Masala Indian & Pakistani Cuisine

My husband, friend, and I had a wonderful experience at Masala! We went on a Sunday afternoon and had a few different dishes. Chicken Tikka Masala, Aloo Gobi, and the Chicken Biryani.

The server, who I also think is the owner, was friendly and helpful. He was available to ask questions, check on us, and asked us how spicy we would like the dishes. We decided to make them decently spicy for our tastes.

The Chicken Tikka Masala's sauce was what really shined in that dish. It had a lot of flavor and went extremely well with the regular Basmati Rice. Our friend really like the Chicken Biryani! I still enjoy the regular white Basmati rice more. The other dish was the Aloo Gobi and it looked pretty simple, but tasted wonderful! Great flavors!

The only negative takeaway was the price. The bowls were small, but deep, so you got plenty and flavors were delicious. When comparing the price to other places, however, the amount of food you get at Masala was a little on the lower side of things. The taste may make up for the price for some people, so I guess you need to try Masala and see what you think!

I think we might have a new favorite Indian restaurant!

We've been wanting to try this place since we got the Yelp notification that it was open, and I am so glad we finally did. We typically will order Indian and eat at home, but decided to pay Masala a visit. Living fairly close to the Loop, I can see us coming back many, many times in the future.

Whoever designed Masala loooooves pink! Baby pink walls, napkins, decor, etc. It's brightly lit, and very clean. The only thing I'd change about the atmosphere is that it was too quiet. Some music might be a nice addition! The staff was wonderful and the owner came over several times to see how we were enjoying everything.

I definitely want to try the lunch buffet, but since we were there for dinner, we ordered the samosas, Daal Tadka (split yellow lentils cooked with ginger tomatoes and spices), and Alu Gobi (cauliflower cooked with potatoes, tomatoes and spices). We were blown away by the quality of the food. The samosas were so fresh and were served with a tangy sauce, and both of our entrees were so flavorful and perfectly spicy.

We hope to see palak paneer added to the menu sometime, but regardless, we will absolutely be back.

Masala caught our attention instantly because of the name, reminding us of the infamous chicken tikka masala.

Food: Murgh Tikka Masala ($11.95)
The entree came with unlimited rice. The portion of tikka masala was large. But when ordered I've been asked "how spicy we like it" so I kept with the milder side. It came out almost sweet, rather than spicy. It was still decent, but would have preferred the spicier option.

Garlic Naan ($5 for 2 pieces)
The garlic naan was good for dipping, but it was rather dry and doesn't quite compare in flavor to other STL Indian restaurants.

The service was quick (less than 1hr visit time), and they were nice, besides getting told to review the restaurant online (lol). My girlfriend also enjoyed the fun pink-walled interior.

If we came back, it would be from 11:30-2:30pm on a weekday for the all you can eat buffet for $10:95! Other than that, there are other places to try your dollar at.

Such a delicious meal! We had beef nihari and goat karahi with rice and salad and an order of sheer mall.

Sheer mall is a lovely baked flatbread made from cashews, almonds and cheese. A slight hint of sweet and a bit crisp. Really unlike anything I've had before. Try it!

Ordered chicken biryani and became ill. It tasted good, but 24 hours later, I'm still recovering.

They used to have a location on Olive and it closed. I'm curious now

We had a very nice time at Masala today. Our waiter was very good and very fast. The food came after about 15 minutes, which was perfect. We ordered Alu Batar (potato and pea curry) and naan. The naan was super soft, fluffy, and flavorful. The curry was a good portion (not too much or little). You order rice on the side for extra charge but it was worth it!

If you haven't been here, you are Missing out! The owner/manager is very friendly (and funny) and the food is delicious. We ordered take out for our board and Everyone Loved the food!

Lamb and Veggie Bryani: Tasty with the right amount of spice.
Aloo Goobi: Yum - the cauliflower was cooked to the right crunchiness level - it wasn't too soft, but wasn't too hard either and the spice level warms you up like a soft blanket on a slightly cold day!
Bagara Bailan: This is like a dish that tells you if the chefs know what they are doing - and they certainly do. Right level of spices, yumminess and the eggplant just melts in your mouth.
Seekh Kabab/Chicken Tandoori: The Seekh kebab was the right amount. of combo meat of chicken and lamb! Wished I'd gotten 2 orders of this and the chicken tandoori - I'm sure the tandoori was good too coz it was gone in a snap!

I am so excited about the leftovers I'm about to have for lunch!

Thank you for being here, and for feeding us!! :)

Amazing chicken tikka Masala, the naan was also very fresh and warm. The service was also excellent!

We went to spice n grill (the mother restaurant) and really enjoyed it, and the owner mentioned to us that they were opening up another place on the loop. Food is still top notch, would recommend beef nihari and murgh tikka masala

Was very quiet the night I went in, but that meant extra attention and ability to ask questions about the menu. Loved my meal, which the staff helped me choose. Everything was very fresh and hot!