Leela Lounge

06/30/2008 Posted by Jenika17

Was a guest for a bridal shower here on Sat afternoon and loved this place! The space is wonderful - classy but not stuffy and they gave us the whole bar area for the party. The owner/manager took great care of us and was extremely helpful with the little things like bringing over more seating before we had to ask and taking pictures for us. Also had a buffet of Indian food and everything was delicious!

Pros: great space, delicious food, close to subway

Cons: none

06/22/2008 Posted by kewldiners

My wife and I went on a Saturday night and were immediately seated by a friendly host who doubled as waiter and hospitality manager. To our surprise, the wine list had carefully chosen selections of domestic, international, and Indian nationalities. Being adventurous, we ordered a bottle of the Indian Chenin Blanc (at the waiter's recommendation) and were pleasantly surprised. The menu selection was varied offering a mixture of authentic North Indian and fusion Indo-Chinese dishes. For appetizers, we ordered the lamb boti kebobs and stuffed mushrooms and for the main course chili shrimp and a tasty version of chicken and saag. All four dishes were perfectly prepared, spiced, presented, and most of all free of the normal heaviness plaguing most Indian restaurants. Later on in our experience there, we had the chance to meet the amiable and enthused proprietor who touted his restaurant's committment to excellent 'lighter' Indian cuisine. As a generous and friendly gesture, he even brought over some ras malai and stated that 'we had never tasted ras malai like this before.' He wasn't lying. A definite recommendation!

Pros: Food, Service, Wine List

06/21/2008 Posted by jsanghvi

A friend of mine and I recently hosted a baby shower for my wife at Leela Lounge on a Saturday afternoon and the event was extremely memorable, made special by the excellent food, organization and ambience of the place. To begin with we had the entire restaurant to ourselves given that it was Saturday morning (not open for general dining). This allowed the guests to enjoy the two seperate areas that the restaurant provides (by the bar and the inside dining area). The excquisite Madhubani style paintings painted by the owner's wife adorn the walls of the restaurant and contribute to the uniqueness of the settings. Sherman added many surprises to the menu such as serving stuffed rotis with the appetizers (which we were no expecting) The food was delicious, quantities more than anyone could ever finish, and the desert (Rasmalai) was prepared to perfection. The food turned out exactly as we had expected - excellent. More importantly, it was the restaurant and the owner's personal attention to the organization that made the event a big success and a memory for my wife and I to cherish for a long time to come. Look forward to going back for celebrating other happy moments.

Pros: Ambience and Personal Attention

06/12/2008 Posted by MUSICALIAS

My girlfriend did my graduation gathering there last Saturday evening. There is a lounge area and dining on the other side. It was amazing! The staff was great, bartender, Diego, mixed those drinks fabulously! All drinks with top shelf ingredients, even fresh grated ginger for the ginger martini! I tried about 7 different drinks and they were all so good! We had appetizer platters, OMG so tasty! Great lounge music as well, international flavour, Café del Mar type stuff, not the load overbearing mainstream music. I can’t say enough great things about this spot. It’s a real treat to find spots for a good time like that. Looking forward to having dinner there soon. Very accommodating to our group and special arrangements we requested. Sun the owner was there, great guy! Treats you like family. Will definitely be back for drinks and dining. Have your next event there.

