Considering the wealth of Indians living in the Boston area, you’d expect there to be at least one decent Indian restaurant.  So far in my travels, I have been to every “great” Indian restaurant as deemed by such established food reviewers as the Boston Phoenix, Weekly Dig, and Improper Bostonian (based upon their yearly “Best of” issues).  However, not one restaurant recommended was very good or authentic Indian food.  Kenny, who is Indian, told me that the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (a.k.a. Hare Krishnas: the hippie white people dressed as if they were Indian) has a bi-weekly prayer service followed by a free vegetarian meal.  So, I decided to try out the Hare Krishna Temple to see how good the food there was.

I ended up going with Kenny, who wanted to go early to get a decent spot to sit down during the prayer service.  I don’t know if he’s very religious, I don’t believe in organized religion, so I don’t really subscribe to things like prayer service.  But if you’ve never been to a Hare Krishna temple, it’s an experience to be had.  Your first question is probably “Do I need to be Indian to go to this temple?”  No, there were plenty of non-Indian people there (white, black, non-descript ethnicities even!), so you’ll feel welcome.  Second, everyone is very friendly (as is the case with most churches/temples/synagogues I’ve been to), so you won’t feel weird being there.  But do expect a lot of singing and dancing for 45 min to an hour.  People really got into the music, there was a circle dance and conga line formed (of sorts), so expect a lot of fervor.  If you want, you can just stand in the back quietly and cross your arms over your chest (or even clap if you feel so inclined).

After the service, a line forms up front to get the food, and it is served out by a group of mostly women that cook every week.  The food is all fresh, fairly hot (they probably have to reheat it just before serving), and really tasty.  I am told by Kenny that the menu changes every time, and on this occasion I got a plate of rice, kasseri (a cream of wheat Indian dessert), pakora, potato and paneer curry (not very spicy), and tamarind sauce.  In theory these meals could be vegan, but they are not because it is obvious that they use a lot of ghee (clarified butter) in cooking.

You also get a small cup of rice pudding (payasum), which I normally don’t like, but they used really rich cream to make this payasum, which made it amazing.

Ultimately, the food at the Hare Krishna temple is without a doubt the best Indian food I’ve ever had in Boston.  For one, it’s free, although you do have to sit through a prayer service to get it.  Actually, you technically don’t have to come for the prayer service, you can just show up an hour after the service begins and get in line for the food.  But if you might feel weird coming to the prayer service, you’ll probably also feel weird just showing up and taking the free food.  I equate the food at the Hare Krishna temple to going to an Indian friend’s house for food.  If you just showed up and ask for a meal, they’ll probably cook one for you, regardless of your relationship (Indians are the most hospitable of all peoples in my opinion).  But it’ll be awkward unless you bring something or do something in return for it.

I don’t want to sound like I’m trying to convert people to Hare Krishna, I would do the same review if a mosque, synagogue, or church had a free meal that was equally amazing after a service.  I believe that religion is something that is best kept to oneself, but a delicious free meal is something that you should tell the whole world about!  But please, don’t exploit this opportunity to the point that they have to start charging for the meal.  I give the Hare Krishna four and a half cheese sandwiches (can’t give five because they are not vegan friendly).

ISKCON Boston
72 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02116 
(617) 247-8611