Caffe Delhi — Restaurant in Denville

Went here for the weekend lunch buffet with two others. The food was just okay. The waiter was friendly and welcoming, which we appreciated.

What really bothered me, though, was the automatic 20% gratuity added to our bill for just three people. Gratuity should be optional, not forced, especially when it's not a large party. It felt like we were being taken advantage of. On top of that, there was also a "convenience fee" added, which wasn't explained.

I wouldn’t recommend this place unless you’re okay with paying extra for a mediocre buffet. Definitely not worth almost $100 for three people.

Response to thw owner: Thanks for your reply and clarifying your policy. However, my main concern still stands — a 20% automatic gratuity for a party of just three people at a buffet feels excessive and out of place. I have no issue tipping for good service, but forcing it in this way feels unfair to the customer.

I also didn’t notice any clear signage about the gratuity or the 3.5% credit card “convenience fee” during my visit. If it was posted, it certainly wasn’t prominent enough to be obvious to first-time guests. Transparency is important so diners know exactly what to expect before they order.

Finally, even putting the fees aside, the buffet itself was not worth the total cost. In my opinion, the quality and variety of the food did not justify nearly $100 for three people, and honestly, I would not choose to eat it again even if it were free.

I appreciate the offer for a complimentary buffet, but the core issue for me is value and fairness, not...

Long wait times - I was the only person dining in on an evening and I hardly was checked upon as to what I need. The people were actually good when they showed up, but they were mostly busy thawing stuffs for the items I ordered in kitchen rather than checking on me if food was fine, or I needed something else.

Not authentic food - I tried spiced crab (which hardly had any crab meat in it), tandoori prawn (was not from tandoor, instead just sauteed), chicken Tikka (felt that frozen chicken smell for almost every bite, and was not a Tikka overall, but just masala sauteed frozen chicken chunks), same with salmon. Chilli paneer was like manchurian. The masala was poured on top of panneer, no marination or deep cooking done here.

Overall food taste was very very average. Best part is, it did not harm my tummy in anyways, though taste was poor. Thanks for that.

I thought I was the only customer, but, along with me, almost all the time a little roach (see picture) was roaming around my table. I understand that kitchen may not be 100% bug free, but crawling around my table and menu card was annoying. I did not complain as I felt like I put it away, just to realize that after 20 mins it made it's way back (or was it another roach altogether?)

This was my first visit here. I won't be visiting this place again. Can suggest way more authentic food places with better taste and price. This caffe Delhi was expensive probably due to its location. The ones on route 46 are more competitive - both food wise as well...

We went to the restaurant for the first time in 3 years. We used to come here every week and loved it. But the pandemic broke out so stopped. We were excited to visit again but our experience was not as superb as we expected at all. They have a new owner and they decorated the place very nicely. We went for the weekend buffet. First of all they didn't have buffet price posted no where which was very odd. Pretty much all buffet restaurants post the pricing at the entrance area. We had to ask later when we sat down at the table. It was quite higher than we expected. I believe it was almost $25 with taxes per each person. I have been to many Indian LUNCH buffet and this is the highest I have ever experienced. The food was okay, but we found the flavors pretty plain. Also, there was only one gentle man(who appears to be the owner)served the tables. Therefore they seem to have trouble with keeping the restroom clean. The paper was all over and the toilet was not clean. In my opinion, keeping the restroom very clean is a must for restaurants. The oddest thing was when I received the bill, they already added 20%tip to the total amount. I found this totally inappropriate. I have never been to any restaurants in my life where they impose 20%. It was only 3 of us. (So the lunch cost almost $30 per person.) This is outrageous and a complete turn off. The tip should be given based on dinner's personal experience. Unfortunately, we are not planning to return to this...