Marigold Indian Restaurant

Ridiculous prices - avoid at all cost!. Took my teenager out to Marigold Restaurant as we are visiting ALL the Indian restaurants in Chicago - since we love that cuisine! This is the 19th restaurant we have visited thus far. This was hands-down one of the worst experiences we ever had. We ordered a chickpea dish and the tandoori chicken. We were told there was no point in ordering basmati rice additionally as the chicken came with rice. The chicken was about $17 and you won't believe for that price we got a piece of chicken about the size of the palm of your hand resting on a small portion of rice. it took 42 mns to get it as well, by which time we were almost ready to leave. Part of the experience of eating Indian in our view is the sharing of food - you order a few selections and you share. It is impossible to do that in this restaurant unless you forked out $80 for two and shared 5 very small portions. The chicken was dry and awful compared with the succulent tandoori you get in many other restaurants around Chicago. There were possibly 5 mouthfuls of rice. Because I wanted my son to enjoy his time, I let him have most of the food, so I doubt I got more than 3 mouthfuls myself. The nan bread came 15 mns after the food (which itself took three quarters of an hour) - it was not its usual fluffiness, but bread so crisp we almost broke our teeth on it. It was cooked with fennel seeds if memory serves, or another spice, which was original but the texture prevented us from enjoying that otherwise unique taste. The chickpea dish was not bad. It was not awful, it had a rich taste, though it was hard to distinguish the mango that was part of its description - overall I would say that was about average compared with other Chana Masala we have ordered. It was clear from the decor, prices and portion size (and again that comes from two people who don't usually stuff ourselves - we are thin people who stop eating when we are no longer hungry) that this was an attempt to create an upscale Indian restaurant to a population deemed to have money (not true of everyone living in this area). I am sure the money does not go to tripling the waiter's pay, that much I am sure. The problem with this approach is that you lose the authenticity of the Indian restaurant experience, and the food is about average. I think the good reviews must come from cognitive dissonance, a psychological theory that shows how two dissonant ideas must be reconciled in the mind by changing one of them, e.g, 1) the prices are very high; 2) the portions are ridiculously small and the food is only average. Therefore, to reconcile the huge prices I paid I must change my evaluation to suggest that after all the food is rather excellent and makes up for everything else! That is often what does happen in overpriced shi-shi situations like this. We will not be returning but enjoying the more traditional Indian gastronomic experience at other Indian restaurants. Out of 10 we rated this one a 4 for overall experience, including quality of food, where 5 is average.…

Teeny portions and promise kept - eventually!. Because I am often in Chicago, I tend to keep lists of spots to visit and Marigold had been at the top of my list for a few months! Our son ordered take out for all of us on the Sunday after Christmas; we ordered a wide variety of items to the tune of $80. Were we surprised when the Tandoori Chicken priced at nearly $19 consisted of a part of one chicken breast thrown on a bed of dry basmati rice! The other items were somewhat disappointing too so my son decided to call Marigold to talk to them. We understand perfectly well that take out does not compare to in house plating but this was ridiculous! He spoke with a person claiming to be one of the owners. Because of our disappointment, he offered to send a $50 giftcard to our son so he could give them one more try either in house or with take out. To date (and it's been 3 weeks) nothing has appeared in the mail, even though the "owner" supposedly took down his name and address. Very very disappointing and just one more reason to never give them another try! As an update our son received the certificates in the mail yesterday (1/17). At least the owner is honorable so now we'll see how the restaurant rates with their in-house service and presentation.…

Great atmosphere, very interesting food. Okay, I'll be the first person to admit that I am a picky person, so Indian food isn't something I normally would try, but I have tried it before, in England, London, when I was much pickier as a 13 year old girl and I just loved it. So, when we went over to Marigold I was a little uncertain if I could find anything to eat there, but I had an open mind to the whole thing, plus, the decor and inside of this restaurant is just gorgeous, I love the atmosphere of it. I didn't find any chicken curry, so I was beginning to panick, but I decided to go for the chicken appetizer dish and try other my family's food.

Well, I did come across the dish I really, really liked, though I don't remember the name of it it started with a "M." It was so good, spicy, but not too spicy, and I could taste the many different spices in it and just loved it, it was certainly addictive! The only things cons I have to say about it is that prices are kinda pricey, I wish there was more of it to eat (though, I do need big portions to fill myself up, so that may just be me), and wish there was maybe more of a selection to chose from, though, I'd definitely go back and order what my Dad had, because that was definitely so good!

Our waitor was great, I enjoyed eating there, and overall it was a very good experience, especially for such a picky eater as myself.…

Great Indian. After reading Greenmill"s review it is evident that this guy is more interested in letting everyone know he has been to India instead of reviewing this restaurant? What the heck is his point? So with that in mind, DONT LISTEN TO THIS GUY! The food was awesome and it is just as good as the London spots I have been. Go for the chutneys and naan, duck leg is great and the Tandori chicken is juicy, and NOT served on a skillet with onions dry as a bone! Wine list was good, great date place too, the place has a cool vibe. So good food in Uptown is hard to find, this place hits the spot!…