Unlike other reviewers, I didn't like the buffet, though my friends from work think it's a good value. However, I've been going for dinner to Flavors of India for nearly three years now, and have ALWAYS liked the food. FOI is my first choice for Indian cuisine in Phoenix, out of the four other Indian restaurants in the valley I've tried. 

Yes, FOI is in a strip mall, but once inside, the ambiance is pleasant. It seems quite clean, I never got sick from anything I ate there (that's saying a lot, as I admit to being a fussy eater), and the waitstaff is helpful. Bollywood videos on the large flat-screen wall display in the corner are an unusual feature, but the volume is low or completely muted, so you can watch or choose not to, it isn't distracting.   (Here's a footnote about that: I ate at FOI on the night of the presidential primary election. My dining companion noticed that most of the waitstaff was gathered around the TV in the bar, watching electoral results, so he asked our waiter if we could watch too. After getting the enthusiastic okay from the two other occupied tables, it was quite late in the evening, silent Bollywood was replaced by live news coverage with volume turned on).

Regarding the food: I love their mattar paneer (cooked peas in a tasty curried gravy, with small cubes of homemade mild-tasting cheese).  My super-spicy friend gets the lamb vindaloo (super-spiced as he requests).  Tandoori shrimp, chicken and tikka masala are good though a bit pricier, the samosa appetizer (lightly battered and deep-fried cut vegetables) is fresh, warm and crunchy. Regular and garlic nan bread are everything they should be, biryani rice is overpriced (I'd stick with basmati rice as a side dish), and sweet lassi (a well-chilled dairy drink, similar in taste and consistency to a vanilla yogurt smoothy) is a nice treat. My spicy friend says his gin-and-tonic was weak, and they don't have ingredients to make a Bloody Mary, but hey, FOI is an Indian restaurant, so I can't fault them too much for that! 

Other pluses: open a bit later than many Phoenix restaurants (seating ends at 9:30 pm); very fast with takeout orders; there's lots of parking; the 16 North bus stop is nearby; silverware, glasses, white cotton tablecloths and napkins are always spotlessly clean.