Khana Peena

The lunch buffet was horrible. The basmati rice was overcooked and mushy, the saag paneer was watery and the other vegetable items were too unappetizing to put on my plate. I had to ask for the naan but it didn’t come until we were finished with our slop.
Also, there weren’t any Indian restaurant staff… so who’s cooking this stuff?
Save your money and appetites for better places.

Their lunch buffet has a good variety of delicious choices. We’ve been going there for lunch for years and are never disappointed. It is also quick since it’s a buffet and you can serve yourself exactly what you wish.

Update : —
I called groupon and got refund for the forced gratuity. Thanks Groupon, but shame on this restaurant.
…
I brought a groupon deal for 2.
Here are the things i didn’t like
1) The chicken biryani that i ordered, was very bad. And that too for around 14 dollars. No Thanks ! i will try another Indian restaurant next time rather than eating this tasteless biryani again.
2) They added 18 percent gratuity for 2 people. On menu it was written, that it would be for party of 5 or more. I ended up loosing my group-​on discount, just on this.
3) There was a very minuscule quantity of raita with biryani, which actually always comes with this dish. When i asked them for a refill, they charged me 1.5 dollars extra :O. 1.5 dollars extra for asking extra raita for biryani???
Overall i was very disappointed with whole experience and would not recommend this place to any one.

Best Chicken Tikka Masala I’ve had around the Bay-​Area. Nice dining area, good portions, and the prices are not too high.

Came here for their $ 9.95 lunch buffet with coworkers. I have fond memories of coming here for Friday lunch, since its reasonably close to work. The last time I dined here was definitely before Unilocal — 10+ years ago!
The restaurant is small, but has a good-​sized dining room with nice Indian decorative rugs hanging. The buffet itself is pretty small, with limited options compared to Café Tandoor, Favorite Indian, and Royal Indian in the Danville/​San Ramon area. Khana Peena does have an open Tandoor, so it cool to see that red-​hot clay oven up close.
Overall, a solid 3 stars. Their best items were the Tandoori Chicken (juicy, seasoned, nice sear), Chicken Tikka Marsala, and Naan. They didn’t have any lamb or goat options, but did have the usual vegetarian curries and slurries. Desserts are virtually non-​existent. There’s a watery version of the sweet rice pudding. Missing is the Indian version of the sugar-​saturated donut (Gulab Jamun).

This review is for their lunch buffet. There are a myriad of options, vegetarian and meat, and none of them are too spicy. The flavors are rich but not too over the top, and satisfying. I’m very impressed. Also, the ambiance is artistic and soothing; it feels good in here.

One of my favorite lunch buffets.
I have been going here for the lunch buffet for over 10 years. I don’t live in the area any longer and I miss it very much. Recently I was lucky enough to be in the area to enjoy this old favorite. Not much has changed.
What I love about the restaurant is the organic and free range food items. For the buffet the meat its mostly chicken items but sometimes you get beef or lamb. The curries are never too spicy or oily. The buffet has plenty of vegetarian options, and maybe one hot vegan dish along with Dal (lentil/​bean soup). I can’t say I love one dish more than the other, everything is delicious. I find it interesting though that some of the dishes that I’ve had can fluctuate in consistency and flavor from time to time, but they are never bad changes. A half slice of Naan (flat bread) comes to your table with the buffet price. You can ask for more at no charge. Also, for dessert there are Honey Balls. If you’ve never had these they are like doughnuts soaked in syrup, very sweet, but very satisfying at the end of the meal.
I love this location because of the thriving shopping area. Parking can be a problem sometimes but even if you have to park far away walking through the hobbit-​house neighborhood or passing by the independently-​owned stores makes it an adventure!

This review is long overdue. Khana Peena has been my parents’ go-​to for many, many years. Now that I’m a parent with a very young baby, I have to say, Khana Peena keeps me and my little one well fed! After having eaten in the restaurant 10 or so times, I now get regular (and very quick) delivery.
If nothing else, the food is consistent; and in my opinion, that’s important. Better yet, the food tastes great and fresh. My parents always do lamb and chicken dishes here, which they love, while I stick with veggie somosas and other vegetarian dishes. The saag paneer is delicious.
Having tried many Indian restaurants on Solano Ave. and in the Gourmet Ghetto, Khana Peena is my go-​to.

Standard Indian fare on all fronts. Very similar to the supplanted Mint Leaf.

Beyond the intimate ambience I feel this place is totally over priced for food that is just so-​so. I paid over $ 25 for 2 vegetarian dishes for take out and each was contained in a tiny plastic container the size of small containers for dip and took about 40 minutes to prepare when I was told 10 minutes. Customer service was aloof. Most average hole in the wall Indian restaurant in the Bay Area can beat or match the food served here without pretending to be above average through décor.

