Authentic, from-scratch Indian food, with the convenience of a large lunch buffet, is available seven days a week in downtown Medford.

Namaste Indian Restaurant, at 35 N. Central Ave., offers nearly two-dozen menu items on its buffet (just $13.99), and even more options are available on the full menu.

Opened four months ago after closure of Real Taste of India, which opened in 2019 but shuttered during the pandemic, the new eatery has garnered a steady lunch following.

The aromas of steaming Indian food specialty items and freshly made “naan” — garlic, butter or plain — likely lure a fair share of impromptu diners alongside regulars. A recent lunch visit to check out the buffet proved a wise decision, offering a tour of the flavors of Indian dishes. The buffet offers a variety of entrees, sides, appetizers, salads and a few desserts.

While a full menu is available, the buffet offers an opportunity to sample a long list of the restaurant’s regular items without the commitment of choosing just one or two.

Namaste serves authentic favorites with flavorful sides and a small salad bar. An Indian food staple, “tandoori chicken” is more a style of cooking than a recipe. Cooked in an urn-shaped, clay oven called a tandoor, tandoori chicken is made with robust Indian spices and thick yogurt and cooked to a crisp finish.

The buffet is filled out with single dish ingredients including the fresh tandoori — a restaurant specialty available seven days per week — as well as plain and seasoned rice, “pakora” (fritters, choose from veggie or fish), “samosas” and “onion bhaji” (think onion rings).

Main dishes include vegetarian and protein-based specialties like chicken, goat, lamb and seafood options. Buffet entrees included a flavorful curry called “navratan korma,” chick-pea based “Ghana masala” and four different chicken entrees including an Indian curry and “butter chicken.”

For my dining partner’s spicier palette, “chicken vindaloo” (chicken and potatoes in a spicy hot chili sauce) was a clear favorite. Some of my favorites included “saag paneer” — a creamed spinach with homemade cheeses, “bhindi masala” — fresh okra, sautéed onions and seasonings — and both the butter chicken and the curry. Namaste makes an authentic curry with fresh-cut meat, coconut milk, curry and chili peppers. The curry was freshly made and piping hot, and the butter chicken was fragrant and creamy with exceptional flavor.

A handful of dessert items on the buffet were a pleasant surprise. “Gajar halwa,” a densely sweet carrot and cardamom pudding, was an instant favorite.

The atmosphere is clean and relaxing with friendly staff. The buffet is in a large room and diners are able to grab a plate and start eating almost as soon as they arrive, a nice accommodation for too-short lunch breaks. The restaurant is busy enough that the food is fresh, but not so packed that you’ll wait for a table.

Chicken entrees, which are all priced at $16.99, range from butter chicken and “chicken vindaloo” to “chicken saag.” A lamb and goat menu — entrees are $18.99 — includes a curry of either protein, “lamb tawa masala” (skillet cooked lamb with onions and chilies and cream), “lamb Rogan Josh” (onion and tomato sauce-based dish cooked with yogurt, cashews and nuts) and a half-dozen others.

Seafood entrees (also $18.99) include shrimp, mahi and several curried fish options.

With Indian food being a popular vegetarian cuisine, Namaste’s menu won’t disappoint with some 20 meatless selections. Choose from “paneer tikka masala” (homemade cheese in velvety tomato cream sauce), “aloo gobi” (cauliflower and potatoes), “dal makhani” (black lentils in a subtle sauce) and “mushroom mutter” (peas and fresh mushrooms in a mild sauce).

Sodas and chai are available, or try a favorite Indian treat — a traditional yogurt drink, “lassi” comes in mango or plain.

The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily (buffet is offered from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) For more information, , call 458-225-9432. Visit online at indianrestaurantmedford.com