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Taj Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Indian Indian [Edit]
310 E 6th St(between 2nd Ave & 1st Ave)
New York, NY 10003
Neighborhood: East Village
(212) 505-8056
- Nearest Transit:
-
Astor Pl (4, 6, 6X)
2 Av (F)
8 St - Nyu (N, R)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 4 pm - 12 am
Fri-Sat 4 pm - 2 am
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
52 reviews for Taj Restaurant
Review Highlights
-
"They are a small cozy place with live Indian music." In 11 reviews -
"...sitar and tabla and the invitation of a free mango lassi." In 5 reviews -
"It's unlike any other Tandoori Chicken I have tried." In 3 reviews
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52 reviews in English
-
Review from Niro B.
New York, NY
5/24/2012
a friend introduced me to this place 3 weeks ago. a week after I took other friends of mine. great food. the owner is very nice and friendly.
will visit there again pretty soon. highly recommended !! -
Review from Derek K.
Manhattan, NY
5/6/2012
I created a yelp profile just so I could warn people about this restaurant. I honestly believe they buy their food frozen and warm it up. It was lousy. I think it's important to note that I had the Sunday dinner special for $9.95 and came in at 5:45pm so, being the only one in the restaurant, the service fine at that hour. I wouldn't doubt them having terrible service any other time. The waiter was incomprehensible but did pour my water (the only part of the meal I did enjoy) consistently.
It was not only the worst Indian food I've ever had, but possibly one of the worst meals I've ever had. Period.
I could go on ranting but having to relive the experience is nauseating me. AVOID. -
Review from Issen A.
Los Angeles, CA
4/26/2012 1 Check-in Here
There is nothing that drives me crazier than slow service. It took nearly 45 mins to get our food and we ordered and showed up at the same time as the people next to us. Our servers spoke nearly 0 English and weren't very attentive to our table at all. One of the owners, a lady , could tell I was pissed and actually came out with mango ice cream to calm me down , but I was over it. They did have live music which was kind of neat. The atmosphere is definitely lacking. I would probably go to one of the places rated higher on Yelp on the same street.
-
Review from NM S.
Brooklyn, NY
4/14/2012
Half a star for live music & another half star for BYO. Those are really the only good things I can say. Food tastes like it was frozen & reheated. Service is horrible. Avoid this place.
-
Review from Beth D.
Brooklyn, NY
11/8/2011
We were hungry after getting out of work early, & went in at 5 (I know that's early for NY, but the door was open!) We should have known to leave when nobody acknowledged us.
So we sit and try to order, whereupon we are told most things aren't ready to be served yet. WTH? If you're not ready to give me everything on your menu, don't unlock your door.
So the mostly non-English comprehending waiter bullies us into ordering what's available, and the tablah band comes in. Cool! Except that the Sitar player spent the next 20 minutes tuning his sitar. I felt like I had tinnitus & I wasn't even in the same room as the band.
The food was filling, if not overly flavorful, and very affordable. But after we finished we felt like walking out as the waiter only brought us the cheque after being asked three times.
There are a million other Indian places on the same block: give this one a miss. -
Review from Rojé G.
8/18/2011
My friend raves about this place all the time because it's suppose to be really good deal on the dinner menu. 9.95 for an appetizer (soup and mamosa), and entree which includes all the rice you can eat.
We ordered 5 different dinner platters (2 vegetarian, 2 chicken, 1 lamb) and we shared it amongst our group so everyone could try just about everything. the appetizers were enjoyable but we eat got about 1/3 of a bowl of soup. What's that about?! Then the entrees came and it like th. They really cheated us on the meat platters. There wasn't even enough for everyone to try each entree. After taking five minutes to eat because we were all starving we had to get out of there. The place was hot and had no A/C and we were all still hungry even after a four course meal. -
Review from K E.
Brooklyn, NY
1/23/2012
The worst Indian restaurant I've ever been to. Small portions for the price, dirty, and terrible service that can't seem to get your order right. Trust me, there are many, many more delicious Indian places on this block, run far from here!
-
Review from Alberto A.
Manhattan, NY
5/4/2011
Taj is my favorite restaurant in New York City. It fulfills all my needs: food, atmosphere and service. I was originally drawn in because of the dinner special, and the musicians. Immediately, I was taken by the intimate greeting by the owner, Renu. She not only made us feel at home, but she took the order and then went to the kitchen to prepare our meal. Since then, we have been back almost a dozen times. We are treated royally, and our visits there are a much needed comfort amidst our busy schedules.
