Coriander Cuisine
“The best restaurant in NJ for South Indian food!”
“Coriander Cuisine featuring Andhra and Chettinad cuisines is one of the rare exceptions.”
“We ordered uttapams, rava dosae, paper dosae, our first time here, as well as a delicious eggplant dish and mango pappa, which is basically a mango dal.”
Coriander Cuisine
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
3 reviews
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Great service (very attentive and they were SO incredibly patient with us although I was with 4 young children and a girlfriend). The space was open and clean – I noticed they have a small catering hall right next door so if you're ever looking for a place to throw a lil party – come here.
The food was AMAZING – absolutely the best Paneer Tikka Masala I have ever had and it was clearly very fresh. Sure, the wait is a tad longer than most places, but their food is made-to-order and not premade and then reheated.
Dishin' Report Card:
Paneer Tikka Masala – A++
Cheese Dosa – A+
Roti – A
Naan – A
Shrimp Biryani – A (a must for those who like a lil kick to their food)
I came in with a Groupon deal I purchased so our meal was extremely affordable for all that we ordered, but their prices were actually really good regardless. I will definitely be back in the future for this great food.
I went there with a friend for the lunch buffet. We found the food to be very tasty. The only real negative is the lack of a large selection of dishes. I have been to many Indian buffets in the past and this was by far the smallest selection I have seen.
The fact that maybe they didn't clear our plates away fast enough wasn't going to stop me from going back for seconds but I can see why some people could have a problem with that.
Like I said, what we ate was very good although I am not sure what many of the dishes were. I just wish there were more to choose from. I usually try to avoid meats and poultry whenever possible but really had limited options here.
Surprisingly, there's a sea of mediocrity when you go looking for a good Indian restaurant in New Jersey. One would think that with considerable representation from the diverse cultures and regions of India, one would find a few decent options – but if I were to write down all the mediocre places I've tried that straddle North and South Indian cuisines, the Iliad would seem like bed time reading!
Coriander Cuisine featuring Andhra and Chettinad cuisines is one of the rare exceptions. Every now and then I go loco discovering in depth an unfamiliar cuisine and recently have been exploring regional Indian cuisines broadly lumped under "South Indian". Despite the strip mall location, unremarkable décor and ambiance, cheap weekend buffet, and the inevitable crutch of "North-South Indian Specials", their food is very good: freshly prepared, authentic and well balanced in terms of the use of 21 odd spices in every dish. I have a lot of respect for restaurants that accommodate diners wanting to order a-la-carte as opposed to the default buffet option. It's difficult to manage for the kitchen, but Coriander handled it with aplomb and without any fuss.
The Andhra Chilli chicken looked at first glance like one of the typical re-heated pinkish red tandoori chickens, but to the contrary was moist and spicy courtesy of both the (red and green) chillies used. Also excellent was the Goat Sukka Varuval, which had been pan fried with spices, onions, and curry leaves and prepared with a dry curry. I chose to eat the dish with the Paratha, which however didn't live up to the fluffier, Northern Indian version.
The biggest surprise for me was the drink: Neer More buttermilk, as it turned out to be completely the opposite of what I expected from a Lassi. Spiced with green chillies (!), coriander, ginger, and curry leaves with a hint of lemon juice I was completely bowled over by the concoction and marveled at the fact that this was a traditional summer drink. I would never think of quenching my thirst with anything that included chillies, but… wow!
Sadly, they didn't have a jaggery based dessert (Chakkara Pongal) recommended by fellow yelper Madhuri I, but I finally got the opportunity to try an excellent version of Payasam (a dessert loved by Srini V), and it reminded me of a similar dessert (best served hot, as at Coriander) made from vermicelli, milk, cashews, raisins and flavored with cardamom that I've loved in childhood.
I've never been able to understand their cinema, nor the music that was playing in the background, and so am likely missing cultural cues by categorizing service as unsmiling. That said, there was a discernible concern on whether I enjoyed the food. I did – without any reservations. Coriander Cuisine is a diamond in the rough.