(Photos by Michael Russell of The Oregonian staff unless otherwise noted)

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It makes sense that Indian restaurants would dominate Portland’s buffet landscape. Indian food, particularly the northern-influenced Indian-American fusion dishes most commonly found on the buffet scene, tends to keep well, with rich curries that won’t wilt after an hour or two under a hot lamp. Inexpensive proteins, including the twin buffet pillars of red-stained tandoori chicken and butter-larded chicken makhani, plus a wealth of lentil and vegetable options, keep prices low.

That bore out as we researched our upcoming guide to Portland’s best buffets (look for our bigger buffet roundup, and our larger cheap eats guide, later this month). Along the way, we were able to find at least two dozen Indian restaurants with a lunch buffet, including chains, such as Namaste and Swagat, that have three or four locations each. All told, there are nearly as many Indian buffets in the Portland area as the buffets of all other cuisines combined. You’ll find those here.

Starting this project was a bit like standing at the edge of a high dive. I hatched the idea to help give readers on a budget a guide to the truly cheapest cheap eats in town. But as I got closer to the start, I began to worry the actual research would be … arduous.

In some ways it was. Curries at some of the lesser buffets are both boringly bland and borderline indistinguishable from restaurant to restaurant. This isn’t health food. But small delights pop up here and there. The Southern Indian touches at Chennai Masala in Hillsboro. The Pakistani-style lamb korma at Zaiqa. The continued commitment to quality at the 30-year-old Swagat. Random family-run restaurants with free hot chai or puffy naan. Potato pakora fries. The mango and coconut soft serve at Namaste.

(One note before we jump into the ratings: Tandoor Indian Kitchen, downtown’s buffet stalwart, is currently closed while its building gets a seismic retrofit and won’t reopen until the end of the year.)

Below, we’ve reviewed and ranked all of the Indian buffets we could find in Portland and its suburbs. You might not be surprised to learn that, as is often the case when it comes to the metro area’s Indian scene, the best options are out west.

-- Michael Russell

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No. 13: SPICE KITCHEN

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One of the Portland area's few Fijian restaurants serves up a modest buffet heavy on the potato. Of the 12 advertised dishes, nearly half were unavailable when we visited just after noon, including two empty dessert slots. What we did find was mostly bland and beige, and the butter chicken had tortured white meat in a broken sauce. Chewy naan arrived fresh from the griddle, though we had to ask for it (there was no extra charge). Surprisingly, this appears to be among the most expensive Indian buffets in Portland, if only by a nickel.

Details:

11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday; noon to 8 p.m. Saturday; 8245 S.E. Division St.; 503-774-3978;

Price: $12

Pleasant surprise: A mildly spiced hard boiled egg curry with a Fijian twist.

Pass: Unless you have a thing for potatoes, skip this buffet altogether.

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No. 12: MAHARAJA CUISINE OF INDIA

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This giant Indian restaurant near the Gresham Bi-Mart goes all-in on all-you-can-eat, setting up its corner buffet at lunch, dinner and during its blowout New Year’s Eve or Valentine’s Day parties. On my visit, this Maharaja (no relation to Hillsboro’s Maharaja) was dimly lit and quiet, with just one other full table among the more than 100 seats. It’s hard to maintain high quality without brisk business, and indeed the various chicken dishes were at turns tough or dry. But even so, there were things to like: We went back for seconds of the crispy-chewy samosas and bright cilantro-mint chutney were a delight. Despite being the last buffet we visited for this list, we went back for another round.

Details:

11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday-Sunday; 2830 N.E. Hogan Dr., Suite G, Gresham; 503-512-7184;

Price: $10.99

Pleasant surprise: The crispy-chewy samosas and cilantro-mint chutney.

Pass: On the unlabeled mystery sauce near the front of the buffet.

