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Ajanta
Rating Details »
- Nearest Transit:
-
116th St-Columbia Univ (1)
125th St (A, C, B, D)
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
22 reviews for Ajanta
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.
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.
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.
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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!!!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
No, no, no.... not good... not good at all...
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.
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!
Really dry, generic tasting Indian food. I would avoid.
