Try a variety of Indian foods at Dinner Bell’s lunch buffet

Tucked in a west Macon strip mall, with the shockingly un-exotic name of Dinner Bell, this unassuming Indian restaurant serves up delicious food at very reasonable prices.

Since Indian cuisine is my favorite, we took along friends who had never tried it. The food is more accessible than many people think — it can be ordered extra spicy or completely mild and still be thoroughly delicious. Some items are just perfected versions of more familiar fare, like tandoori, which is marinated and grilled meat.

Dinner Bell offers a daily lunch buffet for $7.99 (they know this is way too good a deal, so go before they raise the price) and their staff will help you navigate so you can order like a connoisseur. The items on the first bar are mostly sauces, fruit and a very simple salad. The second bar has at least four main entrees, two vegetable sides, rice, two appetizers, naan and dessert.

We came on a Sunday and tried everything on the buffet, from chicken tikka masala to gulab jamun. Tikka refers to the way the protein is cooked in the tandoor oven and masala is the curry made with a special blend of spices. Paneer tikka was my favorite item on Sunday’s buffet, with cubes of homemade cheese that are delicious beyond description.

For our newbie friends, only a few of the buffet items were a little too spicy: the onion chutney, a bright red sauce for dipping; and the vegetable samosas, which here are huge fried pastries filled with potato, peas and spices. Their absolute favorite buffet dish was the dessert, gulab jamun, whose description of “soft milk balls dipped in honey syrup” does not do it justice.

If you come for dinner, the prices are equally fair. With the exception of the traditional naan and roti for $1.99, all breads are just $2.99. Naan, a round, soft flatbread, is available with garlic, stuffed with chilies, or filled with ground lamb, onion or paneer. There’s even a slightly sweet version stuffed with coconut, nuts and cherries.

All appetizers here are about $5 but if you want to try several, go for the platter for $7. Sides, or “sabzi,” include cauliflower, okra, eggplant, chickpeas, potatoes, peas, lentils and mixed vegetables, usually stewed with exotic spices in a savory tomato or cream sauce. One $5 order of any sabzi will serve several people.

So venture over to the west side of town to take advantage of this well-priced new deliciousness. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Read more reviews of local restaurants

This story was originally published June 14, 2017 at 8:41 AM with the headline "Try a variety of Indian foods at Dinner Bell’s lunch buffet."