Taj Mahal
1220 State St SE, Salem, OR, 97301
Taj Mahal Menu
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Address :
1220 State St SE
Salem, OR, 97301 - Phone (503) 990-8679
- Website https://www.tajmahalsalem.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
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Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch, Dinner
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Quiet
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
Categories
India is the birth place of Chicken Tikka Masala and Curries. Indian foods are prepared with a blend of finely mixed spices quite popular across the region. The spices develop the rich taste in Indian food enough to boggle your mind. The ever-increasing fan base of Indian food around the New York city is steadily increasing because of the large number of Indians who traveled to the land of dreams. The Indians also brought their very own vibrant, colorful, and aromatic authentic dishes for the people in the West. While most of the Indian population is Vegetarian, Indian food is great for people who are looking for vegan or vegetarian food option. If you are a Meat lover, don't get disappointed yet. Indian food also boasts of some popular non-vegetarian dishes too. Few examples are the famous Butter Chicken, Mutton Biryani and Tandoori Chicken are enough to satisfy your taste buds.
Indian food has gained reputation all over the world especially in the United States. You can find many places serving the appetizing Indian food across all major cities in the US. India is a diverse country with different food culture originated from different parts of the country. While the Northern region boasts tandoori dishes and korma offering royal taste, the Western Ghats offers sea foods that is made in naturally sweet tender coconut milk. The South Indian food servers a quality of different dishes made from rice accompanied with spicy chutneys, curries and famous sambhar. Also, the Indian sweets are a delight to relish. If you ever want to have a burst of sugar syrup in mouth, don't forget to try few Bengali Sweets. Be it spicy, tangy, or sweet flavor, you can find everything in the Indian cuisine. Be assured that the melody of spices will surely bring delight to you.
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Justin K.
The predictably named Taj Mahal restaurant opened April 5 in the location formerly occupied by Two Doors Down. My partner and I were glad to see another local restaurant -- particularly one that offers dinner service -- so we visited on opening night. It appears that the family who runs this restaurant is still trying to work the kinks out of their business model, as the different sets of menus in the restaurant advertise different prices. (The green menus we got as we entered offered cheaper prices than the brown ones at the table -- at the end of the night, we paid the more expensive brown prices.) While the advertised prices differ, both sets of menus do advertise a dessert made with "sweat milk," which I hope was a typo. The food, though, was actually pretty excellent. My partner had the chicken tikka masala ($10.95), and I had Karahi lamb ($11.95). Both dishes were as good as any I've had stateside. Those prices seemed kind of high, only because the restaurant charges an extra 2.95 for rice and an extra 2.25 for naan. You really need some kind of starch with this kind of food, so the price of a dinner is really more like 13-16, which seems kind of steep, given the humble surroundings and what the Salem market will bear. I have not yet tried the lunch buffet -- but that seems like a much better bet. For 6-8 dollars (again, the price wasn't entirely clear) you get your fill of about 12-14 Indian dishes. And the decor of the place seems much more suited to an $8 lunch than a $15 dinner. The servers are still learning the restaurant game at this point, so service was a bit slow. And our server did not bring a check to the table, instead indicating that we should go to the cash register (where they knew what we had ordered.) This made for a slightly awkward transaction, but I suspect this problem will improve as they establish a system.
(3)Charan S.
I generally come at this place for eating food. The best thing is The food guests easily digested. I love this place. The service, food I quality and food prices are really great. The prices won't prey on your wallet. I go here every week now. I generally eat vegetarian food and palak paneer, malai kofta, Dal Makhani, paneer tikka masala and Tandoori roti is great. Absolutely LOVE this place.
(5)Sean G.
Was good like the onion bread. The Chx dish I got was good and the price was fair. Ask if you don't know if the dish comes with rice or bread some do some don't just so you know.
(4)Kristin M.
We stopped in here for a late dinner while passing through to Seattle. We were tired of driving and just wanted a good hot meal. However, the service was horrible. Not only did the servers stand two tables down staring at us but they never came to our table to refill our water or to check in with us. Which if they had they'd have found out that one of the meals had burnt rice. The entire bottom of the rice on the plate was black and crusted to the plate. No one was overly wowed by the food and considering the service that we received, we would never stop there again. We'll either keep driving or stop at another place. Not worth the price or the uncomfortable stares.
(1)Melody S.
Always fresh, clean, and good food. I order the chai tea... Always Yummi! I go in for lunch buffet :-)
(4)Mucha N.
One dish was way salty. One dish was way sweet. It was okay but not the best Indian.
(3)Pamela M.
