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Bombay Indian Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Indian Indian [Edit]
2217 Market St(between Sanchez St & 15th St)
San Francisco, CA 94114
Neighborhood: Castro
(415) 861-6655
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11:30 am - 10:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
213 reviews for Bombay Indian Restaurant
Review Highlights
"great NAN bread and great Chicken Tikka Masala."
(in 18 reviews)
"This place does dinner, lunch buffet AND delivers."
(in 38 reviews)
"terrific, chewy, warm, buttery (but not greasy) NAAN."
(in 56 reviews)
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213 reviews in English
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Review from Tereza M.
Mountain View, CA
12/3/2011 Purchased a Yelp Deal 1 Check-in Here
This restaurant was fantastic. Just visited it on the yelp deal and we had a great time there. The service was prompt and very courteous.
I highly recommend the yogurt based curry. Very flavorfule, even in the mild version I got. My fiance got the ginger curry - it was OK. Not bad, but also not great.
The only thing that threw me off about this place was that they don't serve rice with their curries (or nan for that matter). The also don't point this out to you while you're ordering which is sort of lame. So, you end up ordering them later. -
Review from Elizabeth G.
San Francisco, CA
1/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
Yep - I checked in here on Christmas eve for dinner.... what else could put you in the holiday spirit better than an empty indian restaurant?
Kidding. Kidding. (Sort of...)
This place was the only open and not jam-packed place in the Castro on Christmas eve. We wanted something casual and quiet so we decided - what the hell. The service was pretty good and it was totally quiet, which was nice at the time. The naan was decent, much thicker than I've had elsewhere and wasn't as flavorful as I usually expect it to be (we got garlic and onion).
We ordered chicken korma, masala and curry. They didn't come with rice!!! What the heck? Isn't that expected? We had to ask for a side of rice and the waiter was almost hesitant to bring us some rice and brought us one plate to share so we had to ask for more. Maybe I'm naive, but I generally think I know my indian food and have always assumed these dishes come with a side of rice... big let down.
I do appreciate the descriptions in the menu and that they have a decent beer/wine menu. Also it was priced very reasonably so they've got that going for them....
So, meh - not great, but not terrible. It served the purpose of being quiet, empty and quick on Christmas eve but certainly not the best food I've had. -
Review from Rat a tat R.
San Francisco, CA
12/14/2011
The $25 for two got me in here for dinner. I left not extremely impressed, but not unsatisfied either.
Bombay Indian Restaurant is pretty much your standard Indian restaurant, with the typical offerings, preparations, taste, and price. If you're in the neighborhood and craving Indian, Bombay is a good option. Service was a bit slow, especially considering the restaurant was empty when we were there, but the food warmed us up from the cold temperatures upon arriving. Not at the tippy top of my list, but I'd return. -
Review from Andrew S.
San Ramon, CA
2/2/2012
This rating is based on the service, not on the food.
We went in here a few weeks ago with a gift certificate that was only good for that day. Meaning, I bought it that day and was expected to use it that day; those were the certificate's terms of use. You'd think the staff would know they had the deal out, right? Wrong.
We went in with our certificate and the manager said he wouldn't accept it. We paid ten dollars for the coupon and were supposed to get $20 worth of food. He said that he was no longer accepting certificates from that company. Alright, I understand if he had a bad experience with the company and wanted to cancel, but we bought the certificate HOURS BEFORE. Why did he continue doing business and allow a deal to be put out that day with KGB if he was unhappy with their terms?
Also, the restaurant was completely empty so he really could have used the business. There were 3 of us and we would have racked up a bill big enough to still make a good sale even with the discount.
Anyway, we were having mad cravings for Indian food so we went down the street to Pakwan instead. We ordered three entrees, appetizers, desserts, naan, and beverages. Everything was DELICIOUS and I was happy to give them our business instead of Bombay. Plus, everything was so affordable that it came out to be cheaper than Bombay would have been even with the coupon. -
Review from crystala t.
San Francisco, CA
11/27/2011
I don't go inside the restaurant much, but I order delivery food way more than I'd like to admit! In fact, just ordered it last night and two of my less adventurous relatives who were trying Indian food for the first time totally loved it.
Things of note:
-chicken tikka masala- love the sauce! I sometimes order the chicken kebab so I can dip extra chicken in the remaining sauce!
