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The Taj Cafe
905 State St, Santa Barbara
Phone: (805) 564-8280

  • Category: Indian
  • Hours: Mon-Thu 11:30am-10pm, Fri-Sun 11:30am-11pm
  • Price: $10 - $20
  • Serving: Lunch, & Dinner
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Reviews by the General Public

coconut chicken curry - alliterative bliss, 10/1/2009
Reviewer: ChrisC from Santa Barbara, CA
We always enjoy a meal at the Taj. On this visit we tried their coconut chicken curry along with a vindaloo for some spicy balance. The meal was excellent all around, plus very generous portions and some pleasant surprises. The condiments and sides are tasty, and the service was attentive and friendly without being obtrusive.

rack of lamb and buffet a great deal, 8/2/2009
Reviewer: jonathaan from Santa Barbara, CA
me and my friends went there specially to try there buffet and rack of lamb dish ,which our friends recommended us ,to try surprise the quality of food and portions were amazingly good ,we liked it alot and would recommend our friends too.
horrible staff... out plain rude....., 5/25/2009
Reviewer: rakhi nagarajan from Santa Barbara, CA
horrible horrible service! the man who was handling the restaurant was just plain rude... he didnt even greet us... never gave a straight answer.. as soon as we walked in, all he could say was "wait outside... we will call u when we r ready!" hello.. who is the business giver and who is the receiver here? we found the restaurant temp. very cold... and when we asked him to close the door or something. he didnt even bother to stand and reply.. he was walking and gave a rude reply like " we dont close the door.. dont bother asking!!"... the other staff were friendly.. but this guy (I guess the owner), his attitude literally ruined our dinner.. would never carry my business to a place which disrespects customers... and all this to a group of 8 folks..!! cant even imagine how I will be treated if I went in a smaller group..
long wait, disappointing food, 5/20/2009
Reviewer: Greg from Goleta, CA
We eat at the Taj every so often and generally enjoy it, but last night it was really disappointing. First, it took 30min for our food to arrive. Then, when it did, the food was almost inedible. The chicken tikka was tough and completely tasteless. In fact, it tasted like the chicken was frozen and not defrosted properly, and so it didn't cook very evenly. The gobi aloo (cauliflower) had very little flavor, either. We usually take leftovers home, but not this time. Something was really off with the Taj last night. Hope it was just one bad night.
Very, very good, recommend to all., 3/30/2009
Reviewer: Logan Lehman from Hesperia, CA
I visit my family in santa barbara often, and this restaurant is a must. I ate once, and I was hooked. The food is so authentic, and the flavours are incredible. The service quite good, but I think the english has to improve a little bit, but for America, this is expected.

indian resturant with a high quality, 3/20/2009
Reviewer: sandoval tom from Santa Barbara, CA
Food is great,serving staff very friendly ,great prices as compared with quality of food and service.i love it whenever i get a chance to go there.
Favorite SB Restaurant.!!!!, 3/18/2009
Reviewer: Melanie from Santa Barbara, CA
WE LOVE TAJ CAFE! We have been eating at Taj at least once a month for the past three years and are pretty much addicted. We have tried the other Inidan restaurants in town, and nothing else comes close to Taj. We are always greeted with smiles and nice conversation, seated in a romantic, private booth is a special experience like nowhere else in SB, the food is consistently excellent in both quality and flavor (even though, as a picky eater, I always ask chef to alter the recipe a little which they do for me without any hesitation), the spiciness of the dishes is done perfectly delicious, and the serving staff and manager (maybe owner?) assist with a very comfortable attitude. Cannot say enough about Taj...Love it! Love it! LOVE IT!
Rude Service!, 2/19/2009
Reviewer: CAksoy from Santa Barbara, CA
Food at the Taj isn't overpriced; their diverse menu is one of the few on State that students can afford. However, I have to say that some of its preparation was questionable (Pink Chicken!). Regardless, the service there was just bad. Servers did not seem to be assigned to tables. Therefore, you can't identify who to talk to about complaint or requests. Additionally, the owner was very cold and rude, and even went so far as to "hush" one of the people at my table with a question. I realize that this restaurant is busy, but the owner of any restaurant should act like a diplomat, and be the most personable one there. That kind of service was totally unacceptable. I'd avoid it, and go to "A Taste Of India" up the street, just for the friendlier atmosphere.
Great Lunch Specials and Lunch Buffet, Horrible Service, 2/6/2009
Reviewer: Cassie from Santa Barbara, CA
I work down the street from this place so I come here often for lunch. The lunch buffet is a great deal with great food--especially for a vegetarian. The variety is satisfactory and the price is reasonable. Also they have lunch specials which include a large amount of food for a relatively low price--especially when you compare the special price to the price of ordering these items a la carte. However, the service is very unsatisfying. I often am in a rush to pay and leave towards the end of my meal so that I can make it back to work on time, but the service is just way too slow. Also the manager is very cold and rude. When I went in to pick up my lunch special he was reading and took a very long time to stop reading and assist me. He did not smile once and just seemed very cold and unwelcoming.

