Horrible service - never being to a worse place in terms of service. Food is meh! We could see a long line of takeout orders being prepared - so definitely doesn't seem like a local's fav to dine in. I would never recommend this place read more

Just so so. The dishes didn't have enough depth of flavor. We got Malai Kofta, palak paneer and two kinds of naan. The Kofta had a strange texture and the sauce tasted like tomato soup. The Palak paneer did not have much paneer and the spinach was bland. The Peshwari naan which sounded like it would be full of flavor was almost plain with just a hint of coconut and nuts and the coriander chili naan only tasted like chili peppers. read more

Having grown up in India and with a mother who is the BEST Indian cook in the world (admittedly biased) has hardened me into a tough critic of Indian food. With that being said, last night I had one of the best Indian meals I have ever had! We decided to go to Mela for some yummy vegetarian food (to offset the artery clogging effects of the burgers we had at lunch). The restaurant is small but cozy, with pretty organza curtains that give the place a homey/girly feel. I also really like the pictures on the back wall of native Indians in their daily lives. We started the mango lassi which was absolutely delicious but could have been a bit colder. It wasn't too sweet which was perfect. We also ordered the aloo choley, malai kofta, aloo paratha, and raita. Unlike other Indian restaurants, spicy meant spicy which I love. The aloo paratha closely resembled my mom's (which is HUGE compliment). Both the aloo choley and malai kofta were very flavorful and decent sized portions. I've had better raita (yogurt with mint) but it was acceptable. The south end is lacking in terms of Indian restaurants but Mela is a great option. Minus one star for the waiter who tried to hurry us by telling us that they were closing in an hour within 30 seconds of us sitting down, and for the inflated prices. read more

This is my second visit to Mela. My first time there I remembered the food being nice and spicy, but this time around it wasn't as spicy as I would like even though I requested it to be. Other than that I still had a nice dinner. We ordered a Mango Lassi, Pistachio Shake, Beef Vindaloo, and Atlantic Hot Stone (?) with a side of garlic naan. The Pistachio Shake turned out to be a great choice. It was the perfect sweetness and consistency. As mentioned earlier the vindaloo would have also been excellent if made a bit spicier, but thats my own preference. The garlic naan was pretty good as well. The Atlantic Hot Stone consisted of raw marinated scallop and salmon they were pretty much self served to be cooked on a very hot stone. It wasn't bad, but it was not amazing either, so I don't think it was worth the $24 price. It was an interesting concept similar to Korean BBQ and Japanese Shabu. On another note they had a really interesting drink menu with many choices. I would go back just to try each of the drinks and definitely order more of the pistachio! read more

Mediocre Service and Food at Mela. They took forever to bring our Naan, when the restaurant was practically empty. Extremely limited buffer menu options. They were serving daal as soup. I would not recommend Mela to anyone. Service was horrible and sever questioned us on why we tipped so low. Well, you have to earn your tip. 3 people from our group had stomach pain after having Mela food :( There are better alternatives in Boston. read more

If your a Indian, never ever go to this place. Horrible buffet. The tastes are pretty bland. The food is purely Americanized Indian Also the selection of items are limited. Dont even think of trying this place. read more

The words "expensive" and "indian food" should not be found next to each other. Yet this place is pricey. So not off to a good start. The food was decent, but I have to raise the standards because, again, you are paying a premium. And in that respect, it only gets 2 stars. The mulligatawny soup wasn't very tastey (neither of us finished ours), the meat samosas were dry and relatively tasteless, the nan came with no dipping sauces, and the desserts weren't good either. I did like my entree, so not going to give this place only 1 star. The decor and service weren't good also. The place is small and cramped and only has ONE bathroom for both sexes (that's right, one door with one potty). The service was abominal. Water glasses not refilled for 25 minutes (and this is spicey indian food guys!!), and had odd communication with the waiter. Host even ignored us as we entered and had to say, um, i'm here for my reservation..... A higher priced place MUST have good service and decor!! I give a thumbs up to Tantric and Mantra (owned by same company as Mela btw but a MUCH better experience) instead!! read more

