This restaurant changed hands a few years ago & as regular patrons, we have watched the quality of food go steadily downhill. Those who may not have a reference point as far as Indian cuisine is concerned may not notice this. To give specific examples from our last foray at the restaurant: 1) Punjabi Kadi is a standard, staple dish in the Punjab region of South Asia. In its current iteration, served in the buffet at Taj Mahal, the "pakoris" (fritters) in the kadi were half-cooked. 2) Goat curry--another North Indian staple was had several cubes of goat similarly half cooked. Or maybe the selection of meat was not good. Either way we ended up trying several pieces & then ultimately leaving them uneaten. 3) Lachcha Paratha was similarly half cooked. There were several parts of the paratha which had raw dough. Indian cuisine is not just about "masala" (mixture of different spices). It is about first selection of right ingredients. It is about adding the right spices. And above all it is about ensuring the marriage of those spices to the ingredients and ensuring every part of the food is adequately cooked. It was quite telling that none of the patrons that for that morning lunch hour were South Asian. Perhaps they have learnt to keep away from the restaurant. The service though, was polite, attentive and respectful. The ambiance that of a casual eatery. It will take a lot of time before it attracts its old clientele back, if ever. read more

Don't believe the hours listed here. I arrived at 8:33 on a Friday, 1 hour and 27 minutes before the closing time listed here and I was shooed away... If you want to close at 8:30 that is all well and good but have the common courtesy to change your hours instead of wasting peoples time. read more

Since 2017 I have been a customer of Taj Mahal. It is one of my favorite Indian restaurants in the Pittsburgh area. Its menu lists vegetarian and non-vegetarian appetizers, chaat, soups, salads, kathi rolls, vegetarian entrees, tandoori entrees, rices, curries, some Indo-Chinese entrees, breads, desserts, and drinks. Prices are reasonable. Most recently, I ordered Taj Mahal's foods through a delivery service. My husband and I ate butter chicken (5 stars, sweet and spicy sauce and large chunks of juicy chicken), palak paneer (5 stars, one of my husband's favorites), vegetable vindaloo (4 stars), and garlic naan (5 stars). Some of my previous favorite foods were vegetable jalfrezi and chicken pakora. read more

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A friend took me here because she swears by it and I'm glad she did! Really solid Indian food, I kinda panicked and got the chicken curry but it was excellent. Got it at a 6 spice level and it was the perfect amount. The service was great, really friendly waiter. As for ambience the walls could use a paint job but you're not there for that. Really solid Indian spot would go back. read more

Taj Mahal - Chicken Curry - Indian Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Still my fave Indian buffet in Pittsburgh! Weekday lunch buffet 11-3 is smaller than weekend buffet Fri-Sun. Lots of choices, some vegan. Yummy! read more

Taj Mahal - Indian Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Returned to Taj Mahal for the weekend dinner buffet. It was my husband's first time. The food is always very good, great selections and options for all types of eaters - adventurous or not. Kid friendly. They quickly clean up your used plates and are kind but the service is extremely basic. I had to get up and ask the attendant for drinks. The other reason I'm giving 3 stars is because the restaurant is dingy and they lazily refill items or don't refill them at all in the buffet. read more

First time here, the food is ok, not many choices but taste good. However, they should update the time of buffet on Yelp and Google. The time for buffet is different than the open time of the restaurant. I have attached the time of buffet for you guys references. I came at 7:30 pm, and realized that the buffet is closed at 8:00 pm. I asked the front desk to confirm the closing time for buffet, but he did not give me a straight answer, but said "you still have time" instead. I thought they close the buffet at 10:00 pm like on Yelp or Google as normal business. The food was cold, and not being refilled- since they are about to close. I think the food will be better if they are heated. I still have a tip, but not a good experience thought. May try it again. read more

Taj Mahal - Buffet time - Indian Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Seems like I only get here once a year and on a Sunday. Looks like they did some work inside. Decent selection of items as always. Something's seemed to have changed. I don't know how to explain it, but there was a different vibe to the place. read more

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Take out was good! Recommend the Paneer tikka masala and naan - garlic and butter were both good.