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No. 11: BOLLYWOOD BITES

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This 3-year-old Indian restaurant near Sunset High School offers a relatively inexpensive, relatively uninspired lunch buffet in a back area papered with Bollywood movie posters. Buffets need high turnover, not just to keep things fresh, but to justify their existence. On my visit, the dining room was mostly empty through the heart of lunch hours. Chicken, both tandoori-style and served in various curries, was on the rubbery side, even by buffet standards. If you go, order a la carte.

Details:

11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday-Sunday; 13551 N.W. Cornell Rd., Beaverton; 503-469-8800;

Price: $10

Pleasant surprise: The price, the bottomless chai and the drop-down projector screen showing Bollywood movies.

Pass: On the chicken dishes generally.

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No. 10: INDIA HOUSE

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If you’ve spent more than a decade in Portland, especially if you’ve spent any of that time working downtown, you’ve probably found yourself at this pleasant Indian restaurant, which opened in 1991. The lunch buffet can still pack in crowds, though on my visit, the selection was pretty sparse, particularly for the $12 price. That day, the hot line featured three meat dishes, all chicken, including both a deep red curry and a nicely charred ginger tandoori chicken, plus two veggies curries, with an unlabeled zucchini and green bell pepper medley and some overcooked aloo gobi (potato and cauliflower); plus some basic biryani and watery basmati rice. The thinness in that rice dish carried over to both the rice pudding dessert and a warm mango lassi add-on. Want some plain naan? It’s available, but you have to know to ask for it.

Details:

11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday-Friday; 1038 S.W. Morrison St.; 503-274-1017;

Price: $12

Pleasant surprise: The corner table overlooks the MAX and streetcar tracks, as well as the West End's new Blue Star Donuts headquarters.

Pass: On the rice.

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No. 9: MAHARAJA

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Tucked between an Econo Lodge and a defunct McDonald’s, this petite, family-owned Indian restaurant and its fake grass patio are easy to miss. At lunch, the restaurant sets out a small buffet with butter chicken, palak paneer (cheese in creamed spinach) and punjabi kadhi, a yogurt curry bobbing with soft onion pakoras. Elsewhere, mixed pakoras and tandoori chicken were both a little past their prime by noon, which, to be fair, is fairly common for fried food in buffet land. Chai is free, as is naan, though you’ll have to ask for both, which you should, particularly the naan, as it’s among the best versions served at any Portland-area Indian buffet. Maharaja’s selection isn’t vast -- dessert is limited to a nice cardamon-scented carrot halva -- though at this price, that feels about right.

Details:

11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily; 610 S.E. 10th Ave., Hillsboro; 503-214-4858;

Price: $9.95

Pleasant surprise: That naan, toasty on the sides but chewy in the middle.

Pass: On the tandoori chicken.

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No. 8: NAMASTE

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Namaste has three Northeast Portland restaurants and a fourth in Vancouver, though to find the full experience, you’ll have to head to the massive location on Northeast 82nd Avenue close to Portland International Airport. Open the large wooden doors adorned with metal wheel handles to find a runway’s worth of of salad, curries, rice dishes, desserts and more lined up along the middle of the huge restaurant. This isn’t the place to come for big spice, though with this much acreage, there’s something for almost everyone. Come for the usual array of chutneys, a not-bad boneless biryani keeping warm in a rice cooker and a straightforwardly creamy chicken makhani. And stay for the mango and coconut soft serve.

Details:

11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily (dinner prices start at 4 p.m.); 8303 N.E. Sandy Blvd.; 503-257-5059;

Price: $11 at lunch, $14 at dinner

Pleasant surprise: Namaste isn't skimping on dessert, with a selection that includes not just the usual halva and kheer, but also fruit custard and, better yet, a machine dispensing mango and coconut soft serve.

Pass: The aloo tikki, a pan-fried and spiced potato-pea croquette, was in need of a refresh on my visit.

