Bali Nusa Indah Restaurant Inc

(212) 265-2200

651 9TH Ave Ste 145
New York, NY 10036 40.7607 -73.9912

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Neighborhoods: Clinton, Midtown

Price:

$$

Last updated 8.04.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Food Delivery, Prix Fixe Menu

Cuisine:

Indonesian

ambiance
90.0% positive
  1. “Good ambience, very good service coupled with melodious exotic music that will jumpstart your dining experience.”
  2. “Don't be put off by the simple decor, the food is every bit as good as the best Indonesian Restaurants in Amsterdam.”
  3. “If you don't care about ambience and want some great eats for $21 total this place rocks!”
  4. “the ambiance is nice but not fancy.”
  5. “friendly, little neighborhood place, Bali Nusa is low on atmosphere but BIG on food.”
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. “Finally, 2 different desserts -- cinnamon layer cake and coconut custard -- and plenty of flavorful jasmine tea completed our experience.”
  2. “Includes a salad and a big entree (meat or vegan) with multiple side dishes, beer or wine and desert.”
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. “Finally, 2 different desserts -- cinnamon layer cake and coconut custard -- and plenty of flavorful jasmine tea completed our experience.”
  2. “Includes a salad and a big entree (meat or vegan) with multiple side dishes, beer or wine and desert.”
food quality
80.64999580383301% positive
  1. “terrible and disapointing meal.”
  2. “My favorite thing to do is go in there and order up a roti canai, java wings and a bakmi goreng.”
  3. “The flavours are awesome, the staff cheerful and welcoming and the prices are pretty decent for the quantities of food that appear at your table.”
  4. “Go for the Nasi Rames or the mixed specials to sample a range of their excellent dishes.”
  5. “had the best meal ive ever had and it made me so happy in side”
  6. “Try the traditional nasi goreng (fried rice), which is full of vegatables, shrimp and chicken.”
  7. “friendly, little neighborhood place, Bali Nusa is low on atmosphere but BIG on food.”
  8. “If you like food to be carefully prepared, delectable with subtle and complex flavors; if you like your cucumbers elegantly sliced rather than coarsely chopped into giant chunks; if you like flavors that pay tribute to the uniquely original flavors of Ind”
  9. “study of a bad meal”
  10. “Nicely barbequed beef with a great peanut satay sauce.”
  11. “The food was fantastic, sort of a cross btwn Thai and Indian.”
  12. “It's completely inauthentic, the food is inferior, and the chef doesn't pay any attention to subtleties of flavor.”
  13. “Also had the Gado Gado which again was fresh and tasty even if it was not 100% authentic (but as there are 100 million cooks in Indonesia I am not sure what is).”
  14. “Not to say that it is bad food, but for the price it is so not worth it!”
  15. “Fantastic food at fantastic prices”
  16. “Great food, bad service”
  17. “love beef rendang, this one was passable, very tender beef and although the sauce was unusual it had enough sting in it to be appreciated.”
  18. “First they brought out fried tofu with a dipping sauce which was very good.”
  19. “Started on a shoestring, it has consistently served great food (try the tasting menu!)”
  20. “The food was bland and devoid of the spice and aroma of authentic Indonesian food.”
  21. “The food was not spicy or flavorful enough and one dish we had with shrimp had an awful sweet sauce that was like something out of a jar in the supermarket.”
  22. “Excellent food.”
  23. “Don't be put off by the simple decor, the food is every bit as good as the best Indonesian Restaurants in Amsterdam.”
  24. “Gentle, efficient service, hearty fare, and lots of dishes with ingredients I love, such as spicy peanut sauce and tofu, which I appreciate as a vegetarian.”
  25. “The food is great (especially for vegetarians), but the service is horrendous.”
  26. “Includes a salad and a big entree (meat or vegan) with multiple side dishes, beer or wine and desert.”
  27. “So, this meal was exceptionally yummy and light.”
  28. “particularly recommend the fish -- the snapper is quite delicious!”
  29. “Great food and very affordable!”
  30. “The people are friendly, and the food is delicious -- pretty big portions too.”
  31. “The food is very affordable, place never got crowded consider we left at 2pm, I'm assuming it gets busier at night.”
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. “Started on a shoestring, it has consistently served great food (try the tasting menu!)”
  2. “it's my favorite place to wander & read menus to make that all-important dinner decision.”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “If you don't care about ambience and want some great eats for $21 total this place rocks!”
service
95.0% positive
  1. “The food is great (especially for vegetarians), but the service is horrendous.”
  2. “We got served right away, waiters were attentive but not hovering over us.”
  3. “Gentle, efficient service, hearty fare, and lots of dishes with ingredients I love, such as spicy peanut sauce and tofu, which I appreciate as a vegetarian.”
  4. “Although the service was friendly, NOTHING was worth the trip and money.”
  5. “Great food, bad service”
  6. “The flavours are awesome, the staff cheerful and welcoming and the prices are pretty decent for the quantities of food that appear at your table.”
  7. “the service is super attentive and very friendly.”
  8. “friendly, little neighborhood place, Bali Nusa is low on atmosphere but BIG on food.”
  9. “Good ambience, very good service coupled with melodious exotic music that will jumpstart your dining experience.”
  10. “The people are friendly, and the food is delicious -- pretty big portions too.”
value
93.33000183105469% positive
  1. “Simply an excellent Indonesian restaurant with reasonable prices.”
  2. “The flavours are awesome, the staff cheerful and welcoming and the prices are pretty decent for the quantities of food that appear at your table.”
  3. “We've had the vegetarian special each time we've eaten there and I'm a huge fan.”
  4. “Although the service was friendly, NOTHING was worth the trip and money.”
  5. “the value was fantastic.”
  6. “Maybe one of the best deals in the city.”
  7. “Fantastic food at fantastic prices”
  8. “south east asian friend recommended the place and frankly, I expected more for the prices we were paying.”
  9. “Worth every cent you pay at this very affordable restaurant.”
  10. “The people are friendly, and the food is delicious -- pretty big portions too.”
  11. “The food is very affordable, place never got crowded consider we left at 2pm, I'm assuming it gets busier at night.”
  12. “at a decent price.”
  13. “Great food and very affordable!”
  14. “So if you're looking for a cheap, BUT GOOD restaurant then you must visit.”
  15. “Not to say that it is bad food, but for the price it is so not worth it!”
4 Star Rating: Recommended

