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Ghazal Indian Cuisine
Category: Restaurants Indian Indian [Edit]
711 Ctr StBoston, MA 02130
Neighborhood: Jamaica Plain
(617) 522-9500
- Nearest Transit:
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Centre St @ Burroughs St (192, 35, 39, 41, 48)
Centre St @ Seaverns Ave (192, 35, 38, 39, 41, 48)
775 Centre St (192, 35, 39, 41, 48)
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 11 pm
Sat-Sun 12 pm - 12 am
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Romantic, Classy, Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
129 reviews for Ghazal Indian Cuisine
Review Highlights
"Bukhara Indian Bistro is right down the street."
(in 42 reviews)
"I loved my garlic naan, husband loved his plain."
(in 11 reviews)
"The Chicken Tikka Masala from the weekday buffet woke my..."
(in 8 reviews)
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129 reviews in English
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Review from Ken M.
Arlington, MA
2/5/2012
I went here on the suggestion of a JP friend, as I needed a place to take an out-of-towner for an early dinner. We were there on the late afternoon or Super Bowl Sunday so the place was practically empty. Both I and my companion needed have gluten free food, and the server knew that the papadam was gluten free, and could identify the items to tell us if they were GF or not. We had the saag paneer and the Veg Utthapum (which was really tasty!)
The service was great, and the food was very good. It will be my "go to" place in Jamaica Plain, as it's difficult to get good vegetarian gluten free options, and there was plenty here! -
Review from Neeraj D.
11/30/2011
4.5 Stars.
A go-to spot for Indian food in Boston.
Here are my credentials:
a.) I am Indian (and privileged... blessed with Mom's great food)
b.) I worked in Waltham, which is suppose to have lots of Indian restaurants ( a bi-monthly lunch pilgrimage of the department)
c.) I live for food
I have only been here for dinner, so look other reviews about the lunch buffet. But as for dinner... It was where we went when we want to eat something as good, if not better, than we would make at home but with some more convenience and ambiance.
The food is tasty and authentic - flavorful, not heavy, and enjoyable. I recall the saag paneer having enjoyable floral and grassy notes as well a vibrant mix of spices that I wish I could figure out how to replicate at home. I usually get some type of lamb, which I use a benchmark dish. The meat is well prepared and sometimes a bit over-cooked, but still tasty. I wish I had a tandoori oven so I could make my own naan. Then, all I would need to do is apprentice here to learn how they do it and I would be set! Until then, I must settle for adding extra orders before we leave to take home to nosh with the leftovers.
I have always had good service here. On the first visit, the staff and I sparked a conversation about my heritage, upbringing, and if I knew Hindi. From then on, the staff remembered me and was Ghazal started to feel more like a neighborhood joint where "I'll have the regular." I noticed that the staff also seem to provide similarly good service to the other guests.
They do offer take-out: call your order in and they will have it ready for you to pick up at the front door and you can enjoy yummy goodness at home.
My biggest gripes:
Parking can be a bit of a challenge; usually one spot can be found in the back parking lots after trolling around a few times.
It is priced high enough that we need to justify visiting; perhaps take-out could be a bit cheaper?
I hope you try it out and find yourself enjoying the food. -
Review from Chas K.
Updated - 9/15/2011
I was disappointed with the lunch buffer the other day. Yes, I know it's only $8.95, but the selections were very limited: a few curries - chicken, mushroom and vegetable; a couple of Tikka Malsalas - chicken and meatball, believe it or not; saag paneer; and tandoori chicken. No goat, which my son really wanted and why we went. No shrimp. Come on, Ghazal, don't cheap out on me. I'd rather pay the $9.95 weekend price and get more interesting dishes. Points for bringing fresh naan and for the all-you-can-drink mango lassi and chai.
Let me know what you think of my review by clicking a button below. Thanks!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/20/2010
Had the lunch buffet there today. Definitely a step up in quality of food and service compared with… Read more »
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Review from Hillary M.
Boston, MA
Updated - 2/7/2012
I eat here all the time, thus prompting my review edit. 4 stars just isn't enough for a place that gets at least 50% of my restaurant business. I just love these guys and the food is awesome. Take out is fast and sit down service is efficient, too. The waiters are all really friendly and sweet. Even though it is a bit on the fancier side, I always feel comfortable here with my kid and the waiters are very sweet with her. She loves their dhosa!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/24/2009
Oh so good!!!! I stopped in for their lunch buffet. For $10 you get an awesome spread of meat and… Read more »
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Review from Pickle P.
Jamaica Plain, MA
1/23/2012
Easily the best Indian food I've had in Boston. Wonderful tikka masala! They have never worked out their kinks with service though, which is a little disappointing, as you can get up to three servers for a meal who aren't communicating with each other. It's a shame most people go to Bukhara two doors down where the food is awful.
