This was my first trip to Swad and the food was great! The lunch buffet was delicious and had several good options to pick from. The fresh naan they brought out with the meal was hot and fresh. Our sever was very nice and friendly. Im a big fan of Indian food and Swad is, so far, the best I've had in the area. Can't wait to go back! read more

I haven't been in since the Pandemic began, but pre-COVID they had a great Indian buffet for a reasonable price. They were not open on Mondays. read more

Wonderful food. Great prices for the portions. One order of curry is enough to feed me, my husband and our 1 year old and all be full. Sometimes we'll get 2 and have leftovers. The garlic naan is wonderful as well as the cheese naan. I've never been here in person so I'm unsure about the service or the atmosphere of the business itself. However, I've ordered for doordash delivery many times and plan to do so many times again. Best Indian food you can get around here! read more

Ordered delivery last night. I should say that my experience with Indian food is as an American but one who has had Indian food in London (purportedly the best) and having lived nearly a decade off of Devon Ave in Chicago which is a West Bank neighborhood of halal, Indian and orthodox Jewish cultures. Anyway, I know and like Indian food. The food from Swad was some of the best I've ever had. The vindaloo sauce is delightfully hot but not overwhelming and not so much it overwhelms the flavor. My wife ordered lamb with a mild sauce of her own and we shared the naan. The garlic naan was a little disappointing-flavor wise and cooked oddly where some parts were burnt and others hadn't seemed to touch a hot surface. But, this is a minor annoyance in the grand scheme of things. Other reviews have pointed out the disappointment for cost to quantity ratio. That you are paying a lot for not a ton of food. I agree with those comments. Two dinners plus naan for delivery came to $50. That's a lot by any prior standard in my experience. But, it will not hinder us for ordering again-it was that good. Swad is great by any standard of Indian food and certainly the best in the Madison area easily outperforming Swagat. read more

Delicious and fresh Indian food that is perfectly spiced! They were also very accommodating to my sons and my dietary needs.

After reading the reviews, I was really looking forward to eating here. It did not disappoint. I had their Chicken Tikka Masalla (sp?), which was delicious and exactly what I had been craving. If I lived in the area, this place would be a regular stop on my list. read more

Service is friendly. Cleanliness is questionable. Food is not memorable. I know that because a few minutes after getting there I realized I'd been there a few years before and had forgotten about it. read more

I'm guessing Yelp got rid of tips a while ago, though I haven't noticed until now! Anyway, just wanted to say, if you're looking to order delivery, do not order through Yelp x GrubHub here unless you know for sure that you are "within delivery radius." Yesterday, I tried to order through Yelp for delivery within 3 miles and it went through. I then got a text from Mr. Delivery (third party delivery service) and a call from Yelp saying that they couldn't deliver. We called Swad directly, and since we had a large order, they were able to deliver it to us if we paid by cash or check. Delivery via Swad was prompt. Food was great, as usual. read more

It's not as good as it was 10 years ago. Not worth the price increase either-I think that was to pay for the extra space, not the food, which has declined. read more

Attentive wait-staff coupled with Swad's delectable Indian cuisine make this establishment a great choice for casual dining in a welcoming ethnic atmosphere. Our party had both meat and vegetarian cuisine and everyone thought the food was amazing! read more

THE. BEST. INDIAN. FOOD. EVER! PERIOD. Great food, wonderful family atmosphere. Good was hot and delicious. The extensive menu had all the standards of a great Indian restaurant, as well as a number of innovative items, and South Asian classics that I haven't had since I lived in India. The vegetarian dinner for two was enough food for three people, with a take out container to spare. We will be back innumerable times in the coming months. We plan in being regulars anytime we are in the Madison area. The family owners are incredibly sweet, and the service was impeccable. It felt as if you were being treated to dinner in someone's home rather than at a restaurant. read more

Swad - More Indian deliciousness than could possibly be eaten by three people! - Indian Near Me - Monona, Wisconsin

