You might've seen this spot while zooming along Chapel-Hill Blvd, and it's time you swung by. At Sitar, you'll find Indian cuisine with live music on Friday and Saturday nights. Gluten-free and vegan dishes are available, and they just opened up a new patio.
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Hours:
Monday: 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM, 5:00 – 9:00 PM Tuesday: 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM, 5:00 – 9:00 PM Wednesday: 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM, 5:00 – 9:00 PM Thursday: 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM, 5:00 – 9:00 PM Friday: 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM, 5:00 – 10:00 PM Saturday: 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM, 5:00 – 10:00 PM Sunday: 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM, 5:00 – 9:00 PM
| Overview of Latest Visit:
+ Chicken Tikka Masala is excellent as always
+ Good variety of desserts in buffet
+ Great customer service
+ Ambiance is decent despite the mismatch of rap music playing.
- Dinner buffet was missing some of our favorites
- Garlic naan - not included in buffet
- Buffet lacking delicious appetizers like quality paneer
- No biryani in buffet
- Questionable freshness
- Didn't satisfy craving for authentic Indian spices
| Full Review of Latest Visit:
As a long-time customer, I'm quite disappointed at Wednesday night's buffet selections. Dinner buffet in Sitar is slightly more expensive than lunch buffet, so my girl & I expected this dinner buffet to have better choices than what they typically have during lunch -as we had in previous dinner buffets- but tonight's buffet selection made me not want to return to Sitar anytime soon.
While it's always pleasant to eat one of the best Chicken Tikka Masala, most of our other favorites were missing: No Shrimp Malabar, no biryani, no masala paneer, no spiced cabbage, no goat dish, no good appetizer & no garlic naan. The Indian buffet experience was a major downgrade.
Instead, there was jerky-like lamb that was tough to chew, some kind of red chicken that didn't taste fresh, mediocre vegetable rice, tofu paneer that only vegetarians would probably care about, bland spinach paneer, spiced vegetables with smashed cauliflowers that just made me lose my appetite & regular naan. I even asked the waiter if I can have garlic naan but he said that's not included in the buffet and that I will have to pay extra.
There was a chicken kebab that my girl liked but it's nothing compared to what they took out. The Fish Malabar was alright but I didn't eat a lot of it. It seemed the only ones i really enjoyed were the Chicken Tikka Masala, the beef stew that didn't taste like Indian food but not bad nonetheless, the small piece of cheesecake that my girl let me try, Masala tea, and maybe the caramel custard that lacked caramel. Scratch that!
Ambiance was fine with dim lights, a relaxing atmosphere, but the foreign rap music playing didn't match Sitar's traditional vibe.
Customer service was good overall: refilled waters without having to ask, took our finished plates to clear our table, and asked us if there was anything wrong in the buffet. I wish I was as openly-honest as I am now while writing this review, the kind of review that I never thought I'd write for what used to be one of our favorite restaurants. But at that time, I was too tired and upset to vent out my frustrations.
Sitar used to be the rare kind of Indian restaurant that offered quantity without sacrificing quality; the kind that offered buffet with multiple delicious dishes to choose from. Maybe it's just this night. I guess I'll find out in a few weeks because I was invited to go for my cousin's birthday celebration. Sadly, for the first time ever as an over-a-decade-long customer, I'm no longer excited to return to Sitar.
Overall Score: 3/5
Stuart Davis
Jan 22, 2025
3
I have a tradition of going to an Indian buffet with my mother and brother whenever I’m visiting my family in NC over Xmas/New Year’s. We used to go to Tandoor in Chapel Hill but on my brother’s insistence have been going to Sitar for the past eight years or so (not including a few during the pandemic and last year as I was not in town).
A few thoughts:
1. The last time I came the staff was still serving people from buffet. I fully respect and appreciate observing COVID safety protocols. However, the experience was horrible because the person serving (if I remember correctly it was the owner or manager) would not listen to you and load your plate up with rice even if you asked for no rice. Thankfully they stopped that practice and have gone back to people serving themselves.
2. There are a lot of options but the food is generally pretty bland or odd tasting. The vindaloo had no taste; the tofu korma was also weirdly sweet. The daal fritters were like hockey pucks. The other dishes were ok but nothing special. The fried cabbage dish (it was like a poriyal) was really good and the hot sauce is always good there. As the buffet is on the expensive side it was all in all not that impressive (and it never really has been)
3. The wait staff are incredibly friendly.
Though I’ll continue to push my family to go to Tandoor (mostly because I’ve been going there since the late 90s and it is nostalgic) I will still come back to this restaurant if that is what is decided.
Gia
Jan 19, 2025
5
We had the weekend buffet. Each dish has a distinct delicious flavor. Fish and chicken and several breads were served. The vegetable dishes were phenomenal.I loved the dessert bar as well. Accompanying beverages included mango juice and lemonade. I finished with a cup of hot chai.
