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Bombay Café
Categories: Restaurants Indian Restaurants Pakistani Indian, Pakistani [Edit]
175 Massachusetts Ave(between Belvidere St & St Germain St)
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 247-0555
- Nearest Transit:
-
183 Massachusetts Ave Opp Christian Science Ctr (1)
Massachusetts Ave @ Clearway St (1, 170)
Massachusetts Ave @ Belvidere St (1, 170)
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 11:30 am - 11 pm
Sun 12 pm - 10 pm
- Parking:
- Street
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
68 reviews for Bombay Café
Review Highlights
"Definitely check out the lunch buffet."
(in 23 reviews)
"Naan with chicken tikka masala."
(in 4 reviews)
"I love the saag paneer and the chicken tikka malasa."
(in 7 reviews)
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68 reviews in English
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Review from Hungry G.
Rexburg, ID
12/10/2011
If you're not a connoisseur of Indian food, and want to make "first contact" with a new ethnic food, this is a great place to start. I stumbled upon this place last year and I still remember my lunch there fondly. It was my gateway to Indian food.
The $7.00 buffet is an incredible deal and delicious to boot. I was amazed by the chicken tikka marsala (chicken in a rich, spice filled sauce) and the saag paneer (creamed spinach and Indian cheese-far tastier than it sounds). The pakoras (deep fried and battered vegetable balls) were also a tasty surprise. The curry was rich and savory, but not as spicy as I expected. I understand they keep it milder at the buffet to suit more timid palates. The naan (a leavened, baked flatbread) was also very good, and just the thing for soaking up all the delicious Indian sauces.
My only complaint is that they didn't label the dishes for newbies, but the waiter/manager (?) was very helpful in answering my many questions. If you're curious about Indian food, this is a great place to "stick your toe in the water" and get started. You'll be immersed in this delicious cuisine before you know it. -
Review from Julia H.
ALLSTON, MA
2/7/2012
I went to this restaurant with a friend this afternoon. There was only one guy working in the whole cafe, and he didn't even greet us--because he was talking on his cell phone. He haphazardly sat us after he finally noticed us in the midst of his conversation, practically throwing the utensils and napkins on the table because he only had one free hand. He gestured us to the buffet table and we found the food was not well stocked, looked somewhat old and untended. I wanted to ask questions about the food, but he was too busy talking on his phone. We didn't even stay to try anything.
I was INCREDIBLY put off by this guy's attitude, very obviously talking on his cell phone WHILE WORKING. Never going there again, I don't care how good the food might be, that's just plain rude. -
Review from Francis C.
Wellesley, MA
9/24/2011
I used to live across the street and I remember one time, I came here and ate every day for about a week. The buffet menu never changes but I don't care...it's the type of curry that I like! Staff is very friendly! They lose a star because during lunch time it's really frustrating because they never have enough nan. It's always empty when I go for my first round and then when they bring it out, it's like hungry vultures attacking their prey...everyone just goes for it...so then of course I either get only 1 piece or none.
But lack of nan will never stop me from coming here. I live too far now but when I'm in the area I try to make a stop.
Oh yeah and it's one of those restaurants that's super "solo" friendly...there are tons of people who just walk in and eat alone so that's definitely a plus. -
Review from Jason G.
Newtonville, MA
1/17/2012
Not a lot to say....traditional North Indian food done acceptably. Went for the lunch buffet, food quality was ok but nothing special. If you're looking for mild flavors and moderate ingredients this is your place. Lunch buffet is probably the best value (~$7/person). Options were: tandoori chicken, chicken masalla, saag paneer, channa (chick pea) masalla, veg korma, naan and pakora.
If ethnic foods aren't part of your usual fare then this might be a good place to start. However, if you're already accustomed to curries you're better off elsewhere. The flavors for the lunch buffet are somewhat muddy.
If anyone knows of an authentic South (Kerala) Indian restaurant please let me know! -
Review from Ashish J.
