This is the best Nepalese restaurant in the greater Boston area. The lunch buffet is the best. And they serve Momo in the buffet which I have never seen in any other restaurants. The waiters are so friendly and polite. Very hospitable environment. Awesome food. The food looks healthy as well. $3 house margarita is so awesome. I have now become the regular customer to this place. And I m writing this review to let all the yelp user know about this awesome place and I recommend everyone to try out this place at least once. I assure you that you will definitely return again :) read more

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Got takeout through foodler. Food arrived fast and hot and the prices were fair. The chicken tikka masala and the garlic naan were delicous. The only thing that scared me was some pieces of the chicken taseted off. Either not cooked through or rotten. I also ordered a "salad" from their menu which was actualy cucumbers, tomatoes, and onion mixed with a light dressing. It was meh...I was looking for an actual side salad. my fault. I'd order from here again, hopefully with no chicken issues. read more

After moving into Teele from Cambridge, one of the first things you do is "find the closest and best Indian restaurant".... wait, that isnt what everyone else does? Hmmm... odd. We live a short 3 minute walk from Masala and have gotten both Take Out as well as eaten in. They do both Indian and Nepalese-- the menu is impressively long. Which can backfire... sometimes too much variety can be a bad thing. The staff is friendly and courteous and take good care of you. Their drink menu is probably a bit lofty for what they want... a few simple drinks weren't made correctly, but just grabbing a beer with some dinner is a good move. They give you 'heat options' some Indian Restaurants don't. You can order anything mild, medium, and hot.... and apparently if you say REALLY hot, they will do it. The Chiken Tikka Masala is probably the most standard "go to litmus test" for an indian restaurant. And Masala hits the nail on the head... Medium Spicy is what I tend to prefer and they hit it spot on. The lentil soup is delicious as well... warm, savory, and with some chunks of even raw tomato too! The Dosas are great.... impressive and LARGE, the 'crepe' that they are served in have a nice earthy flavor with a good 'crisp' to them. I suspect there is a good amount of ground lentil in there. YUM. Naan... exactly what you'd expect. Honestly, no major complaints, both dine in and take out! read more

Masala is located just a stone throw's away from Tufts university, so naturally the clientele is mostly college students. Of course, being in Teele Square, there are a number of people who come here as a result of passing through. Considering the dearth of Indian/Nepalese food in Boston, it's actually dope that this option exists. The food here is actually pretty good, and in particular, the curry is quite tasty. The garlic naan is also good, but somewhat expensive considering it's just bread and garlic. HOWEVER, do NOT consider this place for delivery. The delivery service is incredibly iffy- several times, I have ordered food, only to have it come maybe 30-45 minutes later than it was supposed to arrive. In addition, the management can get a belligerent with regards to making delivery amendments and whatnot. On the whole, decent food, but eat in. Oh, the owner is a cool too; if you get to know him, he is quite nice to customers. read more

The portions are large, the naan was the best part, the meat can be a little more tender, it was also difficult to distinguish from the various types of curries. Ex the vindaloo was definitely not the vindaloo, but the sauce was still delicious, not much diff between the tikka masala n vindaloo, the garlic naan could have more garlic flavor and herbs. The paneer was very good! the drinks were delicious, and you can't beat a very strong $3 margarita. We had a really fun dinner here! read more

Came here last night for a date and really enjoyed it! We split the chicken vindaloo, baingan bharta and garlic naan. I'm always on the lookout for chicken that "tastes" like the chicken I ate in India (which is generally a nondefinable aftertaste that I can't explain to anyone else) and this came very, very close. The curry in both the chicken and the eggplant was thick and creamy but not overwhelmingly oily. The naan was a little thin for my tastes, but I'm more of a kulcha girl than a naan girl, strictly speaking. And you cannot BEAT 3 dollar margaritas in Boston, though I'm fascinated by the slightly more expensive tamarind margarita and the pomegranate martini cleverly named the "Anaar Kaali" ("pomegranate blossom" in Hindi--also the name of a well-known Bollywood character!) The owner came over and joked with my date, who'd left his debit card at the restaurant last time he was there--the staff is friendly and attentive, though occasionally a bit slow. Next time I'll come and try some of the Nepali dishes on the menu! read more

