Haveli Restaurant
An upscale East Village Indian eatery specializing in spice.
(646) 233-2822
100 2nd Ave
(at Between 5th Street and 6th Street)
New York,
NY
10003
40.7272
-73.9885
Neighborhoods: East Village, Downtown
Reviews & Ratings for Haveli Restaurant
48 reviews
What users are saying:
Showing 1-10 of 48 reviews
Horrible Service, Avg food, Good Decor
by jewels41
February 08, 2009
Went on a sunday afternoon and the place was almost empty. My party of 3 was seated near the bar. The waitstaff was loud and noisily cleaning glassware next to us. We had to say excuse me 2X after trying to flag ther attention, to receive brusque service. After speaking the whole time in English, we were given our check with an "Arigato". Though East Asian, we told them none of us are Japanese. Food was warm but not the right temperature. I've frequented other places on 6th street (ie. Mitali East) that was less "upscale" with improved service and food. Silverware and decor was nice though, I will not return because of the shabby service.
- Pros: Decor
- Cons: Poor Service
Recomended!!! Good food,location and people-watching!
by boogsie01
February 08, 2009
I like this place,went there with a friend.Nice variety of meats , they serve alcohol and have an extensive bar.Had a martini made with Vanilla Stoli and a Taj Mahal beer.Nice ambiance and you can also sit by the window facing the street.Also there is a beautiful picture on the wall when you enter depicting an authentic Indian Mural,very lovely. Definitely a very clean place too,its an upscale restaurant no doubt. Had onion kulcha with a fantastic red dipping sauce ,i think it had a some mango chunks in there.Also tried some sort of a Lamb Sautee,my friend had 2 different kebabs ,had good spice to it. We also shared a Tikka chicken with rice that was properly prepared.Though our food took a little long ,we were able to pass some time by drinking some of those huge Taj-Mahals and people watching which is always fun in NY. I recommend this place to everyone.
- Pros: everything
- Cons: none
Average Indian Food
by raf25
June 26, 2008
After reading the high ratings, I decided I must eat here. I love Indian food - it is my absolute favorite. I eat Indian food frequently and have tried many different places. I've been to India several times and enjoy eating. I went with two freinds that also really like Indian food.
Our collective opinion is that the food is average. I cannot comment on the inside because we ate outside, which was fun. We had good people watching from our seats and lots of people passed by. It is by no means a bad choice and the food was fine. However, there are other places where the food is outstanding.
Were my expectations too high?
by grace7000
April 20, 2008
We went at 6:30 on a Thursday evening. The place was dead and seemed dated. Perhaps if we went later in the evening when it was dark out and the restaurant was fuller the ambiance would have been better. There were plenty of waiters but it was never clear who was our waiter and who was our busboy because no one said much of anything to us. It was clear that we were new to Indian food but yet there was no attempt to help us with our order and again, not even clear who our waiter was. The condiments we received were wonderful and that is what prompts me to give the place a few stars. All three of them were fresh and had delicous complex flavors. Naan is always wonderful because it is so fresh baked and I am not going to say I was unhappy with it but the naan we ordered - an onion one and a potato one was not as good as other places I have had it. My dinner, chicken tikki was dry and lacking in flavor. Perhaps that is the nature of that particular dish but except for the condiments nothing I tasted had much if any spice or flavor. My husband wasn't unhappy with his food but he had "bathroom problems" from it shortly after we left. We were never offered the complimentary ice cream others described and in general I would describe the service far below average, the food average and the condiments (again, I am new to Indian food - not sure what they were at least one was a chutney).... excellent. The bill came to more than I expected and more than the food was worth though not outrageous for the city. I was really hoping this would become a favorite for me. Maybe the few times I have Indian food before I got lucky and went to extraordinary places rendering this one just average or perhaps they had a bad night. Either way it was a disappointment.
To My Surprise!!!
by LaurenWhite
February 25, 2008
Here is one honest scoop! I've read the many amazing reviews this restaurant received, I've heard about the hype, so as Manager @ The Mandarin, I decided to experience it myself.
As precise a person I am, in simple words, this restaurant is NOT a must see but in fact is a MUST FREQUENT! The affordability makes doing that, that much easier.
