Royal Khyber
Indian
A Journey for your palate and mind. The art of Indian cookery lies NOT in high spicing but in the delicacy of spicing. Indian cuisine is universally known for its distinctive flavorings. It was in fact the lure of these spices which first brought the British and the French, the Dutch and the Portuguese to the Indian coast. It is the use of selected spices in a particular manner (whole spices, ground and or spice blends) to bring out the dormant flavors of a dish, which is the real art, practiced by the experienced chefs in the Royal Khyber kitchen. The large, well-varied menu includes fresh fish such as swordfish, halibut or salmon; chicken or shrimp cooked with garlic, herbs, spices, tomatoes and olive oil tossed with pasta in an Indian wok; and shashlik kabobs of swordfish or chicken breast, made with bell peppers, onions and tomatoes, then broiled over mesquite in a tandoori and topped with a chat measlier sauce. Owner Arun Puri founded the Royal Khyber in 1980, and it didn't take long for it to become a fixture of the Orange county dining scene. It's a favorite of those partial to Indian cuisine, but also those looking for smoke good food and a unique dining experience.
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Location and hours
Location
1621 W. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana, CA
(714) 436-1010
Hours
More details
Reviews
Overall rating
(143 reviews)
Due to Covid we were able to use the coupon and pick up food to bring home. The order was perfect and all the food was hot when we got home. Normally we eat in and every time the food and service are outstanding! This isn’t the closest Indian food place to our home, but we go out of our way because this Indian food is the best in Orange County!
Restaurant was very busy but our service was very good. Food was excellent and suggestions right on.
Extensive menu, excellent food and attentive service.
Very helpful with food suggestions as we had to eat quick to go see a play.
We dine here whenever we visit from GA. The food is the best ever.
We dine here whenever we visit from GA. The food is the best ever.
Wonderful and authentic Indian cuisine and terrific service.
Really enjoy Royal Kyber and look forward to dinner. This time the food was not as good. The flavor and the spice just was not there for all dishes. Service is always good. Taste just fell short this time. Not sure I will return.
Great food!, great service!.... excellent restaurant!...
Service, as always, was attentive and careful. Food was incredible.
Delicious food, great service, quietly pleasant ambience.
First class service and food. They are always very hospitable and attentive.
Always love eating here. Wonderful,dining experience.
The servant don't look for long term customer service and only want to charge as much as they can when you are there.
Service is good but food is not good for the price. We ordered curry Goat. It’s mostly bones and grease. It is too expensive for the type of meat it served. Garlic naan is good but 3 pieces for $4.50.
Water spilled on me to the point of wet pants and wet underwear, very uncomfortable sitting on the napkins to try to absorb wet. It was a simple accident by the server, While the apology was nice, no real indication of a very uncomfortable situation, I did not make a scene, but at the least an offer of a Glass of wine, or dessert would have been appropriate and a nice gesture.
Food was excellent. Chicken used in the curry dish was very tender. Naan was good tasting.
Food was very delicious. Well managed staff
The food was well prepared and delicious! The service was impeccable. What more is there to say?
I could hardly wait to get back here since last year while traveling from the east coast.
Restaurant was nicely appointed, the service very good and we rarely eat Indian food, but we both enjoyed our meals.
Great food & service
We love the food and we love the hospitality! We always look forward to our dinning at the Royal Khyber!
The food is very expensive considering the quality and portion of the food. You only get few pieces of chicken in entree that cost $25. The furniture, silverware and plates are outdated. Seems original from when the restaurant open in 90s.
The food is very expensive considering the quality and portion of the food. You only get few pieces of chicken in entree that cost $25. The furniture, silverware and plates are outdated. Seems original from when the restaurant open in 90s.
The food at Royal Khyber is excellent and if you are looking for good quality Indian food then look no further. Vegetarian samosas, khorma and tikka masala curries are outstanding as is their naan bread. However, the service is a little slow and the prices are extremely high. Over $6 for white rice which is served separately because everything is a la carte?! More than $5 for a cup of regular hot tea and a glass of wine is unacceptably high.... we passed. The best day to go is Monday when all menu items are 50% off if you are budget sensitive or use your Restaurant.com certificate on any other day besides Mondays and expect to go well over $50 for two people :)
Waiters were attentive; food was excellent and ambiance was great. No one rushed us eventhough a large number of people were waiting.
Food and service both below average
Best Indian food in Orange County! Always fresh and delicious.
The food was sooooo flavorful. We absolutely loved it!
The food was sooooo flavorful. We absolutely loved it!
Very nice ambience and the service was fantastic.
Food is delicious and unique. Service is top notch. One of the best restaurants of any type in Orange County.