This was probably the best groupon we have ever purchased. A couple weeks ago we bought the '$21 for a three course meal' groupon for Masala and decided tonight was the night. For our appetizer we had the vegetarian platter, which consisted of a generous amount of fried goodies. Our two entrees were the aloo gobi and the chicken korma which were both excellent. We asked to have the entrees wrapped up half way through because the groupon included two desserts and by that point we were already full. For dessert we had the gulab jamun (friend syrupy donut thing) and the kheer badami (rice pudding thing). I preferred the kheer badami, but the donut was also good. We also ordered a basket of naan which was not included in the groupon but was excellent and well worth an extra $3. Aaaaand we also went through a few $3 margaritas which were so impressively strong for their price that I probably would have liked the meal even if it hadn't been that great. But it was great. Really. AND is if this place wasn't fantastic enough, when I checked in on my yelp app, I got a 25% off coupon for my next visit. We definitely plan on visiting again soon. My only criticism is that the entrees came out while we were still eating the appetizer and could have been timed a little better, but really, in the context of everything else, that was not irritating enough to warrant a lower rating. read more

I started with the tomato soup, which is a newly discovered Indian delight for me. I love the combo of spices and creamy tomato soup, and this is some of the best I've had. Chicken Tikka Masala, my standard test meal at any Indian restaurant, was delicious. I asked for mine "hot," and it had the perfect amount of heat -- very spicy but not to the point where I couldn't taste my meal. The chicken was very tender and juicy. Delicious. Our garlic naan was also very good, but not mind-blowing. I'll definitely be back here sometime when we're in the area. read more

Looking for a decent Indian restaurant in the Somerville area, this is it! I had the lunch buffet which had many options to choose from. Everything was fresh and hot (temperture wise). They even brought an app to the table while we picked our food. The bill was not expensive at all and when you check on, the offer a discount! Masala is a must try! read more

Ah, Masala. This restaurant was a saving grace when it came to satisfying my frequent craving for Indian food back when I was living in Teele Square. Is this the best Indian food I've ever had? Absolutely not. Is it still delicious and reasonably priced? Absolutely. I have had plenty of experiences both dining in at the restaurant and getting take-out to shamelessly eat while I binged Stranger Things. Take-out is quick and they have never messed up my order. If you plan on dining in but want to avoid the hustle and bustle of Davis Square's restaurants, Masala is about a 10 min walk from the Davis red-line stop. I have never had trouble getting a table without a reservation. The food is solid and the service is very attentive. Your water glass will not be empty at any point during your meal. If you run out of rice to accompany your curry, have no fear as your server always asks to refill your rice dish. The downside of the service is that sometimes they're too attentive. You may feel as though you are constantly being watched as the servers stand and stare from the other side of the restaurant making sure you have everything you need. Overall, I would give Masala a thumbs up and say it's certainly worth a try. read more

Amazing and authentic Indian and Nepalese food!!! Our Nepalese roommate was impressed. For appetizers, we tried the samosas, garlic naan bread, aloo taama (sour soup with bamboo shoots), and kukhura ko chhoyla (spicy, cold chicken) which also came with beaten rice (dehydrated rice grains). The beaten rice was a nice foil for the spicy chicken. Samosas were freshly made and the soup was delicious. I had never seen garlic naan before....it was kind of like a flatter garlic bread. They also provide these very thin, fried crackers made from lentils and black pepper served with three sauces which were all very delicious. Our mains were the chicken palak (from the Indian side) and the kukhura ko masu (from the Nepalese side). Both were served with unlimited basmati rice. All came out piping hot and were satisfying to the last bite. Definitely heading there again! read more

I've steadily grown to love Masala, specifically it's lunch buffets. It's a great deal any day of the week. There are some staples, and then some dishes on rotation, which is a nice way to try new things. Naan is included as well. My favorites are yellow daal and momos. The momos are outstanding actually. But the real reason for my adoration is consistency, i.e. consistently good. I've only been here for dinner a couple of times, and the service can slow down quite a bit due to the popularity. And then it just doesn't seem worth the hassle or inconsistency, so I mostly stay away from dinner. read more

Masala has some of the best Indian food in the area, but it's definitely a better place to eat in rather than order out. I've heard varying opinions from people who had food delivered, but consistent love for the restaurant from people who eat at the restaurant. The lunch buffet is delicious and well-priced - also a great time to eat at Masala so you don't have to fight the crowds there are at dinner. Definitely make a reservation well in advance if you're going with more than 4-6 people. read more

