Daawat

So being that this is the newest of the Indian restaurants in the area (all within a 2 mile radius), I decided to initially do a to-​go box to try it out. I came to find out my small box of samples from the buffet came out to exactly what the buffet price was so I decided to dine in. The employee (Hanna) said she was fairly new there so she couldn’t answer all my questions but was plenty helpful & very friendly.
The first thing I noticed was that you can for sure tell it was a previous Quiznos by the ‘open’ sign in the front. The area is rather small and lacks any design or cultural appeal. Personally, being that I am Indian myself I would have a TV that plays Bollywood music videos all day, at the very least have some Indian decorations to be more welcoming and appease the senses, set the tone especially since for 1^st timers since this may be their only encounter with the ‘Desi’ culture. IMO, this is a branch of Al noor that lacks creativity which could have easily been established at Praireville, LSU area or denham springs. One has to wonder why they would setup another Indian restaurant within a mile of All noor (which was previously a pizza hut). The food was flavorful as you would expect, consisted of Mumbai style savory sauces that pleased the senses. The shrimp and other seafood items are what I would recommend. Although it is a limited array of options compared to the menu, it is still worth the $ 10.45 lunch buffet. I have not been here for dinner, I would be curious as to what someone else experiences in the evening buffet. I did notice that they have a limited selection of beers available as well. Would be nice to have some Indian beers in the future (king fisher, taj mahal). Its not too busy like some of the other well established Indian restaurants but it should be interesting, to see what they do to attract customers and spice up the ambience to meet expectations while competing with neighboring cuisine from India.
A+ the naan is the best I’ve had in the area and is much to soak up all the goodness in the curry.

As someone who loves cooking ethnic foods at home, I’m constantly looking for new dishes as inspiration while rummaging through my pantry. I recently got into making some Indian classics (palak paneer, veggie korma, etc) so I thought to try out a few of the Indian Buffets in Baton Rouge during my lunch break. I first started out with India’s… not impressed. So I gave it 2 more shots. Every time was just as bad. Oh well. On to the next.
Dawaat finally opened, after I had my eye on it for quite some time. And man oh man, I eat there at least once a week now. At $ 10.95 a person, ever dish on the buffet is seasoned to perfection! What I disliked the most about India’s was that every dish tasted exactly the same. And the naan simply was not fresh. At Dawaat, however, they bring the naan out to your table piping hot (seriously, give it a few seconds before you dive in) and all the dishes are unique in flavor and texture. There’s always a soup of the day, and their options range from goat curry to shrimp & potatoes in a tangy tomato broth.
Seriously guys, if you like Indian grub, give this place a shot.

For a small storefront, they pack a LOT of flavor and a lot of DIFFERENT flavors! The buffet is relatively small, but everything is prepared with care.
I’ve been twice, and it looks like the buffet changes regularly.
It’s great for a small place!

I ended up at Daawat by accident. I was driving to Bay Leaf to get my Indian Buffet fix, but as I was driving by Daawat I happened to see the open sign and figured I would try it out, and I’m SO happy I did.
The service was great, only one lady was working but she was highly attentive and very pleasant. There is currently only a buffet (lunch and dinner), but I was told an a la carte menu is coming in the near future.
The buffet selection was very good. About a total of 10 – 12 entrees, with over half of them being vegetarian friendly. I tried everything I could fit into my stomach and it was all incredible. The carrot pudding at the end was also the perfect ending to a great meal.
I was told that the same people who own Al Noor opened Daawat so I would assume the food is similar. I have not been to Al Noor so I cannot comment on this, but I’ve only heard positive things about Al Noor and I definitely mirror those sentiments in regards to Daawat.
I cannot recommend this restaurant enough to people who like good Indian food. Compared to Bay Leaf I thought the buffet at Daawat was much better in both selection and taste. When compared to India’s buffet I thought the selection was very similar, but I think the taste at Daawat might have been slightly better. I have not been to Curry and Kabob nor Al Noor so I’m not sure how Daawat compares to those (but as I mentioned above Daawat is owned by the same family that owns Al Noor).
I was so impressed with this restaurant that I created a Unilocal account and created a page for the restaurant, in hopes more people will hear about Daawat and enjoy their delicious food.