Swad

They’re adding on!!! Yay! Now there’ll be more room at lunch during those beautiful buffets! Today was packed wall to wall but people kept coming. And no wonder. everything was fresh temperature was appropriate today… Naan was on time and water glass never emptied.
Thank you Alex
Namaste

The naan alone gets 5+ stars, in fact I may return simply to feast on the garlic naan — I love the generous use of cilantro along with the garlic. It is the best naan I have yet to try around the Madison area!
The Swad dinner menu has so many lovely dinner options, it can be difficult to narrow down. When deciding on my level of spiciness for my Lamb Vindaloo, I went for medium and it was pretty dang hot. I’m normally have a taste for medium+ levels, though if you have a tame palate I would play it safe here.
Overall, the staff was incredibly friendly and attentive. I called ahead to inquire about a Friday night reservation which was not required for a party of less than 5. However, the staff I spoke with still took my name saying they were looking forward to seeing us. It was a little gesture, but it showed a warmness that isn’t always found in short phone interactions with restaurants. Great job all around, Swad!

Our family of 6 (3 generations) visited for the Sunday lunch buffet and we were immediately seated. The buffet selections were outstanding with a variety of spice levels to accommodate my 85 yr old «picky» parents and my «bring-​on-​the-​fire» daughter and brother. The freshness and quality of the soups, vegetables, and various entries was excellent! The mango ice cream was a great finishing touch! The servers at our table were very attentive removing plates and refilling water glasses. I can see why this restaurant gets such good reviews. I highly recommend it!

We loved all of the different choices. The food tasted really good, And the atmosphere was comfortable. Very nice staff and it appeared as they had many regular customers. We will come back

My husband and I came here and neither of us had ever had Indian food before. We thought this would be a good place to go because of their lunch buffet where we would be able to try multiple items. The place was busy and the fresh naan that was brought to our table was delicious. We however we not very excited about the food. We believe this had nothing to do with them and a lot to do with us just not liking the food. The ice cream they had was good too. I would be open to trying again but we would like to go with someone who has ate Indian food before.

We had a marvelous dinner. The tandoori shrimp was the best I’d ever eaten: Huge, juicy shrimp richly seasoned with a complex and broad range of spices. My husband requested his chicken vindaloo be spicy, and it was ! He’s been disappointed so many times before in the Midwest. Their samosas were delicious, served two per order, cut apart and layered with chutneys and relishes. Our sons had the mixed tandoori. All the Meats were wonderfully tender and perfectly seasoned. The basmati rice practically melted in our mouths. The naan bread came with eight flavors to choose from! What a perfect meal. Sigh… We’ll be back!

Introducing a six-​year-​old to Indian food can be challenging. We went with some pretty basic items; naan, chicken tiki masala, chicken biryani, and Lamb seekh kebab… All done in the mildest spices we could order. It was all we could do to keep our son from eating the food hand over fist. It was a great success, and he has now listed Swad as his new favorite restaurant in the Monona area. The grownups enjoyed dinner as well, although we would have liked to have a little more spice. Didn’t want to blow the little ones pants off the first time he had the food. Thank you SWAD excellent as always.

It’s become our go-​to «Indian food place» recently. The food is great. much better (in both quality and amount) than any of the «local» Madison joints. It does take a bit longer to go there, but the food more than makes up for it. Infact, some of the dishes are better than I would get back in India. The staff are friendly. the place nice and clean.
Lamb dishes are a favorite. You can actually differentiate between the different curries. Carefully seasoned gravies and well cooked meat.
Would definitely recommend it to anyone who’s into or would like to try out good Indian fare.

I enjoy Indian/​Pakistani food. I love the smells, the colors and varied textures. Curries run the gamut from spicy, to sexy to mellow. There is always something new to try and many times there is a surprise, a burst of flavor you didn’t expect.
I have been to SWAD five times and the food is consistently delicious. That has not been my experience with other Indian restaurants. I am often disappointed after the first try.
I love their saag paneer, chicken tikka masala, Chana masala, roti, and biryanis. The mango ice cream is the perfect way to end a meal.
Today I went to their lunch buffet. I was reluctant because I generally do not like to eat food sitting in a warming tray. The food was hot, fresh and delectable. I had chai tea which helped to chase my chills away. I would gladly go again.
Service is excellent and friendly. Give it a try.

Lunch Buffet Review:
When we noticed five cars in the parking lot waiting for the doors to open for lunch, we knew we were in for a treat. Simply amazing and a solid 5 star Indian Buffet. One of the widest selections of foods we’ve ever seen. Each one of their dishes were unique and well spiced. Typically we can pick one or two things from buffets as our favorites, but we loved everything here. From appetizers, to main courses, to dips, to desserts; you will enjoy them all.
On top of amazing food, the restaurant is immaculately cleaned, staffed with friendly/​professional waiters, and the prices are extremely fair (Only $ 10.50 with tax per buffet). They even bring fresh, hot Naan to each table.

We made our first visit last night to Swad, an unassuming but pleasant neighborhood restaurant located in a strip mall. Tried the lentil soup, samosas, pakora, biryani, and chicken tikka. Everything was good, service was fine. It’s not the best Indian food I’ve had, but we enjoyed it and would return to try more.