YUM! YUM! YUM! That is all I can say. I love Masala. It is by far the best Indian restaurant in the area. Their saag paneer and malai kofta are my favorites but really you can't go wrong with anything in here. Their garlic nann is also excellent - fresh, flakym, and warm. Definitely stop in for the Sunday brunch which gives you a chance to sample a variety of their scrumptious foods at a really good price. Another plus, delivery is fast and the food always arrives warm! If you love Indian food go to Masala! read more

Hi...sorry for this weird comment .im a sever as well and i know the feeling of getting customer complain..i ordered food from foodler today 45 mins ago..goat appetizer which was delicious...slash chicken dumpling and chicken curry with bones....was very dissapointed..about the dumpling coz it was undercooked....very sad coz we come there often and it'a always good ...chicken was raw...the potatoe salad was stale and seemed liked its been sitting in the walk in for more than 4 days..funny..citruisyyyy...flavor...i will still come there to eat but i will never order again and spent almost 50 dollars for the food thats undercooked and staleee...and sorry to say this coz of the dumplings my girlfriend is not feeling good... I cecked the dumpling, it was red raw and undercooked...this is sad...please take care of this.. Thank you read more

I wasn't able to use their online ordering, not sure why but it keeps saying it is closed. Super inconvenient. When I called the guy told me to use another service and hung up. read more

I went for the lunch buffet and it was nice! Not too far from Tufts too. I asked for some green chilis because the dishes are not spicy enough for me hahA read more

Masala - Lunch Buffet - Indian Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

We wanted to try this place since it had good reviews and also they had Nepalese cuisine. The service was good. I got Nepali dishes -Kwatti Nepali Soup, Thupka noodles and my friend got Pharsi Ko Tarkari. They tasted good and I felt like eating healthy food. My other friend got uthappam (Indian dish) and it was blunt. We somehow finished it. Overall, we felt the food to be average. Maybe the Nepali dishes are worth a try. read more

Masala is a neighborhood gem! If you've been here and only eaten from the 'Indian Cuisine" sections of the menu, you're really missing out, because it's the Nepalese items that really shine and are the best I've had in the Boston area. Only in Nepal have I had better, and even then, it wasn't necessarily better, just different. You can't go wrong with the meat-centric appetizers KUKHURA KO CHHOYLA (shredded chicken) KHASI KO SEKUWA (marinated grilled boneless goat) or KHASI KO TASH (marinated stir fried boneless goat with lemon), all very tender and flavorful. They are sometimes served with either beaten (Chiura) or puffed rice, forms of rice that traditionally can be eaten by members of any caste, so you'll find this in Nepal at restaurants or events where different castes eat together. All delicious. Also amazing are the Chicken Mo-Mo Cha, which is served with a to-die-for chutney and the most amazing chickeny delicious broth you've ever tasted. These momos differ from the Tibetan style momos with the thicker, chewier wrappers - these wrappers are lighter and don't overwhelm the filling. Other great bets are PHARSI KO TARKARI (pumpkin with garlic, ginger and spices), KARELA KO ACHAR (bitter gourd with potatoes, onions and spices) and KUKHURA KO MASU (a chicken curry, Nepali style). The rice and dal are also very good. The decor is great, the servers are friendly, they have a full wine/beer/bar selection, what more could you ask for? read more

I was very excited to order from this restaurant because I have read many good reviews on a few different websites. I ordered through Foodler (my first time using that website). I would prefer to order online since it's much easier than trying to chat on the phone with someone in a crowded restaurant or bar. So, I ordered chicken tikka masala and some garlic naan. I originally wanted to order the vindaloo since I prefer that over tikka masala, however, I wasn't sure how spicy it would be since every place is different. Don't get me wrong, I love spicy, but some places I cannot handle! - So the delivery was about 15 minutes after what foodler had estimated for them to arrive. Not the end of the world, my food was still hot. - The garlic naan was superb. Not only was the texture of the naan perfect, the blend of garlic pieces and cilantro was heaven in my mouth! It was my favorite part of my whole order. That being said, I was quite disappointed with the tikka masala. I did not find that it had enough flavor. Also, the chicken was way overcooked. It was so dry the sauce could not even save it. The Indian food at the Burlington Mall has much more flavor and their chicken is not dry. I would not order from this place again, simply because if they cannot compete with mall food, that's pretty bad. read more

