There comes a time in a man's life where he has to swallow his pride and admit the impossible: that he's wrong. I think I may have described the food as being "awesome" or "well curated" in my last review. I think that I may have done this as a result of the post-workout effect whereby you have a killer workout, you feel as though you've just swam 10,000 miles, and then boom the pangs of hunger come-a-knockin' at your door. This runner's-inebriation can provide a beer-goggles like effect for your tastebuds, and when you think you're flirting with a 10, you're actually walking the line between a 5 and a 4. I came back to Bombay Cafe after NOT having worked out, still hungry as a hippo, and while a lot was still the same, I found it just was not as great. Definitely somewhat good. The chicken dishes were pretty decent, but they had an Egg curry. Seriously? It was just boiled eggs swimming in curry sauce. The eggs were overcooked (HOW DO YOU EVEN DO THAT?), and the sauce was acceptable. There was a spinach/greens dish that I had that epitomized what it is that everyone hates about Indian food; an objectionable odor and taste. Maybe it was an off night. Maybe there are different chefs/cooks who "do their magic". But all in all, I still felt the hurt after eating here, and it was only after two plates (I'm normally a three or four plater at buffets). There is no denying that this place is perhaps the ultimate value in Fairfax, but I must admit that my five star review is not a fair assessment. read more

The butter chicken and the tandoori chicken are great! Must get the mint chutney with everything and extra onions that are in the tandoori chicken tray ! Everything else is okay. When the older employees are in there they are nice! The owner is also really nice! The younger employees are really rude and mean when the owner isn't around so service depends on who you get. They have yelled avoided and given my mom's order to another person(young employees). read more

WTF?!?! Dude, this place is kickin' Where the hell else can you go to get a kick ass Indian buffet for $5? I mean, even a Big Mac meal costs around $7...c'mon now. I'm kinda surprised that this place only has 3.5 stars. I admit, it's not Rasika (if you don't know this restaurant, please yelp it), but a meal also costs around 1/10 the price. I personally thought the food was pretty good...not great...but I wasn't expecting gourmet for $5. All-in-all, I will definitely be coming back here...and regularly! read more

After a hugely horrible takeout meal from Sangeeth, i'm still on the hunt for Indian near my house. I think this place is going to do it for me. I had the Keema again because it's delicious, and this time tried the chicken vindaloo which was very nicely spiced with a terrific tomato gravy. While it's definitely a storefront strip mall joint, the food is terrific. I'm definitely going for takeout next time my family wants Indian. The price is right. read more

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Their selling point is $7.99 2 entree dish served with rice and naan. Quality of food is below average, just like any other Indian restaurant in the US. I'd have given two stars had they not soaked my DahiPuri in Yogurt and tamarind sauce, not to mention it was priced at $7.99 which is another ridiculous pricing. Again, my mistake - such things shouldn't be tried anywhere except at home or in India. Definitely not coming back to this place. read more

Bombay Cafe - DahiPuri completely soaked in yogurt and tamarind sauce thereby making it soggy by the time it was served on our table. - Indian Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Wow I wish I took pictures to show you guys, but I literally devoured all the food and didn't even get a chance to remember to snap a photo. I saw that it was open late and had good yelp reviews so I decided to give it a try. Got the dinner platter (2 entrees, rice, naan, and dessert all for $7.99!!!) and the young woman at the register was polite and greeted me. I got the butter chicken and the potatoes/peas(don't remember the name exactly but I think it was alu matar?). When I ordered, the lady called to the back and asked them to make an order of naan for me. When it came out, IT WAS SO HOT AND FRESH AND SMELLED ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. I wish I can smell that all the time. So mouthwatering. The butter chicken was also soooo delicious. Very creamy and savory. I didn't enjoy the potato/pea dish as much but it was alright. The rice was long grained white rice and could've been a bit more fresh? There were lots of hard clumps stuck together but tbh wasn't that big of a deal. It's just rice ya know. The dessert was delicious as well! I don't know what it's called but it's like a white ball in some creamy and very sweet white sauce? It had a sweet milky taste and the texture of crumbly cheese. Loved it! Overall, I know I will DEFINITELY be back here due to the great price, big portion (I'm stuffed and still have leftovers), delicious food, many options, and late closing time. I heard lunch deals are cheaper so even better! Give it a try if you get the chance! A great hidden gem:) Update! Came here again for the 3rd time this month lol. I gotchu guys, I remembered to take a pic this time haha! The dessert for today was SUPER sweet, almost borderline sickly sweet? But still quite delicious! I got two servings of butter chicken Bc ITS BOMB. K that's all lol, signing out~ read more

