(646) 475-2393

8 E 18th St
New York, NY 10003 40.7382 -73.9913

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Neighborhoods: Flatiron District, Midtown, Union Square

www.devinyc.com

Hours:

Mon - Friday: 11:30 am - 10:30 pm

Sat and Sunday: 12:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Last updated 4.07.12

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Discover, MasterCard

Cuisine:

Indian

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Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About Devi

Featured Review

Erin Behan

Contributor

The Scene – An intricately carved wooden door, curtains of soft orange and red, and colorful hanging lanterns dress up an interior that's reminiscent of an average Indian restaurant, only much nicer. The same can be said of the exotic cocktails enjoyed by the wildly diverse but astutely cosmopolitan crowd. The real buzz at the bi-level space, however, comes from chefs Suvir Saran and Hemant Mathur's accomplished menu. – – The Food – The freshness and essence of ingredients shines through in dishes, enhanced by complex spices. The crackling of crispy rice and bean…

Editor's Tips

What to Drink:
The Orange Blossom martini mixes Mandarin Blossom vodka, Cointreau and a touch of blood orange juice for a just-sweet-enough opening.
The Extras:
The tasting menus are a superb introduction to a range of dishes. But come hungry--the five-course menu is generously sized (regular or vegetarian, $55, with wine pairings $95) and fast-paced.
ambiance
96.07999801635742% positive
  1. “found this place to be everything that I wanted in a cozy romantic restuarant.”
  2. “would recommend this place to people who seek out places based on ambiance, and who are not traditional Indian cuisine enthusiasts.”
  3. “The ambience is great - nice and modern indian style with great lighting.”
  4. “the food is incredible good,the ambiance is beautiful ,the best indian restaurant in new york city!”
  5. “Devi on the other hand is an eclectic twist on the everyday Indian cusine with an incredible rajasthani influenced decor.”
  6. “you like a charming restaurant atmosphere you got it.”
  7. “Devi has a beautiful ambiance, but it is really, really overpriced for what it is.”
  8. “Excellent food, beautiful atmosphere”
  9. “Very nice decor with bright colors and subdued lighting.”
  10. “The decor is nice but thats about it.”
  11. “The restaurant is wrapped in warmly colored fabrics and that, along with the music, provided a wonderful atmosphere.”
  12. “Bottom line, if you wanna find good indian food dont go here, unless you wanna eat average food with nice decor.”
  13. “Even those who didn't like the food and prices have admitted the atmosphere is romantic, you can count on that.”
  14. “the ambiance is a excellent and romantic.”
  15. “Helpful wait staff make dining at Devi the perfect romantic experience.”
  16. “The warm, fabric filled atmosphere enduces a calm relaxing dining experince.”
  17. “Ambiance is romantic but also whimsical.”
dessert
83.33000183105469% positive
  1. “did not think they could top the savory offerings, but the desserts are awe inspiring.”
  2. “especially liked the ice cream, which was a kulfi wafting in some kind of tangy sweet water.”
  3. “The desserts were also good.”
  4. “The mango chesse cake is an excellent desert to top off the night.”
  5. “The dessert, especially the kulfi, was a huge disapointment.”
  6. “No one rushed us out, they let us enjoy our tea and dessert as they were closing for the night.”
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. “Service was solicitous, we had 3 guys pouring wine and serving us constantly, only cons were that they somehow ran out of 2 of their speciality cocktails (don't know how you run out of a cocktail) but the drink list was unusual with a south asian flavor i”
  2. “would definitely recommend the tasting menu and there are many reasonably priced wines by the bottle.”
  3. “The wine list is suprisingly well priced and the service was perfect.”
  4. “But I thought Devi was a great balance, with nice innovations (try the drinks), without losing appreciation for wonderful, authentic Indian flavors.”