My wife and I wanted to grab some food before seeing a production at the BCA and Mela was convienent as well as several other great resturaunts. We love indian cuisine plus I found a groupon so that sealed the deal. When you first are seated they gave us a small espresso cup with a garlicky soup it was savoury and a very nice touch on a cold night. For an appetizer we got the vegitarian platter. All the peices were good but The pakora were especially tasty. Mela had more varieties of naan than I have ever seen. Chicken, lamb, pashwari, garlic and mary more. We decided to have the chicken; it was good but the meat just felt extraneous to me. (side note: I ate the left over naan as a meal unto itself the next day and it was perfect) For entrees I had the chicken tikka massala and the roast lamb kebab. The Chicken tikka massla was great! The flavor was really good but the chicken was so tender is literally melts in your mouth. The lamb was flavorful and tender, however my wife likes it well done and we asked for that but it was still quite pink inside. I would like to try some more spicy dishes but my wife is not into that so that was a no go. The only criticism of the place is that it it packed really tight, like elbow length from the next table. We requested (and got) a window seat (which was nice) but the next table was really close. Oh, and there was not onion chutney on the table or served with our food and that is not acceptable - that magical stuff is required of all indian restaurants. read more

We went here only because we bought the groupon ($20 for $40 worth of food), and because of the great reviews (which seem to be mostly for the buffet, not menu). Unfortunately, I was disappointed that Mela's food didn't live up to the hype at all. Service: We were the first customers of the evening around 5pm, and the waiters seemed so incredibly bored and unattentive, especially considering the price and location of the place. There were 7-8 of them, all standing around but doing nothing. I didn't receive a single smile each time they came over to our table. Food: We ordered 2 entrees, Seafood platter (hot stone cooking), $24, Lamb shank curry, $18. Both were incredibly salty. The seafood platter is basically 6-7 pieces of thinly sliced salmon (probably size of a sashimi except much lower in quality), and 8 halves of scallops with a scalding hot square stone. Cooking it on a hot stone was a mess and it made our whole corner smoke up with thick dark smoke, I was practically choking on it. The smoke didn't even alert any of the waiters to come by even to ask how things were going. The second dish, the lamb curry, was basically 3 pieces of lamb in a very salty curry sauce that masked any sort of flavor from the herbs/spices. \ Ambience: the only positive about this place. Very nicely decorated with a warm ambiance that's great for dinner dates, parties, etc.... Somehow, I've gotten better (and much more affordable) Indian food at just about any other Indian restaurant in Boston. Good thing we only paid for the groupon price (barely even worth that). read more

We had lots of expectation but failed. We four persons tried & opinion is as undr Poori was burnt, Chhole was not at all tasty, Naan was not good, Fish was not tasty. Charges are high but no quality food. Try to avoid this if you are expecting rich & flavored Indian dishes. read more

Second to review. F yeah!! (Ok not so much...) Anyway, after much anticipation and waiting, I stopped in to try out Mela last night. I walk by their windows everyday, and had spent months peering through openings in the paper covering the windows to get a glimpse of what was going on inside. Without much fanfare (as the previous reviewer noted, only a paper sign saying "Open" alerted us of their opening in mid-Dec.), Mela has given the South End a strong addition and needed variety to the neighborhood culinary scene. The decor is very well done: modest, but with powerful accents (white cut paper bubble hanging light fixtures, sectioned copper covering one wall, large white-on-white Indian wall sculptures). White modern china and white cloth napkins adorn the tables, and gauzy curtains soften the huge windows facing Tremont Street. And, the owners were able to keep the Nightengale's liquor license, so there is a full bar, complete with several stools if you want to wait there. Admittedly, I am not the most adventurous eater of Indian food (I stay away from goat thank you very much), but since I seem to eat the same things again and again, I think I have good points of reference. We had samosas to start with - quite tasty, but unfortunately they brought the vegetable version instead of the meat version that we ordered. We ate them anyway, but were a bit disappointed. Our mains were chicken masala and chicken coconut curry, which both came with very lighty & tasty basmati rice. A side of naan completed the meal, and with a glass of wine and a gin & tonic, our bill came to about $80. (We had enough to take home for leftovers, which I always factor in the price as well!) All in all, the food was great. Didn't "blow my mind" either, but given what they are advertising - traditional Indian, with some creative dishes, at modest price points, I think Mela totally hits their target. The service is attentive, plentiful and speedy, the food was fresh, tasty and ample and the menu offers many choices. The chicken masala was super tender and moist, with deliciously flavored sauce. The chicken coconut curry could have had a bit more coconut, but overall, quite good. Naan was hot and soft in the right places, just how I like it. My only negatives are decor related. It feels like they overlooked the importance of the bathroom as part of the whole restaurant feel (I am a stickler on this - big pet peeve to go from a v. nicely designed restaurant into a crap bathroom with bad lighting - total mood killer!) They could spend a few hundred bucks on modern light fixtures, a better paint job and few decorative accents to tie it all together. Also, the cutlery and glassware are very cheap dineresque - a disconnect from the china and napkins. I'm not saying put sterling silver down, but again, more modern accompaniments would be better fitting to the overall feeling. Overall, solid food, solid decor and solid service. At their prices, I see Mela as welcome addition with a good life in the South End. Will look forward to going back (but not too often or all of that naan and masala will blow me up like a balloon!!!) read more

