Mela Indian Restaurant, Asheville

During our brief trip to Asheville, we were completely lost around town, and couldn't find the restaurant we wanted to eat at. We got so hungry that we decided to eat at the very next restaurant we saw. It was Mela's! I always get worried about eating cultural food at a place i'm not familiar with--but we decided to try it anyway. We were greeted pleasantly, and our server was efficient as well. The lunch buffet was only $8.95, and they did not skimp on the choices at all. There was a nice selection of side sauces--ie: tamarind, cucumber yogurt cilantro, etc, soup, 2 chicken dishes, 2 types of rice, 3 vegetarian dishes, 2 types of breads, and even 2 types of dessert including those yummy Indian doughnut balls floating in honey. Everything was totally tender, traditional, and delicious. I did see at least 2 people cooking in the back who were Indian, so I know the food was traditional. Please see pictures of my plate to see what I ate! The decor is a modern artsy fartsy Indian decor, and the bathrooms were very clean as well. All in all, we would highly recommend this place for a quick cheap lunch. We had a great time here.