Sad faces all around for Taj Mahal's lunch buffet. Indian food is my favorite. I have dined in many hole-in-the-walls and a handful of upscale Indian restaurants across the U.S. and unfortunately, the food at this restaurant is towards the bottom of my list. Minimal meat/options and mainly vegetarian options. Chewy, stale, flavorless nan. The only redeeming dish was the stand out tandoori chicken. Bottom line: Indian food induced coma was not a success.
(2)Matt B.
Good food. Don't be deceived by the lack of customers. Everything we had was fresh, hot and tasty!
(4)Kate D.
This is a great lunch buffet option, as is evident from the large groups (usually state workers.) The two sisters who work the front are wonderful. The options are always cheap and fresh, and their lamb vindaloo in particular is wonderful if you choose to order off the menu. Take a few co-workers and give this place a try to see if it's your new favorite lunch spot!
(4)Ethan C.
I wouldn't recommend this place. The meat used tasted old. The chicken used in the tikka masala was boiled, it should have been done in a Tandoori oven. Everything else including vegetable Samosas were sub-par. Avoid this place. Sadly Salem is lacking quality Indian food at the moment :(
(1)Andy H.
This time around I decided to go a different route in my food. It was okay. A little more spicy than it was last time. Some weird music.videos on the tv. Don't understand that but I guess its a culture thing. The soup wasn't really soup, it was more broth than anything need more chicken and veggies in the soup. Rice was cooked to perfection not too soggy and not dry. So overall the food was good. I still recommend that you get away from your American food for a meal and get some Indian at Taj Mahal.
(4)Jeffrey K.
Great food and service. The whole family enjoyed their lunch buffet.
(4)Greg H.
A group of us from work went for lunch, and they were very accommodating to our needs. The interior is not awe inspiring, but it is very pleasant - as were the servers. We ate the lunch buffet. Unfortunately, the Aloog Saag tasted burned, and the Dal had little or no flavor. The fresh vegetables appeared to have been sitting there for a couple of days. One of my coworkers tried the chicken curry, and she didn't care for it at all. We all agreed the naan was fresh and excellent. Maybe we hit them on a bad day. Maybe the ala carte menu, being prepared as it is ordered, is better. But, if this is the best they have to offer, I won't be back.
(1)D L.
On Snap son...this place effin' rocks! Last Friday night the little lady asked me to come up with a place to have a nice dinner. I felt like Indian but having not tried any of the Indian places in town, I immediately began scouting through Yelp and found the Taj Mahal...man, what a great little gem this turned out to be! We started with the Vegetable Samosa and Garlic Nan as appetizers. Both were excellent. I ordered the Chicken Masala and Rice which turned out to be pretty damn spectacular and I definitely recommend it to anybody trying the place out for the 1st time. I went medium spice which ended up being a little on the mild side for me so next time I'll be going spicy. The little lady had the Paneer Tikka Masala, of course I took a bite and it was to die for. Nothing like cheese balls in a great Masala sauce...mmmmmmm! For desert we shared Gulab Jamun which was a tiny serving but so rich is was just perfect to finish up the meal. The place itself is very clean and cozy, exactly what you would expect from a family ran restaurant. The waitresses were obviously all sisters, they were polite and charming but a little shy in a cute way. The service was quick and the food came out perfect. The best part was the price; two adults eating an excellent three course dinner, plus drinks for $30? SIGN ME THE FRICK UP! We will definitively be comin' back to the Taj Mahal for years to come.
(5)Dawn P.
Horrible. There were only 2 menu items that were available .... Chicken or a. Vegetable dish. My lunch mates had the chicken, but there were only 2 small pieces of chicken. When questioned, they were told that is how it comes and they just had to accept it. My vegetable dish wax frozen vegetables ... In an area if fresh vegetables to die for. None of us will return, which we stated when we questioned the quality. Avoid this place ....
(1)Rebecca A.
Walked in and there was no one around..anywhere. Should have taken this as a sign and walked down to Adams rib, but it smelled so good! Finally a girl showed up, I got seated and headed to the lunch buffet. I'll just highlight my impressions- 1. Very limited selection that never changes, hardly any meat dishes. 2. The tandoori chicken was dry as sawdust (and you're limited 2 per person- I thought this was an all you can eat buffet?!?) 3. The linens were dirty. All of them- the buffet curtain and the table cloths. 4. Last, and the ultimate deal breaker- found a hair in the rice. Grossed me out, so I left.
(1)Jyoti N.
