Indian food in Madison, WI: lunch buffets, South Indian dishes and Tibetan momos

Momos and Himalayan cooking

• Little Tibet Madison (827 E. Johnson St.): family-run Tibetan and Himalayan food, with momo dumplings as the specialty. The family started with a food cart in 2016 and opened the restaurant in 2019; frozen chicken, beef and veggie momo are sold to cook at home. The family also runs a market and cafe at 1113 N. Sherman Ave.
• Tibet Kitchen (703 S. Gammon Rd., west side): handmade momo in beef, chicken, beef and chive or veggie, plus hand-pulled noodle dishes like thenthuk, laphing and tingmo bread. The menu says it has vegetarian and vegan friendly dishes.

We didn't find a Nepali-specific restaurant in our directory; Tibetan and Himalayan kitchens are where to look for momos.

Lunch buffets

• Taj Indian Cuisine & Bar (444 S. Park St.): a lunch buffet that rotates curries, tandoori dishes, vegetarian dishes, fresh naan and rice. The regular menu has butter chicken, dal makhni and chole bhatura thali, and many dishes can be made vegan. There's a full bar.
• Thulasi Kitchen (515 Junction Rd.): regional Indian cooking with a lunch buffet and daily new buffet items. Chaats, curries, breads and tandoor-grilled meats are on the menu, with a wide range of vegan and vegetarian options.
• Campus Biryani & Gyros (1437 Regent St.): Indian and Mediterranean food, with a buffet that includes lamb tandoori, chicken tikka and vegetable mixed curry. Falafel, kebabs and vegetable korma are on the menu, and you can order delivery online.

South Indian and regional

• Swagat Indian Restaurant (707 N. High Point Rd., west side): traditional and modern Indian food in Madison since 2008. The menu covers South Indian dishes alongside North Indian staples like chicken tikka masala and garlic naan, and you can order online.

North Indian dinners

• Taste Of India (2623 Monroe St., Knickerbocker Place): North Indian dishes from the Singh brothers, such as tandoori mixed grill, lamb madras, chicken vindaloo, shrimp mango and a house biryani, plus fish pakora and onion and black pepper kulcha. The lunch buffet has been discontinued, per its site.
• Maharani Indian Restaurant (380 W. Washington Ave., downtown): a few blocks from the Capitol Square, with dine-in, takeout and online ordering.

Pakistani, curry-shop and fusion

• Sultan (1054 Williamson St.): a Pakistani restaurant serving modern small plates of Punjabi flavors from Midwest ingredients, like murgh makhani, nihari, tandoori chicken and garlic-butter cilantro naan. It's a no-tipping restaurant, with vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options.
• Zafferano Ristorante (2969 Cahill Main, Fitchburg): Indian-Italian fusion with butter chicken, goat curry and masala chicken Parmesan next to paneer ravioli piccata and spaghetti. Mango lassi and cocktails like the Tamarind Amaretto Sour are on the drink list.
• Curry in the Box (3050 Cahill Main, Fitchburg): a locally owned Thai and Indian curry shop where you pick a sauce, like Panang, Masaman or Sweet Potato Curry. Its site says most curry sauces are vegetarian and vegan, with gluten-free options available.

Around the area

• Middleton: Dhaba Indian Bistro (8333 Greenway Blvd.), with separate lunch and dinner menus: paneer tikka, malai kofta, dal makhni and a long list of naan and paratha. Its menu marks vegetarian dishes. There's a second location, Dhaba Kitchen, at 5957 McKee Rd. in Fitchburg.
• Monona: Swad (6007 Monona Dr.), with a lunch buffet and takeout, dine-in and delivery.
• Fitchburg: see Zafferano and Curry in the Box above.

Browse every Indian restaurant in the directory, or see where to eat in Madison.