Punjabi Dhaba
| Address: | 225 Hampshire St, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA |
| Phone: | +1 617-547-8272 |
| Site: | punjabidhaba.co |
| Rating: | 4.2 |
| Working: | 12–11:30PM 12–11:30PM 12–11:30PM 12–11:30PM 12–11:30PM 12–11:30PM 12–11:30PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 13
AL
Alex Hardy
First of all a little background on my own taste buds just so you know. Indian food is tied with Thai as probably my favorite kind of food that I eat the most. And secondly, Ive been to India (and Punjab in particular) so I can compare. Punjabi Dhaba automatically gets 5 stars for being the best Indian food you are going to find in the entire Boston area....by a lot. Could you find better if you went to Jackson Heights in Queens? Yes...but thats four hours away. Now some caveats. Whats awesome about this place is the food. DO NOT take your new date here unless she is really cool. This place was not made for ambiance. Its more like a hole-in-the-wall where you order at the counter and your food comes on a cafeteria tray. If people didnt know better, they might judge the food from that. The place is also kinda steamy, and they have really cheesy bhangara videos playing out of a tv in the corner with a really tinny sounding speaker. Which I enjoy, but its not for everyone. They have a tank of great chai which you can squeeze into a Styrofoam cup Next to a jar of sugar! :) My own fave dish? Maybe the baingan bharta.
MI
Mira Serrill-Robins
This is a good, busy, neighborhoody place thats open late. Seemed like they must do more takeout business because the seating area is tiny, but people were waiting and ordering and generally in and out, and we had a 40-minute wait for a fairly small, uncomplicated meal. Its nice that they have a few South Indian dishes, since I dont see that so often on the East Coast. Masala dosa was good (probably better eaten in, since it doesnt pack, travel, or cool very well), as was the chicken tikka masala, and the chaat. The chicken wasnt white meat, which I would have preferred, but it was good and covered in sauce, so I didnt care much. The chicken dish didnt come with rice, which the menu doesnt say explicitly. Overall a very good meal easily for less than $10 per person. Do call ahead if youre picking up.
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M de Lima
Thieves work here!! Food is good, but they tried to steal my friends iPhone 4. After we were done eating, we left the restaurant, pulled out of our parking spot and realized that our friend left his iPhone at the table. We parked again, and walked back quickly (within 5 minutes). The phone was gone. The Find My iPhone app came in handy. The employees lied about the phone not being there. The phone was showing up at their address on our other iPhone, but they kept denying the fact. After having to tell them that if that phone was not returned ASAP the police would be involved, suddenly one of their employees showed up with the phone! If you eat there, better watch all your belongings. Will not go back due to this disservice. Thanks iPhone app for saving our phones!
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Randell Jesup
Total hole-in-the-wall, crowded downstairs (there are more tables upstairs that get you away from the crush of people ordering). Wonderful food. We especially liked the Chicken Bhartha, the Paneer Chili Masala, their Naan, and the Paneer Saag. The Chicken Tikka Masala was quite good, and the chicken was especially tender. I would go there again in an instant. Anytime near dinnertime theres a serious crush downstairs to order. We ate there with two very young kids (upstairs), and they were very helpful and understanding about little kids not being very neat with eating rice.
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Samantha Elliott
I dont know if Id be a repeat customer. The cash only thing is a little annoying but not what has me hesitant to return. The food wasnt the greatest. It was good, but not the best Ive had. However, the call ahead take out process was very easy and the food was ready in less time than they said. So that WAS fabulous. So for convenience I might go back, but it wouldnt really be for the taste of it. The spices and consistency of the mutter paneer left a lot to be desired as it was a little bland for my taste and the naan was horribly chewy. Samosas were good though.
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Filipe Vieira
I am person who loves Indian food but overall commentary on this place is "meh". The onion naan I got was too salty and heavily breaded. The chicken tikka masala was nothing special. The meat was tender but the sauce was too runny. There was a side of sliced red onions which visible they were dry and appeared to be a little old. Simply just an average place. Im really surprised how there are such great reviews and awards given to this place.
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A Private User
Ive eaten here several times and every time the food takes too long and even though it is fairly cheap the food is not that good in terms of freshness or care going into making it. Plus their servings sizes have seemed to diminish. There are other Indian restaurants in Boston that are much better than this place. It gets by on location and the cuteness of its Inman Square hole in the wall presentation ... whatever.
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amit shah
Excellent prices for quality and quantity. The "dhaba" or roadside trucker food stops in Northern India are known for their heart fare for cheap prices and this urban venue keeps that tradition in mind. Better than fast food and without the formality of a sit-down restaurant (though there are tables and window counters), this is a great alternative for Indian north Indian fare plus excellent south Indian dosas.
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Sam Atwood
This place came highly recommended, but I was not particularly impressed. Neat little place to be sure, but I found my curry combo a little bland and overly heavy in the end. THAT BEING SAID I have heard enough good things about this place that I will certainly try it again on the chance I got the wrong thing or it was a fluke. The clientele certainly suggested that this place deserves a reverential following.
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A Private User
The Punjabi Dhaba cambridge is the worst indian restaurant i have ever been to.We ordered chicken tikka and sheekh kebab and what we got was fried smelly rotten chicken and dry chunks of god knows what passed off as sheekh kebab. The place smelled and the cashier argued with me when i asked him about my food. The kitchen was unorganized and took them 45 minutes to get a simple order out. DO NOT EAT HERE!!!!
JY
Jyoti Shankar
Absolutely delicious! Every single dish I have ordered from here in the past couple of years has been amazing. I would highly recommend this place if youd like a taste of authentic North Indian "highway" food. It is not exactly fast food and there can be a wait of up to 20 minutes when it is super crowded. However, the food is completely worth the wait and very reasonably priced.
JO
Joey Melnick
Served on metal trays? Yup Open till 11:30? You know it. But do they have Mango Lassi and a somewhat hidden water cooler? Is the Pope Catholic (sorry I am Jewish and that was an actual question... I am not sure) Seriously though this place is affordable, and quite good. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes Indian food. P.S. The Lassis are quite good.
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A Private User
First thing that caught my attention is quantity. It is huge and more than one can eat. Price is decent and food is good. All items made fresh or same day. You have to be prepared to wait or call up and order for to-go. I walked 1 mile in freezing cold Boston weather and any thing less tasty would have been a big disappointment. I recommend.
