Cafe Tandoor

Sometimes menus speak louder than words. From type face, to clip art, to price, what a restaurateur prints on a menu tells you a lot about what kind of restaurant you've walked into. I like menus with inventive dishes. I like menus kitchy sandwich names. I love menus that star the gluten free options. 

But sadly, here in Cleveland, the menus that provide such food allergy friendly service are few and far between. Even mentioning special requests to a waiter can be met with some kind of make-you-feel-small gesture, the kind that makes you wish you hadn't bothered to try to be normal and eat out at all. 

I think that's why one of my new favorite menus is from Cafe Tandoor. Not just because it's full of delicious Indian fare. Not just because the price is right. But because at the bottom of every page of the menu, written in bold, capital letters is written the following invitation: WHEN PLACING YOUR ORDERS, PLEASE INFORM US OF ANY FOOD ALLERGIES. 

It's the yummiest looking thing I've seen on a menu in months. 

But do they come through? I've been to Cafe Tandoor several times and the wait staff is fairly knowledgeable about which dishes have wheat in them. As is the adage "when in doubt, go without", but even if your first choice is questionable, this menu gives you a variety of backups.  (I can't bring myself to say second choice; no dish really comes in second to another.) A word to the wise though, in order to be sure that your waiter or waitress is really listening to your food allergy needs, you ought to avoid Saturday nights, their busiest evening, 

There's lots to try here, but as for my personal favorite? Navaratana Curry with Saffron Rice. A colorful, delicious dish, with it's vibrant green peas, fresh mushrooms, and crisp red and green peppers smothered in a pink tomato sauce served up next to dandellion yellow rice, I keep coming back to Navaratana Curry, time and again. But hey, don't let me stop you from finding your own go-to dish. Experiment. Explore. 

With three Cleveland area locations - one in Westlake, one in Aurora, and one in Cleveland Heights - Cafe Tandoor makes sure a good Indian meal is never far off.