Second Helpings: Indian, Part II

Bismillah Restaurant

6929 Airport #199, 420-8837 Daily, 11:30am-10:30pm
The restaurant is a 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 from 11am-3pm.

Madras Pavillion

9025 Research #100, 719-5575 Monday-Friday, 11:30am-3pm, 5:30-9:30pm; Saturday-Sunday, 11:30am-10pm; daily buffet from 11:30am-3:30pm
Madras serves what is arguably Austin's finest South Indian vegetarian cuisine, and the daily expansive lunch buffet 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!

Shalimar

9310 N. Lamar, 719-3700 Monday-Thursday, 11:30am-11pm; Friday-Saturday, 11:30am-midnight; Sunday, 11:30am-11pm
Shalimar serves a combination of Indian, Bangladeshi, and Pakistani cuisines seven days a week for the fans of South Asian dining. Their daily lunch buffet has an enormous variety of chicken, goat, and vegetable specialties for $5.99. The amateur shouldn't be intimidated – their waitstaff is happy to offer recommendations.

Spicy Tandoor

6800 Airport (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 old Hamburger Haven building. Forget lamb – go for the unctuous Mutton Korma or the side-of-cow portions of the Behari Kabab!

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 Gujarat 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 different dosas they offer. The menu is surprisingly large for a small spot, and make sure you try some gulab jambu ("doughnuts" swimming in mint syrup).