Taj Mahal Indian Cuisine — Restaurant in Louisiana

Located in the back of an old lot of buildings, it is easy to miss unless you're looking for it. The entrance looked odd but we are visiting NO and decided to try it anyway. The Indian cooking aroma around it, we liked. As we stepped in, there was this distinct smell you get when you step into old places that require some upkeep. I'd wager they'd need to redo/renovate quite a bit if an inspector did a proper inspection of the place. Coming back to impressions, we asked for a table for 4. The careless disrespectful response from one of the 2 guys, guessing the most senior waiters at the place - it'll be a few minutes, sit there. And so we waited. While we waited, read the newspaper articles posted and was impressed that they've been around since 94! We were then hopeful that if it's been around this long, it's gotta be good food. Alas, we were wrong. After a few minutes of waiting, we were seated at a table in the center, right by the bar/counter where the hosts were. Everyone was walking all around us but no one cared to come take our order. After about 10 minutes, I finally flagged down one of the other guys who wasn't taking orders and asked who will get the order and when. He said he'll let em know and I saw him walk over and tell em. They nodded but kept going about other work. After another 5 - 10 minutes, I was able to flag down there same guy again and this time he made sure the waiter came to take our order. And boy do their waiters need to be taught how to be polite to customers and talk decently. Short, cut off responses that are nowhere near sentences is not how you talk as a waiter. We gave our order and then started the even longer wait. After 15 to 20 minutes and nothing, I asked our water for our appetizer and he then went to check. That is when we got our cutlets and that was a whole different piece of disappointment. See my attached pictures and captions about the dishes. The main entrees as expected came much later and were all complete letdowns. See pics and captions uploaded. Another junior waiter came by to clear dishes. In the process he tipped over one of our sauces. He apologized and said he'll get more. Didn't see him again. There was an old lady who was helping with the seating. I'm guessing she's the owner or related to the owner. I can appreciate her hard work at that age but coughing while walking around and not even covering up when coughing is gross.

Not sure how these guys are staying open with these levels of service. Added to all this nonsense, they charged us gratuity automatically for just 4 people. And that too 20%! WTH!! Mandatory gratuity is usually when there are 6 or more in a party.

Never going back here and I don't recommend it for anyone...

The best meal I have had all of 2024!

The vibe inside is great. I ordered the boti kebab (masala spiced lamb cubes), my husband ordered the tiranga non-veg (chicken saag, chicken malai, and chicken tikka masala), and our friend ordered a $20 choose-your-own-adventure 4 course deal (paneer samosa, garlic naan, lamb Rogan Josh, and gulab jamun were his choices). We also got the bread basket to split.

First off, our server Antonio was very attentive and pleasant. He made sure we always had water and explained what dishes were with a little insight because you never know when it’s someone’s first time having Indian food and he knew what probing questions and things to say to make sure if we were beginners, we would have a pleasant experience.

Secondly, my husband LOVES spicy food. And nowhere ever gives him what he means by “make it spicy, please.” I don’t know if it’s cause we’re from the Caucus mountains or because he asks so politely, but he is always disappointed by the level of spice he is brought after asking for things to be “as spicy as they make them.” This is the first restaurant in the history of our 14 years together that has matched my husband’s freak when it came to the spice level. Thank you! It’s like I got to see him experience true love for the first time. And it wasn’t just overly spicy for nothing: it added depth to the flavor and you could still enjoy the individual flavor profiles of all of the dishes in the tiranga.

Our friend’s lamb Rogan Josh was fork tender and perfect. My boti kebabs were juicy and served on a bed on onions, peppers, and cabbage. All of the bread was great.

Overall: 10/10 experience and very glad when we were debating what to eat I said “I could really go for some Indian food.” This exceeded my...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ An Absolute Gem in New Orleans

I was introduced to this restaurant back in 2019, and ever since then, it has remained hands down the BEST Indian restaurant I’ve ever eaten at not just in New Orleans, but anywhere. I’ve tried multiple Indian spots across the city, and while some are good, none of them compare to this one.

The flavors here are authentic, bold, and unforgettable. Every dish is cooked with so much care that you can taste the tradition and quality in every bite. The samosas are the best I’ve had crispy, golden, and perfectly spiced. And the biryani? Without a doubt, the BEST in New Orleans. I’ve tasted biryani at different places, but nothing comes close to the balance of flavor, aroma, and authenticity that they serve here.

The environment is another thing that makes this place special. It’s always clean, the atmosphere is welcoming, and the service makes you feel like family. Of course, like any restaurant, there can be small kitchen slip-ups if the usual chefs aren’t there but even then, the food still outshines everything else you could find in the area.

This isn’t just a restaurant it’s an experience. Every visit feels like comfort food at its highest level. If you’re looking for authentic Indian flavors, especially biryani that will make you rethink what biryani should taste like, you NEED to try this place. Honestly, it’s some of the best food I’ve had in my entire life. Highly, highly...