-bindhi masala- a new fave. It's got crunch, flavor, and delightful texture
-aloo ghobi- how do they do it so perfectly? I don't know. I just love it.
I've never had anything bad here, the sauces are so delicious, and the delivery is always fast. The drivers are really nice and the folks on the phone are really cordial and professional as well.
This is my go-to place for order-in Indian. Mmmm mmm, good! -
Review from Ruth W.
Thurston, WA
1/31/2012
I was surprised this place didn't get better reviews. I stumbled upon it after another yelp recommendation turned up closed and was nicely surprised. I had the lamb vindaloo and it was the best I've had since I left the East Coast. The lamb was tender, the spices delicate and not overbearing. It didn't look like they drowned it in oil either. The naan was not the best I've had, but the waiter was attentive and they even brought me a small dessert on the house. I was very pleased!
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Review from erin k.
San Ramon, CA
12/28/2011
The food here is awful. The tandoori chicken lacked seasoning to such an extent, I thought I was eating a red-colored boiled chicken. The naan tasted like paper and the rice was hard! Don't go, save your money.
Oh btw, this place is a rip-off. I went with a $20 groupon which I paid $10 for and they refused to acknowledge it claiming it was for $10 only. LOL, why would I pay $10 for a $10 groupon? The groupon still shows the value is for $20 (http://www.groupon.com...). Cheaters!
They conveniently ripped out the piece of the groupon that stated it was for $20 before showing me groupon I gave them.
Btw, parking around this area is hell. -
Review from Anthony H.
San Francisco, CA
10/25/2011 2 photos
I went to this restaurant a few days ago with my co-worker and their lunch special was great! You get to choose one item that comes with the soup of the day and either rice or naan for only $8.75. A lot of food and for a really good price!
I ordered the Allu Bengan which is eggplant and potatoes cooked with herbs and spices. I ordered it with naan. The soup of the day was a type of lentil soup which was really good. I enjoyed all of the food.
There were a couple people there at the same time as us but it was a fairly quiet atmosphere. The server was very kind and always refilled our waters when they were low. The food was great. My co-worker liked all the artwork that they had on their walls. I will definitely go back here for lunch or dinner sometime. =]Listed in: Vegan/Vegetarian Friendly
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Review from Jason B.
11/6/2011
Scouting Indian.
Not high on the list but an expiring Scoutmob offer got me in.
Waiter suggested I go with one of the Chicken Bharta. Only dish on the menu with both eggplant and chicken. It did not disappointed as everything simmered in a tomato sauce with peas and onions. More filling than expected. Not as greasy as expected.
Chappati bread (made from whole wheat flour) was a solid complement.
Nice if unassuming service. Bit of a tussle at the end as to whether the discount was still valid (it was the last day), but we got through it.
Probably wouldn't have been as generous with the stars if I had paid full price. Thanks to Scoutmob I didn't have to. -
Review from Heather R.
San Francisco, CA
11/5/2011
I'm mixed, this is somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. Decided on 4 because overall I really like this place and am a fan. If I had read Yelp before wandering into here, I probably would have never went in here.
Have eaten here several times, it's our go-to Indian place. The service varies from good to awesome, can be slow about the check. The food is good. Perhaps not real Indian, more Americanized. Our favorite is the Chicken Korma! Yum! The plain naan is good too. The chicken tandoori definitely has style points, comes out steaming on an iron skillet, but lacks the spicy punch I associate with it.
The place is quiet so you can actually have a conversation and relax. It is generally not packed. The decor is interesting and somewhat racy. Delivery is so-so. It's better at the restaurant. -
Review from Aaron F.
9/21/2011 Purchased a Yelp Deal
This is your average Indian food - nothing here will impress you, but if you're in the neighborhood and craving Indian, it's ok.
I went for dinner. Biggest disappointment was the Naan - good Naan is perhaps the most important part of an Indian meal, and there's didn't fit the bill. The mango lasso was also mysteriously fizzy. -
Review from Sylvia Y.
San Francisco, CA
9/1/2011 Purchased a Yelp Deal
We've walked past a few times and my boyfriend isn't big on Indian food (although I've been trying to convert him). We finally came in one night on our quest to try everything within a 3 block radius.
The guys at the table next to us told us their food was delicious. I jumped on Yelp, and luckily saw the $10 for $20 deal. However, I also saw the reviews and grew concerned.