Before I start this review, I’d like to clarify that I have eaten at this restaurant before and I have always loved their buffet service. This review is pertaning today’s visit which was not a very pleasant one at that.
I was on my lunch break and as I walked into the restaurant I noticed there were about 4 other people eating there.
As I walked in, I was greeted by a woman who asked me if I was dining alone or If I was with a guest. After I explained to her it was for one person, she proceeded to tell me to have a seat and handed me a menu. (i was thrown off because I have been here in previous years and I walked into the restaurant and the buffet table was placed to the left of the restaurant for you to serve yourself) The menu was a hint that maybe they no longer had buffet? I proceeded to order a couple of items from the menu and the woman went to the kitchen and placed the order for me.
I had the chicken samosas and the lamb curry with rice.
the samosas arrived and at the same time, a gentleman walked in behind me and the same woman who greeted me, proceeded to greet him and asked; would this be for one person? the man answered yes. the woman then asked, would this be buffet or would you like a menu? (I looked around and could not find the buffet bar so i was surprised she offered him the buffet) shortly after the man walks to the side of the kitchen and that’s when I saw the heating lamps above the buffet bar.
By this time my lunch was ruined, I was done eating my samosas and felt compelled to pay for my food and walk out. However I still had to get my Lamb Curry order, which took 20 minutes.
I asked for extra naan bread because the food i ordered only came with two pieces. I ate the food as quickly as I could because i was at lunch and was crunched for time.
during this time, the woman never stopped by to check to see if everything was okay or if I needed anything else.
I finally asked her for the bill and to my surprise, what could’ve been $ 17.00 for the all you can eat buffet and a soda and an order of Chicken Samosas, turned up to be $ 30.41. mind you, you get unlimitted naan bread with the buffet but you get charged $ 2.50 for an extra order of plain naan bread when ordering a la carte.
After leaving the establishment I felt as if I was robbed. Yes I understand I shouldn’t have assumed they had no buffet, but the fact that I was not given the same option as the next customer made me feel a bit bitter about coming here again.
If you go to this place, please make sure you ask if they still have a buffet before you order from the menu or you’ll have the same type of experince I had.

One of the worst indian restaurants we’ve been to.
The buffet looks unappetizing, we ordered a la carte, small portions still quite expensive, the food is poorly cooked (rice is mushy) and looks of low quality,
Never again.

We tried lunch, and it was after 1 on a Saturday. The place was nearly empty. They asked if we wanted the buffet. We took a look. Everything needed refilling, and what was left looked old and tired. So, we ordered from the menu. I had a lamb curry, my husband chose chicken tikka masala. We both asked for basmati rice.
Then we waited, and waited, and at least 30 minutes after ordering the food arrived. For the price, the portion size is too small. Both dishes had good flavor, but for the price, the long wait and the mediocre service? Nope, not going back.

We sat down and a cockroach run across the table.
The bathrooms are old, dirty and falling apart.
They charged us $ 15 for a tapas size chicken tikka masala!
Guys ! This restaurant needs an update and I hope there’s no cockroach in the kitchen!

This place is really good! I love their chicken tikka masala & vegetable samosas
Highly recommend this place!

The buffet was terrible. The chicken tikka masala just tasted weird. It was, by far, the worst that I have ever had. The saag paneer was nothing more than butter and spinach with no spices. Other items at the buffet were OK at best.
The table service was also poor. Both my SO and I felt like we were inconveniencing the wait staff. When we entered the restaurant, mariachi music was playing and we were offered no greeting. The waitress sat us at a table, took our drink order, and then walked away. She never offered us a menu or asked what we would like.
Everything about that place said to me that they just didn’t care. There was no care in the food, no care from the wait staff, and no care for ambiance.
One star. I would not eat there again.

Just a simple and clean review: We came here at not a rush time, we waited over 45 mins for our food to come out. The server refilled water for all tables but he never came to our table. We could tell he was intentionally avoiding us because we complained about an over priced seafood dish? Food tasted fine here but we’ll never come back again for this kind of service.

I liked my lamb with yogurt marinade that came with rice, beans and bread. The place is comfortable and the service is nice. My wife found her meal spicy just liked she ordered it but it was too hot for her. They brought some yogurt sauce that helped cool it down and actually make it taste better for her. Its a little expensive but we used a coupon that made it a deal.

We came here with a living social deal. ($ 30)
We ordered 2 dishes with garlic naan. The chicken tikki masala may have been one of the best I have ever had. The other dish which I don’t remember was just ok, and wayyyy to spicy.
The service was not very good, AND we were the only ones in the place. The waitress’ were constantly looking at their phones.
There are so many other restaurants in Berkeley, so I probably would not come back here.

I really like Khana Peena for Happy Hour. The in between meal with drinks and chance to unwind. Usually Solano is sunny around that hour, so we prefer a window seat.
I like to try all of the appetizers on the Happy Hour Menu. It’s Monday through Thursday, 5:00p.m. — 7:00p.m. — ½ off all appetizers, $ 5 cocktails and $ 3 drafts.
The Samosas are my favorite, yet I always order the Garlic Naan too. I love the cilantro and tamarind sauce and always ask for extra.
Although I always order Indian beer when I am here, last time I ordered a cocktail. It was very good with a little heat spice to it. I think I’ll come back to try a few more of their house cocktails next time.