Gandhi Mahal

Minneapolis, United States

4.2

Closed now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 612-729-5222
Website:
www.gandhimahal.com
Address:
3009 27th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN, 55406
Longfellow
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
360 ft26 Av E (Minnehaha)
430 ftMinnehaha Av (26 Av)
450 ft31 St E
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
Yes
Delivery
Yes
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Good For
Dinner
Parking
Street, Private Lot
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Has TV
No
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
Yes

Today

Today 11:30 am – 3:00 pm
5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Minneapolis) 10:20 Monday, 23 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 11:30 am – 3:00 pm
5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Tuesday 11:30 am – 3:00 pm
5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Wednesday 11:30 am – 3:00 pm
5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Thursday 11:30 am – 3:00 pm
5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Friday 11:30 am – 3:00 pm
5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Saturday 11:30 am – 3:00 pm
5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Sunday 11:30 am – 3:00 pm
5:00 pm – 10:00 pm

Description

Specialties

We serve the Gandhi Thali, a finger food platter that is in the style of the food, and the manner of dining, that Gandhi himself would have dined upon. We are dedicated to principles that he advocated in his lifetime: our satyagraha of self sufficiency, local community involvement and sustainability.

Our menu includes a many vegetarian selections with unique family recipe specialties, although we serve meat dishes as well.

Our mission is to bring people of diverse cultures and beliefs together for a peace provoking dining experience.

History

Established in 2008.

We began as a humble re-​location of our family owned Indian restaurant, the Little Taj Mahal, and through our dialogues with owners, community leaders and family members, we decided the time is right for ‘change.’ Particularly, we felt that peace is a practice, and to invoke the name of one of the fathers of peace is a reminder to ourselves as well our community that the time is always ‘now’ when it comes to creating peace.

Meet the Business Owner

Ruhel I.

Business Owner

We are dedicated to bringing you peace by pleasing your palate! Our tradition comes from three or more generations of dishing up the heat, and fragrant spice known as ‘northern style Moghul cuisine.’ We do no not compromise on quality or quantity here, and our mission is to serve you authentic food – the way ‘WE’ eat, not some pasty, dummied down version of Indian food.

Our restaurant is named Gandhi because we thought if ever there was a time to invoke the name of the father of peace, it was now. We have dedicated portions of our menu to food that is strictly vegetarian, but we also cater to meat eaters – after all, India is a nation of both.

We «think globally and act locally» by practicing community gardening, support neighborhood businesses, purchase fresh vegetables and produce from our Mid Town Farmers market; and by donating a portion of our proceeds to charitable causes throughout the year in the form of gift certificates for silent auctions, and hands on neighborhood events.

Gandhi Mahal also recommends

Coastal Seafoods

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Restaurant de fruits de mer

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Marchés aux fruits de mer

,

Ecole de cuisine

Ruhel I. says,

«We love fresh – and fresh fish flown in daily is something we respect– on our menu! Need 20% off on shellfish? Crab? Uni? Get their newsletter…»

Midori’s Floating World Café

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reviews

Sushi

,

Restaurant Japonais

Ruhel I. says,

«Simply the best sushi in town, with fresh organic wasabi to boot ;-P»

Midtown Farmers Market

10

reviews

Marché

Ruhel I. says,

«Fresh, fresh, fresh vegetables, grown by local farmers. Voted the #5 Best Farmers market in the entire United States.»

