Desi Spice
931 Monroe Dr NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30308
United States
(404) 872-2220
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GeoPage Score
9.6
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Citysearch Rated

"Sugar trumps spice at a modest Indian eatery in Midtown."

Desi Spice is a north Indian cuisine with daily lunch specials and a wide variety of vegetable and non vegetable dishes. The restaurant is located in the heart of Midtown Atlanta, across from Piedmont Park with outside seating available.

All the dishes are prepared daily with fresh ingredients, and a good selection of healthy dishes are available.

Desi Spice is owned by Mani Roy, former owner of the Touch of India in Midtown.

Come and join Desi Spice for your next Indian cuisine experience.

  • Authentic Indian Cuisine
  • Centrally Located
  • Outside Seating & Takeout
(Information provided by Citysearch)
Sugar trumps spice at a modest Indian eatery in Midtown.
March 20, 2005
(2.5 / 5 stars)

The Scene
Located on the top floor of a non-descript shopping plaza next to a poolroom, Desi's bright fabric umbrellas provide a much-needed shot of color on the sidewalk outside the restaurant. Inside, the room is decorated in typical low-cost ethnic fashion, with mismatched tables and chairs, art and fabrics. The husband and wife owners sometimes double as waitstaff and service can be somewhat lacksidaisical.

The Food
The menu hopscotches over India's regions so it lacks focus. The chicken sheek kabab is unexpected in a good way: tender ground chicken fingers flavored with spices and served with a mellow mint dipping sauce. Many of the dishes had an odd sweet/spicy tang that was sometimes discordant (aggressively red shrimp tikka masala), sometimes less troublesome (the bhuna shrimp puri with it's Jiffy-pop like puffy bread cover). Best were the vegetables, like the aloo gobi, spiced just right cauliflower and potatoes and the perfect naan bread.

(Editorial review provided by Citysearch)
1 to 10 of 24 reviews | Go to Page 1 2 3
Disappointed
August 13, 2010
(2.0 / 5 stars)

I had been a huge fan of "Touch of India" until they sold it off..it became a horrible place to eat...these were the original owners(Deli Spice), so I was happy to try the new place. My favorite was always Chicken Kashmiri...OMG..DO NOT ORDER!! It was awful..it had so much gristle and fat and was extremely chewy! Naan was fine, Somosas was luke warm. Such a shame too...geuss I'll continue my search for GOOD Indian cuisine...this just isn't the place!

(User review provided by Citysearch)
Great Indian food... in my opinion.
April 25, 2010
(4.0 / 5 stars)

I'll go ahead and put this out there: I really like Indian food, however I'm not experienced enough to say "Def go here vs. going there." I've traditionally been taken to Indian restaurants, where my partner-in-crime knew what to order. Plus. even when you love something, it doesn't make you an expert.

That being said, I think Desi Spice is fabulous. It's tucked away among the seedy bars (Highlander, Independent) in the Midtown Promenade. The service is super-friendly and helpful and I found the food to be flavorful and elegantly presented. It's not so expensive to break the bank, but it's not Buford Highway prices either. The nan bread was to die for, and the vegetable dishes we got (one had spinach and cheese, and one was eggplant) were absolutely addictive.

I can't tell you how this truly stacks up... but for a nice Indian meal, good service and colorful location, you can't beat it.

(User review provided by Citysearch)
Buy Deshi Spices and Grocery Items Online
July 26, 2009
(5.0 / 5 stars)

You Can Buy Deshi Spices & Grocery product from bdnewmarket. Its cheaper than regular store

Pros: Best Online Grocery Store In USA for Bengali People
(User review provided by Citysearch)
Indian home feel
April 10, 2009
(5.0 / 5 stars)

I am natively indian myself, and so I was extra critical of this place. I loved the way that I felt like I was in an indian home in India. My parents house is too american-washed, but I felt like I was in India again and my aunt and uncles house sitting down for a quiet meal. There were bollywood movies playing on the tv's. The food was amazing, the perfect amount of spice to satisfy my tastebuds and my american friend who isn't a spicy-fan's tastebuds. We got goat, chicken, and samosas. All of it was so good.

