We keep eating at Namaste because the food is so good, and because it’s impossible to get a seat at Lotus of Siam anymore. Three times in the last month we’ve driven to Commercial Center (on Monday and Tuesday nights), and seen a line out the door at Lotus, while this food goes begging for customers. (note: Omh Singh, we just found out, is no longer at Namaste.)
And we’d be less than honest if we didn’t mention that, as happy as we are for Saipin and Bill Chutima and their staff, it’s somewhat disheartening to see cab after cab deposit wave after wave of half-drunk turistas in front of Lotus (lots of beefy conventioneers with women who’ve seen too much “Sex and the City” – still swishing their cocktails as they stumble from the taxi in their nineties hair and spiky heels) and watch them stagger into Lotus because someone back home knows someone who told them that they heard from somebody who read somewhere that this little joint in Vegas was the greatest Thai restaurant in the country.
Yeah, it kinda pisses us off, the same way it does when we’re at a wine party with some true oenophilic aficionados and someone breaks out a Maya ’97, Pichon-Lalande ’82 or J. J. Prum ’70 Trockenbeerenauslese and some half-in-the-bag nimrod or nouveau-riche floozy insists on a taste and then pours a big friggin’ glass of the stuff for themselves and drinks it like it’s f*cking soda pop while shouting in a drunken slur: “This is AMAZING!” or “This is F*CKING AWESOME dude!” even though THEY DON’T HAVE THE SLIGHTEST F*CKING IDEA ON GOD’S GREEN EARTH WHAT THEY’RE F*CKING TASTIING!@#!@#$%*&*
But I digress.
Namaste is all that and a bag of chips when it comes to top drawer Indian food, and just like Lotus, it deserves to be mobbed by the know-nothing, mob-following, half-potted hoi polloi.
OK, OK, I’ll go! I’ll force myself to go, but I’ll finally get there if the food is as great as you and everyone else says. If the hype is true, then I guess we have another “Lotus” in the making.
No hype, just great food. Namaste does deserve the same amount of success that Lotus enjoys, but I don’t really have an issue keeping it among those of us who actually get it. I love Lotus, but they can keep the barely-know-the-difference-between-chef-boyardee-and-campbells masses. Leave Namaste to us.
its all you can eat lunch buffet- for under ten bucks- has to be the best fucking deal in the city.
excuse my language.
LOL
Is it really that bad at Lotus? I moved out of Vegas in summer ’08 but remember not having a problem getting a table in a reasonable amount of time during late lunch or early dinner periods during the week anytime I went there. I can’t imagine dinner Monday or Tuesday could be Carrie Fisher-wanna-bes-infiltrated, as I didn’t think those people were in Vegas during the week. Hasn’t it been years since Lotus was declared the best restaurant in North America?
I have to say NAMASTE INDIAN CUISINE is the best indian cuisine in VEGAS
their dinner menu is great with tasty i lived in cali bay area Namaste is the best
good to know we have best thai and indian food sharing the same wall
I was there for Dinner on 1/22/10 with my family will be back
keep the good work
thank you Namaste team
Namaste has a wonderful delicious Indian delicacies. Much better than some of the Indian joints in the valley. I have been going to the Lotus of Siam for many many years but now there are many Lotuses around the valley. Thai restaurants are everywhere and have great “LOTUS type menu and culinary delights. No reason to drive to Lotus anymore as you can find good Thai food in your own neighborhood. However, its worth driving to Commercial Center for Namaste as there are no good Indian joints in the burbs.
i have yet to hit this place, BUT!!!! today for lunch me and my work cohoarts plan to brave the rain and give it a shot! we had to make sure we had a clear afternoon (knowing the effects of indian on the gastro-intestinal tract)
i will weigh in on my thoughts soon enough
I agree with you, John, but I never seems to wait that long for a table at Lotus. Old habits die hard JC, and Lotus is sooo good! On anlther topic, you did notice that CJ’s, RUB and Salt Lick BBQ all closed not long ago. I am the one who argued with you how bad CJ’s was and Rub and Salt Lick were not that much better. What I could not figure out was why RUB was overly smoking the meat to the point of almost falling apart. In my opinion there were so many things at Rub going against it, I was surprised it held on as long as it did. Salt Lick started out excelent and somethiong happpend not long after. The food got awful! and everyone I talked to complaned. When I finally returned about 4 months later I agreed. Somehow the ribs were very inimpressive. CJ’s in my opinion was just bad from the get go. While the man who maked them seemd very nice, I did not like his overly spicy and too much pepper recipe. I believe it ahs reopened however with a new owner?
so i have finally tried namaste, and yes its good, but not ground breaking by any means, its what i would expect from a dingy-dive indian place, with authentic indian fare.
being from upstate new york, where the indian rest are bountiful, namaste is just a run of the mill spot, but here in vegas its so much more because the level of indian cuisine around town is pretty lame!!
the buffet is a great deal, decent selection and the warm and ghee laced naan keep coming, and lets face it the naan is all that anyone goes to indian food for!!
this place will definatly be added to the work lunch rotation, we stick to lotus of siam for take out at the office, avoid the wait!!
