Mehfil

FROZEN VEGETABLES!!! Run Forest, run!!! The service was respectable, though the bathroom lacked soap…

This place is SORELY missed… the replacement is a disaster and I cry a little inside each time I walk by and each time I have a subpar Indian buffet that will never live up to the greatness that was Mehfil.
PLEASE COME BACK!!!

So sad that this place closed. No lie — it got me addicted to Indian food. Tried the fish curry and kheer and got hooked on both. I came back about a week later and the guys inside said they were closed… I thought they meant for the day not FOREVER. Compared to the joints nearby, prices were awesome too. Guess I have to find an alternative that will hold up to my expectations set by Mehfil!

Mehfil. I am so sad that you’ve closed and are being replaced with… Biryani Pointe (?!) You were awesome while you lasted.

OMG! they’re closed? I’m not surprise, every time i go at a regular dinner time the most customer i ever seen there was 2 tables full and 1 of them was me. I was never to into Indian food but this place was sooo good.
They have great service every time, they also hire girls from Nepal. Super nice and attentive well… attentive cause the lack of customer?
Mehfil is the only restaurant that makes me crave for Indian. They have the best Garlic Naan. I thank my coworker Theresa for introducing me to this place. So glad i was able to try them out handful of times before they closed.
Mehfil… I will miss you.

We decided to try Mehfil after Delhi Height’s lunch buffet has been gone cheap on its vegetarian options. Boo… *sad face*
And oh boy, does Mehfil provide the best for the vegetarian! 8 vegetarian options to choose from in their lunch buffet: palak paneer, vegetable korma, fried veggie patty in tangy curried yogurt, cabbage, etc etc. All delicious and filling. They have meat options too, about 4 – 5 choices, including a seafood option.
Their lunch buffet is $ 8.95 on the weekdays and $ 9.95 on the weekends. Includes Naan. We gorged ourself to the point where we had an uncomfortable walk home in the sun and had to take rest. Next time I return, I’ll try and control myself.
Try…doesn’t mean I’ll succeed.

Came here by chance on a Sunday night (wanted to go to Himalayan Hut, but they decided to close early). We were starving and noticed this place across the street. What a find!
Place was pretty empty, but it was clear by the hustle there was quite a bit of delivery business.
Their tomato soup was great, better than their unique mulligatawny. We shared a bunch of dishes — lamb korma, fish curry and their version of sagg paneer (called by a different name). All were great. We especially loved the fish curry. Their korma was extra buttery-​delicious. We also found their breads especially flavorful and fresh.
What a gem of a place. If we lived in the neighborhood, this would be our go-​to Indian joint.

It’s actually quite a far walk from the subway station, which isn’t too bad (since by the time you reach the restaurant, the crowd has dissipated). The restaurant itself is small, but has adequate seating for groups.
There was no naan at the buffet section at first, then I realize that they bring it out fresh to the tables. At a quick glance, it didn’t seem like they had a lot. But then I started eating it. Samosas, Palak Paneer, Chicken tikka Masala, Biryani, Tandoori Chicken: they have all the regular stuff. Okra, Fish Tandoori: those I haven’t seen in a buffet. The food wasn’t as oily as other places, and I find myself filling up on the actual food.
The most impressionable dishes? The Tandoori fish (tilapia). The mango chutney. The naan. You just have to try it to see for yourself.

Alright maybe 5 stars is a stretch. This place ain’t much for décor or ambience, but damn the indian food here is damn good. I always come at least twice a month for the weekend buffet, and when I get a day off from work, I hit up the lunch day special. Nobody makes a meaner malai kofta and paneer palaak as this place. The rice and buttered naan are especially addictive.
Don’t come here expecting to propose to your fiancée, but do come here for a no-​frills, inexpensive, delicious Indian meal. Even the music videos they display make you feel like you’re in Mumbai.
Great for a lazy Sunday afternoon meal.

We tried this place for dinner after reading all of the good Unilocal reviews. We’ve been to Jackson diner before and were going to go there, but there seemed to be a fair amount of negative reviews recently and people have commented on how it’s gone downhill. So we decided to try Mehfil.
First of all, the place was completely empty at 8 on a friday, so that was not a good sign. We had the samasos chat which were decent, although a bit lacking in flavor in comparison to other samosa’s and chat dishes I’ve had. For entrees we had chicken tikka masala (easily the worst i’ve ever had) and Vegetable Jalfrazie — veggies in «homemade» cheese sauce. The sauce landed somewhere in between a nice fresh cheese sauce and a disgusting nacho cheese sauce. Wasn’t gross, but it wasn’t good, and didn’t have much flavor.
Meh, should have just stayed in Astoria and gone to Seva.

