Spice

Going camping near Tahoe, we got hungry and thought we would pull into McDonalds. But when we saw this place from the turn, we thought we would check it out instead.
Big. Huge. Yes.
The woman at the counter recommended the Almond Butter chicken curry bowl, and this may well be the best dish I have ever had in my life. I don’t usually eat chicken, but I would eat it every day if I lived near this place. The spices are amazing and the chicken is so tender I could hardly believe each bite.
We also had a samosa, which was good, and a mango lassi, which was awesome, and the pineapple fritters, which were very interesting and sweet.
The only hilarious part was the country music playing in French. Both times we came here going to and from our campsite, both times French. Country. Country music in French. Yeah, it’s as weird as it sounds. But I would endure as much country music as I have to to enjoy this almond butter chicken again.

So I find myself in Truckee. I don’t really know where that is or why I’m here… But sometimes you just need a good wander. Anyway I was staying in Lake Tahoe and went on a nice drive. The route to Truckee is gorgeous like most of this country. Anyway I got hungry and this place came up on Unilocal with some great reviews.
I can whole-​heartedly agree. It’s delicious. I ordered the Almond Falafel Flat Bread Wrap with mango chipotle sauce. Sounds a bit odd, but omg so good. I mean really, really good. So good that I got full but kept eating.. The flavors all work really well together and the slaw in the wrap gives it a nice crunch. Plus they are super nice. And also if you’re a vegan they have great options. No one will make you feel weird. The lady at the counter (it’s counter service) was really helpful and friendly.
In summary, if you are anywhere near Truckee — maybe on your way to/​from Sacramento or something — stop and eat here. It’s definitely worth it. And a good value too.

I just finished eating a Spicewich, which I probably haven’t had since the first few months they opened. Every single part of that meal was delicious and outstanding. From the cole slaw, to the falafel, the sauce, and the homemade flat bread. It filled me up, and made me feel so good, knowing that they pretty much make everything behind the counter. It’s really amazing that we have this place in Truckee. Not many places around town serve such great quality food for that price.

Not what I was thinking. The tikka masala didn’t didn’t taste like what I have gotten from many different indian restaurants previously. The roti was more bready than I am used to as well. The rose orchata tasted very powdery. So if you are thinking this is more traditional indian food, but made fast food style (the spice-​wrap), this place is not for you. If you are more open to try something new with Indian flair, then you won’t be disappointed like I was.

This place is reasonably priced the food is always fresh and the service is great,

Delicious food, and I’m a meat and potatoes kinda guy.
I told the ‘spice girl’ what I like and what I don’t like, she decided what would be perfect for me. I don’t know the different types of curry.
It’s not fast food, it’s all made there from scratch.
1 thing not on site… a can opener.
Treat yourself!

My whole family loves this place! My favorite item… homemade sweet potato chips! Everything homemade and yummy. The wait for food is a little longer than normal (maybe 5 more minutes) but it’s homemade, not fast food. Worth the wait. My kids love the butter chicken and naan. I enjoy the wraps. Chia tea is authentic Indian chai.

I had the tikka chicken wrap which I thoroughly enjoyed. The mango salsa (chutney?) combined with the shredded, sour cabbage had great flavors. I plan to go back and try other things on their menu.

First off, you should know that this is a very casual-​style eatery. It is semi-​full service in that you order at the counter, pay, tip & then sit down and eat & then put your dishes away at the trash area (I’m assuming… but maybe we just did that because we thought we were supposed to??).
The service: The woman who presumably owns the restaurant is very sweet, attentive and runs the register as well as cooks the food & serves it.
The food: Delicious! It is not really Indian food, but perhaps Indian-​inspired food with a hint of Mediterranean; and that is very unique for this neck of the woods. My boyfriend and I ordered TWO samosas because the appetizer portion only comes with one, but it also comes with a small salad. The portion was a bit unusual, but the taste was great. I had the Butternut & Lentil Patty Spice-​Wich, and he had a Curry Bowl of some sort. My Spice-​Wich was very flavorful, but something wasn’t quite balanced– great slaw on the sandwich/​gyro/​wrap, but the patties were too sweet or something.
The price: We paid $ 40 for the two samosas, two entrees, and two drinks. I suppose this is a reasonable price for the area, but $ 20+ tip per person at such a casual place seemed a bit much, but my point here is minimal.
Overall my review of Spice Café is missing one star because of my bias– I really want a full-​service Indian restaurant in the North Lake area, but we would come back again if we were in North-​West Truckee anytime soon.

Just had a wonderful dinner in Spice. The food definitely has a homemade touch: the fresh vegetable curry bowl and almond butter chicken bowl we ordered tasted like something we would make at home, with spices and other healthy ingredients — no sugar, starch and other junk that is mixed into sauces to kill sensitivity of your taste buds. It’s not a fancy place, but they don’t pretend to be one. Nice and cozy atmosphere, a super friendly guy at the register who happened to be a server, too. We’ll definitely be back on our next trip to the area.
We’ve ended up trying their deserts: rice pudding and pineapple fritter. Both were very tasty. Great job, guys!

