Royal Taj Authentic Indian Cuisine (Inside Days Inn)

I recently stopped by Royal Taj in Southern Pines while driving through a nearby town. This place caught my eye on the Find Me Gluten Free app, and I’m already planning my next visit. From start to finish, everything we ordered was fresh, fragrant, and thoughtfully seasoned. The Onion Pakoda was just divine and an unexpected available GF option. It was interesting, easy to share with zero of the onion petal pull apart difficulties, or stodgy oversaturated greasy mess that are typical with our more common onion fried appetizers here in America. It was everything a blooming onion should strive to be. My other had the Garlic Naan and it appeared to be pillowy soft, flecked with a reasonable amount of garlic and butter without being overpowering—perfect for sopping up the Goat Korma. The Paneer Biryani struck a lovely balance of perfectly cooked rice, cubes of paneer, and just enough warmth from the whole spices. Prices are extremely reasonable, too, especially for the quality and portion sizes. Our server, James, was a highlight of the evening—friendly, attentive, intelligent and quick to answer questions and gave spot-on recommendations. As someone with celiac disease, I greatly appreciated the clear options given to us by our knowledgable server James—no guessing, no hoping, no research on my end, no stress. The dining room itself was clean, comfortable and well decorated, though I’m not one to seek out fine décor or upscale venues. The atmosphere was well beyond my personal requirements; My only expectations are sanitary and somewhat tidy. The dinnerware and cutlery don't even need to match! I’ll definitely go back, and next time I’m trying those dosas! --- A note on accessibility: If mobility isn’t a concern for you, you’re all set and no need to read further—this is a great spot worth a stop. Don't think twice, just go have an exceptional culinary experience. For wheelchair users and those with limited mobility and strength (contrary to popular belief we do not all have amazing upper body strength), the biggest hurdle isn’t the restaurant itself but the Days Inn parking lot and building it shares. Automatic main entrance doors would be ideal. The ramps by the handicap spaces at the entrance are far too steep for me to self propel and at an angle and pitch, perfect for losing control and being luged right into the driving area of the parking lot. It wasn't busy during our visit, but has the potential to be dangerous if so. The ramp is made of rough, uneven asphalt, and is easily be blocked by your own vehicle parked which poses a huge challenge for yourself and makes others unable to access it as well. I don't remember seeing any spots with loading zones to accommodate ramps or allow adequate space between other parked cars, but I probably didn't pay close enough attention. I feel like the parking lot is adequately sized to add this addition. The concrete wheel stops sit too close together, forcing you to navigate behind and around cars to reach the ramp—far from ideal if you’re hard to see at wheelchair height. Inside, the bathroom door was too narrow to squeeze through in my chair (and I’m close to pediatric sized). None of these issues ruined the meal—I had help—but they’re worth knowing especially if you’re planning a visit alone. If you’re staying in the area, you might consider takeout or delivery instead. Accessibility issues in older buildings are somewhat expected and it isn't worthy of any missing marks on my opinion or review of the restaurant. I was previously responsible for adding or confirming amenities and features on platforms like Google maps long ago, so I tend to be a bit more observational on these matters than most people need. However, I value this type of heads-up so I can make decisions and wanted to provide the same for someone else.