Siraj Cafe

They are right down the street from me but no one is ever in there. Ate there once with my stepdad. The food was passable, not very flavorful or interesting. I’ve always worried that it can’t be fresh with so few customers.
They have been closed for a few weeks — apparently they got a liquor license and are remodeling.
I really hope the best for them — they should be able to well — Orinico across the street is always mobbed.
Advice to them: Few menu items, make them more flavorful, make them less traditional, reach out to your neighbors, offer a groupon or other creative marketing to get people in the door.

Love this place! Really good food and very friendly owners who deserve a liquor license so I would go here more often (byob on the horizon? Does puritan boston allow byob’s?).

Some of the reviews here are pretty rough, but my brother and I checked out this place in Nov 2010 and were glad we did! Robby, the cook, was really friendly, bringing us water and a free plate of vegetable samosas while we waited for our to-​go dinner order.
Robby was so nice, we decided to have our meal there. We got the lamb saag and the palak paneer. Palak paneer is my go-​to Indian dish, and I use it to compare restaurants. Most palak paneer dishes are rich, with a thick texture and cubes of paneer (cheese). Robby’s palak paneer was freshly made and had a soup-​like consistency and «crumbles» of paneer. The taste was unique and delicious, and while I prefer a thicker consistency that can be picked up with naan, the thinner consistency was worth it because the meal was lighter and didn’t leave me feeling like I had just ingested a lot of cream/​butter/​oil (which I often find at other Indian restaurants).
The mix of greek and indian food is a bit confusing, and for marketing, it seems like it would be in their best interest to fuse the two cuisines or just focus on specializing in one, but from a practical perspective, the food is good and fresh, period.

She said, «It’s Indian/​Greek/​sandwiches.»
I said, «Wha?»
We were both right. The menu of this six table corner eatery reads like a culinary drop box for Carmen Sandiego: vegetable samosas, southwestern chicken corn chowder, greek lamb gyros, tandoori chicken sandwiches, avgolemeno, Phillies cheese steaks (sic) and more curiosities from home and abroad.
It’s reminiscent of a million-​item delivery joint, sans pizza and with a peculiar focus on Indian and Greek entrees. They’ve planted their own fence and sit happily upon the posts, much to the bewilderment of the dining audience.
Siraj was empty at 2:15p on a Tuesday, save a few gnats buzzing. After we sat, the sole employee took our drink order and kicked up some serious jams. I tried the Fusion Wrap — spicy lamb strips and vegetables in a wheat wrap, and a side of the aforementioned chicken corn chowder ($ 7 as a combo).
The chowder had a kick and disappeared quickly, while the sandwich offered little differentiation. Solid for the price, but in the end, as tempting as any other spin on a carnival gyro.
There are holes in the ceiling and their iced tea comes from a sputtering brewer straight out of steam punk animé. The service is pleasant (we were there on a business meeting and were left well alone) but the wild, grasping-​at-​straws menu almost seems gimmicky in a tough South End restaurant scene.

Great neighborhood lunch spot with an Indian flair, bright, pretty décor and one of the most friendly café proprietors in Boston. Siraj offers daily specials including great rice, various vegetable and meat dishes, incredible sandwiches names after neighborhood streets… Just really good food.
During the holidays, locals can order massive homemade pies such as apple, pecan and pumpkin which are just as good and fresh as any pie you’ll find in a local bakery. Free wi-​fi adds to the cozy accommodations of the café. Not to be missed if you’re ever hungry and in the South End.

…4 of us waited about 20 minutes for our food (takeout), and when the man behind the counter rung us up, we found that he had made one of us the wrong sandwich (he seemed very certain *we* had misremembered, and not him). Another 10 minutes, and we found that he had made ANOTHER wrong sandwich. He rushed back, re-​made the 4^th sandwich in about a minute, and finally rung us up. The food was terrible (as follows)
1. Mediterranean wrap — bland, tasted mainly of canned olives
2. chicken korma meal with salad — tasted of boiled chicken, served with a sauce made, presumably, of yogurt mixed with water. No salt, so seasoning, no dressing on the iceberg lettuce/​beefsteak tomato salad.
3. tandoori chicken wrap («taste of Bangladesh») — again, boiled tasteless chicken (this time with ketchup/​water mix as sauce), on huge loaf of bread. bizarre
4. lamb gyro — actually decent??? but served on wrap, not pita, which wasn’t great
Absolutely no exaggerations here. The food and service (and for the record I don’t mind bad service as long as the food is good) were abysmal.

This restaurant has a cute and friendly atmosphere. It’s not quite a full dine in restaurant, but it has nice décor and it was great for a date night. My girlfriend and I tried the stuffed bell pepper, mango lassi, the greek lasagna and an Indian chicken dish. Everything was really good, and the price was so reasonable, that I thought they had made a mistake. In case you are wondering Siraj is a mixture of Indian food and Greek, the result is surprisingly good. I will definitely be going back. I just wish I lived closer.

