Kanishka Cuisine of India

We love Kanishka's. I eat there regularly because they're fast, and consistant. Their prices are totally affordable, too. When my sisters visit, be they from Whidbey or around the US, we always make a special trip to Kanishka's. The restaurant is lively and the service is excellent. You can always be certain you will be offered your meal to the degree of heat suited to you, from very mild for Mom to 5 Stars for me & my brother-in-law, who says it's the only Indian he can taste. If you haven't been, try them. If you have, write a review, silly! more

This is my favorite indian place by far out of all the ones I've been to. The food is almost always great and they have a dedicated "water guy" that does nothing but refill your water glass, unlike other places where you can't get a refil to save your life. I prefer to go for the lunch buffet as you get a lot more meat than ordering the same thing for a dinner entree, and it is cheaper. I am not an Indian food expert by any means, but my taste buds love it. Pros: Great Food more

This was my first visit to Kanishka and my boyfriend's 2nd or 3rd. Wow! This place has the BEST Indian cuisine in Seattle! The decor is minimalist; the music is authentic Indian. The waitstaff is attentive but unobtrusive. They aim to please. We had the spinach and tomato soup for starters. Now, this sounds like an odd combination, but let me tell you... it was divine! I even asked the waitress if the chef would share his recipe; she went into the kitchen and several minutes later returned with it written out! Then we had the onion/cilantro naan (totally yummy and unique to this restaurant) and the Saag Paneer (cheese in spinach sauce) as well as my all-time favorite, Chicken Tikka Masala. Complimentary saffron rice makes a nice bed for the entrees. Ther was enough food to feed 3-4 people, so we had leftovers to take home. Do yourself a favor and GET IN HERE! If you love Indian cuisine, you won't be disappointed. Pros: Attentive waitstaff, excellent pricing, fabulous food Cons: None more

I don't have a ton of experience with other Eastside Indian places, but I still think this one is a gem. Their lunch buffet is yummy and varied so our meat-eaters and vegetarians are all satisfied, and it's rarely so crowded our group can't get a table. Plus, they know we particularly like this one cheese and tomato dish they make, so on days they don't have it at the buffet they often make a small batch specially for our table. I've never found that kind of sweet, thoughtful, generous, and attentive customer service anywhere else in America! It's a very cool feeling, and it makes it worth the bleh ambiance of the place. I've seen others complain about it, but I'd say that even if the servers seem a tiny bit rude or curt, give them a chance - there's a cultural difference for sure, and it's not like people are all Applebee's there or anything, but this gesture of bringing our group a dish that they recognize we like is really touching. That's enough to earn my loyalty any day! Pros: Incredible customer service Cons: Parking can be tricky, and the ambiance is pretty dull. more

I was floored by how amazing this food was. Indian is one of my favorite foods and this is now my favorite Indian restaurant anywhere outside of India. The service really was slow, but I forgave it easily for the taste. They have a Thali menu with a vegetarian or meat option which is food for two but you won't want to share! Pros: Mmmmmm...everything tastes so good Cons: Slow service more

This restaurant is very good. Their food is delicious and fresh - with wonderful authentic flavors, spices. Great selection on the menu. And a decent value for the price. more

My husband and I took guests from out of town to lunch here. We were treated VERY rudely by several of the men standing around, supposedly to seat customers. The food was fair, but certainly not up to other Indian restaurants on the eastside. One man told us repeatedly how they were losing money on their food, soooo???? Certainly not our problem. Apparently there was a macho image to uphold here, and you can bet your last penny we won't be going back. more

This used to be my favorite restaurant on the eastside. In the last 2 years the standards have gone down. There is a lady that manages the restaurant now and i find her behavior particularly offensive. I went for a buffet at 2pm once and at 2:25 she told me "we are closing now, pick whatever you have to in the next 2 minutes" . I didnt mind being told that the kitchen is closing but the tone was very rude. Another time I was picking up dinner and she told me "you can order only if you pick up in exactly 20 minutes" again in a very rude tone. The taste and quality of the food has also degarded a lot. I used to eat here at least once a week. Now i rarely go once in 2-3 months. Recently I heard incidents of people finding external objects in their food and i think I will stop visiting altogether. Pros: buffet has variety, decent price, available parking Cons: rude staff, degrading food quality and taste more

This is the best Indian restaurant and food. Its located where you may miss it but best ever. It quaint but not a dressy place. The food is excellent and the lunch buffet gives alot of variety, that taste great too very appetizing. A must GO! more

