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Simla Indian Restrnt
Rating Details »
Neighborhoods: Upper East Side, Yorkville
304 E 78th St Frnt
New York, NY 10021
(212) 737-9520
304 E 78th St Frnt
New York, NY 10021
(212) 737-9520
- Nearest Transit:
-
77th St (6)
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
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Nearby Indian
Darbar Grill
- Neighborhood:
- Midtown East
We specialize in authentic Indian food and ethnic fusion. Try our Reshmi Kebab - tender pieces of chicken which melt in your... more »
11 reviews for Simla Indian Restrnt
So hey there are multiple reviews here about inedible objects found in the food; I had nothing like that happen to me, but it could've happened without my knowing because I was eating in pure darkness. I think they actually dimmed the lights as we got our food plates.
Otherwise, the food was OK. It wasn't the best Indian food I've had, but for the price (after a $25 coupon I used) it was acceptable. The saag panir tasted somewhat burnt and the other dishes (chicken vindaloo) could've been more saucier, but it was alright. The lamb was very tender so we liked that. But authentic? I don't think so.
I got the impression that most people who come here come due to the http://restaurant.com coupon. The interior had some Southeast Asian music going on, but we just really didn't like the lack of ventilation in there. It got really hot and smoky after a while.
Also, the service is slow, despite there being only 3 parties in there at the time. I seriously thought the cashier was the cook was the delivery guy.
Nevertheless, if I had another coupon and some time I don't care to waste, I wouldn't mind coming here for borderline Indian food for a cheaper meal. So no discount, no deal.
Maybe it was an off-night or something, but our food tasted pretty bad.
I tried to give it the benefit of the doubt by pretending that my taste buds were busted, but I couldn't keep pretending after a handful of bites.
"Ummm, could we just pack it all 'to-go,' please? Hmmm, wait. Do we even want it packed up? Are we going to really eat it?"
Our chicken tikka masala tasted nothing like any other chicken tikka masala we'd tasted before. The attempt at rationalizing that perhaps the taste was foreign to us was because it was genuine and authentic generated the following sentiment:
"I really don't believe authentic Indian food tastes bad. I really don't. I'm having a really very hard time believing that."
we walk in, he turns to me and asks quietly, "are we really staying?" so the only other couple in the restaurant doesnt hear us. that's the kind of "ambiance" this place had. it felt and looked like we were inside someone's very unclean small studio apartment, complete with window air conditioning unit.
i rarely have leftovers (see my headline), but i honestly didnt want to continue eating after a few forkfuls of their chicken korma. yeah, that bad. i dont know why, but we ended up asking for our leftovers to be packed to go for us. i think i wouldve felt rude for having left so much food on my plate, which, if you know me, never happens.
moral of the story: we shouldve listened to our fellow yelpers. lesson learned. por serio.
Surprisingly good Indian for such an underwhelming exterior. The inside is cute (albeit DARK), and I've found the service to be prompt.
The only thing that really bothers me about this place is that if you come in and no one else is there, the manager(owner?) will sometimes start calling all kinds of people he knows and have extended conversations. It makes you feel like you're kind of intruding.
Once upon a time I was enjoying a tasty plate of Chicken Vindaloo prepared by none other than the Simlans. Chomp...chomp...chomp.... all of a sudden I came across an interesting, slightly cruchy, tasteless object. What could it be? A big hunk of red plastic. Went back in to demand a refund, and the proprietor reluctantly refunded my money and explained that "these things happen." Oh well. Simlan's were never know for good service.
Several weeks later, the lady friend found a piece of steel wool in another Simla prepared dish. Do I need to say more?
These guys have some tasty food and fast service, however it you care the least bit about your dental work and eating miscellaneous animals and/or kitchen objects, I'd suggest finding another Indian restaurant.
Smelling the delicious aroma wafting from Simla each night on my journey home from work guaranteed my frequent patronage of this restaurant for many months.
The food was delicious and incredibly flavorsome. My favorite was the butter chicken with mango chutney on the side and the potato naan.
However, after finding two foreign objects in my meals on two separate occasions (presumably shrapnel from cleaning implements), I have decided to cease my patronage at Simla, and thus provide the establishment with a poor rating.
The $9.99 all you can eat buffet on Saturday and Sunday afternoons is awesome (12pm-4pm). You have the chance to sample at least 4 or 5 dishes as well as various appetizers and dessert. The quality is also fantastic. I'm a huge fan. Outside the buffet, the food is expensive and the service mediocre.
I came here for the weekend lunch buffet for $9.99 and i have to say i was pleasantly surprised. the selection was wide and the food was extremely delicious. the chicken tikka masala was amazing. i would definitely come back again. the onyl downside is that it takes a while for them to restock the food.and some of the not so popular dishes are kinda stale after a while
I'm giving it 2 stars not because of the food (which was downright scrumptious- definitely try the chicken sag) - but because of the lousy, lousy service.
Went on a Tuesday night. The only other diners in the place were two older women. There was no music and we were privy to their entire conversation until someone finally decided to cut on some music.
The food came quickly, and was very good. The problem was the only waiter in the place was also the only person answering the phone for take out orders, which was ringing off the hook. We quickly ran out of our drinks and our waters. My boyfriend went around to the kitchen to ask for refills. The waiter said he'd be right out. 35 minutes later, when he finally did bring them, we asked for our check and let him know that they weren't needed.
As we were paying our bill, a lady and her young daughter came in and the waiter greeted them like long lost friends, and the two older ladies had to beg for their check.
Maybe they'd get more repeat customers if they treated ALL of their customers like they did their regulars.
I'm going to say to stick to take out for this one - the food WAS amazing.
It's small, out of the way, and never got very crowded. The music and decor are not too loud. It just borders on the romantic in it's mood, location and coziness. The bathroom is downstairs and is surprisingly(?) clean for something tucked away in a basement.
The food is quite good, and the wait time is very acceptable, with an exception of the high take-out times, which is every small restaurant. Rice came with every dish, not one varying size pile according to how many people there were, and is just dry & aromatic enough. Chicken was whole breast meat, but not dried out. The Tikka Masala was good as a 'regular' entree, but pretty awful the one time I had it as a buffet; seemed like a big vat of it was made and the proportion of ingredients/seasonings was way off. The Rogan Josh is lean as lamb can be; that is, no chunks of fat. The mixed vege-pakora are some of the best I have had, well-fried so it was not greasy either. The vindaloo is just hot enough to kick in the endorphins; not inedibly so. The spinach in the Saag dishes is not minced, just 'leafy' enough. The Chana Masala is awesome.
The condiments (and chutney sometimes) come free. The buffet is a little scant on choices, but you'll get a good idea of what they make and how.
All in all there's nothing new or unique, but they make the traditional fare quite well. Along with the quietness, you can relax and enjoy it even more.
I admit I haven't been here (or even in this vicinity) in a while, and hope it hasn't taken the downward slide that many Indian places have, with the cheapness of rice, or pushing buffet and takeout only. Back in the Entertainment book days I would use this coupon immediately, (it may still be listed in there) and the lady who serves you (who likely owns the place) never gave that roll-the-eyes look when she saw the card/coupon, or gave me reasons why it was not acceptable with the meal. In fact, she would let me re-use the discount once more, (before the book let people/places do that as a standard). Discount or not I returned many times, and if in the area, and craving, I'd walk the extra avenues for it.
I happened upon this restaurant because I had an coupon... when I got there (on a Friday night) it was empty, so I was apprehensive. The food, however, is incredible! Every dish served was excellent and it was so nice eating without being crowded on either side by patrons. I highly recommend this restaurant!
