Moti Mahal Delux

Completely overpriced for not that great food and small portions. They charged $ 6 for an 8-​ounce mango lassi, and when I called to complain that it’s a rip off and that you don’t expect a $ 6 drink to only be 8 ounces, they refused to do anything about it, and I’m a repeat customer. Terrible prices, mediocre food, awful service.

I’d been wanting to try Moti Mahal for a while but I find it a bit out of the way. With a friend in town I finally decided to make the trek to the east end of the 60s. I don’t regret it. The food was delicious and quite inexpensive. 4 people ate a lot for $ 36 each, including tax and tip. The pampadam (I’m sure I’m misspelling) were awesome. We started with the samosas and an amazingly tender chicken from the tandoori. The butter chicken, sea bass curry, and paneer spinach were all excellent. I really enjoyed the goat biryani as well. Our server was great and helped us order and adjust our order when she thought we ordered too much. I’d definitely go back.

Wow wow wow — can’t believe I just discovered this hidden gem! It’s right in my neighborhood and it took me 3 years (ish) to find out I have the best Indian place in my back yard?!
Not only is their service wonderful the food is to die for! We started with the Tandoori chicken. The char on this meat was delicious while the meat stayed moist and flavorful! We are this down to the bone.
For dinner we got an eggplant dish, chicken masala, lemon rice, and buttered naan. Every dish was full of flavor and although the portions are on the conservative side, it was plenty for two of us to share and even have leftovers.
Needless to say I will be returning very soon, in fact, I would go back tonight if my husband would let me :)

Moti, moti, moti. How does your Gulab Jamen go? Let me count the ways. Service is spectacular. Attentive and to the point. The food is beautifully prepared and tastefully presented. The flavors from the curries and the roties are exquisite. This place has been blessed by Zagats and Michellin, so, this review isn’t going to alter a thing. The beer is overpriced. Guys, $ 8 bucks for a Kingfisher, really. Not a deal killer, but it goes so well with the menu, that you can easily double your tab on booze alone. Seems a bit petty. But then again, it is the Uppah Eastside! Sorry, you’re not charging enough for the Kingfisher… how’s twelve dollars and serve it with a doily.

I’ve eaten in once and ordered delivery from Moti Mahal Delux multiple times. They send generous portions, and the food is good quality. While I’ve had more delectable Indian food in other parts of the city, this is definitely a go-​to spot for the UES. Their house special dal is really a star attraction.

Pretentious over prized Mughalai Indian cuisine. Gol gappa shots were a big disappointment. 4 golgappas for $ 9? The water used for the shots was too salty and was served warm. I’ve never had worse gol gappas in my life and I know because I grew up eating all sorts of them in Delhi.
The food tastes ordinary and is inexplicably over prized. The food surprisingly tasted a lot like $ 12 buffet you can get at this curry hill restaurant called Bhatti. I wouldn’t be surprised if the same person owns both places and serves the same food but at much higher prices.
I ordered samosas and chicken korma. The former looked liked those tiny weird samosas you get from the frozen aisle of your local grocery store and the latter tasted like someone miserly dropped a few pieces of chicken into a sauce of molten butter.
I am not surprised this place gets many of its high ratings from people who really don’t know Indian food.

If you’re looking for a brilliant indian Sunday brunch, this is the place to be! Moti Mahal’s food was fresh and delicious. Their lunch special had a great variety of vegetarian and non-​vegetarian dishes. The service was great. I am definitely going back for another meal.

Some of the best Indian food in the city! Moti Mahal Delux is a great take on North Indian food.
The tandoori items here are amazing. We got the paneer shashlik which was melt-​in-​your-​mouth soft and perfectly seasoned. The Mutton (lamb) kebabs were wonderfully tender and smoky delicious as well. The curries here are brilliant. We got the dal makhani and the butter chicken, both of which were rich, creamy and full of flavor. The chicken in the curry was also cooked perfectly and moist, not the rubbery dried out mess you see in a lot of places. The Nan we ordered were fluffy and fresh. Would stay away from the seafood items though, they have always seemed to miss the mark.
This is true Delhi style Indian food, done right!

Wonderful place for amazing Indian food. Nice and clean, just the way I expected! I have been to their location in Mumbai and you can not tell any difference in taste of food.
Very authentic taste! Veg Biryani and Mushroom Kabab was just awesome!

Generous portions and very tasty food for a good price.
butterchicken is excellent and egglant main course is also very good. Whatever comes out of this kitchen is highly recommended.
lunch menus are served promptly so ideal for quick lunch and go.
However, service is a little clumsy and delivery is unreliable. so outside the kitchen, it is you and your luck.