We got sag paneer, chicken tikka masala, naan, and rice. Everything was Fantastic, especially the chicken tikka masala. It was very flavorful. As for the sag paneer, it wasn't diluted at all and really yummy. I ordered a glass of wine and they were Very generous with the pour (extra little cup on the side). -
Review from Cassie C.
San Francisco, CA
12/18/2011
Tonight our favorite Indian Restaurant wasn't delivering so we thought we'd try Bombay since we had their flyer. WHAT a mistake. The rice was the fat white kind mom used to serve in the seventies (hey, she worked). The food was pricier than our favorite (Masala on 9th at Lincoln - yummy). But worst was that the chicken was as much gristle and suspicious cut as it was decent, edible meat. The paneer cheese was odd in color and definitely NOT scrumptious. Even my 9 year old who adores Indian food and begs for it could barely get this meal down. Probably the worst Indian food we've had in San Fran, and we've ordered Indian food maybe twice a month for the last 10 years here in SF, from many different places.
And a note on coupons/delivery:
And the guy on the phone told me he'd take my $3 coupon when the driver arrived, but then the guy said the coupon had expired (true!). However, the driver said they didn't have any $3 coupons out, which means the guy at the restaurant knew the coupon was expired and led me on (I asked him twice about the $3 off coupon because I called back to ask why he hadn't taken it off when I'd told him about it).
Do yourself a favor and order elsewhere.
ICK -
Review from Terry C.
7/9/2011 1 photo
We got here a little after 6 and were the only ones in the restaurant; a table or two were occupied while we were there.
The food is OK. The Chicken Tikka Masala and Palak Paneer were good. The garlic nan was not. It was really oily and thin, with not much garlic taste at all. The vegetable pakora was over fried so it was dry. We also got a vindaloo with fish of the day (salmon) and it was really fishy. I didn't like that at all.
But what urked me the most about this place was when the server brought our food over, his finger was touching the Palak Paneer. UGHHHH -
Review from Nicole A.
San Francisco, CA
12/13/2011
Great for delivery! Always on time and the food is delicious! You can't beat there "Meal for Two Deal"!!
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Review from Jonsey B.
San Francisco, CA
12/5/2011 Purchased a Yelp Deal
My friend had a coupon for this restaurant and he loves their tandoori chicken so I said ok. The naan, tandoori chicken, and rice were terrific. Truly yummilish! However, we also ordered fish vindaloo and the fish for that night was salmon....honestly it was not fresh fish....So, it's a gamble. I guess my advice is don't go with the fish, grody.
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Review from Jamie B.
San Francisco, CA
7/1/2011
It was fine. Popped in for a quick lunch using the yelp deal and got their lunch buffet for $9.95/person. The curries were decent if a bit thin (but this seems to be the norm for buffet style Indian food). They do bring fresh naan to the table, and that was excellent.
Service was efficient but not overly friendly. The waiter was unfamiliar with the yelp deal and tried to say it was only good for $10-- the deal was you paid $10 for $20. After a brief discussion, we got it squared away.
Will I be back? Meh... I wouldn't say never again, but there are so many great places in SF, that this one just isn't that tempting. -
Review from Matthew P.
San Francisco, CA
11/17/2011
The food was average/ok. It wasn't bad at all and it wasn't great either. I had the $9.99 buffet and it was decent but the food was not hot, only warm. If you want high quality Indian food, this isn't the place to go. However, it is cheap if that's what you're looking for. There are better Indian food places in downtown San Francisco.
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Review from Audrey T.
San Francisco, CA
5/13/2011
i order take out from this place but no more. There was a FINGERNAIL in my chicken tikki marsala last night. SICK!
Obviously i am never coming here again -
Review from Machinations F.
San Francisco, CA
8/9/2011
Their lunch buffet has samosas! Enough said!
Ok if that wasn't enough they also had quick and friendly service and quite a selection of items. Great deal. -
Review from Evelyn B.
San Francisco, CA
10/14/2011
Used Scoutmob for first time because of description of the food. Bad idea. Signature dish, chicken tikka masala was precooked chicken, cut into cubes and placed into lukewarm tomato cream sauce which tasted like Campbells Cream of Tomato from a can. Lamb Vindaloo was similar with a taste of stewed lamb added to brown gravy. We asked for hot but there was no real heat nor flavor of Indian spices. Vegetarian Aloo Gobi was in another gravy and lacked texture and flavor. Rice was good, naan was cold and rubbery. Mixed pickles were great. There were few diners on a Friday night so I guess we should have ordered one dish to taste before spending $60 for an awful meal.
