I am not going to claim to be an expert on Indian food but I do really enjoy it. I love everything from the standard chicken tikka masala and samosas to less traditional options like my favorite dish, malai kofta. I have reviewed a couple other Indian restaurants in the Madison area, but Dhaba is by fay my favorite. It opened in 2012, and doesn’t offer a buffet. When I first went I was disappointed they didn’t a buffet, but now I love it. The food you get at an Indian restaurant that isn’t off a buffet is a lot more fresh, and you can customize the spice level.
At Dhaba they offer a bunch of different chicken, veggie, meat, lamb and seafood options. When I went with a friend we got to try five different dishes, and all of them were amazing. The veggie korma is basically vegetables in a creamy curry sauce. The tandoori mixed grill is a plate of chicken and seafood grilled with curry seasoning. The spinach paneer is a cooked spinach sauce with chunks of paneer (paneer is a firm cube of fresh cheese). The chicken tikka masala had perfectly tender chicken in a slightly spicy masala sauce. And then my favorite was the malai kofta, because I absolutely love the tender veggie meatball in that same flavorful masala sauce.
FOOD NOTES: There is probably not a single dish Dhaba serves up that isn’t good. I love that they don’t have a buffet because it guarantees the food is fresh and hot. Not having a buffet has also convinced me to start experimenting with the different spice levels they offer (so far I’ve only gotten up to Medium+). If you’re in the Madison area there really isn’t a better place to get your favorite Indian dishes and try something knew. Oh, and their naan is fantastic, especially the garlic flavor!
Small Town Tourist 