Boston, MA
1/24/2012
Best for the lunch buffet
$7 buffet is a pretty good deal
Not the most elaborate of menus, but still more than good enough for $7
Includes a couple of starters like Pakoras, Samosas, tikkis...Varies each day
Has 3 choiices in Vegetarian entrees like Spinach with cottage cheese, Chich peas masala and Dal which is a lentil stew and a couple in the non vegetarian section
Kheer as the desert is perfect
Haven't been here other than for the lunch buffet, but I'm certain that the food will be good, prices might be not as good as a $7 deal but still pretty moderate -
Review from Kristen W.
Westwood, MA
Updated - 12/6/2011
Love the lunch buffet!
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Review from Leslie L.
Boston, MA
4/21/2011
I really like this place and have been a customer since I moved to Boston 6 years ago.
The folks here are really friendly and I don't feel weird going there to enjoy the lunch buffet alone.
The prices are great... and get this.... they deliver... for FREE in the evenings (pick up my jaw off the floor). You mean, I can sit in my jammies and order INDIAN FOOD, to my APARTMENT, and it gets there in about 30 MINUTES? ARE YOU SERIOUS?
Yes, folks, it's serious. Many-an-Indian-Food Coma I have enjoyed in the comfort of my apartment, courtesy of Bombay Cafe.
The place is not as fancy or renovated as some other places, but when it comes to Indian food, I couldn't care less. If they served Indian food in the bathroom of the Baltimore Amtrak station, I'd still be game. Nothing else matters in life when I have Indian Food in front of me.
I love their dish with the Okra. And the Aloo Gobhi and the Aloo Cholee. And they're onion chutney is out of this world. I always order a huge side of it on the side, because I slop that stuff on my Indian food like it's nobody's business. -
Review from Marilyn T.
Palo Alto, CA
4/30/2011
Oh my ghetto, local, cheap Indian lunch buffet staple on Mass Ave. It's not fancy, but it's super inexpensive, kind of ghetto, and never overly crowded.
It's also conveniently located, easily accessible by bus or T. Beware: you'll definitely get a post buffet food coma. -
Review from Abigail C.
Waltham, MA
10/2/2011
Came in to grab saag paneer and a side of naan before a gig. It came out quickly and was absolutely delicious! Plenty of food for lunch the next day. My only gripe was that there wasn't any plasticware in the to go bag, but since I didn't ask, I considered it my bad. Aren't you supposed to use your hands anyway?
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Review from Tyler F.
Boston, MA
6/20/2011
This place is one of my favorites for a lot of food for a little price. I go there at least once a week. I think the waiter(s) are super nice and it is such a easy and convenient atmosphere.
Basically, you walk in, find a table, put your stuff down, and head right to the buffet. They only have 6 or 7 things that they make on the buffet but they do it right. I couldn't tell you one name of something I always eat, but i know it by the color. The red chicken and sauce is amazing as well as the red BBQ'd chicken (two separate things).
Definitely try everything because you will keep coming back. And the best part is your total comes to $7.45 every time. Got love the consistency! -
Review from Alicia A.
Boston, MA
12/7/2011
I got take-out yesterday from here and had the curry chicken. It was just ok. It wasn't very good, but it wasn't necessarily bad. My friend had the chilli chicken. She had the same reaction. Then for dessert, I had the gulab jamun, which I usually looove from other places. The balls absorbed all the liquid so it was wet, but they had the texture of really stale, hard sponge cake. I hope that makes sense lol. Plus, inside there were like hard pellets inside. Someone suggested that it was because they weren't cooked right. Bleh, they destroyed a dessert I love.
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Review from Justin V.
ALLSTON, MA
9/14/2011
I used to live around the corner and gosh darn, is this place jawesome.
I have only been for the lunch buffet but for $7 you get really great food. The pakoras are incredible, rice is always perfect, chicken tikka keeps my mouth watering for hours afterwards and the naan is pretty explanatory.
