Sitar India — Restaurant in Philadelphia

I've been here a total of 10 times before over the past 6 years. This time, my 11th visit, I feel like I've been scammed.

The main problem here is the service. At their best, they provide basic to no service. A pitcher of water with a few ice cubes on top is given to you at the start, and plates are usually taken away when you call for someone. This is very different from other Asian, Indian, or Indochinese buffets where the service is speedy, automatic, and waters are refilled for you as waiters and waitresses make rounds around tables. They only take the large entree plates away. If you have a small sauce dish or a cup and you don't put it on a plate, they leave it crowding on small table until you call twice for someone to come.

They also don't rotate old food. The tandoori chicken they had looked hard and dry. It didn't look like anyone had taken any pieces and they had no intention on putting out a fresh batch. Samosas were cold this time, so I didn't take any even though I wanted some.

Lastly, this was my 11th visit, and I had a fully punched card. I was expecting the meal to be free with the punch, but then I saw a sign saying they changed to 6 dollars off. I was slow in accumulating these punches (6 years), so that's somewhat understandable. What was frustrating was that when I brought my punchcard over, I was accused of forging punches and that my punchcard didn't follow their system. I had 10 punches, 9 which were circular and for some reason the 2nd punch was star-shaped, but I was denied use of the card. I tried to reason with them and spoke with the cashier and owner. Each of them said they were the only person who punches the cards, which is inconsistent, and they said to me "You punched this yourself". They ended by scoffing at me and saying "It's just 10 dollars, can't you pay that?" It was an incredibly embarrassing situation. Fortunately, few customers were in the restaurant. I don't go to this restaurant often, and I'll definitely never go again. Nobody wants to be shamed and treated in such a condescending manner when all they wanted was to get a lunch.

If anyone's in the area and wants a partially-punched rewards card though,...

For dinner, they serve complimentary mango juice and leave a pitcher of ice water on the table so that you don't really run out. They have a buffet, but I usually can't resist ordering from the menu. They ask how spicy you would like your curries, which is nice--and they have the most flavorful Navratan Korma I've ever tried in my life.

I don't know why some of their accompaniments are listed with prices on the menu, because when I tried to order onion chutney for my samosas or to go with the vegetarian platter, they always say "no, no, it comes with it." Perhaps it is an old practice or something only takeout buyers would order extra of, because they've always given it to us at no additional charge.

Honestly, this is the only place I've ever had a curry that wasn't too bland for my tastes. I usually have to order takeout Indian so I can flavor it more at home without doing too much work, but I've eaten in at Sitar twice and loved it both times. They definitely...

Best blend of spice among the University City Indian restaurants; most vegetarian friendly.

Sitar offers the most complex tasting Indian food out of the four Indian restaurants near by that all have similar menus and buffets. From chutney to curry Sitar makes sure spices are ample but not overdone and well blended. I love their saag.

Sitar offers the best buffet menu for vegetarians among the UC Indian restaurants. Meat lovers may have preferred Tandor's grilled meats, but Tandor's now gone so it puts Sitar at top. If you are new to Indian cuisine you may want to try New Delhi for less spicy dishes, and if you also want middle eastern dishes you could try Tarka. However if you're going for a solid Indian experience Sitar will be the best choice...