Spice End

The food was great and it’s awesome that they are open so late on the weekends. The staff is very friendly and very helpful. I would recommend their spice end platter! Always my go to place on a Friday night.

Chicken over rice w/​white sauce was legit. My GF had the Falafel over rice and it was terrible… It was definitely nuked in the microwave. It was soft and had no crunch or freshness to it. Tip for business — Throw away old food instead of heating it up in the microwave for your next customer.

Really delicious food! Tons of flavor and feels very authentic. The kati rolls are definitely the item to get but everything else I have had was good, too. The only item I did not love were the samosas.

Had the Spice End Chicken. It WAS spicy. They’re not kidding. Tasty tho. And they’re very proud of their white sauce. C’mon guys it’s mayo and lemons. Not sure why it’s rated so high.

I had the Paav Baji and the chicken and rice which was amazing. Well cooked and spiced. The Paav Baji is def a special dish as I’ve never had it anywhere else. I would def recommend!

Look. Indian food. Conveniently placed nearby, offering convenient bite-​sized chunks. I had a serviceable chicken biriyani, prepared quickly and with some care. The «Spice End» chicken platter is pleasantly spicy. Nice folks. Glad to know it is there.

Their service has gone down once their popularity has grown. Their food is still amazing, but they seem to nickel and dime you more now.
I have a NEVER been to any restaurant that refuses to give you free tap water, let alone an INDIAN restaurant. It’s such an integral part of the subcontinent’s culture to offer your guests water that even the hole-​iest of holey hole in the walls in both the U.S. and India offer all guests access to water. I frankly thought it was illegal for restaurants to refuse giving tap water for free, but even when your friend is choking on some spicy food, you have to cough up a few bucks to help them here.
I loved this place. Now I have to consider other places because of this one issue. I used to roll my eyes when other reviewers would choose one negative to bash an otherwise great place, but this kind of speaks volumes as to the care this place has for people who eat in their own restaurant.
Point this out when you go and demand that they change!

I always drive to the halal guys when I’m craving for this type of food, glad I found one in Philly that will take my cravings away :) It’s not NYC cart food but it will do, a little pricey but it’s good. Friendly service too

Spice End has become my favorite on-​the-​go meal. It’s quick, cheap, filling and delicious. At this point I think I’ve tried all the vegetarian rolls and would highly recommend the achari paneer roll and the aloo paneer roll. They are both the perfect amount of all the right flavors. The plain aloo roll has too much aloo and the paneer tikka roll is kinda dry and has too much paneer. The white sauce is a great side and if you like spicy then go for a little bit of the red. It’s extremely spicy. They have a lunch special for around $ 7 that include biryani that I have yet to try, but that sounds like a steal to me. If you’re ever in the area def stop by!

Spice End is my to go place whenever I want something quick, delicious and filling. This is Indian food but not the northern Indian food you’re probably used to from other restaurants (e.g. don’t expect chicken tikka and butter chicken). Spice End’s Indian food is more dry like dry rub marinated grilled meat instead of stews.
I love both the platters and kati rolls. My favorite roll is the chicken and egg roll. The fried egg is always cooked to perfection and the chicken super well marinated. It is so filling because of the ample amount of chicken they include plus the egg. I don’t have a favorite platter because they all taste pretty similar although the Spice End platter is more spicy.
Whatever you get, make sure you help yourself to plenty of their «white sauce». It reminds me of ranch dressing but doesn’t have that super herby taste (I’m not a fan of ranch dressing, ick). Whatever the «white sauce» is, it’s like crack! I can’t get enough! The platters already come with the white sauce drizzled over it but I go over to the white sauce pump station and just smother my platter with the stuff.
The establishment itself is unassuming. Honestly I think they would get more business if they polished up the décor to make it look more hip because they do have some tacky artwork on their wall right now. The staff is always super efficient and friendly. They will bring you your food once your order is ready kind of like a sit in Chick Fil A.
The restaurant also sells Indian sodas and mango lassi for drinks. Spice End doesn’t have the best mango lassi I’ve ever had (need more mango and more yogurt than milk I think) but it’s not bad! I will have to try the masala chai next time when the weather gets colder!
The price could be a dollar or two cheaper for fast food because you can get similar chicken and rice platters (with the white and red sauce) at the halal carts in center city for $ 5 during lunch time. The Halal carts aren’t around after lunch though and Spice End stays opens late (after 10pm) so it’s great if you have the late night munchies! Portion size is also pretty big so a platter is definitely filling enough for dinner. I always eat in or take out so can’t comment on the delivery.

