I had to try Bharat after several people (including the members of Fast Planet) gushingly declared it the best Indian restaurant in Memphis.

After my lunch today there today, I'm not sure if I can crown it the greatest (because in order to do that, extensive taste testing would be required), but I am confident in saying that it would make my personal list of favorite Indian restaurants anywhere, ever.

Bharat is just off of Winchester, out past FedEx and Southwind, or, as a midtown-dwelling friend put it, "so far away, you're halfway to actual India". It takes up two storefronts, one for the restaurant, and one for a small, but well-stocked grocery store.

At night, Bharat has a full menu. During lunch, they've got a buffet (about $10)  with a decent selection that changes regularly. About half of the dishes on the buffet when I went were vegetarian, the rest were made with chicken.

I tried the vegetable korma, dal, gobi Manchurian, chicken tikka masala, sambar, yellow rice and some fresh fruit.

One of the things that I like the most about Bharat is that they don't give in to making classic, lowest common denominator buffet food. Everything I tried was very well seasoned. The things that were supposed to be spicy were actually spicy.

If I had to pick a favorite thing, it would be the vegetable korma. The slightly firey sauce had a definite tomato flavor and the chickpeas made it very filling.

(Pro tip: get a cup of chai with your lunch. It comes with milk, but I recommend adding one pack of sugar.) 

After lunch, I checked out the market. It's not very big - just slightly larger than a corner store - but it's packed with spices, sauces, chutneys, dry goods and boxed dinners. The freezer has frozen vegetables, naan and instant meals.

Bharat is open daily for lunch and dinner. They accept credit cards other than American Express, and are definitely vegetarian and vegan friendly.

Go there:
Bharat International Market and Restaurant

3675 Southwind Park Cv., Ste. 104
Memphis, TN 38125
(901) 759-1939