I love Indian and enjoy it atleast once a week. Very disappointed, not what I expected when I used to eat here. The food not only made us sick but tasted different. We tried the buffet option - not worth the after effects DO NOT EAT THEIR BUFFET All the food including the standard chicken masala and biriyani were bitter and dry. The rice pudding was wierd. read more

This is my go-to Indian restaurant in the Cambridge area! The food tastes really good, the prices are reasonable, the atmosphere is nice, and service is attentive. India Pavilion is allergy-aware, which is a super big plus for me. I don't go to Indian restaurants often because I've had bad experiences with food allergies at Indian restaurants. In particular, Indian food is sometimes cooked with cashew oil or otherwise has significant traces of tree nuts that I'm allergic to. I've been to places where the waiter has no idea about tree nut allergies and just looks at the food and tells me he doesn't "think" there are any nuts (cashew oil wouldn't be visible right?). India Pavilion is NOT like that -- you can eat here safely and count on what the waiter tells you about allergens! They will inquire with the chef if they don't know the answer, not just give you a guess. Come for lunch buffet (including weekends!). It's only around $11 with tax and tip included! There's a good variety of sauces, meats, and vegetables to go with plenty of rice and naan. I've also been here for dinner plenty of times. It's more expensive, but the menu is huge and everything my friends and I have tried has tasted really good. The food is flavorful and you can choose your spice level for most dishes. Portions are also generous so you'll definitely leave feeling full and maybe even be able to take home some leftovers. India Pavilion also stands out over other Indian restaurants for the atmosphere. The setting is really nice (although there's no pressure to dress up) and the waiters and waitresses are attentive and professional. Food doesn't take too long to come out. Sometimes there is music playing; it's nice background music to listen to but won't intrude into your conversations. I've also never encountered a wait to be seated here, which I find surprising for how good of a restaurant it is. Perhaps it's because the restaurant is spacious and always well staffed so they're able to serve a lot of people at once. Definitely come here if you're craving Indian food! read more

India Pavilion - Lunch buffet - Indian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

The staff are all very nice! Unfortunately, I thought both the goat vindaloo and chicken tikka dal masala were kind of one note-- the vindaloo being just vinegar and the masala being just sweet/tomato. No complexity at all. And also not very spicy at all, at moderate heat. I enjoyed the mango lassi well enough, though it's the thin kind. I guess it's a convenient location, and a nice space. I probably wouldn't be back though. read more