Great food and service
Wonderful evening! Celebrating our friends birthday. Waiter was great and his advice on our selections was perfect. Food was delicious.
OVER PRICED --WE WERE T/ ONLY ONES IN-FOOD WAS FAST FAST ROOM TEMP AT BEST-NO FREDH MADEVERY SMALL PORTIONS -KABOS WERE SWIMMING IN HOT SAUCE-DATE FISH IN SEA OF MUSTARS SAUCEBASIL NANN WAS UNDER COOKEDDDDD-REGULAR NANN WAS YUM AN FRESH THATS T/ ONLY THING
Food did not taste good at all even after we went with the server's recommendation.Naan were under cooked. Curries did not have authentic Indian taste.
Best samosas I've EVER had. Lobster Masala - amazing!!
The Sunday brunch is a tastebud delight! Beautiful restaurant with elegance and fine service.
Very good service good food great atmosphere
Exceptional Service and Quality food.
Curries are overpriced for the taste and quality. The Malai Kofta (spicy) was average and the Karahi Vegetable (spicy) was terrible. Karahi vegetable tasted of raw chili paste and tasted so bland. I am a good cook and bet I can cook better. The Papri chat (appetizer) had no chat masala (aka spices) and tasted bland even with the chutneys.The place is dimly lit to make it look classy but is not really. Service is good and quick but the restaurant lacks what a good restaurant should most importantly have - GOOD FOOD!! Definitely not value for money considering there are other Indian restaurants in the area that have good food and ambiance.I would not go back unless I have a coupon.
We order our food to go and since we used the certificate. The quanlity of the food was so much less than what they charged us. We seem like we got ripoff big time.
Great food and service.
Zaget rated
They were over priced and the servings were so small. We spent $130 over the $50 certificate and left hungry.
The food was flavorful and delicious. We loved the warm eggplant appetizer. It had some zing. The lamb rogan josh had just enough spice and it was so good to sop up the sauce with our hot and airy naan. Lastly the chicken tikka was hot and flavorful. All spot on!
Food and service are always outstanding!
GOOD SERVICE, DECENT AMBIENCE; BUT THE FOOD PRICE IS NOT CONSISTENT WITH THE QUALITY.
Another really good meal. Loved the Shrimp Biriyani and my husband's lamb shish kabob was super.
Service was fine.Food was mediocre at best. We had kebabs $27) and expected the lamb to be cubed. it was ground lamb. Very disappointing. Shrimp on the kebabs was overdone and dry.
Service and food were excellent!
We love going to Perkins, the waitresses are always so friendly and explain options on the menu. Drinks are never left empty.
good atmosphere and prompt courteous service
Great food in a relaxing fine dining atmosphere. Excellent attentive service even as we arrived after 9 :00 pm
Service was good.
The place has a nice ambiance and played very good Indian music unlike other places that play the run-of-the-mill stuff. The vegetable biriyani was too bland and dry but was a big portion. The yellow dal tasted very good and went well with ghee rice. Enough for 2. The Okra curry tasted good and had the right amount of spices but was a smaller portion. The naan was good and tasted like it had more whole wheat than maida (all purpose flour). Overall 4.5/5 stars. Definitely going back only if I get a coupon to the place.
Went with Italian tonight, have enjoyed the tapas there before. The food was decent, not spectacular but we enjoyed the meal.
Prices on final bill higher than on menu. Food good, but poor value. Too expensive for what you got. Example: $4 for a SMALL bowl of rice.
Delicious dinner starting with Lamb Samosas and then onto Shrimp Biryani. Great service and delightful atmosphere
Fantastic as always
The food there is fabulous! The staff is friendly and extremely service-oriented. We enjoyed the atmosphere and the food immensely.
Great decor, food and service.
The flavors are always good and we like to try different things.
The food was excellent but the portions small and the menu pricey.
nice friendly maitre d chit chatted
Flavor, Flavor , flavor. Food was great
GOOD FOOD AND SERVLCE
Friendly service, great food, nice ambiance.
tasty Indian food. Portions modest.
Food has improved since the last time we ate there when we were very disappointed in the food.
The staff was very attentive and professional
Great staff, wonderful atmosphere, excellent food.
Everyone was great as soon as I walked in the door.
Their lobster bisque is delicious. And their sushi was freshly prepared & excellent. Beautiful restaurant we a lot of ambience.
You need another category - OUTSTANDING! Steak, shrimp, mac&cheese and asparagus were all prepared to perfection.Server was extra responsive. Can's wait to go back. But place is a bit pricey.
We had a take out pizza.
Seated quickly, fast attention from server, food was good and came in a timely fashion.
Great location, service and food.
really yummy
Best Khyber nektar ever!!
