Solid. I've ordered takeout a few times in the past couple of months it's ready when they tell you it will be and if you like spicy their extra spicy is actually spicy. Garlic naan has great flavor and texture, highly recommend. read more

The food was just not good. It was hot even after being delivered but it was hardly palatable. The veggies seem like they were from a can, there was no spice whatsoever, the mint chutney was not fresh, probably from a jar too. I'm sure the people are nice, but my goodness it might be time to venture out and try Indian food at other places for comparison. Unless there is some type of refresh to the menu, I will not be coming back. I make better Indian food - next time I'll just not be lazy and cook it myself. read more

I've been to Maharaní many times and it was one of my favorites. However, last week it was not a good experience. After paying $2 to park on the street, the woman who brought us to the table didn't make eye contact or smile. The naan, usually delicious, crispy soft and buttery, was tough and dry in a warming oven. The currys were all rather blah tasting. The mango ice cream was very good. With all the good Indian restaurants in town I doubt that we'll be back. read more

Came here for an IYE! Great time meeting new people! 2014 was the year I became a fan of Indian and Thai curry so when I saw Maharani was on the menu for a IYE, I was all for it. Like many have pointed out, wait staff seems to the odd man out. I wouldn't say they were rude but maybe a bit... uninterested?? I am not sure if that is the correct word. Hard to explain. They were very much about getting straight to the business. More like "hurry up and order" It was just odd. Some people weigh service more heavily than others. For me, I am very much in the middle unless the staff is just plain rude. Again, the staff wasn't rude but they could work on being more open and inviting to diners. Curry and naan was plentiful. So much to choose from. I think I speak for all of those who attended the IYE when I say, it was hard to make an entree choice. There were several curries that peaked my interested. I finally settled on Chicken Vindaloo. OK. I am extremely picky about chicken. I do not eat dark meat. Only chicken breast. It was my mistake for not asking what part of the chicken is used in their chicken curries. To my discovery, my curry used both dark and white meat. Ehhhhhggg!! I ended up picking out the dark meat. It wasn't that big of a deal but just still sucks. Next time, I will ask questions. The other curry places I frequent uses white meat. I guess I became accustom to this too quickly. I do prefer Dhaba and Haveli over Maharani. To me, the other two complete the package of what I like about eating curry including atmosphere. I won't rule out ever dining here again however if I am in the area and wanting some curry. read more

Maharani Restaurant - Nice stack of popadum - Indian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

The biggest mistake I've made this week is leaving my leftover curry at the table. This place is absolutely delicious, and I plan on coming back as soon as possible. I came here with a lovely group of people for dinner. I made a mental note that this restaurant offered a lunch buffet so I plan on revisiting for this aspect. The restaurant has a calm, Indian decor with an explosion of amazing smells and spices. It's also pretty spacy, so you won't find yourself bumping elbows or weaving around people. Menu is huge, and it contains everything from lamb to chicken and veggies to dessert. I ordered the chicken jalfrezie with a side of plain naan. Absolutely heavenly; how did they achieve such a creamy texture without dairy?! I'll never know. Hours later, my stomach is still happy. Chicken was moist, and the naan was fluffy and crunchy. Everything about my dinner experience here was lovely. Our waters were refilled constantly, which is always a huge plus when eating spicy foods. The restaurant wasn't too busy, so my experience here was pretty positive overall. I love Indian food, and Madison has proven that this city can make some great curry. Yes, yum, yay! read more

Maharani Restaurant - Chicken jalfrezie. Spicy thick goodness! - Indian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

See all

The Indian food here was good, but not among the best that I've ever had. The service was prompt and attentive. Its good place with an extensive menu and the restaurant itself seems clean and it has a nice dining atmosphere. We had the Lamb Vindaloo and Chicken Currie with Naan. We thought the quantity of food was a good value. read more