A friend in and I stopped in here for dinner as a midway point during a bike ride around the lake. It was a fairly cold night for July, and raining. We looked for a place to lock up our bikes, but there was nothing available anywhere. Luckily, Swad had a table open directly at the front window, so we could watch our unlocked bikes leaned against the outside of it while we ate. The first adjective that comes to mind to describe Swad is unpretentious. It's located in a semi-rundown strip mall; nothing to write home about. The interior is painted in warm shades of mustard and deep red, and the tables and small bar are dark wood. My companion is South Indian, and he recognized and chatted with the owner, who is also associated with Maharaja restaurant on Odana Rd. He didn't comment much on the food, just ate a lot of it, which I am assuming meant it met with his approval. Papadam and three chutneys were brought to the table immediately. Tomato onion, ginger cilantro, and tamarind. All were fairly standard. We both ordered vegetarian meals, I had Aloo Chole and he had Chole Masala. I ordered mine with medium heat and it was exactly that, with large chunks of potato in a well seasoned tomato based broth with tender chickpeas. Filling and satisfying. We shared an order of Swad Special Naan Bread, which was delicious. Kind of like a soft fluffy quesadilla filled with deliciously spiced mashed potatoes and peas with cheese. My friend did note that it was very good but very salty, which is true, but for me it was perfect. The lighting was dim and it was quiet, both very nice. Only a couple of other tables of diners were present. Our server was young and conscientious/bordering on nervous, but very pleasant. It took a long time to get our check after the meal, considering how busy they weren't. Didn't really matter, as we were taking our time and talking a lot. One thing to note though is that it was fa-fa-fa-freezing cold inside. The other diners who left at the same time were mentioning it as well. It was only 63 degrees outside, and the restaurant felt colder. I wasn't blown away, but I would go again and try the buffet to get a better overall impression of their offerings. There is a full bar available, although we stuck with just water. And I would dress warmly. :-) read more

Swad - Papadam and three chutneys - Indian Near Me - Monona, Wisconsin

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Some of the best Indian food in the Madison area. The people working there are always nice.

Since my first review of Swad; 1. My boyfriend and I had our first date and 1 year anniversary dinner there, 2. I have have learned that dinner/off-the-menu is 99% better than the buffet (that makes it 199% delicious), and 3. it is still one of my 2 favorite restaurants in Madison. Over the last 2 years, I have moved to ordering Swad for pick up (20 minutes?!), or dinning in for dinner. Compared to the buffet, off-the-menu is hotter, crisper, and spicier. I also always get the naan basket, which is a great mix of traditional, hearty, and sweet naan. The staff is always welcoming, and happy to answer questions about the menu. Swad is just a great place to take guests, and for date night. read more

I went with my wife and two friends for the first time to Swad (translates literally as delicious) in Monona for dinner. One of the other guests had been there before and had the lunch buffet and recommend it highly. In looking at the reviews on Yelp it received many four and five star recommendations. I'm a fan of Indian food and have gone to several of the Indian restaurants in Madison. We were greeted promptly and seated in their spacious dining area. Even though it's Friday night they were few diners there. The decor was simple and rather nondescript. The service was attentive and the food was traditional and very good. However, the overall experience was not as good as some of my favorite Indian food places in Madison. At least the locals will have a pleasant Indian food experience in their own back yard. read more

Swad has an impressive array of dishes for their lunch buffet, easily one of the biggest collections I've seen in town. I really liked that aspect and would like to come back to sample more from that fact alone. It's definitely the most next to Swagat that I've seen in Madison and I've been to a handful of Indian restaurants in town. Food was great, they have a nice selection of pakora, multiple kinds of samosas, and a tasty Mango Lassi. Price was around $10-12 for the buffet and there were a decent amount of people there when we arrived which was right as they opened. Overall the food didn't blow me away compared to some of the other spots I've been, but variety is key at the buffets and myself and my companions walked away pleased. Service was friendly. Atmosphere was a strip mall with a basic interior. Definitely worth a stop if you're in the area as you're bound to hit a plate you haven't had before. read more

Swad - Yes my buffet is a tower of deliciousness - Indian Near Me - Monona, Wisconsin

Pretty good, authentic food. Loved it. Quickly delivery and it was still hot when it got here. I wish they had labeled it because it was a lot to dig through but delish read more

My fiancé and I ordered take out on New Year's Day! Our order was ready for pick up in 30 minutes. The food is always phenomenal and tastes the best! I always get the curry chicken kadai...can't seem to try anything else because it is so good! We both love the Indian breads, roti and naan. This place is on our list of go to's for date night. read more