Next time I use Scoutmob I will check Yelp before trying a new restaurant. -
Review from Irene C.
South San Francisco, CA
8/24/2011
i wish i'd read some of the reviews before impulse buying a groupon for dinner buffet the day of (one of those groupon now deals)...well, we got there, the restaurant was completely empty, and it was 7pm! during the 2 hrs we were there, 2 tables were occupied...
anyway, it turns out, they don't even have a buffet for dinner...the waiter was basically stuttering and mumbling that there is lunch buffet, but not dinner...(i didn't read the groupon wrong...the other 2 people in my party triple/quadruple-checked! so either groupon or the restaurant listed it wrong, probably unintentional...) i would've liked someone to just apologize for the inconvenience or mix-up, and maybe let us use the amount we paid for toward the bill, or anything at an attempt at good customer service, but none...at that point, we should've just cut our losses, but i felt bad that they already seated us and served us water, so we stayed...
the food was slightly bland, but we did enjoy the chicken kabab out of the 3 dishes we ordered...aside from the initial confusion, the service was very polite, and the rest of the meal went by without much to be commented on...like some other customers experienced, we all had to rush to the bathroom when we got home, so i think that settles any argument about returning...my stomach is still upset the next day...(i just remembered that we brought leftovers home...is it tempting fate/death to try to have that for dinner?) -
Review from Ben M.
San Francisco, CA
10/24/2010
Ordered delivery several times (never eaten-in) and the food has always been incredibly hot (temperature) and usually ok-to-good.
However our most recent delivery order was disappointing - both our lamb vindaloo and chicken biryani came with skewered tandoori meat rather than cubes of regular meat as it usually does. I eat *a lot* of Indian food and I know tandoori prepared meat from regular cubes.
We called up the restaurant to enquire and things went from bad to awful.
The first person we spoke to said we were probably wrong, went to check with the kitchen and said that the kitchen was adamant that is not how they prepare the dish and we must be wrong. When I said "sure, I know this isn't supposed to come like this but it has" he just said "but the kitchen say it doesn't". hmmm
Then a lady came on the phone and told us this IS how the dish comes sometimes but that it was ok "because it is all the same meat". I explained that yeah I know it's "the same meat" but the point is tandoori is spiced and marinated differently and then it is cooked in a tandoor oven on a skewer and not in with the sauce. Indeed the fact the meat had been cooked in an oven and not with the sauce made both dishes chewy and wrong combination of spice.
The lady proceded to diatribe me for at least 2 minutes on how it was the same meat, it was all the same really, it didn't matter, what did I know about curry, etc.
When I finally put it to her, seeing as she wasn't going to acknowledge it, that Bombay Indian Restaurant were clearly re-using meat from other dishes (perhaps to manage stock control) she told me that she had to go to serve other customers and that she couldn't help me any more.
No apology and total rudeness clearly in the face that I'd called them out on poor practice.
I'm a total Indian curry nut - I can probably tell you the recepies for most different currys and I love to cook them myself so while using Tandoor cooked meat isn't the end of the world, it's frustrating and unprofessional - especially given that this is a $12 entree place, not a budget indian in Tenderloin.
Food here is ok, but they don't seem to have the passion to cook true authentic curry and when customers call them out on it they are rude and dismissive.
There is better curry elsewhere. -
Review from Daydra B.
San Francisco, CA
9/29/2011
I won't go back. The naan was thick and doughy. The meatball dish (is that an Indian dish?) tasted like it was from IKEA. The tandoori chicken was dry and flavorless. The walls were pretty with wood and murals. Not worth it though, even with a coupon.
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Review from Jack F.
Daly City, CA
8/7/2011
Expensive as all hell...dinner comes to about $75 for 2 people...for that price Id expect a lap dance and a bowl full of opium but hey..the food is decent, although the naan could be a bit better, but the tikka masala is good, the delivery on time, and even though we've ordered at least 4x a week they never remember us....Decent food at a bit of a high price but at least the quality is good. Ive had much much worse food and prices, so this place is OK with me...THE MANGO LASSI is one of the best ive had from any place!!!