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Review from Austin J. A.
Wellesley, MA
8/9/2011
We love Indian food, and we have eaten a lot of it. That said, the food at Ghazal is nice, very nice - flavorful and fresh - but the service is often lacking. The servers, managers, and other staff are really hit-or-miss. More so than other restaurants (having a bad day now and again isn't the same thing as being wildly unpredictable).
Case in point: one day, we went in to pick up some samosas, peshwari naan, and galab jamun (it was just a day of snacky snacks) to go. They seated us at a small bistro-style table, gave us papadums and water, and treated us incredibly kindly for two people getting a small amount of take-out.
However, on another occasion, our party of four was ignored all throughout our meal; nobody refilled our glasses, we had entire dishes missing, one dish came 45 minutes after the others. But the best was when the person who had the missing dish asked if he could have it wrapped up...and they took it away and threw it out. No leftovers for you, buddy! We inquired after the leftovers, and they said, "oh, we have no idea what happened to them - they disappeared." I think that is what happened to us as customers, too - we disappeared! -
Review from Kate M.
Arlington, MA
1/4/2012
Excellent service. Nothing but polite smiles and helpful waiters during our entire visit. Food is excellent, I highly recommend the roasted eggplant. For both dining in as well as take out, this place gets two thumbs up.
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Review from Angel M.
6/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
I walked in on a Tuesday evening at 10pm, by myself. Being wasted, duh, I dove right in, and the staff was really cool about it. I mean, they were like "we're really cool about it".
I had the chicken naan, so crazy, so good. Then I had some rando special, which was also really good. The rice, so good. The bar scene...was there a bar?
Service was seriously good; they were there when I needed and not there when not needed. The decor was cool. -
Review from Jane D.
Mid-Cambridge, MA
6/12/2011
I'm confused. You people that like Ghazel's food have tastebuds, yes? And those tastebuds are in working condition I presume?
If I had a toddler, and if it were a picky toddler that normally ate only plain saltines and cheerios, it would find Ghazel's food to be on the bland side.
I've ate at many a Indian and South-Asian restaurants in the Boston area, and this has got to be the most downright boring and tasteless of them all. If that's your thing, cool, but flavorless food ain't exactly good food. -
Review from M K.
Cambridge, MA
5/25/2011
Important context: I'm Indian and have parents who cook the best damn food. So me saying a place has good Indian food should mean a lot.
The lamb saag, chole, and okra were great, not overly oily or over-cooked. The service was excellent as well. It's a shame that more people don't eat here, its by far better than bhukhara. -
Review from Megan S.
Center Moriches, NY
12/11/2011
Hmpf! I am beginning to think Boston isn't so keen with its Indian food. New York seems to be doing a lot better, or maybe it is just Hicksville. So many Indians live around there; I am not sure who is cooking here. Anyway, I ordered my meal off Seamless. I went for a rice dish ('Indian hot'), and it is plentiful but so spicy that it was hard to eat. I hate how 'Indian hot' turns into unbearable hot.. grrr! I ordered bhatoora along with it.. nomnom. :) I always say I should stick with strictly breads, but I do not think that is best for my health. It was yummy, though! I ordered a coconut soup as well, and it was sparse and just coconut in milk/water... not very impressive, and it said there were nuts. No nuts for me :(!!!! Thankfully, I used a coupon when I ordered because everything was overpriced. I think I am going to stay away from delivery. So far, not working so well. I have another coupon, though.. one last shot. :D :p
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Review from Jocelyn S.
Brookline, MA
9/29/2011
The food is good, but no way should it take 2 hours for delivery. I called when our food hadn't shown up for an hour and half and the person on the phone took all my information again (except the food items...). I was told I would be called back, and 20 min later still hadn't been. So I called again, and questioned whether I was hung up on, or I was a victim of the AT&T dropped call. So I called AGAIN, and was definitely hung up on again when I was explaining the situation! I had to have my roommate call, and she was assured our food would arrive in 3 min. 6 min later it finally did.
It's unfortunate that a place with good Indian food has such terrible service, and we won't be ordering from here again. -
Review from Bre K.
West Roxbury, MA
Updated - 6/27/2011
Holy crap.
This is the second time we've ordered from Ghazal and the second time it's been an experience which utterly TRANSFORMS a shitty mood into a good one.
Re-ordered the shahi paneer korma and the ras malai. I was a crying, screaming, howling mess prior to the food's arrival because my job makes me want to kill myself. Shahi paneer korma arrives (earlier than expected again!) and POOF. The sad is gone. The paneer made me want to weep for the joy of its savory flavor and perfect consistency melded with the deliiiiicious sauce. My gentleman put on Boston's "Amanda," I started making up alternative (and vulgar) rhyming couplets for the chorus whilst savoring dinner. Suddenly the day had become something too precious for even 12 hours at work to tarnish.
