Darbar India — Restaurant in Branford

I recently visited Darbar on a Wednesday night. The place looked clean and was fairly busy which I gathered to reflect the quality of the food and service.

When we entered, we were shown a table which the front door opened to, not an ideal seat in December but it was fine. We were brought menus and water fairly promptly.

My female friend ordered her food. When asked how spicy she would like it, she replied "extra spicy." The waiter did not expect this answer and literally told her she could not handle that level of spiciness, could she tell him on a scale of one to ten? My friend stated she wanted a 10 on his likert scale of no spice to maximum spice. The waiter looked to me for… support? Was I dictate her allowable spice level? I'm not sure because he looked back to her and told her he would make it an 8 on his scale. My patient friend informed to make it a 10 (fun fact, she actually does enjoy spicy food.. she also has a sense of personal agency and opinions that are her own). Once again, the waiter looked at me (I am a handsome guy I suppose) with a questioning look on his face, and this time I shrugged slightly and said "she's a grown a$$ woman" (fun fact, many people, not just grown ups can decide what their personal preferences are, it does not actually matter if one is "grown a$$" or not, but so the colloquialism goes and it's fun to use this kind of language when someone is simply unaware of social graces in the 21st century). He looked to argue with her yet again, but either gave up or decided to simply order for her. I ordered the boti kebab masala, medium spice. It seemed this was enough and the waiter moved on to place our orders.

Would her food be spicy? Might it be insanely spicy? Or would the waiter decide what was appropriate for my friend? We were really just hoping for some good naan coming in, but now we were participants in a social experiment.

The food came out. My food was as I expected, appropriate spice level, maybe a 4 on the likert scale. It was good and I enjoyed getting what I ordered because I am a grown up and can decide what I like and do not like. My friend’s food was not extra spicy. It was equally spicy to mine. To make sure my friend’s opinion was accurate, I tested her food because I don’t like extra spicy and I have a XY chromosome pair - she was right, not spicy.

How could this be?! At the end of our meal the receipt even showed she ordered “extra spicy.” Either the cook simply forgot to add the extra spices, thought the waiter said “medium” instead of “extra” spicy, or was perhaps hit by a cosmic ray momentarily influencing a neuron to misfire and result in lack of spice; that or - big outlier here - our waiter told the cook to make it less spicy. We may never know, but would the waiter check to see if it was spicy enough? He did. And my dear friend with opinions told him it was, in fact, not extra spicy, it was mild.

Our waiter mumbled an apology and assured us this had literally never happened before, she was the first customer of his here to ever order extra spicy and actually mean it. Next time we returned, he promised he would listen when she ordered extra spicy. Spoiler, we won’t be back.

I was provided water frequently.

While the archaic attitude of our waiter might not reflect the attitudes of the owners or literally anyone else who works at Darbar, I will not be returning to find out. An appropriate response here may have been to comp the one meal item, or to return with a dish with what the customer ordered (since it was an option). I would know, because I waited tables once upon a lifetime at an Outback steakhouse near a racetrack and can attest to the amazing social etiquette of most restaurant goers and their undying respect for food service workers. It’s why I basically need to be punched in the face before I tip anything less than 20%, or so I thought until I watched this exchange. My friend (she has XX chromosomes) was getting the check (she has a job and can take me out for dinner sometimes, it’s...

One of the Best North Indian Food in Ct. Ignore the Negative Reviews Posted by some random spectator. ————————————————————

Why is it so obvious with People of ethnic background show up at their own ethnic Restaurant and create a scene, denounce the food and display rowdy behavior ? Yes, the world knows you’re paying for it, it’s elementary and you’re asking for a discount.

It’s mind boggling, when The same folks go to a different restaurant, they’re Polite and respectful.

I strongly urge Darbar and all the Indian Restaurants in Ct to Ban these people. Sadly most are of Indian origin.

They must Understand, Indian restaurants are not for Indians in the U.S. just like Mexican restaurants are not for the Native Mexicans. You can get a Cheap/Frozen fix at an Indian Grocery or at a Bodega.

Don’t go out, be stingy, demanding and disrespectful because you will not be welcomed.

Darbar has been offering one of the Best North Indian food and excellent service since 1996.

