Rajbhog Cafe

UNDER-​RATED
My son and I ventured here knowing full well that it got more than its fair share of 1-​star reviews. I don’t know about y’all, but I had a very nice lunch buffet for $ 9, and only $ 6 for under 12 years old. I ate like the all-​you-​could-​eat terms were a personal challenge. But yet, I don’t hate myself afterward for stuffing myself silly with all that food.
I sampled everything at the buffet from starters to desserts and came away quite pleased. They must have new service people because the two guys scrambling around couldn’t have been more eager, happy, and prompt with filling of water, clearing of plates, and bringing new baskets of fluffy naan.
On the surface, Rajbhog is an Indian restaurant cliché. Bollywood music/​videos blaring on one wall. A menu chock full of greatest hits mainly from the north, but supplemented from other regions. Garish colors that seem straight out of your grandma Jhanvi’s doily-​covered sitting lounge. A strange Powerpoint presentation that cycles through cell-​phone pictures from what looks like a food fair. Cutlery so flimsy that even prisoners would have a hard time making them into dangerous weapons. A fridge full of unusual drinks. Yes, it all seems so familiar.
But it’s not all cliché. Rajbhog does a few things different than others. For one, they have their fair share of «Chindian» fare — some just using Chinese spices with a few straight Chinese dishes.
You know what? I like this place a lot. Rajbhog doesn’t do anything badly. At worst, things were merely okay. Then again, nothing was sublimely wonderful. But almost everything was a good, non-​offensive, standard fare of what their dish was supposed to be. They tasted like… well… what they were. A lunch-​time buffet with a few preparation short cuts and cost saving efforts to keep the price affordable. Affordable mid-​range Northern Indian fare always has a time and place in my book.
Things that stood out positively:
Very nice fluffy perfectly sour idly
Naan. Their naan was extra glutinously chewy and fluffy and the right type of sourdough yeast.
Mutton Biryani. Nice spices, well balanced.
Pakoras & bhajis. You look horribly oily, but how come I kept eating them?
Service. They were really fast and happy.
A few things to perhaps get next time
Gulab Jamun. Looked canned (too perfect, super-​saturated in syrup). Look, I really enjoy canned gulab jamun, but I’m just saying…
Papadums. Way too oily.
Chinese style green beans. Overcooked.

My partner and I started coming to Rajbhog because our favorite server Shyam moved from Betel (what used to be our favorite Indian restaurant in the Triangle) to this little café. We’ve been back twice now and have really enjoyed the food here. I’m quite confused as to why the reviews aren’t that good.
— Chicken 65 is amazing. Fried very crisp, but very moist and tender inside. Definitely our favorite appetizer.
— Chicken fried rice is very good. A simple dish of basmati rice fried with mild spices, carrots, lettuce, and chunks of golden fried chicken. Tastes very comforting to me and reminds me of something my grandma would whip up in her own kitchen.
— Lamb curry is good. Mild spices, but the meat is very lean, and doesn’t have a strong gamey lamb flavour, which to me is a huge plus.
— Aloo tikki chaat is decent, but could be improved. The potato patties are a bit large. They should be made smaller, and fried crisp. Also, there is too much gravy with the channa, making the chickpea prep a little drier would help greatly. The dish is also missing a topping of fresh diced tomatoes and onions. Finally, the tamarind sauce/​dressing drizzled on top is not necessary as it makes the dish slightly sweet.
— Wide selection of sweets. The ones we’ve tried are pretty good!
On the whole, many of the dishes served here are very tasty. We have not ever had any problems with service either. We will definitely be coming back here!

Over the months it has gone so bad in service. That it takes 10 minutes minimum to even get a menu card.

One of the worst food place I have ever been to.
Their pani puri is the worst.
It’s just a mint chutney in water.
However their papri chat is decent.
Servers take forever to take your order.

