Sitar India

Pros:
5% discount if pay on cash
Student discount, 3 persons buffet ~41 $
Several types flavors and seasoning
Cons:
Crampy space
Smell can get to your clothes
Limited choice of food
Slow refill (vegetable section)

I’ve never had Indian food before so Im not educated about the food. Its a really cute, small buffet style restaurant and the waiters were really fast with clearing tables.
The food was okay. I thought a lot of the food was a bit too spicy. However, the salad bar did help the spiciness a bit. Out of all of the food only two really stood out to me and that was the chickpeas and mango juice lol. I really liked the chickpeas! Nicely displayed on this huge heated pan. The mango juice was everythinggg. Not sure if it was real mango juice or mango concentrate but it was delicious! I had like 4 cups of that.
Decent price as well. You can get 10% off with student discount and its cheaper if you pay cash.

Best Indian buffet I have had in Philadelphia! Everything s super tasty and they offer a couple of veg options. The samosas are out of this world so make sure to put a few on your plate!

Great selection and flavors are full and wonderful too. The pice is right too! About $ 11 a person for dinner buffet and I nice cozy atmosphere depending on the crowd at the time too. The curried goat is always a go to item if you enjoy good curried goat, tender amd very tasty. The Naan is great and usually everything is kept fully loaded and topped off without delay too. Staff is very kind, courteous and attentive so tipping is a no brainer. It’s nice to have an Indian buffet of this quality for a dinner selection since most only offer buffet option at lunch times. These guys have earned my repeat business and will continue too. I’m hungry again for some curried goat now, see you there! Namaste

I’ve had the buffet and LOVED it, but IMO the best dish is the chicken kadai. Amazing flavors and texture. I order it to go, and for only $ 12 I get two meals out of it. So sad to be moving a little further away from Sitar in the fall — it’s my go to whenever I need a cheap, filling, delicious meal.

The food is your standard India cuisine and they do it well. Would’ve given them a 5 but they didn’t take our drink order.

Holyfuckingshit I love this place. I recently went back to sitar and they have renovated the entire place and it looks much better than their old red tile layout. The food is still amazing and they have even more of a selection than ever before. It is a buffet for lunch and dinner and much more affordable than most Indian buffets/​restaurants. This is by far the best Indian I’ve ever had and will always come back for more until this place closes or I die.

Came to Sitar for their ten dollar lunch buffet on a Monday. Place was almost completely empty when I got there around 11:20am, but it filled up to capacity (with a wait outside!) by the time I left an hour later.
Food wise, I think I like this more than New Delhi. For a ten-​dollar Indian food place, I base this mostly on the fact that I feel less gross after Sitar than I do after New Delhi. I“m not picky at all about service/​restaurant vibe/​classiness, and Sitar doesn’t really move the needle in any direction. It’s perfectly fine, the waitstaff were perfectly nice and attentive. No complaints.
Now, the buffet: things were hot, it tasted good, and it didn’t make me feel bad. Mostly North Indian fare. I thought the naan was a little bit soggy, but the parathas were delicious and more than made up for that. Lots of veggie options, and your standard meat options (tikka masala/​chili chicken/​tandoori chicken) are there as well. There’s a salad bar, though it looks pretty basic and I gave it a wide berth. Nice that the lunch time meal comes with all you can drink self-​service chai (very sweet), and I hear rumors that there are lassis during the dinner buffet. All in all, I can’t complain. I paid little money for like 5 plates of food + dessert. I count that as a win.
Also make sure to do the 10% (I think?) student ID discount, and there’s also a 5% off if you pay with cash.

got delivery from Sitar on Sunday night – this was my first time trying Indian food and I’m glad it was with Sitar! I tried the Chicken Korma with a mild sauce and it was delicious. They gave my friend and I a huge bowl of rice to share, with some garlic naan (AMAZING) on the side. Delivery service took about 45 minutes, which was to be expected. I would definitely order from here again!

The best out of the three Indian buffets (New Delhi, Tandoor) in University City I think — it gets pretty crowded especially on Saturday nights, but serves a solid variety of Indian food. What distinguishes it out of the three for me is their mango juice (for dinner buffets; they serve chai during lunch hours) — it is a delicious accompaniment to the spicy food.
It seems to have risen in price gradually, but there is a student discount and a pay by cash discount to counteract that.

I ordered a few dishes from here for delivery with lowered expectations. I never ate here before, but I’ve just had issues lately with delivery services from smaller restaurants, especially when ordering online. (Why not just call then? the introvert in me prefers not talking on the phone if I don’t have to.)
Sitar exceeded my lowered expectations however. The delivery time was reasonable and the food was delicious. I’m not expecting it will always be the case, but at least I know there will be a next time.
I ordered the meat samosas, Chicken Masala and a Lamb curry. I also ordered the Naan additions. Everything was on point in terms of flavor, heat, and even portion size.
There are many Indian spots in University City, but I think Sitar deserves to be on some top Indian food in UCity list if there is one.

