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    The Madras Cafe

    4.2 (301 reviews)
    ModerateIndian, Vegetarian, Vegan
    Closed 11:30 am - 3:00 pm, 5:00 PM - 10:30 PM

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    THE MADRAS CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Trendy
    Intimate

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    Super God's picture
    Sri R.

    Food was fantastic ... love the Dosa so much... we picked up few more for our family and next few days... The kitchen cook should be or must be from Madras i guess.. he did a fantastic job on all the south indian dishers.. my family got some North indian food like Paneer Masala, Parata, Chapathi etc.. Good food, i would definitely recommend . Person who served was Anthony.. This happened on a Saturday evening around 18:30 PM approxiately. July 12th 2025. Ambience was fantastic... loved the way they have done the restaurant. Thanks & Best Regards, Respectfully Submitted, Sridhar Rangaswamy ("Sri") US Trademark: #5030763 US Trademark #SN 98620494: "Promise Less/Under Promise and Deliver More" "Excellence is not an act, it is a Habit" "Honesty is the Best Policy"Be Truthful,Honest and Fair"

    "Manchurian curry" supposedly that is like hot & sour soup! Disgusting!
    Mili I.

    Very poor service. Ordered a manchurian that came out like a hot & sour soup. Asked to cancel and the waiter argued with me saying "this is how a manchurian curry style looks like", never have I seen a Manchurian even curry style being served like this anywhere!! Totally unacceptable service, argumentative staff and unprofessional overall! Very disgusted with this place! DO NOT RECOMMEND!

    Garlic Naan
    David K.

    We traveled almost 6,000 miles and the first place we go for dinner is Madras Cafe and we will probably eat here almost every night for the next week. It's so delicious I forgot to take photos of my meal, which was the Szechuan Dosa, very tasty! I did remember to get a pic of the second order of garlic naan. We found this place a few years ago and always make it a point to come back. We enjoy trying different things, and so far it is all a great experience.

    Samosa Chaat
    Natalie S.

    No meat? No problems! So many delectable choices to choose from but with a little help from our awesome server Ronald, we left with full bellies and to-go left overs for tomorrow's lunch! Tucked in a busy shopping mall off Sand Lake Rd. you cannot miss the bright sign and the few small outdoor tables. Walking in, there is inviting music and delicious aromas filling the air. Grab a seat and take a close look at that menu. Our server, Ronald, took our drink order and gave us ample time to peruse the menu. We asked a few questions and he gave us some good tips. What followed was a vegetarian delight with an explosive mouth party of flavors! We started with the Samosa Chaat; I'm a Chaat connoisseur and this was above the bar good! Such a nice blend of warm puffed Samosa's contrasted with the room temperature chickpeas and the cold yogurt, cilantro, onion and lovely shaved red beets. Crunch, spicy, sweet and just perfect. Our main meal consisted of Paper Masala Dosa (Ronald's pick), Kadai Bhindi Masala and garlic naan. Um, where to start? It was our first time having Paper Masala Dosa. GIANT rice flour crape (think, as long as a rolled newspaper) with 3 sides: coconut chutney, curried potatoes and warm lentils. Peel crepe, dip and eat. Unique and very tasty! Kadai Bhindi Masala gorgeous! If you like okra, this is your dish! Sautéed okra, onion, tomatoes and spices topped with chopped cilantro, paired with the garlic made this dish twice as delicious. The okra was exceptional and the onions were translucent and sweet; crazy good! If you're in the mood for Indian and enjoy Vegetarian/Vegan food, Madras Cafe is your place. The service was exceptional (did I mention Ronald?) and the food was outstanding.

    Dal Tadke
    Kathy D.

    Our vegan group stopped in for some tasty Indian food, and they delivered! Great atmosphere with neutral tones and lamps, with a long bar. Our server was quick, helpful, and friendly. Several at our table ordered different dosas, or bread items, while I ordered the Dal Tadke (Lentils) and a friend ordered the Chana Masala (chickpeas). Both came with rice and were delicious and filling. The lentils reminded me of what I make at home and were very comforting, just had a few spices that I don't usually use. The chickpeas were definitely a different flavor than I make, but it was an interesting change up. Another friend had the Veggie Fried Rice, which was an enormous bowl that looked amazing! I will definitely be back ext time I'm in town to try more of these amazing dishes, and this visit has inspired me to try other Indian restaurants back home!