I went once and was generally underwhelmed...not my favorite place. Nothing was awful. Just meh. So that's it. Mela=Meh read more

Nothing like hot Indian food to warm you up on a cold winter night. I discovered Mela from a recent groupon purchase and finally had dinner here on New Year's Day. With cute décor like hanging paper lanterns, maroon-colored drapes, and dimmed lighting, the atmosphere was romantic; however, the cramped seating area and uncomfortable straw chairs detracted the experience a little. I LOVE watermelon so I was ecstatic to see watermelon daiquiri on the beverage menu. To my surprise, it was tasty and fresh despite the fruit not in season; it even came with a small watermelon slice! Sweet! The pistachio shake was also very good with a creamy texture. I'll definitely order one of these drinks again next time even though I didn't quite fancy the $4.50 price tag. There's a saying that if you must try authentic Indian cuisine, get the butter chicken because it's the most popular dish in India. Naturally, we ordered it and it was delicious - definitely my preferred sauce for dipping naan. We actually did not like the samosas very much. I preferred a crunchier dough, and the lamb meat filling was too gamy for me. The lamb korma was also good and not overly creamy, but darn that gamy lamb!!! The bone-in goat curry was not that great because it tasted more like ketchup than curry. For each dish, you can order a specific degree of hotness (mild, medium, or hot). I'd probably go for 'hot' next time; 'medium' did not produce that runny nose effect. Overall, it was a positive dinner experience. The extremely polite, attentive, and friendly service was what really edged this review to 4 stars. I still think Indian food in general is overpriced, so my next visit to Mela will be for the lunch buffet. read more

This is a restaurant with terrible service. Terrible. The food isn't bad, but the service is poor. The mulligatawny soup was very watery compared to what we had before. The manager said "you can't expect the dish to be the same everytime". This statement made absolutely no sense. Isn't that a definition of quality?? Another point is that they tend to get orders wrong. It can be a concern if you have allergies and request something specifically. The waitress was nice and accommodating and did her best to be nice and give us the best, but I didn't appreciate the comment made by the manager. I am the customer and I can demand quality if I am paying for something. The prices are not commensurate with quality (high prices and quality isn't different than other Indian restaurants around). read more

Some very good Indian food in the South End. Having had tons of Indian food on the west coast where the quality is generally much higher, Mela is up to Par! I had the Butter Chicken, which comes with rice, although the menu does not readily indicate this. It was delicious! also had the garlic naan, which went perfectly with our meal. read more

