One of my favorite dining spots in Needham. Excellent authentic food whether you are going there for date night or a family dinner. Service is top notch and the wine list is diverse. read more

Service can be slow. I prefer the lunch buffet. But a nice alternative to going all the way to Cambridge. read more

Lunch Buffet is amazing! Always a fan of the chicken dishes.

Came here Friday night. There is nothing artful about the cuisine in this restaurant. It was quite busy but there was no atmosphere, with people seeming just to stop in for a bite to eat, rather than settling down for a meal. The menu looked superficially attractive, with some inventive 'Indian tapas' until you got to the Indian/Chinese fusion page, which indicates the low level of skill in the kitchen. The food came alarmingly quickly after we'd ordered, and was correspondingly disappointing. The dishes were universally tasteless and underseasoned, completely overpowered by chilli powder with very little other flavours identifiable. The only dish I liked was the tandoori chicken, which by virtue of being hot and moist must have been the only freshly cooked plate of food. Despite this I can only give one star for the overall experience. The staff were uninterested although polite enough, but definitely preferred to congregate in each other's company than look out for the customers. The loos were disgusting. The $100+ bill was the final insult to the evening. read more

I just had Masala Art for the first time at a wedding this past weekend. The food was delicious... I can only imagine how great it would be in the restaurant. Will have to check it out soon! The Saag paneer and the butter chicken was to die for. The samosas the next day for brunch were also quite good read more

I can't speak to the service as we only had take-out, and it is a bit pricey, but the Lamb Biryani was unbelievable! Garlic naan was also solid, and it didn't taste like the fake pam spray that most Indian restaurants seem to use. We look forward to ordering out from Masala again. read more

Biryani was not biryani but pulao. I took two biryanis to go and there was no Raita or salan with it . It was very disappointing and the waiter was too rude. In this industry atleast the servers should be polite. Bad experience wouldn't recommend to anyone. read more

Went for a father's day lunch--Chicken biryani was very good, as was a lamb saag and butternut squash curry. Unfortunately the buffet did not have any sort of chicken tandoori or chicken tikka sort, which was quite disappointing. They only brought a small portion of naan for my table of 7 people, and it took 30 minutes to get another basket. Definitely had good parts and would go again if I was in Needham, especially since there are no indian places around there, but would definitely not go out of my way. read more

Used to be s really good restaurant for Indian food but food quality and service has really declined. Will not go back.

Dined here tonight for the first time and was blown away by how good the food was. The saag paneer was the best I've ever had, and the chicken tacos were an unexpected appetizer that were to die for! My fiancé and I enjoyed our meal so much we are planning to use them to cater our rehearsal dinner for our wedding. Check them out! read more

A great experience for wonderful authentic and delicious Indian food. Convenient parking in the back. Plenty of North Indian and South Indian options. The bar is gorgeous and the live cooking stations for the lunch buffet are great. read more

Tasty food, but it's usually overrun with loud parties of drunk old men...

Hands down best Indian in Boston....great service and amazing food. Our favorites include Malai shrimp, Chili Chicken, and Lamb Rogan Josh. DELISH!! read more

Masala art is excellent. The food is delicious and offers a wide selection. I take the family there every few weeks and the kids love the peshwari (sweet) naan and chicken pakoras. The buffet is also a great deal with separate chaat, dosa and fresh Chana stations as well as various buffet dishes. The modern bar area is also a great vibe for having drinks. This place is always a 10 out of 10 for me. read more

I live in town and have been to Masala Art many times but not in the last few months. Walked in on a friday night and was surprised to find the restaurant three quarters empty. Walked by the kitchen and noticed one of the cooks staring listlessly out into the empty space. Probably should have been a warning sign for me but as I've said I've gotten take out here many times before and have usually been pleased. Not this time. Lamb samosa was the consistency of sawdust. Palak Paneer was spiced to the point of making it inedible and i counted all of 2 cubes of cheese in the entire container. Lamb dish was gamey and the two chicken dishes we ordered had chicken that was dry and difficult to cut. Not sure what is going on. Perhaps a bad night? Spent over $100 and not willing to take the chance again. Exceptionally disappointing. read more

Quite simply the worst Indian food I've had in the Boston area. Nobody, in our group of 7 liked what they ordered. They served, what looked and tasted like frozen samosas from Haldirams that you can get from any indian supermarket. The "Chinese" tasted like an overload of ketchup. They claim it to be "indo-chinese" Please avoid! There are much better Indian restaurants in the Boston area. read more

