Masala Art — Restaurant in Needham

Service was strange from the start and only went downhill from there. The waiter didn't come once after taking our order. The kadahi paneer was served without any salt. When we asked if they could please season it sufficiently, it came back over-salted and inedible. We waited for service throughout the meal, and eventually the bartender left the bar to pour us some water. Once we got up to get the check from anyone we could find, 18% gratuity was added to the bill without prior discussion. This was the second and last time we saw our waiter. When we asked them to remove the 18% gratuity so we could decide how to tip, we were treated disrespectfully, especially by the management staff. Without even looking us in the eye, we were told they don't have time to talk to us. He said that management simply cannot address our concerns and that they did not want to talk to us, slapping down the new receipt for us to sign without further explanation. He then swiftly moved on to the next customer as if we weren't even there. It did not seem that he was talking to us as customers or people worth his time. He proceeded to tell us that the owner wasn't there, while the attentive yet overwhelmed bartender later divulged that the owners were in fact in the back. There was no apology or explanation for the notably poor service, his own rudeness, or for the disappointing food. It is concerning that the staff treats customers this way, especially if they have already been treated poorly. In my career working at TripAdvisor, I have never experienced disrespect by any restaurant staff at this level. I would not recommend going to this restaurant, even after being a loyal customer of the establishment for many years. I am disheartened to write this review, but it is an honest account of my dining experience with my family, an occasion which we hoped to celebrate and...

Tried your place at a friend's rave. We sat at the bar. Everything started great, bartender made excellent drinks, had spinach cheese rolls and malai shrimp cocktail for apps. These where delicious. Then we ordered our main meal and everything went downhill. My chicken tikka marsala came out without my girls butter chicken. So i had to ask to have our app dishes to be taken away to make room for the main dishes.. After 10 minutes or so of waiting for my girls dish to come out we asked what was the delay. We where then told that they dropped the dish,which I guess means someone screwed up and forgot to make it. So then we where told that it would take another 15 minutes to make her dish. I then said my dish was now cold and i was not going to wait and we both split my cold dish. Then it got worse when they said we can take her dish home in a takeout container if she still wanted it. Bad choice of words to tell your customers who came out to try a new restaurant. I think the bartender was courteous and apologized for the screw up. I think he was just so overwhelmed with the rush he could not stay on top of the customers and the bar at the same time. So if we go back I would sit in the dining room where I don't think this would have happened. ...

We enjoy Masala Art's good cooking and top notch service. The dining room is pretty, too, the tables set with starched white tablecloths, good silver and glasses. Seating is very comfortable.

When you sit down the waiter brings papadam with two sauces. For dinner we ordered Chicken Tikka, and Lamb Rogan Josh. The Chicken Tikka is on the appetizer menu but we order it as a main course. It is boneless white meat done in the tandoor, served sizzling on a hot platter with a little onion, tomato and cucumber, dressed with a side order of Naan.

The Lamb comes with rice. We ask for medium heat, but they will make it mild or spicy. Wine is a generous pour, and a beer is served with a frosty glass, very nice. The dining room is well staffed with pleasant people quick to take the order, keeping water glasses filled, and bringing extra rice. In all, it is a very pleasant dining experience, in fact close to fine dining.

The restaurant is suitable for vegetarians, even vegan dinners, and children also. The children have fun with the fancy puffed bread. The space is handicapped accessible. They are busy with take out, and the bar is hopping, too. There's lots of...