Really tasty food, very reasonably priced, and very accomodating with our kids special requests. Service was warm and polite. A nice dinner out. Not fancy, and not extraordinary, but solid. read more

This was an excellent restaurant! Friendly staff and quick service. Was at the buffet and it was really well done!

Extremely disappointed. I have been a loyal customer of India Pavilion for over 20 years. During that time I have ordered from them countless times as they are 700 feet from my house. I have always thought that their food and service were good. Yesterday I convinced my husband to forego ordering from grub hub to support our neighborhood restaurant. He walked to pick up the order and brought it back. After we had started eating we realized they did not include the naan. He called the restaurant and asked if they would bring it to us. It is less than a five minute walk. We were already seated for dinner. They were not busy. They said no. In this time, when restaurants are struggling and take-out is their lifeline, they have to get it right and they have to make it right when the mess up. They finally agreed to bring the naan, but never showed up. I will never do business with them again. 20 years of take out dinners and using them to cater big dinners, and they wouldn't send someone 700 feet to correct their own mistake. read more

A shiny new renovation does not make the food taste better. I prefer the lunch buffet at Harvest of Indian on Mass Ave. Food is so beautifully seasoned and you can actually relax there. Serve is great also. read more

Disgusting.How can you mess up chicken tikka masala that badly. Haphazard service, fun, pleasant atmosphere. But the food is really terrible. We can not imagine going again, left without leaving a tip. Tasted like it was straight out of a can. Not fresh. read more

Taste : 3.5/5 Hospitality 2/5 Interior : 3/5 Cost : 3.5/5 I would say overall experiece is above average. becuase, we have been to this place around 2pm. the food was not HOT at all, there is no curtesoy by the server. also they mentioned that, the lunch will be closed by 3pm and like to take whatever we want at 2.45 PM itself. this is not goot at all. HOW can i take for 30 mins in advance. they should wait till at least 3PM. and more over the tips was 18% as per they suggest. tihs is too much. TIPS can be provided if they have an excellent hospitality. This can be visted ONCE. read more

Great fish Marsala and vegetarian dishes. Good portion the price is OK.

There is a reason why food is so cheap here... because it is horrible. The dosa was listless and the sambar was tasteless. The Navrattan korma was blaaaaand. Better save your few $$ for a more satisfying experience elsewhere. read more

I LOVE Punjabi Dhaba but sadly, they don't deliver. So when I went online and found that India Pavilion was owned by the same people, I was excited. The prices were good but the food just wasn't the same. We ordered 3 entrees (chicken tikka masala, lamb vindaloo and I forget what else) and all 3 were just ok. Not good enough to try again-- I'll just suck it up and bike over to Punjabi Dhaba from now on. We had delivery so I can't comment on the actual restaurant.... read more

Their lunch buffet is awesome - really good Indian food as all-you-can-eat. Their flavors might be a little "Americanized" but I actually like that. I have a couple of Indian friends who make "authentic" Indian food and sometimes it's just a little too freaky for me. India Pavilion's got nothing on the menu I don't like. The rice is cooked to perfection, the naan is always fresh, and there's really good rice pudding. I'm the kind of guy who will go into a place and always get exactly the same dish, and love it every time. If you're like this you'll love it. If you're looking for mind-bending flavors and you wanna mystify your friends with tales of culinary adventures, well go read some other reviews because that's not me. I like stuff that tastes good, and everything I've tried at IP tastes good. So I basically just always get the lunch buffet and it's awesome and also really fast. Great for a lunch break. read more

It's just darn tasty Indian, my current favorite in the Harvard/Central axis of inexpensive Indian cuisine. Passed my two key tests - saag and malai kofta. And, while naan is hard to mess up, this was especially tasty. Everything was fresh, spiced right (hint: it can taste good without burning your mouth). Attentive service and nice atmosphere - and kind to families (yes, there are families in Central Square). Rarely bother to write reviews because, really, who cares - but having been to India Pavilion a few times, and been impressed each time, I think it's underrated. read more

India Pavilion is my favorite Indian restaurant in the Boston area. The food is fresh, warm and spiced to perfection -- a great antidote to those cold Boston winters. read more

Yum yum yum yum! Everything is always delicious and service is good. Some of the best naan I've ever had. Prices can't be beat.

