Why Tabla Belongs on Your Lexington Dining List

Nicholasville Road south of downtown, a corridor thick enough with Indian restaurants that choosing one is the actual work. Anyone hunting an Indian restaurant in Lexington KY has driven this stretch and kept going.

This guide covers what the Tabla kitchen does that the others on this road do not, plus where else to eat when the craving points somewhere different.

Quick Summary

Tabla Lexington sits at 2270 Nicholasville Rd Ste 120, open 10 AM to 10 PM Monday through Thursday and 10 AM to 11 PM Friday through Sunday. Chicken Biryani runs $18 and the nine signature curries all sit at $18 with your choice of protein. The menu also carries five Thai curries and Pad Thai at $20. Everest on Alexandria Drive holds Lexington's highest Indian rating at 4.9.

The Menu Runs Wider Than the Sign Suggests

Most Indian restaurants in Lexington stop at Indian. Tabla Lexington runs three kitchens off one menu.

The Indian side covers nine curries at $18, all with a protein you pick: vegetables, paneer, soya chaap, chicken, lamb, goat, or fish, with shrimp at plus $3 and lamb chops at plus $9. Every entree arrives with jeera rice.

The Indo-Chinese side runs Manchurian, Chilli Garlic, and Schezwan at $21, with Hakka Noodles at $13 and Indo Chinese Fried Rice at $10.

Then there is a Thai section. Yellow, red, green, and Massaman curries at $20 each, Pad Thai at $20, Thai Basil Fried Rice at $20. General Tso and Sweet and Sour also at $20.

Whether that breadth appeals depends on the table. For a group that cannot agree, it removes the argument.

The Nepali Corner of the Appetizer List

Momos are the detail worth knowing before you order. Three versions appear on the appetizer menu, which is unusual for a restaurant not billed as Nepali.

• Nepali Style Vegetable Momos, $10

• Nepali Style Chicken Momos, $12

• Kurkure Momo, $14, a crispy paneer momo served with tandoori mayo

The rest of the list runs Vegetable Samosa at $5, Mixed Pakora and Samosa Chaat at $8, Pani Poori at $12, and Chicken Lollipops at $15.

Appetizer 65 at $15 lets you pick cauliflower, paneer, or chicken, finished with curry leaves.

Biryani, and What It Costs

All biryanis come with a side of raita.

The $4 jump from chicken to goat or lamb is the decision point. Below that, the vegetable and paneer versions are the cheapest full plates on the menu outside the kids meals.

Eating Vegetarian Without Reading the Fine Print

Tabla Lexington marks dietary information directly on each menu item, including vegan, gluten-free, Jain, and nut-containing dishes. That is more labelling than most menus carry and it saves a conversation at the table.

The vegetarian section runs everything at $18:

• Aloo Gobi, cauliflower and potatoes slow cooked with onions, tomatoes, and ginger

• Chana Masala, chickpeas cooked home style

• Dal Tadka, Dal Makhani, and Dal Bukhara, three separate lentil preparations

• Bhindi Masala, okra stir fried with garlic, tomatoes, and onions

• Malai Kofta and Hariyali Kofta, the second in a creamy spinach gravy

• Alphonso Mango Paneer, paneer in a mango sauce

• Paneer Bhurji, grated paneer with green peas 

Three dals as separate dishes rather than one is the sign of a kitchen that expects vegetarian diners rather than accommodating them.

Dinner That Needs to Look Like an Occasion

Tabla's Mix Grill at $41 is the table order: paneer tikka, chicken tikka, malai methi, lamb seekh, fish tikka, and tandoori shrimp on one platter.

Individually, the tandoor list sits at $20 for Paneer Tikka, Chicken Tikka, Achari Chaap, and Tandoori Chicken. Seekh Kabob is $23 and Tandoori Shrimp $29. All served with mint chutney and jeera rice.

Lamb Keema Naan at $6 and Peshawari Naan at $5 are the breads that justify the upgrade from a $3 plain naan.

Where Else to Eat Indian Food in Lexington

Nicholasville Road alone holds several, and naming only Tabla would be no use to anyone actually deciding tonight.

Hyderabad House, 2220 Nicholasville Rd Ste 160, is the closest, a few doors up the same road. Closed Mondays, 4.2 across 328 reviews.

Taste of India, 2467 Nicholasville Rd, runs a buffet and holds 4.5 across 824 reviews. Saturday and Sunday service starts at noon.

White Tiger, 3695 Nicholasville Rd, sits further south with a bar, 4.7 across 277 reviews, and closes between 3 and 5 PM on weekdays.

Everest Nepalese & Indian Cuisine, 1801 Alexandria Dr #192, holds the highest rating of any Indian restaurant in Lexington at 4.9 across 1,780 reviews. Buffet at lunch, momos are what people go for.

Tandoor Fine Indian Cuisine, 3146 Mapleleaf Dr #110, is the east-side option, 4.4 across 1,444 reviews.

Grill India, 128 E New Circle Rd, holds 4.8 across 143 reviews and runs a bar alongside the dining room.

Six restaurants, six different reasons to pick one. Lexington has more range on this than the road suggests at forty miles an hour.

Order Indian Food Online From Tabla Lexington

The 10 AM opening is worth noting. Most Indian restaurants in Lexington open at 11 and several close between lunch and dinner. Tabla runs straight through.

Ordering direct rather than through an aggregator keeps prices at menu rate.