Bombay Cafe - BUTTER CHICKEN IS LOVE, BUTTER CHICKEN IS LIFE - Indian Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

This review is strictly for the lunch buffet. In short, this is probably one of the greatest dining values I've ever enjoyed at $5 (for the price of a footlong at Subway, you can have all-you-can-eat hot Indian food). Went there for lunch yesterday during Veteran's Day. It was interesting because my girlfriend and I were deciding between this or Woodlands which is right across the street. Apparently, Woodlands has cornered the vegetarian only buffet in the area, so I guess Bombay Cafe decided to go with having many chicken dishes, and a relatively paltry offering for vegetarians. The dining area is almost cafeteria style, and somewhat spartan, and you bus your own table. There are a few tip jars, but few, if any tips seemed to go in them. There is a variety of chicken dishes, including chicken tandoori, chicken makhany (butter chicken) plus one or two others. Toss in a few other dishes, and you've got a buffet. They also had three kinds of desserts, though I didn't really like them (they were serviceable, but to be fair, I've never found any indian sweets to be particularly good - it was as if the desserts here at the buffet were poor imitations of actual indian sweets). The quality of the food was okay. It wasn't great, but the food was generally hot or at least warm (we got there a bit after 11:30 with only a few diners; by noon the place was fairly busy). For me, the quality was good enough, though I tended to focus on the chicken dishes. My girlfriend partook in more of the vegetarian dishes and was less enthused about the quality of those dishes. There wasn't anything that I thought was bad, or anything that I thought was good. But I'd define it as being "good enough." Especially at $5.00 (0.25 for tax per person). Bring cash, there's either a surcharge or minimum for credit. Also, if you expect to be able to use a knife to cut your food, bring that too (there didn't appear to be any knives amongst the silverware). The restaurant was clean, and the service was good enough (at $5 for a meal, I'm happy if the employees I come in contact with avoid being rude). I was extremely pleased for what I got for $5. There was a pretty diverse bunch in for lunch, with a few Indians (including families) and office workers and blue collar employees. In general, the lower end Chinese buffets I have been to offered about twice as much variety or more for almost twice as much. But for me, there was enough quality and quantity at Bombay Cafe to more than justify the $5 pricetag. Excellent value and highly recommended for folks looking to save a few dollars for decent food. Like any buffet, go when it's busy. read more

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Fast and flavorful! Service is super prompt and friendly. You can order specific entrees or sample their buffet. I got goat biryani and it was DELICIOUS it came as "medium" spicy, which was a little hotter than my normal preference, but I cooled it off with the raita and some extra yoghurt. I'll be back. Very reasonable prices. read more

we really like this place, but went there a couple weeks ago. We were charged $2.50 per piece of samosa as we ordered less than 10 pieces. samosas used to be $1 and then $1.50, but this pricing seems outrageous. love the samosa, but ain't driving or paying this price. read more

I was introduced to Bombay Cafe 4-5 years ago and I've always enjoyed the great tasting and the great value of their menu. Sadly, I think today was my last time visiting Bombay Cafe. Here are a few reasons why I have decided to not go back to Bombay Cafe. They keep increasing their prices, the staff are not as friendly as they use to be, and mostly importantly the quality, taste, value have gone down.. One last reason... they changed their naan! The new naan is terrible. Who ever decided to change the naan needs to rethink and change it back. Bye Bombay. read more

Great Indian food at a very affordable price. They have Indian sweets too. Friendly customer service and very clean place. read more

Bombay Cafe - Chicken - Indian Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

We used Bombay Cafe to cater and event attended by roughly 100 people and they provided the delicious food on time, made to order, and reasonably priced. Portions were more than enough for our attendees and the price was very reasonable relative to competitors. The food had good flavoring and was able to appeal to a variety of palettes. Overall, we were very pleased with Bonbay Cafe and would certainly use them again! read more

Fresh great taste I would take Bombay cafe butter chicken over any other restaurant's.

