Rangoli Restaurant

Reviews 4

MA

Mary Beth Smith

My husband and I went to the Rangoli Restaurant in Hanover, MD on Friday, August 30, 2013. It was a nice summer evening, so we decided to sit on the patio. We ordered the Veggie Platter appetizer, my husband ordered the Murg Saagwala and I ordered the Smoked Eggplant Bharta. The short review is there are mice on the patio and waiter will not give you all you food when you ask for take home container. Here is the detail review. Positive 1. The servings were very large. One dish was really enough for two people to share. 2. The food was delicious Negative 1. The bus boy was sloppy, could not communicate and needed more training. He mumbled when he came to the table and we had no idea what he was saying. It was only because he had a water pitcher in his hand and pointed to our glass that we assumed he was asking us if we wanted him to refill our water glasses. He over filled the glass and spilled water all over the ground. He also started to fill my glass that contained ice tea with water. I had to point out to him that it was tea, not water. He mumbled something I believe was an apology. 2. There were mice on the patio. When we were eating our appetizers we noticed a man at the other end of the patio stand-up, start waving his napkin and stomping his feet. We did not pay much attention. After awhile the couple finished eating and left. As we were eating our entrées, my husband noticed mice on the patio. (That is when we realized why the man was stomping his feet and waving his napkin). I am not a fan of rodents, so I immediately went inside the restaurant, told the waiter there were mice on the patio, asked for the check and some containers to take our food home. I never returned to the patio. The waiter went outside with container and boxed up the food. My husband came inside while the waiter continued to box the food. The waiter gave us our food and the check. He also talked to someone I am assuming was the manager. That person came over and told me the mice stay on the patio and don’t come in the restaurant. I told him that we were ON the patio. DUH!!! We paid our check and went home. 3. The next day we noticed the waiter only gave us a small portion of our food. I believe we received about 1/3 of the food we had remaining. I had hardly eaten any of my food, so that means I did not receive a large portion of the food we had paid for. Granted the containers was full, but they were small containers. The waiter should have used bigger containers or used multiple small containers and given us all the food we paid for. Summary I can forgive the sloppy bus boy because he was more of a minor annoyance than a major problem. I don’t blame the restaurant for the mice, because the restaurant is in an area that was recently developed and there is a large wooded area next to the restaurant. We were outside and the restaurant staff can not control Mother Nature. However, it would be nice if they tell patrons who want to sit on the patio they may receive some unwelcome visitors. From a customer service perspective, it would be nice if they were not so nonchalant when a person’s meal is interrupted by mice running around. There is no excuse for them not giving a person all of the food they paid for when boxing up their food (especially when they are leaving after being chased off by rodents). Despite the good food, we probably won’t be eating at Rangoli’s in Hanover MD any more.

JE

Jenny Brown

Have eaten here several times now over the span of a few years so feel comfortable leaving a review, although Ive only ever eaten here in the evenings so cant comment on the lunch buffet. Its not the awesomest Indian food Ive ever had, but it is the best Ive found within a reasonable driving distance of Annapolis so far and the food is good. Side veggies/apps such as pakoda/bhaji and naan are made well but are overpriced for the amount you get (for example, about $3 for 1 piece of naan cut up to make it look like more pieces) but main dishes are good flavor and good portion size (my six foot tall husband and I always have leftovers when we each order our own dish instead of sharing). Most of the main dishes automatically come with rice included, and refills of said rice are at no charge (at least when weve gone). Spice levels are on point, not burn-your-face-off hot (although if you have zero heat tolerance or think of medium salsa as "hot" then you should probably stick with mild because the spice is of a sort that builds up as you eat more), but not too dumbed down and mild either (unless youve burned off all your taste buds eating ghost chilis or eat jalapeños and habaneros like candy). Plenty of vegetarian options, as any self-respecting Indian restaurant should have, and their desserts are done well. In particular its nice to finally find somewhere around here that does gulab jamun well and doesnt leave undercooked powdery or chewy bits in the center like some other Indian restaurants Ive been to. Nice atmosphere and clean, with dim lighting and a small bar, so could be nice for couples evening out. Plenty of parking in the nearby structure. All around, a pretty good experience.

PA

Paul Eubanks

Rangoli was packed on a Tuesday night when I went - always a good sign. They poured an ice water for me before I even got my order for beer/appetizers in, and continued the excellent service throughout. The chutney they brought out was incredibly tasty, perfect consistency and great flavor balance. The samosas were textbook and fresh out of the fryer. The filling wasnt anything fancy, just perfect pea/potato texture inside a crunchy dough crust. Lamb vindaloo, again, textbook execution - nothing fancy and perfectly done. Whole wheat keema naan was fresh out of the oven, and rice was cooked perfectly. The portions were quite large though, much larger than Im used to at other Indian restaurants, and definitely too much for one person. This was easily three meals worth. I will be eating more for breakfast Im sure. Go with others and share a spread. Bottom line - they do textbook Indian cuisine and got everything I ordered spot-on. The menu is extensive, but if the spread I ordered is any indicator, Im sure the rest of their entrees are equally well-executed. I most definitely will return.

IR

Irene Shah

The New Years Eve celebration was a real mess in my opinion. The friend who bought our tickets was told the evening would start at 9:45 PM after all the dinner patrons were gone. We arrived about 9:45PM and found all of the tables already taken. We were forced to sit on a bench next to the dance floor and eat our food. The buffet was seriously lacking. There was no rice or naan. Someone did come out of the kitchen while we were eating with naan but we never saw rice until we were finished eating. All the drinks were being served in 3oz plastic cups including draft beer! The scotch served was extremely watered down. It was obvious they sold more tickets than their restaurants capacity. The music was good but when youre forced to sit next to the speakers all night it was not enjoyable. The food was only fair. Samosas with no chutney, chicken tikka masala with more sauce than chicken. $50 rip-off !!