Karishma Indian Bistro

Karishma Indian Bistro is a new restaurant in Wakefield, having been open only for a couple months. I stopped there for dinner this evening to check it out.

Karishma is a small place, with about a dozen or so tables, and is simply decorated. Seating is to either side of the door and there is a buffet area directly across from the doorway. There are two large screen TVs and they were playing some type of Indian MTV. I did not mind the music videos but I am not sure that it would appeal to everyone.

I first checked out the drink menu and it is relatively small. They sold wine by the glass, with only a few options, but identified it by varietal such as Pinot Noir or Chardonnay. Thus, you don't know the winery. So, this is not a very wine-friendly restaurant. They do sell beer including a couple Indian beers. They also have non-alcoholic drinks including several varieties of Lassi.

The food menu has some interesting and usual choices, including Tandoori, Biryani, Masala, Dosa, Vindaloo and many vegetarian dishes. But, they do seem to lack variety in their appetizers. No items like Meat Samosa or Chicken Pakora. Most of the available appetizers were vegetarian. There is also a lack of variety in their breads, one of my favorite parts of an Indian meal. They only have Naan, Garlic Naan, Roti and Tandoori Roti. Prices are good, meals generally ranging from $10-15.

They do have a lunch buffet during the week, for only $8, and a special lunch buffet on the weekends for $12.

We ordered the Chicken Vindaloo, Lamb Curry, Garlic Naan and Tandoori Roti. The two breads were quite large, buttery and cooked perfectly. The garlic naan had plenty of garlic. Though they lack variety in their breads, they certainly make excellent bread. Both the Vindaloo and the Curry came in large bowls, filled with plenty of meat (the Vindaloo also having potatoes.) We also got a large bowl of basmati rice. We had been asked how hot we wanted the dishes and we chose the hot version. They certainly lived up to being hot! But what a delicious heat! The meats were very tender and the sauces were flavorful and spicy. Both dishes were excellent.

Service was very good. They made sure our water glasses were kept full and the staff were friendly and personable.

Overall, this is a good restaurant with some excellent food. I would like to see some more variety on their menu, but what they do have will please you.