Terrible service, went for a lunch buffet, food was cold and bland. It comes with fresh naan but shows up mostly in the end when we were about done, waiter couldn't care. Never going back! read more

Best Indian you will find anywhere.Food is aromatic, tasty and traditional as it should be.Could do a little more with the wine list but overall a great dining experience. read more

I wish I could give this place zero stars. It was horrible in every way. It was my first time trying Indian food, and I was looking forward to it. We had a groupon here so decided to go on a Saturday afternoon. When we walked in, we could see that only a few tables were taken, but were told there would be a 10 minute wait. Huh? I should have trusted my intuition and walked out then and there, but we were hungry and already there. The pathetic buffet should not even be called that. There were 4 options and each one looked worse than the next. How about an attempt and trying to make your food look edible? Apparently that's too much to ask. After sitting down and eating our meal, we noticed the tables around us each had a basket of Naan. We tried asking several waiters who walked by for a basket, but were ignored each time. Finally, when we were almost done, a server came by and literally threw a basket on the table. I was beginning to think we were specifically being punked, but noticed that they were just as rude to other people around us. The food was cold, extremely spicy, and not flavorful. We each ended up eating only half a plateful each. Overall, just unappetizing and pretty disgusting. We asked for the bill and handed over our Groupon, which was worth $30 of food. After a few minutes, the person who took the groupon came back and notified us that our total was only $29.96, and asked US what he should do about it. Gee, I don't know- figure it out! Finally we got through to him to just add on .04 cents to just make it the even $30 and he agreed. We sat there for another 10 minutes and the smell was starting to get to me. I told my Husband to just put the tip down, since we'd already paid with our groupon, and got up to put on my jacket. Immediately the hostess came over to us and with an attitude I don't even see in my preschool classroom, said "You CANNOT leave yet- where do you think you're going? You haven't paid the bill!" I was in shock. Then the man came back and said "Okay, I've added $4 onto your bill. $4? He was supposed to add 4 cents. But my husband paid the extra money and we headed for the door. On my way out I did something I have never done before. I walked towards the hostess and said, "You really didn't need to have such an attitude with us. We paid our bill." She didn't say anything so I headed for the door. Right before I reached it, she started yelling at me! She said, "I don't have attitude, YOU have attitude!" Unbelievable. I still think we were punked. Please, if you're ever in that area of Needham and contemplating going here, go to Sweet Basil instead- you'll thank me later! read more

this is my favorite indian food in boston-- i went to college in the area for 4 years and i ate here all the time. incredible food, really cool atmosphere. the baigan bartha is my favorite. i've eaten at probably 6 or 7 other indian places and this one is just the best hands down. i dont live in the area anymore but this restaurant is worth the drive from wherever you live. read more

We had an amazing meal here. Started off with the chickpea fritter appetizer. We had the eggplant entree and one of the chicken dishes. Both were done perfectly and served with basmati rice. Definitely would come back here again! I had a hard time deciding what to get because of all of the awesome options. read more

What a letdown. I used to love this place when I lived in the Needham area. While so many good Indian restaurants are dives, this one offered a unique and pleasantly elegant ambiance with delightful food. However, I just returned to it after not having gone there for a year, and I could not have been more disappointed. Oily and tasteless, what was billed as spicy turned out to be bland. This place has really gone down hill. If you like vibrantly spicy food, don't bother going here. read more

Lunch buffet has very few choices and all the food is bland. Had to wait forever for my naan bread from the kitchen when the restaurant wasn't really crowded. read more

Who would think that you could find a decent Indian restaurant in Needham of all places? Well, Masala Art has gone and done it -- and done it well. The lunch buffet is a great quick fix if you're in a hurry, but the entrees are definitely worth a try. My favorite addiction is a mango lassi and a giant plate of saag and naan, finished off by some rice pudding. Definitely worth a try. read more