7.99 for 2 sides and 9.99 for 3 but dine-in only. All dishes come with rice, naan, a rosewater dessert and free soup if you choose. They also have a water station. The dishes were really tasty but also almost everything we got were spicy, my sister couldn't handle the spicy but I got along just fine. read more

Bombay Cafe - Indian Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

I love their sweets and namkeens. Theo kukkkad patiyala is the best. And another treat is their khasta kachori especially the non-veg one! Love this place. read more

Excellent service and authentic, delicious food. Have ordered twice for pickup, terrific set up for this with COVID. My friend, who is from India, states this is the most authentic Indian food around. It is absolutely phenomenal! Portions are large. It's our new favorite place to have Indian food. read more

A large menu and amazing food! Have tried many of the chaats and am impressed every time. Their specials are all great deals so definitely give Bombay Cafe a try!!! read more

Please stop going to this restaurant. Butter chicken delivered had a long hair deed inside. Clearly from the staff. I called the restaurant and the manager Adriana was very rude. She said go and complain to who ever you want. They clearly don't care for food hygiene. This restaurant needs inspection and possibly shit down. read more

Bombay Cafe - Butter chicken with human hair in it - a new speciality!!!! - Indian Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

This is my go to Indian spot right now. That platter pricing is hard to beat and the food is delicious. For the platter, I always get the butter chicken and then a vegetable side (usually something with potatoes). I leave full and satisfied every time. Service has been pretty good and our naan's usually arrive shortly after we sit down. There's also self service water. To be honest, my bf and I were pretty intimidated the first time we stopped by and it took us a while to decide. The cafeteria style set up and the large TV that scrolled through the extensive menu was a different style of Indian dining for us. Luckily, the ladies behind the counter were pretty patient. We ended up telling the guy who was in line behind us to go ahead. He proceeded to give us a thumbs up and said everything here is good. After trying the food, we knew we'd be back and it has definitely become one of our regular spots. We took a couple of friends here last time and they were amazed at the price and food quality. We'll probably take them here every time they're in town. I can't say much about the sweets here. The cafe lays out an assortment of Indian desserts that are probably sold by weight. Also, they have a delicious mango lassi that I was craving so badly last night. read more

Horrible place and horrible food. Too expensive for no reason. Your food is trash get a better cook or close your business. Woodland right across is so much better read more

Great place and delicious food. There is a bit of a wait, but it is still delicious. Not to mention they are one of the cheapest places around! read more

Good price and has a nice variety as a vegetarian! I really like that you can get a platter with two entrees, naan, and a dessert. I will be coming back! read more

Food was decent but I'm giving 2 stars because the lady at the cash register was incredibly rude. I ordered 4 samosas over the phone because I was in a rush and someone took the order and said it'll be ready in 10 minutes. Once we got to the store I told the lady at the register I'm picking up and she looked confused. I told her I ordered 4 samosas 10 minutes ago and she rolled her eyes and said "we're not going to take an order of 4 samosas over the phone so if you want to order, order it now" which I would completely respect if she told me that over the phone and didn't give such horrible attitude. She didn't have a name tag so I can't say who the worker was exactly. Utterly disappointed! read more

Good and decent tasting food for the price they offer on a platter!$7.00 platter veg or non veg u get a choice of 2 entrees,rice,roti and desert all freshly made!! read more

Bombay Cafe - Non veg platter -kheema curry and kadi pakoda(u can choose what u want) roti, rice and desert! - Indian Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Order malai kofta...water down...horrible taste...bad piece of paper in it. Definitely disputed that charge with my card services. Horrible food and for no reason it's that expensive. read more

This place is absolute favorite. I go just about once a week. For 6.99 you get a platter of rice w two dish choices, made to order naan, and a dessert. It is cafeteria style. The employees are always kind. I just can't get enough. Samosas are great also. What I enjoy most, is that every time I go the dishes taste differently! They are the same, but different. Certainly a hidden gem. Highly recommended. read more

Consistently amazing and affordable food. I get the platter and it comes with naan. The mango lassi and samosas are also amazing. I've been eating Indian food regularly for my whole life and this is one of the best! I accidentally ordered a whole chicken here once and it was so good. read more

Not the sane taste as far as the butter chicken goes. I also saw a roach which turned me off from eating or going back honestly.

Been going to this place for years. Friendliest staff despite being always busy. Waiting for some menu changes.