Very mixed experience. Came in and told the host I was there to order takeout. She directed me to the bar, which was empty. The entire restaurant was empty except for one or two diners at tables. I sat at the bar for several minutes before anyone spoke to me. I caught the eye of the server multiple times before she finally came over. I told her I wanted the Tandoori platter for two, to go, with extra sauce. She said, what dessert would you like? I said, what are your favorites? Finally her face lit up and she told me all about her favorite desserts. I said, those sound great, give me those. Did you hear me about the extra sauce? She said, of course. While I was waiting, she brought me a Masala tea which was excellent! When I paid, they charged me $2 more than my bill was supposed to be, so I assume they charged me for either the tea or the extra sauce. When I got my food, it appeared to have everything (it was in two bags stapled shut and I did not want to open every container before the car ride home). Got home, and of course the extra sauce and desserts were missing. Drove back and spoke to the same server. She said, no problem, and fixed me several large containers of sauce, plus a Mango Lassi, which was delicious. I said, what about the desserts? She said, I'm sure they were in the bag. I said, maybe they fell out, but I didnt see them. I waited several minutes before she finally agreed to replace the desserts. The food itself was pretty average. I ordered medium spice but did not detect any spice. The fried/grilled chicken dishes were tender but somewhat dry and definitely in need of the extra sauce. The lentil soup was pretty much just a broth, and bland. The chicken tikka masala was good. I havent decided if we will be back. read more

Roach in my water glass ... NO JOKE! Didn't say sorry or anything ...didn't comp my lunch...RED Alert! Came for lunch buffet. Ok now that it's 9 hours later... the food is OK depending what's crawling around on it. U must know what you like with Indian food or it's a crap shoot... this was the second time being here and the buffet was totally different... So 2.5 stars W/O roaches... Zero stars with roaches...I won't be back for the roach buffet. Hey! I Checked some other reviews and I'm not the only roach review!!!! Enjoy your critter stew! read more

Maharini is a large menu Indian food restaurant with all the classic vegetarian options. This restaurant is the kind of place that has some vegetarian options under the curries, but then also a vegetarian section, but then also a vegetables section: it's that kind of confusing restaurant. But, my friends and I found the small text that said vegetable dinner for two, and the rest is history. The dinner came with samosas, palak paneer, mixed vegetable curry, malai kofta, rice, naan, and dessert. It started out with a lentil soup, which was not very good. Imagine buying chicken noodle soup, and instead of getting a broth with chicken and noodles in it, you get kind of a frothy, thicker soup that was the aforementioned soup put through a Ninja blender. That's what the soup was like: no lentils to be seen, a bit thicker, some lentil taste, and not very flavorful. The samosas were great. The crispy outside was nicely matched with the soft, potato inside. Out of the main dishes, I'd say only the malai kofta is worth recommending. The malai kofta was very good: the sauce was flavorful, not overwhelming, and it wonderfully seasoned each ball. The palak paneer should be avoided: its texture was quite unpleasant. Google is telling me that the difference between palak paneer and saag paneer is that palak is only spinach. The mixed vegetable curry was fine, but nothing worth writing home about (though, everything is worth telling Yelp about, I guess). I think it's worth noting that the rice was delicious, and I ate too much of it. The service was okay. The food took a very long time to come out: I believe we waited around 35 minutes, and the restaurant was more than half empty at dinner time on Saturday night. If I'm ever back in Madison and craving Indian food, I'd return if I couldn't find an alternative! read more

Maharani Restaurant - Lentil soup and samosas - Indian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

See all

Horrible service. Ordered pickup and was told 30 minutes but got my food almost an extra 30-45 minutes later. The waitress got into a verbal argument with a customer and told them to leave if they didn't want to wait. Staff was extremely rude and told multiple delivery drivers they were busy and couldn't help even though there were multiple orders ready to go. The food is great but I'll never be ordering from here again. read more

We ordered Garlic Naan, Lamb Curry and Chicken Tikka Masala. Everything was delicious. Service was fine, they were busy for a Sunday evening, but we got everything we needed. read more

Maharani Restaurant - Indian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Three visits in two weeks attest to my deciding the food is good and is being prepared by chefs in the kitchen who know how to prepare a myriad of tasty Indian dishes. But food presentation is careless and sloppy and unappealing. Dishes are placed on the table with gravy dripping on the sides of the serving bowls. Seriously? So Unacceptable! And clearly a display of disrespect for your customers who are paying $$$ to eat at MaharanI. Improve this aspect of your service and Maharani may just earn a four-star rating!! read more

Some of the worst service I've ever had. From the second we walked in we were not greeted, but told we used the wrong door. Only 2 tables were sat and it took 10 minutes to get a server to see us. I ordered my vegetable masala medium and it was very hot (spicy.) I told the server and she left. Another server came over to question me. They were argumentative and assured me it was medium and it was made by the same chef. I told them I felt sick and they seemed annoyed and walked away. Simple fixes would help them. My stomach is on fire. My friends and family will not be going back. read more

