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Category: Restaurants [Edit]
Neighborhood: East VillageAstor Place (6)
2nd Ave-Houston St (F, V)
8th St-Broadway (R, W)
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I swear to Vishnu this is the best Indian food on Curry Row.
I mean, if you like to eat below a bevy of seizure inducing blinking red pepper lights, then this isn't the place for you. And if you want to be serenaded through your meal by a man sitting barefoot in front of your table playing the sitar, then keep looking.
Otherwise, prepare yourself for the defrosted, reheated and expertly microwaved culinary experience of a lifetime.
Before you can say "Samosa," a pile of hot on the outside, cold on the inside samosas will sit betwixt your party. Looking for lamb biryani? It will be out before you can say "Guru Kshethram."
For a third of the price of a Domino's pizza, you can have an entire meal with drinks and dessert.
NOTE: Please allow one-two hours post meal to digest, preferably somewhere with toilet paper. Enjoy!
Raj Mahal has a special place in my heart. My husband and I have gone there since we were dating and have had great experiences.
Where to even begin! Yellow malai curry in the malai kofta?! So delicious! The masala (aloo) dosa is very good. Don't miss the banana pakoras either. I've had other vegetarian entrees here (but not all) with consistently good results. Our server usually brings a tasty desert that is like a mango/carrot custard at the end of the meal also.
To top the experience off the servers are attentive, professional, and nice. We've had the same server the past few times we've been there and he remembered us and that we're vegetarian. Not that it is a huge deal, but I think it shows of good service, especially considering that months go between our visits. A great plus is that they have a sitar player on some evenings. Super cool!
Don't miss out if you get the chance to try this little gem for it's good food and atmosphere.
My friends and I always reference this as the sitar place but seeing as how we watched the sitar player walking down the street before we got to Curry Row, we had to remember the name.
As we walked down into the restaurant we were greeted by a super enthusiastic waiter who was really great throughout the meal.
I love Indian food so we ordered a ton of it and totally gorged ourselves. We had banana pakora, Peshawari naan, garlic naan, and vegetable samosas to start. All of it was amazing. Loved the sauces on the table.
They kept to water glasses full at all times which is SO wonderful. Plus, somwhere after appetizers the music started back up.
For the meal I ordered Aloo Matar Gobi. It wasn't the best I've ever had but it was really good. The potato chunks were huge and the cauliflower was really fresh. Mmmmm. The waiter insisted on serving rice to all of us.
And we got free carrot jello for dessert! I wouldn't say this is the best on the block since I have yet to try them all but the music is wonderufl and it is our favorite.
Amazing food at an amazing (lunch special) price. I always get their vegetable choices from the lunch special and they are always satisfying. How many places (off of 6th st) can you get a drink, bread, appetizer, soup, entree, rice, and desert for $5.95? Exactly.
I can't find a good take out Indian place in my neighborhood and Raj put their menu in my door so I've given them a try, twice. I don't eat Indian food very often but when i do I usually go the Chicken Tikka Masala route with some Samosa's. I did just that last night and have to say that for the second time in a row I've been impressed with their good food, fair prices, and prompt service. The Tikka Masala is a little thick but the Samosa's are great! Definitely a solid takeout spot and they deliver all the way to Greenwich Village!
Although I no longer live in NYC, I have to say something about this place since I went there so frequently. One of the best
hole-in-the wall' kind of places there are, esp. since I am very picky when it comes to Indo food anywhere besides my mom's kitchen. So definitely a big deal that I like this place :)
I dont think i've ever been anywhere else in the world where you can get so much food for $6! You get soup, papor, your choice of samosa or pakora, rice, daal, your choice of a vegetable or meat curry (the chicken korma is esp. good), a coconut pudding dessert (which isn't the greatest though), masala tea, and soda! It's unreal.
The place is tiny, but very cozy, and some evenings they even have live sitar entertainment. There was one particular waiter there who was like a 'kaku' to me, Babu - and he would give me free stuff some times to take home too :) This place's competitor next door is Taj Mahal (yes they are competing mahals) but this one is way better!!
