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Bombay Mahal
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 11 am - 10 pm
Sun 11 am - 9 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
18 reviews for Bombay Mahal
17 reviews in English
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Review from Katherine W.
Montréal, QC
4/30/2012 1 Check-in Here
The food was delicious! We were in the area after a yelp event and a friend was familiar with this place, so we decided to do dinner here. It was great. The food was delicious (we ordered two chicken dishes and a veggie one) and the service was friendly.
To be honest, the only reason this doesn't warrant a 5 star is that the ambience is pretty mediocre. The rest of the experience is perfectly lovely (or possibly even amazing). I would recommend to practically everyone. -
Review from Robyn P.
3/8/2012
Don't be scared off by the line that snakes out the door, down the stairs and around the corner - this means the food is amazing (and it's worth the wait).
If the wait is not your thing (you'll wait a bit even if you have a reservation), order takeout, and you'll be in and out in just a few minutes flat.
Order the chana samosa, baighan bharta, and the shahi paneer (these are all my favourites). It's hard to go wrong, though, so peruse the menu until you find something that strikes your fancy.
Go at lunch to take advantage of the $5 vegetarian thali. Pair it with a mango lassi and you've got a stellar meal.
This is a hole in the wall spot so don't expect linen tablecloths and a fine dining experience. What you'll get instead is great food, a friendly server and some stellar people-watching moments.
BYOW. -
Review from Magdalena O.
Montréal, QC
Well. I've heard soooo much about this place, so I was super amped and brought a friend with me before we headed off to a party. What a disappointment in every way.
Ambiance: None. It's loud. The decor is tacky, and dirty. There's two rooms in which everyone is squished like sardines. Sidenote: I wouldn't mind this if the food was delicious (see Kazu for example).
We were asked in line that if we are out in less than an hour we could be seated because there was a reservation at our table. We agreed as we had somewhere to be. We sat down and I got the chicken thali and my friend got the lamb vindaloo. I am a newly formed still-rare occasion meat eater, but I do know what good meat tastes like. The chicken in all my dishes was dry, rubbery and without flavour. The chicken tikka was dry and tasted like it was frozen for years before coming out of hiding. The sauces were boring, metallic tasting and dulled the palate. The rice was the only thing that was edible. I didn't even finish my butter chicken (?!) because it was that disgusting, and I'm poor so I never want to waste food and will usually eat people's leftovers. My friend's vindaloo was also questionable and he was pretty disappointed I took him to such a dump.
I will say that the pakoras and their sauce was delicious, even if too greasy, saved the night.
Seriously, how do people give this good ratings? I grew up in Toronto where I ate at many Indian homes and have a plethora of delicious Indian restos to consume, so maybe that's why?
I went to another place on Jean Talon that has high reviews, and it was much better than this but definitely forgettable and not worthy of repeat visits.
Oh, and then there was a line up to pay. Seriously. -
Review from tasha c.
Montréal, QC
10/21/2011
My favourite restaurant in Montreal hands down.
If you go and don't like it, it's because you're not ordering the right thing. My boyfriend and I have gone every 6-8 weeks for the last 4 years and we have tried a variety of dishes, but now, we always order exactly the same thing.
Chana Samosa - crunchy, spicy, saucy.
Baingan Bharta - velvety pureed eggplant with a kick
Chicken Korma - creamy dreamy yogurt-y sauce with tender chicken.
garlic naan - amazing to dip in the bharta and korma.
Buy yourself a bottle of wine, grab a friend, and try the above mentioned menu next time, (all for about $35). -
Review from Stéphane S.
Montréal, QC
1/13/2012
Food is good, setting is basic. Nothing is spectacular but it's fine Indian food for Montreal.
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Review from Jenna M.
3/4/2012
I'm not a huge fan of Indian food. It's often overly sauced and too rich for my arteries. With that said, eating at Bombay Mahal changed my attitude pretty quickly when it came authentic Indian cuisine. I'm no expert, but I'm no food dummy either. Butter chicken, palak paneer, baingan bharta, curries, tandoori, samosas, and garlic naan bread should taste like that and are all happening at this place! It's a little ghetto and a little dirty, but the food is top notch and you get to bring your own booze! That has gotta make up for the lack of decor and ambiance don't you think? I usually go with a group of buds and we share a variety of meat and vegetarian dishes. It's the best way to get your tasters in and you'll end up only paying between $10 and $20 for your meal. If you're craving Indian food, there is no other place to venture into in Montreal, but go fairly early or you'll surely be hanging out at the door waiting for other patrons to soak up the last of their creamy sauces with garlic naan. Don't say I didn't warn you - especially about the looks of the restaurant which can easily be ignored if you're focusing on your food - which you should be!
-
Review from Kim B.
Montréal, QC
4/19/2011
Just went for the bajillionth time (okay, it was actually the quintillionth if it's specificity you're after) on Saturday night and I still adore this place. Maybe it's the fact that I have a perennial soft spot for Bring Your Own Wine restaurants. Maybe it's the fact that their food is absolutely delicious, fresh and rather inexpensive. Maybe it's the fact that I get my eyebrows done at Dee's across the street and Bombay Mahal is great comfort food when my entire forehead is throbbing in pain. Whatever it is, I keep going back.