This place is delicious! Being an indian I can def say I know my indian food! I enjoyed this place every time I went. I have to admit their hours are a bit confusing because they have odd hours but Its okay I can work with it for the food. The food here reminds me of home and which college kids doesnt crave that? Def worth a visit :)

Great Indian buffet … Very affordable and great food …
Service is always on point. Always clean which I love Bc that’s one of my biggest pet peeves .:

3 stars for food, –1 star for horrible customer service.
Things to try —
+vegetable shahi kofta
+vegetable jalfrezi
+onion kulcha
Things to not do–
+Do NOT order online (
is their supposed delivery provider) — both times I ordered, I called Sitar to see where my order was and both times they claimed they didn’t get it. Instead of offering to expedite my order at that point (after I canceled my order on
/​telling me why they never got my order), the manager gave me tonsss of attitude and sass. He continually claimed this was in no way his fault (is
not your partner???) and that he didn’t get many orders from
as it was, so this isn’t a high priority issue (really?). He then promised the dinner to arrive in the standard 45 – 60 minute slot, which it did, but my bad experience with him and disastrous hunger overshadowed the otherwise good meal.
Will not be ordering from here again, out of principle. Tons of other good Indian restaurants to order from.

Fan of this place! Been here more than 5 times and never disappointed. Affordable, delicious Indian food. I love there curry with «Indian tofu», it’s sooo good! The staff is welcoming and friendly. It’s a popular spot in this neighborhood so be prepared to wait for couple of minutes in rush hours.

Tried the lunch buffet for $ 10.
For $ 10 I can’t complain that much. There were a lot of items to choose from including both meat and vegetarian options.
Standout items on the bar were the tandoori chicken, saag, chai tea and the dessert that tastes like syrup covered doughnut holes.
The remaining items were pretty marginal. As many have mentioned before the naan was really disappointing (hard, dried out).
The entrance is also a bit of a problem with the stairs. It’s not easy to get in the front door with a stroller. If someone was in a wheelchair I’m not sure how they would get in. Maybe through the back?

I’m quite a fan of this place. Although I would come here for lunch instead, since they offer the exact same buffet options for $ 4 less ($ 10 vs 14). The variety here is pretty standard and comes with your typical Americanized Indian menu. I’m a carnivore so the abnormally large meat options here were a pleasant surprise. Mango juice is actually part of the buffet here, so go ham on your sugary desires.
They also have cheap bottled beers here — domestic were $ 2.75, and imports were $ 3.50 (including King Fisher and Taj Mahal). This place is BYOB. The service was on point, and I never came back to my previous plate still on the table. They applied 10% discount to students, an a 5% discount if you pay in only cash. They applied the student discount to us without even mentioning anything — they assumed we were students because asians look forever young ;)

All you can eat dinner with the student discount comes out to $ 14.69. They also have a stamp card available where if you come here 10 times, you get a free meal. I prefer this place over New Delhi. It’s a bit smaller, but I feel like the overall quality of the food is better. Love the eggplant and lamb curry. The chutneys (especially the mint chutney) are super good. They have mango juice, and tend to alternate between rice pudding and fruit cocktail for dessert. Sitar also offers a few imported Indian beers (Taj Mahal, Kingfisher…). Be prepared to feel bloated and like crap when you’re done.

I went to Sitar India multiple times and I am very satisfied for the rates and the multitudes of delicious Indian food. Considering that it is an Indian buffet, the prices are a steal compared to most places. Also there is complimentary unlimited mango lassi drinks with the buffet price. I definitely recommend this place to anybody

Waaaay better than New Delhi! More flavor and texture in the dishes here for sure. 10 bucks for an all-​you-​can eat lunch basically means I’m going to be uncomfortably full if I’m not careful. When the food tastes this good, it’s hard to control myself.
I just re-​discovered this place when I went to grab some takeout during my lunch break the other day. I discovered that if you choose «take away», you can fill a styrofoam container to the brim for the price of the lunch buffet– it’s enough for 2 meals easily. I love that all the vegan options in the buffet are marked very clearly, as are gluten-​free options if that’s something you look for. There were 4 vegan options plus samosas when I went earlier this week! Great deal.

AMBIANCE:
Interesting mix of paintings, particularly the one that reminds me of a death eater from harry potter… we definitely did not want to sit under that painting. The place has a decent amount of seating and they do their best to accommodate the large crowds of young adults and college kids. Also, it’s pretty clean which is a major plus.
FOOD:
Naan was dry and slightly burnt. The food itself is alright, some flavors are not quite there but considering what you’re paying for, it’s a good deal.
Goat curry is very fatty but well spiced. Chicken tikka marsala — can’t go wrong. I also enjoyed the potato and peas dish. Let’s not forget their saag paneer (spinach and cheese cubes) — very delicious.
The great part is that they have mango juice & their rice pudding is yummy.
The rest of the food, just alright.
VALUE/​PRICE:
10% off if you have a student ID ! :) what a steal

$ 9.95 lunch buffet (tax extra). Discount for students (or dig in Citypaper for 10% coupon). Closed Tuesday!
While not the best Indian food, there’s enough variety to keep taste buds entertained. Offerings run from vegetarian (potato, squash, chickpeas, saag, veg samosas) and meats (chicken and lamb) with several rice options (chicken and veg biryani).
The naan is very disappointing … dry and not fluffy at all! I need it to mop up the delicious sauces! :(
The free Chai is divine. It’s 85 °F out and I still had 2 cups of this elixir … I want to smuggle some out with me!
Close walk from MFL 40^th Street.

