Maharaja

Terrible service/​crunchy naan/​cold rice/​flavorless chicken. The only thing decent was the vegtable pakora. I will not return. This is my second time being dissapointed by this restuarant and I wanted to give it one more try before rating it badly but it is honestly a waste of money.

The only good thing here is a fast lunch buffet. It’s fast because there’s no one else there between you and the buffet food. You may have to sit in a booth that has lost all of it’s spring and thus your butt sinks below your knees, but you will get warm (ish) food very quickly here.
and that is the nicest thing I can say about my dining experience there.
The restaurant has high ceilings and they can’t keep it warm enough to keep the lunch buffet from getting cold. I went for lunch last week and food was cold and the chicken in one of the dishes tasted decidedly not fresh. (the chicken in a different menu item tasted fine). When I asked why the food was so cold, the staff showed me that there is heat under the buffet pans but just not enough to combat the coldness of the restaurant. I asked what temperature they think the food should be served at and they seemed unaware of rules of safe food handling. (a quick look at their King County Health Inspection record shows a history of not using thermometers or employees with valid food handler credentials). I left as soon as I tasted the bad chicken. In and Out in under 20 minutes. Will not return.

Don’t go here if you have a Groupon.
We ordered, food was fine, but service was cold and slow for us being the only two people in the restaurant on a Saturday night.
We gave him the coupon, he leaves and talks to a guy in the back. Comes back, places the phone on top of the bill – without the Groupon applied. So I reiterate, «We would like to redeem this offer on our meal today». He looks at it again, then says «No. Where is the expiration date?». A small scroll down reveals it, being months away. He then pauses for a bit, and says, «No. It is too late. Bill already printed. Next time, next time.»
We both knew there would never be a next time.
What kind of place does this? Not one I’d trust with my food, let alone anything else.

Came for the buffet– which was nearly cold food. Apart from that a meal that said 9+ tax the guy tried to palm it off as a round 10 bucks.
Asked him to split out the tax in the bill– when he finally calculated it as 9.36 and returned change.
Not recommended. At all.

Good food, and the server comp’d some extras.

Nothing really to say that many other reviewers giving low scores haven’t already said. The service is slow and the employees are rude. I’ve worked food service for years when I was younger, and while I understand the stresses that come with that type of work, poor manners on the part of servers are not excusable under normal circumstances.
Unfortunate considering the food is pretty good but there are plenty of decent Indian restaurants in Seattle, and I recommend taking your business elsewhere where you won’t get an annoyed look just for requesting reasonable accommodations to your order.

I always hate to give a bad review especially the food was good, however, the service was horrible. I had a groupon and took a friend there last night around 6:30pm, it took a super long time to get menus and water, only after we asked. Since the service was starting out bad I asked the birthday boy if he wanted to go somewhere else but he wanted to stay.
Once we ordered, there were long delays in service, but the food was good. When the bill was brought to us the owner/​server asked if we wanted the last course. I said yes. But it sounded more like a cost savings for them.
I the paid the groupon and credit card. The owner charged my card for the full amount and then tried to say it includes tip, but there was still a tip line. After way too much back and forth, someone else came in. Voided the charge and the bill was settled. Felt like I was being cheated.
I would have loved to come for the food. But never because of the experience. It was suppose to be a birthday too!!! Now I feel like a crappy gift giver!!!

Had the Butter Chicken, Garlic Naan, and Chicken Biryani. The Butter Chicken and Garlic Naan were great. The Chicken Biryani was pretty good. Prices were a bit on the high side, but based on location not out of the ordinary.
The service was just OK. With 2 tables in the restaurant there wasn’t much attention paid to either table. I’m OK with that, but the other table had issues getting the attention of their waiter a couple times. I’d still go back. But maybe delivery or takeout would be a better choice.

Great location, interesting vibe, spicy was how I liked it which is «SPICY. «. Great naan bread

Buffet Indian food at lunchtime. Not enough spread and frankly a dinghy dirty restaurant. Food is oily and doesn’t taste fresh. No item in the buffet will want you to go back for more.

Average food and bad service.
It was Saturday lunch time and I was the only customer. Ordered veg thali. The food was average quality. The owner was also serving and was slow and apathetic. He did not even bring dessert in the end that comes with thali. I was so disgusted with the treatment there that I did not even ask for it. I would avoid it.

I’ve been to many Indian restaurants but this one is the best. Really good menu and whenever we drank a little water they would fill it up. The waiter is nice and this has a good family atmosphere. I prefer this for Indian food.

We were walking in Yesler Square and came upon their lunch buffet sign on the corner. I have to say, the buffet was really good! The Chicken Curry, rice, naan, and other foods were just what I expected! Not a huge selection, but very good for the price! $ 7.00 for the lunch buffet is extremely reasonable. Thank you!

