Delhi Palace Indian Cuisine

I am sitting here right now since past half hr waiting for the food… they forbidding samosas but nevermind we don’t even want it anymore. The goan fish curry tastes awesome but not worth the wait! Service is slow.

Stopped in for a Saturday lunch buffet for the first time today — and think I definately found a place to go to regularly. The buffet has some dishes that I don’t typically see at a buffet, like lamb and fish curry, etc.
The main dishes were great. The naan was cold, which kinda stank — but had good flavor at least. The desserts at the buffet though, were incredible. The rice pudding was great, but the gulab jumun (the little dough balls in honey) were AMAZING. I was only able to eat two of these before I wanted to die, but ideally, I would sit and eat those all afternoon!
The only downside to this place was that it was wet outside, and the floors were extremely slippery! They did have rugs down, but when you had to step off them to get to your table or to the restroom, it was a near death experience.

If you’re walking from the subway down 74^th Street on the right, you’ll past by Jackson Diner. If you ignore Jackson Diner and continue and few steps down, you’ll see Delhi Palace.
I like Indian Buffets since it’s so hard to remember some of the dishes name.
— Chicken Tikka Masala — Okay, it’s not real Indian, but it’s so delicious. I haven’t had a good Chicken Tikka Masala in a long time.
— Paneer Korma — Creamy, mild paneer. This goes great with the naan or the basmati rice.
— That okra dish — too much onions, needs more okra.
— Chicken Biryani — this dish didn’t actually tasted that good. It was on the dry end with an odd taste of ginger. And it was a bit too spicy for me and I couldn’t find any raita.
— Weird pancake-​looking thingy — I thought it could taste like a haemool pajun, but it was just dry and disappointing.

For the past few years, this restaurant was a really worthy of Unilocal’s 4 star rating. However, things have changed for the worst over the past few months. The food is usually good (depends on the chef working that day), but they recently renovated the place to make it look more like the Jackson Diner so that they could accommodate more people. Some of the changes include removal of carpeting (equals more noise), adding more tables (you better inhale to get to your table), and also the quality of the buffet is not consistent.

We were craving some south Indian food, so we decided to re-​visit Delhi Palace after about 6 years. This used to be a really nice restaurant during my college years.
First thing I noticed was that it was renovated, and therefore, has lost it’s coziness that I was used to.
The kid who served us was very helpful and friendly, but was clearly new to the game.
In any case, I ordered the khima dosa (a crêpe like pancake stuffed with minced chicken, and my friends tried various other dishes. Although edible, none of our dishes matched the taste of the yesteryears that I was hoping to find. Some meats were undercooked.
Also, I found that the fact that they charge gratuity for parties of 4 or larger a bit too much.
However, I must say the falooda was still excellent.
Sadly, I can’t say that I will return to Delhi Palace in the near future.

the menu looked great, some interesting art work. I saw it got a B rating which sometime is something with the physical arrangement of the kitchen so i gave it the benefit of the doubt. eagerly awaiting my meal. the first item came out.
THERE WAS A HAIR BAKED INTO MY PAPADAM!
Gross. that’s a deal breaker. I wont be returning.
UPDATE: I had to follow up on this. When I went here originally they had 50 health violation points and the month before that 33.
Disgusting!
Search for them and look at their 2÷3÷2011 grade

Came here with some friends so was able to try a variety of things:
Apps:
–Veggie Samosas: Very large in size and fried well… however, it felt as if I was eating a whole potato fried. Where were the other veggies?
–Bombay Bhel: Didn’t know what to expect with this one but it tasted like something Kashi would produce. It was a mix of rice krispies, potato, tomatoes and onions.
Entrees:
Overall, no complaints with the food. It was good but there’s nothing to rant about. I learned that I like (d) the Murg Tikka Saagwala a little better than the Murg Saagwala. Adding in the Tikka part makes it more creamy and spice-​filled. My other friends ordered the Chicken Vindaloo and Gosht Rogan Josh which lived up to their expectations. The naan basket was very good; my favorite was the garlic naan (as usual) and my friend’s took a liking to the whole wheat naan.
Service:
I’ve been here a couple of times now but the last time I came the server (s) were completely OFF their game. They forgot our Mulligatwany soups which wasn’t a big deal since they didn’t charge us for it… and we had a ton of food to share BUT, the one thing that really bugged me was when the waiter HOVERED over us to pay the bill. He literally stood at our table waiting for all of us to calculate our share of the bill. It was almost as if they thought we were going to leave without paying. It was completely rude and I’ve never experienced that here before. It did leave a bad taste in my mouth.
Have the potential to come back here but still looking for the best Indian around the neighborhood.