Excellent food, as someone who has not had many different types of Indian food this was perfect. All you can eat buffet for a great deal. Would come here again and again, the older man in the back seems a little sad but his work is excellent. Don't walk, run to this place, don't judge it from the outside as it looks a little suspect. Very clean inside. Bread was nice and warm, the taki masala was still my favorite, not too bad as far as spice level too, as a fellow white person it felt like the perfect amount of spice. So good I didn't want to be full. read more

food was amazing, I came in opening night and they must be doing something there was. If you go definitely get the garlic naan it was my favorite read more

I honestly don't really know much about Indian food so I went with the most basic and suggested item which is butter chicken. Tasted great. Tender and packed full of flavor. Tried some samosas as well. Very tasty, but only giving 2 per order seems like a bit of a rip off. Garlic Naan... amazing. Overall, I'm glad I tried this place. Won't be the last time I order from here. Very good! read more

If you go up McKnight you've driven past this spot without realizing. Just like I have for years. This is your sign to stop and go in now. Especially during their lunch buffet which I will be returning for after eating here It's a nice sit down inside and our waiter was super friendly and funny. But ball buster. Practically everything on the menu is made glute free as well (I assume someone in the family has Celiacs) The lamb keema I got as an appetizer and it was so flavorful. No super greasy from being fried, very flakey and packed with filling The mango curry was spot on. Creamy, flavorful and right amount of spice. Garlic naan. It's naan. It's amazing and always should be. Only complaint was he forgot to bring it out but it was ready in minutes The desert I got is called Rasmalai and it's pretty much a soup dessert. There's two cheese dumplings in a milk syrup read more

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Service is always friendly. We went for the all-day buffet and found much of it over spicy for an American pallet. The chicken was dry and over cooked, though the three of us that went found the food good, but not great. read more

Omg this was so good. absolute fire. I've been coming here for over 10 years and it's just better every time. read more

Taj Mahal - Paneer tikka masala Garlic Naan Garlic Naan - Indian Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Recently visited for the Thursday all-day buffet and had such a pleasant experience. We told the staff member at the front of house that we were there for the buffet, and he showed us to a table and immediately brought us water and pointed us to the buffet itself. The space has been freshly painted/modernized since I'd last visited, and it looks really nice inside! The buffet was well-stocked with varied dishes, both hot and cold, as well as chutney and other accompaniments. Everything tasted fresh and flavorful, and the service was friendly! We ordered mango lassis during our meal and those were also extremely good. You have the option of not dining with the buffet on a Thursday, as we saw a few tables that were opting to order from the menu, but I personally love the ability to sample all sorts of great stews and curries rather than ordering just one. I believe it was $18 pp for the buffet, which feels like an excellent deal for an AYCE meal. The buffet is offered every day for lunch (to my knowledge), as well as all-day on Saturday and Sunday in addition to Thursday. read more

Taj Mahal - Buffet dinner - Indian Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Ordered and had a third party deliver it. An entree was missing so I called the restaurant (I was hoping they realized the mistake and I could just come get it). Instead they blamed the delivery driver. However the delivery driver didn't pack the bag and staple it shut. The delivery driver didn't burn the naan or pack greasy papadam. The food was disappointing at best and it had nothing to do with the delivery driver. read more

