Sams Indian Cuisine in Highland

The food was pretty mediocre, not homemade tasting at all. There are many Indian food restaurants in Inverness, I would try another one. If you do find yourself here, keep an eye on the amount they charge you. Make certain it jibes with the amount billed on your card.

Although staff were friendly, really the food is poor. Not well spiced, no good flavours, certainly not hot curry.

The food was really really delicious, best so far in Scotland. I tried many restaurants including royal bengal, Nairn tandoori, Cardamon Spice, but this one is the best one…. Service was excellent, staff was very generous and considerate. 100% recommended

Food was great. Service was better than any chain you could go to. I would definitely come again if I was in the area. The only downside for me is that I live over 200 miles away but hope to be able to come here again.

Clean, calm atmosphere. Was surprised to see that they had 3.7 stars. They deserve 6! Food was excellent! The owners were kind and patient. Again, the food!!! Please go eat and enjoy

Good and quick service, thank you!

WE experienced Sam Menu as better then average restaurants, Food was good but taste & quality could be improved with more natural cooking. Saff member Moin was very professional and friendly. Prices were competitive in surroundings for sure.

We really enjoyed our dinner. After a long day of travel, the service and food were just what we needed. Moyna, our server, took great care of our needs and helped with allergies and selections. Thank you, Moyna!

Ordered veg Biryani and chicken Biryani. Honestly they gave fried rice with chicken toppings, it was most tasteless Biryani I have ever had. You cannot call it Biryani if chicken is not cooked together with rice. It was not at all authentic Indian food. Had a word with staff about the food but they replied they have changed it according to locals however it was way too spicy for a North Indian, I wonder how locals are bearing it.

The food was pathetic. Ordered biryani and it was nothing like a biryani. Will never recommend going there.

It's the last Saturday before Christmas. It was raining pretty heavy and my fiancé and I were ravenous for something warm and hearty. We stopped off by a few pubs, all told their kitchens were closed. It was 8:30pm, we were just about to head home when we spotted Sams. We were welcomed out of the rain and offered an intimate seat, with Christmas crackers placed. We sat down, sorted our hair and began looking at the menu. Once we'd figured out what we wanted, we looked around to watch tables bustling with festive cheer and good chatter and we thought we'd found ourselves a great spot. The wait staff were very pleasant, took our order in a timely fashion and brought out our drinks ice cold - it was great. About 10 minutes after we ordered, our starters arrived. We ordered some chicken pakora - which was very tasty - but the portion was a little on the smaller side. Once cleared, it wasn't long before our mains arrived. Chicken Tikka Masala and Chicken Tikka Chasni. I'm not sure if we misunderstood the waiter when he identified which curry was which, but the Chasni was a LOT hotter than the Masala - still vey tasty. We ordered a portion of rice and a naan bread and actually had to order a second portion of rice half way through our meal! Overall, we were grateful for the opportunity to try Sams, we had a great time. Small improvements would have made for a better experience, but don't overlook this underrated player in Inverness's food scene.

I moved to Inverness over 20 years ago, and in that time, the city center has transformed in countless ways. Businesses have come and gone, trends have risen and faded, but one thing has remained steadfast: Sam’s Indian Restaurant. Through all the changes, Sam’s has been a constant—a warm, welcoming beacon of incredible Indian cuisine. My family and I have dined with Sam many times over the years, and one thing that has always stood out is his consistency. Even as the world—and the hospitality industry—changed after COVID, Sam’s dedication to great food and exceptional service never wavered. In a time when people are more mindful of how they spend their time and money, Sam’s continues to deliver a unique and personal dining experience that’s increasingly rare in Inverness. What sets Sam’s apart isn’t just the food (which is always fantastic), but the thoughtful touches that make every visit memorable. Sam himself takes the time to speak with guests, ensuring every order is just right. On one morning visit, I even caught him arranging fresh flowers—a small detail that perfectly captures the care and pride he puts into his restaurant. Many restaurants in Inverness have lost their spark, but Sam’s remains a shining example of what great hospitality looks like. Every visit feels special, whether you’re dining in or calling for takeout. If you’re visiting Inverness and considering the city’s more well-known spots like Rockpool, Café 1, or Mustard Seed, I urge you to make room in your itinerary for Sam’s Indian Restaurant. It’s not about flashy décor or high ceilings; it’s about the taste of his food and the heart behind every dish. And yes, the place is spotless, which is just as important. Thank you, Sam, for your unwavering hospitality. I can’t wait for my next meal!

