Tandoor Char House

I’ve been going to Tandoor for a few years now, and I’ve largely enjoyed my experience there. The employees are extremely nice and helpful, the service quick and always with a little something extra, and I haven’t had a meal I didn’t like.
But there have been two or three occasions that I noticed the chicken in particular had been undercooked; this didn’t actually bother me too much because I’d never gotten sick– until today. Today I am having fits of violent vomiting, and all sorts of other symptoms I’ll leave out of this review because whoever is reading this is probably hungry.
And it was almost certainly their chicken that did me in, because I was fasting and had nothing else to eat all day. Contaminated food is an especially unforgivable sin– I’ll grant them two stars here for their pleasant atmosphere, service, and taste– but even one instance is enough. Any recommendation I give to my friends will have to come with a warning label, unfortunately.

This is a Indian food fusion place and halal. They have tradition items but they also a delicious steaks and fajitas .
The owner and staff are so friendly, we all were fasting and they had complementary pakoras and water for us, those pakoras are so good They also had a small spot where you can pray. The whole staff was so sweet !
To the food !! Great food!
Everyone mostly got the steak and it was so
good and they give a assortment of sauces with the steak, which make it taste even better .
The others got the tandoor lamb and chicken and a burger. Indian place that has burgers ! Lol
They food was great with tasty twist on traditional American food.

We had reservations and arrived at the correct time and were told we had to wait 45 minutes. Then the receptionist said come with me and we can serve you at a location down the street. He takes us to a nightclub, one block away, which is not set up for dining, he hands us menus and says we can order. No way

I order Tandoor Char House for delivery on DoorDash and their Chicken Tikka Masala is amazing! Also, the best Naan I’ve had since India!

ZABIHA HALAL! :)
Came here on a Monday night, Memorial Day weekend, for a belated birthday dinner. We made reservations for 9PM, for 2 adults and one child.
Ok. so… this restaurant… is. AMAZEBALLS. Omg. For someone who eats zabiha halal, it has been a disaster trying to find a restaurant that serves a decent steak. Devon is filled with restaurants that do only Indian/​Pakistani, so steak is non-​existant. This place? Knocked it out of the park. I ordered the NY Strip loin (medium-​well) s/​o had the Tandoor Char burger (medium rare), and the little one had a wrap. For appetizers we had the chaat fries (BOMB DOT COM) and the chicken pakora (even better than the fries!!!) We didn’t order any Pakistani/​Indian fare cos quite honestly… we have a lot of that at home =P lol. The menu is essentially 3 parts — their tandoor/​grill items, fusion items, and their rice + curries. We stuck with the fusion food but the rest looked delicious too. And the came dessert… guys… the mango pistachio cheesecake… is OUT. OF. THIS. WORLD. Oh Lord, i’m drooling just thinking of it right now… *drooling all over my smartphone*… =D
The service was lovely; our waitress was attentive and helped us pick items we would enjoy, as it was our first time. The appetizers and drinks were brought out in a timely fashion… we didn’t feel rushed or neglected. We were also able to customize our side options for the little one, a very nice gesture. The manager (or maybe it was the owner?) stopped by our table a couple of times to make sure everything was going well, it felt nice to see someone care so much about their work. The restaurant itself was clean, dimly lit… but very nice ambiance.
Guys. defo go here. If ur a steak-​lover, or just a lover of Pakistani/​Indian food… u need to go here. It’s delicious, awesome service and great ambiance.

Chicago has no shortage of good Indo-​Paki food options, so the bar is set high and if you’re going to be the big kahuna in the middle of Lincoln Park, you need to make sure you meet that mark. Tandoor Char house has hits and misses for most part. We opted for several platters: appetizers and grilled meats so we could try a little bit of everything. and well the name literally says its a Grill House so figured that’s what they do best. The flavors are decent. nothing over the top mind blowing, and maybe we didnt order enough variety, but the grilled meats were well marinated and seasoned. The breads were fresh and the appetizers were kinda just meh. I saw Nihari on their Unilocal listing but couldnt find it on their menu so not sure if it’s something they only have on certain days or if they took it off the menu, but for most part the menu is basically Indian dishes that can be cooked in a tandoor (stone oven)
Now this restaurant is definitely Indian (sure certain dishes can fall under a Pakistani umbrella) but the flavor profile and spices used in both countries vary slightly, and you can tell the difference if you’re in the know. This might be important to those who know the difference and have a preference for one over the other.
My only non food related critique would be that they need to do a better job with their furniture and choice of plateware. The tables all wabble and aren’t large enough to fit the dishes they serve in. The square plates might look elegant, but are too big for the tables so we were literally scrambling to move things around to get the food to fit on the table. Between the 4 of us we should have had enough room on the table to fit 2 platters and a basket of bread… yeah not happening. The tables are different heights too and the poor waitress was struggling not to spill food all over us as we tried to find room to fit the dishes. Presentation is one thing, practicality is alot more important.