  5. “The cocktails were quite good though and no complaints about the service except that they subtly try to up the tab by pushing more dishes than you need.”
  6. “We began at the bar with a Ginger Collins, fabulous drink made with Maker's Mark, fresh and candied ginger, and ginger ale.”
  7. “last time we came, the drinks were fantastic.”
  8. “started off with a mango blood orange martini that was one of the best drinks I've ever tasted (indian restaurant or not!)”
  9. “The mixed drinks are good and the appetizers are our favorite.”
  10. “No one rushed us out, they let us enjoy our tea and dessert as they were closing for the night.”
  11. “The hostess was pleasant, the bartender knew the wines and what they paired with, the waiter described each dish in detail, the chef chatted with us on the way out.”
food quality
71.98999881744385% positive
  1. “ate veal brain (at my date's insistence) and liver bruschetta that was tasty.”
  2. “Very good Indian food.”
  3. “The food was not fresh, the naan was hot and rubbery like it had been microwaved, chicken was tough and unflavorful, had 2 send back two dishes.”
  4. “meal was a little pricey.”
  5. “New York was in need of Devi-- a classy spot to enjoy rich Indian food.”
  6. “likely the best Indian food I've had in this city!”
  7. “Service was solicitous, we had 3 guys pouring wine and serving us constantly, only cons were that they somehow ran out of 2 of their speciality cocktails (don't know how you run out of a cocktail) but the drink list was unusual with a south asian flavor i”
  8. “As far as it not being an authentic "Indian" cuisine, of course it's not.”
  9. “Everything about the place was pretentious, from the service to the food.”
  10. “Not in the mood (or right company) for downscale, but authentic Indian food -- then go to Devi.”
  11. “Mediocre food, too expensive and snobbish/rude service”
  12. “had this manchurian cauliflower that was incredible and a dish of lotus seeds that were decadent.”
  13. “So I separately order the $6 bowl of basmati rice, which is three tablespoons of rice!”
  14. “Supposedly homestyle Indian, but whether its like what they make in India or not, its great and unusual food.”
  15. “The food was inventive and delicious, and the service was sharp.”
  16. “It's an incredible value and one amazing course is followed by an even more delicious one.”
  17. “The food was amazing!”
  18. “The food was amazing.”
  19. “But I thought Devi was a great balance, with nice innovations (try the drinks), without losing appreciation for wonderful, authentic Indian flavors.”
  20. “The fusion of food groups was horrible.”
  21. “Maybe because it is restaurant week, but service was very poor and the food okay.”
  22. “The place is soooo pretty, great for dates and parties and the food is tasty.”
  23. “At best, the preparations were mediocre the diners on Lexington Avenue serve more flavorful dishes.”
  24. “The lamb was wonderful.”
  25. “The lamb chops, although parts were tasty was mostly full of rubber, which was a real shame.”
  26. “The food was horrible.”
  27. “Gotta love the excess of the chicken stuffed with lamb starter- and the cauliflower was very nice too.”
  28. “I'm not particularly impressed by the taste either at this point- there seems to a total lack of the fresh flavor that defines good Northern Indian food.”
  29. “then proceeded with the tandoori halibut with briyani rice and this delicious mint/celantro chutney.”
  30. “The tandoori lamb chops and cauliflower manchurian were average, however the spinach and spice stuffed chicken was very good.”
  31. “The place looked great, the service was impeccable and all of the food was spectacular.”
  32. “was given two pieces of chicken an a cold potato salad, which I didn't care for all that much.”
  33. “Even those who didn't like the food and prices have admitted the atmosphere is romantic, you can count on that.”
  34. “The baby sized $9 kulfi came floating in an annoying citrus sauce.”
  35. “loved the lamb.”
  36. “was served kulfi the size of my pinky in a disgustingly bitter tangering sauce.”
  37. “Food was creative, spicy and enjoyable.”
  38. “would have been ok with the place if it was just overpriced with mediocre food- I've been to restaurants like that and haven't been offended.”