The ambiance, the decor, the space is all so very accommodating. As per the food, I can see why "Indian" people themselves may not appreciate this place since the food is prepared for their predominant "Caucasian" clientele, who would prefer less then the usual dump of 289 different spices. However, one of the members of my party of 5, preferred the food to be prepared much spicier then usual and so he got a big fireball of an entree. So yes, be careful when you ask the waiters to fire up your dish, they will truly have a field day with you!
The service! OK here is where we can all expect to be pampered and taken care of. In all honesty, the service in my opinion needs a bit of a touchup. I know I did expect a lot and did get so much more in every other aspect of my experience there that the not so perfect service stuck out. The waiters were absolutely wonderful, kind and caring people, except I felt as though a bit more attention to detail would have been nice. Like watch out for emptying water glasses. Other then that, What I got from this place, was a beautiful 2 story establishment with one floor overlooking the bottom floor, Wonderful martinis to taste, an extensive menu with various options, a lovely staff, amazing food, and a not so heavy check of $281 for a party of 5 with 6 main entrees, 4 apps, sides, breads and drinks!!
This place is perfect to take your family, friends, business, ANYTHING! Except KIDS!
- Pros: Too many
- Cons: Very busy on weekends
I'M INDIAN AND THIS IS THE BEST INDIAN RESTAURANT IN NYC
by rammi125
February 25, 2008
I've been eating indian food my whole life and I want to inform you that this place is the best indian restaurant in manhattan. Not only is the place super nice and accomodating to groups, couples, and business meetings...but the prices are very reasonable and the taste is excellent. The host at this restaurant is great, as well as the waiters. My favorite dish at this restaurant is definitely the lamb chops, they're amazing! The full bar also comes in handy if you want to have a few drinks. The first time I came here it was for a friend's bday on a tuesday night which was a slow night so the owner let our party of about 12 people have dinner upstairs with our own waiter staff, now that's what you call service! We had the luxury of being as loud as we wanted and didn't have to worry about bothering others. The chicken makhani is also absolutely great. DON'T THINK TWICE, IF YOU LIKE INDIAN FOOD GO HERE!
- Pros: food, ambiance, staff, EVERYTHING
- Cons: NOTHING!
My fave East Village Indian
by lmckenzie829
November 19, 2007
Really good, inexpensive Indian food. Go for this over the ones on India Row (first ave.) It wasn't too spicy, and everything was fresh and delivered on-time.
BLAND FOOD & A HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT
by bacchante118
November 14, 2007
Perused many menus on here before choosing Haveli for its good reviews, better prices and location. The ambiance is beautiful. BUT THE FOOD WAS NOT GOOD!!!! I've had Indian at other places that's made my toes curl it's that good. THIS FOOD was absolutely bland. My dish tasted just like my friend's on my right (and they both tasted like something Chef Boyardee made), while my friend on my left struggled through too-tough chicken. I'm not sure where all these great reviews come from? But if you want GREAT Indian Food in the city, this is NOT THE PLACE!!!! TURN BACK!
- Pros: Nice interior ambiance
- Cons: BLAND HORRIBLE FOOD - don't bother!
cant go wrong =)
by fah12
November 04, 2007
amazing food...amazing service. highly recommended. cant go wrong if your in the mood for authentic indian. loved it.
- Pros: good food
Incredibly Disappointing
by pkant2
September 17, 2007
Had dinner here last Saturday night with a reservation. After reading the Citysearch reviews, including the Best of Citysearch 2007, I was excited to possibly find a good, reasonably priced Indian restaurant in the city. Haveli was nothing close to that. The ambiance of the place was not bad, and it was crowded and lively. But the food and service were truly horrendous. There were four of us, and we got a couple appetizers and four main dishes, a vegetarian dish (Malai Kofta), 2 lamb dishes (Kahari Ghost and Lamb Do-Piaz), and a chicken dish (Chicken Saag). Each dish was tasteless and almost indistinguishable from the next. Forget about spice, there was just not any flavor at all. At the end of the meal I had the odd sensation of being full but not having tasted anything while eating - which is exactly what happened. Additionally, the service was terrible. Our waiter was patronizing when we asked a few questions, even though two of us were Indian, so we knew what we were talking about. No one stopped by to ask how our food was after it came out - good thing for them, because I was ready to tell them how tasteless the food was. I cannot believe that this place won best of citysearch 2007 - does not come close to deserving it. Absolutely not recommended.
- Cons: Truly tasteless food.
