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    India Cafe

    3.6 (77 reviews)
    ModerateIndian
    Closed 11:00 am - 2:30 pm, 5:00 PM - 9:30 PM

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    INDIA CAFE ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - India Cafe

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    Sample photo of the daily buffet that ends at 2pm and opens up later around 5.
    Bobby C.

    This place has been around for so many years since I was a kid in high school. It's the best Indian food in my opinion, especially for the budget of a buffet. That's all you can eat for 15 bucks. They have all the classic staples, including chicken, tiki masala, and chicken tandoori. They also have amazing naan-bread. For the vegetarians you will find dal, lentils and other assorted options that are not chicken entrées.

    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

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    6 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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    Ask the Community - India Cafe

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    Exotic India

    Exotic India

    4.1(216 reviews)
    2.3 mi
    $$

    From someone who's been to India and has a good base of Indian food from living in Los Angeles - I…read morewill say this is a decent spot for Iowa City. Masala is also very good as is the buffet next to Englert Theatre; but when it was snowing and I wanted somewhere quick on the west side, I saw they had their own website so I placed a to go order. The butter chicken was very good. The sauce was authentic, although the consistency was a little watery. The rice it came with was very fresh. The standout was the chicken Mommo appetizer, which looks like an Japanese/Asian dumpling, but it's traditional to North Indian and Nepalese cuisine. Overall the portion of chicken with rice, the dumpling and an order or roti was $30. Could have been cheaper but fed 3 people even though it's an American portion of 1. The roti was not good. I'd try the naan next time. Hence the 4 stars and the butter chicken sauce was too watery like a soup.

    Exotic India is a gem living in Coralville…read more Open daily for both lunch and dinner Exotic India offers up all the classics for dine in, carry out or delivery (via the Yelp app)! I ordered delivery one Thursday evening and got the chicken tikka masala (spicy) and butter chicken (medium spicy) as well as a duo of vegetarian samosas and some naan. Food came on time and freshly made, it was piping hot! The spice level was appropriate on the two main entrees I ordered-- though I may go spicer on the butter chicken next time. I was delighted by the samosas. Divine. Compared to other Indian must-haves in the area, I think the pricing is a bit steep for the amount of food you get. Exotic India is mouth wateringly good! I can't wait to try more on their menu.

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    Exotic India
    Exotic India
    Exotic India - Food

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    Food

    New Taste of India

    New Taste of India

    4.8(6 reviews)
    14.5 mi

    Take the historic highway 6 out of Iowa City or sneak down 5 miles off the I-80 to find West…read moreLiberty. Hard to believe that home to one of the finest Indian cuisine joints is a stones throw west of the Mississippi in little ole Iowa. I couldn't find any reviews so I toughed it out and came up a winner. Excellent food at affordable prices. How do they stay below the radar is beyond me. The Goat Curry and the garlic naan are of a surprising five star quality. They serve the very best Lamb Biryani I've tasted. The food isn't complicated. But very flavourful. Sometimes it pays to seek out hidden gems and take chances. This is now a must stop every time we're in Eastern Iowa! 02/25

    The service was good and very polite and friendly. We were offered free drinks while we waited for…read moreour order. The restaurant itself is kind of what you would expect from an old diner that was revamped (nothing fancy but looked clean) don't let its appearance run you off! We ordered coconut curry and butter chicken for our entrees along with butter naan. The entrees were good and the kids all liked them. The star of the order though was the naan lol. Luckily we ordered extra because they were gone quick. I'm not sure if they're made fresh or how they are prepared but they were very fresh crispy yet soft and buttery. The entrees and especially the naan were good enough to make the whole family want to try it again.

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    New Taste of India
    New Taste of India
    New Taste of India

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    I-80 Dhaba - Terrific all-vegetarian menu.

    I-80 Dhaba

    4.7(12 reviews)
    61.7 mi

    Amazing Indian food in the middle of Iowa! So convenient off of I-80. Walk up counter service and…read moresuper clean. The paneer butter masala, the vegetable korma and the garlic naan were favorites. Splurge for a mango lassi. So delicious!

    I am not a vegetarian. Not even a little bit. But I love my butter and tikka and garlic naan from…read moremy Indian restaurant in another state, so I decided to be adventurous with my son and his vegetarian girlfriend. Our experience was the very definition of adventure. We drive up to an industrial building with little signage. As we drove around back we saw a "trucks only" sign. We pulled back around front unsure it was a restaurant, a truck stop catering to a specific community, or a mob front. Since I had my son and his girlfriend with me and could not let them down, I pulled my shoulders back, head high, and ready to do battle with whatever I was to face. What I was to face was an easy to read, very descriptive, menu board which made every dish sound enticing. The cashier/server was very nice, answered questions, and made sure to ask what heat level we wanted. Side note: the girlfriend said "Indian hot" and she chowed down. She earned a gold star for that one. Even my son who "doesn't like tofu" cleaned his plate. Any leftovers were loaded up and taken back to their apartment for "breakfast". Probably my favorite part of the entire meal was the spacing. Most restaurants pack in as many tables in hopes of getting more butts in chairs. For whatever reason there was at least 6 feet between every table. You truly felt as if you and your dinner mates were privately dining. I can't speak to the authenticity of the meal as I have never travelled to India. But, I guarantee this is the closest to Mumbai I've ever been.

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    I-80 Dhaba - Spacious dining room

    Spacious dining room

    I-80 Dhaba - Coming soon!

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    Coming soon!

    India Cafe - indpak - Updated May 2026

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