Where Maine Learned to Eat Indian Food

Apr 23

“Never give up. Work hard every day.”

It’s a simple way that Raj Sharma describes more than 30 years at Bombay Mahal, the restaurant he built with his wife, Bina Sharma, long before Indian food was widely known across Maine.

In the beginning, there was hesitation. Customers would walk in unsure, often worried about the spice. So Raj started offering small tastes, one spoonful at a time. People tried it, liked it, and came back. Not years later, but the next week. Then the week after that.

That rhythm never really changed.

For decades, the restaurant has been built around the same steady routine. Raj in the kitchen. Bina in the dining room. Long days that stretch late into the night, followed by early mornings to do it again. In the early years, it was just the two of them doing everything themselves.

What grew out of that consistency is something harder to manufacture. A kind of familiarity that only comes with time.

Raj knows his customers. Not just their names, but what they order, how often they come in, who they’re bringing with them. He’ll see someone walk through the door and start their dish before they’ve even sat down. There’s a story he tells about worrying whether he could close the restaurant for his own son’s wedding, because of the regulars who came in every day for lunch.

That kind of loyalty didn’t happen by accident.

Over time, what began as an introduction turned into something Maine fully embraced. Bombay Mahal became the place people returned to again and again, for butter chicken, saag paneer, chana masala, and the consistency behind them.

Even Angus King is a longtime regular, known to stop in for takeout and request dishes that aren’t on the menu anymore.

Today, that same food shows up in a different setting, too. The Sharmas now cater weddings across Maine, including destination weddings where couples are looking to bring something personal and memorable to their celebration.

Inside the restaurant, though, not much has changed.

After more than three decades, the work still looks the same. And so does the line of people who keep coming back for it.

Famous for:
Signature dishes like butter chicken, saag paneer, and chana masala that regulars return for year after year.

99 Maine St, Brunswick, ME | bombaymahal.com