Message from Amber India Restaurant
Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Amber India in Mountain View has earned the reputation of the best Indian Restaurant in the San Francisco Bay Area. Inside the restaurant you?ll find that owner Vijay Bist has strived to provide a cozy, relaxing, ?walk back in time? environment influenced by traditional Indian artwork and decor.
Editorial by Citysearch
The SceneLocated in a bland strip shopping center along El Camino, Amber India also boasts a surprisingly pretty interior of authentic artwork and elegant serving pots and utensils.
The Food
If you're looking for fiery heat, Amber is not the place to visit; dishes reflect a balance and restraint seldom seen in northern Indian restaurants around here. Oh, the butter chicken: Tender chicken is marinated in yogurt, then roasted and ladled with a magical sauce of ginger, tomato, butter, cream, brown sugar, garlic, lemon, coriander and cumin. The chicken in question is the stand-out favorite, but the suave chicken korma and slow-burning lamb with peppercorn curry are nothing to sniff at.
Key Points
- vegetarian and non-vegetarian
- Authentic Indian Food
- Tandoori cooking
The Inside Scoop
- Background - This lovely Mountain View eatery has often been voted among the best restaurants in Silicon Valley since its opening in 1995.
- Also Try - Other Indian in Mountain View:
Insider Pages Reviews for Amber India Restaurant
I love this place, the food, ambiance and drinks are great. The food is tasty and the service is helpful. They even served my daughter something special Paani Puri that was not on the menu!The prices are reasonable , as long as you dont order a bottle of wine!
Posted 05/08/08 | Report Abuse
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This place was within walking distance to the hotel I was staying at. The food was excellent and the service was very friendly. The server was very good at suggesting dishes and was right on top of the water supply:-) I like spicy food, but this was a little over the top for me. I know it was authentic Indian because of that. The spice enhanced the flavor of the food, not just drowned it out. Well worth the money!
Posted 02/02/08 | Report Abuse
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I'm Indian and I really like this place. This is one of five Indian places I go to eat Indian food and I won't stray. The food is appropriately spiced and their is a variety of entrees to choose from. The staff is friendly, service is good, and the prices are just right.
FYI, the food is North Indian style.
Posted 06/27/06 | Report Abuse
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The food is excellent with mild and spicy selections. On weekdays there is a great buffet for lunch. There is often a wait for a table on weekends, so you may want to order to go. Kids love the incredibly rich butter chicken and Lassi (Mango or Strawberry). My favorite is Mutter Paneer (vegetarian).
PROS: Wild variety of selection on the menu
CONS: Not cheap
Posted 04/29/06 | Report Abuse
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My non-indian friends love this place too. Not very spicy food and portions are just right. Staff is friendly and service is efficient. I would definitely recommend this place to all.
Posted 03/08/06 | Report Abuse
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This is by far the best restaurant serving North Indian food in the bay area. Moderately spicy and very tasty food. Its a great place to introduce Indian food to folks who want to try it for the first time. The ambience is very good. Service is good. Recommended highly.
Posted 03/07/06 | Report Abuse
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Latest reviews from Citysearch.
Quality Indian Food
by Slyking
Good options for vegetarians. Definitely the better of the two Ambers in the bay area. Wait can be longish - so, be prepared
Posted 01/23/09
Terrible Service
by mariadesouza
My husband took me there for my birthday dinner after hearing some reviews. But it ruined a great day! The service was bad. Had to wait amid a crowd and were being passed up! maybe because we were Indians they just didnt care! The food was mediocre. Did not make up for the bad service. There are far better Indian restaurants in the bay area. Our favorite is Chef India in Pleasanton. So worth the drive!
Pros: Cant think of any
Cons: Service
Posted 05/22/07
Passable food. Disinterested service.
by attrny
Good ambience. Very passable food. Disinterested service --
Maybe 10 years ago in the bay area, this place would have been unique.
Today there are soooo many excellent and cheap places in the south bay and peninsula that this place almost feels obsolete and lost in time.
Food is very passable for the money charged. Decent ambience. Blase service.
There are many cheaper and better Indian restaurants close by.
Pros: Ambience
Cons: Simple food. Disinterested Servie.
