Small Indian restaurant in Berkeley features regional breads and a menu that changes daily.

by Contributor

In Short
The features at this tiny haunt include shared tables and regional bread specialties like tawa ajwaini paranta, an oregano seed-spiked whole-wheat griddle bread, or piyazi kulcha, a soft yeast bread prepared with yogurt and garnished with red onions. The menu changes daily, but may include tandoori chicken breast kabobs prepared with green fenugreek herb or benarasi kofta--vegetable balls made of plantains and potatoes in a thick tomato- and onion-based gravy.

10/06/06

very good

by coyotl

I liked the food, especially since I'm not that into spicy. They are so popular the service gets a bit slow, but its well worth it.

Can't miss with this one.

10/08/05

Great!!!!!

by cheeks94709

Must have gotten better! I went there about a month ago and the food is better the service was ok and the Naan was great!!!!!!!!!May you should try it again folks becasue I think its back to its good food at good prices and very cozy tables...........

05/12/05

The time has past

by bobby1980

As some others have stated, breads of india is on a steady decline, or better yet a nose dive. The owners have tried to expand including another higher priced restaurant in berkeley that went under and a second breads of india location in walnut creek. I think this has taken their focus off of their original store causing thge quality to decline. Or maybe it's something else, either way I won't be returning.

• Cons: lousy food

08/17/04

Now the WORST (bad bad food)

by ga_bing

Breads of Indian WAS the best restaurant for many years. 1.5 hour lines, were well worth it. But something has changed- for the worst. Last night (Monday), after a short 8 minutes wait, we were seated at 7pm. We ordered Chicken tika massala, tandoore shrimp, and 2 vegitable curries- YUCK. Bland, wrong texture- Plain bad. I think when they opened a second location, Zaika in North Berkeley's 1000 Oaks/Foof ghetto area, this place went south.

• Cons: , parking, line

06/10/04

Mediocre

by plain_jane

Overpriced small portions of mediocre Indian food. There are so many better places for Indian in the East Bay. Dont waste your time with this place which serves Americanized Indian food at yuppie prices. The service isnt all that great either and the waits can be exasperating.

• Cons: , Small Portions, Bad Service

08/22/03

Ghetto Gourmet Indian

by vader42

As opposed to the "Gourmet Ghetto" area of North Berkeley, this restaurant is only an additional member of the unfortunately increasing number of mediocre Berkeley international cuisine.

They definitely raise the bar with their interesting and informative menu, not to mention the great concept of matching different traditional Indian breads with their various and ever-changing dishes, but unfortunately the bar was too low at the onset.

Trying for a change from the standard saag and dal Indian fare, I tried their salmon tandoori special on my second visit. I was hoping to 'redeem' the integrity of the place, as I had heard so many gleaming reviews, but the salmon special fell flat.

Long story short: don't let me discourage you, but after going 3 times, I found it to be consistently not worth the wait.

• Pros: Friendly & helpful, Fantastic menu
• Cons: Long wait, no res., Not much of a value, Falls short on tasty

09/27/02

Don't believe the hype!!!

by thoutah

Don't believe the heaps of hype thrown at this place! The lengthy wait isn't worth it, the staff is unfriendly and abrupt, and the main dishes are terribly mediocre. The curries and masalas were all mind-numbingly bland and not remotely spicy. The portions are insultingly small, so expect to leave hungry. But, the naan was AMAZING! They give you these enormous pieces of naan, and prepare it in several mouth watering ways, though even the plain naan is amazing. Go there and order a bunch of naan and avoid the utterly underwhelming food. Breads should operate as a bakery rather than continue serving totally bland Indian food to Berkeley yuppies who can't tell the difference. If you want *real* Indian food, make the trek to Udupi Palace in Fremont. I know, it's far, but if you care about the quality of the Indian food you eat, you won't mind.

• Pros: the naan, baby!
• Cons: totally bland food, rude staff, skimpy portions

08/27/02

Don't listen to the other reviews

by Clickie

Breads of India is very tasty! Their vegetarian entrees in particular are always top-notch, and their breads are yeasty and yummy. I had a tandoori fish last time I was there, and it was excellent as well. Their lassi is sweet, but not too sweet, which I appreciate as well. The prices aren't too expensive, but breads, drinks, and dessert can add up fast. I try to go as often as I can...it's one of my fondest memories of Berkeley.

08/15/02

Overpriced flavorless food

by skittlez

The menu here made my mouth water as I read its delectable descriptions of its offerings, but when I actually received the food, I realized that I'd been scammed. The food is nothing like the descriptions, both portion-wise and especially taste-wise. The "tennis ball sized" meatballs I had been promised were more like ping pong balls (and tasted like such as well). Part of my food was lukewarm, which would suggest that the food had been merely heated up in the back rather than cooked fresh. And while the prices themselves may not be expensive ($8-$10), considering the teeny portions you get and the very flavorless quality, the food is definitely overpriced. As for the naan, let's just say mine looked and tasted more like a piece of corn tortilla.

• Pros: menu changes daily
• Cons: cramped seating, flavorless food, overpriced