Jot Mahal Palace - The Best Indian Buffet in NorCal?
One of the popular restaurants loved by residents of Berkeley and students alike, plus it's only $15 per person.
Ok, I’m a sucker for all-you-can-eat buffets. And it’s funny that this second restaurant I’m posting here is an AYCE restaurant.
Welcome to Shattuck Ave, home to many local restaurants in the north-south side of Berkeley and Oakland. Although most students go to Telegraph to grab a quick bite, there are some hidden gems back on campus. One of them is Jot Mahal Palace, which was suggested by one of the people I talked to on the Berkeley Transfers Discord server. The area itself? It’s a little bit small compared to other Indian restaurants I’ve been to, but sometimes these “hole-in-the-wall” restaurants do have the best, exceptional food. The ambiance is quite homey in the way that there’s a glass sky roof, overlooking the sunset if you’re eating in the afternoon.
The AYCE buffet is the most popular option, but they also serve some dinner options. Me and my family stopped by before my move-in day, as I was seeing some positive reviews from Yelp.
Let’s get straight to the point of the review. There’s not of variety to choose from, limiting yourself to only 8 options. I must say even though I LOVE spicy food, some of their dishes were a little spicy for my mouth. The spice gravitates more than the creamy sauce alone. Food in general is quite delicious, and a condiment bar is available if you want to pair it with your dishes. Tip: Tikki Chicken Masala with mint sauce = perfection. In addition, there’s a dessert bar + ice cream, but I didn’t get any desserts cause I went to Purple Kow after this. Service was somewhat okay, maybe because it was early in the morning at the time.
If you’re around Berkeley and want to keep your stomach full without breaking the bank, then this AYCE buffet is for you. I know prices nowadays in the Bay are expensive, trying to find discounts to lower the cost of something we want. In the end, there are so many AYCE Indian buffets out in NorCal that could be slightly better in variety, and actually, one of them that I may plan when I come back to the Central Valley is Mehfil (over in Roseville). That’ll be a separate post in the future. Rating: 7.5/10.
Location:
Jot Mahal Palace of Indian Cuisine
1543 Shattuck Ave.
Berkeley, CA