Bombay Bistro

Bombay Bistro is wonderful for dinner - great food AND great service, but the lunch is great, too, and is an exceptional value. I could eat here twice a week! My only complaint is that they don't have kheer (that Indian rice pudding dessert). They do have mango ice cream and some little dessert balls in a sweet liquid. more

I was first introduced to this restaurant by someone who is both savvy to vegetarian-friendly restaurants in Austin and an excellent cook in his own right. Indian and Thai are my two favorite types of food, and this place is one of my favorite spots to hit when I am in north Austin. It's a classy atmosphere (nice decor and table settings) even though it's a buffet. Always had good service and enjoyed everything offered. more

We've been going for several years and it's easily some of the best Indian food in Austin (up there with Clay Pit and Taj Palace). Do not listen to the bad reviews. Try it out for yourself. That's the only way you can be sure. We've been there for both dinner and the lunch buffet, which is one of the tastiest and freshest in Austin. Their Sunday buffet usually features dishes not normally served during the week. The staff has always been friendly and attentive. Again, ignore the bad reviews. Try it for yourself. You won't regret it. more

I used to work in the Arboretum and Bombay Bistro was a regular stop for me. The staff always greeted me immediately and after a while knew just where I wanted to sit & what to bring me to drink. They have a great selection of food that changes through the week. The buffet for lunch is awesome, always packed so I try to get there by 11:30 at the latest. more

The food is really yummy. Among the best in Austin area. I 'm surprised seeing all the bad reviews. I've had dinner only when crowds are non-existent so don't know if lunch buffet is different. Also I found the prices to be very reasonable compared to the quality of food. Pros: Tasty, Reasonably Priced Cons: Service could be a little better more

So after reading about this place and the fact that it?s really close to where I work I decided to try out the lunch buffet. When I arrived they immediately lost a few points, every good Indian restaurant I?ve been to I?m immediately greeted by the rich aroma of spices, this place had a very?old lady smell. Like the smell you get when you visit an elderly woman in a home. I tried 4 of their dishes: chicken tikka masala, beef vindaloo, dahl bakhara, and matter makhana and of course some naan. Naan: Terrible, rubbery, thin, paper has more flavor. Chicken Tikka Masala: Chicken was dry flavorless, gravy was really runny and bland. Beef Vindaloo: Not spicy at all (menu states ?HOT?), didn?t have the ?tang? that vindaloo should have, beef was chewy. Dahl Bakhara: pretty good, could taste the beans and the spices. Matter Makhana: Never had it before, didn?t like the flavor at all. Overall the food was ok, not terrible by any means but far from great. Personally if I?m in the mood for Indian food for lunch I?ll do a takeout order from Teji or Bombay Grill, both are a little bit of a drive but the food is worth it. Pros: Good buffet selection Cons: Kind of bland, bad Naan more

I can't say what is inspiring all the bad reviews, but in my experience, Bombay Bistro has been nothing but impeccable! The Korma is rich and delicious, and if you ask for spice, you shall receive it. The Boti Kabobs and the mixed grill(a sampler of all the Tandoori grill items) were all tender, juicy, and succulent. The Tikka Masala, and the garlic naan, were also out of this world. All it took for me was to walk in the front door. You are instantly emersed in the rich aroma of Indian curry and a beautiful, dimmly lit dining room. Also, the service has been nothing but friendly and helpful; always willing to answer any questions you might have. Pay no attention to any of the bad reviews you might see here. This is my favorite Indian restaurant and it is well worth giving it a chance; try it for yourself and I'll bet you'll love it as well. Pros: quality, service, awesomeness Cons: not cheap, but worth every penny more

My husband and a coworker ate at the lunch buffet here a couple of days ago and both became very ill as a result. My husband is now in the hospital and, yes, it is because of the meal he ate here! I do not normally take the time to write reviews unless accolades or a dire warning are in order. I feel the need to warn other diners at this point. If you read the remainder of the reviews here, you can see it is about a 50/50 split between love this place and hate this place. I guess my best advice is eat here at the risk of your health. Please don?t say this could happen anywhere. Making diners ill is completely avoidable!! Considering how often my husband dines out for lunch and dinner, this has thankfully been isolated to this restaurant. If you want excellent tasting Indian food that is fresh and made with quality ingredients, I would recommend Masala Wok (very casual and reasonably priced) or the Clay Pit for a nicer ambience at a higher price. Pros: None! Cons: Everything...yes, I am angry! more

In life, there are woefully rare moments where one can clearly see crystallized forms at once both perfectly beautiful and stunningly correct, that you are left questioning whether its creation is either fantastic and fictional, or truly even meant for us. Pros: Food? Cons: Need to use money? more

This Indian restaurant is pretty BAD in all ways.. I asked them for Veg Biriyani and asked them to make it spicy.. Trust me they just don't understand what spicy is ... he gave me something that was just a mix of rice and some carrots.. They dont even know that adding carrot will make the dish sweet. I then asked him to make it spicy and when he gave me second time, he had just put some pepper powder, not even mixed well and he was claiming that actually its dhum Biriyani ( fyi :: Dhum means strength.. ) Pros: Ambience is good.. Cons: Apart from Ambience, rest are all BAD.... more

