OK, I've never been Nepal. I've got an email from a buddy about a planned trip that will probably never happen, but damn, this joint in B-more was awesome. I worked in B-more for more than 2 years and suffered from mildly above average buffets north of downtown. Never again I say! This place was just a block away from my conference and it was epic. Perhaps the single most delicious Indian / Nepalese buffet in my 19 years of sampling. I lived in KS growing up so didn't get Indian food til' HS. Yeah, KS. Good staff, not great, but honestly, I can't say enough about the food. PLus they had those giant metal plates with five little dividers so the folks who hate their food touching (who should never eat outside their own home anyway) can survive lunch. The plates were cool but watch out for hot fingers! Just go eat there. I was only planning on eating veggies that day but they had GOAT! I never had goat before. It was OK. Goat =3 Limbini=5 read more

Just walking into Lumbini was like a breath of fresh air. Literally. It was starting to get warm outside -- one of those uncomfortably sticky Baltimore days when parking spaces are hard to come by. (Oh, wait: that's EVERY day.) I stepped into the restaurant's interior, and immediately I felt the cool darkness, smelled the fresh spices and roasted meat, heard the clink of forks and knives over a backdrop of pleasant Eastern chant that instantly slowed my heart rate, and saw quite a few other diners enjoying the experience as much as I planned to. The host seated me right away, even though I was waiting for a friend; I actually put my phone down on the table and sipped ice water while looking around (hard to do without seeming creepy, but trust me, I managed it) at the decor: pleasantly mismatched, including a stunning van Gogh-esque mural that takes up the entire wall opposite the buffet. When my friend arrived, we got to work: every dish looked and tasted exactly as you'd expect, which is exactly the goal of eating at an Indian restaurant (see my review of Shaheen for details.) It was fresh, spicy and flavorful. Highlights: aloo gobi, with tender cauliflower and a spicy curry sauce; a tray of crisp lettuce and cucumbers alongside crispy thin slices of sweet potato pakora; creamy Tikka Masala sauce; a bed of charred onions under chunks of tandoori chicken. And, best of all, a vat of bright-green coriander chutney. I was in heaven. Servers were constantly refilling the bowls, which were clean on the outside and piping hot inside. Plenty of bread. We ordered a mango lassi, which was bright orange and not too sweet, signaling the presence of mostly fruit. The only downside to the whole experience was their rice pudding, which was mushy and bland. But honestly, I probably wouldn't have been able to eat more than a few bites anyway after stuffing myself shamelessly at the buffet. I had to come home and work in the garden for an hour just to progress from "uncomfortably full" back to "full." Oh, and one more perk: a whole urn of milk chai. As in, already sweetened and creamy. Made with enough black pepper and ginger to help your poor stomach deal with that channa masala you really should have left for another diner to enjoy. Better luck next time. read more

Went here for a Downtown Partnership Event when they had a buffett and it was delicious. It exceed my expectations. They had many different selections and the staff was very attentive. From reading all the other reviews, it seems that their lunch buffett is awesome as well! I will return read more

Came here for the lunch buffet one day and was seated right away. There were a ton of food options including veggie ones as well as one seafood one. There was also salad, and a couple of dessert options. Lastly, there was some delicious chai. Some dishes were better than others; I just wish they were a bit warmer. But for $10 it's prolly all a good deal. read more

I love this place - it's got great lunch buffets, especially for vegetarians, and the service is exceptional. I've been there for lunch quite a few times, and for dinner twice. The food is always amazing. I don't think it's a complaint from me, but I have to warn: though servers are extremely attentive and personable, if you're ordering from the menu, be prepared to wait for your meal. This is neither good nor bad, but you just have to go into the atmosphere with a willingness to hang out and relax. read more

I would say very highly priced Nepali/ Indian restaurant despite of the downtown location in Baltimore. We went there with groupon coupon so we had a good deal. The menu in yelp is not actually updated. We ordered chicken momo as appetizer which was a bit salty. We ordered Hyderabadi chicken as main course which actually looked and tasted like chicken kofta and I am not so fond of chicken kofta dish. The two star is only for service which was good enough. Sorry, but I would not be back to this place again. read more