Indian buffet
–prices are cheap
–service is attentive
–food quality is as expected for a buffet (alright)
–eat as much as you want
–close to campus

What a steal! For $ 10, you get generous helpings of delicious Indian food. I went for lunch, and it was very busy. However, they were still able to sit us (2 ppl) relatively quickly. Apparently they take reservations, so if you have a large group, make sure to reserve a table.
Their chicken tikka masala and goat curries are delicious. Their vegetarian selections are equally delicious — about half the buffet is vegetarian. They also have a dedicated chana batura station. Definitely try a bit of everything, and don’t miss out on the house chai.
For students, you get a 10% discount with your student ID.

The lunch Buffett is 10 bucks. For ten bucks you definitely get the bang for all 10 of your bucks. However, I have had much better Indian food. I guess I am spoiled by all the great Indian restaurants in the Washington, D.C. Area.
I guess I was constantly comparing this Buffett to the Indian buffets I am used to.
This restaurant has a smaller selection than I am used to. The buffet station is a tiny section in the back of the restaurant.
I was pretty disappointed in the food. I was craving Indian food so I was so excited to eat here. But I am not going to lie the food was a bummer. The selection is tiny and they only serves two types of desserts.
They also serve chai tea which was the one thing I really enjoyed. The tea used the right spices and was not an artificial tea that is usually served in the mainstream.

Saturday, 7 March 2015 lunchtime. As usual the place is near capacity but we were pleasantly greeted and seated. Still a big fan of the buffet which is very reasonably priced. My student daughter received a dollar discount off my bill total. WoooHooo.
The buffet is very nicely placed in the back of the restaurant so you never feel like you are in a traffic area no matter where you are seated. Is this the best Indian around Penn? No, BUT there is a nice variety of items on the buffet so you will find something to keep you happy and well fed. And the décor is very pleasant.
Today we lingered over Chai which was available on the buffet and we were not made to feel rushed at all.
Service is very attentive and pleasant. Worth a drop in while at Penn,

Sitar is a great Indian restaurant on campus, but it’s always so packed since the space is small. This is one of the only restaurants on campus where you can count on having to wait for seating during normal dining hours. And there’s not even anywhere convenient to stand and wait, so people end up standing in the walkway between the doors — which gets chilly in the winter. Plus I’m always paranoid that they’ll forget to seat me if I stand there.
The food is very tasty, but a little too spicy for me. The chicken tikka masala and samosas are pretty good, and I love their puri! It’s nice that they have mango lassi, but I don’t drink it. Unfortunately it seems they’ve raised their prices to $ 12 (minus 10% student discount) for dinner, but at least they’re still cheaper than New Delhi.
I wish the service were faster and more attentive. Tables could definitely be cleaned faster after a group leaves to let the next group waiting come inside. Also, I often come back from the buffet to see everyone’s dirty plates still sitting at the table, and since the tables are small… well, we end up having to stack everything ourselves and wait some more.

TIP: Don’t forget to ask for student discounts for buffet prices!
Great indian food, nice presentation, casual and nice atmosphere, and great service.
Sitar is a staple Indian restaurant in University City. My boyfriend and I came here for their dinner buffet and we tried varying amounts of curries, Tandoori chicken and samosas. They also offered rice pudding, mango juice, and naan as well. The food was nothing super fancy or amazing, but it does make for a great buffet place. Maybe one day I’ll come back to try out the regular menu items.
If you’re super hungry and in the mood for some Indian food, I would definitely recommend this place. It’s also a BYOB, so you can mix some vodka with their mango juice ;)

Not the best Indian food we’ve had but definitely above average and a really amazing deal for all you can eat lunch or dinner with a nice variety of dishes. Our favorite is the goat curry. The chicken dishes are very average here which made me sad as I am obsessed with Chicken Masala. The desserts here aren’t really up my alley but you can tell they give a good try.
The service is very friendly and there’s usually street parking which makes this place such an easy place to dine when you’re starving.
Definitely save room for the unlimited mango juice refills! Sooo good.

I visit Sitar quite often for both their lunch and dinner buffets. I think that while it’s a solid Indian buffet, I also think that buffet Indian food isn’t the best you can find. They always have a lot of different options, so definitely come with an empty stomach.
Their best items are the channas/​chole, chicken, channas, and of course the mango juice. Most items are pretty good though, but the food overall is pretty heavy, and if you eat too much, you will probably get sick. Still a great value for what you pay.
FYI — there is a student discount!