The food was very good and the wait staff was professional and courteous. All 6 of us were very pleased with Royal Khyber.
The food was very good and the wait staff was professional and courteous. All 6 of us were very pleased with Royal Khyber.
no A/C , warm water, poor service, cold appetizers, too greasy food
Wonderful service and attention. Food had an excellent presentation and most of the dishes were ecellent
When we got there Hostess had us waiting while she was talking to her friend for 20 min. Then no papad for us when we sat down. Gave me the wrong entree dish, had to wait another 20 min
Food was good and ample. Server took good care of us. Very noisy with small child running by every few minutes yelling
Great food, great service, terrific atmosphere.
Portions very small for the price of the food.
Food was excellent and the flavors of each dish were unique. Service was very good.
Waitress was not super attentive but pleasant . Dirty silverware not replaced after appetizer, table not cleared before dessert. Seems like they are trying to be a more upscale restaurant but the service reflects more of a three star restaurant . As it is now, it's way over priced for the quality of the food and the amount. Paying half with the coupon seemed about right considering.
Food was excellent. Buffet selection is a little limited. Service was outstanding.
Tasty Indian food!
Food was Great and service was good
I waited 25 minutes to order my food. Because of using the certificate, only a specific waitress can take my order.
Service and food are good.
Buffet was good, but would like a wider variety of dishes.
Had the buffet lunch, everything was very good. Service was excellent.
foods are excellent, but service is not friendly.
The Royal Khyber was quite good. The food was very tasteful, well served, very welcoming staff and very nice restaurant. We will definately be back!!!!! Cheers!
The food was very poor quality. Precooked food warmed up in the microwave. We ate may be 1/3 of the food. The service was very poor and the manager made us feel very uncomfortable to make a complain about the food. Never to go to this restaurant again.
great food and service
The food and service were excellent. I highly recommend the lentils and chicken.
Great Food, nice atmosphere.
Best Indian food in Orange County.
Food and service was excellent
Food was delicious, and service very gracious. Whole experience was wonderful. Decor is beautiful.
First Class establishment. Excellent food, and servers who have been there for years, after working for very exclusive clients in other countries. We love the intimate setting at Royal Kyber and the feeling that we are not in Orange County.
Very good food - different than most Indian restaurants but on the expensive side :-)
Very expensive and service was slow.
Excellent food and great ambience. Service is great.
Excellent all around
Previous visit
way overpriced, even for costa mesa
BAD FOOD
Felt it was pricey for what you got, very small salad, small amount of rice with dinner! Since white rice is so inexpensive, usually we get a larger portion.
Outstanding, yet again! Another memorable evening of great food, first-rate service, and more reasons to return to Royal Khyber again!
We always enjoy the experience, but always wish we had more rice and more naan.
I think there was some confusion about credit card payment using the coupon...I'm not calling to sort it out for now... But I will be more aware in the future.
We will come back - enjoyed it
I LOVE this restaurant. I love Indian food and this was the first place that my co-workers had Indian. They are all hooked and love it as much as I do. I would highly recommened this place to anyone looking for excellent Indian Cuisine.
Best Indian food in Orange County period.
I would definitely recommend this restaurant . The service was amazing as they have multiple servers per table. Wasn’t expecting to have such a fancy dinner. The food was all amazing. There wasn’t anything that was terrific. A little pricey but worth the money.
It was pricey for no-reason. The food is good, the environment is good, the staff are friendly and kind. but the price is too high for all of that.
Very accommodating to our large party with several children. Food was excellent.
Everything is always exceptional!
Ido think they are overpriced. Would not go without coupon
Very good service. The food is in a small quantity compares with the price menu.
Excellent food, good service, great ambiance. We loved the dining experience there!
Excellent ambiance,service, & dishes!!!
Too over priced
Great restaurant and the food is very good and healthy.
It's pretty good. Sort of expensive for what you get.
Like this place but still believe it's a bit overpriced.
Excellent Food and Excellent Service...
The food is always outstanding here!It is great to go for special occasions and large groups as well.
It was our 30th wedding anniversary. A simple 'happpy anniversary' would have been nice! The sevice was awful! There were 3 other tables who were also there for the 1st time and all complained about the poor service. Over-priced and under-served; why would we come back?!?
Great food, great service, great restaurant!!!
Food and service both were very good.
great place to go with friend s its always superb
Absolutely fantastic dining experience, start to finish. Wonderful flavors, first-rate and friendly service, and a we definitely look forward to dining at Royal Khyber again!
Without the gift card this would have been incredibly overpriced for very average Indian food.
The quality of the food was just average. Truly, the food was bland and not at all the Indian food experience I was hoping for. The prices were rather high for an underwhelming food experience.