Pros: atmosphere, food, spice
Cons: no con
(User review provided by Citysearch)
Good service but not typical Indian flavors
April 09, 2009
(2.0 / 5 stars)

Read the reviews and thought I'd give it a try. The people working there are really nice but the food was really bland. I don't know if they're trying to be conservative with how they flavor things, but this was probably some of the least flavorful Indian food I've ever eaten.

Pros: Very nice people
Cons: Food had next to zero flavor
(User review provided by Citysearch)
Desi Spice is the best!!!
March 03, 2009
(5.0 / 5 stars)

This is the best Indian food in Atlanta. The service is astounding and I love how the place looks! I like to have little gatherings there all the time. The spiced chai is really good too!!!

I normally order the chicken vindaloo with garlic naan and a side of onion pakoras!!!

Pros: Onion pakora
(User review provided by Citysearch)
GREAT INDIAN FOOD!!!
March 03, 2009
(5.0 / 5 stars)

This is a great Indian place to eat at!! They have the best tandoori chicken and garlic naan and lamb vindaloos. The service is great as well!!! The family-owned restaurant has a lot of class and a very homely feeling. Desi Spice is GREAT!!!

Pros: Great location and ambience, especially seating outside
Cons: Nothing!
(User review provided by Citysearch)
This Place Is Awful, the portion is soo tiny it looks like it's from a Kid's Menu. As For the Tea that was not Indian Spice tea it was scorched black and horrific flavor it was worse with sugar.
January 11, 2009
(1.0 / 5 stars)

The Portion is so tiny it seems I ordered from the Kid's Menu.As for the tea that was not Indian Spice tea it was scorched black and had a horrific flavor that it was worse with sugar. Worst of All the Attitude of the Staff was really ugly and short with Us when we ordered. I will never return and I suggest you and anyone you know that LIKES Indian Food finds somewhere else to fill your craving. You'll leave this place BROKE with no leftovers to revisit the next day.Better yet learn to cook it at home so you know what's in your food. This place gets FOUR THUMBS DOWN!!!!!!!

Pros: NONE
Cons: Cold UN -Tasty Food, Bad Service, Terrible small space, WAY TOO EXPENSIVE!
(User review provided by Citysearch)
Best Indian food in ATL
January 06, 2009
(5.0 / 5 stars)

Great food, service, & location!!! This was my first time at the restaurant and I loved the food...everything was cooked just right & I received great service! I will definitely come back & recommend this restaurant!

Pros: food, service, location, patio
(User review provided by Citysearch)
cutting corners
November 15, 2008
(2.0 / 5 stars)

good news first. great service, convivial atmosphere, good location. bad news...the food was sub par, bordering on bland as if made from a packaged spice mix. overpriced and under-prepared. the mango lassi was terrible, watery and more like a thai iced tea in color and sweetness. if this is your idea of good indian food, you are missing out, try other places.

Pros: service
Cons: food
(User review provided by Citysearch)
1 to 10 of 24 reviews | Go to Page 1 2 3
Know Before You Go:

The restaurant offers a lunch buffet Monday-Friday.

The Extras:

The Dinner for Two or Four offers a set selection of dishes that can serve as an introduction to the cuisine.

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THE DETAILS
Category:
Restaurant
Features:
Open 7 Days
Prices:
$
Payment:
American Express, Diners Club, Discover, Visa, MasterCard, Debit Card
Hours:
Mon-Thu 11:30am-2:30am, 5:30pm-10pm Fri 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-11pm Sat 5:30pm-11pm Sun 5:30pm-10pm
Serving 3 neighborhoods:
Northeast, Midtown, Northeast
GEOBLOGS
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