The buffet is 5 stars. Made to order meals? Not so much to downright scary. Read on... As someone who grew up with Indian cuisine--both Northern and Southern, yes they're different but equally delicious--I have a deep appreciation for the nuances of regional dishes. And I have eaten at this restaurant several times in the past, particularly enjoying the buffet which has consistently been flavorful, fresh, and well-curated. However, during my most recent visit, I order mutter panner (cheese and peas, essentially) and it came out so startlingly different that it left me unsettled and not just in taste, but in a very real and personal way. At the time, it wasn't the buffet but mto meals. Anyway, to my alarm, the dish was heavily overwhelmed with neem leaves, not curry leaves. (Yes, I can easily tell the difference.) Here's the thing, neem leaves, in large quantities, are traditionally to be avoided during pregnancy, as they can pose serious risks. And, I was early but very visibly pregnant The amount of leaves in the dish was so overwhelming that I couldn't eat it. Perhaps, in hindsight, that was a blessing. Regardless, the amount was excessive, almost as if it had been misprepared or tampered with to make the dish uneatable or...something worse. What concerns me most is that I had ordered this same dish previously (not pregnant) and it was prepared correctly and beautifully. This time, it was unrecognizable. Whether it was a careless oversight or something more deliberate, I can't say. But when I walked in, the hostess stared at my visibly pregnant belly--not with curiosity or kindness, but in a manner that felt... unusually prolonged, intrusive and made me deeply uncomfortable. It was enough for both me and my SigO to notice and remark on it afterward. It may have been nothing, or it may have been something but in combination with the dish I was served, it left us disturbed. After that experience, we never went back. Which sucks because it's otherwise a fantastic restaurant. The restaurant itself has always had a warm and inviting setting. Maybe stick to the buffet? The service from the waitstaff has always been one of this restaurant's strongest points. The servers are attentive, fast, and courteous, the drinks are refilled promptly, and empty plates are cleared efficiently without interruption. On this visit, that level of professionalism and care remained consistent and appreciated. However, the interaction with the hostess stood out in stark contrast. It's hard to articulate exactly why her actions it felt so wrong, but it did. That said, I want to be clear that her behavior does not reflect the rest of the team, who have always been wonderful. Still, that single interaction left such a strong impression that it changed how safe and welcome I felt in the space. It may have even been unintentional on her part, but combined with the food issue, it was enough to keep us from returning, sadly. This isn't just any food to me...this is home. I grew up eating these same foods! That's why I've returned in the past, and why this experience hurt as much as it did. The buffet remains exceptional, and I hope others continue to enjoy what the restaurant does well. But for us, that visit was our last. We left not just disappointed, but fearful because... well, what was that?! read more

This place has the best Indian buffet in the city. Always plentiful, fresh, and lots of different options. I have been coming here for over a decade and never had a bad experience. read more

Take a ride to Flavortown.... Yes using G.F's reference is a bit cheesy, but the food at Taj Mahal is anything but. I stopped in for the lunch buffet and as soon as I walked in all my senses were tingling, and in the good way. There were 3 seperate food areas with a ton of delicious looking items. I did not know what 90% of the dishes were, but everything looked so good and the aroma was so intoxicating that I sampled every single thing they had on the line. By the time I was finished I felt like a local stepping off the train in Mumbai. All the food was absolutely delicious and each dish prepared so beautifully. The service was top notch, I never needed for anything and my server also made some excellent suggestions, as to my eating experience I would definitely go back for the buffet. Prices were good for what you got and who knew I loved goat curry, Aloha read more

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Best Indian food in the Burgh! We've been happy patrons for many years...saag paneer, tikka masala and naan are always delicious!

The buffet is open! Currently per their website, the buffet is available at the following times: Lunch Buffet : Sun to Mon from 11 AM to 3 PM All day Buffet: Sat, Sun, & Mon. Taj Mahal has been recommended to me from many different friends. I took advantage that I was off on a Monday to attend their lunch buffet. We have attended many Indian buffets across many states and cities and in comparison, Taj Mahal provided buffet perfection. Our favorite buffet item that we kept going back for was the vegetable navratan shahi korma: nine mixed vegetables with cashew and almond sauce. Also, other favorites of mine include the channa masala and palak paneer. Even the garden salad and desserts were flavorful and no detail was spared. I will absolutely return for brunch again, and you should too! read more

