4601 North Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Lincoln Square
Essence of India website
We have yet to check out the 3,000 or so Indian restaurants on Devon Avenue. Craving Indian food the other night, we decided on this closer-to-home restaurant in Lincoln Square.
We visited on a Friday night and the restaurant was pretty busy. It's a pretty small interior and the tables are literally inches from each other. We're not fans of unintentionally eavesdropping on our dining neighbors' conversations, but we didn't allow this to ruin our dining experience.
I think our favorite thing about this place is the appetizers. We started with the complimentary papadum (thin wafer-like chips) served with a trio of Indian chutneys. The green mint/cilantro-based chutney was absolutely amazing! We followed that with two vegetable samosas and some buttered naan. I haven't tried a whole lot of Indian food, but Jenn has and said that the samosas were some of the best she's ever had.
Indian Appetizers
Vegetable Samosas
We could have been satisfied with the appetizers alone and nearly forgot about our entrees. Jenn got the Vegetable Korma, a variety of vegetables and cheese in a curry sauce and topped with shaved almonds. I got a ckicken curry consisting of tomatoes, carrots, garlic, yogurt, cardamom, cumin and curry leaves. Jenn loved her dish. Mine was good, but not great. I would probably try something different on a return trip.
Vegetable Korma
Indian Chicken Curry
Overall, prices are reasonable (about $10 a dish), service is quick and friendly, and the servings are generous and filling. We give Essence of India an 8.4 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 8.8
Value: 8.0
Atmosphere: 8.2
Customer Service: 8.4
Overall: 8.4
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