Haveli Bistro — Restaurant in Columbus

Cancelled my reservation after doing a deep dive with the reviews. I'm not reviewing the food nor the atmosphere nor the service. I'm reviewing the owners attitude toward his customers.

The owner is insulting to his guests and does not deserve my patronage. They are condescending, argumentative, bullying and filled with accusations. They are hyper reactive and confrontational. There were a lot of one and two star reviews to sift through. You even called a four star reviewer a liar for a bathroom cleanliness comment.

You are the host, the gracious host who must accept everything (aside from hate speech) that the customer says. It doesn't matter if the wine isn't corked, if the customer says it is then it is and you keep your mouth shut. You commit the ultimate sin of a restauranteur of arguing with and insulting the guest. And if you can't maintain decorum then your restaurant has no value. You have failed horribly in the eyes of your peers.

Update: Only took you 30 minutes to send a reactive reply. Case in point.

I stated clearly at the beginning what I was reviewing. Your online behavior. I do not need to step through your doors to do so.

"While we respect your right to judge us on the experiences of others..." I'm not, perhaps you need to read and understand before rageing. I am judging only you and your responses to your clients. I clearly state that even when the customer is wrong they are right, it's standard in this country and in fact I'm sure you are familiar with the old American expression "The customer is always right".

"Being a gracious host does not mean staying silent when someone is spreading misinformation or attacks our team."

You called a customer a liar because they complained about mosquitoes. Were you there? No reviewer that I found attacked your staff. A lot of people complained of slow service but nothing beyond that. Why do you think so many people are spreading misinformation? It comes across as paranoia. And once again being a gracious host means apologizing and moving on. The customer is always right.

"Interestingly, many of the same reviews you deep dived... mentioned not only the food..." Interestingly, you miss the point of my criticism. This has nothing to do with what other reviewers have said. I'm criticizing your insulting behavior.

"If curiosity wins over caution..." Nonsense, I just refuse to give a person who tries to blame others for their own apparent failures a single thin dime.

My favorite interaction:

Customer review: wasn't spicy enough. Typically a very spicy dish.

You: You should have asked for it spicy (blame the customer)

Customer reply: I asked for it 5 out of 5 spicy.

You: Silence.

Protip: let someone else handle customer service. :) (fixed...

FINGER NAIL IN FOOD- DO NOT EAT HERE!!! My desert had a huge broken piece of finger nail in it. Unfortunately I realized it after I bit into it, instantly knew it wasn’t edible. Found out it was a finger nail after blurting it out. The person waiting on us took it back to the kitchen saying she’ll show it to the chef and never brought it back, even upon asking multiple times. She just said the chef tossed it, when I clearly asked her to bring it back when I handed it to her. Probably because they were afraid of further investigation. I regret not taking a picture of it before this. Never going back.

She apologized and first said it was the shell of cardamom, when I asked her to show me that cardamom they used, she went into the kitchen and came back with a different story. This time she said it is the shell of a pumpkin seed. Falooda (desert I ordered) did not have any pumpkin seeds in it, and typically does not. They gave us half off on the check and didn’t charge for the desert but would not stop constantly gas lighting and arguing with me denying that it’s a broken piece of nail. I wasn’t expecting a discount, I just hoped for them to admit to what it was and offer a genuine apology after truly acknowledging what it is.

It was shaped like a clipped nail, sharp and stained yellowish brown. Anyone who saw it would instantly know what it is. Everyone knew what it was and that’s why I got a discount, I wouldn’t have if it was truly something that belongs in the desert and is edible. However there was no accountability whatsoever. No manager was present at that time and the chef didn’t step out to address my concern. It was a very disappointing and unhygienic experience.

Edit: The reply on this review proves my point and the gaslighting continues. I don’t think I need to say anything more. Thank you...

I have visited this restaurant several times over the past few years. The atmosphere is nice, and the folks working there are lovely. However, the service is slow and pretty erratic. Went there for dinner again last night, and the visit confirmed my experience from the last several visits: The prices are going up, the portions are diminishing, and the quality of the food is diminishing. On a Monday night with very few customers, my guest and I ordered papadums (which are often offered as a free appetizer at other Indian restaurants). It was not listed on the menu, and I was pretty astonished that two paper-thin papadums cost $6.99! My meal arrived after about 20 minutes, but my companion did not receive her meal for 45 minutes. By then my food was cold. My companion had ordered lamb chops, the most expensive dish on the menu, but frankly it was a disappointment. After 45 minutes of waiting, the dish was served with 6 grilled (dry) lamb chops, served on top of unappealing thick slices of onion, a few tomatoes and course greens. My chicken vindaloo was okay but colored fire-hydrant red, making it quite unappealing visually. Besides, the serving was very small -- even for a woman in her sixties, who does not to eat a lot! The total cost for our dinner (and one beer per person) was $80. To me, that seems too much for too little. There are so many good Indian restaurants in Columbus, so I think I will go elsewhere...