From all the Indian restaurants I have ever been to I could tell right away this one it's one step above the other ones, you can taste that "special touch" in every dish, like when you are in love and you put your whole heart and soul into your cooking so that your prince would love you even more than he already has, like that :) Warning....your hubby could ask to meet the cook! However, in my case mine knows who the owner of his stomach is ;) jajajajaja. Back to the food, I particularly loved the saag paneer, what a luscious sauceeee, the chicken memos (they are like fried dumplings) with such a delicious flavor I couldn't stop eating them! The owner even suggested a red chutney to go along with it and they matched perfectly! also a dish with mixed lentils, very comforting, The naan bread was very nice, pipping hot with brushed butter on top, interesting homemade ice cream flavors too! . Every little thing was fresh, well prepared and with yummy flavors and the staff is very attentive. I really want to go back soon! read more

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They're adding on!!! Yay! Now there'll be more room at lunch during those beautiful buffets!! Today was packed wall to wall but people kept coming. And no wonder..everything was fresh temperature was appropriate today... Naan was on time and water glass never emptied. Thank you Alex Namaste read more

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The food was great, Had Sag Paneer, Bainga Bharta -- very tasty. got medium plus in terms of heat, The Samosa Chat was terrific with all the sauces. Lamb Rogan Rosh equally good--lamb was tender. Was a great surprise for how good! read more

Lunch Buffet Review: When we noticed five cars in the parking lot waiting for the doors to open for lunch, we knew we were in for a treat. Simply amazing and a solid 5 star Indian Buffet. One of the widest selections of foods we've ever seen. Each one of their dishes were unique and well spiced. Typically we can pick one or two things from buffets as our favorites, but we loved everything here. From appetizers, to main courses, to dips, to desserts; you will enjoy them all. On top of amazing food, the restaurant is immaculately cleaned, staffed with friendly/professional waiters, and the prices are extremely fair (Only $10.50 with tax per buffet). They even bring fresh, hot Naan to each table. read more

Swad - Storefront - Indian Near Me - Monona, Wisconsin

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Very delicious Indian food. Some of my favorites were the samosa - perfectly crispy on the outside, the garlic naan, the chicken 65, and the onion bhaji. The chicken tikka masala was very flavorful but the chicken pieces were so large it was actually a bit difficult to eat. Very large portions of rice and biryani. read more

We love this restaurant and it is one of our favorite dining spots in the Madison area. Here's the odd thing: we don't really like Indian food. But we love the food at Sawd. What makes this place different? They have a large, delicious seafood menu. We tried tandoori shrimp and tandoori salmon. They were charcoal grilled and delicious! We enjoyed garlic naan and cheese naan bread, lentil soup and their home baked chickpea crackers that come with your dinner. This place is incredible and we love it! read more

Thank you for understanding celiac disease and clearly labeling all food we had delivered! We're impressed, a lot of people are gluten free and restaurants think they have dishes... however celiac disease is very strict no gluten and a lot of places don't understand you can't use the same pan, fryer, utensils etc. Thank you thank you :) read more

Cold & Taste less..! Not worthy($14) / Not Suggested if you are looking for authentic Indian food. SWAD - Not again. read more

This is by far the best Indian food I've had in the Madison area; maybe anywhere. I live on the west side of Madison and it's worth driving to Monona for. Order anything. You will not be disappointed. read more

Excellent Indian food. Great service. The atmosphere is as nice as a strip mall restaurant can be.

I love this place! I've only been here a few times so far but my experiences have always been above & beyond. The staff are amazingly friendly, personal, & fun, & the food is fabulous & so plentiful I'm always happy to bring home leftovers to enjoy more later! read more

Fabulous food. Enough for 3 meals. Chicken Rogan Josh was very good. Also ordered naan. Very tasty. I will be returning.

