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Ajanta
Categories: Restaurants Indian Restaurants Pakistani Indian, Pakistani [Edit]
1237 Amsterdam Ave(between 120th St & 121st St)
New York, NY 10027
Neighborhood: Morningside Heights
(212) 316-6776
- Nearest Transit:
-
116 St - Columbia University (1)
125 St (A, B, C, D)
116 St (A, B, C)
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Jess P. said: "A gem on Main Street! The decor's a little crumbly and some of the waitstaff have thick accents that may be hard to understand...but these are Tandoori Chef's only noticeable cons. I've eaten here almost a dozen times. The…" read more »
43 reviews for Ajanta
Review Highlights
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"I am a fan of their lunch special, where $7 keeps me full..." In 5 reviews -
"...used to be delicious basmati rice (sometimes the best part..." In 3 reviews -
"The naan is always hot and fresh." In 8 reviews
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43 reviews in English
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Review from Rui T.
Manhattan, NY
I like this restaurant. This restaurant has good price and serve dishes quickly. I don't understand why this restaurant is such a low star average. Chicken masara can adjust spicy level and rice is unlimited. When I want to get energy, I go to this restaurant and try spicy curry. This is one of my energy booster restaurant.
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Review from Scott L.
1/21/2012
Nothing was very good, and the delivery took a long time, too.
The online menu was confusing to figure out. There were pampadam flavors, but no pampadams. The paratha was dry. The lamb was very fatty and tough. The sauce itself was thick with grease. -
Review from Takeshi T.
Manhattan, NY
5/18/2012
i like their bhoona gosht so much. i have kept ordering it for entire 6years of my morningside heights life. i love them.
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Review from Snook C.
Orange, CA
10/28/2011 2 photos
I thought that the food was good, but I was starving after a long day in the city. I am surprised that this place got such a bad review. I thought that the food was good. I was not particularly impressed or blown away, but I thought that it did worth the try.
The service was really fantastic and personalized. There were not a lot of people, so we pretty much got the attention. It was really well decor.
We order a few different kinds of curries. We were really satisfied by the quantity of the food. The naan was good too.
However, there are better indian food out there, so yelp some. But this is definitely not a bad option in the area. -
Review from Samson W.
Washington, DC
1/15/2012 1 Check-in Here
Great food. Best paratha I've ever had. Sauces were the bomb. Makes me think I could be vegetarian.
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Review from Steven P.
Manhattan, NY
3/19/2011
I haven't actually eaten here; I ordered delivery from Ajanta once.
Tried samosas, chicken tikka masala, some sort of fish curry, and naan on the side. I don't remember details, but I remember every dish either being bland or being generally unpleasant to eat. My girlfriend liked the naan, but I found to be big and thick. I suppose I prefer my naan thinner and more delicate.
It's convenient that they deliver, but I have no plans on ordering from them in the near future. -
Review from Ryan D.
New York, NY
5/4/2011
I feel like I'm being generous with 2 stars. I thought Saag Aloo would be pretty tough to make unappetizing, but I thought wrong.
Next time, I'll gladly walk 10 blocks or so for better Indian or Pakistani food. -
Review from Tiffany C.
Manhattan, NY
12/6/2011
I went with a friend who was Indian and she said it was pretty good, not the best but good enough. The prices are ok, not to expensive. The portions are kinda of small so we needed to get three dishes for the 2 of us. You def can not share a meal at this restaurant if you have a normal appetite.We got the lamb vindaloo and it was the spiciest food i think i have ever had and my Indian friend said the same thing. I think my taste buds were dead after that. All I could taste was spicy, i think i drank about 10 glasses of water and was still dying and i like spicy. Overall it was a good restaurant, but wouldn't go out of my way to go back.
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Review from Dimitrios D.
New York, NY
12/2/2010
This is pretty darn bad Indian food.
The service is awkward, as the men who wait on your never smile or even feign niceness. They just exude an aura of unpleasantness, and kind of make it seem like you are disturbing them.
The papadum was terrible, as were the three chutneys given with it. The chutneys were literally watered down (I'm assuming in an attempt to save money, but come on...). Very little flavor, and atrocious consistency (unless you count water as a nice consistency for a chutney).
