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    India Cafe

    3.6 (75 reviews)
    ModerateIndian
    Open • 11:00 am - 2:30 pm, 5:00 PM - 9:30 PM

    Order India Cafe Takeout or Delivery

    India Cafe Photos

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    INDIA CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Good for kids
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - India Cafe

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    Lunch buffet
    Mia B.

    Pretty good indian food, have tried take out a bunch of times and is never disappointed. Tried the lunch buffet and it was very good, lots of vegan and gluten-free options which are clearly labeled. Not much of a selection but it is normal for lunch buffets. Restaurant was very clean and quiet. The man working was very kind and attentive to our needs and brought out refills as they were getting low.

    Lamb Vindaloo & Garlic Naan
    Lindsey A.

    The food was good. The restaurant was clean and tidy. The gentleman working checked on me multiple times and was pleasant. One thing I really appreciated was that the restaurant was quiet. I went in at an odd time during Jazz Fest, and I ended up having the place to myself for a period of time. There wasn't any music playing or tv's creating background noise. It was a delightful change.

    Patrick T.

    Holy smokes! I have been eating at Masala in Iowa City for years! But last night we decided to try out India Cafe! We wanted to be close to the Englert Theater cause, we were going to see Nick Offerman for our wedding anniversary but wanted to get a nice meal before the show! Ashley was craving Indian food, and I'm always craving it so we hit up India Cafe! And dang I'm glad we did! And Im about ready to start an 8 year love affair with this restaurant! They had a ton of Vegan options and they were all listed very well on the menu! I choose to get something I have never ever tried Vegetable Jalfrazi which is Fresh mixed vegetables cooked with spices fresh onion, green peppers and garlic with herbs and spices. I got it 7 out of 10 spicy and it was maybe the best Indian food I have ever tasted in my life! It was amazing and perfect flavor! We also ordered a couple samosas, and ROTI vegan bread! Both meals came with rice and were very filling! The service was top notch and for awhile we were the only ones in the place! Our whole meal, two samosas, 2 meals, and roti bread came to 26 bucks! How amazing is that! Some of the best food I have ever ate and a great price! Great way to top off a great day! I'm jealous that Iowa City has two great Indian places whithin 4 blocks of each other!

    Mango Lassi (mostly foam)

    Food is overall not bad but the service Is terrible. Also I paid 3 dollars for a mango lassi that was 70 percent foam and 30 percent drink.

    the outside of the restaurant
    John P.

    maybe it's because i haven't had Indian for a long time, but this joint hit the spot. it isn't on the top of my list as far as indian food is concerned but it is a $8/person bill. they offer quite a bit of vegetarian platters but none come with a enough heat for me (so you have to bring on the mint sauce). the chicken curry was quite good, the lintel & the saffron rice also. the chicken tandoori i thought was the best, but i think its a hit-or-miss depending on when you hit the buffet, because it didn't look that good when i went for dessert. note: starting with the Naan is probably not a good way to get an impression of the what the food will be like. for dessert, they've got your typical rice pudding and also have this indian cheesecake they labeled as Farti, which despite its name is real good.

    (Top) chicken sagwala  (Bottom left) lamb mushroom  (Right) chicken tikka masala  Garlic naan

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    11 months ago

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    7 years ago

    Pretty good Indian buffet. $10 for lunch all you can eat. Not much for variety but that is normal for lunch buffet.

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - India Cafe

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    Masala Indian Cuisine

    Masala Indian Cuisine

    3.6(170 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    •$$

    I find Indian cuisine to be very intimidating so I've put off visiting this gotta-try in downtown…read moreIowa City until just last night. It's been around for over 30 years which in a college town says something. I popped in a Thursday at 6ish. We were seated right away. We ordered the vegetarian platter, chicken tikki masala and garlic naan. OMG. Delish. The samosas were my favorite on the platter-- they were piping hot and so flavorful. The two chutneys on the table were great with them; cilantro-mint and tamarind. The naan was perfection. Piping hot, the perfect amount of garlic. Chicken tikki masala was melt in your mouth good, though we asked for medium spicy and it was not spicy at all. Service was quick and polite. Pricing was on point. Masala is available for dine in, pickup and delivery via CHOMP-- open every day except Sunday. Get your Indian fix at Masala today!

    Wow, there's nothing like a former Yelp review being posted 18 years ago to make me feel old. My…read moreattitude toward Masala has changed a lot over those 18 years, unfortunately. They added meat to the menu several years ago, which would be fine except that now, non-vegetarian food makes up more than half the lunch buffet selection. The quantity/variety of food offered during buffet also seems to have been cut down by about half, and when I last ate there a few months ago, I'm almost positive that one person was serving as both waitstaff and cook. This made for very slow refills of buffet items, but I'm much more concerned about the well-being of that staff member. The facilities/ambiance appear roughly the same as always. Please also be advised that regardless of the size of your tip, none of it goes to your server. It goes directly into the owner's till, and it's irresponsible that this isn't made clear to patrons.

    Photos
    Masala Indian Cuisine - Inside

    Inside

    Masala Indian Cuisine - Lamb Vindalu

    Lamb Vindalu

    Masala Indian Cuisine

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    India Cafe - indpak - Updated September 2026

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