The ras malai was delicious, comparable to other Indian places around, but the experience was a gem. Thanks for saving TWO bad days, Ghazal... and welcome to your spot as our new go-to spot for happy food. (And my first 5-star review!)1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/21/2011
This place is so good that they gave us two wrong items in our order and I STILL gave it four stars.… Read more »
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Review from Jeffrey C.
Roslindale, MA
6/27/2011
I'd never tried this restaurant and had wanted to. When Weforia offered a coupon giving $16 worth of food for $8, it seemed like the perfect time to check it out. I wanted to use it for the buffet as that's a great way to try a number of different dishes.
So I took a friend and went on a quiet Wednesday. The buffet was decent but, as another reviewer has noted, somewhat on the bland side. I prefer a bit more spiciness myself.After our second helping at the buffet when no one had come by to refill our water glasses (there was only one other customer at the time), I had to get up and find a pitcher of water myself. There was no dessert available on the buffet except for a rather thin rice pudding (I'm used to some type of fresh fruit - melon, grapes, berries, etc.). Overall, the quality of food and service would have earned the restaurant 3 or 4 stars.
Unfortunately, when it came time to pay, I presented my Weforia certificate and the waiter told me it wasn't good for the buffet. Nowhere on the cert does it say that the buffet is excluded, only that it can't be combined with other offers (http://restaurant.com, groupon, etc). I pointed it out to the waiter and he said that this was a mistake in the certificate and that he wouldn't honor it. Some other discount certs do exclude the buffet and I understand that but this one didn't and it should have been honored.
I don't understand why a business would let a customer walk out vowing never to come back but this business did just that. For $16. One star rating!!
I'll go back to my old favorite, the Himalayan Bistro in West Roxbury. Excellent food, charming atmosphere, and superb customer service. -
Review from Harry P.
Boston, MA
7/29/2011
Good if not eager service. The water refiller wasn't as eager as most Indian places.
The Shahi Paneer Khorma was the THIRD best I've had in Boston. -
Review from Beverly G.
Quincy, MA
7/24/2011
Ghazal is easily in my Top 5 Indian places in Boston.
A lot of Indian places in Boston will overload their food with ghee, resulting in an entree that's a greasy, heavy mess. Not Ghazal. Since they don't overuse the ghee, I always leave a meal satisfied, instead of feeling bloated and disgusting.
I usually order delivery so I can't reliably speak to the ambience, but when I go here for lunch (usually for their weekday lunch buffet, which is pretty reasonable at $8/person), it's usually not too crowded - almost empty, really, which confuses me. Clearly JPers need to show this place more love during lunch. Still, it usually means I can eat in peace in a pretty classy place (nice dishes, nice silverware, nice tables, linen napkins) with a pretty interior and an apparently well-stocked bar, so I probably shouldn't complain too much. I have no real idea what it's like here during dinner, though.
The portions are fairly generous. Whenever I order from here via Foodler, I can expect that one entree will last me at least two days.
The dishes have a great variety of spices: lots of pepper, fenugreek, coriander, garlic, and cumin, in exactly the right amounts so as to maintain a good balance and not overwhelm the dish. Their saag (both with the paneer and with the lamb) is fantastic, though more often than not, I order the Lamb Coconut Korma. (I have no idea if that specific dish is "authentic Indian cuisine," but it's so delicious that I don't particularly care.) And the bhatoora (puffy fried bread) is a little piece of heaven.
Their vegetarian options are quite good as well. I'm not a vegetarian, but I've had friends who are say that they were satisfied with the veggie menu. I especially like the baingan bharta (roasted eggplant in tomato sauce).
The owner is very friendly and solicitous of his customers' needs. Maybe a bit too much so. If you don't completely finish your food or you don't get a lot at the buffet, he'll likely express worry that you didn't like your meal. But he's quite pleasant and sometimes gives out pretty good coupons for dine-in and takeout.
All in all, between the excellent food and pleasant service, I definitely think this is a place worth your time, and if you don't live in the JP area, maybe even worth a special trip. -
Review from Jonny V.
Boston, MA
6/2/2011
Best Indian food in JP? Ya, I think so. The staff are absolutely great and kid friendly. Nice atmosphere, and the food is soooo good. I love going here. Fairly priced as well. Definitely worth trying out.
Bukhara Indian Bistro is right down the street. They are good, but based on my experience, these guys are the best in JP!Listed in: Indian food
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Review from Howe L.
Cambridge, MA
7/14/2011
I went to India last summer and it's been over a year since Ive had Indian food (since my taste buds needed a longggg recovery). I was itching for some Indian and luckily this place didnt disappoint. First off, I was impressed by the service. We were serviced b y three waiters (one of which I believe was the manager/owner) and I certainly refelt the warmth of true Indian hospitality.