To make matters more significant, I told the owner that my first dinner upon moving to New York thirty years ago was at an Indian restaurant name Shah Bagh, ironically situated in this same area. Renu proceeded to inform me that Shah Bagh was her uncle's restaurant, and was passed down to her. I was sitting on the very same site as I was thirty years ago! That sealed the deal.
In regard to some of the other reviews of this restaurant below, I have to say this...In my estimation, those few negative remarks sound like they are referring to another restaurant entirely. I have had only the most positive experiences at Taj. The food is flavorful, dependable, and offers a great variety to the diner. The service is impeccable, and the decor is charming. The musicians add the final touch for a pleasurable evening out.
I firmly believe that when one walks into a restaurant with a positive attitude and the expectation for a superb meal, one is virtually guaranteed to have one. We get back the energy that we put out. I am a musician by trade. My job is to make people happy. When I walk into a place, I have a smile on my face.
When I walk out of Taj after having my dinner, I am always smiling!!! -
Review from Janet Y.
New York, NY
4/23/2011
Please, don't eat here.
This place is really dirty. Whoever gave them an A rating needs to check again.
The food was not good. The service was terrible. It took them 30 minutes to come take our order, and took them a life time to give us our check.
But that's not the worst part. First before I started dining, I realized a huge black sauce stain on my napkin. I asked for a new one, and there was a stain on that too. gross.
What's even worst is while we were dining, my friend saw the lady that worked there, take one of the glasses off the shelf, drank from it, and put it back like nothing happened. Later she served the same glass to a customer.
If that's not gross I don't know what is... Never going there again. UGH -
Review from Robin K.
10/15/2011
I don't really understand the terrible reviews on here...?
My bf used to live above this restaurant, so it was the go-to when we didn't have any other date ideas. There are a million other Indian places on this block, and they all have creepy men standing outside trying to lure you in, menus out on the sidewalk that are weathered, and just.. look gross. Anyway.
The ambiance of Taj is nice. There is live Indian music every night which normally I wouldn't be into, but it's calm and quiet enough to be background noise to conversation. All the food I've tried is very good. I once got the vegetarian dinner special (not vegetarian, just like the food), which comes with soup, various appetizers, papadam, a veg entree of your choice + rice, tea, and dessert (if my memory serves me correctly). In short, it is a shitton of food for like $14. I ended up taking basically my entire entree home and ate it for dinner the next day - nice!
The owner, Renu, is really nice and works very hard, and she remembers us whenever we come in!. Besides her, though, the service is very weird... overall, it is pretty slow. Also, there is one waiter who walks looks like a zombie holding a water jug. I am convinced he is a stealth water-refiller, because at least twice our glasses were filled to the brim without our recollection of him coming to the table and filling it. Time had accumulated toward the end of the meal, just because we both had multiple courses. We wanted to speed things up, but kind of had to flag down a waiter to get our dessert and then check. THe only waiter who was circling was zombie water man, and he seemed to not understand what we were saying. So he brought tea... I mean, we enjoyed the tea, but we wanted to wind things down. Renu was in the back eating some dinner I think, and she kind of saw his quizzical actions and rectified everything, brought dessert, and we were soon on our way.
If you are patient with the service, this is a good dining experience. All the food we have had is very tasty, and we are definitely coming back! -
Review from Eloni F.
New York, NY
1/20/2011
I consistently get this place mixed up with Raj Majal which is ten times better. The food is pretty bad and I recall they messed up my order and then what they came back with didn't look like Chicken Tikka Massala at all but whatever they had given me before with some cream thrown in. They are kind of rude there and it is hard to get good service. Now I remember that this is the place I DON'T like. It's pretty dirty and looks disheveled. I give it 2 stars intead of 1 because it's filling and really cheap. $10 or so for the meal with a free glass of wine is a-ok.
I find the musicians playing for me to sometimes be fun and sometimes be a little annoying. Sometimes I would prefer silence. At least now I know to avoid the place with the live music because their food is pretty cruddy and their service is worse. -
Review from richard d.
