This Restaurant Lives Up To Its Name!
Written: Dec 24 '02 (Updated Nov 07 '05)
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Pros: delicious food, great service, pleasing decor
Cons: parking can be hard to find
The Bottom Line: Great food, great service, great setting. A must for anyone in the area.
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| modernmarvel's Full Review: India Paradise |
Having a craving for Indian food and feeling adventurous enough to try something new - we just had lunch at India Paradise. We are sure to be back!!
THE MENU
They have an extensive dinner menu that covers a wide variety of Indian dishes. There are soups (mulligatawny, nariyal), a few cold appetizers (shrimp chaat), many hot appetizers (samosas, aloo tikki), tandoori, masalas, vindaloos, kormas, curries, kormas and other dishes you would expect in an Indian restaurant. All dishes can be ordered with chicken, lamb, shrimp, beef or vegetarian. There is a large selection of Indian breads and a few desserts (gulab jamun). At dinner time, appetizers are $3-8 and entrees are $10-15.
The weekday lunch menu is more limited but also cheaper. Most entrees go for $6-7. I had chicken tikka marsala and it was the best I have ever had. They use all white meat chicken and the other ingredients were also high quality. We had a basket of breads including stuffed naan, onion kulcha and garlic naan. All were tasty without being too greasy. The kids had vegetable biryani and it was filled with fresh vegetables and made mild for their palate.
There is a lunch buffet on the weekends that looks tasty. We plan to try that next.
SERVICE
The service at this restaurant was the best I have had in a long time. We were greeted and led to a table immediately. Even though we were in jeans and had two small children in tow, we were given the table next to the window.
The waiters brought water immediately. We got crispy bread and chutney for our table. When we ordered, the waiter asked how much spice we wanted in our dishes. Everything was cooked to order and served hot in attractive dishes. Dirty dishes were promptly cleared away. The check came when we needed it. Throughout the meal, the waiters provided excellent service without hovering - no mean feat. India Paradise gets an A plus for service.
DECOR / AMBIANCE
The decor is very pleasing. There is an obvious Indian theme without being overdone. The restaurant is small. There are tables and no booths. A few tables are against the wall so that their seats are benches that line the walls. The benches are covered in a nice fabric and had pretty bolsters to relax against. There is some Indian art. Pierced metal lanterns on the walls provide some indirect light. There is some Indian music playing softly in the background. The dining area of the restaurant was very, very clean. (We didn't get to sneak a peak into the kitchen.)
At lunch time, all of the patrons seemed to come in wearing casual clothes. You will comfortable in jeans.
CHILD FRIENDLINESS
Our children were welcomed in the restaurant. We were even given good seats. There is no children's menu although there were a lot of inexpensive adult-sized dishes on the lunch menu. The portions are big enough that we split one entree between our two children. Not every child will like flavorful Indian food so this won't be perfect for every family.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD
This restaurant is located on Union Street in Newton, MA. There are lots of shops selling clothes, art, jewelery and crafts. There are several other restaurants, bakeries and a starbucks. It is a charming area with few chain stores.
GETTING THERE
This restaurant is across the street from a green line stop on the T (that is a trolly for you non-Bostonians). There is some street parking with meters near the restaurant. There is also a meter parking lot about a block away in Newton Center. There is no free parking very close by (but you can find some within a few blocks of the restaurant - try behind the T). The meters are not in effect on Sundays.
By the way, watch the time on your meter. The meter maids circle like hawks and you will get a ticket if you are 30 seconds late.
OTHER INFORMATION
They have a web site: www.indiaparadisefood.com
They take credit cards for charges over $15.
They have a full liquor license.
The restaurant is all on one floor at street level and the tables are well-spaced so it should be easy for anyone to navigate.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
This was a great experience. The food was delicious and the service was great too. We give it a big thumbs up and recommend it to anyone.
INDIA PARADISE
71 Union Street
Newton, MA
phone (617) 964-7100
fax (617) 244-2033
HUNGRY FOR MORE? TRY THESE BOSTON-AREA RESTAURANTS:
BOSTON: Radius; Caffe Vitoria; Excelsior; Jacob Wirth; Cottonwood Cafe; Imperial Seafood House; Sibling Rivalry; Fleming’s.
BROOKLINE: Mr. Sushi; Fugakyu; Takeshima; Tsunami; Anna's Taqueria; Zaftigs Delicatessen; Bangkok Bistro; Golden Temple.
NEWTON: Appetito; Blue Ribbon Barbeque; Ice Cream Works; Baker's Best; Bill’s Pizzeria; Cafe Nicolas; Union Street; O’Hara’s; Yeradi’s; Johnny’s Luchonette.
CAMBRIDGE: S&S Restaurant; The Japanese Mall; Jasper White’s Summer Shack.
WEST ROXBURY: Cafe Misono.
BRIGHTON: Tasca.
ESSEX: Woodman’s.
SAUGUS: Kowloon.
CHAIN RESTAURANTS: Not Your Average Joe’s; Bertucci’s; Legal Sea Foods; Cheesecake Factory; Rainforest Cafe; Fire & Ice; Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse; Friendly’s.
COFFEE, BAGELS AND DONUTS: Bruegger’s Bagels; Finagle a Bagel; Dunkin Donuts; >; Peet’s Coffee and Tea.
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Lunch menu - delicious, filling and inexpensive.
Best Suited For: Friends
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modernmarvel
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