Restaurant predictions based on *your* tastes en-us Copyright 2005, 2006 webmaster@cityjoints.com http://philadelphia.cityjoints.com/browse Warm, bustling atmosphere, great flatbread pizzas and delicious beer. The service was lacking in efficiency, but I blame the disorganization on the fact that this restaurant is newly opened and hope for future improvement, since I think the place is great. http://philadelphia.cityjoints.com/users/sefix/reviews Nov 2nd, 2008 Burrito shop modeled after Chipotle and possibly less interesting. I ordered a chicken burrito with a light dab of guacamole for $2.75!!! extra. I asked for light rice and got extra rice. My total was $10.97 for the single ricey burrito. I will NOT be going back.

Note: It is located in Philadelphia, not Chester. http://philadelphia.cityjoints.com/users/sheskrafty23/reviews Oct 16th, 2008 The food, once everyone correctly got what they ordered was very good and flavorful. The saag and some of the appetizers were a bit salty.

Service was another story altogether. There was a huge language barrier and I don't think many non-Indians come to this restaurant. When we had questions about the menu (which was expansive and also served Chinese and Thai food?) the server was unable to communicate with us. He just stood there and stared at us. One of the lamb dishes was all bones and no meat. After a long "discussion" it was taken off the bill.

The interior of the restaurant was very nice! http://philadelphia.cityjoints.com/users/sheskrafty23/reviews Sep 24th, 2008 good cheap pho. lots of meat that was of similar quality as other good pho places. mmmm, i like pho http://philadelphia.cityjoints.com/users/jumstein/reviews Aug 15th, 2008 Delivery was high price and low flavor. Very low. http://philadelphia.cityjoints.com/users/newmandm/reviews Aug 5th, 2008 Good food. Great service. Acceptable prices.

Food came out very quickly and the waitstaff was attentive without being bothersome.

Tofu and veggie dishes were good. Someone nearby had a curry and it smelled amazing.

Recommended all around. http://philadelphia.cityjoints.com/users/newmandm/reviews Jul 28th, 2008 Not worth it.



One of the loudest restaurants I've been to. The tiny, not cozy, place has you sitting on top of your neighbors yet unable to hear your tablemates.



The food is essentially flavor-free and we're pretty sure the veggie risotto was made with frozen vegetables.



The service "style" borders on rude. They are inattentive and, those few times you can get their attention, they don't actually listen to what you say.



Certainly not worth $30+ for two flavorless dishes and non-iced water. http://philadelphia.cityjoints.com/users/newmandm/reviews Jul 19th, 2008 I eat there twice a week and I never get tired of it. The best Indian food I've ever eaten, even after I tasted the great curryhouses in London, England.

The best dishes are Chicken tikka masala (unlike anywhere around) huge pieces of onion and peppers in a great red creamy sauce.

Chicken and Beff curry, strong flavour and excites the taste buds.

Shrimp Kabob. Spicy and savory.

Gigi is the man, I like my food spicy and I recommend you get your spice level at an 8. Small place, clean and charming.

I've been going here since He opened 3 years ago.
I have friends who travel as far as South Philadelphia for this so called "Comfort Food". the only problem with Cafe Bombay is that the food is so good YOU CAN"T STOP EATING EVEN WHEN YOU ARE FULL
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By Atalanta
10/19/07
Overall:

Started going here May 2007 and have since become a regular. I think it says something about a restaurant when it becomes "comfort food" and it's not your culture.

Gigi is an artist in the kitchen! Everything we've ordered has been most excellent. When you order you can specify the spice level of 1-10. We always start with 5 for "new" dishes and then proceed from there. A higher number doesn't always mean hotter but it does mean more intense. We've tended to stay with a 5 for vegie dishes, but have gone as high as 7 for some of the meat dishes.

The place is small with street parking or parking in the lot by the river. Reservations for a party larger than 4 is a good idea. Since everything is cooked to order, be prepared to wait. It is SO worth the wait! They do not serve alcohol, but you may BYO. You can get any menu item for take out, which we do quite often.
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Amazing food
By A Yahoo! Contributor
12/31/06
Overall:

Last Visit:
December 2006
Great for:
Romantic Dining, Groups, Kids, Dessert Menu
This is the most amazing Indian food I've ever had! The vegetables are fresh and flavorful, the meat is tender and the flavor is perfect! The spices don't overwhelm the other flavors in the dishes, they compliment the flavors, just as spices are intended to do. Even the rice is beautifully made with saffron. After eating here we can't get Indian food anywhere else. The service is wonderful. They are friendly, accomadating and attentive-just overall great people, doing a great job! It is clean and comfortable. The value is great too! We always have leftovers for another meal after eating here.
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Treat your Senses
By A Yahoo! Contributor
10/17/05
Overall:

Great for:
Romantic Dining, Groups, Take Out
I had only eaten Indian food a few times before this restaurant moved into the neighborhood where I work. I followed a couple of co-workers there for lunch, not really knowing what to expect, and what a surprise! First, the menu is very descriptive; not just a background of the Indian region, but a decent description of the ingredients so you can be fairly sure of what you're getting. Second, the service is outstanding; this is a family restaurant and the chef makes sure to personally chat with each customer. Third, the dishes can be tailored your taste; even the traditionally spicy plates can be served with little affect on your ability to swallow.

