Rani Mahal’s long-promised all-you-can-eat buffet in Wellesley, Massachusetts, appears to be moving closer to service. A Sept. 25 visit to the new Indian and Nepali restaurant at 27 Grove Street found a completed-looking buffet setup inside the dining room — the latest evidence that an unlimited format discussed for more than a year is still part of the plan.
This is not a new idea added after opening. When Rani Mahal signage appeared in the former Amarin of Thailand space in August 2025, it specifically promoted “authentic Indian & Nepali dining” and a “grand lunch buffet.” Amarin had occupied the address since 1990, so the incoming restaurant was signaling a substantial change in cuisine while keeping the location firmly in the business of feeding Wellesley.
The Rani Mahal Lunch Buffet Was Part of the Plan From the Beginning
The project took time. Rani Mahal opened for takeout and delivery by late July 2026, after extensive work on the space, and local reporting said the restaurant would have about 60 seats. Owner Ram Dhital described the business as family-run and told The Swellesley Report that guests could look forward to an “upcoming all-you-can-eat buffet, available for one set price.”
By September, dine-in service was operating and the regular menu was already enormous, spanning soups, momos, noodles, biryani, kadhai, tandoori dishes and a wide range of vegan and vegetarian choices. That breadth is part of what makes the buffet worth watching: it could function less as a reduced lunch menu than as a guided tour through a very large kitchen.
The Buffet Line Is Now Visible, but the Details Are Not
What remains missing is everything a buffet regular will eventually want to know. Rani Mahal has not announced a launch date, operating days, hours, price or final buffet lineup. The early storefront signage said lunch buffet, but that is not enough to assume the eventual schedule until the restaurant confirms it.
Still, the progression is unusually clear: first the window promised a buffet, then the owner confirmed the AYCE plan, and now the equipment is sitting in the dining room. In buffet reporting, a gleaming empty line is not quite an opening announcement — but it is considerably more than a rumor.
The next development should be the useful one: when the pans get filled.