  39. “The food is divine--there's no other word for it.”
  40. “love the food here!”
  41. “Note that the 7 courses add up to a LOT of food - you need a huge appetite to do it justice.”
  42. “The cocktails were quite good though and no complaints about the service except that they subtly try to up the tab by pushing more dishes than you need.”
  43. “Excellent food, beautiful atmosphere”
  44. “haven't had a bad dish yet.”
  45. “would recommend this restaurant to anyone who is new to this style of cuisine and is looking for a little romance and intrigue to go along with their meal.”
  46. “the food is incredible good,the ambiance is beautiful ,the best indian restaurant in new york city!”
  47. “Decor was lovely, service attentive (waiter seemed to love working there), and food managed to be authentically Indian yet uniquely flavorful.”
  48. “The food was below average - By that I mean the food was some of the worst indian food I have ever tasted.”
  49. “Good food but not inexpensive.”
  50. “simply great food, great service.”
  51. “you want real delicious indian food you don t get it !”
  52. “The food at the restaurant was very mediocre and the attempts at creating a 'fusion'/'new age' Indian cuisine were pathetic.”
  53. “If u like indian food definately check this place out.”
  54. “Additionally, as far as fusion cuisine goes, the flavor of the food was average and the quailty of the food was poor (e.g., my venison dish was poor quality meat and poorly cooked, as it was tough and stringy, and I had difficulty cutting through the meat”
  55. “We did not order the tasting menu but all ordered different dishes.”
  56. “Bottom line, if you wanna find good indian food dont go here, unless you wanna eat average food with nice decor.”
  57. “Definitly worth the $$ if you love Indian food”
  58. “The tastes and presentation of the dishes were interesting but not worth the price.”
  59. “would recommend this place to people who seek out places based on ambiance, and who are not traditional Indian cuisine enthusiasts.”
  60. “I'm not sure what the other reviewers are complaining about but they must think excellent Indian food exists on 6th street.”
  61. “The hostess was pleasant, the bartender knew the wines and what they paired with, the waiter described each dish in detail, the chef chatted with us on the way out.”
  62. “(We used the extra $14 on the card on a tasty double order of garlic naan for the road and paid the tip in cash.)”
  63. “The food was mouthwatering.”
  64. “Lamb stuffed tandoori chicken, excellent appetizer.”
  65. “Caveat: our meal was $20 for restaurant week, so I imagine the food is typically overpriced.”
  66. “The chicken was dry and the sauce was lukewarm.”
  67. “But the rude and obnoxious service here really made me angry, the waiter kept suggesting his own dishes, pooh-poohed our selections and a couple of times forgot to bring the correct order, and instead of apologizing, suggested that it was my problem.”
  68. “Everything tastes fresh, unique, well spiced.”
  69. “Service is average, I definetly noticed attitude when we decided to order plain rice and bread.”
  70. “It was definitely a good meal, although not exactly head and shoulders over other places that I've eaten at in the city.”
  71. “We began at the bar with a Ginger Collins, fabulous drink made with Maker's Mark, fresh and candied ginger, and ginger ale.”
  72. “recommend the prix fixe (vegetarian or with meat) as they offer a nice sampling of flavors and ingredients.”
menu variety
66.66999816894531% positive
  1. “Great restaurant week menu”
  2. “But the rude and obnoxious service here really made me angry, the waiter kept suggesting his own dishes, pooh-poohed our selections and a couple of times forgot to bring the correct order, and instead of apologizing, suggested that it was my problem.”
  3. “Our friend had vegetarian choices on the menu- outstanding as well.”
  4. “We did not order the tasting menu but all ordered different dishes.”
  5. “The vegetarian tasting menu was incredible and completely satisfying.”
  6. “would definitely recommend the tasting menu and there are many reasonably priced wines by the bottle.”
overall
87.5% positive
  1. “started off with a mango blood orange martini that was one of the best drinks I've ever tasted (indian restaurant or not!)”
