Chapati: Northfield, MN

May 9th, 2009 in Restaurants, Reviews

may 2009 004 originally uploaded by myzery456

Today Josh, Danni, and I headed over to Chapati in Northfield for their Indian lunch buffet. After previously visiting Kurry Kabab and hearing that Chapati was a much nicer restaurant inside, I was excited to see what they had in store for us today.

I called ahead to find out that the lunch buffet price was $10.50 and included tax. A bit higher than what Kurry Kabab set us back for their buffet in June of 2008 but certainly not out of line for a lunch buffet. We arrived just after noon on a Saturday and found the place busy with tables scattered throughout the disjointed, house like, restaurant. Set on the first floor of the historical Archer House, the restaurant invites you in through the front door with the great Indian food smells wafting out onto the street and tugging at you to come inside for a taste. After stuffing your face at the buffet until being forced to roll you out the door might make the hotel a nice place to retire for a three hour long nap like I took after eating here today.

We sat down, the water came out, and we were instructed by the server that the lunch buffet was available. No menus were delivered and it seemed like there was no other choice. While I don’t know if that is true, it was certainly how it appeared. We went over to the buffet which was setup in reverse. The desserts were at the front, next to the pile of plates and sauces, and then it went to the many other options that the buffet had to offer.

While there was plenty of choose from, it wasn’t what I expected. Four meat curries and four vegetarian options. The entire line was dominated by beef, chicken, lamb, and other meat filled saucy dishes. They even made a longtime favorite, Palak Paneer into Chicken Paneer, boo. The naan was fantastic as it was soft, fluffy, and tasty. The basmati rice was eh but the various dishes that you slathered over the rice were spiced well, especially for a mass produced lunch buffet.

While it was spiced well, both Josh and I were looking for more (duh). I asked the waitress if there was anything else we could get to kick it up a notch and she rudely pointed in the general direction of the buffet and explained that there was a pickle relish and green sauce (which I clearly already had on my plate) and that we should use that. Neither did it for us and I certainly wasn’t impressed with her attitude or service. Yeah, it’s a buffet but she seriously needed an attitude adjustment. Aside from that, the chicken was a bit dry, even though it was soaking in sauce, but the other meats were perfect.

I ate until my stomach hurt and I thought I was going to be sick. I honestly haven’t been that full in a very, very, very long time. I kept telling Josh and Danni that there was no way I’d ever eat again–I lied. Overall, it was an Indian buffet and one that I’d return to again if I was looking to overstuff myself until the point of no return but I can’t say it was my favorite. I told Kim that her and I need to return and order off the menu in order to give this place a fair shake…

Have you ever eaten at Chapati in Northfield? What did you think of it? Have you eaten anything other than the buffet? If so, please let us know what you thought!

Address:
Chapati
1001 Division Street South
Northfield, MN 55057-2015

Phone:
507-645-2462