Posted 03/23/07
Pleasantly Surprised
by spaink
I had been searching for a great Indian restaurant. I usually presume that the 'hole in the wall' places have the best food, yet when it came to Indian places, they were OK - average. When someone told me about Amber on Santana Row I thought I would give it a try. I expected it to be pricey and ok, yet I was pleasantly surprised. The food was excellent - next best thing to home cooking. The dinner prices were reasonable and definitely worth it. The service was impeccable. Lunch time buffet is the steal however. I highly recommend it.
Pros: great parking nearby, clean, great price
Posted 04/13/06
Reservation... What's that???
by karamazov
A reservation for 2 @ 8 = a bad table @ 8:45. My zen-like patience was seriously tested at 8:30 when being called for my table, only to be led into the dinning room to be told that a mistake was made... please wait a few more moments. We were not alone since the wait room was packed unhappy reservation holders.
1/2 way through the meal, I am hoping they comp the meal or throw in desert gratis... cause the food is excellent, and I want a reason to come back. No such luck. However, they did apologize profusely & understood our unhappiness with how we were treated... yet they are too cheap or clueless to do something meaninful to offer ammends.
Pros: food
Cons: inconsiderate staff, crowded
Posted 01/21/06
Excellent but Crowded
by nancymaria1
You won't find better Indian food in the penninsula. The chicken tikka masala is probably the best I've tasted. The only negative is that the place is oh-so-crowded all the time and it takes 40 minutes, on average, to prepare pick-up orders. But if you have the time and patience, this is definitely the place to go for great Indian.
Posted 01/20/06
Good food, and the buffet is a good value.
by lovediningallover
I like Amber India, and have been to their weekend buffet many times. They offer a nice selection and their butter chicken is especially good.
I stopped going since they started charging full-price for my youngest son. I do not want to pay $12.95 for my child to have a piece of tandorri chicken and some naan bread. Now we go to Shiva's.
Pros: Good Food, Nice Buffet
Cons: Over-charge for kids
Posted 12/10/05
Best Indian Food in the Bay Area
by Jetace1
Three words - chicken tikka masala. You haven't lived until you've had it at Amber India. This restaurant wins award after award for their food. (As evidenced by the plaques on the walls.) While a little bit on the pricey side, it is absolutely worth every penny!
Posted 12/07/05
Tasty Indian Food in Classy Atmosphere
by tiger26
Classy Indian restaurany (hard to find) with great service & TASY cuisine.
No other Indian restaurant comes close except maybe Gaylords!
Pros: food, service, ambiance
Cons: none
Posted 11/08/05
Great food
by lavidaloca
Outstanding food and the service was the best since I dined at the Ritz Carlton.
Cons: Expensive
Posted 10/12/05
Outstanding Indian Food
by indianfoodking
I come all the way from Berkeley once every two weeks to eat their buffet on Saturdays because it is outstanding!!! I honestly believe that it is the best Indian food outside of India. If you want a great selection of innovative Indian dishes along with the old classics, there is no better restaurant. I am getting hungry just thinking about their Frontier Kebab and Butter Chicken...
Pros: Oustanding Service, Remarkable Food, Environment
Posted 10/25/04
best indian restaurant in bay area!
by piscesfrank
Excellent buffet selection at lunch time. Dinner menu is also very good. Butter Chicken melts in your mouth, it's $$$ but worth it, even for take out.
Posted 07/11/04
Great food, but expensive
by beehappy
Great food, but very expensive. The lunch buffet, however, is well worth the extra buck or two. There is a wide variety of main dishes, appetizers, and desserts, and they're all fantastic. The malai kofta is my favorite. If you want great North and South Indian food for dinner that won't cost you an arm and a leg, try Pasand in Sunnyvale.
Pros: delicious, variety, nice ambience
Cons: expensive
Posted 05/30/03
Best Indian Food in the Peninsula!
by banananutbread
Amber India was well worth the drive to Mountain View. Strongly recommend ordering the Aloo Tikki, the Malwani shrimp curry and Hyderabadi Dum Ki Chicken Biryani. Service is relatively fast but not as helpful as explaining dishes as one hopes. The wine list is very limited-- so I would recommend bringing your own bottle...
Posted 05/14/03