Lumbini Restaurant - I ordered Hyderabadi chicken. This hyberabadi chicken looks and tastes like chicken kofta and Im not so fond of chicken kofta!!! - Indian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

I decided to write an update because I finally had dinner here. I had the chicken tika marsala and the saag paneer. Both were excellent! Although I love both of these dishes on their buffet line, I thought they tasted even better for lunch. This was probably due to the fact that the food was not sitting around in a warming tray. Instead, I was able to eat it immediately after it was made in the kitchen. The flavors of the chicken tika marsala were extraordinary. It was sweet, creamy, and slightly smoky. I thoroughly enjoyed this dish to the very last drop of curry. The saag paneer was also excellent. There were copious chunks of cheese swimming in an ocean of creamy, robust spinach. It went especially well with the butter naan. Although I still favor their lunch buffet because of the variety and cheaper costs, I thought that this dinner was amazing! I whole-heartedly recommend this place for lunch and dinner! read more

A number of my friends raved about Lumbini that I had to go try it out. Went there for the lunch buffet. For a dollar more than the other Indian restaurants in Mt. Vernon, the selection of food was pretty good. Lots of vegetable dishes, so I was a big fan of that. In particular, I liked the korma a lot and was pleasantly surprised to see mushrooms as one of the selections too (haven't seen it as a buffet selection at the other places). The naan was a bit lacking. It wasn't hot and a little stale. But I don't need much naan anyways, so that wasn't too disappointing for me. Would come again for the lunch buffet. read more

Keep in mind, we had a gift certificate from restaurant.com, so our meal was about $20 cheaper than the bill. The service was fine and the flavors in the food were very rich and good. However, the shrimp were either horribly overcooked or freezer burned. We couldn't tell which. We were satisfied with the meal based on what we paid, but if we had paid full price, I think we would have been disappointed by portion sizes. read more

Lumbini is an excellent choice if you want to enjoy a delicious Indian meal. The staff are very kind and make you feel at home. I highly recommend their food and their services!!! read more

The food was super delicious! We ordered a butter chicken, tandoori chicken, and curry chicken and they were all delicious. The tandoori chicken came out still sizzling on the pan and it was so tender and full of flavor. The butter chicken is to die for. Will totally go back to this place next time I'm in Baltimore! read more

Terrific food! I've been going here for years, and they consistently do a great lunch buffet (dinner is great too, but pricier). Some negative reviews lambast the delivery service: news flash, most baltimore Indian places don't focus much on delivery. If you're going to get Indian food in baltimore, dine in (or carry out if you must) read more

Worse Nepali Food Ever! We will never go again!! We ordered pumpkin and chicken curry, It was very sweet and tons of onions. Lamb dish was thick creamy fatty sauce. read more

My review matches many others, the food is good, but the service will ruin it. One of my biggest pet peeves is being hung up on... I asked about vegetarian options and got a confused response about whether they were busy or not and then dial tone. So unprofessional, and disrespectful, i will not be going back. I don't care how good the food is. read more

I was introduced to Lumbini by another Yelper and this was not a disappointing recommendation. I have since been here a number of times and always walk away with a smile on face and the scent of curry on my coat. The lunch buffet is impressive and is a great way to try something different in a downtown filled with cookie cutter sandwich joints. I absolutely love their vegetable korma and their naan. The Tandoori chicken is also delicious. The place is surprisingly large and contains a labyrinth of seating areas. If you arrive with a larger party at lunch, do not fret. There will be somewhere to sit. read more

I had the hyderabadi lamb for dinner and it was superb. A real treat for the taste buds. The lamb vindaloo, which I tried from my friend, was also very good (though I am glad I ordered the Hyderabadi). The lunch buffet is decent but not necessarily a stand-out. Still, that is not to say it is not worthwhile. It is, but the dinner menu is where the real action is. read more

