India Palace Brings Buffet Variety and Warm Hospitality to Midtown Memphis

A plate of butter chicken, a basket of buttery garlic naan and a cold mango lassi make a fine introduction to India Palace, a longtime Midtown Memphis stop where a meal can be as simple as one favorite curry or as expansive as a tableful of shared dishes. The restaurant gives Indian-food regulars plenty to revisit, but it also makes room for diners who are still figuring out the difference between saag and palak paneer.

Inside, murals spread across the dining room, giving the place a more memorable setting than the average quick lunch spot. The room is comfortable and calm enough for a conversation that runs longer than planned, which helps explain its use for dates, family dinners, group outings and catch-up meals with friends.

The lunch and weekend buffet is an easy way to get acquainted with the kitchen. Instead of committing to one entrée, you can try vegetarian and non-vegetarian preparations side by side, returning for another spoonful of lentils, vegetables, paneer or a curry that caught your attention on the first pass.

That variety is especially useful for a mixed table. One person may be after tandoori chicken or biryani, while another is building a vegetarian plate around palak paneer, malai kofta and vegetable dishes. The buffet turns the meal into a little bit of a tasting tour without requiring everyone to agree on a single order.

Buffet service is associated with lunch and weekends, so its current schedule is worth confirming before making a special trip. On other visits, the regular menu and takeout offer a more focused route through the same broad Indian repertoire.

Butter chicken is one of the dishes that keeps surfacing at India Palace, and it is easy to understand why it lands in the middle of the table when people are sharing. Its rich, approachable profile makes it a natural order for newcomers, while longtime diners seem perfectly happy to return to it again.

Chicken biryani offers a different direction: tender chicken, fragrant rice and an orangey spice character with moderate heat. Madrasi chicken also has its devotees, while a tandoori dinner provides another familiar choice for diners who want the char and spice of the tandoor.

Spice levels can be requested with menu orders. It is useful to know that a dish labeled mild may still register closer to an American medium for some diners, particularly if you are accustomed to very gentle heat.

India Palace does not treat vegetarian dining as an afterthought. Clearly identified vegetarian dishes and a substantial selection make it possible to put together a full, varied meal without circling back to the same ingredients in different forms.

Palak paneer brings spinach and paneer together in a classic combination, while saag is another regular choice for greens lovers. Malai kofta gives the table a softer, richer option, and lentils and vegetable dishes add the kind of everyday depth that can make a buffet plate or shared dinner feel complete.

Paneer appears often enough to reward anyone who enjoys its mild, satisfying texture. A group can order meat dishes and still give the vegetarian side of the table real options rather than just a few obligatory extras.

Garlic naan deserves its own space in the meal. It is notably buttery, useful for scooping up sauces and likely to disappear faster than expected once several curries arrive. Extra bread has occasionally found its way to tables, but the dependable plan is simply to order enough for the people around you.

Mango lassi is a recurring favorite and an especially agreeable companion to a spicier lunch. Strawberry lassi is another option, and a cool lassi can slow down the heat without distracting from the food.

Dessert is more interesting here than an obligatory last page of the menu. Mango lassi ice cream and pistachio ice cream have both been mentioned, along with a cottage-cheese dessert and a rice dessert. A complimentary taste of ice cream or another small item may occasionally appear as a warm gesture, though it is best regarded as a pleasant surprise rather than a promised feature.

India Palace suits the family-style instinct. Couples split entrées, families mix buffet plates with menu orders, and larger groups can spread naan, rice, curries and appetizers across the table until everyone has a little of several things.

Samosas are worth considering when the table needs a starting point. They have left a strong impression on traveling diners, and a mixed appetizer can give a group an easy first round while the main dishes are still on their way.

Complete dinners are generous enough to satisfy someone seeking a substantial meal, rather than a light snack before moving on. The combination of rice, bread, entrées and desserts also makes it easy to shape the evening around the appetite in front of you.

The mural-filled interior gives India Palace a visual identity that stays with people. It is not a bare room built solely for turning tables; the decorations, comfortable setting and relatively easy conversation level invite diners to settle in.

Outside, the restaurant has a distinctive appearance as well, helping it stand out in its Midtown setting. It is generally easy to find, with a parking lot and some street-parking availability. Parking has occasionally been tighter on a busy visit, but it is commonly described as favorable.

The service style is warm and attentive without hovering. Staff members help diners sort through choices, keep an eye on tables and make first-time orders less intimidating, which matters at a restaurant where the menu can lead in several appealing directions.

Over the years, returning guests have found a place that remembers the value of familiar faces. Some have come back for 15 or 20 years, including former Memphians making India Palace a stop when they are back in town.

Small acts of generosity sometimes add to the welcome: an extra serving of bread or rice, a drink to take along, a taste of mango lassi, butter chicken or pistachio ice cream. One forgotten to-go box was even carried out to a departing group. None of that needs to be expected to appreciate the larger point: this is a restaurant where a meal can still feel personally tended.

For a first visit, the buffet provides a low-pressure introduction to a range of flavors. For a return trip, the regular menu offers room to go straight to butter chicken, biryani, tandoori dishes, saag, lamb meatballs or a vegetarian favorite that did not fit on the first plate.

The restaurant works just as well for two people sharing a few dishes as it does for a larger family meal. Finish with ice cream or a lassi, take home what remains, and keep garlic naan within reach until the last curry has been accounted for.