Indian Takeaway: Injoy Street Food
Posted Saturday, May 19, 2018Findlay Market is renowned in Cincinnati for being an open-aired incubator to many a fledgling restaurant entrepreneur. One of their latest products is Injoy Street Food, an "Indian-inspired" business launched two years ago by three friends who peddled their tikka masala and saag dishes from a two-wheeled cart every weekend there. Now the trio have their own corner brick-and-mortar location in Over-the-Rhine, a stone's throw from Salazar's.
Injoy takes a fast-casual approach to its health-conscious menu, offering wraps, tacos and 16-ounce or 24-ounce bowls that can be filled with a variety of fresh ingredients. They also offer garlic naan, daal soup and sweet or savory samosa "bites."
Chipotle customers will be familiar with the routine: select a rice or quinoa base, then work your way through the sauces (tikka masala, vindaloo or saag), proteins (chicken, Aloo Gobi or tofu), sauteed vegetables and other optional toppings. Prices range from $8-$11.
We stopped by for a quick dinner, noting that the vast majority of patrons get their food to-go, as there is very limited seating along the windows. My girlfriend and I both chose the 24-ounce bowls, which strangely seemed the same size as Chipotle's 16-ounce bowls. Our toppings were similar save the proteins; my girlfriend chose the tikka masala sauce topped with chicken, while I opted for the tikka masala and aloo gobi, a vegetarian combo of sweet potatoes and cauliflower. We completed our bowls with rajma, a mixture of kidney beans, tomatoes and onions, along with pickled onions, cilantro and spiced peanuts.
chicken tikka masala w/garlic naan 
tikka masala w/aloo gobi The curry-infused dishes were bright and mildly spicy, with welcome acidic punches from the pickled ingredients. It all married well with the creamy, heavier tikka masala. My girlfriend's hunks of chicken were appropriately tender and I enjoyed the heartiness of my cauliflower and cubes of sweet potato. The spiced peanuts offered a pleasing textural variety to the bowls.
Our side of garlic naan bread came wrapped in tin foil to keep it warm. It was doughy and spongy rather than flat and slightly crispy like the versions we enjoy at traditional Indian restaurants, where they're cooked in a Tandoori oven. Injoy's seemed more akin to a warm flour tortilla, which unfortunately lacked much garlic flavor.
Kudos to Injoy for making the noble effort at saving the environment by offering biodegradable, eco-friendly silverware and containers instead of the plastic stuff.
Overall we were pleased with our first experience. The $24 price tag for two bowls and one garlic naan is slightly more than one would expect vs. a similarly sized meal at Chipotle. Still, Indian food is decidedly more complex and laborious to prepare, so we're no doubt paying a slight premium for that time and effort.
Injoy Street Food fills a hole in the fast-casual arena we never knew we needed, challenging other local competitors for the venerable quick lunch and quick dinner crowds.
1400 Republic St., Cincinnati, OH 45202513-580-8590
Rating: 3.0 out of 4
= Outstanding
= Fair
= Poor
The best TACO joint in the city. I go there as a treat to myself every Monday. TEX MEX TACOS are delicious culinary treats that look beautiful and taste great. I'm so impressed with this place that I never explore the other items on the menu. If you don't get your taco fix here, you're losing in life.
posted: Tue., Apr 27th, 2021 @ 2:37 PM
My Wife and myself dined at Ferrari’s on Saturday and the Food and service was great/ I had the Butternut Squash Ravioli with misc nuts and sauce and it was the best meal I’ve had there/ My wife had the Fish and Vegetables and was very happy/ I also got a couple of their pizza and olive loaves of bread/ The bread is always a hit at work.
posted: Mon., Nov 23rd, 2020 @ 1:14 PM
@Rick: Thanks for the suggestion! I'll have to remember to give them a try.
posted: Sat., Nov 21st, 2020 @ 9:06 AM
Try Joe's Pizza located at Airway and Smithville Rd. You might like it...That's one of favorite haunts. I definitely think it beats Cassano's.
posted: Fri., Nov 6th, 2020 @ 4:19 PM
Hands down the best Indian in the area. I have yet to find their yellow Punjabi dish anywhere. It is my favorite, and what keeps me coming back time after time. I think I have been here over 100 times. I love this place.
posted: Thu., May 28th, 2020 @ 12:03 PM
I found a gyro I keep thinking about
https://www.yelp.com/biz/tazikis-mediterranean-cafe-cincinnati
their lamb gyro is about 2-3 bucks higher in cost than a gyro elsewhere - B U T - it is made with whole pieces of lamb meat, not the lamb and beef loaf that all other Gyro joints in Cincinnati seem to do
it is a chain. A minus for me, and I suspect for you as well.
But its good.
really, really good
one caveat: skip the baklava as it is not made in-house
posted: Mon., Dec 9th, 2019 @ 12:43 PM
I'll take your word for it, then.....it is fairly close to work so it'll be an upcoming lunch
I also need to try out this little taco wagon near Quatmans in Norwood
posted: Mon., Sep 9th, 2019 @ 6:21 PM
Hi @TJ - We were pretty impressed with the quality of the items, which I think justifies some of the pricing. I really liked the house-made tortillas and their salsas. Chilero offered some extra little touches that were a pleasant surprise. :)
Just by way of comparison...that same week we'd tried the new Mazunte location downtown...and our experience at Chilero beat them out.
posted: Thu., Aug 29th, 2019 @ 10:18 PM
Great food and fantastic atmosphere
posted: Wed., Aug 28th, 2019 @ 8:29 PM
Seems very pricey for a mostly carryout/counter-service joint
posted: Wed., Aug 28th, 2019 @ 5:51 PM