I was introduced to Bombay Express in Seattle's University District for affordable, reasonably priced eats and late hour dining by The Homie. It was a definite sign to stop in when I ended up with a free parking spot right out front from the entrance (2/25/26). It sure was busy coming up on 11pm. Business hours vary. During this visit, closing time was midnight, sometimes it can be 2am or longer. All depends on kitchen and front counter staffing and there can be a cutoff for onsite dining and just takeout is available. Buzzer can be used by the counter to request service to place your order. Hand held buzzers are used and corresponding order numbers are also called out when orders are ready. The dining room was mostly full and several other folks were awaiting takeout and delivery orders. There's a variety of seating 2 and 4 tops and tables can be easily pushed together to accomodate for groups. There's counter seating facing The Ave, as well as, reservable study & meeting rooms off to the side. Some tables could use a wipe down and the carpets could use a roomba, but it's a totally chill, no frills establishment. Overhead music was loud Indian rap. The Homie ordered a Masala chai, Jaipur Masala fries, and Butter Chicken with basmati. He's dined here while on campus several times and this is one of his go to combos. I ordered also a Masala chai and bone-in Goat Biryani. First visit for me and it was a rare culinary epiphany. The bone-in Goat Biryani was generous, flavorful, and had lots of succulent meat. It was not gamey either. It was delicious to suck out the marrow from one piece. This was outstanding and beat out the other two times I've had this at a shuttered spot on Broadway on Capitol Hill and another spot in Milwaukee. I kept talking about this entree driving home and I'm thinking about it again as I type out this post two days later. The unsweetened chais were evidently molten and the fries took a tumble. But replacement plain fries were provided at the end as takeout. Too bad a tray was not provided or available for use to carry the multi part order to our four top, just saying. read more

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Not the best experience here. To be fair I ordered a To-go. However when I reach the place it was pretty empty - IIRC just one table was occupied. I was planning to take it with me while on my home (maybe an hour away given public transport) - however was hungry by the time order was ready. So asked politely if I can use one of the table to eat. The server/cashier said no right away. Which is fair - well within her rights but this place also appear to be a self service spot. I am not expecting to dine in here or use any utensils or cutlery. Just eat a burger. Anyways the burger itself was at best average. It wasn't bad - pretty edible but was smaller compared to other joints. There is a reason why Burger and Kebab hut despite having questionable hygienic standard is tough to beat for Indian Style Burgers. Talking about the ambience - the place is pretty nice. Good siting space and I liked the Rickshaw exhibition. read more

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I stopped by a small Indian street food spot near the University of Washington at 4214 University Way NE, Seattle on February 9, 2026 around 8:58 PM. It's definitely in a very convenient location for students since it's right in the middle of the UW area and easy to walk to. I ordered the Aloo Tikki Burger and Gol Gappe (8). The prices are pretty reasonable for Seattle, especially for students looking for a quick snack or light meal. The food came out fairly quickly, which was nice since the place seemed busy. The Aloo Tikki Burger was decent -- it had that classic Indian street-food style flavor, but nothing that really stood out. It was okay overall, just a bit average. The Gol Gappe were the bigger disappointment for me. The pani (water) was very salty, which kind of overpowered the rest of the flavors and made it hard to enjoy. Overall, it's a convenient spot for UW students if you're craving Indian street food and want something quick and affordable. The flavors were just okay, and I wish the gol gappe pani had been better balanced. Not bad, but there's definitely room for improvement. read more

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It is a sister restaurant to Chaat House so my expectations were a bit high. Great location in University area, looks clean and nice but the food is just bare minimum good. Nothing extra special when it comes to flavours. We ordered Pune Vada Pav and didn't quite love the Vada, we also ordered Dahi Puri which was not bad. Also ordered Pav bhaji which honestly can't even qualify to be called just that as it was a mashed veggie paste lacking flavour. Overall might be good if you are looking for quick bite and don't care too much about quality and taste. read more

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I had heard a lot about Bombay Express and recently tried it. The place is really clean, looks brand new, is vegetarian and is great for Udistrict. I tried the Gobhi paratha and veg samosa. My issues with the paratha were many - it literally had zero filling, there was hardly anything inside the paratha and neither was it cooked properly. The samosa was good but again, wasn't cooked very well. So it was a huge disappointment. And after you order, you pick up your own food, so there's no service as such. read more

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Fast Service, Good food. Friendly staff. Nice ambiance, including music. It's a great place to stop in an have a delicious meal in a positive, relaxing atmosphere. read more

We ordered paneer burgers for takeout because i was getting some discount online. I will rate the burger to be 3/5. I would not buy it if was given for the full prize. Anyways, i understand that we did takeout but we asked politely if we can sit there, since we saw the whole restaurant was empty and it was off peak hours as well, and they declined the request aggressively. I didn't like the behavior. For me, with food, staff also matters, so probably i might not want to try again. But different people might have gotten different response, so please try out by yourself. read more

