I had heard about this place from several people, with fairly mixed reviews since it opened in Dallas about two months ago. However, a recent recommendation from another foodie friend intrigued us enough to finally venture out on a Friday night for dinner.
Located in the heart of North Dallas, Mughlai positions itself as a fine-dining Indian restaurant. Dallas has seen its fair share of upscale Indian restaurants come and go, many of them unfortunately short-lived, so we went in with fairly modest expectations.
The ambiance was contemporary and modern, complete with a full bar and décor that felt atypical for an Indian restaurant and didn’t quite align with the name. Interestingly, both the greeters and waitstaff were non-Indian, and as we later learned from the owner, many of them had come from London.
We started with Nimbu Paani (fresh lime juice) and ordered samosas as an appetizer. The samosas arrived before the drinks, which was perfectly fine since we were quite hungry. It turned out to be a strong start. The samosas were crisp, well-spiced, and clearly fresh from the fryer rather than reheated. The waiter stopped by to explain that the Nimbu Paani was taking a bit longer because it was being freshly prepared. We joked that they might have stepped out to buy fresh limes, but when the drinks finally arrived, we had to eat our words. They were genuinely fresh and refreshing. A solid beginning to the meal.
The menu itself was fairly traditional, featuring standard Indian restaurant offerings. Vegetarian options like dal makhni and bhindi fry shared space with non-vegetarian dishes featuring chicken, lamb, and goat. I’ll admit that seeing a lunch buffet listed on the menu initially made me a bit skeptical. In my experience, when a specialty restaurant introduces a buffet, it sometimes dilutes the sense of craftsmanship and individuality, likely due to large-batch cooking. That said, many Indian restaurants rely on lunch buffets to stay afloat, so it’s understandable.
Coming back to dinner, we ordered pindi chana, bhindi fry, and balti dal, along with laccha paratha and alu kulcha. We were asked to choose a spice level: mild, medium, spicy, or “Indian hot.” Naturally, we chose Indian hot, and the servers seemed confident in gauging our tolerance regardless.
The owner soon came by to personally greet guests, which was a nice touch. He shared that this was their first location in Dallas, though they had been operating in New York and New Jersey for a couple of years under the same name (Mughal in New York and Edison, NJ). What stood out most was his genuine request for feedback and suggestions on how they could improve the food. That openness was refreshing. Restaurant owners and chefs are often understandably opinionated, so his willingness to listen was encouraging. Girish and I, both having eaten at many Indian restaurants across the US, were more than ready to offer thoughtful feedback.
To our surprise, and perhaps because expectations were initially low, the overall experience was quite good. We would rate the food 3.5 out of 5, and the service and ambiance a solid 4 out of 5.
Dish by dish, the pindi chana and laccha paratha were clear standouts. The balti dal could have used a bit more depth and heat, while the bhindi fry would have benefited from slightly longer sautéing. What really impressed us was how the owner responded to this feedback. He immediately asked the kitchen to remake the dal and bhindi and sent us home with a to-go bag that also included a freshly made kulcha. When we tried the food again the next day, it was evident that our comments had been taken seriously.
Overall, Mughlai was a positive experience, and we would definitely return to try other items on the menu. Given the owner’s apparent commitment to improvement, there’s a good chance this restaurant will succeed where others in the area have struggled.
