Kangchen Indian Cuisine

Got my take out order wrong. Food was salty. Samosas were over fried. Stay way. My first clue should have been an empty restaurant on a Friday night.

This is my favorite Indian food that I’ve had in Madison. I loved the chai milk tea as well as the samosas, which were made fresh to order. The chicken tikka masala was absolutely incredible. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would visit again.

Just had brunch there today, had never been to this Indian restaurant before, and went because of the Isthmus’ review. I was impressed with how clean and organized the place and food was. The food was out standing, far exceeding that of the Maharana Indian Restaurant. The trip was worth going to the Far West side. The prices are comparable to all the other East Indian restaurants in town. It was an enjoyable experience all the way around

Our group of four came here for the Sunday buffet, $ 11.99 per person before tax and tip.
All I can say is WOW! This place is seriously amazing! I’ll echo the previous reviewers and say that there is great authenticity in their dishes as far as flavor and spice.
The buffet spread is impressive, here are just an idea of what to expect:
Appetizers: Papadum, Aloo tikki, butter Naan, a red onion pancake (Uthappam), spicy fried Tandoori Cauliflower, baby corn jalfrezi — think red, lightly fried spicy baby corn, and fried piece of spicy chicken — reminiscent of a dry General Tso’s without the heavy batter.
Others: Iceberg Salad (nicely presented) and a vegetable soup that contained sliced green peppers and cabbage, a sour taste, reminds me a bit of Borscht. They also had a 6-​item chutney station.
Entrees: Bhindi Masala (an okra, tomato based curry dish), Tandoori chicken (bone-​in), a shrimp curry, Tawa fish, Chicken Tikka Masala, Paneer Tikka Masala, and Vegetable Dum Biryani (or as our table called it, the Surprise Rice as the coloful Basmati rice sat atop of the hidden seasoned mix vegetables buried underneath).
Dessert: Gajar Ka Halwa (Sweetened grated carrots with cashews and raisins), mango ice cream, and this dessert that that had the appearance of fine thin glass noodle, was even sweeter than the Gajar, also with cashews, which the servers explained was made from seaweed.
The mango ice cream deserves it’s own shout out. It’s simply the best mango ice cream I’ve ever had! It’s supremely rich and buttery in texture, also contained chopped pistachios sprinkled throughout. The nutty taste and texture gave respite from the velvety consistency.
I’m sure I’m missing a few items as there was easily more than 2 dozen of variety of dishes at the buffet station. Everything was delicious! I honestly can’t remember a bad dish.
All the utensils and stations were kept clean, the plates and dishes gleamed white. The dining room was also spotless, just like the service we were provided during our visit. Our water glass was always filled. At the end we didn’t know you paid up at the cash register, so we lingered for a bit after we way overstuffed ourselves, but never did we feel rushed from service either, as our water glasses continued to be filled.
Each dish was prepared as if it was an individual order, you can definitely taste the care and pride in the craft.
I suggest even the seasoned Indian cuisine order-​ers to try their buffet as there were some items I have not seen at other establishments, and newbies to come try their buffet, see what suits your taste, and the next time you can order off the menu with confidence.

My husband and I are regulars at many of Madison’s plentiful Indian restaurants. We thought we had our regular joint figured out, but one day we were driving past this place and decided to try out their lunch buffet. Boy, are we glad we did!
Everything we had was good! Usually there are some high points and low points when we visit Indian buffets, but across the board we were very happy with everything. There were plenty of creamy dishes, which we love. Oddly enough, though, there was a very basic vegetable soup that had us going back for more multiple times. We also felt like there was a good mix of familiar dishes (kormas, masalas, tandoori chicken, etc) and unfamiliar ones, both equally delicious. The desserts were great, the staff was very friendly, and the food was high quality. This is going to be our new go-​to lunch buffet for sure!

Have been to their lunch buffet so many times.
They are not consistent with what they cook. One day one curry tastes yummy, on a later visit next weekend same thing isn’t tasty.
They recently became very slow in bringing nans in the lunch buffet. Their nans aren’t good too.
This is something you can go once in a while but definitely not my first choice anymore as they kept on degrading weekend after weekend.
And yeah, they don’t know how to fry any of the starters. All were uncooked in my recent three visits to their lunch buffet.

