Indian Masala — Restaurant in Maplewood

We came here in a group, and one of my friends swear by this place. Based on the reviews it seemed like a great idea. Upon arrival a weird thing happened. We had a party of 4 adults and two kids, and they proceeded to put us on a 4 top and put Kid's chairs at the end of the table. I was annoyed because the restaurant was NOT full. But whatever. I questioned their choice of table, stating that we might be one or two more than I anticipated. They said let's wait til your party arrives if you need to move. I said ok. Well our party showed up, and it turned out to be 4 adults and 3 kids, and they wanted to squeeze us on that 4 top still. Two of the kids are old enough to have their own chairs, and a high chair besides. At this point I was shocked beyond comprehension. One of our party gently suggested that we move to an 8 top right next to our table, and the hostess reluctantly obliged, and her non-verbals clearly expressed distain. I was beyond words. The staff made sure we had enough water, I had to grab a set of silverware for one of the Kid's, and they DID NOT attempt to set the table for us. We had to do it. Well so far, they get a Hospitality score of 0/5.

The buffet line is strange in that it's a single line with a barricade into the line, so it's single file. Now this restaurant is a fairly good size, looking like it could fit 50-60 people seated. You can see how this might be a problem. On top of that the styrofoam cups and bowls were at the end of the line, where the soups and curries that need such serving ware in before. Urghh. More frustration.

Well the redeeming value of this place is the food. It tasted every bit as good as other authentic India buffets on my list. They had curried goat and fish, which were wonderful. As for the meat dishes, there's like 15% meat and all sauce, so you need to hunt for the meat. They have lots of gluten free and vegetarian options as well, as one of our party is vegetarian. Dessert options like mango pudding, fruit, and Rice Gheer round out the buffet line. Food quality 5/5. Organization 2/5.

The ambiance, fit and finish of the place is what I would call divey. For an Indian restaurant, competing with the white table cloth places around they are really in the hurt locker. Let's just say the bathrooms are just like some of the worst divey Chinese takeout joints or rural roadside gas station bathrooms. You get the picture. Ambiance/finish 1/5.

Overall because the food was great. And I usually have a high tolerance for a lot of frustration if the food was great. So they get 3 stars from me. If you're in this area and need great Indian, well come knowing what you're getting into. For everyone else, do yourself a favor and head to Persis Indian Grill in Eagan off Yankee Doodle and 35E instead. You can find that place in...

I've been coming to Indian Masala on and off for 5 years. One thing that has always deterred me from dining-in has always been the interior appearance of the establishment. I walked in for take-out, and at this point, there were two people waiting for take-out. Within about five minutes of my arrival, a waiter asked for my name, walked towards the kitchen, and then proceeded to ignore me. I can only assume the food isn't ready? Regardless, I spent 20 minutes waiting as more and more take-out customers came in, and during that time, I observed a few things:

There are exposed cables and wires everywhere—behind the buffet, behind the fish tank, and behind the TV, dangling everywhere. Please take the time to hide the cables and wires; that would greatly improve the appearance of this establishment.

I noticed the walls were painted blue. Not a bad thing, but behind the fish tank, you could see every color iteration of paint since the walls were painted maroon back in the day. Clearly there was no effort to move or even try to paint behind the fish tank.

If you are going to have a fish tank as a focal point, at least make it attractive. Additionally, please remove the plastic jar of murky water with tiny fish in it from the front counter. On the bright side, at least the fish in the tank look healthy.

It felt like the two attendants were avoiding customers like the plague. Granted, they had one large table, but please be attentive. Communicate with your customers, even if we have to wait longer.

Finally, after 20 minutes, there were at least eight people waiting. So I left for another 20 minutes to run some errands and came back. When I returned, the same people were still there. Eventually, we discovered that there was a take-out shelf. Sure enough, my food was there along with a couple of other people who had been waiting. I'm left wondering - I was gone for 20 minutes, how did the people who stayed not realize their food was ready?

So, how was the food? Good. Not much chicken, but the flavor was alright. Naan was good.

Everything else seemed low effort, from the appearance to the customer service. If this is the impression the public receives, I have some concerns about the condition of the kitchen.

Anyways, Indian Masala, I'll be back eventually. I sincerely hope things improve. No amount of paint or potential review manipulative 5-star google reviews will fix...

The food is very good here, as my wife and children all like it. We tend to go there for their lunch buffet, driving 25 minutes to get there. The style of food is less commercialized and had a more authentic flavor. I brought a friend from India to try the food who had said there weren't any good Indian restaurants in the area. Immediately, he was telling me what region each dish was from, saying how some items are nearly impossible to find in restaurants, and he hadn't had some items since his childhood. He immediately went home and told his family, which they later came to eat there as well. He is vegetarian and also struggles to find places he can eat.

The buffet has a wide variety of flavors, including common dishes (butter chicken, different masala dishes) and less common, spicy and mild, chicken, goat, and vegetarian. We have ordered food outside of the buffet and the taste and service were great. The only thing I would prepare people for is that the buffet is a "main dish" buffet. While it has some sweet desert dishes, the reason to get the buffet is for main dishes. My family typically skips the desert because we fill up on the main dishes. All dishes are full of flavor, as they should be. The lunch buffet was just under $15 per adult.

If you plan on going to eat with someone who doesn't like strong flavors or "authentic" cuisine styles, I would say to go elsewhere (like India Palace or skip Indian food all together). If you crave strong flavors, authentic cuisine, or good Indian food, I highly recommend trying...