SangEat, a new restaurant on the Champaign-Urbana food scene, features an Indian buffet that is unmatched in the community
This family-friendly establishment serves up all of your favorite Indian food, including naan (so much naan), butter chicken, aloo matar and more
Imagine this: You have out-of-town visitors and you are showing them all the best parts of Champaign-Urbana. Your schedule is packed — parks, museums, libraries, gardens, and you are looking for somewhere to eat that is quick, fresh, and locally owned.
This is the scenario that brought us to the doors of SangEat, a recently opened restaurant and bar serving up delicious Indian food in Champaign. We arrived with three adults and two children in tow, excited to experience the SangEat lunch buffet.
SangEat buffet is a delicious addition to the Champaign-Urbana lunch hour scene
For lunch, diners can choose between sit-down service and a serve-yourself buffet. The buffet options were plentiful: fresh naan and flavorful pakora plus chicken biriyani, saag paneer, butter chicken, tandoori chicken and aloo matar to name a few. Each dish was fresh, warm, and rich with spices and flavor. Everyone at the table chose a different dish as their favorite, but I will say there was no shortage of butter chicken consumption for our crew.
In addition to the buffet, we tried both the mango lassi and the salted lassi and found both to be vibrant and refreshing. SangEat made a true fan that day when one Chambanakid at the table tried their mango lassi. It was love at first lassi, if you will.
Something for everyone
This is a great lunch stop for all who want to taste a little bit of everything. As an added bonus, kids are also encouraged to taste a little bit of everything and might even find a new favorite food. It’s a testament to the quality and taste of the food: we went back for seconds, and even thirds, of several dishes.
We left comfortably full and happy to find an extraordinary meal that fit between outings — without sacrificing taste or ambiance.
SangEat quick facts
- Lunch buffet (11 a.m.-3 p.m. daily, $16.99 per person) is great for kids and families
- The sit-down table service side of the restaurant would make a great date night
- SangEat has many options for vegetarian and vegan dishes, and gluten-free options as well
- Dinner hours are 4:30-9:30 p.m. daily, the buffet is not open during these hours
Where to go
Visit SangEat at 1905 S. Neil St., Champaign, in the location where That Burger Joint/Oberweis used to be.
