Himalayan Bistro — Restaurant in Boston

Himalayan Bistro is one of my favorite Indian places in the Greater Boston Area. I used to live somewhat near by, and would go somewhat regularly. Even now that I've moved a bit farther away, I'll still periodically make the trek back down.

I've never had a problem getting a booth, with or without a reservation. In fact, many nights it seems downright empty. From watching the comings-and-goings, it looks like a lot of their business comes in as takeout orders.

Before you order anything, you are given what I believe is papadum, with a trio of chutneys: coriander, tamarind, an onion. All of the chutneys will give a huge boost to the other foods you'll have during the course of your meal.

My favorite appetizer from Himalayan Bistro is the coconut soup. Creamy with chunks of shaved coconut, with a strong hint of honey and some notes of cardamom.

With a perfectly tangy and savory masala sauce, I've always enjoyed their chicken tikka masala. Big chunks of chicken drenched in sauce, served in a neat pot over a tea light to keep it warm. For science, I can tell you that the pot gets very hot under the tea light... no need to burn yourself... I've done that for you.

Depending on what is ordered, they may give the table a big plate of rice to share. It's fragrant and moist, anything but bland. I could eat just the rice itself and be happy; when mixed with the masala sauce, it's amazing. Adding a big spoonful of the onion chutney just sends the flavor through the roof.

We usually get a side of garlic naan. One piece is enough for two people, and it's a great vehicle to eat as much of the masala sauce and chutney as you can.

The meat is generally sort of dry, and this is where I need to dock a star: every time I've gone, the sauces, the chutneys, and the rice have been amazing. But the meat is always slightly lacking in flavor and is a bit dry. I've tried the chicken, and the lamb several times, and have always had the issue. But clearly, it's not a big enough problem to keep me from going back if I'm...

Long story short... my Online delivery order took over 2 hours and the food came cold. They offered zero apologies after 6 calls back and forth. They were rude, disrespectful, and very unprofessional.

My story...

Ordered online Delivery directly from their Website. After exactly 1 hour (the estimated delivery time). I called the restaurant to get an update. She stated they were “waiting for a driver and the kitchen was backed up.” Either way offered no apology or solution and I was basically told to just deal with it . I called the 3rd party ordering service (Google). Google put me on hold and called the Bistro themselves. Google came back saying they have their own driver and the Bistro said the delivery would be with in 15 minutes. I wait of another 30 minutes I called the bistro again and they offer no sympathy nor an apology. Driver will be there in minutes. It’s been another 15 minutes and no food. 2 full hours since I ordered. I live 7 minutes from the establishment. 7 minutes! I called again- Shes was surprised driver wasn’t there. With me still in the line She called the driver. He complained in the background. Me- “ I left specific notes for delivery.” and “you told me he was suppose to call when he got here” per her request. Neither happened. He left the food on the ground outside and literally sped off. He took no effort and showed no courtesy. I now Furious called the bistro again! Me “He was rude and lazy and showed no respect. He didn’t even show his face I demand to speak to the manager!” Her- “The manager is the delivery driver. “ Like a punch line to a bad joke. I will never give my money to this...

This review actually hurts to write because it COULD have been a four or five-star review based on the food. The food was quite good. The problem was the service, or more accurately, the utter lack thereof. I think we were seated for 20 minutes before anyone thought to bring us menus. Over 30 minutes before anyone took an order from us ... for ANYTHING. We waited over an hour from the point we were seated until we actually got our food. Longer than that for our drinks, which finally arrived halfway through our meal. We don’t even know who our waiter was, as no one really seemed to be attending our table — except for one diligent bus-boy who made sure our water glasses were always full. (We tipped him $10 for being the only person who provided any service to us.) It took us over 30 minutes to get the check from the point that we first asked for it. All in all, we were there for over two hours ... and most of that time was just spent waiting for waitstaff to actually ... you know ... wait on us.

The final kicker was going into the bathroom right before I left ... and finding out that it reeked of cat urine so strongly that I couldn’t breathe. I actually had to put my shirt up over my nose and mouth and try to breathe through that.

It’s a shame because the food was actually really good. We would have been thrilled to have found a great Indian restaurant so close to home. I won’t be back though. It’s great that a place has excellent food, but if your waiter can’t be bothered to bring it to your table,...