Royal India Express

Some good items, reasonable prices, good service, clean, offers samples. It’s very generous of them! It’s the first food vendor on your right when you enter the food court so I don’t think you can turn them down.
I had their chicken tikka masala in the $ 6.99 single curry bowl and a $ 2.50 meat samosa.
Their chicken tikka masala might be their signature item because that’s what they’re giving out for samples. I tried it and I was hooked! Flavorful, creamy, hot, aromatic and savory food was what I could not resist on a cold day. For $ 6.99, that was a good deal!
I chose the saffron rice but for some reason I don’t know why it’s orange but not yellow??? Mutant saffron? Or maybe they added tomato?
I made a terrible, greedy choice to get their samosa. It was lukewarm, starting to turn soggy, like leftover a forgetful husband left in his car. The flavor also was not good, just alright. And I paid $ 2.50 for that?! I might as well get myself a macaron next door instead. That was a total disappointment.
The chicken tikka masala, and maybe other entrée, is what I’ll get if I’m in the food court again.

I got food poisoning yesterday after eating here. Chicken tikka masala and white rice and a bite of the worst garlic naan. Ruined my New Year’s Eve… I will never go back to this establishment.

I’m a big fan of Royal India Express! This is located in the UTC food court at the mall. I’ve been coming here years and years and their food is always tasty. My favorite items to order are the *Minced Meat Curry* and *Chicken Tikka Masala*. The flavors of the Indian food here are addicting and savory. I also recently tried there Veggie samosas and I enjoyed the crisp and softness of it along with 2 out of the 3 dipping sauces it came with. Last night they ran out of nan bread bummer! Other than that the staff gives out samples and the service here is good. Also they take military discount!~ Come here for some good quick Indian grub.~ :)

For food court Indian food, it’s really better than to be expected but it doesn’t live up to the quality of the food at actual Indian restaurants.
My boyfriend and I didn’t budget our time well before our movie at ArcLight and were left with just enough time to eat at the food court instead of a sit down dinner. I’d been craving Indian for awhile and decided to give this place a try. I chose the two item combo with chicken tikka masala and garlic chicken. The masala sauce is creamy but not quite as flavorful as I’m used to. It served it’s purpose though and was a good dipping sauce for the naan bread (which is an extra charge). The garlic chicken was surprisingly not just chicken but also potatoes. As a big potato fan, that was a pleasant surprise. I actually would give those two items four stars.
However, my boyfriend was less impressed with his vegetable curry and spinach dish (saag perhaps?). He didn’t seem to care for either.
I noticed on the menu that they offer garlic naan, which I prefer to plain, but we didn’t see any sitting out and perhaps you have to special order it.
All together, our two two item combos and a side of naan came to about $ 21.

Rookie mistake. I should have checked Unilocal reviews before trying this place but I wasn’t thinking too much about it. I found my way over to the food court with no particular cuisine in mind so I happened to get stopped at the front by the free sample that was being offered. My coworkers and I decided to stop and give this place a try. I ordered a two item combo with the spinach (which I normally know as saag paneer) and the chicken tikka masala. I was disappointed to learn that the naan bread is not included in the meal and cost me another couple bucks. I was additionally disappointed when I learned that they don’t have the yogurt sauce (raita) available whose flavor I missed while eating my food. The food itself wasn’t bad. The portions are decent which is good considering it cost over $ 10 for my meal. They do a good job of packing your meal if your order is to go, sealing it so that the sauce doesn’t spill all over the place. I have yet to find a fast casual restaurant for Indian food that I like as much as Natraj Tandoori in Orange County.

This place has gone way downhill. Fatty chicken in a bland sauce for too much. I only had two pieces of chicken in the spicy curry. It’s all potato. Not good. Overpriced — more than $ 10 for a very small lunch and that doesn’t include naan.

Welp, not much to see, or taste here. The food was bland and my chicken was dry/​over cooked. Even the naan wasn’t that tasty. Still, I ate all of my main portions because I was THAT hungry. Not my first pick for Indian to-​go restaurants, but I’m sure it’s not the worst choice at the food court.