As I sit here thinking about my recent meal, as I’m coming down and entering the late, contemplative stage of my food high, I’m starting to think maybe more like a 4.5.
What can I find fault with? I wasn’t a fan of the Prosecco. The Basmati rice was just okay. The service was good, friendly and attentive but perhaps not exactly professional. Hardly an indictable offense at these prices.
I had the Golgappa Shots as an appetizer and while it was the most interesting thing I’ve ever had at an Indian restaurant, it didn’t knock my socks off. The shots were like Indian flavored gaspacho. I don’t regret ordering it and I guess, I might order it again but it could be better.
Now. If I had written this an hour ago, I would still have been floating down the street, on my way home. I would have been searching for the «Woohoo! OMFG! WTH! I can barely contain myself!» stars button.
So no, nothing less than 5 stars on the Unilocal-​o-​meter.
My friend and I each had an MMD specialty. I had the Butter Chicken and he had the Daal Makhani with orders of rice, Garlic Naan and Onion Kulcha. For dessert the Gulab Jamun and Mango Lassi. The bread was good and the Gulab Jamun was probably among the best I’ve had. Delicate, light, fluffy and not over sweetened, with the rose water still playing a sublime role.
The chicken though. That Butter Chicken. Perfect. Absolutely perfect. You know how you like Indian chicken dishes but so often the chicken is dry and overcooked? Just forget about that. This chicken was succulent and flavorful and the curry it was in was intoxicating, with just a touch of spice. There wasn’t even a fleeting thought of leaving any of it for later.
My friend, who’s favorite dish is Daal Makhani was similarly floored by his food.
Maybe this was the best Indian dish I’ve ever had. I’ve just moved to New York but I’ve had Indian in lots of places. I’ve worked with Indians who’ve taken me to their favorite blessed spots. If this isn’t the best Indian food in New York City then I’ll be surprised but it’ll be an amazed kind of blissful surprise, free from duality, a divine ananda, like I felt after finishing my meal at Moti Mahal.

Weekday lunch $ 14 – 15 or weekend brunch $ 17-​$ 18, buffet style u choose veg or non-​veg and then the food streams out as you request.
Chaat and samosa for appetizer, non-​veg gets two kinds of kabobs. We got two flavors of tender, juicy chicken. Chaat was good but hard to scoop off the silver bowl it’s served in. Woulda been easier if it was piled high. Samosa are smaller than what u usually get so they’re not as dense, better to not fill up on them.
Didn’t try the lentils but friend raved about them. Veg entrees were palak paneer and okra, both were tasty! Veg entrees were lamb and chicken tikka masala which I could not stop eating the curry! Rice was tender and kept my plate full, plain and garlic naan served warm!
For desert we got ice cream.
Def coming back!

The naan: thin, chewy & crispy. The lamb: tender & flavorful. Yellow lentils: on point with a spicy kick. Rice and butter chicken: dry but forgivable. Good price: $ 13 lunch buffet. Sadly, the service ruined our experience today.
We arrived at noon when it opened, so the restaurant was empty (i.e., NOT busy). We informed the waitress we’d wait for the 3^rd member of our party to arrive before ordering, but she looked at us with a stern face and insisted we decide soon as to vegetarian versus non-​vegetarian, «I need to put in the order so the kitchen can start preparing it.» She followed up by checking on us again in 2 minutes.
*puzzled*
If it’s all-​you-​can-​eat, I’m sure the kitchen had started preparing the dishes already. And more importantly, why were you rushing us? Sigh.
She gave similar treatment to a neighboring table 5 minutes later.
As we took our time with the appetizer (restaurant still not busy), she hastily asked if we were done, because «the entrees are ready and you need to make room.» There was plenty of room since the 3 of us had a 4-​person table. I tried to enjoy the food and not get worked up about it. In fact, we all subconsciously stopped making eye contact with her altogether because she looked like an angry Asian mother (speaking from personal experience).
She had a ponytail, wore glasses, but never wore a smile. I wish I had asked for her name, because the rest of the staff (happened to be all male) were nice and courteous. But accordingly to my friends who frequent this place (close to work & undeniably good food), the service is unfortunately always lacking.

We went for the lunch buffet, but after we were seated and inquired about the buffet, our waiter informed us that they were not offering it today. We assumed it was because of the snowstorm, but w’re disappointed nonetheless. However, he mentioned that they would include naan and rice with the purchase of an entrée.
We knew we wanted the butter chicken and, being not super familiar with Indian food, asked for a recommendation for a second complimentary dish. We ended up ordering the Butter Chicken and the Kadhai Murgh.
Butter chicken: creamy sauce, tender chicken, so so delicious. Make sure to order rice and naan with it to soak up the sauce
Kadhai Murgh: Spicy with lots of vegetables. If I were ordering only one entrée, I would definitely choose this over the butter chicken because it was heartier. So much delicious flavor, would highly recommend.
Garlic naan and rice: A must. Naan was fresh and moist.
We didn’t order drinks, so the bill (not including tip) came out to $ 37. We ended up spending about the same as we would have with the buffet and left full and satisfied.