Briarwood, NY
11/5/2011
Got there a the opening no waiter. No big deal. The waiter (owner and cook?) arrived and then kept asking us what we wanted every 2 minutes. We order two entrees, lassi, some bread and appetizers after naming a few things on the menu that were not available including roti. How can an indian place not have roti. Anyway he keeps rushing us (we were there a total of 35 minutes). As I ask for the check I hand him the KGB deal and he makes a nasty comment and then makes a teeth sucking noise. He swings by and shows me a piece of the check that we owe $28 but does not give me a check to look at.
It seemed high and I asked twice more to see a check and he got agitated but now there are other people there. I put $40 on the table and he wants to know if he can keep it or has to bring change. My friend then says can we just see a check so we can figure out what we owe.
Five minutes later I get the check. MR SNEAKY ADDED $9 service charge to a $44 dollar bill. That was over 20% for bad service. I usually tip that but he had tried to scam a tip on top of a 20% tip. Yes, I paid it and hopefully someone will be spared this.
The food was completely forgetable and not generous. A Jackson Heights dive would blow them away, -
Review from Amy L.
New York, NY
5/2/2011
$10 for soup, a samosa, a dish, rice, naan, and dessert - a solid dinner deal. The daal was flavorful and chicken vindaloo fairly spicy. The live music was a nice touch.
However, service was truly terrible. We asked for the check 3 times and eventually just left some cash on the table and walked out.
Tip: check in on foursquare to get a free mango lassi! -
Review from Shay S.
Manhattan, NY
3/19/2011
I felt like writing a review because this place does not deserve the low ratings I see here.
True, this restaurant is not amazing, but the price is good ($10 for dinner special gives you soup, meal AND desert) and the food is pretty good. I had lamb tandoori marsala and it was delicious. The naan bread and papadam were also good. We got a dish or rice and it was very good with the sauces. I really don't see why the terrible reviews. For desert I had some rice pudding which tasted fresh and ricey, as it should be. The music in the background can get annoying after a while, but hey, it's part of the place's charm.
If you're looking for a good value, a decent Indian meal in Manhattan that will not break the bank, that's probably a good place to go to. Give it a try. -
Review from Lauren L.
10/10/2011 5 photos
So on what might have been the biggest hunt ever for Indian food, we landed at Taj Restaurant. We walked from 55th and Lex to Curry Hill, determined to find something. We always wanted to cheap, so I then threw out the idea to head to the East Village. When finally arrived downtown, hungry as ever. I wanted to show my friend this part of 6th street because I knew it was filled with a lot of restaurants for relatively cheap pricing. We stopped at once place and got sucked right in.
So not only were they offering a $9.95 dinner special, but I really wanted to sit outside as well. Well wouldn't ya know, this place had a table right outside for two people. And on top of all of this, there live music. We were sold.
So after reviewing the menu we made our decisions and quickly put our order in. With the dinner special you get an appetizer (soup and mamosa), an entree, rice, naan and a dessert. Along with this came the trio of dips that usually are brought to you on the house with a chip like cracker.
For soups, I had the lentil and my friend had the coconut. For mamaosa, she had the vegetable and I had the coconut. The lentil soup was outstanding, full of flavor and lots of lentils. The coconut soup was not what I expected. I expected it be a lot creamy but it was more milky and full of coconut flecks, it was outstanding. The mamaoas were also great. I got the coconut one, and it wasn't as fried I felt like as the veggie one. This thing was bursting with coconut. It was amazing, topped off with a little tamarind sauce, the sweetness from both the sauce and coconut were a match made in heaven.
For entrees, I had the chana saag and my friend ordered the chicken tikka. While the entrees appeared small, dont let it fool you. It really is a lot of food that goes a long way and when adding the naan into the mix, you get pretty full rather quickly. Both dishes were outstanding and we cleaned out bowls. Now here is where things got interesting. I really wanted roti. So after we placed our dinner order, I had my friend quickly run in to see if she could change the order for mine from naan to roti. I guess the woman, who is the owner, gave her a hard time, telling her the roti was better than the naan. When they brought our dishes out, they only brought the naan. So we just figured it must be really bad roti and shes saving us the hassle. But within a few minutes the roti arrived. And she was right, it was terrible roti. It was basically naan but whole wheat style. Of course we didn't let it go to waste but it certainly wasn't like any of the traditional roti we've had.
