Sitar India Palace

This is a family-owned restaurant, with simply amazing food. The staff is very friendly, the place is clean and well maintained and the food is great! My boyfriend and I absolutely love Sitar and go there pretty much every week! The food is delicious, and if you go there for lunch or for a weekend dinner, you can eat from their all-you-can-eat buffet, which is fairly priced and always amazing. Pros: delicious food, great staff, pleasant environment more

I went there with a few friends last weekend and first of all, the decor just blew me away. I have been to a few Indian restaurants but the decor at Sitar is perhaps the best in the area. I loved that the buffet had such great variety, so many different spicy dishes to try. My friend ordered the Chicken tandoor Mix plate from the menu and it was delicious too! There was one point where our server forgot to refill our drinks but the owner came by our table to greet and check on us and he refilled it for us..I dont get to see that often. This is definitely a place I'll go back to again! Pros: variety of food, location, friendly owners more

I try to eat there when I have a lunch break and once in a while during the weekend dinner buffets. Their buffet is amazing. It has great variety and my personal favorite Chicken Tikka Masala. They also have different types of desserts, which are really good. The staff is very friendly and willing to go out of their way to make you comfortable. This is by far the best Indian restaurant I have been to in the Triangle. I love it and I would recommend it to anyone. Pros: good food, good ambiance, great staff Cons: NOTHING more

For a friend's birthday, a large group came to Sitar restaurant off of 15/501. They gave us the banquet room all to ourselves and allowed us peruse the menu at our own pace. Everyone was delighted with their orders and the quality of the service was beyond anything I have had before. The wait staff was there at your shoulder almost before you signaled them and they went out of their way to make our experience special. They even provided all 14 of us with complimentary pieces of dessert! Pros: Attentive wait staff, value, flavors Cons: None! more

I like eating there, the food is great- but since the new place opened I have been there twice. Both times the wait was long for someone to take your order and the waiter was rude (same person both times). Also you do have to watch they don't charge you for items you didn't order. I tasted my friend's bread and he tried to charge me for a whole order of Nan. Be prepared to be assertive. Take out may be the most pleasant experience here for now. Pros: Good Food Cons: Rude Service more

I and my wife were traveling back from NJ to Charlotte and we thought of taking a break and eat Indian cuisine as dinner. So we searched and found this place. When we reached we found the ambiance very nice. Seating was comfortable and relaxing. We went through the menu and decided to order Maharaja Feast Non Vegetarian. \r \r We ordered Chicken Curry, Paneer Korma, Dal Makhani and Chickent Tandoor Mix plate. When the food came we were happy to see quantity. Being an Indian and having many chances to eat at lots of Indian cuisine places I can say that some of the food lacked authenticity (Specially Paneer Korma). Tandoor Mix plate was good and tasty. Chicken curry was average but I must appreciate desserts as they were excellent (specially Kheer - very authentic)\r \r We both were disappointed to see the service. I don't know, may be it was too late (8:30 PM) and everyone was tired, but the waiters didn't even come once to check on us after leaving food. Nobody came to ask whether we need another serving of water or do we need anything else. I could see managers taking care of other tables but nobody and I mean nobody came to our table to ask even once as how were we doing. \r \r Anyway , No doubt the quantity was ample so we asked for to go boxes and waiters insisted that we will only need 3 boxes though there were 5 different items and we were guided to mash up different flavors into a single box. \r \r Overall I am happy with the food, ambiance and cleanliness but highly disappointed with the service. If I get a chance I will like to visit there again and see whether it was just a one time incident or it was intended disrespect for which I don't see any reason. I hope it is the former one. Pros: Good Food, Nice and relaxing ambiance Cons: Poor Service - Waiters are not friendly more

Sitar continues to disappoint, even after moving to the new digs. The ambience is fine, food is terrible. Same old, same old. The menu for the buffet has not changed in about 10 years. I would not pay $10+ for this buffet. There are a lot better Indian restaurants in the area, particularly in Cary. Sitar continues to take for granted the somewhat captive clientele in Durham/Duke and Chapel Hill. Things they could do easily for the price they charge:\r 1. Alter/modify the buffet menu, - throw in a few surprises every now and then.\r 2. Make the food taste better - you can do it! - pink color is NOT tandoori and flaming red curry is NOT butter chicken. - Sitar's food is truly a disappointment. You want to try really good Indian food in the area? - try Biryani House in Cary (chatham Square) and/or Royal India (Capital Blvd in Raleigh). Pros: parking, decor, friendly hosts Cons: food is stale, repetitive, poor tasting, buffet is NOT worth $10 more

Love, love, love Sitar's lunch buffet. Probably the best Indian food around. My husband who loves Indian food agrees that this one of his favorites, better than some of the high end Indian places we have eaten at. Owners are extremely nice and personable. Great price! Pros: Great Indian food, friendly owners more

