The Essence - Walnut Creek

Review summary

1. D

   Dean

   San Francisco10 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 18 February 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Truly exquisite Indian cuisine. Delicious and beautifully served. None better.
   

   Is this helpful?

2. M

   Maninder VIP

   San Francisco15 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on 15 February 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   ambiance was very personal, food was good, service was good despite being short staffed will return
   

   Is this helpful?

3. L

   Lee VIP

   Tampa145 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 7 February 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   We are new to the Walnut Creek area. There are so many great restaurants, and after our first dining experience at Essence, this is on our repeat list. I can safely say, that this was one of our best Indian Cuisine dinners. We started with the vegetable samosas as an appetizer which were a treat. It was a cold rainy night so we had the Manchow soup which was so comforting and delicious. Our mains were the vegetable biryani and the tandoori shrimp which were awesome. Indian food can be spicy but our server made sure that our dishes were to our liking which was on the mild side. Finally, for dessert, we had the Khoya Kulfi which was my first experience. I loved it and the Redefined Indian experience.
   

   Is this helpful?

4. M

   MaryEllen VIP

   San Francisco8 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 23 December 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Butter chicken is excellent. Lamb shank and samosas also very good. Garlic naan was delicious. Restaurant was quiet on the Sunday before Christmas. This was our third visit and we have enjoyed every meal here.
   

   Is this helpful?

5. B

   Barbara VIP

   San Francisco5 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 28 November 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Incredible creative food and excellent service!! Nice atmosphere and wine list! Everything was delicious!!
   

   Is this helpful?

6. M

   Maxine

   San Francisco8 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 31 October 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Such interesting choices, deliciously seasoned, attentive wait staff. Best ever Indian fare.
   

   Is this helpful?

7. A

   Atul VIP

   New York City13 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 28 September 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Great experience overall. The food was distinctive and the ambience is that of the best Indian restaurants I’ve been to. I would absolutely recommend going here. A go to dish is the gobhi Manchurian. Basically Chinese spiced friend cauliflower.
   

   Is this helpful?

8. M

   Michael VIP

   San Francisco20 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 3 August 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   A step up from the usual Indian places, with complex, delicious flavors. They now serve wine, with a limited but decent list.
   

   Is this helpful?

9. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Los Angeles2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 28 July 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   the best Indian food we’ve had in a very long time! Portions were perfect, timing between appetizers and entrees was amazing. The flavor of each dish was 10/10. Definitely going to become a weekly favorite.
   

   Is this helpful?

10. OT

    OpenTable Diner VIP

    San Francisco4 reviews

    1.0

    Dined on 23 June 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 1

    We were seated to the back of the restaurant which made no sense as it was totally empty, then they moved and grated chairs around us for half an hour to make space for a big party. There is no air conditioning so it was very warm inside. The menu is limited but we ordered a Kale Chaat, turned out that was off the menu, so replaced it with a chicken tikka salad as there were not many green or leafy things on the menu. The salad was decent but we ordered deep fried seafood that turned out to be crunchy hot fish sticks, and not very interesting. We stuck to the traditional main courses and had an OK chicken tikka massala and bindhi bhaji but it was 'decent' at best. $120 for two with one beer each didn't even mean this was good value. I was excited to think there might be an upmarket Indian food experience in Walnut Creek, but this is not that and I would not return.
    

    Is this helpful?