Triveni Supermarket
Review! Pineville, North Carolina (other locations on the east coast + Texas) // grocery + food court // best-kept secret
the ELEVATOR PITCH
Quietly existing on the edge of Charlotte, Triveni has quickly grown from being a stranger (for us) to our favorite spot to grab Indian food! All courtesy of a friend, who (upon hearing our struggle trying to find good Indian food), recommended us check out this hidden gem. And now it’s time to pass the baton and let you in on this too 😘
So here's the scoop — Triveni is easily the best and most authentic Indian food you’re going to find in Charlotte, and it might even be the best on the entire East Coast?! (okay, yes maybe a stretch since I haven’t been everywhere on the East Coast but I’m taking the leap because it’s THAT good!) And I say this confidently because my husband traveled India for over a month (visiting New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore), had a variety of Indian food from local places to fancy restaurants, and he insists that Triveni still tastes better than anything he had eaten over there (probably also because the food he had in India also came with many not-fun bathroom trips 🥴).
tl;dr, we love this place. It’s in our household Rolodex of favorite eateries, and should be in yours too! When you do try Triveni, keep in mind that it isn’t like your typical Charlotte Indian restaurant—be prepared for SPICE (though still edible, I don’t have a tongue of steel and still enjoy their food), and if you’re not well-versed in Indian cuisine, you might have to Google basically the entire menu (but that’s where my Indian menu notes may help).
While the Triveni location in Pineville is mostly a grocery store (80% of it is aisles of dry goods and freezers and fresh produce), the remaining 20% is a mini-restaurant with a refrigerated dessert display case that really pulls its weight. The prices here are at least $3.00 - $4.00 cheaper than you’re probably used to at typical Indian restaurants, while the quality is so much better (think less oily, more flavorful, greater portions, all the things**). The menu does rotate frequently, which could be mildly annoying if you’ve found your favorite, but it struck us as authentic and also a great opportunity to step out of our culinary comfort zones.
**But again, the spice levels are authentically high!
Needless to say, ordering your Indian food from Triveni won’t work for every occasion (need a fancy atmosphere? Make a reservation at The Blue Taj), but it IS the move for those everyday moments where you’re craving quality without the price tag. Going to Triveni will guarantee you a bang-for-your-buck meal 💥
menu items
honest reviews below 👇
Gongura Chicken Biryani: loved (1) how jam-packed it was with juicy tender chicken, (2) how perfectly cooked the basmati rice was (with dots of saffron, how colorful!), and (3) how there was a decent amount of flavorful sauce that surrounded the chicken, which was fun to mix into and eat with the rice. Only note—it was spicier than I expected, almost to the point of unenjoyable, so I would potentially ask to reduce the spice the next time I order. But not a deal breaker! (rating: 9.5/10)
👉 Raita: a yogurt-based chutney; vibes are like a watered-down version of tzaztiki. REALLY tames the biryani’s heat, a perfect companion for it. (rating: 9/10)
👉 Shorba: a tomato-based gravy that you can pour onto the biryani for more flavor, but I enjoy their biryani so much I really didn’t need it. The flavor is sort of tikka-masala-ish, and a mildly spicy. (rating: 9/10)
Paneer Tikka Dosa: WHOA this was my first time having a dosa, let alone one filled with paneer tikka (and in case you didn’t know, this specific dish is a Mumbai street food)! Loved the crispiness of the dosa (its batter is naturally gluten-free, made with fermented rice and lentils). The filling was also thick and chunky, versus a saucy “chicken tikka masala” dish vibe, which was perfect! Made it easier to eat, and didn’t make the dosa soggy. Would totally get this, or try other dosa varieties! (rating: 10/10)
👉 Mild Chutney: the texture landed between nut milk and nut butter, the taste itself wasn’t anything distinct, which makes me think it wasn’t peanut or coconut-based. Potentially a cashew chutney? My husband loved it with the dosa but I found myself preferring the Sambar more! (rating: 5/10)
👉 Tangy Chutney: I didn’t find myself wanting to use this too much, the dosa was really great on its own for me. But the flavor profile was sour-sweet, potentially made with tamarind? Unconfirmed :) (rating: 5/10)
👉 Sambar: this oozed soup vibes but was pretty thick with “stuff” (later learned, this is usually made with lentils). Only a smidge—if at all—spicy, more tomato-based and carried flavors that paired well with the dosa. (rating: 9/10)
