Butter chicken, garlic naan, fragrant biryanis, and orange kulfi are helping Curry and Spice Bar build a following in Middletown, Delaware.
The North Indian menu covers familiar favorites alongside dishes such as chicken vindaloo, malai kofta, paneer tikka masala, tandoori specialties, and chole bhature. Most entrees can also be ordered at different spice levels, giving diners more control over the heat.
The restaurant goes further when it comes to dietary needs. It offers vegan and vegetarian dishes, halal selections, and a dedicated gluten-free cooking space with a Celiac Safe Menu.
For a relatively compact restaurant in one of Delaware’s growing communities, there is a surprisingly broad menu to explore, especially if you arrive ready to share several dishes.
The Address, the Town, and Why Location Matters
Curry and Spice Bar sits at 814 Kohl Ave, Middletown, DE 19709, right in the heart of one of Delaware’s most talked-about towns. Middletown has grown by more than 206 percent since 2000, making it one of the fastest-expanding communities in the entire state.
That kind of growth creates a real demand for diverse, high-quality dining, and this restaurant answers that call confidently.
The strip mall location is easy to find, and the ample parking removes one of the most common frustrations of dining out. Families arriving with strollers, guests with mobility needs, and first-time visitors all benefit from the thoughtful accessibility features built into the space.
The restaurant is fully wheelchair accessible, with enough room to navigate comfortably between tables.
Being positioned in Middletown’s main shopping corridor means foot traffic is steady and the clientele is wonderfully diverse. Residents, commuters heading toward Wilmington, and curious travelers stopping off the highway all find their way here, and most of them end up coming back.
The Story Behind the Spices
Every great restaurant has an origin story worth telling, and this one begins with two driven women who turned a shared passion into a thriving business. Mirunalini “Miru” Mayur Parthasarathy and Varsha Shejao founded Curry and Spice Bar with a clear vision: authentic North Indian cuisine made with generational recipes, served in a space where every single guest feels genuinely welcomed.
Miru’s philosophy goes well beyond the kitchen. She talks about food as a vehicle for connection, a way to honor heritage while building something new in a community that is still finding its culinary identity.
The restaurant is family-owned and minority-owned, a distinction the founders wear with pride.
Before opening in Middletown, the team had already proven themselves at a flagship location, giving them the operational foundation and culinary confidence to expand. Miru earned a nomination for Delaware Today’s Women in Business for 2025, a recognition that reflects the restaurant’s growing reputation and her own remarkable leadership in a competitive industry.
A Menu That Reads Like a Love Letter to North India
The menu at Curry and Spice Bar is genuinely extensive, and navigating it for the first time feels like flipping through a culinary atlas of northern India. Dishes like Dal Makhani, Chole Bhature, Aloo Gobi, and Kadai Paneer sit alongside rich meat preparations, fragrant biryanis, and tandoor-cooked specialties that arrive sizzling at your table.
The garlic naan consistently ranks as one of the most mentioned items, and for good reason. It arrives thin, crispy at the edges, and brushed with just enough butter to make every bite satisfying without being heavy.
The rice, described by multiple regulars as slightly seasoned and perfectly fluffy, pairs beautifully with almost every curry on the menu.
Paneer tikka masala and malai kofta appear repeatedly in conversations about standout dishes, and the chicken vindaloo has built its own loyal following among those who appreciate a bold, complex heat. The breadth of options ensures that every return visit brings a reason to try something new.
Spice Levels You Actually Get to Control
One of the most practical and appreciated features at Curry and Spice Bar is the ability to choose your own spice level for most entrees. This single detail transforms the dining experience for a wide range of guests, from those who prefer a gentle warmth to seasoned heat-seekers who want a real challenge on their palate.
The spice here has genuine depth, meaning you taste the seasoning and the complexity of the blend before the heat even registers. Medium hits a comfortable level for most diners, while spicy delivers a sustained warmth that still allows the flavor of the dish to come through clearly.
Mild is genuinely mild, which is a relief for anyone who has ordered “mild” at other restaurants only to be surprised.
First-time visitors are encouraged to start with medium and adjust from there. The kitchen takes spice requests seriously, and the consistency from visit to visit is something regulars frequently comment on.
That reliability is a quiet but meaningful form of respect for the guest’s experience.
Inclusive Dining Done Right
Most restaurants claim to be inclusive. Curry and Spice Bar actually built the infrastructure to back it up.
The restaurant offers a dedicated gluten-free cooking space and a Celiac Safe Menu, which means guests managing celiac disease or severe gluten sensitivities can eat here without the anxiety that usually accompanies dining out.
Beyond gluten-free options, the menu features an impressive range of vegan and vegetarian dishes that deliver the same depth of flavor as their meat-based counterparts. Halal selections are also available, making the restaurant genuinely accessible to a wide cross-section of the growing Middletown community.
This level of intentionality does not happen by accident. The team clearly thought through the needs of a diverse clientele before opening their doors, and the result is a dining room where almost anyone can find something that works for them.
For families with mixed dietary needs, that kind of flexibility changes the entire calculus of where to go for a meal together, and it is one of the restaurant’s most underrated strengths.
The Atmosphere Inside the Dining Room
The interior of Curry and Spice Bar surprises first-time visitors who arrive expecting a traditional ethnic restaurant aesthetic. The space is contemporary, well-lit, and clean, with mid-century modern chairs that add a touch of understated sophistication to the room.