This is by far the best Indian food I have ever had. Awesome, accommodating and generous service, even with children. It would be a great place to come with a group, as the restaurant itself is huge and has tons of seating. read more

I wish I had check the yelp reviews before coming here....the screw one is pretty cringe worthy/off putting. But I didn't and now I'm writing this review. My boyfriend and I went here with two friends for a late night bite because it is around the corner from our house and we saw on yelp that it was open until 11pm. We got there about 10pm. Staff wasn't very friendly to begin with, there was a hair in the rice and in my chicken curry. After about 30 minutes one of the servers came over and asked if we were done, even though there was a good amount of food left on the table. Then at 10:40 our server came over and literally kicked us out, we had paid the bill and my boyfriend still had most of his beer left, and wasn't given the courtesy to finish. When we mentioned that the signage says they're open until 11pm they were just like "yeah, we have to change that." and a "OK, thank you." Pretty rude. In summary we had a pretty bad experience. Service was horrible, and ignoring the hair the food was just OK. Please note they close promptly whenever they feel like it. read more

Food: very good. No complaints here and if food was the only criteria India Pavilion would warrant a solid 4 star rating, perhaps 5 on a good day. Ambience: just ok. Not a particularly welcoming atmosphere and uncomfortable booths. Waiter: I have had the same guy the last two times, and on each occasion I have had the distinct impression that he wants to kill me and my girlfriend. As well as his look of utter disdain, he points you to your table with an imperious wave of his arm without even making an attempt at eye contact. He does in fact begin to turn his back and walk in the other direction before his arm has even ceased it's militaristic pivot. I have heard from others that this treatment is not exclusively directed towards me alone, so I do not believe I have been asking for my table in an unusually dismissive manner (and I always tip well, so it can't be that). So, if you want decent Indian food at a fair price and you enjoy being treated as an annoyance, I highly recommend India Pavilion. read more

Came here for a bday dinner since a friend recommended it, and what followed was shocking. A waiter was bringing water to the table and somehow flipped a whole glass of ice water directly on my friend. Not only that, the waiter stared and then ran away like nothing happened. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. We dried him up with our table towels and thought ok, they should at least give him a free dinner, but it didn't end there... a different waiter came mid-way through the dinner (which was not that great, at least the Lamb Saag: too spicy and the meat too chewy) and flipped water AGAIN on my same friend. He gave us paper towels this time but didn't give even ONE apology (at least one that was audible). It was atrocious, and they didn't end up giving him a free dinner (which would've been the classy move on their end)... Moral of the story: come here with a rain coat if you do choose to come and don't expect attentive waiters, their minds and general common sense appear to be elsewhere read more

The first thing I love about this place is their service. Coming to the menu they have wide options to choose. Basically I love their chicken tikka masala I love the sauce in the chicken tikka masala and the goat curry too. Coming to breads they have good varieties to choose. They have combo Thalis too where we has a choice to choose two veg specialities for veg thali and two meat specialities for meat thali and the best part is it comes with bread and desert. Which will be lot of food for one. Coming to their buffet its value for money. read more

We made a special trip from a northern suburb to India Pavilion restaurant, remembering the delicious food when this restaurant was smaller. We were very disappointed. It was an insult to indian food. The papads were soft and cold. When we sent them back, they came back alternately burnt and undercooked. We asked for medium spicy food.The malai Kofta and chicken Tikka Masada came with large amounts of sugar added to make it medium spicy. The chicken Tikka Masada was actually tandoori chicken hiding in sweet sauce. The sheekh kabob were dry and came on a bed of yellow wilted lettuce. The beers were unspoiled since they came in a bottle. Another restaurant down the drain. P.S. I have been cooking indian food for decades. read more

The chicken tikka masala and lamb shaag are what I always order. This is a restaurant I've gone to a few times now and I feel it is a little too expensive for the quality and quantity of food I am getting. I prefer to go during the buffet hours and have gone with friends a couple times. There is a variety of options to choose from whether you are a vegetarian or a meat lover. There are vegetable pakooras which you can eat with the tamarind sauce, there is nan and plenty of rice. They also have chai tea and a white creamy dessert made from rice. Their service is usually fine, but the last time I went the waiters were pushing us to finish up and leave and making us rush even though we had a half hour to stay. By the end when we were trying to pay the bill, some of the waiters seemed extremely fed up despite the fact that we were the only group in the restaurant and trying to be polite and leave respectfully. read more

The food is very good. And: I asked to sample wine, they refused. The server rolled her eyes at me when I asked a question. Then THIS: AS I was eating, the server TOOK AWAY MY PLATE!!! HORRIBLE, really shocking service. I'm traveling and was craving Indian food. This restaurant is 1 block from Le Meriden Hotel ~ no wonder they didn't have India Pavilion on their Concierge list of recommendations. read more

This is an amazing Indian restaurant. Everyone is very friendly and welcoming. Highly recommend if you're in the area!