  2. “the food is incredible good,the ambiance is beautiful ,the best indian restaurant in new york city!”
  3. “admit that it may not be a great value, however, during restaurant week it is an outstanding value.”
  4. “This has to be the best Indian place I have ever been to in the city.”
service
70.2899980545044% positive
  1. “Maybe because it is restaurant week, but service was very poor and the food okay.”
  2. “The place looked great, the service was impeccable and all of the food was spectacular.”
  3. “The service is also wonderful.”
  4. “place is good if you are going on a date or somethign like that beside that Its not good for Nomral people like my self.”
  5. “Everything about the place was pretentious, from the service to the food.”
  6. “The food was inventive and delicious, and the service was sharp.”
  7. “Decor was lovely, service attentive (waiter seemed to love working there), and food managed to be authentically Indian yet uniquely flavorful.”
  8. “simply great food, great service.”
  9. “Takes service too an elegant extreme.”
  10. “The service was good not great, and it should be for the price.”
  11. “would recommend this place to people who seek out places based on ambiance, and who are not traditional Indian cuisine enthusiasts.”
  12. “Also, the service was pretty slow.”
  13. “They had good service but the price was unusual.”
  14. “Called the restaurant for directions and at the moment the hostess begins speaking, one of the worst dining experiences Ive had in NYC begins.”
  15. “The services is incredible and extremly attentive to the patron, just as one would find in any 5 star restaurant in India.”
  16. “But the rude and obnoxious service here really made me angry, the waiter kept suggesting his own dishes, pooh-poohed our selections and a couple of times forgot to bring the correct order, and instead of apologizing, suggested that it was my problem.”
  17. “The wine list is suprisingly well priced and the service was perfect.”
  18. “Mediocre food, too expensive and snobbish/rude service”
  19. “Service was perfect and attentive but not intrusive.”
  20. “The hostess was pleasant, the bartender knew the wines and what they paired with, the waiter described each dish in detail, the chef chatted with us on the way out.”
  21. “dunno why people say that this place is so good?”
  22. “Helpful wait staff make dining at Devi the perfect romantic experience.”
  23. “The cocktails were quite good though and no complaints about the service except that they subtly try to up the tab by pushing more dishes than you need.”
value
61.459999084472656% positive
  1. “meal was a little pricey.”
  2. “Caveat: our meal was $20 for restaurant week, so I imagine the food is typically overpriced.”
  3. “They had good service but the price was unusual.”
  4. “Devi has a beautiful ambiance, but it is really, really overpriced for what it is.”
  5. “It's an incredible value and one amazing course is followed by an even more delicious one.”
  6. “Note that the 7 courses add up to a LOT of food - you need a huge appetite to do it justice.”
  7. “would have been ok with the place if it was just overpriced with mediocre food- I've been to restaurants like that and haven't been offended.”
  8. “Even those who didn't like the food and prices have admitted the atmosphere is romantic, you can count on that.”
  9. “Good food but not inexpensive.”
  10. “Definitly worth the $$ if you love Indian food”
  11. “The service was good not great, and it should be for the price.”
  12. “In short, a horrible experience and please don't go here, save your money, go to bukhara grill instead.”
  13. “The dessert, especially the kulfi, was a huge disapointment.”
  14. “The tastes and presentation of the dishes were interesting but not worth the price.”
  15. “admit that it may not be a great value, however, during restaurant week it is an outstanding value.”
  16. “Mediocre food, too expensive and snobbish/rude service”
wait time
50.0% positive
  1. “Service felt very rushed as each course came out minutes after the previous course; not that they needed our table, the restaurant wasn't full.”
  2. “Also, the service was pretty slow.”
1 Star Rating: Poor