When I find myself in Central Square around dinner time, while there are a few restaurants that I have in mind that I want to try out, there's an app that I like to check first to see if there's a current discount running at Indian Pavilion. Generally, doing so has scored me a 20% discount off the food ordered, so why not? Their Vegetable Combo Thaali $14.95 comes with a choice of soup, any two Vegetable Specialties, Dal, Raita, Rice, Poori or Paratha, & a choice of Gulab Jamun or Kheer, which for me is plenty fo 2 meals! The Chicken Soup ($3.95 a la carte) (chicken, fresh vegetables, lentils & tomatoes) had a bit of heat, and the tender chicken bits resembled diced chicken tikka. The vegetable seemed to consist basically of corn kernels. I preferred this soup over their Mulligatawny Soup. My selected Vegetables Specialties (requested mild) on this visit were the Malai Kofta ($9.95) Vegetable balls cooked in delicious mild cream sauce and the Paneer Chilli Masala ($10.95) Paneer sauteed in a creamy tomato sauce with bell peppers, onions & tomatoes. So I accidentally ended up with a heavily tomatoed meal. If I had known that the Malai Kofta's cream sauce was a red sauce, I probably would have opted for the Saag Paneer to accompany it. But still, I enjoyed both veggie selections and the dal, though I preferred the cream sauce of the two somewhat. The vegetable balls tasted good though the balls themselves were rather soft and lacked substance. The diced vegetables that accompanied the cheese chunks, however, were perfectly firm. The twin poori arrived plump and filled with air. The top layer was crisp, while the bottom half more malleable for folding. It was a nice change of pace, but I think I will return to the paratha. For dessert, the kheer (rice pudding) was sufficient, though it did not rate high in my experience of the sweet. On this visit, their ladies room unfortunately had this awful smell. But I mentioned it to them, so hopefully they'll deal with it. Thought for a future visit: Dahi Papri appetizer $3.95 - A medley of chickpeas, tomatoes, cilantro, potatoes, homemade papri wafers, tamarind chutney & raita (served cold?) Addendum - in eating the leftovers, I came to realize that the Paneer Chilli Masala (thought requested mild) still had a touch of heat that had been overshadowed by that of the soup in the first go around. *** 6/2017 *** I returned for the Dahi Papri $3.95 (A medley of chickpeas, tomatoes, cilantro, potatoes, homemade papri wafers, tamarind chutney & raita; served cool). It arrived as a good sized portion mounded on a plate, and I found it tasty with a nice light crisp texture from the light puffed crackers. I enjoyed it very much though I felt the ratio of papri wafers to the rest of the ingredients by volume to be perhaps a 2:1 ratio. I wish they would adjust it to have more of the vegetables. For my entree, I ordered a mild Chicken Mango $11.95 Chicken tikka cooked with broccoli, & tomatoes in a sweet & spices mango sauce, which came with a nice heap of rice in a covered metal dish. Beneath the orange sauce, I found perhaps 4 chunks of chicken and 3-4 small broccoli florets. Their mild variation turned out to be a bit too spicy for me. A small dish of yogurt was brought out to help tame the heat quite successfully even as it added a nice creamy sweetness to the meal. Perhaps half the meal went home with me. Sadly for the leftovers, the papri wafers grew sodden, though the appetizer still tasted super. *** 11/2017 *** For my dinner, I ordered the Dahl Papri $3.95 (yes, again) and the Kashmiri Sweet Pulow $8.95 (basmati made with dried fruits, nuts, raisins & honey, served with plain yogurt). I figured I would try to finish off the appetizer due to the papri wafers which do not hold up well to the sauce overnight, but the flavor, though tasty, was too strong and the portion too large. It was meant for sharing for sure. The rice dish was lightly sweet, and the yogurt added to the experience. While I could see the small halved red berries and sensed what seemed to be coconut in the flavoring, I guess the nuts must have been minced so small as to be invisible. I hankered for the cheesecake on their dessert menu (Jaipuri Cheesecake - cheesecake draped in the colors of Jaipur, drizzled with a homemade honey ginger syrup & garnished with pomegranate preserves), but that was not to be. Turns out, though listed on their menu, it is no longer available, at all, not just that evening. Perhaps a scoop or two of their ice cream? But those, it turns out, come by the bar. Huh? Popsicles! Mango, Kulfi, or Saffron? My mango ice cream $2.50 was served upsidedown in a pretty glass footed cup. It was a nice treat, with the exception of the base by the stick where the outer surface had the smooth gooey texture of aged ice cream. But if more people were to order it, they could cycle through their supply... read more

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Favorite Indian food in Cambridge. The butter naan is a fave, but their main courses, sides, and rice pudding are also delicious! The service has always been good when I've gone in person, and it makes for great takeout as well. read more

One of the worse Indian restaurant in town. I know they are in business for decade but now food is worse compare to other indian restaurant. Low quality ,uncooked naan ,old smelly rice pudding . Plz owner go and try maharaja and naivana. U don't deserve to run this business. Fire ur chef . read more

India Pavilion - Indian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

I was starving when I came here and the food was absolutely great. The flavors and spices all came through and I was just tearing through the food. The portion size for the naan was perfect because it was large but enough to use up all of the fury with. I would definitely come here again and order more of their foods! read more

India Pavilion - Indian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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Can never go wrong the lunch buffet. Lots of options for both vegetarians and omnivores. Also, has lots of space. I've never had a problem getting a table. read more