My crab curry was half decent, surprisingly, but admittedly smelled NASTY.
My friend asked for extra naan, and hilariously enough, the waiter brought the two of us ONE piece of naan. Yes. ONE PIECE OF NAAN= "EXTRA" NAAN HERE. -
Review from Kimberly W.
New York, NY
2/28/2011
I'm also surprised by all the negativity here. I've been here twice, and both times I have left satisfied.
I highly, highly recommend the lamb biryani which was absolutely delicious, the rice was perfectly cooked, and I loved the nuttiness and the hint of sweetness added to the dish with the pistachio and raisins.
More than anything, I liked the personal service. I don't know the name of our server, but he was a kindly, older man who upon collecting our dishes after the meal, and seeing that I hadn't finished the yellow lentil soup, insisted that I throw in some of my boyfriend's leftover basmati rice, add a garnish of onions that they provided at each table, and try it again.
I did, and it was delicious.
I thought it was very sweet and I could tell he was pleased when we finished the bowl clean when he returned.
I've been there twice now, and I know I'll be back. -
Review from BB T.
Griffith Park/Los Feliz, Los Angeles, CA
7/19/2006
I love this place.
So much.
So. So. Very Much.
BONUS FUN GAME: While eating your food, try not to fall in love too fast. Seriously. Take your time. You just got out of a bad relationship. Don't fall for the first indian food you see, for Chrissake. -
Review from Margaret T.
New York, NY
9/13/2009
Everything about this place sucks. I live directly across the street and always smell the curry so I was excited when my roommate suggested we try it. We ordered several dishes and none of them were that good. The nan and veggie samosas were okaaay...The deep fried eggplant appetizer tasted like a big ball of dough and didn't come with a sauce. The okra entree was terrible and tasted like absolutely nothing when I requested it extra spicy. The service was awful with the manager giving attitude and slamming plates around. The waiter was totally mute and hit my fork with the water pitcher twice and only apologized when I stared at him.
The bad food was almost forgivable but on top of that awful service, this place is totally unacceptable. I'm never going back which is unfortunate because now I have to walk a couple blocks for Indian food.Listed in: (At Least) 10 Things I Hate…
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Review from Tanya L.
Boston, MA
4/15/2007
Hm, I have mixed feelings about Ajanta. Their shrimp curry is hit or miss. Sometimes it is nice with a good, hearty, robust consistency. Other times it is really watery. Their parantha is decent.
If I ever get carry out, they always let me sit down at a table, filling my glass with ice water before they give me my bag. Even though I'm not dining in, they treat me as if I was. Points for thoughtfulness! -
Review from Paulo A.
Manhattan, NY
10/15/2011
Very nice place. Good decor. It is a great low-budget option for dates.
Had an amazing lentil soup. -
Review from Michelle C.
Manhattan, NY
9/23/2011
While there are four stars up there, I can't say this is the best review ever. Ajanta and I have a tumultous history. There was a night where the was something wrong with the flavor of the samosas... I still can't talk about it. I have seen chicken tikka masala of a color that I had never seen before (a strange, almost neon pink/red, with a yellow to it). I have been delivered paratha that was like rubber.
At this point (if you're still reading), you're probably wondering why I went back after any one of those experiences, since we're talking food and not a chemistry lab. Ajanta is the ONLY Indian restaurant that delivers to me and Indian is my favorite cuisine. While I don't order from them often, I have, on occasion, suffered mediocrity (or downright bad food) to "enjoy" some almost passable vegetable samosas and aloo matar gobi. More often, though, I have found frozen Indian cuisine is better.
However (and here's where I explain the stars above), my friend and I had a craving for Indian tonight and not having anything in my apartment, I ordered their food. We braced ourselves for subpar "Indian" yet a memorable delivery experience, but we were pleasantly surprised. It was clearly still Ajanta's food (it's pretty far from authentic, no matter how good), but there was something different...
First, the containers for the entrees was plastic, which I liked because I can wash and reuse it. Also, it allowed us to see the color of the food. Instead of the chicken makhani having a strange hot pink hue, it was a nice, normal burnt orange color with a rich, creamy sauce. I wasn't hesitant about eating it. The meat was flavorful and well cooked, not chewy.
