Gaylord India Restaurant

This is one of my Favorite Restaurant. I love there food & service is great. more

Gaylord Indian restaurant is tucked just one block off the main 15th Street throughway in Downtown Sacramento. This restaurant has vacillated between simply fantastic and absolutely elite since it opened. I am pleased to say that it is approaching elite status once again. My wife and I recently dined at Gaylord. We started with cocktails and an order of Naan. The Naan was perfectly hot with a soft center and that very slightly browned and crisp outer layer. It was brought out with a tamarind sauce and a very nice chili and mint sauce. Our meal proper consisted of Rice Pullao, Chicken Tikka Masala, Dal Makhani, Raita, and a Chef's special Chili Paneer--plus another order of Naan (this time Garlic Naan). One of Gaylord's four or five stars earned will always be for their excellent nuanced execution of basics like the just-so spiced Dal and the Rice with perfect consistency and the right amount of saffron flavor. The Chicken Tikka Masala was outstanding with a flavorful sauce that let the flavor of the large chunks of tender clay oven-roasted chicken come through. Gaylord takes this staple of Indian cuisine to new heights. You will not find Chili Paneer on the menu at Gaylord, but you've got to ask to try this house creation. Perfectly crafted cubes of farmers cheese with their slightly crisp shells and edges that give way their tender middles--very delicious and tossed in a sweet and spicy slightly sticky sauce--wow! This dish was explosive with sharply contrasting flavors and textures providing a counterpoint to our other dishes that were so elegantly nuanced. Gaylord is an intimate restaurant with a polished atmosphere. This restaurant is free of all gimmicks (no prints of the Taj Mahal). Without the slight scent of spice or the Indian music that is interspersed with a variety of other styles, you would not know that you were in an Indian restaurant. The staff is wonderful, but the food is the star. Gaylord in Sac is not to be missed! Pros: Food, Ambience, Food, Service, Food Cons: Few--most Indian restaurants are inexpensive--Gaylords moderately priced more

Gaylord's used to be known as one of the best Indian food restaurants in town. Food was elegantly rich, ambiance soothing, a bit over priced compared to Katmandu - but worth it on a good date. Now that Gaylord's is under new management their customer's are fleeing. Their attempts to reduce price in offering $9.99 buffet lunch and buffet option on Monday evenings have encouraged new comers. But, loyal customers know...the food now fails miserably. Meat is tuff, sauce standard at best, it goes on. Furthermore, although waitresses are always kind and considerate, the new manager could care less about customers. He plays loud "dance" music and waters the food down which compromises quality considerably. When asked to change the music? I was told, we can't...the manager likes it. Gaylord still charges extra for Naan and rice ($4), which is absurd. Want good Indian food? Drive no less than a couple miles to Katmandu! Pros: Cheap lunch buffet (try it once and you'll never return ;) wait staff kind and efficient Cons: Decline in food quality under new management, extra cost for naan and rice for meals more

Having dined at Gaylords in Manchester, England and San Francisco, and several indian restaurants in London and here in Sacramento I was very disappointed with Gaylords here in Sac. They really should change their name, they do not come close to the standards of the other Gaylord Restaurants. The food was tasteless, the Daal soup was just spiced hot water, dinner was just warm when served, the lamb I had was so tough could not be eaten, my husbands 'prawns' were small pieces of shrimp meat and about 6 small pieces, we experienced flies flying around our food, but they didn't seem to care. Service was not bad but not great either.Only got through about 1/3rd and then left. I am sorry that I have to right such a harsh review I don't usually take the time, but I went on reputation of Gaylords and believe me this restaurant in Sac does not come close. Pros: None I can think of Cons: Food tasteless, barely warm when served. Sorry but I would not recommend this restaurant to any of my friends I value their friendship :-( more

I have been to Gaylord's in Manchester England, and San Francisco and how this one in Sacramento has the nerve to use that name is beyond me... more

This place has fantastic food. The atmosphere is great for a dinner date or a business meeting, as they have a banquet/meeting hall adjacent... more

