shaan indian cuisine

was skeptical due to previous owners but wow!!!!. shaan indian is the best indian dig in this city! i was skeptical at first given my experiences with the previous owners and food (under another name) but when speakig with an indian client of mine, he highly recommended the place for both food and service. i have been there 3 x since and each experience was phenomenal. i've had 1)non vegetarian combo which consisted of a portion each of curry lamb, curry shrimp and curry chicken, a piece of tandori chicken with sauteed onion and pepper, garlic nan these are not tiny blobs on a gradeschool lunch tray like @ baba india but very nice sized servings with 4-5 pieces of meat in each one. 2) mushroom matar, a very wonderful mix of mushrooms, peas and tomato sauce!, 3) malai kofta (best veggie balls i've ever had) and the lamb biryani. a wonderful mix of veggies, curry, lamb nuts and rasins. the food is plentiful and absolutely delicious. the service i believe is a father and son tag team. they are warm andfriendly(unlike the ladies @ baba who clear plates and refill water and never smile) and stand against the wall by the kitchen door stoned faced. no slam on babas food from me, it's very good but shaan is better, a tad less expensive and when i eat there i already feel like a valued and appriciated customer. they have my loyalty now.... kudos to the front end and the kitchen!!!!!!

my favorite place in town!. i can't say enough good things about this place! i love it, we eat there every single week. buffet is super reasonable and there is always a saag dish on the list. way better than baba india and every bit as good as ambar. plus - no crowds! superfriendlyowners/waitstaff!

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 veryfriendlyservice.

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.

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 veryfriendlyand 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 wasfriendlyand 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 isfriendlyand 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 veryfriendlyand always recognizes people who have been there before. all in all its great food for a reasonable price.

best service in town. i don't think i have ever seen such genuine andfriendlyservice 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.

best indian food in cincinnati. veryfriendlystaff 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 veryfriendlyas 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 veryfriendlyand the food was great – recommend!

good food at a really great value. we try to get over here once every couple weeks and we've eaten at the buffet probably 4 or 5 times now. we'd go more often but it's a bit of a drive from cheviot. the buffet is a great value. i'm a vegetarian but my wife isn't. it can be difficult to find places where we both have a lot of (tasty!) options. indian in general is usually a safe bet on that front, and the buffet here is particularly good. they always have 3-4 vegetarian mains (fairly certain most are not vegan), 3-4 non-veg mains, samosas, pakoras, rice, breads, and a small salad bar. my wife loves their lamb curry and i like everything i've tried.

one word of caution: they go really light on the spiciness. obviously understandable for the buffet - probably want to play it safe as everyone has a difference tolerance. keep it in mind if you're ordering from the menu, however. first time we came it was an anniversary dinner. i ordered a 3 expecting a decent amount of heat and i barely tasted anything. this is obviously a matter of taste and not a complaint towards the restaurant. just bear in mind that you might want to order higher on the scale if you really want it spicy.

i forgot! the proprietors are superfriendlyand the service is good. there are a few complaints about poor service in other reviews, but i'm glad to say our experiences have all been positive.

amazing lunch buffet!!. wonderful variety of meat & vegetarian dishes! the pakoras are great and the saag paneer was delicious. and for a great price especially after the coupon. the service was superfriendlyand you could tell there were lots of regulars that the owners welcomed and even saved tables for...a lot more welcoming than other indian restaurants in town. my husband and his co-workers go here almost weekly...and now i know why. love it!

fantastic in every way. don't let the strip mall location fool you. this is the most delicious indian food in the city. portions are generous for the price. the owner is a wonderful,friendlyman who always makes you feel welcome and appreciated when you stop in. try the chicken saag -- you won't be disappointed.

when i first started going here, there was never much business. i worried that they would close. lately, it's busier and busier every time i go. so happy that this deserving gem is being discovered by more and more cincinnatians.


-----03 may, 2011-----

shaan can't be beat.. the most delicious indian food in the cincinnati area. generous portions, unique menu options, impeccably kind and courteous service, and absolutely the best saag you can find. some indian restaurants seem like the same sauce with different meats and vegetables mixed in. not at shaan. my only complaint is that this place is never busy enough and i fear that it won't stay in business if people don't forgo all the crappy indian options out there and start patronizing this hidden gem.

friends want baba but i know.... whenever i'm with friends, baba's still the place, but this indian restaurant is probably better. better food. veryfriendlystaff. i just wish they had a "neighborhood location" or streetside location (shopping centers like hyde park plaza are convenient but geographically schizophrenic and soul/city destroying).