Long wait time even after reservations– almost 1 hr.
Poor service– we asked for our left over food to be packed the server never brought it back.
Apart from the appetizers and the cheese naan rest of the food was mediocre at best especially the biryani maybe because they are a «fusion» restaurant. Try it if you are in the area but there are much better options in the city for authentic indo/​pak food.

I really loved the naan and chicken tikka masala – they were very very good and exactly what I expected. I liked our servers and most everything about this place.
But we need to talk about the Saag Paneer. Saag Paneer is my favorite favorite favorite food. But here, it’s expensive and disappointing. Maybe even awful?
The flavor isn’t bad and the paneer has a nice consistency, but featured more prominently than the saag or the paneer are the onions, tons of them, cut into cubic inches. Every single bite is a mouthful of onion chunks, with a few bits of spinach thrown in, maybe.
And don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against onions, but picture a dish that is more like vegetable jalfrezi, and instead of vegetables it’s onions, and instead of everything, its more onions.
I have a feeling that our dish was… a mistake somehow. But I’m not feeling bold enough to try ordering it again.

Don’t come here if you’re looking for your typical Indian food… this menu is innovative and modern! If you don’t know what to order, ask the brothers who own the place! They are enthusiastic and truly love what they do! We ordered every dish they recommended and loved everything!
apps: chat fries! YUM! I’m a veggie, but my friend ordered the tamarind wings and said they were one of the best he’s had! They were huge, so you can definitely share.
entrees: paneer tandoori was so yum! the paneer really held the tandoor smokey taste! Penne tikka masala was interesting! We ordered that as well as the matar paneer tikka masala and it seemed repetitive but both were very good. My fave, baigan masala! If you love eggplant, you’ll love this dish!
To end the meal we had the mango cheesecake, which pretty much made us forget about all the other dishes we had! It is homemade and literally MELTS IN YOUR MOUTH!
Great food! Even better service! Must go!

I’ve never been to a place that I felt so welcomed and well taken care. We were greeted with excitement and without reservation, they asked us if we were OK to wait for 30 mins and offered us the option to wait at lounge next door (which we also enjoyed our conversation with Eric at four star lounge)
We had Lamb karhai which was to come back for and Mixed grill tabdoori, I wasn’t too impressed with my seekh kabob but even the salad was delicious.
I cannot wait to come back. Thanks to Fajim and the rest of the staff for lovely dinner.

I prefer these guys for takeout, but I’ve eaten in as well.
My go-​to order is the Chicken Tikka Masala with Vegetarian Samosas. Their veggie samosas come in a pair and are one of the best I’ve tried — they’re as big as your fist and super flavorful, especially when paired with the cilantro and tamarind chutneys. I eat the Tikka Masala basically for the sauce — it’s THAT good — spoon it on their rice and/​or pita bread and you’ll be in heaven. Also to note, most of their entrees come with rice, salad, raita, and achar. The achar is really good, too!
I will warn the delivery can take a while, but when ordered through any of the messenger services the food always comes hot.
If you’re craving Indian, it’s definitely worth a try!

I wanted to update my review because I was extremely impressed with the reaction time and the concern and determination to correct this issue. After posting my review, I received a response from the owner within 24 hours. He was apologetic and possibly had no knowledge of what had happened. He went above and beyond what I had asked and I felt truly appreciated as a customer as a result of his actions. I would most definitely patronize this establishment again as I think as customers, we need to support businesses that truly care about what their customers think about them.
Thanks Faraz :)

I’m still a huge fan of the food; however, we had a slight disappointment when we ordered delivery yesterday. 1) We chose them over another nearby Indian Restaurant because on GrubHub, it stated there was $ 0 delivery fee. To my surprise, the delivery fee was $ 5 — a little steep. Won’t be doing that again. 2) We ordered garlic naan and were super excited for it, but it was not included in our order and when I tried to call back right after delivery, there was no answer. So sad!

Yes, I am a super fan! Cannot believe that this gem is so close to my house. I’m going to be coming often so get ready Tandoor house employees!
The service was outstanding despite that we had a reservation and had to wait an additional 20 minutes upon arriving. The impeccable service from our waiters and the delicious food made up for it. Definitely worth the wait.
It is obvious that this a family owned business which definitely reflects on each dish; you can taste the love and passion in each bite. We ordered veggie samosas to start, and then chicken tikka masala and the lamb tandoori grill platter. Everything was oh-​my-​god delicious. The garlic naan was out of this world!
This place is a great date spot or somewhere to go with lots of friends. It’s BYOB and super affordable! My experience was overall fantastic and I will be back asap!

