India Cafe Express

Seriously the worst chicken Tikka masala I’ve ever tasted. There was absolutely No flavor, no spice (as in flavor not heat), not buttery what-​so-​ever. The masala sauce was not smooth and creamy, it was gritty and mealy. The bread I ordered on the side was completely saturated with oil. The rice was dry/​old. If I could I would have returned my plate after one bite and would have been better off going to one of the fast food chains. I’ve had food court Indian food that I’ve enjoyed in the past; it is possible, but not in this case.

It’s good for hungry folks or folks craving for Indian food. I don’t think it was the rice and curry is something you would keep coming back for more. Again, I understand the number of repeat customers are minimal but if it were near my home, I wouldn’t come back for more.

Wow 4 pieces of lettuce for salad, one piece zucchini for curry and potato curry labeled as pork. No complementary water. More than $ 10 for a plate.

Pork Masala was cold and the rice was barely warm. Also asked for roti but they didn’t have it any which was disappointing. Flavour was satisfactory for a food cart. Customer service was also average. Worker looked like they didn’t want to be there. Maybe having a bad day.

I am pleased to report that the terrible review I had originally written I can now modify. We used to be absolute fans of the curry, and not only was the food great, but we got to know many that worked there. You could tell they were proud of their product, and I even considered them friends. Around the beginning if this year it all seemed to change. Those we knew were gone, or almost gone, working a single shift a week. The good became worse and worse until we just stopped considering curry as a stop. Today we gave it a try and we pleasantly surprised. We will continue to monitor and sample with caution, but we are hopeful the quality of the food returns to what it was last year. We are looking forward to being able to add a star in the near future.

Whoo ha! I haven’t had roti in a hit freaking minute, so when I spotted it in the NEX food court, I had to give it a whirl. Glad I did too because it was scrumptulescent. I got the butter chicken with coconut cabbage and two roti. Delicious and highly recommended.

So I have heard people say that this is the best place to get some Indian food and I thought I might give it a try. So after all the questions I asked I proceeded to order the butter chicken only to be told she didn’t have anymore and yet the sign was still up. I was very disappointed and had my heart set out on it. Needless to say my first and last time coming here.

I’ve been wanting to try India Café Express for a while, but every time I tried, the one employee working would be on break. Luckily, westbound traffic brought me to NEX at dinner time & I was able to finally get a taste of my favorite Indian entrée, butter chicken!
I loved it! The chicken was tender & the sauce was flavorful. The saffron rice looked so bright & was cooked nicely too! I got a mini plate of the butter chicken & I’m sitting here… Super stuffed, but wanting more.
The one guy working here tonight provided wonderful service & wasn’t frazzled at all by the growing line of people waiting to order.
I will definitely return & I I’ll prob order a regular plate next time around… Maybe sample everything too: P

As I’m lying here in pain, suffering from a horrible bout of food poisoning, I’m also kicking myself for eating here for dinner last night. I’ve had Indian food many times in the past, & although I wasn’t too thrilled at the sample I was given, my hunger took the best of me & I ordered a plate of the butter chicken curry — a milder, slightly sweeter Indian curry than I’m used to. I downed my food at home & immediately regretted it. I begin to feel a bit sick right as I finished, kind of like there was a brick of curry not wanting to digest. Numerous hours later, still sick & still bloated. I opted to drink some herbal tea & try to sleep it off. A few hours later, I awoke to horrible abdominal pains & feeling as if I had a fever. I dragged myself to the bathroom, did what I had to do, & dragged myself back to bed. Flash forward to the present & I regret everything. I still have horrible stomach pains, feel terribly weak, & have completely lost my appetite. DO NOT EAT HERE!!! Or if you do, stay clear of the butter chicken curry. Don’t repeat my mistake & end up in pain like me :(

My favorite spot in the food court. They usually have a couple of chicken curry options which are always mild. They sometimes have a veggie curry that has a little bit of kick if you want something spicy.
Always quick and easy and the service is usually attentive. If you want to try before you commit, they’ll usually let you have a taste of a few. The mini is usually adequate to fill me up.
Obviously there is no tandoor oven here, so you wont get that smokey flavor and no naan.