For dessert, we had the rice pudding. I was a little skeptical about this when it was placed in front of me. But nonetheless, it was delicious! Homemade rice pudding again with large flecks of coconut. It was outstanding. Again, me and the woman went at it. I asked to see the dessert menu and she kind of snapped back at me asking why, because the meal comes with rice pudding. I kindly told her that we were considering maybe ordering another dessert but after her response we nibbed that in the bud!
So we wanted outdoor seating, and we got it. We ended up with live music and a really cheap meal just like we wanted. The total bill was $21. You really can't go wrong there for the amount of food that was served. They are also BYOB, so if you're looking for something cheap and delicious you really can't go wrong here. The restaurant was clean and the service very attentive. Although we were hustled, it was totally worth it. -
Review from Christine G.
Brooklyn, NY
7/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
Holy dinner special.... 9.95 for soup, samosa, main course, rice, naan and desert? Plus if you check in on yelp, you get a free mango lassi? What a deal. Plus live music that makes you feel like you're in an opium den? Awesome.
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Review from Melanie H.
Manhattan, NY
5/8/2011
Horrible service, and the food did not have any flavor whatsoever. if you wants some real indian food, you should go to the Indian restaurants on Lexington and 27th st... so so so much better!
The live music was a nice touch I have to say, but everything else was horrible. It took them forever to come get our order, and when they came to serve the entrees, our table wasn't even cleared from the appetizers. Nobody filled our water glasses, and we never got the dessert that was supposed to be part of the dinner special of 9.95. We were so over the place at that point that we just decided to leave and go get some ice cream. -
Review from R M.
San Francisco, CA
6/8/2008
No baby no.
Even at my giddiest, drunken, confessional stupor I can not endorse the food here. I gave it an extra star because of the live sitar music and the fact that the musician winked at me. -
Review from Mo P.
Brooklyn, NY
4/26/2009
I hereby pick a fight with all the bad reviews of this place- I've been here a few times and have never had poor service, the food is always good, and the ambiance is spectacular (whoa, I just spelled that psectaclar.... maybe that's the Indian version that is leaking from my subconscious?).
The food was not the highlight of my experience here, but I knew I wasn't signing in on the roster for the world's most wow-ing Indian food.* Our dinners were exceptional in regards to the amount of food (cured two starvin' marvins after a long day of walking around Central Park)--- I think our multi-course dinner special was about $10pp. The cuisine was almost all typical Northern Indian fare---at least what we ordered. The Tandoori Chicken, naan, vegetarian samosas (lacked a little gusto)... all were at our table before we could say kabob.
While munching on the abundance of food (it...kept....arriving.....), we were serenaded by two barefoot musicians. Nothing like a little sitar and tabla to ensure that you are successfully going to fall into a deep food coma after your meal! A news crew came in during our meal to interview the musicians-- turns out they've been strolling the St. Marks area for over twenty years. So if your meal doesn't woo you, hopefully the sangita will!
*Lesson in life for everyone--- expectations can lead to disappointment. Soak that up in some curry. -
Review from PJ G.
New York, NY
5/14/2008
I've been here too many times to count and always had fast service, okay food and a fun time. Not last night!
Nadja and I went there after stocking up on waaaay too much free alcohol from an event. So, we were listing a bit as we wobbled down the street to the restaurant (weebles wobble but they don't fall down!) Anyway, we get to the place, it's kinda crowded, no one shows us to our seats, so we grab a table. A year and a half go by and a very grumpy waitress dumps menus on our table and leaves.
Finally we get our order takens. After getting our starters quickly, the ice age set in.
After the paleozoic era ended, we get our main dishes.
Yes, the service was glacially slow and the food sucked.
One more place to cross off my list of fun and cheap places to eat. -
Review from amanda s.
San Diego, CA
11/12/2009
WORST DINING EXPERIENCE EVER!!!!!!!!
so, for my man and i's last night in NYC we wanted to get good indian. taj was the 1st place we saw on 6th. the minute we walked in we should have turned right back around.
