This Maine Restaurant Serves A Daily Indian Lunch Buffet With Curries, Biryani, And Dessert
An old office building that spent about forty years full of desks now serves biryani every single day. That’s a career change I can fully support.
The lunch buffet runs seven days a week, starting at 11 a.m. The kitchen cooks from scratch and brings its spices in straight from India. Fresh naan comes out of a clay oven too.
The menu leans into South Indian, North Indian, and Indo-Chinese cooking. That means the menu has room for Butter Chicken and Punugulu, the restaurant’s popular fried lentil balls.
I’ll admit, that range makes my midday sandwich feel a little lonely. It’s a bold move for a downtown spot in Maine.
What happens when a quiet workspace turns into one of the busiest lunch tables in town? I’d be curious to find out, and I suspect the answer involves a second plate.
The Buffet Line Opens Every Day, So Lunch Plans Just Got Easier
Seven days a week, Rasa Indian Cuisine sets out a lunch buffet from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Weekends count too, which feels like a small gift to anyone who sleeps in.
That daily schedule matters more than it sounds. Plenty of Indian buffets show up only on certain days, so you have to plan around them.
Here, a random Tuesday works just as well as a lazy Sunday. You can decide at 11:45 and still make it in time.
The buffet also has its own dedicated space inside the dining room. The layout lets people move around without bunching up near the entrance or the kitchen.
Nobody enjoys doing a polite shuffle while holding a full plate of curry. A smart floor plan saves everyone from that awkward little dance.
The restaurant sits in downtown Bangor, so it fits easily into a workday break. It also works for a weekend outing with family or friends.
My practical tip is simple. Arrive closer to opening if you want time to browse every tray without watching the clock.
Three and a half hours sounds like plenty. Then again, so does one plate, until you see the biryani.
Butter Chicken Gets Company From Goat, Paneer, And Plenty More
Curry fans, the lineup here is wide. Rasa’s menu covers vegetarian and non-vegetarian options, with familiar favorites leading the charge.
Chicken Tikka Masala and Butter Chicken are the popular names you’ll likely spot first. They’re the comfort-food classics of many Indian menus for good reason.
The range keeps going after that. Curries come with goat, lamb, fish, shrimp, paneer, and mixed vegetables, so every eater has a lane.
That variety is great news for mixed groups. One friend can stick with paneer while another goes straight for lamb.
Spices also come directly from India, and the kitchen prepares its dishes from scratch. Those two details explain a lot about what lands on the plate.
Freshly made sauces tend to taste brighter than anything poured from a jar. Good spices give a curry its depth and personality.
Here’s a smart move for first-timers. Take small spoonfuls of several curries instead of loading up on just one.
That way you can find a favorite without filling up too early. You can always circle back for a bigger helping of the winner, and nobody will judge you for it.
Biryani Fans Have A Real Decision On Their Hands
Count them up and the biryani section reads like a small family tree. Veg, Egg, Chicken, Goat, Lamb, and Shrimp Biryani all appear on the menu.
Then there are the Rasa Special Biryani variations. Those carry the restaurant’s own name, which usually means the kitchen feels proud of them.
Chicken Biryani is one of the best-sellers. That makes it a safe and tasty starting point if you’re new to the dish.
Biryani is a layered rice dish cooked with spices and meat or vegetables. It’s filling on its own, so it can easily anchor a whole meal.
Some people treat it as a side for curry. Others treat curry as a side for biryani, and honestly, both camps have a point.
For a lunch visit, the buffet can be a low-risk way to try it. Dinner opens the door to the full menu and its many versions.
Goat Biryani is worth a look if you’ve never tried goat before. It’s a common choice in Indian cooking, and Maine menus don’t offer it every day.
Pick one, take notes, and plan your next round accordingly.
Save Some Room, Because Dessert Is Part Of The Plan
Gulab Jamoon is one of the desserts on the menu at Rasa Indian Cuisine, offering a sweet finish to a flavorful meal.
These soft, fried milk dumplings come soaked in sweet syrup. It’s the kind of traditional Indian dessert that makes a rich finish to the meal.
The dessert section also lists Mango Fruit Custard and Kheer. The latter is a creamy rice pudding flavored with cardamom.
After a plate of spiced curries, something sweet can feel like a welcome finish. The dessert menu offers several options worth saving room for.
Leaving room is the hard part. Buffets tend to tempt people into a third trip, and suddenly dessert looks like a distant dream.
My advice is to plan backward. Decide early that you’re getting dessert, then pace your main plates around that promise.
You can always ask your server which desserts are available that day. A sweet finish to lunch never hurts anyone.
Dessert might be the last thing on your mind when you walk in. It shouldn’t be overlooked once you’ve finished the main course.
