Cheeni

Cheeni is a truly excellent restaurant around! I had long heard about Cheeni and James-Beard nominated chef Preeti Waas - all the way back when Cheeni was a Raleigh establishment (now closed). We've tried dining here a few different occasions, usually on a whim, but it turns out reservations are hard to come by and best planned in advance. What really stands out to me is the feeling / vibe at Cheeni. There were several moments that elevated this night out from just another dinner with friends to what felt like an intimate and warm experience. Beginning with the little box and unique monkey card concept to perusing the menu and exploring all the regions of India that are represented - there's something so inviting and comfortable about these thoughtful touches, almost like you're eating at a friends personal home. The service was friendly, timely, and helpful and our menu selections surprised me with unparalleled flavor. I've never had cuisine done quite like this and I was truly delighted by the entire experience. The cocktail and (quite extensive) mocktail menu were equally divine. In my experience, it's hard to get a mocktail just right but honestly, I'd go back to Cheeni just for a drink (but then I would inevitably wind up ordering food too...how could I resist?). Also...I would highly recommend ending your evening with the mango lassi shots. I am still dreaming about that creamy, sweet/savory treat!

I absolutely love a family owned and operated food service restaurant. We came back three days in a row; once for dinner, then for brunch, and another dinner! Crazy! Even had to bring my sister who lives in D.C. The outdoor seating was perfect for when we had our dogs and the indoor was so cozy. We loved the different furniture and homey / eclectic feel. The whole family was involved in our experience. We had a great experience despite what some reviewers are saying. They are being pretentious and know-it-alls.... The flavors were FLAVORING and the drinks were also amazing. It is definitely different, and we appreciated all the little touches put into our experience. From the box that had everything we needed to exceptional service, it's a 5-star every time!

My husband and I ventured to Durham tonight to try Cheeni, an indian restaurant i've heard a lot of people talking about. It's located in the heart of downtown Durham (great location) and the service was great (lovely, prompt service staff and timely food service). I loved the touch of Indian music playing in the background and fun wallpaper throughout the restaurant.The food was pretty good, but left a bit to be desired in most dishes we tried. We started off with the coconut prawn croquettes - these were wonderfully spicy, the exterior was crispy with coconut, and the interior had sizable prawn pieces cooked nicely. For entrees, we split the Hariyali whole fish & lamb vindaloo. The branzino was nicely cooked, however it had so many tiny bones that were impossible to eat around (I've had whole branzino before without as many tiny bones in every bite, so I feel like this can be avoided?). The lamb vindaloo had great warming spices, however it was labeled as "FIERY hot" which it certainly was not - we were definitely missing some heat in this dish, though the sauce itself was still lovely and flavorful. We got some garlic naan alongside and this particular dish confused me as it certainly was not naan - it seemed almost like pizza dough? It was still tasty, but definitely not naan like we were expecting.Overall, the food was solid but didn't seem very authentically Indian to us like some other Indian restaurants we have tried in the Triangle area. The service and atmosphere was great though.

We were at a charity even where the Chef was participating and enjoyed her food (whether or not she was a James Beard Award nominee). They are located in downtown durham where Jack Tar and the Colonel's Daughter previously was. We made reservations for an early dinner on a Wednesday and were warmly welcomed by staff and seated at a table with a little box, which contains the menu and your dinnerware. Right away, we felt very comfortable. We enjoyed the baby brinjals (eggplant app), lamb vindaloo, dal, and garlic naan. We decided to take some of our meal home with us and left room for chai shots and what my wife said is probably the best chocolate chip cookie she ever ate. The server ended up being the chef's daughter, and we had a nice chat. We are looking forward to coming back for brunch and other meals.

The service was very warm and welcoming! I enjoyed the very lovely decor, and the beautiful service box that held the menus! The food was absolutely on point! The lamb vindaloo was exactly what I was looking for: the spices are properly layered and give depth to the dish, so (for me) there's some heat, but it's delicious without being punishingly hot. The Uncle Ji was the perfect pre-dinner cocktail for me, while the saffron beer paired very nicely with the lamb.

My husband and I were in Downtown Durham and hit up Brunello Wine Bar then walked over to grab dinner at Cheeni. He started off with a masala chai but they were not serving alcohol yet so I was able to walk over to Pour Taproom and bring a beer over. You start off your dining experience by opening a box that contains your utensils and menus. All of the food that we tried was delicious except for the dessert. I recommend checking out one of their locations.

