Taj Mahal Halal Indian Restaurant

Went for dinner on a Wednesday evening with a group of four. We were seated immediately with quick and friendly service and drink orders were taken promptly. We ordered samisas as an appetizer which were delicious. They came with 3 different sauces to try with it. I definitely recommend trying them. For our entrees we ordered butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, chicken vindaloo, and lamb curry. All of it tasted so good. The meat was tender and the flavor was THERE. We had the bread basket with our meal, all of the naan was really good. Was warm and tasted fresh. The environment was good, clean restaurant and clean bathrooms. My only comment would be I wish there was some music as background noise, it was extremely quiet. Overall, great experience, would come here again and would recommend it to others.

Food was really great. Ordered biriyani and schezwan chicken. Our server Lisa was really great. I would recommend this place.

Their food is exquisitely flavorful, authentic and prepared with fresh ingredients. The chana masala is my go to and I like it spicy (!) but they have an extensive menu and you're guaranteed to find something you'd like to eat at the heat level you prefer. The workers there are friendly and the atmosphere is great.

Best Indian Food Around. Friendly owners and staff . Healthy Food. Numerous Vegetarian and Meat Dishes. Convenient Location. Very reasonable prices. Love this place. Open till 9 pm

great food, some of the best indian I’ve ever had, but the vibes are off. The restaurant is dead silent and it’s just weird. They don’t have to play american music but just something in the background would be nice even if it is calls to prayer!

this is my honest review. zero star for the food. it tastes like nasty. i have tried their food. the food is not good at all. zero star for customer service. the staff need to learn how to communicate with their customers. zero star for the price, it's not worth it. zero star for atmosphere, the place looks so dry, the table sits not clean at all. there's a hole under the carpets. their kitchen need to inspection to be honest. i could tell, there's might be rats or bugs in kitchen zone. in conclusion, i don't recommend for such restaurant like this. there's many much better Indian restaurants around i have tried their foods.

Taj Mahal is excellent. The buffet never disappoints with its wide variety of delicious and colorful foods. This eatery offers a genuine taste of India with a pleasant interior ambiance, and staff are always happy to refill a drink or answer questions.

This is one of two Indian restaurants in Utica area. They offered buffet before the covid pandemic but not now. Taj Mahal is a Halal restaurant and offers wide selection of Indian dishes. Their mixed grilled, tandoori chicken and beef curry dishes are good. Their meat samosa is good too. They prepared their food really quick and always fresh and hot. Prices are fair.

The food was fresh and tasty! The service was amazing. I would definitely recommend this place .

Honestly a waste of my money food was below average. Got the chicken tikka masala spicy yet it was unseasoned and lacked flavor along with quality . The mango lassey was warm and extremely thin. Garlic nan was saggy overall a terrible experience never going back .truly thought I was getting authentic food but more so tasted like something they threw together within minutes.

Excellent food and variety for the brunch buffet. Restaurant could use a Little updating, food stations were clean and easy to navigate through. No alcoholic beverages offered, However the house blended tea is absolutely delicious. I highly recommend the brunch buffet!!!

Best Indian food I've had in a fat minute. Definitely come here if you want great food and service at good prices.

Surprised and very impressed! Came here with my brother and sister in law to get some warm conforme food. We ordered Butter Chicken, Tiki Masala, Garlic Nann, Vegetable and Lamb Samosas. Everything tasted amazing, we got mild and that's okay if you don't want spice but for next time I'll go with medium. Service was great, everyone was nice and attentive. Definitely recommend, great food and great vibes!

I absolutely love the food here! I always get the Saag and it's so tasty. Definitely recommend trying their Saag and Pakora here!

I like how they would accommodate my spice level but the chicken is too dried, could had let the curry cook the chicken a bit longer to penetrate the precooked chicken. The garlic naan is good as always.

The food was very good. We had lamb. Service was mediocre. No alcoholic beverages served.

This is the best Indian food I've found in the area. It's expensive, but I will gladly pay for such delicious, high-quality food. There are a wide variety of dishes, not just the conventional found-everywhere-in-America Indian food dishes. I look forward to exploring the menu more!

Went for my first time. Was told I could only get the buffet, and to start as soon as I liked. So I got a plate. 5 minutes later someone else came up and told me to take what I wanted because he was cleaning up, the buffet was over. Wtf didn't she tell me when she sat me that I had 6 minutes to eat all I could for almost $17. Thanks for nothing.