The lunch special - i don't know what else to say. For $5.99, i got enough food that i wasn't hungry for a day (and i felt guilty for eating it). On top of that, it was delicious food. I'm probably one of the least knowledgeable people about Indian food - but i know what i like, and i liked everything that i ordered at Raj Mahal. (with the exception of the dessert - it had coconut in it, something i'm not a fan of - oh well, should have looked at that before i ordered it)
As someone that can handle very little spice, i was relieved that they acted on my request for 'mild' curry. Overall a great meal!
The Malai Kofta is about the best I've had in the states.
Service was great, and they seem to give free dessert sometimes.
*Note: I am a vegetarian
While I usually avoid Little India, my friends and I decided to give this place a try because everything else was too far away. I am used to two types of Indian restaurants - on the one hand there are restaurants like Tamarind and Devi - which are excellent in all regards but also very pricey - on the other hand there are places like Jackson Diner or Indian Taj (near Bleecker) where you don't necessarily go for the service or the ambiance.
Raj Mahal, surprisingly, falls in between those two types. It is not glamorous in any manner, but neither is it a complete shit-hole. The service is attentive, the food is very slightly above average, and the sitar-guy is awesome! I usually hate going into places with live music because you can never hear the other person talking. However, the sitar was in the back drop and added to the ambiance.
I ordered the vegetarian dinner which came with soup, samosa, pakora, two small vegetable dishes, raita, rice and nan. (Note! It comes with a poori. If you want a nan instead, be very specific that you want the nan instead of the poori. Otherwise, they will give you the poori and charge you for the extra nan).
My friends ordered the aloo gobi and the malai kofta (which in my opinion was way too sweet - so perhaps order it medium instead of mild).
Would I go back to this place? Perhaps. But, if I don't want to spend too much money and only want some good affordable (read cheap and tasty) Indian food, I would probably check out the Indian Taj before this place. However, if you are bent upon eating in Little India, give this place a try.
Really good, fast delivery. We usually get the beef vindaloo and chicken balti. Both are flavorful, the vindaloo has some nice heat! And trust me, we are no weaklings (I'm Asian, he's Cajun). Some of the other reviews are accurate, including some over-cookedness, and especially with the oil. But it's Indian food, there's going to be some oil in it.
We really like the little side sauces, they range from a sweet brown one to a minty cilantro-y one, plus a spicy onion relish. We also get free soup, but we're not fans. Delivery is super speedy and sounds like it might be faster than the restaurant's service (we haven't eaten there).
Best lunch deal in the East Village by far!
$5.99 for: soup, samosa, naan, large tray of chicken curry, huge plate of rice, coca cola, dessert. Service was pretty good as well.
I brought home a huge carton of leftover curry.
I went there with Casey (see below) for my birthday.
I was pretty happy with this place. I found the food to be good and very filling. It wasn't particularly amazing, but it wasn't terrible as some people have reviewed. My grandma is a little old Indian lady and I've eaten real Indian food for a majority of my life, so I think I know what good Indian food is.
The Christmas lights and tacky decoration were pretty funny and made my experience that much more enjoyable. The food is very very filling. We both had to force ourselves to finish our meals and after that they gave us a complimentary dessert. Then when we were done with dessert, they tried to give us more dessert (we were so full we refused the second round)!!
I had parathas with aloo gobi and rice. Also some samosas and nan.
A long nap is required after eating so well.
I was lured inside by a desperate owner, promises of live music, and the $9.95 set menu "trap". Whatever you do, resist all temptation.
The waiters were slow, impatient, and at times rude. The decor was decent, but the lights were turned to such a low level, I had to use my cell phone as a flashlight to read the menu. I assume that the low light was to mask how awful the food really looked.
Our pakora and samosa appetizers were incredibly greasy, burnt, and flavorless. When I sent back a veggie pakora (it was frozen in the center), it was replaced by a pakora that had been deep fried to a black crisp (had to use the cellphone "flashlight" to get a proper look at it). It looked, smelled and tasted like a large burnt goat turd.
The entrees were a bit on the overcooked side, and not very flavorful. The naan was decent, but couldn't make up for the rest of the pitiful food.
I left the restaurant pretty dissatisfied, kicking myself that I had not gone to Spice Cove or one of the more reputable curry row joints.
- this is my staple Indian take out restaurant
- the actual restaurant, is much like the rest of the lot on 6th, cramped, loud, Christmas lights strewn about, ever so slightly overbearing, but that's what you go for, the experience
- recommend meat samosa, banana pakora, tandoori chicken, lamb kurma
Very disapointing. The service was slow and the food poor. Our sodas were flat and our food bland and tasteless.