Garlic Naan From A Clay Oven Deserves Its Own Fan Club
Bread lovers, this one’s for you. Rasa makes its naan fresh in a clay oven, and Garlic Naan ranks among the best-sellers.
Clay ovens get very hot, which helps naan puff up and pick up those toasty spots. That’s the classic way to make it.
Naan also does a lot of hard work at an Indian meal. It scoops up curry, wipes up sauce, and keeps nothing on the plate wasted.
Garlic Naan adds an extra punch of flavor to that job. It pairs especially well with creamy curries like Butter Chicken.
The bread menu doesn’t stop there. Puri and Chapathi also make appearances for anyone wanting something different.
Puri is a puffy fried bread, while chapathi is a thin, flat whole-wheat bread. Each one brings a different texture to the table.
Trying more than one bread is a fun way to compare styles. Order a basket for the table and let everyone share.
Fair warning, though. Bread has a sneaky way of filling you up before the main event, so maybe pace yourself between bites.
Samosas, Pakora, And Fried Lentil Balls Make Snacking Serious
Indian food in much of New England leans heavily north. Rasa Indian Cuisine widens the map with South Indian and Indo-Chinese cooking too.
Punugulu are a highlight of that South Indian side. These fried lentil balls come mixed with onion, chili, and cilantro.
The appetizer list brings even more fun. Veg Samosa is a best-seller, and those flaky pastries are hard to resist.
Punugulu are fried lentil balls, a snack popular in South India. Mirchi Bajji are hot green pepper fritters for anyone who likes a little kick.
Pakora and Manchurian round out the lineup. The former brings spinach and onion fritters, while the latter features ingredients tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce.
Small plates like these are perfect for sharing. Order a few for the table and treat it like a tasting tour.
The Indo-Chinese side adds another twist. That style blends Chinese cooking methods with Indian spices, and it has a big following in India.
If your usual order is the same curry every time, this is your chance to branch out. Start with something crunchy and see where it leads.
Vegan, Vegetarian, Halal, And Gluten-Free Diners All Get A Seat
Dinner plans get tricky when one friend is vegan and another eats halal. Rasa handles that puzzle better than most.
The restaurant offers vegan, vegetarian, and halal non-vegetarian Indian cuisine. Many dishes are also gluten-free, which helps a lot of diners relax.
Indian cooking makes this easier than many cuisines. Lentils, chickpeas, vegetables, and rice have starred in Indian kitchens for centuries.
That means vegetarian choices often feel like main events, not afterthoughts. Paneer and mixed vegetable curries are right there on the menu.
Halal meat options matter to many Muslim diners. Having them available opens the door for even more families to share a meal here.
Gluten-free eaters still need to be careful with breads like naan. Rice dishes and many curries are often a friendlier choice.
My best tip is to speak up. Tell your server about any allergy or dietary need before you order.
Kitchens can only help with what they know. A quick question at the start saves a lot of worry later and lets you enjoy the meal with confidence.
Bright At Noon, Moody By Dinner, And Built With Real Care
About forty years of office life came before the curry. The building at 175 Exchange Street, Bangor, Maine 04401 served as offices before its makeover.
Maine-based Ervin Architecture completely overhauled the interior. The result is a 75-seat dining room in the heart of downtown.
The space was designed to shift with the clock. By day, it feels bright and ready for the lunch buffet crowd.
At night, the lighting comes down. The room then becomes one of downtown Bangor’s better date-night spots, according to the people who designed it.
That two-in-one trick is pretty clever. A single room can host a quick work lunch and a slow anniversary dinner on the same day.
The vibe stays casual but attentive, with a warm, family-run feel. Outdoor seating is also part of the picture.
Wheelchair accessibility is listed among the amenities too. That’s a big plus for older family members or anyone using mobility aids.
Honestly, I like a room that changes outfits for evening. Few old office buildings ever got that kind of glow-up, and this one earned it.
A Family Team From Portland’s Taj Brought Their Skills North
Family runs this show. Sai Guntaka co-owns Rasa Indian Cuisine with his uncle, Obul Reddy.
Guntaka also owns Taj, an Indian restaurant in South Portland. So this team arrived in Bangor with real restaurant experience already under their belts.
The doors officially opened on Sunday, March 29, 2026. That makes it one of the newer additions to the downtown dining scene.
New restaurants often take time to find their footing. Starting with a daily buffet and a big menu shows plenty of confidence from day one.
Hours are generous too. Lunch typically runs from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and dinner picks up again at 4 p.m.
Hours can change, especially at a newer spot. Check the latest schedule before you head out, so you don’t arrive during the afternoon break.
Downtown Bangor makes a good base for the rest of your day. You can pair lunch with a stroll around the neighborhood afterward.
Maine has plenty of famous seafood shacks. A family-run Indian kitchen serving biryani daily is a fresh reason to plan a trip to Bangor, and I’d happily make room for it.