This is NOT Indian food. By far the worst Indian food that I have ever had in the USA. I have eaten in Indian restaurants all over this country and never had anything even close to as bad as this food was. The buffet did not have much choice. The tandoori chicken drumsticks looked dried out and 2 days old. The kadahi chicken was tomato soup with a couple chicken bits in it. Everything was bland and tasteless. If you like this food, then you don't like Indian food because Indian food is anything but bland and tasteless. where's the onion, garlic, cumin flavors? Seriously, please shut down or change the ethnicity of your cooking to whatever country serves bland mushy stuff. You give Indian cooking a bad name
(1)Daniel A.
Lunch buffet review. The selection for the lunch buffet is very small. It wouldn't bother me so much if they had good quality food, but they don't. Many of the sauces were actually seasoned nice, but the papadam is just shards, the naan was undercooked and the Tandoori Chicken was incredibly dry. Also I swear the Tandoori Chicken was deep fried. Many of the items seemed like they were previously prepared, refrigerated,then served for lunch. They put out small quantities of food for the buffet (which means they run out quickly and you need to ask for more) so I would expect each thing to be made to order and fresh tasting. What a shame. This place used to be really good the first year they were open. I won't be back. The only reason the got a second star was for the nicely seasoned mushroom chicken.
(2)Becky D.
Went here for dinner tonight and if I could give it negative stars I surely would. for $12 I got a little dish of rice and a little dish of chicken tikka masala, an empty plate and a glass of water. They don't serve Thali style at all so you get zero variety unless you pay for an appetizer or side. You have to pay for nan for goodness' sake. Not to mention the best thing about the meal was that glass of cool water. I have made chicken tikka masala at home many times and have eaten it at Indian Restaurants all over the place and this is by far the most lame attempt I have ever seen. I ended up eating a couple bites while swatting fruit flies away from my food, paying and going next door to Adam's Rib for BBQ. Not what I wanted but it was fantastic! Here's a tip: make this one a skip.
(1)Harrington p.
I hate to say this because the waitstaff was so pleasant. However, I suspect this was an attempt to overamericanize Indian food. Far too much sugar in the curries. I'll leave this review as short and as sweet as possible!
(1)Rachel P.
I stopped by today for lunch for the first time with a of couple friends. We were really excited when we stepped in to see that they had an all you can eat buffet but we were quickly disappointed. The atmosphere was awkward because there was no music and there were few other customers. Also, although the food was good, there were very few dishes to choose from and once we sat down we realized that it was all cold. We were told that the heaters weren't working today (not safe when there's meat). At one point one of us got more food but was told on the way back to the table that the tandoori chicken they grabbed had been made the day before and shouldn't be eaten! (Why is that even still out?!) Summary: Good food but not worth the Unsanitary & Unsafe conditions. I'm surprised I don't have food poisoning.
(2)Michael S.
The food here tasted really good. Service was decent. The cleanliness however, I found to be less than satisfactory, which is a huge deal to us. You can see the kitchen when you go back by the bathrooms. The dirty dishes were stacked, grills were dirty, kitchen floor was a mess. If I had not seen the kitchen, I'd have given 4 stars. I still liked this place better than India Palace though, but Star of India is the best!
(2)RJ J.
Had dinner here and i thought it was delicious. Ate the chicken makhani. Pretty quiet when we went, which made for hushed conversation. Staff were very friendly. I would eat here again.
(5)Jack I.
We tried this place last night on a whim for dinner. The food was quite tasty! We had an order of the Vegetable Simosas, Lamb Vindaloo, Chicken Tikka Masala, Channa Masala, and an order of the Garlic Nan. The food was piping hot, full of flavor and well prepared. The weakest dish of the bunch was the Chicken Tikka Masala. The Nan was delicious and the Lamb Vindaloo and Channa Masala were rich in flavor and very complimentary to one another. The Simosas tasted very fresh and home made and the rice that came with the dishes was well cooked. The waitstaff (young daughters of the owner?) were VERY attentive and offered excellent service and we felt very taken care of, almost as if we were eating dinner at somebodies home. The restaurant was very clean and was very comfortable on the cold evening. Overall it was a good experience and I will definitely be returning!
(4)Charles H.
Yesterday we were craving some Indian food so we gave this place a whirl. We went in for lunch and decided to go with the buffet. Big mistake. The restaurant was nearly empty and it was quite obvious the food had been sitting there for a while. The food lacked flavor and was dried out. The naan bread was good but it sort of had a raw dough taste in the middle. The lentil soup was not good either. It tasted watered down and again lacked flavor. I will give this place another try but will definitely order from the menu so I know it's fresh and will update my review afterwards. I think the buffet was our biggest mistake.