Coming here in December- This is now the second time at Sams- husbands family are local and we always go when up north. Its a nice restaurant with pleasant staff but I think this could be so much better with a few tweaks. You are always warmly greeted at this restaurant and the staff and friendly. As an Indian food fan I was once again quite disappointed with the food. The food wasn’t piping hot and the chicken dishes we had (both found it tough) lamb looked lovely however. Sauces in both mine and my husbands were lacking bold flavours and were quite flat and bland… I tried one of my mother in laws dishes and it tasted overly sweet. Neither the Bhuna or biryani were finished. Rice, nann and chips all ok Prices were ok, but would rather pay more for a nice meal and enjoy better prepared food with more flavour. Hope they can make improvements for 2025 as its a nice restaurant with a solid menu of choices- but that’s only good if you’re getting the dishes right

My sister and i just arrived in Inverness from our Skye trip. It was 7pm and we haven't had our meal yet (we didn't have lunch). We were looking for halal food and came across Sam's Indian Cuisine. We went there but the restaurant was very packed. Thankfully, someone that I assumed as the owner (cos i overheard customer calling him "Sam") asked us to wait for 5 minutes We were very thankful for the very kind gesture! Really appreciate the service. We ordered Chicken Rogan Josh, Chicken Tikka Massala, Cheese Naan and Plain Naan. Our favourite is definitely Chicken Rogan Josh and Cheese Naan. It was an authentic Indian cuisine. Our asian tongue and tummy were very happy and satisfied. We recommend everyone who would like to have a proper and flavourful meal to try Sam's Indian Cuisine. Plus point = it's halal 😇

Service was good. The food and value for money wasn’t. Everything looked the same, too much food coloring. The prawns’ tandoori were not king prawns and there wasn’t enough. Nobody asked us how we were doing. Disappointing to say the least

Very good service and delicious food

Just had an excellent meal in Sams the staff were great really helpful and knowledgeable can't recommend this restaurant highly enough

15€ for food that I wouldn't even give to my dog. No thanks

We were here three years ago and it was a beautiful meal so we said we’d definitely come back. Gave a great review and it was well deserved. This visit was so disappointing 23/11/24 They took our drinks order then never came back for our meal order. We had to shout one of them over. The meal was lukewarm when it reached us. The chicken was tough and the sauce was tasteless. It was bland. I had the chicken tikka biryani and my husband had the chicken tikka dopiaza. He thought exactly the same as me with his meal. One of the things I really like about getting out for an Indian meal is the fact that it’s piping hot straight from the kitchen. Not like when you get a takeaway, it’s had time to cool down. They were very busy so I think our meal was sitting out for a while before it got to us. We were waiting for sometime for it. The ladies toilet had no toilet roll in it and they were not clean. We were really looking forward to this meal as well and it was a let down. We won’t be back.

Excellent food and service. Great portions and value. We've visited twice now and will be returning again soon. Large choice on the menu with something for every lover of Indian food.

Lovely restaurant food was very bland and tasteless I had chicken pathia and my partner and chicken masala both meals were tasteless and bland service and staff were lovely just the food was a let down

Great food and service. I went with four kids and they were kind and the food was really good. As expected outside of USA, it was less spicy than average but on the one dish we requested spicy it was perfect. Highly recommend

One of the best Indian/Pakistani restaurants I’ve been to in Inverness. We tried their vegetarian starters and a prawn starter, and they were honestly some of the most delicious I’ve ever had. For mains, we had their cheese naan and garlic naan with paneer and lamb biryani. The food was amazing with generous portion sizes. The ambiance was intimate and pleasant, and the servers were very attentive. They definitely deserve 5 stars—and a few more visits!

🇸🇰🇸🇰 perfect Indian restaurant, very nice staff, we had chicken tikka with rice and butter naan and we recommend all 10 👍👍👍🇸🇰🇸🇰

This is NOT INDIAN an Restaurant and neither are they serving authentic Indian cuisines Please don't visit here for eating Indian food. The food was unnecessarily sweet and spicy with no clear taste in spices. Just random curries for every dish. The most Inauthentic restaurant, they should not disguise as an Indian restaurant It's better they market themselves as Bangladeshi restaurant serving Bangladeshi cuisines. The restaurant needs to upgrade themselves high time.

After a day of touring historic sites we were ready for a good meal. Sam's Indian Cuisine was perfect. Cutney tray, Chicken Chaat and Vegetable samosa to start were excellent and generous. Chicken Special and Lamb Special Malayan were delicious, portions were generous you can choose your level of spice. It was a nice fusion of coconut and lemon-grass and traditional spices. We highly recommend it if you're in Inverness .

