Second Helpings: Indian Restaurants, Part Two

The weekly Chronicle feature "Second Helpings" offers readers the opportunity to sample tasty, bite-sized restaurant listings compiled from new and previous reviews, guides, and poll results. This week's entries were updated by Chronicle writer Mick Vann. When you need quick, reliable information about Austin eateries, check here.

Spicy Tandoor

6800 Airport Blvd. (at Guadalupe), 459-6859

Monday-Saturday, 10am-10pm; Sunday, 10am-8pm

Spicy Tandoor certainly lives up to its name with searing treats such as Achar Gosht, meltingly tender beef cubes that will set your tongue aflame. Delightful Paki-Indi-Bangladeshi cuisine at rock-bottom prices in the $5 to $6 range in the old Hamburger Haven building. Forget lamb -- go for the unctuous Mutton Korma or the side of cow portions of the Behari Kabab!

Tandoori Palace

9616 N. Lamar, 834-1173

Daily, 11am-10pm

Tandoori Palace serves a mix of Paki-Bangli-Indian cuisine in the shopping center at the corner of Rutland and Lamar. They have a huge menu of well-spiced dishes available for order, and have a popular buffet daily from 11am to 3pm. Excellent versions of tandoor oven dishes as well as melt-in-the-mouth stews.

Bismillah

1519 W. Anderson Ln., 420-8018

Daily, 11:30am-10:30pm

Bismillah is a small, predominantly Sufi Pakistani cafe that's huge on flavor and low on price. Everything from the kitchen is first-rate and spiced with a delirious complexity. All of the halal meat dishes are so tender they literally melt in your mouth. Buffet at lunch daily and catering too!

Shahi Village

111 E. Main, in Pflugerville, 670-1731

Daily, 11am-9pm

The folks that opened Spicy Tandoor are now in way North Austin cooking up their delicious Paki-Indi-Bangladeshi cuisine, with a few Middle Eastern and American dishes thrown into the mix as well. Prices aim to please, and the exuberantly spiced food will have them clamoring for more and more. Shahi offers superlative renditions of all of the classics.

Kababish Wrap

13686 N. 183, 565-6061

Daily, 10am-10pm (24 hours in the near future)

The Shahi Village folks, who are the old Spicy Tandoor folks, are opening June 1 with a concept that will tickle the taste buds: Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi kebabs and stews served in a pita wrap. These portable versions of their superb dishes are sure to create a buzz, and the prices will be easy on the wallet.

Madras Pavilion

9025 Research Blvd., Ste. 100, 719-5575

Monday-Friday, 11:30am-3pm, 5:30-9:30pm; Saturday-Sunday, 11:30am-10pm

Madras serves what is arguably Austin's finest South Indian vegetarian cuisine, and the daily expansive lunch buffet (11:30am-3:30pm) might just be the best way to get acquainted. Dosas to die for and multiple levels of exploding spicy goodness in every dish you eat. Food like this is what makes us forget that we're carnivores!

Swad Indian Vegetarian Restaurant

9515 N. Lamar #156, 997-7923

Monday-Friday, 11:30am-2:30pm, 5-9:30pm; Saturday-Sunday, 11:30am-9:30pm

The same folks who own the expansive Taj Market feature cuisine from the western Indian state of Guarajat made fresh daily at Swad Indian Vegetarian Restaurant. The Thalli Platter is probably the best taste sampler for newbies, but you can't go wrong with the 10 different dosas they offer. The menu is surprisingly large for a small spot, and make sure you try some guabjambu ("doughnuts" swimming in mint syrup).