1st off- there wasn't a soul in the restaurant besides the employees. a very frail indian girl sat us who looked super scared. as we sat down in the dark restaurant i began noticing the decor. it looked like somebody's weird basement. they actually had a "101 dalmatians" towel draped over something as a decoration!! all of the booths, including ours, had tons of black duct tape covering tears and cracks. some of the booths were only half booths with a chair replacing where the other half of the booth once was. so yeah, not aesthetically pleasing at all.
then our waitress. she looked like she wanted to kill us. i mean, she was super pissed for some reason. she actually sighed a super heavy sigh when she walked up to our table. she said things like, "so, you want something to drink?" my boyfriend and i were both totally confused as to why she was so mad. but we were both so hungry we decided to ignore this and just order.
the first thing to come was my yogurt lassi. it tasted sour and just plain odd, not like it was supposed to. i was actually afraid to drink it all for fear of getting sick potentially. so then our food came. my mutar paneer tasted so bland it was insane. my boyfriend was freaked out by his food as well.
so by this point we were seriously bummed. we were just going to pay for our food and leave without eating it and find another place to eat at. that is until it happened... OH YES....
A MOUSE!!!
it scurried right across the floor in front of me! so my boyfriend told the employees, they started to frantically look for it, and my boyfriend started to say that we were going to go.
the owner told us not to worry about the food and that he was sorry, that it must have ran in from the closed(?) sliding glass door. my boyfriend, being a gentleman, offered to pay for our drinks. the owner immediately declined... and the snatched my boyfriend's $10 he was holding out!! it was HILARIOUS!!!
so we booked it out of that place pronto. THANK THE LORD. when we left i was trying to look for a letter rating in their window but i couldn't find one anywhere. gee- how surprising.
$10 says it's a "C." -
Review from Matthew S.
Brooklyn, NY
5/15/2008
Listen...I'm not an elitist. I seriously try to be grateful that I have my health, a roof over my head and food to eat. But I don't want it to be this food... ever. Taj is a sub-street level joint. Decorated in bright reds and golds and beads and other Indian shit...it made me smile. Although garish I loved it. To add to the whimsical authenticity (if that's what you call it) was a seriously enraptured duo playing tabla and sitar.
The food: poo. The lamb I had was super oily and the naan was about the size of an old school floppy disc. Not worth he money in the least. Boo Taj...you had such potential. -
Review from Athena K.
New York, NY
3/2/2011
This is a rating on food/service... I do have to say the owner is really nice, and there is live tabla music, but I did'nt come for that, I came for food!!!
The chicken tikka masala, probably one of the more popular indian dishes among americans ( or just me), I have tried this dish everywhere, and at Taj, its unrecognizable. The sauce should be tomato and cream based, along with spicy indian herbs I can't recall, but at Taj its just tomato and herbs, no creame Pas De crème!! Does anyone feel my outrage!!!
That aside, it did take along time to get our bill, at one point I thought they closed with us still sitting there because the non-eng speaking employee started dragging large smelling garbage bags by us out the front door.... smh!!! Thats bad for bitness!! -
Review from David B.
9/29/2010
Having been to a number of the other Indian spots on 6th Street, I figured I'd give this one a try. The live music was certainly a draw - you could hear the soothing sounds of the sitar from the curb.
They advertise a free Mango Lassi (small, thick mango shake) with every meal in celebration of 25 years in business. Well, the decor has not changed in 25 years, that is to be certain. Our back-seat-of-a-bus style bench seats were covered in black duct tape to conceal years of rips & tears. The springs were very bouncy, and overall the seating was quite detrimental to the overall experience. From where we were sitting, it also looked as if cracks in the ceiling were merely covered up with cloth - if this is what the dining room looks like, what is going on behind the kitchen doors?
The food: Forgettable (greasy) vegetable samosa. Bland Shaag Ponir (usually my favorite indian menu item). Decent garlic naan (though I would compare it directly to the kind you can get at Trader Joes for $3/4 pack - almost identical, though here it was $3/piece) At a $30 total for 2, we shared everything, I felt as though I had been taken on a comical ride.
On top of lackluster service (though they made sure to keep my water glass full, stoping by every minute or so) one of the employees/owners (?) told me to "let the girl finish" when I asked for the bill. We wanted out of there! Her plate had plenty of food on it because it simply was not that good. We wanted it wrapped up to give to our imaginary dog.
I can't say that I'll be back again. Frankly, 2 stars is generous. -
Review from Annette K.
San Francisco, CA
7/14/2008
I can still taste the sadness of this meal -- the greasy flavorless sadness. The food was completely inedible. My husband and I are two members of the clean plate club who will generally eat pretty much anything that's put in front of us and we left all but the first bites of each dish. The service was crazy mean. Crazy and mean.
