MUGHAL GARDEN

920 North Charles Street
Mt. Vernon
Phone: 410-547-0001

Lunch: (Mon.-Sat.) 11:30am-2:30pm
Dinner: (Sun.-Thu.) 5pm-11pm, (Fri.-Sat.) 5pm-11:30pm
Sunday Brunch: 11:30am-3pm

Personal Review :
What can I say. I've been back several times, especially for the all-you-can eat buffet lunches...a fabulous deal at $6.95 (Sunday Brunch for $8.95). A very good variety of mild to spicy Indian foods; and a good selection of vegetarian dishes. And the lassi's were excellent (I hadn't had one before). My wife and I have eaten at several local restaurants, and once we find what we like, we keep going back. Mughal Garden decor has improved too. A nice quite atmosphere bubbling fountain. Mughal Garden remains one of our favorites.

2/11/97: The fountain is now gone providing more space for additional tables. Rest assured, the quality is still great and one of the best lunch deals in town.

7/11/99: Incredibly, when we stopped by for a nice Sunday afternoon buffet today, we were met with a very unusual surprise. I dropped my family off at the door then went around the block and back to the paid parking lot across the street. I was just about to enter and get my ticket (for which I would have paid dearly, of course) when I heard my wife calling. Although NO signs were posted to the contrary, she had been informed Mughal was closed today. It seems they were preparing for a private party and would not let the general public enter. Well, this really did not sit well. I understand the need to close if being taken over for a partial day, or all day, private party, but they should have put out a CLOSED sign. Patrons expecting to enter would have been forced to spend money unneccesarily for parking only to discover they couldn't get in. Not a good thing to do to your cherised customers. My wife was not happy. I suspect it may be quite awhile before we return, if... Instead, we had a very nice afternoon lunch at Niwana.

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Baltimore Magazine, February 1999 -- "75 Best Restaurants" -- edited by Cynthia Glover & David Dudley
{Reprinted with permission of Baltimore Magazine}

This midtown Indian is a snapshot of Mt. Vernon past and present: cosmopolitan young urbanites sharing sizzling vindaloos in the pre-war grandeur of what their folks remember as the very-American Harvey House restaurant. So sip a martini in the still-elegant bar before dipping crusty nan into your equally elegant lobster masala, mellow in its rich coconut curry. Mughal Gardens lunch buffet is many Indian fans pick for best in town, but at night you'll get the graceful pace and service that reminds us that some things haven't changed around here after all.

Why go: Classic Indian food in a classic Mt. Vernon dining room.
While you're there: Pick up a take-out menu; that shrimp kadai tastes just as good in front of the TV.

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Baltimore Magazine, January 1998 -- "75 Best Restaurants" -- edited by Cynthia Glover & David Dudley
{Reprinted with permission of Baltimore Magazine}

Linger, chat, and enjoy the languorous tone set by Mughal Garden's dark-wood-and-candlelight ambiance (mostly left over from a previous incarnation as the Harvey House) and intoxicating Indian fare. Even rapacious carnivores will be charmed by the bindarbani kofta, a fiery blend of vegetable rounds, cheese, and nuts, or the alu gobi, with tender chunks of cauliflower and potato set off by a spicy onion sauce. An appetizer of methi tikki--crispy and pungent fenugreek fritters--is a must, as is the bread, whether it's the fresh-baked, airy onion kulcha or the hearty paneer kulcha, stuffed with homemade cheese.

Do: Have a cocktail in the incongrously swank bar.
Don't: Miss the refreshing khir--rice pudding with nuts and raisins.

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Baltimore Magazine, February 1997 -- "75 Best Restaurants"
{Reprinted with permission of Baltimore Magazine}

We admit we were skeptical at first. A new Indian restaurant on Charles Street? Baltimore needs that like it needs another rowhouse, right? But in the spirit of fairness, we checked it out. Right away, we noticed that it was a bit more spacious and handsome than its Charles Street contemporaries. Nice. And is that onion chutney they're putting on the table? Mmm, we haven't seen that before, and it tatstes great on the peppery papadam. And, wow, does this chicken masala seem extra creamy to you? Delish. We don't know what possessed us when we said there wasn't room for another Indian restaurant on Charles Street. Ignore us when we say such silly things. Inexpensive

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Baltimore Magazine, February 1996 -- "Where To Eat Now" {from the current list of the 75 best restaurants of Baltimore}
{Reprinted with permission of Baltimore Magazine}

Did Mt. Vernon need another Indian restaurant? Maybe not--but it's hard to argue with the excellent food and cozy environs of this newcomer to the India-on-Charles Street scence. This handsome restaurant serves traditional northern Indian fare with a slightly lighter touch. Inexpensive.

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Baltimore Magazine, August 1995 -- "Good Meals, Good Deals"
{Reprinted with permission of Baltimore Magazine}

The decor is a holdover from Harvey's, the late institution of Baltimore Continental dining, so there isn't much in the way of Indian atmosphere--but maybe that's how Mughal Garden keeps costs down. We love the steaming, pungent platters of tandoori, which are a comparative steal here--chicken, $10.50; shrimp, $13.50; salmon tikka, $13.50; or lobster!, $15.50. Kebobs, vindiloos, saags--the menu is enormous and inviting. But the real bargains are the vegetarian dishes, all under $10--delicious, earthy concoctions from southern India--particularly the bengun bhartha, a heavenly mash of eggplant, tomatoes, ginger and onion. Everything is accompanied by some of the best basmati rice (the king of all rices) in town.

LEAST EXPENSIVE ENTREE: channa masala (chickpeas like no other), $7.95
MOST EXPENSIVE: seafood special: lobster and salmon tandoori, $19.50
BONUS POINTS: You can have a martini in the 1960s-era bar amid the luscious aromas of cumin, coriander and curries.

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Baltimore Magazine, February 1995 -- "75 Restaurants We Love"
{Reprinted with permission of Baltimore Magazine}

Inexpensive. This is the exotic reincarnation of Harvey's restaurant. Where once you consoled yourself with a club sandwich with your grandparents, you can now enjoy succulent tandoori chicken. Mughal Garden features an extensive selection of excellent vegetarian fare, including a fiery vindaloo. Relief is available in the form of the excellent basmati rice or a concoction from the bar--a gigantic, mood-lit holdover from Harvey's glory days.

SIGNATURE DISH: tandoori
MOST POPULAR: murg tika masala (tandoor-baked, yogurt-marinated chicken)
WHO GOES THERE: right now, only the adventurous
WHY GO THERE: You can't get enough of Indian food.