India Palace

I‘ve been here three times now and absolutely love it!! The people are friendly and the food is fantastic! With a little bit of building work, this place will be perfect! Can‘t wait to go again!

Food was great. Good blend of heat and spice. Really enjoyed it and I‘ll be going back. The service was fast and friendly. If you don‘t know much about Indian food just ask they were happy to explain and make some suggestions. Portion size was good we ordered an appetizer, naan, and an entree and left stuffed.

Our first experience at India Palace was on my birthday 4/9, we went back last night and the food is absolutely FABULOUS! Service is a bit on the slow side but the wait is so worth it. If you want fast food - go to a fast food joint or a buffet. This is true Indian dinning....not fast food garbage.

The service was very slow. I ordered some bread hoping to get it as appetizer since we had a two-year-old with us. ten minutes after ordering, they told us they didn‘t have the meat for my order, and I asked for the bread right away because our son was getting restless. They STILL waited until the entrees were ready before we got the bread, which of course was delayed because I had to order a whole new dish.

Portion size was disappointing. Food was ok but nowhere near worth the wait.

Greasy, soup like sauces. I have eaten Indian food from many cities and this place is just gross. Waste of money.

The comments being posted on this website about criticism seem to me to be completely valid. Maybe someone having never ventured from this midwest hell would of course think the one indian buffet in town was a 5-star joint. But those in the know, who have eaten at other similar buffets will notice the lack of effort put forth in the dishes.

Hey, Ramsey. You still suck, and I still go to the indian palace once a week. Yummy!

We love India Palace and eat there as often as possible. I have eaten ethnic food all around the world and some of the criticism towards India Palace on this website is ridiculous.

Ramsey wannabees? I have been to big city Indian restaurants, and they have all been relatively the same price-wise. However, the thing I found most disturbing about India Palace is their complete lack of Indian dishes at the buffet. The dinners are over-priced, and most Indian people that I frequent with claim India Palace to be the fast-food of Indian cuisine. Most dishes no longer seem remotely palatable. It‘s amazing that someone would claim the "chef" himself asked how the food was, as I have typically never witnessed this guy in the back cooking. He is usually circulating on the floor. How interesting that just because someone actually wants to sample true Indian food, and is not satisfied with either the quality or cleanliness of this joint, they are labeled as a Gordon Ramsey wannabee. That‘s pretty pathetic...

Don‘t listen to these Ramsey wannabes. Let them go to Chicago or D.C. to eat some overpriced Indian food. I really like this place and try to make it in weekly. Now I‘m not sure about the autenticity, nor do I really care. It tastes great to me. Not to mention every time I go in the chef himself asks me how my food was.

There is no palace in India that would serve such crappy drivel and call it food. Both this restaurant and Indian Delight are pathetic examples of restaurants claiming to serve Indian food. If you want good Indian, go to Chicago or DC in the U.S. or catch the next flight to Mumbai. Save your money and eat at Red Lobster or Down Under at Outback.

I used to like this place a lot. Now, every time I go in, there is a piss-poor selection of dishes, half-asked Indian cuisine. There is no longer a sense of pride with the meals. Often, the food is cold, and bland, lacking any sense of the spice India is noted for. Diced carrots with a trickle of spice is not my idea of quality vegetarian food. The curries are watery, the hot sauce, once an almost ketchup consistency and quite good, is now the red pepper spice you can get at any Asian grocer. Where is the quality with the increases in price? Where is the sense of pride to be sharing your cuisine with a different country? The Indians I know and work with all agree that this is slop, the equivalent of Indian fast food.

Okay first off I saw the owner wipe a fork off on his foul, dirty undershirt then put it back on a clean table for the next customer to use.
I have also witnessed this same man (owner) clean food away from the buffet that had fallen off of someone else‘s dirty, used plate and toss it back in with the food at the buffet.
Senseless variety of foods at the lunch buffet. Most of which is not even true Indian cuisine, examples: lousy looking salad, tub o‘ corn and/or peas, Asian(not Indian) style hot sauce, 3 different types of breads--- like their famous fried dough which is so grease laden you can‘t even stomach one bite.

Poor selection of true Indian dishes (often you will find cold slop strewn together with a few Indian spices added) , Getting very pricey, staff members harass you through out meal and until you leave often asking you personal questions at the cash register.
If you are familiar with authentic Indian cuisine you will be highly disappointed at the quality of this food.