Bombay Express - Ambience - Indian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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A no-frills Indian spot in the U District that clearly has students in mind--open absurdly late (we're talking 4AM), super affordable, and even has reservable study rooms because nothing fuels an all-nighter like samosas and chai. Oder at the counter and bus your own table - casual all the way. Food-wise, skip the mains and head straight for the chaat and Indo-Chinese--it's where this place shines. We devoured the papdi chaat, aloo tikki chaat, chole puri, gobi manchurian, and vada pav. All fantastic. The palak paneer and roti were meh. But the falooda was absolute perfection. Chef's kiss. read more

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We had ordered takeout/delivery and felt the food was okay-ish. Was really hoping this could be our go-to place but it didn't expectations. There was a problem with our order and the delivery driver actually helped sort it out for us and I think because of that our food was kind of made in a hurry. read more

I was craving Indian food so I ended up at Bombay Express. This is a great restaurant to stop by for a quick meal. The menu was expansive with many options but it was easy to read. I ordered and my food was ready fairly quickly. The prices were fair for the portion of food that you get. I ordered chicken tikka masala with medium spice. It was a little too spicy for my liking, but the flavor was delicious. I know I have a low spice tolerance lol, so I'll definitely order mild spice next time. There was a lot of basmati rice for the amount of chicken tikka masala that was given, but I love rice so this ratio worked for me. The inside of the restaurant was large and bright with plenty of seating. There is self-serve water and a clean bathroom. read more

Bombay Express - Chicken tikka masala - Indian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

2.5 Stars Visited over the weekend and tried the pav bhaji, pani puri, veg noodles, chicken 65, masala buttermilk, and masala lemonade. The buttermilk and pav bhaji were enjoyable, but the pani puri was a bit too sweet for my taste. The chicken 65 lacked flavor and seemed stale, and the noodles, while decent, also had a slightly stale taste. Overall, it was an okay experience, but I'm not sure if I'd come back. read more

Bombay Express - Indian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Worst food experience ever -- DO NOT GO. Ordered a Kathi roll today and was shocked to find stale-smelling meat and raw, poorly prepared veggies inside. It genuinely felt like old food was being served. On top of that, almost everything, including the lassi, was overloaded with artificial food coloring, making it look and feel extremely unhealthy. Left feeling disgusted and questioning the hygiene and food quality standards. Completely unacceptable. read more

Bombay Express - Indian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Tried this spot recently for some Bombay-style street food cravings, and here's my take: What I Tried Vada Pav, Pav Bhaji, Noodle Tikki Burger, Chole Puri, Veg Fried Rice, Paneer Manchurian & Masala Chai The Verdict * Vada Pav: Pretty decent! Not quite what you get on the streets of Mumbai, but enjoyable. (Still not sure why places keep adding onions to vada pav -- that's not how it's traditionally done ). * Pav Bhaji: Just okay -- didn't capture that bold, buttery street-style flavor. * Noodle Tikki Burger: A fun twist! Crisp tikki with well-seasoned noodles made it a nice bite. * Chole Puri: Excellent -- puris were fried perfectly, and the chole had just the right masala balance. * Veg Fried Rice: Surprisingly good, flavorful without being greasy. * Paneer Manchurian: Decent, though not the classic Indo-Chinese flavor bomb. * Masala Chai: Skip this one -- lacks the punch of proper kadak chai. Ambience & Service The ambience is pretty basic and doesn't give off any Indian street-food vibes. It's a self-serve setup, but the food comes out quickly and efficiently. Overall A nice spot to check out once if you're in the neighborhood. Everything is reasonably good, but nothing really makes me want to return when there are better Indian options around the Seattle area. Still, I'll give them a solid 3 for the effort they've put into recreating Mumbai street food vibes. read more

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Good place to get Indian food. Great pricing for a quick small bite. Great flavor, I will come back. read more

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Delicious Indian food! And nice seating since. Fast and convenient order and take out or dine in. Prices are super reasonable too. Butter chicken was delicious and same with samosas. Good portion size! read more

Bombay Express - Samosas - Indian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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$8.99 butter chicken. Medium was spicy enough. I was the only non Indian customer. Bathrooms were clean too. read more

Bombay Express - Butter chicken and mago lassi - Indian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Best service. Very accommodating to me and my white friendships. Crispiest pani puri. The pani was fresh and tart. Sorely needed chaat house in NE seattle. read more

The Punjabi food here is so good and their lassi is great too, awesome pricing and quick service, always lots of seating available too. Perfect place to come for affordable delicious hot food on a rainy day. read more