There are usually 2 dudes running front of house and they're very friendly and usually recognize my friend and I. They're always quick to take away our plates, refill our water and restock food when it's running low.
Only drawback is that sometimes loud/smelly Berklee kids are there, but considering I was once one of them I've gotten used to it.
Even though I don't live particularly close to it anymore I still make the trip into the city once in awhile. -
Review from Tony T.
Boston, MA
8/28/2011
Cheap and tasty. Naan with chicken tikka masala. Nice and buttery. Yum.
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Review from Bindiya T.
Boston, MA
11/19/2011
Don't like their buffet, even for the price, I think you can do better. Having had Indian food all my life, definitely not worthy of re-visiting.
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Review from Nicolas M.
Montclair, NJ
4/23/2011
I've been to this Indian eatery on many occasions, but I had yet to talk about it somewhere until now. In an age where better quality food is becoming more and more hostile to one's budget, it is rare to find a quaint and intimate little place like this that offers an all you can eat lunch buffet for only around 6 or 7 dollars. This place is incredible in the way that they have not only great traditional Indian food, but an attentive and thoughtful wait staff. The men who work there rush around the restaurant, but do it because they seem to care about their patrons and that everything is clean and tidy for them. Soda and refills are an extra cost, but there is always water on the table. Surely one can drink water every so often..
The interior of the place is quite nice. There is Indian artwork on the walls and everything is neatly presented. It seems as if you're eating in a more expensive restaurant, but when you come here for the lunch buffet, you're getting quite an attractive value for your money. After the lunch hours, everything goes back to standard menu price, but you cannot beat this value for an afternoon out with friends, co-workers, or even yourself. -
Review from dave r.
9/19/2010
Eating their veggie pakora as I type. Ordered delivery from Bombay Cafe this evening, was disappointed. Ordered the malai kofta to try something new. The description -- "Vegetable balls cooked with onions in a creamy tomato sauce with almonds, cashews and raisins" -- was technically what arrived, but there were only four "balls" and they were tiny, and the sauce was very very thin.
So, half a star because I should probably have done more research before ordering what I did, and half a star for their $6.95 vegetarian platter, which contained two palak tikki, two veggie samosas & three veggie pakoras. All were tasty. The broccoli naan I got was decent, but unnoteworthy.
I probably won't order blind off their menu again, especially for delivery, but I may swing around to try out this $7 buffet people are talking about. -
Review from Eric W.
Boston, MA
9/1/2011
I went here for the first time for the afternoon lunch buffet. While there wasn't a very large variety of options, and the food wasn't well labeled (something I just like to know, especially as an inexperienced Indian food eater), the food was delicious. Pretty much everything had a nice spice to it, and there seemed to be plenty of everything, though the fresh naan ran out right as my group and I left. The buffet is very inexpensive too. I'd definitely tell friends to check this place out.
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Review from Ron C.
Malden, MA
7/11/2010 2 Check-ins Here
The value you get from this place can't be beat!!!
Been coming here for years.
As far as i'm concerned...Tandoori chicken is India's gift to the planet!
Throw in some rice, chicken tika masala and garlic nan....AWESOME!! -
Review from Juliana N.
Boston, MA
10/20/2010 1 Check-in Here
Go here for one reason: LUNCH BUFFET ~$7!!!
Chicken tika masala is SO GOOD. it's cheap. it's good. it's quick. it's convenient. its a buffet!!!!
What more can i say? (Ooo, that rhymes!) -
Review from R A.
Boston, MA
12/24/2010
Don't come here for an Indian "experience". Come here for lunch -- for quick, decent, affordable food. You can't beat the price of their generous buffet, and I'll echo Ingrid P about the servers; they are definitely friendly fellows.
If you'd like to try an entree, I recommend the shrimp saag -- delicious. It's that dish, the cheap lunch buffet, and the friendliness which guarantee I'll return to Bombay Cafe.
