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✔️Brunch ✔️Lunch ✔️Dinner ✔️Dine in ✔️Take out ✔️Delivery
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Established in 1979 by Mohan Singh, India Pavilion is the oldest Indian restaurant in the Boston area. Our family recipes are exquisitely executed by our chefs just for you, using the highest quality of spices, herbs and fresh ingredients. We take pride in using traditional Indian preparations and cooking methods to ensure that each dish is delicious and becomes your favorite.
Circa-1979, unassuming Indian spot for regional staples, lunch buffet, take-out & delivery.
Address and Contact Information
Address: 17 Central Square, Cambridge, MA 02139
Phone: (617) 547-7463
Website: https://indiapavilion.co/
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INDIA PAVILION Homepage| Indian Restaurant Cambridge MA …
Order online from India Pavilion Restaurant for Indian food delivery or takeout. Curb-Side Pickup Available. Visit us at 17 Central Square in Cambridge.
India Pavilion – History Cambridge
In 1979, Mohan Singh bought a Central Square pizza house and turned it into an Indian restaurant – something not found anywhere else in Boston at the time.
India Pavilion- Index
The India Pavilion proudly serves authentic North Indian cuisine featuring vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes prepared with the finest ingredients.
Reviews
Armando S
Declining Standards, Questionable Hygiene Practices
My husband and I have been frequent visitors of Indian Pavilion for almost a year now, having dined here about 10 times in the last nine months. We absolutely love Indian food, and I would rate the food here a solid 3.5 out of 5 stars. The flavors are authentic, and the dishes are generally delicious. The price is high, but not outrageous. However, the lunch buffet is very limited in options, though what is available is always tasty.
Unfortunately, despite our love for this place, things have taken a downturn recently. The most noticeable change is the addition of an $8 fee for anyone caught wasting food at the buffet. While I understand the desire to reduce waste, this seems excessive. On top of that, prices have gone up, which is somewhat understandable given inflation, but still worth noting.
What really drove us away, though, was the issue of hygiene. The restaurant has a lovely open-concept layout where you can watch the chefs cook. Normally, this is something I enjoy, as it offers transparency into the cooking process. However, we recently noticed that none of the kitchen staff were wearing gloves while handling the food—no gloves, just raw bare hands. To make matters worse, we saw our server pick up dirty plates from our table, then immediately head to the kitchen and start cutting naan without washing his hands or putting on gloves. No hand washing between handling dirty dishes and preparing food!
How many other dirty plates had he touched before handling the naan? The thought was revolting. I’ve always known Indian culture to emphasize cleanliness, which makes this even more disappointing. While the food is undeniably good, I simply cannot overlook the lack of basic food safety protocols here.
After witnessing this firsthand, we won’t be returning. If cleanliness and proper hygiene are important to you, I would suggest finding another spot to enjoy Indian cuisine. This was a dealbreaker for us.
… moreMy husband and I have been frequent visitors of Indian Pavilion for almost a year now, having dined here about 10 times in the last nine months. We absolutely love Indian food, and I would rate the food here a solid 3.5 out of 5 stars. The flavors are authentic, and the dishes are generally delicious. The price is high, but not outrageous. However, the lunch buffet is very limited in options, though what is available is always tasty.
Unfortunately, despite our love for this place, things have taken a downturn recently. The most noticeable change is the addition of an $8 fee for anyone caught wasting food at the buffet. While I understand the desire to reduce waste, this seems excessive. On top of that, prices have gone up, which is somewhat understandable given inflation, but still worth noting.
What really drove us away, though, was the issue of hygiene. The restaurant has a lovely open-concept layout where you can watch the chefs cook. Normally, this is something I enjoy, as it offers transparency into the cooking process. However, we recently noticed that none of the kitchen staff were wearing gloves while handling the food—no gloves, just raw bare hands. To make matters worse, we saw our server pick up dirty plates from our table, then immediately head to the kitchen and start cutting naan without washing his hands or putting on gloves. No hand washing between handling dirty dishes and preparing food!