If I could give negative stars I would. Avoid this place! -
Review from Jena T.
New York, NY
2/2/2010
Wow, most of these reviews couldn't be farther from my experience! I wonder if they've gotten new management...
I first tried Taj mainly because of the sarangi player in the window. I wasn't really in need of sustenance on that occasion; I was simply desirous of gazing into Mr. Sarangi Player's hypnotic eyes (and beard). But, of course, one can't just take up a table without paying, so my fellow sarangi watchers and I ordered samosas. We were pleasantly surprised, and ended up ordering a few more appetizers, all of which we liked nearly as much as the crazy sarangi man.
I've been back on several occasions since, and not only do I always enjoy my meal and the musical accompaniment, but the hostess is unfailingly friendly and funny. Seriously, the best service ever - I wanted to give her a hug the last time I left (although maybe that was the wine). Is it haute cuisine? Ok, it's not. But it is damn tasty and, along with the service, will make you feel like you're sitting at a good friend's dinner table.
Highly recommended: chana masala, mushroom saag, eating there during sarangi hours, and going this week, while they're running a very decent free glass of wine special. -
Review from zack s.
Brooklyn, NY
1/21/2012
The only reason I gave this a one star is because I can't give them a no rating. This place is TERRIBLE.... DO NOT EAT HERE. The waiter got my order wrong. I kept saying I want the chicken dish and he kept saying lamb and ended up bringing out the lamb dish for which I paid extra. He was very rude. The portions were small and my g.f. and I had to go back to Williamsburg to eat again an hour later. Food was not very tasteful. The Indian restaurant next door we visited a few months earlier was way better. We walked in because of the music. The musicians were good. BUT still not worth going in because service is terrible and food is terrible!!!!!!!
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Review from Sarah W.
Brooklyn, NY
6/14/2008
Pretty good Indian food in a secluded street of the East Village. This place has many good things. First it is decorated in dark Indian decor with flaming red lights that makes you feel like you are totally some where else. They have live Indian music performed on a small platform in the front of the restaurant. And they take credit card (sometimes hard to find in the city).
The food is good, you can order set dinners and choose your appetizer, entree, etc. I had no complaints. The food tasted authentic to me from what I know. I still need some one to verify this for me though. -
Review from Michael O.
San Francisco, CA
6/18/2008
Is there not a "zero stars" option?
Possibly the worst meal of my adult life. I'm not a snob or anything. But after waiting an hour for plates of dreck and leaving most of our meals uneaten (I mean how do you fuck up naan like that? Seriously?!), as my wife and I walked out of that restaurant, I was overcome by a deep, ineffable sadness.
It was that bad. -
Review from Natasha D.
West Babylon, NY
8/28/2010
I was lured into the Taj by the joyous sounds of the sitar and tabla and the invitation of a free mango lassi.
The service was alright. I ordered the chicken and spinach curry. It wasn't seasoned very well, but it was enjoyable enough. The garlic naan was very good. The dahl, sad to say, was atrocious. Perhaps that was why the waiter "forgot" to bring it to the table. The mango lassi was slightly on the sweet side, but tasty nonetheless. -
Review from Stephen T.
New York, NY
3/22/2010
I hate to throw my hat into this sad ring, but I feel it's my duty to warn fellow Yelpers about this Curry Row trap.
My roommate and I decided to stop by 6th Street for a bite on our stroll home from SoHo last night. In a regrettable bout of laziness, we stopped at the very first block of the Row, and In an even more regrettable bout of cheapness, we passed up Brick Lane for the $10 dinner special at Taj.
We should have turned around when we walked into the dingy, subterranean space and noted that the clientele was primarily out-of-towners, but we figured one can never go THAT wrong with Indian food. Right? Oh, naivete.
After being seated by the sitar player, whose presence was actually very quirky and fun, we figured the place must be a diamond in the rough. "Surely what they're lacking in decor and overall cleanliness they're going to make up for in flavor and authenticity," we thought. So, after realizing our options were quite limited for the advertised $10 dinner, I ordered the Vegetarian Combination and my roommate ordered the Chef's Special Dinner, and because something about our waitress's voice reminded me vaguely of my aunt back in India (very vaguely - she would kill me if she heard this comparison), I was sure the food would be just as reminiscent of the summers I spent with her.
