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Anthony G. Rohnert Park, CA . February 2009

I love Sizzling Tandoor. It is by far the best Indian restaurant in Sonoma County.

The decor is very nice, clean and warm (except maybe the distracting TV behind the bar with the Bollywoodvideos). Once inside it's like your in another world, or India perhaps.

Service is exceptionally good and attentive. If your new to Indian food the waiters and waitresses will literallytake you by your hand and lead you through the menu. At the risk of appearing shallow I will say all thewaitresses are extremely attractive as well.

The food is inspiring and amazing! The best Chicken Curry ever. The Prawns Belcho Masalo are to die for. Iwould also suggest trying the mixed grill and Chicken Pakora. They also have a wide assortment of beers.

I would highly recommend this restaurant.

Jennifer H. Santa Rosa, CA . April 2010

My husband and I enjoy this restaurant. Wonderful service, Tuesday night is our favorite evening to visit.Everything we've eaten has been delicious, fresh and perfectly seasoned.

I definitely recommend.

Glenn S.'s Santa Rosa, CA. May 2009

Great Staff, Great Service, Great Ambiance, and even better food! I have experienced the buffet for lunch, anda dinner menu as well as appetizers in this establishment. It is the closest thing in town we have to North EastAfrican food and it is extremely well prepared.

Yes, it is a bit pricey but if you moved to Santa Rosa from anywhere else, you will note that all food here ispricey! If you plan to go out to eat for $20 bucks in this town, go to a chain restaraunt!

Sizzling Tandoor also has open minded community outreach and strives to be more than a restaraunt. Theytruly want to be the best in town and encourage others to grow their business, they participate in every functionthey can, and are simply top shelf. The new happy hour is awesome too, $3 hefes on tap! YUM. Heavenforbid you get to experience SOME culture.

Best wishes and best of luck. Uma se ma nini - delicious!

Christine H. Santa Rosa, Ca. January 2010

Just got done having dinner here tonight. I have to say enjoyed myself a lot. This place has Tons of flavor fromthe Veggie Paitan, the mango dressing for their salads, to their tomato bisque. The Veggie plate was a sweet andsour that had a good kick to it. Not only was the dish flavorful it had a good variety of vegetables to boot!Service was prompt as well. It was bit odd having three different waitresses check on the table. Other then that

I can ’t wait to check this place out for lunch.

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Aaron S. Santa Rosa, CA. January 2009

This has been one of my favorite Santa Rosa restaurants for years. The food is excellent and the staff is alwaysattentive and friendly. The chef-owner, Vinay Patel, is committed to providing a wonderful dining experienceon all fronts. He has improved the place quite a bit since he took it over a few years back (I liked it before too).

If you want to get a wide variety of Indian treats at a reasonable price, go for the lunch buffet. It's about $12 forall-you-can-eat fresh curries, tandoori chicken, lentils, rice, naan, soup and salad.

The Sizzling Tandoor is also a great as a dinner destination. My favorite dishes are the lamb vindaloo (extraspicy), the navatran (vegetable) korma, rogan josh, chicken tikka masala, and veggi samosas.

Jeff G.'s Santa Rosa, Ca December 2008

Enjoyed eating at the Sizzling Tandoor since the 1980s. By far the best Indian food in Sonoma County, with anexhaustive menu of mainstream & regional Indian cuisine. A favorite place to dine for special & every dayoccasions.

Super food served by warm, friendly staff in an inviting ambiance---particular nice on Wednesdays, Fridays,

and Saturdays when includes live music and/or belly-dancing. The owner, Vinay, is a gracious host who ishappy to make menu suggestions and modifcations to suit your palate. We also enjoy sisters and servers,Gangaand Yomuna, from Nepal, who are very friendly, welcoming & sweet.

While we've heard the buffet is good, we always prefer to order a la carte, so we can explore new dishesprepared to our specfications.

Great selection of naans, Indian beers, wines, and desserts (esp. homemake ice cream, pistachio or mango"Kulfi"), in additional to a huge repertoire of favorites Indian dishes. Also have curries and other spices/rubsfor sale.