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20 reviews of Gandhi Mahal

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Saint Paul, MN
Very good, super authentic when it comes to spice levels. Nearly burned my face off when I ate my entrée, which is good.
Place rating: 5
Minneapolis, MN
THE BEST place in Minneapolis for Indian food! Seriously, nowhere else compares!
I always get the Kamal Mango with chicken, and we split an order or two of naan-​try the coconut naan now that they don’t serve the cheese naan anymore it’s such a great mix of sweetness with the flaky crust.
The service here can be somewhat hit or miss, but there’s an awesome girl who waits on us sometimes and always remembers us and is friendly and overall very nice to see. Some of the older male servers don’t seem to care as much about personalized service with a smile, so if it’s your first time there and you get one of them then try not to take it personal.
I recommend this place to anyone and everyone interested in a great atmosphere and delicious food!!!
Place rating: 4
Saint Paul, MN
Oh boy here we go.
I have visited Gandhi Mahal twice so far in the past 3 weeks and had two different experiences. Without focusing on either experience exclusively lets break it down this way.
Food: Wow. As a vegetarian I am always happy to find food to eat at a local restaurant, nonetheless an entire section of the menu that was extremely varied. I highly suggest the palak paneer, mushroom masala, and the samosas… there are not enough words to describe my love for these dishes. Both times the flavor has been beautifully balanced, with not too much nor too little, curry flavoring complimenting the other parts of the dishes. And lets talk about Naan… I mean come on… its naan, and it is amazing. Both times I have had a server walking around offering free freshly made naan pieces as well. So good!
Service: varied, seems to be understaffed at times and have a hard time flagging down a server for my order or bill in the past. There has been varied wait times for food orders that seem to come out at random and not together.
In summary: amazing food, so/​so service thus far
Place rating: 4
Minneapolis, MN
The food here is very good and I come here a lot.
But – tonight I had the malai kofta, which I strongly suggest you skip. No objection to the dish, but this is the worst malai kofta imaginable. Grayish glop with one-​note flavor of excessive cloves.
Place rating: 4
Maple Grove, MN
First time customer. Friendly staff, very attentive. Had the Avocado Chutney and Garlic Nan app, with Rogan Josh (lamb, bahati heat), with a mango lassi. The flavor was amazing. Loved the use of curry. I ate every bit. Thank you so much. I would def return for a second visit.
Place rating: 4
Minneapolis, MN
This is my go-​to Indian restaurant, though this was the first time I went there in the evening. The service was excellent, very attentive. One of our group didn’t «know» Indian food and the waitstaff was great finding «entry level» Indian suggestions. I ordered the food «spicy» and it was as spicy as I have ever had. The flavors were able to power through the heat. Even the «medium» very spicy. Beyond spice, the flavors were wonderfully blended. The basmati rice was wonderful… though drier than I’ve ever had. We had an appetizer tray, that was pretty unimpressive. It consisted of fried veggies (chick pea paste, potato slice, cauliflower) sitting on a little bed of shredded lettuce. I would pass on that next time.
All in all excellent. (Mango lassi is essential if you order your food «spicy», or even «medium».)
Place rating: 4
Minneapolis, MN
My new favorite lunch take out! Great food when you are on the go. I suggest the chicken tiki masala and always always fresh naan!
Place rating: 5
Saint Paul, MN
The food is always consistently good here. When you order spicy, it truly is spicy! None of this Minnesota-​hot business. I went last night with a bunch of people to celebrate my birthday (I’ve done this several years now) and the waiters were almost too attentive! They were quick to take away any dishes that were done. Once they found out it was my birthday, they treated the entire table to a big thing of rice pudding to share! Usually restaurants only give a small treat to the birthday person, but this was enough for everyone to share. Then they invited us to take a tour of the farm in the basement. Did you know they have a farm in the basement? It’s a true jungle where they grow a lot of the food that they serve there, including fishtanks with tilapia! They truly went above and beyond.
Place rating: 5
Minneapolis, MN
I’ve been looking for a great Indian restaurant for a while now which is true I think it’s food and actually knows how to bring the spice. This is a fantastic place for their naan wonderful, and 11 medium has a nice good kick to it parking wasn’t that easy it took us about five minutes to find a spot and I don’t have a big drink menu but as for food this is delicious
Place rating: 4
Minneapolis, MN
Ordered from here and ate at Harriet Brewery one night. The delivery man
Place rating: 1
Oshkosh, WI
Are you kidding me??? No one told me I would have to be scared for my life in going here! This is in the ghetto! I saw a hooker outside!!! Freaky!!!
Place rating: 3
Carson, CA
I don’t even know where to begin with this review. I’m torn between the delicious quality of the food and the horrendous service that happened at the restaurant. So first thing first:
Food: We ordered a curry dish and a chicken tiki masala. Rice was extra. I wonder why Indian places always charge extra for rice? Anyways, we ordered garlic naan and tandoori chicken wings for appetizers and a mango lassi. The food was all very flavorful and yummy! The curry was surprisingly not spicy at all. I asked for medium. The tiki masala had an interesting flavor to it. It wasn’t the typical butter chicken flavor I am familiar with. But it was okay. I definitely recommend the lamb curry #4, the lamb was so soft and delectable! Garlic naan was crispy and garlic packed flavors.
Service: LACKING SO MUCH IN SERVICE. We waited at least 10 minutes for our waiter to come get our orders. After he got our order, I was waiting for my mango lassi. He gave us our appetizers and I still didn’t get my drink, so I asked him. He said he «forgot» to put in my mango lassi on the order and would bring it out. After that, he never came to check up on us and even told me to wait one time when I flagged him down to refill our water glasses. Finally, the breaking point was how it took him 30 minutes to give us our check. The first time, it took him 15 minutes to bring us our check, another 5 minutes to pick it up, and then another guy brought us our check back without swiping the card. That has NEVER happened before. So after 30 minutes, they gave us the bill with the swiped credit card. RIDICULOUS.
