Punjab

Went there for lunch with a friend. We split an appetizer and a meal. The food was good and the wait staff wasn’t over the top. They let us eat our meal without constant interruptions of asking how everything was. Nice place for lunch. Food was very good.

After reading so many good reviews, we decided to go to Punjab one day for dinner. Though the ambience is very nice, food was not upto the mark. All of our dishes had less salt and there was no flavor at all.
I will never go back.

Mediocre food. I’ve had better at a buffet… you know, where it’s ‘all you can eat’
The Tandoori Chicken was served in a large bed of onions and lettuce. Cheap.
The fish was dried fish (perhaps that is common) We ordered three dishes and only two came. When we discussed with the waiter he said you only ordered two things. Untrue. Nevertheless, we felt blessed to get less, pay less. This is an Indian Restaurant with one person from India: the owner, you will see the very _​_​_​_​_​_​_​person by the front door. Everyone else is from Nepal (according to the employees we spoke to) We will NOT visit again. Not disgusting. Just not worth the money. It could be fixed but likely will not be. Nice ambiance. Note the address. There is a place across the street with a similar name. I have NOT ever eaten there.

This was my second time visiting Punjab. The first time me and my boyfriend came, we were nearly forgotten by our waiter and waited nearly 45 min for our order to get taken let alone get our order in which then had to be prepared. But the wait was forgotten when we dove into the wonderful tastes of India. The Lamb vindaloo was delicious and cooked to perfection, and when we request super spicy, Punjab delivers. I also had the chicken tiki Masala, which is creamy and just absolutely lovely.
The garlic naan is fresh, warm and delicious. I highly reccomend the samosas for starters, both veggie and beef we’re just lovely topped with spicy fresh chutney.
Id like to point out the second time I visited, we had seven people in our party and the service was quick and excellent.

I feel like a monster for saying this because since I moved to Arlington a year ago I have loved this place, but the quality is really sinking. I don’t know if they have new chefs or new management but it seems to get worse every time I go.
Even when I request items to be mild, they come out very spicy. The quality of the food has gone down significantly in the past year and I hope they figure out how to fix it — I want to like you!

Punjab came very highly recommended and I am glad we came here and we will return. The ambiance was nice and I liked how they broke the room into different sections with the beaded curtain. The bathroom was clean and well maintained. Now the food, my husband ordered the dosa. This was our first experience with this dish and it was wonderful. He is still talking about it and we are attempting to find it in our area. The samosa and coconut soup were great appetizers. They serve a homemade relish that is hot and spicy but adds flavor to your dish not just heat. The reason I am not giving it 4 stars is that the specialty of the house Chicken Curry with bones in it was not up to my expectations. I ordered the dish knowing that there would be bones in it but I was not expecting to have to dig through each bite to pull out small, sharp pieces of bone. The flavor of the dish was very good but I could not enjoy it because I had to keep digging. We will return to Punjab and review it again and I have no doubt it will be 4 stars.

The location in Arlington Center and the décor and cozy but upscale vibe couldnt be better. There were 5 of us on a Sunday evening so we were seated in the bead-​curtained room inside the space. Really pretty, and quite attractive to small children for touching purposes. I admit, I couldnt resist touching it myself.
My friend and I are notoriously punctual and they waited quite a while before asking if we wanted drinks. Ummm YES. They are also not overly friendly. Nor overy attentive — at least the night we were there. But the food is really wonderful. Really. Everything we got was lovely and took way too long to get to us.
I was not terribly impressed with my coctails but I can be picky on those, The place itself (even the bathroom) the location and the food bring this to a 4, which would be a 5 if the service was quicker and more welcoming.

2 stars are for the ambience alone. But a restaurant is never about ambience, is it? I have had the best meals of my life on a roadside stall.
Since I myself cook a lot of Indian food at home I can say that there is something that these guys are not doing right. The vegetable dishes are more watery/​filled with tomato purée than they should be and their «naanwiches» aren’t as yummy as they sound. The chat was dull too which is more difficult to understand because how could one possibly go wrong with CHAT!

This place is awesome:)
Their chicken drumsticks were off the hook:)
Highly recommended to all who love spicy food :)

I will not recommend this restaurant to anyone. Earlier I had good views about this Restaurant but once even after telling them pure vegetarian food and it was written Paneer on the Server’s order book, we got Non-​Veg (Chicken) & we had it without knowing only to our dismay and the server was grinning, before I had to give it to all of them. In another instance I recommended Punjab to a friend thinking that Non-​Veg will be good but they got plastic paper in their food and had bad experience not once but twice.
A strict avoid restaurant… Running only because of limited good Indian restaurants in Boston area.

Gooood but overpriced Indian food. Typical for the area. Had the coconut and almond naan, lamb vindaloo, and mango chicken. I typically don’t like toasted coconut at all or nuts in my bread/​cupcakes/​chocolate/​etc. but this was really really good. The naan was perfectly soft and chewy and the coconut and almonds added a great flavor to it. It was especially good to eat with the lamb vindaloo, which was nice and spicy with big chunks of lamb. Yummy! The mango chicken was well flavored but nothing special. I liked the pieces of mango that came with it though. Entrees came with basmati rice and another serving of naan.
Overall it was tasty, just not worth the price. Guru and Zaika are still better and more affordable choices for Indian food. The décor was pretty sweet, the inner part with the beaded curtain was beautiful. Dimly lit for those who like that.

