Amma

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246 E 51st St 2 (at nr. Second Ave.)
New York, NY 10022

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(212) 644-8330
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Amma - New York, NY
Amma - New York, NY
Amma - New York, NY
Amma - New York, NY
Amma - New York, NY
Amma - New York, NY
Reviews
( 77 )
( 27 )
( 10 )
( 8 )
( 14 )

Best

I went here last night and was pleased to see that they still had a Restaurant Week menu. The atmosphere is amazing, the waiting staff was very fun and friendly and the food was G...

Worst

This place is just bad. I was taken here on a date so I don't know about the pricing, but the food is not very good at all. I'm Indian so I know what good Indian food should tas...

Great food, even better service 2/24/2011

I went here last night and was pleased to see that they still had a Restaurant Week menu. The atmosphere is amazing, the waiting staff was very fun and friendly and the food was GREAT! I plan on returning here in the near future more

Great food, even better service 2/23/2011

I went here last night and was pleased to see that they still had a Restaurant Week menu. The atmosphere is amazing, the waiting staff was very fun and friendly and the food was GREAT! I plan on returning here in the near future more

Amma 5/27/2010

I have celiac disease so that means I cannot eat any food that has gluten (wheat, rye, barley, soy sauce, etc). I had always loved Amma's lunch menu, but was nervous about explaining my restrictions. They were so accommodating and made substitutions for the naan bread and made sure that everything was just perfect. They even tried to give my friend a free appetizer! Highly recommend. Pros: Accommodating, very nice people more

Amma 5/26/2010

I have celiac disease so that means I cannot eat any food that has gluten (wheat, rye, barley, soy sauce, etc). I had always loved Amma's lunch menu, but was nervous about explaining my restrictions. They were so accommodating and made substitutions for the naan bread and made sure that everything was just perfect. They even tried to give my friend a free appetizer! Highly recommend. Pros: Accommodating, very nice people Cons: None more

Don't Waste Your Money - Bad Food and Worse Service 8/26/2009

We went to Amma thinking it would be a jewel we can visit on a regular basis. We ordered some okra and chicken tikka masala with naan and basmati rice. The okra came in the style of shoe string fries and tasted like grass. Most Indian restaurants have chicken tikka masala as their signature dish, however, Amma's tasted like the chicken was raw and had a foul smell to it. Cons: Bad Food Quality with No Taste and Worse Service to Indians more

Don't Waste Your Money - Bad Food and Worse Service 8/26/2009

We went to Amma thinking it would be a jewel we can visit on a regular basis. We ordered some okra and chicken tikka masala with naan and basmati rice. The okra came in the style of shoe string fries and tasted like grass. Most Indian restaurants have chicken tikka masala as their signature dish, however, Amma's tasted like the chicken was raw and had a foul smell to it. We spoke to the Manager who stared at us and made absolutely no attempt to bring an alternate dish or apologize for the food. We strongly advise to stay away from this unpleasant restaurant with no concept of customer service. There are many many good Indian restaurants in the city to don't waste your money at Amma. They're also quite pricey and not at all worth it! Pros: None Cons: Bad Food Quality with No Taste and Worse Service to Indians more

Blown Away by the Food and Service! 2/7/2009

We made a reservation at Amma during Restaurant Week. That said, we knew going into it not to have high expectations....boy, were we blown away by not only the food but the stellar, attentive service!\r \r We started with the Tomato Rasam and Mughlai Chicken Shorba soups. The tomato soup had a wonderful afterburn and a terrific layering of flavors. The chicken soup was good, but lacked any real flavor other than chicken. \r \r We chose the Cochin Crab Cakes (chef spices and ginger infused golden crusted patties) and Kesari Malai Tikka (chicken breast in saffron yogurt marination) appetizers and both were just wonderful. The crab cakes were light and packed with crab flavor and the malai chicken had a nice delicate flavor.\r \r For our main course, we chose Stuffed Chicken Breast (garam masala, paneer onion tomato sauce) and Tandoori Lamb Chops (ginger garlic yogurt marination); both were served with naan, raita, Manchurian cauliflower and jackfruit biryani. The raita was fantastic! I really enjoyed the subtle spicing of the chicken and while I did not prefer the lamb (I just don't really like the flavor of some of the gamier meats) my beau declared it delicious. The other standout was the Manchurian cauliflower...we are always trying to come up with new and interesting preparations for cauliflower and this one was amazing!\r \r We finished our meal with a trio of Kulfi and the mango cheesecake. I am a self-declared cheesecake connoisseur and the mango cheesecake was divine. The Kulfis were good as well, there was a trio of original (pistachio) flavor, strawberry and mango. While the fruit flavors were nice, I really loved the pistachio best. \r \r We paired our meal with the optional wine flight which included a white, a red and a dessert wine. The staff was unfailingly gracious and attentive, and we truly felt as though we were their top priority. I would highly recommend Amma for great upscale Indian food. more