I’m no Indian curry expert but the partner in crime has introduced me to the India Curry Express located in the NEX food court.
The kiosk is located near the escalators across from McDonald’s. I’ve only tried a couple dishes which include the butter chicken, the okra, the eggplant dish and their roti bread. As this really is my first Indian food experience it was good. The eggplant was hella spicy and we ended up not finishing it. Not sure if that is normal but if you like spice that may be your dish. The butter chicken was good and made with nice pieces of chicken thighs. I’m not a huge okra fan but I actually enjoy their okra dish. The roti bread is served warm and buttery.
Overall, for the price of a plate, it was enough for my partner in crime and I to share and came out to $ 12.13. Not bad for a quick cheap dinner :)

I am very pleasantly surprised! I was here and needed a quick bite. I LOVE Indian food but usually make my own. $ 11 got me curry chicken, rice, salad and curry potato’s plus a side of Roti. For an express it was tasty! The guy that helped me was named Ricky and he was very nice (good service is a big one for me). Thanks!

This inspection is a tad inflated, mostly because after 4 long years in hawaii, my taste for Indian food has degraded just like my taste for mexican food.
Located in the NEX food court as a kiosk, this is the closest Indian food I can find, beyond University and Kailua. They usually have 2 chicken curry dishes, one vegetable dish and a salad available. The curries are usually some sort of tikka masala or korma dish.
Do NOT expect tikka masala or korma when you order. This is spiced curry with huge chicken breasts thrown in. Not chicken chunks slathered in creamy peanut or tomato based curry. Whole chicken breasts with some seasoning. The rothi is standard thawed rothi, and has nothing wrong with it.
Ultimately, I just crave Indian food and find myself here. If I lived closer to café marahani, I would definitely be there ALL THE TIME, but unfortunately I’m not. :(India Café Express it is.

Without being among America’s Finest (i.e. vet credentials), my experiences at the Navy Exchange Mall was limited to their food court. Naturally with my love for all things Indian, India Café Express and its array of pre-​made curries tickling my aromatic senses into wanting more.
The menu tacked on the outside of the kiosk is pretty simple. There are daily specials which range from vegetarian to meaty options. Most of it is northern Indian inspired, along with a nod to some of the local dishes (oh hai, coconut shrimp). While most Indian food court spots will automatically serve naan as a bread accompaniment, it should be noted that this joint also serves roti as well.
If one should choose the veggie + meat combo, I think there is no better combination than the chicken curry and bindi masala. Chicken curry is as staple as it gets, but this version from I.C.E. offers some real kick and a sauce that isn’t too overbearing. The chicken is chunky and on the bone, which is a plus flavor wise. Bindi masala is the veggie dish all health nuts can appreciate, but the spicy creaminess of the masala combined with the fresh eggplant is very decent.
I can’t sing the praises of their navratan korma, which was a bit too chunky for my tastes and a tad on the bland side. Chicken tikka masala is a little sweet and their seafood selections (fish curry, squid, etc.) are always a toss up between subpar and sublime. For a city as expensive as Honolulu can be, a $ 10 lunch plate here is not the worst thing in the world, especially when the cuisine is Indian.
The guys behind the counter are nice, which enough warrants the multiple returns. They’ve taken the feedback well with every visit, which I’m hoping will be implemented by the time I find myself back in the mall. I’d rather eat here than shop for discounted senior citizen gear anyway.

I find that Indian food is hard to come by on the island. So I was super surprised when there was an Indian food stall at the NEX! I had the eggplant curry with an order of roti. It was spicy deliciousness. I used the roti to absorb all the yummy sauce. For under $ 5, too! I will be back to try the other dishes for sure.

I came here for a quick lunch… I know how you gonna do a quick lunch with at all the food? Well I was very careful when I drove home… I got the veggie dish and super spicy eggplant… ugh it was sooooo good! When I want spicy I don’t want any cheezy hot I wanted the hot that makes your nose run and sweat and it did!
Haven’t had a chance to go back, but I will the next time I’m there.

I have seen this cart in the NEX food court forever, and after todays lunch, dont know why we never ate here before! I specifically wanted something very spicy so the guy suggested the fish samba. I got a mini plate which came with rice, the spicy curry fish, and one veggie choice. I got the curry potatoes. And since he was making fresh flatbread, i got one of those as well.
Now THAT is how spicy i love my food! It was refreshing to actually order something spicy at a restaurant, let alone in a food court, and actually have it come out spicy! There were small pieces of fish and shrimp in the red sauce on top of my rice. It was truly delicious. The potatoes were mild and good and i thought balanced my flavorful fish samba. The roti bread was soft and freshly cooked. It was so light and flaky, like a flattened croissant almost, but thats a good thing!
Pricing was worth the amount of food, especially for a mini, but mostly because it was really good. Next time you’re in the NEX food court, try this place. Not your ordinary fast food.