buffet is the best deal in town, 1/21/2009
Reviewer: Suzie from Santa Barbara, CA
I always have the lunch buffet here when vacationing in Santa Barbara--everything is very fresh and healthy; and there is a good variety. Some of the dishes are a little spicy for my taste but there is something for everyone. Pleasant atmosphere, convenient location on State Street near the Paseo Nuevo. Never ordered from the menu, but service has been fine for what extras I've asked for. Quality of ingredients is top notch for a buffet meal!
Decent food, lousy service, 1/16/2009
Reviewer: Another Mark in Santa Barbara from Santa Barbara, CA
My wife and I ate here last week. The food is okay, the atmosphere is fine, but, man, what lousy service. We wanted to catch a movie after our meal, so we gave ourselves 90 minutes to eat. After 50 minutes, still no food. People who came in after us were eating. I asked two waiters to check on our meals, and neither one bothered to report back to us. I asked to speak to the manager; no manager appeared. I'll never go back.
Tasty food, but really slow and poor service, 1/1/2009
Reviewer: Mark from Santa Barbara, CA
I really like the freshness and the flavor of the food at The Taj Cafe, but the service has been consistently slow as if they are doing you a favor to eat there. The guy in the front insists that it is the best Indian food and he may be right. One last comment. Always go through the front door. If you go to the back door, you will find a smelly, dirty kind of atmosphere kinda like a dirty Indian hotel lol! It's true!
I will NEVER eat here EVER again.
Reviewer: Marjorie from Santa Barbara, CA
The food was okay; wasn't terrific, wasn't horrible. But the service was ridiculously crappy. When my friend and I walked in to eat lunch, we were seated by the manager with menus as is typical of any restaurant dining experience. We ordered our food and enjoyed our average meal. When we got the check, my friend thought she had been charged too much so she got up to ask for a menu. She was handed a lunch special menu, which was NOT what we were given by the manager when we walked in at 1:30 p.m. We had been handed the DINNER menu at 1:30 in the afternoon, which is much more expensive. When we questioned the manager about why he had handed us the more expensive dinner menu and not the lunch menu, he said that we should have ASKED for the lunch menu, even though we were clearly there for lunch! When we asked him to honor the much cheaper LUNCH prices (the dinner price were almost twice as much - and what we ordered was very comparable) he refused and would not budge, insisting again that at 1:30 in the afternoon, one must specially REQUEST the lunch menu. He never acted with grace or understanding towards us or the situation - never acknowledging his agency in the whole fiasco. Quite possibly the worst customer service I have ever experienced; not only was it bad customer service, we felt we had been deliberately duped so the Taj could make $15 extra dollars that day. I think if the manager had acknowledged that he should have handed us the lunch menu at lunchtime and honored the lunch prices because it was clearly lunchtime, we would have come away much happier.

worst of the worst places ever...
Reviewer: Deena from Santa Barbara, CA
My husband and I went to the Taj Cafe on a sunday evening since our usual spot was closed, after being seated we were given a glass of warm water with no ice, I looked around and everyone had ice besides us, nevertheless I asked for ice on the side and we ordered our drinks, snacks and dinner, we waited for more then 30mins and nothing arrived not even the dam ice or were we even aproached by the waiter.A couple came in sat besides us, immidiately they received snacks and dip and even got ice water..we waited for another 15mins and decided to leave, Disappoint and Hungry. The service sucks so does there additude. I will never go there even if im desperate.