This is for their lunch buffet: I think I've been to every Indian Restaurant in Cambridge and Somerville, as well as many, many more from Framingham to Nashua (I guess that makes me an Indian food nut). I've had dinner at India Pavilion, and fully enjoyed the food. Buffets are often not-very-fresh and not adventurous, but India Pavilion hit a home run with EVERY dish on the buffet. The hands-down winner was the kadhi pakora . This could be targeted at kadhi fans; it was absolutely perfect. The tandoori chicken was some of the best I've had, and the two korma dishes were delicious. Their nan was freshly made! (I skipped the chicken tikka masala - as this inauthentic "Indian" dish tends to be spiced for western palates.) And the service was just right. Hey India Pavilion - how about adding some Mumbai-style Chaat dishes to your menu? read more

Love this Indian food. It is my go-to spot when I am within delivery or pick-up range.

Fantastic. Curries are spicy and tasty. Favorite place. The peshawari naan is particularly good.

Bangladeshi (not indian) reshmi kabab ((R) and Chill Chicken (L). The decor of this place made us feel like it's authentic Indian place. It's so not an Indian pavilion! When we complained that the reshmi kabab is never made of minced meat, the sweet waitress went inside to ask and came back with "our chefs are bangladeshi and that's how they make reshmi kabab". So why is this place called an Indian pavilion? Is bangladesh a part of India now? The Chill chicken was horrible. It's just tomato puree and some ridiculous spices. The worst is that they don't care if they cheated you or that you didn't like the food. Never going back. read more

India Pavilion - Bangladeshi (not indian) reshmi kabab ((R) and Chill Chicken (L). - Indian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

I LOVE India pavilion but we just went and there and ordered our usual dishes but they were all... different. They didn't taste the way they normally do, and the portion sizes were considerably smaller. I am disheartened by this change. read more

Best curry, tikka masala and vindaloo in Cambridge. Pakoras and Samosas are excellent too.

I always stop by here when I'm in Central Square - excellent and delicious lunch buffet that consistently is high quality and delicious. Can't wait to be back again for another great lunch read more

Nice spot for casual, Indian cuisine. The waiters were friendly and the prices were pretty cheap. I went with my boyfriend and we split the two meat combo. The lamb was great and spicy but the tikka masala wasn't very flavorful. The combo platter also came with a side which I believe was the dal. This was also pretty plain. I did love the fluffy poori that came with the dish! All in all, would I come back? Probably. Is it because it's a five minute walk from my apartment and I like Indian? Probably. read more

India Pavilion - Indian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

I went here for lunch alone, and a friend was considering joining me. After I arrived, my friend asked me to text them a photo of the lunch buffet to help them decide whether they wanted to come eat here. I got up and asked a nearby waiter if he minded if I photograph it, and he said it's fine. Just as I was about to take the photo, another man exits the kitchen, sees me holding up my phone, and starts yelling "Sir, you can't! Sir, you can't!" I looked at the first waiter with confusion, and he said apologetically, "Sorry, he's the manager." He obviously wants to prevent real (un-staged) photos of their buffet from getting posted on review sites like Yelp. So, I'm posting this 1-star review out of spite. Maybe think twice next time before yelling at customers. Edit: And maybe try welcoming the transparency that the internet provides instead of trying to control it. read more

India Pavilion was good quality Indian food. We got the all you can eat lunch bullet for $16 and it was great! There was an assortment of chicken masalas, paneer, naan, and vegetable curries. Would recommend if you're hungry and in the area! read more

This was never a great place but it was a solid spot for buffet with good value. the last few times I've gone the food has lacked basic seasoning (zero to minimal salt) and spice. When I told the waiter he said that they've changed it because most people like it that way and that I could use table salt. I don't eat overly salty food. Everyone else in the table agreed the food lacked seasoning. The pakora and tandoori chicken are getting drier and drier. The Khmer was slimy. read more

