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Bombay Express
Rating Details »
- Nearest Transit:
-
50th St-8th Ave (C, E)
50th St-Broadway (1)
7th Ave-53rd St (B, D, E)
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
17 reviews for Bombay Express
I first ate here a few years ago, and was excited to see that they had a dish of paneer korma. I love korma, and I love paneer, but had never seen the two together before. And when I tried it, it surpassed even my hopes. AMAZING. Ever since then, I've looked for paneer korma at ever Indian restaurant I've come across--in multiple cities and countries--and have never found it. So I had to come back.
Although other dishes sound good, I will always get the paneer korma. But I've been here with other people, and they have enjoyed their non-paneer korma dishes. Also, the peshwari naan is very good.
The wait staff is very nice, and although the restaurant usually seems pretty empty, I see delivery guys coming and going constantly. I keep intending to come for lunch, because the $6.95 lunch special is a fantastic deal, but even if don't make it until later, it's still worth the money.
This place looked a little old and worn , but they recently added a new sign outside and now it looks brand new!
Their entrees are okay.. I usually get the Rogan Josh? Prices are reasonable and don't forget to order some garlic naan!
They also have some lunch buffet that I go to on Sunday, not bad at all. Owner/ Manager guy is very friendly and gave me free dessert once... but then I am not sure if everyone gets it anyway...
Rogan Josh plus naan bread = 4 stars!
1pm on a Saturday. Empty.
Why? It's $6.95 lunch special with 1 curry, salad, rice, and naan and air conditioning. I don't know what more you want from a lunch special... I thought it was a super awesome deal. Why weren't you there? What? Busy eating Thai at one of the 27 Yum Yums in the hood? Go get it! Go on. get.
I'll admit, my mind wasn't *blown* by the food... but it was pretty good and made for a happy tummy and subsequent food coma. The curry wasn't too spicy, very milky and the chicken was nice and tender. Naan was done right too. I find some Indian places cook the bejesus out of their chicken. So props to these guys.
So, this is right next to Afghan Kebab House and we were debating which one to go to. I knew what to expect of Afghan Kebab House but did not know whether I could trust Bombay Express (though this stretch of Hell's Kitchen has been rather good to me food wise). We took our chance and came in despite the restaurant being rather empty.
Mark and I had been walking for a bit and were just happy to even be sitting. And as soon as we did, the waiter came by with some crispy bread cousin of the dosa and the accompanying three sauces (the green wannabe spicy one, the sweet bbq like marroon one and the pickled onions). Mark is of Indian descent so I told him I'd leave it to him to order. Since it's customary in his family to eat biryani around this time of the year, we ordered a vegetarian version of this and the lamb daal saag.
You could taste the coconut milk in the biryani and the sultanas in it also provide a slightly sweet touch to this dish. The lamb was wonderfully cooked. Tender and full of flavor and with just enough spinach and lentils around it to mix in well with the basmati rice. Portions are large and we could easily have done with just one entree as it comes with a large heap of basmati rice.
While we were there, the place filled up completely. And while service could have been faster, the great thing was that we never felt as they wanted to turnover our table as fast as possible. In fact, people came and went and we just sat talking in our little area. Dishes were not spicy at all and I heard another table order "extra, extra spicy" so maybe you just need to really emphasize that you Probably won't be back since there's a lot of good food in the three block radius.
My first non Cruise Ship Indian food!
[Don't ask]
I'd grown a bit bored with Thai, so I figured, why not try Indian. When I saw my favorite words on this restaurant's menu, my heart filled with insatiable joy: Lunch Special.
I was the first person in there, and I ordered Chicken Tikka Masala to go...took it back to my school, and ate it.
The portion was huge. I mean...a pint of rice, huge naan, and a bucket of the entree. I couldn't eat it all...had to toss the salad.
It was pretty tasty, but I won't be coming back much.
I can't eat that much food! T_T
I noticed Bombay Express on my walks to the Port Authority on 9th Avenue. I was hungry and love Indian food, so I figured I'd give it a shot.
I bought Tandoori Chicken and Brown Rice and the Saag Poneer. I was pretty pleased with all of the food. Good sized portions, and not too expensive. The staff was super nice and made conversation as I waited for my food.
I've ordered from there several times since, and have been pleased each time.
I enjoyed this place. We arrived about six on a Monday. It was empty. I ordered Malai Kofta, very good. My dinner mate ordered beef in coconut sauce, also delicious. The nan was good. We got rice pudding and mango chutney free (don't know if that's normal or not). Pricing was very decent. I think my only complaint is when the music disk ended, it would take a good ten minutes before they turned it back on. Because it was so empty the lack of music probably broadcasted our conversation into the kitchen! But, overall not disappointed. Left extremely full.
