Although Columbus famously "discovered" India by landing at Lexington and Concord and proudly ringing the Liberty Bell, the actual location of India remains a mystery. Today's Groupon offers the best lead the world has had in centuries: for $10, you get $20 worth of authentic Indian cuisine and drinks at Star of India. This Groupon is not valid toward the lunch buffet. Star of India is closed Sundays.
Using fresh, natural ingredients, Star of India has created an extensive menu that boasts appetizers including samosas ($3.50 for veggie, $4.75 for meat) and raita salad, blending homemade whipped yogurt with cucumber, tomatoes, potatoes, and mint ($2.50). A range of Indian breads, including flavored naan (garlic, lamb, or a coconut-raisin-almond mix, $3.25), can pad a stomach before diving into entrees such as the shajahani biryani, where tender pieces of chicken swim happily in exotic herbs and spices mixed with basmati rice and sprinkled with nuts, raisins, and eggs ($11.95). In addition to specialty dishes cooked in the tandoori, a bevy of vegetarian options includes the chana masala, which combines chickpeas, fresh tomatoes, and cubes of potatoes cooked in a tangy dry sauce of spices and herbs ($8.95). In addition to a full bar, Indian beers and domestic and micro brews are on hand to cleanse spice-sodden palates.
Star of India's cozy, casual interior features a full wall mural depicting pastoral India-centric scenes. If you refuse to dine without being entertained by choreographed dancing and singing, a movie-theater-sized screen plays Bollywood movies in the back of the restaurant, or the front of the restaurant, depending on which direction is north.
Reviews
More than 30 Citysearchers give Star of India an average of four stars. Yelpers give it an average of 3.5 stars:
- The food, service and prices are great. Being Indian and eating at a lot of Indian Restaurants Star has got to be my favorite. – Mehnaz4020, Citysearch
- The Tandoori is the best I have tried and the Chicken Kurma was excellent. – ITguyUT, Citysearch
- Consistently excellent Indian food and friendly service. – Bill R., Yelp
Star of India
Named Best Dinner & Bollywood Movie in Utah by Salt Lake City Weekly, Star of India fills with the same day-glo colors and smooth choreography of the genre’s films. A menu of tandoori specialties and traditional Indian sweets appears on tables, and the sounds of jingling instruments and tangling voices drifts from a room devoted to screening and celebrating Bollywood films. Lit from above by golden chandeliers, wall murals portray figures frolicking and rejoicing in an emerald-green field.
In the kitchen, chunks of tandoori chicken and skewered lamb marinate in cool yogurt and spices before roasting in a sweltering clay oven to seal in flavor. Nearby, chefs craft cottage cheese to simmer with peas in a mild curry sauce to make the meat-free matar paneer or infiltrate an underground food-fighting ring.
