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The Essence - Walnut Creek, Walnut Creek, CA

The Essence - Walnut Creek

4.4
4.4
36 Reviews
$30 and under
Indian

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 5 times today
  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Vegetarian-friendly
  • Child-friendly
The Essence Redefining Indian Food represents Indian food in all its eccentricity and diversity along with a high quality family dining experience. The Essence provides its guests a feel of traveling across India with all five senses and a plate. A beautiful extension is that the menu undergoes a change every two months with exciting add-ons. Also, whichever region The Essence makes its home, there is an adoption of the local cuisine by its menu.

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Indian
  • Hours of Operation
    Tue–Sun 11:30 am–3:00 pm Tue–Sun 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (925) 783-2425
  • Website
    https://www.essenceusa.com/
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Catering
    We are one of the Bay Area’s top choices full service catering. Our team includes dozens of highly skilled chefs who specialize in authentically prepared regional Indian cuisine.
  • Private party facilities
    The Essence at Walnut Creek offers one-of-a-kind services that specialize in custom-designed events and customized menus. We have private rooms and banquet facilities can be used for a wide range of personal gatherings or corporate meetings.

Menu

At present, we do not have menu information for this restaurant. Please see their website or wait to visit the restaurant to learn more.

What 36 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.4
4.4 based on recent ratings
  • 4.4Food
  • 4.2Service
  • 4.1Ambience
  • 4.1Value

Noise • Moderate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Essence in Walnut Creek offers a memorable dining experience with "the best Indian food we've had in a very long time." Guests rave about "unique & really tasty" cocktails and "distinctive" dishes. While the ambience enchants, some find the lack of air conditioning challenging. Overall, it's a culinary gem with complex flavors.

36 Reviews

  1. Maxine

    San Francisco

    8 reviews

    5.0

    8 reviews

    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?

  2. Atul

    New York City

    13 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    13 reviews

    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.

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  3. Michael

    San Francisco

    17 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    17 reviews

    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.

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  4. OpenTable Diner

    Los Angeles

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    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?

  5. OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    4 reviews

    vip
    1.0

    4 reviews

    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?

  6. LaurenS

    Seattle

    27 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    27 reviews

    Dined on 14 June 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    Good food. Both cocktails and wine available. Lambshank tender and lots of meat.

    Is this helpful?

  7. OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 9 June 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great meal and celebration for my parents 50th wedding anniversary. Excellent service and quality of food.

    Is this helpful?

  8. datenight

    San Francisco

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on 2 June 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Best naan and samosas I have had in forever. Very light and fluffy. Rest of our food was very good. Provided nice dessert and candle for the special occasion.

    Is this helpful?

  9. OpenTable Diner

    New York City

    3 reviews

    vip
    1.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on 31 May 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    No air conditioning! Very warm in the restaurant. Very poor service. We won’t go back.

    Is this helpful?

  10. OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on 24 May 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food is authentic tic and

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

The Essence - Walnut Creek is rated 4.4 stars by 36 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 5 times today
Google Map for The Essence - Walnut Creek

1512 N Main St, Walnut Creek, CA 94596

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Area
    Walnut Creek
  • Hours of Operation
    Tue–Sun 11:30 am–3:00 pm Tue–Sun 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Indian
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Public Lot
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Gluten-free Options, Vegan
  • Website
    https://www.essenceusa.com/
  • Phone number
    (925) 783-2425
  • Catering
    We are one of the Bay Area’s top choices full service catering. Our team includes dozens of highly skilled chefs who specialize in authentically prepared regional Indian cuisine.
  • Private party facilities
    The Essence at Walnut Creek offers one-of-a-kind services that specialize in custom-designed events and customized menus. We have private rooms and banquet facilities can be used for a wide range of personal gatherings or corporate meetings.
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