If you want quality and quantity, this is the place to go. This was our first time in Boston and we went here on a whim at 10ish at night. What a good decision! Our food came out quick and tasted delicious while still being a lot of it. The staff was kind and gracious even when one of us knocked over a water. Only one of the drinks had a little too much coconut, but the others in my party came out fine. I would highly recommend! read more

delicious, nutritious, sumptuous food, friendly staff... and a nice bit of atmosphere... close to the T and close to a winter fav.. starbucks... India Pavilion... is definitely a date restaurant... (walking around central, and ending up here... is not a bad thing) read more

The best time to go to the India Pavilion is during lunch when they have their buffet. They have a good selection of foods for you to sample and even include a dessert: kheer (basically rice pudding). I've gone to the India Pavilion many times in the past few years. I was introduced to it by my best friend and it was love at first taste. I never thought I would like Indian food until I tried this place and I haven't stopped looking for good Indian food since. The restaurant is very nice, it's two sections that are divided by a wall, but there is an opening for you to go back and forth, think of it as extra seating. It's pretty cozy when it's busy, but the food is amazing and well made. The staff is friendly, but sometimes it's hard to get their attention, even if there are only a few people in the place. read more

My husband and I are frequent visitors of this place. He is not someone who likes experimenting much so when I suggested this restaurant, his first response was automatically no. But a year later, he has never been happier of my choice :D I have never been to a cleaner, classier (as in a proper and clean sit down Indian restaurant with great service), and courteous place than this. Our regular meal there is the vegetarian thaals. It is the best tasting thaal ever. The wait service is always good, very pleasant. The manager as well as the owner (whenever he's around) will always come up to you personally and ask you how your meal was which is a huge plus point in my books. Now, because we are practically there every week, they are familiar with us and treat us very well. Their mango lassee by the way, is the best I have ever had. read more

The all you can eat buffet is DELICIOUS! The food is of good quality and they always have a special dish that is very interesting. Their drinks are good too. The service is very friendly (much better than most Indian restaurants in the area). The atmosphere is chic, but comfortable. I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

The waiter was awesome and very talkative with Alex and I. But I know they wanted to throw us out because it was New Years Eve. Lol. But I was hungryyyyyy for Indian food and I found they were open an hour later than the place I really wanted to go to...the Dosa Factory. Yeah I honestly have a thing for Indian street food more than fine dining restaurant food. I have no idea what they brought us. But it was good. Marinated multiple kinds of spicy meats. Reminds me a little bit of middle eastern kabobs. If I had to do it again...Id just go with the indian stews or fried rice. Chicken biriyani or chicken tikki masala. Only been there once. So...we will see. read more

We come here often and the food never gets old. I like the chicken korma and garlic naan.

I am a real foodie and a Cambridge resident. There are only about three places in Cambridge where I order carryout. Most other places are horrible. INDIA PAVILION is the BEST Indian restaurant around. I feel we are like family since I have hosted many parties, luncheons and special events there. Since I live nearby, it is very accessible. Having been a loyal customer since before the transformation to the new place, I can say that the quality and quantity has not been changed or compromised over the years. There is a reason why this restaurant has been a staple in Cambridge for over 30 years! The place is TOPS! Dr. J, Cambridge read more

This is one of the best Indian dishes in the state of Massachusetts i personally recommend to taste food in this restaurant especially chicken tikka masala and mango lassi, good receiving and serving, I am fully satisfied by this restaurant may be I will go once again for my girlfriend birthday....$$$ read more

I haven't been here since they did the renovations, it looks gorgeous inside now! The food is good, it seems people have been complaining about the spiciness of the food, I just always ask for really spicy, so I have yet to be disappointed. When I took my friend out for a night on the town, I brought her here. She got the chicken tikka masala on a bed of lettuce and garlic naan. She really liked it (probably because she doesn't like it too spicy) and thought the naan was delicious. I ordered the mulligatawny soup, and a vegan dosa. The only complaint that I have is that I stated that I was vegan and did not want any dairy on my plate at all, but somehow a coconut dipping sauce with milk came with my food-since I made it very clear that I did not want dairy, I thought it was OK to eat. I was wrong, when the waiter came back I asked if it had any dairy in it, and he said yes there was, but only a little was OK. ???? To be honest It put me in a bad mood, but then our mango sangria came, and all was good in the world. The bill was modest, and the sangria was delicious!!!! So it made up for the miss communication. Just hope that they are able to respect my requests and talk to the kitchen next time. read more

this really is good indian food -- while cambridge is a super-saturated indian food solution, indian pavilion stands out. the tastes are a little different than the normal chicken tikka masala. ((although i will say there was an incident of finding a couple of hairs in my food... when i pointed it out, the waiter kind of looked at the hair a little confused, shouted something in indian to the chef, and then went to take care of another guest. i was left with my original food. as you can imagine, i didn't get my fill.) read more