Eaters Beware! Ordered food here one night off GrubHub thinking it was Madhu.
It was awful. The curries were bland, naans were bitter and the salad had a strand of hair in it. And when the driver came, he didn’t even bother getting out of the car, he just phoned and then expected us to go get the food from him in the car. Will never order from here again.

Eat at Maharaja at your own risk!
Let me first say I LOVE Indian food and I can be quite forgiving, I gave this place three attempts! I tried the buffet once and it was one of the most terrible buffets I have ever had (any kind of food, not just Indian). The other two times I tried to get Chicken tikka marsala which is one of my favorite dishes on the planet and until Maharja I had never had a bad version of it. The color was off, the taste was off and both times I couldn’t finish it was so bad.
I really really REALLY wanted to like this place as I live a couple blocks away and was excited to have a local Indian place to eat at on a weekly basis. However I can’t say anything nice about this place, I am hoping someone will buy them out or they will bring in someone to clean up their menu and they really need a lesson in cleanliness!
This place is a prime candidate for Kitchen Nightmares!

Ordered from Eat24, where they are listed as Madhu, not Maharaja. I’ve had delivery from Madhu several times, although it’s been a couple years, but both the food and the service were great every time. How this place is getting away with masquerading as Madhu on Eat24, GrubHub, etc., is a mystery, and the only reason I ordered the food to begin with was because I was misled to believe I was ordering from a place I’ve ordered from in the past and enjoyed.
The two dishes I received today were absolutely not worth the $ 20 minimum required for delivery. Butter chicken was watery and flavorless, and the meat was gristly; it was literally the worst butter chicken I’ve ever had. I didn’t even want it after the first couple of bites, and that’s a first for me with butter chicken. The bindhi had no heat even though I’d asked for it «hot,» but otherwise it was ok, I guess. I’ve definitely had a lot better, but unlike the butter chicken at least it was edible.
The driver ignored the detailed directions I provided for delivery, which is super annoying. Pro tip: when a customer takes the extra time to give directions to their residence, just follow them. They were provided for a reason.

Super cheap lunch buffet, I think it was $ 8 a person and good for someone who is on a quick lunch break. It was a bank holiday the day that I went in, so maybe that was why it was empty?! Small selection of food but everything put out was really delicious and I will definitely go back.

Well, I’m not sick.
Upon entering, the owner waived me over to a table with dirty plates and no silverware. I put my coat down and went to the buffet. Small and half empty, the buffet had a weak selection. Several serving spoons and tongs had fallen into the dishes, so patrons were certainly sticking their fingers in the food.
I looked around and the place was packed. If folks were getting sick, they were still coming back! I hunkered down and scanned the buffet for a safe dish. Fortunately, they had chicken tikka masala, so I was set.
Back at the table, there was no change. The owner was pouring water for folks and the dirty plates and spilled food were still on the table. I grabbed my coat and went to a clean table.
The chicken tasted odd. Undercooked or perhaps old. The tikka masala sauce was tasty, at least.
This place has way too many drawbacks for me to do my customary second visit before writing them off for good. I definitely do not recommend.

After reading the horrible reviews of Maharaja we were skeptical, but we decided to give it a try. We ate there twice — both times we were the only ones in the restaurant.
The first time my fiancé and I ordered from the menu.
He had chicken vindaloo ordered medium — it was good, the spice level was mild for a traditionally spicy dish. I had the chicken tikka masala ordered hot — it was incredibly mild (think tomato soup). The food was not as we ordered it, service was okay, and overall the food wasn’t bad.
The second time we went in for the lunch buffet. They have a special Mondays and Fridays — $ 6 + tax if you pay cash. We went in and the three men sitting behind the counter didn’t acknowledge we were there. We got our plates of food, and discovered that everything had been sitting there for hours, and the sauces had been watered down. The food was terrible. We got through one plate and decided to call it quits. I walked to the counter to pay — the total was $ 13.20 and I gave him a $ 20. He demanded 20 cents, and I told him I didn’t have it. He then slapped 6 dollars on the counter with 1 quarter and 3 nickels. I told him that it wasn’t enough change. He stared at me for a moment and one by one slapped 13 pennies on the counter. I was so shocked and upset that I took the incorrect change and left. How do you not have cash for change if you have a cash only lunch special?
Please, I beseech you, do not waste your time or money here. It is horrifying.

Notes on Maharaja:
* Good for lunch buffet
* Mondays and Friday’s their buffet is only $ 6 (cash) or $ 7 (card) normally $ 8.95
* Buffet is decent — several options
* Naan I didn’t care for. Pretty bland and some was a bit dried out
* Chicken dishes were good — very flavorful but FOUND BONES in the chunks… almost cut my mouth!
* Beef curry dish was great and just the right amount of spice
* Several vegetarian dishes (pinto beans, garbanzo dish… all plain) I did not care for outside of the potatoes
* Staff is prompt to get you seated and keep your water filled.
* Good, quick meal
* Smaller than many Indian buffets, but good deal if you go during one of their special days