shaan indian cuisine

we went to shaan indian cuisine for my birthday today. the reason i went to this place is because so many people gave it a good review!

shaan indian buffet was not good. the foods were not well prepared and there was a lack of variety. the curries flavors tasted off, the foods were all over cooked, some of it almost tasted like it was burned. the samosas were tough and greasy, the potato filling tasted bland and like they had been over cooked and had sat too long.

service was not great either. we will not be going back!

i had the buffet for lunch today for 7.99

i liked the saag paneer because it was not runny (as it is on many other indian buffets) and it included many large cubes of paneer. although my experience with saag paneer is somewhat limited, this was probably the best buffet version of this dish i have had to date.

i also liked the very friendly service.

i did not like how all the other sauced dishes were very watery, which also meant they were (to me) less flavorful. it was hard to get a forkful of rice with sauce when the sauce didn't stick much to the rice due to the thin-ness.

the better-run buffets in my experience will give you a fresh naan on request and not charge extra for it in (i believe) recognition of the fact that naan does not hold up well in a buffet warming pan. i ordered a fresh naan and was charged 3 dollars extra for it. in fairness, i did not ask if there'd be an extra charge, and i paid without comment or complaint; but i think this lowers the value this buffet presents considerably compared to many other otherwise similar buffets in the area.

incredible spinach dishes & more. i have never had a better saag dish than those i have enjoyed at shaan. cincinnati is fortunate to have so many wonderful places to eat indian cuisine and shaan is one of the best in the city. the staff is great and treats everyone like family. they generally have a balanced selection of vegetarian and meat dishes available for their affordable lunch buffet. if i had to make any kind of complaint whatsoever, it would be the inconsistency of the papadam they have on the buffet from monday - thursday. sometimes they are perfect, sometimes they are burnt or chewy. everything else is great!

i have been frequenting shaan for a few years and it is my favorite indian restaurant in cincinnati and is comparable to many indian offerings in larger cities.
the owners are very friendly and greet you, especially if you frequent there. i usually go for the lunch buffet, which offer balanced vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. i have eaten there in the evenings and ordered the entrees.
one of my favorite places to eat in cincinnati...indian or not.

hidden gem. i have driven by this place in hyde park plaza countless times and not even realized that it was a restaurant. upon recommendation from my father-in-law, me, my wife and her mother all went this last friday night. it was not busy, but had a good number of people there. the service was friendly and done well. the food made me happy and delighted. it was sooooo good! i also love the byob aspect, though i felt a little weird bringing in my own bottle of homebrew to a restaurant having never been to a byob place before. overall i love this place after just one visit. i am sure i will be back again and again.

good - but lose the attitude. shaan has food on par with other indian places in town. i will say the owner is friendly and welcoming but nothing really to distinguish it from other joints - the price is reasonable though.

the last time i went there with a friend of mine, i paid for both our lunches and the owner refused to initial my frequent diner card twice even though my friend made it clear that he would not be back. classic - all it takes is cheap tactics like this to eventually kill the repurtation of an otherwise decent place. suffice to say we have not been back since.

best indian food in cincy!. we've tried a couple indian restaurants in cincy. shaans food in our opinion is best. the saag lamb, pulled chicken curry ( ma...tika ...curry?), lamb vindaloo, and the garlic or onion naan are what we like most. i honestly cant go 3 weeks without my favorite foods from shaan! they have a lunch buffet as well. its good, but not as good as dinner. still well worth going. i don't think ive ever seen lamb on the buffet. there is a decent selection and they always have something for the vegetarians as well. typically my favorite things aren't on the buffet, however its still worth going and trying something different. also, this is a byob restaurant. they will happily bring you glasses for your beverage. shaan is family owned and service is usually pretty friendly. the man who is there more often than anyone is very friendly and always recognizes people who have been there before. all in all its great food for a reasonable price.

love shaan. i love the extensive menu that actually tells you what things are-it makes me less hesitant to drop $10 on a dinner that i may not like. the more gentle level of spices also enables me to try more! shaan's my favorite indian place in the city.

best service in town. i don't think i have ever seen such genuine and friendly service in a restaurant in this city. yes, the food is really good. the prices are very reasonable. but the service makes it all even better.

it's in a strip mall. get over that and go.

hands down the best indian food in cincinnati, (especially the chicken tikka marsala and the ginger lamb), with amazing owners to go along with it, after the first visit, i recommend getting a lunch/dinner card, you will be coming back

shaan is a medium sized place with almost no decor to speak of, but the food is so good that if the walls were just blank white, it would be ok. the service was impeccable and the menu was huge. i was not surprised to see diners pouring in around 7:30 and there was a waiting area in a vestibule for their peak hours which probably gets used a lot. one other thing which was remarkable about shaan, their sense of timing was spot on. they knew when to serve and when to leave you to your own devices. you could tell that they were experienced at making guests feel unrushed but tended-to.

i grabbed dinner there tonight as we do most saturday nights and they were celebrating 4 years in business. i'm thrilled to have them here, as there food has become a weekly tradition in our house and the owner is one of the greatest restaurant professionals in the city. go check them out - you won't be sorry!


-----27 nov, 2011-----

best of the best. i got carry out for about the 30th time tonight and have to say, this place rocks! i drive by an oakley indian restaurant to go to shaan about every other saturday, as the owner is the friendliest man i've ever me in an indian restaurant. they now know me by name and even took my number so they could call me when my favorite dish is on the buffet. give them a try; they won't disappoint.


-----20 jun, 2011-----

best customer service. we live in norwood and frequented daata because of their proximity, but daata is now closed. i will defintely drive right past baba on my way to shaan, as it has become our new favorite indian gig. cincy has a ton of great indian food, but what separates shaan is their service (their food is fantastic too). they clearly "get it" as far as our culture goes, unlike the unfriendly service you get elsewhere.

best indian food in cincinnati. very friendly staff who will remember you each time you come in.

one of the better buffets. tucked into the hyde park plaza, in the strip mall is this little gem. definitely one of our favorites. never too crowded, but it seems like the staff know the people, so they have a lot of returning customers. their buffet always seems fresh and well stocked. it's a great way to find out what indian dishes you like. they are very friendly as well.

we went for carry out but the dining room looked lovely. the very nice woman who took our order recommended chicken makhani and we also got two varieties of nan, both delicious! the people were very friendly and the food was great – recommend!