Mela Indian Restaurant
+1 828-225-8880+ Add websiteImprove this listing
Hours
Sun
5:30 PM - 9:30 PM11:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Mon
5:30 PM - 9:30 PM11:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Tue
5:30 PM - 9:30 PM11:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Wed
5:30 PM - 9:30 PM11:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Thu
5:30 PM - 9:30 PM11:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Fri
5:30 PM - 9:30 PM11:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Sat
5:30 PM - 9:30 PM11:30 PM - 2:30 PM
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Ratings and reviews
4.5
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Details
Someone from this business manages this listing.
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CUISINES
Indian
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, Late Night
features
Does this restaurant accept reservations?
Details
About
Located on Lexington Avenue in the heart of downtown Asheville, Mela Indian Restaurant specializes in North and South Indian food made from scratch with local and organic ingredients. We are certified by the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project for using ingredients produced by local farmers. Come sample our lunch buffet which has a range of delicious options including chicken and naan cooked in our authentic tandoor oven, raita prepared with house-made yogurt, and seasonal vegetarian specialties. The atmosphere at dinner is warm and intimate; specials include such favorites such as pistachio lamb and spinach and goat cheese naan which are baked in our genuine tandoor oven. Mela welcomes children and offers a kids menu. In addition to dine-in, we also offer catering services. We have many options available - please contact us for more details. At Mela, our goal is to provide our community with a taste of traditional Indian cuisine. We hope you'll come and join us soon.
CUISINES
Indian
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, Late Night
FEATURES
Takeout, Reservations, Buffet, Seating, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service
Contribute
4.5
807 reviews
Excellent
471
Very good
212
Average
63
Poor
28
Terrible
33
hermandree
Hickory1060 contributions
Mar 2023 • friends
I was very pleased with the quality and taste of the food. The location is good, and the interior is very nicely decorated. The service was very good and I felt that it was an amazingly reasonable price for the lunch buffet. I typically eat the same dishes over and over at Indian restaurants and this is by far the best butter chicken I have ever experienced! I am very much looking forward to going back soon.
Written March 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AMChs1957
Yellow Springs30 contributions
Feb 2020 • none
For decades I have enjoyed Indian restaurants in various cities, and the Mela Indian Restaurant is the favorite for me and my wife. The buffet is top notch with special twists that make the food distinctive. We go to Asheville sometimes mainly to eat there.
Written February 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ProfBAM
107 contributions
Jun 2023 • family
Rented a large hillside house SE from Asheville for the family vacation: 7 adults and 4 children. On Sunday, everyone went their own way and it was decided that we would bring in Indian for dinner. As I was driving with my daughter and son-in-law back from horseback riding, a group phone call settled on Mela Indian Restaurant and we would divert form I-40 to downtown for pick up. Food was ready and neatly packaged on time. BTW: restaurant has a nice atmosphere and the staff that I met were friendly and helpful.
Amongst our orders were Lamb Vindaloo, Chicken Vindaloo (hot but not too spicy), chicken tikki masala, mutter paneer (vegetarian dish) plus two different naan breads and a couple of other dishes that I have forgotten. Everything was excellent, even the kiddos found something that they would eat. It was a mass of food. It was a mass of food for less than $200. Several of us grabbed leftovers for lunch the next two days.
Written July 12, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Grace S
11 contributions
Jun 2020 • family
The restaurant offered only takeout and delivery due to coronavirus and you would think for the price of the entrees they would come with some naan but it didn’t. Upon arriving at the motel we had no plates or silverware with which to eat it. Luckily our hotel found some plates and silverware for us. The food was nothing special I have had better for the same price.
Written June 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Liz S
Asheville2 contributions
Feb 2020 • none
Mela has been one of our go to restaurants for the past 8 years, but our experience last night was so disappointing it will most likely be our last visit.