I am stuck at my desk today and was craving some chicken tikka masala.
Fast delivery!
Chicken Tikka Masala Lunch special - comes with naan, rice and salad - $7.25
One word - YUM
*Great Midtown Lunch*
I can't think of a better lunch special deal. For $8ish bucks you get a pint of rice, a decent serving or your main dish, and a naan. It tastes great, to boot. I'm not crazy about the Chicken Tikka, but the Lamb dished (Madras, for instance) is really really good. If you eat like a normal person, you will either be extremely full or have a little leftover.
I've only done delivery, so I'm not sure if the deal is the same for eat in.
So I had a hankering for Indian Food and decided to give the places in Hell's Kitchen a try. I placed the order (2 entrees) thru Seamless Web and chose Bombay Ex because they estimated a faster delivery time.
So, an hour later, no food, and I pull up the confirmation, which varied --lots-- in the delivery time. The confirmation said 50 mins, while the website said 30 mins. Okay, no big deal, I have waited the hour--then the doorbell rings. It is the delivery from Bombay Express, but I notice the bag feels awfully light. I look inside and it contains one entree. I check with the wife, who was not in the mood for Indian anyway. I tell the delivery fellow--who is sure the rest of the order is coming real soon--to take the bag back to the restaurant,
Thank goodness I ordered thru Seamless /web, 'cos the restaurant did not want to cancel the order.
I will not order from Bombay Express again, not ever. Who needs this agita?
Love, love, love this place! Sure, the authentic smell of spices may be a bit overwhelming when you first come through the door, but the food...the FOOD is so darn good! Portions are huge and tasty, service is amicable, and it is quiet and calm so you can chew in peace.
I wouldn't say that Bombay Express is memorable for its "ambiance" or stellar wait staff. However- you won't go home on an empty stomach and you are almost always guaranteed to take some food along for the road.
I've loved eating here ever since I've stumbled into it after visiting the 'The Gates' in central park couple of years ago. Usually places suck after they've been open a while - it seems that way for most Indian restaurants - but this place has maintained a constant level of quality food and service.
If you're new to South Asian food, there's no place better to start with. You will keep going back.
And yes...when you're there, tell them Emon sent you. :)
not bad, not great
i read other yelpers reviews about how good the lunch specials were so i decided to try it out myself with some friends when were were craving some indian food. i was disapointed to find out they only had their buffet lunch option for $8.99.
The choices were okay, I like really spicy food so I was sad I couldn't order a spicier option, the nan was really soft and fresh. It was okay for a lunch buffet, nothing special.
This is my go-to for a weekday Indian buffet in Midtown. I'm usually the only person there when I go at lunch, which is too bad because this place is pretty good. They have the usual chicken tikka masala, naan bread, and the couple of veggie entrees. The food is better than your average Indian buffet and it won't break your bank account.
We stumbled upon this place drunk and hungry in midtown. We didn't expect much from an Indian place in midtown, but I was pleasantly surprised. They were about to close but seated us anyway. Their food was great and not expensive at all ($35 including tip for 3 of us). If I remember right, it was an intimate atmosphere but not too romantic for three straight guys eating together. Try it! It's even worth commuting to it.
In the moment, I thought the food was pretty good, but I realized that I was craving Indian food and I was quite hungry. The next afternoon, I was at Jackson Diner and that gave me a sense of perspective, and made me realize how not-good the food at Bombay Express was. Let me say that for one, our chicken makhni and chicken tikka biryani was warm, not hot, meaning that it was probably reheated from a prior preparation, and that too not well. The meat was coarse and had too much of that red dye they use for tandoori chicken. The biryani was was not even worth the mention. The naan and pappadum were the only saving grace. The pappadum went well with their mint and tamarind sauces. Oh, also, the sweet lassi was too viscous and quite sickeningly sweet, gross! Reasonable prices but not worth it. The decor here is laughable. You'd think they'd find a way to use the raw beauty of an exposed brick wall, but somehow they've even managed to ruin that.
While their delivery is quick, everything else is not. The dinner hour featured some of the slowest service I've experienced (nearly 45 min) and the food was not spectacular by any means. During the lunch hour I expected better from their (recently inflated) $9.95 a person all you can eat, to realizing the food was as bland as the restaurant's decor. This is place is ideal otherwise for its speedy delivery and good service despite the subpar food and limited buffet variety. One would fare better at other Indian restaurants downtown and in Queens than you would here. Only good if desperate and try going for the chicken tikka masala or palak paneer if necessary.