Not the best Indian food I've ever tasted, but it's certainly up there for Boston standards. The biryiani was super flavorful (a little tough on the beef, but that just might be my preference), fluffy non (but not too oily), the tandori chicken was a little too mild on taste, but the spinach chicken (forgot the indian name) was delicious (to the point where it makes you wonder how much butter was exactly put in there)! Likewise, the yogurt (raita?) was fresh and a perfect finish to cool off the palate. -
Review from Mariah H.
Quincy, MA
2/8/2011
My roommate and I got delivery from here. It took 2 hours to get to our apartment. The food was gross. It made me get sick.
I love indian. But I won't be able to have it for a very, very long time. -
Review from Lynette S.
Roslindale, MA
Updated - 2/23/2011
yum, yum...
Estimate delivery time is 30minutes.
Delivery fee is Free in 3 mile(s) range
20$ minimum order???
How happy did this make me??
VERY, VERY happy. roslindale does not have many delivery options!!!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/20/2009
Love this place. fyi...It has been open for less than 2 months...
For $40.00, we got the "dinner for… Read more »
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Review from Ramana L.
Somerville, MA
11/29/2010
Humph. What a disappointment, especially after a friend's recommendation that was validated by Yelp's 4 star review. Ghazal represents the archetype for the inoffensive, distinctly mediocre Indian restaurant.
Opening the menu revealed the first glaringly red flag, waving furiously as if there were a 30 car pileup at the Daytona 500. Five pages of menu selections, one repeated after the next, just with different protein or veg. What seems like a vast cornucopia of selections inevitably just tastes like everything else.
Highlights included the lamb korma which curiously had the exact same description as the lamb tikka masala! OK, so menu typos are easy pickins, (other friends in our party of 9 joked about some additional jewels, but really it's hard to spot them all when the menu is the size of Merriam-Webster's latest Collegiate edition. Equally hard to edit apparently...) Meanwhile, I was blissfully ignoring the continuing signs of impending doom... like the watery and uninspired mango lassi. Little did I know that watery and uninspired would be a repetitive theme throughout the night.
Ok, so fast forward over mixed appetizer platter, which was hit (tasty samosas, both lamb and potato/pea) and miss (dried out chunks of tandoori lamb) to dinner which ended up being a masterclass in watery and uninspired. Thinking I had adroitly navigated the NASCAR wreck of a menu by choosing the "desi bone-in chicken curry" from the Chef's Specialities, I was looking forward to a tasty, slow cooked rendition of Indian chicken curry, one that develops flavor from the actual bones and isn't simply a concoction of master sauces mixed with carved chicken breast.
If you're still with me and haven't simply skipped over this tome as another aimless outlier rant on yelp, I'm sure you'll be bowled over to learn that Ghazal's interpretation of homestyle chicken curry consists of chunks of (bone-in) tandoori chicken swimming in an indistinct, tomato based sauce. It was like an amateur-hour version of Chicken Tikka Masala, which is to Indian food what General Gau's Chicken is to Chinese food. So not only was it not "desi" it was a flat out bad version of dumbed down americanized Indian. I'm not going to say it was inedible or gross, but my lord was it disappointing. Come to think of it, did I mention the word inoffensive earlier? I take that back. This was offensive. Like ordering a slice of homemade apple pie at the corner diner, and being served a Drake's Apple FruitPie. Still in the wrapper.
The poori I ordered to accompany the dish was equally crude- flaccid and doughy. A friend's garlic naan was altogether light, crusty, buttery and garlicky, which is to say, good. But that same friend's mattar paneer was again, watery and uninspired. Like rushed pea soup with a few spongy blocks of tasteless cheese. Another friend ordered kheer to go. Guess what? Watery and I suspect uninspired, I didn't bother trying. When pudding looks like a bowl of milk, it's a bad sign.
Some friends in our party actually took some of their leftovers home, but it was a small minority. There were a couple who were satisfied by this quintessentially americanized indian... slop? (Is that too harsh? Cause when I think of soupy, flavorless, and generic...the word slop comes to mind.) Most of us agreed that we've had much better elsewhere. I'd rate this a solid 1.5 stars, but since the food was edible I think I'm being fair by bumping it up to a solid 2. Your mileage may vary. Good luck not getting caught up in the first lap pileup though. -
Review from Lindsey B.
Jamaica Plain, MA
1/1/2011
I am totally bewildered by all the good reviews. We just ate here tonight, and honestly it was some of the worst Indian food I've had. Boring samosa, bland (to the point that I didn't eat it) mulligatawny soup, and two really bad entrees, both from the Chef's Specialties list: the vegetable xacuti curry and the chicken pudina. The xacuti curry was supposed to have coconut, tamarind, and several other tasty-sounding spices -- and at $15.95 for a veggie dish, I was expecting it to be something fancy. It was just a bunch of unremarkable vegetables in a really sweet, sticky, bad-tasting shiny brown sauce, though -- nearly inedible. My husband's chicken pudina was totally bland.