Tried Indian for the first time ever here. They had a $12 lunch buffet, so my anxiety was eased by being able to sample everything without any big commitment. I'm not 100% sure on the price, but I believe it was less than $15. Also, I'm not sure if they do this every day, but it was a Saturday early afternoon when we went. They also have a regular food menu as well. The staff was super friendly. The manager was super friendly too, checking with my friend and I to see how we liked everything. When I told him it was my first time trying Indian food he graciously explained some items on the buffet to me. I can't put in words how nice he was. I can tell he really takes pride in his restaurant and customer service is a top priority. The restaurant is clean and nicely decorated with ample natural lighting. When we went, it was fairly quiet, but it wasn't very busy. The items on the buffet are labeled with the Indian name of their dish, but the labels also give a brief description of what the dish is. Yay for making it newbie-friendly! This was more comforting than you know. I had at least one bite of every single offering, which was about 10 or so different items. My fave was the chicken tikka masala, which the manager told me is their signature dish. It definitely tastes like an American-tastebuds-safe dish if you ask me. I loved it. While I didn't have a taste for every item on the buffet, I still give 5 stars for these dishes being well-prepared. For example the goat and fish dishes were well-cooked, not dry. These meats were all juicy and flavorful, even if the spices/flavors were not my cup of tea. I think I'm also not a fan of basmati rice in general, although Mela's tasted fresh. There was a spinach and cheese item that I can't remember what it was called, but it was really good as well. It was nice when spread on their garlic bread (ask for the garlic bread, oooh so good!) Pita? Naan? I don't remember which one it was, pardon my ignorance. On the way out, the manager thanked us and held the door open with a smile as we left. Friendly service like this is a rare treat in Boston! When I'm in the neighborhood, I will stop by again. Next time I'll probably order the chicken tikka masala by itself since now I know what I like. read more

This is hands down my favorite Indian restaurant in Boston. My husband and I love Indian food and have tried several different places before we made Mela our regular spot. The food is reasonably priced and always delicious! We love to go for the brunch buffet, only $13.95 and they serve you fresh baked naan (garlic or plain) to go with it. I believe it is the owner is always there and is incredibly friendly and takes a genuine interest in his customers and makes sure everything is perfect! read more

Mela Modern Indian Cuisine - Brunch buffet - Indian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Been missing a good indian lunch buffet and with the power of yelp, I found Mela. Mela offered a delicious variety. My favorites were saag paneer, chicken tikka masala (a little too buttery for me, but still good), goat curry, and aloo gobi. Pretty much everything at the buffet I would recommend. The staff were very attentive and kind in showing me new foods to try as well. Definitely will be coming back to get my Indian craving fixed. The price is reasonable too for the area. read more

I ordered takeout from Mela this evening using Foodler. First, I placed my order around 7:15 and the automated system told me delivery would be about 8. At 8:30, I called Mela and was told the food was en route. At 8:45, the driver arrived. The driver was VERY nice and apologized that the food had taken so long, and included a $10 off of $50 coupon in my bag. The food was also still warm. So while I probably would have ordered elsewhere if I'd known it was going to take so long, I guess there was no real harm done. Unfortunately, I just really did not enjoy the food. I ordered aloo naan (stuffed with potato and spices) and butter chicken, medium spicy. The aloo naan was ok, but greasy and I did not like one of the two dipping sauces that came with it (too sweet). The butter chicken was really lackluster. This is one of my favorite Indian dishes because of its rich and full flavors, but this particular version was almost bland. The chicken itself was moist and tender, but the sauce was utterly forgettable.This too was a bit greasier than I've come to expect for Indian food in the US. Yes, I know the dish is called "butter chicken," but usually the sauce doesn't have a pool of grease floating on top. The bag of food also included a packet of crispy bread (roti, I think?) broken into chip-like size. Those were tasty, but really not that different from salty American tortilla chips. I probably will not give Mela a second try. At its price, I'd rather spend a few dollars more per entree for Kashmir for high-end Indian food. If I want delivery Indian food, India Samraat is less expensive and more flavorful (and has delivered faster than promised). read more

