Arya Bhavan is an Indian veggie restaurant sporting dishes from eight to ten national regions with specialties from North and South India plus the Gujurati region. You might say the restaurant’s piéce de résistance is its all-you-can-eat Grand Buffet — some twenty feet of appetizers, desserts, made-to-order pancakes, and doodads including pickles and chutneys. Get ready to dive into succulent fresh vegetables, earthy lentils, perfumed rice, luscious yogurt, and even curries. Best of all, the buffet is always changing — an endless ring of fire and spice.
"Are they having a party?" we whispered as we entered this pure vegetarian restaurant on Devon Avenue. Co-owners Kirti and Jay Sheth greeted us more like friends than customers. There were pink napkins peeking out of glasses like fanned tails of peacocks. On the wall, an image of Ganesha, with his elephant ears and trunk, nodded and winked.
Naturally, we wondered why this Hindu god of wisdom didn’t have a human head. Actually, Ganesha got the first head that came along — that of an elephant — after his own head went up in flames. It says a lot about a culture when the god of wisdom has an exotic skull, not just one of standard issue.
We sat down and started to nibble on peppery Papadam bread. The fire went right to our head, but as luck would have it, these crispy breads only opened our senses. Actually, we felt more like Vishnu, preserver and protector of the world, and his loving consort Lakshmi, goddess of good fortune, as we dawdled over sumptuous munchies.
The Arya Bhavan Mixed Basket offered ample fried yummies to be dabbed with dips of tamarind and green cilantro: a Vegetable Samosa (a dough triangle filled with spicy potatoes, peas, and secret ingredients); a blitz of sizzlingly hot Spinach Pakoras (fried chickpea dough niblets); Lilwa Ni Kachori (fried globes stuffed with shredded pigeon peas), the house specialty; and a deliciously delicate carrot-rich Vegetable Cutlet.
Buffets are typically a game of chance, and, rest it to say, at Arya Bhavan we felt like casino junkies who just kept winning with dishes from the Grand Buffet. First, we bet on a lightly sizzling Potato Curry and won. Then we scored with a lentil-rich Palak Dal, a dark concoction brightened with tomatoes, onions, and spices. After that, we scored again with Palak Paneer — a spinach and tofu-like mix — and Benyan Bharta, a luscious explosion of eggplant pulp and peas (both from North India and both delicious). We decided to try Vegetable Uttappam — powder-puff sized lentil-and-rice pancakes dappled with tomato, onion, and cilantro — and they were so mild and so yummy, we flipped.
Had they been slot machines, offerings from the Gujurat region would have lined our pockets with gold. Instead, our palates danced with gentle combustions designed to heighten our pleasure. We succumbed to Undhia. Listen to this sublime mélange: sweet potato, eggplant, plantains, white potato, pigeon peas... all perfumed with cumin. A chartreuse-colored Puffed Rice — also from Gujurat — raised us even higher with fetching explosions of apple, cashews, mustard seeds, carrots, and peas.
Then a glorious yogurt curry from the North — Punjab Kadi — floated us up and away. Its cardamom dumplings were light as air and kissed our palates with a brush of heat. We had hit the jackpot. Had Lakshmi required a dish to assure Vishnu’s devotion, this would be it. By the time our waiter brought our rice-and-lentil Masala Dosa — a tasty, potato-stuffed pancake from South India — our heads felt as large as this twelve-inch crepe.
Then, a deeper wisdom pointed us toward dessert. A warm pistachio-dappled Carrot Halwah beckoned us. Gulab Jamin, fried cheese dumplings flavored with cardamom and saffron steeped to perfection in rosy-colored syrup, leveled us out. Then, our tongues started whirling in circles as we tried to unlock the secrets of a saffron-colored yogurt pudding perfumed with nuts. Let’s admit it. During this game of veggie chance, our mental apparatus went up in a splendor of flames — which is our way of letting you know we lost our heads at Arya Bhavan.
Yes, we took a gamble and won. And countless other dishes lie in wait for other trips on this extraordinary vegetarian caravan — Tandoori specialties, Thali combination plates, Indian sloppy joe, fried lentil donuts, and a panoply of Indian breads are just a few of the offerings from the standard menu. Arya Bhavan is just the ticket for those seeking variety, subtlety, and the taste of something exotic. Dishes can be adjusted for vegans and altered to personal tastes.
Arya Bhavan, 2508 W. Devon, Chicago, 773-274-5800; open daily except Mondays. Grand Buffet, Friday 5:30 to 9:30 pm, Saturday and Sunday 12 noon to 9:30 pm; weekday lunch buffet, Tuesday through Friday, 12 noon to 3:00 pm. Prices: Grand Buffet, $9.99; weekday lunch buffet, $6.99; appetizers, soups, and salads from $2.50 to $7.99; entrées from $5.99 to $9.99; combination plates are $12.99; sides from $.99 to $1.99; beverages from $1.29 to $1.99; desserts are $2.99. Arya Bhavan caters parties. Delivery is available for orders of $30.00 or more.
Stephen’s Five Ps
Palatability: The dishes at Arya Bhavan provide a delicious array of flavors. The curries, lentils, yogurts, and vegetables are tantalizing and truly offer a gift to your palate.
Presentation: Menu items are presented in a standard way when you order from the regular menu. However, when the twelve-inch Masala Dosa is brought to your table, you can’t wait to dive in. The buffet allows you to fashion beautiful plates with yellows, greens, browns, and oranges; it’s a real chance for diners to be creative.
Portion Size: The portions from the menu are more than ample. If you take the buffet, you can eat all you want.
Price: The quality and quantity of the food presented are well worth the prices. However, the $9.99 buffet could easily be the best deal on Devon.
Pleasure: Ethel and I had a wonderful time at Arya Bhavan tasting the delicious food and learning about these delicacies from the extremely gracious owners Kirti and Jay Sheth. Your visit should provide you with an equally great evening. On a scale of 1 (terrible) to 10 (incredible), I give Arya Bhavan a 9.5.