Goat Curry: classic curry flavor, chunky sauce that just pairs SO well with rice and naan. A “level 2” spice, which feels like nothing after eating the biryani, lol! The meat leans towards more bony, so would prefer chunks of goat without bone, but aye, more collagen this way amiright? (Doesn’t come with rice or naan, but I don’t mind since I can easily make rice at home) (rating: 9/10)
visit #2 (take out again)
honest reviews below 👇
Kadai Chicken: better than what we anticipated (not that we were expecting something bad, just ordering Indian food is still shooting in the dark for me sometimes). I loved the relatively whole wedges of tomato, the tender chicken, and the sauce that was savory with a spice that doesn’t overwhelm you (until you’ve eaten half of the container). Pairing this with rice is THE move to soak up all of that tomato-based gravy. (rating: 10/10)
Goat Biryani: like the gongura chicken biryani, this was jam-packed with goat (granted, bone-in and you had to gnaw, but the collagen and bone marrow made the work worth it). The rice was just as flavorful and perfectly cooked as the chicken biryani, but not as spicy as the gongura chicken because it wasn’t using the gongura sauce. (rating: 10/10)
Vijayawada Paneer: each paneer was coated with so much flavor, and the fried cashews gave me the nostalgic feeling that I was eating kung pao chicken in the best way possible. This dish was super mild and not spicy at all, and was a great respite between bites of the rest of our order. Absolutely addicting! I can only imagine how much more delicious it would be served hot right off the stove (we got take-out this time). (rating: 10/10)
visit #3: Triveni Express! (Another location, near UNCC)
honest reviews below 👇
Punjabi Samosa (2x): this was delicious. Their style of pastry shell is more like the texture of a Hot Pocket rather than a super flakey pastry strudel (just a FYI), and the filling was very flavorful. I really enjoyed it with the green sauce that they served it with! (rating: 9/10)
Chicken Fry: I wasn’t exactly sure what this was, but it ended up being many chicken legs cut to fragments with a saucy seasoned coating. The flavor was delicious (but quite spicy), and the chicken meat itself was tender and moist, but with the chicken pieces cut in such a fragmented, haphazard way, it was hard to navigate how to eat. It felt like I was running into bone with every bite—wouldn’t get it again simply because it felt like a lot of work for not much meat (and that’s coming from someone who LOVES her bone-in meat). (rating: 5.5/10)
Chicken Kheema Pulao: after googling, it seems that “pulao” is like a rice pilaf, so we ordered it to compare with biryani, which is made with basmati rice. Overall, I prefer Triveni’s biryani over this pulao dish, because I enjoy basmati rice more. I also preferred the amount of meat included in the biryani—which felt like more than this pulao. (rating: 5/10)
Vegetarian Full Thali: my friends got this, and none of us really knew what was on the tray (and didn’t attempt to ask), there was SO much food, and such a variety! This seems like a Triveni Express-specific menu item, as I haven’t seen it offered at the Triveni Indian Market yet. (rating: NA)
the RÉSUMÉ
address // 300 S Polk St, Pineville, NC 28134
operations // every day, 10:00 AM - 9:30 PM
logistics // free parking available in the lot outside the store; the flow of traffic is one way, so if it looks like all the spots are filled, fear not! They do have additional parking space that extends to the back.
amenities //
2 bathrooms
no free public WiFi
accessible — i.e., tables are accommodating to wheelchairs (it might be cramped though), well-lit interior, etc.
indoor seating is cafeteria-style, and quite limited
outdoor seating available in the back in the parking lot
vibes // cafeteria-in-a-grocery-store; pretty homey
menu //
beverages ($2.00 - $5.50): mango lassi, masala chai, coffee, Badam milk, falooda
desserts ($5.00 - $6.00): gulab jamun, various Indian-style cakes, cookies, etc.
appetizers/finger food ($5.00 - $7.00): gobi 65, samosas, pakora, chaat, bajji, pani puri, etc.
food food ($6.00 - $16.00): dosas, dal, curry, biryani, tandoori, tikka masala, butter chicken, etc.
⭐ paneer, chicken, goat
⭐ all meat is Halal-certified
recs // you cannot go wrong with any of their biryani; and we’ve also loved their curries (but rice isn’t included, so either order it separately or cook some at home)
site // Triveni Supermarket
Other locations (that I’ve gotten to visit)
📍Triveni Express — Cafe & Bakery
❤️ just focused on serving food, so the menu is larger and more consistent
❤️ free parking in the lot right out front, plenty of spaces
❤️ accessible (well-lit, table height accommodating to wheelchairs)
💔 gets really crowded during dinner hours, so you could be sharing a table with other folks!
That’s such a nice cake display case! Loving the new post!