12/19/11

Revisting

by TardyKat at Citysearch

Came here 10 years ago and didn't think much of the entrees, the desserts were pretty awesome. One of the few Indonesian restaurants in the City, I'm happy to find it's still in business.

Revisited here again for dinner last Friday night with friends.

The food was actually pretty good. We shared a bunch of appetizers--chicken croquette, beef satay and the roti.

For my entree, I went with the nasi rames. I thought it would come in the form of numerous dishes, not all in one plate like a giant bento platter but it was still tasty. The hot sauce used in the tofu had quite the kick and burn.

Indonesian iced coffee was overly sweet and I wasn't sure what distinguished it from Thai iced coffee.

For my dessert, I had the Banana Island. The description said banana crepe with palm sugar and ice cream. But it wasn't the type of crepe I was expecting--it was folded up like a hot pocket and fried. Still pretty good.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

03/20/10

Good Indonesian food in New York

by aegisint at Citysearch

Glad we went after reading some of the other reviews. I am a Bule with an Indonesian wife on her visit to New York. For her New York is a culinary desert. So glad we found this place as it was only 2 streets from our hotel in the theatre district.

Took lunch on a quiet Saturday afternoon. Service was prompt, meals came out very quickly and while not exactly as one might find in Indonesia it was all very good.

I love beef rendang, this one was passable, very tender beef and although the sauce was unusual it had enough sting in it to be appreciated. Also had the Gado Gado which again was fresh and tasty even if it was not 100% authentic (but as there are 100 million cooks in Indonesia I am not sure what is).

My wife had soto ayam, it was very tasty and made her very happy, she followed up with tahu goreng which she said was ok but not great.

The inside of the restaurant is pleasantly furnished and very very clean, even the bathrooms were clean, a first for most Indonesian restaurants anywhere.

We would certainly go back, and may even do so tonight to try the Nasi Goreng or Kari Ayam.

  • Pros: Tender Beef Rendang
  • Cons: none really
1 Star Rating: Poor

02/22/09

A study of a bad meal

by Mazman at Citysearch

A terrible and disapointing meal. Almost a joke. I ordered the mixed vegtables with curry sauce. The vegtables were steamed and overcooked with no seasoning. The curry sauce was temperture hot liquid completely bland. Burned my mouth. For desert ordered bannana crepe. Hard as a rock. Again the bannana was temperture too hot. Burned my mouth again. Terrrible rushed service. Not enough utentsils on table. Had to ask for water. Keep away.

1 Star Rating: Poor

10/25/07

ruined my night

by dreysea at Citysearch

A south east asian friend recommended the place and frankly, I expected more for the prices we were paying. The food was bland and devoid of the spice and aroma of authentic Indonesian food. Even the ginger tea lacked character. Service was poor - they forgot an order - no apologies, only "it's coming". And don't get coffee at the end of your meal - this time it was instant! Only for those palates uninitiated in the art of Indonesian cuisine.

  • Cons: food, price, service
3 Star Rating: Average

10/06/07

Very Bland, high prices

by wisebrain at Citysearch

If you don't know Indonesian Food, you'd probably consider this place good. However, I am Indonesian and I can say that I can cook better than this restaurant. Not to say that it is bad food, but for the price it is so not worth it!

  • Pros: Good Location
  • Cons: Bland Food High Prices

The Details on Bali Nusa Indah Restaurant Inc

Place Categories:

  • great indonesian food
  • favorite little neighborhood place
  • very good efficient service
  • disapointing meal
  • very affordable indonesian restaurant
  • pretty decent prices
  • not as good food
  • pretty decent beef rendang
  • like flavors
  • fresh gado
  • bad service
  • best meal ive
  • nice ambiance
  • great opportunity
  • order java wings
  • especially good corn fritters
  • good but
  • particularly recommend fish
  • not awful sweet sauce
  • friendly bali nusa
  • order bakmi goreng
  • like cucumbers
  • attentive waiters
  • fantastic value
  • full fried rice