Ok place if you are missing Indian food. The food is ok - nothing great. The service is nice and location is very convenient.

One of the best meals we’ve had in a long time Service quick and efficient Staff welcoming, friendly and fabulous Food taste and presentation absolutely fantastic Will definitely come back here the next time we visit Inverness

Not only was the staff utterly lovely, but so was the food! The prices were reasonable, the serving sizes were plenty, and the flavors were well done. It was our first meal out after landing in Inverness, and I feel it kicked our trip off perfectly. I would absolutely recommend this restaurant.

Excellent food with interesting flavors! Great service as well. Highly recommended.

I have visited several Indian restaurants in the UK, but this one is the worst I've been to. The food doesn't seem authentic to Indian cuisine. Simply adding meat or fish to the same masala mixture does not create an Indian dish. People may develop a dislike for Indian food if they are trying it for the first time in this type of restaurant.

This was the worst beef steak I’ve ever had in my life. Everything, from the beef to the chicken and chapatis, was clearly frozen—nothing was fresh. When I brought the poor food quality to the manager's attention, they refused to acknowledge any fault.

Yet another delicious takeaway meal. Food fresh and full of flavour. Would definitely recommend this restaurant, we will be back.

Worst indian restaurant I've ever been to. The ambience was quite nice and service was average, but the food..... awful. Indian cuisine is one of my favorites and I've eaten at Indian restaurants around the world. Never before have I eaten food with so much sugar. The dishes were almost florescent and so sweet they could have been served for dessert. If you want Indian food, go somewhere else. **After reading management's response to another review I felt the need to add: they seem to confuse spiciness with sweetness. Even for those that don't want their food spicy, there is no need to add a pound of sugar. I asked for mine spicy and it came very sweet and mildly spicy. The others that were with me wanted theirs mild and it came extra sweet. Indian food can be made flavorsome and mild without loads of sugar. The food coloring is also not necessary. **

Food was not that great. Too much color in the food with not the most welcoming service.

Got a table in the middle without a reservation. Is very loud and restless. Enjoy your meal. Friendly service. Prices ok.

Food is slightly different from normal Indian food. As others have mentioned, the restaurant is run by Bangladeshis, which is nothing negative by itself. I thought was a bit oily and not salted enough.

We were welcomed warmly, but it all honesty that's where the compliments end. The decor was tired, some of the serving staff really sullen, food really really average, not that tasty and overly fatty. My drink was flat. Sure there must be better Indian food restaurants in Inverness.

I had one of the best dinners I’ve had in quite a long time… jaipur with chicken tikka. The perfect amount of spice, taste and heat. With cashews and coriander. Moina was a wonderful host and will make sure your needs were met.

Good and service was tremendous! Thanks for a great night!

Chicken Tikka Masala incredibly flavoursome. Mince Pakora so yummy - wish we had ordered more! Combination Palak - where have you been all my life? We were so happy with this take away meal. Highly recommend.

I had pakora, lentil Dahl and pilau rice. Not the best pakora I've had. Lentil Dahl unlike any I have ever had. It was more like a runny lentil soup?

USA not welcomed! Scam artist terrible food. Minimums on drinks and food. In a very empty room.

They use excessive food colour etc which is a carcinogen

What an amazing meal, all food arrived with garnish. Time was taken on food presentation, and quality of our meal was second to none! Sag also Veg pakora Lamb Naaga Chicken Madras Chicken Tika masala Pilau rice Peshawar Nan Was excellent, Sam we give you 10/10 👏 your staff were super efficient and happy at their work. Well done!!

We hadn't booked but received a very warm welcome and were quickly shown to a table. The menu choices were standard. The prices were reasonable. We just opted for mains. The King Prawn dopiaza had a good amount of prawns in it but the onion element was topped up by peppers which made it no that authentic. The chicken tikka, although generous, was not sufficiently dry and unnaturally bright red in colour. The pilau rice was light, fluffy and aromatic and the okra was served not overly chopped but had a bit too much sauce with it. The chapati was light and had a good texture. The service was attentive, not rushed and we were made to feel we could take our time whilst finishing our drinks.

Me and my family really loved the food. After craving proper indian food for 3 days we finally found this place and it served us Authentic Spicy Indian food. Thank you for making our last night in Inverness memorable.

We had a wonderful meal for our anniversary at Sam's yesterday, the food was fantastic and the staff were so great. Thank you!

