Clay Oven

My first surprise was the cost. This place is REALLY expensive for indian food. Indian food and mexican food are two cuisines I generally don't expect to spend much money on -- especially since I am vegetarian and the meat dishes are usually what costs a bit more. Lets face it... you usually don't expect to have to pay a fortune for a small cup of tea with NO REFILLS! But enough... if it is great food or something really special I'm willing to pay for it. Unfortunately, that is not the case here. The food was bland and lacked any general spice whatsoever. Even though I said I'd like it a bit spicy (I want it edible and indian places can really be a bit much for me -- but I requested a 7 out of 10 hotness scale and I swear there wasn't a touch of spice). Putting aside the fact that it wasn't hot enough (spice wise) typically indian food is flavorful -- this was not. Anyhow.. if you like bland expensive food this may be the place for you. It definately was not the place for me! Pros: Nice ambience for an indian place Cons: Food and value make this place a definate no-go. more

First of all, great date spot. The restaurant is really cozy and the atmosphere really sets the mood, a nice plus. Secondly, the food is amazing. I used to eat at this one place in Long Beach like all the time, but this place is on a whole other level. Their chicken marsala has so much flavor to it and their garlic naan was the perfect amount of crispy and soft. Their portions are kinda big so you can totally order one dish and share, but I recommend getting two so you can try more things. A little hard on the wallet, but totally worth it. Pros: Amazing food, friendly service, atmosphere more

First of all, great date spot. The restaurant is really cozy and the atmosphere really sets the mood, a nice plus. Secondly, the food is amazing. I used to eat at this one place in Long Beach like all the time, but this place is on a whole other level. Their chicken marsala has so much flavor to it and their garlic naan was the perfect amount of crispy and soft. Their portions are kinda big so you can totally order one dish and share, but I recommend getting two so you can try more things. A little hard on the wallet, but totally worth it. Pros: Amazing food, friendly service, atmosphere more

This is one of the best local Indian restaurants. The food is fresh and delicious, and the service is excellent. The restaurant is tastefully decorated, clean, and inviting. more

For all of you Indian brides that are running around in circles looking for the ""perfect caterer"" for your wedding, stop right now and go and make a tasting appointment at the Clay Oven. Praveen will make your wedding experience an extraordinary one. One taste of his delicious exotic Indian food and you won't settle for anything else. But it's not only the amazing food that makes this establishment such a wonderful diamond in the rough, it's Praveen. He not only created a scrumptious personalized menu, where he took several things into consideration like the color, texture and combination of the dishes, but he took care of every catering detail with our hotel staff and wedding coordinator. He had several outstanding ideas for presentation and serving, and he really utilized the hotel staff. Praveen goes above and beyond what any other Indian caterer would do, and he does it purely because he loves what he does. He's definitely a class act, my hotel coordinator even went out of her way to tell me that she has worked with many Indian caterers in her time, and Praveen was simply a breath of fresh air. He's organized, sophisticated in both his dishes and his presentation, and he's innovative. The food at our wedding was just as I knew it would be, extraordinary. If you're looking for the full package and really want your guests to have the best Indian dining experience at your event, then really stop wasting time and look no further. He's a sure thing, and he really will amaze you with his ideas and execution. For those looking for just a great Indian meal, this is the spot, everything is always delicious!! I can't wait to come back to Irvine and have his okra fry! more

For all of you Indian brides that are running around in circles looking for the "perfect caterer" for your wedding, stop right now and go and make a tasting appointment at the Clay Oven. Praveen will make your wedding experience an extraordinary one. One taste of his delicious exotic Indian food and you won't settle for anything else. But it's not only the amazing food that makes this establishment such a wonderful diamond in the rough, it's Praveen. He not only created a scrumptious personalized menu, where he took several things into consideration like the color, texture and combination of the dishes, but he took care of every catering detail with our hotel staff and wedding coordinator. He had several outstanding ideas for presentation and serving, and he really utilized the hotel staff. Praveen goes above and beyond what any other Indian caterer would do, and he does it purely because he loves what he does. He's definitely a class act, my hotel coordinator even went out of her way to tell me that she has worked with many Indian caterers in her time, and Praveen was simply a breath of fresh air. He's organized, sophisticated in both his dishes and his presentation, and he's innovative. The food at our wedding was just as I knew it would be, extraordinary. If you're looking for the full package and really want your guests to have the best Indian dining experience at your event, then really stop wasting time and look no further. He's a sure thing, and he really will amaze you with his ideas and execution. For those looking for just a great Indian meal, this is the spot, everything is always delicious!! I can't wait to come back to Irvine and have his okra fry! more

