Taj India 3120 Clairmont Avenue, Birmingham, AL 35205

"New location on Clairmont. Inviting exterior, lots of parking, which nevertheless fills up at noon, clean, mostly white, light-flooded interior with only few, dust collecting ethnic decorations. Tables are spaced nicely, leaving room to move chairs and walk around. The waiters are fast, friendly, and attentive. Water comes in a pitcher, naan bread appears by magic while empty plates vanish by the same kind of magic. Hooray a buffet! I hadn't seen a buffet since before COVID and needed all my self-control not to morph into an all-you-can-eat-buffet-werehog. The buffet offered ~10 different dishes and although I was missing labels for vegetarian and vegan options, it was pretty easy to recognize the dishes. They really need a better way of labeling the dishes. The cards don't look clean or appetizing and easy to read fonts might look unappealing but are more helpful than fancy fonts. All dishes tasted quite different from the Indian food that I cook or find in other restaurants. I liked the pakora, navratan korma, dal tadka (?), and the cucumber salad, but was not convinced by the other dishes. The aloo matter was good but I was missing the earthy flavors and the sauce was too thin. The saag, was too acidic and I was missing paneer, the spicy pickled onions were raw and not pickled at all, the tomato soup was very thin and so were the brothy pulses. All in all a decent option for a vegetarian meal but w/o a disclaimer about ghee and other milk products not for vegans. Old location 2023: The buffet is set in a hallway that needs some deep cleaning, better lighting, and a lot more airflow. The signs that provide the name and brief descriptions of the dishes could use some icons to denote jain, vegetarian and vegan dishes as well as the use of Gluten and, nuts. I sampled most vegetarian dishes and was .. underwhelmed. The only sauce that was as thick as I like sauce was Saag Paneer that was very acidic, quite spicy and didn't have paneer. The Chana Dal had almost no split chickpeas and was more of a broth. I had to fish around in the Korma to find vegetables. What I believed to be Pakora were potatoes lightly "breaded" that begged the question if the cook had used the oil for frying chicken before. The Egg pilaf had no egg and instead of fragrant spices and a nutty Ghee aroma tasted more like fried rice. The onion chutney was too fresh and tasted like raw onion, missing all the deeper flavors, I already forgot the other dishes that I sampled. Maybe you have better luck ordering a la carte but they need to rethink their cost model and reduce the buffet or increase their price to provide the deliciousness I am always hoping for. Still 3 stars because even mediocre Indian food offers plenty of lacto-vegetarian options and flavor."

"Finally found a great Indian restaurant! It's taken us four months, but we've discovered an excellent lunch buffet that showcases various house specialties. The food was hot, spicy, and enjoyable, with naan delivered fresh and hot to complement our meal. Thank you and see you soon!"

"Taj India has given me a consistent, lovely dining experience for the last 25 years. I'm always greeted with a genuinely kind welcome each time. Their food is always so flavorful and beautifully presented. The ambience is elegant and inviting. I've been going to Taj India at least twice a week for decades and I've thoroughly enjoyed everything about it each time I go. Five stars for everything at Taj India!"

"I enjoyed one of the best meals I've had in a long time. The food was colorful, flavorful, and nutritious. This lunch buffet is worth trying. The tables are beautifully set with tablecloths, cloth napkins, brass utensils, and water goblets. Also, the staff is classy and attentive. I believe it was well worth the price of $13.75!!"