Excellent Restaurant
Reviewer: Thomas Nix from Lompoc, CA
This place is great!! The atmosphere is good and the food is excellent. The waiter explained how spicy and the taste of the items we were thinking of getting. The vindaloo was the best I'd had anywhere (LA, Houston, Orlando, Dallas, Washington DC). Overall, this is an excellent restaurant and the portions are substantial and the price is comparable to any other restaurant of it's caliber.
great resturant
Reviewer: kamal from santa maria
we had our graduation party last saturday with more than 32 people. the service and food was great,we definately had a memorable experience and the service was great.
some great indian dishes
Reviewer: bob guitirez from santa barbara
live in santa barbara for last 30 years ,but this amazingly good .i specially love some of there unique dishes like chicken tika masala,mango chicken e.t.c.
Just Better than Average
Reviewer: Leon McNaught from Corona, CA
The service was good. The starter courses were very good, but the main dish was disappointing. The vindaloo was runny as was the chicken curry, both had tough overcooked or old chicken. Always on the search for a great Indian restaurant. I picked this one based on the reviews from this site. Save time and go to the next best reviewed Indian restaurant here.
Simply Delicious
Reviewer: Elisha from Aspen, CO
I used to live here in Santa Barbara, and every time I come back I make sure to go to the Taj Cafe. Their food is delicious and their service is simply top notch. Thanks for being so great.
Great place to dine.
Reviewer: Frank Hernandez from Santa Barbara,Ca
The Taj Cafe reminds me of times in my life when the great food of a culture has given me both satisfaction and piece of mind. The Indian food of the Punjab region of northern India is best to be tasted and the ambience of the region is everywhere. Frank
Great Taste... Great Service!!!!
Reviewer: Howie from Ventura, CA
Took my girlfriend here for Valentine's Day and we were very impressed with the food, service and atmosphere! They sat us in one of their private booths which made us feel special. We eat Indian food often and found this place to be exceptional. Our waiter named Singh was very friendly and made us feel welcome. We will most certainly dine here again. Go korma!!
great food and excellent service
Reviewer: robert cardinas from ventura
we had our annual office meeting at the taj cafe with more than 20people .the food at the resturant was excellent,specially the tandoori fish,and lamb curry,we loved it,the waiting staff was very polite and the service was great.we all loved it.
Bad food, really bad service
Reviewer: michelle from santa barbara
It took us 25 minutes to get our order taken. A very grumpy guy who was on his laptop in the back of the restuarant finally got up, put an apron on, and took our order. The wine I ordered was unavailable. We had come in because we had a discount card, and the waiter/manager with the laptop argued it was only good for 2 entrees get one free, even though it said order one get one free on the card. The food came and it was a horrible presentation (maybe he was disgruntled over the 2 for 1 deal) and it tasted just as bad..overcooked shrimp and mushy fish curry. The grumpy waiter came and asked if we would like more wine, and when my husband ordered another glass of Pinot, the waiter grabbed the glass he had that was still 1/3 full. We got it back. When he brought the new glass, he informed us they were out of the Pinot, but this was an upgrade glass of red. It tasted like whatever was left in the bottle that they were trying to get rid of. The only friendly face at the restaurant was the guy who brought us our chips and chutney!
Yummiest buffet ever!
Reviewer: Jess from Santa Barbara
I only go here for the buffet and I have never ever been disappointed. I love the chicken curry and the korma is amazing. I mix it all together and scoop it up with some naan bread. I always leave this place with a tummy ache cause I eat too much! :) For two people eating the buffet the price is around $20 which is not bad when you can eat as much as you want. The service is great but it's not like they have to do much since I eat the buffet but they are always very nice and I'm pretty sure by now they recognize me...

Nothing but good things to say...
Reviewer: Amy V from Santa Barbara
I eat at The Taj Cafe about one time a month. The service is always warm and welcoming and the food excellent. There have been several times when I was given a complimentary dessert, or a glass of wine to taste and give my opinion on. The food comes out promptly and hot. The flying horse beer compliments most all dishes. Thank you Taj Cafe!!!
amazing experience high end indian resturant
Reviewer: snow hunter from reno nevada
hi,i am from reno ,i often come to santa barbara for my bussiness trips.my favourite dish here is lamb curry .this is really a high end indian resturant ,although the service of food is sometimes slow because it is busy.
Worst Service Ever
Reviewer: Raj from Tustin, CA
I live in Orange County and have been staying at Carpinteria from Monday to Thursday for last three months. To have indian food I travelled to Santa barbara as there are no Indian restaurants in Carpinteria. After placing my order I waited for more than an 75 minutes (not) to get it and reminded three times during that one hour. I was frustated with that long wait and left that night with out dinner. The excuse I got for delay was my order was delivered to another customer by mistake. Mine was a simple order, during my 75 minute wait they could have served many more even if they had mistakenly delivered. While I opened this site to write this review, I found similar review by another customer. Very unpleaseant experience...

Good food. Terrible Service
Reviewer: Anthony from Santa Barbara, CA
As it seems many have stated, the food was pretty good but the service was terrible. I went by myself and watched as a few families received their lunch before my 1 entree order. 35 minutes later I received my food. Might try and find a better place rather than return.
Consistenly good, we eat here 1-2 times a week!
Reviewer: Elizabeth from Santa Barbara, CA
My roommate and I eat here 1-2 times a week, sometimes at the restaurant, sometimes take out or delivery. Always excellent service. The food is always great and consistent. Chicken Korma is our favorite!
Very good
Reviewer: John Dickson from Santa Barbara, CA
I am actually seated inside The Taj as I write this review from my iPhone. I ordered the Mango Chicken and it is heavenly. Order a side of rice with it for the complete experience. Excellent dish.

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