NAYA Indian Cuisine is open, and it's really good - Smile Politely

NAYA Indian Cuisine is now open for lunch and dinner seven days a week on the corner of Third and Green Street in Campustown. NAYA first opened first opened in 2019 with a delicious Asian Italian-inspired menu, and this new iteration of NAYA has none of the same dishes.

NAYA Indian Cuisine has a menu of breads, appetizers, vegetarian meals, chicken entrees, and dishes with lamb, goat, shrimp, and fish. The interior is very similar to NAYA Bar & Eatery, just minus the bottles on the mirrored shelves behind the bar, fewer booths, and more tables for two.

When we first sat down, our server brought us waters and a complementary pre-meal snack.

The padad and dip were not unlike chips and salsa. The cracker had a black pepper flavor and was easy to break into pieces to dip in the sweet cumin sauce.

We ordered vegetarian samosas to start ($3.99). The crispy pyramids had fragrant coriander seeds sprinkled throughout soft potatoes and peas. I loved the green sauce; it was super spicy but well balanced with citrus and cilantro.

The NAYA special chicken vindaloo ($16.99) was excellent, and I would highly recommend this dish. Full of tender chicken, the tomato curry had a wonderful heat and great onion flavor. The chopped potato was soft like the inside of a thick fry and absorbed the vindaloo’s flavors.

The lamb curry ($16.99) had big cuts of lamb in a thin, delicious gravy. At NAYA, there are three spice levels: mild, medium, and hot. We had our two entrees medium spice, and it was hot but not overwhelming. If you like really spicy, go for the spicy level — I believe in you.

Naan is an absolute must when I’m eating Indian food, and NAYA’s garlic naan ($3.99) was yummy and soft with lots of chopped herbs.

The side of rice was included with the lamb curry, and it came in a pretty copper bowl.

I also ordered the strawberry lassi ($3.99) which was great. It tasted like a strawberry milkshake and had slivers of strawberry in some sips.

My date ordered the masala chai tea ($2.99). A nice hot beverage, the tea was savory and earthy; the masala flavors of cumin, cinnamon, and cloves were tasty with the chai.

All in all, it was a delicious lunch with pretty quick service. I love the ambiance of NAYA’s dining room, and it sure was nice to be back eating at NAYA.

Take a look at the menu.