I came to Truckee, CA every year during snow ski season. This place used to be KFC. I saw it turned into Spice about 3 years ago, but I was not brave enough to try new place. Hana
We were worried about traffic after everyone got off from slops. So we order Togo.
I LOVE their homemade sweet potato chips, fresh and crunchy! I have Korean beef, well… It was not Korean food flavor, but acceptable. My husband has Mediterranean Lamb, it was very good.

yum!!!
healthy! handmade!
this is what I’m craving after a big xc pulling the chariot. great date spot!

What a great new lunch find in Truckee. Indian food with an American flair (curry wraps, etc). Ain’t fancy, just good food! Definitely worth a stop for lunch or even takeout to the slopes.

If my head is sweating but my palms are not it must be good. New to Truckee and I see this place every time I go to SaveMart or CVS. My wife asked if I’ve ever eaten there, «no». So the next day on way home from Sugar Bowl I stopped for a curry chicken and vegetables bowl to go. The lady at the counter who I believe is the owner was very understanding that I didn’t know what to order or what certain food items were. She even comped me an ice tea while I waited. Took my dish home for a great tasty lunch.
Next day I took my wife with me for a sit down lunch. She had the Lamb wrap. Scrumptious served with fresh warm sweet potato chips, sweet and tangy. She didn’t think she’d eat the whole thing but Shazam! Gone. I had the Lamb du lac and it was just the right amount of spice with fresh vegetables and rice.
We will be frequent visitors. You should be too.

We came here on a Saturday night around 5 o’clock and ordered some food to go. The food took a good 20 minutes. I would order ahead if you want to get food to go food.
The food:
Butter chicken — 3 stars — this dish Ashley had some flavor and had some hot spice level to it. It was good but by no means the best butter chicken I have had.
Lamb sandwich — 3 stars — my mother-​in-​law order the sandwich and she said that it was OK.
Daal — 2 stars — this was just basically boiled lentils. Did not taste like Daal
Naan — 2 stars — this did not taste rush at all
Samosa — 2 stars — not a lot of flavor. Basically just peas and potato chunks in a puff pastry. No real spice flavor to it.
The price
We paid around $ 40 for everything we ordered and we order two butter chickens.
I would not return to this restaurant! I would NOT even recommended it to people in town who have tried everything else.

Amazing service, good food.
Appetizers was great, loved the combo plate.
Personally didn’t like pineapple fritters.
Portion of rice served with curry was less, can improve the curry.
Rice pudding was the best dessert.
–Ashwin Raj, Amith Ronad.

Good food but lacking in the flavor and authentic departments. I had the almond butter chicken and garlic naan for $ 14. The veggies were crisp and cooked well. There was a good amount of chicken and the spices were good; the chicken quality is average for a place like this.
The garlic naan was basically a grilled pita from a freezer, YUCK.

My hubby and I did the two dine special and we each ordered completely different things. I had a Mediterranean lamb wrap, samosa, daal, and rice pudding, and my hubby had the falafel, spicy coleslaw, lamb vindaloo curry bowl. Both of us were truly impressed by the fusion of flavors and sauces for each of our dishes.
I wouldn’t call this Indian food though, it’s more like, Indian inspired. That being said, if you LOVE traditional Indian food, this probably isn’t your place… If you love spicy, like Indian food is, then this probably isn’t for you either. –but if you’re into trying new places, flavors and experiences, then this place IS for you!
The samosa surprised me that it only had one in the appetizer order. I don’t know if that’s just because of the two tasty dinners thing or if that’s standard. But they were delicious (not spicy) my husband loved the curry (not spicy) and neither was the spicy coleslaw, but the slaw was my FAVORITE. It was zesty and delicious. The daal was good, but not great and so was the wrap.
For a quick breakdown…
Pros: great food, adorable staff, cute atmosphere/​dining room. (Years ago this place use to be a KFC– so keep that in mind with the «cute dinning room»)
Cons: a little pricier than what we were expecting to pay for the amount of food we got (but what it lacked in quantity was made up by quality) and that we had to order at the counter instead of full wait service– which given the dining experience just made it feel awkward paying and tipping before we sat down at a table.

The best vegan option in Truckee! Warm, made to order sweet potato chips are always a delicious addition to any meal. We opt for the almond falafel on spice roti, delicious! Owner cares a lot about her food and it really shows. They also make great organic fruit freeze pops (like the otter pops you had as a kid, but not yuck. We would get these a lot in the summer at Spices stand at the Truckee Thursdays large outdoor community gathering) Ask about trying one of the several homemade sauces they offer. Generous portions, delicious organic food, plenty of carnivore and veggie/​vegan options, Spice is the spot to hit after a day in the mountains!

Solid choice for something a little different. Restaurant is serviceable. Staff was very friendly, if a little harried (one person acting as cashier and table runner). We ordered the lamb and curried turkey wraps and a kid’s grilled cheese with chicken. The grilled cheese arrived first and it rocked! They must add a little of some kind of spice to it… I can’t tell what, but it was a perfect (although different) version of this sandwich. My kid raved about it (as would I). He was less interested in the sweet potato chips, but I thought they were wonderful and very fresh. Our sandwiches were very flavorful although there was something that just didn’t work for me. So while it was good, I’m not sure I’d order them again.