Royal Taj Restaurant
| Address: | 8335 Benson Dr, Columbia, MD 21045, USA |
| Phone: | +1 410-381-1111 |
| Site: | royaltajmd.com |
| Rating: | 4.7 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–3PM 11:30AM–3PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 5
BR
Brad Cunningham
I will first start by saying that I am a sucker for Indian cuisine! I have experienced a number of different Indian restaurants both buffet and sit-down for lunch and dinner. We are lucky that within a half hour drive, there are a number of decent restaurants that specialize in Indian cuisine. Royal Taj is the top-choice among those restaurants! The first thing to notice when approaching the front doors is the delightful smell of the cuisine; the curry, the odors from the tandoor. Love it! Upon walking into the restaurant you will find the decor to be quite luscious. The design is beautifully conceived and executed. There are always a lot of customers in the restaurant, which I believe adds to the experience rather than takes away from it. Aside from improving ambience in general, it also ensures that the food remains hot and replenished during your meal! I have been to this restaurant for both dinner and lunch buffet. The buffet is large and has a generous selection, including vegetarian dishes. There are items such as saag, paneer, chicken tikka masala, tandori chicken, curry fish, and naan. The buffet also includes a couple dessert items and chai tea. This restaurant has a wonderful selection of wine along with a few selections of beer. For me, I love the plentiful selection of whiskey and scotch from low-end to top-shelf; quite impressive! They do have a full bar complete with a cocktail menu. Above all is the wonderfully warm welcome youll receive when you walk in! Each time I feel as though I am being welcomed into their home. Its pleasant and really sets the tone for the overall experience youll have. The restaurant staff are equally eager to ensure your dining experience is top-notch and worthy of the restaurant name: "Royal." I HIGHLY recommend this restaurant. 5 Stars for sure!
NI
Nishad Tambe
What prompted this review is an unusual thing that happened. After I finished my dinner and got out and started my car to leave, one guy, whom I suspect to be the restaurant owner, came out to my car to say thank you for coming, hope you liked it, please do come again, and then he gave me a hug. I have never had this happened to me. It will be most unlikely that I go back there, just because I flew to Baltimore from Atlanta and was driving on my way to York, PA. I looked up on Google and found this restaurant with over 90 reviews (the most, compared to other Indian restaurants around) and the average rating was still 4.7 out of 5.0 so wanted to check it out. But with this unusual thing happening I will try to find an excuse to go back there again. The food was not that great to match the 4.7 rating. I ordered Chicken Methi and Aaloo Paratha. Aaloo Paratha was great but Chicken Methi was kind of dry. I was expecting more gravy. The papadam was free, but was fried, instead of roasted. I think both methods should take same amount of effort, but roasted papad is a little healthier. The fried papad was dripping with oil. The person, who seemed like the owner, offered wine on the house, which was again pleasantly surprising, but since I had stopped drinking, I passed that offer. I saw other people enjoying that offer. May be that is one reason why people give good reviews, and I wont blame them. One of the waiters though was trying to show he is busy and cannot attend to me, but his tone was so annoying that I figured he doesnt want serve me. I still would like to go back once and try their Tandoori dishes, one that was ordered on other table smelled really good.
DA
David Sinicrope
We stopped at Royal Taj this past week on our way through from NC to CT and vice versa. I have had many dining experiences literally all over the world and dont give 5 stars. I AM giving this fine restaurant 5 stars because they are truly outstanding and exceeded expectations in every way. The food was amazing, delicious, done perfectly and served with the utmost care in presentation, and yet reasonably priced for a fine dining restaurant. The service and waitstaff were very friendly and attentive without the slightest intrusion. They miraculously anticipated every request and had it at the table often before we even asked. Even without a reservation (which I would strongly recommend) on a very busy Saturday night, the owner/manager had us seated in literally 3 minutes. He saw to many guests personally and saw everyones evening went perfectly. The new location is convenient and beautiful with elegance and a warm, inviting ambiance that accomodates families (with well behaved children of course) and romantic evenings (ask for a quiet table) alike; like an old school Italian restaurant (down to the owner/manager sending over a bit of complimentary desert wine)... only with the best Indian food youll taste. Whether you are celebrating a special occasion, having a romantic evening out or simply passing through Columbia like we were, I highly recommend this restaurant. I feel confident youll have a delightful evening. PS - seems many of the 1-star reviews are viewing this place as a typical Indian buffet restaurant. Seems Royal Taj has stepped up their game to fine dining and should be judged accordingly.
TH
Thomas Lindsey
Anything less than 5 stars for this place is ludicrous. The first time that I visited, the guy seating everyone walked past a bunch of people and came up to me and shook my hand and was probably (Im saying probably, I actually mean without a doubt) the coolest guy with the best customer service that I have EVER come across. I spent the whole meal thinking that he had mistaken me for his lifelong best friend or something. Even when this place is full to capacity, there is not much of a wait to get seated. Every waiter Ive ever had here (a different on every time) has been so unbelievable friendly and great with conversing and sharing a few laughs. The customer service here is above and beyond anything you will see in pretty much the rest of the country. When you go back to another restaurant where the employees treat you as if you are bother them, you will think of this place. Trust me. The food here is so incredibly great, that its like eating colors or something. I can eat A LOT, and this place definitely leaves me almost too full sometimes. My wife and I usually get naan bread with our meal and we leave more than satisfied. I try to order something different every time, to see if they will create something that might make be believe that these guys are human. Nope, theyre aliens. When I have a date night with my wife, this is the place hands down. *edit* after reading the reviews of others, Im assuming the guy that seated us was the owner. He is always there. No one in the world has got it covered like this guy. Above and beyond.
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Nicole G
Our favorite restaurant ever!! This is our go-to place for date nights. Excellent service, they keep your drinks full and are super friendly and professional--never loud or obnoxious. Their wait staff is the best Ive ever seen. Also love the atmosphere --calm classical music, nice clean decor, not too loud, tables not crammed together, but not stuffy or uptight. I believe Binda is the name of the manager/owner/head host that greets you when you walk in, and he is INCREDIBLE. I dont know how he does it with their volume of business, but he will remember you even after just one or two visits. So friendly and welcoming, and he will also go around to make sure you enjoyed your meal, and thank you with another handshake as you walk out the door. And the FOOD is an incredible experience itself. My husbands favorite is lamb vindaloo, and my favorite is chicken korma. Beautiful flavors and the freshest ingredients. Even the rice is superb. We also love the papadam. Ive had their red sangria, and moscato, and chai tea and they are all knock-your-socks off delicious too. The whole entire experience, from walking in the door to leaving, from the food to the service, is just incredible time after time, and my husband and I really savor the whole experience and cant wait until the next date night!