Was that build-up enough for you? Good, then let's cut to the chase. The "lentil soup" tasted and looked like someone threw up, sprinkled nutmeg on it, and put it in a bowl, and the various curries were both heavy and poorly/strangely seasoned. I think nutmeg and cinnamon must have been the only spices they had on hand, so everything was lent a subtle, sickly-sweet taste of a winter dessert -- from the chicken to the saag. This was Indian food that was interchangeable with hospital food (if the hospital wanted you to have an oil- and coconut milk-induced heart attack). On a positive note, the rice was well-cooked and the greasy, fried samosa was pretty tasty -- perhaps it was a pre-made treat?
Luckily the stomach cramps that I woke up with this morning subsided enough for me to go to the Village Voice Choice Eats event tonight and have some food that didn't make me want to detoxify my body. OK, sorry for rambling -- just don't go here. -
Review from Ys C.
Mamaroneck, NY
10/17/2009
in a word: no.
Had a great serendipitous experience with the little india in midtown a while back, and thought I'd try to replicate the experience this time with the LES curry row. We didn't know where to go, and by sheer amount of occupancy rate (at the time this place had quite a small crowd near the door) we decided on this one. I figured that many people eating here couldn't be bad, though the decor looked quite a bit tackier than its competitors. I thought that was probably a testament to its food quality.
One thing I loved about Indian food was the brick oven Naan. This place's naan is leaven and mushy. Terrible, and very disappointing. The mixed appetizer (tandoori platter) we had was fried, dry, scant, and truly nothing to write home about. The main dishes, beef vindaloo came out in a small portion with a plate of rice to share between the two of us, though we later learned we could have refills. Chicken masala was also unremarkable. It's flat and forgettable, small portions.
It's not the satisfaction on a dime I was looking for. In fact, it left me quite wanting and unfulfilled. The bread was almost $3 but was about the size of my palm and totally unsavory. Masala and vindaloo felt more like a side than a main dish. There's nothing noteworthy about the taste, and felt like I was at an indian takeout place (similar to a Chinese take out where food is crude and service limited for a quick fill). I gobbled things up because it was near midnight and I was starving, or I'd probably just save my stomach and try the next place. I don't know much about Indian food, but from limited past experiences I know it can be a whole lot more satisfying.
The service wasn't "terrible" per se, but it's what you'd expect at a take-out restaurant. There's no paper napkin, and the supplied cloth smelled like oil/grease that's also saturating the dining space. It wasn't expensive, but I could have had a lot better in the vicinity for the same price. It left me wishing I could redo it somewhere else, so that I didn't have to go home pissy and dissatisfied. -
Review from Michelle M.
Oakland, CA
1/30/2008
This was by far the worst Indian restaurant I've ever been to. The decor was nice, the live music was nice, but the food was either completely flavorless, or actually bad tasting. Even the tamarind sauce and chutneys were bad. The naan was greasy and flavorless, the dhal horrible, the rice was OK, barely.
Even the tea was flavorless. Tasted like someone had put dish soap in it.
Don't go. Never, ever, ever go. -
Review from Hannah M.
Brooklyn, NY
12/18/2011
Should have read the reviews before going here. The food is ok, but the service was awful. We went at around 4 on a Saturday, which I acknowledge is weird, but we had just gotten out of the gym and were craving Indian. We chose Taj because of their $9.95 "6 course" dinner special, which the waiter assured us was available, and because the door said they took a credit card. Well, apparently to this restaurant, 6 courses = lukewarm soup, rice, 1 piece of nan for 2 people, a tiny portion of tikka masala and a tiny, over-fried appetizer (that came out AFTER the main course). All the while, while the server was bringing out our food, he kept telling us what an amazing job he was doing. "Look, there are 5 pieces of chicken, normally there are only 3!" (Have you EVER been to an Indian restaurant where you get three tiny chunks of chicken in your tikka masala?) "Look, I brought you 4 appetizer pieces, normally there are only 2!" (Yeah, these things were about 2" round and flat, if they seriously only give you one per person usually, that is a problem already.) He also kept trying to bully us into ordering more food and drinks, even after we said we weren't interested. Oh, also important to note, although the restaurant was COMPLETELY empty, he sat us at the tiniest table available. Then, after we finished our meal, although the door says they take cards, when my boyfriend went to pay with his card the server insisted that we give him cash instead. We managed to scrounge enough together between the two of us, but were low on singles and, I will admit, included a less than generous tip. I don't usually do this, because I waited tables for a long time and know being a server sucks, but we were annoyed that we couldn't use a card and the server was being rude. He took the bill fold and then proceeded to count the cash in front of us and exclaim "Only $2!" (It was actually $3, btw, on a $20 bill, which although not generous is not robbery). He then berated my boyfriend until we got him to get us change for a larger bill and left another $2 just so he'd leave us alone. He waited at the table the entire time and then counted the money in front of us AGAIN before letting us go. If I had done that as a server in any of the restaurants I've worked at, I would have been fired SO FAST. Incredibly rude, mediocre food, definitely never going back. Next time I'm craving Indian, I'll splurge for Brick Lane or make my own.