The aloo matar gobi had large pieces of cauliflower and potatoes. It wasn't all sauce and the vegetables were tender, but not too soft.
Our vegetable samosas were crisp on the outside and the perfect consistency on the inside: the carrots were soft (not hard/crunchy), as they should be, and the potatoes tasted like potatoes. The flavors worked (this is not always the case; about 25% of the time the flavor is off).
I had to come on and write a review. I don't know what's changed or if I just hit it on an especially good (read: excellent) night, but we're very happy. It was almost as if I had ordered from Indus Valley (almost, but not at all). The only thing that was a miss was the rice. It used to be delicious basmati rice (sometimes the best part of the meal!), but tonight it was just plain white rice. Hopefully, these standards stay (and the white rice was just a fluke)!
Let's be honest, I'll keep ordering anyway... at least until there's an Indian restaurant in W. Harlem. -
Review from Jordan B.
Harlem, Manhattan, NY
11/19/2008
No, Bad! Bad!
Sorry, I'm not one to vote Nay on an establishment where friendly, pleasant nonresident aliens are trying to make a decent living just to be mean about it.
Worst food in New York City? Maybe! Monumental Fail!!! -
Review from Heather H.
New York, NY
1/28/2006
This is one of my favorite good, cheap, filling meal places. It's standard Indian fare right near Columbia. The wait staff is always polite and helpful.
I'm a big fan of their paratha (the ghee-est) and lamb dishes. Also, the appetizer sampler is very good. -
Review from Rachel G.
1/13/2009
I lived above Ajanta for 9 months, and only visited once. At first I was intrigued by the scents floating through my window, but after I ate there, they only made me nauseated.
This place has the worst Indian food I've ever had. I ordered muttar paneer and it was very bland and tasteless. My dining companion's food was the same. The service is fine, but who cares when the food is so terrible? For good Indian food in the neighborhood, try Calcutta Cafe on 104th and Broadway. -
Review from Ali H.
New York, NY
11/20/2010
great value!
Always fast and yummy. Cheap wine too! -
Review from Sriram V.
New York, NY
1/12/2008
Yikes. Terrible. Stay Away.
If you think Ajanta is the best Indian food you've ever had, you've got another thing coming. A couple of pet peeves I have with Indian food is when restaurants start throwing in broccoli and zucchini into some of their mixed-vegetable dishes, and Ajanta unfortunately does that at every available opportunity. It's a little unfortunate that Ajanta is so poor, because they've got such a great location right next to Columbia. Oh, well. -
Review from Danny H.
Manhattan, NY
4/2/2009
The staff is not very friendly, but I do take-out most of the time so they don't give me grief.
I've eaten in a couple of times, and the waiters have not been very attentive. They walk around without a smile on their face and don't make you feel very at home.
The food is okay, especially for the price. The portions are fair for the price. -
Review from Frank H.
New York, NY
4/25/2010
Why the hate y'all?
This is a fairly good place to eat, I think. Whenever my girlfriend and I are just sort of casting around for ideas of where to eat if we want to eat out, we usually just end up here. That's not to say it's some sort of shitty compromise choice, but we know it won't let us down. I've always enjoyed the tandoori dishes I've had, and the tea that comes with the lunch special. They also have the good sense to give you big, warm portions of naan, which I appreciate - I can't stand small portions of naan. I like it because it's never crowded and generally pretty quiet.
The wait-staff always seems to be the same middle aged Indian dudes, who aren't exactly warm and friendly, but they get the job done. It's a solid, relatively cheap choice, especially for lunch.
Hey come to think of it, when I moved here this was the first place in the city that I ate. Well how about that.... precious memories. -
Review from Kim D.
New York, NY
10/3/2009
They advertise a lunch special of $6.95. I ordered the shrimp curry off of the board for take-out. People who came in after me got their food first as I waited and waited. When I finally got my order, it was $8.95. I never saw a sign that indicated the price was higher for seafood. At least I'm assuming that's why my meal cost more.
Anyways, I went to eat my food and it was so greasy, I couldn't finish it. Yucky food. I don't think I'll ever go there again. -
Review from Chris C.
Tampa, FL
12/24/2009
We wandered in here, drawn by the lunch special advertised on the sandwich board outside. $7 is pretty good for the area around Columbia. By the way, the special is eat-in only, and the menu does indicate that seafood costs more.