To make matters worse, the service was soooo slowwww. We arrived at 4:15 pm (eating with our toddler) and the place was nearly empty, but it still took forever for anything to arrive. We ended up just getting much of our food packed up to go.
The rice was excellent and the naan was good, but otherwise it was a really disappointing experience. We almost always have a good meal at Bukhara (even though the food there tends to be heavier), and we find that Bukhara's prices are better for what you get as well. The tables at Ghazal are also really small and claustrophobic, and once your bread, rice, papadum, drinks, and entrees are on the table, there's really no room. -
Review from Caroline C.
Boston, MA
1/2/2011
On my most recent visit, I was really pleased to learn that the restaurant has gone back to normal ambiance lighting. It used to be so dark in there, it was difficult to determine what we were eating. Seriously, JP people are not that terrible looking. We would like to eat and look at our dinner companion at the same time. And, now that I can see it, I do like the decor a little better than a standard Indian restaurant.
The food, however, seemed a little blander this go around. It had the proper amount of HOT, which is necessary, but, surprisingly, maybe not enough salt. Still, it's pretty good.
The staff is also always really friendly and attentive.
I do think Ghazal is a little too pricey for what it offers and the size of the dishes, although they offer http://restaurant.com certificates that allows you to get a portion off your dinner, so with a little effort, you can get an excellently priced meal. (Tip: http://restaurant.com certificates always go on sale for 80% off (just register with them, they will let you know when they go on sale . . ). So for $2, you can get a $25 certificate, as long as you spend $35 [Bukhara offers the same deal, but the minimum there is $50, which is a big difference]. -
Review from Dana K.
Jamaica Plain, MA
5/7/2011
I've ordered delivery from Ghazal several times and the food is okay. But last night I threw the menu into the recycling because we'll never order delivery from there again. They told us it would take 45 min and we called to check up on it after 1 hour 15 minutes. They said it was coming. After 2 hours and 15 minutes we called, they had no idea where our food was, so we canceled the order. Totally inexcusable. They were apologetic but that doesn't mean I'll ever trust them enough to order delivery again.
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Review from Dara C.
5/13/2010
Remember that episode of "The Simpsons" when Apu makes the family some Indian food? And Lisa eats some and starts panting, and Marge asks if it's too spicy? And Lisa squeaks "I can see through time!"
I want my Indian food to be that spicy. Sadly, Ghazal does not deliver on that point. It would be perfect if it did.
The food, while very tasty and plentiful, doesn't have the kick I love when eating Indian, which I do entirely too often. Everything has always been prepared fresh, hot, and overall, very well. There's just not enough chili burn, not enough eye-watering, throat-crushing spiciness. I'm afraid Ghazal is trying to cater to a fraidycat Anglo palate, but one must never forget the spicefreaks. And though I've ordered "extra spicy, please" more than once, I don't think I've ever gotten beyond a four or five out of ten on the Overall I Can See Through Time Scale (OICSTTS.)
Their saag paneer is very very good, although creamier than other versions I've had, with more of a coriander flavor than anything else. Ghazal is, it must be noted, generous with the paneer. Chana masala (a chickpea dish) is standard with lots of tomatoes and a noticeable onion-y taste which is nice. The chickpeas weren't at all dried out. A dish of chicken tikka masala--that old standby--was a bit too creamy, too pink with not enough tomato, although the amount of chicken was ample. Ghazal's naan is good, and they allow you to order without ghee, the clarified butter that can soak through your bread and turn it into a greasy, slimy mess. Pani puri are really very good here; the tamarind sauce they come with is awesome, both fruity and spicy. The kheer was a little thin, definitely not my favorite kheer but not bad at all.
Delivery was free and relatively on-time. However, the second time around, our mango lassis were forgotten. Rather than wait for the delivery person to go back, make lassi, and drive them to us, we asked for them to be taken off the bill. They were kind and apologetic. No harm, no foul, no lassi. The manager even called my phone to say sorry, which was very nice. (TBH, I wasn't that mad. I didn't have much room for breathing, let alone a lassi.)
So, yes, very serviceable Indian food, perhaps a little more Americanized than I would like, but not a bad option if you're in JP. -
Review from Don M.
Boston, MA
6/1/2011
My "30 minute delivery" time stretched into an hour and 15 minutes. Of course, by the time my food was delivered it was very cold.
The owner, who apparently took my order and told me the food would arrive in 30 minutes, was completely and utterly unconcerned when I called to inquire where my food was past an hour.
When the delivery guy finally arrived with my cold food, he bartered with me so that I spent $20 for it - after I explained that the owner couldn't give a damn about my concerns and suggested that the tab should be on him.
