Tanjore Bar and Restaurant

We visited this place late at night as a group of six and were pleasantly surprised by the quick and efficient service. The food overall was enjoyable. We especially liked the Paneer Chili Garlic — it was flavorful and a hit with everyone at the table. We also tried the biryani, which received mixed feedback. While some of us found it tasty, others felt it was just average. It wasn't bad by any means, but we've definitely had better biryani elsewhere. All in all, it was a good dining experience and worth a visit!

Great music. Chef absolutely nailed chilli paneer and Gobi 65. There is no paneer biryani but I personally requested and they served it well.

The bar tender and his assistant were awesome. I am a recruiter from Tennessee. They were kind , fast and had good food

Had been there for the Bollywood night on Friday. Missing lot of food options. Washroom needs remodeling (As men’s & women’s washroom door opens everything is open to others Eye. Need some sort of obstacle ). DJ was fantastic loved the music. Need bar stools as after dancing need to sit at bar & drink. Need more tables & chairs.( suggestion: can start Hookah too). Overall the place is fun with friends or as couple too & would definitely visit next time too.

Don't know why this place isn't better known. First of all PJ (the manager) is literally the best. Super cool guy and runs the place so well. On to the food - great, consistent, CHEAP, no frills Indian bar food. I mean everything is just well made and tasty. Masala papad, great. Chicken 65, great. Chili paneer, great. Ghee roast chicken, FANTASTIC. I mean solid, solid apps that I crave for. I can't complain about anything. Drinks wise - everything is so well priced. I just get kingfisher or taj mahal, but the fact that I can eat and drink here to my hearts content without spending 75+ bucks is so nice!. Highly recommended for a chill night with good food and cheap drinks.

They had the best chicken 65 and telegana goat curry! I would absolutely recommend it. I want to visit again to try the other recommended dishes. Prices were standard, considering it's Boston/Cambridge. Easily among the best Indian restaurants in the Boston area in terms of food, although I think people don't know about this place because maybe it's not advertised as well (?) and the restaurant environment could be made more appealing. The service was fine; servers were friendly and food was served on time. But when I went, it was not busy. So I don't know how the service would be in peak hours.

This was hands-down the worst biryani experience of my life. I ordered two boneless chicken biryanis (hot spice) expecting something remotely close to real biryani — instead, I got plain white rice mixed with what looked and tasted like frozen orange chicken from Panda Express. No flavor, no aroma, no spices, no authenticity. This wasn’t biryani — it was a lazy mess thrown together with zero care. I called the restaurant to give honest feedback, and their response was shocking. The employee rudely said, “Yeah bro, we get complaints like this all the time, but that’s just how our biryani is.” If you know your food is bad and people constantly complain — why are you still serving it? Totally careless attitude. No apology, no concern, just a shrug and blame-shifting. Avoid this place if you respect your tastebuds or your money. I wouldn’t feed this to anyone — let alone call it biryani. Absolute disappointment.

I never leave reviews because nothing is that bad enough or vice versa. Tanjore proved me wrong. I ordered a hearty meal for visitors who had come out of town. I had boasted repeatedly about this place and its amazing food. To my dismay, when I ordered the food, I found human hair littered all throughout the food. One strand would be a mistake; more than two is negligence. My guests were disappointed and disgusted. I shared my experience with the owner, and he promised to refund me for my whole meal. After chasing the refund for two months and being subjected to rude servers, he insists that he will only refund me for one dish, as if the hair was limited to that dish alone. He goes on to call me desperate for demanding the full refund for the meal. The arrogance and disrespect shown are unbelievable. I would not order from here again, and I don't advise you to either. Yours might not be strands of hair; it just might be a finger nail or a booger. The choice is yours!

Just got appetizers-- gobi Manchurian and chilli paneer were pretty good! Sat at the bar and had fast friendly service. It was quite empty inside, but lots of TVs visible from all angles so I'm sure at game time it can fill up!