    If u want Indian vegetarian in Orlando this is the spot ..open late. Ordered variety of breads , chili baji , paneer..all food freshly made with decent amount for the price ..breads cooked well ..only downside is they don't have fresh naan ..it's frozen reheated but they tell u up front ..can get busy had to wait ten min but once seated food came quickly ..recommend

    Chole bhature

    We ordered chole bhature and Schezwan fried rice. The chole bhature was just okay--nothing special but edible. The Schezwan fried rice, however, was very disappointing. It had a curry-like, pasty consistency rather than the texture of fried rice. We had to take it to go, cook two cups of plain white rice at home, and re-cook the Schezwan rice just to make it feel like actual fried rice. It honestly felt like we bought a Schezwan curry paste rather than a ready-to-eat fried rice dish. That said, the service was good and the server was humble and polite. The ambience was decently good as well, which made the overall experience a bit better, even though the food didn't fully meet expectations.

    Menu
    Tran N.

    If you're looking for a vegetarian place then this is the perfect spot! Almost every dish I have gotten here has been great. My favorite is their curries! The kadai bhindi masala (okra), aloo palak (spinach and potato), and aloo gobi (cauliflower) were great. Get a garlic naan to dip into their sauce and you will be full. I did try their house special thalis but felt like curry was a better option. With so many small samples of everything and not knowing what I was eating it was difficult to tell what sauce goes with what etc. Def need to try all their other dishes.

    My dad's friend Indian thali. It filled the table and had so many items. It was a great feast for him!
    Arun K.

    I went with my dad and friends on a Saturday evening. I made a reservation for 6 at 8:30 and was informed there would be a small wait. We arrived around that time, waited for another 5 minutes, and then seated into a table in the front. The adults shared a nice bottle of Argentina Merlot wine (about 30 dollars), which was tart, but still mellow. My dad's friend ordered spring rolls for appetizer, but I didn't try it. He said it was pretty good. For my entree, I did the vegetable chili garlic noodles, which had the right amount of toasted garlic to provide the flavor. The noodles were al dante, and loved the fresh scallions and onions as well. I asked for medium spicy, but it was still a bit too mild. Thankfully they had some hot sauce to bring the heat. My dad's friend ordered a thali and was warned it would be huge. They were not kidding at all! The plate filled quite a bit of our table. It was a nice feast for him. For dessert, I loved their Ras Malai, made with cottage cheese in a milk sauce with pistachios on top. It was divine! The service was professional, but seemed a bit busy. It was a bit crowded when we arrived and our server while friendly, may have seemed stressed as well. He still did a great job pouring our wine, taking our ordering, delivering items, etc. The seating area is a bit small, but still pretty cozy. The bar had beer and wine, but I don't know if they had cocktails. There was outdoor seating as well, but it could get loud with the music from the neighboring jazz bar. Parking can be difficult during the weekend, so best to bring a bit of patience as well. For a vegetarian Indian restaurant, I found the quality to be great for the price. Even though it is a bit expensive, it is in the restaurant row district and a great choice for vegetarian food. If you are looking for meat or seafood options, their sister restaurant, Saffron, is next door. Both are great places for nice Indian food in the Sand Lake Road area.

    Rhea L.

    Madras is a true hidden gem in Dr Phillips, Orlando No matter what you order, you can't go wrong. Food, Service and Atmosphere is amazing!

    Appetizer platter! (Vegan chutney)
    Sarah H.

    Easy five stars. Wonderful service (made sure to give us extra vegan sauce bc we told them we are vegan). The people are sweet, ambiance is great, and food is extremely delicious.

    David C.

    Quick, responsive, courteous, engaging service, and a reasonably priced thali for those who are adventurous and or vegetarian. However, the quality of the ingredients and execution, flavors, and freshness of the food are all suspect. The water also tastes quite blemished, for those who would notice and draw conclusions from such. While not in the realm of offering disfavor, I would advise caution and awareness in advance.

    South Indian Thali

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    Everything is delicious! I love that it's all vegetarian so I don't have to worry about a mixup with meat

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    The Madras Cafe Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - The Madras Cafe

    Is the table side Thali lunch buffet only available on weekends?

    Thali is available during the week.

    Is everything vegan?

    Nope! Most items made vegetarian (made with milk, butter, cheese). Everything can be altered to become vegan, which for me was still really good. HOWEVER.... Same owner has an all meat Indian restaurant 2 doors down from this. Best of both worlds!

    View All 5 Questions

    Saffron Indian Cuisine - Mint sauce, brown sauce(sweet) and red one is very spicy!

    Saffron Indian Cuisine

    4.3(1.2k reviews)
    0.0 miDr. Phillips, International Drive / I-Drive, Horizons West / West Orlando
    $$

    I found this place through Uber Eats, only to find that it's not actually that far away from my…read morehouse. I've had a lot of Indian food over the years from many different places, as it's one of my favorites. This place does it very well. Everything was fresh and seasoned perfectly. I'll absolutely be ordering from here again.