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No. 7: DWARAKA

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When I tried the door at this longtime Southeast Portland Indian restaurant, the dining room was empty save for some building materials and broken sheetrock. But when I looked inside, customers were lined up in the semi dark before a well-stocked buffet. Turns out, Dwaraka isn’t closing, but rather expanding on its own timeline, taking over the space next door to the old dining room with a handsome bar and additional seating in a gilt tunnel at the back. The main dining area should be ready to seat the old Hawthorne Street head shop clientele around the end of the month. As for the buffet itself, flavors were subtle, with bright chutneys, basmati rice and butter chicken, plus a nice array of veggie curries that didn’t lean too hard into sugar or spice.

Details:

11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily; 3962 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd.; 503-230-1120;

Price: $10.95

Pleasant surprise: On my visit, Dwaraka's buffet offered a tender bone-in goat curry.

Pass: On the grains, generally. The naan, plain basmati rice and vegetarian biryani all lacked pizzazz.

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No. 6: CHAAYA INDIAN BISTRO

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Beaverton’s Chaaya has pale green walls, spa-like decor and a menu that advertises its special thali, kebab and dosa nights (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, respectively). Found not far from the Aloha Costco and Nike, the lunch buffet has a loyal following, with a mid-sized crowd already filling the tables near the back windows by 11:45 p.m. And that buffet has a few welcome surprises, most notably a selection of interesting, well-executed fried dishes rarely seen in a buffet setting, including a mildly spiced chicken majestic and some wonderfully crunchy aloo tikki. The only misstep was a noticeably bland butter chicken, which is saying something given the dish’s signature characteristic can often be blandness.

Details:

11:30 to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday-Monday (closed Tuesday); 16755 S.W. Baseline Road, Suite 110, Beaverton; 503-747-3009;

Price: $9.95

Pleasant surprise: It's a neat trick to pull off crispy fried food in a buffet setting, so hats off to that aloo tikki.

Pass: Both that butter chicken and the tandoori roaster version, typically the most popular Indian buffet dishes, lacked punch. Skip them in favor of a curry with some character.

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No. 5: INDIA GRILL

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Found at the top of an old home across from the East Burnside Street Whole Foods, this 25-year-old Indian restaurant has a loyal clientele for both its Northern Indian and Pakistani entrees and small but tasty lunchtime buffet. Though you won’t find lamb biryani, palak paneer or other dinner-side favorites at the buffet, the L-shaped buffet does feature a nice navrattan curry (essentially a vegetable and paneer korma), spiced rice pilau, decent naan and a buffet rarity: papadum crisps, perfect for pairing with the restaurant’s mint and tamarind chutneys on the charming enclosed balcony overlooking Burnside. The selection is on the small side, but at $9.95, this is one of Portland’s least expensive Indian buffets.

Details:

11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday; 2924 E. Burnside St. 503-236-1790;

Price: $9.95

Pleasant surprise: Bring on the papadum.

Pass: Cauliflower pakoras had good flavor, but no crunch.

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No. 4: Zaiqa

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This hybrid Pakistani-Indian-Mediterranean restaurant replaced one of Hillsboro’s best Indian restaurants, Urban Masala, in the fall, adding veggie kebabs, falafel, hummus and other Middle Eastern dishes to the South Asian lineup. Early reports have been mixed, but on our visit, the buffet line was plentiful and enticing, with dark red Pakistani-style spiced mutton korma, an oily saag paneer with some legitimate heat hiding behind the creamy spinach and, when it was eventually refilled, some very good tandoori chicken. You might find the Pakistani-influenced dishes most interesting, particularly since the Portland area doesn’t have many overtly Pakistani restaurants. But there was also some novelty in wrapping crunchy falafel and soft hummus in butter-brushed naan.

Details:

11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday; 2401 N.E. Cornell Road. 503-844-6161;

Price: $11.95

Pleasant surprise: Desserts include both a carrot and plain semolina halva, both good.

