Best Indian food I have had in the DMV area, hands down. Family business with great service and food, does not get much better than that.

I went to have dinner tonight and found it is not a buffet anymore. Now it is like a Panda Express, there is a one or two entree plate, $5.99 or $7.99 and cash only. The plates include rice OR naan but, not both. We passed and ate at the Grill Kabob two doors down which was very good. read more

From the minute we walked in, knew we were in a great spot. It smelled amazing! Everyone was friendly and helpful as tried to figure out what to order. Butter chicken, garlic naan (highly recommend), goat curry, and of course mango lassi's! We wish we lived closer so we could go all the time. Just the right level of spice and so good. No leftovers. Don't forget to try the samosas! read more

Warning !!!!! Very important to read before go there* They have new trend that giving an extra item complimentary of $3 value when your buy for $25 or more. Unfortunate I had ordered my dinner which was beyond the $25 bucks. The girl insist me to get one of the complimentary item. To be very honest, after seeing all the items, I was not interested none of these as she was insisting, so I took a Paneer Kathi Roll which they use to sell in $3. How they make this Paneer Kathi Roll? Whatever is the LEFT OVER end of the day, specially vegetables, they wrap in the flatbread and keep there to sell in $3 or to make their customers happy with extra food as gift. Story is not finished yet. I had purchased my dinner on Feb 7, 2015 and the roll they had given me had clearly written Feb 5, 2015 as expiration. So food was already expired before they give to me. I have not given the attention while eating but after eating when my stomach was started hurting and feeling lot of severe colic, I had checked the date on the cover which was still sitting in my trash bag and it was hand written printed 2/5/2015. I just had the blind faith and faced this issue. Another story of the onion nan at this restaurant is, we ordered 3 onion nans. I have a knowledge of cooking so I had figure out the chef just stuffed onions in the Bhatura's floor not the real wheat floor. It was just a joke that guy cook a onion bhatura. I did not complaint them at that time but this Paneer Kathi Roll was really a great lesson for us. Be Careful before get such kind of items from their restaurant. read more

As someone who eats out a lot, this restaurant has the best lunch special in the DC metro. $7 ($7.41 after tax + tip), you get a huge plate of rice, a huge piece of naan bread and your choice of two of their delicious buffet items with an extra dessert. They also have red onions and pickled sour chutney you can add for free. Regarding the buffet items, their butter chicken is amazing as is their tandoori chicken, and they have a variety of vegetarian items (paneer dishes, dal, pakora dishes and more) that are totally delicious. Honestly, this food is REALLY good. They also have a TON of dessert items for sale (in bulk if you like). There are a lot of Indian restaurants out there - their lunch special is honestly the best in the city. read more

Easily the best Indian food in Virginia. Great prices. Amazing food. You know it is legit when most of the people there are Indian. Far better then the watered down food catered to American locals they have at other Indian places in the area. read more

Good food, a little too much oil, reasonably priced, almost like home cooking made with love and care. Chapatis are good as well, buy 20 at a time and enjoy at home. Ambience of place ok. Dahi papdi and pani puri delicious. Have been having bad luck with kulfi- burned milk read more

I recently tried Bombay Cafe in the unassuming strip mall and it was amazing. Will be back soon!

I like it but after my wife got raw chicken in the butter chicken, we don't eat here anymore. Not real clean and tables suck. But, it's cheap. Cut the chicken before you eat it. read more

$7 dolla dinner buffet!! It's worth it, especially it you are on a budget. The food was fresh and good, plus tasty looking desserts. The food was labeled so you can tell what you are eating. The buffet is not as big as minerva, but for the price, it was that's okay. read more

I discovered this place a few months ago and am hooked! It's hard to impress me and I went with no expectations w/ the $5 weeknight $7 weekend buffet price. But after hearing so many great things from others that share my pickiness, I had to go. I can't believe people have complained about the buffet being small. It has EVERYTHING that is the best of Indian food staples. The chaat is so yummy. And for picky people like me, you can go on their website and see what's being served at the buffet that day, including the appetizers. I am hard pressed to not go when I see samosas and paneer tikka masala on the menu. I have also ordered the paneer kulchas, which they make fresh, huge, and cheap. This place far exceeds Minerva, whose buffet is highway robbery. read more

Large quantity for the lunch. But not superb. Bought Diwali sweets. Lot of varieties. But even my kids didn't like it. I won't waste my money next time here for sweets. read more

Very poor customer service, food is ok ( and hence the 1 star, otherwise this place deserves zero stars). When we visited, their tandoor was not functioning (yes a dysfunctional tandoor at a place that proclaims itself to be a Punjabi dhaba)!! We should have just left then, but since we were very hungry, we decided to eat there. The lady who was serving said thy cannot make any kind of bread (naan, kulcha, or roti) that are typically included in their platter. She said we can get Bhatura instead. You would think that you will get bhatura as a replacement for their bread that comes with the platter at no extra cost. But no, they charged us for the "upgrade" to a bhatura!! And that bhatura was so poor quality - it was half cooked, weird, and just did not look or taste anything like a bhatura. We couldn't eat any of those so called "upgraded" bhaturas and came out very unhappy dissatisfied customers. They have lost a customer for a couple of dollars. read more

I love this place. Delicious food, casual, and convenient. So much variety as well. My favorite is the Palak Paneer!