After doing a cost comparison on foodler, I decided to try India Pavilion over Punjab Palace which is way closer to our apartment. We ordered 2 of the dinner combos that come with soup and dessert, as well as 2 entrees (either meat, or vegetarian), and an appetizer. Between the two we had so much food! However, what we spent, basically would've covered just entrees at Punjab. I thought the food was great, and I actually liked how the Saag Paneer was not spicy, unlike others I had ordered. The Paneer pakoras were delicious, and went so well with one of the chutneys that accompanied our meal. The coconut soup was also very different, but so good! As I'm writing this, I'm getting another craving for all the food we had! This may be our new favorite Indian delivery source. You get so much bang for your buck, and even though it's farther away, it was delivered in a very reasonable time! Two thumbs up IP! read more

India Pavilion - SO MUCH FOOD!!!! - Indian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

I've been here a couple of time with my family for dinner and lunch buffet. The food here is very good. I think Indian Pavilion is the best Indian food option in Central square. There's a vast majority of options for lunch buffet. If you are a vegetarian, there's plenty of choice for you to pick from. The food here is constantly monitored and changed out when they are running low. None of the food is served cold (which can be a big complaint for lunch buffets). I think my only complaint is that the service here isn't that good. Both times we came here our waiter was constantly hovering over our table and immediately bringing over the check when it looked like we were done eating. The restaurant was not crowded at all and there was no wait to be seated so I have no idea why the waiters feel the need to behave this way. Regardless, we will return here because the food is good and the ambiance is nice. read more

India Pavilion - Indian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

For more than a dozen years I have patronized India Pavillion including ordering takeout from them during the pandemic. When my office was nearby, I frequented their buffet. I've had many dinners there over the year. You can imagine how surprised I was by the terrible service and hostile response when that I got when I complained. As I have done more than ten times, I ordered pickup today. I sent my 13-year old daughter to pick it up. She loves their coconut soup and has grew up on their saag paneer. It was a treat for her to have India Pavillion. I called in advance and said that she was picking up the order. When she arrived, the treated her suspiciously and asked her to call me on my phone to say it was okay. This was odd because a moment ago, I had just hung up from calling the restaurant directly. I recognized the voice. I repeated my request to please release the order to my child. After that second phone call my child was asked for Identification and when she failed to have one, they were reluctant to give it to her. Once she arrived home and relayed to me the entire story I called and asked to speak with a manager. The person who answered the phone told me that he was the manager but refused to give me his name. He said he wasn't the person who my daughter interacted with and when I asked his name again he repeated that it was irrelevant and hung up on me. I called back and there was no answer. I was very disappointed and went to return the food and ask for an apology and a refund. He treated me as if I made up the story and came to the restaurant in the pouring rain to complain. I was shocked. Eventually I was given my refund. It was one of the worst customer service experiences I have had in my 50 years on the planet. When I worked restaurants and retail I never saw a manager treat a customer the way I was treated. With so many options for Indian food I urge customers to exercise their choices. read more

Consider this 3.5 stars. Tasty food and beautiful atmosphere. However, they seem to have something against ice water (three ice cubes, seriously?) and waitstaff were aloof and distant. We had questions about the menu, but our server was very avoidant (and the place was not busy at all). We experienced long waits for ordering, water refills, and the bill. However, upon ordering, the food came fast and was delicious. The naan basket was divine, featuring traditional, onion, and garlic naan, plus a unique potato-filled naan (scrumptious)! Our party of four enjoyed lentils, chicken curry, chicken mango, and more. I also helped myself to a mango lassi - yum! I will definitely be back (particularly for their lunch buffet), but I hope that the service will be more attentive next time. Talk to your customers, engage them, see if they have questions. read more

India Pavilion - Yummyness! I love that they had a side green salad as an option. - Indian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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Came here for the lunch buffet, which was a great value for the selection of the food offered. However, the flavor and freshness of the food just falls flat. I think if you wanted food of high quality, i'm not sure if this is the place. The food was forgettable and mediocre at best in terms of Indian food. read more