My boyfriend and I are not from the area but we really wanted to try something new. It’s located right in the prime area of little India and the food was really good. We LOVE Indian so we were psyched to find a place in Queens knowing we didn’t have to trek to the city. The atmosphere felt like a converted diner so not fancy but they were trying, by having dim lighting. Staff was friendly and helpful although I felt like they were there to clear your plate as soon as you lifted your fork. Hovering a little too close in my opinion. Food was really flavorful and tasty, we had 2 vegan dishes plus a garlic/​onion papadam which was MmmMmm and all was reasonably priced. We might come back here if it’s convenient but I like a moody atmosphere. For a Sat night… the diner-​esque space wasn’t doing it for me.
Dessert: We didn’t order because they were out of ½ the items, so we went elsewhere for that (not in the area).

Ordered the veggie samosas and chicken palak. Both delicious. Haven’t eaten here in a long while and it didn’t disappoint. The filling in the samosas were cooked well and I didn’t have to chew hard on the potatoes like some other places I’ve been to. The chicken palak was creamy and the chicken was tender. Might be my favorite Indian in the neighborhood so far. Can order dishes mild, medium, or hot. I usually opt for the medium which satisfies my palate without dying for water.

This place is fantastic! I’ve dinned here several times and always completely satisfied. Channa Masala is great, I request for it to come and usually it seems as if they are taking it easy on me but still yummy. Samosas seem standard as there arnt many choices for appetizers on the A la carte menu.
Also great for take out, every thing is very fresh. Overall I like this place and I will continue to go back to try new things

*please read my previous review now since this is an update*
Woke up today and had to find me some lunch. I’ve actually been sampling a lot of the lunch buffets in Jackson Heights over the past 2 weeks and today was no exception cause INDIAN BUFFET ROCKS~!!!
When i got to the restaurant, the highlight was going to be their tandoori vegetables baked in mint leaves. I browsed their selection and it wasn’t there today! I had to make a decision…“Do i stay or do i go to Delhi HEIGHTS?” I decided to stay as i had front door parking; right call…
The differences from my post a few days prior are:
1) zukine: i guess this was sliced baby zucchini? Great!
2) navrattan curry: the menu says «9 vegetables cooked with nuts, mild spices, and cream.» This dish was off the charts. It reminded me of penne alla vodka but with a ton of vegetables. You have to try it yourself because I’m doing it an injustice describing it to you.
3) karahi paneer: another pretty good vegetarian dish.
Verdict: That’s two times in a row at Mehfil where I had a great meal. The love/​skill in the food is blatantly obvious across the board. I find it to be superior to the other buffets that cost $ 1 more. It’s a win-​win situation people…
I HEREBY GIVE MEHFIL 5 STARS~!!!

Respectable quiet place to bring your parents.
A cute little restaurant, a few blocks from the hubub of little India. The service is excellent (we had a super friendly young waitress), the table settings are really cute (some sort of faux copper) and the food is good (not spectacular, but not greasy).
We got a
Samosa Chaat — a good staple dish.
Garlic Naan — crispy, covered in garlic, and not greasy. yum.
Vindalloo — I like the heat and asked for it spicy. It wasnt really spicy, boooooo. Dont be shy and ask for it SPICY. Though it did come with fried ginger strips on top, which was about the spicy-​est thing on the table…
Chili Chicken — this was one of the most beautiful dishes. But I think they put corn syrup in it. Tasty, but its bark was better then the bite.
Saag — average creamy Saag.
All the main dishes are $ 12 – 17 bucks. This is NOT my idea of cheap indian food in Jackson heights. But it is a slightly more upscale restaurant away from the craziness so maybe worth it.
Also they make their food for the bland white people pallet, hence the spice and heat were mediocre. A great choice for your beloved (eh hem, boring) uncle visiting from South Dakota, but not for the more adventurous eater.

Ordered the Mixed platter and two entrée’s…where do i start…
Talk about ambiance… the place was playing religious Indian Music… what a TURN OFF…
Secondly it took about 30 minutest to get the Mixed platter… and the food was steaming hot…
Thirdly…they didn’t bring the meal until an hour later after we ordered and they said they were holding to the entrée’ until we finished the Appetizer… meanwhile I am waiting for the Entrée the whole time… did i mention they didn’t tell us they were holding the Entrée until we had to ask about 1 hour after ordering.
Lastly…We ordered three entrée’s and they only brought out 1 rice w/​the two entrée’s when it comes with 2 rice… but they tell me if we need extra rice to they will bring it… WTF…It came with the meal… We didn’t ask for the extra rice b/​c we had ordered NAAN but I was under the impression that we could take it home with what ever we had from our mean… I WAS WRONG… even though we paid for it we cannot take it home… and remember this is NOT a BUFFET Meal… The rice is not the problem but if i pay for it… i expect to take it home. dam it
I have to chalk this up to possible the work dining experience ever… ohh and about the food. Avg or below average. In a nut shell i went to this place to get a quick meal and good service and i ended up 1, a half hours later with sub-​par food and possibly the worst service ever.

