Tandoor and Curry–El Paso, TX

Tandoor and Curry

7040 N. Mesa St.
El Paso, TX
(915) 222-8860

Tandoor & Curry

Tandoor and Curry, which opened in 2025, is a restaurant I want to succeed. Anything that serves ethnic food that is not Mexican fills a hole in the city’s dining scene. This restaurant is in the space previously filled by Sushi Zen, another non-Mexican ethnic restaurant, but I believe Tandoor and Curry goes a step further, serving some of the city’s best Indian food that is bound to attract much attention. They seem to be in the process of meeting these goals, and it looks as if the word is getting out fast. The dining room has not been full when I have visited but it is large enough to hold the number of customers I believe they will eventually have.

Some Indian restaurants in other cities seem to dress up the food to make it look better and to charge higher prices. I did not see any of that here. It is mostly the Indian food served in almost every restaurant, prepared very well. This restaurant does have a few less common, more exotic dishes. One I tried was a big hit for me and one was a miss. They do some things well and some that are not so much to my taste, but they all give the impression to me that they are the way they would be in India, with fresh and flavorful ingredients.

The Menu
I have had a sample of the good and not so good dishes here, and I am convinced that there are more of each kind to discover.

Coconut fish

The one “must try” item I have had (also recommended by my waiter) was the Coconut Fish, with a mixture of spices which for me come together perfectly. Other restaurants have told me this is a Southern Indian dish (here they just say the food is from the Punjab area of India). I think finding Southern Indian cooking is just the right tactic for breaking the sameness I find in most Indian restaurants. To be clear, though, the several northern dishes I have tried here are also a step above the typical Indian restaurant, and could very well make more people interested in Indian cuisine.

Chana masala

Chana Masala is an item found in most Northern Indian restaurants, but the one here stands out for a flavor where you feel this dish is much more than chickpeas (not that there is anything wrong with just chickpeas, of course).

Aloo Mataar, a dish of potatoes and green peas, is another outstanding dish. Unfortunately, though, I failed to get a photo. Some things I will just have to leave to the reader’s imagination.

Curry chicken

Curry Chicken was very good. The flavor did not knock my socks off as is frequently the case with Thai curry, but it is good with the freshness I found in all of these dishes.

Malai kofta

I think Malai Kofta is one of the more well known Indian dishes but it is not one of my favorites. Here, though, I liked it even less. The head cook had come to the table and told me it was a creamy dish but he made it more creamy (I assume more like it is in India). To me it is like eggplant parmigiana in Italian restaurants. I do not like eggplant, but the way they make the parmigiana dish is delicious. Now I know that Indian cream is the same way. For me it was just heavy on the cream.

Paneer bhurji

The menu describes Paneer Bhurji as “Scrambled Indian cheese cooked with onions, tomatoes & spices.” I was anxious to try something new that I had never seen on anyone’s menu before, but this dish left me completely perplexed thinking “Why would anyone prepare a dish like this?” It was a jumble of flavors, some of which were probably very good standing on their own. Did they throw in eggplant or some other vile vegetable that no one should be forced to eat? I Don’t know. The food here is all freshly cooked and is wholesome food–I just don’t enjoy some of the flavor combinations very much.

All of these dishes were cooked pretty much with the spice level I specified, so don’t worry about getting something too spicy if you don’t ask for it.

Soup

Dal soup

The Dal Soup was very good as I suspected it would be. Because of a dysphagia disorder I had a particularly hard time swallow this soup, as I do with many soups. Three days after ordering this soup I tried the lentil soup at Nour Mediterranean Cafe and found that one to be more flavorful and easier to swallow (if you are as picky about these things as I am).

Sides

Butter naan

On my first visit I got the standard Naan, which was good. Next time I got the Butter Naan which was a little more expensive, but really worth it.

Drinks
I discovered that I did not take a single photograph of the Chai tea, but it was excellent. It is brewed (not a mix) and made without sugar so you can add your own if you wish.

Other Comments
My negative comments are more giving them a hard time that making criticisms. Someone may like the Paneer Bhurji and that’s fine. A lot of people like menudo at Mexican restaurants but my experience is that most people don’t. If I make judgments like this I think there will be at least a small group for which I will save a bad experience.

Do not miss out on a good experience, though. Try Tandoor and Curry if you find yourself on the west side of El Paso and you may normally be reluctant to take a chance on the unknown.

Tandoor and Curry Web Site

RATING: 23

Cuisine: Indian
Cost: $$
Hours: Open Daily
Accessible: Yes
Smoking: No smoking
Alcohol: N/A

Most Recent Visit: Jul. 23, 2025
Number of Visits: 4
Best Items: Coconut Fish, Chana Masala, Butter Naan, Chai Tea