Taste of India

Charlottesville is not known for its Indian cuisine however, Taste of India and Millan show their worth. I came in on a Sunday afternoon and the place it self was basically empty. The place is located in a basement and has a very unique ambience.

The good value was very good at 9 dollars for a Buffet. Some of my favorite foods in the buffet include the butter chicken and vegetable kurma. The desserts were very limited with only the mango and rice pudding. I was disappointed there was no Chili chicken or gulab jamu. There was no music either so you can hear the other diners conversations.

Lastly I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a great value Indian buffet within the downtown mall.

Located in downtown mall in Charlottesville, we noticed this as we were walking around and decided to stop in. It's located in the bottom area so you take the stairs down. It's awkward to get to, but the inside and nice and welcoming and the staff was friendly.

The food is delicious. We came here on a Saturday evening in a chilly fall day and there were few tables occupied as people were dining in. And throughout the evening few others stopped for takeouts.

The food is delicious. They have a wide selections of naan that I have never seen before. Usually, places only offer plain naan or garlic naan, here they have other varieties of naans and rotis. The chicken salad was good. The salmon curry is great, the fish is nicely cooked. The bhindi masala is also delicious. We got the paneer pakora, which was different and not really pakora style, maybe it's a new style of pakora..? Garlic naan and chicken naan were both good, warm and fluffy. And the mango lassi topped it off.

Overall great food and ambiance with friendly staff!

Taste of India was alright. I came in for dinner and it was almost completely empty, with the exception of 2 people who were waiting for to-go orders and 2 other people dining in. I was shown a seat quickly, but it took a long time for the waiter to take my order.

I played it safe and ordered a Chicken Tikka Masala. It seemed to be pretty standard for your Indian restaurant, but there weren't that many actual pieces of chicken - especially considering the price you pay.

I think the lunch buffet might be a better bet and a better deal, but I don't know if I'd come here again for dinner due to the service I experienced and the pretty average quality of food at the above average price.

First time eating indian food. Best experience ever!!!! Its in a downtown. Inside a small building... pizzeria is upstairs and indian restaurant down a swirly staircase.
Buffet was delicious and the service expectacular.
Definitely mking this my favorite spot to lunch and dinner.

Enjoyed the lunch buffet today. There was a good selection of veg and non-veg options. The food was not spicy, and they provide spice, pickles, and chutneys to accompany the dishes. Adding a little spice made it perfect for my taste. Really enjoyed the fried veg and butter chicken. The dal was pretty good, but a bit watery.

I'm on the hunt for the best Indian buffet in Charlottesville, and this one will get a repeat, as I visit the others in search of my palate return to India, for I will not be returning for a while.

Thanks for the quick and kind service. Restaurant was clean, quiet, and not over crowded.

It looks rather drab and is not on the ground floor. Yet, I stepped in the lobby to find a groovy elevator. The buffet has been halted now; but, the lunch specials are to die for. I had the lamb with spinach, the fried cheese, and the mango yogurt drink. Two people can dine for about 10 dollars each. Why are you still waiting?

The main dishes were fine here, but the naan and the staff pulled the rating down a star.

First there is no parking. It's in a pedestrian mall and you're going to have to park in a garage and walk. Even then it's not too easy to find. The restaurant is in the basement of a building and down a circular metal staircase. Handicapped patrons or those requiring a walker appear to be out of luck.

We were there at lunch, but we aren't buffet fans, so we ordered off the menu. I had Lamb Boti Kebab Masala and my wife had Lamb Saag. Ordering was a problem. Here is free marketing advice to restaurant management everywhere: Don't hire waitresses whose command of English is so poor she can't answer simple questions about the menu.

Every time we asked a question it required fetching a manager to get a comprehensible answer. This is a PITA and doesn't encourage repeat business.

I asked for medium spicy (another suggestion, make sure you specify medium AMERICAN spicy and not Indian spicy, otherwise you are in for a surprise) and it was perfect and my wife asked for mild. The lamb was also tender.

Her Garlic Nann had a fine garlic flavor. I asked for Peshawari Naan. This is almost a dessert bread that is supposed to be sweet and stuffed with "nuts, raisins and coconut." I defy anyone to do a blind taste test and distinguish their Peshawari Naan from plain naan. It would have taken an electron microscope to find any trace of a nut, a raisin or a shred of coconut.

If you can put up with the parking problem, are fine with a point-and-nod waitress and are understanding when promised ingredients don't show up, then you will probably be okay eating here.

Excellent customer service, they do everything to accommodate their your needs and preferences. I had the lamb korma again at a 4 spice level and it was delicious. Creamy tasty and just what I needed. I walked in during lunch and they have a cult following, the offerings were extensive and they had butter chicken as a special along side other dishes.

The only Indian restaurant in town I could find that served Puris (fried Indian bread), and it was delicious. I loved their channa (chickpeas) and the location is very cute, I look forward to eating there after COVID. The staff was kind in helping me find the place after I got lost.

So so good! I'm a big fan of Inidian cuisine. This is one of the best I've been to in the US. Gods bless America, mater paneer and saag aloo!