This place was so bad and overhyped I had to return to Yelp for this review. We had a group of ten with a reservation of course so being seated 15 min late was not that big of a deal since this restaurant is clearly not set up for large parties. Cheeni also does not have a bar for a drink prior to dining. When we were seated there were two boxes placed on the table and we were told there would be our silverware and menus inside, followed by "When you are ready to order place the white paper on top of the box and we will do our best to get to you!" If only there was a font that said I don't wanna be here and I wish you weren't either it would be the font used for the prior quotation. Now I can see how someone would see the box idea as cute or different however when mixed with attitude it is both pretentious and lazy. When it came time to place a drink order I asked if they had any Bourbon(as there is no bar visible) I was told they had ghee washed George Dickel. I ordered that on the rocks please. Everyone's drink arrived sans mine so I flagged a server down. I was told they would check. Ten minutes passes no drink and no answer back. Finally a different server comes by and tells me the only way that I can have that is in the cocktail on the menu. I asked is it premade? The answer was a shoulder shrug and she left the table. Later the original server came back and I just ordered a beer. Food begins to arrive at the other end of the table, from the time the first entree landed to the last was 45 Minutes. Yes I said 45 minutes, no apologies or reasons given, My wife and I ordered the same thing both of which were inedible(I believe it was Chicken Ishtu). Typically your server or even better a manager would ask if you would like something else but that didn't happen, so I just had my slightly burnt garlic naan and I tried a sample of the other dishes and none were as bad as ours but nothing to warrant writing a storybook in the menu. The one bright note was I tried one of my friends Branzino and it was great. The server later returned to inquire about a dessert order, a few people ordered and I also ordered another beer. Desserts came but no beer, I motioned to my passing server and was ignored. A few moments later the shoulder shrug girl returns to tell me "Since you didn't have an entree I can only serve you two beers per ABC law." Guess what not an ABC law or regulation at all. The overall experience was a train wreck, Certainly don't go with a group and expect to eat together.

Excellent service, flavorful food - great dinner with great friends. We will be back ASAP!!!

We tried Cheeni last night and it inspired me to leave my first ever Yelp review. The food is elevated and inspired, something we've rarely seen after moving to the Triangle from NYC. First, we loved the beautiful box with the menu which made you feel like you were opening a gift. The sense of discovery while reading her stories only added to your anticipation to taste the food. The dishes were creative interpretations of Indian cuisine that were well balanced, incredibly tasty and visually appealing. We took a risk at first and tried the cabbage appetizer and the karela chaat; they're not usually our preferred ingredients but we were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed them. For the main course, the Rani was incredibly tasty and the tamarind rice dish paired incredibly well with perfectly cooked fish. We learned this tamarind rice dish was presented at the James Beard awards and is a definite must try. The special dessert of the day had the right amount of sweetness with a hint of cardamom. We shared all the dishes so it felt like a 2 thousand mile journey from the North to the South of India. Finally, the cocktails from their bar beej speakeasy next door were imaginative and fun. It's not a typical bar menu. It's a combination of flavors that take some risks to delight the palate.Finally the service and ambiance made you feel like you were the guest at an Indian person's home. She was warm, inviting, super personable and well spoken. This is a much more premium experience than virtually all Indian restaurants in the Triangle. I'd compare this more to Dishoom in London (IYKYK) but it's a few thousand miles closer. It was our first trip to Cheeni but definitely not our last.

TGIF ! We came to Cheeni for the first time, there aren't enough words to describe how good it was.The Indian 75 was a twist on a classic "French 75" it was refreshing, acidic and very flavorful.For appetizers, we chose the "Keema Samoussas" and the "Coconut pawn croquettes" with the delicious chutney sauces.Then we get our main course, the "Tamilian Chicken" and the "Paneer". All the dishes were unique creations, we were impressed by the differents of taste of each plates.It was rich and savory, the green rice packed a punch of deliciousness with huge chunks of paneer underneath.The chicken was very tender and the slightly spicy tamarind sauce was my favorite.The size of the main courses was really generous.They put a lot of thought into the decoration of the restaurant.The menu was inside a box at our arrival and that was a representation of travel trunks.The ambiance was vibrant.The staff was really helpful and the daughter of the owner (the head of Bar Beej) was so nice and helped us navigate the menu choices.