So the guy said the spicy eggplant was spicy, really, really spicy. And in my head, I said, «yeah, whatever, I’ve eaten something called ‘homocide wings [FYI: ‘suicide wings’ just kills you; ‘homocide wings’ kills the people around you, they’re so hot… so says the menu. I tell you that to tell you why I thought I had the gonads to just shrug at the man’s description of the food], so bring it, Chuckles.»
I was an eeeeeee-​diot. Should’ve listened to the guy. Because he was right, but also because after eating these things, my hearing started to fail. It was that hot. Really, really, really hot. Super hot. I drank someone else’s milk from the table because it was that hot. It apparently gets spicier and spicier as it sits on that catering burner. Don’t go at the last minute (aka after 8pm) unless you’re truly in a risk-​taking kind of mood.
In summation, the roti is good if you’re there before 5pm. After that, it’s soggy and weird, like an old ear slathered in butter. Yeah, eeewwwwwww. The chickpeas are good and tasty, but not as flavorful as you’d expect Indian food to be. The coconut cabbage blows the house down, it’s so dang good. But the eggplant? My friends, the eggplant almost put me in the ground.
Like the other reviewers said, listen to the man when he says it’s spicy. He ain’t lying.
The price point is pretty out there, especially for a place that gets its food driven in from the brick and mortar Kailua location in the morning and reheats what it’s got throughout the day. A star less because of the cray-​cray markup for what is not the most expensive of world cuisines to prepare. I’m shaking my finger at yoooo-​uuuu, India Café Express.
But where are you gonna find Indian food on that side of the island? So yeah, I’m going back.
Tip: sign up on the India Café website for a $ 5 coupon you can use at your next visit. Use it fast, though, cause it expires a few days after you get it.
Oh, and my hearing did come back eventually. My dignity has yet to be found.

Indian food is my newest obsession!
And for those who know me… I can get really obsessed about things. Like Aspergers status obsessed.
Anyways, I work near the Navy Exchange and never have time to make lunch for myself in the morning or the night before. I’m on the go constantly… in my car by 7:55 am and home around 1 am most nights. God bless my youth. Since I’m always on the road, I’m always looking for places to have a substantial and healthy lunch – without having to visit a drive thru.
I must admit, the food court at the NEX is pretty fucking terrible. No offense to those that work there or run it, but honestly I’m kind of tired of all the fast food eating places here… Can you be more like Yataimura in Shirokiya?! Is that so hard?
So with that, I must thank them for having India Café Express… my new go-​to.
They have rotating specials everyday from Butter Chicken (Tikka Masala) curry to Chickpea curry, and even Okra curry. You can even add some tasty roti flat bread, which is a MUST for mopping up leftover curry.
There are mini (1 choice) or regular plate (2 choices) options and prices range from about $ 8 – 12.
From what I’ve gotten, chicken is really tender and I’m a fan of all the veggie curries… their spicy is INDIAN spicy, but their milds are more my temperature… especially if I have to walk back to my compound in the hot sun. I just have issues with the richness of the flavors… they could definitely be more robust and… INDIAN, ya know?
The prices are a little steep as well for curry… they could also be a little more temperature hot. I want it STEAMING on my plate. although I understand since they are just a cart and not an actual restaurant.

Spicy eggplant is the best thing on the menu. It is a pity that they don’t serve it every day, but I can forgive them.
I love spice. I love spice that is filled with flavor and isn’t just «hot» or «salt» pretending to be spice. What is the difference? The difference is Tobasco (hot) vs Sriracha (spice) or plain cumin vs curry powder.
The spice in the spicy eggplant is exactly the way I like it. Hot enough that I have to eat it slowly, thinking about each bite. Hot enough that the cucumber dressing on the salad is a welcome moment of cool on my tongue, helping me decide that I can brave the next bite.
I stop by the NEX once or twice a month for one reason or another. I do my best to time these visits so that I can eat at India Café Express for lunch or dinner. I try to remember to order the plate «to go» so that I don’t feel the need to finish the massive plates. I sometimes forget, and then am forced to decide whether to concentrate on the chicken or the veggies. The veggies almost always win.
The prices are higher than most of the other food stands at the NEX, but the food is so much tastier.
The NEX food court is open to everyone, not just military. No need for ID cards or escorting a «guest» to the counter. Bring your friends, but warn them about the eggplant!