My review of Sitar could exist solely of the following sentence: “In the not too distant past I ate at Sitar three days out of four.” What? You want more than that? Fine.
Sitar is the new Indian restaurant on Bardstown Road next door to Cafe Metro. It’s part of a small chain that has four or five locations in Tennessee and other Southern states. I am by no means an expert on Indian food. Sitar makes a grand total of two Indian restaurants I’ve eaten at, ever. The first was Kashmir and while I loved the food I frequently felt like my presence was a burden to the staff so eventually I just stopped going there. While the staff at Sitar doesn’t fall all over themselves taking care of you they are pleasant and efficient enough.
I feel the need to confess my relative newbie status in relation to Indian food so you’ll know that I’m not an expert on whether Sitar’s food is absolutely traditional or how it compares to other Indian food here in town. I just know it’s good. The fact that it’s a comfortable walk from my house probably doesn’t hurt matters but the food sold me on the place all on its own. Every single dish I’ve tried there has been, in my opinion, excellent.
Seven days a week Sitar has a lunch buffet for $6.99. Several staples have been on the buffet each time I’ve gone (allo gobi, sag, naan, rice pudding) while the meat dishes and curries have been different on various visits. If you order from the menu the portions are served family style with a massive platter of rice. A word about the Sitar’s naan: it’s so, so good.
In the interest of full disclosure I’ll share that my friend Sammy over at Louisville Lunch disagrees with me on how great Sitar is. He likes it ok but digs Kashmir much more. He should be thankful to Sitar then because since they came to town with their seven days a week buffet Kashmir has expanded their buffet from weekends only to seven days a week as well.
Sitar Indian Restaurant
1702 Bardstown Road
Louisville, KY
March 11th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
I’ve been meaning to check out Sitar, but the C-rating they earned from the Department of Health a few weeks back was kind of a turnoff.
March 11th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
They had a A or maybe B rating when I went so I feel ok about it.
March 12th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Yeah, they currently have a B, as of their updated rating on January 22. Take a look here:
http://www.metromapper.org/bm.php?m=9d5cbc739bc295b1097d8021deb71562adf3e9d3
That’s the most recent info published by the city on Monday.
April 19th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Thank you so much Michelle for the great review of the Sitar restaurant. I just noticed it today on my way to Wild and Wooly Video. I really like East Indian cuisine. Especially naan and the rice pudding.
I’ve not been to Sitar yet, but will definitely try it now. I couldn’t remember the name of the other East Indian restaurant I spotted, just knew it started with a K. Now I know that is Kashmir.
April 21st, 2008 at 3:06 pm
You’ll have to let me know how you like it when you go ViVi. We took some out of friends there last weekend and they had a really good time and very much enjoyed the food.
July 8th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
As a devotee and home cook of Indian food, I’d been meaning to try Sitar for a while, and got the chance last night when an appointment on Bardstown Road gave me a perfect opportunity to pick up Indian carryout for dinner. I have to say I found Sitar, if you’ll pardon the expression, sadly out of tune.
I bought lamb vindaloo for myself, chicken tikka masala for my wife, and garlic naan and vegetable pakora to share. Both entrees, although they arrived home warm enough that I can only guess they’d have been uncomfortably hot in the restaurant, were awash in thin, soupy gravies that threatened to overwhelm the well-cooked basmati rice.
Although both (despite the fact the tikka masala was not advertised as such) were quite fiery, they exhibited little in the way of other flavor, comparing unfavorably to the same entrees at India Palace, Shalimar or Kashmir. The best thing about the dinner was the naan, which had a decent garlic flavor and had not suffered, as had the pakora, from being wrapped in moisture-retaining aluminum foil.
Add to this the fact that the restaurant appears chronically short of staff, and that it took 25 minutes to get this unimpressive dinner to go, and it all adds up to that I won’t be going back to Sitar any time soon.
July 8th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Thanks for sharing your experience Jonathan. I’ve never gotten take out from Sitar so I’ve not had anything close to your experience. I will say however that because of service issues I much prefer to go to Sitar during the lunch buffet instead of at dinner when there is no buffet. You’re right that under staffing seems to be a problem. It’s not too much of an issue during buffet service but during dinner service it’s a real problem.
August 6th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Having just returned from Singapore where I ate many a fine meal in district referred to as Little India. And having eaten Indian food across the U.S. and Great Britain…I am very picky about my Indian food and know what I like.
And…I LIKE Sitar. The food is properly spiced. The issue here is Louisville has been starved for authentic Indian cuisine for a long while…and the poor excuses for Indian restaurants in town have tainted the palettes here. Chicken Tikka Masala typically has red chili peppers in it, it’s not the mild dish you find on many other buffets in town…and any Vindaloo is always the hottest item on the menu in any Indian restaurant.
Also to note…most restaurants outside the U.S. are family owned and staffed. (Which we living in the fast-food culture here are not used to) So not a large number of staff/family, although typically people who care about their patrons and have a passion for good food. So a little wait is worth my time for a good meal…always!
Finally an Indian restaurant which serves authentic food at a nice cost, in a lovely setting, with a very friendly staff. The Dept of Health rating is currently an A.
November 2nd, 2008 at 10:47 am
I have been to both kashmir and sitar, and the buffet at sitar is much better. Whenever I have been to kashmir, I got the feeling like I was just a hassle to the staff. Also, they seem to take their time refilling much of the buffet items. I only live a few blocks away, but I try to go elsewhere if I can. As for Sitar, the food is good enough, but the buffet service is better. In terms of food I might give a slight not to india palace or shalimar, but I am equally happy at all three. I have talked with some indian friends, and some of the food at sitar is from a different part of india, which offers more variety compared to the typical buffet. Just my opinion, though.
June 10th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
You should try DakShin, 4742 Bardstown Rd, in the Eastland Shopping Center for authentic and wonderful Indian food. DakShin is located between Hurstborne and Breckinridge on Bardstown. Look for the neon-lit sign.
December 29th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
I think out of all of the Indian restaurants i’ve been to, Sitar is the best. The food is wonderful. They have fresh lunch buffets and the service is grrrreat! Unlike Kashmir whose staff is about ready to bite my head off when I ask them for a refill!!
Go to Sitar!! You’ll love it!!