This place is a class act. Suffice to say, I won't be ordering from them again and I would suggest you do the same. -
Review from Soda Pop C.
Boston, MA
2/5/2011
BUFFET REVIEW ONLY
I liked the interior of the restaurant- it was clean with tables and booths. The walls were black and there were accents of color throughout the restaurant.
The buffet ended at 3 and I showed up at 2:30pm. Yes, I understand that there was only a half hour before the buffet ended but all of the food was cold.
There were about 10 different dishes- both meat and vegetarian but they looked like they hadn't been refreshed at all since it opened 3 hours earlier. I had heard good things about the chicken tiki masala but there were hardly any pieces of chicken left and what was was overcooked.
The onion chutney was very good as was the fresh garlic naan that came with the buffet.
I didn't like the tandori chicken (it was very dry,) mango lassi (it came free with the buffet but was really thick and wasn't cold,) goat curry (it was bone-in and just tasted off,) and raita (the flavor was all off.)
The staff was friendly and came around a lot with the water but it just wasn't enough to make me want to go back. -
Review from Matthew H.
Brookline, MA
9/14/2010
Hmmmm....4 stars? It almost feels like everyone else is reviewing a different restaurant than the Ghazal Indian Cuisine that I ate at recently. I went there because I had a http://restaurant.com gift certificate, and my expectations were not even terribly high. Still, this place was major disappointment.
First off, the service. I am not terribly picky when it comes to service, but the service here was some of the slowest I have ever had anywhere. It took 20-25 minutes just for the waiter to take our order, while there were other staff members clearly doing nothing (they were short on waiters, but for some reason refused to distribute the workload to other employees, even though they were doing nothing and did indeed speak English). The food also took way too long to arrive once we ordered it.
As for the food itself, I was hoping that, after all that waiting, it would be good. And while I generally find the quality of Indian food in Boston to be pretty high, the food here was very much sub-par. The appetizer platters were overly salty and lacked flavor. My chicken tikka masala was also thoroughly unremarkable, as it was too sweet yet lacked taste at the same time.
Overall, I would NOT recommend Ghazal to anyone and I certainly won't be back. Bukhara, despite its slightly lower Yelp ratings, is a far superior choice for Indian food. -
Review from Lindsay L.
Jamaica Plain, MA
Updated - 8/2/2010
Time for me to update my review, now I have been to the buffet several times and have tried their delicious dosas with the utterly delicious coconut chutney. Tonight, I gave there Aloo Cholle a whirl and was delighted at how both light and flavorful this chickpea-potato dish was. I have recently been jamming on their Aloo Saag - - a close cousin to the Saag Paneer, only with potatoes instead of cheese. The saag dishes are so fresh that they almost taste better the next day after the flavors have had a chance to mingle. Furthermore, my husband has been loving their Chicken Saag. Last but not least, I think this place has my favorite Navrattan Korma (the nine vegetables in a creamy sauce) EVER.
The service continues to be friendly, and over this summer, they have brought out some complimentary ginger ice cream to top off the meal (they didn't pay me to write this review, I swear). I am so pleased to have a neighborhood Indian restaurant worth going to frequently. I can honestly say that since we've starting coming here, we've forgotten Bhukara even exists.Listed in: My Neighborhood
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/22/2009
I'm officially hopping on the Ghazal bandwagon now. While I have enjoyed Bhukara in the past (they… Read more »
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Review from Rachel D.
Roslindale, MA
7/10/2010
Caveat: I haven't even been able to eat in here yet. Mostly because my boyfriend and I arrived at 4 p.m. for a very early dinner this afternoon, entered, saw a half-dozen wait-staff standing around, and were rudely told "We're not open" and driven out. Despite the hours listed in the front window and on the website. So Bukhara got our business instead.
Rudeness and not actually being open during their own business hours=FAIL. -
Review from Alex S.
Brooklyn, NY
1/30/2009
Ghazal is absolutely fantastic, and I hope it soon skyrockets to Boston-area Indian restaurant fame, where it belongs. The prices are on par with pretty much every other local Indian place (save for the dirt cheap dumps in Cambridge that are only useful if your car runs on veggie oil), but the quality of the food is what puts Ghazal ahead of the compeition. The portions are quite generous as well.
The Shahi Bhindi (okra/$11.50) is wonderfully prepared, with the full range of spices shining through. The fresh, chopped cilantro sprinkled on top was very nice too, and really enhanced the dish. Aside from the outstanding flavor, I was also pleased that the proper amount of oil was used--just right. I highly recommend this dish, especially if you're a fan of okra done right.
