Salt and Pepper

So:
I’ve been eating at this place for a couple years, now, ever since I moved to the neighborhood. The food is cheap, very plentiful, and plenty tasty to earn it 4 stars.
But:
If you don’t have a strong constitution, I can’t in good conscience recommend eating here. I tend to think I’ve got a strong stomach and rarely find myself hunched over a toilet, but my last visit led to some pretty intewnse gastrointestinal troubles. My friend had it even worse. Might have been an off-​day, and I’ll probably go back, but, you know, caveat emptor.

Was excited when my husband said he saw a cheap takeout Indian restaurant that actually had an «A» grading.
PRICE: The only prices listed are for lunch specials. We asked for dinner portions and were quoted with a $ 20 charge per entrée which was surprising but for whatever reason we accepted on one choice. After making selections, we were charged less than quoted, $ 30 then a second man changed to $ 45. Still not sure of prices.
PORTIONS: A normal meat portion is equivalent to a Chinese restaurant takeout soup container. Not entirely abnormal but when we realized the chicken curry and lamb vindaloo were comprised mostly of bones and not meat we were disappointed.
FRESHNESS: The chicken tikka masala was full of very, very dry breast meat. Basamati Rice was old with shriveled peas. Lamb was super tough.
FLAVOR: Vindaloo was bland. Curry had a surprise (good) kick to it. Masala flavor was not bad but something different I can’t pinpoint.
SELECTION: Limited options and no sign of Naan.
Overall, there is no bang for your buck here. IF you must go, get the chicken curry.

Prices have risen since I left my apt around the corner from here in 2009. That seems reasonable given the times but quality need not have gone down and unfortunately it did. My order of rice and chickpeas came with cauliflower and when I noticed none on the plate, the man behind the counter mumbled that there was none left and heaped some carrots onto the plate of my fiancé, which had all its components fulfilled already. I would have expected at least some acknowledgement that they had forgotten one of the sides to which I was entitled but none, and more than that, no question as to what I would prefer in its place. Given few options to dispute, I paid the $ 8 for a mound of rice and legume. The place is not particularly enchanting to eat in and no efforts are made to improve it. While some places remain charming even as things around us change, S&P should probably consider small enhancements that would go a long way.

I had all vegetable dishes and it wasn’t heavy, spicy or stale which is a fear at places like this sometimes. Clearly the food was turned over quickly so it was fresh. I would have preferred spicier but I’m south asian so I can see how this would appeal to more people.
Cool Factor — their naan is made fresh in tandoor type oven device on the spot. That alone makes it worth it.
The manager was extremely friendly and nice. I asked and he just took over management 3 weeks ago so I can’t speak for anyone’s experience before then.
Lastly, their chai tea was brewed as opposed to tea bag chai I have had at other indo-​pak spots in the neighborhood.
I am psyched this place has new management and will be open until 3am so I can take care of any cravings at all hours of the day.

You know, this place is all right!
Speaking as a wanna-​be foodie in Manhattan who doesn’t have a bankroll quite large enough to be spending $$ on dinner every single night, I find this one of those cheap and easy places to splurge $ 7 on for a survivor meal.
Don’t expect great service. Don’t expect fine Indian cuisine. Don’t expect visually appealing décor. But if you’re hungry and need something fast, cheap, and filling, hit this place up.
Note: Don’t get the chicken tikka masala, as someone else mentioned, it’s a little weird. The grilled beef wasn’t bad, eggplant veggie mix wasn’t bad, and their breakfast rolls seem pretty decent at $ 3.50 for two eggs + sausage on a roll.

Cheap and easy to order off of Seamless, this restaurant sent us free vegetable pakora when you order $ 20 or more for delivery. That was one reason to order from them.
The curries were cooked mild and smooth as requested, but the paneer was a bit tasteless, almost like it was a bit too watered down. The group liked the Navratan Curry, though. Garlic naan was not up to my expectations (I like it softer, not as dry and crisp). Rice was acceptable, and chicken tikka masala was nice and spicy.
Oh, forgot to add — the samosas were actually quite tasty.
The one irritation — the delivery guy called me 4 times, unable to find a place that is clearly labeled on google maps –plus– I texted him the exact building name and location on the NYU campus. You’d think they’d get more orders for our area, but perhaps I’m expecting too much. I asked for delivery at 9p indicating my class went until then, and the guy shows up at 8:40p and wants to deliver… wonderful timing there.
Overall, while cheap, it doesn’t beat any number of other restaurants that I’ve been to eat at, and there are many of them in the East and West Village that are closer.

This place is pretty good — I worked a temp job next door and would come here because it was cheap and the food was decent. I usually ordered their chic peas and rice — that was $ 5.00 and they give you a huge amount.

The food might not be authentically Indian (they serve «Spanish» food too — whatever that means in NY, because there’s nothing Spanish about fried plantains), but it is tasty. The chicken is well-​seasoned and moist, the lamb was the same, and the helpings are immense. And by that I mean I’ve walked away with like three pounds of Indian-​ish food for $ 6.50 every time I’ve been there. No, you won’t find much Vindaloo-​ish spicy stuff here, but what they do serve tastes good. Very nice people working there, too. The best late-​night take-​out spot I’ve found near the 14^th St./1^st Ave. intersection.

There were so many warning signs I ignored, so eating here was my fault. Luckily I was by myself, so no one else was subjected to the torture.
(Note: I hate writing bad reviews for small businesses, but I feel I must write this as my civic duty to the food community.)

Here are the basics:
Small cafeteria style take out/​sit down place
Large sign outside with stock photos of sandwiches and other non Indian food (WARNING SIGN #1)
Call themselves Indian food, but also serve burgers/​sandwiches/​etc. (WARNING SIGN #2)
Usually empty (WARNING SIGN #3)
So I ordered the Chicken Tikki Marsala and what I was served was the Gerber Baby food version. The weird light pink sauce was sweet and there was some curdled-​ness (pretty sure my grade school teacher would slap me for using that non-​word.) At one point during the meal I gagged and gave up.
The cauliflower side dish was cold cold cold and way to salty.
Perfect place to bring someone you don’t like. Preferably an abusive ex-​boyfriend.