Blown Away by the Food and Service! 2/6/2009

We made a reservation at Amma during Restaurant Week. That said, we knew going into it not to have high expectations....boy, were we blown away by not only the food but the stellar, attentive service! We started with the Tomato Rasam and Mughlai Chicken Shorba soups. The tomato soup had a wonderful afterburn and a terrific layering of flavors. The chicken soup was good, but lacked any real flavor other than chicken. We chose the Cochin Crab Cakes (chef spices and ginger infused golden crusted patties) and Kesari Malai Tikka (chicken breast in saffron yogurt marination) appetizers and both were just wonderful. The crab cakes were light and packed with crab flavor and the malai chicken had a nice delicate flavor. For our main course, we chose Stuffed Chicken Breast (garam masala, paneer onion tomato sauce) and Tandoori Lamb Chops (ginger garlic yogurt marination); both were served with naan, raita, Manchurian cauliflower and jackfruit biryani. The raita was fantastic! I really enjoyed the subtle spicing of the chicken and while I did not prefer the lamb (I just don't really like the flavor of some of the gamier meats) my beau declared it delicious. The other standout was the Manchurian cauliflower...we are always trying to come up with new and interesting preparations for cauliflower and this one was amazing! We finished our meal with a trio of Kulfi and the mango cheesecake. I am a self-declared cheesecake connoisseur and the mango cheesecake was divine. The Kulfis were good as well, there was a trio of original (pistachio) flavor, strawberry and mango. While the fruit flavors were nice, I really loved the pistachio best. We paired our meal with the optional wine flight which included a white, a red and a dessert wine. The staff was unfailingly gracious and attentive, and we truly felt as though we were their top priority. I would highly recommend Amma for great upscale Indian food. more

amazinggg food!! soo flavorful! my 1st time trying indian food and i'm def. going back! 1/27/2009

went there today for lunch for restaurant week and the food was seriously AMAZING! I don't usually write reviews but the food was just that good. Me and the bf decided to take full advantage of restaurant week and this was the 3rd restaurant we tried and it was undoubtedly the best. Whoever posted saying that the food wasn't outstanding must've ordered the wrong thing or caught them on an off day b/c the food was soo flavorful...not to mention they didn't skimp on the portions like most restaurants do for restaurant week. Everything from the soup to the dessert was wonderful and its a steal at 24.07 for 4 course meal. If you're going to try any restaurant for restaurant week--go here!! btw, you must try the chili shrimp appetizer, sea bass main course, and chicken soup! sooo goood Pros: amazing food, nice decor & ambience, prompt & friendly service Cons: noneee! more

amazinggg food!! soo flavorful! my 1st time trying indian food and i'm def. going back! 1/26/2009

went there today for lunch for restaurant week and the food was seriously AMAZING! I don't usually write reviews but the food was just that good. Me and the bf decided to take full advantage of restaurant week and this was the 3rd restaurant we tried and it was undoubtedly the best. Whoever posted saying that the food wasn't outstanding must've ordered the wrong thing or caught them on an off day b/c the food was soo flavorful...not to mention they didn't skimp on the portions like most restaurants do for restaurant week. Everything from the soup to the dessert was wonderful and its a steal at 24.07 for 4 course meal. If you're going to try any restaurant for restaurant week--go here!! btw, you must try the chili shrimp appetizer, sea bass main course, and chicken soup! sooo goood Pros: amazing food, nice decor & ambience, prompt & friendly service Cons: noneee! more

best wine service 1/21/2009

the food is awesome. the wine service is very attentive. the way the wine person choose the wine for you feels like he is taking care of you..doesnot feel like he is trying to sell hi wine.. he recommended a very good reserve wine for us. thanks to him.. Pros: restaurant size Cons: busy place more

best wine service 1/20/2009

the food is awesome. the wine service is very attentive. the way the wine person choose the wine for you feels like he is taking care of you..doesnot feel like he is trying to sell hi wine.. he recommended a very good reserve wine for us. thanks to him.. Pros: restaurant size Cons: busy place more

amazing service 1/8/2009

znk Provided by Partner
i went to have a dinner on 6th of november. the tasting menu was awesome and the wine selection was outstanding. its a small place so there is a pe... more

awesome service and food 11/21/2008

yesterday, we 4 friends planned to go to dine at Amma restaurent. place is little small. the food is little different from what other indian restaurent serve. the wine selection and the wine service was above the expectation. above all we had a good time. sometimes when it gets little busy then the service might be little slow however it is a small place, so considering that its worthit to visit atleast once. Pros: very homely service Cons: little small place more

awesome service and food 11/20/2008

yesterday, we 4 friends planned to go to dine at Amma restaurent. place is little small. the food is little different from what other indian restaurent serve. the wine selection and the wine service was above the expectation. above all we had a good time. sometimes when it gets little busy then the service might be little slow however it is a small place, so considering that its worthit to visit atleast once. Pros: very homely service Cons: little small place more