I came in looking for a comfortable and filling breakfast and left far more satisfied than I could have imagined! The greek omelette I ordered was thin with slightly crispy edges and the perfect amount of feta cheese. My boyfriend ordered the Siraj omelette and accurately said that it left a «bouquet of pepper» in your mouth. The dishes were perfectly seasoned with such simple flavors.
The bathroom does leave a bit to be desired but that is part of Siraj’s charm. Fresh, delicious food without the attitude of most South End establishments — and that includes a sub-​par restroom. As for me — it didnt didnt ruin my dining experience.

I’m completely intrigued by Siraj. At first it was just the Indian/​Greek combo that confused me. Now that I’ve had food there, I’m even more curious. I’ve called in breakfast orders a couple of times and then walked on over to pick them up. I was expecting breakfast with a twist, perhaps folded into a pita or balled up into a samosa-​like form. But instead it was your basic egg and cheese sandwich grilled to perfection. Wrapped up in tinfoil, the sandwich packages made me think I had just picked up breakfast from a greasy spoon diner. But then you see the chalk board outside with the day’s specials of spanikopita or chicken korma and the confusion sets in again. I’m not sure what the sweethearts at Siraj are going for, but whatever it is, its definitely keeping me coming back until I figure it out.

Siraj Café is a gem! Great sandwiches, quiet atmosphere, good service.

Don’t expect this place to fill the same niche as Orinoco and you have yourself a wonderful little café. They’ve recently undergone a massive makeover. It is as bright as the couple who runs it are cheerful. The unsung glory of the place is certainly how accommodating the owners are, I’ve never known anyone who cared more about my dinner than I did!
This morning we had big steaming cups of coffee, French-​style in huge café au lait bowls. My husband had the egg, bacon, and cheese sandwich and loved it. The only thing we regretted was leaving — I wish I could have finished my huge coffee at one of the big plate glass windows, enjoying the summer and their free wireless internet, listening to the jazz they had on, and looking out at the South End. We will return for a working brunch very soon, I give Siraj five stars because I couldn’t ask for a better café for that!

I don’t know why this place doesn’t have glowing reviews! For a fairly new business, situated right across from Orinoco (talk about brave! That place is amazing!), they’re pretty good!
As soon as the restaurant opened (like, literally, the doors had only been open for hours) I went in, having anticipated the cuisine, as the signs spoke of Greek-​Indian fusion. I imagined Tikka Masala sauce on gyros, or things of the like. I was surprised to find that it was less fusion, more two distinct and separate menus, but regardless, pressed on.
While it certainly wasn’t Yiaya’s pastitsio, theirs was still pretty good. I haven’t tried the Indian food yet, but I’ve seen a lot of people order it, and they looked satisfied. Siraj has become my morning standby before heading to work – their sandwiches are good, decently priced, and seem like they’re made of fresh ingredients. I highly recommend the Mediterranean wrap, if you’re into veggies. And if they have rice pudding, scoop it up before it sells out!

Sandwich was delicious (Siraj special). Soup was great (chicken and corn chowder). Orange juice was fresh.
But the bathroom was the filthiest toilet in South End. Unspeakably disgusting. Beware.

The restaurant began as a small dingy place and is slowly growing to become a better sandwich shop. i agree the bathroom is next to the deli but the door is closed and I have used the facilities a few times and they weren’t horrible (i haven’t used them in the sweltering summer though) I have tried many of their sandwiches and have been plenty surprised by sandwiches — they have been always good. On a few occasions the owner has told me they were out of a certain meat and substituted. Knowing a little about the restaurant buisness, early startups need to not order too much, so they don’t end up eating their overstock… so I’m not usually upset at substitutions. That being said, I have only tried the greek food a few times, and since my wife’s family is greek, the food is okay. The indian food was similiar to the greek, it was good but not going to blow you away. The columbus ave, hanover, roast beef, and turkey sandwiches so far have been really good. They are about $ 5 and they are big. I recommend Siraj for the good sandwiches and nice owners.

This place is downright awful. From the food to the Indian man making the sandwiches to the dirty bathroom, nothing made this a worthwhile place to return.
The same Indian man who owns/​makes the sandwiches for this place also works at the Boston Market on Harrison Street. He has been exceptionally rude to me in the past, not once but twice (e.g. One time, when he dropped a piece of bacon on the floor and I asked him not to use it on my sandwich because I saw he was going to, he got very defensive with me. Then he proceeded to put raw bacon in the microwave for 5 – 10 seconds and remove it uncooked to use on my sandwich. I had explained my disapproval for this action, but he was too busy watching the other patrons in the store, yelling at them for moving around merchandise and accusing them of stealing to take notice of my complaint. The man is completely insane!)
On top of him just being an annoyance, the food is nothing to write home about. The sandwiches are dry, and I asked for a chicken bbq sandwich and I definitely got turkey. They put it on this really dense bread that by no means of the artisan kind.
The facilities are dirty as well. The bathroom is poor and located behind the deli counter. I would definitely suggest not using it unless you are in dire need.