A few weeks ago something tragic happened. I drove up to my favorite restaurant in Tuscaloosa (and possibly the world at this point in my life) only to find that it was closed. A tattered, handwritten sign reading “Closed for Renovations” was haphazardly tacked to the window without any further explanation than instructions to keep calling the restaurant’s number for updates. Of course, I was crushed.

And so were a number of my friends and undoubtedly hundreds of other Tuscaloosa locals who consider Sitar Indian Cuisine to be a second home. The unassuming restaurant on the corner of Hackberry Lane and 15th Street, next to Ichiban and AMF Bama Lanes, has remained largely unnoticed and under-appreciated by many but has amassed a steady following through the years.

My first experience with Sitar came long before I attended Bama Bound and became an official student at The University of Alabama. My brother had just entered his freshman year of college at the University, and we had been dragging belongings from the Ferg parking deck to Ridgecrest South all morning as he moved into his dorm (this was before the convenient drop-off move-in process I enjoyed). When we finally took a break for lunch, we went to Sitar.

It was a sweltering August day, so by the time we got to the restaurant, we had barely begun to cool off from our short air-conditioned ride. We immediately filled our plates at the buffet, and I’ve continued to do so for the past six years – the first four sporadically whenever I visited my brother in Tuscaloosa and the last two avidly, usually once every other week.

It’s hard to say what my favorite part of Sitar is, but it’s probably somewhere between the warm naan, an Indian flat bread, and the creamy chicken tikka masala. The thing about Sitar is it offers something different from the traditional college-town food we’ve grown so accustomed to eating. Sure, Buffalo Phil’s will always be fine for some chicken wings and fries. And yes, Domino’s will always take Dining Dollars, but for the same price or lower ($9 for the lunch buffet), Sitar offers the opportunity to try a multitude of new dishes and flavors.

With around 15 different items on the lunch buffet, there’s bound to be something that pleases everyone. Personally, I’ve found just about anyone who tries it ends up liking it and becoming a part of the shameless group of Sitar enthusiasts.

For example, during the restaurant’s recent closure for renovations, I can personally account for at least 10 people who vigilantly called the restaurant every day to see if it had reopened. And when we finally heard the restaurant was back up and running, we went the very next day. And the day after that. And unabashedly the day after that, too.

Over the years, I’ve watched as Sitar has grown into a true Tuscaloosa staple. What started out as a fairly empty dining room during my high school years is now bustling and full of happy diners every time I visit.

Sitar is my own personal version of Southern comfort food. Of course, I still adore fried okra, biscuits and collard greens. But I know that years from now, after I’ve graduated and moved away, whenever I come back to visit Tuscaloosa, Sitar Indian Cuisine will be the first (and probably second) place I eat.