As takeout food goes, Indian curry is a nice change of pace from the glut of pizza and doner kebab shops found throughout Germany.

Before the coronavirus led the country to shut down dining inside restaurants, I found an Indian place in Wiesbaden worth coming back to, and yes, they’re still doing takeout.

Indian Palace is about a mile away from the Army’s Hainerberg installation and a 10-minute walk from the Crestview housing area.

The outside of the restaurant is a nondescript storefront, with an inside that, once things return to something approaching normal, will seat about 20 people, along with a small bar. The decor is simple but pleasant.

The menu includes about 15 appetizers and 40 main courses to choose from, including 11 vegetarian dishes. For the uninitiated, a good Indian vegetarian dish has enough flavor to please most carnivores. But I prefer meat, so for starters, I ordered the minced meat samosas, though the flaky filled pastries do come in a vegetable version. The crust on the samosas was a little thick, but the minced meat was very good.

My companion ordered butter naan, the traditional flatbread found throughout the subcontinent and especially in the north. It actually reminded me of the naan I ate while deployed to Afghanistan.

Both appetizers were served with three dips: sweet mango sauce, sweet and sour tamarind sauce and a spicy yogurt sauce.

Next up was the chicken makhni, which was sliced chicken breast fried in butter and served in a mild tomato-based curry with rice. This was possibly one of the best dishes I’ve had since I moved to Wiesbaden. The chicken was super tender and moist. The curry was a little sweet but when I mixed it with the rice, I couldn’t stop eating it.

My companion ordered lamb karahi, which included lamb chunks cooked with ginger, chili and Indian herbs cooked in a karahi pan. This dish was listed on the menu as slightly spicy, but it had several peppers on it. The sauce was deceptively hot. It was chock full of favor and the more you ate, the hotter the sauce became.

The prices were reasonable and the portions were large. I’ll be back, even if it’s just takeout for a while.

edge.david@stripes.com Twitter: @DavidEdge96798393

Address: Schulheissstrasse 23, Wiesbaden

Hours: Tues.-Sat. noon-2:30 p.m., 5 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.; Sunday noon-2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; closed Mondays. Takeout only for now.

Food: Curries and other classics

Drinks: Beers from India and Germany, and a full bar with European and Indian wine selection. Fountain sodas, juice, water and coffee.

Prices: 13 to 17 euros for most meals.

Menu: German and English. Most of the servers speak English, are friendly and very helpful.

Phone: 0611-5315-862

Online: indianpalacebierstadt.weebly.com

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