Always a five star dining experience. The lunch Buffett is a MUST TRY and an excellent value. There is so much variety! Everything is so fresh and delicious. The food here is truly a revelation. I wish I could eat every meal here. Exaggeration? Haha… Nope!
And the people are great too. I hope this restaurant stays in Monona forever!!!
:)

Pretty slow service. Food is also not great. Won’t come again.
Better to go in Madison for Indian food.

Tried this place for the first time… So glad it is local, the best I have had! The chutney they give you is the perfect balance of sweet and spicy… This place is busy, another sign of great food. I travel for a living, and would not lead you astray!

One of the best Indian restaurants I’ve had in Madison! The best dish had to be the dosa! Wow! And I got delivery but the food was still hot and tasty and I felt like, for the first time in a while, a delivery actually DELIVERED on the price I paid. I am still eating leftovers two days later! WOW!
Only issue: the samosa was a little too salty and the dips were not as flavorful as one might expect.

This place is delicious. They have plenty of variety and I am absolutely in love with the fresh naan that is brought out for you when you arrive.
There is plenty of selection and I am surprised at the number of non-​vegetarian dishes available. There is a rotating selection with a couple of mainstays but everything is delicious.
I have only done the buffet here but take-​out looks very scrumptious as well. Swad is a great addition to the Monona area.

Seeing as I live in Monona and have been to Swad many times, this review seemed like a must. My boyfriend and I have been for the lunch buffet countless times and always enjoy it immensely. The quality of food is amazing for a buffet, which usually tends to taste like it’s been sitting there for hours. Swad somehow keeps it looking and tasting fresh. With the buffet you also get a basket of fresh-​baked naan which is a nice touch. Overall, amazing buffet experience every single time.
We have also gone a few times for dinner. While the food is still the same amazing quality as the buffet, I am typically left feeling a little bit underwhelmed because the dinner prices seem a little steep. I understand that having a server makes a difference in the overall experience, but it just seems silly to me to pay more money for less variety and less food.
So my suggestion is go for the buffet and don’t mess around with dinner. As a side note, this is also a great place to come if you’re feeling hungover.

From all the Indian restaurants I have ever been to I could tell right away this one it’s one step above the other ones, you can taste that «special touch» in every dish, like when you are in love and you put your whole heart and soul into your cooking so that your prince would love you even more than he already has, like that :) Warning… your hubby could ask to meet the cook! However, in my case mine knows who the owner of his stomach is ;) jajajajaja.
Back to the food, I particularly loved the saag paneer, what a luscious sauceeee, the chicken memos (they are like fried dumplings) with such a delicious flavor I couldn’t stop eating them! The owner even suggested a red chutney to go along with it and they matched perfectly! also a dish with mixed lentils, very comforting, The naan bread was very nice, pipping hot with brushed butter on top, interesting homemade ice cream flavors too!. Every little thing was fresh, well prepared and with yummy flavors and the staff is very attentive. I really want to go back soon!

I went with my wife and two friends for the first time to Swad (translates literally as delicious) in Monona for dinner. One of the other guests had been there before and had the lunch buffet and recommend it highly. In looking at the reviews on Unilocal it received many four and five star recommendations. I’m a fan of Indian food and have gone to several of the Indian restaurants in Madison.
We were greeted promptly and seated in their spacious dining area. Even though it’s Friday night they were few diners there. The décor was simple and rather nondescript. The service was attentive and the food was traditional and very good. However, the overall experience was not as good as some of my favorite Indian food places in Madison. At least the locals will have a pleasant Indian food experience in their own back yard.

A friend in and I stopped in here for dinner as a midway point during a bike ride around the lake. It was a fairly cold night for July, and raining. We looked for a place to lock up our bikes, but there was nothing available anywhere. Luckily, Swad had a table open directly at the front window, so we could watch our unlocked bikes leaned against the outside of it while we ate.
The first adjective that comes to mind to describe Swad is unpretentious. It’s located in a semi-​rundown strip mall; nothing to write home about. The interior is painted in warm shades of mustard and deep red, and the tables and small bar are dark wood.
My companion is South Indian, and he recognized and chatted with the owner, who is also associated with Maharaja restaurant on Odana Rd. He didn’t comment much on the food, just ate a lot of it, which I am assuming meant it met with his approval.
Papadam and three chutneys were brought to the table immediately. Tomato onion, ginger cilantro, and tamarind. All were fairly standard.
We both ordered vegetarian meals, I had Aloo Chole and he had Chole Masala. I ordered mine with medium heat and it was exactly that, with large chunks of potato in a well seasoned tomato based broth with tender chickpeas. Filling and satisfying. We shared an order of Swad Special Naan Bread, which was delicious. Kind of like a soft fluffy quesadilla filled with deliciously spiced mashed potatoes and peas with cheese. My friend did note that it was very good but very salty, which is true, but for me it was perfect.
The lighting was dim and it was quiet, both very nice. Only a couple of other tables of diners were present. Our server was young and conscientious/​bordering on nervous, but very pleasant. It took a long time to get our check after the meal, considering how busy they weren’t. Didn’t really matter, as we were taking our time and talking a lot. One thing to note though is that it was fa-​fa-​fa-​freezing cold inside. The other diners who left at the same time were mentioning it as well. It was only 63 degrees outside, and the restaurant felt colder.
I wasn’t blown away, but I would go again and try the buffet to get a better overall impression of their offerings. There is a full bar available, although we stuck with just water.
And I would dress warmly. :-)