This is authentic Indian cuisine, not an Americanized version with cheaper, lower-quality ingrediants. The chef grinds his own spices, the meats are tender and lean, the breads, soups, and appetizers all add a new dimension to your taste palette.

With free parking near-by, and prices around $23 per person for a meal, it is a realtively affordable dining experience for the quality of food you get. Located in Historic Bristol Borough, it is one of five thriving restaurants right downtown near the waterfront and Bristol Riversdie Theatre.
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WHAT A WONDERFUL INDIAN RESTAURANT........KATHLEEN AND I ALWAYS HAVE OUR EYE'S LOOKING FOR FANTASTIC NEW AND INTERESTING PLACES TO EAT....YOURS IS IT! .... AND INDIAN HEALTHFUL CUISINE IS OUR FAVORITE. WE HAD A GREAT TIME AT YOUR UNEXPECTED ELEGANT AUTHENTIC SOUTHERN INDIAN CUISINE IN OLD TOWN BRISTOL.... DISCOVERED IT QUITE BY ACCIDENT. INVITING BEAUTIFUL DECORE....GREAT SERVICE....THE BEST IN EVERY WAY. ANYONE WHO ENJOYS EXCEPTION INDIAN CUISINE...ALL HOME MADE TO ORDER....MUST TRY YOUR PLACE.
JIM AND KATHLEEN.....WE HAD LUNCH THERE TODAY
THANK YOU GIGI!
< Back to Cafe Bombay main page

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• excellent food
Rating:
My husband and I dine at Cafe Bombay every two to four weeks. We are captivated by this restaurant. From the elegant crystal lighting and seductive powder pink walls to the alluring scent of exotic spices and excellent food, we look forward to coming here for our Saturday night outing. The food is excellent. One must try the chicken vindaloo and the grilled talipia. For appetizers, you must try the vegitarian samosa and spinich pakora with the chutneys. We always sit at the window table overlooking Mill Street which always adds to our dining enjoyment. Everybody should try Cafe Bombay; its excellent!!

o Posted on 1/26/2008
o by liz w.
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• Good Food / Wrong Area?
Rating:
I've been to Cafe Bombay on several occasions and was pleased with the atmosphere, foods, and service of all; however, the prices were a bit high for the area it is located in. The average four person meal was $75. each time. This is probably a good price in comparison to other ethnic/specialty restaurants in Bucks County but for the Bristol area, working-class people find it a little difficult to eat out often at these prices. I highly recommend their naan breads, they are the best i've ever had!

o Posted on 1/22/2008
o by Juan L.
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• By A Yahoo! Contributer, 02/01/08
My son and I ate at the Cafe Bombay last night. Our reception mirrored the amazing hospitality that I came to love in India. The food was wonderful. The owner, Gigi, even made me something he had never tasted but which I had loved in Hyderabad: pepper tea. No kidding. It sounds awful, but it tastes wonderful. We thoroughly enjoyed both the dinner and the tea.
http://philadelphia.cityjoints.com/users/gigieapen/reviews Jul 16th, 2008 ata1anta
Historic Philadelphia
Feb 7, 2008
Cafe Bombay had been open several months before I finally went in. I wish I had visited sooner!
The restaurant is a small storefront on Mill Street. Don't let it's modest appearance fool you, the food is high class!
It is quite small, maybe 10 tables and can seat, I believe, 50 people. They don't have a liquor license, but it is BYO.
The menu has some more familiar options like Samsosas and Vindaloo. We are working our way through the menu, but when we're just needing some good "home cooking" (we are NOT Indian, but Gigi's cooking tastes like "home cooking") we'll opt for Chicken Makhani and Chana Masala.
One of the things I like about this place is that you get a spice level option. I really don't like going to a restaurant that should use spices (like Thai) and find that it's been "Americanized." Here you get a spice level choice of 1 to 10. We've also found that a higher spice level doesn't necessarily mean hotter. It means a more intense spice taste. Some dishes develop a kind of sweetness at a 7 and others are plenty spicy at 5. When we try a "new" dish, we try with 5 and then judge the spice from there.
Dress code is nice casual. Service is not fast, mainly because each dish is made fresh. Naan is made right when you order, not pre-packaged from the market. I think he roasts and grinds his own spices too, that's the kind of care that you can taste in his food.
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• Selected Review: Steven D. Levin Retired Culinary Arts Teacher
Rating:
As a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, and retired Culinary Arts Teacher for more than 39 years, I feel more than eminently qualified to say "This was hands down, the best Indian meal my wife and I have ever enjoyed.
The restaurant is very nicely appointed with a lovely atmosphere and furnishings.
Gigi and his wife are magnificent in the preparation of recipes he proudly states are handed down from mother to daughter and mother to son.
Everything we had was exquisitely prepared, exciting to the palate, and the presentation was beautiful.
We shared an appetizer of Pakora perfectly prepared with two excellent sauces to sample.
My Lamb Rogan Josh was so tender it literally dissolved on my tongue. The sauce with just the perfect amount of seasoning made my salivary glands pump overtime.
My wife had the chicken khorma which also proved to be a gustatory extravaganza.
We had a side of mango chutney and two orders of Nann which precluded ordering dessert (which Gigi convinced us we must try on our next visit). You may rest assured the next visit will be very soon.