I came here for lunch and had never tried Indian food before, so I assumed I wouldn‘t really like it. But the buffet is outstanding. The food is delicious, the staff is extremely welcoming and friendly. It is one of my favorite lunch places in Ames, and one of Ames‘ best kept secrets.

Lunch buffet has a good price, a decent selection and tastes great. Close to campus and worth the walk. Great food and an even better staff!

We love India Palace and eat there as often as possible. The staff is terrific and extremely friendly. My wife loves their shrimp saag and I dream about their Tandoori chicken. Outstanding!!!

The food is great, the service is exceptional, and there‘s nothing wrong with the steps, ya weirdo.

While a bit on the expensive side for Ames, the food is very good and the owners very welcoming. They have a large selection of vegetarian dishes as well, which is always nice. I‘d recommend the buffet for a better deal.
My full review: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1499179/delicious_indian_food_india_palace.html?cat=8

Have been at The India Palace 2 or 3 times. Would love to go again, but cannot go up and down the stairs. The steps are very uneven and filty dirty.

Food and service was amazing! Can‘t wait to get back to Ames!

I‘m pretty new to Indian cuisine. The service was fantastic, the food was very good. Good price, too. I‘m definitely going here again.

I ate there last weekend, and got some sort of Kashmiri chicken. It was really hot, but quite tasty :) I will definitely try this place again.

It‘s a great place to get a little bit of everything that is India.

This place is perfect to go for lunch buffet if you have a group size about 4 to 8 people. They offer different dishes so everytime you go, there‘s always something you like. For this price (about $7.5), I think it is totally worth it.

I have never witnessed such a friendly and generally concerned staff. THe lunch buffet makes for one of the cheapest, freshest, and tastiest deals in Ames. The spread is mostly vegetarian which is a nice change of pace, especially here in Pork Central. Hello, how are you!

The portions are very small for the price charged. The food seems to come from a different region of India than I am accustomed to. I like Chicken Kurma, but this Kurma was not what I expected, and the price was astounding. I was still hungry after spending big Bucks.

Dinner is a little expensive but the lunch buffet is awesome. It‘s $7 (or maybe 8) all you can eat homemade Indian food.

I have to tell you Im a big mexican food fan, but Ive never tryed indain food. Well let me just tell you it was the best food Ive ever tasted. I really enjoyed everything about this place, The prices are great just like the owners talk about friendly pepole.

It‘s expensive. I paid 10 bucks for literally half a cup of rice and 1/4 pound of low-quality chicken. Vegetables were out of a can. None of us liked our meals, they were all the same low-quality, super small portioned garbage. No wonder it was empty.

My wife and I eat there quite often and are very fond of this restaurant. We would definitely recommend the lunch buffet. The food is very good, the cost is very reasonable, and the ownership is wonderful! You have to keep in mind you are in the middle of Iowa, and we are extremely happy to have it in Ames. Try It!!!

This place is wonderful! This is by far the best restaurant in the area, including such places in Des Moines as Tandoor, Taj Palace, etc. I have been here for both lunch and dinner. For lunch, the options are substantially more compared to other Indian restaurants in the area. The owners are also cognizant of and cater to the vegetarians.

Love the food here. Ordering off of the menu is better than the buffet. Staff is always friendly and helpful.

A change in ownership, and a world of difference in the quality of food. After my latest visit here, my initial impression from a few years ago changed greatly. This is one of the most unique and tastiest restaurants in the Ames area. A couple of notes: we visited for dinner and didn‘t do the buffet. My first visits here a couple of years ago were for the lunch buffet and I thought it was enjoyable but hardly something I would write about. That has changed, and I am giving this place a definite must-try review. The menu options are vast. We had the Chicken Tikka Masala, and a peas and paneer curry with a very interesting rose flavored yogurt drink. Both were fantastic and met our definition of "spicy." The naan are made fresh and we really enjoyed the fact that there is a wide choice of breads to choose from instead of the standard plain tandoor naan. Only issue keeping this from a 5-star review is the fact that both of our dishes were pretty much in the same curry sauce, and would have appreciated a little more guidance on choosing a contrasting vegetable instead of the identical curry with varying featured ingredients. If you‘ve got an adventuresome palate you have to visit this place.

