Singh’s Cafe, a restaurant located toward the end of Wellesley Square, offers delicious Indian and Pakistani crave-worthy cuisine. Walking into the restaurant at first can be a bit confusing, as it is underground and the sign saying to go down is easy to miss. Upon entering on a Sunday night, we found a few people standing around waiting to be seated. Despite the minimal crowd, there was a solid wait time, as we stood around in the front waiting for someone to seat us for a good 7 minutes. It wasn’t too bad though, we had stale swedish fish and a notoriously bitter seed and candy mixture to keep us company. Despite the wait, however, the food was worth the poor initial impression.
Offering a variety of options, ranging from typical samosa appetizers to signature masala chicken dishes, the restaurant has over 40 entrees (not counting appetizers, sides, or desserts) including a multitude of vegetarian options, that are served for both lunch and dinner. All of these options were typical dishes served in many regions of Pakistan and India. “It’s all very flavorful” says Karina Atiegha ‘20, a spicy food fanatic who was invited to test out some foods as a person with a sophisticatedly food palette. For someone who has less experience with foods of this region, she found it extremely delicious and worth the time and money to try it out. “[The food] tastes so, so good,” she said, [it’s] worth the wait time.” Her favorite dish was the chicken biryani, a traditional mixed rice dish, often served at parties and special gatherings.
The quality of food is exceptional in the fact that it tastes very similar to an Indian home cooked meal. As typical of this cuisine, a lot of the food is rich and heavy, and often is served in large portions. The three dishes we ordered (chicken biryani, shahi paneer, and chicken tikka masala) could feed us for days. We were able to take home leftovers that lasted a couple of meals. One may think there might not be enough food at first glance for even 4 people to share, but as Karina said herself, “the food is [like] never ending.” Pricing is closer to the expensive side as an average entree price is about $16.50. Our three dishes, sides of rice of naan, and drinks cost over $70 (not including tip).
The service was fair. After asking for a few more minutes before ordering something (because of the plethora of options at our fingertips) we waited about 15-20 minutes before they remembered to come back to us. The restaurant was minimally busy, yet we’re almost certain they forgot about us. After our order was finally taken, it was another long wait to get the food. If you are in a rush or need to be somewhere before a certain time, Singh’s Cafe isn’t the place to go. Plan for your total time to be about one and a half hours at the restaurant.
The cleanliness was fair as well. While it wasn’t exactly a “hole-in-the wall” it was certainly not the cleanest place ever. One thing however, if you’re looking for a restroom after all the food, Singh’s dingy bathroom isn’t the place to be.
Overall, the good food outweighed the poor service and somewhat unsanitary environment. The best option to try out Singh’s is via delivery, which is now available on GrubHub. This way, you don’t have to deal with the above listed problems. Still, plan on ordering when you aren’t starving, just in case they take a while. Most importantly, be prepared for the mass amounts of leftovers that will be in your fridge!
★★★☆☆
