Mela

Whoever was cooking the food that day doesn’t know how to cook properly. The rice & parata was not cooked all the way… wouldn’t go here again

If you’re in the mood for upscale Indian food, this is your place. They take your order on a tablet which just screams fancy schmancy. While we dipped our naan in thick spicy curry, we jammed to Top 40 hits from various decades almost as if the restaurant chose the Now That’s What radio station on Pandora. The food comes out quickly, hot and is high quality. Expect to pay 20% more than other well-​known, less sophisticated Indian restaurants, who shall remain unnamed. I really appreciated the complimentary replenishment of rice and free full serving of rice to go with our left overs.
Veggie Samosas — $ 5, two in an order; decently sized and packed with the standard potatoes, onions and peas.
Chicken Tikka Massala — $ 17, healthy serving and the left overs tasted just as good the next day.
Goat Curry — $ 17, sauce base is a little less rich because it doesn’t have cream. You feel less guilty about gobbling it all up in one seating.
Plain Naan — $ 4, check out that glistening puddle of butter on top … a bit overkill for my taste but it’s easy to drain it off.

Everything on the menu is fantastic, but the two Dinner for 2 options (vegetarian and non-​vegetarian) are a fantastic way to try a little bit of everything. Even better, for nearly a decade, Groupon has offered a fantastic deal for Mela diners.

I really enjoyed my brunch on Saturday! My husband and I were welcomed warmly by who I believe to be the owner. There was a great variety of food and a couple of juices. It was quiet and relaxing and I didn’t feel rushed at all. The nan bread was made to order which is unusual for a brunch. The service was very very good and the price was great as well! I would definitely come back here.

I love this place awesome Indian food…
I work near by I wish they delivered lunch as well… they only deliver after 5pm…

Went here with a friend to grab a bite to eat on a Wednesday night. It was a bit later in the evening so there weren’t too many people inside so we were seated right away.
After perusing the menu, I decided to opt for the lamb korma. The lamb korma serving was pretty large, as was the helping of rice we were served. The flavor of the lamb was very good and there was plenty of meat. I asked for a medium spice level and that was the perfect level for me.
Overall, this place serves up decently sized portions, good food, and has friendly service. I feel like the prices are a tad high, but that’s probably because of its location in the South End. This is definitely a spot worth checking out if you are looking for good Indian food around the area.

Tried Indian for the first time ever here. They had a $ 12 lunch buffet, so my anxiety was eased by being able to sample everything without any big commitment. I’m not 100% sure on the price, but I believe it was less than $ 15. Also, I’m not sure if they do this every day, but it was a Saturday early afternoon when we went. They also have a regular food menu as well.
The staff was super friendly. The manager was super friendly too, checking with my friend and I to see how we liked everything. When I told him it was my first time trying Indian food he graciously explained some items on the buffet to me. I can’t put in words how nice he was. I can tell he really takes pride in his restaurant and customer service is a top priority.
The restaurant is clean and nicely decorated with ample natural lighting. When we went, it was fairly quiet, but it wasn’t very busy.
The items on the buffet are labeled with the Indian name of their dish, but the labels also give a brief description of what the dish is. Yay for making it newbie-​friendly! This was more comforting than you know. I had at least one bite of every single offering, which was about 10 or so different items.
My fave was the chicken tikka masala, which the manager told me is their signature dish. It definitely tastes like an American-​tastebuds-​safe dish if you ask me. I loved it. While I didn’t have a taste for every item on the buffet, I still give 5 stars for these dishes being well-​prepared. For example the goat and fish dishes were well-​cooked, not dry. These meats were all juicy and flavorful, even if the spices/​flavors were not my cup of tea. I think I’m also not a fan of basmati rice in general, although Mela’s tasted fresh. There was a spinach and cheese item that I can’t remember what it was called, but it was really good as well. It was nice when spread on their garlic bread (ask for the garlic bread, oooh so good!) Pita? Naan? I don’t remember which one it was, pardon my ignorance.
On the way out, the manager thanked us and held the door open with a smile as we left. Friendly service like this is a rare treat in Boston!
When I’m in the neighborhood, I will stop by again. Next time I’ll probably order the chicken tikka masala by itself since now I know what I like.

One of the best indian buffet in Boston
Small buffet but has Great food.
The only thing that bothers me is i had a greasy spoon.

Nice quiet joint in the south end. The portions are good size and service is great. However, if you like your food with a bit more flavor or spice, this place is not the place.
Tried chicken vindaloo and lamb sag.

I’ve been here numerous times for take out and am always satisfied with the quality of food. Today my fiancé and I went for their lunch buffet, I must say I was very impressed. They had a very wide variety of dishes, fresh naan made to order, and fast service. One thing I would suggest to the owner is to have some directions for certain foods, like paani puri, I caught another group seeing how I put it all together and ate! Overall, I’ll be back for the buffet, at $ 13 it’s a great deal.

My wife and I ate here on a Monday night. The service was friendly and prompt; the venue was quiet and clean. My order of spicy goad vindaloo was excellent. Her order of pallak paneer was flavorless. The masala chai (tea) was very average. The roti we ordered was warm and tasty. The dessert menu did not offer guljahkahalva, so we passed.

