| Location |
3259 Winton Road, Rochester NY, 14623 ![[Directions]](/wiki/dd-start.png "Click for driving, walking, or bus directions from Google"){kind=small} |
| (Near Jefferson Rd, in Win-Jeff Plaza) |
| Hours (as of November 2013) |
| Tuesday-Saturday: 11:30am-3:00pm 5:00pm-10:00pm |
| Sunday & Monday: 11:30am-3:00pm 5:00pm-9:30pm |
| Phone |
| 585 427 8030 |
| <ajaysingh2011 AT yahoo DOT com> |
| Website |
![[WWW]](https://rocwiki.org/wiki/eggheadbeta/img/sycamore-www.png){kind=small} http://ThaliOfIndia.com |
Thali of India is an Indian restaurant located in Win-Jeff Plaza on the corner of Winton Rd and Jefferson Rd in Henrietta. The offer a daily lunch buffet, as well as a dinner buffet on Monday evenings.
In 2018, the owners sons opened their own Fast Casual restaurant called Naan-tastic
Comments:
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- 2006-07-21 13:31:56 They've "done it up" from their prev. incarnation - twice as big now. Love the nan here. —ChristineLeo
2006-07-28 16:36:11 this has to be the best indian buffet in Rochester!! —AlanLee
2006-09-18 07:00:49 Probably the best Indian food in town. Everything I've had there has been excellent. Jack Edward Smith, a Classical and Flamenco guitarist, plays there most every weekend and provides great musical accompaniment to great food. —ZedOmega
2007-03-28 00:23:33 I'm torn about this place. Yes, Thali and Tandoor are the two best Indian restaurants in town (they're owned by the same people), but let's face it - that's not saying much. The quality of the food at both locations seems to vary widely depending on who happens to be working the kitchen at the time of your order. I've had great meals one week and terrible meals the next. In particular, I find the quality of the protein highly suspect. Often the chicken will taste like it's been reheated more than once. Tonight the lamb was rock hard. I've had this same lamb dish before and it's been terrific. Not quite sure how to explain the inconsistency. Even the tamarind sauce varies in thickness from one visit to the next. Little known fact: Indian buffets typically take place at the beginning of the week and feature all the food that didn't get used on weekend catering jobs. —WegmansFiend
2007-05-08 18:57:38 Word has it they've opened a location at Marketplace but I haven't seen a formal announcement yet —PeteB
2007-05-11 00:07:28 They are open at Marketplace. I haven't tried it yet though. I did hear they sold out on the Tandoori Chicken one day (from a disgruntled friend who wanted some..). Will update when I check it out. —OneLove
2007-06-21 01:35:29 I wasn't pleased with this place at all. We were greeted by the smell of cleaning solution that was permeating the restaurant, which was sad since my nostrils were expecting the smell of delicious Indian cuisine. The staff was a little rude, not especially helpful, and the service was very slow (I'd say the wait for our food was about 30 minutes). I was a little shocked when a waiter was clearing our table off and, interrupted by the phone ringing, set other people's used dishes down in front of us as he ran to get the phone. It wasn't even busy and the staff failed to get my change for me when I paid. The food was decent, but very expensive. We went for dinner and got two waters, Garlic Naan, Rojan Josh (with beef), and Chicken Makhani, and it came to about $30. Also, the Chicken Makhani sauce tasted like the spaghettio sauce. I've only been to one other Indian restaurant before (the extraordinary India Gate on Elmwood in Buffalo), but this was overall a below average dining experience. —MichelleWoznick
2007-07-14 23:55:55 Paneer Akbari. YUM. Most everything else is good too. My favorite Indian restaurant in town. The service is poor usually, especially when busy, but I keep coming back anyway. —RalphMeranto
2007-08-13 20:18:01 Would eat here more, but the service is so rude and unpleasant, it's easier to go elsewhere and not be annoyed. —YanaLevin
2007-09-13 13:48:10 I went here today and really enjoyed the lunch buffet. The service was good, especially considering that it was a buffet and the place was packed, and the variety and quality of the food was also good. The naan was delicious and the chicken makhani was the best I've had recently. —RachelBlumenthal
2008-02-03 16:26:00 Simply the best indian food in Rochester. The buffets are excellent (just a bit crowded for the dinner) and quite cheap with a student id. When its not a buffet night the place is very quite and relaxing. —TimDoster
2008-02-09 23:27:39 My wife and I went here tonight, a Saturday, about 6:30PM.
We were seated immediately, without reservations.
The food was fine. I had the chicken vindaloo, and she had the lamb palak. I was pleased to find that when I asked for "spicy", it really was spicy - too many places seem to interpret that as a request for medium.
The service was, to put it charitably, indifferent. Nothing outright rude, but considering the lack of patrons, the waiter should have come to take our order more quickly once it became obvious that we were ready. He delivered the food in a reasonable amount of time, but without the tea we had ordered, and said he'd be right back... and never showed up again until we buttonholed one of the other waiters and asked for it. That alone is inexcusable.
So the food was worth it, the ambiance was OK, but the service leaves much to be desired.