Ordered online for delivery. It came about an hour later. That's fine; I don't mind the wait. However, if I am waiting for something worth it, I don't mind that part. But if I am waiting for something that ultimately is a disappointment?.....that's just a shame! And the food was. There were ONLY two items I thought worth eating one the Dhaba Chicken the other was the Onion Kulcha. The other items we ordered which were very, very bad were the chili panir (too full of chunks of onion and bell peppers in which I included in instructions to go light on them), veggie samosas (no flavor), non-veggie platter (ugh!), Khasi Ko Sekuwa (burned from the grill and beaten rice?....what WAS that?). There was something like a potato salad within the Khasi Ko Sekuwa plate but it was very cold...like out of the fridge cold! Now...if you think I might not know what I'm talking about? Let's just say, my name is not Jaswal by chance. I cook Indian food! This was horrible. And the delivery person almost pitched the bag of food to my son. Whadaheck was that all about? I never ever include tips when I order my food online, I always wait until it's delivered. When our son walked up to the delivery guy, the guy just says...HERE! Turns around and leaves. Yeah, that in itself did it for us...not to mention their bad food! Geesh! read more

Took over 2.5 hours for my food to arrive with an estimated delivery time of 45 minutes. I call today to order again, giving them another chance and being kind. What can they offer me for their horrible service? All they can say is that it would have been great if I would have called yesterday, not going to do anything for me today. I'll tell you what would have been great- If my food wouldn't have taken two and a half hours to arrive at my house! read more

One of the best groupons that we have used. Service was good and friendly. We had the vegetarian appetizer that consisted of a few fried items (including samosas)...it was tasty. We each ordered an entree and both portions were huge....we couldn't finish the main courses. We had it boxed up and then still had to get dessert through the groupon. I had a small Donut-esque bite that was soaked in simple syrup. She had a small cup of rice pudding with cardamom. Both were just the right size. We will definitely go back. read more

I'm doing laundry at the laundromat a few doors up. I check the time and see that it's 11, and that Masala should be opened up for the lunch buffet. I go in, and grab a plate, and am approached by one of the staff, who says in a condescending tone of voice"excuse me, we're not ready yet". That's the first time it's ever happened to me at Masala. I mean don't go doing that, if your sign says you're opened at 11. I'm shocked and surprised. I can understand if he'd said it in a nicer tone of voice, maybe asking me to come back in 5,10 minutes. read more

Good food, kind people serving but the process needs a bit of fine-tuning. Had Lamb Rogan Josh which delicious. Veg momos were good too but we had to ask them three times before they brought it. read more

I would give them 5 stars for their chicken momos . Me and my sister really loved it . if you going for buffet, rest of the items are just ok .. but the best part is they have momos in their buffet menu .. read more

Very pleasant place for a weekend lunch. Grab some food from the buffet and enjoy the breeze coming in through the large front windows on a sunny day. The food is delicious and fresh, the sauces creamy without actually being cream- based or floating in oil -- instead the texture comes from stewed tender vegetables. The buffet has a good selection (2 veg and 2 meat entrees, plus pakoras and dumplings, one veggie, one not). The service is attentive, the ambience clean and quiet. With so many places in Boston for decent or even good Indian food, Masala doesn't stand out, but it is a solid option, especially if you live in the neighborhood. read more

Actually, now I'm blown away. They listen to special requests, including things that are oft-ignored, like requests to not use coriander leaf and green onion. Even more importantly, they will make food extra hot if asked, and there their Indian food really rises above most of the others in the area -- their palak paneer is stunning. But the Aloo Ko Achar is still mind-blowing. They used to do Karela Ko Achar, I guess, but now don't have bitter melon anymore, which sucks. But they get another star because I've been a total fool. Forget the Aloo Ko Achar. What you want is the Aloo Sadeko, which is basically the same, complete with sesame amazingness, intense savory taste, good crunch, etc. Except: it is hot. It is so hot and perfect in a way that, with the sesame oil, brings to mind the best tastes of Cantonese food. I adore it, I adore it, I adore it. There are much better places to get chili paneer, to get many things, but the Aloo Sadeko. It's a *side* but you should order it by the pound and cram it into your mouth as fast as you can. It's incredible. read more