My favourite dishes include the palak paneer, which has a brilliant, strong flavour to the spinach, the creamy lamb korma and the vada sambar, which I had for the first time the other night but will definitely be ordering as an appetizer in the future. Their garlic nan is also a treat!
If you're heading there for lunch, they have a $5 veg thali that is not only to die for, but surprisingly filling despite appearances. I definitely looked at it with uncertainty when it first arrived, thinking I might have to order an extra side, but I soon discovered it was more than enough.
On Friday and Saturday nights, it does tend to fill up, so you'll want to head over with about ten-to-fifteen minutes to spare. Besides that, the service is quick and friendly and it's a great place for a casual BYOW meal. -
Review from Ray C.
Montréal, QC
1/16/2012
I have been to this place a couple of times and always enjoyed the food. Service is OK , establishment looks marginally clean. A good place to bring your friends with beer or wine , not a good spot to have a date though.
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Review from Dean A.
Montréal, QC
1/22/2011
I think this restaurant is great, but the owners are sneaky. I have been a dozen times, a noticed something VERY interesting - hear me out.
IF your party is visibly drunk, they will totally decrease the meat-to-sauce ratio in all the dishes thinking you won't notice. It has gotten really bad, I mean two small pieces of chicken in a Jalfrezi swimming in a giant bowl of sauce. For TWO PEOPLE. So you wind up getting full on wine and Naan soaked in sauce, which is kind of how I like it anyways.
Also, I know two people on two separate occasions who ate at Bombay Mahal and got violent bacterial colitis (ie. shi-----tting blood for 10 days) from that place. My stomach is iron clad - I've eaten street food in Delhi, India with no problem, so I couldn't care less, but beware! -
Review from Blair M.
10/22/2010
as was previously mentioned, this place is nothing fancy but has some of the better Indian food that I have found outside of India. Always very busy so plan on waiting but worth every minute spent in line.
Another great feature is the fact that it is a BYOB -
Review from Farin I.
6/30/2011
After coming past all the good reviews, I decided to take my Asof out for lunch. Having come from indian background, i do have good idea and experience about indian food. The chana samosa was decent but no way it will cost 5 bucks in any other place. My lamb plate came with dry out salad from yesterday and the lamb was too dry and dull. My wife's lamb biryani was nothing but white rice mixed with regular lamb curry. People, biryani is something made after a lot of effort and hardwork, fuming the rice with spices overtime rather than the so called lame biryani i had. Last words, food is made completely for dudes who have never been into indian places before and are completely ignorant about indian cuisine. Trust me, i have had better indian food in Montreal
Listed in: Desi Bites!
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Review from Nikhil S.
7/4/2011
After being in Montreal for a few days and missing Indian food, we decided to visit Bombay Mahal based on Yelp and Urban Spoon recommendations. Quite a mistake.
Food is decent and very reasonably priced, but the restaurant is shoddy and grimy, which ruined my experience. If you are up for a quick no-frills bite and can stand the mess, pop in but I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to eat here. -
Review from Kim K.
12/16/2010
Not really sure what all the hype was about. The food is alright, prices average, decor plain, and service adequate. Definitely not worth a special trip. And the buffet is not offered all the time so make sure you check on that before you arrive.
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Review from Zendreamer O.
Montréal, QC
4/21/2010
Nothing fancy but the food is authentic and delicious the best in Montreal quality/price
Enjoy ;-) -
Review from pascal t.
Montréal, QC
1/9/2011
This is the best indian place in Montreal that we have tried so far and we've tried many (hence the 5 star rating). My wife comes from Malaysia and Indian food is a big part of their food culture over there. I also lived there for 2 yrs and had indian food almost daily.. Bombay Mahal is the closest to that food that we've had so far outside of Asia. Her parents came over recently from there and also gave it their seal of approval!
I think what makes their food so good is that they don't skimp on seasonings and especially not the spiceness. It makes you sweat and makes you want to eat more.
The only miss we've had so far in 3 visits were their chicken curry, which apparently was "meh". Everything else has been great. My favorite is the Idli entree which comes with 2 out of this world sauces.. -
Review from Grant R.
Montréal, QC
10/2/2009
Après habiter dans Parc Extension depuis plus qu'un an, je peut dire définitivement et sans hésitation que Bombay Mahal est le meilleur cuisine indien qu'on peut trouver sur la rue Jean-Talon et possiblement dans tout de Parc Ex - - il reste deux ou trois restos de plus que je n'ai essayé encore. Je n'ai jamais manger quelque chose ici qui est moins que délicieux. Oui, quelquefois le service est un peu lent -- mais si tu regardes toi le resto avec attention, tu vas probablement marquer qu'il y a seulement deux serveurs au maximum! Bravo Bombay Mahal. Apportez votre vin ou bière ou n'importe quoi!
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After living in this hood for a little over a year, I can say with assurance that Bombay Mahal is the best Indian cuisine that one can find on Jean-Talon and possibly all of Parc Ex...there are still two or three Indian restos that I have yet to try. I've never had a bad exerience here. Sometimes the service is slow, but those times are probably a Friday or Saturday night and there are probably only one or two waiters! Bring your wine or beer or whatever for an added bonus. -
Review from Vanessa F.
4/16/2009
excellent food although their dishes are *spicy*. well-priced. small and cosy. always a joy to come here.
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