When we pointed out the large (dead) roach under our plate of stale papadums our waiter didnt seem to care in the slightest. This is more disturbing to me then the mere presence of a bug (it is the city after all, they are everywhere). Our waiter seemed entirely unfazed and unapologetic, as if finding one on the table was an everyday occurance not deserving of any alarm.
It was recomended but we found it to be very disapointing. Not even in the same league as Dimple or Madras Cafe. Avoid this overrated resteraunt.
Have been here several times and am generally happy. The service is always fast and friendly and the beer is cheap. Actually the whole menu is cheap and you can leave full and happy for under $40 for 2 people.
The masala dosa is to die for. Everything else we have ordered there has been average but not bad. Without the masala dosa we probably would not go back as the curries are usually good but not amazing and the appetizers can be overly greasy.
Very bad. Don't go here.
Cramped, overly-red (the lighting in here is bad), pushy waiters (do you want this? Try this? How about this?) The live music is OK but gimmicky, you get a sense they don't want to be there. The worst part is you walk in, and the place smells of grease - always a bad sign for a restaurant.
Then there's the food - I ordered chicken + spinach curry, and what I got was basically baby food. Horrible. My friend ordered a set meal, and ended up having to inquire about his dessert - as if they were to cheap to give it to him. When he got it, it was literally 3 spoonfuls.
Again, don't go here. Put them out of business and let a worthwhile establishment move in. Or, send RAMSAY IN.
wow. wanted indian food and didn't know the area so I walked in after seeing the dinner special. $10.95 for nan, soup, soda, appetizer, rice, entree and dessert.
It was a LOT of food, but it was a lot of BAD food. The curries were watered down, the tandoori chicken was lacking flavor, the rice was tasteless and I've had better samosas from my freezer.
ah, and careful when paying in cash. they didn't give us any change until we asked for it. then they gave us all larger bills with the fewest $1 possible so we would couldn't tip them less than the larger bills. we got fed up so instead of arguing, we left and they got over 20% in tip
Typical 6th Street Indian fare. Don't get there until 7pm for dinner, that way you can catch the live music. Make sure you clap and at least pretend you like the music, that way the musicians try harder.
Upon a recent visit our entree did not arrive in time for us to leave for a previous engagement, which was disappointing. Everyone around us (who had entered at the same time or *after* we had, already had finished their food and were getting the bill. So we canceled the order and asked for the check. They offered to give us the food for free if we waited, which was generous, but we declined and moved on.
I would go back, but probably on a Tuesday or Wednesday night.
My wife and I have been eating at the Raj Mahal since 1996. It's your basic 6th Street Indian, but it's been consistently tasty and good. We've seen the occasional off night, but we've never had a truly bad experience there and certainly never had anything come to the table burnt or frozen. We've never seen bugs, either.
The decoration is more muted than it used to be. I liked all the x-mass lights, etc. The music is nice enough, but we try to sit on the far side of the wall where it's a little quieter.
Leftover Chana Sag makes the best scrambled eggs . . . .
I ate here today. I got the lunch special. Well, they just give you so much food you can't even eat it all for 5.99. And such food! Delicious, truly. Great service too. You should eat here.
I'll make it short:
Cockroaches running around on our table.
Go here at your own risk.
raj mahal is hands down one of my favorite Indian restaurants in the east village. i usually tend to stick to the chicken tikka masala and the saag paneer and both of these dishes are flavorful and very food coma inducing fulfilling. the only thing that kind of bugs me is that whenever i order take out, they're ALWAYS trying to get me to order some naan (it already comes with lots of rice). if I wanted naan, i would have ordered naan, okay?! get off my back! noooooo naan!!
Amazing........my sister is a reaaaal Indian food fanatic and expert and this is her favorite place in the city, and mine as well. Right in the middle of a long strip of Indian restaurants, this one stands apart because of its combination of friendly, attentive service, live musicians who are quite talented, and free Indian dessert/pudding stuff. They used to tempt you to come in by offering free wine and things, but now it's BYO, which is even better.
Now serving Beer and…
Neighborhood: Prospect Heights
Fish Special
Union City, NJ
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Indian
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Indian
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Indian
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Indian
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Indian