Because it looked nice, we went to eat here, nice decor, especially because Indian restaurants are often soberly decorated. Service very nice and hospitable. Pappadum fresh and with plenty of tasty treats. Unfortunately, the curry madras was really substandard, it seemed to have been diluted with tomato ketchup. The Jalfrezi was also mediocre. Side dish with okra was good. Too bad we expected more.

A spectacular curry. Just perfect after a weeks cycling in the Highlands.

A perfect curry in the gateway to the Highlands. Brilliant flavours and great end product. It’s a shame I live in London otherwise Sam’s would be replacing my regular Indian restaurant.

A great restaurant for the best Indian cuisine and always a warm welcome.

The food isn’t tasty at all. Not worth it

Nice place. Very delicious food, and friendly staff.

Ordered a takeaway, as tasty as ever. Chicken korma and chicken balti full of flavour, bread very nice too. Would definitely recommend.

The curries were quite pleasing, the ambiance nice, and the service was excellent. We would definitely eat there again.

Amazing place, service and food. After a tiresome day walking around , famished ; the food was heavenly 😍😍😍

Best Indian food I've had in years.

Decent food and service. Kitchen not closed until restaurant is closed, still serve walk in at 2100 on a weekday. Food is good to my uninitiated palate, not sure about authenticity due to limited experience with Indian food.

Our waiter Mona made this a special visit. He took great care of us, helping us to choose dishes to order, making sure he got our order in before a large party, and connecting with us with great humor. The food was delicious! Highly recommend.

The worst restaurant experience i had in entire UK. We just went in and because my 4 year old son was little upset the waiter asked us to leave the place.

Visited recently whilst on holiday on a recommendation, lovely food and great service, would recommend and visit again

One of the best Indian cuisine I had in Uk, Must must try, and the staff is very kind, especially Mona very helpful and with loads of humour . Food and people made our day😇

Absolutely loved interacting with the staff - Mona bhai who was so kind and considerate. Thank you for the lovely service and the great food. We will come again!

Terrible food. My lamb masala was just not Indian food. It tasted like someone threw a few cheap ingredients together that they hoped would work, threw in a load of red food colouring and off you go. And it was so pricey to begin with! My husband left his korma behind too. The only one who was not unhappy was my son who ordered steak. That was fine. Not particularly great but fine. The worst experience of Indian food I've had. Felt conned because of the high prices we paid.

Have recently found Sam’s when visiting Inverness on business. My go to place for my Indian fix when in town. . Food and service have been fantastic.

To anyone who likes spicy food, ask first before ordering your usual dish. I am an American who enjoys authentic and spicy Indian food regularly. After having the best tikka masala in Edinburgh last week, I took a local recommendation for Sam’s and ordered the same, thinking I was playing it safe. The chicken tikka masala from Sam’s was the sweetest dinner entree I have ever tasted. It was sugary sweet like a dessert, nothing could have prepared me for just how sweet it was. I would have sent it back if dining in, but I had done takeaway and across town by the time I tried it. As my likely final curry dish in the UK before leaving, it was quite a bummer. Better luck next time.

The waiters were nice but the food was terrible and really really overpriced for what it is. We ordered a glass of wine which had clearly been watered down. A really uninspiring meal.

We went in at 9:45 on a Saturday, weren't sure if they would accept for dine in. Thankfully the staffs were very friendly and welcoming. Good service 👍

Lamb madras was awful, no heat whatsoever. Very disappointing. Most definitely the worst curry I've ever had, absolutely no spice and bland. The lamb however was tender but no flavour. Definitely not good.

Service was great, servers were all very friendly. Nice clean seating areas, plenty of space, not cramped. Food was beautiful and very tasty! Was a very enjoyable dining experience. Will definitely back when in the area.

Excellent food and polite service! The Lamb Madras and Chicken Korma were delightful, though the chicken was slightly overcooked.

Very nice friendly place wirh great food

Food is awful. I do mean awfullll. I've lived in Asia for 20 years, travelled India extensively, I know good Indian food, this is not it. Papadums were 12 pounds. Never come here.

Great food, great atmosphere, extremely attentive staff. Will always return and order our take away from here

I am never visiting this palce again, very rude behavior of the manager here, food is alright but not as good as it could be.. place is perfect, look and feel is good. The only thing that needs to be replaced is the manager.

Not authentic indian, more of Bangladeshi. However, tastes good. Minimum spend of almost 17 pounds not including drinks is a house rule which I haven't seen anywhere else.

I've never had a bad meal here.