Went to Namaste last Saturday for brunch and what a disappointment. Musta been a bad day there based on all the raves this place has garnered…
Tandoori chicken was grey and very unappealing. All veggie dishes (garbanzo dish excepted) were completely lacking in any spice whatsoever :( Naan bread was really greasy. Absolutely everything on the buffet line was barely lukewarm. Butter chicken was okay.
Obviously I’m in the minority here and YMMV. But I won’t be going back.
Nope. I went yesterday and Namaste has jumped the shark. As JC noted, the chef left recently. It appears the waitstaff has taken over the cooking. What I had was mediocre, and yes, lukewarm.
I agree, good stuff.
Tried namaste finally yesterday. The restaurant was crowded when we went guess some party going on. Our food was delicious though. I agree with their great reviews. Brand new restaurant but established in short time.
i tried their dinner its the best indian food i had for a long time tanx to john
i had lunch buffet at namaste to try it again and the food was excellent
hope hey keep up the good work
i care about my food not the one who cooks
i have been to Namaste lot of times and i asked the wait staff they told me
their competitor are having bad reviews for them
locals lets support the new gem in commercial center
i love eating at namaste
The food here is good . great dosa .. love it Naan was not gresae
After reading all this i can say namaste is best Indian cuisine in Vegas
the waiter told me om singh was out of namaste from oct 30 but the food tastes the same or better
Even John Curtas has had 2 reviews after oct 30 so its still the best indian cuisine
thank you John for letting us know about Namaste indian cuisine
I tried Origin India it Didnt look or taste like indian foodand its way expensive than other indian restaurants
$15.00 buffet its too expensive for a Indian lunch with only few items o the buffet
decor is good
They raised the price of the buffet to $15?
I think it’s always been that price though there is currently a 20% off discount for locals and their fans on Facebook. I can say the food quality at Origin is far better than the other Indian buffets in town. Try it and take the challenge – it’s worth a few more dollars for better stuff. You won’t feel terrible afterwards like you will in a lot of places that serve greasy, unhealthy Indian food. Though I haven’t tried Namaste but plan to soon and will report back after that lunch as well. And there are about a dozen items in all including six hot dishes, plus soup, fresh naan or roti, and some salads and desserts.
Already tried Origin India buffet sorry to disappoint some Indian food lovers there is no taste in the line of food they are serving except the salads nothing is ground breaking. It’s just another extremely expensive buffet with bland tasting food.
Besides bland and tasteless, the buffet is cold or lukewarm whenever we went.
Haven’t tried Namaste yet, but will soon as I generally trust John’s recommendations, and he’s been telling me about it for a while.
That said, I don’t understand why Origin India has to take the shrapnel in the comments section. Namaste cannot be elevated by tearing down Origin. They stand alone, and whether I like Namsaste in the end has no bearing on the fact that I like Origin.
And John … it’s at last partially your fault that taxis are lining up outside Lotus :)
As the competition for top chef continues looming large projects like that of citycenter Aria, the quest for food lovers seeks different kind of ultimate playground. Among such a competition, I found this newly opened Indian Namaste to be sincerely Tasty where value and flavor are hallmarks. The line outside reads north meets south and deliciously so it is!
I shall be repeatedly trying the food till I get bored :)
Don’t shoot the messenger…From the Las Vegas Review Journal restaurant report Namaste received 77 demerits & was closed 4 Feb. This is the 2nd time they have had problems with health inspections. Maybe it’s time for Gordon Ramsay to pay them a visit.
Stick a fork in this place — it’s done.
Nice to read this review we went to try Namaste after that and it’s a las Vegas gem among Indian cuisines. We tried almost everything for dinner. Garlic naan tandoori roti Chana masala, okra.extremely delicious food and beautiful atmosphere.
On our latest weekend jaunt down from Vancouver, we were simply blown away by the service, the portions, and the quality of the food. If you’re craving tandoori, tikka masala, spicy curries or any of the cuisine’s other vibrant, artfully prepared dishes, try Namaste Indian cuisine.
I’ll never be able to order Naan outside of Namaste again…you’ve ruined me!
I do not know of many ethnic places in Las Vegas that you have to wait for a table at 5:30 on a Saturday night. This place was completely packed. The service was excellent considering just how busy it was. The food was great. They have quite a few choices of curries, lots of meat and vegetarian options.
We stumbled onto this place based on a recommendation from the manager at the Palazzo hotel where we were staying. At first, I was a little concerned since it doesn’t really look like much from the outside and it’s in a strange part of town. While we were waiting in the lobby my fears abated. First there was a wait – that’s always a good sign since you’ll rarely find a wait for a bad restaurant that’s off the beaten path like this place. We had the mixed vegetables Nav ratan korma, green chili rice and chicken xacuta. It was likely the best Indian I’ve ever tried. Surprised us all!
Best buffet in Las Vegas. Malai koftas are to die for. Great wine list. Tried the Himalayan blue Indian beer for lunch. Goes along perfectly with their lamb curry. fresh N fluffy naan and ofcourse the delicious basmati rice. Loved everything.
i tried the buffet mach 3 my sons birthday it was worth eating the buffet at Namaste its just $8.95 tanx for quality indian food