Shree Indian Cuisine Becomes Huge Hit On Plainfield Road

CREST HILL ? If Google Reviews mean something, then the reviews of a new Indian restaurant ? the only sit-down Indian restaurant in the immediate Joliet area ? indicate that Shree Indian Cuisine at 2424 Plainfield Road provides perfect food and service.

As of Friday, Shree Indian Cuisine obtained 207 Google Reviews, and it's averaging 5 stars out of 5 stars.

A week ago, Lenny posted the following 5-star review on Google, remarking: "WOW! Compliments to the chef. I was shocked to see a 4.9 review, but they deserve the 5. We got the Chicken Palak and Chicken Tiki Masala with Naan. Everything was up there with the best my wife and I ever had. Food is full of flavor, spice was perfect and the Naan was great! We will definitely be coming back."

Shree Indian Cuisine filled the vacancy created last summer when the Avila brothers moved their Oasis Mexican Restaurant from Crest Hill to Lockport. The Avila brothers were featured in several Joliet Patch restaurant articles in recent years. On Thursday, after learning of so many positive comments on social media, Joliet Patch visited Shree Indian Cuisine to interview its owner, who says everyone knows him as Patel.

"Our taste is like authentic Indian style," Patel explained. "Our chef has been making the food for 16 years. The main thing is he's making the food by heart. If people are happy, then he is happy. We make everything fresh, nothing frozen. Each and everything is from scratch."

Owner Of Shree Reveals Customers' Top Selections

If you have not visited Shree, one thing to know is that the menu is huge. The menu features 18 varieties of Indian breads, nine goat specialties, 12 chicken specialties, eight lamb specials, 15 vegetarian specials, eight Tandoori specials, eight seafood specials and six Biryani specials.

Some of the most popular items on the Shree menu since it opened last August are:

• Butter chicken: Marinated chicken baked in a clay oven then tossed in rich tomato sauce.
• Chicken Curry: Chicken cooked in rich curry sauce.
• Chicken Tikka Masala: Diced chicken tandoori style and cooked in rich cream sauce.

• Tandoori Lamb Chops
• Goat Curry
• Appetizer: Vegetable Samosa
• Chicken vindaloo: Chicken cooked with potatoes in a tangy sauce.
• Tandoori Chicken (boneless) half chicken is five pieces; a whole chicken is 10 pieces.

Prior to opening Shree Indian Cuisine, Patel said he operated a food truck parked at one of the gas stations along Interstate 80 in Minooka. The food truck was known as Indian Food Express.

"We were looking the last couple of years me and my staff and my wife and we found this place," Patel explained of the Plainfield Road strip mall, which also includes the Urban Kitchen restaurant and the Total Auto Care mechanic's shop.

The Crescent Center strip mall is accessible from either Plainfield Road or from Caton Farm Road. If the parking lot is full, Patel said that dinner-time customers can park near the auto shop, closer toward Caton Farm Road, or in the back of the Speedway gas station property.

On Thursday, Chicago area marketing director AJ D'Andrea visited Shree Indian Cuisine. It's one of the many restaurants he helps with marketing and social media promotion.

"I think they're great people and amazing food," D'Andrea told Joliet Patch.

Patel said about half of his business comes from takeout orders. "It's 50-50," he explained. "Because our dinner is busy."

Patel said reservations are not necessary unless the group consists of 10 or more people. Also, if customers show up five or 10 minutes before closing time, he and his staff will not turn them away, Patel said.

He said his chef will be glad to serve people, even if they show up near closing time.

Shree Obtains Liquor License, Limited Drink Menu Now Available

In another bit of good news, Shree Indian Cuisine just obtained its state liquor license earlier this week. Shree now has a limited drink menu available and plans to expand that drink menu substantially in the coming weeks.

Patel said that many of his customers have complimented him on the fact that they are so happy to have a sit-down Indian restaurant in the Joliet area.

"And a lot of people come back," Patel said. But "a lot of people still don't know we are here."

Shree Indian Cuisine just created a new lunch special menu. The lunch specials are available 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Shree stays open seven days of the week. Its hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. For carryout orders, the restaurant can be reached at 779-234-9370. The website is shreeindiancuisine.com