(2)zoe z.
Blah, came here for the lunch buffet. The food didn't stand out as being that special to me, and I wouldn't go out of my way to go here again. The girls working we're nice, but the food was mediocre.
(3)Thomas F.
I love their chicken curry which is always nice, flavorful and spicy. The women who work there are always friendly, and I am glad that it is just a short walk from my campus.
(4)Aaron W.
It'd been close to a year since my last visit (not reviewed), and I certainly wanted to get my money's worth on this all-you-can-eat Indian extravaganza. I was their first customer of the day, walking in just a bit after 11 a.m. on a Monday. No more than two steps inside, one of the employees greeted me with a heartwarming smile. I filled up on salad (OK, it's just iceberg lettuce and cucumbers, and some other veggies), cantaloupe, oranges, and grapes. I may have had a meal of titanic proportions, but at least I can say I kept it well-balanced! Admittedly, by the fifth dish, my spicy panda side erupted a bit more, and I started putting the sambal on the fruit. It still tasted good to me. I guess I have a tiny spice addiction.... Each day brings two vegetarian options, two meat options (well, it's probably chicken), and Tandoori chicken. You'll also have naan, a couple of soups, and dessert. I bypassed the naan this time, but tried their chicken soup. Well, it was labeled chicken soup, anyway. A much redder color than I imagined a chicken soup would have. It was good, but not totally heated yet. Guess I should have waited a little longer for that. Yup, I had both vegetarian options. First, a cooked cabbage dish with potatoes and tomatoes, seasoned with Indian spices. It simmered in what was probably vegetable stock. I honestly couldn't stop eating that entree. The veggies all broke down very well, and eating a bunch of it should fill you up. The other vegetarian dish, Dal Makhni was a lentil and kidney bean dish seasoned with various herbs. Quite delicious. Lentils and beans were perfectly cooked, having just enough bite so it's not all "WTF mushy." I didn't think I'd be eating lentils, but lo and behold, pandas eat them! Perhaps this dish could have been just a bit thicker. The chicken dishes were all delicious. The chicken saag was my favorite. If Popeye had Indian blood in him, he may have eaten this on a more consistent basis. Such a soothing array of Indian spices in this creamy brown sauce (which also houses spinach). Chicken Jalfrezi is really chicken and vegetables in a gravy-like orange sauce. It is more a tomato-based sauce; turmeric and cumin help create that orange color. I've also seen pictures and recipes that feature this dish with a dark red sauce. Again, very hearty and flavorful. They have really mastered cooking vegetables in all their entrees. Tandoori chicken = win. I don't think I need to say much more than that. OK, fine: vintage magenta-colored chicken exterior! The rice pudding was fairly standard, yet very good. Each grain of rice maintained its noticeable texture and identity, even among the sweet creamy sea. I still think it would have been nice to have a separate side cart of toppings to customize the dessert to one's own tastes a bit more. I stopped at nine plates. I wanted to stay longer, but I guess I need to better train my stomach capacity. Despite the lukewarm soup and the rather-plain rice pudding (as in I didn't see anything nearby to top it with), this is certainly one of the better buffets I've been to. At $7.95, hungry patrons should be able to get their money's worth here. Some of the entrees may change depending on the day you go. I wish they had more seafood or lamb dishes at lunch. Check this place out!
(4)Joel M.
As a buffet, this restaurant varies in the freshness of its food depending on the time of day. Show up at the right time, you get something fresh out of the oven. Show up any other time, you get something tepid that's been sitting for too long or the less than desirable orts left at bottom of the bucket. I prefer not to play the odds and to go somewhere consistent over time.
(2)Holly D.
The first time we came here they had only been open a few months. After a year it was great to see the place full when we walked in. We stuffed ourselves and took some home. Rice pudding dessert was excellent. Tandoori mixed grill great (the sausage was way too salty though). Rice, Aloo Ghobi both consistent...It is wonderful to see a new place to well and stay in business.
(4)haley b.
Oof this was some of the worst Indian I've ever had. The eggplant tasted like it had had liquid smoke added, and the chicken tikka masala also tasted very artificial and was ultra sweet. Maybe I went on a bad night, since a lot of people seem to have had good experiences, but it was a disgusting rip-off and I won't be back to give it another try.
(1)Aynur A.
