Chaat N Chai

It is expensive for what it is — especially for 2 relatively thin people that can’t really take full advantage of a buffet. Despite this — we were very pleased with the quality of the food especially since we rolled in to an empty restaurant after 1… not promising for a buffet! The food was spiced well and most of the dishes were far better than I would have expected. I can’t speak for the chaat — I’m not a big fan of chaat.
Bottom line — Fine dining Indian? Most definitely not. Good option for take out? Totally.

I have been eating here for several months now, always at lunch. I especially enjoyed the weekday lunch buffet, and was able to get some coworkers to try Indian food for the first time because of the buffet. For a first-​time diner, the buffet makes it easy to try a small amount of several items rather than hoping that an entire entrée is to your taste. I was very disappointed when I went here for lunch yesterday with my husband, and found that they have discontinued the weekday buffet. They apparently still do it on the weekends, but I work nearby so I usually go here midday during the week.
We were told that we could order off of the menu, which is extensive with lots of choices. However, I’ve been spoiled by being able to have several different items during my meal and had difficulty narrowing down my choice to one entrée. I chose the Paneer Butter Masala while my husband picked his old stand-​by, chicken curry. Both were freshly prepared and served with rice. We also ordered a side of naan (two pieces). The Masala was lush– tomatoey, slightly creamy sauce with good-​sized cubes of fresh paneer. I would definitely get this again. Hubby’s curry was quite spicy (even though we asked for «mild spice») but tasty. The naan here is always delicious! We also each ordered a soft drink. Our total, before tip, came to about $ 25.00.
That is where I have a problem– that’s very spendy for us for a lunch. Even though the buffet they used to have would have been only slightly less expensive, we each would have been able to taste several different items AND I would have been able to prepare myself a small chaat. However, for what we paid we each received a styrofoam plate with about a cup to a cup and a half of rice, and a styrofoam bowl about three-​quarters full of each entrée dish. While I’m not a fan of huge portions, for the price I would have expected a little more of each entrée. Furthermore, if I’m going to spend that much at lunch, I expect to eat off of something other than styrofoam with utensils that are not plastic.
While the food was good (as it has always been), I was extremely disappointed and will NOT be returning for weekday lunches. Plus, I felt obligated to inform my coworkers of this development as well so that they would not run into the same expensive trap we did. Every one of them expressed dismay and I get the feeling they won’t eat there on weekdays, either. Given this recent development, I’ll be surprised if this place remains open much longer, unless they develop a less expensive lunch menu and/​or offer «combination platters» at lunch. Their website indicates that this is an option, but we definitely were not told that. I’m very sorry to see this happen, as the people who work here (especially one of the female owners) are friendly and very helpful in making suggestions of new things to try (she’s the reason I tried, and fell in love with, chaat).