Spice end is more of a place to grab a nice indian snack than a full blown dinner place, although the rolls can be pretty filling. The food here was close to being authentic and the masala chai (spiced tea) in particular, was excellent! The rolls were also very good but the paneer platter was just above average.
Funnily enough though, the place was almost deserted even at 7 30 pm on a Friday evening; I think that people mostly just get their food ‘to go’ from here, and it’s probably what I’ll do the next time.

I may update this in the future because I think I need to give it another chance.
My first experience was kind of a bust. I’m not sure if I just wasn’t impressed with my spicy chicken roll. Everyone I came with ordered platters and seemed to enjoy those more than I enjoyed my plate.
I’m hoping it was a fluke so I will go once more to try a platter. However, the one thing I found really strange was that their white yogurt sauce tasted like ranch. Not sure what that’s about, but they should really try to fix that as I’ve seen other Unilocalers have mentioned the same thing. I must have missed the memo about when we decided ranch seasoning was acceptable in middle eastern foods…

I’m going to break my rating rules for this place, they do everything right and consistently make good food. Been here at least thirty times and ordered delivery too. Consistency is hard to find but these guys are at the upper end of the spectrum.
It’s shack type spot, and mixes up traditional to-​go Indian food with contemporary American service, customer appreciation, music and everything else.
I don’t like everything they have to offer but you really can’t go wrong with the chicken tikka rolls and other basics like the veggie rolls or paneer rolls.
The real winner here though is the mango lassi. Seriously they’re not hard to make but everyone in the world makes them different and I hate the overly thin or not sweet kind. Spice End always gets the thickness and sugar level right where it should be. Extra props for the lassi.
You might not like Indian food or shacks or whatever else is so awesome about this place but no one can argue with the fact that they’ve been around for a long time, are here to stay, and are definitely worth working into your Philly food rotations for the consistency and flavors alone.
Tell them The Rizness sent you. (They won’t know what that means, I literally just made it up.)

Favorite place for Indian delivery in Center City.
Spice end bowl is da bomb! Chicken rice veggies. A must order for a night in.

Had the chicken and rice. It was boiled chicken and soggy plain rice with maybe a hint of food coloring. No spices, no real flavor. Wife had the chicken tikka roll, she said it was bland as well.
The «white sauce» is ranch dressing.
What we’ve got here is an Indian version of Taco Bell with less flavor.
They really should add flavor and do this food properly. I’ve had plenty of Indian food at this sort of low price point which was great.

Yum yum spice end is my favorite place to stop for food on a night out. I rarely go otherwise all though there have been times when a kati roll is just calling my name. Through trial and error I have come to learn that my favorite roll is the aloo roll. If I’m feeling adventurous, I’ll get the aloo paneer roll. Other rolls that I’ve liked after trying are, the chicken tikka roll and the paneer roll. Both great options. I’ve gotten a platter before, which was OK. Probably not worth the spike in price. OK, last tip before I sign off. USE THE WHITE SAUCE. It’s there for a reason. The food isn’t outrageously spicey — it’s just the right amount for a spice vet like me. BUT the white sauce is like the Indian version of ranch. It’s creamy, not too dill-​y, and complements the kati rolls so well. High-​five to spice end!

Honestly this is the worst thing I’ve ever ordered. I’m not sure where they got their ideas of egg rolls or lamb kebabs, but they look nothing like what they should, and taste absolutely awful. The delivery guy was very high, and the only reason this is one star instead of zero.
I had to add to this. It’s literally inedible. There goes $ 24 and my stomach lining.

So good, potato tikki kati roll and paneer kati roll were fantastic. The consistency of the fillings and spice level were perfect. The achari sauce is something I’ve never had, mixed with their «white sauce» (ranch-​ish) was addictive.

Located in Downtown Chestnut St.
Been here along with my Colleagues.
We have ordered Falafel and Chicken Biryani.
Falafel is not as good as Philly’s street food. But it’s definitely or bad.
Chicken Biryani was the best part and the masala was too good and taste like authentic.
Not all can make this. It taste like a real Hyderabadi Biryani.
Mango Lassi was as usually awesome.
Overall decent place to have Chicken Biryani.

3 ½ stars, leaning towards 4. This is a «take out Chinese» version of Americanized Indian food. Came here a few times recently, got a platter, and a roti. Both were good and spicy, and relatively quick preparation. The prices are not bad for Center City as well. Good spot for a quick take out lunch.
The point which turns me off a bit, is the lack of veggies in their meat dishes. Which is why I call this a take out Chinese version of Indian food. Real (or more real) Indian food will have a lot more vegetables and/​or legumes (chickpeas or lentils) in their dishes. This was pretty much all meat and rice, which is fine, if you like that sort of thing, but I’d just like more veggies in the food.