Babu Ji
“For our "pot" dishes, we ordered the butter chicken, goat curry, anjeer kofta, and scallop coconut curry.”
“I did think that the scallop coconut curry was a tad bit too sweet so I probably wouldn't order that again.”
“We ordered the gol gappa, tandoori chicken, duck curry and the daal and we couldn't pick a favorite, everything was delicious.”
Babu Ji
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
First things first … Claire, our host for the evening at Babuji's is just wonderful. She loves the food she brings out of the kitchen and it changes everything! I might have given three stars for food but Claire's enthusiasm makes you reflect on the attempts made in the flavor choices and the potential in the food story being presented. Big ups!
Second – or maybe this isn't a second point anymore – we did a tasting menu and I'm vegetarian so I am only writing my response for that… The appetizers were ALL phenomenal. Definitely will go back!
Dined at Babu Ji on a Monday evening. I tried the batatas vada (similar to a potato samosa), butter chicken, and punjabi kadhi (cauliflower fritters in a curry sauce), along with rice, garlic naan, and the kulfi (like ice cream popsicles). Food was very good all around. Service was good as well and a manager came by to check on us. The place is so damn crowded all the time and the acoustics are terrible, so you so have to shout to hear your friends. Jury is still out on whether or not this place and food justifies their prices. Maybe will go back to try the tasting menu, but I'll add this to my regular rotation at Masala Wala and Drunken/Royal Munkey.
As an Indian person who has grown up eating home cooked indian food and been to many Indian restaurants, this place for both food and service was just average, especially given the price. I wasn't surprised that the crowd consisted of mostly non-indians.
The good:
– Batata vada for the appetizers was pretty good with a nice presentation
– Duck curry was also very good, but portions are small (only 2 pieces).
– The naan was very tasty. I recommend getting the basket since it's a better deal.
– Decor is cool, nice framed photographs on the wall.
The bad:
– Babu's daal (Daal makhni) was flavorless. Too much yogurt and too little spice. This is a staple dish – not sure how they could mess this up?!
– Although some people in my party really liked the butter chicken, I didn't love it – once again, there was something lacking in the taste of the curry and the chicken pieces were too tender.
– Very loud in the restaurant, it was jam packed, and you had to scream to have a conversation.
– Service was ooookay I guess. We had to repeat our order several times. Waited 20 minutes for our beers only to then be informed that it's self service – you have to get it from the refrigerator yourself.
– One bathroom only and no space to wait in a line.
Between a 3 and 4. I was really excited to try Babu Ji, and I'm glad I did, but not sure how often I'll be coming back. The place is small, there is usually a wait, and it gets LOUD. I snagged a spot at the bar to catch up with friends and we had a hard time hearing each other. We loved the beer fridge, and all the waitstaff was super friendly and nice. Most of the dishes were great, but some were overflavored and not sure I'd get them again. However, definitely a fun take on Indian cuisine.
My friend and I came here on a Tuesday night around 9, and we got seated right away. Though, it was still pretty busy and people were coming in as we were dining. He told me the last time he came here, the wait was about 2 hours!!
As far as the service, our host was actually super nice – he even threw out a joke at me. But, the waiter was mediocre.
What we ordered: tandoori chicken, coconut prawn curry, na'an, and rice. I enjoyed the tandoori chicken more. It was flavorful and tender. The coconut prawn curry was good too, but it was a little too sweet for my taste. The curry was thick, which was good with the na'an and rice. The na'an and rice themselves were good, average. It wasn't anything special. There looked to be herbs and spices on it, but I didn't really taste them.
My only gripe is that the place is expensive. Most items are $26/ea and are not that big. For example, the tandoori chicken had 5 pieces. So each piece were over $5. I don't know. I haven't paid that much for Indian food ever. The sticker shock was a little too much to overcome for me. That's why I gave it a 3 star. It was good, but for the price? Hmm…
First of all: The food is really good. Fresh and not to oily. We had the chana masala and the butter chicken, both were absolutely delish! But… It came out at over $80 when we added one beer, rice and naan. A bit over priced (and I always think that rice should be included). Naan was very good!!
Not your regular go to Indian, but something for a special occasion. Server was very polite and not to pushy.
Walked right in on a Tuesday at 6 pm, so be there when it opens to avoid lines.
great delicious chef tasting menu that came with surprising delectable delights!!! good mix of nouveau indian treats while balancing recognizable well known dishes like chicken tikka and shrimp curry for the main courses. they provide many small dishes so you can try everything. totally amazing. downside- this place is SUPER LOUD /SUPER noisy with no noise buffering for miles -so be prepared to scream or raise your voice or just practice your lip reading skills. would not recommend this place as a first date place if you want to hear anything you date has to say (unless you don't of course.) Also felt a little rushed since they have reservations for many tastings so they were probably eager to free up the table. all in all – good food but can maybe have a little more time to enjoy it?
Indeed: long wait any night of the week, (though we snagged a table for two with no wait on a Monday at 9:15pm) and it's a bit pricier than your standard Indian fare, and it is loud and bright and crowded, so really not the most romantic, but you know what, I think the food is worth a solid 4-4.5 stars and I'll be back to test this theory.
Servers are friendly and helpful, they have tons of beer and wine (but no cocktail options, unlike Royal Munkey/Drunken Munkey which I believe have slightly less addicting food but INCREDIBLE cocktails that knock it out of the park), and their food is flavorful, modern, and yes, I said it, addicting (very hard to stop eating before it's mostly demolished).
Tried the batatas bravas, butter chicken, cauliflower main, rice, garlic naan, and one of the ice cream cardamom dessert pops. Can't wait to go back. Everything was great. Currently underrated on Yelp, but the secret is totally out IRL anyway.