If I could give half stars, it would be 3.5. I’m feeling generous so 4.
It’s a fairly dimly lit restaurant although it has one side that has a window facing Mass Ave. No outdoor dining (which is okay). The far side from Mass Ave has the bathrooms which are kept very clean and there’s an enclosed area where you can watch the cooks tossing the naan dough and then put it into the oven. Décor is okay, some paintings, a bit minimal otherwise.
It’s a pretty sizable restaurant, maybe sitting 100 – 120 people; one large communal table in the middle-​front. Flavors are good but not great — a bit bland even at «medium». Most dishes are around $ 15 (2014 – 2015). Usually I alternate between Chicken Korma, Chicken Vindaloo, Chicken Saag (wala) and/​or Chicken Tikka Masala — all very good. Less often I’ve done the Tandori Chicken. Naans are pretty good here.
Service is average. I don’t think I’ve ever had a serious issue, sometimes had close to an empty glass of water for a minute or two. I’ve had one or two dates here, and it’s usually been pretty good.

I arrived at 22:30. So I get I was a later arrival.
Service is crappy
Pappadams were cold and no good. I asked if those were fresh and the answer was its made in the last hour.
You are paying for the dimly lit décor.
Next he left the burners on at my table waiting for the food to be brought in
This restaurant is nothing resembling Punjab or punjabis.

The staff is very friendly, the food is great, the price is right, and the ambiance is quaint.
Highly recommended!

By far my favorite Indian food. Been going to this place for years I even remember its original location that was much smaller. We used to live down the street and visited once a week. Everything on the menu is excellent curry’s and baranini’s are my favorite. Service is always friendly. Highly recommended!

Punjab — Arlington, MA — 7÷30÷2015
The décor is really different with a screened off room created from hanging beads in the middle of the restaurant. Neatly arranged tables thruout with linen table service. Paintings and Indian figurines of elephants add to the wonderful ambiance… Soft Indian music plays over head setting the mood for what will undoubtably be an amazing dining experience; «Las me Waade Nibhayenge Hum» by Chandra Kamal… (Thank you SoundHound)…
Lentil Soup. Just the right amount of savory seasonings and unlike most, the consistency of a split pea soup. A definite «must have again»…
Then comes the Garlic Naan bread… I could eat 12 of them they were so good!
The main dish was the Chicken Vindaloo. I ordered it medium hot– perfect! A side of Sag Paneer (Spinach and Cheese dish) along with Basmatti Rice. Of all the rices, and mind you I’ve had a few, Basmatti is definitely my favorite and this place made it absolutely perfect!
I love the condiments put out on the table as well; Tamarind Sauce and a Chutney of some sort…
And to finish off the meal… An order of Galub Jamin… Small dough balls about the size of «munchkins» (but definitely do NOT compare these to those) in a Honey Sauce… I ordered mine without the grated Coconut… Add in a with a coffee and life is good…
Friendly personable service matched with quality cuisine make this restaurant a must stop on the Gastronomic Trail! Highly recommended! I loved it and you will too!

Great ambience for a relaxing dinner. Good for a date or an evening out with close friends. Food is average. The chef has modified the real Indian taste to appeal seemingly international palate. Perhaps not ideal for an authentic indian food experience.

Delicious food. Agree with several reviewers the portions here are rather small compared to most Indian restaurants. The dishes on a fondu set-​up are nice.
Watching the live naan production is awesome!

The chicken tikka masala was probably the second best I have ever had with a lovely flavor and good amount of spice (though I will say that the request for «medium» came out more «mild»). The other dish we got – some vegetarian option – wasn’t quite as stellar but wasn’t bad. But, my friend said she wished we just had ordered a second chicken tikka masala. In other areas… although I asked the guy if he could put tons of garlic on our naan (and he said yes), he did not, so it tasted like plain naan. Standard… Most places don’t put enough garlic on their garlic naan – just enough for it to smell good, but never enough to really taste (but I love garlic).
Service was just fine, with our waters filled up frequently. The ambiance is nice, and parking is easy in the nearby municipal lot. However, the prices are too high given the portions you get, but it’s a suburb of Boston, so I wouldn’t expect much less.
Bottom line: Get the chicken tikka masala.

It’s not just taste that makes dinner memorable, it’s also the service. And this is precisely what still needs work at Punjab.
We’ve dined here several times, and each time the bf and I have taken notice of the inconsistent service. Sometimes we have a server who is attentive and fills our water glasses at appropriate intervals; sometimes we have a server who can barely understand what we’re asking. This inconsistency makes it difficult to return, especially when we enjoy the food so much.
Speaking of the food, the naan is always on point, whether you order the stuffed naan or the plain naan baskets. The heat level always turns out just right for me, especially with the traditional chicken tikka masala (spicy) and lamb vindaloo (medium). The Tandoori shrimp and saag paneer are good choices as well. Basmati rice comes with every order, which we always douse with the curries. I’ve certainly never left hungry, and occasionally we pack leftovers.
Some other positive perks of Punjab? Easy parking (meters all around Arlington Center) and decent pricing for the portions you get. I’d like to come back to see if service has improved in the near future.

Pro :
— nice service
— good shahi paneer curry korma and jeera Alu
— nice beer selection
— funny cocktails (tamarind and tequila)
— friends ordering meat seemed happy
— good naan
Cons :
— ordered a vegetarian meal and the meat version of my dish showed up
— vegetarian skewers tasted like cardboard