How many other dirty plates had he touched before handling the naan? The thought was revolting. I’ve always known Indian culture to emphasize cleanliness, which makes this even more disappointing. While the food is undeniably good, I simply cannot overlook the lack of basic food safety protocols here.
After witnessing this firsthand, we won’t be returning. If cleanliness and proper hygiene are important to you, I would suggest finding another spot to enjoy Indian cuisine. This was a dealbreaker for us.
Nidhi Kumar
Fantastic Lunch buffet! Great variety for the price. They had kheer, jalebi and gaajar ka halwa for sweets today! All made to perfection. It was my second time and I probably will be going again soon. They have a policy for having to pay $8 extra for wasting food which I think is good! The staff is so polite, kind and attentive. The chicken was not overcooked and tender as well. It gives me the feels because of the fennel seeds at the end 🙂
… moreZee Ibrahim
Great halal spot in Central Square! The lamb samosas are amazing, and the owner and staff are very courteous. Definitely recommended.
… moreRyan Swinney
This was a surprising and delightful little gem to come across. Such varied, delicious and affordable lunch buffet. Make sure to try the tikka masala, the carrot cake pudding, and the naan. Significantly outshined my expectations
… moreAmit Kumar Srivastava
I had a wonderful experience at Indian Pavilion. I ordered a thali along with samosas, and everything was delicious except for the Shahi Paneer, which was a bit on the sweeter side for my taste. The puris were especially impressive, as they seemed to be made with whole wheat flour rather than maida.
What truly stood out was the exceptional service. The owner personally served the thali in a thoughtful sequence, starting with the soup and appetizers, followed by the main thali, and ending with a delightful dessert.
… moreWhat truly stood out was the exceptional service. The owner personally served the thali in a thoughtful sequence, starting with the soup and appetizers, followed by the main thali, and ending with a delightful dessert.
Vignesh KL
Very Good Ambience and Kind Staff. 15 min walk from the MIT. Food is more oily, unfortunately we couldn’t able to reach on time to taste their signature buffet. I have ordered from alacarte menu. One of the ordered item prawns thandoori is too salty. But the owner is so kind and he cancelled it from our order. The other foods poori, and chicken pakora are too much oil. It can be rectified. But overall good place with warm welcoming staff to taste delicious indian cuisine.
… moresaikat mukherjee
I got the non vegetarian thali here. The portion size was decent and the taste was good. The food is not very spicy and caters to a variety of people. The restaurant is well maintained, however the service was slightly slow when I was here. Overall I had a positive experience.
… moreMona Jalal
I ordered butter chicken with rice and it was very delicious. Staff were very nice. The bathroom was very clean. You can stay there until 11pm and you wouldn’t be rushed to leave the place. My friend and I had a very enjoyable time over there having great food and chatting. The sitting area was very comfortable. They also have a dedicated bar in the restaurant for those who need to just use the bar or order special drinks. Their menu was quite versatile covering both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food options.
… moreDr. Reetuparna Biswas
The quantity of food was nice. They gave extra rice & daal which was not in the menu. That is good. I didn’t like the daal anyway. I ordered some chicken dishes & it felt like homely. I have tasted some other Indian restaurant here in Boston & Cambridge so I cannot review this one as best. But the food was normal & good.
… moreJeena G
We went for dinner and ordered samosas,
masala tea for starters. And then, naan to share and individual main dish. I ordered chicken vindaloo. The samosas were decent. It wasn’t oily at all. I was particularly disappointed with chicken vindaloo, which I ordered at medium spicy, but it was not spicy at all. Masala tea was alright, not the best I’ve had. Overall, I found the food to be alright, but nothing special. I don’t think I’ll be returning to this restaurant anytime soon.
… moremasala tea for starters. And then, naan to share and individual main dish. I ordered chicken vindaloo. The samosas were decent. It wasn’t oily at all. I was particularly disappointed with chicken vindaloo, which I ordered at medium spicy, but it was not spicy at all. Masala tea was alright, not the best I’ve had. Overall, I found the food to be alright, but nothing special. I don’t think I’ll be returning to this restaurant anytime soon.