11/03/11

I HAD A BAD EXPERIENCE WITH THE MANAGEMENT!!!!!

by sgdfire

Guess what - the food is good but they broke my heart! Here is what happened:

I had lunch one day with a vendor but I left my camera there by mistake. The girl who answered the phone told me in a sarcastic tone that no camera had been found. Something did not sound right. When I went back, the waiter remembered me and told me he put my camera in the lost and found. That was in the desk where the hostess/phone answerer was stationed. I am certain she took my phone. I spoke several times with a manager who was NO help. Then I spoke many times with another manager, Jeff who took a copy of my receipt and promised to follow up. I found out tonight he no longer works there.

There has been NO FOLLOW THROUGH in assisting me with my loss. Only talk. I think a conscientious management would have resolved this issue months ago. It is still unresolved and I am still VERY unhappy. I hope Devi's owners will pay attention and take care of this situation.

3 Star Rating: Average

05/27/11

To Devi or Not

by neelamchachi

I agree with the past few post I wished I had read them before we went there. I was disappointed - not bad but at this level I expected better, and all I had heard about the food was for naught . The ambiance is required cliched old haveli style it's ok lacked richness. The Food main reason we were there for was creative but taste was lacking in the crossover indian dished.

We debated about the 3 or 4 course tasting menu - but since the 4 had 2 snacks and the menu choices were limited to chose from we went with 3. The traditional Indian dishes were good but the western influenced dishes were neither here nor there. The presentations were also not special - since we eat with our eyes first; nothing I cannot see on most foodtv show. I used to love the cucumber kachumber at Table so decided to have the cilantro version of it - it was ok they could have muddled the cilantro leaves so the flavors could seep into but the gin was abundant and good top shelf.

Since this is NYC and all the table are so close we had the benefit of overhearing other conversations. patrons on my left asked the wait staff about a their dry white wine selection - offered a suggestion of a sweet white wine - its not his fault - its probably their lack of proper training and or a sommelier, on my other side I overheard a patron asking if there had been a change in chefs because the food wasn't up to par or as they have had it before. Our staff was witty and attentive - it was a nice evening in all.

1 Star Rating: Poor

04/07/11

This restaurant should be ashamed

by bornandraisedherenyc

Incredibly disappointing.

This restaurant obviously doesn't believe it can attract business through any method other than deep discount websites (which is fine) but they've significantly raised the prices to compensate. Dining at Devi without a discount is like paying the full walk up airfare for an airline ticket at Christmas (when everybody else on the aircraft bought their ticket in advance and paid much less).

$60.00 for a three course dinner with wine pairings sounds extremely reasonable considering one would expect the food to be of a grade comparable to its peers. It is obviously the cheapest grade they can procure.

One server for the entire restaurant - he ran around barely able to maintain his composure. The rest of the staff stood around and chit chatted with each other while the waiter made it known to customers he was very rushed (and not happy).

The wine pairings were probably the most disappointing aspect. The very last drops of whatever was left over in old bottles - who knows where they came from. Really disgusting and extremely disappointing.

The decor is not particularly appealing and the restaurant is so bright it has less atmosphere than a fast food joint.

I rarely regret spending money on a nice meal but this was just such a disappointment.

1 Star Rating: Poor

10/17/10

inconsistent food and service

by Travisreview

We had high hopes for this restaurant as we love Indian food. They claimed a Michelin star, but I can't believe they still have it. Some of the food was good, some was very bad - honestly I've had better sauces out of a can - not at all fresh and full of sugar and salt. The cauliflower appetizer tasted like cheap Chinese sweet & sour.

The service was terrible - our waiter would be better suited to a diner (though we could see that there were many very polite Indian waiters for other tables).

Any good reviews would be from people who chose well, had one of the good waiters and didn't have to wait for their table. Unfortunately there were too many inconsistencies for us.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

10/12/10

Exceptional food!

by nyny1981

It is not often that you end up going to a place with sky-high expectations and yet, it manages to tick each and every box in your list. Devi does! The only reason I have given it 4-stars was because the ambience was the only thing where I felt it would be more hep. Having said that, I won't say its bad by any means but I suppose I had expected it to be more trendy and it turned out to be a bit more plain (albeit elegant), but that probably was just an expectations issue.

But let that not take away from the food in any way. There have been occasions when I've felt let down by Indian fusion mainly because the chefs have experimented to the point where the food does not feel Indian anymore. This is where Devi totally stands out.

We tried the samosas and the chicken apricot seekh kebabs and they extremely flavorful and really well presented. For the entrees, we had the lamb chops and tandoori shrimp with the eggplant side. It was all perfectly spiced and everything was served with a twist, yet it retained it's Indian-ness which was the best part. Not one bad dish. In fact, not even one average dish. Everything was just absolutely spectacular including the shrikhand which we had for dessert.

All in all, we are definitely going back to try the other menu items. A must-go.

The Details on Devi

Place Categories:

  • best rich indian food
  • attentive service
  • worst indian food
  • great indian place
  • beautiful ambiance
  • best indian restaurant
  • incredible restaurant week menu
  • beautiful fabric filled atmosphere
  • fantastic mixed drinks
  • incredible value
  • nice decor
  • enjoy dessert
  • incredible dish
  • very nice subdued lighting
  • pricey meal
  • definitely recommend tasting menu
  • like charming restaurant atmosphere
  • wonderful flavor
  • pretentious everything
  • nice indian style
  • very good chicken
  • romantic restuarant
  • authentic indian flavors
  • candied ginger
  • loved lamb

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