I have been going to this place for number of years. Always got few entrees, samosas and sweets. This place has gone down hill and getting worse every time I go there. Last few times I been there employees were very rude. Takes your order then they wonder off hoping someone else will get the order ready. Food is very dry and does not taste like it should. ( tastes like old food reheated) I was shocked to see the size of Samosas ( how small they were and prices went up) compared to what it used to be. Sweets taste like you are biting into sugar. There are lot of other places to get better Indian food. read more

My greatest disappointment of 2011!!! I frequented this place from every 1-2 weeks. I try to not go more often in fear of jeopardizing my figure =/ I LOVED LOVED LOVED their buffet. They used to have a buffet that was only $6 if you paid in cash. It no longer exists. It's now a platter/entree system that charges you six bucks ore MORE for what we used get unlimited food . Its been about 2 months since they made their switch, and I still haven't gotten over it. sigh... =( I wouldn't have been opposed to a price hike of a couple to a few more dollars but I'm so against how they got rid of their buffet. They gave me no warning, and I didnt get to have my proper last buffet. I call every other week to check if they changed their mind about the buffet. Until then, I'm not coming back because decent indian food is easy to find in NoVa, but great indian buffet is not. read more

Not so much...It's a very small buffet and the food seems old and yucky. I was hesitant to eat the food cuz it wasn't clear to me if it was vegetarian or not so I asked and a spanish speaking fellow who showed me what was vegetarian but I still was anxious about eating it. The place was sort of busy at lunch so it must be for the price or location only because the food wasn't good at all. The place seems sketchy and doesn't make me feel confident about eating there....I won't be going back. I am going to Woodland Veg Indian accross the street instead. read more

This is my favorite restaurant for Indian Food in the USA, and I've tried dozens of places. They don't advertise this but this is British Influenced Indian, the Tex Mex of Indian cuisine. I've been eating Indian food all my life. As fans of Indian food know, it varies a lot depending on what style it is, Northern Indian, Eastern Indian, Southern Indian, Vegetarian, etc. I grew up on British Indian, which is to say, the way it is altered when made in England. The most notable difference is that chicken is better. Instead it is not tough or dry, it is moist and flavorful. Without a doubt, the most popular dish there is the Tandoori Chicken, but that's not the only thing I eat there. Another difference between this place and most other Indian restaurants is that they go less for authenticity and instead to that which actually tastes good and doesn't keep you up all night running to the bathroom. Now, combine the fact that I think this is actually superior Indian with the fact that it is an All You Can Eat BUFFET for only $6 cash ($7 with soda and a dollar more if you pay with credit card), it is an unbelievable bargain. I like to think of it as a sliding scale system and I tip kinda heavily when I go because I know what a bargain I'm getting, and I'm just happy all my poorer friends can afford to drive out as far as they go to join me there. If you've read my other restaurant reviews, then you know I run a weekly social club that meets in a different restaurant each week. We use this restaurant once each month and it is the only location we use in Northern Virginia except for special occasions. read more

I've been coming here for eight years and always love the food and service. Today the service was awful. They were incredibly rude and I don't think I'll ever return. There were a few years were I would come here on a weekly basis. I've referred so many people to this restaurant. I just flew in from Chicago and was so excited to eat here. I asked for a platter with two sides. I paid for it and wanted to upgrade to the platter with three sides. I asked for a price adjustment so I could pay the difference and the cashier refused to do it. They wanted to charge me separately. This all happen within the time span of a minute! Had they been polite about it and told me that wasn't possible, I would've understood. Instead they refused and were so rude to my friend and I. Such a disappointing experience. I'm giving them three stars because the food is still good but customer service makes or breaks a business. read more

MORE LIKE BOMPOO CAFE! Warning!!!! This place sucks so bad I wouldn't tell my worst enemy to eat here. This dude in the below post is talking out of his a$$. The worst food I have ever been served; bar-none. First sign of somethings wrong: Only fresh off the boat Indians were eating here (the whole outfit, dot, torn-up sandals, etc). They all ate with their hands! They took a pile of rice with one hand and a whole bunch of butter chicken with the other; elbows and wrists were dripping while plastic fork and knives remained untouched... Second sign: Their water dispenser is a WATER FOUNTAIN! Third sign: They only took cash. Fourth sign: People used their hands to access the spice and chutney rack (noticed AFTER getting my food). I seriously don't know how the health department has not shut this place down. If you go here ask for a sample first... then thank me (after you stop vomiting). read more

That place used to be a paradise for Indian food lovers. They had good Indian buffet at a cheap price. Then they changed to that new pick your plate style and I tried it a few times. However it was not until the third time that I realized they had nasty bugs all around the food stand. Cockroaches were roaming all around the plates and food. I'll never go back there even if they paid me. I have 2 stars for the sake of the days they were a good place. Now I go to Masala Wok which is pricier but way cleaner. read more

The quality of food has been deteriorating over time. Samosas used to be good but are awful now. Folks taking orders could be more pleasant and kind. Not flexible enough to extend condiments if need be. read more