It took me awhile to convince my husband to try this restaurant. Neither one of us are familiar with Indian food. We agreed to have dinner at Sweet Basil, but try an appetizer and cocktails at Masala Art while waiting for our table at SB. We arrived a little after 7:00 on a Saturday night,expecting it to be busy. The restaurant was about 2/3 full, the bar seats full-(as we recognized later most were also waiting for tables at SB) bar tables empty, and the spice bar empty. The hostess obliged and allowed us to sit at one of the empty tables in the bar area after we explained that we would not be ordering entrees, just apps and drinks. The waiter was very hurried,asked us what we would like to order for dinner before we were even given a menu! We explained that we would like drinks and appetizers only, and that we were not familiar with Indian food at all ( Hint!-help us out here)-I was expecting he might explain some items on the menu or ask what we like -seafood,vegetables,spicy,etc..offer a suggestion... but this was not the case. Away he ran, only to come back and once again ask what we wanted to order, and what we wanted to order for entrees, so once again I had to remind him that we were not ordering entrees. So after bothering him with a few questions, with no input from him we just ordered a sampler appetizer. It consisted of deep fried morsels of chicken,shrimp,and salmon?..and a ground lamb samosa? nothing too exciting. It took awhile to flag him down for another round and for the bill. I couldnt help but notice the layer of dust on the shelf beside me that ran the length of the bar area....hmmm. Needless to say, I dont think I will be able to convince the husband to try it again. Especially after the exceptional service by the staff at Sweet Basil. The only positive aspect of our experience at Masala Art, sorry to say, was the price of the unusual draft beer my husband ordered-only $4.00!.. read more

Great ambience and hospitality. Nice host and well informed staff. We called for paneer jalfrazi and dal bokhara as they call it. The paneer was good, light and had a home made feel to it rather than like a restaurant heavy style but nothing extraordinary. The dal was creamy and well balanced. Tandoori roti and chapati were warm and fresh. Salted lassi was way too salted and they were happy to take it back and gave us a mango lassi on the house.! I tried using a yelp check in coupon and our waiter told us that they only accept printed out coupons. So I had to explain how these coupons can only be claimed once checked-in and CANNOT be printed. Took a couple of times to convince and got the 5$ off! Sweet. Would have been ideal had they been aware but anyways, wasnt too bad. The whole experience was good overall but nothing extraordinary. I would'nt mind going there again if am around, but not sure if would travel to needham specially for it. Cannot give 3.5 stars so staying with 3! read more

Been here several times for dinner with both large groups and for date night. Delicious food, friendly service and lots of great options for both food and drinks. read more

If you want to pay to get SHIT then go to this restaurant. 16.5$ entree and taste like crap. Never. Go to this crappy place to burn your money. The waiters don't understand the order and chef doesn't know how to cook. Worst Indian restaurant. read more

We have been eating at Masala Art since it opened in Needham. Their food was always good but a bit pricey for the portion size. The last two times we have been there the food and service seem to have suffered. Our malai kofta was cold in the middle. The navrattan korma was mediocre. We could see my husband's white wine sat on the bar for about 20 minutes before he asked the waiter if It was coming soon. We bought several groupons since we have always liked their food, but we are not looking forward to using the other one. Luckily we only had to pay half price for the meal. read more

In the past few weeks, quality and taste have gone down a lot. I take-out from Masala Art at least once every week. Very disappointed last few times. Last time, the chicken in the biryani was undercooked and smelly, and tandoori chicken leg was raw inside. Not planning to go here anymore, unless they get their act together. read more

Bad experience, I was a fan of masala art had gone there yesterday after couple of years. Background I was a big fan of this restaurant and have recommended many people till date but yesterday food was very disappointing it was literally stinking not sure it was the oil or the ingredients, they even did not put those items in the check. I was surprised to see no Indian eating at a Indian restaurant Friday evening. read more

Beware of this restaurant. We learned from our experience firsthand . #1. Food is tasteless #2 dinners come out whenever they are ready. Had a party of 4 everyone's dish came out 10 minutes apart. #3 the dining room does not have a waitstaff for the tables. 5 different people brought out food at different intervals. # 4 the 4th person in our party never received there dinner. They forgot to make it. Was told she could take it home in a takeout container after watching everyone else eat there dishes separately. Bad business. Here is the icing on the cake. Look at your bill very carefully. They add in 18% gratuity on your bill sneakingly. So a lot of people will look at the total and top on that. So they basically are getting 38% gratuity. Food is not real Indian food. They use leg and thigh meat in there chicken dishes instead of white meat. Was sitting next to a couple who where trying to get someone to take there order. And heard one of the staff say they where busy helping other customers. They left after 20 minutes. Very bad management and food I'd tasteless. Stay away you where warned. read more