Wonderful Indian food. Since moving to area, we have tried quite a few Indian restaurants, and after finding Kanishka, haven't gone anywhere else. Great lunch buffet and a wonderful menu too. Our favorites: Lamb Boti Masala, Coconut Chicken (my 11-year old loves this) and Chicken Chili Tikka (great for people on low-carb diets). Do try the mango ice cream for dessert. Yummy! Pros: Inexpensive, Good Parking, Lots of seating more

Apparently, the vacuum problem isn't only on busy Saturday nights :) Though the buffet is small, it is very good. The naan is fresh, there are many delicious chutneys (the tamarind is my favorite - I could eat nothing but the vegetable pakoras with tamarind chutney), vegetarian dishes, tandoori chicken, and a very small number of puddings and fruit for dessert. Unforunately, I forgot to ask for - it sounded very good from another reviews. The food is good, and Kanishka is busy even on Sunday. We sat near the door, which no one seemed to know how to close when coming in or going out, but it wasn't too cold. If you're picky, you might want to make sure they don't seat you at a table near the door. Overall: inexpensive, free parking, good food. I'd go back. Pros: delicious food, inexpensive Cons: buffet is small more

The place definitely isn't the best looking inside. It's clean, but not attractive or cozy. Our table proudly displayed some award underneath the glass, twice. Our servers were not rude, and they were there when we needed them, but they were not terribly friendly. They also found it necessary to vaccuum the whole restaurant during 7:00 pm on Saturday, which I found annoying and unnecessary. But I'll stop nitpicking here. Our vegetable samosa appetizers were incredibly delicious, and I wanted to lick the crumbs off the plate. My Paneer Tikka Masala was a hearty portion, full of mild cheese and vegetables, and my husband's tandoori prawns were huge, plentiful and tasty with lots of sizzling paneer, vegetables and a tasty sauce. Service was prompt and one of the staff was kind enough to pack up extra rice for our leftovers, which I was very impressed with. Pros: Reasonable prices, Excellent food, Large portions Cons: Ho-hum atmosphere more

Kanishka is definitely one of the best Indian restaurants in town. Their lunch buffet offers a fantastic spread of standard Northern Indian options, all deliciously prepared, for a very reasonable price. Even the naan is quite good at lunch (unusual for buffets which often have naan that is chewy and not fresh). Go prepared to stuff yourself, you won't be able to help it, the food is too good not to have a second or third or fourth trip to the buffet! Pros: cheap, high-quality, delicious more

What can I say, Kanishka's is the best! The shai paneer is simply mouth watering, Tandoor chicken is crispy and with a perfect blend of spices as not to detract from the taste of the dish. They will tell you if a certain level of spiceyness will lose the flavor of the dish, their rice is Basmati with saffron, it makes your mouth water, samosa's are excellent, their Nan breads are filled with garlic, cilantro, potatoes, or onions and then baked! Chai is served brewed with milk and you may add sugar to your liking, They don't have braless college girls bouncing around as waitresses to distract you, nor do they have a posh bellevue 5 star location to open up your wallets, but what they do have is excellent food, a quiet environment and very pleasent surroundings! Eat here, you won't regret it! Pros: everything more

I have been a fan of Indian food for quite a while, but I never understood how good it could be untill coming to Kanishka. The service is friendly and willing, the food is supurb, and the price is good. Kanishka is amzing! more

My wife and I dine frequently at Kanishka and have been doing so since it opened its doors about 2 years ago. I am always impressed with the consistent quality of the food and the fact that they continue to fine tune their recipes to perfection over time. Sometimes heavy but always delicious, some of our favorites are the veggie korma, any kind of vindaloo, and the chicken tikka masala. Make sure to try their veggie samosas to start your meal off right. The buffet is a great deal too, but we enjoy their dinner best as it tends to be more flavorful when we order it with a little more chili to it. If you haven't tried Kanishka and you like Indian food, what are you waiting for? One of the best on the Eastside. more

I always went to Mayuri's for Indian lunch buffet, until I tried Kanishka! more

The staff is very friendly - they make sure to feel you at home. Food quality is also one of the best we have ever had in this area. Pros: good food, good service Cons: none more

The best way to sample this restaurant is to visit during the lunch buffet. For a single resonable fee, you can sample a variety of meat and vegetarian dishes along with desert and beverages. The food is spicy which is nice but if you are a hot fiend, ask for the extra pepper sauce. Business week lunch times are crowded but be patient and it will be rewarded! Pros: Good Variety, Well prepared dishes Cons: can be crowded more