Taj Mahal Indian Cuisine

Reviews 6

A

A Private User

This review is for the Taj Mahal located behind Wachovia bank on Falls Of Neuse in N. Raleigh. Oddly enough, Ive always enjoyed the Taj Mahal on Capitol and dont know if these two restaurants are related or not. The sign out front says Taj Mahal, but the menus and cooks uniforms say Bombay Kitchen. Either way, avoid this restaurant. I ate there for lunch on 5/20. I was the first customer of the day yet there were dirty tables left over from the previous night. The sign on the door says they open at 11:00, but at 11:45 the buffett was still not set up, and they were still adding things when I left at 12:30ish. The food was not fresh or hot. Some of the items on the buffett were actually refridgerator cold when they were not supposed to be. The quantity of food was so sparse that I almost felt that I was taking away from the staff meal. They sure didnt seem to be expecting anyone else as they didnt even turn on the restaurant lights. The ladies working there were very nice, but provided horrible service. They both sat down and had lunch during my stay, and the Mexican cook became my waiter after he had finished setting up the buffett. When I left at 12:30 no one else had come into the restaurant. FWIW this was not a great restaurant when it was Bombay Kitchen. Its "Best Of" status was from a long time ago and even then was suspect, but under new management the place has fallen even further. Theres not much room left to fall.

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Mark Browne

Taj Mahal serves the best Indian food in Raleigh - hands down - and they have the awards to prove it from the Independent and Spectator. We discovered Taj Mahal 10 years ago when it was located on Capitol Boulevard, but they moved recently and we had trouble finding them again. They are now serving the same great food at Falls of the Neuse near the TJMax outlet, next to Raleighwood and the Dollar Store. They serve lunch, dinner and do outside catering as well and we can recommend the food as the best. Offering a warm and friendly atmosphere for lunch or casual dining, its a family run restaurant where the quality of the food is top priority. They tailor the spice level to your palette and no matter whether you like it hot or not so much, top quality ingredients deliver and will keep you coming back for more! The naans are freshly baked and excellent (especially the garlic) and the portions are very generous, so if you buy take out you will get two to three meals from a dish and reheated they retain their yuminess. They also serve a range of good chilled Indian beers to cool the palette if you go spicey, or yogurt lassie for the sweeter palette and drivers. Give it a try for a quick lunch or relaxed dinner and you will not be disappointed. We love Taj Mahal and wish them a successful and happy new year.

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OR

Oriana Yost

Completely baffled at the four star review - this place is a 2 at best. We ordered takeout and the food was all very disappointing - the butter chicken was dry and the sauce overly tomato flavored, not at all a traditional butter chicken. On the plus side, the rice was well cooked and the sauce had an appropriate amount of spice. The lamb samosas were a letdown as well - you get only 2 medium sized samosas for almost $6, and the lamb was very dry and bland. The pastry was okay but nothing special and a bit crumbly. Garlic naan was chewy and not in a good way, mango chutney a thick, congealed mass, and I dont know what the sauce that came with the samosas was but it was completely inedible. To top it all off, we had to return to the store because the naan we ordered was missing from the bag. The employees were nice enough to call and let us know, but did not apologize for the mistake, and by the time we returned to get it, and then drove home, the food was cold. Overall, not a great experience and we will be on the hunt for a new go-to Indian takeout spot.

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Sayee Balaji

I have frequented this place as I really liked their Vegetarian lunch Thali( platter ) , but the quality has been going down the slope recently. The dishes taste like they were probably frozen for several days and microwaved. My recent visit literally seemed like an episode out of Gordon Ramsays Kitchen Nightmares show. In my last visit, the cauliflower curry served was barely cooked, and when I asked the waitress, she asked me what I wanted her to do about it! When I insisted that I wanted to have a word with the Chef, she went to the kitchen and back to my table, and said "The Chef says thats how we make it here". It wasnt too hard for me to explain that this isnt how the curry is usually cooked( Ive lived in India for over two decades), and all she did was shrug shoulders and say "Sorry, thats how we make it here. You need to adjust". YES, SHE SAID THAT and am not making that up. If a restaurant or its staff are going to be insensitive, in denial and rude, sorry, you just lost a frequent customer.

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ER

Eric Hardee

The new Taj Mahal location on Falls of Neuse is incredible. The weekday lunch at the moment is just Mohan "bringing out whatever hes made". You can request vegetarian. For people looking for the old buffet that was on Capital, dont worry, you wont miss it. He says he is considering adding a buffet or maybe on just Sunday lunch or something, but for now no. But he brings out all the favorites and lots of it and lots of bread. It is better than the buffet as far as freshness and taste. Incredible flavor on everything. Compare with any other Indian restaurant in the area and the Taj will win. At lunch he brings out huge metal plates with about six things (the other day it was tikkii masala chicken, butter chicken, saag paneer, a samosa, two very large pieces of tandoori chicken, plus rice, the bread, a salad, and desert if you want it. And, he asked if we wanted any other items or more of anything. It is a little unusual but is worth getting used to!

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A

A Private User

I have been a regular at the Taj Mahal for 8 years. My job requires a great deal of travel, and I have eaten at a large number of Indian restaurants all around the country. I have yet to find an Indian restaurant that is better than the Taj Mahal. I have only found a couple that are as good. The Taj is my gold standard for Indian food. Now, does that mean they dont have the occasional off night, no. Any restaurant will, and the Taj is no exception. The only times I have had a less than stellar meal at the Taj has been when Mohan, the owner and chief chef, was out of town. If you have only tried the buffet, then you have not had the Taj at its best. This, of course, is true for any restaurant.Order off the menu, and have it spiced to your taste. Its the only place I have found that will make it hot enough for me; even making curries for me using an 800,000 Scoville rated extract sauce that I brought in. Cant beat the food, or the service.

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