Royal India Bistro
| Address: | 7 Meriam St, Lexington, MA 02420, USA |
| Phone: | +1 781-861-7350 |
| Site: | bistroroyalindia.com |
| Rating: | 4.5 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–9:30PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 10
A
A Private User
Im afraid Im going to disagree some with everyone else. My wife and I had dinner at Royal Indian last night, and while we enjoyed the atmosphere and the courteous service, the Mulligatawny soup and one of the two dishes we ordered were simply too salty (the other dish was excellent). This is a common syndrome in restaurants. Salt brings out flavor and they dont want their food to strike people as bland. But salt is easy to add and impossible to subtract, and theres such a thing as too much of it, which is what we encountered last night. But, oddly, the rice pudding I ordered for dessert *was* bland; it simply had little of the flavor one expects in Indian rice pudding. Im sure well try this restaurant again, given the good reviews the rest of you have given them. Perhaps they just had a bad night, which does happen. 3/12/2012 update: As promised above, my wife and I gave this another try last Friday. Big improvement! We both ordered the Mulligatawny soup again, and this time it was just right; not too salty. The Baingan Bartha and Aloo Palak also were excellent (I had had the Baingan Bartha on the previous visit, as it is a favorite of mine, and it was good both times). I ordered the rice pudding again for dessert (Im a creature of habit, like our cats) and this time it was very flavorful. So I think my guess that they had a bad night on our previous visit was probably right; it was much better the second time.
KE
Keith Deininger
Great little place off of the main road. Crowded, but worth the wait. Was in the area for business and had a hunger for Indian food. Decided to take my chances on the place, so glad that I did. When you walk up to the place youre bound to see a crowd of people who are waiting for a table since the place only has 11 tables, 7 4-tops and the rest are for couples. When I arrived on Monday night there was a full house and more than half of the guests were Indian, so I knew the place had to be good. There was a line outside of another 15 people who were waiting for a table, but being a single diner I was able to grab a two top. Ordered the Chicken Chili Masala which is spicy so be aware, if you cant handle the heat dont order it hot, ask for medium or light heat. Fresh naan and veggies. I would have to give this place a 5* rating for sure. A definite place to try if you want authentic Indian and great for vegetarians too.
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Ravikiran R
We went quite late for the lunch. The staff was courteous. The food was delicious. We ordered mixed vegetarian platter as appetizers. Samosa and cheese pakoda were OK. The chutney, vegetable pakoda and aloo tikki were good. For main course we ordered vegetable kurma with aloo parota, kashmiri naan and garlic naan as breads. One of us (vegan) also ordered onion uttappam. We felt the uttappam could have had more onion; the quantity of the side dish was slightly less than I have had at other places. I could have definitely had more cashew and kishmish ( dried grapes) in my kashmiri naan - there were hardly any. We ordered vegetarian pulav, which was ok. Definitely could let have done with more raitha ; parota came with no sides (pickle is expected). All in all, it was good..delicious but not among great ones that I have been to. There are any options for vegetarians and not many for vegans.
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Allen Demers
Well this was a gem of a find. Only minutes from my hotel I was treated to some indian food that was vibrantly spiced, not hot (though I am sure it could have been had I asked), but bright. The spices tasted fresh as though they were growing in the back of the resturant some where. I ordered a mango lassi and it was a great balance between tart and sweet. Left me wanting more. The main dish I was served was on the very waiters recomendation. The kind and attentive man sugested Lamb with mushrooms. Now I am not a huge mushroom fan.....usually. These were excelent. Then woody flavor complimented the curry like spices in the gravy so well I would have never have guessed the two would work so well together. It not only apeased my hunger for indian food, it surpassed it and made it an experience to go back for. And I will....
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Apolinaras Sinkevicius
Every time we are in the area, this is the place to go. So addicted to the quality of food. Family who runs it are one of the nicest restauranteurs around. We go there with our family friends and we all bring our kids. Two brothers, who run the place, immediate make sure little ones have food right away, so there are no meltdowns. Our daughters love their "uncles". My almost 2yr old polishes off serving of mango lassi before we even order anything. Pro tip: if you want to have authentic meal, ask them to prepare it the way they would eat themselves. Their mom is cooking in the kitchen and she just makes it perfect. Food from the region their roots are from is actually not spicy, rather really well balanced.
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Linnea Ryan
Great small, local business. Since there arent many tables at Royal India, you may face a bit of a wait to be seated on weekends but its absolutely worth it. Atmosphere is great, and the staff is polite and informative. They have a good selection of cocktails and wine. Food is reasonably priced and generously portioned. Meat eaters, pescatarians, vegans, and vegetarians will all find meals that will accommodate their needs. I recommend the chicken vindaloo, palak paneer, uttapam, aloo paratha, and basil naan. Their takeout is also prompt and substantial!
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Cassandra P
This place is wicked cozy and excellent for an intimate evening out. Its small, the tables are crammed a little in places, but I somehow also feel like I have quite a bit of privacy. The service can be a little spotty, but I have to say that when it was it was amended. The food is absolutely delicious. Fresh, hot. They put your dish in top of a small candle to keep it hot so you can sit there and savour it. The flavors are balanced and exciting. Lovely for a conversational meal, something to truly break bread over. Highly recommended.
KA
Kathy Copeland
Love love love! The chicken korma is my favorite and fantastic. I love the individual heated dishes - nothing like having your food stay warm. And water stays cold in the metal glasses. I love the quaintness of the restaurant as well. The staff are always pleasant (even when busy) and the wait is typically not too long - they will take your cell number and call you so you can wait in your car or take a walk. They deserve 5 stars which is why Im writing - my only hesitation would be to keep this place a secret!!
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Digs Daner
The best Indian restaurant Ive ever been to. I nornally dont like Indian restaurants, but the food here is delicious. The atmosphere is nice and the owners (two brothers and their mother) are great people. I wish I lived closer so could go more often! Try the rus malai for dessert! Other favorites: naan, garlic naan, dal maharani, channa/chola, chili paneer, pao bhaji ("Indian sloppy joes"), and the amazing Mango Mint Mojitos. If you like Indian food, you absolutely MUST eat here!
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Valeriy Benidze
Incredibly fast service, and very polite. I like my food incredibly Spicey, and they didnt hesitate to challenge me. The curry chicken was very flavorful, and the spice built to a nice sweat. Ive had curry all over the world, and this for sure ranks at the same level of flavor youll find in Asia. The lighting is low, and romantic. Its a bit small and can get loud with the various groups talking amongst themselves, but I find it gives the place a lively feel. I highly recommend.