I’ve been coming to eat lunch here at least once a week for the past 2 years due to the outstanding staff. The food is of good quality for an «express» restaurant. I have never had a bad experience in regards to the taste, temperature of food and especially the friendly staff

Don’t be fooled by the wonderful display of food items upon approaching this restaurant. The Royal Indian Express is middling at best — though, honestly, it’s what you’d expect from anything in a gentrified strip mall. An express for small portions of mediocre food priced a dollar above what would be satisfactory, along with ridiculously crusty and burnt naan bread, this restaurant falls short in every regard of a working establishment.
If you’re subscribed to eating at this particular establishment — whether out of pure adventure or daring rebellion — then you’re in luck: there’s practically never a line. It’s not hard to see why when the curry, at a closer glance, has a visible stale and average quality to its aesthetics. This only seems to exacerbate upon taste. Curry, in respect to its ancestral origins, is largely composed of its synergy of spices and flavor. Yet Royal India Express lacks all of these qualities, solely relying on its average «you’re-at-UTC, grab-​a-​cheap-​bite» appeal. Any India Cuisine connoisseur would enthusiastically disdain even a title of «Americanized Indian» food because of how sub-​par the food tastes.
It does not help that the food looks slopped onto a plate as if it were goulash, which questions appetite severely. The curry, itself, seems to ooze with its watery-​texture — it’s like they added an «insta-​curry» mix; just add water. The palette just seems to stale with every bite, which made me less enthusiastic to soak «naan» in it – though I prefer burnt crust with no rye as a more appropriate moniker, because I could hardly recognize the naan that was two dollars extra. The rice was stale, perhaps a few days old with its dying, fading colors. This establishment crumbles just as well as its naan bread, and the ten dollars you’ll spend here will likely be more happy being spent on a pedicure or a trip to a real Indian restaurant.

This was the food court pick of the afternoon since I wasn’t in the mood for anything in particular. Curry dishes over rice seemed good enough for my late lunch and I haven’t had Indian food in a while.
I got a plate of Chicken Tikka Masala and Coconut Curry Vegetables for $ 8.99. It’s a hefty portion, with rice. A side of naan is a $ 1.99 upcharge. Lunch at the mall ended up costing over $ 10. Pricey imo for buffet quality steam table dishes. Dafuq. If there was a next time, I’d get a bowl for cheaper.
Service was ok. I had no expectations since it was a late afternoon and the food court was relatively quiet. The counter area looks pleasant, clean, and conveniently located as the first shop on the right while entering from the west entrance.

Yuck ! Worst indian food ever. This restaurant has nothing indian about it. I have tried eating here a few times in the last 5 years in UTC. The curry is stale, god knows how many days old they are. And they do take some effort to shop around for the cheapest and lowest quality rice. The staff is rude. The last time i ate here my whole family got an upset stomach.
Btw adding broccoli to indian curry is like adding paneer to english breakfast. Never again. Stay out of this place.

Excellent food but could be just a bit cheaper. $ 8.99 for a 2 item always feels like $ 1 too much. That said, the food is good. I always get the Chicken Tikka Masala with either the Saag Paneer or the veggie samosas. Be sure to get the three sauces that come with the samosas!

I was working at the local hospital nearby and after a grueling 12 hour shift I decided to go to the mall, unwind, and possibly get some food.
It’s been awhile since I’ve been to UTC so I wasn’t familiar with the food selections. I was in the mood to lounge so I went to the food court to grab a bite and watch people ice skate.
I came across this place and it looked intriguing. I’m a fan of India food and the fast food twist to it was pretty nice. It reminded me of Panda Express where you choose a few side dishes with your choice of rice, except the fact that it taste much better!
Food is pretty good. I got the saffron rice and chicken tikka masala. I ended up only getting the bowl because I was watching my calories. Food is pretty good and a really great buy for what it is. It tasted fresh and had a good flavorful bite.
I definitely would recommend it to anyone looking for something different than Panda, Burger King, or a cheese steak. Foods good here!

Came here to the food court looking for a spot that has closed.
I picked this place because I was looking to go to flavor town for lunch and you can usually count on Indian food for that.
Well I was seriously disappointed.
And for anyone saying this is a mall food court, well that should not be an excuse to serve greasy cold food.
My spicy chicken curry was barely warm which just made it greasy and it was not spicy at all. The chicken was tender and juicy but the flavors were lacking. The spicy garbanzo bean concoction was the same thing… not spicy but a tad bit more flavorful but alas… also greasy and cold.
Rice… nothing to write about.
The naan made me want to cry as I was really looking forward to it. Chewy and dense and there was an odd flavor to it… one of dirty water.
They don’t have dal (lentils), this is a must side dish for me when ordering Indian.
Also this place is overpriced.
If you have time drive onto the 805 North and exit Mira Mesa and go to the food court to enjoy some Sitar Indian food. THAT is some good food regardless of whether it is in a food court or not. They have several different naans to choose from that are all amazing.
Truth be told all of the places at the UTC mall food court have left me disappointed which is why I’ve avoided the place for over a year. I prefer to drive to the food court off Mira Mesa/​Scranton. The Indian, Greek and Afhan place there all have really great food.
Avoid this place.
My tummy hurts. :(