I was here with an Indian friend, and we didn't think the food was horrible. Certainly not the worst Indian food I've ever had. I can't imagine that being actually true for anyone, unless they've lead a sheltered food life. The food is a bit greasy (I was a little appalled by how the lamb saag seemed to be swimming in oil), but I didn't find that detrimental to the meal.
Really, the most noteworthy part of the meal was having to ask for rice and dal. Each lunch special comes with rice, dal, and tea, and when the waiter brought out our entrees, we had a suspiciously small amount of rice. When asked, the waiter claimed it was a double order, but later backtracked and brought out more rice and dal. Nice of them to accommodate their customers, but did we really have to ask? Other than that, the service was attentive.
You could do a lot worse for lunch for that price around Columbia. At least we were full after eating. -
Review from erika s.
New York, NY
3/15/2010
Really cheap and delish lunch special (around 8 bucks w/ tax).
The naan is always hot and fresh.
No matter what dish we order, the two sauces and onions that are always put at the table during a meal adds spicy extra yum to any meal.
I am always full when I leave, portions are perfect size. Chicken dishes are always done well. -
Review from Sarah E.
New York, NY
8/29/2007
I like the food, even though I haven't ordered anything spicy, I've enjoyed all of it.
$20 for two veggie entrees and veggie samosas. They come with enormous servings of rice. The delivery guy is one of the waiters or busboys, so he comes all dressed up, which is AWESOME.
They also have a great special if you dine-in. -
Review from Melissa R.
New York, NY
9/30/2009
I am a fan of their lunch special, where $7 keeps me full for the rest of the day; I am a voracious eater. The chicken curry dish is actually quite toothsome served with a generous side of basmati rice and a steamy, savoury cup of dahl.
The service is prompt and courteous. Once, the waiter noticed from my coughing and nose-blowing that I had a slight cold. He offered me extra tea at no charge, extra chutneys and sauces to help clear my sinuses (they worked), and even more napkins for my nose. He even gave me one more cup of tea to go on my way out. And the food was way more filling and nourishing than any $8 iron-pressed sandwich. -
Review from Jackie G.
12/6/2010 2 photos
I ordered the chicken tandoori to go, while my friends got some American fare at a sandwich shop next door. The chicken was so tender and plentiful atop a container full of rice. The soup in a cup was a nice compliment to the meal. I had so much I was fed for lunch and later night dining. The service was quick, and the waiter brought me water while I waited. If I went to Columbia, I think I'd stop by here for some Indian food at a good value.
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Review from Sonwabile A.
Bronx, NY
11/23/2011
Well, well, we'll I have visited this place many times and for some reason the service is not what it supposed to be. There was a table of six and I but afterwards the customers started pouring in. For the price it was not too bad, but you can get better indian food on B'way and 109
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Review from Neha M.
1/20/2008
please don't eat here. I've had my fair share of indian food, and ajanta is in my bottom two. Bland spiceless food, lacking salt, half frozen peas, disgusting and flavorless. Worst $20 I've ever spent. Go to Murray hill for awesome Indian food :) Not to mention the ambiance is tacky and horrendous.
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Review from adam w.
New York, NY
4/26/2008
I live around the corner from this place and I love Indian food, so when I first moved in I was excited.
It looked like a real Indian restaurant like the kinds that are all over San Francisco. You know, like Shalimar, Pakwan, Naan n' Curry and friends. Old decor, cheap prices, great food.
Except, scratch the great food part. In fact it's not just not great, it's absolutely terrible. No joke, worst food I've ever been served in a restaurant, ever.
I tried, oh I tried. It's so convenient, and the prices are so right. I went back three times. Meats, no go. Veggies, worse.
I really wish this place would close so that a real restaurant could move in. I really don't understand how it stays in business in the first place.
If you like undercooked pancake batter naan, rubbery meat and watery curries with little to no spice, this is your place. Otherwise, run! -
Review from Carissa G.
Austin, TX
10/3/2008
They were real nice here. I went to go pick up some food and they gave me tea while I waited. I thought that was real nice. The food I got was ok, not anything special though.
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Review from Frances O.
