The Essence - Walnut Creek

4.4

37 Reviews

$30 and under

Indian

Make a reservation

2 people

Nov 30, 2024

7:00 PM

Booked 1 time today

Neighborhood gem
Vegetarian-friendly
Kid-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.

Location
1512 N Main St, Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Neighborhood
Walnut Creek
Parking details
Public Lot
Additional
Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 37 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
4.3Service
4.1Ambience
4.2Value

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.

37 Reviews

B
Barbara
San Francisco
5 reviews
vip
5.0
5 reviews
Dined 2 days ago
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!!
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M
Maxine
San Francisco
8 reviews
5.0
8 reviews
Dined on October 31, 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.
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A
Atul
New York City
13 reviews
vip
5.0
13 reviews
Dined on September 28, 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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M
Michael
San Francisco
17 reviews
vip
5.0
17 reviews
Dined on August 3, 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?
OT
OpenTable Diner
Los Angeles
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on July 28, 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?
OT
OpenTable Diner
San Francisco
4 reviews
vip
1.0
4 reviews
Dined on June 23, 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.
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LS
LaurenS
Seattle
27 reviews
vip
5.0
27 reviews
Dined on June 14, 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.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Francisco
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on June 9, 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.
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d
datenight
San Francisco
6 reviews
5.0
6 reviews
Dined on June 2, 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?
OT
OpenTable Diner
New York City
3 reviews
vip
1.0
3 reviews
Dined on May 31, 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.
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FAQs

The Essence - Walnut Creek is rated 4.4 stars by 37 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation

2 people

Nov 30, 2024

7:00 PM

Booked 1 time today

Google Map for The Essence - Walnut Creek

1512 N Main St, Walnut Creek, CA 94596

Dining areas

Additional information

Neighborhood
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
Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

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.

The Essence - Walnut Creek

Make a reservation

Dining areas

Additional information

Menu

What 37 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Review summary

FAQs

How is The Essence - Walnut Creek restaurant rated?

Is The Essence - Walnut Creek currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Dining areas

Additional information