"Hole in the wall" Indian in Triangle area?

[cbwilson]

Myself and some friends will be in Raleigh (coming from Asheville) on Tuesday and want some magnificent Indian food. Cheap, authentic, "hole in the wall" places preferred. We're not looking to be wowed by atmosphere or fusion menus, just good Indian food! (Northern OR Southern, but a place with very spicy vindaloo is a plus.)

Thanks!

[fara]

You must order off the menu and eat in the restaurant, but Sitar Indian Palace is very good. I like their goat biryani, dal makhani, lamb korma, etc. again the buffet is good but you want to order off the menu.

[FuzzyT]

I know the perfect place - Laziz Biryani Corner, http://lbcrestaurant.com

Authentic strip-mall, family-run Indian/Pakistani place. Very well reviewed. Menu is about half vegetarian and halal. Friendly staff, good eats.

[edit] I created a Chow Restaurant page for them.

See - http://www.chow.com/restaurants/92558...

[rafeco]

Great recommendation. The food is excellent and tehy are super friendly.

[Tom from Raleigh]

I'd forgotten about this place. I've heard great things about it. A friend who is Pakistani has raved about this place. He said their food tasted like the home cooking he was used to.

I really like the website, too. It's simple yet well-designed. So many restaurants have Flash and it annoys me.

[castaway]

Chatham square in Cary has several authentic restaurants.

Cool breeze serves Chaat and Thali and is vegetarian.

The place directly across the square from it (Biryani house?) is very Northern Indian, not vegetarian, and is pretty spicy.

I've only had the buffet but they do have a menu.

[Rory]

Hm The Tower in Morrisville, but really I'd say go to Vimala's in Chapel Hill, her stuff is the real thing & dead fresh made with local ingrediants. Check FB page for specials.

[Tom from Raleigh]

I've heard great things from posters I respect on the Indian food in Cary. I find it impossible to know. Whenever I'm over that way, I eat at Super Wok.

The first time I ate at Vimala's, her cooking blew my mind. It was light and flavorful, not weighed down with cream and butter. Vimala herself is a real bright light. She's always going the extra mile to please her diners.

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Super Wok
7550 Dorchester Rd Unit F, North Charleston, SC 29418

[TerryG]

Udipi in Cary. Vegetarian but has been long considered the best around. Style is Southern Indian with excellent dosas and even better -- try the uthappam.

[Leadmine]

Azitra is the best Indian food I've had in Raleigh, but it's not cheap and it's not "hole in the wall" aesthetic. Matter of fact, I can't think of an Indian restaurant in Raleigh I would call cheap. Taj Mahal, Bombay Kitchen, Kadhai (the most expensive) are all pricey. I will say most of them have coupons on their website so I'd recommend looking for those before going.

The poster above is probably right when advising to check out Cary for cheaper Indian food. There's a shopping plaza at Chatham and Maynard that has several, although I can't vouch for quality.

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Azitra Restaurant
8411 Brier Creek Pkwy Ste 101, Raleigh, NC 27617

Bombay Kitchen
6016 Falls of Neuse Rd, Raleigh, NC 27609

Kadhai the Indian Wok
6260 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh, NC 27612

Taj Mahal
4520 Capital Blvd, Raleigh, NC 27604

[rafeco]

I like Royal India on Capital Boulevard quite well. They certainly bring the heat in their curries.

[chazzer]

last time I was there I had the lunch buffet, I found the food to be bland and highly Americanized. It is possible that ordering off the menu in place of the buffet might give you better quality food, but to me it is not worth the risk.

[Tom from Raleigh]

I'd agree with chazzer on Royal India.

For authentic Indian food, I would check out Cary. Several of them are very close to Raleigh. The only one I can think of is Cool Breeze. The chaat was great but I don't recall anything spicy on the menu.

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Cool Breeze
740 E Chatham St Ste E, Cary, NC 27511

[rafeco]

I've never had the buffet, I've only been for dinner and ordered off the menu.

Saffron is really good, too. Unfortunately it's in the middle of nowhere:

http://www.saffronnc.com/home.html