India Palace’s Butter Chicken & Naan is A Spiritual Experience… Except for the Tomato Soup
The TL;DR Review
- The Vibe – Smells like spices and destiny. Authentic.
- Must-Haves – Butter Chicken (A+) and Naan (A++).
- The Skip – Tomato Soup (Tastes exactly like Campbell’s).
- The Redemption – Vegetable Samosa (A).
- Rating – ★★★★☆
The next time you’re wandering down E 10th St in Lawrence, Kansas, looking for meaning, purpose, or just carbohydrates, you need to stop at India Palace. Because their Butter Chicken and Naan are not just food – they are events. This is the kind of meal that makes you briefly believe in reincarnation, specifically as a piece of Naan.
The restaurant itself smells like every spice known to humanity, plus maybe one new one invented in the back kitchen. You walk in and instantly feel that something important is about to happen to your digestive system.
Experience the Vibe
Before the review, see the atmosphere and craft that goes into the food.
MY SCIENTIFIC ORDER (conducted at 12:00 p.m. sharp)
1) Butter Chicken. (Transcendent)
The Butter Chicken is so good it will cause you to re-evaluate every decision you’ve ever made involving poultry. Each bite feels like being hugged by a cloud that went to culinary school. The sauce is creamy, buttery, and capable of causing small emotional breakdowns of joy. If I were ever lost at sea, I’d want a vat of this Butter Chicken to keep me company. (Also, as a flotation device.)
2) Naan Bread. (Even More Transcendent)
The Naan is, scientifically speaking, illegal levels of good. It’s soft yet slightly crunchy, buttery yet somehow not butter, and serves as the perfect edible shovel for Butter Chicken sauce. You start with one piece, then another, and then realize you’ve entered a carb-based fugue state. At this point the waiter will appear, smiling knowingly, because they have seen this happen before.
3) Tomato Soup. (Why, God, Why)
Then came the Tomato Soup, which can best be described as “a betrayal in liquid form.” I took one sip and was immediately transported back to my childhood – specifically, to a can of Campbell’s Tomato Soup my mom heated up in a panic because she forgot dinner.
It’s uncanny. Either India Palace somehow perfectly reverse-engineered Campbell’s recipe through advanced molecular gastronomy, or they just opened a can. I’m not accusing anyone of culinary fraud, but let’s just say my spoon detected notes of aluminum and nostalgia.
In fairness, it was warm. (That’s the compliment.)
4) Vegetable Samosa. (Redemption Arc)
Just when I was drafting my open letter to the Soup Department, the Vegetable Samosa arrived, glowing like a golden pastry messiah. It was flaky, spicy, and filled with vegetables that had clearly gone to finishing school. The texture was perfect – crispy on the outside, soft inside – like a confident introvert.
One bite and I forgave everything, even the soup incident. The samosa restored my faith in both Indian cuisine and the concept of second chances.
COMING SOON: Chicken Tikka Masala (The Sequel)
For my next visit, I’m aiming for the Chicken Tikka Masala, which I’ve been told is like Butter Chicken’s slightly fancier cousin who drives a Prius. It’s diced chicken cooked in a mild sauce with mild herbs and mild spices – which means it’s still probably more flavorful than anything I’ve cooked in my life.
I haven’t decided whether to dine in or take out, which, according to science, is a decision best made 45 seconds before hunger-induced collapse. Either way, I’ll be back – armed with an appetite, a questionable moral compass, and possibly my own can opener (just in case).
FINAL VERDICT & Voices from the Palace
India Palace is a culinary rollercoaster: thrilling highs (Butter Chicken), emotional recoveries (Samosa), and one confusing detour into soup-based identity theft.
Would I go again? Absolutely.
Would I order the Tomato Soup again? Only if I lose a bet.
Question: “What did you think of the Butter Chicken at India Palace?”
“It changed my life. Before I tried that Butter Chicken, I didn’t believe in destiny. Now I believe my destiny is to eat this chicken until I explode or the staff files a restraining order. Whichever comes first.”
Question: “Would you say the Tomato Soup lived up to expectations?”
“Oh absolutely. I expected it to taste like Campbell’s, and by God, it did. I even brought my own can opener just to compare. Identical. I think I cracked their secret recipe, but my grandson told me to ‘please stop doing that in restaurants.’”
Question: “How would you describe India Palace to someone who’s never been?”
“It’s like a spa, but for your mouth. You walk in stressed, you walk out covered in butter and spiritual clarity. I proposed to my naan. It said nothing, but I could feel the yes.”