If you’re hoping to eat authentic Indian food BUT also wait for horrible service, this is your place. I wouldn’t come back again because of how this restaurant severely lacks in service.
Place rating: 4
Knoxville, TN
We had a lunch buffet here while traveling for business. This is a great Indian restaurant for vegetarians. Six or seven different vegetarian items on the buffet, including chana/​spinach/​mushroom and masoor dal (which restaurants in our home town don’t often have). The taste of each was very distinct. Three meat items, which we didn’t eat. For dessert, there was kheer and gulab jamun, both less sweet than is customary in restaurants (and better in my estimation). The chutneys are handmade and are great, but use the thick, dark green one sparingly: it’s green chilis, not mint!
Because it was mid-​afternoon, there were not many people in the restaurant. Service was friendly and attentive.
Place rating: 5
Chaska, MN
Amazing buffet! Truly support their presence in the community and dedication to sourcing locally and supporting farmers. Love their sustainable farm too! Awesome experience definitetly reccomend to all
Place rating: 4
Saint Paul, MN
Indian food in the Twin Cities has come a long way in the last decade. Gandhi Mahal hits a lot of the right notes with food, atmosphere, and ethics (yes!) — they have their own aquaponic farm in the basement (because why not).
The fish rogan josh is one of my favorites, I really like the biryani, and I am getting hungry just writing this. It can be a little hit or miss between in-​house dining versus ordering from Bitesquad, especially with the naan which varies between decent and sometimes soggy when delivered. Skip the fried appetizers. I recommend the garlic naan over the regular naan every time. The spicy is actually spicy.
A great date place — dimly lit with live music. But just fine for family too. They are a really community-​oriented restaurant and have developed a strong, loyal following as a result.
Place rating: 3
Minneapolis, MN
Decent Place, not so good service levels.
Went there on Good friday with my family for the buffet.
Food Quality: 3⁄5
It was decent, but not all that great. The MSP metro seriously lacks good quality Indian food.
Food Variety: 3⁄5
Good variety of appetizers and main course for both veggies and non-​veggies. It is not spicy, so for people who are craving to eat super spicy food — not for you
Service: 2⁄5
Service levels are pathetic. Yes, understand it is a buffet, If I owned this place, I would go to each table, talk to them. Keep topping their glass of water and thank them after food. It seemed like we are not wanted here.
Price: $ 11.95 for adults.
Slightly higher than what you find elsewhere.
Place rating: 4
Stockton, CA
Sad that I only got to go once when I lived in Minneapolis. Good food, nice setting, and nice people. Had the buffet once and had a nice meal. I never got to see it, but I heard that there are live shows on the weekends (I think a sitar player). The owner cares about community and cares about the environment and sustainability. I hear he works with urban farms and was trying to get some projects going at his restaurant. I’ve seen him myself shop at the Midtown Farmer’s Market which is nice. The restaurant has lots of seating, including a banquet room. A number of friends enjoy this place too, so I recommend it.
Place rating: 5
Minneapolis, MN
I’m in awe that Gandhi Mahal is not inundated with more 5-​star reviews! I’ve had no order-​off-​the-​menu dining experience here, but the buffet was impressive and has made my short list for top Indian buffets. The spread was extensive, with a variety of meat and veggie dishes, chutneys, and 3 – 4 dessert selections. Not a single dish disappointed, and I thought the flavors were very distinguished from one item to the next. Salt and oil also seemed to be kept to a relative minimum. And the icing on the cake: just a few days after dining here, I learned about their cutting edge sustainability efforts. They’ve established an aquaponics system in the basement where tilapia poop becomes fertilizer for herbs and veggies. Can’t get more locally-​grown than that!
Place rating: 5
Saint Paul, MN
After trying Indian food in New York, Boston, and virtually all that the greater Twin Cities metro has to provide, this is the best the latter has to offer – hands down.
Instead of questioning whether or not your dish came out of an Amy’s Indian frozen Indian cuisine box, you will never have to second guess the quality of your food here. Everytime I go to an Indian restaurant I will generally start with the same dish, Chicken Tikka Masala, then branch out to Biriyani, then get more creative. Last time I ordered the Rezala off their seasonal menu (which was nothing short of divine). I even had my coworker who looked at Indian food with a crinkled nose give it a try and you could even see the light in her eyes as if she had just experienced God for the first time (or something like that).
Point being, this place is amazing. The only thing I can knock it on is the parking situation which isn’t the most desirable, but it’s Minneapolis people, Not Chanhassen. However, the food, the pleasant service, the atmosphere all makes up for coughing up a couple bucks for parking or walking an extra block or so.
Just do yourself a favor and skip all the other subpar Indian food offerings around the cities and GO HERE.
Place rating: 5
Plymouth, MN
Whether you are an expert on Indian food or have never had it– you will love this place.
Décor: Kind of had a romantic vibe to it. Dim lighting, jewel tone colors and lots of curtains. Perfect for a dinner-​date!
Service: Friendly and knowledgable on the menu. My friends and I were fasting, and our thoughtful waiter brought out dates for us to break our fast on. We did not have to wait long for the food either.
Food: I ordered a Shahi King Korma at a level 2 (I’m a wuss when it comes to spice levels) and my friend had the Delhi Tikka Masala. Both of our dishes were hot, fresh and delicious. We also ordered warm nan bread, which was perfect for dipping into the creamy sauce.
Price: A little above average but still reasonable
Tips:
–If you have never had Indian food, the Delhi Tikka Masala is a safe (and delicious) choice.
–Try to order. different dishes so that you can try something new
–Great for a dinner-​date