Really good food every time we order. Their menu is huge and so there's always something for everyone. I'm Celiac and told them that I was Gluten Free and they were super careful to let me know what I shouldn't order (like yummy Naan!). Service was excellent. read more

I'm not an expert on Indian food. Our kids took us there on Mother's Day. I am an expert in on quality and service. We had 10 in our party, 6 adults and 4 children. We were promptly seated in a spacious area. Our son ordered a selection of appetizers , bread and several dishes (two types of chicken, two veggie dishes and rice). The food came promptly and was served hot. The kids had smoothies as a treat. All the food was excellent and the service was very attentive. I'm sorry I don't know the names of all the dishes, but I can assure you won't be disappointed. read more

We went here a week or so ago, and I am finally recovering from the food coma induced by all the awesome food we ate!! I love Indian food, almost to an inappropriate level. My beautiful lady partner, not so much. And our kids had yet to try it. So on a whim, we went here and were NOT disappointed. The server(s) were jovial and quite helpful. The ambiance was awesome, and they are one of the only Indian places I've been to that have Indian beers! They were extremely attentive to our kids (both 11) and made the whole experience enjoyable. Then the food. We got an appetizer of Naan bread which was superb, and served with dipping sauces that were intense with amazing flavor. We each ordered a different main course to get a variety of tastes for everyone to try, and holy crap were they amazing. The flavors were out of this world, and the presentation was top-notch. Only word of advice, when these cats say something is hot, they aren't playing around. I thought it was delicious but the others at the table got an eye opener with each bite. :) For a wonderful authentic delicious experience at a great price, definitely consider going here. read more

Wife and I were looking for Indian takeout close to home, open until 10pm, reasonably priced. This checked all the boxes. We ended up getting the chicken dinner for two, which included Chicken 65, lamb curry, chicken tikka masala, tandoori chicken, rice, nan and rice pudding. Total was something like $45. Both of the entrees and nan were excellent. The appetizers were flavorful but a little dry and I wish I'd thought to ask for more sauce (they only gave us 3 small cups). Also should have ordered extra nan. Nan is so good. I wanted to try samosas. Next time I will probably order Chicken Tika Masala, Chicken Curry, Samosas, and Extra Nan. But there will be a next time. read more

The place was beautiful and very clean. The staff are friendly and helpful. The food on the buffet was fresh & delicious, especially the Chicken masala & the meet . Will definitely be back! read more

Swad is my go-to for Indian food, no question. I order take-out once a week on average and it never disappoints! My favorite is the paneer makhani. I have to get it every single time, along with the vegetable biryani. (I'm not vegetarian, I just love both those dishes!) I've been to just about every Indian restaurant in Madison, and this one is by far the best. read more

Really good Indian food. I'll say that prices were a few dollars higher than I expected, but given the fairly generous portions, this seemed fair and appropriate. I had chicken curry which was rich, flavor-packed, aromatic, and just the right level of spicy. They also didnt skimp on the chicken, which was really nice. My partner went for tikka masala which she liked, though I didnt love the bite I tried - it lacked the intense aromaticitiy I would have hoped for and was too sweet. The Naan was maybe the highlight. Soft and pliable, chewy, and just a little doughy with some really nice charred spots on the exterior. It was perfect for sopping up the little bits of curry left in my bowl. Service was generally good - no issues but also nothing that particularly stood out in a positive way. Will be back for more soon as this place stands out in an area that has very little high quality Indian food. read more

This place is fabulous....they won me over with naan! It was crunchy and tasty, wow. We had lamb vindaloo, more lamb than potatoes. I had chicken rogan josh. The chicken was tender, far from overcooked. Great flavor. Pappadum and onion bhaji was great too. I can't say enough, only wish it was closer to MN! read more

In my opinion the absolute best Indian buffet in the state of Wisconsin!!!!!! I believe I have been to every single one as I travel the entire state for work. Cleaner and better selection than most. read more

This is our second time eating at Swad, and we've been blown away by how amazing the food is both times. I'm sure we'd be regulars if we didn't live so far away! The sauce on the Lamb Korma was so delicious I needed extra naan just for dipping. My oldest daughter was totally in love with the mango lassi (although her sister preferred the strawberry). We sampled a good variety and enjoyed them all. Our waiter was attentive and suggested excellent appetizer options and entrees for our younger diners that were a complete hit. Looking forward to our next visit! read more

Swad - Mango and strawberry lassis, Lamb Shahi Korma, Shrimp Curry, Lamb Mango, and Goat Rogan Josh - Indian Near Me - Monona, Wisconsin