Sitar Indian Cuisine

We were looking for the perfect place to meet up with a friend, and my daughter found the restaurant online. It's an elegant restaurant with a great atmosphere that lets you enjoy Indian food at an excellent price, considering that a single plate of food costs an average of $17, and for approx $21, we were able to enjoy several dishes with dessert and beverages.I had an incredible experience. The food was delicious, and the atmosphere allowed me to connect with Indian culture. There were numerous options to explore the diverse flavors and textures of the cuisine, making it a fantastic opportunity to enjoy Indian dishes at a great price. The service was pretty good and consistently attentive to our needs. I highly recommend this place!. We loved it! Thank you guys!🏻

Sitar Indian Cuisine offers a welcome alternative to Durham's Southern-dominated dining scene. The restaurant's signature buffet has remained popular through two decades of ownership changes. Standout dishes include the reliable chicken tikka masala and the more adventurous fish Malabar with its delicate coconut sweetness and subtle heat. Naan quality varies from perfectly tender to disappointingly rigid. The atmosphere combines cultural authenticity with theatrical elements - vibrant red pendant lighting and decorative wall murals create an immersive dining experience. Service quality varies, with some staff providing attentive service while others seem indifferent. Their impressive 98/100 health score is particularly noteworthy for a buffet operation. As Durham evolves, Sitar provides something increasingly valuable - consistent, traditional Indian flavors that appeal to Duke students, UNC faculty, and Triangle families seeking familiar comfort food rather than fleeting culinary trends.

We went here for lunch a month ago, and they had a buffet. Although they have a variety of vegetarian dishes, they weren't very tasty. When you go to an Indian restaurant, you have high hopes for the food, and I must admit that I didn't have a wonderful experience. When I gave the staff my comments, they informed me that they needed to make the buffet's food less spicy, but I'm not referring to the degree of heat, my buddy. I am merely referring about the taste, which was below ordinary.I'll soon try their ala carte menu to see if it changes my mind about this.

We had the weekend buffet. Each dish has a distinct delicious flavor. Fish and chicken and several breads were served. The vegetable dishes were phenomenal.I loved the dessert bar as well. Accompanying beverages included mango juice and lemonade. I finished with a cup of hot chai.

| Overview of Latest Visit: + Chicken Tikka Masala is excellent as always + Good variety of desserts in buffet + Great customer service + Ambiance is decent despite the mismatch of rap music playing. - Dinner buffet was missing some of our favorites - Garlic naan - not included in buffet - Buffet lacking delicious appetizers like quality paneer - No biryani in buffet - Questionable freshness - Didn't satisfy craving for authentic Indian spices | Full Review of Latest Visit: As a long-time customer, I'm quite disappointed at Wednesday night's buffet selections. Dinner buffet in Sitar is slightly more expensive than lunch buffet, so my girl & I expected this dinner buffet to have better choices than what they typically have during lunch -as we had in previous dinner buffets- but tonight's buffet selection made me not want to return to Sitar anytime soon. While it's always pleasant to eat one of the best Chicken Tikka Masala, most of our other favorites were missing: No Shrimp Malabar, no biryani, no masala paneer, no spiced cabbage, no goat dish, no good appetizer & no garlic naan. The Indian buffet experience was a major downgrade. Instead, there was jerky-like lamb that was tough to chew, some kind of red chicken that didn't taste fresh, mediocre vegetable rice, tofu paneer that only vegetarians would probably care about, bland spinach paneer, spiced vegetables with smashed cauliflowers that just made me lose my appetite & regular naan. I even asked the waiter if I can have garlic naan but he said that's not included in the buffet and that I will have to pay extra. There was a chicken kebab that my girl liked but it's nothing compared to what they took out. The Fish Malabar was alright but I didn't eat a lot of it. It seemed the only ones i really enjoyed were the Chicken Tikka Masala, the beef stew that didn't taste like Indian food but not bad nonetheless, the small piece of cheesecake that my girl let me try, Masala tea, and maybe the caramel custard that lacked caramel. Scratch that! Ambiance was fine with dim lights, a relaxing atmosphere, but the foreign rap music playing didn't match Sitar's traditional vibe. Customer service was good overall: refilled waters without having to ask, took our finished plates to clear our table, and asked us if there was anything wrong in the buffet. I wish I was as openly-honest as I am now while writing this review, the kind of review that I never thought I'd write for what used to be one of our favorite restaurants. But at that time, I was too tired and upset to vent out my frustrations. Sitar used to be the rare kind of Indian restaurant that offered quantity without sacrificing quality; the kind that offered buffet with multiple delicious dishes to choose from. Maybe it's just this night. I guess I'll find out in a few weeks because I was invited to go for my cousin's birthday celebration. Sadly, for the first time ever as an over-a-decade-long customer, I'm no longer excited to return to Sitar. Overall Score: 3/5