TCP: The Curry Project

It’s small, it’s not well-lit and it employs the bare minimum number of staff to operate. However, this small Massachusetts Avenue institution also happens to whip up what is one of the most reliably outstanding and best value lunch buffets I’ve ever come across.

The key factor in the success of Bombay Cafe is its consistency, evident by the fact that ever since I began eating here some 10 years ago, the items on the lunch buffet have never changed. Not once. Every single day of every single year, the owners serve up the exact same seven dishes. There’s a menu that one could order from, but when seven dishes have been so mastered by the Nepalese and Indian chefs in the kitchen, there’s really no reason to try something different.

And while that lack of variety on this lunch buffet might not sound too appealing to some, when you consider the absurdly low price, a mere $6.95, I’ve always found it comforting to know that a tasty, wallet-friendly Indian meal can be had on any given day.

So what are these never-changing seven items? Not counting the salad, papadams and butter naan, you’ll find fresh pakoras, peas pulao, channa masala, butter chicken, tandoori chicken, navratan korma and palak paneer. Nothing more, nothing less, and all of it excellent.

Given it’s location so close to the Berklee College of Music and Northeastern University, Bombay Cafe is almost always full of students and professors from the moment it opens at 11:30am until the moment the buffet finishes at 5:00pm. The restaurant holds maybe 60 people and the decor is simple – just a few wall-hangings really – but the seats are comfortable and the one waiter on duty will do his best to provide a solid level of service.

Sure, there’s no dessert included with the buffet, you might have to wait in line every time you’re ready to fill up your plate and there’s a bizarre handwritten sign informing customers that they cannot remain in the restaurant for more than 40 minutes, but with all-you-can-eat, high-quality Indian cuisine for $6.95, one would be hard-pressed to find a better lunch deal in all of Boston.

Restaurant Details:

Bombay Cafe
175 Massachusetts Avenue
(617) 247-0555
www.thebombaycafe.com
Hours: open every day from 11:30am – 10:00pm