Hoy Maharaja Dhaba — Restaurant in Mumbai

The place was easy to find and the location was accurate. We were expecting a longer queue but got a table for 4 in about 15 mins. The service was average at best. Had to ask for a menu card multiple times. Also once we ordered the appetizers the steward rushed us to place our main course order saying that it will take time and your order might be delayed. The food took about 30min to come. And all appetizers didn't come at once. Barring these glitches, we move on to the food and taste:

Appetizer Crab lollipop: was delicious juicy and crispy. Beautiful presentation of the crab claw served with some mayo. (5/5)

Bombil rawa fry (not stuffed): slightly on the oily side but taste great. (4/5) (About 4-5 pcs)

Chicken chatpata: was ok, like a chicken pakoda/ chicken 65. (3.5/5)

Prawns rava fry: it was made in an interesting manner. Usually each pc is coated in masala and fried. But these were big chunky pakodas each containing mainy small prawns (like onion bhajji). Don't know whether it was intentional but it turned out very good. (4.5/5)

We ordered 3 surmai thalis. Each thali came with. a. Green chutney, Yellow chutney, kokum based chutney.

b. Red humman (fish curry infused) but no actual pc of fish.

c. A light aromatic tangy green curry(prawn teek) as it is referred. I'm allergic to prawns so the gladly replaced it with half a bangda which was also very fresh.

d. Prawn flavoured chips were nice, they gladly replaced mine with fried papad.

e. Sukhat: a dried shrimp condiment with pieces of brinjal in it which I found fascinating. Again I'm allergic but everyone else on the table seemed to like it.

f. Sol Kadhi which really is the litmus test for a malwan joint was excellent well balanced and not skimping on the coconut milk.

g. 1 gulab jamun (nothing outstanding) but enough for the feeling of ending the meal.

f. Rice was nice well cooked. I'd recommend however to opt for Indryani Rice which would be awesome when paired with thin fish gravy

g. We had to try the Kokum sharbat, which was also very nicely done, a pinch of chat masala to end the meal.

My only area of improvement:

The place was really stingy with the chutney, lachha onion, lime which is a staple with thali and was missing. Also stewards need a little more training to handle high volume...

We visited Hoy Maharaja on a Sunday afternoon, having heard a lot of buzz about the place on social media. To avoid the expected crowd, we reached around 12:30 PM.

Ambience & Seating

The restaurant is quite compact, with seating for just about six tables. There’s an air conditioner inside, but the transparent plastic roof makes the indoor space uncomfortably warm on a sunny day. A couple of tables are placed outside, but overall, the ambiance isn’t particularly comfortable during the day. Despite the AC, the heat from the sun makes it difficult to cool down the space effectively.

What We Ordered • Bombil Thali • Prawn Thali • Halwa Thali • Kokam Soda

Food Experience • The wait time was around 40 minutes, which felt excessively long, especially since we arrived early. • The taste of the food was decent, particularly the fish, which was cooked well. • However, the pricing felt steep. The thalis were exorbitantly priced and the overall experience didn’t justify the cost. • The yellow rice served with the thali was extremely spicy, to the point where it caused discomfort for a couple of days.

Service

The service was below average. The staff were largely unresponsive and needed multiple reminders for basic things. This significantly brought down the overall experience.

Payment Issues

One major inconvenience is that the restaurant does not accept credit or debit cards. They only accept cash or UPI. To make matters worse, the restaurant is located in a relatively remote area where mobile network connectivity is very weak, making UPI payments unreliable. This can create unnecessary hassle at the end of the meal.

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Pros • Tasty fish preparations (especially Bombil) • Unique coastal-style thalis • Kokam soda was refreshing

Cons • Cramped and uncomfortably hot indoor seating • Long wait time for food • Unresponsive staff and poor service • Overpriced for the quality and experience • Spiciness not suitable for all palates • No card payments; poor network makes UPI tricky

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Final Verdict

While the food has its moments—especially the seafood—the experience felt overhyped and not worth the premium pricing. The service, seating discomfort, and payment hassles added to the disappointment. It’s a decent spot if you’re curious, but be prepared for delays...

A Horrendous Experience at Hoy Maharaja Dhaba - Be Prepared for Disrespect and Long Wait Times

Visited Hoy Maharaja Dhaba on 13th October for lunch, and it turned out to be a truly awful experience. We arrived at 1 PM and were told by the hostess that there would be a 15-20 minute wait. We were among the top 5 on the waiting list and waited outside in the scorching sun with a 3-year-old child, hoping the wait would be manageable.

During our wait, we requested a simple drink, ‘Sol Kadi’, from one of the servers. He assured us it would take 5 minutes. After 15 minutes passed, we politely reminded him, to which he responded, “5 more minutes.” Then, he disappeared. After 25 minutes of waiting, we found him, only to be met with an extremely rude reply: "I’m busy with orders, go ask someone else." Shocked by his hostility, we brushed it off, thinking he might just be having a bad day.

However, the service continued to worsen. After 45 minutes of waiting, we asked the hostess about our table status. To our dismay, she snapped, saying, "What can I do? Is it my problem? I can’t make people get up!" We were stunned by her attitude.

Finally, after 75 minutes of waiting, we were seated. When we asked how long it would take for our food to arrive, the server replied, “Food will reach your table when your KOT number arrives,” without giving any timeframe. The total lack of professionalism was astounding, but we reluctantly stayed since we had a child with us and didn’t want to deal with the traffic and finding another place.

An hour after being seated, our food finally arrived. We ate, paid, and left, grateful it was our first and last visit.

For anyone considering dining here, be prepared for rude service, absurdly long wait times, and complete disregard for customer experience. Hoy Maharaja Dhaba will ensure you leave frustrated, disrespected, and...