When my BF and I ate here on Friday the 13th, it was my birthday. But, Mela didn't know this. They treated me like any other patron... and good thing, too, for if this is how they treat a "normal" customer, then I can vouch for them, saying they provide top-notch service. No, I'm not the type to flaunt my birthday around. I think it's more special when the occasion is shared between a select few. I'm sure, though, they wouldn't have pulled a TGIF and gathered around the table to clap their hands and sing out of key. Even though we had reservations, there was no wait. We were shown immediately to a table. We did ask to sit at another table, not wanting to crowd the couple at the window. Mela obliged, thankfully. The table needed to be cleaned, but we didn't mind. It actually, IMHO, added a bit of upscale service to the experience - having your table set right in front of you. I admit, I felt kinda special. Then, we were immediately served a fruit "salad." Rather, it's small pieces of fruit in a yogurt glaze. I noticed I got 3 pieces of pineapple; my BF had more variety. Interesting. Later on, I noticed the same thing happened to a new couple beside us. I looked over and wondered if she cared that she was given 3 pieces of pineapple. Obviously, it came from a can. You can't disguise the syrup-y taste. But, that was just a random observation of the night - not a knock against Mela. We ordered two of the Ramsay Pinot Noirs. Excellent and easy to drink. They're $10 a glass; so keep that in mind! The app we ordered was SUPERB. Whatever fig-ish sauce it comes with is amazing. I so recommend you try their veggie samosa. Amazing! For my entree, I went with the Lamb Saag, medium spice. My BF ordered their Duck Jalfrazi. Say that five times fast. We also, of course, indulged in an order of their naan, which is $3 extra and comes with one piece, freshly made. If you love naan, be careful. You could easily rack up the money just indulging in this treat. We didn't wait long for our entrees to come. Love the dishes they're served in! Speaking of ambiance, this place has it. Love some of their decor choices. While it can, I imagine, feel cramped on a busier night/time, it's worth checking out. The vibe is very relaxed and casual, with a touch of pure class. Back to the food... Lamb Saag = really great! It was chunks of lamb meat in a spinach-type sauce. At first bite, I thought the spice level may out-do me, but given a few bites, I was adapting. I admit, though, I needed to eat more rice than I wanted, to neutralize the spice party in my mouth. I ended up picking the lamb out to eat that first. Then, I used the naan with the spinach sauce. Addicting! (I'm craving it now as I type this. YUM!) My BF really liked his dish, though he could tell it was made with heavy cream. So, what may appear to be healthy could hide some hidden bulk calories. Good to know. Then again, isn't it worth it? I tried his dish and liked it, but I definitely prefer the Lamb Saag. So, in summary: + Order the Veggie Samosa + Be mindful of your personal spice level. Medium is HOT to some. + If you use a restaurant.com gift certificate here, be mindful that you MUST spend $50 ON FOOD before you can use it. Drinks don't count. +Not a place for groups, though we did count a party of 6 dining at the same time of us. We were able to use the GC, thankfully. It's very cool that hot places in The South End let you use these popular gift certs. Sure, they are stipulations on what you order and what days you can go, but, hey, you can save like $25 off your bill. So, with the GC and 18% gratuity factored in (another stipulation of the GC), our tab was a little over $50. Not bad for all we had - 2 drinks, an app, 2 huge entrees and an order of naan. I'm delighted this this place is close to where we live. If visiting friends are craving Indian cuisine, I know exactly where to take them. Or, we could always call in the order for take-out! read more

The food was very good, but I just can't give it four stars. Mainly because 2 of the other 3 people I was with had their credit cards compromised shortly after dining here. The server came back with the first two credit cards quickly, but the other two took much longer. Now we don't have any proof but it seems very suspicious that this would happen. Other than that, the food was good, service was OK. read more

If you follow my reviews closely, you know that I'm an Indian food fanatic. I went to Mela today for the lunch buffet. I was hungry after spending the early part of the afternoon wandering around the South End. I remembered seeing Mela on one of my other jaunts in the neighborhood, so I finally stopped in. The buffet had a pretty good variety: Palak Paneer, Chicken Tikka Masala, Tandoori Chicken, Dal Makhani, Goat Curry (still can't bring myself to try goat meat), something with cauliflower, and a few other selections. It was all good, but not my favorite in the city. (Still trying to figure out who that honor should belong to). I tried Chicken pakoras for the first time. There wasn't much to them, but dipping them in some of the other sauces did the trick Yum! The waiter who took my drink order (Mango Lassi -- very good, but my favorite lassi is still the one that I had in the food court of H-Mart in Burlington) and brought me my garlic naan (so very fresh and delicious!) was extremely friendly, but I didn't see much of the staff during my meal. It took a while to get my water refilled and to get my check. The restaurant is small. The buffet is right in front of the counter where orders come up. It made getting my food a little rushed and hectic. The tables were also really close together. Overall, it was a pretty decent experience. It satisfied my craving for Indian food. read more

