Clay Oven Indian Cuisine

05/12/2008 Posted by wuttaday

It was my wife's birthday, got a babysitter at noon to watch my 3 year old. Went for lunch buffet at 1pm. Restaurant was hardly thirty percent full. I saw an open booth and asked the hostess for it. She rudely said it was only for 4 people. So she sat us down next to an obnoxious group of six very loud people. Other than the booths, the other tables are tightly pressed up against each other. So we were practically sitting with the obnoxious group. Not a good start. Then I loaded my plate and knew right away that the quality of the food was as bad as the service I received from the hostess. Totally crappy and really tatseless. It is now 5 hours after this disgusting meal, and my stomach is seriously going through bad noises and never mind what else. Oh, and did I mention that ten minutes after we were dining, two people were escorted directly to a booth (via a different waiter). How totally rude. I think the hostess knew I was upset about the booth deal from the beginning, and she knida went out of sight after the waiter sat the other two at a booth. What a dummy. I really wanted to tell the hostess off (being that I'm from NY and all), but my wife pleaded with me not to because it was her birthday. We should have gone to Spumoni down the block as we were originally going to do. DO NOT GO TO CLAY OVER!!!

03/05/2008 Posted by LondonChick10

I thought this restaurant was brilliant. My husband and I went for dinner and the food was just amazing. We ordered the chicken curry and the lamb korma with saffron rice, it was delish! WE would deff go back again. THe waiters were really nice too, Manu the manager was extremely friendly. The ambiance was very simple, they should add some artwork to their walls but overall it was very nice. It wasn't that cheap nor that expensive but be prepared to spend around $50-60 for a couple inc wine. Also their garlic naan is just to die for! I gave it a 4/5 coz of their ambiance but food was top notch quality!

11/30/2007 Posted by thefleck

I've been to the Clay Oven for the buffet a few times now and I really like this place. I had been wanting to try this place for a while now but I thought it would be hard to find parking on Ventura. There is actually a pretty decent parking lot in the alley behind the restaurant. The ambiance was much nicer than I expected- All the tables have linen, lots of servers walking around refilling things, and some new-age music playing in the background. All the food was fresh and high quality, but they could probably use another non-vegetarian curry option- the selection was not as large as other buffets I've been to. The naan was hot and fresh and absolutely deliscious with the chicken tikki masala. The Gulab Jamun were also some of the best I've had, but I wish they had ice cream rather than rice pudding to go with them. I will definitely keep coming back here. The buffet is delicious and the value is excellent. The fun ambiance and easy accessibility make it the best Indian buffet I've had in the Valley.

Pros: Great food, service, and value. Easy parking.

Cons: Buffet selection could be a little larger.

10/21/2007 Posted by lajewl

The food was delicious - we had their new Mango chicken, which was just the best. Their garlic naan wasn't the best I've had, but that's not what's going to make or break ratings for me. Also, the waiter was a bit odd - we got the impression that perhaps he wasn't happy that we were sharing the majority of the meal. But it wasn't that big of a deal, actual service was still good, and the chicken was just in a class of its own. And they didn't mind that we hung out for a long time, long after we were done eating.

Pros: food, no pressure to leave when done

09/30/2007 Posted by valleygrrrl

Used to be decent, although it seemed to have changed management/ownership a few times over the years... went on Friday night, the place has been closed down. Not sure if it's just for a remodel or permanent.

09/01/2007 Posted by grimple1

Service was great. The food was good. My chicken jafrazzi was very good and my wife's vegetarian kora (sp?) enlightment was amazing. I would definately recommend and go back!

Pros: Lots of vegetarian options, good portions, food was great!

Cons: Soft drink prices were a little bit.. 2.50 each. Expect 30+ for 2 people.

08/08/2007 Posted by iversphoto

My wife and I visited this restaurant twice. On our first visit, the service was mediocre, but acceptable. Everything took a very long time, waiters went the entire meal without checking to see if we needed refills on drinks (which we did). Which I could understand if the restaurant was full, but there were only six tables of customers in the entire place. We ordered chicken and lamb tikka masala, and naan. Naan came out burned on the edges, no apology. Both tikka masala dishes were bland, with cheap, fatty meat in it. Despite the poor food and service, tipped the waiter extremely well (25%, thought they might just be having a bad night). Likewise, didn't complain or say anything rude to them, as my wife manages an extremely successful restaurant in Santa Monica and we completely understand that any business can have an "off night". We decided to give it another chance, so we made reservations for Valentine's day. Arrived on time, and we were seated. Then nothing. Twenty minutes passed (not an exaggeration, I checked my watch) and we didn't even receive water. No one took a drink order, asked if we'd like an appetizer. Nothing. Tried to flag down a waiter - was completely ignored. Finally flagged down a busboy, asked if we could get someone to take our order, he said OK. No one came by. Five more minutes went by. Meanwhile, the couple next to us (who had arrived 10 minutes later than us) had ordered, their food had arrived, and they were halfway through their meal. Finally, my patience at an end, I went over to the manager, stood three feet away from him, told him that we had been waiting twenty-five minutes and needed a waiter. He looked me square in the eyes, then turned away and completely ignored me. At that, my wife and I left. After all, there's no point in being treated terribly just to receive bad food. Don't know where all the 5-star reviews are coming from - there are way too many restaurants in the area that are so much better.

Pros: None - mediocre food, bad service

Cons: Everything - just an overall waste of time

08/04/2007 Posted by l_turner

Been here twice - for champagne brunch and for dinner. very happy both times. Good food, good service, Nice atmosphere. I had aloo gobi and delicious naan. I'll be back and very frequently!

Pros: Food, Service, Ambience

Cons: None!

03/02/2007 Posted by lostinthevalley

I have been to this restaurant on four different occassions in over four years and have been consistently disappointed. Although I asked for the food to be spicy (which the rude waiter kept insisting may be too hot) the food was mild at best and not seasoned well. The chicken tikka was tasteless, the saag paneer greasy and tasteless, the mango chicken greasy and tasteless...you can see a pattern here. Their tandoori meats seem not to be marinated long enough. On top, it is somewhat expensive. I can think of 4 to 5 better Indian restaurants in the valley with better food and at least friendly service.

Pros: centrally located, good parking

Cons: bland food, mediocre service, waiters don't follow instructions

11/19/2006 Posted by gnoleb

Clay Oven has the best curries in LA for my taste buds. Their Chicken Tikka Masala and Lamb Korma are just the best. Great Naan, great veggie dishes, and King Fisher beer (the best indian beer)! Their grilled meats are good, but not the best in the area, and I say stick with the curry style dishes because they are the best! I like to sit out on the patio and take my time, which they are more than willing to allow (I've never felt "rushed" there). I've been to this place over 20 times and will keep going.

Pros: Curry style dishes, service, Kingfisher

Cons: None