Bollywood Theater
| Address: | 3010 SE Division St, Portland, OR 97202, USA |
| Phone: | +1 503-477-6699 |
| Site: | bollywoodtheaterpdx.com |
| Rating: | 4.2 |
| Working: | 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 7
MA
Matthew Noyes
Yes! Finally a second Bollywood location on Portlands burgeoning SE Division St. Compared to its Alberta flagship, this new place is cavernous, but still keeps itss namesake warm, colorful and fun Indian Musical vibe. BT servers up the spicy intense flavors of Indias street food in a great for sharing "tapas" style. The interior is casual and eclectic, walls are plastered with movie posters, pictures, lamps and trinkets, the tables and benches are lined with sari pillows. A nice touch is the movie projected on one of the walls- a Bollywood of course. Oh, and at the far end of the store there now is a small market selling Indian groceries and gift items. As with many of the newer PDX eateries its counter service- i.e. you line up at the counter to order your food and they bring it out to you. We were there on a Saturday lunchtime and it was fast, easy, simple, I like it. If you havent eaten here before, Id recommend getting what we chose- one of the Thali Meals. This comes with your choice of meat or veggie entree, saffron rice, a spicy vegetable stew, lentil dal, Indian flatbread with ghee, green chutney and a yogurt cucumber cilantro sauce. Its all served on Indian steel trays, plates, bowls and cups. Now, this is a lot of food so take heed, we were feeling like pigs so we also had a couple of vegetable samosas to round out the meal. Yes, food coma ensued! The samosas are the ultimate comfort food, fried pastry and spicy potato goodness. My chicken curry was creamy and rich, delicious, scooped up with the buttery flatbread, its perfect. This is a refreshing new take on contemporary Indian fare.
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Ben Davenport
Being an avid fan of the Alberta location, I was very impressed with the new space of the Division Street location. It is about twice as large, with a gorgeous kitchen layout, and plenty of seating. The menu has a fair selection of Indian street food, curries, small plates and various sides. Also at the register they have a great listing of what items are vegan, vegetarian, and other diet restrictions. The first trip I got the pork vindaloo thali meal, which included rice and several sides. The pork was tender and delicious, and the rice was so good I had to have more. The dal was a tad heavy on turmeric, but still tasty. Watch out for the whole chili in the dal though, because that can be a hot surprise. The second trip was for staff meal with my coworkers, where we split several items on the menu. The goan style shrimp was amazing as well as the curry chicken. For a larger order to-go, the staff had the items boxed up and ready for us in about 10 minutes. They were super awesome, and I look forward to going back again. #OneSmallStep
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Nevenka Anastas
Bollywood has great eclectic deco in a big open room; mismatched colored glass lights and open wood ceiling. We got there early (4?) and went straight to the counter and a table. People arriving at 6 had a long line and a wait. We asked the two ladies at the counter for help ordering. They picked a delicious cocktail! I think it had cardamon simple syrup but was not super sweet. It had a mild kick to it. Worth going back for. But the highlight of the visit was the food. Apparently, we ordered too much of the same thing. The ladies at the counter fixed it for us. We had two of the vegetable specials and something like coleslaw wrapped in a fried piece of flat bread. It was all delicious! The buttered root vegetables with yogurt were the favorite. The Indian nachos were the least favorite. One person in our party ordered a meat dish with watercress. It was slightly spicy and also very good. We all felt very satisfied and happy. There are also sundries available for purchase here.
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Hollina U
I’ve been wanting a solid Indian restaurant in Portland for a while, and I think I’ve finally found it! Stopped by at 8:30 on a Wednesday night and there was a line out the door for the place. I didn’t think it would be that busy so late on a weeknight. I had the paneer cheese kati roll, vada pav and a paneer/kale roti. The paneer/kale roti was mediocre. My sister and I took the food to go because we were in a rush to go to my friend’s place, so I ate the kati roll in the car… in the dark… and since the kati roll was so DAMN GOOD I was picking up all the scraps of paneer cheese and everything in the to go box with my hands and shoving my face, and unknowingly ate the pepper as well. My mouth was burning so much that I couldn’t taste the vada pav, but my sister ended up eating it all before I had a chance to go for the second bite, so it must have been pretty good. Next time in Portland, I’m definitely getting another paneer cheese kati roll.
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Mark Anthony Bauser
An establishment vegans, vegetarians, and carnivores alike, can coexist harmoniously. Challenging when deciding a place to dine with such diverse diets as my friends may have. The order-and-pay-at-the-counter situation seems to work well at this place, although the quality of food at this joint seems more appropriate for table service. My partner and I ordered the chicken Curry Thali meal, pork vindaloo small plate, fried okra, samosa cholle, and iced chai tea. The pork "small plate" was actually 2 massive hunks of perfectly tender meat. Much more than expected. The main dish (chicken) was spot-on with flavor and had fun and delicious accompanying dipping sauces which I thoroughly enjoyed. The Samosas were huge and to die for with a yummy bright green coriander sauce over top served on a bed of warm marinated chick peas. The okra and chai were nothing special, but all in all, a very satisfying meal.
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Lisa Ferrell
The food is just plain bad. They undoubtedly cook with low grade oils. That in and of itself is a sign that they dont understand and/or appreciate truly good food. Whoever created these recipes would do well to take some culinary courses. We ordered a lot of food and the only thing that was good was the rice. Seriously. I would ask for my money back but I really dont feel like dealing with the hassle. Here is the kicker: If you sit at the bar, you are advised that you must walk 5-10ft to the end of the bar to place your order at the register.We were advised of this when there was no one else sitting at the bar, no one in line at the register, and 3 people behind the bar. It is just ridiculous and typical of the stereotype of west coast "service". The staff were otherwise nice, but nothing short of a kitchen overhaul can salvage my opinion. We will not return.
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Bryna Sampey
Oh, how I LOVE the Bollywood Theater! How can you deny the appeal of this place? Ultra-cool on the inside, its perfect, perfect, perfect. We sold Girl Scout Cookies with my daughters troop at Rudys across the way and had to endure two hours of smelling and seeing this place without being able to go in! Almost like torture. But when we finished, go in we did. The menu is fabulous, you really cant go wrong if you wash some Goan Shrimp down with a Ginger Lime soda for a quick lunch. Try a Mumbai Sandwich with a Blue Raja to kick off an evening out with friends. Additionally, Bollywood is perfect for big groups (yay, more space inside!) who have disparate eating styles. Vegetarian, vegan, allergies, and omnivores can all find some common ground, here. Whats up, new Bollywood- I think I like you even better than before!