The Maharani Restaurant is comparable to its sister restaurant on Odana, except the ambiance is a little nicer at this location. I did notice that the service was a little spottier here though - neither as quick nor as thorough as the Odana restaurant. Although the Maharani was nearly empty at 9PM, the servers rarely checked on us. Regardless, the food was great. They served the same complimentary flatbread appetizer with the three chutneys, and THEY HAD CHANA MASALA ON THEIR MENU!!! I was so excited. I probably should have ordered it mild though, because medium was a little too spicy for me. Edible, but definitely not as enjoyable as I'm sure it would have been if I'd been able to chew and swallow without blowing smoke out of my ears. My friend's samosa chaat wasn't bad either - although neither of us expected it to be a plated dish...or to be so heavily topped with chickpeas. I think we were both expecting regular, fried dumplings filled with a potato/pea mix. Still, the perfect place to get your Indian food fix in Madtown. (: MmmMmMmm. read more

I don't know how anyone can give a good review for this restaurant . Giving a 1 rating just coz cant write a review otherwise . We were there for lunch at around 2PM . The entrance was blocked with chairs and we thought we had come in at the wrong entrance . And then a very rude lady showed us to a table . Waited for like 15mins for them to come and tell us that all of the staff were having lunch and it would take another 15-20mins for them to come and take the order - what?? - ok the food was not great either . Both ladies serving us had a terrible attitude - Not going there ever again !! . Phew! read more

I love this place. Whenever I want some Indian food, I like to go here. Honestly, this place is best for its buffet. The available options change every day, though there are some persistent options (chicken tikka masala, jasmine rice, samosas). It's fun to have a different experience each time you go - something that a lot of buffets could learn from, in my opinion. I wouldn't recommend going here for dinner, because I am of the opinion that the dishes are overpriced for what you get. If you are craving Indian, I would make the time go here between 11 and 3, when the buffet is available. Good dessert selection, which also varies with the day. Service is OK. I usually have a full glass of water, which is much appreciated at a place like this. I would still expect that they would invest in some pitchers, and leave one at each table. Don't you want your customers to drink a lot of water, if you are a buffet? Another criticism is the nan situation. It is very nice that they bring out fresh baked nan to each table - but at an Indian buffet, I usually want more than two pieces of the stuff. Regardless of the size of your party - one person, or two, or four - they will bring over four pieces of nan for your table. Why not just put the stuff out on the buffet? If you aren't going to do that, you should at least make sure that bread basket is as full as the water. They will bring more on request... but I don't want to have to ask for it, honestly. Getting the attention of a waiter is also not the easiest thing in the world, since you are sitting in a buffet setting. read more

Horrible service. The waitress did not want to be there. Masala Dosa was like shoe leather. It's a shame because they have a nice patio. The restaurant inside looks aged. read more

Trash establishment. Staff had terrible attitude and undeserved sense of entitlement. Hair in my food.

I wish it wasn't so easy to order from Maharani because I'm always happy I ordered and have Indian delivery, but their Indian definitely isn't the best in Madison, and then (personal problem) I always end up eating too much because Indian is addicting and then I am too full. It is also a bit on a pricey side. I will say though- the non-vegetable dinner for 2 ($48) will feed at least 3 people with left overs, and is really great when you're in no decision to choose. It's a great standby option, but there are likely better options. read more

Really delicious food! Usually my boyfriend and I split an entree because the portion sizes run a little big. I usually cannot handle spicy food very well, but the "medium" level of spice is perfect. I get pick-up from here about once a week, and usually the wait is around 30 minutes. read more

I've been here a couple times and while the food is fine, I can't help but let the service cloud my overall rating of this place. The servers always seem to act like they're doing ME a service by doing their job. Now I don't expect them to bend over backwards all the time, but they seem so bored and frankly unfriendly. I think there are plenty of other good options for Indian food in Madison (that don't act like they're annoyed by my presence) that I am more willing to give those places a try rather than coming back here. ‍ read more

Oh Maharani, great location and sometimes good food. I feel like if you go for an Americanized and popular entree a la chicken tikka masala they hit the nail on the head. They were able adjust the spiciness to a high level which I liked. Now let's get to slightly more authentic foods. We got a dosa, hoping for a quality South Indian food experience. It was very large but very bland. It managed to give both of us a stomach ache. Service was a little slow which also loses them points. However I will return and stick to items that are more commonly found in their buffet as I feel those are awesomely made and delicious read more

Amazing butter chicken and naan, It was my first time ever having Indian food and it didn't disappoint