Samantha C. Santa Rosa, Ca. March 2009

I like this place. I have been going there since the first week that they opened about 20 some years ago. They'vegone through several different owners since then and it seems like the ones that have it now figured out what todo. They have an extensive menu (a bit too extensive if you're hungry and can't make up your mind) and eventheir lunch buffet has a pretty good selection.They also have a great vegan selection for the days that you're trying to eat a bit healthier. I'll admit though that

the Lunch buffet can sometimes be a bit too salty. The weekends offer a different type of lunch, but stillaffordable for the amount of food that you get.I Love the deep, rich authentic Indian flavors and I'm really glad that that location have survived the years! Oh!And I Love their Nan!

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Rhonda B. Santa Rosa, CA October 2009

I eat here once or twice a month and it is always amazing.

Service is always friendly & a great ambiance. The portions are pretty big so my boyfriend and I get an app andshare an entree. For apps, the orkra dish is my fav. I've tried several of their entrees but my old trusty is theChicken Tikka Masala.

We ALWAYS get the chai tea. It's so delicious I end up drinking 4+ cups (free refills). Seriously it's killer..better than any other chai tea I've ever had.

Ruth L. North Hills, CA December 2009

I have to say we were afraid to go into this restaurant because it looked like your cheesy lower priced Indianfood from the outside.

We were pleasantly SURPRISED! We've eaten at Pamposh, Kebab & Curry, and finally were brave enough toeat here - especially based on a previous review by an Indian person from San Francsico who says it's herfavorite Indian restaurant, and comes out to Santa Rosa just to eat there!

The decor is nice, in saffron colors inside, very tastefully done. You hear a calm waterfall. People speak inlower tones in this restaurant which is what we prefer. We were here on a Sunday, so I imagine it's more raucuson the nights they have belly dancing. If you're a fan of belly dancing and food you should come on thosenights - if you prefer a low key more quiet restaurant come on the off nights of the entertainment.

The food - wonderful. We make Indian food at home a lot, we've eaten at Neelas in Napa (not spicy enough),we've eaten at Pamposh, Kebab and Curry. I received a yelp email from an Indian person who recommended

Sizzling Tandoor from my review of Kebab & Curry or Pamposh.Food we tried: mango-strawberry lassi, variety plate of appetizers, kofta dulxxx(can;t remember the name -fried paneer in a pistachio/cashew nut sauce), basmati rice (came with green peas), paneer kulcha (cheesestuffed naan bread), chicken jalfreeza, garlic basil naan.

It was wonderful, fresh tasting. They note on the menu that their chicken is Sonoma County based Rocky, thevegetables are also local.

For a change we took what we didn't eat home as leftovers in a doggie bag. Usually we do not take food homeso we really enjoyed ourselves.

The Chai Tea mentioned in various reviews was WONDERFUL. BTW, my husband is British and somewhatof an expert on Indian food, and I have been eating Indian food for many many years, ever since I discovered itback in college (ages ago!).

Service was great. Waitress was lovely, and the owner was wonderful. We let him know that we are very usedto spicy foods, so he made sure it was spicy enough for us and that was a success.

For both of us it came to about $75 including the tip - we are non-drinkers so if you go and you drink you maywant to factor that in.

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Allison B. Beverly Hills, CA October 2009

Great food, wonderful service!

The menu clearly states which options are vegan, so you don't accidentally order anything with yogurt or milk.There is vegan, whole grain naan, as well as vegan curry dishes.

We had a veggie korma dish and tandoor vegtables. Everything came medium, which was on the hot side. Thevegetable soup was delicious and they gave you a bowl of chickpea noodles with three dipping sauces as anappetizer. The samosas are really small and have rice inside instead of potatoes, so I would recommend twoorders if you have three people in your group or don't plan to order two entrees for a party of two.

We got a ton of food. They even have brown rice, which isn't an option at most Indian restaurants. I will eathere when I come back to Santa Rosa.

Renata M. Santa Rosa, CA September 2009

I love this place. The folks who run it, the food they make and the location is great! It's definitely one of myfavorite places to go.

