Absolutely wonderful Indian food! Lots of yummy vegetarian dishes on the buffet and some chicken for the meat lovers as well. The spice is very mild on everything, but there are sauces you can add for some more heat. The atmosphere is very peaceful and quiet. I didn't speak to a waiter or host at any point until I paid, so if you have a problem or request you'll probably have to chase someone down. I don't see any reason you would need to though! Five stars! read more

India Cafe - Lunch Buffet - Indian Near Me - Fairfield, Iowa

Food was amazing and I used a Groupon which made it even more affordable! They had amazing butter chicken and the best Naan I have had in 3 states read more

I picked up saag paneer & samosas to go last night. Delicious. I ordered medium spice on the saag & it was just as they described...little bit of a bite. Service was fast & friendly. I'll be back. read more

well this trip was a bust... too late for the good choices.... they did not have any salads today... i did a hard pass but did pick up a late menu i will try to get it posted up soon. they are open for lunch dine in as of feb 18 2022 $11.00 and one trip only.. walk through and point.... not self serve. hummmm well i normally like to do several trips and small plates... you know that taste first trip with a small portion to see if i like the food first before loading up. not sure how this would work out for me.... the spices levels are hit and miss for me as the spice level is all over the place.... some times it is way too spicy for me..... at least at this location.. i will have to try this at prime time 11:00 am prime time first open to see if it is any better.. read more

Most dishes were overspiced. The most egregious was chicken curry. Naan and pudding provided welcome relief for overly hot dishes. Relaxed, casual place. Clean and overpriced. May try it again in a year or on the coldest winter day read more

Cute little town. Perfect lunch spot. Just say yes please as the owner fills your box with food. Dine in lunch carry out dinner

Great food! Never disappointed with anything they offer. Nice atmosphere. Makes you feel like a young college student again.

Great food either from the buffet or the menu. The tea is wonderful. The buffet is good enough, but the menu takes the flavors further.

They are permanently closed. Too many health violations. It was nice to have an Indian restaurant in town, and the food generally tasted good, but they just couldn't pass an inspection. Bad stuff. Now they're gone and it looks like the owner is working at Mira's café down the street. read more

Covid paranoia runs deep at this place, sadly. Masked patrons walk in the door to be served bland food into toxic styrofoam to-go containers (even though they're dining in). I remember this place used to have two sides to the lunch buffet: mild and spicy. There is now just one side to the buffet (extra mild/bland), and it's served on the other side of giant plexiglass barriers. I asked to not have to eat off styrofoam as the heat transfers toxic chemicals, so he gave me a cheap looking paper plate to eat off. I will never return. Such a bad experience and such paranoid nonsense around the Covid crap. Ridiculous! read more

Closed down. Health department possibly for recurring violations. Not sure but never got sick there and was a go to when in town.

To me an Indian lunch buffet is not all you can eat, but rather "all you can taste." The one plate rule is my mantra. The buffet line has a mild side and a spicy side (identical dishes) of which my choice was the spicy. Spicy does not necessarily equal hot in Indian food so if I were ordering off the menu I would definitely request more, more, more. The appearance of the food was fresh and colorful. I especially enjoyed the paneer, mandala, samosa, chicken tandoori, and naan. I ordered a mango lassi - so cool and refreshing. Wish I could have another one right now. read more

India Cafe - Mango lassi - Indian Near Me - Fairfield, Iowa

See all

We spent over $70 for a basic dinner for three. The taste was less than authentic, and the portions were less than satisfying. Overall meh. Left a bad taste in my pocketbook to go there again. read more

I have been inside once, it was like getting waterboarded with a soggy overdue for a wash hot wet dog smelling dishrag. It was so humid that just being exposed to the air made you feel WET. From the smell inside and feeling from the air Myself and the people I was with left immediately. Later on it was brought up in the group conversation that being inside made more than one of us feel like we needed a decontamination shower to feel clean again. read more

Wonderful food and wonderful people. We like the Tandoori Chicken and Sag Panner. Often we get the thali which has everything. Their Garlic Naan and Mango Lassi are perfect compliments to the main dishes. read more

Yum. Like really, really good! We have some good Indian spots in IC but we took a family day trip to see the Maharishi culture in Fairfield and wound up here. Great chicken tika masala, amazing mutter paneer. The garlic naan is solid as well. Real friendly service as the place was empty and the chef actually waited on us. A nice Indian guy from New Delhi who just completed culinary school. Can't believe some of the hate on YELP. From an Iowa native and Indian food guru, this is good food. Only negative is no beer/wine as I was hoping for a King Fisher!!! read more

Great taste and portions. We had Chicken Vindaloo, Chicken Tikka Masala and Lamb Curry. Yummy. All medium spice level.

