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... More

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.
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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... More

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.
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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... More

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
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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,... More

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!
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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.

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.
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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... More

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!
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amazing food...amazing service. highly recommended. cant go wrong if your in the mood for authentic indian. loved it. Pros: good food

amazing food...amazing service. highly recommended. cant go wrong if your in the mood for authentic indian. loved it. Pros: good food
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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... More

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.
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Really disappointing after previous reviews. Ordered various types of chicken and lamb curries that all had close to no taste, and certainly no distinct taste. Service was also quite poor. We had a... More

Really disappointing after previous reviews. Ordered various types of chicken and lamb curries that all had close to no taste, and certainly no distinct taste. Service was also quite poor. We had a question on the one of the dishes which was responded to with annoyance, while the meal took over two hours with the slow service throughout.
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We came here for dinner with a reservation. As someone else mentioned, they consider the tables by the door to be their best tables, but the restaurant is so large, that it wasn't a problem getting... More

We came here for dinner with a reservation. As someone else mentioned, they consider the tables by the door to be their best tables, but the restaurant is so large, that it wasn't a problem getting a different table towards the back. The service is very good and polite. The food is probably the best Indian food I've ever had. The shrimp in yogurt sauce was simply amazing. It was not hot at all, but at the same time brimming with spice and flavor. It was what I had often wished Indian food would be. The lamb was extremely soft and tender. I found the spices there to be more in line with other Indian restaurants, but nonetheless good. Even the Samosa had something special in it. It was not over-fried and the vegetables tasted fresh. The decor is tasteful and authentic. Perhaps the prices are a bit higher than average, but not noticeably so. I am definitely coming back.
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