There are a lot of Indian buffets on the westside of Madison and my husband and I like to go to them all. Most are very similar but sometimes you get different things when you eat at a variety of them. My husband and I wanted to see if we could throw this one into our rotation.
Service was very good and attentive. There was also a large variety of food more than I think at other buffets. I liked that they had several different appetizers to choose from. Nann came out hot and had a good texture. However, everything else (curries, tikka masala, chicken dish, etc) was just really salty. When I got home I felt so parched and drank a ton of water.
We will probably try it again because it had just opened when we were there and maybe my taste buds were off that day.

Ooh, spicy! I like it. I’ve complained about the lack of spice in other Indian buffets, but this is one place I won’t be. It has all the standard fare — chicken tiki masala, saag paneer, spiced rice, tandoori chicken, etc etc etc, so I would say what distinguishes this establishment is its pointed spiciness. I will say that somehow their selection doesn’t feel as extensive as, say, Minerva’s, but it could be because I’m a meatatarian at an Indian restaurant. Finally, I am particularly excited that they (sometimes) have gulab jamun, which are honey-​soaked dessert balls that I personally find simply divine after a fragrant and invigorating lunch.

The dining room was very empty at 7pm on a Saturday night. We almost did not go in because it’s awkward being the only table in a restaurant. The great reviews on Unilocal were what sold us in the end. We ordered the Pondicherry dosa, saag paneer, and malai kofta. The waiter brought us the usual poppadom with mint and tamarind chutneys. The poppadom was very greasy, which is unusual. It was so greasy and shiny that we thought it was plastic at first. The chutneys were very watery. The dosa is gigantic, and we could have just split that as a meal. The vegetables in the dosa were fresh but could have used more seasoning. The saag paneer was just ok. The sauce in the malai kofta was very sweet, and the koftas were kind of dry and bland. While the service was very good, I would say Kangchen was a subpar dining experience and I would rather have eaten somewhere else.

After a movie, I was hungry and knew I didn’t want to cook. I stopped at this spot for some take away. I ordered the Goat Curry (mild), Tandoor Chicken, Naan, and Somosa. I was quoted about 15 minutes for order to be ready. The gentleman who took my order offered me water or a beverage during my wait.
I observed a clean dining area and the buffet set up. The buffet looks like it would have many different options. I would like to come back to try that in the near future. It was towards the end of the night and the restaurant was very quite, with only one table. A party of six walked in at 9:30 pm and they were greeted warmly.
There is a nice comfortable couch were I read a book for the 15 – 20 minutes. It was longer than quoted for the food to come out but I was not upset. Food came to me very well packed. When I got home, there were no spills or leaks. The Goat Curry was very flavorful and the meat was cooked well. The Tandoor Chicket was very good, too. I had left overs for multiple meals.
I look forward to dining in and upgrading the stars.

Food is 4 stars. Service was 2 stars so I’m giving 3 stars.
We order naan bread with onion, lamb cabab and chicken with orange sauce. All come in a very nice size, fresh and hot.
Again — only problem with service, which can be improve in a very easy way

We went on sunday evening the restaurant was completely vacant… hesitantly we went in and we were greeted a little late. But after we ordered the food, it was absolutely awesome. We ordered vegie pakodas as started and that just was wow ! The we ordered cauliflower curry which tested our tadtebuds and was successful in impressing us. We ended our dinner with gajar haluwa, a sweet carrot desert. This one just melted in our mouth… just wow again… loved the ambience and the servers as well. Very polite and courteous.

I have been to the Kangchen restaurant quite a few times. In short the food is very good. Its surely one of the best in Madison. Also the place is newly opened and is not much crowded. So wait time is not a problem.
I prefer the morning buffet at this place. The one bad thing about this place is that options are limited when compared to the other Indian restaurants. So you wont be able to find all your favorite dishes. But the ones they have taste delicious. All the chicken dishes are fantastic. The sweets are pretty good too. The place has a huge adjoining parking lot. So parking is not a problem. The people out there are very courteous.
I will surely be going back to this place.