The only thing I would recommend against is their naan. It had often come to me luke warm and a little stale, so I stopped ordering it. Of course, they may have improved the bread since, but I thought I'd let you know. -
Review from Shaina S.
Somerville, MA
9/19/2007
I think this place is great for the price.
Keywords: "For the price."
It's cheap and good. It's priced for a college kid budget, so you might notice little quality issues, like the amount of cheese in the saag paneer is minimal. The buffet doesn't change frequently. It's fairly clean, though you'd never know from the outside.
To break it down: If you're cheap, and you think Indian food is great, but you're not too picky about it, this is the perfect place to go for the lunch buffet. -
Review from Purvi R.
Boston, MA
1/26/2009
Pretty standard indian fare that we ordered for delivery last night. Bf got the chicken vindaloo (spicy) and I had the mutter paneer (medium). An order of naan and raita (1 order was enough for both of us) and we had ourselves a pretty hearty meal.
Our delivery time was quoted at 45min-1hr, and I believe it fell in that range. Everything was hot when it arrived. at $30 for 2 dinners and the accessories it wasn't a terrible experience. We were fulllll that's for sure!
Sad they didn't have salty lassi's (I'm a salt-a-holic). -
Review from Danielle W.
Somerville, MA
9/22/2007
If you don't look carefully you might just pass this Indian buffet as another in the wall, cheapo, crappy place. But on the contrary, it may be one of the cheapest Indian buffets in the area, but the food is good. Unfortunately they do not really vary dishes but what they do have there is always good.
The resataurant itself is pretty nice, unlike the outward appearance. They have murals, small table settings with a candle at each table, and an overall nice atmosphere. I am usually only there for lunch, but I can always grab a table without waiting. Also the waiter is usually quite nice and will always keep a full glass of water infront of you.Listed in: Regular Visits
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Review from Mallory S.
Boston, MA
7/20/2010
Came here for the lunch buffet with co-workers a few weeks ago. It was alright. This place is small, dark and it was eerily quiet (would have been nice to have some background music).
The food at the buffet was alright (maybe 3 stars) but nothing was labeled.. so I had no idea what I was eating but luckily most the Indian buffet fare is similar and I'm not a picky eater.
The cost was $6.95 for the buffet. It's a good deal, but I would not go back. Still looking for a good Indian buffet in the Fenway area... -
Review from Meghan B.
Bloomington, IL
8/1/2008
Very solid lunch buffet, for a great price.
The space is cramped, both when seated and when getting food. But all the more reason the food remains the focus --and rightfully so. A good mix of vegetarian and meat dishes, staff that makes things easy, and no rush to move along as you lean back and rub yer belly.
A very casual space, but the food is a great value and very tasty. I really liked it. -
Review from stephanie t.
Brooklyn, NY
4/4/2007
I was going to give Bombay Cafe three stars because of the price of the lunch buffet ($5.95, cheap for Boston). But I can't do it. The food was that mediocre.
Other people have summarized what they offer. After seeing the "15 item buffet" sign outside I was disappointed to find out that they really only have 5 or 6 dishes. Other items include papadam, sauces, etc. Everything I ate was very bland. The chicken tikka masala was grossly sweet, the tandori chicken was dry and cold, and the naan was wet and doughy. Even the kheer was boring, without any hint of cardamom or spices. The papadam were decent, and the pakoras were surprisingly okay too, but no one should go out of their way for these.
It also bothered me that their policy is not to pick up used plates off your table until you leave.
I am the world's biggest cheapskate (i.e. a poor doctoral student), but even then, I'd so much rather spend the extra $2 to go to Kebab Factory, aka Indian lunch buffet heaven. -
Review from Rosalind C.
Atlanta, GA
8/7/2008
It was a very popular lunch spot with its $5.99 buffet. Healthy sized portions of samosas, flavorful curries, delicious mango lassis and ice cream. One person in our party was an Indian food novice and she loved everything.
Highly recommended. -
Review from Matt H.
