Taj Mahal Bar Restaurante
Shawarma With Style on Calle Larga

"Look! Another shawarma place!" Calle Larga in Cuenca is replete with them, but there's a reason—shawarma is tasty!

And inexpensive! That's why you'll always find University of Cuenca students eating at them.

Taj Mahal Bar Restaurante, Cuenca's newest shawarma restaurant, is the largest, and nicest, of these restaurants.

The Decor

Taj Mahal sits on a street corner, so it has windows on two sides, giving it lots of light.

Colorful scarves are draped from the ceiling like an enormous inside-out parachute. Combined with the bright colors, they give the room a festive atmosphere.

The booths are large and noticeably comfortable (which isn't too common in Ecuador).

The Menu

As you'd expect from a restaurant with a name like Taj Mahal, the menu is largely Indian (although the menu says Autentica Gasronomía Arabe). With pakoras, aloo, biryani and naan bread, there's no doubt that the menu is Indian.

The most expensive dish is just $6, so you won't blow your budget eating here.

Shawarmas are what most people come for. You can have a chicken one for just $2, or a beef or mixed (beef and chicken) shawarma for just $3.

Chicken dishes include jalfrezi, curry, korma and karahi. The prices range from $4.50 to $5.50.

Looking for a rice specialty? They have vegetarian biryani, along with chicken, beef and goat biryanis, from $4.50 to $5.50.

They also serve several vegetarian dishes, including aloo gobhi (cauliflower and potatoes), aloo palak (spinach and potatoes) and aloo mutter (peas with potatoes). Each is just $3.50.

Three different pakoras round out the main menu.

Enjoy a Pakistani yogurt shake called lassi, or pink or arab tea.

And for dessert, try an anda halva (made from milk and eggs) or kheer (a sweet Pakistani rice and milk dish).

Beverages

Taj Mahal is licensed, so you can enjoy a beer (Pilsener or Club) or a jar of boiled wine.

Non-alcoholic drinks include several fruit juices, soda/pop, and bottled water, along with the tea and lassi mentioned above.

A Warning

Taj Mahal, along with several other shawarma restaurants on Calle Larga, has shishas, which are basically hookah pipes. They're used for smoking a tobacco and syrup combination (including chocomint, peach mint, tropical fruit, and other flavors).

If you're don't deal well with cigarette smoke, you may want to avoid this and the other shisha restaurants in the area.

Location

Taj Mahal Bar Restaurante is located on Calle Larga and Benigno Malo (the entrance is on Benigno Malo).

The owner was thrilled to have us put the place on our site (in fact, the first time we visited, he wouldn't let us interview him, because he had just opened and wanted everything perfect). So please do visit, and tell him we sent you!

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