The food was terrible, vegetable masala was clearly frozen vegetables from a bag drenched with masala sauce that tasted like it was from a jar, overly sweet and synthetic. The chicken tikka masala was 3 chunks of chewy low quality chicken, the saag paneer was bland and the garlic naan was inedible, the dough was raw.
This was never the most authentic Indian place, but you could always rely on having a delicious meal with good service, but not anymore. Huge disappointment. If you want yummy Indian food, check out Chai Pani.
Written February 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jana
3 contributions
Apr 2022 • none
When we arrived on time for our reservation we were seated and it took the waitress awhile to get to us. She then asked for our drink order and then awkwardly told us no bartender so just beer and wine. We ordered a nice bottle of white wine and it was delivered at room temperature. We asked for a wine bucket with ice which took another 10 minutes. Our appetizer came 40 minutes after we were seated and dinner almost an hour after sitting. The food was good not excellent as is typical. I could only see three wait staff which isn’t typical as I have been going to Mela for 16 years. The hostess continued to seat lots of people knowing they don’t have the staff to adequately serve their customers. Our server should have told us upfront no bartender. Meanwhile they are filling lots of takeout orders. Profit over service, too bad.
Written April 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GAURA
3 contributions
Sep 2021 • none
We regularly eat Indian cuisine and found the food at Mela to be quite ordinary. or even below standards We went for the lunch buffet, which was a true buffet in that you could eat as much as you like. We both left feeling hungry and unsatisfied.
Having been born in USA and lived in India for several years I know good Indian cooking. Additionally I've been a vegetarian for almost 50 years and eat Indian diet several days a week for 40+ years. I am familiar with quality Indian cooking, and Mela did disappoint.
The ambience was nice, the staff friendly, and the environment clean. Music played in the background was not too loud, so we could have a conversation without shouting at one another.
They offered 2 types of rice, a white and a yellow 'fancy' rice, both of which seemed not fresh. Their potato cauliflower veg needed salt, which we asked for and received. Same with the dahl., which could have used more spicing. It seemed to have been cooked for an American clientele. The spicing was, to our tastes, a little bland. The spinach subji has other veggies [carrots and others] that seemed hard and undercooked.
The naans were nice, and poppers too.
A good selection of chutneys and pickles were offered which all were good, and I suspect the sweet mango and tamarind chutneys were store-bought, rather than made. The cocoanut chutney was good, if a little mild in spicing.
They offered 2 sweets to finish off the meal- a kheer and a sweet vermicelli milk sweet. The milk in the kheer had turned sour. The vermicelli was good.
The pakoras were eggplant and were a little undercooked. It's easy to make pakoras but these were not up to par.
They had 2 meat dishes but being vegetarian we didn't try these.
Altogether, considering it's a true "eat as much as you want" buffet, the price and quality, we both left hungry and were quite disappointed.
Written September 21, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Elly W
Asheville10 contributions
Jul 2021 • none
We are locals and used to come here all the time. We visited recently and had a really poor experience, mostly because the food was terrible. I ordered the Shahi Paneer, which was supposed to be in a rich and spicy tomato sauce. The sauce instead tasked like a can of tomato soup mixed with heavy cream. No Indian flavor whatsoever. I brought the whole thing home, looked up the recipe online, and recreated the dish using my leftovers and adding the proper spices.
Also, the Papadums were chewy, not crispy, as if they'd been made hours before we arrived and left to sit. And the Punjabi Pakoras we ordered as an appetizer had no crunch and no flavor. We didn't even eat half of them and we were hungry.
To make matters worse, we were seated beneath a loud speaker playing terrible, random music. Politely, we asked twice to have it turned down a bit—to no avail. We couldn't converse at our table at all.
A wasted evening. Incredibly disappointed.
