Students and townies alike are spoiled for choice when it comes to good Indian restaurants in downtown Ann Arbor. The community was crushed when Madras Masala’s original location on Maynard Street burned down last year, but that is in the past now because the South India and Indo-Chinse restaurant is back at 2016 Packard Street.
“We have a very good customer base here,” Gopal Ramaujam, who co-owns Madras Masla with his wife. “They are more than welcome to come here, like family.”
The new location’s unremarkable exterior makes the subdued but cheery orange and green interior a pleasant surprise. The food is just as delicious as it ever was – with its excellent lamb biryanis, just right rice, popping hot samosas and pleasantly chewy medhu vadas.
There are differences of course. The freshly renovated new location has a decidedly more neighborhood feel than the original urban location, across the street from the western entrance of Nickel’s Arcade.
The buffet that used to characterize lunch at Madras Masla will not be coming back. The wait staff of the original location also did not make the transition. Instead, you order at the counter from what is basically the same menu. Your cashier then gives you a buzzer, which lets you know when your food is ready.
Prices range from $2.50 to $17.95. Take out and dining in options are both available.
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Drew Saunders is a freelance business and environmental journalist who grew up just outside of Ann Arbor. He covers local business developments, embraces his foodie side with reviews restaurants, obsesses over Michigan's environmental state, loves movies, and feels spoiled by the music he gets to review for Ann Arbor!