This place is woefully average, bordering on not that good. Kind of a shame, too, seeing as how good the food looks, despite being out in buffet style warming trays.
And I think that may be problem one. Start of lunch, not a ton of people at their stall, and they had enough food under heat lamps to feed a hundred people. Doing that, not cooking anything to order or, at the very least, cooking them in smaller batches to help regulate and preserve flavor, takes something away.
Anyway, I ordered a Curry Bowl of Chicken Korma and rice and found it very bland with not much spice or heat, though the consistency and texture were very good. Taking about half of it home, I did find that the flavor improved greatly when it cooled, allowing a bit more of the coconut and saltiness to come through. But, there were no raisins or nutty flavor to be found. I neglected to get any Naan or Samosas, but I did taste the Tikka Masala, which was even less impressive than the Korma.
Not sure if I’ll be back, but as much as I like Indian food, it does deserve another try. Hopefully, one day…

I love the full royal India restaurant in the gaslamp quarter. And this kind of reminds me of it. After you take away most of the regular menu items. Here you can get the very typical chicken tikka masala, chicken korma, spicy chicken curry, the vegetable variations of this, along with samosas. And that’s pretty much it. I asked about the biriyani on the menu and the server told me that they take some rice and chicken and vegetables with a sauce and mix it in the back. Really?
Overall it’s not bad for something quick and simple.

**WARNING: YOU ARE AT THE MALL.
Not exactly the best, but not completely the worse. Dishes look very watery, but at least they taste okay. I liked the chicken tikka masala, spicy chicken curry and the obliged piece of naan. I’ve had better before, but what do you expect from a food court.
Don’t expect servers with red dots between their eyebrows, elephant statues and workers bumping Bollywood tunes. Pick up a tray, choose your 1 – 2 items and move on with your life. For Pete’s sake, you are in the mall. You want yogi’s, tranquility and I don’t know, harmony? Then go to dimly lit restaurant Indian restaurant in Downtown or Hillcrest. And good luck with parking. :P

Hey man, I may be high and under the influence but I can tell when I’m eating food that’s lacking flavor. Both the curry and the samosas were bland and unsatisfying to eat, and made me wish that I spent my money at Sarku Japan.
Eh, what to expect from the mall food court. Don’t give up, guys! You have good location and potential!

This place is perfect for those Indian food cravings, like the ones I’ve been having the past few days. Quick and inexpensive but just good, not great. Can’t beat a $ 5.99 bowl deal, and they could even split your 1-​entrée choice into two, half-​and-​half style. I had the old standby chicken tikka masala, and I believe the other one was their keema curry, on a bed of yellow rice.
The quality is no different from the AYCE Indian places I’ve been to. Meat was okay quality, flavors intense… but there just seems to be something lacking, you know? Maybe a certain richness, a certain punch… good for a few bites, but you get tired of it after a while.
Mango lassi was thick and undoubtedly tasted like mango. It came from a juice dispenser though — usually these places would have it in a pitcher in the fridge. Just something different I’ve noticed :)
I wish they would use classier food containers though. The white styrofoams are pretty tacky for a Gaslamp sister restaurant.

My spicy Indian curry chicken and veggie sauté combo with pulao rice is decent for a food court lunch at Westfield UTC. It has plenty of flavor and it’s at a good hot temperature. But they skimped on the chicken. My rice is edible but a little on the dry side.
I preferred the spicy chicken curry, because oddly enough it was lighter than the veggie sauté. There was too much oil in the veggie sauté for me.
They do give samples of the food which helps. The employee knew which dishes have coconut milk which is very helpful since I need to avoid it.
I’m working my way around the food court and haven’t yet found a 4 or 5 star choice here. Let me know if you find one!!!
They don’t have Indian tea nor any hot tea, which is disappointing.