The chicken tikka masala is good. Asked for hot spice and the heat and flavor was good for me. The vegetable samosas are not the best, but the garlic naan is good as well! read more

I have so many complaints about this one, i'll list them in bullet point fashion: - The food is so tastless, sometimes they attempt to spice it, but i swear they just load some dirt and hope some salt comes out. Worst indian food i've ever had. - The waiters and waitresses dont even get their tips, all the money goes to the owner! The service is pretty decent so i'd reccomended stuffing some money down their pockets. - It's overpriced for how terrible it is. - At lunch you'll find many people wearing scarves and winter hats even though its 80 degrees outside. W-T-F read more

Their food is pretty good I haven't gone there much in the past 6 months because they haven't gone back to the buffet style.. When that happens I'll probably go there on a regular basis cause I'm always eating lunch with at least 3 or 4 other people and we like to sit and eat and go backup and get more instead of just getting a full plate once.. It's really too bad because we used to go there at least 5 or 6 times a month the 5 of us.. read more

Tasteless Indian food with no spice. That pretty much sums up why you should or shouldn't eat here. If you have never had great Indian food and/or like relatively bland food (no spice) then you will probably enjoy India Cafe. The Tandori chicken is OK and worth the buffet if you absolutely have to have some Indian food. However I found that grabbing some Tandori spice packets at the grocery store and grilling your own Tandori produces better results (that should tell you something). read more

Ate dinner here tonight. Our order was not correct despite the waitress coming back to the table to clarify. The food was very bland and not seasoned at all. Overpriced as well. read more

The food here is pretty mediocre and often lacks flavour. It doesn't taste very authentic, but for such a small town it's not too bad I guess. read more

As far as Indian restaurants go, it is good and the spices are well balanced (not too spicy), but the nicest thing is that they use olive oil in their cooking. They also have a wide variety of choices, both at the lunch buffet and on the evening menu. read more

I eat the lunch buffet here on occasion. The food is "ok"...not great but not bad either. Plenty of vegetarian options. Food used to be pretty bland but now they are offering spicier versions on the buffet line. Sometimes the kitchen is running slow and food items on the buffet do not get replenished quickly enough. The lunch buffet is pretty popular at this restaurant. A good international food option for small-town Iowa. read more

This is my favorite Indian food of all time. If you ask for spice, you will get spice. I would eat here daily if i could. I have been to Indian restaurants in many many places (including home cooked Indian meals) and now live in another state, just dreaming of the great food I once had at the India Cafe. I can't help but think other poster had some personal bitterness or the difference between Southern Indian and Northern Indian food- you'll see many Indian people here enjoying the food- enough said. I always got great service and the food was always perfect. When we ordered mild it was actually mild and when we ordered hot it was HOT. I miss this restaurant & highly recommend. If they shipped their food, I'd order some! read more

If I could give zero stars, I would definitely do so. I ordered a veg biryani which I am pretty sure was stale. The rice was very sticky and the veggies were smelly. That's $57 I am never getting back. read more

Zero spice. The roos complained. Bring your own spices or plead with them if you have the patience.

Pakoras were on point. Food lacks heat and spice but is better than the other grim restaurants in the city.

I normally order off the menu, I'm not one for a buffet. I've ordered alot of the vegetarian items on the menu and every single one was really good. Everyone is so friendly and don't poke to much fun at me when I slaughter the name of a dish. Hehe. read more

This is the best Indian food in Fairfield. And if you think flavor or spice are lacking you an tell them to make it spicy, which really improves the flavor. read more

Though the decor is dated and the whole place could use a deep cleaning, the food itself wasn't bad. Server was kind and food was prompt. I just wish serving sizes were bigger. I was still hungry when we left. read more

You've gotta love this place. A bit rundown (like most Indian restaurants in the U.S.) but the food is tasty and reliable. The buffet is great for vegetarians, with just enough choices. They serve perfect yellow daal, and the samosas taste fresh and are wonderfully spiced. Basic rice pudding is nice...not overly sweet. Nothing fancy here, but they do all the basics very nicely, indeed! And the price is right... read more

$10 dollars for an all you can eat Indian buffet! What an amazing price! The food here is fresh and cooked perfectly. I love it! I eat here often read more

We are new to Indian food and decided to give it a try on the advice of a friend and were thrilled. We were not sure what to order and chef was kind enough to talk us through it, it was amazing! My husband fell in love with the Naan on our second visit he tried the one with fruit it was so delicious. All the dishes can be ordered in mild, medium, or hot so there is something for everyone. I definitely would suggest the curry but the tandoori chicken is also to die for. read more

I've never had worse service in FF! I can't list all the negatives, but first off, the head chef quit, and there is no management anymore. I've worked at two of the best restaurants in town, and my bosses would fire anyone who treats customers the way the Wednesday lunch crowd were treated. Thank god one of the kitchen staff came out to help. Go to The Gardens or Green Gourmet instead. read more

Good, authentic food. Fast and polite service. I drove 90 minutes to eat here and it did not disappoint. They have a good selection of both veg and non-veg dishes, and the mango lassi is fresh and very tasty. read more

Always delicious and always open. Their buffet is wonderful any day. In the evening ordering off the menu the food is excellent.

great selection at their buffet (love the spicey/mild sides), you can eat well for $10, their chicken makhani is divine, and they make the best chai in iowa. read more

Dishonest, poor and rude customer service. I ordered online yesterday and picked up the food as scheduled. One dish I had ordered and paid for was not included (staff must have forgotten). I called and someone told me they would make it right away and to stop by to pick it up. It was close to 2:30pm when I called and when I came by 20-30min later they had closed. The person never mentioned on the phone that they would be closing soon. When I called today and let the person know what happened, he said to call back in 5min when the manager would be there. I left my phone number and asked for a return call. I never got the call and called back, again the guy said that he "is a little busy and to call back in 5min". Super rude. Obviously the staff are not interested in correcting their mistake or the fact that I paid $12 for a meal that they forgot to include. Never going back here. read more