It has been a long search, but I have finally found my go-to for Indian food in upstate New York. Now, this place is a bit on the pricey side, especially when you order meat dishes, but believe me when I tell you that it is worth it. I am utterly delighted by the food here! Some of the dishes are from a region of India that many Americans are unfamiliar with. Yes, some parts of India do serve beef! Also not to be missed is their lemon pickle. It is an incredibly strong garnish, one that I particularly enjoyed on the onion kulcha, which is an onion-stucfed bread you should really try! I love naan, because who doesn't love naan, right? Their naan is also quite good... But be a little adventurous and try the onion kulcha. You will find yourself craving it. That lemon pickle adds an intriguing, complex sour element to anything you top it with. I'm honestly salivating just thinking about it now. I have tried a variety of dishes here, and am looking forward to exploring more. Each dish has been unique. The tandoori sabzi is roasted and seared vegetables with a delightful paste of spices on it. I just about stuffed myself on this, even though it was only the first of many dishes I had to sample. I just couldn't stop myself! If you need to eat more vegetables, Indian cuisine, when done right, has some of the finest vegetarian food in the world. Taj Mahal does it right. Now, I admit, the navrattan korma, while very good, was not quite as exciting for me as the other dishes, but it does have a wonderful variety of veggies! It is a mild dish, so of spices bother you, you should be fine with this one. Spices do not bother me, so I found the chicken makhani, lamb pasanda, beef karahi, and goan fish curry to all be absolutely mouthwatering, prepared spicy hot. It was not overwhelmingly hot, though believe me, if you want that, it's easy to do with Indian food. For dessert, I had raas Malai, and my partner had the kheer. I think that I would prefer the kheer next time- their version of raas Malai, whilst tasty, is quite a spongy texture, which is not quite what I am accustomed to. The versions of this dish that I am familiar with are more dense and pillowy. Still, the cardamom and almost floral notes of both desserts were a lovely finish to the meal, and a relief for the palette after eating so much lovely, heavily spiced food. Their Indian Masela Tea is masala chai, and I simply asked for it by the latter name. It's quite tasty here. Plenty of cardamom, which I am a huge fan of. The next time you want FLAVOR, come here! It is an indulgence you will not regret.

I really really don't understand why this place is rated well..and it's not because I'm indian, this place just SUCKS. I have been here twice, and ordered from here and never going to bother again. i'd rather stay in, pinterest some indian recipes , or heat up a frozen trader joe's indian meal (which is quite good actually) or cook on my own. Hypes: - one of the few indian foods here. the buffet is cheap and a ton of food for your money. but that's about it. Gripes: - Buffet - it looks good, and i see why people go here but come on. the food has been sitting there a while. it's not fresh, and it's the same masala base. a lot of it tastes the same. they come and stir up the oil that ends up sitting on top of there so it's mixed in but that's a lot it. The naans are cooked and in the warmers. most indian restaurants bring the naans cooked fresh and they melt in your mouth. i've been to enough indian food buffets in my life to know what's good and what's not.. this is definitely not it. never again. no offense to the people that like this place but maybe they just haven't had good fresh indian food. :(

They have the best Indian food area, tastes authentic and their buffet has a good selection. I like the space, gives a good vibe and the people who work there are always very nice.

I usually try Indian food wherever I travel as it is my favorite type of food. Taj holds up very well by comparison despite being in lily white CNY. The owners are very welcoming; their children are often there working alongside them. They are very conscientious about being prompt. I was there waiting for my food for a little under five minutes and they brought me out a complementary mango lassi. It's not what I would have ordered for myself and was surprisingly refreshing. I appreciated the hospitality very much. We've tried just about everything on the menu. The lamb biryani, lamb pasanda, aloo gobi, and chicken saak are standouts. They also do the classics wonderfully, and you can't go wrong with some chicken tikka masala and a side of garlic naan. Do not skip the garlic naan! Samosas are also very good, maybe a little too potato-heavy for my taste but that's just me. It is on the pricier side so if you are looking for a cheap take-out option, this isn't that. They do have a lunch buffet that is very reasonable. I would highly recommend.

It's fair all across. Nothing wows me about the place. The atmosphere is quite dreary and the food is just average.

Great local Indian place. Not as much meat in the portions as other places nearby, however they have some great items the others don't and everything tastes good. We've had nearly everything they make at this point. You do have to ask for things spicy if thats your style.

