India Palace — Restaurant in Overland Park

India Palace is exactly what you expect it to be, an Indian restaurant. I had the luxury of going there during a Friday afternoon where they had the buffet out and about. However, due to how unappetizing the buffet looked overall; I decided to opt out and go with the menu itself. The overall experience I got was that everything was "okay" (thus, three stars).

Environment: Three Stars (*)

The environment at India Palace is pretty straight-forward. You're not going in and getting a five-star meal from a Michelin chef, of course. The atmosphere of the place is pretty much a standard restaurant; a few tables and a few booths. The staff were running around a bit as they seemed to have more focus on keeping customers content with water or masala tea refills. I would say that it's a rather average establishment in this regard and everything seems to be pretty much suitable.

Food: Three Stars (*)

The food at India Palace is good; even delicious in its own way. However, for Indian food, it is lacking a bit of the layered spices that is to be expected with "real" Indian food. I feel that because Indian Palace is near an industrial area, that they're making sure that their dishes are toned down enough for the average person in the local area to eat them. I could get a sense of potential in some of the dishes that I had tried; but, I feel that the chef(s) try too hard to kick down the spices and make them delicate enough for a palette that cannot handle all of the flavour that they normally would work with. At its heart, I wouldn't say that India Palace has bad Indian food; it'll be great if you've never hung out with an Indian family, or had genuine/authentic Indian food at its peak of flavour. Personally, it was tethering on the edge of being a little better than "okay" but it fell short.

Customer Service: Four Stars (**)

I can't really explain how well that the staff here made sure that everyone had enough water, tea, or didn't need anything else. There were moments where I had only taken about four good drinks of my water (3/4th still full) and it was filled up within 2 minutes of the last time I had touched it. My tea was offered refills every time that it was empty. The staff here really were on the ball when it came to such things. They were considerate of what you may want and made sure not to have bothered you while you ate (if they had a question, they'd jump in when they knew you could answer). I had a party of four with me and, despite the blandness of the food, we still enjoyed the quality service we received.

Price: Three Stars (*)

The prices are about to be expected. None of the prices are over the top, even some of their lamb dishes are reasonably priced. It's hard to gauge prices of Indian places when the majority of them are all the same (or nearly the same). I don't think their "bread basket" (filled with different kinds of breads) was priced competitively; considering all of the naan in it are "regular flavour". The paneer naan was pretty good and the price was okay too.

Overall: Three Stars (*)

The customer service was remarkable and if you're not an "Indian food snob" then you'll definitely enjoy this food. If you're the type that doesn't mind braving a lunch buffet a few hours after lunch, then by all means.. go for it! If I am to go back again, I'll likely try the buffet if I'm there nearer to the time that the buffet first starts being served. Prices are pretty sensible considering it's a restaurant that isn't fast food or a terrible hole in the wall. And at the end of the day, if you want to try something new - try it! It won't kill you and don't let my "snobbiness" here...

Tonight was my first time sampling India Palace, although my husband eats at their lunch buffet frequently (lucky dog!). The online menu someone uploaded to Google+ was somewhat inaccurate, but the polite employee who took my to-go order was able to recommend something other than the Madrasi Chicken I had wanted (Madrasi is a southern Indian dish not available at this restaurant). We ordered Chicken Karahi from their recommendation, along with Chicken Korma, plain and garlic nan, and chai teas. Both dishes came with deliciously fragrant basmati rice.

The Karahi was bold, I would say medium spicy, with onions and tomatoes noticeable among the chicken chunks. It delivered the level of heat we were looking for in our Indian cuisine adventure, and the occasional leaf of cilantro in it made each bite unique. The star of the show, for us however, was the Chicken Korma. This was a much more subtle dish, in terms of spiciness, but more complex in its flavors and textures. Slivered nuts gave crunch to the rich creamy sauce that carried many of the same nutmeggy, holiday spice flavors that I love about yellow curry and chai. Both dishes were loaded with plenty of all-white meat chunks, although I would have enjoyed them just as much with dark meat.

The nan was tender, moist, and delicious. I think garlic nan makes a great appetizer or stand-alone snack, but didn't really compliment the dishes we chose, whereas the plain nan was just as enjoyable on its own and more importantly was the perfect vessel for both dishes. The hot chai was just sweet enough to calm our mouths from the Karahi and packed plenty of authentic Indian tea flavor. I definitely look forward to dining from India...

Fresh food! Never have I been to a restaurant that offered Indian cuisine, so I jumped at the opportunity when a friend suggested we go. I wasn't even slightly disappointed, we came at lunch time and although it's not a huge spot this place was packed, steady flow, in and out. Took us less than a second to be seated, and less than a minute to be attended to, give our drink order and hit the buffet. Honestly I couldn't tell you everything I ate, but everything, and I mean everything was piping hot and fresh as can be. The chicken is amazing, the dumplings were terrific and way down at the end of the buffet is a type of rice pudding that is addictive! A lady in the buffet line suggested that I add a little of the apricot puree to it, I wish she wouldn't have done that, now everytime I go there, half way in I have to force myself to stop so I can make a free extra trips so I can savor the flavor! A nice way to end it all is a hot cup of perfectly seasoned tea.

Just before you walk out they have a small dish of mukhwas it's a colorful Indian after-meal snack or digestive aid widely used as a mouth freshener, especially after meals. It can be made of various seeds and nuts, often fennel, anise, coconut, coriander, and sesame. Perfect way to solidify a fantastic experience in...