Lacto
Indian
Buffet
Beer/Wine
Delivery
Take-out
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. Indian cuisine restaurant operated by a family from Punjab. Menu includes some traditional meat-free dishes, several of which are supposed to be vegan suitable. Vegans could order the whole wheat naan and ask omit butter. Open Mon-Sun 11:30am-2:30pm, Mon-Thu 5:00pm-9:00pm, Fri-Sun 5:00pm-9:30pm.


Venue map for Mela
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17 Reviews

First Review by meroe05

veganicat

Points +337

Vegan
17 Sep 2024

Golden!

First off, the golden milk is vegan and delicious! Coconut milk richness. We got the veg Thali, a sampling of several vegan dishes, and it was really good. Also the samosa chat appetizer without raita was spicy goodness. We will be back!

Davesw

Points +3771

Vegan
06 Sep 2024

Yum! Excellent vegan Indian!

Menu was well marked, and the selection and flavors were excellent!

JuliaTR

Points +192

Vegan
01 Aug 2024

Great

Lunch buffet is great, many of the dishes are vegan and everything is clearly labeled (GF as well). It is very easy to eat vegan here and the food is good.

rawfit

Points +598

Vegan
13 Jul 2023

Decent Indian Buffet

The food is well spiced and tasty. Some dishes were just warm. Overall, worth the visit. No wow factor! Vegan items are well labeled.

Pros: Helpful and knowledgeable staff, Tasty food , Great location

Cons: Warm food

YarnDarlin

Points +182

Vegan
16 Jun 2023

Great Indian Food

About what you expect. Flavorful Indian food with several vegan dishes to choose from.

ErinJLevins

Points +78

Vegan
30 Jan 2023

Really tasty

We tried the aloo gobi, Baingan bharta, and the Punjabi chole and everything was incredible. Menu is very clearly marked for vegan options, even for delivery, which is always a plus. The food was seasoned beautifully and the rice with the fennel, cardamom and cinnamon is really a treat. The oil levels were perfect too, something I’ve run into issues with in the past with other local Indian places. Super recommend!

Pros: Clearly marked vegan options , Beautifully spiced food

Cons: No vegan bread options

WNCVegan

Points +110

Vegan
30 Jan 2023

One of my favorites

Only reason for four stars is HC won't allow five for restaurants that are not fully vegan. Fair enough, but these guys are very vegan-friendly and easy to work with. And their offerings can't be beat .

One quick caveat emptor: the vindaloo is much hotter than i expected. Not an issue for me as i learned to pace myself pretty quickly, but if you don't like hot spices ask the waitstaff for guidance.

Pros: Very vegan friendly, Friendly and knowledgeable staff

kenny.cakes

Points +1583

Vegan
08 Jan 2023

Birthday Dinner

3.5 stars. I would always choose this as my birthday dinner location but have since had better Indian food. It's an elevated experience and so delicious and consistent. I would get the aloo gobi.

carolalcantar

Points +61

Vegan
15 Jan 2022

Madras Curry

Delicious and creamy madras curry. I have tried several other items but the madras is the way to go.

ivyvanhout

Points +188

Vegan
08 Aug 2021

Delicious every time

I’ve been eating here for years and it’s always delicious. I will say I’ve never had a first date here that turned out well lol. But the food - it’s great. My mom loves coming here when she’s in town as well.

jpepper

Points +68

Mostly Veg
23 May 2021

Meh at Mela

My wife and I went there for dinner last night, looking for some good vegetarian Indian food. The food wasn’t bad, but the restaurant was kind of run down and poorly managed. The hostess who greeted us clearly did not want to be there and needed to be better trained. There was food stuck on the menus, and the service was pretty inept. So while the actual food was OK, I really did not enjoy the experience very much. Lots of better options in Asheville!

pcvhonduras

Points +190

Vegetarian
10 Jan 2021

Amazing Indian food!

Big servings, delicious and filling!!

meghan2017

Points +177

Vegan
19 Jul 2020

Great buffet

This is the only place I will eat at a buffet because the turn over is so fast. Plenty of vegan option and delicious. If the kitchen is not too busy, you can order vegan nan bread

Pros: Cheap buffet

Cons: Can’t always get vegan nan

TifK29

Points +471

Vegan
04 Dec 2018

Great buffet

I brought my partner here because he loves buffets. I didn’t know that they didn’t serve off of the menu at lunch and I’m not a buffet fan. But I have to say that it was great! There were way more vegan options than I expected ( over half of the items were vegan ). The veggie curry was my favorite and I loved the pakoras! I stacked spinach, rice, and vegetable curry... so good. The service was good, atmosphere was nice, it was pretty busy but the flow was good.

Pros: Veggie curry, Pakoras

Cons: Go for dinner if you don’t appreciate buffets

iangrout1

Points +54

Vegan
10 Jul 2018

Excellent Indian Food

If you have the option, go at lunchtime. They have a great buffet with at least two vegan entrees plus salads, papadum, chutneys, and pakoras. Dinner is somewhat pricey, but also very good. The samosas and pakoras are outstanding, and the dinner vibe is very cool.

Living-Roots

Points +22

Vegan
06 Jan 2016

best indian in eastern US!

Authentic, traditional, homemade, family recipes. A real tandoor oven. Fresh naan. Amazing basmati rice. Friendly knowledgeable staff. Indian cooks. Great location. Lots of parking. Cozy and hip. Creative cocktails. Good mix of north and South Indian food. Will be a regular destination.

meroe05

Points +818

Vegan
28 Dec 2013

Excellent!

The food is so delicious and they are very knowledgeable and accommodating to vegans. Just let them know you are vegan and they will take care of it. The food is fantastic! They even made a special dish for my picky vegan Daughter who hates spicy foods. Ask for a waitress named Julie. She's vegan!

Pros: Delicious, Great Staff, Large Selection




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