Good but not my favorite in town. Large portions and slightly cheaper prices than some of the other Indian restaurants around which is nice. I ordered the chicken tikka masala, samosa, garlic naan, and veggie pakora (my usual). The masala wasn't as rich as I wished it would be. The naan was very good. The samosa and pakora were good but not super crispy. Maharani is convenient for me because I like nearby but I think I would still choose driving over to Dhaba and paying the extra money for Indian food there. read more

I am a regular at Maharani. Not only have I lived across the street for the last 3 years, I am a huge fan of Indian food. The buffet is a particular treat - pricey on the weekends especially, but well worth it for the lovely variety of rices, gravy dishes, and appetizers. The only downfall of Maharani is their service. Not terribly unusual or awful, but a couple times I had to go and find my waiter to get my glass of water refilled. Mostly they are relatively attentive, and I will keep going back because the food is WELL worth it. read more

Very slow service. Tadka Daal was testing Smokey and was high in salt. Palak Paneer was good.

Of all the Indian restaurants in Madison, this is simply the best. The garlic naans and paneer jalfrazie were awesome. The chicken biryani tasted good, although it is cooked in a style that is different from how traditional biryani is made. The mango lassi was top class. The filling in aloo paratha could have been a bit more spicy and tangy. The samosa chaat was the best of the lot--it was phenomenally well done. The quantities are perfect, and service was good too, despite seeming pretty understaffed. Overall, this is a must try! read more

This place has Buffet for Lunch/Dinner, I did not find the food test as per authentic Indian quality. the Options are not great as well, I must mention that their Fish was good, above average than the rest of the food options. This is not for me, as I don't prefer buffet kind of setting in a restaurant, so I can order stuff want not what restaurant wants me to eat. Me not repeating this place for sure. read more

This restaurant was much better than some of these reviews would lead you to believe. Amazingly rich flavors. The aloo tikki chat appetizer was the perfect start. We also had Chicken Tikka Masala was just right and the Sag Paneer was spot on. The best thing we had was the Vegetable Mango: I'm not vegetarian but I would never need to eat meat again if this was what I was offered to eat all the time. We came for dinner so I can't review the buffet. Try this restaurant! read more

The roach wasn't THAT big. Maybe thumbnail sized. I mean, I've seen ones in other countries the size of my entire thumb, so this was a lil' guy in comparison. Mind you, that happened at the end of the meal so perhaps I should start at the beginning. We've been to Maharani countless times over the years. The food is usually good, the service is usually pretty lackluster. However, this place has held a warm spot in my heart because it was one of our first date spots so we like to come back & reminisce. On this particular evening the service was worse than usual. We had to remind them we had ordered drinks, they brought out a completely wrong entree for the Mister, and the naan bread finally came out halfway through the meal. SIGH. I think part of the service problem here is that they seem to do a team approach instead of sticking with assigned sections. So things just seem to fall by the wayside and who knows. Was this all foreshadowing what was to come?! Perhaps. We finished eating & the server cleared away our plates. As she walked away I looked down to see a cockroach scurry across the table. It seemed to have been hiding under my plate. The Mister, aghast, promptly trapped the rascal under a napkin and waited for the server to come back. She returned (to bring us our to-go boxes) and he lifted the napkin to show her the offending critter. She gasped and scooped it all up and went into the back. The Mister & I just stared at each other, incredulous. We figured this would be interesting... how would they handle it? Would our dinner be comped? Would a manager come out, very apologetic? Soon after, she returned and informed us that pest control had been here earlier that day (presumably this was the excuse/explanation for why the roaches were on the run). She promptly handed us our bill and advised us she'd given us 20% off, explaining she'd only done that much since we'd already eaten our dinner. SCREEEEEEEECCCCCHHH! Wait.A.Minute.Here So, what I'm understanding is that depending on at what point during your meal you have the bad experience, your discount will reflect that. Good thing we didn't order dessert... if the roach had waited to show it's face until then it might have only been 5% off! I get it, restaurants can have roaches and many of them around town probably do. (Ick. I can't think about it too much or I'll end up a hermit). Regardless, it's pretty unusual for them to turn up on your table and what's critical after an incident like this is staff response which, disappointingly, was sorely lacking here. read more

Avoid at all costs - found chewed up bubblegum in the food We found chewed up bubblegum in our food during lunch buffet. What is worse is that the manager refused to throw out the dish from the buffet and replace the contents. People, this is a bad sign since they are willing to cut corners and worse to save a few bucks. Anyways why would they spit out gum into the food? This is so gross! I will not go there again since I am sure that they really don't give a damn about their customer's health and would rather have us get sick than waste a couple of bucks. read more

