Daegu curry restaurant with a full lot at opening: Rama & Bavana

I wanted to get some fresh air at Suseong Lake and try something a little different from my usual meals, so I stopped by Rama & Bavana Suseong Lake Branch.

I was curious because it's an Indian restaurant with a 20-year history in Daegu, and I especially liked that they have a wide range of menu items so people who don't usually eat Indian food can approach it without any pressure.

Parking at Rama & Bavana Suseong Lake Branch: the lot was already full at opening

Rama & Bavana Suseong Lake Branch has its own dedicated parking area behind the building, which makes driving there pretty convenient. But even though I arrived almost right at the 11:30am weekday opening time, the back lot was already full.

In the end I parked elsewhere and walked over — and around Suseong Lake, parking and walking distance is definitely something you have to think about when heading out to eat. Having a dedicated lot is definitely a plus for Rama & Bavana Suseong Lake Branch, but if you want to park with room to spare, it might be worth arriving a bit earlier than opening time.

Full tables minutes after this Suseong Lake restaurant opened

Going up to the second floor, the interior was clean and pleasant.

The space was decorated in wood tones, giving it a warm, cozy overall feel, and there were window-side seats with floor-to-ceiling glass looking out over Suseong Lake.

By the time we walked over from our parking spot, the window seats were already full, so we sat at an inner table instead. Not long after we sat down, tables started filling up one by one, and within about 10 minutes nearly every seat was taken. As it got close to noon, people started waiting for a table too — a real sign that this is a popular spot at Suseong Lake even on weekdays.

There was a separate waiting area near the entrance.

They also had baby chairs ready, which seems great for families dining out with kids.

Rama & Bavana Suseong Lake Branch menu: curries, naan and nasi goreng

Looking at the menu, there were familiar curries like chicken curry, beef curry, and shrimp curry, plus a variety of other Indian dishes.

Beyond the curries, there were meal dishes like nasi goreng, seafood fried rice on a hot plate, and mi goreng, along with phad phong curry, butter garlic shrimp, tandoori cream chicken, tandoori chicken, and salads — quite a wide variety. Each dish had a description too, which was helpful when deciding what to order.

We ordered chicken curry with naan, phad phong curry, and tandoori cream chicken.

Chicken curry and naan: worth ordering together

A gentle curry aroma rose up, and the flavor had a pleasant, mild kick to it.

We added naan (Indian flatbread) to eat with the curry, and it was bigger than expected — very satisfying.

We tore off pieces of the warm, freshly baked naan and piled them with curry.

The chewy, nutty naan paired really well with the rich curry sauce. It has a different charm from mixing curry into rice, so if you order curry here, I'd recommend getting naan alongside it too.

How Rama & Bavana's phad phong curry differs from the one I ate in Thailand

The dish I was personally most looking forward to was the phad phong curry. I've had it several times while traveling in Thailand, so it's a familiar dish and one that suits my taste well, so I ordered it again here.

Rama & Bavana's phad phong curry felt a little different from the original version I had in Thailand. It's naturally adjusted for Korean tastes, so it wasn't exactly the same as the local version, but it was actually less intense and smoother to eat.

It had big chunks of crab and plump shrimp, so it was fun to pick through. It felt like they didn't skimp on ingredients at all :)

Piling plenty of the sauce onto the rice that came with it and mixing it together was surprisingly delicious. It paired so well with the rice that I kept going back for spoonful after spoonful.

Tandoori cream chicken: a bigger portion than expected

Last, the tandoori cream chicken we ordered.

At first I thought the portion wouldn't be very big, but it came with several large pieces of chicken — more filling than I expected.

It wasn't a dish with strong spice or sauce aromas — more like enjoying the chicken with a soft, nutty cream sauce.

Dipping a piece of chicken generously into the cream sauce, the combination of the soft cream and the nutty chicken worked really well together, giving it another flavor to enjoy.

The receipt photo review event: fries or a daily salad

Rama & Bavana Suseong Lake Branch also runs a receipt review event. If you write a photo review, you can get a dish worth ₩8,000, choosing between French fries or the daily salad.

We took part and chose the daily salad, eating it as an appetizer before our meal. Since you can pick up a review-event item after eating, it's worth keeping in mind if you're planning to visit.

Looking for a different kind of meal near Suseong Lake?

True to its 20-year history as an Indian restaurant, there was a wide variety of curries, and I could really feel the restaurant's distinct charm. Most of all, the space was clean and the atmosphere relaxed, so it seemed like a good, low-pressure choice for a date or a family meal out.

If you're looking for somewhere to eat near Suseong Lake, or you're in the mood for something a bit different from your usual meal, Rama & Bavana Suseong Lake Branch is worth a visit.

Rama & Bavana Suseong Lake Branch: hours, parking and address

• Address: 86 Yonghak-ro, Suseong-gu, Daegu, South Korea, 2nd floor
• Hours: 11:30–21:30
• Last order: 20:30
• Break time: 15:00–16:30
• Closed every Monday
• Dedicated parking available behind the building
• Baby chairs available
• Receipt photo review event available