India Pavilion - Lunch Buffet - Indian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

A cockroach! This is what I found in the box of rice that I bought at this place. I brought the box back to the restaurant and I asked to talk to the manager. He arrived and with a very contemptuous attitude he asked me what I wanted. When I said that I wanted a refund from my order he replied with disdain that " The rice was complimentary!" He didn't seem to be surprised at all to have a cockroach in the food that he sells to people!!! He was just upset that I dared to come back and ask for a refund!!! No apology! Nothing! I don't even want to know how are their kitchen when the manager finds normal to have a cockroach in the rice. Of course, he refused to reimburse me, he never apologized. It's just a shame and it's disgusting. If you don't want to be seriously sick, stay away from this slum. It is a seriously dangerous place. read more

India Pavilion - A cockroach! - Indian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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Very nice atmosphere and great service! Service: the servers were very attentive and helped us with anything we needed. They were always right there when we needed them to clear things but not overbearing. Food: The good here was great! The tandoori chicken was a little bit dry. We got the Dahi papri which is a cold dish and it was delicious. The Chicken Tikka Masala was very spicy but delicious. Portions: the portions were big. My boyfriend and I shared the above food and had plenty leftover to take home after. I would definitely go back here for some more Indian Food. read more

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amazing food! really good Punjabi dishes. very authentic and a very good choice of items.

Absolutely in love with the lunch buffet/all you can eat experience. We came here on a Monday. The variety of dishes - chicken tikka masala, paneer, chickpea, tandoori chicken etc etc. blew me away. Their dessert with rice pudding, carrot cake and candies friend dough were fantastic. The service was friendly, prompt and professional. For $15, this is definitely a premium experience. Would love to come back again, and very soon. read more

Food is good but Service is garbage, do better are just stop. Waiter had no knowledge of the Menu he was very disappointing.:.

This place has a great buffet every day. It's the best lunch value for Indian food that I have seen these days in the Boston area!

Great value and quality. Got delivery. Food was received quickly and still tasted fresh an hour later. Only thing is that they didn't include utensils. Would order from them again. read more

A longtime stalwart of Central Square, but I'm not crazy about the place, although you do get a lot of food for what you pay. The pakora seemed not as crispy as it could be, and not texturally diverse. The fried paneer stuffed with spinach seemed too tough. The spinach nor the cheese were particularly tasty. read more

The food left a 24 hour plus after effect. It feels as if a hole was burned into my stomach. I got the runs immediately, had to run to the bathroom. I was one of 3 people in our party who has to use the bathroom shortly after. As for the rest of my day, I spent one too many occasions in the bathroom. On the bright side, the food tasted pretty good. Defiantly not worth it, and would not recommend to anyone else. Try your luck elsewhere! read more

I regularly go to Indian Pavilion since it is close to my place and is reasonably priced. I've tried almost all the vegetarian entrees available on their menu, most of them are good. I'd recommend you to try Veg Platter for appetizer followed by Shahi Paneer or Malai Kofta with Naan for the main course (veg platter is huge and very filling!). They also have Masala Dosa, which is quite big and filling for one person and guess what it costs less than 6 bucks!! During lunch they have a buffet, I go there often, a good place for nice and reasonably priced food. One caution: don't have very high hopes from desserts -- i never really liked their gulab jamun (it's always too hard) nor the gajar ka halwa (it just tastes weird, I've tried it multiple times). If you've ever tasted authentic Indian dessert, you'll most probably not like IP's desserts. read more

* hot fresh food slow food but it was fresh and good * malai kofta * garlic naan Super hot and soft * veg biryani * samosa chaat crispy, hot, and perfect spice Many vegetables, a little bland, not biryani more of a pulao read more

