Tarka - Indian Cuisine Review

Tarka, which means “the sizzle of freshly sautéed ingredients” is located on Anderson Lane in the Northcross Shopping Center.  Nicknamed the little sister of Clay Pit (the owner’s upscale Indian restaurant) it brings fresh, fast and flavorful food into neighborhood.  Tarka features a modern décor with a clean, bright, and simple eating space.  It has a similar feel to Pei Wei and Fire Bowl featuring a large menu on the wall and a walk up area with several registers. Everything on the menu is under $10 making this an affordable option for dining out. Fast-casual is the concept here and we didn’t have to wait in any lines!

The children’s menu has great options with rice bowls, kabobs, and my daughter Siena’s choice, the Chicken Pakora ($4.25) with fries (Indian style chicken tenders). They brought out Siena’s food first which I was grateful for because timing is everything with a toddler.  She gobbled up this tasty meal and they even brought her a little container of ketchup for dipping.  I ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala ($8) and Garlic Naan ($2) both of which came out piping hot.  This dish was delicious and accompanied with a nice serving of rice.  It was a good-sized portion and we even wrapped some up to go.  Word on the street is that they can do things pretty spicy so I chose the mild option and let my daughter sample my dish and the spice was just right.  We also ordered a delicious mango lemonade and next time hope to try one of the lassis (mango and guava look yummy).  Happy hour was in full swing with several couples enjoying a glass of wine and they also have a selection of beer.

Tarka is also recognized as a Green Restaurant using environmentally friendly to-go packaging and they recycle and compost.  I saw several folks picking up take out and they offer an easy online ordering option.  There’s even a Tarka app, now that’s convenience.  If you’re looking for fast and fresh, this is the place!