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I went there about three weeks ago. It had been some 5 years or so since I last set foot. Unlike most NY restaurants, Tabla had been open all that time, which obviously is no small feat. I understand why. The food is absolutely creative and simply the best practice of fusion cuisine I've ever had. Overall, the vegetarian dishes faired better than the meat dishes, probably because the subtlety of the spices worked better on veggies. I was blown away by the raita-inspired cucumber soup (on the house), which had chia seeds to give it that cucumber-seed texture. That was pure genius. My only beef is the excessive use of salt. It wasn't necessary and only took away from the other spices that were working their magic. Pros: Food! Food! Food! (wine too) Cons: A tad too much salt, decor kind of tacky more

One dining experience at this place and you will want to keep coming back. Very attentive service right from the start. The food: talk about a mix of spices, all leaving a pleasant aftertaste for the next one. Very good wine selection as well. We were recommended the shiraz and it was maybe the best I ever had. Be it a business or romantic dinner this is the place for you. Pros: Everything from beginning to end. Cons: None more

I am not sure what all the hoopla about Tabla is. It's a mediocre restaurant at best. Service was plesant enough but the food is just terrible. The chef is clearly not indian -he has no idea how to combine spices. There was no care taken in preparing the food. Their so called chutneys are worse then what you could pick up off the shelf at any indian store (near 28th and lex). There are tons of better indian places in the city.. try brick lane, dawat or bukhara grill instead. Pros: None that I can think of.. Cons: Food is terrible more

Tabla is an extraordinary eating experience. We were greeted warmly and enjoyed excellent service throughout our meal. Each plate was bursting with flavor - try the tabla crab cake followed by the tapioca crusted shrimp and scallops. Check it out - you won't regret it! Pros: ambience, service, menu Cons: none more

I went there yesterday for Restaurant Week after a friend raved about it. I have to say that I wish she hadn't. The decor was nice, although the place is smaller than I imagined. 3 of us went, so we tried almost everything on the Restaurant Week menu. We started with the Rock Shrimp, beet salad, and dumplings. The rock shrimp was by far my favorite dish during the entire experience. After tasting the 3 dishes, I decided the restaurant perhaps was better at preparing meat than vegetarian food. Definitely not the case, we ordered the skate, chicken tikka, and chickpeas for our large platter. The skate was under cooked and unseasoned, the chicken tikka were two large meat ball sized pieces of chicken, flavored, but there was just something missing. It tasted like chicken at any other place, truth be told, and the chickpeas were chickpeas. I wasn't overly impressed with any of the sides, especially the tomato one. For dessert, we had the donute holes and Vanilla Bean Kulfi. Both were delicious. I have to say, all in all, portions were on the small side, especially the sides, and the other items which stood out were the rock shrimp, donute holes, and kulfi. I guess its a place to try, but don't go expecting too much or you'll end up like me, totally underwhelmed. Pros: Desserts Cons: Food isn't that great, not flavorful more

My wife, step-daughter and I live in Scotland and we were on holiday last week in New York. We visited this bar on a Saturday about 4.00pm, so it was easy to obtain a table. The bar was not overly busy at this time but the Saturday night crowd were beginning to flow when we departed around 6.30pm. The tapas food (in the bar) was good but not particularly spicy, and was different from the Indian cuisine and flavours experienced in Scotland. We had four of the small plates together with two of the breads. This was sufficient for the three of us. The cocktails were strong, by Scotland?s standard, and they had an interesting Indian slant to them. My personal favourite was the Kachumber Kooler which included gin and green chillies. Service was good and attentive, but not intrusive. Worth a visit. Pros: Excellent cocktails, tapas portions Cons: Not really Indian cuisine more

I've lived in New York since August and this is the best meal I've had yet in the city. We went for Restaurant Week- which is a great value by the way- and were wowed. We ate in the Bread Bar because they didn't have the Rest Week menu upstairs. The service was attentive without being overbearing; the entire staff was warm and welcoming on a cold Friday night. The black pepper mussels were incredible as were the tandoori mahi and the sauteed mushrooms. The naan was extremely fresh and reasonably priced. A tasty and interesting blend of spices flavored the whole meal. The doughnut holes with the orange blossom and chocolate dipping sauces were one of the better things I've put in my mouth. Pros: Food, Ambience, Large wine list Cons: A little expensive more

Not so good, food was uneatable....the atmosphere is nice and the menu is interesting, but they totally screwed up from beginning to end. Our waitress began to avoid us at the end because she probably felt bad. She was nice though. more

