The Cafe of India Couldn’t Stay Closed
By Mike Martin
POSTED: August 26, 2008
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It was a loss sorely felt by many lifelong Morgantown residents. When Cafe of India closed its doors in 2006, it left in its absence a void for fans of the area’s finest Indian cuisine.
But in April 2008, Cafe of India reopened its doors at a new location. Family-owned and -operated, this restaurant now calls 1894B Mileground Road its home; and although some of the character of its old location — a warm brick building off of High Street that was an official Morgantown landmark — is missed, it is impossible to deny the food has only gotten better.
Dinner specials including the Chicken Makhniwala and Lamb Chili are very reasonably priced at $12.50 to $16.99, though most are in the $12 range; and there are fantastic vegetarian dishes as well. Running around $2 apiece, drinks include Lassi, an Indian yogurt shake, as well as mango juice. Assorted red and white wines are also available.
Their lunchtime buffet is a steal at $8.95. But personally I cannot recommend highly enough the Chicken Tikka Masala, a white meat dish cooked in a bright, tangy and frankly delightful sauce, with serving sizes that are just right. There’s truly something for everyone here, even the most timid of diners who might be wary of trying something as seemingly exotic as Indian cuisine.
Aside from the phenomenal food, though, there are also many little touches that make an evening at the Cafe of India so wonderful. Traditional Indian music plays softly in the background, for example, and the staff brings out the plates before the food itself arrives; the plates, moreover, are warmed for the diner, an inexplicably pleasant thing. How many restaurants in Morgantown pay such care to the small (and yet ultimately decisive) things?
What a welcome surprise the return of the Cafe of India has been. Do yourself a favor: Take an evening — any evening, as they’re open seven days a week — and take in this experience. Morgantown is blessed to have such delightful place within her borders; let’s not let it slip away again.
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Contact Mike at mmartin@graffitiwv.com