Indian food reviewed by an Indian person so you know you can trust me: five stars for Tandoor Char House. My favorite Indian spot in the city.
I’ve tried almost everything on the menu, but my favorite items are the Mattar Paneer, Kebabs of any kind, and the MANGO STRAWBERRY LASSI (this thing is life changing). The food here is just plain and simple GOOD. It’s tasty AF, reasonably priced, and comes in huge portions. The owner is also the nicest guy and personally checks in on almost every table. Life hack — check in on Unilocal when you go to unlock a free appetizer.
Make a reservation at least a day or two in advance! This place gets packed.

Great local delivery food! I like the kabob combination. The dips, sauces and vegetable options are all very fresh and delivered hot or cold as they should be. I have ordered here a couple times and had a good experience every time.
I will order again when I feel the crave!

I might need to go to rehab for Indian food and it’s all this places fault. Every new year before I make an attempt at a healthier diet as my resolution, I have to hit a bottom. This year my bottom was binging on Tandoor’s naan dunked in Chicken Tikka Masala and Lamb Karhai. I ordered this an embarrassing amount of times over break and now I don’t think I can stop the Char House altogether.
Their traditional dishes are some of the best in Chicago. Bold flavors, perfect spice, and extremely hearty meats. Great if you’re a seasoned Indian food fan, but they’re also an awesome option to bring a beginner as the menu has all sorts of American inspired fusion dishes too.
To sum it up they’re inexpensive, they’re BYOB, and if you read their website it’s pretty apparent this family owned business has had tons of love and passion poured into it. Now hopefully I can find something somewhat healthy I the menu so I can continue eating there as I have been.

We came to Tandoor on a friend’s suggestion. It is Indian fusion. We made a reservation and were timely seated. It is a fairly small restaurant and BYOB which is great. Service was good. Our waiter was friendly and helpful in providing recommendations. The owner also stopped by which is a nice touch. I like that it is a family owned restaurant.
Overall, the food was very good (albeit it I can’t really comment on authenticity). We started off with the Masala Ceviche (a check-​in perk). It was good although a few bites were definitely spicy. There was also a TON of food (we probably over ordered). Our table of four also ordered: the vegetarian samosa, chatt fries, garlic naan, tandoor mixed grill (lamb, chicken and beef), chicken boti, chicken tikka masala, and beef nahari. I’d skip the samosa and chatt fries next time. The lamb, chicken boti and chicken tikka masala were probably the table highlights. The beef nahari had nice seasoning although the beef was somewhat fatty without it being rendered. Overall, it was tasty and a good value for a lot of food (about $ 30 with tip per person).

I was really craving some traditional Indian food, and after a quick Unilocal search this place popped up on my radar. Sad to say the food didn’t really live up to my expectation. I think I would describe this place more as a fusion Indian restaurant more than anything else. I can’t say I’ve ever started an Indian meal off with ceviche and curly fries before, but now I can say I did. The ceviche was somewhat lackluster to me and I wouldn’t care to order it again as there wasn’t much flavor and the shrimp didn’t taste so fresh. The fries were tasty, but I’m not sure why it’s on the menu to be honest. I think it was blended with some Indian spices but I couldn’t tell from regular curly fries you could order from a pub.
On to the meal, my friends and I decided to go family style and opted for the chicken tikka masala, beef nahari, tandoori chicken salad, and an order of garlic naan. The chicken tikka masala is definitely not your traditional chicken tikka masala and I found the base sauce to be really tomato-​y. Almost like a buttery tomato sauce. It was alright but as I said I was looking for more traditional dishes than anything else. The beef nahari was probably my favorite of the dishes we ordered. Really tender beef that was soaking in spicy/​savory broth. Definitely on the spicier side, so heads up! The tandoori salad we ended up taking home since we were stuffed from the first two entrees and two starters. The garlic naan was delicious but slightly oily in my opinion.
Some highlights to take note of…
–BYOB!
–Friendly Staff!
–Nice Ambiance!
–Indian Fusion rather than Traditional!
Til next time, cheers!

One of the best Indian restaurants in town! The service is excellent and so is the food. We went with a group of 9 and they were able to accommodate us with a reservation on Friday night at 8pm.
As a table, we got the house salad, garlicky buttery naan (yummmmmm!), chaat fries (spiced curly fries, also a «must get») and with a Unilocal check in a ceviche app. The naan came out with a white sauce, green sauce, and brown sauce, as well as a side of spicy tangy pickled carrots and cabbage (supposedly the owner’s grandmother’s recipe). But seriously, this naan was lick your fingers good.
The main entrees came out soon after. My bf got the beef nehari which was pretty spicy but had a deep, rich hearty flavor (almost like a beef stew). I got the lamb tikka which was SO savory and the lamb was really tender. I had gotten full already 25% way through, but kept eating because it was that good. Everyone at my table finished their meals and enjoyed the wonderfully intimate dining setting that we had. I would definitely go back!