The Bombay Bistro

Went with a friend for dinner. I ordered chicken tikka masala and a garlic naan and both were disappointing. The naan was lumpy and not hot. Seems like it was made in the afternoon and reheated. Indians don’t serve naan like that. It’s supposed to be brought to the table within seconds of taking it out of the clay oven. The chicken tikka masala was also poorly made. Too much spices and not in the right proportion. Finally, the place is over priced, especially for the quality of food. This is the first and last time we are visiting this place. And be wary of Indian restaurants where there are no Indians. My friend and I were the only Indians at this place and it landed up being a bad decision. Thanks for taking the time to read this review

Recently went there for lunch buffet. I think it’s not bad, the service was good and food was above average. The place is very clean and they had lot of options for vegetarians.

The place was empty on a week night which may have helped with the staff being super attentive. I actually enjoyed the food here. There was an unexpected twist in each of the food we ordered and it was nice skewing from the mainstream Indian restaurant menu. The tandoori chicken was soft and juicy and not dry and red like you would normally find it. The palak paneer tasted like fresh spinach rather than something that’s been sitting in the pot for days. The okra dish was also quite unique. It’s BYOB but the liquor store is next door so make sure you stop by before.

Place is excellent! I don’t know much about Indian food but this food was on the money! Waiter was absolutely wonderful and helpful! He knew exactly what we should order made wonderful suggestions. Extremely friendly staff! I will definitely come back!

Bombay Bistro is a staple for my family. We are quite versed in the realm of Indian food, but not experts by any stretch of the imagination. My Mom and Sister aren’t ones for spicy foods, and my sister hates everything foreign to her. It took years, but we finally got my sister to try something other than mango lassies and naan. Palak chicken is her favorite as well as my Mom’s. My Dad, my Brother, and myself LOVE Indian food. My personal favorite is the pork vindaloo. My Dad and Brother will eat anything on the menu. I think the ambiance is quite inviting. The employees are amazingly kind and remember my family every time we come in. Also, we learned that they supply food for one of the Indian airlines so that’s pretty cool. In conclusion, I love the Bombay bistro. Their food is great even though it can be slightly inconsistent, however that’s most likely due to different chefs. Highly recommend!

Recently took a take out and food was sub par. Tried the briyani and celens chicken. Both tasted blant and felt so bad for ordering food from here. Not recommended

Had an awesome experience here! As an Indian, I would hope that I can spot good quality Indian food. Bombay Bistro exceeded expectations as the server we had treated us with complimentary appetizers AND desert (we were celegrating a couple’s recent engagement). The food came out very well flavored and seasoned. I was with a non-​Indian couple, so had I gone again, I would have requested for the dishes to be spicier. The portions were very generous, we were not able to finish all the food! We met the manager at the end of the dinner and we was very nice and welcoming. Best part is that the restaurant is in a very cute locations so on a nice day you can stroll around the shops.

I tried the buffet which I found to be too spicy and expensive. I eat indian all the time and didn’t feel it was consistent with what most people are looking for in an Indian place.

Good was amazing. I’m Indian and this was very flavorful Indian food. Our server Halsted was such s cool dude. Very accommodating and made our night out with our friends memorable. Highly recommended

Good luck trying to find any service here! Worst establishment ever. The bus boy is extremely rude. He was dressed like a host but he didn’t seat us, say hello or even acknowledge us. He was wearing sneakers so maybe he was in charge of cleaning but what a miserable human! We had to go as far as getting our own high chairs! It’s unfortunate because the place looks nice. They should’ve tried to find better customer service or invest in training rather than hire such fools.

So yeah, Indian food. I’m spoiled by my time in Central Jersey within Iselin striking distance, but near Union, there’s not really much. There’s two rather standard Indian places — one in Kenilworth, one in Maplewood, neither of which has any real standout stuff. They have all the standard regular stuff, well prepared, not spicy enough IMO but that’s the clientele, probably.
Bombay Bistro. Okay. This is British-​style Indian in the BEST possible way. The menu is plentiful, varied, real, and wonderful.
We had a 6:45 reservation on a Friday night. The place was damn near empty, maybe two tables full when we arrived and three or four when we left. The takeout traffic, though, was huge. Clearly someone was doing catering; four boxes full of food and some chafing stands went out.
This may have had the side effect of slowing down service. I think the kitchen only had two cooks, but they sent out some chaat on the house — nothing super fancy, but delicous — chickpeas with yogurt and tamarind sauce, red onions, and crispy bits. Enough for a few bites. We also got the paneer seekh kebab. That stuff is DENSE and wonderful — lots of bell peppers speckling the paneer, which was broiled and had wonderful spots of dark brown across it.
My wife got a mango lassi, I got the chaas. I thought the chaas would be sweet, but it was savory. Not in a bad way, but it needs food.
It took some time, maybe 20 – 30 minutes, for the mains to arrive. I didn’t mind this; I like relaxed service. The place wasn’t filling up in the least, but it did take a bit for water refills.
My wife had the balti chicken, I had the pork vindaloo. Both were amazingly well prepared, mellowly spiced with just enough burn on the vindaloo to excite. I told them I wasn’t afraid of spicy but I think they went easy on me.
Appetizer, drinks, mains, tax and tip came out to around $ 65. BYO, and it would definitely benefit from a Kingfisher or something similar. Parking is Summit scale difficulty but free street parking after 7, so go nuts.
Seriously, this place is great. It’s Brick Lane without the hype, crowds, noise, and cramped space.