This little diner style Indian establishment does not deserve such poor reviews. The food is actually pretty darn good, with good size portions too and if you have the buffet there is not a better deal out there. Although they should refill the pots a bit more frequently. Some seem to expect quality and taste to be just like in India, which is not fair, but this is definitely good quality for what you can expect in a low price casual restaurant in NC. Location is good being close to food lion and Apna Bazaar. Service is not great, they don’t seem to want to put much effort, but it is what it is and for that price can’t complain… this might become my local go to place for a cheap and quick meal!

Absolute waste of money. Don’t eat there even if e other option is to go hungry. We went for a weekend buffet and for a whopping 15 $ per person they had no naan. Service was pathetic. Food was cold, selection was abysmal, overpriced. Overall, I would say doesn’t even deserve 1star. I m amazed they are still in business.

Went for lunch a couple of times and had a solid experience each time.
Aug 10, 2015: came to investigate for the first time (reconnaissance visit) and left with a takeaway box from the buffet ($ 7.50 per lb). Idli was tasty but slightly dry, sambhar was rich tasting and quite authentic! Chicken tiki masala was flavorful and creamy, and aloo gobi was really quite delicious.
Aug 13, 2015: lunch meeting with colleagues. Everyone had the buffet which was excellent. All choices tasted fresh and authentic. Standouts include the chicken tiki masala, aloo gobi, and sambhar/​idli. Roti was slightly dry, but naan was great! Gulab jamun was a fantastic way to finish the meal — melts in your mouth! Mango lassi was really tasty and the perfect complement to our meal. Four buffets and four lassi, came to $ 50.
Looks like some people had mixed experiences, but for the price this is probably the best value on Davis Drive. Take advantage of the loyalty program — buy 4 lunch buffets, get one free!

We went there with a friends family there yesterday and found that this place totally sucks !!!
They don’t care about customers and prices are excessively high.
My friend packed a buffet to go which they Billed Twice on the check when we pointed it out they were not even sorry for that.
We were 4 adults and 2 kids both around 3 years old and I was surprised that they charged 15% gratuity counting kids also as adults, we have been to many retailers before but this has never happened with 4 adults 2 toddlers no one charged gratuity, when I pointed this out to the guy on counter he bluntly showed me board saying party of 6 subject to gratuity.
Last we got 2 small mango fruity which is usually available for 25 cents each but here they charged 2 $ each.
These guys are robbers, will not go back.
Food quality is average and sweets are not fresh and overpriced.
If you want to eat chaat don’t try this place we ordered sev puri which is supposed to be prepared with curd on top but it was floating in buttermilk also the puris were hard and flat, they are supposed to be puffed and soft.
I would give No Stars if possible.
Person on counter was too rude too.

We had Chaats –Pani Puri, Dahi Puri, Khasta kachori chaat and SevPuri.
All the Chaats were average, except Khasta kachori was not as we expected. Falooda was not good too, the noodles used were frozen and hard. No fun.

You call that chat. Cold and bland. The bhaji for our order of Pav-​Bhaji tasted weird, as if it went spoilt a while ago. Had to leave the restaurant apologizing to my friends for bringing them to try this place. Waiters were legendary. Never coming back.

I have been many times and I always leave with a mixed experience. The service here needs a major overhaul. The servers are very lethargic and it only frustrates the hungry soul.
Their vegetarian thali is good and I always found it to be good for the price you pay. The non vegetarian thali had the same traits as the vegetarian one. However, apart from just being a restaurant, they also serve some sweet delicacies which are good in parts. Rasamalai which happens to be my favorite is done close to perfection.
Bottom line: Grab a snack and don’t expect much. But do grab a sweet. Step in with some patience. You will need it.

Won’t even give it one star! When you make chaat you are supposed to make it with curd not butter milk! Crappiest quality of food ever!

