Maharaja Bhog — Restaurant in Mumbai

At the outset, I would like to admit that I am not a pro-Thali person, not that I detest it but given a choice I would give it a miss. My personal opinion, eating at a Thali joint is like going shopping for a pack of chips to a self-service Super Market. You enter with an intent to buy stuff not more than Rs.100 and end up running a bill of Rs.1000. Drawing the same inference to a Thali lunch, one enters with an intent to have lunch and comes out having lunch, snacks and dinner as well.

This review is not based on or a derivative of my personal opinions, it’s purely based on my experience.

This it was a team lunch that brought us here since it was a Tuesday and most team members were vegetarians; very much like Dr. Jekyll and Dr. Hyde.

They have a huge dining hall with most tables equipped to seat 4 people at the max but they do join tables if you are in bigger group. On the left hand side of the entrance, they have created something I term as Wall of Spice. On the wall, behind a glass partition, they have created a huge square display of many Indian whole spice and condiment.

No sooner you are seated they start placing their cutlery on the table. I believe the cutlery is made from Kasa metal which is form of bronze. We were served a cold sweet welcome drink made from saffron induced water which had traces of white sesame and edible camphor.

Their Premium Thali included 2 starters, 4 vegetable, 2 types of Dal, 2 types of Kadhi, 3 types of Roti, 2 types of Rice, 2 varieties of Sweets apart from the chutney, salad, pickle and papad. They have a rotating menu for the entire month, which means they have 30 menus for the entire month, a whopping 750 dishes throughout the month.

Some noteworthy dishes that I had that day were:

Dakor Gota Chaat – Gota means bhajiya and it derives its name from the place it originated from, Dakor. It’s made from besan and rava, fried and then soaked in water. These gota’s are then topped with sweet whipped dahi, chopped onions, red chili powder and chaat masala.

Kaju Kanda Karela – I swear that I have never had such a delightful veggie made from Bitter Gourd aka Karela. Karela and Onions were cut length wise and deep fried. Onions were caramelised. Both were then cooked together with grated coconut and cashew nuts. I have lost count of the number helpings I had of this particular dish. Kudos to the Chef!

Mohanthal – Made from besan using lot ghee and dry fruits and cut into square pieces. But the one served to us was not solidified too much so as ease the serving process. It was amazing.

The service is quick, efficient and a lot of times a bit forceful but out of genuine feeling that a guest is God [Athithi Devo Bhava] and he needs to be satisfied. They have a unique way of communicating with each other across the hall. They have developed unique hand signs / signals, one for each type of serving. It is basically used to communicate which particular type of dish is to be served on which table without having to shout across the hall.

True to its name, the ultimate feeling of being a Maharaja is when a person brings water and a flat vessel for you to your table for you to wash your hands.

A Meetha Paan is ultimate way to end such a sumptuous meal.

“Annadata Sukhi Bhava” is all one can manage to say and walk away to find a place for a siesta!

Food Quality – 4/5 Food Quantity – 4/5 Ambience – 4/5 Service –...

Maharaja Bhog, Oberoi Mall Goregao

About Maharaja Bhog- An unlimited Premium thali which you must try. I am not a fan of vegetarian food to be honest but since I visited this place my thought of vegetarian food totally got changed. They are really premium in all aspects for sure. Enjoyed the maharaja thali to fullest. The way their serving us was really impressive. I would strongly recommend that everyone must try this premium thali at least once; no doubt you will be their regular guest. Strongly recommend this place, go for it and enjoy. Thank you Maharaja Bhog for such a wonderful hospitality.

Detailed Review-

Location- 3rd floor of oberoi mall in goregao. Oberoi mall is one of the most popular malls of western suburbs in recent years. (4.5/5)

Concept- They serves unlimited gujarati/marwadi food premium thali. The way they give us a wow experience is really impressive. (4.5/5)

Look and Feel- A grand entrance invites you to enjoy the premium thali of them. On entrance itself they keep one proper thali of the day so guests can check or know what will be served to them. Interiors are really done in royal way. Seating got couches or chairs which are extremely comfortable. Lights are bright which gives fresh and positive feel to your visit. (4.5/5)

Service- “Atithi devo bhav” guess they know it perfect definition of this term. The staff is super friendly and ever welcoming. Starting from entrance till you finish and go out of the restaurant it was a VVIP service for each of their guests. Staff is so humble, they keep on suggesting you to try their food and always ready to serve you more and more. Highly impressed with the hospitality what I experience in Maharaja Bhog. (5/5)

Food- Thali is something which we eat on a daily bases at home. The number of options what we get at home are limited though. Here they are serving premium thali which has more than 30 varieties of food and beverages. Starting with welcome drink they had kesar ka sharbat which was really flavoursome and little sweet so can say refreshing. You can enjoy your journey of this premium thali along with Masala chaas. Then they come with few types of chutney like green, sweet chutney and papaya chutney. Server brought farsan category which had harabhara tikki and khasta kachori. Then comes the 4 types of vegetables followed by 2 types odd all and 2 types of kadhi (isn’t it must when it comes to this type of cuisine). Phulka, methi paratha was next to follow with rotla which you can enjoy with ghee and jiggery. Sweet dish had fruit salad and moong daal halwa which was highlight of the day. Once you eat all this and ask them for more whichever you like, they will make sure you try their khichadi with lot of ghee or steam rice. A super heavy meal can be finished with sweet paan. Few of their preparations are really worth eating again and...

A Truly Disappointing Experience at Maharaja Bhog, Goregaon. My experience was so underwhelming that I felt compelled to share.

The combination of bland food and the unprofessional, unacceptable behavior of the staff. One of the servers was shockingly unprofessional, even resorting to the use of inappropriate and abusive language—a behavior that is entirely unacceptable in any hospitality setting. To make matters worse, the receptionist appeared completely overwhelmed and incapable of managing even the basic front-desk responsibilities. There was no sense of coordination or courtesy from the staff, and it left a very negative impression overall.

From the moment we were seated, it felt like the staff was in a rush to just get us in and out. There was little to no attention given to our table, and we had to keep calling for someone to refill basic items, which completely took away from the “royal” thali experience they promise.

The servers seemed disinterested and lacked basic courtesy—no smiles, no explanations of what was being served, and no effort to ensure we were comfortable or satisfied. At one point, our requests were blatantly ignored, and we were met with dismissive responses.

For the premium price they charge, I expected much better hospitality and attention to detail. Sadly, the poor service overshadowed the quality of the food. Not likely to return, and definitely wouldn’t recommend unless there’s a serious improvement in customer service.

Overall, it was a waste of time and money. I expected hospitality and flavorful food, but left with frustration and a vow not to return. Definitely not worth the hype.

Frankly, the establishment is in urgent need of better-trained, respectful, and competent staff. Until that happens, I would strongly advise...