I agree with Prince07 comments fully. Pros: located in a convenient part of the city Cons: Food, Service and everything else more

i really dnt know wht is going on this restaurant ,food wht they serve is a spoil r too old one by they way itz smell n taste i feel .i ask abt this with black tall guy seems to be manager ,the way he talks /argue with me in a loud voice put me ina embarasment wiyh my friends and relatives around me.guys think abt going here b4 or dn't expect good food r service . Pros: ambience Cons: rest of all more

My DH and I came here as a ""special occassion"" type of thing. Upon walking in, the interior boasts of lush red tones and curvy architectural attention. The lighting is nice and dim/soft. My husband ordered samosas, which are flaky savory pastries with vegetables tucked inside served with a sweetish sauce, chiken curry with basmati rice and naan bread. I ordered mutton in a brown gravy with stir fried vegetables, a chai tea, and a glass of wine. The staff was very attentive and stoically courteous. I literally felt special, like a VIP. While there, it appeared they may have been hosting an event of some sort. So many young adults were showing up and it was so neat to see the ladies coming in with their beautiful and delicately crafted sari's just added to the mesmerizing effect of seeing another culture's customs etc. Pros: The FOOD! Wonderful Ambiance, Great Service, Large Selection Cons: Ummm...geez... Price, but that's being kind of picky, it's worth it. more

My family and I are new to Austin, and generally the dining experiences have been wonderful. As a result, when looking for a nearby decent Indian, I was surprised to find pretty much everywhere had some bad reviews. I discounted this as grumbly patrons and drove to the Bombay Bistro. Well, humble pie is the best thing I tasted tonight - the food from the Bombay was pretty awful. Specifics - chicken tikka masala was burnt (how?), lamb rogan josh was bland and fatty, mixed vegetable starter was greasy and bland. Naan below average. Very disappointing - I guess we're a long way from India here in Texas, but most indians here seem to get terrible reviews. We had tried the Clay Pit before, and that was pretty good. Pros: Er... Cons: Burnt food, bland flavours more

We went to Bombay Bistro with my husband's colleagues who had been raving about the food at Bombay Bistro for months. We had a reservation for 6 people so, we were promptly seated but everything went downhill from there. In order to get a glass of water and place our orders we had to call manager because we were not approached by a single server for almost 20 minutes. We ordered a couple of assorted appetizers, which were pretty nondescript. They took their own sweet time in getting the entrees, which were not too great either. I had ordered paneer do piaza, which was ok but I have had better. My husband had ordered Seekh Kebab, which was so bad that he stopped eating it after a couple of bites and decided to share my paneer dish. After finishing dinner we had to wait for 20-30 minutes for our check (my husband again had to ask the manager because for some strange reason the servers there do not make eye contact). Overall an extremely disappointing experience. Pros: Ambience Cons: Food and service more

Oh Well, where should I begin, I read some reviews here and wanted to try the food out, went in for a takeout and was impressed by the interior , looked at the long menu , first thing to put me off were the exorbitant prices, come on 14-15 bucks for a dish in a strip mall ? they sell similar stuff in Dallas and Houston for 1/3 the price Pros: Nice interior Cons: Food tastes like rubber more

my indian friend kept suggesting this place, because he said it taste pretty authentic. we never went until just recently. we went during the lunch buffet. the service wasn't bad like the other reviews suggested, but maybe because we went during the later part of the lunch and it wasn't too crowded. the food was good. there were also choices for vegetarians. their mango lassi wasn't bad either. good place to go if you're looking to satisfy some indian food craving. Pros: good food Cons: n/a more

Went with a group of four on a Thursday evening and had the absolute worst service ever. Waited more than 45 minutes for our food, when there were only 5 other tables in the restaurant. Our server did not even apologize and had no personality what so ever. The only thing good about this restaurant is leaving. I am not a type of person to complain, but the food was awful, there was no light, and the service was the worst I've ever had. Will never go here again. Pros: nothing Cons: everything more

Bombay Bistro has recently been hailed as ?the crown jewel? and the newest Indian venture in the Austin restaurant scene. If this restaurant is considered as the best place to get Indian food, we are sorely disappointed in the Indian restaurant offerings in Austin. Maybe this is an indication that we are being called for a higher purpose! Cons: Save your money and stomachs stay away, bad food and bad service more

this place is by far the best indian food from a restaurant i've had. i went for dinner so i can't speak to the buffet, but the food and service was fantastic. i judge restaurants like these by their sauces, the raita was excellent. the biryani was spiced to perfection. my sister had a veggie sampler type of plate and it was fantastic all around. the mango daquiri was the perfect end. go crazy here, the people are nice and the food is tasty. Pros: food, service, ambience Cons: a little hard to find more