11/07/08

Perfect, fast, inexpensive Indian comfort food

by nycfoodieinmidtown

I love this place, because I'm Indian but was born here (translation: I will never take the time to cook the way my mom does, but I do crave good indian food at least twice a week). Minar never disappoints. Clean, fast, and it is packed at lunchtime, which means everything is fresh.

I love it.

06/26/07

cheap and good

by dingodog123

as an expat Brit living in Florida this was quite a find as I was desperate for some curry. Well the place is old and doesnt look all that clean, and yes they dont clean the tables during lunch, but for a cafeteria type place the food was excellent, their sag paneer, chana, aloo gobi etc all good. I didnt try any of the meat dishes as I usually steer clear of meat in a cheap place but all the veggie dishes I had were good and on the spicey side. I ate there twice for under $10 for lunch (around $7).

06/17/07

Quick Desi food in Midtown

by leofox

Positives:

* Great place to grab lunch quickly (The ladies deliever faster than a Mcdonald)

* tasty food

* good price

Negatives:

* The place is not furnished

What I like:

* Chicken tikka masala

* to hear the lady when she screams "Praji ek nan to go..."

• Pros: delivery time, food
• Cons: ambience

03/01/07

GREAT LUNCH AND DINER

by onkar

The place is good for lunch and diner, the food had amazing flavours.We have CHIKEN TIKKA MASALA WITH RICE,fresh NAAN bread and great SHRIMP CURRY as well n much more i had the SALMON FISH AND MANGO LASSI as a started it was just wonderful.The platters is reasonable prises i felt like i was paying to eat at this place given the high quality service .The prises are cheap and good i highly recomended this restaurant i never eat indian food such like minar after india if u dont no minar then u missing indian food. the customers service is very good i love indian food only MINAR

• Pros: EXCELLENT FOOD,GOOD QUALITY

02/27/07

Only for the budget homesick Indians who are willing to overlook rude customer service and poor hygiene.

by tilakn00

Let me first share the good stuff: The food is very good. Undoubtedly. It is the type that you can eat every day, without feeling heavy, or feeling that you are eating anything that is too rich or unhealthy. And what is more, the prices are extremely competitive. Very cheap indeed.

But here are the reasons why I do NOT RECOMMEND this restaurant:

LACK OF CLEANLINESS: Cleanliness is totally missing in this restaurant. Food and gravy are spilt all over the display area and it takes ages before it is cleaned up. The tables are never cleaned during the rush hour. The garbage can is always overflowing and that leaves you disgusted after you are done and want to get rid of the disposable plates and run back to work. To those non-Indians reading, if you are a regular at Minar, I recommend that you may safely try Mumbai street food.

DISHONESTY (?): I believe the restaurant does not pay its taxes. Frankly, I do not know much about laws and legality, but what I do know is that you pay tax only if you pay by a debit or credit card. For all cash transactions, you do not need to pay tax. I wonder who is their auditor?

RUDENESS: The customer service is particularly bad. To hope to be greeted with a smile is a particularly hard to realize dream. The staff is impatient, hurryning to get to the next customer, and particularly rude with Indian guests (or so I feel).

SOME MORE DISHONESTY (?): I once had to pay $5.95 for my meal and tendered a $20 note. In return I got back only $4.05. I immediately mentioned that there was a mistake, and that I was expecting $14.05. I was immediately rebuked and told that that was not possible that I gave them $20 and not $10 (which was not possible because all the money I had at that time, I had withdrawn just some time ago from a BankAm ATM, which gives out only$20). Argument was pointless, so I dropped it. Readers may choose to ignore this particular feedback because there is that 1% chance that I was wrong.

• Pros: Excellent food.
• Cons: Rude, dishonest, unclean, unhygienic.

04/13/06

Minar is great.

by sadolan

I have been going to Minar fairly regularly for almost ten years. It is a great place for lunch in the midtown area. The decor is not spectatular, it is a cafeteria-style place, but it is clear that they take great care in making the food, which is always great. Some particular favorites of mine include the Kala Chana (Fridays), the Aloo Gobi (fantastic), the Raajma, the Dal Makhani and the Saag Paneer. Their Fish Curry, which is a Friday Special is surprisingly good. I don't habitually eat fish, but this is one dish for which I will make an exception. Minar is not your typical cheap Indian restaurant, the food is better and more subtle than you will find at comparable places, in fact the food is better than most of the more expensive places too.

• Pros: Friendly atmosphere, Good Food, Good Variety

03/10/06

Good food, hopeless service

by nilmek

this is the most hopeless place i have seen in city, in terms of service. All the females serving food have rude behaviour. And they never listen or help while you place order. Pathetic service. I use to go there regularly, but everytime I find this stupid service...Finaly i m not going anymore. I would advice to go to some other place. But if you dont care getting insulted while u pay for food, u can continue to go at this hopeless place.

• Pros: food
• Cons: service, behaviour, unhelpfull

11/26/03

Casual Eats

by twinks

Although the atmosphere reminds you more of a cafeteria than a restaurant, don't be fooled. Minar offers an excellent variety of both the typical eats as well as some south indian cuisine. I highly recommend checking out the daily specials. Feel free to ask the staff questions about the food - they will be happy to assist you.

• Pros: Daily Specials, Inexpensive, Tasty Dishes
• Cons: Lunch Time Rush, Limited Seating

02/14/03

Fabulous

by tominchelsea

I knew Minar in its former location years ago. It was great then, and it is great now. Just good, honest, inexpensive, Indian food to please anyone with a taste for Indian cuisine. It's a friendly place as well, and one of the reasons why it's great to live in New York.

07/19/02

Can't Be Beat

by agoldberger

Minar cannot be beat. I have been going there for five years, and there is no better place to order from. It's not fancy, so don't make reservations. But the finest food to ever hit styrofoam. I love the Chicken Saag Bhuna, the Aloo Paratha, and the Chicken Tikka Masala. Hey, I'm not Indian, but I feel comfortable going where the Indians go to get their fill of Tikka.