Probably the best Indian restaurant in the central square area. The non-vegetarian Thali for 1 is excellent (and easily enough for 2-3). The chicken tikka masala is solid, and the lamb saag is tasty. Love the rice pudding. The lentil soup is a little watery. read more

I have come back to this restaurant a number of times because I really like the food. I had the lunch buffet only once, but when I come for dinner I normally get a Thali. I have experienced what some other reviewers have mentioned, namely that servers often come back every 2-3 minutes to either take an order or take away plates, which can be quite aggravating. It feels as if they want to get customers out as fast as possible, even though I'm not sure if I've seen the place completely packed even once. My experience last night was so awful however, that I had to write about it. For those who don't feel like reading the details, the last paragraph sums it up in two lines. The food was really great as always, no complaints there. However, we were shown to one side of the dining area by a waitress and headed towards a table for two by the window. At this point, a man who looked like an owner or manager came to us and said we cannot sit there. We couldn't really understand his explanation, but it was something along the lines of "there isn't enough room". Our waitress reiterated this. About 2 minutes later, the manager sat a single customer at the table we had originally headed towards. My friend and I were both confused and asked why the man was seated instead of us. We were told it's because the spacing between the tables is so tight (and both tables on either side of the one we had wanted were occupied) that there was only room enough for one person. We pointed out that there were two chairs there, and the response was that sometimes it was ok for two people during the buffet but for some reason it was not ok at dinner time. We choose to disregard the illogical explanation and order. My friend was going to order a single dish and I was going to get my usual Thali. The manager was taking our order and upon hearing this said "I think the kitchen might be too busy to make a Thali, let me double check". I should point out that the restaurant was maybe half full, and nowhere in the menu does it say that the Thali can only be ordered at some times during the day. He came back and said, "I'm sorry, but it would take about 45 min for a Thali and I don't want you to wait that long". We were not given the option to wait if we had wanted to do so. My friend and I both ordered our own dishes, which came with rice and bread. Our next server, who was very polite, brought out our food in less than 10 minutes. For those who don't know what a Thali is, it's a tray with bread, 2 dishes, soup, rice, and a dessert. Considering both our dishes came out in such a short time, this means they were pre-made, as I don't see how something can be cooked in such a short time. If they are pre-made, there is no reason why the Thali should take 45 min to come out as it consists of nothing more elaborate than those two dishes. My only explanation is that the Thali, being such a good deal at $14.95 for the amount of food that comes on it, would not have been such a good deal for them. Basically, great food, but be ready to be treated like a second-rate citizen and not be seated where you'd like and be refused your order on the grounds that "it will take too long". Absolutely horrible service. read more

My only experience here is with takeout. We went in ordered and waited. They got the order together very quickly and all the while hitting on my friend. Hey, what am I? Chopped vindaloo? Anyway, the food was fast, the naan was wonderful, all and all the spices where kind of ehh. Not bad but just not anything stand out. It is a solid, easy take home option to grab while shopping in Cambridge or on your way home from work but I wouldnt call it standout or make a special trip. read more

the cheapest costing indian food i have had thus far. not to mention their food is great. i must try place when in cambridge.

It was a terrible experience. I called ahead of time to ask how late they were open. They said 11:00. We came at 9:30, the host received us cordially but the waitstaff was rude and seemed upset we were there--the waiter slammed a glass of icewater on the table and rudely said "your ice water". He and the host lounged at a nearby table and the waiter rushed us through the meal. The food was decent, but there are plenty of Indian places nearby. I have no reason to go back read more

I'm torn about this place. We got there at four on a Friday. The neon Open sign was all lit up and the big screen in the window said dinner was from 3 to 11. So we went in. There was no one there so we took a seat at the bar and waited for someone. When someone eventually showed up he couldn't be bothered to put down his cell phone to talk to us and instead made hand gestures to tell us that the restaurant wasn't open. No explanation why. In fact he wasn't going to actually say anything to us until we asked what time they would be open and were told five. So we killed an hour and went back. The place is nice inside and we were seated quickly in a mostly empty restaurant. We ordered a mixed drink and were told that the bartender wasn't there so it was a no go on the drink. So we ordered something else and when he brought it he also brought the mixed drink (I guess the bartender had showed up) and were told that the non-alcoholic drink would be free of charge. Which was nice. The food was okay. I really liked the veggie mix platter and the other dishes were fine. It turns out I don't like goat but that isn't the restaurant's fault. After our leftovers were all packed up there was a bit of a wait for the check but the staff was all polite enough (after they were open anyway). But overall I was left with an unfavorable impression of the place and don't think I will go back. read more

I've mainly come here for the lunch buffet where I really can't complain about. There is a variety of good food to choose from. I mean for $8 you will enjoy it. read more