India Gate

Wonderful flavors and spices. The wait staff and the restaurant were very pleasant. We will definitely be back. We had the Aloo Vindaloo and Vegetable Biriyani, yum.

We ordered our favorite meal: chicken tikka masala with rice, garlic naan, and vegetable samosas with chutney. We ordered for take-​out. The chicken tikka masala was most disappointing; the portion looks generous at first, until you realize it’s a lot of sauce and big chunks of onion. You have to hunt around the bowl for the six or eight little cubes of chicken buried in there. The flavor wasn’t great — too sweet and it didn’t have that characteristic masala taste. The garlic naan was also just okay, ours was undercooked and had big chunks of barely-​cooked garlic. The samosas were the best part of our meal, and the mango chutney (ordered separately) was actually really tasty. All in all it wasn’t the worst meal, but we won’t be ordering from India Gate again. There are too many other places that serve good Indian food to waste our money here.

This place… Ah, so good. I literally have cravings at least once a week. The portions are great and I usually have enough to last me for a few more meals. I’ve had their takeout and their buffet. Both were fresh, filling (important when you don’t eat meat), and savory. The service is spectacular as well. Friendly, quick and kind when I’ve stepped in to pick up a takeout order.
When I brought my family in for the lunch buffet I was blown away. The food was amazing and far from scant for a buffet… But what really blew me away was their attentiveness with my father. He had a stroke a while back and can’t as easily get around, especially when it means bringing back a delicious FULL plate of food. Before we had a chance to help, the servers were there setting the food at our table and pulling out the chair for him. This amount of kindness made our experience so special.
Really, you can’t go wrong here. Delicious fresh food and above and beyond service. If you’re in Durham, or Cary, or Morrisville (really anywhere in the Triangle), seriously consider giving this place a try. You won’t regret it.

Phenomenal service. Very kind servers. My GF and I loved the veggie samosas! Better than the restaurants shes frequented in DC. I’d suggest the Paneer Makhni or one of the Biryanis. Large portions, excellent taste, amazingly friendly service :) I highly recommend!

I love this place. Paneer Makhni, Birhyani, samosas and naan are phenomenal. The waiter and waitress that I have had, I think they are the children of the owners, are amazingly friendly – just the kindest servers ever! While the restaurant isn’t fancy/​polished (minus one star), the food is excellent and the prices are very reasonable especially in light of the very large portions :) I am hesitant to recommend because I don’t want it to get crowded, but I must pass it along. Eat here – you won’t regret it.

This place is so perfect if you’re craving cheap, mild, Americanized Indian food — which I often do.
The sauces there are so creamy, and they give a large quantity of everything.
The ambience is very relaxed and clean as well. Our server was very polite and attentive.
We got complimentary appetizers with two different sauces (about equivalent to getting chips, guac, and salsa in a Mexican restaurant for free), and we ordered an Aloo Tikki as well, which was excellent. My egg biriyani came out mildly spicy and very good (although maybe that’s just my soft spot for biriyani talking). My boyfriend had Chicken Tikka Masala, and while he also enjoyed the meal, he strongly suspects the sauce was store-​bought rather than made from scratch.
The meal, all in all, was very reasonably priced and yielded plenty of leftovers despite us eating our fill.
Either way, can’t complain. We look forward to trying out the lunch buffet sometime!

Last night I was craving some Korma, like the kind a bit higher in calories because it’s made with the cream and is a bit more delicious (and probably a bit more Americanized). I ordered some to go food from here on a prayer it would be the «good kind» and I wasn’t disappointed. I have my new favorite Indian place in Raleigh/​Durham after trying almost every other place here. The lady who greeted me was so sweet and the food delicious, I recommend it.

The food here was absolutely amazing and the staff was so considerate! First and foremost, the naan is incredible! We ordered garlic naan and it came out warm, fluffy, and buttery. For the main course I ordered medium-​spicy paneer makhni and it had a nice kick to it without being overwhelming. My friend ordered the spicy lamb vindaloo, and it was so hot she started sweating (so not for the faint of heart)! The staff was so kind and asked if she wanted another batch made that was less spicy, and when she declined they offered to turn down the air conditioning for her. They were very attentive and friendly the whole time, and I would definitely go back to this place for lunch or dinner.

