If you’ve got an itch for spice and flavor, Bayleaf Indian Restaurant in Muncie is the latest hot spot to join the local culinary space.
Opening in late 2025, the restaurant occupies a corner on University Avenue in the heart of The Village, not far from Ball State’s campus. Entering for the first time, you are welcomed by calm lighting, a bar section and custom murals on the walls, including one with the outlines of India and the United States on the far wall, colored by their respective flags.
The clean and crisp interior is calming and sets the mood for a comfortable meal time, while the moderately sized dining room ensures that overwhelming amounts of noise from customers are not an issue. Indi-pop music plays in the background, also offering a warm energy to the space.
Opening the menu, Bayleaf offers a wide variety of both meat and vegetarian meals. If you are anything like me, the potential selections of chicken chili, goat curry and lamb achari caught my eye immediately. For others who prefer to keep their plate full of greens, there are many options, like the spicy veg platter, egg fried noodles or bhindi masala full of tomatoes and onions.
For those more sensitive to foods with a kick, Bayleaf lets you choose how much spice you would like on your meals – including none. But for those looking to challenge their palettes? Bayleaf offers double, triple, and even a quadruple spice options for the incredibly adventurous.
I selected the shrimp fried rice and ordered a side of garlic naan, while my fiancée opted for the chicken tikka masala with a mango lassi to drink. The friendly staff brought the food in a quite reasonable amount of time, and I was instantly astounded by the generous portion sizes.
The fried rice was flavorful and did not leave me digging through my bowl to find the shrimp. As someone who enjoys spice but isn’t looking to be sweating from heat at the dinner table, I chose the medium spice option and was happily satiated by a nice kick of spice, without needing to keep my water on hand.
My fiancée, on the other hand, is more averse to spice than I, and enjoyed the mango lassi the most, with her face instantly lighting up as the sweet drink agreed with her taste buds quite well. She was not the biggest fan of the kick the tikka masala had, but I found it quite tasty as the well-cooked chicken mixed with the rice offered a hearty and delicious blend.
With each meal order costing between $12 and $20, diners will certainly get their money’s worth. Bayleaf does not skimp on their servings, with large bowls and slices of naan making sure guests leave with enough food to enjoy later.
I would absolutely recommend giving Bayleaf a try, with solid value for diners’ money and plenty of delicious options to keep coming back to try. Bayleaf Indian Restaurant is open Wednesday to Monday from 11:00-2:30 and 4:00-9:30, and is only closed on Tuesdays.
