Reviews Bayleaf Indian Restaurant And Bar

Great addition to the Fabric of Food in Lawrence! First the food was great and the place was quaint and very clean. Service was top notch and I will return and recommend this to all my friends and others. It has a buffet at lunch. Now the story, My brother came to town and we wanted to go out for dinner. We share a fondness for Easy Asian food. I had heard about a new Indian restaurant and so we went. It was great. Turns out this place is owned by the brother & sister-in-law of the owner of a favorite place of his in Wichita. The place has a nice ambiance and is very clean. I had been in this location before with previous establishments and think this is the best look and fit of all. The food was wonderful, the service attentive and knowledgeable. The Owner was cooking but came out to greet us and his wife was charming and helpful. The menu was extensive. We had two of the soups both great and an entree each that the staff suggested. It was not our usual but we liked both choices. The Naan was also good, even the one with cherries in it. It would have helped me if there were more descriptions of the categories in the menu, however the staff explained any questions. Interesting drink selections with several nice import beers. Hope to return soon. Thanks!

Rarely do I stop and review restaurants. Never do I take a picture with the owner and insist on telling people about her restaurant. Tonight, however, is different. Bayleaf Indian Restaurant in Lawrence is second to none. The food was fabulous and the owner Nin is unbelievably friendly. After introducing herself to us, she sat down and had a hour long conversation about life, her childhood in Canada, teaching, and even funny stories! She then boxed up our food and offered us free chai. I have NEVER had someone treat me so well or seen an owner take such pride in their restaurant. I will definitely be a returning customer!

I’m so sad it’s taken us so long to try this place. We absolutely loved it! My husband had the butter chicken and paneer naan. I had the lamb biryani and garlic naan. Everything was delicious! We’ll be visiting often.

There was great food, a good variety for my daughter and I to eat with our dietitary restrictions. They even filled the sippy cup I had brought in for my daughter with water so I didn't have to. Great service as well, all the staff was really nice to us.

Can't wait to try their buffet! I highly recommend this place. Soo good.

A heartfelt thanks to Nin and all the folks at Bayleaf who gave us such a warm welcome on a cold winter night, following a long absence. Thanks so much for all you so thoughtfully do to make sure we care for our special dietary needs while being utterly pampered with fine food and food friends!

Great atmosphere. Incredible food. Save room for dessert...worth it!

Some of the best food I have ever eaten. The service is terrific and the food superb!

We have been wanting to try Bayleaf since they opened, but had not until tonight. The food was ready as promised, 20 minutes exactly after I ordered on Eat Street. The place was empty at 5:35 on a Saturday, a bit odd, but the friendly server gathered our order post haste, listing the contents by memory exactly as we ordered them ... meat samosas - check, beef vindaloo - check, palak paneer - check, plain and garlic naan - check. She handed me my bag and I left.

With the $7 Eat Street discount, the tab came to just a tad under $32, not bad. But $39 for one appetizer, two entrees and some bread - no soup or salad, no drinks, no dessert - without the coupon it would not be a great value.

The Meat Samosas ($4.95), savory pastries with a chicken and vegetable filling and two dipping sauces (a red sweet and sour and a mild green) were big and good. The Naan (Plain - $2 and Garlic $3) were large and as fresh and good as any I have eaten.

My wife's Palak Paneer ($10.95) with fresh spinach and homemade curd cheese in a mildly spicy sauce was also as good as any we had during my four months in India. The Beef Vindaloo ($14.95) had plenty of beef and a few potatoes in a tomato and onion curry that was delicious. Both the palak paneer and beef vindaloo came with basmati rice, but $14.95 for a medium size curry and rice is a bit on the pricey side. At $8.95 and $11.95, they would have been a much better value, but the Indian restaurants in Lawrence seem to think they can get away with charging $15 for a curry and rice, so they do. That is why we do not eat at the two Indian restaurants (across the street from each other) in town all that often.

OK, maybe I am spoiled, but having eaten similar, but much better, meals for two in India for $10-$12 max, I find it difficult to shell out nearly 4 times as much stateside. If it were not for the $7 Eat Street discount, we probably would not have bothered, but I am glad we did because the food at Bayleaf was very good. Having lived in England for three years and traveled India for four months, I am used to good Indian food at reasonable prices. The Indian restaurants in Lawrence need to drop their dinner prices if they hope to fill their tables, which they are not doing currently.

I am basing my rating on a dinner for two for $31.50 (7 rating - with coupon), not $38.50 (5 rating - without coupon) ...

CombatCritic Gives Bayleaf Indian Restaurant 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

I would eat here again.

I ate here on a Sunday night by myself, restaurant not very busy. I went in knowing that this restaurant was related to Passage to India, which is a great restaurant in Wichita, so I had some expectation of what I would be getting. 

 The first thing that struck me was that my water tasted like lemon. I later saw that they had lemon in the pitchers. Surprises are not always nice, especially when it comes to the taste of my water. 

I ordered the vegetable samosas and chicken tikka masala. The samosas were alright, though a bit bland for my taste. They went nicely with the sauces served with them. The chicken was a little tough, but the sauce had a very nice flavor to it, and that is why I am rating it up to a 3.5; I really enjoyed the sauce. They asked me how spicy I wanted it and I told them to do whatever felt right and it came out about the spice I would expect - the spice was  pleasantly there, but not overwhelming.

Though the restaurant was not busy, the service felt rushed. I can appreciate fast service, but I had any time with my appetizer before my tikka came out.  This is a small thing, but it bugged me a little bit. 

Another thing I noticed about the restaurant is that it has 2 entrances. At one entrance, there is a host waiting to seat guests, but the other simply enters into the dining room. I noticed when guests would use this second entrance, they were confused about where to go because they were not greeted by the staff. I had to point out to one guy that the host was on the other side of the restaurant. 

The menu here is very large, and they are obviously trying to please everyone.They advertise very strongly that many of their items are gluten free and that they serve vegan food. 
I chatted with one of the managers  just because she was at the entrance when I left. She was very kind, and interested in my comments about my visit. 

This review is very picky, I know, but I WOULD VISIT AGAIN, perhaps to try the lunch buffet.