Two ornamented black elephants flanking a sitar might be the last thing you expect to greet you in a restaurant named Woodlands, but this Indian vegetarian jewel, the Fairfax location of which is wedged between a Kmart and a Dairy Queen, holds plenty of surprises.

Start with the Tandoor Paneer Tikka, house-made Indian cheese marinated in yogurt and spices, skewered, and roasted in a clay oven—one of the best cheese dishes in town. Woodlands offers 14 dosas, none better than the Special Rava Masala Dosai, a foot-long wheat-lentil crepe grilled with onions and chilies and filled with slow-cooked potatoes and onions.

Curries are a strong suit, especially the Guthi Vanki—an unusual Hyderabadi eggplant pan-seared and served in a thick sauce of yellow lentils and crushed peanuts, perfect for sopping up with a puffy piece of the fry bread called batura. There are only 20 tables in the large dining room, giving diners plenty of room for piling up plates.

Woodlands’s lunch buffet is remarkably consistent. The branches in Langley Park and Gaithersburg are also excellent.

Open daily for lunch and dinner.