Taj Indian Restaurant — Restaurant in Nashville-Davidson

I had high expectations for this place after reading all the reviews and I planned a trip down here just to try it out. We went for the lunch buffet this past Saturday. Unfortunately I was highly disappointed. I very rarely give out low ratings so this was a real let down.

The buffet was busy which was a good sign, but things started on a sour note when our waiter came. He didn't introduce himself, didn't offer to take drink orders, and didn't offer to explain how the buffet worked. Again it was our first time here so we didn't know if we should just start picking up a plate or order drinks/naan first. Secondly, I really wanted to have garlic naan so I wanted to inquire about it. Our waiter kept cutting me off and repeating "It's coming, it's coming." The whole conversation went like this:

"Is the naan included as part of -" "It's coming ma'am, it's coming." "Yes ok, is it regular or can I get gar-" "Naan is coming, it's coming" "But will the naan be at the buffet trays -" "It's coming, it's coming."

At that point I gave up trying to have any conversation or trying to order garlic naan. 😅

The buffet itself has a limited selection, and some labels were incorrectly put on top of the food. For example, the label said Falooda but it was obviously Gulab Jamun - there's no mistaking that. Another label said the dish was stir fried eggplant, but it was clearly stir fried paneer!! A third label said it was chicken tikka masala, but it was actually butter chicken (which was overly super sweet).

Overall I only had two plates and ended up leaving early because I was so put off. I don't know if we just arrived on a bad day or got unlucky with a rude waiter. At the very least, they should have correct labels for their food for the customers' sake. People have different food preferences and intolerances, and need to be able to make informed decisions...

This is my favorite Indian restaurant in Nashville, if not my favorite restaurant in Nashville period. I've only ordered from the menu once, but what really makes Taj stand out is the lunch buffet. It's $13, which may sound like a lot for a buffet, but it's worth it. I've been to other Indian buffets, and the selection isn't nearly as vast. The buffet includes regional cuisines from all over India. There's Kashmiri options (the dum aloo is creamy and delicious), Hyderabadi options (the chicken biryani is awesome, but they switch out the meat options every week between chicken, goat, and lamb), Indo-Chinese options (they switch between chilli fish and chilli chicken), and always two or three delectable desserts.

The staff is great here as well. My weekly routine on Sundays is to come here after church for the lunch buffet and stock up for work. If you get the buffet to go, they'll give you a standard to-go box, plus two plastic bowls, AND a huge naan bread. This is enough for 2-3 meals, so I don't have to bring lunch to work until Tuesday usually! The wait staff knows me as a regular, so as soon as I walk in the door, they've already got my box and bowls ready for me and naan fresh out of the oven. It's super easy to get in, get out, and get to work.

The only downside of the buffet is that you can't control the heat level like you can if ordering off the menu. By default, the food at the buffet is pretty mild. The spiciest thing I've had is the sambhar, and that's just because I always scoop a red chilli into there.

Anyway, if you're looking for a huge variety of authentic Indian food along with great customer service, Taj is where you want to go! You won't be...

We really wanted to like this place because so many people have said wonderful things about the food, but unfortunately that wasn't our experience. To start, the manager (?) who sat us sharply inquired, "What is it with you southern people?" I don't know? What is it with us? Apparently southern people have too many tattoos and nose piercings. Ok...? We tried to be jovial with him thinking he was just making a joke or trying to have a conversation, but based on his attitude he was clearly serious and the entire interaction was awkward and unnecessary.

The rest of the service was pretty standard and while annoying, we don't really care about the guy and his tattoo opinions as long as the food is good. But it wasn't! Honestly it was like Indian food for people who don't actually like Indian food. My husband had Tikka Masala and I, Chicken Korma, and they both tasted like nothing. Not bad, not off, nothing. It was so jarring that I momentarily thought, do I have COVID? But then snapped back into reality and remembered that I could taste the caraway cracker thing you get along with a trio of sauces when you sit--which was excellent! So go figure.

I'm always inclined to give places at least one more try because everyone has an off night sometimes, but the food was so woefully underwhelming that I don't think I can bring myself to do so. Clearly some people like it, as it was pretty steady in there and they have other great reviews, which is why we were excited to give it a try! Anyway, the atmosphere was super nice and the restaurant itself was clean and inviting, but the food was meh at best and the manger clearly has big opinions on...