Tantric India Bistro

This is my favorite place in Boston. Sadly, they had to close this past weekend. I’m hoping they will be opening up a new location in the near future :(

For a Saturday evening it was not very crowded. The service was alright. They do not have wine. Or a liquor license. The food was good but nothing extraordinary. I get the feeling it is a business day lunch spot. Overall though the waiter was kind and attentive. It was clean. So if you’re in the area and want Indian it’s ok. Prices were reasonable.

Great service and just the right level of spiciness!

First I want to point out that the majority of the reviews I have same for this restaurant or from people who went to the lunch buffet. Never judge an Indian restaurant by their lunch buffet. Think about it, if you go to American buffet do you get good American food or cheap American food?
We found the food to be excellent. The non-​was cooked perfectly as was the basmati rice. In addition to the restaurant was clean and the service was awesome. I might price it higher than $$ but it was worth it.

Decent Food but TERRIBLE Service!
This was my first time here and I already know I will not be coming back.
My friend and I arrived at Tantric at a little before 8pm and were promptly seated. The restaurant was a little busy but not crazy by any means. A few minutes later our waiter came by to take our order. I can’t eat dairy so I asked him very specifically if the Chicken Jalfrezi had any milk or yogurt in it and he said «no it does not» so that’s what I ordered. My friend ordered the Mango Chicken and a mango lassi. We got an order of garlic naan and the Lamb Samosas appetizer.
After 20 minutes (8:25pm) they finally brought my friend his mango lassi. Immediately we should have realized that any place that takes 20 minutes to get you a drink is going be a bad experience. Unfortunately we didn’t realize just how bad it would be.
After another 10 minutes (8:35pm) I signal to our waiter so I could ask him if our appetizer was coming out but instead he tells us that they ran out of that appetizer and if we wanted something else. At this point I was a little annoyed so I asked him why he didn’t mention this to us sooner since we ordered it 30 minutes ago and all he did was shrug his shoulder and say «I don’t know». I then asked him if our meals were almost ready to which he replied «yes» so we decided not to order another appetizer.
Then after another 15 minutes or so (8:50pm) my friend and I had not received our meals so we asked the owner where our food was and after looking in a computer he said it will be ready in 10 more minutes. This is where the night got even worse though.
After the 10 minutes were up (9pm) our waiter comes over to our table but instead of bringing our meals he tells me that the Chicken Jalfrezi I ordered is made with yogurt. I proceeded to ask:
Me — Why did you say this didn’t have yogurt in it when it actually does?
Waiter — I thought it didn’t
Me — So you didn’t actually know then?
Waiter — No
Me — So why did you tell me it didn’t have yogurt?
Waiter — I don’t know.
He then recommended the curry chicken which I said fine just so he would leave our table.
At this point my friend and I were visibly upset since we have now been waiting for about an hour and have had no food even though 30 minutes after we ordered our waiter told us our meals were almost ready.
Finally, at around 9:15pm (almost 1hr 15min after we ordered) our food came and trust me it was not worth the wait.
So unless you want to terrible service, long waits, and decent food I would avoid going to Tantric.

Thoroughly enjoyed my meal here. Between a big group, we split the veggie appetizer platter and were happy with all parts. Most also were fans of the manchurian. For mains, we had a number of veggies inclulding malai kofta (not my favorite, but well received by others), the paneer makhani (so delicious and creamy), bindi (I never touch this), and cholle (always a solid choice). Breads were cooked to our request in terms of how well done they were which is always nice when a restaurant is flexible. Overall, a solid meal

I had a very unpleasant and disappointing experience at this restaurant about a week and a half ago. Since the restaurant is located conveniently close to my job, I stopped in for lunch.
I arrived just before noon and the place was empty except for two other customers who were already seated and eating. I told the young man who greeted me that I was alone for lunch and he asked if I minded sitting at the tall seats at the bar or near the bar. When I told him I would prefer a table, he said something in another language to another man working behind the bar, presumably telling him my request. That man pointed to the bar seats and looked at me with an annoyed expression and shrugged.
The young man who met me at the door now looked embarrassed. I asked if I was not going to be able to sit at a table and he said «sorry» and would not seat me.
I left to eat elsewhere but looked in the window on my way back and saw empty tables inside still. Unfortunate. I have been telling my co-​workers about the experience.