This is a mediocre Indian restaurant at best. As a native Indian myself, I was thoroughly disappointed by the quality of the food on the lunch buffet. The entrees did not have any spice, were way too watered down and were generally tasteless. There was only one non-vegeterian item on the buffet and that chicken curry was bland. The restaurant does not seem to even have a real tandoor. The nan bread was definitely not cooked in a tandoor and seemed to taste more like a ready made pita. The "tandoori" chicken was dry and tasteless. Do not waste your time or money eating here if you are really into Indian food or experiencing a tasty ethnic meal. Otherwise, enjoy! I mean, c‘mon! Is it too much to ask for good Indian food!

I‘ve only tried the lunch buffet but I was impressed. The quality was great, everything was hot and fresh and there was a great variety. Definitely a nice escape from the same old same old at the dining halls. Not to mention the great price for the amount of food you can get at lunch. All you can eat naan and tandoori chicken, it‘s like a small slice of heaven right here in Ames.

My husband and I were pleased to find such a great Indian place in Ames. We had dinner here --- I had a tandoori dish and my husband had chicken vindaloo. Both dishes were excellent. You can order the heat level you want which is great. I‘m looking forward to trying the lunch buffet too.

India Palace is a very solid Indian restaurant. The lunch buffet is the better deal because the evening prices are a bit steep. This is mainly north Indian fare since the owners are Punjabi. The Navarattan Korma is the most consistently tasty lunchtime dish. This is a nine-vegetable curry that is a staple in Indian cuisine. The gravy here is a bit creamier than I prefer, but it is delicious nonetheless. The dal is usually average, but the Naan is well above average. The hosts are always very nice and work hard to make your dining experience a pleasure. India Palace is every bit as good as India Star in Des Moines; indeed, it‘s even better at lunch.

Whenever my friends and I have a night out, we always love to go to India Palace for dinner. They have fantastic food and they have always been very polite and pleasant. HiGHLY recomended!

Great food a little on the expensive side but it is a wonderful meal... if budget is tight ... like most college kids in area go to lunch buffet very nice and good price.

Nice place to eat. Well done lunch buffet. The owners are Indian so I‘d say this place is authentic. I hope it stays.

I have been to this place almost 5-6 times now and I have always enjoyed the food. They have a good selection of entrees, appetizers and desserts at a very good price. I would rate this is one of the best place to eat authentic Indian food in Ames.

Yummy! If you ever wanted to try Indian food but were too chicken, try this lunch buffet and you may never eat anywhere else for lunch again!

I am a long time lover of Middle Eastern, Indian, and Asian food and on the rare occassion I go out to eat (since I usually cook for myself), 9/10 times I come here.

The buffet is small, but offers at least 4-6 main entrees, all but a couple of which are vegetarian, which I am, and always includes some form of Pakora and naan, along with a small salad bar and a couple of desert items. In all the deserts tend to be on the low end, but generally Asian sweets fall behind the west IMO. People might complain that the cost is too high - but for $7 you are usually getting a sandwich and fries, and often spending more at places like Perkins, Applebee‘s, Hickory Park, etc, and you can load yourself to the point of explosion here if you feel like it. Dinner is also great, and the owners are friendly and more than willing to talk to you about food choices. The decor is a bit bland, and it doesn‘t have any handicapped access (big disadvantage), but a change of location could solve this easily enough. In all I rate it as good, with room for improvement in the non-food areas.

My husband and I really enjoy the food here. If you haven‘t been yet, try the lunch buffet, they offer a variety of items (including several yummy vegetarian options) so you get a good overview if you want to try a dinner the next time. The price is reasonable. The decor could be improved, and it gets hard to hear conversation at your table when the place starts to get busy because of the poor acoustics (all hard surfaces). But the food can‘t be beat -- love it!

As far as quality, freshness and taste go - this place is one of the best, if not the best, in Ames. Decor, service and overall ambiance go-- it could be better, but it could also be a hell of a lot worse.

Friday nights in Ames are a difficult time to find a decent restaurant that isn‘t full to the gills -- India Palace is always a great place to find a table and enjoy some of Ames‘ best food.

Wonderful food - terrific lunch buffet at a great price. Great service, too!

Better than what you can get Des Moines. Prices aren‘t exactly reasonable. Where I come from. dahl comes free with every meal, here they charge like $8 for it.

Great food and portions are just right for the average diner. As good or better than the best Indian food in any major metropolitan area. By far my favorite dining spot in Ames. Can‘t beat the service and value. Can‘t say enough! : )

Oh my god I could not love this place more. Occasionally they have been out of what we ordered but they have been very nice about it and always recommended something delicious.

Good food. Try lunch buffet!