2008-02-20 11:07:59 Went for the dinner buffet on Monday at 5:30. We sat immediately. The place was almost full. We got up and by the time we filled our plates - people were waiting at the door - it was great to see that many people eating out at a local place on a Monday. The rice was fresh and everything else was excellent. The Makhani was the best I've ever had. Other choices too - lamb, chicken, curry, and lentil dishes to pour over your rice. I can't remember them all but whatever I ate was fresh and tasty. They were hustling to keep everything filled too. The place gets packed for a reason. A great buffet at I think $10.99 per plate. Well worth it.
2008-03-05 21:24:11 Great food. Have been to many indian restaurants in NYC and though this wasnt the most beautiful in decor but the food was really good. —LorenzoServantes
2008-04-09 21:03:40 I had the lunch buffet. Everything was delicious. Best chai in Rochester! Also, best Indian food I've had in the area so far. —OwenThompson
2008-04-11 14:56:17 My husband and I have eaten here many times for regular dinner, lunch buffet and dinner buffet. The food is always good, and yes, if you ask for it spicy, it will BE spicy! The weekend entertainment is just wonderful, a great accompaniment to a great meal. There used to be a woman that worked there who treats the other staff members badly and is herself quite rude and short to/with the customers. I don't know if she's still there. The service is never rude otherwise but their attention leaves something to be desired. Regardless of all that, this is the place that got me hooked on Indian food. Don't forget your student discount with ID!!!
The mall store serves a number of the same things that are on the buffet with a few additions. This is a great, cheaper, quicker alternative but I've found lately that the food is been a little on the greasy side.
Regardless, of all the little things, I'm more than happy to support local businesses like this. —StephanieTodd
2008-05-15 16:05:37 YUM!! The best Indian food in Rochester. I've gone once a month to learn more about Indian food, and someone there (the owner??) is always happy to humor me and tell me what's what. If you want spicy, order it spicy: it will be SPICY! —kristinnen
2008-06-20 16:04:42 unlike tandoor, doesn't suck. in fact, quite the opposite. —owslystnly
2008-06-23 15:52:14 I went to the Monday lunch buffet for the first time today, and was not very impressed with the food. It was fine, but not the best I've had in Rochester, and I have to agree with MichelleWoznick regarding the Chicken Makhani: it reminded me of boxed mac & cheese, as weird as that sounds... maybe too sweet? All in all, the food was not as spicy as I expected, and I'd say it was somewhat tuned to the American palate. It may have been a bad day, but that was my experience. The service was good (my water kept getting topped off). I've eaten at the India House buffet just a couple times a year, but for years, and the food is consistently good and better than Thali's was today. My wife and I have come to enjoy cooking our own Indian though, with authentic ingredients from Namaste. —RyanBecker
2008-06-27 12:35:10 I tried Thali's Saturday lunch buffet the other day. I was pretty impressed with the variety and quality of food they had. All the dishes I tried were very good. I've eaten at Tandoor many times, and I like it there. But, I must admit that I thought Thali was definitely a step up. Overall, I would say Thali is the best Indian place in Rochester. —TomWise
Date unknown Rochester has several good Indian places, but this one is great. —Users/vaporizersmith
Date unknown Thali of India is bar none the best authentic indian cuisine I have had in Rochester. Not only is the service really good, the prices decent, and the spicy food good and spicy, but they occasionally give me free dessert or a discount because I go so often. —Users/eeyoresthistle
Date unknown Seconded, that place is great. Their lower prices (and location) stole me away from India House. —Users/malebranche
Date unknown Best Indian food ever. I go there at least once a month or I go through withdrawal. The Chicken Makhani is award-winning. They make a vegetarian version with paneer, called Paneer Akbari. Takeout/eat in, and the $6 buffet can't be beat! —Users/copperlegend
2008-08-01 19:25:15 Bad service , pathetic food and rude manners displayed by all of their staff....we were told by one of the waiters' there was just one table right in the front of the door which was available and in not so polite terms...as we were abt to leave another server offered another table and so we decided to give it a try...but the food and slow service everything left a bad taste in our mouth...Tandoor is anytime a better choice for Indian Food. —Rochester
2008-08-13 22:26:56 Listen to the other comments not Rochester-8/01 (they are probably white kids). Been told by the Rochester Indian community that it is the best. —JustinKwong
2008-10-26 20:00:33 All around awful! Chicken Makhani tasted like Campbells' consdensed tomato soup, my husband's lamb karhai didn't taste like it should have. The service was terrible. We were ignored for 30 minutes and then drink orders were taken. It took another 40 minutes to get appetizers and then another hour for the meal to arrive. We will not be back. —RocDiner
2008-12-03 23:11:38 pretty good food WHEN THERE IS ANY!! once these guys start to run out of food during the buffet, it takes a good 30 minutes to see those dishes refilled, meanwhile they keep filling up stuff nobody eats.
Service is hit or miss. Sometimes i get my bread right away, for dinner the other day I was on my 2nd dish of food and then had to ASK for it before it came.
Ive been to both the lunch and dinner, and the dinner is basically just a few more extra dishes that NOBODY WANTS TO EAT in the first place. I'd recommended visiting only for lunch and saving a few bucks.