My favourite Idian Restaurant. 5* All the way

Food and service was very good, the lighting could have been lowered slightly, if there was music, I couldn’t hear it, no complaints there. The toilets are very clean, functional but small, no complaints there, The seats were uncomfortable, possibly over used . Overall I would recommend this restaurant, but don’t sit too long.

The worst place to have Indian food. This restaurant is run by Bengladesh people so it's not authentic Indian food. We ordered tandoori king prawns but they served us deep fried battered prawns. When we asked about it, the staff were very rude and said this is how they make tandoori prawns "here". We ordered Chicken biryani, and the disappointment continued. They gave us something that tasted like fried rice. DO NOT GO HERE!

Friendly nice place to go. Parking is a nightmare, but not their fault.

Lovely curry and very friendly service.

Came here for takeaway. Service was friendly and lovely however the food was just poor. I got what I thought was a safe bet, chicken korma and a garlic naan but the korma was just bland with no flavour and the naan had what I believed to be avocado rubbed all over it.

It’s not a place where I would like to visit again. Taste of the food was not that good. I had tandoori mixed kabab and chicken briyani but didn’t like the taste of both the dishes. Their staff members were good in service but need to work on the taste of the food.

We ordered biryani and the chicken is not at all cooked think that they served precooked or previous days. Not at all worth for the price they charged. Zero recommended and that food made everyone of us uneasy.

Expectations were high. Expectation were exceeded! Sam's 25 Dec menu and experience is not one that I'll forget, long into the New Year. I arrive to a warm welcome and it seems a hive of waiters at my bidding. I usually know what I'm ordering, but this menu sure puts the brain cells to work. The choice seems as wide as the ocean, and I imagine that I'm reading something from the Queen Mary or Titanic (without the sinking feeling) Let's start with starurrs, as they say round here. I go for lentil soup. Now this is a useful bit of multiculturalism to find this served. It's culturally perfect. Warm, sweet, cosy, comforting. Crunchy too. Cooked just right. It calls associations of winter evenings, fires flowing, cats purring and grans nodding on rocking chairs. Course two promptly arrives. The service is excellent. I've gone for a razzla. Never heard of it? Neither had I! Its ra ra indeed. Hot and sweet and exotic dish, made me think of jungle, rainforest, diners sitting together in a circle, discussing, eating, savouring. Well, they say all good things come to an end. Not there yet though as there is pudding. Note that name. Not desert, which I always associate with camels. Here I go traditional and take a good home made xmas pudding. Rich and tasty, not too sweet, nor thankfully too much. All this is washed down with a lovely hot coffee. The atmosphere is merry, seasonal, but not artificial or falsely exuberant. In fact, everything about today, welcome, waiters, dishes, service and seating chimes perfectly. Talking of chimes, I'll ensure that I come back here early in the New Year. Alasdair.

Business trip in Inverness and was looking for an Indian restaurant. It was between Sam's or Shapla and unfortunately I chose the wrong one by picking Sam's. The food was poor in taste and quality. Definitely pre cooked and not fresh which was annoying as I did ask the waiter if it was fresh and I was told yes. The service was decent but not much of an atmosphere here.

I have never tasted such kind of worst food in uk.. please don't visit the restaurant by the reviews.

Food very nice. Service very quick. Would visit again Have an alcohol licence which saves messing about too!

Great Find in Inverness Lovely food and great service Friendly and helpful staff 👌

Lamb Biryani and Tarka Dal to die for 😍

Had an excellent meal at Sam's last Saturday night with family. Staff were very friendly and super efficient.

First time eating here and certainly won't be last. Food was lovely. So tasty. Staff were very welcoming and friendly. Definitely recommend 👌

We loved the food except for the Naan bread which had an odd texture. Service was great though it kind of felt like a one woman show with lots of waiters hanging around and one waitress running around.

Best Indian in Inverness!!! Food is amazing and all the staff are lovely! Always so friendly! There nan breads are so good!

Best Indian food I've had in ages 10/10

Excellent food with excellent service. The waitress was very helpful & answered all our questions

Enjoyed the food, the tally (sp?) Was lovely. A little disappointed in the Mango cocktail though, so much ice you could taste the diluted tap water. Wasn't too impressed with the service, clearly very busy and on one occasion has currently pretty much thrown on the table.

Thought we would try a delivery from Sam’s for the first time. . Great experience from phoning in, with a query about the cooking of a side dish, promptly passed onto someone who could clarify. Food arrived perfectly cooked and even waiting 20mins before eating it was perfect. One dish was tandoori king prawns which were still excellent after that time, soft and delicious. Delivery driver was a treat, so cheery. (John) Look forward now to eating in the restaurant. Well done everyone.