I ordered Palak Paneer, Butter Chicken and Fish Pakora. The Palak Paneer was very good and the Fish Paneer was soso. However their Butter Chicken was all tomato, very acidic - no cream or butter. Was not good so I threw it out. read more

It's hard to find good Indian food in Seattle, but this place in University district truly impressed me! The food was flavorful, beautifully presented, and had just the right balance of spices. I really enjoyed the paneer masala sandwich--it was unique and absolutely delicious (and very crispy - really liked that). The chicken 65 was also a standout with bold, satisfying flavors. The vibe and overall service and feel inside is also very welcoming. The manager stopped by our table to ask how the food was, and was genuinely interested in knowing. Reminded me of the hospitality back home in India. And the vibe was cute - they had top bollywood songs playing, which was a lovely touch during our dinner. Next time, I'll definitely try the butter chicken, garlic naan, and pani puri, which looked amazingly mouthwatering as they passed by. If you're craving authentic Indian food, this spot is a must-visit! read more

I asked if the chai came with sugar... I was told no and it was unfortunately too sweet to be so. It was smelling of sugar too N they were sweeping some things and the floor was dirty. Not sure why they can't do that from time to time, but waited until they can sweep enough read more

The food was amazing! We tried the paneer and chicken burgers, fish pokora, fries, chicken tikka masala and aloo parantha. We will definitely be back! read more

Bombay Express - Fries and Aloo Parantha - Indian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Great spot with a diversified menu, would recommend. They also serve beer, which is nice

Food (4/5): Got the butter chicken and tikka masala. Everything was really delicious. Portion sizes are solid and I was full after eating one plate. The price is also really good. Butter chicken is $7.99. Service (5/5): Lady was nice and everything came out quick. Also the establishment is appears to be rather high end and spacious. I can see this place being a study spot in the future. read more

Bombay Express - Butter chicken and tikka masala - Indian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Butter Chicken was good quality, for the three pieces I got in my to go container. Eat in so you can voice your complaints before walking fifteen minutes away. read more

Definitely the best Indian food in all of Udistrict! The staff are very kind and give good recommendations, and the food comes quickly and is very tasty. The restaurant itself is very clean and well decorated and the music is so so good. Come here for good eats and a good time! read more

Good food with amazing music!!! Great service, must visit. We had the pune vada pav and masala chai! Both the items were good! read more

Great food and awesome chaat! Proper indian snack vibes. Perfect location for university crowd. read more

Bombay Express - Indian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Service was awful - won't be coming back and will be telling everyone I know not to visit. Would give 0 stars if I could! Came in around 6:30pm on Thursday, March 13, 2025. The staff working at the register (girl wearing a navy blue Los Angeles sweatshirt) was extremely rude and impatient. I have a dietary restriction and am unable to eat any spice, so I asked her if there were any items on the menu that were not spicy. She responded me by telling me that I could adjust the spice level on any menu item, which I reasonably interpreted to mean that any item on the menu could be made not spicy. I proceeded to order a masala paneer sandwich, and I asked her to make it not spicy - she responded by telling me that mild was not spicy. I clarified at least three times that I needed not spicy (not mild), and she agreed so I ordered and paid. She seemed judgmental and rude during the encounter, to the point where I apologized -- for my dietary restriction? Turns out, the sandwich was spicy. And not just mildly spicy, it might have been the spiciest thing I've ever eaten in my life. Took a few bites and couldn't eat it at all. I called the restaurant, and it sounds like the same girl picked up - that's when I found out that the sandwich sauce was spicy and that it could not be made not spicy. I really would have appreciated knowing that upfront, as I would have ordered something else - I'm not sure why the staff was so dishonest. They refused to give me a refund and only said that they would give me a complimentary meal the next time I visited, but they did not have my name or any identifying information so I'm not sure how they'll keep their word on that (they probably won't, but I won't be back anyway). And before I could clarify, the staff hung up on me mid-sentence. It's been an hour and my throat and head hurt so much. If you have any sort of dietary restriction, don't come - they don't try or know how to accommodate. And if you're expecting at least somewhat decent service, this is not the spot for you. There's plenty of other amazing restaurants on the Ave to support instead. read more

Truly authentic Indian chaat. Don't miss the yummy Pav bhaji. One of the best Indian food in Seattle area.

I had their tikka masala chicken curry and it was so good!! Definitely recommend the flavor was amazing

Great service great food great price. Would recommend. Also amazing service and is open late

Great food and amazing vibe. Definitely recommend the puri chole here. The best part of this place is that it's open for your late night chai cravings. read more

Beautiful restaurant, amazing prices, delicious food. Staff is so kind and quick. This is my third time here this week‍

i like the food here it is great food! i come here pretty often and its extremely yummy

went in with a few friends and tried the puri chole, they were excellent. ambiance and service were quick as well.