The food was great, but definitely keep in mind that their "hot" isn't setting any records. For most non-spicy eaters, medium is no problem at all ("has a kick"). Service was all right, but nothing astounding. Good thing the food was great. We also had a Groupon which made the whole meal an unbelievable deal. read more

Mela is small restaurant with a colorful atmosphere and a menu filled with all your traditional favorites as well as some more modern dishes. The boyfriend and I came in for dinner during our last night in Boston and were seated right by the window despite there being plenty of other tables available. I was so uncomfortably cold (visibly shivering) because there was a draft coming in and it was 9 degrees out. We asked a server to get switched to a different table, but she just motioned towards the mini space heater on the ledge next to us and said we were free to turn it on. -.-' Their meat samosas were spiced well enough, though our cocktails were more juice and sugar than anything else. And while our chicken korma and lamb biryani were both good, they were not great. I grew up in an Indian neighborhood in New York and am no stranger to the cuisine. They lacked the deep, rich, signature flavors I've come to expect. read more

Ugh. This place is terrible. I went here and while I did not expect my mother's cooking, I did expect something halfway decent considering the decor and atmosphere. How sadly disappointed I was. I ordered the Chicken Biriyani which came with raitha. OK I'm sorry...a cup of plain yogurt is not raitha..it needs a little something more! I asked for medium and felt like I got mild (if that). The Biriyani had mushrooms and assorted vegetables in it, which is not typically how its made. Its supposed to be a chicken and rice dish, with some sauteed onions and nuts as garnish. I saw no onions and there were no nuts. The chicken had no flavor to it, basically the entire dish tasted like it was yesterdays leftovers mixed together and given a fancy name. We also had the pashwari naan ( Naan with coconut inside)... truly nothing to write home about. The wait staff was EXTREMELY efficient. They basically hovered over our table the entire night. At one point, the guy came to refill my water glass as I was reaching over to drink from it. He actually stood near the table and waited til I put it down so that he could refill it. I sincerely doubt I will be back read more

+ Great location in the city. + Food is typical Indian, nothing amazing, nothing bad - just an average. - Plates (during buffet) are very very small. It's size of appetizer/side plate. - Parking is very difficult. read more

Favorite restaurant for dinner and delivery! Best Indian food I've had since being in London! read more

I love going there for the luncheon buffet! Great (authentic?) food from the region, (I guess). Small, quaint, and cozy setting. Not wide variety nor selctions and the menu for the buffet always seem to be the same every day. None the less, I love the naan bread they serve: soft and moist. The servers are VERY attentive and super cordial! I always enjoy going here to treat myself on Fridays. Not a bad price for lunch buffet. The Positives: Great service, quality of food, and coziness of the ambiance. The Negatives: Same daily selection of the buffet. read more

Attentive servers, good food choices and tasty... Not too loud and jarring music like in some restaurants but good mellow instrumental music hits playing at a decent volume. Price on the high side, but for a good choice of dishes, its worth it. $13 for a buffet per person. Good ambience. and good silver ware used. read more

Came here several times with my fiance. The service here is pretty decent and the food does a good job to satisfy any Indian food cravings so no complaints! I've had the chicken saag which is chicken with spinach. Its on the lighter side compared to other sorts of Indian dishes so when I feel the need to be healthy thats what I usually get. A couple of favorites are rogan josh, lamb korma (SO GOOD), and mustard lamb (appetizer or main dish). The garlic naan is also a definite you should order. The non vegetarian appetizer platter is also great and is a nice sampling of different appetizers. Overall a pretty decent Indian restaurant. Definitely have had cheaper Indian food but food quality is good. read more

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BEST INDIAN FOOD IN BOSTON OR POSSIBLY THAT I'VE EVER HAD. The atmosphere is modern and it's a very clean establishment. Every time I go, I usually have a Groupon or Amazon Local deal and it's worth it! $20 for $40. I always go with one friend (we've been there at least 4-5 times) and we order the garlic naan, the shrimp curry entree, the chicken tikka masala. We alternate on another appetizer we try on each visit, we've had the meat sampler and the vegetable samosa. The staff are attentive and I love coming to this restaurant! I've told so many friends about how great this place is, and it's become their new favorite Indian spot! read more

