01/12/09

Ok, I guess

by richard98101

My wife and I stopped by for lunch to try the "Star of India" and guess it was ok. Food was kind of good and the service was ok. Price was too high for the overall food.

1. Clean the place

2. Decorate the place

3. Make better food

4. Standardize the service and food to go with the price.............

Have you ever gone into a place and said that "It looks dirt"?

• Pros: None
• Cons: None

04/13/08

First and last time

by darkmarvin

My girlfriend and I decided to stop by here one Friday night because A) the location is convenient, and B) the three other times that we had Indian food (not here) we really enjoyed it. The place was small, dark, and a little scuzzy, but there were a few other customers who seemed pretty happy to be there, so we figured that the food must at least be good. In hindsight, they were probably A) drunk, or B) paid actors. We stood around for a few minutes waiting to be seated but never saw a waiter, so we started walking around in hopes of being noticed. We stopped cold when we looked over and saw the cook leaning over the counter glaring at us. I quickly grabbed a few menus and we seated ourselves. A few minutes later we saw the waiter but it took TEN minutes before he came to our table. He was rude, slow, and impatient. He sighed and shook his head when we told him that we needed a few minutes to decide. When we finally did decide, he wouldn't listen to us and kept trying to sell us food we didn't want. He started acting irritable when we declined, even though we were being sufficiently polite about it. And here's the best part - I would thank him whenever he refilled my water, but instead of saying "You're welcome" or "No problem" or even "Whatever", he would grunt at me and slam the glass back down on the table. I wish I was joking. As for the food, we ordered the tandoori chicken and a spicy shrimp dish (I don't recall the name). To be fair we don't have much experience with Indian food, but I think I can safely say that this is not were you'll find the good stuff at. The chicken was dry and completely flavorless and as for the spicy shrimp - no spice. None. The only tolerable thing to come out of this whole debacle was that my girlfriend had promised to pay for the meal, which was good for them because I don't think I could've forced myself to hand over half a C-note for overpriced, sub-par food and horrible service. Never again. Warn your friends.

• Pros: NONE
• Cons: Food, service....and I'm pretty sure someone in the kitchen was smoking

A well-established neighborhood favorite known for reliable Indian food, good service and good prices.

by Contributor

In Short
Mahara's charm lies in its simplicity and straightforwardness--a small, dark dining area with just a few booths and tables in the front and an even smaller, darker bar serving stiff drinks in the back. The charming servers will help you save money by steering you toward the modestly priced lunch and dinner specials, which are generously loaded with consistently tasty and satisfying fare.

08/01/07

Great for what it is

by aleksandr111

This place ? you either love it or you hate it. First off, the food is a little expensive, but very filling and to me it tastes really awesome (especially after a few drinks). I?ve had the buffet, which isn?t amazing, but it?s cheap and all you can eat ? so don?t complain! The service there is fine; we?ve had some really cool waiters there. The restaurant is clean, sunny and great for people watching. The bar on the other hand is completely different, dark, kinda dirty with crazy music. Aka the best bar ever! Well, maybe not the best, but it?s a great place to get super drunk for not a lot of cash. $2 wells baby, oh yeah. There are plenty of yuppie bars, this is the anti-yuppie bar, don?t go there if you have expectations and want the latest drink trend. You?ll get a clean glass and booze to go in it. Shut up and drink. Great for smaller groups. There are two booths that seat 4, two larger tables with junker couches and a few chairs and seating at the bar if you?re going stag.

08/06/06

Pricey but good

by shark_lady

I recommend you order the food to go (or even better get it delivered). Their vegetarian menu is much better than the rest, especially their Vegetable Curry and Tika-Massala Paneer. I don't recommend the Korma it has a bit too much coconut.

07/21/06

The guy stares at you!?

by eatingme

The worker was staring me down like I stole something. It was wierd and creepy. the food is not that great either. Cheap drinks

• Pros: cheap drinks
• Cons: the waiter stares at you like he wants your soul

06/03/06

Never again.

by sovietbot

Yes it's pretty good for cheap drinks late at night, but don't go here for the food! The service is unethusiastic, the lunch buffet is mediocre but at least resonably priced. Recently I had the misfortune of coming here a half hour after their lunch special is over and the experience was terrible. The food was bland, the portions tiny and the meals don't even include naan or rice which had to be ordered as sides. The final price for the dinner was totally out of whack for a grungy rundown dump like this. How this place get an 8.5 rating is beyond me.

• Pros: cheap bar
• Cons: overpriced food, ugly, poor service

05/11/06

Ridiculously overpriced

by neuronix

We got takeout here and it cost almost $19 for a little cup of lamb tikka masala that had almost no lamb, two garlic naan, and that didn't even include rice! The food was so-so, but totally wasn't worth it. I feel like we just got robbed.

• Pros: Cheap, ugly bar
• Cons: Price, Portion Size

11/21/05

Happy Hour All Night Long!

by msseattleite

I wouldn't go here for Indian food, but it's the perfect place in Capitol Hill to have great drinks at a great price with friends. Stiff, very inexpensive wells and cocktails with cool music ALL night and a mystique ambiance has made it one of my favorite after hours bars to visit.

• Pros: affordable drinks, stiff drinks, bar ambiance

09/27/05

Wow! Never again!

by gyrl240

I was here for happy hour once before and tried a few appetizers. I thought the food was okay then, but now I think I was just drunk and didn't know any better. Last night I got take-out from Maharaja. Wow what a waste of $22.60! First off, the chicken curry was bland...absolutely tasteless. I got medium spicy curry and couldn't even tell. The basmati rice was so-so. As for my mango lassi...It had ice in it and tasted like it had gone bad. Yikes! Sort of sour with none of that thick sweetness that lassi should have. I promptly threw that out. What a real disappointment. Oh well. Not a bad place for happy hour drinks though.

• Pros: happy hour drinks
• Cons: food very bland, mango lassi sucks