Went for lunch buffet with coworker. Best part of the meal was the fresh naan — a bit greasy but warm and tasty. The jasmine rice was cooked really well for being on a buffet. The butter chicken was good, but swimming in sauce. The chicken tikka was very good with a kick. The samosas were just okay — not much filling or flavor. We never got a drink refill through the entire meal, and the only time anyone came up to us after being seated and getting our drinks and naan was to tell us to pay at the back. Would I go back? Yes, but not at the top of my list for return trips.

My friend and I went here tonight because we were craving good Indian food. It was worth the trip even during dinner time (this place is usually busy for lunch). The staff was super friendly and helpful when we asked her a question. Food came out pretty quickly so it came out hot. It was delicious! Great flavor! I got a chicken tikkala masala and my friend got the chicken curry, we were happy with the selections.

Wheelchair! Bring me a Wheelchair!!!
Reputed as «Best Indian Buffet in the area» and I was Told «I think you’ll Love it» AND UYROTY addition…
My LOVE affair with Indian Food began Autumn 2003 in Baltimore, continued in Charlotte, then NC Triangle…
Chicken Tikka Masala or Butter Chicken is my Main Attraction to a New (to me) Indian Food Experience, so when it is available I’m using it as a Standard for Comparison because it is a Favorite when done well… When it is just ok, I’ll see how good or Great the Other Food is! At the Buffet this Dish was good, NOT Great, Though EVERYTHING on the Buffet Tasted high quality, I wish the Flavor (S) were a little more complex in this One Dish! All the Other Dishes made up for this one being too Plain! I tasted EVERY Dish on the Buffet and the Chicken Dishes and the Goat twice (Both Plates)!
Goat Thursday
This may mean, since it’s Thursday I got Goat! Excellent! Since it IS Fall-​off-​the-​Bone Tender I made sure t leave the Bones and only dish out Meat and Sauce!
Onion Chutney
Fantastik! One of the Best if not the Best I have Tasted!!! I enjoyed that it was not too spicy
Mint Chutney
Very VERY Good and I was glad it was not too spicy!
Naan
Excellent! Brought to each table Fresh and HOT from the Kitchen! Delicious
Masculine
OK, I know at least one Female has eaten here! When I ate here it was Only Men Diners and all under 200 pounds and all under 5’9″ …hmmmm! Probably a coincidence?

Oh me, oh my, I finally found the ultimate Indian buffet in Durham [thanks for course to Norma G.!] I don’t know if it’s a very good or very bad thing that it’s right down the street from my house! I have some great memories as a child going to eat at Indian Buffet’s in Oklahoma, and in every city that I live, I try to recreate these nostalgic feelings. With a killer buffet with all the «traditional» dishes as well as some you don’t see typically (they’ve got samosa’s on the buffet!) and seriously stellar service, India Gate will meet all your needs. I visited on a workday for their $ 11ish lunch buffet and loved how open the space was. They bring additional naan to your table to soak up all the amazing curries and you can end your meal with some Indian spice dumplings or a rice puddling. I can’t wait to return, none too soon!

My new favorite lunch spot on my workdays. Thanks to Norma G. for introducing me to this lovely Indian buffet. They have a great selection of traditional Indian dishes including: chicken tikka, channa masala, butter chicken, palak paneer and more. The one thing I must rave about is their samosas, they are excellent!
The restaurant is spacious, clean, and nicely decorated. It is very well priced for an Indian buffet.

A delightful Indian restaurant with authentic dishes, pleasant native instrumental music and tastefully inviting atmosphere. I enjoyed a generous, tasty spicy lamb dish with the house Cabernet, Robert Mondavi, which was large and only $ 5. The dish was $ 14 and I ordered the garlic bread which was outstanding. I’ll eat here again.

Tried India Gate last Friday for the lunch buffet with two co-​workers. Loved the potato pancakes on the buffet and enjoyed all of the other options as well. I went for my standard choices and everything was good. My boss was eating up the desserts! I thought it was priced well for the selections and will be returning soon.

