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  5. Lincoln Square

Essence of India

4.4
4.4
78 Reviews
$30 and under
Indian
4601 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625

About this restaurant

  • Neighborhood gem
  • Vegetarian-friendly
  • Innovative
While you are here, our wish is that you experience a culinary and cultural passage to India. From the multiple Indian spices used in our dishes to the dining room decor that represents the distinctive regions and artwork of India, our goal is to surround you with the "Essence of India".

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Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

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Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Indian
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch: Friday - Sunday: 12:00pm - 5:00pm Dinner: Sunday - Monday, Wednesday - Thursday: 5:00pm - 10:00pm, Friday - Saturday: 5:00pm - 10:30pm Closed Tuesday
  • Phone number
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive chef
    Satya Das
  • Private party facilities
    For lunch only, we can host private parties up to 50 people on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
  • Neighborhood
    Lincoln Square
  • Cross street
    Wilson and Lincoln
  • Parking details
    Street parking as well as public parking lot.
  • Public transit
    One block from CTA Brown Line, Western Station.
  • Additional
    Beer, Corkage Fee, Delivery, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wine

What 78 people are saying

Essence of India reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

4.4
4.4 based on all time ratings
  • 4.4Food
  • 4.2Service
  • 4.1Ambience
  • 3.1Value

NoiseModerate

78 Reviews
  1. clp126

    Chicago51 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on October 25, 2019

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    Our tandoori chicken was dry and the tandoori shrimp were totally overcooked and even dryer. The samosa was decent and our friends enjoyed the sauces on their mutter paneer and lamb. We had trouble catching our server’s eyes

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  2. L263 VIP

    Chicago71 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on October 11, 2019

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Good service. Pretty boring Indian food. I love Indian food and will never come here again to eat.

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  3. Patricia

    Chicago10 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on September 30, 2019

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Exceptional food! Every dish was wonderful. Service was great. Would highly recommend.

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  4. Jmom

    Chicago15 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on August 17, 2019

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We've eaten there many times. One of my favorite Indian restaurants.

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  5. BrittanyD

    Chicago8 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on July 27, 2019

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food was phenomenal. We had a couple of the speciality cocktails as well which were great. Our service was spot on. We will most certainly return!

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  6. BradleyJ

    Chicago6 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 23, 2019

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Always great food

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  7. chas161

    Chicago15 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on March 30, 2019

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    Dined there at 6:30 p.m. on a Saturday eve. Overall, Excellent Indian food, with an extensive menu of "all the things you want." The samosas were slightly disappointing because, instead of the sort-of flaky crust we're used to, these seemed to be dipped in a batter and deep-fried. The result was "OK," but not great. Our main courses were well-seasoned and tasty, with a choice of three levels of spiciness, although the Lamb Vindaloo , requested spicy, was "spicy" but not "Indian spicy." Good Taj Mahal beer (still brewed in India, unlike Kingfisher, which is now brewed by Ambev in Saratoga Springs, NY, and, accordingly, tastes like Bud). The "salty" lassi is VERY salty -- get the regular instead. Service was "earnest" but the restaurant was a bit overwhelmed by a full house -- you should probably allow 90 minutes for a dinner at peak hours. Anyhow, we really enjoyed our dinner and we're going back!

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  8. Skokie8307

    Chicago28 reviews

    1.0

    Dined on March 30, 2019

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    We were seated by the door. It was cold, and every time someone entered, we got a blast of cold air. The restaurant was full, so I could not request to be moved. I ordered hot black tea; but, when it arrived, the water was cold. I asked for a new pot, but waited 10 minutes, and when it arrived, there was no tea bag, and no cup. I had to wait again. We ordered vegetable samosas, but with the last bite, I found a rubber band in the food. I showed it to the waiter, and he feigned concern, said he would tell the chef; but, we never heard again, and we were not offered any concession or an apology. The saffron rice was very bland. It was supposed to have cardamom and cloves, but it tasted like plain rice with orange coloring. The Achari Murgh was swimming in a clumpy/jelly like sauce. The chicken was all dark meat with gristle and skin. Within a couple of minutes of eating the food, both my wife and I got severe abdominal cramping. The murg Tikka was OK, but very dry. It was supposed to have been marinated in yogurt, but that was hard to believe because of the dryness. We ordered the Raita plain yogurt sauce. It was supposed to have cucumbers, but all we tasted was onions. It was very watery and tasted awful. Because the restaurant was full, the noise level was excessive. In summary, this was one of the worst dining experiences we have ever had. The service was not attentive. There was a rubber band in our food. One of the meals gave us stomach upset, and the rice was bland and the sauces had poor textures and bad tastes. We are experienced in dining at Indian restaurants, so we were expecting a much better experience. We will never be dining there again and will not recommend this to any of our friends.

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  9. Love2eatout VIP

    Milwaukee19 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 8, 2019

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We love Essence of India. We ordered both lamb and vegetarian dishes plus the shrimp appetizer. They were all delicious. And the service was unobtrusive and prompt. We’ll keep coming back!

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  10. Chi1

    Chicago49 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on February 21, 2019

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    Food not as tasty as remembered from earlier visit, but very good martini.

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FAQs

Essence of India offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (773) 506-0002.

Essence of India is rated 4.4 stars by 78 OpenTable diners.

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

Is this your restaurant?
Claim this listing
Google Map for Essence of India

4601 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Wilson and Lincoln
  • Neighborhood
    Lincoln Square
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch: Friday - Sunday: 12:00pm - 5:00pm Dinner: Sunday - Monday, Wednesday - Thursday: 5:00pm - 10:00pm, Friday - Saturday: 5:00pm - 10:30pm Closed Tuesday
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Indian
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street parking as well as public parking lot.
  • Public transit
    One block from CTA Brown Line, Western Station.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Satya Das
  • Additional
    Beer, Corkage Fee, Delivery, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wine
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