Restaurant Review: Moti Mahal in Amherst, NY (Buffalo)

Moti Mahal
3547 Sheridan Dr
Amherst, NY 14226
(716) 837-3038

I visited Moti Mahal tonight for a quick dinner by myself. I was craving Indian food and couldn't wait until my next visit from Jeff (my restaurant buddy) to go get some. Cheap has become my word of the month and its actually the main reason I have been avoiding Indian restaurants so much lately. The words "cheap" and "Indian Restaurant" don't mix... This annoys the hell out of me because most Indian Restaurants don't offer the atmosphere that you'd expect a $20.00 meal to be served in. I've always had issues with Indian Restaurants because of this. Theres very few Indian establishments offering an equal combination of a good atmosphere/ fine surroundings /good food in both Rochester and Buffalo. And I know they exist in other cities (NYC, Seattle WA, New Jersey and so on..I've been there, I know they exist). So why not Buffalo? In my opinion the nicest Indian Restaurant in Buffalo is Tandoori on Transit, and second best is probably Taste of India in Amherst, since their remodeling and addition. These restaurants offer what I consider to be good surroundings/ service/ food. However there are so many others that are simply lacking...yet have menu prices similar to their nicer cousins.

So why did I visit Moti-Mahal tonight? Because I have driven past it so many times, and after Googling it for reviews, and visiting Bill Rapaports Buffalo Restaurant guide, figured it would be a good cheap, and fast meal with "home cooked" style food. The restaurant only hit on 1 and a half of my 3 requirements though. The restaurant is small, which is totally acceptable. When I walked in, there were only 2 other people eating and one waiter running the entire front end of the restaurant. That too is fine, though somewhat concerning.

My measure of an Indian Restaurants food is based on the quality of its Chicken Makhani (Butter Chicken), Naan, and Rice. I'm not daring enough to try much else when I visit a new Indian restaurant for the first time. The service overall was acceptable, however my major complaint is that the waiter wasn't serving water with ice, which I'm accustomed to (and I think everybody is accustomed to). Instead the water was served straight from the tap, and not a very cold one at that.

Food wise, My Chicken Tikka Stuffed Naan came out looking delicious, and not too crispy as I sometimes fear it will be. However the chicken had no flavor. From the look of it..the chicken was mostly seasoned with red food coloring and not much else. The Chicken Makhani looked the part, though I asked for Medium and it was served mild. "Note to self: Always ask for hot". Lastly the rice was great, and exactly as my mother makes when I'm home. Another thing that I was surprised about was that no yogurt was served with my meal. No achaar either (indian pickle). I figured if this place was called authentic, and served in a very homely atmosphere that they would at least offer these extras. Not so.

Atmosphere: I knew going in, not to expect very much of the atmosphere (there is none). The walls are strangely painted a light green, the trim white/ beige, the plates were plain white (cheap), there was Indian music playing from 2 tvs that were playing bollywood music scenes from a "random songs" DVD, the kind you can find in any Indian Bazaar. Personally I think the entire place should be re-painted, new Plasma TV's hung, new speakers put in, as well as new lighting. From the looks of it, the owners had purposely left out many bulbs from each of the light fixtures because they were too bright otherwise. This really made the place look cheap in my opinion.

Overall, I dont think I'll be going back to Moti-Mahal anytime soon. I'll move on to another new Indian Restaurant in the hopes of finding a jewel (hopefully). For Chicken Makhani (portion comparable to other Indian restaurants in the area), a Chicken Tikka Naan and a bowl of Basmati Rice (Which I finished completely in my second helping) I paid $ 16.20, leaving the remainder of my $20.00 for tip. For $20.00, I was pretty much robbed. I could have gotten a lot more food from any other restaurant and enjoyed it more.

My recommendation: Dont visit Moti Mahal-- even though people have said its cheap, their regular menu items are just as expensive as everywhere else, though I'm guessing their lunch buffet probably looks like a better deal. I'd probably avoid their 10.95 dinner buffet and visit the nearby Taste of India instead.