Monsoon (CLOSED)
155 Main Street, Maynard, MA 01754
Find location!
Maynard might not seem like the place for a top Indian restaurant. Indeed, this mill town west of Boston has a frontier atmosphere to it, and seems more like a place that would have good steak houses and traditional American restaurants. But, yes, Maynard not only has a great Indian restaurant in the Monsoon Indian Bistro, but perhaps has one of the best Indian restaurants in the entire Metro West area. Monsoon is a bit off the beaten path, a few blocks west of the center of Maynard and next to the landmark Sitting Bull Pub. The restaurant resides in an attractive old house, as many businesses in Maynard do. Inside is a rather large room with a good number of tables. On the walls are beautiful Indian fabrics, and the dim lighting give the restaurant a cozy, intimate feel to it.
The first thing one notices about the menu at Monsoon is the fact that the prices are very reasonable. While most Indian restaurants serve food that rarely breaks the bank, there are a number of dishes here that are $10 and below, including the tremendous chicken dosa and the vegetable curry. In addition to the wide variety of entrees which include tandoori specialties and South Indian fare, Monsoon offers delicious soups and fresh Indian breads. The paratha, a multilayer whole wheat bread, is a particularly good bread to order at Monsoon.
Monsoon Indian Bistro is owned by the same folks who run the underappreciated Passage to India in the Porter Square neighborhood of Cambridge. Knowing how good Passage to India is, I visited Monsoon with high expectations and was not disappointed. However, one big plus in choosing Monsoon over Passage to India and other top Indian restaurants in the Boston area is the fact that there is plenty of parking and plenty of available tables at this hidden gem in Maynard. If you are a fan of Indian cuisine, make the trek to Monsoon for some inexpensive food that, while not quite at the level of the wonderful Shanti in Dorchester or the quirky Punjabi Dhaba in Cambridge, is pretty darn close.
Copyright © 2005, Boston's Hidden Restaurants (www.hiddenboston.com).