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Review from shelley c.
Alhambra, CA
11/15/2010
Really liked this place.
Came w a group of friends. Im not too big of a fan of indian food but everyone walked out very happy and high satisfied.
I ordered the smoked eggplant dish (forgot the indian name) and we all ordered the assorted Nan. The Nan was perfect, soft, hot and chewy.. onion, plain and garlic. eating Nan with the egg plant was delicious.
Friends had lamb curry and chicken marsala.. i couldn't try their dish bc i'm vegan but they all liked it alot. -
Review from Kyle E.
San Francisco, CA
9/7/2011
I've been to my share of indian restaurants, but this place is simply off the hook to say the least. My wife and I ate there on a weekday unintentionally. Hungry as usual... we scowered the streets for a unique find, something new, a place where we could feel warm, and cozy, yet not to main stream. We looked at several other menus in the area but couldn't quite find what we were looking for.
So finally we came upon this little dimly lit eatery and couldn't help but take a double glance at the menu and check it out. The atmosphere is what really took me in. The dim lighting really set the mood for a warm cozy meal.... kind of away from the street and in someone else's home type of feeling. That's what I really liked about this place. It really felt like someone's home.
Anyways, as usual, we ordered a meat dish and a veggie plate. Both dishes were unexpectedly exceptional. Portions appeared smaller than usual, but weren't. They were just served in a more traditional fashion, on smaller chrome engraved plates. We ended up ordering a cheese dish which had been drenched in a saffron sauce bay leaf sauce of some sort. The cheese was homemade, and had the texture and flavor that was to die for!!
Our next dish was a lamb curry dish, but with a twist. It had a strong cinnamon and allspice flavor which surprisingly added an amazing quality to the dish. There was a heavy cream in both dishes which I suppose might detract people from some of the food here, but I think it just added to extravigent flavors. For desert, we had a the rice pudding which was a bit watered down but definatil good.
Overall...I recommend the place. -
Review from j m.
San Francisco, CA
11/28/2011
We had Bombay cater a lunch at the office. They delivered a variable feast for a very appreciative crowd of employees (everyone raved). They delivered on time, brought up to the kitchen and were very cordial when I ordered and when they delivered.
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Review from Kimiko Q.
San Francisco, CA
7/11/2010 1 Check-in Here
Average Indian buffet is average.
A-OK selection. Mostly veggie curry options but there was the standard chicken tikka masala and tandoori chicken. No Saag. Maybe I didn't come on the day they offer it?
No serve-yourself-naan. Instead they bring it to your table in a little basket. Never asked us if we wanted a refill. Boo hoo.
Also, I was finished eating but my bf was not. He still had half a plate left when they dropped the check off at our table. What if I was going to get more...?
Anyways buffet has a nice selection but of average quality. Next time I'll try the 2 for $20. Maybe fresh food will taste better. -
Review from Lauren F.
San Francisco, CA
9/24/2010
Order the coconut curry with shrimp - sooooooooo good! If that was all I had, this would have easily been a 4 star meal (5 is hard to get with me).
But, the rest of the meal was just so so. The chicken tikka masala was less flavorful than I would have hoped, and didn't have enough sauce, so the chicken was a little dry.
I loved that the waitress told us, when we ordered shrimp in another dish, that the shrimp goes way better with the coconut curry. We changed our order and she was so right! I appreciate when the waitstaff cares enough to tell you something like that - and it made the meal.
We get delivery from here too - and will definitely continue to order from here. -
Review from GreenEyez M.
Redwood City, CA
12/22/2010
Wonderful place! I was impressed and will go back the next time I see a show at Cafe Du Nord across the street.
Very good food--I got the dinner special with my boyfriend for $25 and it was worth it. Delicious chana masala and sag paneer. Nice waiters and I liked that they refilled our water glasses frequently.
What a nice find! I'll definitely go back.Comment from Jujaar S. of Bombay Indian Restaurant 1/3/2011
Thanks so much I keep try my best . jujaar More » -
Review from skye l.
San Francisco, CA
2/12/2011
So far this is the best Indian food I've had in SF. I go with the bf a lot even though it's a little far away, but it's worth it. Their buffet is usually pretty solid and the curries aren't too spicy or watery. They refill your water often. Once I came with a large group of friends and the waiter brought us super special secret fried breads that aren't even on the menu. I think they're called luchi? I love me some fried starches :3
If I'd reviewed Bombay sooner I'd have said it was a solid 4 stars, but now I think it deserves a 3.5 for occasional inconsistencies. You can go ahead and consider it 4 stars if you have a thing for naked statues doing it murals. -
Review from goolie g.