A D. San Francisco, CA September 2009

I am in COMPLETE SHOCK that there is anything less than 5 stars on here. The food is FANTASTIC. Itseriously rivals my own mother's Indian cooking.The naan, wine list, chicken tikka, mixed grill, paneer saag.... everything is awesome. We loved this place somuch they catered our wedding! They did an amazing job by creating a huge fantasy Indian buffet for 250people. Vinay the owner is super nice and he also has a fabulous manager named Neil who also helped makeour wedding that much more special. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, told us how good the food was at thewedding...Either way... this place is worth checking out... live music, great service, fantastic wine list, good food, bellydancing , happy hour.. need I go on?P.S. - It's good enough that we drive over an hour from the city just to go!

Megan H. Healdsburg, CA August 2009

I went here recently for happy hour and dinner.. there was a good citar-player that made me want a nap rightthen and there.

I had their chai cocktail, which was odd and not delicious, and tried some of my friend's 'sizzling sunset'cocktail, which also wasn't great. Mixed drinks just don't really go with spicy indian food.. ended up with aKingfisher.

We started with veggie samosas and pakoras, which were so-so. I had the lamb tikka masala, ordered mild-to-medium in heat, and it came out with no spice at all. Good flavor, but the lamb was super tough.

I'd probably go again and try something different, as the service was great, nice people. The pricing isn't great,and it was pretty dead for a Wed.-night-market happy hour, but the naan was okay and that matters. =)

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Jason A. Santa Rosa, CA July 2009

I try to convince my family to eat here as often as possible, but it can get pretty dang pricey, so that doesn'thappen too often. To cut down the price, I recommend grabbing a gift certificate from http://Restraunts.com when they go on sale. This is usually how my family can afford to go here and really live it up.

Tandoori Chicken and the Navratan Korma are where its at. Can't get enough of it and always order it everytimeI go there. Their naan is always great and comes with the meal. Basmati rice is extra but well worth it with theKorma and Curry dishes.

If you come on a Friday or Saturday night you will be treated to live entertainment from a local belly dancer.Always adds to the atmosphere and enjoyment of the dinner.

I've had great service everytime I've been in there. From the very first time when just my wife and I went on adate to the most recent when it was extended family and there was eight of us. The staff is very attentive andfriendly.

Kat D. Santa Rosa, CA July 2009

Appetizers were good. The staff was super friendly and helpful. I'm coming back and telling my friends..

Beth B. Cotati, CA June 2009

Absolutely delicious food, though I'm not a fan of the buffet lunch.Variable service and we avoid the belly dancing night.

My F. Kihei, HAWAI Arpil 2009

friendly staff and nice ambiance. it's fairly mild american indian food but just right for all the young Santa Rosasuburban professionals awaiting the belly dancers. I liked the fact that the waitress did not ask mild, medium,spicy...she brought the food the way the chef had it intended to be. It was good.

Bill W. Healdsburg, CA April 2009

I took my family here on Saturday night. The staff were great and the food was out of this world. The breadswere so good we got some to go. We had three lamb dishes and they were all fantastic. The belly dancer addeda lot of color, especially to my young son's face. We met the owner who told us they do a buffet lunch duringthe week so we will be there when we are in Santa Rosa around lunch time.

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raymond r. Redwood City, CA April 2009

Food was really great at this place. the butter chicken was the best dish. they char the chicken and put it in thetomato sauce. sooo gooood. also, it's pretty spicy. we asked for medium and were surprised with the spicy level.

one complaint i had was the service. they were REALLY pushy about getting wine or "upgrading" our naan togarlic naan. haha. but it was annoying.

Sally Q. Sebastopol, CA February 2009

i've been here a few times for the lunch buffet and felt a bit hesitant about going back.

the service and atmosphere is very good, the food is good at best and the prices are a bit steep for a lunchbuffet...i don't know if i'll be going back for more though. i hate to say it but i would rather travel out to hwy 1 (near

jenner) for and absolutely fantastic meal in the same price range.

or perhaps i just won't show up for the lunch buffet anymore..

Jessica M. Santa Rosa, CA December 2008

My husband and I love going here, the saag paneer is our favorite, and the chai is rich and full and tasty. Onlycomplaints are the TV screen in back with the bali-wood dancing. If there's TV I can't take my eyes off it, andit's distracting! But the belly dancing is fun on Fri and Sat, and we leave feeling like we had fun.