I have tried Taj Mahal twice. Both times the food was greasy and generally disappointing. Some things were too salty, some were way overcooked, and everything had way too much unneeded oil floating on top of the dish. They did have a very nice mango lassi. The good: -Mango lassi was good. -The prices are reasonable The bad: -Food is greasy, overcooked, and disappointing. -Flavors just aren't as good as the competition on the same dishes

We ordered Chili Chicken ("Chicken stripes cook with peppers, onions, garlic & ginger") and it was delicious! I'll be hungry for it again soon. We also ordered basmati rice (but shouldn't have, since the chicken came with it) and Kachumber Salad (which was good, but we wished the pieces were a little smaller). We will definitely be repeat take-out customers. Nice find!

There always great, there food and the people taking orders. Have been going there since they opened, curry's are great we go hot and there spice is perfect

Came for dinner one night and ordered the tandoor chicken, chicken tikka masala and lamb curry. They all were good but could have used more heat. The CTM had green peppers in it, which is odd and threw off the taste a little. Service was really attentive. They offer a lunch buffet, next time I would like to check that out and try out some more of their food. Would definitely recommend this restaurant if you're craving desi food.

COVID delivery was fast and safe! The food was wonderful and I appreciated the extra rice.

Hands-down the best indian food in the Utica area. Love the service. I wish I could eat it all day every day.

Wonderful food in large quantities. Amazing spices they adjust to your taste. Great coffee!! Lots of leftovers to take home.

My wife and I stopped on our way through town. We were not disappointed! We arrived at the tail end of the lunch buffet, which looked great and they were gracious enough to offer to keep it open longer, but we decided to order off the menu. The menu had a great selection, and an extremely impressive vegetarian section. The samosas were delicious as were the fried vegetable pancakes. My wife loved the goat curry, and the chicken tikka masala was delicious. The naan and rice were both just perfect. I didn't catch our server's name, but he was very friendly and attentive to us the entire time. We will absolutely be back with friends!

I love coming here for authentic Indian food. Their naan is to die for. It comes out fresh and hot, ready to be eaten with your curry. I'm not a spicy eater, but this place is the exception for me. They willl tailor the spice level for you if you're sensitive to spicy dishes. Just ask for mild or no spicy, but I recommend trying it with some kick to get the full effect of their dishes. Their appetizers are amazing, especially the Samosa. If your pondering on trying this place out, definitely bring yourself in to try their delicious dishes.

We go a lot. Food is always great and service is always great. My wife loves the spicy I'm a sissy so I have the same most of the time I have two dishes I care for so I stick to them

I love Indian food especially the Nann bread with the curry sauces. There are a lot of vegetarian options as well as chicken and lamb I believe. There is a little salad bar at the corner as well. The food is all good but I wished they had more options like Minar. I'm a regular here as well when I'm craving Indian food. I shall be back whenever I'm in town.

I had the chicken Makhani and kulfi! So good! Although the kulfi was more like ice cream than traditional kulfi. The food their is halal, perfect for Ramadan and I had a few questions because of coronavirus and they were incredibly friendly over the phone! Favorite place to get Indian/Desi food in the area

Super nice staff and their food is the best Indian I've had (and I have had Indian food all over the country)

Great Indian food - delicious! Big menu with many choices. It is a bit expensive but the food is so good that it is worth it!

I ordered for delivery through Eat24 and I received my order in less than 30 minutes, way ahead of schedule! Everything ordered was as expected, but the Tarkka Dal was excellent. I ordered it spicy (second spiciest option) and it was still very manageable. I would definitely go back to try more!

I attend Hamilton College and Taj has been my go-to comfort food for these last four years. My roommate and I would come here whenever we needed a pick me up meal. I also love the all-you-can-eat lunch buffet and the wonderful service. I ordered food for pickup tonight and was offered a complimentary tea while I waited for my food to come out. This restaurant never disappoints!! My favorite dishes are the Chicken Biryani, Chicken Tikka Masala, Aloo Gobi, and Chicken Madras.

Very classy establishment with a delicious menu. Lamb biryani and chicken tikka masala were perfect. Not to spicy very good. Waiter was very attentive and the food came quickly. We will be coming back !!

