Roti Indian Bistro

(Inner Sunset)
53 West Portal  
415-665-7684 Map it
www.rotibistro.com

Dinner only
$$
Indian
cheap eats, family style, good for groups, kid-friendly, lunch, take-out

SCENE: West Portal has obviously been hungry for Indian. That would explain the crowds piling into this family operation, which opened in 2005 as an extension of the popular Burlingame restaurant of the same name. The smallish, contemporary dining room can get noisy and the prices are higher than at your average Indian restaurant, but the restaurant’s charms more than compensate for any drawbacks.

EATS: All the usual suspects—samosas, pakoras (fried vegetables coated in a chickpea batter), tandooris and curries—are here, executed carefully with well-defined flavors. Try the aromatic seekh kabob, tender hunks of ground lamb, and the bengan bharta, a delicate and earthy eggplant sauté.