Booths with cushioned seating run alongside standard tables, giving guests options based on comfort preference.
A large screen behind the bar plays music videos, adding a lively energy to the room without overwhelming conversation. On certain evenings, a small live band has been known to perform, turning a regular dinner into something closer to an event.
The overall vibe is relaxed but polished, suitable for a casual lunch, a date night, or a family celebration.
The dining area is on the smaller side, which means the room fills up quickly during peak hours. That cozy quality actually works in the restaurant’s favor, creating an intimate atmosphere where the sounds of the kitchen and the warmth of the room combine into something that feels genuinely alive and welcoming from the moment you sit down.
Appetizers and Starters Worth Ordering First
The starters at Curry and Spice Bar set the tone for everything that follows, and they do it with confidence. Every table receives a complimentary crispy cracker served with two dipping sauces: a vibrant cilantro-based green chutney and a rich tamarind sauce.
Both are house-made and genuinely delicious, the kind of opener that immediately signals the kitchen knows what it is doing.
The vegetable samosas are a reliable choice, arriving golden and crispy with a well-seasoned filling that hits the right balance of potato, pea, and spice. The samosa chaat takes things further by layering those same samosas with tangy chutneys, yogurt, and crunch, creating a dish that has earned its own devoted following among regulars.
For something a little more unexpected, the Gobi Manchurian offers a fusion angle, featuring crispy cauliflower tossed in a savory, slightly tangy sauce. The chicken lollipops arrive perfectly spiced and crispy, making them a crowd favorite at larger tables.
Starting with two or three shared appetizers is genuinely the best way to experience the range of the kitchen’s capabilities.
Standout Mains That Keep People Coming Back
The butter chicken at Curry and Spice Bar is the kind of dish that earns a restaurant its reputation. The chicken arrives genuinely tender, swimming in a velvety tomato-based sauce that is rich without being heavy.
Paired with the garlic naan, it is the combination most first-timers order and most regulars return to without apology.
The shrimp tandoori has developed a dedicated following of its own, arriving on a hot skillet with perfectly cooked shrimp that carry a beautiful char from the tandoor oven. The lamb biryani is another high point, with each grain of rice fragrant and individually seasoned, the lamb tender enough to fall apart at the touch of a fork.
For those who want heat and complexity in a single dish, the chicken vindaloo delivers both without sacrificing flavor for fire. The mulligatawny soup is a quieter revelation, warm and aromatic with a depth that makes it a perfect opening act on cooler evenings.
There is genuinely something here for every kind of appetite and every level of culinary adventurousness.
Desserts and Beverages Worth Saving Room For
The orange kulfi at Curry and Spice Bar has its own fan club, and after one taste, that makes complete sense. This traditional Indian frozen dessert arrives vibrant in color, cool and creamy, with a concentrated citrus flavor that cuts through the richness of a full meal beautifully.
It has been mentioned more times in reviews than almost any other single item on the menu.
The gulab jamun is another dessert worth planning ahead for, soft and syrup-soaked in the classic style that satisfies a sweet craving without overwhelming the palate. In-house desserts rotate occasionally, so asking the server what is available that day is always a worthwhile conversation.
On the beverage side, the restaurant draws inspiration from India’s bustling soda stalls to create inventive non-alcoholic drinks that complement the food rather than compete with it. Mocktails infused with cardamom, ginger, or tropical fruit arrive visually striking and genuinely refreshing.
The mango lassi is a perennial favorite, thick and cool, offering the perfect counterpoint to a spicy main course and a reason to arrive thirsty.
Community Roots and Local Partnerships
Curry and Spice Bar has made a deliberate effort to embed itself in the fabric of Middletown’s community rather than simply existing within it. The restaurant partnered with the Delaware Small Business Development Center, a collaboration that reflects a commitment to responsible growth and long-term sustainability in a town that is still defining its commercial identity.
The team earned an eight-week residency at the University of Delaware’s Perkins Center, introducing their food to a new audience of students, faculty, and staff who quickly became enthusiastic regulars. That kind of outreach builds bridges between the restaurant and the broader Delaware community in ways that advertising simply cannot replicate.
The restaurant has also hosted community events, including a political campaign kickoff that drew supporters from across the district. Miru Parthasarathy’s nomination for Delaware Today’s Women in Business for 2025 adds another layer to a story about a business that leads with purpose.
The restaurant has also appeared at the Wilmington food truck festival, where curious first-timers tasted the food and then made the trip to Middletown to experience the full dining room.
Practical Tips for Planning Your Visit
Getting the most out of a visit to Curry and Spice Bar starts with checking the current operating hours, because the schedule varies by day of the week. The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays.
Wednesday hours run from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM and then again from 3:30 PM to 8:00 PM. Thursday through Friday follow a similar split schedule, opening at 11:00 AM and closing at 10:00 PM with a mid-afternoon break.
Saturday and Sunday offer the most flexibility, with continuous hours from noon to 10:00 PM.
Reservations are a smart move for dinner, especially on weekends when the dining room fills quickly. The restaurant’s phone number is (302) 696-2103, and the website at curryandspicebar.com allows guests to explore the menu before arriving.
Online ordering is also available for those who prefer to enjoy the food at home.
The dining room is compact, so arriving early or planning ahead ensures a smoother experience. Sharing several dishes family-style is the approach most regulars recommend, as it gives everyone a chance to sample the range of the kitchen’s considerable talents across a single meal.
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