My husband and I used to live in Santa Monica and eat at Gates of India all the time. We have not been able to find another Indian restaurant anywhere near as good and so we continue to drive back to eat here. It doesn't rate high for ambiance and the servers are FOB Indian (and sometimes Mexican) but the Malay Curry, Tikka Masa, and Sag Paneer are the best around.
Pros: Great Food
Cons: Not a place to take a first date - tacky ambience and mediocre service
more