I just went with four friends for dinner and will absolutely never go back. We were one of three parties, so it's not like that was an excuse for the horrible, rude service. Two of my friends arrived early and ordered appetizers; they never came. Once everyone got there, our appetizers were brought but the original apps were still MIA; we asked about them, and a total of at least 45 minutes after having ordered them, the waiter came over and told us, I kid you not, "Do you still need those two appetizers?...Because I asked the guys out back twice about them and they still didn't understand. So, do you still need them?" We were left speechless: a) his communication problem is not our problem, and b) you never ask someone if they "NEED" something still while giving off an attitude of annoyed-waiter. While paying for our meal and counting cash as well as figuring out how much to put on someone's credit card, the waiter came over and said another outrageous comment to us: "We always like cash - yeah, as much cash as possible!", hinting to us that we should pay in cash rather than the credit card. I wouldn't be surprised if the owner wasn't there and they pocketed the cash. We left speechless. The food isn't even worth mentioning because of the service. Don't waste your time: it looks nice inside, but they are very unprofessional and incredibly rude. read more

Had the lunch buffet on Monday. The "spread" appears to be very different to what I've had on weekends - but that was a while ago. Not certain whether that is normal for a week day or if they are going the cheaper route and cutting out some of the "extras". A shame really because there is now no real distinction to other Indian restaurant lunch buffets. I've gave 2 stars because I have had better at this restaurant! read more

The food is OK (not great) and the setting is nice. That said, the service is TERRIBLE! We went for dinner (after calling to make sure they were open late and that we should head over). I ordered a martini, which was ok, but the bartender left before our food arrived, and the waiter and owner said there was nobody there who could make another???? The food took a long time to come, and came all at once (apps, salad, and dinner), and was practically thrown at us. There was an obvious problem with one dinner item, and rather than remake it (they had closed the kitchen) the waiter took the dish away, but did not take it off the bill. We felt very rushed, and were unable to enjoy the meal. The manager acted like that was our problem. Very poor service, some food items were good, others not at all. Very frustrating experience, and a complete waste of $100. read more

I feel like I need to stick up for the food at this place. I am not a relative or family member. Just love Indian food, and I've eaten at a LOT of Indian restaurants. This one is one of our favorites--the food is excellent. The service is mediocre, but the food really more than makes up for it for us. Servers are not overly friendly or attentive. Flavors are incredible here. I don't mean to pull the old, "My Indian friend recommended it to me," card, but...well...she did--and she was right. Their buffet is amazing--lots of choices: apps, bread, raita, and vegetarian and meat lover entrees as well. Our 4 stars would be 5 if service were better. read more

The quantity is very very minimum for the price and the food is sub standard. Ridiculously over priced.

Great food! I ordered my dish with white meat and it was skimpy. Meanwhile the other people st the table had portions three times the size. Otherwise all very tasty and reasonable. read more

Damn! I not the first to review this place. It's no suprise the secret is out. Some of the best Indian cusine food I've tasted around Boston. A little out of the way for most, but there is plenty of parking around back in the town lot. A upscale metro bar scene. Summers are slow here on the account of the locals taking holiday on Martha's, so if you are looking for a relaxing, quiet escape with some flavorful spice food, it's worth the trip out. I especially liked the personal chef at the Spice Bar. Tell him what you want, (Seafood, Meat, Veagan) and he is walk you through an amazing meal describing when to use what spices for whatever taste you are trying to concoct. In a pince, takeout is fast and most importantly to me, accurate with their timeframe of readiness for pick up. I get the usual suspects, Lamb Briyani, Tikka Masala, Chana Masala, and plenty of Naan. Enjoy your meal and the company that your with!!! Cheers read more

Stopped by for a very late bite to eat with an old friend. We sat at the bar. The drinks were excellent. I had Moscato with mango juice which was delicious. My friend had a ginger martini which wasn't on the menu and that too was made very well. By the caliber of the drinks I knew this wasn't an average homey Indian restaurant, but more upscale. There is more attention to detail in all the plates that come out of that kitchen. We got the chicken tikka satay as an app. It was average sized but not over cooked which was nice. For dinner we got the chicken vindaloo, the saag paneer, rice and garlic naan. I thought that the vindaloo was only ok but being a Goan girl I'm opinionated on the subject. The saag was excellent. I also loved the fact that they gave us a really healthy portion of rice. The garlic naan was pretty typical which is to say - very good. The bartender checked on is a few times and was very friendly. You can tell that there is a good effort here and I'd be happy to return to try other dishes and cocktails. read more