I'm surprised no one has reviewed this little restaurant...it's fairly new, so maybe that's why? Anyway, they have the most delicious chai tea I've ever had. And amazing lunch buffets. The butter nan is awesome. The ceiling is painted like the sky. They're slow to prepare takeout, so call ahead. It's a wonderful little place. I'm homesick for it even though I don't live near there. read more

good food, good service; it's not a wow place but i had low expectation coming from Chicago. We ordered Paneer Korma , Jhaneko Dal and Malai Kofta. It seemed like Paneer and Malai Kofta was prepared in same curry sauce which was a bit sweet and creamy. If you're looking for authentic Nepalese food this might not be the right place; However it's a good start. For typical spicy taste we had to order achar on the side to add some spicy touch. Good food overall, bit pricey but worth the $$. I would go back if given the opportunity to visit Baltimore again. read more

I've eaten at nearly all the Indian restaurants in Baltimore during my time here, and I have to say this one is THE BEST! The menu is great, and full of both Indian and Nepali dishes. I have seriously been coming to this restaurant regularly for the past five years, and it has always been amazing. The staff is consistently nice, the food is consistently delicious, and I consistently go back again and again. The lunch buffet is hands down the best in the neighborhood (and among the cheapest). As for dinner, everything is delicious, but I always find myself ordering the veggie pakora and butter chicken or the chana masala. YUM! read more

My restaurant must have been on a different planet than the one in other reviews. I had one take out dinner and two buffet lunches in town for a conference. There was a 20-something woman and man who were there each time I was there and they bent over backwards to help me. The food quality was very, very good. Good meats, fresh vegetables, great buffet selection. read more

The buffet has a lot of great options. Food is tasty and a nice atmosphere. Only issue we found was that some of the buffet food was already dry. Nice waiters and friendly. read more

Visited based on great reviews, not a great place to visit, parking is quite a challenge their menu prices are not matching with what they're announcing on their website. Food Portions are very less quantity, it is way overpriced for the food they are providing, service is ok, they announce that they honor Groupon, resturant.com coupons any day after 3 p.m. but they don't honor them. read more

The buffet is EXCEPTIONAL!!! The food is hot and flavorful. The buffet comes with a divine cup of chai tea! read more

Lumbini Restaurant - Indian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

We love Indian food and decided to try Lumbini. We ordered lamb rogan Josh which was very tasty with proper spices. The butter chicken was just ok. We ordered the veggie samosas (2) for $6. They were just a cooked potato in a fried dough, no peas or spices. They were tastless!! We decided to order Aloo Gobi Marsala which had little flavor, not like other restaurants. We had a mango Lassi which was good. The garlic Naan had no garlic taste. We definitely would not recommend this place for good Indian food. read more

I did not enjoy my lamb korma it taste off like me, like the poured maple syrup in the sauce, they did not use traditional Indian spice, like coriander, clove, curry leaves the did not cook this lamb korma like real Indian food. The did not put the condiments on the side, I should not have to pay for rita, chutney, or bred this read more

I had my 35th bday dinner here. It was amazing. Rabina, the co-owner worked with me on the details to ensure success. The shrimp curry, lamb curry , chili chicken and tandoori chicken are all exquisite and were excuted to perfection by her husband the chef. I've been there for the lunch buffet which is Charles streets best kept secret. I will be back. read more

Lumbini was outstanding...one of the best meals I've had all year. Gobi Manchrian was fantastic. The Chicken Vindaloo was excellent. The Vindaloo sauce with garlic naan is something Dreams are made of. Highly recommended. read more

Excellent food and service! Delicious Tandoori Chicken and Chicken Momo! Friendly and attentive staff. Definitely recommend it!

My husband and I ordered take out dinner on a Thursday night. We were not impressed. My husband ordered the lamb curry with white rice and was moderately satisfied. I ordered the shrimp biryani and vegetable jalfrezi with plain naan. All of the items were decent, but not memorable. In fact, I am reluctant to attack the leftovers. Overall, if you are looking for authentic Indian cuisine (especially South Indian) I would not recommend this place - I'm new to Baltimore but I'm sure there are other choices to be found. However if you live downtown and want an Indian (or Nepalese) fix, this place will do alright for you. read more