Great Indian food. I recently discovered this restaurant and since then have dined here twice in a month.
The food is excellent. The vegetarian dishes are top notch. Both the yellow and black lentils– Super tasty. The malai kofta rich, a tad bit sweet but worth every bite. It has a really tasty gravy. The paneer lababdar is probably the best dish on their menu.
The chicken dishes have not been very impressive. Both times they were a let down. But the vegetarian food is solid. The naans are hot and crispy and a great addition to the meal.
Overall a great meal every time. While reservations are advisable I’ve walked in both times and have luckily been seated right away.
Will be coming back for more!

La comida deliciosa. Ambiente limpio y agradable. El mejor restaurante Indu que he probado

After hearing many good things about Moti Mahal Delux, we finally ventured there for lunch yesterday… here are my thoughts:
Ambiance is great. This restaurant is small but clean and tables aren’t overly crowded. Definitely make a reservation. We didn’t and had to wait a bit for a table around 1:30pm.
Service is horrendous, which is why Moti Mahal loses a star. Actually, service is so horrendous that I want to take off two stars, but the food is so good that it seems unfair. We had to flag our server down for everything from menus, to ordering, to water, to the check. It was really annoying.
Food is overall quite good:
– Chaat is great. Just wish it didn’t have peanuts in it (my own problem, not the restaurant’s!)
– Murg Reshmi Seekh was a hit with the husband. Doesn’t happen often so this must have been good.
– Vegetable Biryani was delicious but very spicy. Love that it’s cooked in the oven with a naan on top. And the naan was PERFECT. Just wish they could tone down the spice a bit.
– Daal Tadka was very good and a nice thick consistency.
– Palak Paneer /​Bhindi /​Dal Makhani /​Rice — these were all part of the lunch special and were all just okay. The lunch special is a great deal but none of these stood out as very good to us. I think we’ll order everything a la carte next time.
Overall this restaurant is on the more expensive side and the service is seriously lacking. We’ll be back for the food though, I guess we just have to bring our patience with us.

I was impressed by the lunch deal. It’s $ 13 for an appetizer, an entrée, sides, and dessert. Everything was very high quality, from the naan to the rice to each of the dishes. Very impressed. They don’t tell you, but it’s actually all you can eat. Don’t eat too much in the beginning because they definitely give you enough food before the end. At the end, if you’re still hungry, you can always get more of any of the items. Or… you had eaten too fast and need to slow down and digest before you consume the extra calories. Just sayin’.
Service is good, fast. The ambience is also pretty nice. The dishes a la carte are pricier.

Wow wow wow! The most authentic Indian food in the city, and a vegetarian’s heaven! If you’re looking for good and legit Indian food, look no further!
I took my vegetarian boyfriend here for his birthday and we both really enjoyed the food and experience. We couldn’t decide on what entrees to get because there was so much choice (1.5 pages of vegetarian entrees in the menu and everything sounded SO good), so we consulted with our friendly waiter for his suggestions on what to get. Amazing service by the way! He spent time talking to us to find out what type of food/​taste we liked before making his suggestions. We ended up ordering the Channa Masala (chickpeas in a tangy tomato gravy) and Dum Ki Ghobi Aloo (cauliflower and baby potatoes in a red gravy), both of which we LOVED. Take note that the entrees don’t come with rice or any other carbs for dinner, so you’d have to order them separately if you want. We got the garlic naan which I feel complemented the entrees perfectly and helped to neutralize their spiciness.
If you’re thinking about coming here, you might want to consider making a reservation on OpenTable because the restaurant tends to fill up. I live close by and it seems to always be packed whenever I walk by around dinner time (not surprised!). I can’t wait to come back here again to try some of their other dishes!
P. S. There’s also a huge selection of meat dishes — I personally haven’t tried them but I don’t see why they wouldn’t be as delicious as the vegetarian dishes :)

I can’t wait to come back!!!
The service, décor, food is all A+!
We came for their $ 16 brunch and it was a great value. Comes with appetizer, entrée, sides and dessert!
The quality and quantity of food is impeccable :) half the table got vegetarian option and other half got the non-​vegetarian option. EVERYThING was good!

I was really interested in Moti Mahal after reading a lot of commentary about their «unique style» and such. Of course, my table decided to order the golgappa shots, because that was seemingly the edgiest thing on the menu. Don’t make that mistake. It’s a glorified pani puri that they charge way more for because of the presentation. It didn’t even taste that great.
Then, we went onto the actual menu. The food was quite good. Naan was soft and delicious and the Paneer Makhani was absolutely fantastic. If it were any cheaper than $ 16.95 this would be a 4 star review. In fact, based on food alone this place probably earns 4 stars. But it’s a bit more expensive than even comparable fancy Indian sit-​down restaurants, which is why I don’t think I would come back for their dinner menu. I’m certainly open to returning to try their lunch specials (12.95 on a weekday seems like a far superior deal).