Great lunch buffet! Lots of nice selections, including plenty of vegetarian items. Excellent naan that they bring to the table. The mango lassi was sweeter than I am used to, but still yummy! Very reasonable lunch buffet price (around $10) and a clean and friendly environment.

We walked in a little bit late because we didn't realize they were closing soon, but they insisted that we stayed and still provided excellent service. The food was delicious as well.

I came into town for one night for business, looking for something different than the usual pizza delivery. I decided to give this place a try. I love Indian food and the reviews were good. I'm glad I did. The food was very good. The delivery came early. The spice was the right level, all the food was fresh and I would definitely order/eat here again. The only advice I'd have for the owners about my experience is this. While the food was great there were a couple of things to look at. 1. The sodas were warm. 2. Not enough dressing for the salad. 3. The $30 minimum is a bit high. I had to add the salad because I was $. 06 short and couldn't order on yelp otherwise. You could knock it down to $20 or $25 and it'd still be worth it. These are minor things, but overall my experience was good and I'll be back if I'm in the area again.

Incredible Indian food, every time I'm in town I make sure I don't miss a stop at the Taj Mahal. Don't miss out on the Kheer rice dessert, awesome.

Lovely place. Best Indian food I had in the USA. Very friendly staff. Very fair pricing compared to any other place.

This is a great Indian restaurant. they have generous portions and diverse options on their Buffets, which is what I usually eat when I go there. The service js very homey, which is what I expect in a family owned restaurant.

This review is for a take out order. I don't know if actual Indian people made this food, but it was literally the worst that I've ever had. There were barely any spices, making it incredibly insipid. They added huge cuts of green bell pepper to the baingan dish. There was another dish that was more sauteed onions than anything else. Utterly disappointing!

I was visiting my hometown Utica NY and looking for Indian food. Glad we found this restaurant and tried it. Took my parents who never had Indian food and they enjoyed it. Owner came over a few times and asked about our food which we said was excellent. Server was attentive as well. This will be my go to place when going back home.

Always the best Indian! Especially their Naan bread basket and masala. We have been getting take out from here for years! Even our young kids love their curry!

I just left the buffet. I love this place. The food is always good. The service is good, too. Two drawbacks... One is the naan comes out too late because they make it fresh for your table. I'm usually done by the time the naan reaches my table. The second item is that I wish the buffet had samosa and those syrup balls (I don't what they are called.) Otherwise, this is my favorite Indian restaurant. I come here whenever I come to Utica.

Visiting the area- took a chance at this place for take out. It is delicious. The Paneer Masala was amazing!!

I've eaten here on two separate occasions for dinner and was very satisfied with both trips. I think their concept of mild, medium, and spicy are adjusted correctly. I tried both medium and mild dishes, and the medium wasn't punishing but had some heat to it. The first time I had the lamb vindaloo, and the second time was another lamb dish with spicy rice (can't remember the name). The lamb was very tender and flavorful. With appetizers and entrees, each visit ran about $15 per person. The waitstaff was very friendly and helpful with menu questions. This is my new favorite restaurant. Edit: It's been about a year since I wrote my review of Taj Mahal, and since then I've returned on many occasions for lunch and dinner. It's under new management now, and I still enjoy their food as much now as I did a year ago. This is my favorite restaurant in the area. And for those who are up for a spice challenge, ask for your food "Indian hot." You won't be disappointed.

I came here with my girlfriend and her family on a Wednesday night. The owner, "Mo" -- who said he took over Taj Mahal seven months ago -- was extremely gracious and welcoming. Several people at our table were new to Indian food, and Mo took the time to recommend dishes and let us sample a few things. We were the only ones in the restaurant (surprising considering how excellent the food was), so we had a good opportunity to chat with him about the business. Everyone left very satisfied with their meal. I had the lamb tikki masala, which was delicious, as was the rice pudding that Mo gave us at no additional cost. We'll certainly be back for the lunch buffet. Thanks Mo, and we'll wear those Taj Mahal t-shirts with pride. Best of luck in the months ahead!

Excellent food and friendly staff. We ate here for dinner on our way back to Vermont and were very impressed. The prices were very reasonable and our meals were delicious. Highly recommended!

I have eaten here now more then a few times, it's the most authentic Indian food I have tasted in this area. They are a great option for take out and delivery as well, always on time and the food is well packed.

We love Indian. And we love this place. Remember that there is a new owner, as of this past summer. The Tiki Marsala was GREAT. The cocoanut chicken was incredible.