Finding Taste of India requires a little determination. It’s tucked down Bakery Lane off the Middlebury waterfall area — not quite visible from the main road, accessed through a parking lot near the river. People who find it by accident are often the most enthusiastic about it. People who know it make a point of coming back.

The restaurant is run by chef Gurdip Singh and manager Narender Kaur, and has been quietly serving some of the most authentic Indian food in Vermont since it opened. The dining room looks out over the Battell Bridge and the falls — an improbably beautiful view for a restaurant that’s easy to miss from the street.

The naan comes out of a clay tandoor oven and arrives steaming, golden-brown, bubbled at the edges. The garlic naan in particular — generously blanketed in minced garlic — has its own following. As Narender Kaur will tell you with some emphasis: “An Indian meal without bread is not complete.” She’s right. Order the naan. Use it for everything.

The menu covers a serious range: samosas, pakoras, chicken tikka masala, lamb rogan josh, saag paneer, dal makhani, vegetable biryani, tandoori chicken, the India House Special thali platter for two. Spice levels are customizable and honestly calibrated — mild means mild, medium means medium, hot means hot. Vegetarian options are abundant and treated with real care. The mango lassi is chilled and fruity and exactly what you want.

Sunday lunch brings a buffet that regulars treat as a minor institution. For the weekday lunch diner, the lunch specials — soup or salad plus an entree — are among the best value meals in Addison County.

Middlebury doesn’t have a sprawling restaurant scene, which makes Taste of India’s presence feel genuinely special. In a small Vermont college town, having a restaurant this committed to authentic Indian cooking is something worth knowing about and protecting.

Taste of India
1 Bakery Lane, Middlebury, VT | (802) 388-4856 | tasteofindiavt.com
Tue–Sat: 11:30am–2pm & 4:30–9pm | Sun: 11:30am–2pm & 4:30–8:30pm | Closed Monday
Tip: Park in the lot near the bridge and look for the entrance down the lane