I went to Tabla with a friend for New Years Eve dinner. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful from the moment we entered the restaurant. The decor and atmosphere at Tabla complemented the delicious and interesting food, creating a perfect blend of taste and ambiance. My advice to anyone eating here is to be prepared to spend a lot... otherwise you can check out the Bread Bar downstairs, which is a bit cheaper. I'm no expert on "Indian fusion" food, but everything I ate, from the naan to the kulfi, really impressed me. Chef Floyd Cardoz creates dishes that combine various flavors in new and surprising ways, yielding interesting menu items that can't be found anywhere else. We were limited to a narrow selection of items from the 3-course menu ($75) because it was NYE -- we could have eaten from the 5-course ($105) or 7-course ($135) tasting menus but we thought $75 each was enough to spend on food. I know our meal would have cost significantly less had it not been New Years Eve, though. That being said, we thoroughly enjoyed all of our food and shared everything. Appetizers: the Hudson Valley Duck Samosa and Tabla's Crab Cakes, both of which were delicious. The samosa was expecially enjoyable. Main dishes: the Sweet Spiced Braised Oxtail and the Tapioca Crusted Shrimp & Scallop. The oxtail was filled with flavor and reminded me a little bit of my mother's brisket actually... it was phenomenal. The shrimp/scallop dish was tasty, but only included two shrimp and 2 scallops, which wasn't enough to warrant the $75 price. Dessert: Tahitian Vanilla Bean Kulfi (see pic) and Cranberry Vacherin, which had layers of Meringue. The Vacherin was just ok but the Kulfi was the perfect end to the meal and a must-have if you eat at Tabla. I especially liked the great service (as a former waiter that is important to me) throughout the night. I would recommend Tabla to anyone who wants to try new, interesting, and delicious food from one of the great NYC chefs. Pros: Interesting and Unique Menu, Great Ambiance, Exceptional Service, Great Drinks Cons: Expensive more

Amazing food... my mouth was bursting with flavor. Totally amazing and would put this in Top 5 restaurants in NYC. more

Back to Tabla after a couple of months on a recent Thursday night. We walked in at around 9:30 with no res. but were seated in about 5 minutes. We have to say that the consistancy of service is unbelievable, even when things are quite busy as they were that night. We got our favorite server (I should say my husband's because he thinks she is so gorgeous but I would have to agree that she is well suited looks-wise to the Indian theme. And she's also really good and nice which is what I appreciate!). Anyway, he had the foie gras and the pork, while I had a crazy artichoke appetizer (our server told us it's based on a traditional Indian snack), followed by the lamb. The foie gras was amazing-melted in your mouth while the artichoke was just an explosion of flavors and textures. Our meat dishes were equally great. The pork 3 ways is such a fantastic combination. And the baby lamb was incredibly tender and succulent. Whoever cooks the meat sure knows what they are doing. One slight criticism would be timing...it seemed to take a little too long to get the entrees. About a half hour, but they certainly were worth it. Desert was kulfi and a very intriguing yoghurt mousse flavored with iris water, apparently another Indian tradition. Actually, if you are stuffed the yoghurt mousse is just right--not too sweet or heavy. So, all in all, another fantastic and satisfying meal at Tabla. Go go go! Pros: flavors, service, ambience Cons: none more

I was extremely disappointed with my experience. What happened to the old Tabla? The meal was so uneven. Some things were good and some were almost inedible. The vegetables were so salty that I spent the hours after dinner drinking glass after glass of water. At the prices for the fixed prix menu, you expect much more than a pedestrian meal. I loved Tabla in the past but won't return for the food...I'll stick to the cocktails at the Bread Bar. more

I was extremely disappointed with my experience. I brought out-of-town "foodie" guests because my past experience (a year ago) had been very positive. This choice ended up being an embarrassment. The food was extremely uneven. Some items virtually inedible--so over salted that we resorted to drinking glass after glass of water after we left. For a $65+/person menu on a Friday night (no a la carte option), it was a terrible value. I will stick to drinks at the Bread Bar in the future. more

We used to go to Tabla regularly, for delicious, creative meals as well as for the superb service (something to expect if we're paying these prices). I hadn't gone in 6 months and then I went last month, and we were terribly disappointed. Four of us decided to go to the bread bar (downstairs). We ordered 5 appetizers to share. These arrived at different times and one arrived towards the end of our meal (We had forgotten about it until it arrived). Our table was wobbly, and after three requests, and the table was leveled mid-meal. Some of the meals for luke warm. The waiters were inattentive. Repeated requests for water were made before glasses were fillied. I used to love this place. For the food, the service. But what happened? Pros: Not sure anymore Cons: Service has deteriorated more