My partner and I finally decided to give this place a shot, and we were not disappointed. While I can’t say this will be our new favorite spot, we will definitely be back again.
Pros:
Cleanliness — Health Rating is 100%, and restaurant/​bathrooms are very clean.
Price — At $ 9.99 for a lunch buffet, this place rocks!
Naan — They bring it to your table piping hot, and it’s delicious! Flaky, buttery perfection!
Atmosphere — The décor is really cute, and there was nice, gentle Indian music playing in the background. It also had a nice, family-​run vibe which we tend to favor.
Curries — These were delicious! Especially the Butter Chicken and the Daal. They also had Chilli Chicken as a curry, which we thought was very interesting and tasty (we’ve only seen that as a dry appetizer).
Red Onion Chutney — I love having this with Papadum, but I never feel like I’m given enough. I loved that it was on the buffet and I could take my fill. It was also a bit spicier than I’m used to, which was a pleasant treat.
Sweet Lassi — We’ve been noticing a trend that some other places are only serving Mango Lassi, but not Sweet Lassi, so we were glad to see it on the menu. The Sweet Lassi here was perfect. It was quite thin, which usually make me think it’s been watered down, but in this instance it was still very flavorful. It was very crisp and refreshing, where many thicker lassis can coat your mouth and fill you up too quickly.
Desserts — This buffet had a larger selection of desserts than we’re used to, which is a plus.
Cons:
Curry Selection — We were a bit disappointed that the only meat on the buffet was chicken. It would have been nice to have a lamb or fish curry to break things up. That said, maybe that’s how they keep the price at $ 9.99. Not necessarily a bad thing, just something to be aware of. I’ve seen other reviewers mention lamb dishes, so maybe it was just the day we were there.
Gulab Jamun — This is one of our favorite dishes, but we did not enjoy the one here. We usually like it hot and soft, but this one was cold and firm. The cheese balls were also extremely uniform, which made us wonder if it was canned or frozen, rather than homemade.
Kheer — This dish was good, but there was no texture other than rice and milk. We typically enjoy it with some other element, like raisins, shaved almonds, pistachios, etc., but there was none to be found.
Halwa — Again, not enough texture. No raisins or any nuts, just carrot. It was also a bit dry (maybe needed more ghee).
All in all, this place exceeded our expectations, and is definitely worth a visit!

Really not good food at all. My husband and I stopped by for their weekday lunch buffet and were quite disappointed. I won’t be going back unless I really have to.
Their samosas were undercooked, and tasteless.
The garlic naan was really oily.
The butter chicken, masala goat curry, and chicken tikka masala looked and tasted the same. All three were made of the same over sweet canned tomato based gravy, with pieces of meat floating in them.
The saag tasted alright but had thick crusty darker bits on the top which were very unappealing.
The paneer in the mattar paneer was tough and unpleasant.
The desserts that we tried were alright– there was nothing wrong with the gulab jamun and the meethi chakri was fine as well.
I’m sorry that the food wasn’t better because the service was very pleasant.

Your path to Indian delights starts at India Gate. I just got back from their lunch buffet and am Unilocaling their praises! It was fabulous. The restaurant is clean (inspection score of 100), service is fast and friendly and the food was SOOO good. They had garlic naan on the buffet today! I was so happy! I asked if that was a regular item and was told it is offered on the buffet approximately 3 times a week. Other days, it could be potato naan or something else. Can you tell I’m excited? Garlic naan at a lunch buffet is such a treat!
The other items were delicious too. Today they had veggie samosas, vegetable biryani, potato cakes, butter chicken, chicken tikka, tandori chicken, palak paneer, channa masala, peas and mushroom curry and a variety of chutneys, salad and desserts. I’m probably leaving something out but you see where I’m going with this. Lots of variety and everything I tried was scrumptious! I can’t wait to go back.

After a trip back to India Gate for dinner, I stand corrected. This place is great. From the chai to the dal makhni and the garlic naan to the mattar paneer, everything India Gate serves is straight up awesome.
Additional points for the dad wearing a Gorilla Biscuits shirt. Nothing better than hardcore in non-​hardcore places, man.

Good lunch buffet with a nice salad on it and a good variety of entrees and even desserts. Palak paneer was a bit sweet and a little too pulverized but still tasty. Hubby had the Chicken Vindaloo which he enjoyed and it had a nice ginger flavor to it. Service was great. It’s always nice to get fresh bread with buffets. I’d come back!