Oh god...chicken tikka....NOM NOM NOM. Their buffet is sooo good. The naan is warm and buttery. All of the dishes are hot and delicious. I recommend the chicken tikka, butter chicken, chicken 65, garlic grilled chicken, and tandoori chicken. read more

Don't know much about Indian food, but the lunch buffet was really good, 9.95 on weekends. I plan on going back. Parking is free in a hidden, dark garage. Drive along Broom and mid-block, make a turn into what looks like parking for the condos next to the restaurant. If you've passed the Capitol Centre Market, you've gone too far. read more

This 5 star review is for their lunchtime buffet. There was so much variety and each dish was delicious! I've had Indian buffets before, but this is hands down the BEST one I have ever been to. They really don't skimp on the good stuff (including garlic naan!) We also came here for dinner, which was equally delicious but much pricier and obviously less variety. The lunch buffet is totally worth it if you don't mind being in a food coma for the rest of the afternoon. read more

I can't believe there are any reviews that are less than 5 stars for this place. I lived in Madison for a year and I ate at Maharani almost every week, sometimes for multiple meals. This is my favorite Indian restaurant, and that's saying a lot. My mother grew up in India, and she and her parents agree that it's really excellent. The lunch buffet is definitely the best time to go. Unlike many of Indian places that I've been, they do a great job of both having a LOT of options and changing them regularly. The staff is very friendly, and they definitely remember their regulars. I always went with one friend and when he moved, they asked me for updates on how he was doing. Take-out is great too, as it's usually filling enough to last for multiple meals. read more

We've gone here multiple times since our last review, so we thought that we'd write an update. First of all, we've been here at least 8, 9, maybe 10 times, and the servers are always VERY friendly. They've gone out of their way to bring food out of the kitchen for our son and they talk to us, too (though we admit that our son gets more attention than us). Maybe they're only this friendly to people they've seen us a lot. The food is very good, too--granted we've only been to the lunch buffet, but I'd be happy with the quality of this food even if was ordered a la carte. Naan tastes fresh, tandoori chicken is moist (most of the time), sauces are flavorful (most of the time) though they don't necessarily pack in the heat that you'd expect from Indian food, tasty chutneys and curries. We usually have a great experience with Maharani though every so often we'd come across a day at the buffet where some of the dishes lack the flavor. What's weird is that we'll come on a day where EVERYTHING is good and then the next time we'll come on a day when maybe half of the dishes are worth raving about. But we've had enough good experiences where we can forget the 1 or 2 bad days and come here when we're craving Indian. read more

Masala sauce made out of CANNED TOMATO SOUP. What other CANNED stuff are their sauces made out of? Charging customers for $15 for an masala entree when the main attraction (the Sauce) is made out of CANNED TOMATO SOUP is outrageous. Do I really need to say more? I won't comment on the service, atmosphere, etc because it doesn't really matter after finding out the sauce is made of of a CANNED TOMATO SOUP. read more

Came here again to have the dosa (which is a item served traditionally as a south indian breakfast) But it is so delicious I would have it 3 times a day! I wanted to have the dosa last time I came here but I got too tempted by the buffet to order off the menu. I finally get my promise to myself and had the mysore masala dosa. A rice crepe filled with potatoes and onions, with mysore sauce which is mildly spicy. If you have not seen dosa before, it is a sight! These crepes are over a foot long and extend over the edges of your plate. It came with 3 different kind of dipping sauces. Thoroughly enjoyed the meal! read more

When I think of Indian food I think of big spice flavors and with the strong and complex profile that Indian food offers I am surprised how bland everything was. Chutney was flavorless, naan was more boring than wonder bread, and the rest of the indistinguishable mush made me wish I picked up a frozen entree from Trader Joes. I seriously think everything came from a jar/can. read more

I am a small, white girl, but I'd like to think I know my Indian food. Indian is my favorite type of food and I've eaten a fair share (homemade and in restaurants). And I have to say, Maharani made my tummy very happy. Atmosphere - nothing fancy. They could improve on it, but it is clean, spacious, comfortable. Food - Delicious! I had samosa chaat, which was fabulous! It was the prefect combination of cool, spicy, crunchy and creamy. I had the garlic naan and the Malai Kofta, which was delicious as well. The veggie dumplings were good, had a nice consistency and the gravy was very flavorful. Service - Wonderful. They were attentive without being pushy. They were very kind and attentive even though we stayed long after we were finished. Now I just need to go back to try a dosa! read more