Party Pack - Jackson

I'm a big fan of the chicken corma and the momos. I am not a fan of the drinks menu or drinks prices and always skip. Waitstaff sales seems high, but I guess this is common in Ann Arbor? They are closed on Monday and Tuesday. Be ready to wait the weekend.

I haven't been in Cardamom since the pandemic, but we always really liked it. The food is always excellent, the place itself is beautiful, and the entire staff is always very friendly attentive. The only drawbacks are that there is always a wait during dinner hours (although usually not more than 20-30 minutes), and I keep it a little expensive (not overpriced in itself, only more expensive than others with comparable fare). That said if you need to wait, and you don't care what the restaurant LOOKS like, you can usually go directly to Taste of India on State Street and pay less for equally good food (if not better).

The chicken tikka entre was hardly tandoori and was mostly rice. I included a photo for scale. In the photo we had already eaten the chicken, FYI, but the takeout container gives you an idea of the rice to chicken ratio. We were really disappointed because it was $13 for mostly rice. We also had the chicken biryani which was fine, but not spicy. For chicken tikka entre and biryani there were no spice options. Especially for Ann Arbor, this isn't great Indian Food. Madras Masala continues to be my favorite.

Short review: It 's good, probably the best in AA proper I 've had. More detailed review: So this place falls into what I see as the best restaurants in Ann Arbor, which is to say, it tastes like it should, and reminds me of solid Indian takeout I 've gotten in major cities. That 's not a dig, but sets expectations. Like it would do great business and stay in business for years in a big city but it 's not going to inspire lines around the block. Standouts included the paneer makhni, samosas (tasted freshly fried), and bhindi. Bhindi masala is my favorite Indian dish and this was the exact consistency I like (not too wet/slimy). Both were medium spice which was spot on--I 'd call it appropriately medium for the area, and maybe mildly spicy if you 're more used to, shall we we say, actual spicy. In my experience, it was a bit more spicy than other places nearby, but that 's because those other places aren 't spicy enough. Chicken vindaloo was a bit too tomato-y for me and not as spicy, but not bad or anything. The lassi was a little thick but had just the right mango flavor for the end of the meal.

I like their biryani, kebab and stuffed aloo a lot. A little pricey so I eat only occasionally from here.