Nawab Indian Cuisine

Located at 129 South Stratford Road in Winston-Salem, Nawab Indian Cuisine offers Indian fare for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Beer and wine are available, as is a lunch buffet.

The sister restaurant to Greensboro’s Saffron, Nawab features a similarly nicely appointed interior and similarly elevated prices. The menus are not identical, however, and neither is the food.

I arrived as part of a group of four about fifty minutes before closing time. Despite the lateness of the hour, service was cordial and largely unhurried. This was definitely a plus, as Nawab’s menu offered plenty of possibilities. While Saffron’s thali samplers were nowhere to be found, Nawab had nearly everything else one would expect: kabobs, tikka, tandoori, curry, vindaloo, and biryani with a full range of meats as well as vegetarian options. Pricing, as mentioned, runs high - $15 for palaak paneer with no breads or sides – but I bit the bullet and shelled out $17 for a lamb biryani and another $3 for some roti.

Generous portion sizes went a long way toward justifying those prices while flavor and presentation largely made up the rest of the difference. The biryani was brightly accented with tomatoes and scallions. The meat was tender, and the seasoning was spot-on. It came at the desired medium-hot, enough to provide a kick but not enough to numb the tongue.

All told, Nawab definitely merits a return visit. Its prices are beatable, but its service and execution are difficult to match.

8/10