This restaurant was dead empty on a wednesday night. And while the décor screamed ‘mistake!’ I trusted my fellow Unilocalers and stepped in for dinner with my significant otter.
So glad that I did.
First off, take the servers reccomendations. They have good taste, are beautiful solicitous, and are graceful, unobtrusive and a higher grade of tablecloth than the décor suggests.
As a result. of our servers reccomendation we had the house special naan for an appretizers.
⁵⁄₅ will order again. Every time. Best $ 4 appetizer Ive had. The toppings were fresh, the balance of dairy and bread perfect.
Dinner was also wonderful. We tested the chicken tikka masala as well as another chicken dish which I will not embarass myself by trying to spell.
In short. Wonderful.
The chicken tikka was not heavy. The spice and tomato came through beautifully. The other dish was a perfect pairing with its dark, cardamom and cinammon gravy.
Just do it.
Ignore the mash of mall vs genuine décor.
Eat the food.

Finally some spice on a buffet! Most Indian places have very little spiciness on their buffet, but some of the buffet entrees like mushrooms in creamy curry sauce (sorry, forget name) and eggplant actually had some heat. Yahoo! Chicken Tikka Masala was very flavorful. As Sarah Z reminded me in her review – beware of the item called «Chicken Curry», it was good but it had lots of bones, which you couldn’t tell at first since it was covered in sauce.
Dessert table had curd rice – which is not sweet, but I understand that it’s an acquired taste for closing a meal. The beetroot halwa was something new to me, and I liked that the fresh fruit tray had pomegranate seeds. I did miss rice pudding and I hope that they’ll add it as a dessert option.
I’m going to return because of the spice factor.

I’m on an Indian food kick. Can’t get enough! I feel like a broken record while reviewing the various Indian restaurants around Madison – but Kangchen has DELICIOUS food! And they have a great selection. You’ll probably have to visit multiple times in one week (cough*likeme*cough) to get your fill.
If you like to try many dishes, I’d recommend the lunch buffet. Not sure yet if they rotate their selections daily, but today the highlights were:
— Chicken Cherrinad: Richly spiced, different in the best way. Beware of bones.
— Chicken Tikka Masala: A favorite. This version is extra creamy.
— Paneer Saag: Cheese and spinach never tasted so good!
— Tandoor Chicken: Great pepper flavor.
— Vegetables: I appreciate the fresh veggies! Nothing special, but they cut the richness if everything else and are great to have.
— Beet Root Halwa: Yep, beets for dessert! I was floored, and then went back for more.
If you fancy a sit-​down meal, here are some other highlights:
— Paneer 65: Spice and chile flavors meet. Bite into a crispy outer crust and experience the smooth, creamy paneer inside. I’m becoming that dramatic Unilocaler… and I don’t care.
— Lamb Rogen Josh: It’s just great when lamb, curry and creamy yogurt come together.
The interior of Kangchen isn’t super romantic or anything. You can tell it used to be a salon with its bare white walls, but that’s not going to keep me away.

My first experience was… so-​so. It was super clean! Which is great for any restaurant. I went around 2, started empty but by the time I left there were about 5 tables full. I needed a quick order to go… had the waiter very confused by that request. I may be the first to ever ask to grab and go.
When it got all sorted out and I had my food back at work, I have to say… the food hit the mark (initially) for me! Even enough for me to eat for lunch the next day… allowing me to become the smelling reheated lunch guy (you’re welcome, co-​workers)! Maybe this is a fact for Indian Food, but it left me very sleepy afterwards… both days. This could be dangerous, since it’s so close to work.
The Naan left more to desire. Which, at most spots is the best part!

The food was really very good… We been forDiwali Special Mega Buffet… There was 50plus variety of food like lamb Samosa, Madarsi Chicken, Goan Fish curry and many more… Being in Madison more than one year never had such a different types of food item and taste. Taste was very good… i liked the spicy taste in food…

The food was not only good, it was different than other Indian restaurants in town. This is important as most of the restaurants here serve the same food made from same recipes. So far the quality and cleanliness looked great. Hopefully it continues. Good luck!

Probably more like 3-​point something stars based on two visits for the lunch buffet (they just opened a few weeks ago). However, I’ll round it up to 4 stars based on the fact that they actually have some appropriately SPICY food available at the buffet (there’s plenty of non-​spicy as well– chicken tikka masala, palak paner, etc), and because both times I’ve been there both the main selections as well as the desserts have had things that you don’t see at all of the other Indian buffets nearby. At this point I’d probably compare Kangchen favorably against Dhaba and Swagat, and a step up from Maharaja and Minerva (all about a 5 minute drive from this place, so there’s pretty stiff competition nearby!)