Rachel S. Santa Rosa, CA December 2008

I am a big fan of Indian food and this was some of the best I have had in a long time. The naan is light andfluffy and I would highly recommend the garlic-basil! Everything was delicious and the staff was very promptand attentive. I will definitely be going back again!

samanta v. Healdsburg, CA November 2008

I like indian food, but am by no means an expert on it. I've been here a few times before, but not recently untillast night.

Had the Bhindi Masa (okra) with uions and curry, in masala with spices. it was excellent. Dining companionhad Chicken Curry - ordered it spicy and ya, it was spicy -- although really good.

I love the Pachranga Achaar (it's hot mixed picked green mango, with chilies, lemon etc) and SALTY AS ALLGET OUT - but it's supposed to be, so order with caution.

Decent but slow service. I like how well described all the items are on the menu, and they are grouped well.

I don't eat indian often enough, but I would certainly not turn my nose at coming here again.

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Brooke B. Monte Rio, CA September 2008

Staff was super friendly and informative. The flavor was pretty strong, in a good way. We ordered appetizers,some kind of side sauce with yogurt, curry, lamb.... the works!! We loved it.Didn't have room for dessert.

THIS IS NOT THE SAME "SIZZLING TANDOOR" BY BODEGA BAY!Thank gods. The other place is a nightware!!

Steve L. Castle Rock, CO August 2008

I've been to my share of Indian places, and it's not uncommon to see wide swings of opinions about differentIndian restaurants. Some places have a more "hole-in-the-wall" decor but awesome cuisine - and others have anupscale atmosphere but rather bland food.

One thing that's important to remember about cuisines that are traditionally spicy/hot is that many of thoserestaurants temper their hotness based on the patrons in the restaurant. That is, if a nice old man asks forsomething spicy, his dish may not be actually as hot as say an Indian asking for something hot. Just keep that inmind in any restaurant when ordering a level of heat.. ;) I feel I can make this claim because I'm married to abeautiful Indian woman to has brought my tolerance for spice to hers over the years.

My experience at the Sizzling Tandoor was a good one. My wife and I visited there on a Friday evening anddidn't have to wait to sit down. The atmosphere was slightly dark, but clean and comfortable.

We ordered garlic naan, lamb vindaloo, murgh makhani (boneless chicken in a tomato cream sauce), andnavratan curry (vegetable curry). The spice scale is 1=mild, 2=medium, and 3=spicy. I usually like things onthe spicy side so we ordered the lamb spicy, and the other dishes medium.

The lamb (again, ordered hot) was terrific, hands down. It had my sinuses clearing out and my beer emptiedpretty quickly. (A good thing if you want spice)

The other dishes were very tasty as well, and I think I would have like them even better had we ordered themspicy (3) as well.

We found the menu to be a little bit on the pricey side, though. It's worth it for an occasional visit, but the pricecouldn't support me being a regular there. Speaking of the menu, though, it was one of the best thought-outmenus I've seen at an Indian restaurant. Each item was well-explained, so anyone could figure out what theywould be ordering..

I'd encourage you to at least try this place once. I read all the other reviews for the Sizzling Tandoor and itlooks like people either rave or hate this place. Just keep in mind that reviews have a lot to do with a singularexperience (the regular cook could have been off one night a reviewer stopped in, for example), and take basicaverage across them all. Including mine.. ;)

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kainoa r. Santa Rosa, CA April 2008

I can get behind the Chicken Pakora, and... that's about it. The prices here are a little high, and the flavor alittle... low. I hear that they are under new ownership, but I'm not sure that's going to get me in the door. Indianis Indian, and even the best Indian will have me cursing Ganesha the next morning.

Terry W . Santa Rosa, CA March 2007

My girlfriend and I try to come here at least once a month for dinner. We love this place. The food has alwaysbeen fresh tasting, and very good, the mango lassi is divine.the last two times we went, Belly dancing startedaround 7, which was entertaining.

I've also gone to the Buffet, and must say, compared to their dinner, it's nowhere near as good. I still eat it, as Ithink it's better than a lot of other things you can get for the same price, but it's definitely not the shining star.

So far, this is the best Indian food I've had in Santa Rosa.