My friends and I stumbled across this restaurant walking the streets of Boston searching for a nice meal. We all missed Indian food from when we had it overseas and we were glad we went here!
I ordered the Lamb Tikka Masala and the cheese naan and both were delicious! One of my friends ordered Butter Chicken curry and garlic naan and my other friend ordered the Aloo Gobi Masallam and plain naan. Both of them had nothing but great things to say about their meals. The service was great as well! We all ended up taking the rest of our unfinished meals home and they even included a new container of rice in our take out bags.
Even though this was only one visit, I had a positive experience.

Although it was a little bit expensive but the food was really good. The sauce was amazing and with a a lot of spices, the spicy level was just perfect (unlike some places where a medium is way too spicy). The portion was also very generous. We were both starving but ended up wrapping half of the food. Overall recommended!

I’ve been here several times and it’s really my main place for Indian food.
Service is wonderful – they are very patient with questions on their dishes. I once brought a friend here who was on a restricted diet so she asked for recommendations on what she could eat. The server took his time to answer and even explained how it’s eaten in India. Other times, I’ve asked about how spicy the dishes are and they never get annoyed with answering and making recommendations.
Food wise, I’ve tried a few from the Chicken section of the menu. Chicken Vindaloo is a must. Tikka Masala is also recommended. A friend who also frequents here recommended the Butter Chicken. Tandoori chicken is amazing as well.
Don’t leave without trying the naan. I usually order the plain and the rosemary one. Just recently I tried the Lakhnawi Naan, which is a sweet naan, and it was absolutely delectable. I loved dipping it into my Chicken Vindaloo!

I came here with my coworker to try their lunch buffet. The restaurant interior looks pretty colorful and modern. We were the first ones in the restaurant which should mean we get the food at its freshest.
The buffet overall was decent — flavors and sauces were really well balanced. However the vegetarian dishes were far better than the meaty dishes, so I would rate overall 2 stars for meats and maybe 4 stars for non-​meat dishes.
Chicken Tikka Marsala had wonderful sauce on the outside but chicken was overcooked to the point of being dry. Same with the Tandoori chicken, which were exclusively large drumsticks, though less dry but still no hint of juiciness. Goat curry was mixed — some pieces had tenderness and others overcooked.
The real stars are the non-​meat dishes. Tomato-​Coconut soup was very good; tangy and sweet. They offered both lemon rice and basmati rice which was great. Fried Potato dumplings were light and crispy with lots of dipping sauces. Superb Aloo Gobi and Paneer (cheesy dish similar to firm tofu with more calories). For dessert, they offered rice pudding with ground walnuts which was pretty good.

The food was quite good.
Chicken butter masala was awesome and biryani as well.
The only thing that needs improvement was the waiting system.
You need to take down names and maintain an order.

My friend and I had never had Indian cuisine yet. So we decided to try Tantric for lunch today. We didn’t know what to expect except a few dishes. But overall satisfied.
We tried chicken tandoori, chicken tikka masala, lamb curry, mixed lentils, basmati rice (with peas and plain), saag paneer (spinach with cheese), fried eggplant, naan, and best of all was the tomato and coconut soup. We both had two heaping servings of this. It was UNBELIEABLE. Everything was a okay but the soup. The soup nailed it.
Indian cuisine is nice but I would search if given other choices around me. But would try again though.