Pros: Drinks,ambience,music

05/31/2008 Posted by SarojiniShastry

I cant believe that one of the BEST Restaurant- Bar- Lounge , AKA Leela Lounge, in NYC near NYU which exist for over 2 Years is yet to be covered by The New York Times. LEELA LOUNGE has hosted many many South Asian events in the last two years and each time exceeds expectations. Birthdays, Graduations, Engagements, Weddings, Promotions or Divorce. Almost any " Celebration of Life " should be at LEELA. Leela is perhaps the only Restaurant in the country that does not use Heavy Cream, Butter or Ghee (purified butter) in their cooking and therefore one can indulge without guilt. FOCUS ON QUALITY & CONTENT is Amazing. Best Cocktails at most reasonable prices. Clean Restrooms and Gay friendly too. It is a " Home Away From Home " . I have been their over 100 times in 2 years. Eddie, Dieago, Rekha, Jason are all great. Ashwani and Sun are best host in town. Chef Lucas is a magician. So folks, " GIVE YOUR LOVE TO LEELA " Leela will love you back ten folds. Leela means to be playful or divine play. Oil on Canvas by artist Usha Hariharan are " Mesmerizing ". SHAME ON GAURAV27 & VIKRANT09 who obviously do not know the difference between a Chicken or Tofu and belong to the same CLAN of NINE, jointly trying to sabotage a fine establishment in a tough economic times. Unfortunately , there are some classless folks in our community who misuse the internet and make the majority of us look bad. Gaurav & Vikrant do not belong to a classy place like Leela. I have been their hundreds of time and I know for sure. Such Malicious attempts by spiteful folks should have no place in CITY SEARCH or CIVIL SOCIETY.

Pros: Leela is Better then the Best

Cons: They should operate in many more cities.

05/30/2008 Posted by charichokri

This hidden gem in the village was great. The indian food here tastes amazing ...and I found out the entrees have no heavy creams or butter...how did they do that? The desserts were fantastic too. For an indian food fanatic, this place is a definite new favorite.

05/29/2008 Posted by Gaurav27

Very disappointing experience! We went there with colleagues from work and it was the first time with Indian food for some in our party. Naturally, as the few Indians in the group, it came upon us to order on behalf of everyone. We decided to sample the chef's surprise. Leaving nothing to chance we asked the waitress to find out from the chef what he would cook for us as a vegetarian dish. She came back saying that the chef had decided to prepare "vegetable Jhalfrezee". We agreed and settled into our appetizers. When the meal arrived, as I bit into the chef's delight, I realised that the vegetable jhalfrezee actually had chicken in it!! Needless to say, that the vegetarians in our group who had never tasted meat were extremely offended. Of all the places in the world, you do not expect an Indian restaurant to get this wrong! On the whole, the food was stale and looked recycled. I have had better Indian food in the city at smaller, cheaper and less fancy places than Leela. Leela does not measure up at all in terms of Indian food. Go there if you just want to hang out in the lounge but don't venture into the food.

Pros: Decor (try eating that)

Cons: Service, food

05/21/2008 Posted by davidberg123

Wow, what an amazing, exciting Leela Lounge in the hottest new spot along the 3RD Street ( between Broadway/Mercer ). A must visit with a great light fair and an even better Cocktail list along side a full bar. Prices are more then reasonable and the staff is warm & friendly. Say hello to Diego the bar -tender and ask for Eddy for help in your wine selections when you are dining . Great place for Chill parties with your friends , celebrating Birthdays , after office get aways, for any crowd, ( Hunky bartenders ) and better then the best Finger Food to feed your soul.

03/17/2008 Posted by rbreeze

Have been to Leela several time but haven't come around to writing a review until this weekend when I had a compeling reason to do so.... We celebrated our anniversary with my friends over the weekend and can't thank the staff enough for every effort in making the occasion Special. We Love this place for its food and Lycheetinis. I would like to recommend the Stuffed mushrooms & the Leela pops for Appetizers and Lukhnawee Gosht & Murg Tikka Masala for Entree. If you leave room for dessert, definitely try the carrot halwa....it is the real deal! For the quality and portions, the price point is a bargain(guaranteed, you will have left overs to take home). We have checked out several Indian restaurants and find Leela Special.

03/16/2008 Posted by luvefode

Leela Lounge is a restaurant with great decor but is not a place to go eat. The appetizars are relatively good but the main course is below average. Portions are tiny for the price and the flavor is lacking. There are plently are great Indian Restaurants in New York and Leela Lounge is not one of them.

Pros: Ambience

Cons: Service and Food