Kumar’s - Houston

Reviews

• Bijal K.

  star star star star star 16 June 2026

  Yummmmm eeeeee! This place is delicious and might be our favorite dosa in town!
  
  We aren't a fan of everything south Indian so we usually pass on the buffet and order from the menu
  
  Dosa - we order it crispy and it is so delicious and tasty it just meets all the requirement a dosa should have!!
  
  Idli plate was also very good
  
  Paneer makhani - yumm!! It is different than your typical birth Indian dish but in a really good way! Get it w the garlic naan
  
  Paneer appetizer was also very good but was a wknd special and not on the menu
  
  Biryani was...not what we were expecting and not so great
  
  Paan - omg it is so fresh and tasty! You have to try it!!

• Kris C.

  star star star star star 7 June 2026

  We took our friends (neighbors) to Kumar's in Westheimer on Aug 7th for dinner and were blown away by Mr Merchant,the owner/manager' hospitality and affability. The orders for appetizers followed by entrees were taken in no time and the food was authentic & delicious.The Porotta and Pompfret fry were out of the world!
  Our family has been there before and we look forward to visiting there in future.
  Krishna Chandra MD
  Bellaire,Texas

• Vlad V.

  star star star star_border star_border 2 June 2026

  I checked out Kumar's for lunch on a Sunday with some colleagues. Kumar's is located in a shopping center in the Galleria area. After being seated, I found out that they do an all-you-can-eat buffet on Sundays. I'm a little picky with my Indian food so I ended up ordering off of their regular menu. Kumar's is a South Indian restaurant. While they do have dishes from other parts of India, which they comically include on their menu as "The Other Stuff," I stuck with South Indian fare for my visit. That means I stayed away from classics like tandoori chicken, chicken tikka masala, etc.
  
  They have a nice selection of six or seven fresh juices and I went with one that has cantaloupe. I've said time and time again that when it comes to the crown of breadmaking, I give it to India. I've tried some of the classics like naan, roti, parantha, etc. and I was pleased to see that Kumar's has a nice selection of bread, many of which I was unfamiliar with.
  
  Kothu Parotta Mutai (4/5): At $9 a pop, this is pricy for bread. But when it comes out, you know why. It was huge! Enough to be a meal in itself. This is a South Indian specialty and it's made with egg and served with a cup of chicken in some sort of sauce. The bread was freshly grilled and warm and ended up being my favorite part of the meal.
  
  Chicken biriyani (2.5/5): This is a classic dish and it was a generous portion. Tons and tons of rice with good flavor. The problem? I wasn't impressed with the quality of the chicken which made the dish overall mediocre for me.
  
  The service was also a little bizarre. They had way too many servers working when we were there for the number of people who were in the restaurant. Since a lot of waiters didn't have anything to do, they were all grouped really close to where all of the diners were seated which was a bit awkward. Made it seem like they were watching us while we were eating. If I were the manager, I'd tell my employees to stay a little further away. A little tough to put into words but you'd know what I mean if you experienced it.
  
  Added bonus: cash back on Yelp!

• Jibran K.

  star star star star_border star_border 26 May 2026

  This place is okay. I wouldn't come here by myself. Took a lot of coworkers. They seem to like it a lot more. Seems like some of the items are just overly flavoured to take away from the quality of the meat. The chicken tikka masala flavor was good, but the chicken itself in it, not so much. The non veg thali had some weird options: there was 4-5 just liquids which are dipping things, fillers. The fried fish in the thali was ok, the chicken meh and the goat was just bones. How do you make a thali veg or non veg without lentils/daal?! The beets portion was the best. My friends seem to like the dosa a lot here. Service was good. Water in a tin cup, feels authentic. Nice vibe. Lots of seating for large parties. Location is good and no issues with parking.

• Timothy D.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 25 May 2026

  Craving spicy food I was delighted to pull into Kumar's.  There was only one other customer when I arrived.  
  
  The unsmiling hostess sat me at a table without a welcome, reached behind her and grabbed a small tin cup pre-filled with lukewarm water which was sitting on a station behind her.  She placed the tin cup in front of me as if I should thank her and drink; but it was really confusing.  I visually inspected it for flies or foreign debris.  Then I sniffed it confirming it was luke warm water (not one ice cube) and eventually used it to rinse my fingers.
  
  Now this is Texas so I'm surprised ice cubes are unavailable at Kumar's and maybe this is how it's done in Bangalore, but I was just confused and a little afraid at how long it had been sitting there, uncovered.  I consider leaving immediately, but decide to live dangerously!
  
  I go on to order my spicy chicken vindaloo and given a choice between rice or naan.  Surprised the meal doesn't come with both, I chose naan.  
  
  The meal comes out on a tin platter topped with a tiny tin bucket.  I am excited until I take some naan and scoop out a skinny chicken leg bone with barely any meat on it which accounted for the bulk of the dish.
  
  The next attempt produced a chicken wing (no drummet) hanging with skin and just a small dismal piece of protein between the mid-joint.  Next, a joint bone comes from the bucket, and it was completely devoid of the stringy meat and skin.  Some of the bones are hacked with a cleaver leaving broken shards, very dangerous if one were to bite hungrily.  There was also two pieces of potato, the most filling component of the dish.
  
  The naan was buttery and crisp.  The vindaloo sauce tasted great.  It burnt my lips with the heat I craved and left them numb for hours, which was expected.  Eventually I learned the tepid waiter was a gimmick to upsell a $3 can of soda or $5 mango lassi.  The waitress asked if I wanted anything else, but I felt the whole "bucket of bones" experience was strange and I just wanted to leave.
  
  Admittedly, there were some great flavors and spices.  I wonder if Kumar is proud of this or if he would demand better.  If customers will pay for bones in sauce, then he should be congratulated for a very novel business model!
  
  Still hungry and sad because I had high hopes, I paid on her tablet and tipped 15% as she watched sternly;  I thanked her (not the reverse) and will not return.