To date there are three Indian restaurants in Algiers, and Le Taj Mahal is the oldest and most successful. It’s been around since 2002, caters to Algiers’ many Indian and European expatriates and offers up some of the finest authentic Indian cuisine in the area. The food..is..fantastic. Trust me.
It’s 2:30pm on a Friday afternoon and I’m ravenous. I’m in a taxi, nearing Le Taj Mahal. As we make the turn onto Rue Idir Toumi—it took two stops and a quick questioning to make sure we were on the right street—a robed and lively throng of men and women crowded the pavement. A mosque was nearby, I was informed. My driver slowed, parting the masses, pulled up to the restaurant and told me he’d be back in one hour. Just enough time to get me some curry.
I walk inside and am escorted upstairs. On the way up I notice, at reception, a glass-encased replica of the Taj Mahal, shining white with a small light inside. There’s a fish tank close by.
Upstairs there is another fish tank. The walls are sandstone, and there’s a red runway-like carpet that threads the booths upstairs, leading to a bar and restrooms in the back. The booths are lush and red, the drapery is red, the table clothes also red. I’m escorted to table 12. There’s no one else in the entire restaurant. Just the way I like it.
As I look through the menu, I decide to have the chicken and spinach, or Murg Saag. The waiter, a local Algerian of ber-ber ethnicity, asks me why I’m not ordering the butter chicken, or Murg Makhni. “All the Americans order and like it!” he says. He continues, “Why are American people so good? Because they are happy and energetic all the time. Smooth Murg Makhni!”
He must have been having a good day. He certainly brought a smile to my weary and jetlagged face. I change my order to his suggestion, throwing in some naan and a mango laasi.
The chicken is amazing. Just the right mélange of spice and butter and cream. While the mango laasi never arrived, I didn’t need it.
If you’re in Algiers and craving Indian cuisine, I recommend Le Taj Mahal!
Restaurant Details:
Le Taj Mahal
07, Rue Idir Toumi, Ben Aknoun
Tel: 021 91 29 40
Mob: 071 53 45 00
Fax: 021 32 68 83
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Written by Alan
Topics: Africa, Algeria