Masala

Sunday was my first day back in Iowa City since the holidays, and upon waking up I was faced with one of the toughest decision I have had to make in quite a while:  where should I go eat lunch?  It really didn’t take me long to come up with a place worthy enough to fill the void left by my nearly month long hiatus from Iowa City.


There are a lot of things I really like about Masala.  The first thing is that the people who run it are always incredibly friendly. Every time I go there, I am always greeted with a big smile and seated at a table within a few seconds.  The second thing I like is that you can be eating within a minute of getting there, assuming of course you decide to go for their incredible buffet.  This makes it especially nice if you are in a hurry for lunch  yet still don’t want to settle for something you really don’t want.  The buffet is available 7 days-a-week at a cost of $7.99/person.

But the best part isn’t their great service, the best part is their great food.  Everything on the lunch buffet is flavorful and amazing. While I was eating there, this post was the last thing on my mind, so I didn’t pay close attention to the names of the food or the ingredients used within each dish.  I did grab a menu before I left though, and by process of elimination, I have decided that the following few dishes are among those served on the lunch buffet: Plain Nan, Matter Paneer, Pakora, and Channa Masala.  But don’t take my word for it because the only thing I’m 100% positive about on that list is the nan.  Feel free to correct me if you are in-the-know on the Masala buffet.

When I was about to leave, I overheard a couple behind my table talking and trying to figure out just what they were eating.  After taking a bite I heard one of them say, “this is amazing.”  I couldn’t have said it better myself.