Pass: On waiting for specific dishes. On my visit, several customers grew restless when the tandoori chicken and other in-demand trays sat empty for too long.

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No. 3: ABHIRUCHI

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(Lizzy Acker/The Oregonian)

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It's easy to overlook this Beaverton Indian restaurant, which sits in an aging 1960s strip mall, wedged between a shuttered Kmart and a dive bar. But it -- and its Vancouver sister -- are worth seeking out for their impressive lunch buffets, which feature a vegetarian-heavy mix of North and South Indian dishes, along with lamb curries and mountains of tandoori chicken. On a recent visit, offerings included perfectly cooked aloo gobi, mild curried yellow lentils and rich lentil soup, along with a spicy curry of eggplant, tomatoes and onion. To sop it all up are pieces of airy naan and fluffy plain and tomato basmati rice. The buffet is popular with workers from Washington County government offices across the street, as well as mechanics and salesmen from nearby car dealerships. And the crowds mean the buffet is frequently replenished, so you don't get dishes that suffer from too much time on the steam table.



-- Grant Butler

Details:

11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. daily; 3815 S.W. Murray Blvd., Beaverton; 503-671-0432;

Price: $10.95

Pleasant surprise: Crispy papadum lentil crackers come with a rainbow of chutneys and sauces.

Pass: Even though buffet items are frequently replenished, spinach and potato pakoras lose their crispness after only a few minutes under heat lamps.

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No. 2: SWAGAT

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This stately brick-and-timber Indian restaurant on Northwest 21st Avenue has a pair of equally glamorous sister locations in Beaverton and Hillsboro and distant roots in the San Francisco Bay Area. After more than a quarter century in the region, the food remains good -- good enough that you wouldn't feel slighted if you ordered it a la carte from a regular menu. Chicken makhani is tender and creamy. Palak paneer, aloo gobi, and other vegetarian dishes are bright and fresh. Even the basmati rice is a cut above most of the competition. If you don't like Swagat's buffet, most Indian buffets probably aren’t for you.

Details:

11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily; 2074 N.W. Lovejoy St.; 503-227-4300; 4325 S.W. 109th Ave., Beaverton; 503-626-3000; and 1340 N.E. Orenco Station Pkwy., Hillsboro; 503-844-3838;

Price: $11.95

Pleasant surprise: The red-black tandoori chicken was legitimately tasty, with real heat on the spice rub and noticeable char on the skin.

Pass: Vegetable pakoras retained their crunch (perhaps because they were almost all batter).

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No. 1: CHENNAI MASALA

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(The Oregonian/file)

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If you know anything about Hillsboro’s robust, ever-evolving Indian restaurant scene, it’s probably this decade-old standard bearer, which still draws lines both for its Southern Indian-influenced dinner menu and this lunch buffet. Some of those Southern Indian dishes make their way onto the buffet, including a nicely spiced sambar; the crunchy fried chilies called cut mirchi (not as spicy as the sign warned); and sand dollar-sized uttapam, the soft pancakes made from dosa batter, stacked in their tray like so many flapjacks at a free hotel breakfast. The vegetarian jalfrezi is very good, as is the paneer and mushroom curry. You can pair both with plain basmati or a minty pudina rice. Better yet, aside from a trio of Indian buffet standards -- excellent tandoori chicken, chicken tikka masala and naan -- most of the options change day-to-day.

Details:

11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 2088 N.E. Stucki Ave, Hillsboro; 503-531-9500;

Price: $11

Pleasant surprise: Some seriously spicy chutneys and a tasty kheer with golden raisins each offered more personality than the average buffet.

Pass: You probably wouldn't come here specifically for chicken tikka masala, but if you do, you'll find it's just fine -- only worth noting because Chennai Masala sets such a high bar elsewhere.

-- Michael Russell

503-294-5013

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Staff writer Grant Butler contributed to this report

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Buffets aren't your thing? Then don't miss our guide to Portland's 40 best restaurants, right this way.