Moghul Express

This place is awful, do not eat at this place located in the basement of the Columbia Tower food court. They charge way too much for what they offer. The food is not fresh, it is buffet style and who knows how long it sits out there. The food is either too spicy or too heavy and rich. They also charged me way too much for my plate and they ran my card through the machine. They refused to give me a refund, I will NEVER go back there again. All they care about is charging people loads of money for garbage on a plate.

The samosas were cold and I was there right at noon which was a bummer.
The naan is just grilled/​cooked pita bread so I didn’t even bother trying that which was also a big disappointment for me.
The cucumber salad wasn’t seasoned enough and tasted like plain cucumbers.
The lettuce and tomato salad was good but overall plain.
I liked the apple salad/​cold slaw-​nice flavor.
The chicken tikka marsala was ok but not hot enough, barely lukewarm which was another big disappointment for me being that I was there early so I would get the fresh stuff right from the stove/​oven. The chicken was also dry-​so maybe the other reviewer was correct saying that it could have been left over from the day before.
Overall pretty underwhelming and disappointing. The great thing about Indian food is it carries well into buffets but this place needs some work considering the lack of hot food and boring cold dishes. I won’t be back anytime soon.

This place isn’t good at all. Who the hell serves pita bread as Naan bread? The chicken in all dishes was as dry as jerky too. I don’t recommend this place at all

I tried Moghul Express for a change of pace the other day. The food is pretty decent (I tried the chicken tikka masala and chicken jalfrezi over jasmine rice). Both dishes were very flavorful (though I preferred the jalfrezi – definitely spicier). The chicken was tender and not dry in the least, and the jalfrezi was loaded with mushrooms. The food was, however, definitely on the salty side. I found myself drinking a lot of water throughout lunch. The price was also a little high for what I got – it’s $ 6.99 per pound of food, so a very small scoop of each of the chicken dishes I got and a side of rice almost cost $ 7.00. Overall, Moghul Express is worth trying if you’re in the area on your lunch break; just be sure you get a drink or have a water bottle handy if you do.

I wasn’t impressed with the buffet here, in the Columbia Center food court.
Everything I tried tasted like it may of been left-​over from the day before — and you’re somewhat guessing about each item, even though they try to label what it is. (It wouldn’t take much more effort to describe some of their dishes).
It’s a pay for weigh system, something like $ 6.99 a pound. My bill was $ 8 and I barely got enough to eat.
Any 5 Star review has got to be a friend of the restaurant. It’s not even really a restaurant — more like a to-​go smörgåsbord.

I’ve worked in the area for years and as a general rule, do not eat at Columbia Tower. With all of the food options, I only eat at 3 places here. Moghul Express is one of them.
I enjoy Indian buffets because I can choose bits of what I like. I always get the butter chicken here and paneer is second on my list. My rule with buffets is to watch when the food I’m interested in is being brought out from the kitchen. That way, I’m assured the freshest product.
I think the cost is a bit much per pound but still decent for downtown. I expect to pay around $ 8 to $ 10 for a filling meal.
As with all locations in the Tower, it gets busy during peak hours. Luckily, the line moves quick here. I’d recommend moving to a different location as the seating in this area fills up.

This is a decent fast food Indian restaurant located in Columbia Towers in downtown Seattle. It is conveniently located off major bus stops. The style here is pay per pound and you pick what you want on a plate or a to go box.
The saag paneer was really good considering that it is fast food Indian food. I would go back for this dish especially if I worked in the area (which I don’t). The rice though was a bit dried out (even crunchy) although to be fair I did come around 1:30pm. I took some of the chicken tikka masala and another chicken dish. I thought the flavors were a bit odd and I probably would steer away from the chicken. The papadum was decent and went along well with the dish.

I am always careful when ordering at an Indian restaurant to ask if they have anything mild. Almost all restaurants do, and if so, that’s what I order. She assured me the food I ordered was mild, but it was so hot my mouth was burning for 20 minutes.
I understand that a lot of people like to eat food that hurts, and I understand that they are catering to that clientele. But they shouldn’t lie just to make a sale. They should say that all their food is very spicy, and not try to trick unsuspecting people.

Adequate yet forgettable.

Great stuff. Slightly overpriced however it’s a prime location so there’s not much to gawk about. I was impressed with the rice and dishes but was immediately turned off by the naan. It looked like it came straight out of a plastic bag, they need to cook their own naan and this place would be a hit!

