Little India's lunch buffet is a veggie-friendly smorgasbord

We've lauded the lunch buffet at Little India in our annual Best of Denver issue more than once. Although you might think that one Indian-food buffet is pretty much like any other, Little India's stands out for a couple of reasons: It's refilled frequently with a wide variety of food -- and most of that food is delicious.

There are four Little India locations across the metro area; our favorite lunch stop is at 330 East Sixth Avenue, perhaps Little India's most popular buffet.

At least 75 percent of the buffet is vegetarian-friendly. If you have questions about the ghee content of the various dishes, get there early to snag a server's attention, because the restaurant starts filling up very quickly.

On our most recent visit, we loaded up with naan and basmati rice, pakora, channa masala and alu mutter, as well as the saag paneer -- a buffet mainstay at the buffet that's out of this world.

The salad bar is commendable, too, with all the basics (lettuce, dressing, etc.) plus curried chickpea and potato mixtures that carry a hint of heat, along with a daily soup (the tomato is amazing). So don't think you have to blow your calorie count for the entire day on lunch -- although the buffet is all-you-can-eat.

These lunchtime plates set us back $11.72, including tax and a nice $2 tip. The lunch buffet at Little India runs from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on weekdays; for more information, www.littleindiadenver.com.