    First off, this is around the fourth or fifth time we visit Saffron Indian Cuisine in the Sand Lake…read morearea. The restaurant, in our view, has gotten increasingly lacklustre in the past couple of years. While the tables and the interiors are still generally clean, we have noticed wobbly table legs and cracked/torn seat covers that seem to remain unchanged and/or unrepaired for months. Coming to the food, while most of the Punjabi and North-west Indian fare on their menu has been the typically Americanized Indian food for the most part, anything outside of that category on their menu can and will throw you off. Especially if you've had the authentic stuff and know what those dishes taste like. On our latest visit last night, we ordered dahi tikki for appetizer which was served to us without the dahi. No attempt was made on part of the server or the kitchen staff to correct the error and provide the yogurt dressing. So we had a couple of aloo tikkis (spiced potato patties) with the regular chutneys that were at the table. We also ordered chicken vindaloo, bhindi do pyaza and butter naan for the entrée. To our surprise, the chicken tasted nothing like vindaloo and it had potatoes in it!!! LOL! For the uninitiated, Vindaloo is the Indian interpretation of 'Carne de Vinha d'alhos', which was introduced in the early 16th century to the former Portuguese colony of Goa in India. In Goa, the dish is colloquially known as 'vindalho' or 'vindaloo' and is prepared in a very similar manner to its Portuguese counterpart. It's a type of braised meat prepared with bold fiery spices and wine vinegar to impart that recognisably bold, pickle like flavour and has a beautiful, rich brown sauce. Vindaloo has absolutely NOTHING to do with Aloo (potatoes) in any shape, way or form. What was served to us seemed like some Frankensteined variation of Chicken tikka masala with some potatoes thrown in at whim. The bhindi do pyaza was alright in terms of flavor but the team in their kitchen ignored to discard the cap/stem of the okras causing the preparation to have a rather unpleasant texture and mouthfeel. The butter naans were also very inconsistent in texture. The first one was fine, the second one was overcooked, brown and crispy and the one we ordered to go was slightly undercooked and doughy. Also, not sure if it's worth mentioning, but the lights inside the restaurant kept being dimmed to the point of being turned off several times when we were seated at the table at around 8:30PM. I'm not sure what's going on with this restaurant but if the owners and staff actually read the reviews, please do something about it. We have been to Saffron before and we used to really enjoy the food, the service and the overall atmosphere. But lately it's been all going downhill. The only saving grace is that the portions served here are still huge. But that won't save the restaurant if the quality of the food and everything else keeps tanking. It'll be a shame to see another good restaurant fall from grace. We would absolutely urge the owners to take notice and fix things so those of us who have loved this place in the past can keep returning.

    Photos
    Saffron Indian Cuisine - Very nice dining setting

    Very nice dining setting

    Saffron Indian Cuisine - Full of flavor!!

    Full of flavor!!

    Saffron Indian Cuisine

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    Aashirwad Indian Food and Bar - Aloo choley (left) and Dal Maharani (right)

    Aashirwad Indian Food and Bar

    4.3(891 reviews)
    2.0 miInternational Drive / I-Drive
    $$

    My parents and I went again for the lunch buffet. We got so lucky to find a seat near the buffet…read morearea immediately upon arriving. Grabbed some chaat and vegetable pakora for appetizer. The pakora was fried perfectly and had the right amount of spices, making it so flavorful and addicting that my mom enjoyed it so much. The meat area had Chicken Tikka Masala, Cashew Chicken, Goat Biryani, and Tandoori Chicken. All were wonderful. The biryani had nice pieces of goat, but most of them had bones. The the goat was tender and flavorful from being with the bones. The cashew chicken was good, but also had bones. The chicken tikka was boneless and the chicken was soft. The sauces were flavorful and medium spiced. The tandoori chicken was cooked nicely, but you did need a knife and fork to cut it. For the vegetarian dishes, the okra and potato were both enjoyable. The paneer dish was a bit too sweet for me, and the vegetable biryani seemed to have golden raisins, which I didn't enjoy. For dessert, I just took the fruit custard, which was mostly just fruit in a mango milk/sauce. It was still delicious! We all agreed that the food was great here for the buffet! The service is good, but can be busy. While our plates got cleared for the first rounds, it did pile up during the second round and dessert. It didn't get cleared until we left. It was ok because we had enough space to eat anyways. I also noticed that relaxing piano music was in the background, so it does help calm the atmosphere in a tourist area. The price increased to about 20 dollars per person, but this is still a great deal. With various types of food to enjoy and unlimited portions til your stuffed, it's an excellent value. It's our preferred restaurant for Indian lunch buffet in the I-Drive area. Overall: A-

    We were seated right away, and the staff was very friendly, which made for a welcoming start. They…read morehave a clear vegetarian section, and vegan and gluten-free menus are available upon request. The naan was fresh and fluffy. The cheese naan is unlike any paneer naan we have tried before--almost like a cheesy quesadilla. They didn't have Aloo Choley listed, but when we asked, the kitchen put together a version with chickpeas and potatoes that turned out delicious. We ordered the Dal Maharani, and while our waitress asked about spice level, it felt like she made the decision for us. We enjoy spice, but even the first bite was hotter than we expected, and we barely ate any of it despite it being otherwise flavorful. Toward the end, our waitress asked us to leave a review... and then stood there waiting. When my husband said we were still chatting, she kept circling back to check, which felt pretty pushy. Later, when we requested to-go boxes, she said "there is no rush" and then disappeared. We had to ask again. Overall, the food is good and the staff is mostly friendly, but the unexpectedly fiery dal and the slightly overzealous service kept this from being a 5-star experience.