Both my spouse and I were raised in India. We found the food to be very bland (I asked the food be spicy). This may be ""Indian food"" but it is missing all the flavor and richness you get in authentic Indian food. We will not be going here again. We do not recommend it to any Indians or people looking for real Indian food. \r \r Cons: not authentic more

Sitar charged us incorrectly on our credit card statement ($6 over). We went in to talk to the manager...not really for the money back, but to make sure it would not happen if we decided to eat there again. The manager denied any responsibility for the incorrect bill. We will never be dining at Sitar again due to poor customer service. Go to Dale's...I could not tell any difference in the quality of food or the prices. Cons: customer service more

Yummm! This is definitely the best Indian food in the Triangle. I just wanted some nice comfort food on a cold night and got just what I was looking for. The veggie samosas were delicious with the tamarind sauce and the Chicken Tikka-masala was absolutely perfect. It was a little pricey for the main dish, but I have come to expect this from Indian restaurants in general. It's not hard to find; just look for the only living business in the dead strip mall. The parking lot is always half full and the beautiful interior of the restaurant certainly belies its location. Pros: Delicious food, beautiful interior Cons: Eerie location more

While every other store in this strip mall next to Target appears to be closed, this Indian restaurant appears to be doing well financially. On a Wednesday night, we were not the only people enjoying ourselves. There are a wide variety of entrees on the menu and everyone at our table had something different. It was good food and was comparable to other Indian restaurants I've been too. The menu is a little larger than others and I will likely go there again. Pros: Good food Cons: Okay prices more

The food is simply delicious every time I eat at Sitar Indian Palace. Try the buffet and sample everything!!! The staff is extremely friendly and accommodating. They even gave my date and I an impromptu tour of the kitchen. What a delightful experience. more

I was a regular customer of Sitar from 1999 to 2003. Then moved to Atlanta. None of the Indian restuarants impressed me as Sitar did. I moved back to NC last month. I was forcing one of my best friend to go for a dinner in Sitar!!!! Because of their combination menue ( south and North)\r Man, they really disappointed me all the ways. #1 Average quality of food which used to be the best in the triangle. Espcially the south indian and Tandoor. #2. Slow and blank service from the waiting staff, owners very artificial in behavior (which will irritae you) #3. Almost doubled prices, I don't think thyey are that grate what they were. more

...but Sitar is pretty darn good too. If you like middle-of-the road Indian that caters to the not-too-daring crowd, Sitar is your place. Spice and Curry in RTP typically has more adventurous dishes on their menu and the quality is midge better, but Sitar is great. My friends and I always argue about which is better so you can't go wrong with either. more

This is the best Indian place I know of in Durham, and among the best in the Triangle. The ambience is very, well, Indian -- from the scents to the decor, you know exactly what you're in for as soon as you walk in the door. Food is prompt and delicious.\r \r Too bad it's in a shopping center that's turned very ratty since the demise of South Square. On the plus side, it's rarely if ever crowded. more

I've enjoyed eating at Sitar several times over the past 3 years; having searched for delicious food all over the Triangle, this place is the best I can find. The Mysore Masala Dosa is particularly delicious. more

The lunch buffet is good, but could use a little more variety. Their dinner menu is fantastic, I've never has lamb saag half as good. They use to offer thali, which is a selection of 4-6 meats and vegetarian dishes, but it appears they have gotten rid of that. A shame. \r \r My only reali criticism is the service. In the resturant service can be a bit slow, esp. in drink refills, which are a must if you love your indian spicy. Their take-out is the biggest problem though. They usually tell you it will be ready in 20-30 minutes. But I have had to wait as long as 45 before. Also twice in 2 weeks called in my order and when I got there it hadn't even gone back to the kitchen. I got a bit hot under the collar the second time b/c it had just happened the week before, so they rushed my food to me in 10 minutes and gave me a free mango lassi. But that made me wonder that if they canget my take-out ready in 10 minutes when I'm standing there, why does it routinely take 30 or more when I call it in?\r \r Service aside, their food really is the best around. You just have to be patient with the service, I think that's just how it works in India, they don't hover over you or try to anticipate your needs like American resturants. Pros: food, attractive resturant, nice ambience music Cons: service is slow, esp. with take-out, slow withdrink refills more

I have lived in the triangle area for quite some time. I have tried all Indian restaurants, and I have got to say that- Sitar India is not what people say it is. Their food is not authentic. I tried them several times, to see maybe it will be different this time. But to no avail- if you think Sitar India is good food- you have not been to NY. Their hall is nice and pretty, but thats where it ends. Pros: looks nice, location Cons: food, service more

We went to Sitar in Raleigh . Looking at the quality of the Indian food served, this restaurant has forced me to write a review. I would certainly not recommend this to anyone whose looking to taste an authentic Indian food. Masked Indian food with no core value. more