I went here for the buffet lunch during the week twice over a year period. Both times the food was excellent. 6 to 8 different selections and one dessert. Priced right or better for Summit.
I will go again any opportunity I get.

Indian food with a fusion twist is the best way to describe this place. Don’t go here if you’re looking for authentic Indian cuisine. But if you wanna try something that’s Indian but a little different then def give this place a try.
We ordered the okra appetizer n the paneer tikka masala. Both were pretty average. The basmati rice was awesome and so was the palak paneer n baingan bharta.
The portion size gets a big thumbs up. Lots of food served in tiffin containers which was a nice touch.
Ambience was ok. Some seats are better than the others.

Came here with my 2 friends who were visiting from India. They approved! Food quality was excellent, portions great, flavors authentic! Cant wait to come back to Bombay Bistro!

I wish this place were closer to North Jersey! Bombay Bistro offers a unique cuisine which is popular among a specific community of people which is predominant in Mumbai. The shrimp panrolls are super as is the pork vindaloo and the lonvas. We ate in the first time (group of 7) and over ordered. We also placed an order for a Christmas meal and Jerry was kind enough to throw in a bar of traditional Christmas cake for free. I didnt think it was possible but the shrimp panrolls have improved since the last time we ate in!!!

Enjoyed our dinner here very much
The food was indianish tho done in a unique way
Food was clean and tasty
We over ordered because everything was tasty
The breads especially the onion kulcha n the garlic naan were excellent
The meat dishes were very good

Really good little place in the heart of Summit that combines Indian and American cuisine very well. My wife and I had wanted to try it for quite some time as new residents of Summit, and we finally did the other night.
+Ambiance/​Décor
Interesting, for sure. The only thing that’s a bit off is the cafeteria-​style serving area where waiters pick their food up in the back. The place is decorated in a cool manner, with big, round velvet seating areas for bigger parties, and nice intimate tables for smaller matters. However, once you look to the back, it sort of takes away that nice feeling of an intimate, upscale-​ish dinner.
+Drinks
BYOB. Nice. The waiter opened our bottle of Merlot and served us appropriately.
+Appetizer
We shared the chile and cheese naan, which was delicious. Note: it’s not CHILI and cheese, but literally, a CHILE inside of your cheese-​stuffed naan. It packs a little kick, but was really tasty and hot. They’re like smaller quesadillas, and they killed it.
+Entrée
I’m a huge lamb vindaloo fan, and I had to get it here. Bombay did a really good job with it — a little bit of spice, hot, and the lamb was cooked great inside the awesome vindaloo sauce. The rice that came with it (traditional Indian style) was also great. The texture of the lamb was spot-​on and cooked right.
+Price
Very good.
The only issues that brought this place down a notch had nothing to do with the food, but rather, design elements inside. The floor is a bit nutty with their tiles, and again, that cafeteria loading area in the back also takes a bit away from the experience of a nicer, intimate dinner.

BYOB
I think the ambiance is a little weird. From outside of the window, you may think that this place is fancy inside. Upon being seated, I immediately noticed that the back kitchen is open almost like a self-​serve buffet place. The booths are swanky and the lighting fixtures make this place appear more bougie than it is. The floor needs a little help.
So pleased with the food! I was searching for a lamb dish that ticked my fancy, but the cashew gravy chicken caught my eye and i was sold. It was so creamy and yummy, not too sweet. The chicken was moist and so was the rice. They started us off with a bean salsa which was both sweet and savory. Love freebees. We also ordered the cheese and chile naan, but we didn’t finish it. It was a bit greasy. I would give this place a 4 if it were for that. Wish we ordered the regular naan.
I will definitely be back! Service was great!

Ventured upon Bombay Bistro after waking up with the some outrageous Indian food cravings. Office is about 8 minutes away from it in Springfield so we headed over to Summit. Driving up to it we struggled to find street parking but found 1^st Hour Free Public Parking behind most of the main drag (Springfield Ave.) After a short walk, we entered a very modern, classy, and nicely decorated restaurant and we’re pleased to find a Lunch Buffet!
Price-​wise we (the 2 of us) dropped $ 35 for the Lunch Buffet (2x), Sodas (2x), and a $ 5 Tip for some attentive service. Got up to the buffet tables to find:
1. Salads– A. a Pinto Bean and Black Eye Peas Salad. B. A Cole Slaw of Fresh Slaw, Peppers, and Not too Much Dressing but Great Flavor.
2. Chapati– «Tortilla Like Bread» with 3 Amazingly Delicious Sauces– Mango Chutney, Mint Chutney, and Tamarind Chutney.
3. Main Courses– Chicken Tikka Masala (the Classic), Tandoori Chicken Wings (Crowd Pleaser), Aloo Tuk, Palak Paneer, Dal Palak, and Mushroom Mutter (AMAZING and Never Heard Of It).
4. Dessert– Freshly Cut Fruit and Amazingly Spiced and Seasoned Rice Pudding.
Absolutely hit the spot. Almost classify it as comfort food. Great hearty food, great flavors, nothing too outrageous, and everything I could hope for, for cheap. Disappointed there weren’t samosas on the buffet but can’t be too picky about it.
Check it Out!

HORRIBLE!!! We tried this place for take-​out and completely regret it.
All the dishes were smothered in salt and the naan was quite burned. At first taste, there was some flavor but it was quickly overtaken by saltiness. Granted, restaurants use plenty of salt, but this was unbelievable. We forced ourselves to eat some and then tossed the rest.
Definitely the worst Indian food we’ve ever had and a complete waste of money.