    Photos
    Aashirwad Indian Food and Bar - Interior

    Interior

    Aashirwad Indian Food and Bar - Aloo Gobi

    Aloo Gobi

    Aashirwad Indian Food and Bar - Lunch Buffet Friday Saturday - Sunday

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    Lunch Buffet Friday Saturday - Sunday

    Bombay Street Kitchen - Onion bhaji

    Bombay Street Kitchen

    4.7(564 reviews)
    5.7 mi
    $$

    These guys are AWESOME and the food is AMAZINGGG!…read more Ok, now on to the details. We are in the area, trying to figure out where to eat that would be quick & tasty. Bombay pops up, is highly rated, and is just about a mile and a half away from where we were. We pull up, go in, and it's clean, cozy & bright. The servers are really kind. My friend's young daughter is trying to do vegan, and my friend has a tree nut allergy AND eats gluten-free, and they can accommodate ALL OF THAT! Yay! This is one of the best menus I've seen in the United States for Desi food, and true to Orlando style, they also have some "asian" dishes / cool combos of Chinese & Indian on the menu. I have never seen so many restaurants with two/hybrid/fusion menus as I have in Orlando! We got Hakka Noodles, Pani Puri, Masala Dosa, Palak Paneer & Chai. Pani Puri came assembled already and in a cute little wagon. Everything tasted amazing!! Tasted fresh-made with fresh ground spices & tasty ingredients. It was very reasonably priced, and the food came out fast. We didn't finish it all & they were prompt with the to go containers. Definitely going back. Thanks you guys!

    Full disclosure we have been to Bombay Street Kitchen before and it was as good as we remembered…read moreit. It's pretty spacious inside and lots of onsite parking. We were greeted quickly and our server was friendly and attentive. The food is an experience....full of vibrant color, fresh ingredients and tons of flavors. The plates are shareable so pick a few dishes for the table and enjoy. Really enjoyed it!!

    Photos
    Bombay Street Kitchen - Interior

    Interior

    Bombay Street Kitchen - Hakka noodles

    Hakka noodles

    Bombay Street Kitchen - Interior

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    Interior

    Tamara Modern Indian Cuisine

    Tamara Modern Indian Cuisine

    4.0(60 reviews)
    1.8 miInternational Drive / I-Drive

    Amazing authentic Indian food Nice service…read moreAmbiance could be better but yes amazing food Must try kadi and bhindi masala

    I visited Tamara Modern Indian Restaurant in Orlando for their lunch buffet, and unfortunately, it…read morewas one of the worst Indian buffet experiences I've had. The biggest issue was that many dishes were either empty or missing key ingredients. The Paneer Tikka had no paneer left and was never refilled while I was there. The same happened with the Saag Chicken--the chicken was gone, and it wasn't replenished. Even the naan wasn't refilled for nearly 15 minutes. The live chaat station was extremely inefficient, resulting in a long line. The employee making the pani puri worked very slowly. Each time she ran out, she would go into the kitchen to get another packet of pani puri shells, cut it open, transfer them into serving containers, and only then continue serving customers. After preparing just a few plates, the entire process repeated, causing unnecessary delays. The buffet area itself was poorly maintained. Food had spilled across the serving counters, and while serving myself, some of it ended up on my dress. We brought these concerns to the manager, who was courteous and apologized, explaining that he had been away and things had gotten out of hand. I appreciated his attitude, but it didn't change the overall experience. To make matters worse, there were no bowls available for dessert, so I wasn't even able to try the kheer. The food that I did taste was mediocre and lacked the authentic flavors I expected. Overall, the restaurant fell short in three important areas: food quality, service, and operational efficiency. Based on my experience, I would not recommend Tamara Modern Indian Restaurant to anyone looking for a good Indian buffet in Orlando.

    Photos
    Tamara Modern Indian Cuisine - Inside restaurant

    Inside restaurant

    Tamara Modern Indian Cuisine
    Tamara Modern Indian Cuisine - Interior seating area of Tamara Modern Indian.

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    Interior seating area of Tamara Modern Indian.

    The Madras Cafe - indpak - Updated August 2026

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