o Posted on 4/4/2008
o by Steven L.
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Indian Food
Rating:
Bombay Bistro is a decent indian restaraunt. I have been there once and was pleasantly surprised. The decor was very elegant and there was no aroma filling the dining room . The servers were well dressed and very attentive. The food was fresh and very light which was very surprising. The tandoori chicken was actually cooked to perfection. The spices used in the dal was also well calculated. Overall a good indian restaurant.
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Posted on 12/14/2006
• Good sauces
Rating:
My teenage son and I were hoping to find an Indian restaurant in the area where we needed to do errands. Through the Bristol business site and your site we decided to try Cafe Bombay. Although there was no lunch menu, all the menu could be made in lunch portions and prices. We ate two very good lunches, a vegetarian meal with a nice, thick sauce with many spices, and a chicken tikka masala, which also had a thick flavorful sauce. We did ask for the sauces to be mild, as my son had had a mild stomach earlier at breakfast, but he felt much better after eating his lunch here. We very much enjoyed it, and it came with rice and naan. We even had some leftovers, which I did not expect from a lunch portion. The couple who own the small, clean restaurant run it, and were very nice. We even talked about Indian spices and differences in diet here. Definitely a place to go back to.

o Posted on 5/11/2007
o by Jenny L.
• Indian Food
Rating:
Bombay Bistro is a decent indian restaraunt. I have been there once and was pleasantly surprised. The decor was very elegant and there was no aroma filling the dining room . The servers were well dressed and very attentive. The food was fresh and very light which was very surprising. The tandoori chicken was actually cooked to perfection. The spices used in the dal was also well calculated. Overall a good indian restaurant.

o Posted on 12/14/2006
o by Sam M.
5/9/07
the 1st food-ie event: Cafe Bombay


Cafe Bombay 8/30/06
www.cafebombay.biz/index.htm
233 Mill St.
Bristol, PA 19007

This initial event was great fun. We had 32 people attend and Gigi prepared for us an amazing assortment of fresh flavorful dishes that were less predictable than your average Indian Restaurant offers. The fact that the food was so great combined with having the restaurant all to ourselves created a really fun atmosphere. I hope that food-ie members return as often as possible because there just never seems to be enough appreciation for Bombay in Bristol.

(from their website):
"We at Cafe Bombay are dedicated to providing excellent authentic Indian cuisine. Since Indian cuisine varies from region to region, we have tried to include a sampling of dishes from the entire country reflecting the varied taste of different regions. The recipes of entrees included are time tested with correct combination of herbs and spices.

We believe homemade food is always better. To serve the most authentic food, we make our own yogurt and cheese everyday. Our food is cooked with minimum of oil and no MSG. We do not use any preservatives. Everything is cooked fresh from scratch in our kitchen. While practicing authentic Indian cuisine, we also use our own imagination and creativity to introduce new and innovative dishes."

our menu:
I've taken the initiative to order the basic stuff since Gigi is the owner/chef and has a small staff that would better serve a group our size this way. Dinner will be served as a buffet, freshly prepared for us as we get there, no heat lamps. So it's more like he's catering our party.

THE MENU
• hand made breads: basket (assortment)=Naan, Roti, Kulcha, Puri
• Bombay Naan :Naan stuffed with Indian cottage cheese, almonds, raisins, fresh ginger and coconut.
• Kadai (3 separate orders: Lamb, Vegetable & Shrimp) Kadai cooking is native to Sind which was formerly a part of Bombay. Pieces of meats or vegetable are quickly cooked in a Kadai (wok) with a small amount of spiced oil, onion, tomatoes, garlic, and other subtle flavors
THIS IS MY FAVORITE DISH - Ive not found anything close to this in any indian restaurant EVER. Gigi says that other indian chefs travel to Bristol just to get some. His menu intimidates newcomers sometimes because he bills it as very strong spicey flavor but in truth it's not extreme at all , except in fullness of flavor. If you like really mellow stuff, you may not like this as much as the Chicken Xacutti (below)
• Vegetable Navarathan Korma (Light Flavor)
Varieties of fresh vegetable, cheese, herbs and nuts done in a creamy sauce
• Chicken Xacutti (Strong Flavor but not hot) Pronounced "shakutte" Chicken Curry from the West coast of India Made with roasted ground coconut and a blend of rich spices
• Indian Spicy Salad :(vegetarian)chick peas, cucumber, onions and lots of flavorful herbs and spices. (medium spicy)
• Desserts: Mango Kulfi, Pistachio Kulfi, Gulab Juman
group photo with Gigi @ Bombay

http://philadelphia.cityjoints.com/users/gigieapen/reviews Jul 16th, 2008 The best carne asada I've ever had outside of San Diego! http://philadelphia.cityjoints.com/users/sheskrafty23/reviews Jul 3rd, 2008