. But seriously, where are the spices? The garlic naan was also not fluffy at all, burnt on some sides, and very thin. And where was the garlic? The rice was flavorless. That's about it.
(2)Michael P.
If I could give a zero star rating, I would. Here is a little background. We've been in Burlington for 14 years and have frequented the India House maybe 6 or 8 times. It has been decent but I still have a hard time paying tons of cash for the kind of stuff I got at home every night as a kid. As a way to make sure I was getting the best value, I tried Shalimar to see if it would become the 'goto' Indian restaurant - our last experience was close to 8 years ago so I figured they must have got something right to last this long. Besides, the Yelp reviews largely favored Shalimar so I thought it 'why not?'. Boy was I sorry I made the trip downtown for this. This was, quite possibly, the worst Indian food I have ever had. Here is a rundown of what I ordered for my family of 4 and a description of each. Having ordered 4 menu items, I'd expect to find the 'one' they got right but I did not. Naan Flat, no puff, drenched in oil (?!?!?!). Explain that ! This was very clearly a naan that you would see in the freezer section of a grocery store, buy, bring home, try and vow never to have again. It was a flat, oily, gray pieces of toughness. In my world, naan should have puff, soft chewiness and a little dryness so that it can soak up some gravy. Additionally, it should have some nice little spots of burn that adds flavor (and character). India House wins. Lamb Vindaloo I've made this before and as a spicy food fanatic, it is labor of love. Nobody in this restaurant love this dish. They took what appeared to be baked pieces of lamb (of decent tenderness) and potato and dumped in a jar af vindaloo sauce and made off with my 12 bucks. The gravy was red, no flavor, depth, character or anything. The India House, on the other hand, has always done a nice vindaloo. Again, India House wins. Matter Paneer This is not even worth writing about - that bad. Don't EVER order this abomination. Again, no flavor, only 2 small pieces of paneer and what's worse, the sauce looked like a bowl of chicken fat that had been left in a pan all night. Again, explain that ! India House does a better one ... but not great. Chicken Tikka Masala Chicken was tender. Some hints of smoke flavor (a good thing) and creamy sauce. Not enough depth, pieces of chicken were small. If you are craving the wonderfully smooth feel of masala, this might get you by in a pinch..so long as you are not looking for tons of flavor. I think both India House and Shalimar tie on this one....nothing to write home about. In fact, you're better off making this at home. So I sit here annoyed that I dropped $41.05 on what was a terrible meal. At least I have now confirmed that the restaurant up the hill does a better job at Vindaloo and matter paneer. So if I do decide to drop 40 bucks on Indian in Chittenden County, I will be going to India House. By the way, I walked in at 6:45 to pick up my food. There were a dozen or so tables with exactly 1 person seated and eating. For all I knew it was an employee getting a free meal. That was a sign, I should have never walked in. I am beginning to realize that good Indian is in Boston and NYC. Thanks for reading - hope this helps.
(1)Ron B.
I was craving Lamb Vindaloo and I managed to find this indian restaurant. I didn't have to wait, the service was good. I should've ordered mine spicier because I usually get mild at most places and it suffices but here it didn't. It was also a bit hot in there on a muggy day without any A/C, but that's forgivable. All in all, it was good and I'd come back again.
(3)Seth L.
The previous reviews of Shalimar pretty much sum it up. The service is great, the owners are friendly, but the food is sub-par. I tried their Sunday buffet and the dishes were hit or miss for me. The naan was okay, nothing to write home about, but it was chewy as naan should be which is a plus. The tandoori chicken was awful, it looked good but tasted like slightly-funky chicken with absolutely no tandoori flavor. The basmatti rice was reminiscent of a mix and as a result, the biryani suffered. Gripes aside, I did find myself to enjoy their paneer quite a bit and their rice pudding was satisfying.
(3)Steve F.
Owners/servers were pleasant. However food was not up to much.... one dimensional flavor (I asked for hot). Looking at surrounding plates, I didn't see anything that looked great (I know that flavor is most important ... but still, I think I can tell something from looks). I wanted to enjoy this ... but instead am disappointed.
(2)Dee H.
I was up in this area recently with my daughter and for lunch she wanted to try the Indian restaurant downtown. I'm glad we ended up at this restaurant. It appears to be a family run place and we both enjoyed the Baingan Bhartha (eggplant), the Aloo Ghobi (potatoes and cauliflower), saffron rice and whole wheat roti, accompanied by a couple of glasses of lassi's. When we were there, the dad of the family covered the main room and oversaw the kitchen, while the young lady took care of ringing up the bill while doing her homework. We felt right at home there.
(3)Hillary B.
I have consistently enjoyed the food and experience at Shalimar. The staff is sweet and considerate- although not always the fastest! That aside, I would recommend Shalimar and it's funky N. Winooski atmosphere to anyone in Burlington. Looking forward to trying the Sunday brunch!
(4)Anne M.
Very nice people running the joint. Sure wish they could cook.
(1)Radish E.
Look, I love Indian food, but this place is consistently disappointing. I find their food to be pretty bland, frankly. It's also overpriced, making it a pretty bad value. I would only consider coming here for the buffet on Sunday.
(2)Pete B.
This place used to be one of my favorite restaurants in Burlington and I went to the Sunday buffet religiously. Then things went downhill. The old guy disappeared, the buffet price went up, and the food started tasting a little off. A year ago I would have given it five stars, but the last few times I went it was really bad. I haven't been in probably two months so maybe things have changed for the better. On a positive note, it's the cheapest Indian food I've ever had. They just need to be consistent.
(3)Lizz M.
Family run atmosphere (including very well mannerd kids), waitstaff was amazing, never suffocated me while i was eating and at the same time i had all my questions and comments heard and answered. Open, Large area, very inesxpensive, HUGE portions on plates(Leftovers! yum!), good spice kick, and a very awesome carrot/yogurt secret sauce they make for spice wimps like me :) ... and by far the best indian food in Vermont!
(5)