Bombay Sweets has two unlikely locations, one in a Brookfield strip mall (19555 W. Bluemound Road) and the original at 3401 S. 13th St. As the name suggests, the cooking is East Indian, but in this case everything is vegetarian.

The setting is modest—you order at the counter and help yourself to plastic flatware—but there are compensations: Prices are very cheap. A samosa is only 75 cents—the same as a piece of poori bread—and it’s the equal of any other local Indian restaurant. Most entrée items cost between $4 and $6.

This is not ordinary vegetarian fare, either. Many items will not be found elsewhere. An example is the idli sambhar, a pair of steamed lentil patties served with a cup of sambhar, a South Indian spicy broth. This one comes dotted with black mustard seeds, along with a side of delightful coconut sauce prepared with minced, fresh coconut.

The setting may lack elegance, but the food is equal to, if not better than, all of the local competition. Bombay Sweets is a diamond in the rough for the dedicated vegetarian.

Bombay Sweets | Photo by Kate Engbring