We had lots of expectation but failed. We four persons tried & opinion is as undr
Poori was burnt, Chhole was not at all tasty, Naan was not good, Fish was not tasty. Charges are high but no quality food. Try to avoid this if you are expecting rich & flavored Indian dishes.

Excellent Indian food — we’ve only ever gotten take-​out, and it’s been consistently tasty!

Horrible service — never being to a worse place in terms of service. Food is meh!
We could see a long line of takeout orders being prepared — so definitely doesn’t seem like a local’s fav to dine in. I would never recommend this place

Poorest service. Never again!
Just got back from the restaurant. The experience was bittersweet — more bitter than sweet. The service was terrible, overpowering the good food that it was.
Greeted by a grumpy cat in the guise of a woman. Oh! Did I say ‘greet’? Strike that.
I’m not sure if it was karma or the manager doesn’t pay well, we were served by a horrible (fill-​in all synonyms) waiter who doesn’t seem to serve us with what we need unless we asked him minimum 3 to 4 times. Found it hard to even get a spoon, waited for 10mins to get it. When we asked other waiter, he replied «I don’t serve your table». Way to go!
In the end, our celebration for a birthday & job went down the drain. I’m sure they served «Non-​Indians» better. Do they pay $ 2 more/​dish? Just curious.
EDIT: Looks like all those reviews that complained about terrible service go in to the «Not Recommended» section. Check it out!

Not the most authentic Indian restaurant we have been to but definitely fills the void when we are in a tikki masala mood. Two of our favorite dishes to get here are the lamb coconut curry and chicken tikki masala. One item on their menu that is definitely a must have is the garlic naan! We can literally eat that all day. We won’t be recommending this place as a must-​go but it has nice décor inside and is pretty clean. If you want some Indian food in a nice environment but don’t mind it not being extremely authentic, then this is the place! Definitely hit the spot for us the other evening we were there.

My friend & I went to Mela because I had a $ 25 off a meal of $ 50 or more and also because we were craving Indian food (or at least I was). At 5pm on a Sunday, the restaurant was mostly empty. We were greeted right upon entering, promptly seated and handed menus.
The menu was extensive but not overwhelmingly so. They offer a range of dishes, from traditional chicken tikka masala to organic and modern specialties. We got goat curry (extra hot), Baingan Bhartha (eggplant — also extra hot), chicken tikka appetizer, pashwari naan, and a mango lassi. This added up to $ 50 perfectly, plus about $ 3 for tax.
The portions are huge. It comes with a massive bowl of rice, which is much needed for the curry. I really enjoyed the goat curry — even though there are some bones (obviously), there was a large amount of meat as well. WARNING for those who can’t handle spicy foods — ask for this to be «mild» because although I enjoyed the «extra hot,» my friend said it was too spicy for her.
The eggplant was flavorful as well. Its texture is slightly strange (it’s mashed eggplant), but the peas definitely help give it some chew.
Overall, the service was spectacular, the décor was nice, and the food was really good. It’s slightly on the pricier side if you don’t have some sort of deal, but I think it’s worth it, especially as my friend and I brought about half of our meal home.

Good customer service. Brought the manfriend here because I ate here once in college with my roommates. Thought it was interesting that they have the hot stone grill so wanted manfriend to give it a try. :)
That was basically what sets apart this Indian restaurant from the rest. They are aiming to be «modern». I thought the seafood hot stone entrée with salmon and scallop was great. Very fresh to the taste.

I came for the lunch buffet, and while there’s nothing to complain about, I can’t find anything to rave about, either. Its best feature is that it’s $ 12 after you tip, and it’s all you can eat, which is a hell of a lot better deal than WholeFoods’ indian food.
The most mediocre thing was the Chicken Tikka Masala, unfortunately. This favorite of indian buffet-​goers was sadly pretty bland here, which I’m aware is a pretty big insult in an Indian restaurant, but so it is. It could have been that particular batch, but the masala tasted like a thin tomato sauce with no spiciness at all (even though Tikka Masala is meant to be mild, it usually has a hint of heat) and weak flavoring. Ok, so maybe there was something to complain about, but as I said, it wasn’t bad, just mediocre.
The garlic naan was delicious, but it took until our second plate to arrive. But at least when it arrived it was plentiful.
The Veggie Pakoras were delish, and the mint chutney was actually some of the best I’ve had, no lie. I was drowning my Pakoras in it.
The Saag Paneer was a bit bitter, but the Paneer was good.
The Muttar Masala was alarmingly watery, so much so that you couldn’t get the sauce on the slotted spoon. It was basically a soup.
I would definitely come back to see if the Tikka Masala was just having an off day, but mainly I would go back because it’s a decent buffet and I love Indian food.

Great atmosphere in a fantastic area in Boston! I loved the modern Indian décor of the restaurant and thought they did a great job with the food plating. Although it seems trivial, it’s small details like that, which enhance my experiences at restaurants. The waiters were also very attentive, but not over-​bearing.
We ordered the Garlic Beef, the Butter Chicken, the Pickle and the Peshawari Naan Bread. The beef was unbelievably tender, with a nice curry, although I wish I had picked something a little spicier. The Butter Chicken was by far the best, with deliciously sweet undertones that paired very well with the Peshawari Naan bread (which was also slightly sweet).
Overall everything was reasonably priced, although this was the first time i’ve been to an Indian restaurant that charges you extra for Naan Bread.