My husband and I got married a little over a year ago and feel so fortunate to have had Clay Oven cater our special day. The food was AMAZING! In fact when our family and friends reminisce about our wedding day, the first thing they mention is how wonderful the food was. The food was not only savory and delicious, but the presentation of the food was beautifully and impeccably done. The owner of Clay Oven created a unique menu that fit perfectly into our theme of fusing together American and Indian cultures. His thoughtful efforts and attention to detail made our day unforgettable! We would HIGHLY recommend Clay Oven's catering service for any special event!!! more

My husband and I got married a little over a year ago and feel so fortunate to have had Clay Oven cater our special day. The food was AMAZING! In fact when our family and friends reminisce about our wedding day, the first thing they mention is how wonderful the food was. The food was not only savory and delicious, but the presentation of the food was beautifully and impeccably done. The owner of Clay Oven created a unique menu that fit perfectly into our theme of fusing together American and Indian cultures. His thoughtful efforts and attention to detail made our day unforgettable! We would HIGHLY recommend Clay Oven's catering service for any special event!!! more

In my various visits to the Clay Oven with friends and family I have never been disappointed with the food taste, quality and service. Often they have provided us with dishes that are not on the menu and to our taste. Two thumbs up. Have often recommended them and have yet to hear a negative review. Highly recommend them. Pros: Friendly and comfortable atmosphere more

In my various visits to the Clay Oven with friends and family I have never been disappointed with the food taste, quality and service. Often they have provided us with dishes that are not on the menu and to our taste. Two thumbs up. Have often recommended them and have yet to hear a negative review. Highly recommend them. Pros: Friendly and comfortable atmosphere more

After having several company lunches catered by Clay Oven, I finally went in for their buffett lunch and loved it enough to come here and recommend it. I was apalled to read about someone wanting a doggy bag from his own daughter's wedding. Since he didn't like it to begin with, why take it home? This person has certainly forgotten his Indian culture in which we try and feed as many people as possible to receive their blessings on auspicious occasions like our children's weddings. Instead of gajar halwa, he should have tried their gulab jamun or mango creme brule (both of which we've had catered to us for lunch). Definitely recommend coming here for lunch! Pros: Good food. Gracious host. more

After having several company lunches catered by Clay Oven, I finally went in for their buffett lunch and loved it enough to come here and recommend it. I was apalled to read about someone wanting a doggy bag from his own daughter's wedding. Since he didn't like it to begin with, why take it home? This person has certainly forgotten his Indian culture in which we try and feed as many people as possible to receive their blessings on auspicious occasions like our children's weddings. Instead of gajar halwa, he should have tried their gulab jamun or mango creme brule (both of which we've had catered to us for lunch). Definitely recommend coming here for lunch! Pros: Good food. Gracious host. more

I attended a wedding on the 19th catered by Clay oven and was blown away by the fabulous food and presentation, so I decided to go in and try the restaurant this weekend and was amazed yet again. The dishes the owner suggested were incredible, especially their corn chowder and tandoori shrimp, and I had to order extra cheese naan. It was unlike any other Indian restaurant I've tried in Orange county, including the more expensive ones like Royal Khyber. I'm planning to bring in my parents so they'll know where to cater my (eventual) wedding! Pros: Ambiance, food quality, menu, service more

I attended a wedding on the 19th catered by Clay oven and was blown away by the fabulous food and presentation, so I decided to go in and try the restaurant this weekend and was amazed yet again. The dishes the owner suggested were incredible, especially their corn chowder and tandoori shrimp, and I had to order extra cheese naan. It was unlike any other Indian restaurant I've tried in Orange county, including the more expensive ones like Royal Khyber. I'm planning to bring in my parents so they'll know where to cater my (eventual) wedding! Pros: Ambiance, food quality, menu, service more

I recently attended my cousins wedding, in which she catered from Clay Oven. The food was unconventional - some unique fusion type dishes. But overall food was terrible. The appetizers would have tasted decent if they had been warm, they were cold inside, particularly the middle of the paneer. The dinner was abysmal. None of the food was warm, they'd wait until the servers were completely empty before refilling. I had to wait in line for 2 items while they refilled. The naans were chewy and took a glass of water to get down. the paneer dish was bizarre - the paneer was completely bland on its own (similar to tofu) while the sauce around it was really sour. Suffice to say, i didn't eat $5 worth of food, much less the $38 he charged per plate. Disgusting. I would highly highly discourage ANYONE from using this caterer. I haven't tried his food at the restaurant,....it may be great, but i can say with confidence that his catering is sorely lacking. Yuck. more