While I was in Charm City, came here twice and my taste bud was blown away; but not my wallet lol! The lunch buffet only costs $9.99 and it entails a variety of authentic Indian dishes; ranging from vegetable, poultry, tandoori, naan bread, to dessert! I love tandoori chicken and this is one of the best that I've ever had! The atmosphere here was very calming and soothing ; with traditonal Indian music playing in the background. The servers were all very friendly and welcoming which gave this restaurant a homey feeling to me (because I was away from home I guess?!) All in all, I would love to visit this place again if I had another opportunity to visit MD!!! read more

Lumbini Restaurant - Buffet! - Indian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

The food here is fabulous, but the service is AMAZING. If you would like to try Indian food, they have a lunch buffet, but we went for dinner. They were extremely helpful with the menu, and they helped me pick a yummy dish. read more

Mediocre Indian food. The saag paneer was great. Tikka masala was good. Vindaloo could use a flavor boost. Really expensive for quality.

I am a student at University of Baltimore, my buddy and I like to go eat at all of the Indian restaurant near us. We have tried Kumari, Indigma, Akbar restaurants, none of them were competition to this restaurant Lumbini. Starting from buffet, no other restaurant offers this kind of food quality and choices in lunch. It has high quality varieties of foods. Every single item is delicious. At the dinner time, it has same great services and food. Compared to the other restaurants, the food maybe little more expensive but it is definitely worth paying for that kind of quality. My buddy and I are convinced that Lumbini has the best food and services in the downtown area. Whenever we want Indian food, Lumbini comes in our mind first. So guys if you have not tried this restaurant , I suggest you try and find out how good this restaurant really is. read more

Ordered through GrubHub and the food was delicious but BEWARE. Their menu on GrubHub does not explain that rice comes with their entrees. Because of this I ordered a side of rice only to find out one was already included for free upon delivery. I told GrubHub about this and asked that I be refunded for the charge of the rice. They called the restaurant to explain what happened and they flatly refused to refund me. The GrubHub rep. then offered to edit and correct the menu for them to clearly explain rice comes with all entrees. They said they didn't want these edits. The only possible reason for refusing such an explanatory note is so they can continue to deceive people into ordering more rice than they need in order to charge more. There is simply no other explanation. Do not support businesses that exercise deceptive business practices! read more

The prices are high and food is not so good. Very upset with the food for the 2 times I tried. Worst mango lassi I have ever had. read more

Food is great, but attitude is the worst! I came with my parents where dad got the chicken curry amd mom asked for HALF chicken tandoori, the waitress turned to me asking me for my order and I said I will share the half chicken, she said No! You need to order this is a dinner table and everyone should order and can't sit here without getting dinner or drink!! I was shocked with her attitude! My dad said ok let us get the mango lasi drink for him,, I actually lost my appetite due to her behavior and did express that to other waiter, no apologies received,, read more

I came here with some co-workers during a conference and had the buffet lunch. The buffet was pretty well stocked except for one of the curries which consisted of some bones and sauce. Tons of options for meat eaters and vegetarians, all delicious. Service was decent and they let us sit around and talk after paying. read more

Went to a weekend (Saturday) buffet for lunch that cost about $13 for all you can eat Indian food. We looked at the menu to see if there were other choices, but most of the dishes cost more than the actual buffet. Indian friend with me said that the choices were not spectacular that day. For myself, I recognized a handful of common dishes. The food tasted decent, but not the best. I think this is due to the fact that we came near the end of the buffet time, so a lot of the food became dry or hard after sitting an hour or two. read more

I ordered a delivery at approximately 9:30pm (they stop deliveries at 10:15) and the Lumbini staff were more than happy to take my order. We ordered the lamb curry, the butter chicken and the baigan bharta (eggplant dish). All dishes were absolutely delicious, especially the butter chicken! The chicken was tender and the sauce was cooked to perfection! The lamb was also perfectly cooked and seasoned well. I probably will not be ordering the eggplant dish again, not because it wasn't tasty but because eggplant was a bad choice to me. And all dishes came with an order of rice. It only took them aout 35 minutes to deliver and the delivery man was very polite. I'll definitely be ordering from there again! read more

Yumm! Great Buffett with lots of Vegetarian options. Went on a Sunday afternoon and it was great.