The highlight of the meal was definitely the Mix Vegetable Biryani ($11.95), which consists of basmati rice cooked with fresh vegetables, herbs, nuts, and "exotic spices" (you know it means a mix of cumin, coriander, curry, garam masala, and the usual suspects, but the phrasing is awesome). The biryani was truly delightful--full of well-cooked potatoes, carrots, onions, califlour, and broccoli...oh my. It shouldn't be missed.
Their menu is on Boston menu pages, so check it out!Listed in: Vegan with a Vengeance
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Review from Kirs P.
Jamaica Plain, MA
Updated - 2/20/2009 1 Check-in Here
When I first moved to JP I was seriously bummed about the lack of Indian delivery places. When you live in the South End there are several places that will make the trek to your abode. When you live in JP, however, delivery services and taxi cabs think you live in a leprosy colony and won't come anywhere near you for fear of catching JP disease.
Now our little leprosy colony, filled with hippies and lesbians and yuppies, has our very own Indian delivery place. No need to pay outlandish delivery fees or try to get Bukhura to deliver to you through Dining In (which won't delivery to those of us in the 02130 even though Bukhara is in the 02130). Ghazal provided quick and easy delivery while maintaining the high quality of food you'd get in the restaurant. Ghazal goodness delivered right to your door. In well under an hour. While not screwing up my order. That, my dears, is pure happiness.Listed in: Your Unofficial Guide to…
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/6/2009
Yes, I thought competing with Bukhara might be suicide (they are a restaurant conglomerate- the… Read more »
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Review from Sundip A.
BOSTON CLG, MA
5/9/2011
First off, I hardly ever leave comments or write reviews... the few times I have done so is if the service/food/etc. was the best I've ever had or if it was the worst. Unfortunately for Ghazal, our experience was the latter.
While we've eaten at Ghazal and found the food to be fine, the delivery time and the lies that surround any estimates they provide have totally turned me off this restaurant.
We ordered through Foodler to be told that the estimated delivery time was 1 hour. Fine; it seemed a stretch but at least our expectations were set up front. 1 hour and 15 minutes later, we call the restaurant to be told that the driver had long left and should be here in 5 mins. 35 mins after the call, still no food. As most people would, we call the restaurant and they once again promise us that the driver is almost here.. at this point, not only are we famished on a Sunday night, we're also getting frustrated with the lies and I'm sure the restaurant can tell it in my tone. 5 mins after that, I get a call from the restaurant to be told that it will be another 20 mins. Wait? I thought the driver was less than 5 mins away? If they were honest with me about the "Actual" wait, I would have picked up the food myself (which would have taken 15 mins)
So, the net is, if you can afford to wait 2 hours on a regular night for delivery, you may like this restaurant. After a wait that long, everything tastes heavenly so I'm not going to rate the restaurant on it's food.... However, not only is their service horrible but the lies they dish out are the worst I've experienced! -
Review from Mcslimj B.
Boston, MA
3/10/2009
Solid, friendly Indian cuisine in JP with some regional breadth but strongest on the Northern stuff.
Years ago, I brought a date to Boston's oldest Indian restaurant (the bygone Kebab-n-Kurry), promising, "The food's great, but the servers are the surliest bunch you've ever seen -- so sullen it's hilarious!" Then we got a sweet, solicitous waiter, spoiling our fun. I took this as a sign that Boston's Indian restaurants were becoming so mainstream that they actually had to compete on service. Still, not every Indian restaurant has gotten that memo. So the anxious-to-please staff at the new Ghazal -- an independent, family-run place in Jamaica Plain -- sets a very welcoming tone.
The lunch buffet ($8 weekdays; $10 for the deluxe weekend spread) shows Ghazal's Punjabi roots with classics like saag paneer, vegetable curry, tandoori chicken, and that ever-popular UK hit, chicken tikka masala. This all-you-can-eat spread is an exemplary cheap-eats bargain. (It helps that long-cooked Indian dishes don't suffer on steam tables.) The evening menu is extensively Punjabi, too, with smoky, subtly seasoned roast veggies, meats, and seafood from the tandoor (charcoal-fired clay oven) like seekh kebab (skewered lamb meatballs, $12); various casseroles of spinach, legumes, potatoes, eggplant, cauliflower, and/or farmer cheese, like jalandhari chhole (a piquant chickpea stew, $12); and Indo-Persian Mughal dishes with rich nut-and-raisin-based sauces, like lamb korma ($14).
Ghazal also ranges across the subcontinent: to the South with the savory stuffed crêpes and pancakes that are dosas and uttapams ($6-$9), to Bengal with jhinga chaat (a cold shrimp-and-cucumber salad, $7), and to Goa with vindaloos of chicken, lamb, beef, or swordfish ($13-$16). (The chef has a restrained hand with chilies -- be insistent if you like yours Indian-hot.) Novel curries include surprisingly sweet vegetable xacuti ($16) and the wonderful Pakistani-English chicken balti ($13), served in a cunning copper pot. Excellent breads emerge from the tandoor, like buttery naan ($3); from the griddle-like tava, including unleavened whole-wheat roti ($3); and from the fryer, like airy, oily poori ($3.50). Desserts feature lovely versions of kheer (a loose rice pudding, $3.75) and kulfi (saffron ice cream, $3.50).