Service — 0 stars
Food — 3 stars
I’ve never not tipped before but I felt that if you are going to spend your time fighting me then you probably don’t deserve any.
So we can for the lunch buffet. We had a
gc. I read the fine print– doesn’t say you have to order off a specific menu or anything or even that it doesn’t work on the buffet. So we get the check and we’re trying to show her that it doesn’t say this— she isn’t having any of it. Apparently it’s okay for her to not take it because she happen to tell someone else just now that it doesn’t work– so that’s her excuse. How is it a restaurant policy if it isn’t stated ANYWHERE? Maybe you guys should put it in the fine print instead of scamming people into coming and then not taking it.
I was going to come back– but not anymore. DO NOT ARGUE WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS– you definitely show that you don’t care and you pretty much look like an idiot. Who pays you? US.

Went for Saturday lunch buffet and about $ 13 got us unlimited naan, chicken tikka masala, 2 kinds of rice, tandoori chicken, a lentil curry, and a paneer curry. All the options were above average I would say and the staff were polite and kept the buffet from running out of anything.
Definitely would recommend if you’re in the area and want to eat your body weight in delicious indian food without committing to one specific dish.

I went here the other day for dinner by myself.
The service was generally pretty good, quick to seat me, quick to refill water and take my order — that last one is huge, not a lot of places quickly identify whether a customer is ready to order, they add!
I started with the Veggie Samosa, it was tasty, nice potato and cumin flavor with the standard sweet and spicy dipping sauces. Nothing about it was amazing, but it did make me want to come back and try their Keema Samosa. That said, it was a standard look and nothing sexy (see pictures).
I then had the Garlic Naan. It was just decent, the Naan could have been chewier and softer/​thicker. The garlic was definitely there, but I could barely taste it.
Regarding the entrée, I opted for the Chicken Tikka Masala and my server asked me how hot, I said «Indian Hot» and he replied «Are you sure, it’s very spicy» and so I retorted «Yes, make is REAL INDIAN spicy, not the American hot level.»
Before I get to the description of the Tikka Masala, let me say that the dish came with rice, it should have been noted in the Menu that the dish comes with it, otherwise had I also ordered a Basmati rice I would have had a massive
amount of rice! Sticking with the rice, it was under-​seasoned, I think they didn’t season it with rice when they were cooking. That said it was light and fluffy.
Now for the Chicken Tikka Masala. I liked it, quite a bit, even though it wasn’t really spicy. It was very flavorful, had good color and taste and just a tad creamy which made dipping the Naan into it very wonderful. I would give the entrée a 4.
However, considering the rice and the Naan, I have to give this place a 3, though a 3.5 is more accurate.

Food —
butter chicken — the gravy was great.. Although the chicken was a little bland
Lamb kebabs — little dry but flavorful esp with the chutney
Naan — decent
Paratha — eh. didn’t really eat it
Order/​delivery–
Can’t order over the phone. Delivery took over an hour, but they were friendly enough.
Overall good. I’ll order again.

I have been here multiple times with a group of coworkers for the lunch buffet and I’ve been here once for dinner for 2.
The lunch buffet is an excellent deal, if you work in the area and like Indian food you should absolutely come here. They have a lot of options, especially for a vegetarian like me! The food is not too spicy. My favorite thing to get is the soup– it is very sweet and delicious. I’m not a fan of the samosa, naan and paneer pakoras served here. Overall the food is pretty good and I will likely return!

It was a busy Friday evening. I had been in a conference all day and was ready for dinner. The theater district was buzzing, and the first three establishments we went to had long waits. I found Tantric on Open Table, made a reservation, and we were in.
The menu is classic Indian cuisine. We enjoyed Lamb Vindaloo, Chicken Tikka Masala, Raita, Garlic Naan, Paratha, and Indian pickles. Our server was attentive and sweet.
The flavors were delightful and the dishes were spicy as we ordered them.
As an Indian food lover for decades, I can fully endorse this place.

Average but tasty Indian lunch buffet. If you come at lunchtime, definitely get the buffet and NOT the ridiculously overpriced a la carte items.
Nice staff, and prime location across from the W hotel. Seems to be very popular with big groups.