Mirch Masala Cuisine of India — Restaurant in Groton

I gave 5 stars because I like the food here, the price is reasonable and they are within a reasonable drive. I don't care to drive 50+ miles to go to a different restaurant and then have to drive 50+ miles afterward to get back home.

I only go for Indian buffets as I really like tasting many flavors when I go out to eat. Mirch Masala does not have the largest buffet selection I have ever seen, that would be at the Koh i Noor in Glasgow, Scotland. It doesn't have my most frequently desired dishes, that would be at the Viceroy in Chicago. It does not vary the dishes offered as much as Tandoor in Schereville, IN.

Being realistic, seeing as Mirch Masala has the largest buffet selection in this area and the food always tastes good, I'll save the 3K mile trip to Scotland, the 1K trip to Chicago & Indiana and eat at the local Indian restaurant that I enjoy the most around here: Mirch Masala. - The owner used to serve food long ago, but no longer. The wait staff is courteous and I never have to wait long for the naan and perhaps they remember me as I rarely order anything but water for drinks and the water comes quickly. My vegetarian GF likes Mango Lasse, orders it every time and it comes right away for her. I have never found the food to be excessively high in temperature or conversely, too cold.

My only complaint is there seem to be a high ratio of bone in the goat during the week. It is a better ratio of meat to bone during the weekend buffets, almost all meat. The only other thing I can think of is I truly enjoy eating traditional Indian food and many places, Mirch included, have somewhat Americanized their food; Not the spices, but the main ingredients. I would like to see Bhindi Massala offered on a somewhat frequent basis and it is rare here during the buffet..

Also; My GF's parents who live in RI, wanted her to get a $50 gift certificate to give us as a Christmas gift and my GF went to Mirch Masala & bought one, was repaid by her mother for the card and then after Christmas, the card & gift card disappeared, likely ending in the trash, not to be found again. My GF asked the owner who remembered her buying the card, if a replacement could be offered but the answer was no. He did offer to let us eat free that day and even take some food home but we declined, would rather find the card if possible as it was for $50. - I truly don't blame them for not simply replacing the card; they don't know she is a highly skilled professional, I am a Doctor, both of us have high integrity and we would never cheat them. However, as a PR value since we are in there frequently and are not unfamiliar to them, they might have reconsidered giving her a replacement as good will.

In summation; Mirch Masala is an easy access Indian Restaurant in Groton that does an above average job in providing well prepared and tasty Indian cuisine. I have taken many people there as their first experience in Indian food and every one I have taken was thrilled and has told me they have returned. I recommend it highly and it will not break...

We returned back to this restaurant after an Year to have a similar horrible experience we had the very first time( Refer to the ratings and comments by Vamsee Kolluri). Now you would think why would we return to this restaurant after such a bad experience. As a part of our 10th Anniversary celebrations, we went to Mohegan Sun . After searching for Indian restaurants nearby, we found this restaurant with a rating above 4 and was the nearest. The moment we reached the place, we realized this was the same restaurant. Since last time we tried the buffet and had a horrible experience,we thought Ala Carte would do some justice to the so-called 4 &5 star ratings. This is our feedback: Hot & Sour soup- should be named as Soy Sauce soup( guess I don’t have to explain in detail) Ragara chat- doesn’t have any sweet chutney, green chutney & curd for the actual taste except for few drops for garnishing Biryani should not be called Biryani- may be Pulav??? We asked the waiter before ordering , if they meant pulav as Biryani, and the waiter with the utmost confidence said it was not the same and they had both of them on the menu separately. I wonder what they would have served if I ordered pulav. This is the first time ever I learnt chick peas are put in Biryani and mango pickle can be servers along side Biryani Tandoori vegetable- they warned us the waiting time was 20-25 mins but then it took 45 mins.upon arrival, we realized it is a sizzler, which also includes Potato, yellow squash. The yogurt used in marination broke and yet again one of the worst tandoori we ever had. We had ordered Veg Jalfarezi( included some chick peas too- again something I learnt new) and a garlic nan. After tasting the sizzler and Biryani, we no longer had an apetite to taste the nan and curry- so can’t comment how they taste

Over all, this was one restaurant I couldn’t leave without an urge to give this long review , and decided to never return back.

Lesson learnt- Before we decide to go a highly rated restaurant, search for my own reviews...

Mirch Masala is my favorite Indian restaurant, bar none. I've never had a bad meal at Mirch Masala, and I make it a habit to visit at least once whenever I'm in town. Tonight I had the chana masala. Spicy. It was the best chana masala I've ever had. Hands down. It was tasty, the flavors melting in my mouth with just enough fire. Superb. And the service is excellent; prompt, but not hovering; attentive. I recommend Mirch Masala. If you're looking for Indian food, this is where you want to go in the New London/Groton/Mystic area.

The restaurant is dark on Monday.

Update 3/14/2014: Tonight I stopped enroute from Massachusetts to New Jersey. A couple minutes after 5pm I walked in to a nearly empty restaurant. When I left a little over an hour later, the place was nearly filled.

What I decided tonight is that Mirch Masala isn't my favorite Indian restaurant... it is my favorite restaurant. Tonight I enjoyed my standard channa masala, and I also had the chicken vindaloo. They were both fantastic. The vindaloo was listed with four hot peppers; I had the channa masala hot. It was perfectly spiced. Hot enough but not so hot that the flavor was overcome by the heat. No, this was perfect (unlike my experience earlier this week over in Dartmouth where the heat was overbearing; not the case here).

Great place. Can't go wrong.

Now, if we can just get them a GF...