VAJRA
Samir Katta · 190 Google reviewsVAJRA — clean, consistent indian in Wicker Park. Order the Gruyere Naan. Clean, design-forward interior throughout. Tad Norseman: "The lamb vindaloo was satisfyingly spicy, with tender lamb" [$$]
What 373 diners keep saying
What 373 diners keep saying
verbatim, from Google
“Loved loved loved their paneer pasanda and malai kofta Indian food!”
“Had dinner here on Sunday night while visiting Chicago. Was easy to get a table and we tried sweet potato chaat, chicken seekh kabab, daal tadka, butter chicken, paneer butter masala, gruyere naan and garlic naan. Entrees came with white rice. We quite enjoyed our meal. Only suggestion I would have is to source paneer from a better brand. The pieces were chewy.”
“This Michelin Bib Gourmand spot deserves all the praise! Indian food that really hits the spot. The modern dishes are truly innovative. Loved the samosa tart and prawn potli. The shrimp biryani was excellent. You have to go!”
“Sometimes you just get a craving for Indian food and have to act on it and this place definitely hit the spot. The butter chicken was really good, and I appreciated that it wasn’t one of those dishes where you get way more sauce than actual chicken, the ratio was right. The vegetable samosas were also great; crispy and flaky on the outside, soft and well-seasoned inside, and served with both cilantro and tamarind chutney (I preferred the tamarind). I also tried the onion bhaji since it was on sale and I’m glad I did. no regrets at all.”
“The food was great but didn't feel that welcomed with the service. Really liked their butter chicken”
“The assorted mushroom biriyani was the best. Followed by Malai Kofta, Dahi kebab and sweet potato chat. Naan was pretty soft. Was very disappointed with the drinks. Most whiskey cocktails were unavailable and the ones I ordered were very mediocre. We ordered paan kulfi for dessert and it was just ok.”
“One of my favorite Indian restaurant. The food has an authentic Indian taste and not spicy but flavors are great. The ambience is good. The cocktails list is small but good drinks. The food here have authentic flavors to it. Update - 05/16/2025 good but not my favorite Indian restaurant anymore . Average food but the drinks were good. Really sad to see the quality of food go down . Wierd though as when I ordered through Uber eats few weeks back it was great. Reducing 2 stars as the quality of food was very average or below average . The staters where 1 star but main course was 3.5 and drinks 4”
“Another super westernized Indian restaurant that caters to a white palette. The chaat was decent but very watery, it could have used more rice puffs to soak up the yogurt and chutney. The naan was well charred but lacked enough garlic, cilantro, and butter. The chicken tikka masala also lacked some salt, I think the curry consistency was good. 28 dollars for some gold though felt like a scam. We did like the service and the ambiance.”
“Don’t come here for the buffet! Very less food variety as compared to India Garden or Bombay Chopsticks. Butter naan is dry cold and very hard. Chicken Tandoori was cold and had no taste. No fruits , no daal and no ice cream which other buffets offer. The interior is nice, the service is okay but they should keep a check on the food items and quality in the buffet.”
“This was our go to Indian take out since when they were on Chicago Ave. Something has changed recently and we won’t be back. Ingredient quality has gone down significantly, sauces are broken or watery. But the most offensive thing, by far, is serving Trader Joe’s naan bread to customers. In that pic one is from Vajra and one is from Trader Joe’s. Tell me which. Extremely disappointing for an Indian restaurant to do this. Just close down if you can’t deliver a product to your standards. Also have some respect for your own space. Every time I walk in there are 3-5 delivery drivers blasting noise from their phones. That’s the customer experience you want? Put up a sign and tell them to keep it quiet.”
“This is a lovely restaurant with great food. The service was warm, decor and lighting is beautiful, it was a very comfortable place to dine. We went for the lunch buffet which was a great deal at $20 per person. There was enough variety without being repetitive, but more importantly every item was executed very well. The dal makhani was very creamy, the goat curry was unctuous, the butter chicken was rich. The complimentary naan was fresh, fluffly, hot, and brushed with aromatic butter. Also really appreciated that they kept the gulab jamun warm -- I got a perfect hint of the rose water aroma, not too much. At this level of execution I would definitely come back for dinner.”
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