Oh, and for those of you out there with Costco cards, if you let them know you have one, you get a free entreewith the purchase of drinks.

Randy W. Santa Rosa, CA August 2006

I agree with Eli's review above. Sizzling Tandoor's food is the real deal and you won't go wrong with the regularmenu items.

Scott L. Seattle, WA September 2008

Was staying 15 miles into the grapevines, this was the closest Indian food from there, and I had a HANKERIN'for some spice. So I chanced it - and was quite pleased. The nan wasn't exactly the softest or best I've had, butthe rest was great - definitely in the top 20% of Indian food I've tasted - and I've tasted a lot. The restaurant isquite spacious, nicely decorated, and the staff is very friendly. I wish it was bellydancing night! But evenwithout that, I walked away with a great taste in my mouth, a lower bill than expected, and if I'm ever back inSanta Rosa I'll be dining here again for sure.

Cassandra L. Santa Rosa, CA September 2010

LOVE IT! Great Indian & lots of vegan options. Even a yummy dessert!

Richard M Santa Rosa, CA, September 2010

I went in last night with the family. It was there first time and they loved it. Instead of the sign saying "Nirvana" it should say " orgasmic" it was that good.

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April P . Santa Rosa, CA May 2010

Exceptional dining experience for daytime business meetings, catering or evening entertainment with family

and friends or even by yourself! The sights, sounds and tastes of India all in one local hang out. Just like ourown Levi Leipheimer does, I too “adore Sizzling Tandoor”. I also love that their delightful staff help you“travel through the extensive menu” from all four regions of India."

The food is exceptional! I've tried all the Indian Restaurants in the area and though they are all tasty, I have tosay Sizzling Tandoor of Santa Rosa is the very best. I hold my daytime business meetings during their lunchbuffet and enjoy evening entertainment with my family, friends and comfortably by myself. The classicalIndian Sitar on Wednesday nights is so relaxing, and the local belly dancers on Friday and Saturday eveningsare festive! Their absolutely delightful, sweetly humorous and uplifting staff, Yamuna, Ganga, Vinay (theowner) and others take time to help me select specialties from all four regions of India. After 15 years, I amstill learning of new favorites! They have a great selection of Sonoma and Napa Valley wines and if I buy two

glasses, the whole bottle is free! They sell spices I buy from them too, so I can make their curries at home.Food and wine enthusiasts must try this place! -April Palmer, A. Palmer and Associates

Eli C. Santa Rosa, CA July 2006

I've been going to Sizzling Tandoor for many years now, and seen the ownership change once. The restaurantwas great before, and the new owner has made some changes to the decor and menu that are all positive.

I don't agree with the prior review about the atmosphere- You can sometimes smell the traditional Mesquite-fired Tandoor burning, and there are definitely some serious spices in the air, but these are all 'good smells' in

my opinion.

I also rarely visit the Buffet, only because I like my food a good deal more spicy than is on offer in the Buffet.

If you like your food hot, here's the secret to Nirvana- The dishes can be ordered from 1-5 in magnitude of spice, with 5 being the theoretical limit.

1-2 is very mild, and if you like Indian food at all you should not have a problem with this.

I typically order my dishes as '4', which is nice and hot while maintaining all of the flavor. Mind you, a '4' isenough to cause you to break a sweat, and reach for the Raita a couple of times.

The menu varies slightly on Wednesday and Saturday (these are the days the Owner cooks) to include someSouthern dishes, and I believe that the owner is planning to start doing some Dosa and other Southern dishes aspart of that daily menu change.My personal favorites on the menu are Chicken Jalphrazie, and the Lamb Lababdaar (it's like a Lamb TikkaMasala but with Star Anise and other spices). All of the Tandoori entrees are very nice, and I've also enjoyedthe Dal and other vegetarian dishes there.The Na'an here is exquisite, and the Garlic and 'Keema' variants are even better - I personally think that they usea little too much black pepper in their puppodums, but a friend of mine who has eaten more Indian food than Ihave thinks it's great, so there you have it.The prior review was written solely based on the quality of the Buffet- I'd recommend trying the Dinner menubefore making any lasting judgment regarding this restaurant.

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