Stay away from Buffet. Not worth the money they charge. Only went once, not going back again. Not too much vegitarian choices in entrees. Not a good quality food at all. read more

I am writing this particular review in regards to the Malai Kulfi at Bombay Cafe. The kulfi comes on a stick , like the real deal in India. The taste is beyond great ! Reminds me of back home everytime! read more

Worst customer service. I was waiting to order food for good 20 minutes. Their employees were focusing on one order all the time. I decided to leave without ordering my food and they didn't care. read more

We have been there an hour ago and I don't understand why they keep it open till late nights when they are not supposed to give a good customer service. A lady over there is maintaining very bad attitude towards the customers. And we have good impression towards restaurant but not on the server(lady) please do maintain good customer service. read more

Ive been going here since I was a kid. Mainly for the samosas which are on point. Service has been good until my last visit. I guess Vasanthi was having a shitty day cuz she took it out on me. She spoke to me in a completely rude demeanor and basically went out of her way to make sure I knew she was in a bad mood after telling me I wasnt paying attention during payment. Yea, she was rude in that fresh off the boat foreigner type way, it just didn't make sense. She told me to wait 10 min for my samosas after I called in to tell them I was 5 min away and they said they'd be ready. I stepped out for 2-3 min after shrugging off her PMS attitude and came back in. Waited another 10-15 min and she said my order was ready and has been ready and she couldn't find me. Which was BS, I was there the whole time. It wasn't even that busy so was she serious? I get back to the car and check the bag and it's ripped up, samosas spilling out both sides. Only one container of green chutney. At this point, I was ready to go in there a have her redo the whole thing but I kept my cool and left. Anyhow, good food tho, even though that one lady was a complete C@#$. Hope she's in a better mood next time I go there. read more

No buffet, smaller menu. I use to come here for lunch and dinner with family but there is no longer buffet, also Price went up unreasonably.

As they say, you get what you pay for. As long as the original owners ran Bombay Cafe, the food was ok. Now its a stomach filler at best. Not authentic Indian by a long shot, just a pseudo watered down version. How many ways can you make a bad chicken dish? Come to the $5 buffet for three different weekdays and you'll find out. Take for example the "Tandoori" chicken. There is nothing tandoori about it - just some boiled concoction covered with red coloring. The dumbest thing the management did was to sequester the a la carte crowd from the buffet-only customers. So now if one person in a group of buffet eaters is not in a mood for a buffet, they are required to sit in a separate area! Another amazing bit of logic - when the buffet was $9, you got styrofoam and plastic and now when it is $5 (with a corresponding reduction in food quality) you get real (dirty) china! I was a regular years ago, but not any more. Now there are way too many places with better Indian food. The Indian sweets on display next to the counter have gone down in quality as surely and quickly as their prices have gone up. Until a better option/competition comes up, people will have to dole out $7 for a pound of refined sugar presented in 20 different shapes and colors. Shineys in Annandale and Nirralla in Springfield are good options for authentic Indian sweets, but not conveniently close enough. read more

Completely useless. I ordered the sev puri as a snack. $6 later, there were 6 small crisps, barely any chutney or flavor -- a total rip off. The decor is tired and the place is grimy. There appears to be mold growing around the water dispenser. Avoid at all costs. read more

I love this place! I wasn't expecting that much, but they had a small salad bar with Indian sauces, naan, some chicken dishes, vegetarian dishes, rice, and a few dessert selections. I loved the egg curry...YUM. Water is free, and if you want soda, it's about a dollar. You have to put the plates in the back. The sign said $5.99 for buffet, but the guy charged us $5 each, so you really can't complain. Can't wait to go there again :D read more

Last night was my first night going back since the $5 buffet special. I must preface my review with the fact that I even worked at this location two years ago, ate it every day for months, and looooooove(d) their food. I was so ill after last night that I went home and forced myself to throw up to get it out of me, I felt so sick, my hubby too. The plates were nasty grimey and not clean. I"m glad to see they finally made the switch from styrofoam, but I would rather have clean styrofoam any day... On a completely separate note, I love the blatant discounts on CASH ONLY so that they can make an even bigger, unreported, profit. I know every business has areas "for concern", but this is in-your-face- when-you're paying, the guy trying to talk me into paying cash, I didn't have any cash on me! yes, but if you pay cash... he wouldn't let it go... We appreciate the effort Bombay, but you have let yourself sink too low in quality, cleanliness, and most of all ethical standards. read more