YUM! I love this place and all of the dishes they offer buffet style! I used to work in this building and ate there all the time so when I went to work in another building I made the trek often at lunch. Co-​workers would admire the food and ask where I got my take-​out and when I told them Columbia Center they could not believe how far I walked!
Yesterday I went downtown for the first time in years and was so thrilled to cruise the buffet again! Tikki chicken, masala meatballs, spinach paneer, even the yoghurt sauce is the best!
They raised their per pound price to 6.29 but who cares! I happily spent 8 bucks!

OK maybe they were just having an off day, or maybe it was because of my late lunch schedule, but what I had was awful. I love Indian and Pakistani food and generally have enjoyed all that I’ve had in Seattle so far, but this caught me by surprize. The tikka I had tasted like they used Hormel chili as a base and the naan separated in the center as if it was a pita that had been mushed in a panini grill. The bismati rice was in clumps. And when the fellow who looked very much like he didn’t want to be there, weighed my food, he weighed it on a different scale than the Indian fellow that checked out before me. I’ll try again, but it might be some time before I do.

There aren’t a lot of choices for Indian food downtown, but this is one of them. Located inside the Columbia Tower, at Moghul Express you pay by the pound.
There are a variety of type dishes here, so you aren’t stuck with just some form of curry and naan. However, while good, if I had the option and/​or opportunity to go elsewhere, I probably would. It still is satisfying for a close lunch though.

Pretty tasty Indian food can be found here. I usually always get the jasmine rice, chicken masala, a piece of chicken, a vegetable entrée, and some naan. Good selection of choices.
It is pay by the pound so after filling my plate and grabbing a soda I am usually paying around six to seven dollars.
Zipzap Zubidy Bop!

It seems like the more I go to this Food Court in the Columbia Tower, the more it reminds me of the similarly tall and dark structure in Final Fantasy VIII, the Lunatic Pandora.
Anywho, awesome indian grub here for an insane value. veggie pocket thingys, jasmine rice, plenty of veggie options, rice dessert… so good! I didn’t even feel that «bloated» afterwards, despite the quite moist bottom surface of the container once I finished.

The pay-​by-​the-​pound system here was very reasonable, with a box of food and a mango drink coming out to about $ 6.25.
The food was inoffensive. The highlight for me were the cabbage/​apple salad and the papadums, which were crisp and flavorful and hardly added any weight to the box, unlike the leaden pre-​made «naan». Vegetarian selections were unmarked in the line, which caused me to accidentally sacrifice some box space to a meat dish.
I wouldn’t go back, but I’m not going to raise a mob of angry vegetarian gourmands either.

HOORAY! This used to be an Indian place but they closed down about six weeks ago to remodel, and I have been jonesing for chicken tikka masala so badly ever since that I literally almost jumped up and down when I saw that they’re open again!
The nan bread is either free this week because of the reopening, or always included (it used to cost about a dollar), and it’s really good. A wonderful mix of tastes makes this a great addition to your meal.
And the chicken tikka masala is still divine. Still a little spicier than I would order a la carte, but it’s good for me! And I am a wuss about it; this is not that hot.
They have changed the format. They used to serve you and everything had a fixed price, but now you serve yourself and you’re charged by the pound. Mine worked out almost exactly the same, price-​wise, so I don’t care, but especially if you only want a snack, this will be a good thing for you.
DAY TWO Update: (Yes, I’ve had Indian for lunch two days in a row now.) It’s $ 4.99 a pound for everything, including that lovely nan bread. This is causing sticker-​shock to some other regulars, who apparently are taking more than they used to be served now that they are serving themselves… one gal’s meal was $ 8.12, and she seemed surprised.
The rice no longer has peas in it, which is a cause of great joy to me… I used to pick them all out every single time I ate there. But the tikka masala is not spicy enough. It’s really quite mild. The guy cooking food told me that it would be spicier tomorrow. We’ll see.
The cash register gal (who is actually one of the owners) is still delightful, polite and always smiling. She is obviously really happy to see so many of her regulars coming back and has been greeting many of them by name (including me). They are working hard to tweak things as people give them feedback, so if you work in Columbia Tower and like Indian food, get down there now so you can have your say!
Go try it! It’s authentic and tasty and a wonderful addition to the Columbia Tower food court.