Have dined at their location in S.F. and have enjoyed some good dishes at the Sacramento location. However, they tend to behind schedule with the weekend buffet. Also, there is no sign posted about using a new plate each trip to the buffet. We were horrified to witness another patron re-using his plate on a return trip to the buffet. The naan has a tendency to be cold and limp at times. Would be better if it was kept warm in a chafing dish on the buffet. May want to try a relatively new restaurant on Fair Oaks Blvd. called "Mehran" because the food is comparable, service is good and the prices are very reasonable. Not certain if we'll return to Gaylord's due to past disappointments. Only limited, metered parking on the street. Pros: Tasty Indian favorites Cons: Delayed openings, food is not prepared on a timely basis more

The food at Gaylord was great as was the service. The atmosphere was nice but maybe just a bit cold. Pros: Food, service. Cons: Atmosphere is ok but not great, prices a bit high. more

Our reading group of five men thoroughly enjoyed our meal, from the attentive service (I know, I think they must have read the early reviews and took them to heart) to the great care taken with each dish. I especially liked the Tamarind Chicken, a dish not easily found (and try making a tamarind sauce at home and see how much time it takes) but we also liked the spinach and cheese dish, the vegetable biriyani, regular and garlic nan. Lamb vindaloo was quite delicious and spicy. The price was reasonable to moderate and worth it for the quality. (I did much prefer the thick, rich homemade yoghurt at the new Afghan Restaurant at 8th and J over the rather lackluster raita served at Gaylord's.) more

This was my wife's and my favorite restaurant in SF and I became nearly giddy when I saw they'd opened in Sacramento. The ambience is relaxed, the food is marvelous and well-spiced (spicy will make you sweat--notwithstanding the comments of a prior reviewer), and the staff is very friendly and helpful. This is rapidly becoming my 'go to' spot in Sacramento and I recommend it highly for anyone who appreciates fine Indian dining. We, too, have yet to make it to a dessert course (having filled up on the Kabuli Naan before our entrees), so we can't comment here, however the Indian beers make an excellent complement to every course we tried. Give Gaylord's a serious look! Pros: Wonderful food, friendly-yet-classy ambience Cons: Not altogether inexpensive more

I've eaten Indian food all over the world. Having said that, Gaylord's is just OK. We ordered two dishes, one spicy, and one not, the latter for our children. Both dishes were not spicy when they arrived. We asked that one be taken back (the adult dish) to add more spice. They did this but the dish tasted no better than melted velvetta cheese with veggies. It was awful. We ate very little of it. The dish for our children was great, however. This place is also very overpriced for what you get. Service was bad too. I wouldn't recommend it to anybody. Pros: Can't think of many Cons: Bad food and service more

I went to Gaylord in Sacramento for my 20th wedding anniversary. I have been looking for a nice Indian restaurant here ever since I moved from the Bay Area. Gaylord has a very non Indian decor, more steakhouse than ethnic, but very pleasant overall. We were greeted at the door by a very nice waitress that took excellent care of us from start to finish. Sadly, being a Wednesday night the place was not very busy. We ordered an Indian beer and a glass of truly excellent Clos du bois Merlot (one of the best red wines I have had in a while), as well as a serving of plain Naan bread, one of my favorite breads ever. This serving of Naan was OK, but it had a lingering pancake batter aftertaste, while the one that eventually accompanied our meal was much better and sans the aftertaste. For dinner we had Tandoori chicken and the Tandoori mixed grill. On this night they had run out of the yogurt sauce, my absolute favorite, but they stirred us to the mango chutney which was truly outstanding. Good enough to eat with a spoon. Both our dishes were fantastic, with the lamb in the mixed grill taking the honors as best of show. Next time I will definitely make a meal of it. We did not have enough room to try the deserts and we ended up taking much of our meal home. The only fly in the ointment was the price of my mixed grill, at $22. It was plenty enough for me, but a healthier eater would have found it a bit small for the price. All in all a great dining experience and a recommended eat. Pros: Nice ambiance and food, good service. Great mango chutney Cons: A bit expensive more