Lotus Cuisine of India

This place is an absolute delight to dine at! I come here at least once month, the staff is incredibly attentive and kind, the food is authentic, freshly cooked and high quality, and of course delicious!
Lastly but not least, this place is exquisitely decorated and always clean!
Do not miss coming here if you are in the area!

Hands down one of the best high quality Indian lunch buffet I have had lately. We were travelling back from point Reyes in the last weekend of April and stumbled upon this place via Google search on the way back to south bay. So glad we stopped here for lunch! First of all, kudos to the interiors and the decor of this restaurant. It's such a nice vibe to dine in here. Also, the waiters were very courteous. Coming to the buffet, they had limited varieties but every single thing tasted so good. I don't remember the last time someone kept unlimited paapad in the buffet, that made me so happy. The veg fried rice was tooo good, it was just like how my family makes back in India without any soy sauce & such. I was very skeptical about the kale pakora, but I couldn't stop having it once I tasted it. And another highlight was the aloo baingan - Felt so homely. These were my most fav dishes from the buffet. The other items like chicken tandoor, naan, gravies & desserts were also good. I would love to stop by this place again when I pass by this area.

My entire family loves Lotus and we appreciate that the food is made with high quality, organic ingredients. This food is the closest we've gotten to how food tastes back home in India :) Recently I worked with the Lotus team to cater a 45-50 person event. Surinder, the owner, was phenomenally helpful. He was in touch with me regularly, on time for delivery, provided everything I needed including the matches to keep the chafing dishes warm throughout the night. He went above and beyond. We were already HUGE fans of this place and are now SUPER fans. My preschool-aged daughter loves this place too and asks to go here all the time :) HIGHLY rec!

Excellent buffet, beautiful interior. Service was good; always had my water glass filled. Food wasn't more spicy than I could handle -- most of the things were pretty mild -- while still being flavorful. I'm not vegetarian but someone in my party was vegan. There were plentiful options with both meat or vegetables.

The best buffet I have ever been to for Indian favorites. Excellent butter chicken, saag paneer with corn, tender tandoori chicken, moist lamb, eggplant pakora, vegetable navarin. Great food. You will not be disappointed!

Had an exceptional meal here! Was passing through town visiting an old friend and we walked through town and thought the patio looked cute. They let us have our dog on the patio. The service was friendly and quick, the food was absolutely delicious, and it was a lovely setting on the Main Street of town. They suggested we try an Indian beer with our meal and we loved it. If only every meal out could be an experience like this! Will absolutely return if I’m ever in San Rafael again.

This Indian place has been my favorite since it opened years ago. My favorite dish with dairy is their chicken tiki masala. I’ve gone nondairy for health reasons and now my favorite dish is there spicy potatoes and spinach. Their food is amazing. You have to try it. Their building is beautiful too. Nice atmosphere fancy without feeling stuffy.

Lotus is one of my top 3 San Rafael restaurants and everybody’s favorite. One of the best restaurants in Marin county. Please note the free PARKING LOT (at 805 5th Ave) at the back entrance through the Indian grocery store.

We dined here for lunch buffet (all you can eat) and the selection were excellent. Chicken Tikka Masala, Aloo Gobi, 3 kinds of Pakoras, 2 kinds of curry dishes, Tandoori Chicken and even fresh Papadum were offered. Many dishes were gluten free. The lunch buffet ends at 2 pm. We got late around 1:40 pm, but we had a plenty of food to try and the host even brought us a basket of fresh baked naan for our table towards the end. The amount of the selection and choices we had for the lunch buffet, I felt it was such a great deal.

I’m always so impressed on the level of all the staffs’ attentiveness whenever we are there. There were 3-4 waiters always checking tables to fill the water glasses (as we may drink more water enjoying the spiced dishes) and clearing any finished plates promptly.

20-car parking lot is located in the back and I believe Lotus is the one and ONLY restaurant in San Rafael downtown with their own parking spaces.

A few months ago, we sat on the new curb side dining area. And it was quite comfortable being served there by 4th Street without feeling in anybody’s way. Large patio umbrellas also kept us cool.

The owner, Pal, has been a wonderful to the guests whenever he’s there and always remember the familiar faces and stopped to say hello to every table.

This is the most spotlessly clean, beautiful restaurant I have ever been in (and my family owned a restaurant). Food, service everything top notch. Great for a date or a celebration event. Many different rooms and options for large parties.

Arguably the best Indian food in Marin. Owner is gregarious + there is a grocery in the back.

Perfect dining experience. We were a group of five. Wait staff were welcoming and attentive. They were careful to confirm heat level for entrees. The food was all jot and delicious, in perfect portions for easy sharing. All the breads were done to perfection and the meats were ideal. I had lamb pakora, onion naan, lamb tikka masala, and a couple sweet lassis.

Great Indian restaurant in San Rafael. Delicious paneer curry, naans etc. my very first visit was a disappointment. But second time around they hit it out of the park with food and service!
Edit: Renovated location next to the Indian grocery store is even better!

Beautiful restaurant. Clean, healthy, and delicious buffet. Service is great. They have their own parking in the back.

One of the best places that I've visited till date in Bay area for Indian cuisine! Mouth watering delicacies, amazing chai, the pleasant and beautiful ambience, quick service, the polite and humble nature of the people who served food were notable!!!! Also not to forget, the choice of cutlery and presentation was mind blowing! Please do visit this place! You'll love it 😍

I went with friends and we had so much fun and enjoyed the food.
Attention was great and the atmosphere too
Street Parking but if you can walk there do so. The walk is really nice.
I would totally go back.
Wasn't spicy at all

Very nice authentic indian cuisine.
Very good food and fast service.
My go to place!!!

Gluten Free Naan! The entire menu can be requested GF (small upcharge), vegan, or vegetarian, and they have a few GF beer choices (Buck Wild). We sat outside on a beautiful Summer afternoon with our service dog. The food was AMAZing! Party of two, we got two appetizers, some naan, two entrees, and beer. Service was excellent, attentive, and friendly; for example the waiter noticed me trying to level the table and brought a tiny wedge for the leg. We ate very well for about $35 a person. Parking out back. Totally planning on coming back again.

Tasty food, lovely interior and table set up, I expected portions to be bigger (on photo: tandoori combo, butter chicken, pesto and garlic naan, chai)

Took our daughter and grandson there for a casual dinner following a music recital in San Raphael. We were seated near an open window in the front of the restaurant on a beautiful Saturday evening. The food and service were excellent, equal to some of our favorite restaurants during our seven years living in India. But the real treat was the Indian grocery store connected to the restaurant; strolling the aisles brought back nostalgic memories of shops and markets we knew in Delhi.

I always enjoyed Lotus at their older location just up the block. Was craving good Indian food so joined a friend at their new location for dinner the other night. The ambiance is a little more open and airy than the coziness of the last place. However, the food is every bit as good as it has always been. I'd even call it memorable. Also, dropped by the amazing little Indian market in back. Definitely worth browsing for some hard to find items.