Worst food quality, Poor Service. 11/12/2008

Read rave reviews and picked this place for dinner with colleagues. Smallest restaurant I have ever been to. They could not give decent table for a modest party of 6. Service was all talk and no substance. Even talk was gibberish and very hard to understand in loud cramped sitting environment. They had only 1 bottle of the wine of our choice. The next alternatives recommended were twice our original cost. We were told that our wine was not available - and the waiter didn't know what we were drinking - uh? Pros: Hard to come up with Cons: Small sitting area, crowded, loud, poor service, poor food, high priced more

Worst food quality, Poor Service. 11/12/2008

Read rave reviews and picked this place for dinner with colleagues. Smallest restaurant I have ever been to. They could not give decent table for a modest party of 6. Service was all talk and no substance. Even talk was gibberish and very hard to understand in loud cramped sitting environment. They had only 1 bottle of the wine of our choice. The next alternatives recommended were twice our original cost. We were told that our wine was not available - and the waiter didn't know what we were drinking - uh? They tried hard to wrap bad food in fancy package (crow in peacock feather comes to mind). We ordered tasting menu. Lot of quantity, no quality - I felt sick in the restaurant and 2 more courses were yet to arrive. When the bill arrived, it had standard print - recommended gratuity 18%, but it had 20% applied to it. The quality of food and service were competing very hard with each other to under perform each other. I should have known this to be a trap when I was asked to provide credit card information at the time of reservation - shackles, they wanted to make sure I did not slip out. To be avoided under all circumstances. Pros: Hard to come up with Cons: Small sitting area, crowded, loud, poor service, poor food, high priced more

very spicy!! 11/10/2008

If your in the mood for good food and lots of spice, check this place out. Although a little pricy, considering everything I was more than satisfied. The service is extremely friendly, and don't be afraid to ask for reccomendations. I had the colossal spiced halibut which was absolutely delicious. Only thing is the place is a little small, and the decorations are a bit cheesy, considering I am Indian and more than qualified to be ridiculing this type of thing. In addition, if you are walking to fast along this street you could possible miss it, b/c there only a small sign and stairs that leaf to a porch where the small sign is located. Pros: Great Food Cons: Loud and small more

Fantasic Night Out at Amma 11/10/2008

Amazing food and customer service. My husband and I dined at Amma for my birthday and were very well taken care of by the staff. We were served a house appetizer as well as one that we ordered. I had the Butter Chicken and my husband had the Lamb Chops. Both dishes were outstanding! Even better than the food was the customer service. We never once had to ask for anything, the staff was very observant and could anticipate our every need. They also surprised me with singing happy birthday and giving me a mango cheesecake on the house. I would definately recommend this place! It is a little bit spendy, but well worth it. Pros: great customer service. friendly staff. mouth-watering food more

very spicy!! 11/9/2008

If your in the mood for good food and lots of spice, check this place out. Although a little pricy, considering everything I was more than satisfied. The service is extremely friendly, and don't be afraid to ask for reccomendations. I had the colossal spiced halibut which was absolutely delicious. Only thing is the place is a little small, and the decorations are a bit cheesy, considering I am Indian and more than qualified to be ridiculing this type of thing. In addition, if you are walking to fast along this street you could possible miss it, b/c there only a small sign and stairs that leaf to a porch where the small sign is located. Pros: Great Food Cons: Loud and small more
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Menu for Amma


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Owner Message
  • "I wanted to try Indian food I've never tasted" - Ask Gael, New York Magazine October 6th 2003

    "Amma, an Indian restaurant with a difference" - Eric Asimov, N.Y. Times Sep 27th 2002

    "Clean your plates anyway" - New York Magazine, May 13th 2002

    "Amma tastefully fills the gap between Curry Row-style cheap eats and pricey Indian fusion" - Time Out New York? 2003 Eating and Drinking Guide

    "Eat to make your Mother Proud" - Arthur J Pais? India Abroad, October 18th 2002

    "Mama's food never had it so good" - J. Walman? Our Town, October 24th 2002

Editorial
  • The Scene
    A discerning crowd of mostly families comes here expecting--and receiving--food that's a cut above. The small, peaceful dining room is peach-colored with handsome fabric art and a general air of spotlessness. The hovering service staff describe everything in detail. Dishes are served individually, rather than family-style.

    The Food
    The clean-flavored, delicate version of Indian cuisine served here is impressively tasty; several discrete notches above the average decent neighborhood establishment. Spinach chaat--peppery, batter-fried leaves topped with zingy mung sprouts--makes a terrific starter; so does a trio of small, subtle samosas. Tandoor-grilled lamb chops are incredibly juicy and savory, and a pear chutney sets them off terrifically. Kararee bhindi--crisp, tangy okra and onion salad--is memorably pungent. Madras chicken and the tomatoey Malabar salmon are standard, while desserts are a must-try, particularly the fluffy housemade mango cheesecake and kulfi in citrus soup.

  • 6/1/2004 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Daily 12pm-2:45pm; 5pm-10:30pm
  • Payments: Discover, Diner's Club, American Express, Master Card, Visa
  • Neighborhoods: Midtown East (Turtle Bay), Midtown East, Midtown
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