Nestled between Starbucks and Crossroads Trading Co. on Sherman Avenue lies a new, cozy Indian restaurant featuring authentic cuisine at a reasonable price. Bombay Indian Grill, 1728 Sherman Ave., opened three weeks ago in the location of the former Dunkin’ Donuts.
“It’s a pretty small place, but we make the best out of it,” said Ram Sharma, the restaurant’s owner and chef.
Sharma started the restaurant with his father, who has been a chef in the Chicago area for the past 35 years. Bombay Grill is one of four restaurants started by the Sharma family, with two in Urbana-Champaign and one in Lincoln Park.
Though the restaurant has only 11 tables and four waiters, the menu is full of choices. Sharma said an important feature of the menu is the vast selection of vegetarian entrees.
Other Indian restaurants often offer buffet-style dining, but Sharma said he specifically did not want to offer a buffet.
“My own personal opinion is, buffet is quantity over quality,” Sharma said. “I prefer quality over quantity.”
Quality is what Sharma strives for, using only fresh ingredients and grilling the food himself.
“It takes a little longer, but it comes out more flavorful,” Sharma said.
Sharma said because it is a smaller restaurant, he does not cook any food in bulk-everything is made to order. Sharma said he likes to suggest specific entrees based on each customer’s tolerance for spice and preferred type of meat.
Sharma said he is still building the website for the restaurant, but people will be able to order online for delivery soon. He said he would especially like to market to Northwestern students.
SESP freshman Tim Zachas said he tried Bombay Indian Grill because he enjoys eating international cuisine. He described the restaurant as an “Indian version of Panda Express.”
“(The restaurant) is not even casual dining,” Zachas said. “It’s hurried dining. It’s in between fast food and Chili’s.”
Still, Zachas said he liked the prices at Bombay Indian Grill and would order takeout again. Lunch prices at the restaurant range from $5.99-$8.49, while dinner prices range from $10.99- $14.99. Bombay Indian Grill opens at 11:30 a.m. every day and closes at 10 p.m. during the week and 10:30 p.m. on weekends.
Sharma said he hopes to expand the restaurant in the future. He is working on specialty dishes to offer on a rotating basis and also plans to obtain a liquor license.
Weinberg freshman Ricky Wozniak had never tried Indian food before he ate at Bombay Indian Grill two weeks ago. He said the food was “really tasty.”
“It was pretty cozy inside, which was good,” Wozniak said. “You could tell that it was really new, so they wanted to impress everyone that was coming in.”
Wozniak ordered the chicken tikka masala, which is the most popular entree, Sharma said.
“I never knew a lot of those flavors existed before,” Wozniak said. “I love eating new kinds of food, so it was a good time.”
