Cheeni Indian Food Emporium

It 's a very cute restaurant with a charming aesthetic. The menu is limited and you have to order at the counter and get your own water and silverware from a stand set up in the corner but they bring the food to you... except it was very slow. I went with a friend and my food came out a full 10 minutes before hers and then the naan came out a couple minutes after that. So either I had cold food or we couldn 't eat together. The food was tasty and the portion was a good dinner size but it felt pretty expensive for the lack of service. Basically $20 each with no drinks and we didn 't order the expensive things on the menu. Additionally you have to clear your own plates and there was a sign on the table telling us to do so to avoid a scolding which, after paying over $40 for a cold dinner was pretty irritating. The trash had no cart to drop dishes in, only a hole to scrape your dishes into and it was such a small hole that it was nearly impossible to scrape dishes without making a mess.On the other hand it was a really great and unusual garlic naan. I swear they used a whole stick of butter and the bread was crispy, almost like a pizza crust. I wouldn 't go back to seat a meal but I 'd consider trying a dessert or ordering a basket of naan if my friend really wanted to.

Great atmosphere, but disappointed in the food and service. 1) Take out order was messed up, we ordered chole bhature and got potato curry and waffles. 2) Chicken rolls were good but too much bread, 3) Asked for extra onions, they agreed to, but was missing. 4) Mentioned 20 min wait on the phone, ended up closer to 40 min. On the side, Paneer scramble was made really well. Overall serving sizes were small for the money spent. Will not be going again.

The food was not good. Chicken undercooked. Bought for family style. Brought food out one plate at a time. Has to get own dishes and clear our own table. Overpriced for the food and service.

Been to Cheeni a few times when they first opened and service and food was wonderful … fast forward to now …. Went there for lunch today , restaurant was half packed , ordered at 12.10 … drinks served within a few minutes … one of the dishes came 30 mins later and then nothing … -after waiting 50 mins I approached the server who didn’t even know that we had were missing 3 entrees …. We saw another couple leaving after not being served. Server asked if I wanted a refund or my food … of course I wanted to my food after waiting almost an hour … food came nothing to rave about .. I had waffle dosa … sambar was cold and thick …. Come on Cheeni get it together !

I've been here a few times and normally my experience is great. It is very quiet during the day and the staff is normally friendly; however, today was different.First, ordered the chai, and the lady behind the counter left to go in the back, which I thought nothing of. I was drinking it and I noticed my cup was dirty. Not just dirty but filthy, it had food outside of the cup and some dried-up sauce inside. I let them know and I got a new drink, but this time they grabbed a cup from behind the counter. I noticed that was where they keep clean cups. So did you just go back there and purposely grab a dirty cup?Next, I ordered food. The person who had originally served me and made my drink had left. I figured I'd test out if my mistreatment was a mistake or if they took issue with me being there. Just as an aside, I was the only black person there. I went to wait in line as two ladies were ordering food. When they left I was about to walk up when another customer just cut me in line. I assumed the cashier, who I think was the owner, would say something. Earlier I saw the last employee inform her of my dirty cup. Since she didn't apologize for that, surely she would this time. I mean this was two times I was given bad service. But alas, no. She said absolutely nothing. The customer apologized, but she never did. I ordered the lamb vindaloo and I asked if this could be made with no onions, and she assured me it could. Imagine my surprise, when I get home that there are onions in my dish. I'm allergic to onions. If you couldn't take them out, just say that. But I digress. I couldn't eat the meal which is sad because it smelled great, but definitely not worth the price I paid.I watched for the entire time I was there as she made rounds to tables, and engaged in conversation with all of the other customers. But she couldn't even apologize to me. Sad, but I won't be coming back, not that I think she cares. Maybe I was naive and should have left earlier before I got hungry and had to make this long drive home.Anyway, the food is not worth what you pay, at least when it comes to portions. The small piece of lamb I tried was dry and overcooked. I mean I could not even cut it with a metal fork. If I'm paying 26 dollars for one dish it had better be tender meat, no fat, or at the very least freshly made. Considering I didn't wait that long I'm guessing it wasn't. You can find better and cheaper Indian food from anywhere else in this part of Raleigh. It just sucks to lose a quiet place to work.