5 great Indian food restaurants in Knoxville

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Ashraf Yousef talks about his Sahara Mediterranean and Indian restaurant

Ashraf Yousef has opened Sahara Mediterranean and Indian restaurant on James Agee St. next to UTK campus.

Michael Patrick/News Sentinel

I confess that Indian cuisine is among my favorites. Unfortunately, The Grub Spouse is not a fan, so I don’t get as many opportunities to feast on the distinctive flavors of the sub-continent as often as I’d like. However, I’ve made it my business over the years to know what’s what (and where) when it comes to Knoxville-based Indian restaurants. As a result, I’m able to finally share my recommendations for five great Indian food eateries, even if it means I was barely able to come up with that many.

As always, I present these in no particular order: 

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Sitar Knoxville

OK, I lied. I’m putting this one first, mainly because it’s the one that’s been around the longest, to the best of my knowledge. I made my first official Grub visit to Sitar in 2005, but in the years since, it’s been a regular stop on my rotation. As many lunchtime diners do, I often partake of the buffet, which showcases a sampling of Sitar’s comprehensive coverage of North Indian cuisine. I typically forgo the salad- and dessert-oriented items in favor of the main dishes, sides and naan, but I’ve always found multiple dishes to my liking on each outing, and the service there is solid. 

As for the main menu, you’ll find everything from somosa and pakora appetizers to crispy papadum with chutney to either start your meal or nibble on as a side. The sautéed biryani dishes are heavenly, and vegetarians will find a wide selection of compliant dishes to choose from. Also look for tandoori-oven specialties as well as a wide variety of flavor treatments (korma, masala, et al.) of chicken, lamb and seafood.

Tandur Indian Kitchen

This relative newcomer to the Indian food scene in Knoxville took a very different approach from that of the traditional family-run proprietorship. Tandur has more of a fast-casual, modern-corporate-franchise feel to it, but the food still pleases consistently. I’ve made multiple visits since it opened, and it has never disappointed. Although if you like a buffet, you won’t find a self-serve, all-you-can-eat option there. 

Like many other fast-casual eateries these days, meals are assembled on a customized basis, starting with one of five sauces (tikka masala, kerala coconut curry, korma, vindaloo or kadai) to which you add a protein (chicken, shrimp, steak, lamb meatball, paneer, tofu or vegetable medley). I’ve had both the chicken and the lamb meatball in korma sauce, which is one of my all-time favorites. Entrees come with a choice of rice plus naan. The menu also features biryani bowls, wraps, kebabs and tandur-baked wings, and the service is quite conscientious for more of a fast-food-style operation.

Red Onion Pizza

Yep, you read that right. You can order Indian cuisine at Red Onion Pizza on Sutherland. I went in a skeptic when The Grub Spouse and I tried this place out in 2014, but I walked out a convert thanks to what I ordered from the limited Indian menu. The only options are chicken curry, beef curry, tandoori chicken, saag paneer, biryani, kadi and kabab with naan. That being said, the brothy chicken curry I ordered was very good, although I noted at the time that some of the chicken chunks were boneless, while some had bones in them. That meal came with rice and a serving of naan that was tasty, though perhaps a little too crispy to my liking.

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Bombay Palace

This Turkey Creek Indian food stop has been around since 2012, which is when I managed to get The Spouse to accompany me on my first sit-down meal there. Bombay Palace also offers a lunch buffet, and it has also remained one of my regular Indian go-tos over the years.

The menu is expansive and covers a number of categories, including chats (savory snacks), soups, vegetarian dishes, tandoori specialties, seafood, chicken and lamb specialties, and rice-based biryanis. I took note of dishes like the spicy lamb vindaloo, kalmi kabab (marinated and barbecued chicken on skewers) and the shrimp (or scallop) masala. On our visit, The Spouse tried the chicken karahai, which is prepared in an Indian gravy with onions, tomatoes and bell pepper, while I chowed down on the House Specialty combo dinner featuring chicken tandoori, lamb rogan josh, vegetable korma and the requisite naan and mulligatawny soup. 

Sahara Mediterranean & Indian Cuisine

I won’t spend a lot of time on this one, because I just gave it exclusive coverage just a couple of weeks ago. But suffice it to say that I was impressed with this new off-campus eatery, yet another that presents Indian food alongside a regionally unrelated style of cuisine (what turned out in this case to be delicious Mediterranean food). The Indian portion of the menu features chicken, lamb and vegetarian specialties — chicken vindaloo, chicken biryani and vegetable masala, for example —  but I suggest you find that review on the News Sentinel website to learn the details.