Lotus Cuisine of India Focuses on Healthy Eating

“If you live in Marin and enjoy good Indian food you can do no better than Lotus Cuisine.” K.L.,Napa, via Yelp

“I've been to A LOT of Indian restaurants over the years here in the Bay Area and Lotus is definitely the best out of all of them!” Jason P, San Rafael, via Yelp

“I am an Indian living in the US for over 10 years and as you can imagine I crave good Indian food. Lotus Cuisine has always been one of my favorite buffet places for lunch. I have been a customer for years and I tried their a la carte recently and I was blown away!!” Jai P, Novato, via Yelp

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If you want to find out what a restaurant is like before trying it out, Yelp reviews are a good place to start. If you check Lotus Cuisine of India, a mainstay in San Rafael since 1998, you’ll find an overall rating of four based on more than 350 reviews. And as evidenced above, many of those reviews are glowing.

The restaurant on 4th Street offers a popular lunch buffet Monday through Saturday, and dinner starting at 5 p.m. seven days a week.

Lotus Cuisine of India is family owned, with Pal Sroa its patriarch. Sroa was born in India where his father owned a grocery store. After graduating from school, he decided to strike out on his own, telling Patch, “I come from a pretty good family in India and I wanted to make it on my own.”

That meant coming to the U.S., eventually ending up in Marin County. He chose to open a restaurant to share his culture and cuisine with local residents. In a conversation with Patch, Sroa emphasized time and again the importance of creating healthy food from quality ingredients, “We don’t cut the corners,” he said. “We go three times a week to the market. We buy organic.” Green certified and sustainable - from vegetables to spices and wine.

Sroa has listened to his customers’ requests for gluten-free choices, being careful to prevent cross-contamination, “It is a quality product … we do more gluten-free than anyone else.

“Our cooking in not your typical Indian restaurant. We are more conscious because we are in Marin and people demand a lot … we buy from organic sources.”

Gluten-free items include:

• Naan
• Curries
• Appetizers
• Tandooris
• Desserts
• Beer

Over the years, Sroa has woven his restaurant into the fabric of San Rafael, including an annual tradition of opening the doors on Thanksgiving to anyone in the community who wants a free meal. Last Thanksgiving marked the 11th year of the giveaway. Look for it to continue, “That’s something with the Indian culture, to give back,” said Sroa.

Sroa also helps with school fundraisers and meals for seniors through extrafood.org.

Sroa is not solely focused on Lotus Cuisine of India, he makes time daily to read his favorite book, Words to Live By: Short Readings of Daily Wisdom by Eknath Easwaran. Sroa says he gets nicer as he gets older, and doesn’t let things bother him as much, “I am a more positive person than a negative person.”

Given the opportunity for having the last word, Sroa tells Patch, “I am part of the community.” A community of families now patronizing his restaurant across multiple generations.

Lotus Cuisine of India is located at 704 Fourth Street in San Rafael. Reservations are accepted at 415-456-5808. In addition, the restaurant delivers through Dine In Marin.

--Images provided by Lotus Cuisine of India