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Review from Justin L.
Queens, NY
5/2/2011
Wow. This place is utterly terrible. Don't even think about having Indian Food here because the Food is awful. It took forever to get our food which turned out to be Saag Panneer which was mostly just Spinich drowned with gravy and absolutely no Panneer Cubes. My Tandoori Chicken were dried bland chunks of Chicken Breast with some old rice. OK WTF Tandoori Chicken should not be just be dried breasts. We each went with Dinner specialties. The mango lassie tasted like it was from a mix and the appetizers were obviously microwaved.
The lady had the audacity to argue with my gf about what is Saag Panneer then bring out receipts to show that people ordered it. Yeah I'm sure they ordered it but it sucks. Everyone goes to Fresca Tortilla knowing its run by Chinese! Still doesn't mean its good.
She then gave us a "discount" of 50 percent off each dinner specialty with bill still coming out to 22 bucks. I'm sorry if I didn't each your dam crap food. Don't charge us. Your appetizers were barely edible and your mango lassie was 4 dollars for a sandy mango lassie.
We should of just walked out but we left a discount of the bill. I dont' know why people would even eat here. Its a bunch of BS. -
Review from Teresa S.
Forest Hills, NY
A friend and I visited Taj for the first time and used our livingsocial coupon. I was a little upset that I couldnt use the free mango drink for checking in with yelp because I already had a coupon. I ordered the chef special which came with soup, mixture of appetizers, entree and dessert. I didnt realize when you order the special, you couldnt personally pick your appetizers or dessert. It kinda didnt matter in the end because it was all good except the dessert. I ordered the vegetable soup which was delicious and my friend ordered the lentil soup and she didnt like it. The mixture of appetizers were delicious, particularly the banana tasting digamajig (forgot the names). I ordered the curry lamb stew with white rice was very good. The waiter asked if we wanted bread and we said yes which was also damn good. However, we didnt realize the two big pieces of bread was an extra $5 (well worth it). Again, we couldnt pick our desert and they brought out rice pudding which I dont like and didnt like at this restaurant. Overall the servings were a nice portion and the food was tasty. The place is a bit run down looking but they had nice Indian music by two men in the window. The staff were very friendly an attentive. I would definitely return.
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Review from Kevin L.
Brooklyn, NY
2/12/2011
It looks like this place gets pretty bad reviews but I would give it 3-stars. They are a small cozy place with live Indian music. I went there recently, and order a curry lamb dish with pineapple. It was really spicy and I drank a lot of water. I also got the roti, which I wouldn't recommend because it's $4 for a flat piece of bread. Other than that, I really don't think they are that bad.
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Review from Anna P.
New York, NY
9/30/2010
This place is perfect for the deal. Always kid staff and reliably yummy food. Vegetarian special comes recommended.
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Review from leo l.
Tustin, CA
2/1/2007
Do not go at all. it was not the food, it was the people. it was operated by loan shake or something. i left 10% tips, the f**king waiter came out and came after us saying we did not give enough tips.
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Review from nina h.
Brooklyn, NY
12/3/2010
bland food and awful service. i was lured in by the musicians in the windows but my boyfriend and i instantly regretted eating here as soon as the food came. although it comes with the meal, don't eat the soup. everything else was tasteless and boring.
i guess you get what you pay for when it's a $9 three course meal.
also- down the street is taj mahal. it's nearly the same thing but SLIGHTLY better.