Do you even know what Sabudana wada is???
I went to Rajbhog for the first time and was overwhelmed with the numbers of item on the menu. My first thought was is it possible to have a cook who knows all of these dishes well? Soon enough my question was answered… No, it’s not possible. The so called «Sabudana wada» that was served was completely burnt from outside and all raw/​cold from inside. Plus the people who handle counter have no idea what to do when a customer complaints about food. The lady whom I complained just stood there and did nothing. After waiting for 15mins I walked to counter, then she calls her boss and he looks into it. Terrible Management, completely under trained staff and not even remotely close to authentic Indian food. Spare yourself and your tatste buds. Do not eat here. I wish I could give Negative stars!!!

I have been there about 2 – 3 times and after last time i went there i just had to write a review. I went there with my friend around 11:30 for lunch buffet on Sunday, we were the first one there and given the fact that they start their buffet at 11:30 i was hoping the food would be nice and hot but everything was cold as if it was taken out of the fridge and put it there. The noodles had no taste to it… actually i take that back, i tasted oil pretty much. The paneer tikka was cold and the gravy had no taste to it. I asked the guy for masala chai and i got it after half an hour. There were 3 employees working there and they were all doing some decent job. The only thing i liked was idli and sambhar which was little bit good but everything else on the buffet was OK. I will never go there again unless they make some serious effort in their food and customer service.

They have a very extensive menu. The chat items are not the greatest but better than the rest in the triangle area. The chole bature has usually not failed us. The paneer tikka isn’t that great and can be avoided at its price. Everything is usually good value for its price. Stick to the chat items though.

Been here a few times, loved it!
The chaat is amazing and I have yet to find a place that makes it better.

This place is delicious! A coworker and I decided to try it after deciding that another local Indian restaurant that we go to had started to go downhill.
I am so glad we tried it! We went for lunch on a Friday and they had a buffet. All the food was very fresh, there was a good selection of vegetarian and meat items and their naan was to die for. The service is also awesome. The staff is attentive and friendly. I have been back twice and it’s been on point.

I go here for their cooked snacks (kachori, samosa, chicken kathi rolls),.
The fresh paneer here is very good.
Service is just okay.

Lunch! Quick, easy and with courteous service.
It was obvious to the host when I walked in that I was a rookie in his restaurant. He asked if I was there for lunch and then guided me to the buffet and told me to help myself. I grabbed a plate and I dug in… a little of this, a little of that, I just wanted to try some of the fare. I sat down and before I knew it, a basket of Naan was delivered to me along with a glass of water.
The food was good and to tell the truth, except for the chicken leg, I have no idea what I was eating… it was just good.
Looking forward to a return visit to try some other items on the buffet.

I was coming into tonight expecting to write a review of the location of my first Unilocal event (right across the street), but in all truth I was unable to form a decent opinion of it… Sure the free wine and small appetizers were good, but it seemed hardly fair to rate a place on that alone. I will probably go back later when I can sit down for a actual dinner.
After heading out, stomach rumbling and begging for some food that wasn’t on a toothpick my friend and I decided to try Rajbhog Café, a small Indian joint that looked more like a deli or fast food place than a sit down restaurant. We scurried in, avoiding the rain and noticing with despair that the place was getting ready to close. We noticed that there were a few other families still eating, and one table still waiting for their food so we thought that maybe they’d have pity on us–
Luckily they did! With a smile the guy at the front greeted us and told us to sit where we would like… I swear this guy was the nicest restaurant manager/​owner/​waiter I have met in a long time. Sometimes I get worried restaurants owners will smell a dumb American like me a mile away and snicker behind my back when I pronounce something wrong but this guy was super helpful and took time to explain the dishes and how hot they were. Definitely five stars!
The food was good and flavorful, with just enough spices to keep me eating but not to burn my poor mouth. I had the chicken Tikka Masala and garlic naan and it made my night! My friend did complain that her samosas tasted frozen and a bit strange, but other than that she seemed happy too.
Prices aren’t bad, less than $ 20 for a ton of food. If i’m ever on that side of town again i’ll definitely stop by!
PS: The Bollywood playing on my TV in the restaurant is a definite plus. Made me all nostalgic for my Indian cinema class in college.