This place definitely has more of a bar vibe than a restaurant vibe, which explains to me why the menu isn't as extensive as what you would find at a typical Indian/Nepalese restaurant. However, the items I tried were excellent! I came by on a Saturday night around 10pm and the kitchen was still open. They had a limited menu that was restricted to their chicken tenders/wings, momos, chow mein, and fries/onion rings. We got the 10 piece wings ($16.99), chicken momo ($9.99 for 8 pieces), and vegetable chow mein ($9.99). The wings were crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and the honey BBQ sauce on them was very tasty. The chicken momo had a really nicely seasoned filling and the tomatoey gingery sauce paired perfectly! I loved how they were bold with the spices and seasonings in the chow mein which was packed with vegetables and flavor. Everything was seasoned well without being too salty. The food paired well with their affordable beer. On food alone, I would highly recommend this spot.

This place is perfect to grab a drink! I've come here on several occasions just o grab a beer or watch the football game and it's always been a good time. It's like a dive bar, with reasonably priced drinks and the bartenders are extremely nice.

The food was incredible and the service was fast. The malai kofta was sensational. The prices were reasonable too! Would love to go back.

PSA: Do not go here, as the security guard may attempt to steal your ID. The security guard confiscated our IDs and refused to give them back for around 30 minutes, during which time she was physically and verbally threatening toward the female members of our group. We ended up having to call the police over to prove our IDs were real and force her to return them. Meanwhile the owner was a bystander who admitted that they don't have an ID scanner and simply smoked a cigarette outside while this all unfolded. That said, even if you get into the bar incident-free, you'll have only gained entrance to a building that smells like a sewer.

THE WORST Indian food imaginable. Honestly, they should go to Trader Joes and buy their frozen food and serve that. Oh, and also get some garlic naan from Trader Joes. Overly priced for small portions. Service meh... Just, plain horrible.

This 5 star review is for their buffet. They just started it and all their best stuff (expect momos) is availble. Thinking about price, quality, neighborhood access they deserve this positive review.

Worse wings I've ever eaten. Don't bother. Fries were fine, but wouldn't have them delivered.

Food is fantastic, great vibes. The chicken is so tender. Will definitely be back. Best Indian in Cambridge.

Tanjore floored me with their drinks, music, and food. The best bar and dinner spot in Cambridge, hands down. The owners and employees are super friendly and the atmosphere is wonderful!

This is a great new restaurant in the Central Square area. They have very good Indian and Nepalese food, good prices on drinks, and have frequent sports watch events (like the world cup or Boston Hockey games). They also have NESN so you can watch college hockey games. I recommend this spot as a chill place that can be good for dinner or drinks.

Don't go here unless you want to be told your real ID is fake and then have to call the cops to get it back

Delicious food! The paneer tikka masala is great. The laccha bread and samosas are also really good. The food is always hot and ready for pick up quickly.

My favorite Indian food outside of London was Bukhara in JP back in the 2000s, before they went downhill and sadly closed. A close second-best (and very similar in flavor) has long been Tanjore in Harvard Square, and after a recent delivery order, I'm happy to say that hasn't changed since their reopening as a bar as few blocks up towards Central, though their menu is shorter. My partner and I ordered our usual faves - paneer saagwala and chicken tikka masala, both of which were (as before) exceptionally bright in flavor, featuring more complex and balanced seasoning and perhaps somewhat less fat than most Indian restaurant fare. The mango lassi and gulab jamun were also good. Their heat scale leans towards mild, which, in combination with the pleasing depth of flavor, means even those don't like spicy food may find a lot to love here. We ordered "medium," and it was my idea of "mild." My mother, who cannot handle spicy food of any kind, ordered "mild" and loved it. My father, who ordered his lamb sagwala "hot," said it was exceptional, but not as hot as he'd hoped. So if exhilarating, eye-watering heat is your thing, you may want ask for "really spicy"! The only thing I missed was naan (specifically garlic naan!), which was not on the menu; I'm thinking their new location lacks a tandoor. So glad the pandemic didn't destroy this local gem, and hope they thrive in their new form and location!

This is a perfect add to the neighborhood. Good food, friendly staff, a well priced beer list, and multiple TVs. Somewhat rare in Cambridge, they are willing to play sound too! It's a great place to watch sports and grab a tasty Nepalese / Indian / Pub bite (they have "standards" like wings and tenders too!). We really enjoyed and will be back often.