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Oh no...something has changed at the Taj Mahal. I haven't been in since my last review, and took my parents to lunch on a Friday while in town for personal business. I have never seen this place not fully packed with customers, but we were one of only three occupied tables this time around. I noticed some fresh paint and decor changes, but what really caught our attention was the fact the the buffet was only half its former size - lots of empty spots. The food that was there was good for sure, but the choices were more limited. I'm not sure if this was a response to the light crowd, or if the light crowd was because the buffet had shrunk, but either way things are going in a worrisome direction. I also noticed that the nice old man who used run the place was not there, and all the employees were young. Maybe they sold the business, maybe they passed it down to their kids... Anyway, I was a little sad to see the changes. read more

Exemplary. Fitting for World Leaders as well as Joe Everyman; and fun for the whole family! Great food, great variety. Go for the buffet. Enjoy it. Come back and bring your friends. Everyone loves it. Sometimes they make something out of left field that is good for a change up. Worth every penny. Buy by the pound for take-out if you want. From chaat to kheer this place has endured as one of my favorite indian restaurants in Pittsburgh, possibly anywhere. It's just a reliable stable place, when others come and go, wax and wane, they have been here, through the thick and thin, and they are still doing it day in and day out. I remember when they had a 20 foot hole in their parking lot because of some crazy sinkhole or something. I'm pissed the 5-11 store next door covered up their sign. Don't worry about the rough edges in the decor, the food speaks for itself. I've been coming here for over a decade and hands down its always been a great experience. I don't think they've ever "got me" with their buffet, other than got me satisfied. read more

Taj Mahal is probably the best Indian food in Pittsburgh at this time. From a wealth of good Indian restaurants over the past 30 years, they are diminishing in number and quality. So Taj is left: If I were an owner of that establishment, I would head out to the parking lot and take a look from that perspective of the front entrance. Today, there were bags of salt piled in a corner, a soggy mass of cloth or bedding in a pile nearby, and an unexplained table with rusty seat next. These should be cleaned up. read more

Great consistent implementation of Punjabi northern Indian. Point off because natural Palak isn't *that* green

Didn't make it in time for the buffet, but had delicious garlic naan and chicken tikka masala. Our server was delightful and prompt. Hidden gem. read more

Buffet was absolutely killer. A bit on the pricey side so make sure to go when super hungry to get your moneys worth. read more

Taj Mahal - Buffet - Indian Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

My favorite Indian food in the city ran by very polite and generous folks. They were super quick to help out the community during the peak of the pandemic while they were limited to just takeout. But in terms of the food, their chili chicken is the star...always snag a massive plate of it with the spinach before hitting the other go to items (goat curry, tandoori chicken, and lamb meatballs when in the rotation). Today they even had lollipop wings which were amazing. I'll continue to get brunch here at least once a month. read more

Taj Mahal - Lollipop chicken wings - Indian Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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My favorite for the past 28 years. None better. Order off menu or buffet and it's fabulous.

The best Indian restaurant that I've found. Anywhere. The Korma is delicious, as is the masala, as is anything else I've tried there. Must stop by if you're near Pittsburgh read more

Chicken tikka masala was not what I was expecting. Did not have the typical chicken tikka flavors. It was not bad, just not what I was expecting. read more

Do NOT make the mistake of trying to order from the menu on days when they have a buffet. We sat for half hour (32 minutes) and could only manage to get water. Despite appealing to the staff. This used to be the best or one of the best Indian restaurants in Pittsburgh. Not going back. read more

By far the best food I've had in months. Amazing dinner to cap off my already good day. Went here for my dad's birthday, did not disappoint. Staff were great. The ambience was solid. Music playing, no screaming babies or whining toddlers. AMAZING place. Would come again read more

