Update: We went back for dinner. See bottom of article.
We’ve been whining for about five years for an Indian restaurant to open in West Boca. Our dream came true yesterday with the opening of Boca Indian Grill in Mission Bay Plaza. It’s in the courtyard between Padrino’s, Rotelli’s (which is moving very soon) and Panera.
It feels a little small inside but it’s comfortable with attractive design. We went today for the $10.99 lunch buffet.
We chose a table, ordered drinks, and went to the buffet. The selection is somewhat limited but there was enough to choose from and we liked what we had.
If you like Indian food, you will find something to enjoy and you may well like all of it. I did.
The chutneys were pungent and the sauces were flavorful. Tandoori Chicken and Chicken Tikka Masala are their most popular dishes and they will be on the lunch buffet every day. Other dishes will change somewhat from day to day. I particularly liked the Saag Paneer. The Tandoori chicken was cooked and seasoned well.
After we sat down the waiter brought out Naan (bread) which had great texture and was brushed with a hint of butter.
After a couple rounds of the entrees we got a little dessert. Both Kheer (rice pudding) and Halwa (carrot pudding) were on the buffet line.
We talked with Vik, the owner. He said the restaurant is connected with Chutney & Pickle in Coral Springs, one of our favorite Indian places in the area. He also said there will be a Sunday buffet which will have more dishes. And they’re thinking about how to create more space around the buffet – it’s a little tight at the moment.
For dinner or if you don’t want buffet, there are plenty of choices on the regular menu:
It’s hard to judge a place on one visit to their buffet lunch, but we liked it and are very happy they’re here. We wish them luck and hope our readers will give it a try.
Update – April 24
After writing the above, we were invited back for a free dinner by the restaurant. It was a good meal. They have revised the interior a little so the buffet should be easier to get to when that’s open.
We started with “Papadum” (large crackers) which came with onion chutney and a couple dips.
We also ordered a few dishes and dessert. Indian dishes can be ordered here at varying levels of spice and we chose mild.
Chicken Tikka Masala is one of the most popular Indian dishes and is particularly popular in our family. Chunks of chicken in a creamy sauce with Indian flavors. India is a very big country and there are regional variations, but with that in mind this is the best Tikka Masala we’ve had in Boca.
Lamb Korma is another creamy dish, and they did a particularly good job with it. You can get this with chicken instead of lamb if you prefer.
Paneer Mattar (or Mattar Paneer) is a vegetarian dish combining peas and goat cheese, in a tomato-onion sauce. I’m used to a version that’s more creamy and with less tomato and onion, but their recipe is more traditional and it’s tasty.
The entrees come with a white rice that has a few peas in it. We also ordered Naan which is a little like pita bread but lighter and tastier. Kids love it.
For dessert we had Gulab Jamun. They’re balls of bread (maybe a bit smaller than a golf ball) soaked in a hot and sweet syrup. They were very hot when they first got to the table so be careful when you eat them. They’re also delicious and hard to stop eating when you’re already full from the rest of the meal.
Price-wise they’re competitive with Punjab and Sapphire. If anything it seems like they’re slightly less expensive.
