Junnoon

05/11/2008 Posted by foodieyak

Just had their Mother's day special pre-set veggie menu. Food was just great right from appetizers to dessert. Service was ok.

Pros: Food

Cons: Service

02/12/2008 Posted by NBIF

It was his Birth Day and I wanted to take him to a nice restaurant. I am not an Indian food expert, but he was very much craving for a good Indian restaurant, so I looked at City Search and Junnoon was the most highly rated restaurant from the Indian food section. Unfortunately, this was the worst restaurant experience we ever had!!! The service was so so so bad that they were ashamed to give us the check! The food was a weird fusion with some Indian flavoring, nothing exciting nor too tasty either. It wasn't just us suffering from terrible service but other tables around us as well. Only we were getting the worst "treatment" from all although the waitress knew it was his BD!!! I don't know how this place got a 5 star rating. Maybe it was good when it opened in 2006, but it's definitely TERRIBLE now! Save yourselves time and money and choose another place to eat.

01/16/2008 Posted by zheng_he

On a recent visit, I was amazed by the restaurant’s embarrassing inability to manage its reservation system. I had made a reservation several days in advance; our group of three arrived exactly on time and was kept waiting for precisely 52 minutes! I still cannot believe that we put up with that level of incompetence; I guess at some point it turned into a game of finding out how much longer it would take for us to be seated. No explanations or apologies were offered by the thoroughly unimpressed and aloof staff. What is worse, it took them more than half an hour even to offer us free drinks. I have never before encountered a restaurant in Palo Alto that so brazenly refuses to honor confirmed reservations. The food is fairly pleasant, although I agree with a previous reviewer that it is a far cry from Tabla’s fare in NYC. Not recommended unless you are prepared to wait for an hour or have taken the bizarre precaution of making a parallel reservation at another place nearby. Never again!

08/31/2007 Posted by joykendall

I've been to Tabla in NYC, and the food at Junnoon is nowhere near as good or inventive as Tabla. I guess mentioning their slight association with Tabla works as a good marketing ploy, but for those who have actually been to Tabla it is just setting us up for a disappointing meal. The dining room is nice and the service is professional. The food is very overpriced. The $18 dollar lunch plate seems like a relative bargain, but the protein portions are tiny. For dinner, they charge you for everything (raita, chutney) despite the already high prices for the entrees. If the food was Tabla caliber, it may be worth it... too bad it's not.

07/18/2007 Posted by jcfrench

First off, this is a beautiful restaurant. Lots of thought went into the design. The food is a delicious example of good east meets west fusion. Duck was perfectly cooked which is a rarity among asian restaurants. A little pricey, but well worth it for the total experience, though $2 for chutney and the pricey naan is a bit greedy.

Pros: Ambience, Service, Food

07/15/2007 Posted by agentred

Had a fantastic lunch here this week. Tandoori prawns in coconut mustard sauce were wonderful. Great lamb stew. Awesome raitas-- one that was apple/walnut and another that was coconut/chili. For the sides, we had masala smashed potatoes and black lentils (kali dal), which were nice but could have been more flavorful. I am already planning to go back again!!

Pros: Outdoor dining, wonderful raitas, free parking lot just behind restaurant

Cons: Basic sides like lentils could use more flavor

06/21/2007 Posted by amit721

We were a little late and table was cancelled (OK my fault, I should have called). We had to sit in the patio area and it was cold yesterday (even with the heater..). The inside of the restaurant seemed to be nice. Good part was the service, prompt and courtous. Waitresses were friendly and bus boy serving water was quick and prompt. Food and appetizer portions were very small and disproportionately miniscule compared to the price. A disappointing experience as far as food goes. I ordered mango lassi and it felt like pulp straight out of a can one finds at an indian store. Overall, disappointing experience for a hugury tummies after a long day at work. Definately not a place for after work get together for some one looking for good food.

Pros: Service

Cons: Food portions too small and pricey and drinks not good.

05/18/2007 Posted by ankur2002

If you do wish to dine here then make sure you either grab something on your way in or your way out because the portions are miniature!! We ordered over 4 appetizers and each of us had an entree yet we had to grab something later to fill us up. Also the cuisine is not your authentic indian cuisine but a fusion of sorts which pretty much leaves everything indian just to your imagination so if you are in for a traditional meal you will be dissapointed. And last but not least the wait for an entree can be horrendous one of ours arrived after we were done with all of our meals.

Pros: Food is decent

Cons: Miniscule portions!!

01/14/2007 Posted by pg415

My wife & I tried this place out a week ago after reading all the reviews, etc. We had high expectations. The ambience, service, and scene are all it's cracked up to be. Service was excellent. The food is eclectic. We had the semolina shells for appetizer, and the lamb stew & another forgettable dish. Nothing was bad, nothing was excellent. And I would not order any of the 3 again. We skipped on dessert since it looked like "traditional" American desserts. We're a bit old fashioned and prefer traditional Indian food.

Pros: Ambience

Cons: Food is average, and not worth it

10/26/2006 Posted by tdaya

Junnoon is a true gem on the peninsula. Having been there finally, and having heard all the buzz about it for a while, I can say that it is one of the Bay Area's finest, for Indian food fans, and non alike.