Taj of India — Restaurant in Harrisonburg

I've eaten Indian food in both this country and across India. This meal gets a mixed review. I was pleasantly surprised to see one Puri dish on the menu. I associate that with South India cuisine, which is very hard to find here, though I didn't sample it.

First the good: our main dishes were the goat curry and eggplant (Baigan Burta on the menu, or Bengan Bharta, the name more familiar to me). The goat curry was pretty good, though lacking spices for my taste. The menu said it was bone-in, but I only found one small bone fragment. The eggplant was a more authentic presentation than most Indian restaurants, chunkier and less tangy. I enjoyed it, though I do also enjoy the amchoor-laden, creamy version that's more common here in the States.

We began the mean with onion bhaji. They lacked flavor and were somewhat undercooked--not very crunchy on the outside and uncooked flour on the inside. (I would assume that's gram flour,, not wheat.)

We also each had a lassi. My companion's mango lassi was exactly what one would expect, sweet and fruity. But my salted lassi was distractingly overladen with other spices. I'm pretty sure they included cumin, coriander, and cardamom. I came to love the simple salted lassi I drank from Madurai to Dehradun, so this was a real disappointment.

The service was okay but not great. After being pestered every two minutes to place our order, the waiter disappeared. I had to flag him from across the room for more water. Balance is apparently challenging.

Would I rather eat at the little Indian grocery in Culver City,, CA, or better yet at Sri Krishna Vilas in Colombo, Sri Lanka, or off a banana leaf in Madurai? Absolutely. But I'm here, not there. Sometimes you take what...

I’ve had mixed experiences at this restaurant, but unfortunately, my most recent visit was disappointing on several fronts.

From the moment I walked in, I couldn’t help but notice the uneven level of attention given to guests. It was clear that the service was more attentive to some patrons than others. Specifically, I felt that guests with certain backgrounds, particularly those who appear South Asian or East Asian, were overlooked and received slower service compared to others. This disparity was evident in things like the frequency of check-ins and the priority given to clearing tables over delivering food.

The service left a lot to be desired, especially for those of us with young children. For example, our table went unrefilled for water multiple times, and it was often difficult to get the attention of staff. In contrast, guests at nearby tables seemed to have their needs addressed more promptly.

Unfortunately, the quality of the food has also declined since I last visited. During the pandemic, I had picked up takeout from this restaurant a few times, and the meals were flavorful and satisfying. However, the dining experience this time around was disappointing. The dishes lacked the depth of flavor I remembered, and many felt bland, with an overpowering use of garlic in an attempt to mask it.

In conclusion, I’ve come to the sad realization that this restaurant no longer offers the quality of service or food I once enjoyed. I’d encourage anyone looking for a great dining experience to consider other options where both food and hospitality are...

Be aware that the good reviews are probably paid reviews because we had a horrible experience and left the place disappointed and hungry. The food was disgusting. We ordered Chicken momos, lentil soup, butter chicken briyani, egg curry and poori. All of them had no Indian taste and no salt. When we complained to the manger, he said that for 10 years this is how the food is and nobody has complained about the food. He did not apologize and still demanded to pay for the food which we didn’t even complete. The butter chicken briyani was nothing like what it sounds. Disgusting. The egg curry was nasty. It was old hard boiled eggs cooked like 2 days ago. The outer portion of the egg was hard and rough. Couldn’t chew. Also they added red chilly powder at the end and you taste only the raw chilly powder in the curry. The manager walked away while we were still talking. Normally the manager at any other place would apologize and ask if we want something else to replace those dishes. This one didn’t care and walked away and hid in the kitchen. I would never step foot in there again. Was there with my wife and 4 year old. All left the place still hungry. $55.00 down the drain. There are no authentic Indian flavors. The people working there look like they are from Nepal. The name should be changed to Taj of Nepal! Please stay away...