Taste of India

Just had the Sunday buffet with my mother. Absolutely delicious! We love that they made everything with mild spices, so we were able to enjoy all the dishes. And very affordable to boot, only $ 10 each for the buffet.

Stopped here on Memorial Day afternoon, preceding a shopping run to Martin’s and out to Waynesboro. I got there from my home in Lexington VA around 1:50 PM, i.e., just in time to enjoy the buffet without having to wolf everything down before the restaurant closed at 2:30 for the rest of the afternoon.
The good news: Everything I ate was fresh and good-​tasting. It’s not a big buffet, but they had an interesting variety — besides the staples of Tandoori Chicken and Chicken Tikka Masala, they had a tasty goat dish, another chicken dish on a grill, and several vegetarian options. When I first walked up to the buffet, they were out of naan, but one of the employees said something about how they were going to bring out more. A few minutes later, the employee brought two pieces directly to my table, which was a delightful surprise — I thought she meant that they’d be putting more out at the buffet and I was perfectly content with the idea of going back to the buffet for it. So the service gets a big thumbs up from me! The naan was also *garlic* naan, which in my experience usually isn’t a buffet item, so that was another unexpected bonus.
It’s also a clean and pleasing place — not as swank as Nawab in Roanoke, but very well-​kept. It would be a nice place for a couple to have a relaxing lunch or dinner. I can totally see bringing my wife here and getting a window seat for a leisurely afternoon of people-​watching.
The bad news: They were out or nearly out of several things on the buffet, and with only four occupied tables, they were understandably reluctant to replenish those items. I don’t hold this against them — I expect this when I show up for the last 40 minutes of a buffet, just like I expect long lines at Target if I go shopping in December. And there was still plenty to eat. The pakora of the day was also a bit disappointing — basically potato slices, rather than the more fritter-​like pakora that I strongly prefer.
Overall, it was a good experience. I’m giving four stars instead of five only because I’ve had better Indian food, even though this was quite good. I’d gladly have lunch there again, and I’m also willing to bet that ordering off the menu at dinner would produce excellent results.

Never disappoints. The food is delicious! My favorite is the chicken tikka masala. The service is great. The lunch buffet is great for a quick and delicious workday lunch. Give this place a try!

Great atmosphere and wonderful Indian food. A treasure for this small town. Service is great and food taste good.

As a local, I come here all the time for lunch. The buffet is hands-​down the best way in Staunton to get the best quantity and quality for your money. The staff are pleasent and the food is damn fine. Rephreshing break from the boring ol’ sandwich-​n-​chips that is so redundant in this town. Go for it!

Good food, just be careful with levels of spicy (hot). A medium spicy here is very hot in other Indian restaurants ;)

We went here to celebrate my birthday last week, and even though it was late we were warmly welcomed and promptly served. They offer coupons on the backs of Martin’s receipts, so be on the look out for those. We had Chicken Tikka Masala, and Dal Makhani, and they were both delicious. Generous portions of food, plenty of rice, and we ordered our food medium, and it was quite spicy. Before when I have ordered mild it has not has enough flavor, but this was almost too much. The restaurant itself is so pretty, too. The exposed brick walls, the pretty artwork/​tapestries, and we had very good service, too.

Nice food and average service. Portions are pretty good. The buffet option is a bit poor on terms of choices.

Stopped in on a whim while attending a street event. Was pleasantly surprised by the elegant décor. Ordered the garlic naan, mango shrimp and lamb bhuna. They came with basmati rice. We ordered medium hotness, which was perfect for us. My husband got an Indian beer and I got the salted lassi to drink. Everything was delicious. The bread was hot from the oven. All food also piping hot. Service very attentive. Will definitely go again to try more items off the menu

Staff were very friendly and interior décor and atmosphere were great. But some of their food was average. Their naan was great but the main course lacked flavor to compliment the spices.

Uncooked rice, roti, biryani. Paneer pakoda was a joke. May be its because we went at the closing time. Papad was good however.