In addition to lassi ($3) and tea ($1.50-$2.50), a few Indian lagers and under-$8 wines by the glass are served. The attractive room, given a light Indian redecoration from its prior incarnation as Cafe D, is dimly lit and often loud. But overall, Ghazal represents a welcome addition to JP's admirable assortment of nicely priced restaurants, and puts its competitors (looking at you, Bukhara) on notice that they'd better be pleasant to their customers. -
Review from jeremy f.
Manhattan, NY
2/23/2009
Needless to say, finding good Indian food in Boston can be a challenge. The market is largely dominated by the 'One World Cuisine' group ("OWC" - think Bukhara, Kashmir, Mantra, Mela, Diva, Cafe of India). And I won't lie, I've had some good dishes at those places (on the right night, the Shahi Paneer Korma can be particularly good). But since I traveled to Northern India last year, my standards have changed, and I haven't found myself satisfied with any of the Indian cuisine options in Boston. I think what it comes down to is that the OWC food is so heavily based in cream and butter that the spices, which are the heart of Indian cuisine, get left behind. I found that in India, most people and restaurants don't use so much of cream and butter (probably because of cost) - and thus proper spicing is paramount.
That being said, Ghazal is the first place in the Boston area that actually reminded me of the food I ate in India. So far I've had the Navratan Korma, the Malai Kofta, and the Chicken Makhini, along with vegetable pakoras, garlic and plain naan, and kheer. Although the dishes are not as rich as those of Bukhara, they are more "accurately" spiced, in that you can actually taste the particular spices that make each dish. Is the food as indulgent as Bukhara? No, assuming that by indulgent you mean full of creamy goodness. But are they more authentic, less food-coma inducing, and altogether more tasty? Absolutely. -
Review from Ashley S.
Jamaica Plain, MA
2/22/2009
At first, I was surprised that another Indian restaurant opened up just two doors down from Bukhara, and thought they'd never last.
But I finally got the chance to check out Ghazal on Saturday during the lunch buffet - and it was great!!! For only $10, you get sooo much delicious food. And the staff is very friendly and attentive. I wanted to try more of the dishes but I was just too full. Next time! -
Review from Jeff M.
5/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Ghazal was very nice. Service was very professional and the quality of the ingredients was high. Pakoras were a bit dense. Naan was bit doughy. Poori was nice. Curry and tikka masala were good but not exceptional. I'll go back next time I am in JP.
Listed in: Indian
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Review from Betty J.
Jamaica Plain, MA
Updated - 2/17/2009
Went here for dinner on saturday (valentine's day night). It was really busy, but our experience was still great! We made a reservation for 7:00pm and ended up having to wait about 10 minutes at the "bar" (not really a good place to sit as it is also the bus station for servers). The possible manager was there and he poured me a glass of champagne on the house and wished me a happy valentines day, so unexpected and nice!
The staff were a little more frazzled than during the laid back lunch buffet time, but they had extra servers on and all in all everything went smoothly. We were not served our naan but as soon as I mentioned it to our server, he brought it out, hot and fresh, from the oven immediately.
Three cheers to our new JP neighbor, Ghazal!!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/10/2009
I've only experienced weekend buffet at Ghazal, and not a sit down dinner service, but the food and… Read more »
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Review from Chris S.
Boston, MA
12/26/2008
Believe the hype. There's a new contender in town aiming for the JPBI (JP's Best Indian) heavyweight belt and there's likely going to be an upset. The old champ is tired and stuck in his ways and this upstart has what it takes.
In a tale of the tape, Ghazal has tastier food, comparable to slightly better service, and a similar price point, though it contends with a smaller sometimes cramped space.
This suits me well because I eat Indian for the taste above everything else. Other reviewers have it right, Ghazal spices their food tremendously well. The Chicken Tikka Masala from the weekday buffet woke my palate like smelling salts would a woozy pugilist. The heat grabs your attention without overpowering and yields to a sweet finish. I took a small dish and ladled the masala sauce in a small dish for naan dipping despite strange looks from the waitstaff and patrons. They're just jealous they didn't think of it first.
Round one goes to Ghazal. Not a knockout but a solid 10 - 9 on the cards. We'll see what round two brings. -
Review from Raphael C.
Malden, MA
4/15/2011
The ambient is pleasant and the service is what everybody expects. This place was recommended by a friend that comes here on regular occasions. The food was not what he expected, but I thought it was fine. Will come here again, but with high expectations in mind.