Written July 20, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Limeyinusa
Woodbury145 contributions
Jun 2021 • couples
Asked how spicy the chicken Tikka was and told slightly less than medium but could be made hotter/spicer. So asked for a little more than medium. Curry came and while fairly tasty was completely lacking any heat/spice whatsoever. Meals also said they came with popadoms and we didn't get any. When we asked the server after the meal(we did forget at the time) we were told that they had run out of popadoms. Seems like something that should have been mentioned at time or ordering. Server did apologize for spicyness and lack of popadoms briefly. The other 3 curries were spicy as advertised so maybe mine they just forgot the spices. Also waited long time for drinks. Got 2 then waited again for the 3rd and 4th.
Would maybe go again to see if this was a fluke but not in any hurry.
Written June 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LisaWCoralSprings
Coral Springs76 contributions
Dec 2021 • none
We recently went to this restaurant while visiting the Asheville area. We were slightly disappointed in the food and the attitude of the staff. We arrived a few minutes before they opened and the person at the door was rude and told us they would open in 10 minutes. There were people ( possibly staff) laughing at the bar. The naan was the best part of the meal. We ordered the chicken tikka masala and were not even asked how spicy we wanted it done. I would not rush back here but were happy they were open Christmas Eve.
Written December 27, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Eric S
Charlottesville180 contributions
Mar 2022 • none
I’ll preface my remarks by acknowledging that any restaurant is “a matter of taste”, and in this case, somewhat unexpectedly, myself and my companion differ on the quality of the food here, which I found astonishingly “average” after so much hype (she’s a self-acknowledged “foodie”, and we tend to agree and delight in our shared culinary experiences, whether dining out, or cooking at home); so…
We dined their buffet. The self-serve dish selection was adequately varied among their many dinner menu items… no issues there. Refreshing and replenishment of the food trays was akin to any lesser quality, mass consumption buffet… very much a let down. Perhaps they do better with dinner?
The actual dishes, I would rate as “meh”… nothing to rave about, decent but unremarkable, tasty, but salty… decidedly not top tier. And, sorry, but the Naan was no exception… more “meh” (and how does one screw up such a basic?… other than indifference?)
Table service, being a buffet, was not remarkable… noticeably, casually, mediocre… sort of an “I could care less” attitude. The atmosphere/ambiance was distinctly faux urbanity… banal… not surprisingly matching the local clientele.
I can’t recommend this dining establishment… Asheville has better alternatives. Save yourself the dissatisfaction.
Written March 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rob C
Asheville71 contributions
Nov 2022 • couples
Two of three dishes we ordered were very good, one was marginal. Most notable however was the service, which was timely for ordering but poor after that - they forgot the side dish, no water refill, no request for additional beverages, no request if we’d like dessert. The occasion was my wife’s birthday, and we left feeling like we’d just been to a diner, rather than what we’d anticipated: an evening of somewhat fine dining.
Written November 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mark E.
2 contributions
Aug 2022 • none
I think this is Southern Indian Food, and I mean American Southern. The food I ordered was sweetened, although it was not supposed to be a sweet entree. It is as though they have added a sweetener to their foods. I know the south is known for adding sugar to everything, but I did not expect that at an Indian Restaurant.
In my opinion, all the entrees here are overpriced ($$$) compared to similar Indian restaurants elsewhere. Cleanliness appeared to be very good! The plating and meal presentation was terrific. So 2 stars for those!
Written August 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wooded A
Indian Trail33 contributions
Mar 2022 • friends
We had high hopes, this restaurant was very disappointing.
The saag paneer came out smelling and tasting burnt. The smell of burnt food permeated the table before I even took a bite. How did the chef not realize? This dish was kindly removed from our bill.
The chicken tika masala was reminiscent of a sickly sweet Campbell’s tomato soup, plus Indian spices.
The spinach and cheese naan and the mango lassi were both good, otherwise it was a waste of time and money.
Written March 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steven A
Peabody618 contributions
Apr 2021 • friends
When you can sample unusual delicious recipes, you know you have found a winner. We had lamb pistachio, vegetable masala and seafood avival. All of the dishes were very tasty, well-priced and fulfilling. I would highly recommend eating her anytime.
Written April 12, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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