San Francisco, CA
8/30/2010
This is for delivery via grubhub.
5-star: delivery time! Promised 45min, came 15min early; also 5-star was food temperature, it was piping hot.
4-star: Chicken Makhanwala (mm!!). Creamy but not too creamy, chicken tender and not dried out. Food portions were totally fair.
3-star:
* fish vindaloo (or maybe it was tikka massa, not sure cuz I asked for vindaloo in the special directions of the tikka masala and forgot to ask what it was that i got; if it was vindaloo, it was very mild).
* Rice Pilau - was just fine. I like peas.
2-star:
* Veg samosas - kinda bland, kinda stale... I like it spicier and with more indian-ness
All in all, 3.5 stars, will def. order delivery here again but not the samosas. -
Review from Zoe G.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 4/5/2010
I had not been back for a very long time up until a few days ago.
And I must say .......
BEST INDIAN FOOD BY FAR.
I love this place. I tried other spots BUT they could not compare.
I took my friend here and she LOVED it, so I know its not just only myself here.
I gave 5 stars above for the yummy goodness of their food Only.
Having said all that one thing that bothers me is that their meat portions are small. I mean, chicken (especially when bought in bulk)
is cheap. So I don't understand why they cant give a better serving of it. I have eaten prawns bryani here and they give a good amount of shrimp WHICH I LOVE. But one would think shrimp costs more.
Hopefully they don't read this the wrong way and skimp on the shrimp.
If I had to give other stars then Service would get 2 stars. There's no personality or energy going on here.
But then again I don't come here to get buddy buddy with the waiter.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/1/2009
I really liked this place.
So far my favorite buffet spot.
Its Cheap and good.
I've never had a… Read more »
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Review from laura b.
San Francisco, CA
4/26/2007
I gotta say. I was scared to order from here after reading all of the luke warm reviews from people I know have excellent palates but what I learned is this. NEVER TRUST ANYONE. It's like when you get high and you're hella paranoid and think your best friend is gonna throw you off the bay bridge because you once made out with her brother and you KNOW she knows and then when you sober up you're all, "Dang, being high makes me all paranoid." Except it's the TRUTH. The bitch knows and she is holding onto the information until the exact moment she can pulverize you with it! POINT IS. People ARE out to get you. Trust nobody but the voices in your own head. And me. TRUST ME.
4 stars, 3 reasons:
1) They deliver. I don't think I can properly express how fucking lazy I am with mere words. I am forced to bust out the every trusty snaps. Please know that I am very bad at playing the dozens but I gotta try. I am so lazy, I once waited one hour to get a three block ride. I am so lazy, I missed a flight out of JFK to Heathrow because I wouldn't run to catch the plane. I am so lazy, I sit on a rainbow and skittles come out. Oh, wait. FUCK YOU, ME, FOR CALLING ME FAT!!!
2) I reallllly enjoyed my Allu Bengan and Chana Masala. They were both solid vegan choices (they will leave ghee out on request). I mix it all together into a magical eggplant and potato and chick pea stew of deliciousness.
3) The Chapati is vegan and it's REALLY good. It's the best Chapati I've had outside of Uganda. What? Chapati is HUGE in Uganda. There was a large influx of Indian folks into the country after Idi Amin was overthrown and they have thrown down the Chapati gauntlet. It is on like Donkey Kong! Chapati is sold on pretty much every street corner in downtown Kampala and that shit is manna from the heavens! And the fact that Chapati at Bombay rivaled is pretty impressive, that's all I'm saying.
Oh and onto the bad: The basmati rice was the one major let down...watered down and kinda funk. There was one lone pea in the mix. If you rely on basmati rice as the staple of your Indian food dining experience, Bombay is not for you.
Anyway, I would definitely order from them the next time I'm feeling lazy which is why I am ending this review righ -
Review from Dean M.
San Francisco, CA
8/21/2010 1 Check-in Here
Good day here...everything was right on the money
the chicken korma kicked MAJOR booty here on this day as did the rest of the dishes we had.
check em out...go on a tuesday (the day we went) its not as packed and things just tasted super fresh. -
Review from Maria D.