This place sets a new standard for me for Indian food, with deft preparation and great balanced flavors in almost everything we had. The menu covers both Northern and Southern Indian foods. I came for dinner as part of a group so I got to try a lot of different things.
Delhi Palace is one of many many Indian eateries in Jackson Heights and if I weren’t brought here, I wouldn’t have known it from any other. The main floor dining area is medium-​sized, and tables can be arranged in rows for large groups. Toward the back are stairs that lead up to a loft style second floor dining area that I didn’t see. The décor is simple, walls painted in a mustard yellow, with several pieces of Indian art, including a very large, distinctive painting against most of one wall. Service was mostly adequate but sometimes very uneven.
Practically everything I ate was fantastic. The assortment of vegetable pakora were a revelation of batter that seemed to evaporate upon eating, making these fried and heavy looking fritters incredibly light and addictive. The masala dosa was beautiful, a very large dish for sharing with a thin and light crêpe wrapping a nicely seasoned filling. Of the two types of chicken tandoori we tried (both arriving on sizzling platters), the malai was exceptionally tender with a refreshing flavor (although as a personal bias, I’d have liked it to be dark meat rather than white), the other was dry and not good. We ate several of their chicken specialties, with a highlight being the amazing murg jatka, the jinga vindaloo (tangy), and goat curry. Every one of these dishes were distinctively flavored, and each very complex in flavor. All accompaniments to the meal were excellent, including mint sauce, tamarind sauce, onion relish, raita, sambar, and coconut chutney. The sweet lassi and mango lassi preparations were rich in yogurt, tangy, and not overly sweet. Not much dessert but they had a ras malai that I’m still undecided about the texture, but love the refreshing flavor.
Everything was ordered mild to accommodate all taste buds, so can’t comment on heat, although I’d like to return and try something «Indian» spicy. Despite the lack of heat, the excellent balance of spices and flavors made everything incredibly tasty and addictively good. Will definitely be back, despite the trek out to Jackson Heights.

«Ok, time to wear some dirty clothes and loose pants.» I dug through my pile of clothes and threw them on. My sis did the same. We are soakers, soaking up all the smell around us (definitely not as bad as going to Korean BBQ or Phở, but we won’t take our chances!). It’s time to eat!
We wanted to try other Indian places, but we’ve been here before and enjoyed it. Plus my friend who also came did not enjoy her experience over at Jackson Diner. This place will never disappoint and will always be my go to place for Indian fare, even though I haven’t been to other Indian places around the vicinity. I don’t want my Indian experience to be marred by other restaurants.
So eating here again, almost a year later, this place did not disappoint. Sure the price for lunch buffet has gone up a dollar from $ 9.95 to $ 10.95, but you’ll see the price increases everywhere, and in everything. Everything was absolutely delicious. Come here to have some good Indian buffet, but please remember to wear loose fitting pants (if not you’ll be embarrassed), and a bottle or 2 of water. You’ll be thirsty, but salt and spices equals mmmm mmmmmmm goooooood!

I have eaten here a few times and I will have to say this is one of the better Indian buffet spots in the neighborhood. We had a early dinner here (around 4−5ish?) so the place was basically dead and the food was what was left from the lunch crowd. Although it wasn’t «fresh» the food was still good.
First things first! My best spot for any Indian/​Pakistani/​Bangladesh food is PAKISTANI TEA HOUSE @ Church Street in the city. So I am always going to compare it to that.
The food here was a little too salty for my taste. From the makhni, lamb and the other meat dishes, I thought the saltiness was too overwhelming and should have been taken down a notch.
I always base my taste on how much I like their nan with the the makni sauce. In this combination the saltiness was much more pleasing to my taste buds but having the meat by itself didnt give me the same reaction.
I have to come back here again and try it out when the food is freshly served and I am hoping the saltiness was just a fluke because I did enjoy eating here.

If I could give half stars for ratings, this place would actually be more of a 3.5 — but I’m giving them the full 4 because after all of the disappointment I’ve had in Jackson Heights, Delhi Palace restored my faith in my neighborhood’s Indian buffet options.
For starters, the selection is by far the best I’ve seen in the area so far. Still no lamb, but there was a better variety of options overall and more spicy dishes including a mushroom saag which was absolutely dee-​licious. My other two faves were the aloo gobi and the chicken curry — YUM! But really everything was very good — the best I’ve have in JH so far!
As with every other buffet place in a 3 block radius, the charge is $ 9.95/person. The interior is also nicely set up; I like it better than Jackson Diner for sure. I’m sure I’ll be back!

When you need your Indian fix, don’t even think about going anywhere else.
I came here the first time with my Bronx-​born Desi friend, whose parents would drive the family to Jackson Heights every month for a meal at Delhi Palace and shopping at Patel Bros next door. Over the last two years I’ve taken a dozen other friends back here and eaten myself into a coma almost every time. You can’t beat the food and the price anywhere in NYC.
I’ve loved pretty much everything I’ve had here, but when you’re ordering for a table make sure you get at least one dosa. They’re the right size — about three feet long — crispy, buttery and so much fun to eat with some of the best coconut curry and sambar anywhere.
They don’t get a five star review because the brunch can he a little inconsistent — what was spectacular one week is meh the next, but another thing is wildly improved. The service is also mediocre at best. I’ve been ignored for long periods of time and run down by waiters who would rather horse around than wait a sec for a customer to walk between them.

