Calcutta Palate

You can find Calcutta Palate at 5600 Buford Hwy NE, Atlanta, GA 30 340 — this is a free-​standing building to the right of the Buford Highway Farmers Market — it’s a bit hard to see but it shares the same parking on the North (right side) between the farmers market building and Longmire Way. The building is fairly nondescript — painted beige with a darker roof and entryway on the side facing BufHwy — the actual entrance is on the long side facing the Farmers market — it’s outlined in blue with «Welcome» above the door.
The restaurant itself is fairly large and could make a good spot for a catered party. Furnishings are sparse and are a bit «conferency» — meaning the tables and chairs look to have come from a conference room in an office somewhere. There are about 2 – 3 tables of food, two hot and one cold with the usual assortment of Indian favorites.
The menu is fairly extensive but of course I was here during lunch and wanted to get a broad spectrum of flavors. I find that buffets are really useful to find out the restaurant’s general approach to its food. Once you find a couple of things you really like it’s much more likely that you’ll come back for the broader dinner menu. The prices in general look very reasonable but the buffet is very reasonable — less than $ 10.
Items on the buffet are separated into veg and non-​veg which is common in Indian restaurants. Veg includes:
* Fried Veggie Pakora — not much going on here
* Basmati rice, plain
* Veggie Basmati rice
* Mixed veggies
* Tindoora — very unusual to find these on any menu and in a buffet especially
* Saag Paneer — tastes like the real thing and not spinach, which should be called palak paneer
Non-​Veg includes:
* Curried Chicken
* Spicy Chicken with veggies
* Curried Goat
* Chicken Tikka Masala
* Tandoori Chicken
The chilled unit had the usual salads, onions, bitter pickle, fruit, keer and gulab jamun.
Once seated the owner? comes by and asks about drinks — you can go for the buffet and load up. A few minute later comes some fresh naans. Overall I thought the food good but nothing special — I was hoping for more distinctive flavors and some of these were a bit flat. I was amazed by the tindoora as I believe this is the first time I’ve seen that at a buffet (must be the BufHwy influence?) The Chicken Tikka Masala was very thick — a bit too rich for my tastes but most will like it. Overall, I think if you’re in the area and want to try something different this is a good choice.
A note to the owner — you may want to think about having one or two dishes that are either very unusual or very flavorful on the buffet — most of my friends who love Indian food are looking for something very spicy (not too hot but very flavorful) to make the meal memorable. To be successful in Atlanta you need to have some type of hook and there’s too much competition to rely on low prices or average flavors. This is just my opinion — it won’t keep me from returning to see if my opinion matters!
(also posted to my food blog)

Went there for the weekend buffet, and loved it. Although the selection of the entrees can improve (hence one less star than perfect), the chaat stand and excellent service are things to look out for. Buffet prices are between $ 9-​$ 12 depending on weekend or weekday. Food is authentic and less Americanized Indian food than other options around. Parking is easy and free. Ask for naan to be made to a certain level and they’d be happy to do it (just ask). To those who aren’t used to the south Asian hospitality, if you feel the staff is paying too much attention, just relax. They aren’t watching; they just want to make sure you’re taken care of!

The delivery guy would not answer our calls took an hour and a half to get to our residence, and refused to try and find despite us trying to give him very simple directions. Do not order from here. When we asked for a refund he told us we could come pick our food up at the store and hung up on us.

We ordered delivery, which was on time and the food was warm. The chicken tikka masala was decent, although I prefer mine a little spicier than theirs was. The garlic naan was some of the best I’ve had– very well done. The mango lassi was okay, but it would have better if there had been more actual mango flavor instead of just plain sugar. It tasted like vaguely mango-​flavored liquid sugar (that said, my sister loved hers, so maybe it’s just my preference). All in all, a good selection. We may order from here again, though I’ll probably pass on the mango lassi next time.

Went for the Sunday buffet today. This review was tough for me, for several reasons.
Some of the items I had were very good. The Naan is some of the best I’ve had in Atlanta, there was a good chopped (ground?) chicken dish that was also very good; I’ve never had a dish like it, really.
The tandoori chicken was good, but there was a sweetness to it. I asked the waiter what the sweetness was– it tasted like mango to me– and he said it shouldn’t be like that. He also went and asked the chef, who also insisted it wasn’t sweet. It was, though, and I even went and got another piece to see if it was just an aberration with the first. Like it said, it was good — just different. The goat Vindaloo was good, though maybe a little overpowering with the cinnamon.
Some of the other items represented opportunities. The dal was watery and thus had a diluted flavor, the tikka masala wasn’t my favorite either. I will say, though, that it tasted a lot like Café Bombay’s tikka masala and I know people that like that.
Another problem was the fact that the buffet didn’t have any labels. I obviously eat Indian/​Bengali a lot and know most of the dishes, but it’d still be nice to not have to guess. (Like with the dish that ended up being fish and I was expecting chicken).
The waiter was very nice, and very concerned about making sure I enjoyed my food. I have a special place in my [stomach] for places that care about the product they put out and truly care about the guest. I believe I will give this place another shot, especially because of its convenience to the Buford Hwy Farmers Market

I’ve enjoyed eating their food better than any other Indian food I’ve eaten. Not too spicy; just right!

