Zaika Indian Restuarant & Bar

Sadly, Zaika is gone. There food was good. Apparently business was not.

This restaurant has closed.

(Full disclosure: I am not Indian nor a vegetarian.)
Well, now that we got that out of the way: Zaika is my first and last stop for Indian food in the North Shore. Sure… it’s probably not all that authentic, but who cares?!? It’s good!!! The servers are really good at pointing you in the right direction if you give them an idea of what you’re craving. All of the naans are outstanding. I’m not the type of person that always orders the same thing, but Zaika is the exception – I can’t leave there complete without having the chicken tikka masala (as spicy as I can persuade them to make it)!

I had no idea this place was there, but it was fantastic. Everyone I went with was very impressed with their meal. Who knew there was such good Indian food in a place like Marblehead?

Zaika is an amazing place to go for Indian food.
You will become addicted with their garlic nan.
Be sure to try the wine from Sula Vineyards (imported from India) they carry a Sauvignon Blanc and a Shiraz, both are fantastic. And if wine is not your thing, they have a full bar, and they even feature zombies on the drink menu — woohoo!
The Shrimp Tandoori is excellent, and if they have a special, go for it, it always spot on.
Dinner is served with rice and the portions are great to share with a date. So both order an entrée and try each others dishes. But make sure you save room for dessert.
The service is very warm and friendly. It’s quiet right now because Marblehead lacks the traffic flow of visitors during the winter, but don’t let that fool you. Go in and enjoy greatness!

My wife and I are regular consumers of Indian food, and we always like trying new places. When living in Boston, we became big fans of Bukhara in JP. When we moved to Salem we feel in love with Passage to India, which is hands down better than Bukhara.
Per recommendation, we tried Zaika in Marblehead. We liked the space, it wasn’t to busy and the service was OK. We started with the Veggie Samosa appetizer and thought that if our food was as good at that, it would be stellar. My wife had the Keema Matar with Paratha, and I the Murg Makhanwala with Aloo Paratha. My wife usually asks for her food as hot as they can possibly make it, but this time she wanted to see how they seasoned the food without it. She determined that her food wouldn’t have been as good if it were really hot. She’s also not a fan of coconut, which her Paratha was «seasoned» with, and was not indicated as such in the menu. My Makhanwala was excellent in taste and texture, but I was turned off by the bones left in it. There was one solid piece of meat and the rest I had to pick the bones out of. The Aloo Paratha was a bit saltier than some I’ve had, but it went well with my Makhanwala.
For a slow night, service was a bit slow. Our food sat on the table longer than it should have when we were done. After dinner my wife had a chocolate martini and I had coffee. Her martini was made with cheap liquor — it had a really strong bite to it. My coffee was «dirty.»
All in all, it was nice to get out and try it. But we both agree that Passage is where we’d care to go between the two establishments.

Even if you think you wouldn’t or don’t like Indian food, you have to try this place. First of all, the people are the sweetest, nicest people anywhere who truly make you feel welcome. My husband who loves Indian food says this is the best Indian food he’s had. I hate Indian food but can’t get enough of this place, the food is wonderful.

This is my favorite Indian restaurant on the North Shore. The chicken tikka masala was excellent, as was every thing else (channa paneer, samosa, naan). The only reason not to have 5 stars? The papadum was plain, and I love the spicy black bean one. The location isn’t great either, but inside is very nice. Service was good.