As a caveat, I have been to this place only once in a business lunch. The food is a fusion of Indian and western (American) culinary techniques. Maybe, I will come back for dinner (and give it another try), but I was not wowed by the food the first time, so have not been motivated to return since. While the flavors were interesting, it is nothing to write home about. Our waitress had also brought us the wrong dish and forgot to bring my colleague's dessert after we asked/reminded her twice. It may be that this is an isolated case but I hate paying such a steep price for a service that is not very consistently polished. However, it is located in a very nice and historic building and I would recommend to go there at least once and check it out, if only to say that "Yes, I've been there" (People have different tastes after all). Better yet, make sure you have an expense account. Sorry to say Tabla does not live up to its festive and promising name for me and there will be no drum rolls this time. Pros: Great setting Cons: Pricey. Food not on par with expectations. more

Our ritual trips to Tabla will not continue until the original chef comes back. We always have the tasing menu...in the past suberb! but now very average...sorry. Older customers will not be impressed. The service staff still remains great. more

I LOVE TABLA! I made a reservation for my mother's birthday several weeks in advance. the decor was absolutely beautiful and the fusion cuisine was delectable. our server was professional and friendly. he was actually from the same part of india as my parents and they engaged in some friendly chitchat. my mother had halibut in a sort of pickled watermelon chutney, i cant quite recall what it was but it was an amazing combination of flavours. the desserts were also excellent. even though i mentioned my mothers bday 2 weeks ago, they remembered and brought her a delcious kulfi topped with a sparkler! my father got a beautiful passionfruit lychee dessert, which i ended up polishing off :) i would HIGHLY recommend tabla. the atmosphere, service, value and food are all incredible! Pros: SERVICE, ATMOSPHERE, FOOD Cons: $$$$$$$$$$ but its worth it!!! more

Ah, restaurant week at Tabla...always a treat! Went for lunch yesterday, and while it was only the 2nd day of the event, things were already in full swing here. Looks like plenty of people feel the way we do about this restaurant. The choices are so varied that it is hard to believe this is supposed to be a bargain meal. We started with the seafood bel puri, an incredible mix of shellfish with crunchy veggies and tasty chutneys, hard to describe but a real flavor explosion. Also had chilled cucumber yoghurt soup, cool and refreshing. Then I had the sea scallops (so sweet) while my friend had a fish new to us called hake, served with corn from the green market. The fish was also delicious, kind of like cod. For desert we ordered kulfi, always a favorite, and a banana cake/brulee thing. The banana desert was probably one of the best new ones we've had at Tabla in a long time. Our server told us such a great story about how the restaurant never served bananas before because the chef had a bad experience with them in childhood! But the new pastry chef had won him over with her creativity. These personal touches to the meal are great. By the way, the server is also one of our favorites and we were happy to see she's still there as her gorgeous and exotic look totally complement the entire experience. Tabla has been around for a while now but is still quite obviously a favorite in this fickle city. Just try it if you havn't already and you will see why. It is the real deal, start to finish, in everyway a keeper! Pros: consistantly outstanding Cons: none more

I went to Tabla with my wife for my wedding anniversary and what a wonderful night it was. The food was truly inspiring. I had a samosa filled with roasted corn and my wife ordered an heirloom tomato salad. My god, the flavors, what a treat! For main course, I had the halibut with a watermelon curry (who thinks of these things!), and my wife ordered an aged striploin done to perfection. Our server was extremely warm and gracious. I mentioned on the phone that it was an anniversary and we were greeted with champagne and congratulations. What a nice touch. I've been to other Danny Meyer restaurants before and always had an enjoyable time, but this would probably rank as my favorite experience. Thanks Tabla. Pros: Great food, excellent service. Cons: None more

We've been to Tabla before, and have come back, even given one brush with a problem. This last time, though, made us wonder. True, it was a Friday night, but because the front of the house doesn't like the menu print, does that mean we have to wait fifteen minutes for our reserved table? Apparently so. Once we sat down, we ordered lime drops - USED to be a signature cocktail. "Oh, we don't make those anymore, but I'll try to find someone who can." When we said that we'd have water if we couldn't have the drinks, they found someone who could. First courses of watermelon salad and calamari were wonderful. After an hour wait, the main courses were not. Badly conceived gumbo of crab and skate, smoked and fresh salmon, with no way to taste the fresh salmon. We left well over 2/3 on our plates. They picked it up, said nothing, asked nothing. We were so "bummed" we didn't want dessert. Said the waitress "don't ask me to cut the bill because I won't." We had no intention of doing that. They did give us certificates for free dessert and coffee in the future, but what a disappointing experience. Mr. Meyer needs to get in here and do something more