Don't get me wrong. The food is VERY good, but to actually get some you need to go very early in lunch/dinner service, otherwise you'll be stuck eating the same 3 dishes over and over waiting for the rest to be filled. —Drogean
2009-02-28 12:42:12 Went for lunch buffet yesterday around noon. This place is fantastic. Everything they put out is great: chicken makhani, tandoori chicken, curry potatoes, vegetable curry... it was all splendid. Free naan, best masala tea around. all for ~$8.65 including tax. —foxual
2009-03-15 11:28:28 I've been to Thali of India twice...once for take out and once to eat there. Both times were fantastic! Got the paneer naan, onion bhaji, aloo gobi and palak paneer which were all absolutely delicious! Also got the aloo tiki which was not as good—missing something, not sure what. Friendly, fast service. When I went there to pick up the take out, I was a few minutes early. They offered me a glass of ice water or a cup of tea while I waited. Will definitely be back!! —dmarie
2010-03-12 09:16:04 I was first exposed to indian food at a thali of india buffet,I though it was great and have been back since, and still thought it was great, all around I think the buffet is a the best deal, went there for dinner and spent 17$ on a dish and a appetizer, but the dish was really spicy , so i liked it . I admit that i'm not an expert on the best place in town for indian food ,and do plan on visiting other places, However I must say sometimes I've utilized this site trying to find a good place to eat , and it's been very frustrating because All i see is places getting shit on left and right.Some of them places I've had repeated good visits at.It makes me frustrated.So in the interest of keeping reviews honest, thali of india = go for the buffet. thats all,thank you —barnabasschickling
2010-09-15 11:18:54 My wife and I enjoyed our meal here last night. She had the vegetable biryani, which as well prepared, and I had the chicken vindaloo, which was very good. We also had an order of garlic naan which was good. The staff was very pleasant and eager to help. When I fetched a jacket for my wife, several staff members noticed, turned down the air conditioning, and offered to relocate us to a table on the warmer side of the room. We accepted, and they continued to check on us throughout the meal. It was around 5 PM on a Tuesday night, and there were two or three other parties in the dining room. One of those was a large group of Indians, always a good sign.
This is the second time I've had Indian food in Rochester. The first was the India House lunch buffet on Clinton Avenue. I think that Thali of India is superior. We will definitely be repeat customers. —nickelcokes
2010-11-07 21:16:04 Excellent food...but carry-out portions have been getting progressively smaller lately. The buffet's still great. —TimCrist
2010-12-10 16:05:22 I love their chicken makhani! It's different from any other makhani I've tried, even in India. I crave their makhani more than any other food, ever! Please thank you! —KatherineMcMcMc
2011-08-14 21:59:56 Loved it. Food was good, service was friendly and quick. I doubly appreciated that they didn't shove entrees in our face until we had finished our appetizer (unlike some Asian places I've been). The portions aren't super-sized American enormous but that's not a bad thing & they're great for the value. Dinner for 2 came to just over $40 including drinks, appetizer, entrees and a 15% tip. Don't be fooled by the low prices & strip-mall facade: this is my favorite Indian restaurant in Rochester, and a really nice place for dinner. —EdwardLaird
2011-10-16 17:59:05 C, The food is good but the service lacks. although very polite they were very slow the both recent times we were there. When we finally sat down on not a very busy Friday night we sat there being ignored for about 10 minutes. I finally had to get up and get the drink menu off another table and about 5 minutes later the took our drink order. Sorry but that is inexcusable and happened basically both times we were there recently. When our food arrived it was hot and good. the Kofta I order both times was WAY over salted, WAY!!! So I can't really order that ever again there. Lunch Buffet is an excellent option too. —NewtonNola
2012-10-07 19:43:34 Best Indian food in Rochester, waiters are always ready to fill up your water and the food couldn't be better. The family that owns Thali is great too, very upstanding folks in the community, etc... go here if you are hungry and don't want to be disappointed. —nmz787
2013-01-12 16:42:15 We had dinner last Monday (buffet night) at Thali of India. We have gone to Thali for a long time and it seems like they keep on making their food milder every day. With the exception of the chicken Makali and the goat curry which were very good, all the other dishes were very very bland. The Pittsford wegmans has better tasting Indian food now. Now as to the service, On a scale on 1 to 10, Thali is barely a One. There was 4 of us at the table and we finished the basket of naan bread, we asked one of the waiters for a refill, and he just simply ignored us. When I went to the front desk to ask for some I was told that they were too busy to get more bread. Well I guess when we left i was too busy to leave them a good tip.
Goodbye Thali, On monday, you lost 4 customers that will not return. —Ricardo
2013-11-18 19:24:24 The best buffet in town. —thomaspawlik
2013-11-19 12:22:10 Never tried the buffet here (nor do i want to), but have been more-or-less satisfied with the food and service over the last 8 years or so. In September, however, service was more rushed and 'brusque' than usual, which I think was mostly due to the server we had. Luckily, since he was one of the employees involved in "the incident" a couple months back, service may have gotten better. —alex-c