COVID update: I haven't ate here since before the pandemic. After a jam packed day of holiday shopping, I decided to stop by for the buffet. To my dismay, I was told there wouldn't be a buffet. I'm not sure if they discontinued it for just weekdays or everyday due to the current circumstance. I was considering leaving but decided to stay and ordered the non vegetarian buffet and I have to say.. I was very impressed! Dare I say, it might've been better than the buffet! I forget what I ordered however, it's in the back of the menu and is labeled dine in only. When I was served my food, I felt like a queen! The presentation was amazing and all the food was so delicious. The platter typically comes with normal rice and naan but I asked for the tamarind rice and the onion naan and the server kindly accommodated. Everything was amazing! The meat was so tender and delicious. I was super impressed that I was served a whole chicken leg too. Everything was flavorful and enjoyable to eat. I was also pleased that I was served a piece of gulab jamun for dessert. The restaurant is very sanitary too. I watched the staff people wipe down surfaces regularly. I felt safe during my time in the restaurant. I will definitely come back again soon! I highly recommend this place to anyone thats in the area who is craving high quality, flavorful Indian food. read more

Taj Mahal - Indian Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Let me say this first time ever and I choose the busy time Saturday's are crazy but it was worth it and the wait ive.been.to a few thia places but it's always a surprise on what to order buy here I got to sample a bit of everything and it was good and the you lady that made sure water kept coming thanks. Small buy nice the bathroom is very chic loved it and it was clean I was a guest so I not sure how costly it was but it was good and worth the drive until next time read more

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The food here is so amazing. We always have leftovers and their curry and palak paneer are the best at in town!

I don't know what to say other than this place is just OK. There's nothing that stands out as being a "must have". It's reliably decent but you're never going to walk out feeling like your life was changed. We've been a few times and have ordered many of the usual Indian cuisine mainstays... the butter chicken is decent, but probably a bit too sweet for my taste. The biryani is underhwelming. Something about the spice profile just doesn't work for me. The curries and lamb dishes do get a little bit better, but again, nothing that jumped out for me. I realize this is a very non-descript review, but that's kind of how I feel about dining here. That said, if you're craving Indian food in a pinch, you also won't leave feel short changed. It will definitely fill the gap, but I just think there are better options elsewhere. read more

Since I wrote my last review, I have eaten at Taj Mahal's buffet twice recently, once for weekday lunch, and once for weekend dinner on a Sunday night, and I have slightly changed my opinion from 5 stars to 4. While the variety and taste of the food is still very good, I have to knock a star off for the warmth of the food on the buffet. Some of the dishes were kept at a nice proper temp., but some of them were just barely warm. This could potentially be a health concern, but thankfully neither my spouse, not myself, had any ill effects, but it is definitely something that needed to be mentioned and I hope the management looks into correcting it. The Sunday night service was not as good as the weekday, as our empty plates were not collected until the end of our meal, and water glasses were never refilled. Also, one last thing, compared to other Indian buffets around the city, this one does not include hot Chai for drinking. I love having a tasty Garam (Hot) Masala (Spiced) Chai (Tea) with my meals . . . but overall, I still think this is a good buffet, worth eating at if you are in the North Hills . . . Cheers! read more

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My wife and I came here for dinner on a Thursday evening. Upon arrival we were seated in the dining room. The setup inside was more for a buffet which was not open. There were a few people in the restaurant. It wasn't too crowded and throughout the evening there was a steady flow of people ordering takeout. My wife and I split garlic naan and I ordered the chicken chettinad based upon recommendation of something spicy. The naan was great, had a little oil/butter to it and some tiny pieces of garlic throughout the bread. The chicken had a good rich savory flavor. It was a decent portion size and paired well with basami rice soaking up the sauces. I took half of it home for lunch the next day. In wish the dish was a tad bit spicier but overall very good. In general a good experience here. Food is solid and price is reasonable. They offer a great selection on their menu and the meal was on par with some of the better Indian cuisines I've had. read more

Taj Mahal - Chicken Chettinad - Indian Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania