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59th St-Lexington Ave (4, 5, 6, N, R, W)
63rd St-Lexington Ave (F)
Lexington-3rd Aves-51st St (6, E, V)
Mon-Sat. 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Mon-Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
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One of the best Indian restaurants in the city. I've debated making the trip up to New York from Miami just to have another taste of Chola.
The taste of the Goan Fish Curry, Aunt Murli's Chingri Malai and the spicy Chicken Vindaloo are wonderful, even when you literally have it every other day like I did.
A lot of my meals were delivery rather than eat at the restaurant though, something to keep in mind.
Just wonderful Indian food, no other way to describe it!
Chola shares the block of East 58th St, (between 2nd & 3rd Avenues) with a few other Indian restaurants. In fact, there is an Indian restaurant right next door. I guess you would call that a competitive block. I went here for The Lunch buffet. You could also order from the menu, in lieu of the buffet. I don't think all the other Restaurants offer a buffet. So, that alone is a star for Chola. I think the buffet is a good value, epically if you have a big and empty tummy. It's 13.95 Sadly, in my case my eyes were bigger that day.
I enjoyed the complimentary appetizers. I've been to a good amount of Indian restaurants, and one of the appetizers I had was a first for me. I'm not sure of the name, but it was vegetarian (++), and TASTY. The waiters were generous with the appetizers. They have no problem, giving a second portion. The buffet itself, has a combination of Veg & Meat dishes. I only eat Veg, and there was enough for me to eat. The Dal was great, but a Lil too hot. The cauliflower dish, was gr8. I do wish, they offered more sweets in the buffet. It would be a nice finish.
Overall, on the competitive East 58th street. Chola can keep up. It's certainly worth a trip
Oh I almost forgot to mention..... IF you happen to be driving, The restaurant has an arrangement with the parking garage On East 58th, slight east of Second Avenue. The parking fee will be discounted about $6.00. Maybe the discount would be more, if you spend more time at the restaurant. In any case, it's appreciated and helpful.
I am such a fan of this restaurant. My friend and I were walking all over Midtown when we came across Chola. We were standing outside trying to get a peek at the menu when the hostess came out and asked us what questions we had. She even began to explain the difference between North Indian and South Indian cuisine. Immediately, I was sold by the hostess' actions and wanted to eat here.
Once inside, we were given our menu. There were so many options! My friend and I couldn't decide what we wanted to eat. So we closed our menus and decided we would go by our waiter's recommendations. Lucky for us, Sanji (sp?) was an expert. After asking us a few questions he chose our entire meal for us. Oh my goodness it was awesome. The Lamb was flavorful and spicy. Two friends joined us later and one was not a fan of Indian food. He actually tried to cancel on us. Sanji won him over with a great dish and made our friend a fan.
This restaurant offers exceptional customer service, wonderful food, and a friendly environment. So stop reading this review and go try it!
My friend took me here for their weekend lunch buffet. It was very good with lots of different selections. It appeared that they only offer a buffet on the weekend as we weren't given a menu and never spoke to a waiter. We just got up and got our food and ate. Staff at the restaurant also bring food to the table. It was a unique experience. I left stuffed to the brim. The food was very good and I would definitely return.
Really excellent Indian food in an unexpected place. I'd recommend coming here for lunch and getting their buffet. I knew we were in a treat when we had the free appetizers they served while we waited for the rest of our friends, and my Indian friends were pleased with the quality :)
Weekend buffet is pretty, well priced. There is a wide selection of North and South Indian food. Some interesting choices like Eggplant and spinach. Small selection of sweets.
Most interesting was the mix of people who entered the restaurant while we were eating.
I ate so I that I didn't eat until dinner the next day. I'm not sure if that was a good idea or not.
One of my favorite Indian Places. They give you a ton of food at the lunch buffett which, I believe, is seven days a week. (although the dosas were rather small yesterday). The variety of dishes surpasses most buffetts too.
Delivery was scrumdiddlyupmtious! Great samosa, naan, lamb vindaloo, chicken tikka masala, saag paneer, and malai kofta. Sauces were all rich and complex, absolutely delicious to mop up with naan or rice. When I'm uptown again at my friend's place, I will lobby hard for delivery from Chola!
I am very impressed with this restaurant. Baby and I went there for date night and it was very very good. We had a great experience, wonderful service, perfect atomsphere, and wonderful cuisine. I give 5 stars and I don't do that too often.
Nice decor and tasty food, with large portions, close by Central/East Midtown Manhattan. Was recommended by the local cabbie, and my experience was all positive.
Good service from the front of the house, and the food came out promptly enough. Clean restaurant, nice table linens and setting- a romantic place to take your date to.
The server provided some crispy Chappati with various sweet and spicy dipping sauces.
Being really hungry I ordered the Lamb Saag (Lamb and Spinach-$18.95) plus the Lamb Biryani (Basmati Rice, browned onion, lamb, mint, raisin and nuts- $17.95) plus a side of the Lotus Raita (Yogurt, fried Lotus and Cucumber- $8.95) to put out the fire. Topped off with a nice cold Indian beer-I had to roll myself back to the hotel that evening. This order easily could have fed two or three normal eaters...
I ordered way too much food for a lone diner, but it was so good I took the leftovers back to the hotel and treated myself to a late night snack from the remainders.
The food prices are a little high, but this is Manhattan-and the quality and service are worth stopping in for a meal. They also do a brisk take-out lunch with dishes ranging from $9 to $11 dollars.
A friend of mine was born, lives & works in New Orleans, but flies to NYC every 4-6 weeks on business. Chola is a must on his places to eat, and is usually the first place he heads -- generally for the buffet. I first ate there the week they opened and have been going back ever since, though I've eaten in about a dozen other Indian restaurants in NYC. If you want, Dawat is just 50 feet to the West, and tho a step up from Chola, it's a small step. Much more formal both in ambiance and service.
Some have noted that (other than the buffet) they thought the prices a bit high for Indian food. Remember that this is the heart of midtown Manhattan. Chola probably has to pay at least 3x the rent of restaurants in Curry Hill.
When Chola first came to the city from CT, they did a very smart thing; they set up a free buffet at Willams-Sonoma a couple of blocks away, open to all. And it wasn't just a bite of chicken on a toothpick. It was a plate with 4-5 things on it. Whatever it cost them, I think the next day everyone in a 10 block radius showed up at the just-opened restaurant.
Most of the food was very good and there was a nice variety, but the following items took away from the overall positive experience:
- Very crowded. When getting up and coming back from the buffet, it was like navigating a maze of tight spaces between chairs and tables.
- The kheer (Indian rice pudding) was almost all liquid and no rice. It was like eating a bowl of milk with a few scattered grains of rice, what's up with that?!
- This may just be a style of cooking thing, but I had to spit out at least 3 inedible spices left in the dishes, like lemongrass stalks and cardamom pods, which is gross. Also, related to that note, at the end of the meal I noticed I had chipped a small piece of a tooth. Now, I'm not directly blaming Chola's food for this, but I didn't notice said chip before I ate there. That's all I'm sayin'
There are at least three Indian restaurants within half a block here, but Chola came recommended and turned out to be a good choice. We made a 7:30 reservation but arrived early and they seated us immediately. It was nearly empty, but filled up quickly as the night progressed. The ambiance is very nice, particularly when you first walk in the door.
I am not one to normally order a vegetarian dish but we went with the sabji saag malai which has potatoes, cauliflower, and a mild spinach sauce and it was quite yummy. The chicken tikka masala was good, but the chicken was a little dry despite the tasty sauce. We also tried the chingri malai which came with shrimp in a tomatoey sauce but was different from that of the masala. I would recommend any of these dishes to anyone who is not big on spicy food. I would also suggest trying the coconut rice and garlic naan.
Be prepared to spend at least $18 on non-vegetarian dishes.
this place reminds me of dhaba with its extensive menu of north, east, south, and western indian dishes. unfortunately the food is just ok. you really need to know what to order. paratha's are decent here. rice is decent. the entrees are surprisingly mild. the lamb saag was fresh juicy but the saag was so bland. the bhindi masala was a standard greasy version you could get in jackson heights which was not what i expected in this part of town. the langarwali dal was mild but quite good. the hot garlic shrimp was rubbery and a pretty poor version of indochinese food (go to tangra masala for indochinese). the melagu chicken chettinad was not bad but unexciting.
what saved this place was the excellent service. they really look after you and check on your needs here. i love nepalese people they are so friendly. i heard the sunday buffet is great but i wouldn't trek all the way out here on a sunday for that.
Lunch Buffet all the way. $13.95 for yummy, high quality food - a slew of dipping sauces and chutneys at the front.
The service is great- waiters constantly refilling your water and bringing you generous portions of other appetizers not at the buffet.
The weekend buffet is $1 more. Expect $14.95 tabs and up.
I went to chola with very high hopes given the reviews. And, I was disappointed. Their appetizers were good, but, the rest of the buffet was sub-par. There weren't many vegeterian dishes. The ones that they did have were way too heavy on garlic. The food was cold and stale (ie, from that morning when they laid out the buffet).
I probably wouldn't go here again
My friend and I came for brunch on Sunday. I love indian food and I would love to return, except for the fact that I am uncontrollable during buffet-style dining and end up eating way too much than I should.
The waiter brings around little appetizers right when you sit down, so you can spend a few minutes munching on those before you faceplant on the yummy curries at the buffet. I liked the lamb and chicken biryani very much. The tandoori chicken was great, but you have to wait for the waiter to bring it around.
yum yum yum
I have the famed hieroglyphnician and yelper, Srini V. to thank for my great experience at Chola.
Coming to the big, bad city from California can be scary.
Especially if you're looking for a good Indian buffet.
And if you also don't happen to be Indian...
Fortunately for me, a politely worded message and a crisp one dollar bill later, and my man Srini V. hooks me up with a list of approved Indian buffet joints.
Wifey and I stroll on over to Chola and are pleasantly surprised. The place is charming and gives off a nice upscale image inside. As you walk in, the buffet spread is immediately to your right and happily satisfied Indian diners are to your left. We're seated promptly (only because wifey made reservations on http://Opentable.com) and run over to the buffet line. The food is really appetizing looking and included some nice choices - hence, the "eclectic Indian cuisine" motto prominently noted on their signage.
We sit down and start chomping away. The food is nicely spiced, but not overdone like many places we've been to in the Silicon Valley. Bonus points for minimizing the heavy hand with oil and fat. As we're eating, servers come by with complimentary tandoori chicken, chaat, and masala dosas. Excellent!!
I really like the fact that these latter items were brought out in small batches so that they didn't get too tough, soggy, or gummy.
Finished it all off with some creamy kheer and stumbled out of Chola a very full and satisfied Californian.
The price was $13.95/head and well worth the money.
Here's a tribute to you, Srini!
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The above represents my swollen belly after eating at Chola.
Don't you dare laugh, I'm not an artist...
i got this chicken in "jogurt pineapple and cardimom" sauce. it sounded amazing on the menu and it actually was pretty good, but i was suprised that i literally got just two pieces of chicken - no rice, no veggies just two pieces of chicken for $20ish i was expecting a bit more but the chicken it self was very nice I was expecting some thing dripping in the sauce but it was just marinated and grilled - a surprise but still nice.
my friend ordered the tandoori mixed grill which was quiet nice for a meat lover, nice flavor and tender. we also ordered the tomato rice (decent nothing more to elaborate on) and some paneer naan (very bland). we got the rice pudding for dessert which was a nice way to top the meal off - leave feeling refreshed rather than hot and heavy.
overall food was good. but not worth the price.
I recently went to Chola and was blown away by the food. I have eaten a lot of Indian food and this was by far some of the best I have had. The ingredients were fresh, the spices were near perfect, and the service was excellent.
The flower petals and floating candles herald this symphony of flavors at Chola. At this authentic Indian restaurant, the popular $13.95 lunch buffet is all the rave. Exceptional service with servers who bring delectable delicacies straight to your table. Favorites include the Chicken Tandoori (tandoor-fired chicken on the bone and northern spices), Lamb Achari, and Masala Dosa (paper thin crepe, stuffed with spiced potatoes and peas). The Khir (Indian style rice pudding cooked with sugar, cardamom) provides a refreshingly cool dessert.
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Chola is the easternmost of the three restaurants on what I'm dubbing, the "Curry Feast Side," (when you repeat this in front of your friends and they tell you how much of an idiot you are, feel free to blame me by name- it only makes me prouder). 58th St. between 2nd and 3rd avenues houses 3 fairly exceptional houses of Indian cuisine, which all happen to have strange adjectives describing them. There's Dawat "Haute" Indian Cuisine, Yuva "Frontier" Indian Cuisine, and Chola "Eclectic" Indian Cuisine. I think Chola picked the one than that is most accurate. What the heck is Frontier Indian Cuisine anyway?
Anyway, Chola's use of appropriate if unusual adjectives doesn't stop at the signage. One of its appetizers, the Kebab platter is described as a "melange" of tandoori cooked meats, which I guess actually makes sense. And what a melange this is- the Malai Kebab is phenomenal, very tender, very nice flavor. The lamb seekh kebab is exceptionally spicy, and the chicken tikka is also perfectly executed.
Another appetizer was truly "eclectic." Kodi Vepudu was something I can't say I've ever heard of before. It's basically lightly battered chicken with onions and curry leaves- a little bit of a riff on the more commonly found chili chicken. This was pretty phenomenal. Spicy and delicious- we were a group of four and this was devoured instantaneously.
While the appetizers didn't hold back on spice, the entrees tended to be on the milder side- still you could taste the spicing in each one (no dish was overwhelmed by a one note flavor). We had a first time India food eater with us, so we went traditional. Chicken Tikka Masala, Lamb Rogan Josh and Saag Paneer. The Tikka Masala was basically a well done version- tender chicken and tasty sauce, but a little mild. I'm now spoiled because Curry and Curry down on 33rd and Amma a few blocks down from Chola do this better than any place in Manhattan. Lamb Rogan Josh was again solid. The lamb wasn't gamey or chewy, though this again could have been spicier. The Saag Paneer was truly the star- creamy, tasty spinach and well spiced. The only one I've had in NYC that could rival my favorite which is made by a place called Maharani in Fort Lee, NJ.
I must mention they charge for plain rice (why why why!). The Naans are tasty if unexceptional. The star of the breads is the aloo parotha, which has a little bit of kick, but the potato doesn't overwhelm the bread. We were given a free basket of nan and a bowl of dal makhani on the house, which was welcome and devoured.
The service here is attentive and efficient. Its not as fancy as its next door neighbors (no bow ties and snootiness like Dawat), but it can get a bit pricey. Still, the portions are huge and its worth the money compared to what you pay for other food in this part of town. It should be mentioned Chola does feature an extensive menu of south Indian specialties which are quite intriguing. All in all, could've used a bit more spice, but its solid, varied menu, no nonsense service and good overall food make Chola one of your better choices for Indian food in the city.
I went to the saturday brunch at Chola last week, and I was very impressed. The food, combined with a sleek yet funky interior and very reasonable prices* ($14 for the brunch buffet) make it an excellent choice if you're looking to satisfy an Indian craving on a lazy weekend afternoon.
Every dish I tried was good and some were great (and I think I at least sampled everything on the buffet). The chicken tikka masala was my favorite - go figure - although it was a tad sweeter than I generally like. but it would make sense for dishes on a buffet to be milder since it has to cater to the crowds and not everyone can handle indian spices. there was also a lamb dish (not vindaloo but something similar) that was really good.
not sure if this is commonplace in new york (this was my first experience with indian food that's slightly more upscale in nyc), but waiters came by with other things for us to try (two different types of chaat, tandoori chicken etc). I'm sure this felt more luxurious than it actually was - they could have easily placed those things on the buffet - but being catered to definitely made me feel like I was getting my money's worth. a very expensive feeling/tasting meal even though the tab only amounted to fifteen bucks a person.
my only complaint (and not an insignificant one) is that the waiters were attentive to the point of being incredibly pesky. they made ceaseless attempts to take my plate away while I was eating, even after I'd told them so. as I was reaching into the bread basket to grab a piece of naan, the waiter seized the basket and ran off, never to return. whether there was a bread shortage back in the kitchen, or he simply thought I could spare the extra carbs, I'll never know. but my naan is very, very important to me so I tried to yell after him "no! bring the bread back! no! not the bread!" alas, it was to no avail.
at the end of the day, chola definitely earns my seal of approval. I only suggest that if you decide to go, you bring a tool kit so you can nail your food to the table.
* I've heard some people complain that $14 is on the pricier side as far as Indian lunch buffets go, but I have to say that considering the general trend of new york food prices (even though Indian is one of the cheaper types of cuisine) and the quality of the food, I think $14 is completely reasonable. In texas this meal would cost me at least that, but probably more.
I've been trying to stay away from buffets because I have no self-control on how much to eat. I eat and eat and eat until the point of no return and my stomach feels like it's going to explode.
Well, today we were walking down 58th St. and noticed several Indian restaurants all beside one another. We decided to check out Chola for their Executive Lunch Buffet for $13.95. We arrived around 12:10 pm and the place was pretty empty, with 2-3 tables occupied by patrons. To note, there were about 15 tables seating parties mostly 2-4 people. The decor was somewhat modern and hip with multicolored (purple, yellow, and green) walls, wooden floors, and a few antique chandeliers on the low 10 ft ceiling. All tables were had tablecloths and brown cushioned seats. Near the front is a full bar for those in need of a cocktail.
Along the right side of the restaurant is where the lunch buffet is set up. There are about 5-6 different chutneys, and about 7-8 different dishes ranging from Chicken Tikka Masala, lamb saag, aloo gobi saag paneer, dhania chili chicken, and a few more. Near the end of the table were Coconut Chutney, white lentil cakes, fried lentil, lentil donuts in syrup, and a few more dishes. I'm a big fan of cilantro, so one of my favorite Chutney's was the Mint Chutney which also had cilantro. YUM! The rest of the dishes varied in the different southern spices of India, chicken tender, lamb tender. Most of the dishes were decent but nothing was to-die-for, except for maybe the Mint Chutney. For you spice lovers, nothing was too spicy here, mostly mild at the most.
As we were seated, they dropped off a couple dishes (naan, samosa, and some sort of fried vegetable that was salted). They also brought a few other dishes as we were eating, a rolled up pancake/crepe with potatoes in it, and a couple different types of cooked chicken. I was pretty surprised by the amount of food they had come by with, and was quite interested in all of it.
Service was great. The waiters always came by to refill our glasses of water before it was even half empty. And a waiter always seemed to come by every 10 minutes or so, offering patrons to try one of their dishes that were not being served at the buffet table (I guess that is what is meant when they say 'Executive' Lunch Buffet). Finished plates were taken away from the tables as soon as we got up to get more food, which is one thing I take note of. I don't like coming back to my table that's filled with used dishes.
Around 1pm, this place became insanely packed and all but 1 or 2 tables were occupied. Some patrons came in to get a lunch box to go ($9-$11) where they fill up silver aluminum platters with the buffet food.
In all, the food was decently good but nothing was amazing. Service was great and I was content with my meal, leaving with a full stomach. The highlight of this place were probably the waiters coming around to offer some of their other dishes. For that, I'll give it 4 stars. Otherwise, I'd give it 3 stars if it weren't for that extra bit of service that they gave us.
Trendy lil joint with excellent, filling Indian food. I came here for brunch on Sunday, and was very pleased. The place is neat, colorful, and clean. The quality of the food was good, and there was a varied spread layed out in the front buffet style for brunch.
I ate so much (during late brunch) that I had trouble finding room for din!
Dosas, I think, are my new fave ...
Just as a disclaimer, I am not a big fan of Indian food, in general. However, I have had my fair share of Indian food and believe that I am able to tell the difference between what is and what is not good.
We came here on a Saturday brunch, which is all you can eat for (I think) $15. However, they had this weird system where they brought out some foods to the table, and you could get other things yourself. Their naan is hand made, and very soft and fluffy. I actually liked it, but my friends didn't seem to like it as much. Since they brought it to the table themselves, we didn't get enough of it, until after we were too stuffed to eat anymore, by which time we (ironically) had plenty. There were a couple chicken dishes which were ok, but not that good. It seemed that there was much more sauce than chicken, which made it difficult to place on your plate.
Many of the items were fried and overly greasy. And at the end, the price seemed to far outweigh the quality.
Yes, I admit it - I should have listened to my friend Nisha A. way back when she first recommended this place to me. Shame on me for waiting so long to try this place!
Chola may be a bit pricier than many other Indian restaurants in NYC, but it's well worth it. This place is definitely a cut above the rest!
The menu is much more extensive than what you would normally see at your run of the mill Indian places. They've got many different dishes from various regions in India, including some yummy Indian street fare, which we enjoyed as appetizers. I had the Ragara, which was out of this world! For my main course, I enjoyed the Chicken Barra Kabob, which was so tasty as well. The chicken was so tender and flavorful. The basmati rice was probably the best I've had at any restaurant in years. We also shared an order of paratha, which was also excellent.
The decor is trendy and modern with some eclectic touches such as the colorful chandeliers that hang all about the dining room. It's a fun, colorful, yet relaxing atmosphere.
The staff could not be more pleasant and accommodating. The service was as excellent as the food.
We'll definitely be back and I've already recommended Chola to about a dozen of my friends & coworkers!
My sister has been raving about this place since she moved into the neighborhood. It definitely did not disappoint! We ordered the coconut rice, Aunt Murli's Chingri Malai, Sabji Saag Malai, and Chicken Tikka Masala. All of the food was great, and the service was quick and on top of things.
One of the city's elite Indian restaurants. The weekend buffet is one of the ultimate Indian food destinations in Manhattan -- a great buffet complimented by servers bringing the table dosas, bhel puri, katchori and other great apps not normally encountered in the buffets. That makes it all a great bargain, even though it's priced at the higher end for NYC Indian buffets. The entrees are excellent as well. Again, they're priced at the higher end for Manhattan, but they're well worth it.
One of the best Indian Food Buffet's in the city. What sets them apart is the mini dosa and uttopam and nan served to your table during the buffet, as well as a person making fresh chaat. Food is solid. I am guessing the regular food is fantastic at dinner, but is a little pricey. The buffet is a bargain and can't be missed if you work anywhere nearby. And, I think they have it on saturday (and maybe sunday?) too!
Yuck. YUCK. Went here for lunch with some coworkers and were sorely, sorely disappointed. We made a reservation and yet had to wait half an hour to even be seated. At that point it took another 15 minutes to get menus, then 10 to get water, and another 15 to actually order. The first entree came out 20 minutes before the others, and when we brought it up the waiter asked, "oh, you want the others now too?" I...don't even know. The service seems to be done by committee, as if the food was prepared, then whoever wants to can just bring it to whichever table they want, if at all. The food was oily, severely under-spiced, and the samosas tasted like curried funnel cakes. I don't even know why I'm giving it 2 stars...maybe because it allowed us to get 3 hours off for lunch...
To sum up: blech.
I couldn't decide whether or not to give this place 3 stars or 4, but when i realize that 3 stars really = just average, then i believe 4 is definitely warranted.
Chola's layout itself is kind of frustrating. The server work area is actually at the front of the restaurant, which i find kind of annoying - esp if you are sitting up there.
The menu is actually quite interesting, the pages are lined with factoids and other interesting clips of information about Indian culture and geography.
But lets get right to the heart of this thing. I had the mulligatawny soup (of course, my obsession) - and it was absolutely fantastic. Was a fairly thick soup - with vegetables in it. Probably ranked my #2 mulligatawny soup in NY.
I ordered the Chicken Phaal - which is supposed to be a very very hot curry - hotter than the vindaloo. It was pretty hot - and had a pleasant taste as well. I've had Phaal before where it was all spice and no taste, this had a bit better balance.
My sister had the Chicken Biryani - which i also thought was quite good.
I think the chicken should have been a bit more tender, that's pretty much the only complaint about the food here.
One thing you certainly could never complain about in Chola is the quantity of food they give you. Dear God it's a lot of food. My sister's Biryani could easily have fed 2. I did finish my Phaal but i was lumbering like a drunken clown down the street afterwards i was so full.
The service i thought was above average - didn't have any issues there.
One thing i have to add that i found annoying about Chola was the fact that they covered the table clothes with white paper. Come on, we're not kids. Can't i have a real table cloth that's not covered by paper ? Only thing missing were the crayons.
It's probably not my first choice for Indian, but i don't know a lot of restaurants that server the Phaal dish - so i may end up here once in a while just for that.
I once recommended Chola to a close friend, and I regret that deeply now. I just can't seem to get him to try another Indian restaurant after that! Frankly, in this city of excellent dining options, a restaurant needs to be pretty special for me to frequent it a 3rd time --- let alone for the nth time. I personally don't think Chola merits that status.
The best way to get acquainted with Chola is through their fixed price lunch buffet that provides an excellent opportunity to get to try their variety of dishes. I am not a buffet fan, as food quality is generally sub-par. But, Chola is the exception to the rule --- particularly so on a weekend when there is a long line of patrons waiting to savor the extensive list of dishes on the buffet.
Not only do they do a competent job at the lunch Buffet, but they also have the most extensive menu (ergo the name), bar none, for an Indian restaurant in New York! This isn't even up for debate.
They have dishes from ALL of India's culinary regions --- covering all cuisines from North Indian (Mughal and Punjabi) and South Indian (Kerala, Andhra, Karnatka, and Tamil Nadu) and also cover a few dishes from Calcutta. So, you can get everything from Dosas/Uttapam to Vindaloo/Phal, from stir fry to Tandoor, Vegan/Vegetarian to lamb, chicken and calamari.
However, I am not sure whether a la carte service has lived upto the expectations from it --- particularly in the past few months. Consistency has slipped a notch or so.
Further, competent service is a recurring problem in spite of a plethora of servers available to attend to you. In fact that seems to be the cause of the problem as a different waiter is showing up every few minutes, without any idea of what was earlier said to the previous one.
My recommendation: Try their Sunday buffet. It reigns supreme. You get to sample a variety of dishes, don't need to be bothered by the servers, and leave without denting your wallet. If you really like it, be adventurous and come back to try some of the chef recommended items on the menu --- but not those featured on Martha Stewart!
Good samosas and I love the perfectly spiced (and vegan!) channa masala - you can see the fresh ginger.
I find the quality of their food to be higher than at most of their Midtown counterparts. They're good about substituting brown rice upon request.
I've only ordered delivery (which is reliable); never eaten in.
When I feel like betraying my body and digestive system but doing something nice for my tastebuds, I order Chola.
The Tikka Masala kicks ass, though the Samosas could be a bit crispier (to be fair, for delivery they're not too bad).
They're seemingly expensive when ordering a la carte, so that's why I always get the lunch special. It's $9.95 for your dish, rice, dal and naan. Can you go wrong?
Oh, and by the way...they're on Seamless! :)
So, I went the other night. My office just moved into the neighborhood so I sadly did not visit my favorite, Chennai Garden, but tried this place instead.
It is a little pricier, but not worth the money. They made me wait becuase my friend was not there yet and didn't tell me. I was just standing there for three minutes before someone said to sit and wait.
Our food was pretty good, but the waiter was pushing things.. lassi, etc..
I hate that.. such a pet peeve of mine! They charged for rice, maybe because it was brown.. but noone told us! And they charged $3.50. The standard surplus price for that is like a buck - maybe buck fifty.
The redeeming thing was the food - takeout from here would be splendid. They also have street snacks which were delicious.
Let me preface this review by noting that I am neither a) of Indian decent or b) well versed in said cuisine...but the food I just had at Chola was out of this world. Just fantastic from start to finish. I might fall prey to what Atif mentions in his review, of never wanting to go to another Indian restaurant during the rest of my time in NYC.
The BEST part, for me, was that I literally walked in here randomly on a Thursday night starving, and the only thing I had ever known about this restaurant is that I had seen it from the window of countless cabs home to Roosevelt Island, shooting up 58th street to get onto the 59th street bridge.
I couldn't have picked a better place to satisfy my carnal hunger, and keep in mind this is one of THREE Indian places on the same block.
The service was excellent, the naan was very good, and the main courses were delicious and big enough to share. I would highly recommend ordering different things in order to share them...garnished with some fantastic coconut rice.
Lastly, my girlfriend was debating on which spicy dish to order so she asked our server which one he recommended. He told her that one dish was "5 out of 5" on the hot scale, and the other was "3 out of 5." She went with the 3 out of 5 and that was just perfect. I doubt we could have tolerated the 5 out of 5...moral of the story ask your server here, as they will probably give you a good read on what you are looking for out of your meal.
MMMMMMM delicious.
went for dinner with a group of friends to Chola and liked it. the ambiance was nice and quiet and relaxed, the food was good. it isn't cheap indian food, but it was tasty and we all had a great time.
the waiters were courteous and the service was good. i'd recommend it. the chicken tikka was good, as was the biryani.
I think Chola is probably the best non-Jackson Heights Indian restaurant that I've found in NYC. Really, there's no substitute for a trip out to Jackson Diner, but for those of you who are allergic to the toxic unhipness endemic to that under-appreciated borough, Chola is worth a shorter trip up into the desolate streets of that hinterland between Upper Midtown and the Upper East Side.
I first came here on a date a few years ago and really enjoyed the food, but I completely forgot about it after it was eclipsed by the aforementioned Diner. Then when my dad and his wife pulled through town last spring and asked for a good Indian recommendation in the area, Chola sprang back to mind. It came up again when I was in the nabe to pick up a (replacement) iPhone at the 24/7 Apple store with my brother.
Really delicious curries. I'm a sucker for Malai Kofta, but everything I've tried here has been spectacular. They're perfectly willing to accommodate varying desires for spiciness, but beware that if you ask for "India spicy", you'll get it. And plenty of eye-rolls from the water guy scrambling to fill up his pitcher AGAIN.
A little pricey for Indian, but you get plenty of food. The decor is also a little incongruously posh for an Indian place, and the crowd is (perhaps predictably) a very unremarkable lower-upper crust set of UESers.
Really great food, though, so I highly recommend!
Great lamb, tender and full of flavor, with abundant spices. Skip the chai tea, but get the vegetarian appetizer platter, and also the eggplant entree. Courteous and attentive service.
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Category: Indian
Neighborhood: Flatiron
Category: Indian
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Category: Indian
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Category: Indian
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Category: Indian
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