India Pavilion - Samosa Chole Chaat - Indian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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Perfect Indian buffet! Great quality for price and overall experience - great for dining in and take out. The selection is really good with good paneer options, rice, naan, vegetable curries, and great chicken options as well. My favorite is the tandoori chicken which has a really great flavor. Takeout is such a great option, probably my go to since you can get a takeout box and pack it with stuff. The pro tip is to not pack rice since you can make that yourself. The second pro tip would be to ask for some foil paper so that you can take the naan in it and so it doesn't take up space in the box. read more

I've been trying out Indian food buffets around the Boston area ever since things started opening up, and I have to say that this one does not disappoint. First of all, the $15 lunch buffet is a great deal. At most Indian restaurants, that price gets you one entreé. But here, this price offers you a solid variety of vegetarian and meat curries, lots of desserts, soft, buttery naans, and rice dishes. The staff is also incredibly nice, and it was a home-like environment akin to a lot of dining experiences in India. While the value for money is an undeniable positive at India Pavillion, the one drawback is that you're not getting the best Indian food you're ever going to have in Boston/Cambridge. For a higher price, you could try Maharaja or Kashmir. But, if you're looking for a cheap, filling meal in a warm, welcoming restaurant, go to India Pavillion. read more

Well, this stinks. This has been, hands down, our favorite Indian restaurant for years. We lived in the neighborhood until very recently and ate there at least once a week either in store or via take out (and at $40 a meal, that's not insignificant) and since moving, have come back regularly. We ate there last night and had a lovely meal. We weren't very hungry since we were sneaking in dinner before the fireworks so we took almost everything home and just heated up our leftovers now for lunch and my husband spit out a screw. An inch-long dirty metal screw from his tiny white take-out box, definitely big enough to, say, break a tooth or seriously mess up your digestive system. He called the restaurant and the man who answered said, "thank you for letting us know and we apologize," then hung up. Yup, that was it. So I called back to say, "really? that's the best you can do?" and he asked what else I wanted. I said that maybe they could have invited us back for a comped dinner, apologized like they really cared, etc and he didn't respond. So, not because of the screw in my husband's meal but because of their terribly poor response to a complaint, we are now in search of a new best Indian restaurant for my very regular cravings. Any suggestions? read more

India Pavilion - Here's the screw my husband found in his leftovers from dinner last night at India Pavilion. Awesome. - Indian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

On many occasions, we've arrived in Central Square and smelled the delicious aromas of India Pavilion. So while running errands recently, we were finally able to give it a try. We were a few minutes from the close of the buffet, so we ordered from the menu. They were out of soup, so we couldn't get the combination meals. We ordered a lamb dish and a veggie dish. Both were flavorful and perfectly adequate. The samosa were just fine. If you're in the area, it's not a bad choice for a meal. read more

5 stars for the food, a deduction for the service. (Wow, it looks like everyone else has the same review.) So maybe I should give a note about the service. We were tucked into a corner of the restaurant, and didn't even get a server for about 15 minutes. We considered leaving. But he came by more regularly as the night went on. The wait for the main course was about 25-30 minutes. It seemed a bit long, but I've had much longer waits before. In the end, the service was "subpar" as Sean M. mentions, but not "awful" as Alexandra suggests. (India Pavilion, if you read this - please listen to all of us!) Anyway, I came here because when I was in Cambridge in college, this was the best of the many Central Square Indian restaurants, and I was not disappointed. From the delicately spicy sambaar to start, to the excellent, richly flavored chicken jalfrazee, to the different and satisfying lamb dal masala, every part of my meat thaali (sampler) was on point. My girlfriend had the chicken mango, and that is some wonderful sauce. Even if it's not traditional, it blends the mango into traditional, more tomatoey flavors into something great. My seat offered the perfect vantage of the nonstop bread and pastry (samosa) making station, so I saw as my paratha was kneaded and prepared and then delivered hot and fresh. Every bread or stuffed dish you order is made right then! So maybe the wait isn't so bad. The gulab jamun were the standard dense but fluffy variety, I can almost never complain about those. So all in all, the ONLY THING holding you back from five stars is the service. I think that's fixable. Please make it so! read more