Stop comparing restaurant food with your Grandma’s cooking, and harass your wife Lol…..She’ll tell you she’s a better cook than both your Mom & your Grandma.

I’m sorry for getting personal here, but if you are demanding and disrespectful at a public place, you’ll be ousted, Period.

——————————————-

Highlights of my recent visit in February 2023.

Try their Cheese Garlic Naan…..with chilies if you like Heat, it’s out of this world.

Core Info: These are some of their 100% Vegetarian Options.

Paneer Bhurji, Cottage Cheese (Similar to Scrambled eggs) is Amazing with Lachha Paratha 🫓 100% Whole-wheat Clay Oven Bread loaded with Butter. (It’s probably not on their Menu, but they have a Punjabi Chef, ex Head chef of Star of India, Orange, Ct and he will do the Magic)

Their Full Bar has the Best Selection of top notch Single Malts and American Bourbons.

Casamigos & Don Julio Margaritas are super strong and delicious.

FUNK Double IPA On Draught from PA is Amazing. ————————————————————————

Old Review from October 2022.

Authentic North Indian Food at their Beautiful New Location at 168 Montowese Street in Branford, Ct.

This is the Best Indian restaurant in the state of Ct, hands down.

A small fishpond with a Fountain, Tranquil and soothing at this Newly renovated building.

Their Chicken Tikka Masala, Lamb Saag, Malai Kofta, Saag Paneer and Korma is to die for.

Their fresh Cheese Garlic Naan from the Oven and Long Grain Basmati Rice Biryani is Scrumptious.

They now have a full Bar with a separate side entrance (Via Municipal Parking Lot) at this new Location, a wide variety of wines to choose from and some of their Handcrafted cocktails are Strong and amazing.

Pictures are of Combo Vegetarian Thaali, Lamb Saag, Non Vegetarian Thaali and the Beer is Neipa from Still Hill Brewery of Rocky Hill, Ct. Delicious New England IPA from a Native Ct Brewery.

Negative Reviews are usually written by Indians, totally ignore them, those negative reviews are bogus and have no Standing. Most Indian Patrons are Cheap, show up Late, Criticize the food and leave Zero Tips for the hardworking waitstaff.

Order their Combo Thaali and Challenge yourself to finish it,...

TIKKA look at this awesome end of summer celebration at Darbar in Branford with Connecticut Yelp Elite! As an avid traveler and adventurous eater, I really enjoy experiencing food fusions that combine different cultures foods together into something new and delicious. This was Edward’s first Yelp event as a new Yelp Elite member and it was a wonderful showcase of what it’s like to be a part of the Yelp community. So lovely to get to meet Sabrina, Sara, and Rob - cheers to making new foodie friends!

For me, the true star of the show was their most popular dish and house special, the chicken tikka pizza. The only Italian ingredient of it is the mozzarella cheese. It is on a naan base with their in house tikka marsala sauce and chicken. Darbar gave us chicken lollipops that were absolutely flavorful and cooked to perfection (exclusive for the night and not yet on the menu). I particularly enjoyed the raw onions in the Indian tacos (their Mexican fusion) and the okra fries were pleasantly crispy and seasoned to perfection.

The Rupee beer was such a great compliment to the meal, the rice flavor and lighter carbonation really paired well with all of the Indian cuisine we had. The Darbar specialty drinks were spot on as well. The mango lassi tasted like summertime to me and the spiced pumpkin chai is the perfect transition into the autumn/fall. The Bombay bloody mary had a tamarind flavoring to it that reminded me of the flavors of my own upbringing, such a great twist on the classic drink!

I was stuffed by the end of the night and did not get to try the paneer wrap (such a great option for vegetarians), but Edward took one to go for his lunch.

Despite being full, I definitely have a dessert stomach. I was absolutely delighted by the gulab jamun, the honey glazed dough ball in rice pudding. My motto is that a meal is not over until dessert or something sweet at the end and theirs absolutely did not disappoint.

As always, special thanks to Alex our Yelp CT community manager for making such a spectacular five course experience for us and highlighting such a wonderful family-owned business with authentic Indian cuisine! Darbar really does treat the customers like they’re...