I recently attended my cousins wedding, in which she catered from Clay Oven.\r \r The food was unconventional - some unique fusion type dishes. But overall food was terrible. The appetizers would have tasted decent if they had been warm, they were cold inside, particularly the middle of the paneer.\r \r The dinner was abysmal. None of the food was warm, they'd wait until the servers were completely empty before refilling. I had to wait in line for 2 items while they refilled. The naans were chewy and took a glass of water to get down. the paneer dish was bizarre - the paneer was completely bland on its own (similar to tofu) while the sauce around it was really sour. Suffice to say, i didn't eat $5 worth of food, much less the $38 he charged per plate. Disgusting. I would highly highly discourage ANYONE from using this caterer. I haven't tried his food at the restaurant,....it may be great, but i can say with confidence that his catering is sorely lacking. Yuck. more

I retained the services of clay oven to cater food for my daughter's wedding. I went to his restaurant 3 times with my wife, my daughter and her fiance to tast the food. I spent more than $400 just tasting and selecting the menu. He quoted me $38 per person. I offered him $40 per person if he would provide the same quality of food what we tasted and not cut any corners. His price did not include serving food to the wedding guests. I arranged that from a different company. The owner told me that he will bring tandoor and make fresh naans on premises but someone saw him heating naans in the oven at the wedding. When I mentioned to him he admitted doing just that. Dahi Bhallas were hard and cold inside like they came out of the freezer. In my signed and approved menu shows Rice Paluo but he served just plain rice without anything in it and he admitted doing that. Both the chicken dishes had hard chicken pieces - not very well cooked, one of the two veggie dishes had the same sauce as the chicken dishes. He was supposed to put 'Khoya' and almonds in Gajar Halwa but he served boiled carrots with hardly any almonds. All the food preparations were luke-warm. From 2 catering companies we had ordered food for 180 people while we had only 125 guests (Food for 100 people from Clay Oven and for 80 people American food). There was lots of food left over. Although American catering company asked us what we wanted to do with the left-over but the owner of clay oven told me that he served food to 20 employees (although he brought only 2 workers), and the food and appetizers were completely gone, not a piece left from any dish. Although our verbal agreement was that he will leave any and all left-overs for us to take. But I checked right after the dinner was over at the wedding, at least 30% of his food was left over. You do not need a four-digit IQ to figure out that the owner packed up all the left-overs and took with him to serve next day for Sunday brunch... Pros: Thumbs Down Cons: Two Thumbs Down more

I retained the services of clay oven to cater food for my daughter's wedding. I went to his restaurant 3 times with my wife, my daughter and her fiance to tast the food. I spent more than $400 just tasting and selecting the menu. He quoted me $38 per person. I offered him $40 per person if he would provide the same quality of food what we tasted and not cut any corners. His price did not include serving food to the wedding guests. I arranged that from a different company. The owner told me that he will bring tandoor and make fresh naans on premises but someone saw him heating naans in the oven at the wedding. When I mentioned to him he admitted doing just that. Dahi Bhallas were hard and cold inside like they came out of the freezer. In my signed and approved menu shows Rice Paluo but he served just plain rice without anything in it and he admitted doing that. Both the chicken dishes had hard chicken pieces - not very well cooked, one of the two veggie dishes had the same sauce as the chicken dishes. He was supposed to put 'Khoya' and almonds in Gajar Halwa but he served boiled carrots with hardly any almonds. All the food preparations were luke-warm. From 2 catering companies we had ordered food for 180 people while we had only 125 guests (Food for 100 people from Clay Oven and for 80 people American food). There was lots of food left over. Although American catering company asked us what we wanted to do with the left-over but the owner of clay oven told me that he served food to 20 employees (although he brought only 2 workers), and the food and appetizers were completely gone, not a piece left from any dish. Although our verbal agreement was that he will leave any and all left-overs for us to take. But I checked right after the dinner was over at the wedding, at least 30% of his food was left over. You do not need a four-digit IQ to figure out that the owner packed up all the left-overs and took with him to serve next day for Sunday brunch... Pros: Thumbs Down Cons: Two Thumbs Down more

It's pretty good Indian food, but it's not knock-your-socks-off eating. Healthy portions, but a little pricey for the quality you get. more

It's pretty good Indian food, but it's not knock-your-socks-off eating. Healthy portions, but a little pricey for the quality you get. more