*please read my previous review now since this is an update*
After checking out a few other buffets, I had to drop a star…
I couldn’t leave it at a 4 star rating because of:
1) low tasty factor (usually a result of food being too healthy)
2) meat wasn’t as tender as some other places
But Delhi PALACE is still a solid buffet in terms of:
1) service
2) vegetables
3) healthy (less oil than most other places)

This place is perfect for Indian lunch buffet! $ 10 to try almost everything, what a deal!
I am so bad in memorizing the names of Indian food. But the main entry with goat meat was so good! Also the main entry that looks like potato curry but actually cheese, is very impressive too! What’s my favorite at this place? Their desserts! There is one looks like deep fried red potato in olive oil, so good! The one looks like putting fruits into yellow mustard is very delicious too! Don’t be intimidated by my descriptions. The desserts are really creamy and yummy.
There is only one thing I don’t recommend at this place — coffee.

I came here on a Sunday afternoon for the lunch buffet. I was in the neighborhood on the hunt for a sari for a wedding. I as not succesfull on finding a sari, but all is good b/​c I had a delicious lunch.
I tried all the meats that were on the buffet. My favorite was the lamb and goat, but everythign was truly awesome. The chicken tandori was a little blah, but isn’t it always?
The service was attentive. However, the only downside is that I ended up paying $ 14 for the buffet and a diet coke. Seems a little steep to me. I would come back if I was in the area.

started trying out each of the buffets here in Jackson Heights and so far this had the best selection and tasting food out of the couple ive gone too.
Food
—
Huge selection, probably the biggest out of all the buffets on 74^th i been to (so far).
— Very god tasting food, spicy stuff was actually spicy which was nice.
— Free Dosa to your table was a nice touch
— Desert had all the fixings, rice pudding, mango pudding, galub,
Edit: Went to Jackson Diner today, and Delhi Palace is still my top choice
THE BAD
—
Now before going i READ about the owner guy being kind of a dick.
— Minus 1 star because of the lunch buffet being right under the MINIMUM CREDIT CARD PRICE (it was like 9 bucks total)
AND when i went up to the owner/​cashier he had the balls to ask me «ARENT YOU GOING TO TIP?»
its a buffet! but i gave my dollar
all in all a great place and my personal «TO BEAT»

Mmmm… so good! Lunch buffet, check! Not breaking the bank, check! No tourists, double check!
Right next door to the Jackson Height Diner, this buffet is everything your taste buds needs to feel like you are eating… indian! =p
Good food, good price, good space to chillax with the buds.

I forgot to mention the sweet/​snack shop attached to the restaurant. If actually didn’t have to cross 74^th St. on my way home from the subway, I’m betting I’d buy their $ 1 samosas EVERY SINGLE DAY.
The sweets are pretty good, but seriously — the samosas are incredible!

This review is solely for the lunch buffet. I only ate vegetarian items and dosa. There is an awesome mixture of south and north indian cuisine in one buffet and that in itself is exciting to me.
I crave dosa on a regular basis and i took the train to jackson heights in search of something to feed my hunger. I’ve been to jackson diner and dosa place which i was not thrilled with either.
The cabbage selection was soooo good and the dosa obviously made my trip worth while. I definitely got my $ 11 worth here. I suggest the buffet if you are in the area.

There is no doubt in my mind that Delhi Palace is one of the best Indian restaurants I’ve ever visited. Situated literally right next to Jackson Diner, Delhi Palace stands out among the rest along Queen’s famous India Row for its outstanding food, awesome prices, and incredible service.
This part of Queens features cheaper and better tasting Indian food than anything in the city. Jackson Diner seems to be the crowd (read: tourist) favorite, but those who are in the know, will consider Delhi Palace every time.
The menu is vast, full of Northern and Southern Indian specialties. A la carte, Indian food can be expensive and here at Delhi Palace quality comes at a small price. Delivery can take a while and the food isn’t all that well packaged. Containers can be a little messy from all of the handling and stacked randomly resulting in a lot of spills and mini-​mishaps.
The real winners are the décor and their lunch buffet. Like Jackson Diner, there is a bit of a funky vibe to their décor. Plenty of seats and space for groups and little tables are just perfect for couples. Often times in the background there are cuts from Bollywood movies playing and some super poppy Indian songs sometimes will have the desis in the crowd bobbing their heads side to side. The only thing missing is a choreographed dance with hot Bollywood chicks and a bustling wait staff.
Their buffet is nothing short of spectacular and for $ 7.99 during my last meal, a generous variety of Biriyani rices, lamb /​chicken specialties, and various desserts made this an instant favorite for the Indian obsessed (yes, me). If they could expand on their buffet area to allow more than 3 people to crowd in, it would be more than helpful as its currently too small.
Favorites along the buffet line are the Khadi Pakoras, Chicken Mekni, Lamb Roganjosh, and Chicken Saagwala. The naan can be phenomenal on some days and subpar on some other days as can the Aloo Tiki.
If there are groups of 6 or more, automatic gratuity is calculated. While they may accept credit cards ($ 15 or more), cash is widely preferred for businesses in this area. So bring plenty of it.