Sachin Verma
Dec 28, 2024
3
We went here for lunch a month ago, and they had a buffet. Although they have a variety of vegetarian dishes, they weren't very tasty. When you go to an Indian restaurant, you have high hopes for the food, and I must admit that I didn't have a wonderful experience. When I gave the staff my comments, they informed me that they needed to make the buffet's food less spicy, but I'm not referring to the degree of heat, my buddy. I am merely referring about the taste, which was below ordinary.I'll soon try their ala carte menu to see if it changes my mind about this.
Meghan Morgan
Dec 24, 2024
5
I'm way overdue in reviewing our FAVORITE Indian restaurant (honestly, probably our favorite restaurant full stop.) In addition to the wonderful ambience and service, the food is fresh and flavorful! They have a ton of variety with perfectly spiced dishes with food for all dietary palates (vegetarian, vegan etc.) They’re also very kid-friendly, and the staff goes above and beyond to make sure every visit is aces. As if that wasn’t enough, the price is extremely resonable. We come here often, but we've also decided to make Sitar a Christmas Eve tradition!
HSSR
Nov 8, 2024
3
To get into the restaurant is a bit tricky, as it is right at the junction of the main road and the service road. Has plenty of parking. The ambiance is good. Serivce was good. We went in for lunch buffet. But to my horror, there were no appetizers, food quality was par low. Dal takdaka was the worst. It was a lump of baked dal. There's nothing else in it. Could not even mix it well with rice. If you are a pure veg, they keep rice next to beef. I saw a bit beef gravy, dropping into the rice, and the server just mixed it and made it go down. After seeing that, we could not use that rice. We requested them to get a bowl from inside. Paneer gravy was good, along with nan. Masla tea wa good. Fodd looks very fancy, you can see it from the pics, but no taste. Else nothing to eat. Going from a different state, where we get gorgeous Indian food, these guys will not survive elsewhere. Sorry to say, but food quality was sub-par. Please note that my review is all subjective, and your opinion may be different. After complaining about food quality, he gave a voucher of 20% discount on next visit. But it looked like they were giving this out to everyone. They need to really up their game.
Nadia Hamzah
Sep 5, 2024
5
My partner and I decided to have lunch here at Sitar yesterday, mainly because we happened to be in the area and that we read that the meats they serve (chicken, beef, lamb mainly) might be halal certified. We were served by Nabi, who was very helpful and lovely to us. I confirmed with him that everything (all foods) on the buffet menu is halal, and also noticed a physical copy of the halal certification at the buffet station.
I come from Singapore, where I have had my fair share of consuming Indian cuisine (either Indian-Muslim food or authentic vegetarian Indian buffets that my Indian friends recommend), and I would say some dishes like palak paneer and dal bhaji are comparable to those served back at my home. The flavors are not as intense and still really enjoyable, while the meats they serve are tender as well. I'm a huge chicken fan and because of my dietary restriction, it's difficult to find chicken dishes to enjoy around here so I might be biased but I strongly recommend the Tandoori chicken and Curry chicken!
Service-wise, Nabi did an excellent job in making sure we had a great dining experience and was so kind to us. Just as we were about to leave, he provided us with a coupon for 20% off for weekday buffets. I really appreciate the hospitality we received there, especially from Nabi. Although Sitar was quite far and not so accessible for us without a car, we might have to visit them again!
J. Warren
Aug 19, 2024
5
Indian buffet for lunch? Yes please! This place is so amazingly tasty. For a buffet the food is incredibly fresh. I can't remember the name of everything I got, but each item was full of flavor and fresh. The service was great and friendly. The dining room and bathrooms where clean and uncluttered. The price was also very agreeable. Will definitely be back!
Ana Vandorn
Jul 17, 2024
5
What a surprise for Vegetarians!!
Every other Thursday they offer a vegan buffet. I have enjoyed the food here for years but this new offering made it possible to experience so many wonderful flavor profiles! The open hearted gratitude of the people working here had me put a reminder in my phone not to miss the next Thursday they offer such a treat!
Alexia Watlington
Jun 30, 2024
5
This is by far my FAVORITE Indian restaurant!! Their buffet is PHENOMENAL with a wide selection of sinfully delicious dishes!!! I do have a FAVORITE dish, but I don't know the name of it!? It's fish cooked in a delectable creamy coconut sauce!!😋 Even with everything else to choose from, this dish, along with the fragrant basmati rice is always my go-to!! My sister took me there yesterday for my birthday lunch and it was a great way to celebrate my day!! It was worth the 50 minute drive/ride!! If you're in the Durham/Chapel Hill area, please do yourself a favor and check out Sitar Indian Cuisine!! You're Welcome!!!😁
Nicole Aloia
Jun 6, 2024
5
My boyfriend and I have never had Indian food before. We decided to give Sitar a try and had a great experience. We figured a buffet was a great start because we weren't sure what we would and wouldn't like. The food and the staff were amazing. Ram was our waiter and did a great job navigating our experience. I highly recommend this restaurant.