Boston, MA
7/15/2008
It's the cheapest (or at least tied for the cheapest) Indian buffet on Mass. Ave.. Does the price effect the food? Yes, but not as much as you'd think.
This place has 6-7 good dishes which is less then Bhindi Bazaar, much less then Kashmir, but it gets the job done. What keeps me coming back is the friendly owner and never and never having to for a table.
My recommendation:
If you're a foodie looking for an authentic Indian dining experience, go to Kashmir, It's definitely worth it.
If you are a local looking for a cheap grub, you can do a lot worse then Bombay Cafe. -
Review from Jimmy H.
Boston, MA
Updated - 12/17/2008
For the first time in 16 years, I put my foot in this place for dinner hours. And man.... I didn't realize buffet and dinner taste soooo different. Just by temperature, it makes such a difference in flavor.
Contrary to busyness during lunch hours, this place is very, very quiet during the dinner hour. I was with my friend who is a desi expat from UK, needless to say, he could be very, very critical on Indian cuisine.
The order was taking a bit long but we didn't feel necessary to complain. However, the staff thought it was inappropriately taking long. So he gave compliment of Indian cracker with yogurt dip.
My vegetable samosa arrived. My god it was gorgeous. During the buffet hour, I usually don't pick this dish because I always thought they weren't all that great. But when they are hot, it tastes spectacular.
This goes to nan as well. My friend ordered garlic nan and that tasted great. Nice and chewy... and hot.
I requested lamb biryani spicy. Most of the time when I have a choice on level of spiciness, I usually order the hottest. And most of the time, it tastes "moderately" hot to me.
But be careful when you go to Indian restaurant. Because they don't fuck around when they are asked to make it spicy. It completely cleared up my sinus and sweat was pouring from my forehead.Listed in: My buffet list
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/10/2008
If you are snobby, posh and only looking for quality and best taste Indian food in Boston, F**k off.… Read more »
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Review from N Z.
Boston, MA
6/29/2009
Short story:
Terrible. Flat out terrible. I didn't know if I was supposed to eat the saag paneer with naan or drink it with a spoon.
For a better bang for the buck go to Bhindi Bazaar or India Samraat just up the street.
Long story:
Food = bland and watery. (The buffet should have one of those
Chai = sugary brown water. (Where's the spice and why is it $3?!)
Service = what service?
I do not take giving poor ratings to local shops lightly. I went to this place a year ago, discovered how awful it was, and realized it was a possible candidate for the "1 star".
To validate my hypothesis, I put Bombay Cafe in quarantine for a year before my return.
I hoped my palate had been way off and my observations were off that day. Alas, my hopes were quickly dashed. My iron belly stopped the buffet with the first plate - it had met it's match. -
Review from Jessica L.
San Francisco, CA
7/8/2008
Per usual, I was craving Butter Chicken. I got here for lunch and the buffet looked good, but all I wanted was my favorite dish. So, I ordered it....what a mistake. Everyone who ate the buffet looked happy.
Then there was me. The dish tasted like chunks of chicken in a super sugary tomato soup. Maybe Campbells. The garlic naan was dry and blah, not garlicky. And, to top it all off, the buffet was $6 and my meal was almost $20. Rip....off. -
Review from Elena A.
Queens, NY
12/10/2009
Not the most amazing Indian food but just good enough to always satisfy my craving for Chicken Makhani (aka Butter Chicken).
Price is decent and the amount of food is worth the value. Delivery was always around 30-45 minutes for me, so it was my go-to cheap, quick indian dinner place. -
Review from Mary M.
Charlemont, MA
1/22/2010
Review is for buffet only.
This buffet is pretty much exactly what you'd expect it to be, with no pleasant surprises but also no real letdowns. If you wanted a quiet lunch with some interesting food, this would be a bad choice: the place is slammed with Berklee students and rather loud, and the food is nothing exceptional but perfectly acceptable. It's pretty much the standard stuff: pakoras (no samosas), naan, rice, and a bunch of steam-table stuff including the usual suspects such as chicken tikka masala, channa masala, saag this'n'that, etc. Flavorings were rather bland (I don't mean mild, I mean bland), and most dishes were a little on the watery side, but not problematically so. If what you want is a casual lunch with plenty of food, it's not a bad choice. -
Review from Chung T.