This used to be our office go-to place when they had the $5 buffet, but then the buffet went away and so did the quality & value, BUT someone mentioned that it's gotten better, and yes, it has. They have a reasonably-priced 2 entree platter that will satisfy your casual Indian-food craving. The staff was nice. There seemed to be many people buying the sweets, so I'll have to give some of them a try next time. read more

they have good variety of dishes..! good that they are open late night ... the best part is they have fresh food every day and the few sweets are 50% off after 11 pm and 75% after 12 pm.!!! read more

Bombay cafe catered my wedding back in July, and they did a FANTASTIC job!! I had an outdoor indian wedding on the beach, and the part that attracted us to them was their mobile kitchen. They could literally cook on the spot and serve piping hot apps/naans/rotis to my guests!! They had tandoors, grills, and a stove ready and waiting on the truck. We did very heavy hors d'oeuvres including a dosa station, pani puri station, chaat station, and passed tandoori shrimp and lamb chops, paneer, chicken tikka...amongst other things. Plus a dinner buffet. My guests kept telling my family and my husband and I how great the food was. Mr. Davinder Singh is in charge, and he was extremely pleasant to work with during the planning. He has a very calm and comforting personality, and is completely honest about their strengths/weaknesses as they are new to catering (another thing that attracted us to them). I was a bit nervous because right before the wedding, we didn't have a pleasant experience at the dinner buffet (new cook that night), but they honestly exceeded our expectations during the wedding, and were very professional, and did a great job. On top of that, they took care of ice, drinks, mixers, veggie plates, water...which is difficult to manage on a hot summer July day outdoors. If they can handle a 220 person Indian wedding on beach, in July, with no facilities but a tent, and no kitchen...they can handle anything!! read more

The food here is pretty good , I had the samosa chat and Dani puri both of which tasted good and at a very good price.

I am sad to be updating this review and lowering my rating to 2 stars. This has been one of my favorite places for North Indian food for over a decade but I cannot recommend this to others any more. I find myself always looking for other options now because of one simple reason - the people at the cash counter and behind the heated food bar. There's a lady they call "maami" who is awesome and always serves with a smile. However, there's a disgustingly disrespectful attitude in the other lady and I can't seem to understand why. I've been refused to take the phone order over the phone simply because "it will only take 5 minutes" when you are here. Simple aspects of customer service that are understood by most folks in the service industry are completely missing. I feel sad that a place that was once churning out such amazing food doesn't have the basic training setup in place for its employees. read more

I ordered papadi chaat and they gave half of the circle thing- not like the picture. I told them that is false advertising and then they started talking in their own language. They gave the worker before me a whole circle. I am very disappointed as I go there all the time. read more

I and my friends used to visit bombay cafe almost every other weekend for their great buffet. One day out of the blue, the management decided to stop that go with the pathetic platter menu instead. Decoding thermodynamics may be easier than decoding their platter menu. I haven't been to bombay cafe since they started that, and don't plan to go there anytime until they bring the buffet back. read more

Excellent cheap samosas is what comes to mind. And for 7 bucks a dinner/lunch plate, it is awesome. Now they accept credit cards. That is the best for me. The restrooms are dirty though - typical of all Indian restaurants. read more

Amazing butter chicken amazing nan bread. Get that to go platter it's about 750. it's a shame though this place used to be a buffet but I guess the owners are being very cheap and they changed it read more

I go there often with my co-workers good food that always fills you up however, I can't understand why on Friday they charge you a dollar more ???? Did I miss out what makes Friday any different but anyway good food and decent price . Iam a FAN read more

The food is okay, but the ownership is so stingy and cheap. New owners have watered down the sauces, and cut quality of meat and produce. The worst part of our trip here was that on a day where the heat index was 115 degrees, they dis not turn the air conditioning on. Even when asked to turn the ac on because my children, ages 12, 7, & 6 were suffering from heat exhaustion indoors! They were sweating profusely, turning red, and got headaches. It's like leaving your child in the car with the Windows rolled up in the summer. After multiple requests they still did not turn the ac on but instead told us to sit somewhere else. read more

Food is too bland and I found the place dirty and crowded. They sell sweets and snacks. I got gulab-jamun from them and my gf loved it. She does not live in VA so she bought these jamuns for her home. read more

I must say i was very impressed, i live in MD however was in VA for a karaoke contest, because i had to sing, i couldn't load up on the good cuisine, what i had was very good. Wish they had one in MD the price seems reasonable. read more

We walked and thought we were going to get decent food. We were wrong. We started throwing up one by one. Stay Away. You don't need to go through what we went through that day. it's not worth it. read more

Just been to the Lee Hwy location once and liked it. The counter staff is young and inexperienced but provide service with a smile. Food is hot and fresh but somewhat middle of the road - don't expect anything fancy. Good for budget family dining. read more

Looks like a hole in the wall type of environment, but the food is very good. Try it out. I was pleased with the buffet.