Red Panda — Restaurant in Burlington

I was out for a walk on Church Street, looking for a place to stop in for a meal, when Dan, one of the owners, came out and greeted me. We had an enjoyable conversation about their food - including their halal meat supplier. His genuine disposition (and the promise of good Indian food!) won me over, and I decided to step in and have dinner. The warm interior decor was roomy and welcoming, the lighting was at just the right brightness for my sensitive eyes, and the eclectic mix of Indian music provided an enjoyable background. I had a difficult time choosing from their wide selection of vegetarian and vegan friendly options, but settled on vegetarian samosas, chana masala and masala tea. The food came out promptly, and I was very pleased both with the presentation and the taste. The samosas (two per plate) were crispy on the outside, coated with a liberal sprinkling of spices, and filled with a flavorful mixture of potatoes and peas. The chana masala came in a fancy dish with a bowl of rice on the side. It was so flavorful I cried! I could not eat it all, but I took it home to finish the next day. I ordered another masala tea to go in place of a dessert :) I would HIGHLY recommend that you come with an appetite - the prices are good and the portions are generous. I cannot stress it enough: do NOT pass up this...

Most of the items on the menu are okay but things like lamb seekh Kabab and Tandoori chicken which are Authentic Indian dishes are not made well. The lamb seekh Kabab has tomato puree in it for some reason and then the Tandoori chicken which is supposed to be dry looks like it's made in some sort of Curry. Unfortunately in Vermont the Indian/Nepali restaurants are not the best and don't know how to make authentic Indian food. The two items I mentioned are the most expensive on the menu and I feel like I wasted my money. I frequently order from here so I never know what I'm going to get. One time I ordered lamb saag and it was stale. I have ordered the dumplings/momos and those are good. The lentils are good and the vegetables are good. I would not waste my money again on any authentic meat dishes. It's not that hard to make authentic Indian dishes oh, and dear restaurant, you can easily Google them and see what they're supposed...

Visited Burlington over the 4th of July long weekend and saw the glowing reviews at Red Panda. We arrived for a late lunch around 2pm and it was mostly empty inside as it was rather warm to eat outside.

Overall I'm a fan of this place. the Goat Curry is super delicious and portion size is generous. The Vindaloo is a bit too sour though with the spice, the meat was tender but just wished the sauce was a little more mild. They did ask for spice level but wasn't aware it was bit sour too.

The chicken momo was pretty good but I didn't like how hard the dough skins were I guess I was more used to the softer Chinese dumpling skins. However they tasted great and I liked how the chili complemented it.

The service was excellent as the staff were really friendly and accommodating. Its definitely a good place if you wanted to give a Nepalese food...