New York, NY
1/9/2011
I ordered chicken tikka masala and curried potatoes, cauliflower and peas. The entrees were sized pretty modestly and each small entree was sent with a container of rice twice the size. eek. the delivery was pretty fast and the price point decent for the amount of food (rice) that I was sent. The naan was definitely microwaved, so I tossed it in my broiler for a few seconds to fix it. All in all, delicious Indian delivery can be ordered from other places to get more impressive results for your take out money.
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Review from Gabby D.
New York, NY
4/11/2007
Like Heather H. says, this is your standard Indian fare. You can pretty much find all the things you're craving at the moment. The food however is mmm so-so (I'm sorry, I live 4 blocks from Little India in the East Village). Regardless of the questionable texture of my shag poneer I still scarfed it down. For the most part, everything is definitely affordable which is always a thumbs up in my book! The staff is also nice enough....a little leisurely, but hey! we need more of that these days!
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Review from Rohan G.
New York, NY
11/23/2008
Absolutely the worst Indian food I've ever had anywhere.
Trust me, this is coming from an Indian who's eaten Indian food all the way from London to Malaysia, and I've seen some pretty bad examples. Here's a bit of information to substantiate: We ordered aloo parathas, dal tadka and tandoori chicken.
The aloo parathas consisted of an undercooked roti folded in half with (this is the gruesome part) bits of mashed potato shoved inbetween. A real aloo paratha has the potato rolled in with the paratha and cooked accordingly.
The dal tadka was insipid, grainy and had a thin layer of oil insulating it from outside atmosphere.
The tandoori chicken looked and tasted like tandoori chicken, except that it seemed to have been boiled (tandoori chicken is grilled) and dropped into a tub of salt by mistake.
And all this at the price we had to pay for it (three of us ate for about $15 per person) was a complete and total ripoff.
I cannot understand how, in an area like Morningside Heights, with a sizeable captive Indian population and other decent alternatives, this place hasnt died out a long time ago. Someone should really do something about this place and take it off the map. -
Review from Kristin H.
New York, NY
9/13/2009
This restaurant has the dubious distinction of being the only bad Indian restaurant I have ever eaten at. Don't waste your money. Steer clear of this place. It was so bad I didn't even bring home the leftovers. The sauces are bland imitations of what they are supposed to be, the veggies seem to have been frozen... yuck.
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Review from April C.
New York, NY
10/16/2009
Completely underwhelming Indian food. The vindaloo was very spicy, just how I like it but it was a pretty small portion with only 1 tiny potato. Sadly, Ajanta had low quality chicken and small portions and that's not great for me because I like to eat a lot (and by a lot I mean I love food and I like to eat a lot of it!!). The biryani was greasy and made us want to blot it off with a napkin. The service was interesting. They were very attentive but several times they unexpectantly reached right in front of my face forcing me to stop eating. Most likely, we won't be back and are still in the hunt for an affordable, yummy Indian restaurant in the 'hood.
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Review from Sheena J.
Brooklyn, NY
12/1/2009
Not really great. The mint chutney had no spunk to it and the palak paneer had some weird, yogurt thing going on. However the redeeming qualities were the reasonable prices and the rice and daal which came free with our two orders. I probably won't be coming back here unless I'm really desperate for Indian food near home.
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Review from Melissa G.
Ridgefield, NJ
3/23/2010
Fairly good Indian food. Went for lunch and they do have quite a few choices for $6.95 so price was very good. We had the app sampler which was ok (nothing stands out). The breads were pretty good and the entrees were flavorful. They were good size (not huge) and the rice was tasty. Overall, I give it a shoulder shrug and an "ehhh, it's ok".
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Review from Mina L.
Fairfax, VA
1/17/2010
Wish I could give it 3.5. I've been ordering from Ajanta for YEARS. It's not the most original, or terribly authentic, Indian food - but it does have some good tandoori dishes and a few really good appetizers.
A number of people have complained about the size of the entrees and here I must agree - they've shrunk dramatically over the years, which is really too bad. I also think that certain dishes suffer from either overspicing or underspicing, and on a few occasions the chicken can be too dry. Also the assorted appetizer dish is pretty much all deep-fried items.
I like the place even with those caveats...
