Sitara Fine Indian Cuisine & Bar has opened in downtown Columbus with a lunch buffet that gives Friday full weekend privileges. The restaurant began serving October 2 at 427 E. Main St., taking over Indian Oven’s longtime address.
The buffet runs Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 3 p.m., according to October reporting by food writer Nicholas Dekker. His October 15 Columbus Monthly feature put the price at $17.99 per person.
Weekday lunch also brings thalis with a choice of three curries, naan, rice and gulab jamun. Dekker reported prices of $13.99 for the vegetarian version and $14.99 for nonvegetarian.
The wider restaurant menu includes tandoori chicken, dal makhani, saag paneer and chicken tikka masala, along with biryanis and a substantial bread selection. Dekker’s visit singled out bullet naan with garlic and green chiles. That is useful information for anyone whose bread order tends to require its own discussion.
A familiar address with a new owner
Owner Mandeep Singh and his family also opened Ammar India Restaurant in Zanesville in 2024, according to Columbus Underground. The publication reports 68 seats inside Sitara, additional outdoor seating and a staff member’s plan for patio renovations next year.
Indian Oven closed at the East Main Street address September 1. Its departure came with plans to relocate farther north, rather than retire the restaurant altogether. A spokesperson told NBC4 in September that the owners were looking in the Delaware, Lewis Center and Polaris area, with a new address still to be chosen.
The earlier restaurant began in Old North Columbus in 1996 and moved downtown in 2001. Sitara’s arrival follows a relatively quick refresh of that space, with new flooring, seating and lighting documented in local coverage.
There may eventually be more buffet days to put on the calendar. Sitara told Dekker it hopes to expand service beyond the current Friday-through-Sunday schedule. For now, the three-day lineup is the one documented in his October 26 report.