Hampton, VA
5/25/2008
We were gonna go to Bhindi Bazaar Cafe today for some all-you-can-eat Indian cuisine, but on our way there, we passed by Bombay and its sign which said, "$5.95! ALL YOU CAN EAT!" Since we already had Bhindi before, we figured what do we got to lose by trying Bombay?
Turned out that the food is about the same between the two restaurants. They both got chicken, one in sauce, one BBQed. They both got rice and bread. They both got these funky looking sauce that tastes about the same even though the colors are different. They both got the sweet rice pudding thingie. And they're both pretty damn good.
So, if you don't care about how the place looks, might as well go for Bombay Cafe! It's just as good, and 2 dollars cheaper! -
Review from Linda S.
Cambridge, MA
3/25/2010
So I was in the mood to try a different Indian restaurant, but I didn't want to leave my house. I went online, looked over the options at Foodler, and once again (stupidly), did not cross-reference with Yelp before I ordered.
When will I learn?
The chicken korma was passable; nothing fantastic. The peshwari naan tasted a little stale and was too crispy. This would have been fine if not for the fact that it took an hour and forty-five minutes to deliver to me.
They didn't call me to let me know about the delay; I had to call them. When I did call, the man was apologetic enough, but did not offer any compensation except for a discount for "next time."
I assured him there wouldn't be a next time, and there won't. There are plenty of places you can get much better Indian food in a much more timely fashion. -
Review from Tony L.
Fremont, CA
4/29/2007
I've been here way too many times for my own good, but because of the fact its the closest Indian restaurant to my apartment, I've been a regular here for a few years now. I don't get particularly picky when it comes to Indian food, as long the buffet offers the usual suspects that I love.
The staff have always been friendly with me here, and its usually not too hard to get a table without a wait. I like the fact you get your own pitcher of water you can pour for yourself, since I almost always get really thirsty throughout my meals here. -
Review from Shane M.
Boston, MA
2/26/2009
Didn't change my life but sated my desire for Indian, and close enough to walk to. I went for lunch, had the buffet. One plus, when the food was coming right out, it was generally really good, especially the naan and tandoori chicken.
Also had a chicken dish, saag (spinach), onion bhaji. The raita was pretty tasty, the onion chutney was needed to spice it up past safe American tastes. No mint chutney.
Two other pluses: The lunch buffet goes until 5pm for late eaters like me, and with Berklee nearby there's enough student diners to keep the food rotating. -
Review from Ingrid P.
Brookline, MA
4/14/2010
Pretty much the worst Indian food in Boston.
But the guys who run this place are pretty awesome, if you're here you should chat with them. So, for them, I gave Bombay Cafe an extra star.
And the decor reminds me of my dad's restaurant, but sorry, no stars for nastalgia.
In short, only eat here for the buffet if you're a Berklee kid in need of a quick lunch. -
Review from Allyson G.
Boston, MA
7/28/2010
I came here for dinner with a friend. It was surprisingly empty, but that did result in quick service. We both had the chicken curry (mild for her, hot for me) and both of us agreed that it was tasty and flavorful. The prices were reasonable and we both had enough to take home leftovers. I'll return!
Listed in: Boston-area
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Review from MissP ..
Peterborough, NH
11/26/2007
This place was open late - late for a Thanksgiving night that is...While everyone was enjoying their post tryptophan stupor, we were delightfully surprised to have found this little resto near Symphony Hall. The food was delicious (more so perhaps because we were ravenous..) - veggie curry, vegetable korma, shahi paneer korma. The nan was fresh and warm and the lassi was perfect accompaniment to the heat of the meal. Overall - a great find and will definitely visit again.