12/8/2006
Because I haven't done enough crying in the past six weeks, I had to go eat at this pathetic excuse for an Indian restaurant a few days ago. It's a shame they have such nice murals and rockin' Indian music (and the reason for 2 stars instead of 1) blasting because the food is terrible and has zero spice. I am fairly wussy about spices (I usually go for medium or trust the cooks to decide for me) but this was fucking retarded. It was like they threw in some cream, put some salt and pepper, threw in some meat and left it at that. Truly awful.
Do not be lured in by the promises of a 6.95 lunch. If you like this place, then you probably don't like real Indian food. Sorry, but it's true.
I know I'm Dominican, but many Indian vendors try to hit on me and I once had a boyfriend who was Indian, so I think I am qualified to speak on this topic. -
Review from squinka c.
San Francisco, CA
11/18/2007
trying to ease my way back into sf after a whirlwind week in NYC. I
had just spent 10 hours in planes and airports and lugging luggage.
When I dragged my grateful ass and all my various ass-essories up the
stairs I knew I was not cooking or going out again. and it was pouring
rain outside...
I was still half in NY and I needed some thread of continuity. I had
been having Indian food every night there as I was running an
unofficial best saag paneer in Manhattan contest (more on that later)
soooo I knew I needed:
Delivery! to the Mission and all the way up the stairs into my hungry
hands,
Not too many $$- spent it in ny, people,
more saag- extending the contest, goin national,
and that reddened mass o grillness-
tandoori chicken- airport time makes me feel frustrated, needed some
flesh tearin.
In half an hour a smiling guy in a raincoat delivered a spicy tower of
boxed food up my three flights of stairs. that alone gets a star.
saag - not the best ever, but good.
tandoori chicken - same.
navratan korma - ok
did I say how grateful I was - after not sleeping for 24 hours and
having some over-zealous "friendly" guy next to me on the plane keep
trying to tandoori my chicken- to simply have food brought up my
stairs? That ok food somehow tasted like love spice, like licking up
the long-lost overlooked step-spicesister.
tell you what if you wanna be my
lover, you gotta bring me food.
guy on the plane: your leg? annoying. Tandoori red hot chicken? Love Spice lickworthy. -
Review from Amit S.
San Francisco, CA
11/16/2008
I used to go to Bombay Indian Restaurant when I lived on 14th and Guerrero and I did not know about Pakwaan... and was relatively new to San Francisco.
It was the only place in the city at that time that served Kingfisher beer and nothing beat having a cold Kingfisher beer, samosas and kebabs, and watching a cricket match... it's India's national past time!
Having said that, the food is still mediocre and nothing that would make me want to go back. The curry sauces are very heavy with cream, the taste level borders on bland (even for Americans), the samosas I have found to be a bit doughy and if you're looking for authentic Indian food, there are other places in San Francisco that offer better fare (Naan N Curry, Shalimar, India Clay Oven, Masal)
ADVICE: The best way to know if the food is authentic Indian is the absence of onions. Onions are used finely chopped as a base when the masala is initially simmered in hot oil with other spices. Unless onions are being used as garnishing, they should have dissolved into the masala. If there are chunks of cooked onion in your curry sauce or vegetable... Meh. You can experience better. :) -
Review from Ana B.
San Francisco, CA
10/22/2007
I had a great meal here on a busy Friday night. We ordered aloo gobi and lamb vindaloo. When both dishes arrived at our table, we thought it wouldn't be enough for two people, but it was perfect with basmati rice and naan. Both dishes were spicy -- not too spicy where you suffered for it the next day, but spicy enough to make you want to keep eating more! The cauliflower and potatoes in the aloo gobi were cooked perfectly, and the lamb vindaloo was nice and tender. The meal just kept getting better after we ordered kheer for dessert. This was the best rice pudding I've ever had at an Indian restaurant or probably ever! I just wanted to take a bucket of kheer home and snack on it for days until every bite was gone. The service was good too.
I don't know if it's always like this, but I had a good experience and would recommend this place. After reading many of the bad reviews, it sounds like maybe I got lucky and went there on a good night. It's still better than any Indian restaurant in Oakland/Berkeley that I've been to so far.Listed in: I left my heart in San…, It's a Beautiful Day in the…