We decided on trying this place out instead of going to the other place where a reviewer saw cockroaches at. ;) While the restaurant is very nice and we were greeted with smiles, the food is too greasy and the portions small. The dal soup was a bit salty, the chicken biryani was very sweet and the onion kulcha wasn't fresh (probably warmed up from earlier). The chicken curry had a small amount of chicken. The chai was very good though - as was the service. Very friendly girls working. I would actually give this 3.5 stars due to the service - and if we lived in the area I'd probably check out the buffet ... just not come for dinner.
(3)Summer R.
I love Taj Mahal. I've been there several times for the lunch buffet and I order takeout frequently. Their food is always consistent and reliable. You can choose your level of spiciness, which is great. I usually order spicy, and it's the perfect amount of heat...spicy enough to make you drink several glasses of water, but not so spicy that the taste of the food is masked. Other than the great food, the girls that work at Taj Mahal could not be nicer or more helpful.
(4)Carrie K.
Really friendly service and great food. We live in Oakland, California where we have lots of choices of Indian food; this definitely stacked up!
(4)K. J.
I've been here twice for dinner with my boyfriend--both times we were in food heaven. I am not an Indian expert, I just like Indian food. We've had: garlic naan (great, a side), mango lassi (delicious, tastes of fresh mango), chai (excellent, and only $1.25), chicken korma (so good--not too heavy or creamy), palak paneer (good paneer and overall sauce, not as spinachy as I expected), oh boy...and my boyfriend got a couple of lamb dishes I can't remember now. Sorry. The portions are slightly small for the price, but good quality. Dishes come with rice, and even the rice is good. Service from the young ladies on the wait staff (the daughters, I believe?) is almost overly attentive. The setting itself is fine--efforts have been made to make it look nice, but it's a little shabby in places. Their table decor is a little...odd. But the food is so tasty and it's so exciting to find good food in Salem that I wouldn't complain.
(4)Laura S.
I was browsing my options when I realized that I had not yet dined at Taj Mahal. Making my way through the rainy, crowded streets of downtown Salem I crossed the railroad tracks that told me I was about to hit my pin-mark. I started to look for parking, and noticed that the street spots were all lined with meters. This did not look good for me, as I had no change handy nor did I have an umbrella ready for the inevitable walk to avoid the meters. After circling twice, I just gave up and wound up parking in the extremely small back lot shared with a BBQ joint and (apparently) a herd of printing press vans. It was only a short 100 feet from my car to the front door though, so the soakage was nominal. I was seated right away by a nice young lady, stripped off my coat and ordered the hot Indian spiced tea. While I waited for my fingers and toes to thaw out (yes, I was wearing sandals) I read over the menu. I am a fan of Indian cuisine, and was familiar with most of the choices. When the waitress returned with my most welcomed tea, which was immediately grasped and clung to with both hands, I started my order. For an appetizer I ordered the Paneer Pakora (fried cheese), my main course would consist of the Lamb Boti Kabob (the standard dish to which I judge all Indian restaurants) and a side of Garlic Naan. While waiting for my appetizer, I was treated to a small serving of wafer like anise seed bread with two tasty dips. The green slightly spicy dip was my favorite of the two, the brown sweet dip just not my flavor. I did have to snag the extra napkins from the unused place setting next to me in order soak up the oil that covered the bread, but it was very good. My appetizer arrived a short time later, and I was eager to try it. It was my first time ordering this particular delicacy. I was not overly impressed, but neither was I truly disappointed. The oil the cheese was fried in was very flavorful, but the mild cheese got overpowered and lost somewhere between the oil or the batter itself. I am glad I ordered it, but would probably try the fried chicken next time. I was very satisfied with my Naan and Boti Kabab. The bread was perfectly drizzled with garlic and oil. It had just the right mix of crispiness where the bubbles formed and soft and chewy inside. The Kabab had much smaller bits of lamb than I was used to, but there were plenty and they came out sizzling on the hot cast iron plate. The onions and peppers actually continued to cook right there on the iron as I spooned my basmati rice (which was served in a separate dish) onto the dinner plate. The lamb was seasoned to perfection and was absolutely delicious with the vegetables and rice. The only thing I can say I did not see, though I did not ask either, was the usual array of sauces that accompany Tandoor orders. By the time I was done eating as much as my poor stomach could handle, there was no way I could order a dessert. I will be adding this to my short list of favorite dinner spots, so I'm sure at some point I will leave some room for a dessert or two.
(4)Lana G.
Taj Mahal, we are happy to report, now offers beer and wine.
(4)Leslie W.
The papadum was cold and kind of wilted. The rice was cold and hard (old?). The Tandori chicken was terribly salty. The Vindaloo and Tikka Massala were okay and I liked the raita and the mango chutney.
(3)