Very seldom do I listen to the vacuous restaurant recommendations made by the unconscious pinheads who write for the Washingtonian. Ann Limpert does occasionally offer a drop of wisdom so when she recommended this place in the Summer Restaurant Review I decided to give it a shot if and only because it happened to be nearby. After parking in the infamous Jermantown Square [sic] I was asked by a young, able bodied worker if I had any spare change or a smoke. I just gave him a business card from a case worker at the local VEC office. I stepped over a couple of people taking a nap on the sidewalk and walked into the dingy restaurant known as Bombay Cafe. As food quality and quantity versus cost increases I'm willing to overlook the little things like the fact this restaurant was ankle deep in dirt and crumbs. For $5 you can purchase a plate of hot, delicious all you can eat Indian food arranged in a large buffet. The popularity of this place keeps the buffet rotation fresh too. I'd make the trip just for the okra or the buttered chicken as they are both fabulous. You can't beat the value here (not even with toxic garbage like McDonald's). The U.S. Dollar hasn't seen this kind of purchasing power since 1953. read more

They have changed a great deal since the last time I was there; no more is it focused about the buffet, but rather making good food fresh I love the samosas, and the garlic naan and butter chicken is pretty good too, It's all the better that they close at 1am Disregard my previous review and hit up Bombay Cafe as long as they keep this current style going read more

3 star food, 4 star value for offering a cheap dinner buffet that rotates its daily entrees. If you overshoot into the Bloom parking lot, the lots are connected so you won't have to turn back onto 29. My dad heard about this place on recommendation by one of his "authentic" coworkers, haha. Don't you love when fobs are politically correct? TLDR: Chicken korma, butter chicken, tandoori chicken, kheer mohn are all-stars. Dinner visit Wednesday with my dad, we claimed a table near the bus cart with enough light from outside to make for good ambiance. Two girls were sitting beside us, plates almost empty, and they chatted away long after we came and went. Chicken korma was pretty good, tender and swimming in a creamy sauce that didn't taste too oily, but I've had better butter chicken. Tandoori chicken was worth a return trip, and I probably got some glares for only snagging drumsticks. Naan was alright, with a good balance of crisp toastiness versus slight puffing; the hand shooting out of the wall with a fresh batch from the kitchen on the other side was a bit startling... and explained why the regulars camp out in eyesight of the aluminum bin. Vegetable pakora was okay, but my palate wasn't enticed enough to reserve any tummyspace for another taste. Biryani was a nice change of pace when I was tired of sopping sauce with the naan. Jamun was okay, though I felt a lot of caloric guilt consuming something sweet, syrupy, and fried. I don't know why, when if you swapped syrup with powdered sugar I would've eaten 6 more of those suckers. Kheer mohn is delicious. I could have a gallon of that every day without regrets. I could bathe in it. I could... no I'll keep this PG. Saturday evening visit, I optimistically drag White Dragon to try it out and miraculously find it again while my GPS overheats in this ridiculous oven weather. Briefly enraptured by the dancing flower in the SUV next to us, and relieved that they're open since I didn't check the hours online before leaving, we go in and snag the same table since I'm a creature of habit. Four fellows have claimed the larger table aimed to provide perfect viewing of the World Cup game on TV, and the naan bucket. The former may have influenced why the kitchen staff were more watchful, with staff coming out every 15 minutes or so to stir the sauced dishes and check on entree volume. Mowed through mouthfuls of vegetable korma, palak paneer, chicken tikka, and malai kabab. All neither distasteful nor memorable. Butter chicken was much improved and not nearly as dry, possibly due to the staff's attentions. Besun burfi squares were further quartered and interesting to taste, with a dense cake-like texture and vaguely familiar flavors. Fountain options are a watery Nestea, plain water, fruit punch Hi-C, Fanta orange soda, Coca-cola, and I think Sprite. Saw a few bottles of unfamiliar alcohol by the register. I generally avoid salad bars at buffets so you'll have to shop elsewhere for a review on that section. Same conflict with the cafe, I'm hard pressed to order individual items when for less cost I can gorge on about $30 of food for the price of $6 cash (it's funny how saying "cash discount" sounds less negative than "credit card fee"). You bus your own plates and refill your own drinks, so customer service for the buffet is really just the register at the door. Wednesday night we got blown off for about 5 minutes, but I didn't say anything since he looked haggard running the counter solo. Saturday afternoon service was fine. Not a bad place if you're hungry and don't mind an absence of lamb. Cue the "We'll be back" a la Schwarzenegger voice. read more