Astonishingly flavorless. Overcooked, tasteless. The worst Indian food I’ve ever had.

Excellent Value: especially when you consider the quantity & quality of food 4.5 stars
This is a great value for the lunch buffet at $ 7.99… all you can eat of good Indian Food.
The Chicken Masala on top of their rice is worth the price alone, but there is more; like the Tandoori Chicken, fresh Nan, spinach Saag Paneer and many other India dishes. The restaurant is a bit hard to find. It is at the the Bufford Hwy Farmers Market, on the East side near the back. So, look, you will spend this much at McD’s, but why. You need to check «Calcutta Palate» out. Strongly recommended. 4.5 stars.

Great food.
Definitely worth a visit.
Fifth visit togo.
Kofta was good & so was the chicken curry.
The garlic naan & onion kulcha were fresh, hot & flavorful.

I couldn’t be more unhappy with this restaurant. I placed a delivery order for over $ 50 so it was quite a lot of food but even that shouldn’t have caused the order to take over 35 minutes past the 60 minutes max estimated time to deliver. I did receive a text from Unilocal to let me know the restaurant would be running late so I wasn’t particularly miffed about the late order however the poor experience didn’t stop there. I received a second asking me to come outside to meet the delivery person. I had to venture all the way into the hotel parking lot and carry my food back to my room then only to discover that the chicken I ordered was NOT entirely chicken at all. It was extremely tainted with a gamey taste of goat and there were at least two or more pieces of goat littered throughout the chicken dishes. Also, there were bits of sharp bone fragment that could have easily cut the inside of my wife or mines mouth. They charge $ 3 for a mango ice cream desert. Thats fine but not for a sample sized cup of it. I don’t even think you could call it a cup. Maybe a shot glass perhaps.

A nice new Indian place in a convenient location (adjacent to Buford Highway Farmers Market). We were there with a two year old (who enjoyed it), so we kept it simple, going with their «dinner for two» — appetizers (bhajee and samosas), chicken tandoori, lamb tikka masala and an interesting Chana masala (a cream version rather than curried). Tea and desserts (they comped an extra for our daughter!) Good naan (not oily!) We were very pleased. Service was excellent (our daughter loved the waiter!) We’ll be back.

Things have not changed much but still better than last visit.
Orders a Chicken Tikka Biryani. While the Biriyani was flavorful both the rice and the chicken were dry.
This place needs to focus on the finer aspect of their dishes.

Friendly staff. The food was tasty but spice profiles were not well harmonized and dishes had a lot of oil! Certainly edible but not great. Reminded me of home cooking rather than restaurant cooking. The place was spacious and clean. Dinner prices are moderate but on the high side for what you get. If you want to get full for cheap the 5.99 lunch buffet on Wednesdays is a GREAT DEAL. If I were reviewing just for Wednesday I’d give it four stars, but overall they need to kick it up a notch to make me come for dinner. The place is very new, so I’m hoping they find a way to improve the kitchen side.

I visited Calcutta Palate during the dinner service and was wildly impressed — the chef offered a sample of appetizers that included delightfully crispy vegetable pakora and samosas accompanied by a refreshing mint chutney and tamarind sauce. For our entrees, we ordered the classic Chicken 65 as well as Lamb Dhansak (lamb and lentils). The Chicken was cooked to perfection: tender and flavorful. The lamb was probably some of the best lamb that I’ve ever eaten and the lentils were out of this world. Of course, we ate our bodies’ weight in tasty naan.
The service was fantastic, we were seated quickly and the server offered great menu suggestions!
Also, did I mention the mango lassi? It was to die for — perfectly sweet and creamy without being at all heavy.
I will definitely be back!

Ordered delivery several times, it’s always arrived quickly and hot. Have tried the Malai Kofta, Chicken Pasanda, Samosas, Chicken Vindaloo, Garlic Naan, and Mushroom Bhajee. I’ve enjoyed everything.