Ambica Foods

Tried the samosa chaat, dhokla, masala chai and pav bhaji. The dhokla was moist and came with yummy chilis. The pav bhaji came with a delish carrot/mix veg pickle and well buttered bread. Loved the samosa chaat - tangy, spicy, sweet. Hit the spot for my craving. Masala chai was good - pre sweetened, FYI. I also got some fresh jalebi to go and grabbed some groceries on my way out.

My Indian food teacher sent me to Ambica and I want to like it. But between the expire dates that have been fudged and the misleading price signs, I can't help but feel rogered every time I get home with my groceries. Like many stores they don't put price tags on the items anymore but often the sign next to an item is advertising something cheaper that is further away or not even present. COVID update: The owner doesn't wear a mask over his nose or mouth but it is over his ears. Presumably so he can pull it up when he sees the health department in the parking lot. I'm now on the search for some place else to get my Indian fare. Sorry to have to do this. Wish Ambica would be responsible.

Terrible that they have quite a lot expired items.Better make sure you check the expiry date before buying anything here!!!

The Samosa and Aloo here are really good, however, the service is absolutely terrible and horrifyingly slow. They didn't even make our food until after sitting for about 10-15 minutes we decided to get up and say something, that's when our order was finally attended too. I ordered a masala chai tea, and got half a cup's full because they ran out, and the service lady had an attitude with me when I brought this to her attention.

A great resource for Indian Vegetables/produce! HUGE variety of vegetables commonly used in Indian cooking. That does NOT limit such vegetables to ONLY be cooked in "Indian" dishes. If you are interested in tasting new vegetables beyond what is offered in mainstream grocery stores (HyVee - Whole Foods- Hen House - Price Chopper) and maybe just a tad tired of cooking Croquettes/Zucchinis... make a trip to Ambica and pick up some Indian Binda/Bindi (Okra), Parwal (Pointed Gourd), or Kankota/Kantola (Spine Gourd) and roast them (*** with seasoning and oil/shortening ***) at your next grill session. Ambica is also a great resource for buying ;Fresh Tumeric/Ginger/Green Chill/Mint/Methi-Fenugreek/ Cilantro in bulk at an affordable price!It is also smart to pop in Ambica every now and then to see what fruits are in season! I; for example Indian Mangos, Lychees, or SITAPHAL (Sugar Apple) if you are lucky! Ambica also has GREAT Frozen food section and as well as spices/nuts/kinds of rice/flours. I also love their in-house snack shop. Indian Street Food pretty tough to find in the Greater KC area in general. Ambica's street food offers an agreeable take on it. Space is a bit rough, but the owners are really trying to share their story, and believe on the cusp of something great! Vegetarian/Vegan Eats!Great Greater KC Weekend Food Adventure certainly awaits for all those who are enticed! ( 5 ) out of ( 5 ) for its existence. THANK YOU!

5 stars for Indian fast food. $6.50 gets you a really filling a delicious meal ($5 for the main dish and $1.50 for a samosa)All vegetarian, not overly spicy, really flavorful. Roti was a bit greasy, and the main dish def oily, but it tasted gooooood.There was a man, probably a manager or owner, that was very friendly and helped me understand the menu. He was not at all insulting about making sure this white lady knew what she was ordering. The cashiers and the guy taking orders were all business, and the store was busy but it was a fun and pleasant Saturday evening food choice! Will def be going back a lot more frequently.

I love this store! The owners are wonderful and the food and variety of everything is amazing.

Ambica Foods has a surprising assortment of everything - and it was only surprising to me because the only other Indian and Pakistani grocer I've been to sold a quarter of its goods. Since I'm not a connaiseur of this cuisine - I initially believed Patel Foods, only a few blocks away on Metcalf, was the ideal. But if you're driving thorough - no doubt - this grocer is clearly a better choice.Here is why:1. It's very clean and organized. The owner showed me the snack aisle, the fresh vegetable aisle, the chutney aisle, the ready-made meal aisle - everything was well-lit and presented in an orderly way. At Patel's, they have only four small shelves of dusty ready-made meals (which are good sellers if you want to try authentic dishes without having to make it from scratch). 2. The fresh vegetables were being loaded by the truck full through the back (which I noticed has a large garage for fast delivery of goods) - and all of that is a good sign. At Patel's there were only a few vegetable options - if I recall rightly, only three types of onions in a basket on the floor. Ambica on the other hand had dozens of baskets of vegetables that I'll admit to having no idea what kinds they were - but they were very green.3. The staff. Every aisle was packed with employees restocking the shelves and laughing to eachother - and again, I'll admit to having no idea what was said - but I could sense a good vibe. The owner showed me around and I told him I was just looking, that I was curious - and he was happy to have me. He gave me his business card.4. Attention to detail. Nothing was growing mold or anything like that from having sat idle for the last two presidencies. They took care of their products and placed them to appeal to the shopper and I appreciated this because seeing dusty food products turns my stomach. If I'm venturing to try something more exotic, I would trust Ambica above Patel's - because from my experience, Ambica made everything look much more appetizing.

I've been here a few times and each time my experience has been so-so. This week my trip was especially awkward as the shopper who entered the store before me held the door open for me and when he realized I wasn't Indian asked me what I was going to buy in a place like this. I smiled and showed him my long list of spices. Sheesh. That said, if you can't find it here you probably don't need it after all! I like to buy some samosas and some pani puri at the chaat counter. Prices are about the same as most of the other stores in town.

This store should be reported!We bought basmati rice from this store few days back and they over charged me!That rice usually cost $20 but they charged us $30 which is fine,but the quality of rice is so bad that nobody wants to eat it!So sad that in such a tough time instead of coming together to help and uplift one another you think this price gouging will make you richer???shame on you!!!