I really liked this place...Havent had really good Indian in a long time in this town. First, Mela is in the South End on Tremont Street. Liked the interior, which is authentic in an upscale ethnic type of way... nice drapes with Indian(I am assuming) carvings on the back wall. Kitchen is in close proximity to the dining area First, Mela has an impressive menu of Indian food as well as the staples of Chaat, Vindaloo and Tikka. I rated Indian restaurants by how well they serve Chicken Tikka. I have eaten it in a number of different places and it is never the same...usually, its overcooked. Curious, because, it is just grilled chicken and spices. Melas interpretation was excellent Vindaloo is a challenge around here as well. Either the portions are too small, too spicy or bland...Mela again was excellent..right portion with just enough spice Indian food is not standardized like Chinese, so you really never know from place to place....Mela, however, is certainly worth a look Almost five stars read more

Cozy and intimate are the two words I would use to describe Mela. I've passed by this restaurant so many times and meant to stop in, so one night, my friends and I did. I came in without reservations on a random tuesday night. I was the first to arrive and was seated immediately at a pretty cozy table by the window and about a foot away from each surrounding table. I could hear the conversations from 3 tables away. Service was okay. Food was okay. It actually felt like this restaurant was trying to be something that it is not, a high class restaurant. When you enter the doorway and have no wear to wait except for the three pillow-topped chairs right in front of the door, you cannot be a classy restaurant. It cannot be in the same ranks as Kashmir. I still like Tantric's food, service, and ambiance better. I ordered the Paneer Tikka Masala while others at the table ordered Chicken Tikka Masala and Chicken Vindaloo. Everyone said they liked their meal, but on the way home, my stomach was definitely having a different opinion. read more

I'm not an Indian food expert, but Mela was one of the best Indian experiences I've had. We ordered butter chicken, palak paneer, lamb vindaloo and one of the other curries... Brags (+): They got the spiciness levels right!! We were four spicy food lovers, and there's not much more disappointing when you ask for a 4/5 and can barely register anything on the spice-ometer. So some of the spicier dishes we ordered had me sweating a little bit. Pain is pleasure when it comes to spicy!! In addition, the meats were tender, the sauces creamy and delicious. Especially the butter chicken, mmmm. Service was great, nice and helpful waitstaff! Beats (-): Hmm not much wrong, maybe the only thing was that I thought the tables were a bit small, considering you usually get a lot of plates at Indian restaurants (the entrees, naan, rice, personal plates). Variance (~): Funky decor, we were talking about the wavy copper plating on the walls for a while. read more

Excellent Indian restaurant in the South End. First off, this place is absolutely gorgeous. The restaurant is draped in rose-colored organza drapes and cream light fixtures which bathe your fellow guests in a pearly glow that only makes them look more attractive. The crisp white tables and modern furniture add to the ambiance. The food was top-notch. The waiter started by bringing us a complimentary amous-bouche, a Dal type soup in an espresso cup. It was a nice touch. We ordered the garlic naan, the Coconut Chicken Curry and the Butter Chicken Curry, both spicy. The Butter Chicken Curry was definitely a stand-out, with a rich tomato-y sauce that was perfect for dipping with delicious naan. Mela has an intriguing cocktail list, and I couldn't help but try the tamarind margarita. It was the priciest drink at $11, but it almost knocked me on my ass, and was worth it. My boyfriend enjoyed his mango lassi as well. For me, this place is in the higher part of the two-dollar-sign range, so more for a special night out. I think it would be great for someone's birthday. One of the standouts on Tremont Street. read more

I was very impressed with this place. I was with a party of 4 on a Sat night and we were hoping to have dinner at Masa. I had some family in from Cali and wanted to show them a nice tapas dinner, but since I failed to make reservations, we didn't get to eat at Masa. We walked around and stumbled upon this gem. The place is quite small and as we were leaving, a customer told us that the food is very good and that they give you a lot of food. When we were seated, the server gave us some sort of fried cauliflower and it was delicious. All four of us ordered the 2 person combo dinner which includes some soup, kebab-like appetizer, our entree and desert. We all ordered different entrees so that we can taste them all. My favorites were the lamb with mushroom and the butter chicken. Both entrees, the meat was so tender and very flavorful. I had a mango mimosa which was a great palette cleanser ans also very good. The desserts which we all picked different ones were equally as good. My fav was some sort of sweet dough, the rice pudding, and the ice cream. And then we all had chai tea, which was also included with the combo meal. The food was fantastic and our server was very nice an attentive. Besides the food and service being great, the atmosphere was very cozy. I recommend anyone going there on a Sat night to make reservations. We were lucky to get a table because someone had canceled. There was a line after we had sat down. read more