This place is awesome! Definitely our new go-to spot for Indian. Every dish we've had was exceptionally flavorful. We've even tried some of the Nepali cuisine that I'm not as familiar with and it's been great. I LOVE their kwati soup - try it! I've only eaten in the restaurant once, but it was fabulous. The atmosphere is clean & cozy, The waitstaff very attentive & the drinks nice & strong! The only thing I wish for is lunch specials - I know they have a lunch buffet, but I never have time to go out to eat a sit down lunch at a restaurant. I would definitely eat here more if they offered lunch entrees at a discount - I feel guilty spending $15 on lunch! read more

We dine at this place quite regularly and enjoy our dinners every visit. Very friendly staff. My favorite items are their dosas, chicken momo and mustard greens. We'll be back again, thank you! read more

What can I say? This place was much better than expected. My girlfriend and I eat a lot of Indian food and this has to be one of my favorite places in the area. I will definitely return for the Chicken Tikka Masala! Also, try going when buffet is open. It's a good way to try a little bit of everything. It was all good. :) read more

First of all, it's nice to go out on a Friday night and not have to wait for a table. We were seated right away and pleasantly surprised by this place. There's some really good competition in the Somerville area for Indian food, but this was up there in terms of taste. The lamb paneer and lamb samosas were delicious. I'd like to go back and try more of the Nepali cuisine that they have. The menu is 60% indian, 40% Nepali so that is pretty cool. Also, such an overlooked thing....but, the naan was awesome! read more

Perfect spot for take out when you do not feel like cooking. Usually order one main dish, garlic naan, and vegetable samosas for 2 people and it's perfect and just about $20. Heard the lunch buffet is great but never been. read more

This place is going downhill. There's a problem with orders every time I try it. Chicken Tikka Masala without chicken, over delivery of naan, missing rice, delays (greater than 1 hour). It's like they need to get rid of the menu, and just offer a "surprise me" option - sometimes you win, other times you don't... The food is great, but service is absolutely deplorable. read more

Closest Indian place to our new house so gave it a try hoping it would be our go-to. Got pretty standard stuff - biryani and jalfrezi plus veggie samosas - and all was a big MEH. Not very flavorful, not spicy despite asking for that and overall just okay. The naan was good. Worthless if the food to eat it with isn't great though. Was $40. Not worth that. In the end, we will keep looking for the best spot nearby, because this isn't it. read more

Take out - while the food was tasty, the portion sizes were less than impressive. Guru seems to be about equal with Masala's quality at nearly 50-60% the cost of these folks. Maybe the dine-in experience is better? read more

I was really impressed with the buffet here. Tons of options to choose from in both Indian and Nepalese styles, which is great for someone like me who doesn't usually gravitate towards Nepalese food. Everything was superb! The chicken tikka malasa was especially delicious: chunky tomatoes and onions...mmmm. They deliver too, which is great, but do wish it was a tad bit less expensive. read more

Delicious malai kofta and shahi paneer! Good service + covid precautions. Would recommend!

Huge menu! Nice to be able to order an Indian app and Nepalese entree. So far, I've tried the Simi Ko Daal and the vegetable Paneer entrees - both were great! For apps, the Aloo Tikki and the Aloo Chop are both satiating starters. Restaurant atmosphere is pleasant and on warm days, they open the front garage door (good people watching seats at the front if you're a party of 2). Servers were nice and timely. This is def a staple for us now. read more

Since I cannot dig up the entirety of JP's Bukhara and transplant it to the my neighborhood - enabling my ability to consume pretty great Indian food on a whim; and since I cannot bear the thought of the sheer amount of dishes I loathe to wash by making Indian night "a thing" at my house...this place will do. They are extremely cheap, and very tasty. And close. Did I mention close? That's important. Given the limited stand-out dining options we have in Teele square, Masala is a gift. So, 4 stars. The food is pretty good (chicken tikka masala, palak paneer, especially). The tamarind chutney rocks my world, and they have - by far - the best toasted fennel at the door on your way out. A small, but not overlooked, detail. The service is also some of the most friendly I've had at an Indian joint. For the price and location, I'll keep going back, but margaritas? I don't understand. If you're going to have a bar, why not do genre-appropriate cocktails? Rose-water gin and tonics? Bourbon with cardamom and citrus? Cucumber mint gimlets? Just a thought... read more