Lovely staff, excellent service, great food. The place is run by a family and they have something good happening here. We came here from The Shenandoah skyline drive and it was perfect. It’s a sure win if you’re looking for Indian food around this area.

Solid Indian food. My wife loves it and would probably give it a 5 star review. I’m a TAD bit more picky than she is tho ;)

First off, this is a great addition to Valley dining… A Taste of India. It’s a winner: great location, pleasant family owner and wait staff, modest prices (especially the luncheon buffet), and the food is very tasty. Buffet has a diverse range of dishes from vegetarian to chicken to very tasty goat masala. Fresh naan both plain and garlic. The Taste of India’s rice pudding left me wanting for a more accurate recipe that called for a bit more cardamom and perhaps a few raisins. The beer selection was fine: my Kingfisher beer was appropriate for my lunch. My wife and her mother had Bold Rock Cider, which they thought made for an excellent pairing with their lunches. The Taste of India is in the same location as the old Staunton Grocery Restaurant, but now is much more casual and decidedly less high-​brow and snotty. The owner is actually from Nepal, so her cooking focus is more centered on dishes from Northern India, which tend to be less spicey than Southern Indian dishes: more curries, yogurt and chick peas create some wonderful taste sensations. My favorite dish was the goat curry. I’ve traveled to India on many occasions… including Northern India as far as Dehradun, and A Taste of India knocks it out of the ball park for tasty and affordable Indian cuisine in Staunton, VA

We dined here for Valentine’s Day before we went to see a play at the Blackfriars Playhouse. We were in a rush because we only had an hour before the play and the they adjusted the service so that we could leave there on time. The menu looked complete with all the classic Indian cuisine favorites and the service was friendly and efficient. We were quite pleasantly surprised to find such a good Indian place in a small town like Staunton.

This place was surprisingly good for the middle of nowhere. They make their own paneer and it is tasty. Some advice: if you want anything above totally mild, ask for some heat. I was a bit disappointed at the extreme mildness of their mild. The saag wasn’t as creamy as I generally prefer, but both it and the korma had a lovely flavor. I’d definitely go here again.

Said open on Mondays, came out craving Indian and it was closed, did not get to try it out.

I adore this place. It’s perfect for lunch! Since I’m not familiar with Indian food, I love the buffet. It has some standard items, such as their amazing Chicken masala, naan, & basmati rice, but the other items change everyday & are always fresh.
The environment is quiet & classy. Ice water is served in fancy wine-​looking glasses & cloth napkins are used & the décor is exquisite– definitely not a hole-​in-​the wall. The servers keep your drink full & tables clear of plates. They are very accommodating to large groups.
Whenever I have friends from out of town who are into ethnic & interesting foods, I bring them here.

Incredibly attentive staff. Warm environment. Over the top delicious and authentic Indian food.

I have to admit that I was a bit surprised to find a well reviewed Indian restaurant in a small Southern town, but this was pretty decent. I don’t know if I can go as high as 4 star, but remember, my three star review really does mean it’s good enough to come back.
As usual, I went with the lamb vindaloo, and I asked for it to be made spicy. Along with that, an order of paneer naan. The vindaloo, while not as good as what I enjoyed at The Everest in Ballina, was still tasty. This had more chunks of potato (which did need a little salt) and good tasting lamb, just not quite as tender as that from The Everest. Plenty of sauce in the large helping, which is good since I like to mop it up in rice or naan. And as for the naan, this was better than The Everest, since they used «real» paneer, not an odd, greasy yellow cheese. It came out white hot too, very fresh.
The price was reasonable, and I think my entrée and naan would have served two people without too much trouble, so especially considering that, this is a good value. They have a small beer and wine list, but the beer list looked to feature some local microbrew as well as traditional Kingfisher and other beers, which is kind of nice.
I’d be here pretty regularly if I lived in the area. I’d call this a pleasant surprise in an area where I wouldn’t expect to find this kind of «exotic» cuisine.