sunday nights are meant to be indian takeout nights. mela had 4 stars, looked promising. and i'm not super elitist about indian food, as long as it doesn't give me butterflies in my stomach. so we ordered from Mela. there were three levels of spiciness to choose from, and we chose spicy for all the dishes we ordered: the food came in a timely fashion and the deliverer even managed to find our technically illegal building without calling even once. at zero delivery charge too. the order went something like: - everything biryani: pretty solid and self explanatory. even had chunks of beef which were overcooked and dry. also, beef in indian food is just plain weird. - saag paneer, which went by an alias on the menu but we successfully blew its cover. now, the star of this review: GARLIC NAAN (see pic). since we ordered takeout, we specified for the naan to be 'extra hot' so that it wouldn't be a sheet of unbreakable ice when it arrives (thanks a lot, boston). and when we undressed its tin foil, it was charred. i flipped it over, also charred on the other side. in my pic i tried to distinguish front and back yet failed to do so, since the amount of carcinogenic carbon is virtually identical on both sides. so i just assigned random sides. Mela, for future reference, in re: to naans, "extra hot" does not mean DEATH BY FIRE. i'll probably not order from this place again unless Mela gets its naan right, i mean, an indian restaurant incinerating its naan is basically like a french restaurant serving moldy hairy baguettes, an italian restaurant serving tadpole-infested olive oil, and a chinese restaurant serving general Tso/Gau's chicken. read more

Mela Modern Indian Cuisine - garlic naan. pronounced dead at 2330. went out in a blazing fire. - Indian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I went for a casual dinner with a friend the other night and was delighted and wow'd by this place. Unlike many other Indian places, there was a stylish and calming ambiance that felt inviting and warm. The service was prompt and friendly- beginning with a complementary Mulligatawny Soup (lentil-based soup) instead of the typical papadam basket. We ordered veggie samosas (crispy and flavorful), the rogan josh (YUM!), and my new favorite the Malai kofta. It was more than enough for two hungry diners. While the prices were a few dollars more per entree than other places, the ambiance, flavors, service, and quality of the food made it very much a worthwhile dining venture. read more

Myself and two friends were nearby and checked Yelp and found this place. It was AMAZING! We arrived shortly after 6 and were almost immediately seated in an otherwise packed restaurant. I think it we had come a few minutes later we might've had a longer wait. The ambiance is nice. It has a unique interior that's very cozy, but not overly so. When we were seated we were given a friend cauliflower of sorts which was surprisingly delicious. The menu selection was the largest for any Indian restaurant I've been to. My party ordered some meat Samosas (not bad, but I wasn't impressed), Butter Chicken, Chicken Tikka Masala and some Kali Mirch ke Tikki as well as some garlic naan and chicken naan. I can honestly say that, aside from the samosas, every dish was the best I've ever had. The naan was the perfect texture. Portions were large enough to feel satiated and still have leftovers and the price was right on par with nearly every other Indian restaurant. It took a little while to receive our food (they brought out two of the dishes and then the last dishes + naan about 10 minutes later which was weird. It was busy though, so could've just been an aberration. Overall, I highly recommend. If I lived in the area, I'd go every week. read more

Not the most authentic Indian restaurant we have been to but definitely fills the void when we are in a tikki masala mood. Two of our favorite dishes to get here are the lamb coconut curry and chicken tikki masala. One item on their menu that is definitely a must have is the garlic naan! We can literally eat that all day. We won't be recommending this place as a must-go but it has nice decor inside and is pretty clean. If you want some Indian food in a nice environment but don't mind it not being extremely authentic, then this is the place! Definitely hit the spot for us the other evening we were there. read more

Mela Modern Indian Cuisine - Mela: garlic naan - Indian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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