Amazing Indian food. It was some of the best I’ve ever had.
It feels somewhat strange to gush about the samosas, but they, alone, were worth coming for.
The behl puri was unique. I’ve never had anything like it. It grows on you and is worth trying out.
I loved the v I loved the vegetable Malai Kofta (vegetables and cheese balls). The chana masala and paneer saag were also very fresh and potent.
The service was great. Why was this place practically empty?

I LOVE Mehfil. In fact, I’ve been meaning to join Unilocal specifically so that I could tell the world how much I do. It’s my favorite Indian restaurant in Jackson Heights, and probably my favorite restaurant in the whole world, actually.
Although I’m a sucker for the Paneer Makhni, it was the Palak Paneer that really sold me on Mehfil (spinach and cheese). Palak Paneer is something that I don’t generally like, but when I like it, I love it. It’s only good if the paneer is done PERFECTLY — not too firm (tough) and not too soft (slimy) and the spinach has just the right amount of butter in it not to be too oily but still have that buttery deliciousness. I tried it at the buffet, just for the hell of it, and I was SOLD. At the buffet no less!
The dish that sealed the deal for me was the Aloo Palak (I know, everything about spinach). Along with that and any of the potato dishes, the potatoes are just so perfectly done.
My favorite for dinner is the paneer makhani, because I’m boring and white and it’s SO GOOD, and I always have it with garlic naan: D. For lunch, the buffet is wonderful! Warning: I usually leave feeling very very pregnant and needing to lie down for awhile. But it is SO worth it.
The people are so nice there, too, and the atmosphere is great. I really recommend that you stray from the main Indian food street and check out Mehfil! You will be glad that you did.

This Indian restaurant is not really in the epicenter of all the Indian food action. It’s a few blocks away from the other competing places all because it’s got a message. Mehfil is too attractive for the room and does it’s own thing in quiet confidence. First thing I noticed was how different the restaurant looks on the inside in comparison to all it’s sister Indian places. Unlike them, Mehfil has no trace of kitsch. The lovely framed artwork kind of made me feel like I was in a museum of sorts; I liked how they seemed to have been carefully chosen with the aim of a singular motif, and not just a random selection of someone’s whimsical tastes. The cloud-​like ceiling also created and added to the visual pleasures.
I was thoroughly impressed with Mehfil’s menu. I sat there like an über dork and actually took a picture of it’s preface. Since it was written with such genuine care, verbalizing the restaurant’s mantra («to gather»), I wanted to do it photographic justice and remember it. (Also, the picture of all the spices was just really pretty to look at!)
We ordered a vast cornucopia of Indian staples. The Bhel Puri was crunchy and perfectly spiced. Along with the delicious Fish Pakoka, our appetizers left us wanting more. We shared an impressive plate of Tandoori Mix Grill. The lamb was succulent and flavorful, but the chicken and shrimp were a little dry. I made the huge mistake of ordering garlic naan, tikka naan and an onion kulcha to eat with the mixed tandoori, but all of these items were dry, and by that I mean, there was no dipping sauce as found in one of my favorite dishes, chicken tikka masala, or really almost any vegetarian offering on the menu which most likely can be scooped and enjoyed with naan. This blunder may have contributed to my less-​than-​stellar overall verdict on Mehfil. Be that as it may, the truth is though, I was sure to have had better tikka naan elsewhere even if the onion and garlic naans were bursting with intense flavor. My fellow dinners also remarked that it was not the best Indian food they have ever had either.
I desperately wanted to love Mehfil. For it’s sophistication, it’s moderate and evenhanded flavors, and especially for it’s message to gather friends and family, I couldn’t rally behind if I wasn’t in love with their food. I think it came up just a tiny bit shy.
Perhaps my thoughts would have drastically been different under either of the following scenarios, a) I ordered my ultimate go-​to, fail-​safe meal (chicken tikka masala) or, b) I experienced the Mehfil buffet, which based off the reviews of my fellow «JHFG» friends (shout-​out!), was quite outstanding. Let’s hope for the sake of my high notions of Mehfil, and those friendships, I’ll have an updated review some time in the near (or distant) future, sprouting much more happier remarks.
But for the time being, M, I am a (semi-​hesitant) fan. I like your style.

Still is one my favorite Indian places to eat for buffet. The food is never covered in grease/​oil.
Lately, I’ve been on a Chicken Jalfrezie binge (on the dinner menu).
They also deliver; you can order on Seamless web.