Taj Mahal Indian Restaurant — Restaurant in Springfield

I stopped in with my children whom have not had anything approaching authentic Indian cuisine before this visit. We had the butter chicken and the Taj Mahal special. The food was pretty good and I liked the spice level at medium although my children were put off by it. They definitely have an American palate and I am working on adjusting them to other ethnic cuisines and spice levels. We arrived at 8:05 approximately with the restaurant closing at 8:30. The staff immediately seemed to start pressing us and hurrying us along. The food arrived around 8:25 and not even 5 minutes later they were presenting me with the bill and asking if I could pay immediately. I was told that the restaurant was closing at 8:30 at least 4 times. I was rushed and hurried the entire meal which made the overall experience not enjoyable. I didn’t finish my meal and eventually dumped it in a box in order to leave. I fully understand that restaurant staff have lives and families and other events to get to but I also walked in before close and asked if it was ok to order. They took my order and served us so it would be nice to not be rushed the entire time. The kitchen should close at 8 in order to avoid this issue and allow customers time to finish their meal. I had not intention of staying until 9:30 but it would have been nice to eat my meal without the staff standing behind me and my children staring at us and rushing us with their eyes. At one point 3 staff members were watching us eat. We left the restaurant at 8:49. I am now at home watching Eureka on Amazon sitting at my coffee table finishing my Indian dinner and the atmosphere is much more relaxed although my dogs are now staring at me...

Edit 3: As of November 19, 2024, Taj Mahal Indian Restaurant has yet to resume its buffet option, a feature many of us continue to miss. However, both Zayka Indian Cuisine on Jefferson Avenue and Nawab's Indian Cuisine on Campbell have established buffets available on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Of the two, Zayka clearly stands out as the top choice, offering superior food quality and pricing.

Sadly, Taj Mahal no longer provides a buffet option, despite its popularity when it was available. While this is disappointing, it’s worth noting that Zayka Indian Cuisine offers not only better food quality but also an elevated level of service, making it the clear choice for those seeking a more reliable and enjoyable dining experience.

This trend reflects my evolving perspective on Taj Mahal, which once stood as a favorite but has since lost some of its appeal without the buffet option.

Main "Really miss the buffet. Haven't really been back since they took away the option for buffet. Me, my wife and children were frequent visitors. Food was great and had reasonable pricing. I ordered food delivered now and then but that option was much more costly in the long run. Food had same great quality however. Great customer service and very friendly staff. Wish they'd bring back the buffet though. Was always full house, so I know it was popular."

Edit: Excited about current response. Will definitely keep my eyes open for the buffet moving forward.

Edit 2: As far as I am aware the buffet is still not an...

They don't give you options at all for lunch, just their special, vegetarian or not vegetarian. We've been there on a Wednesday and on a Thursday and it's been the same special both times. Both times my fiance asked for it to be extra spicy and neither times the waiter actually did so when he said he would.

My fiance used to be a fan of the vindaloo curry and was a huge advocate for this restaurant and told his friends how good this place was.

The past times we've been there, however, has been a huge disappointment to him as he can't order what he actually wants. The shorter, thinner waiter guy refuses to even pass the message along to have the dish extra spicy even though he says he will (this has happened past two times). Doesn't check to see how the food is. The waiter won't let you look at the menu for lunch like they USED TO, only their two specials. But apparently GrubHub orders go through just fine and they can order what they want. But for us who wait 30 mins in the parking lot like we did for them to open, the waiter can't even bring out chili powder like he says he will. He has a smirk like it's his own personal inside joke 🤣.

The special is a middle-school style tray with one ladle of each sampler and one piece of tandoori chicken, naan bread, rice, and salad. Vegetarian is similar without meat. Not really enough for a man to be full. Don't treat loyal customers like this. Years ago the older folks were extremely nice and friendly. Now it's not that...