Empyrean Indian Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Hoboken

One of the best India restaurants in the area. Our experience to dine-in was on a busy Saturday night.

Service: This is definitely an area where this restaurant excels. Very few Indian restaurants provide this level of attentive service. We visited at 11 PM on Saturday, and while I could see they were starting to close their kitchen (many restaurants would not have allowed us to order this late), they politely asked to take some time and order all at once. The server and staff were friendly and polite, provided recommendations for food/drinks and the owner (or the manager) himself checked with us a couple of times after food was served, and asked for feedback on one of the specials (paneer kali mirch) we ordered from their menu.

Food quality and taste: The food was pretty good. I loved Malai Kofta and Paneer Kali Mirch. Paneer Tikka masala was okay (red color didn't seem natural). Chili Garlic Naan was outstanding. Chowmein noodles were 3.5/5. Overall, the food was a bit on spicier side - which I enjoyed but my wife needed to add more lemon to dilute spices. (we asked for medium, so next time we will go with mild on one of the dishes).

Value : Pricing is appropriate for 2023 with the overall inflation we have seen as of late. The portion size was apt. A $20 for vegetarian entree might feel expensive, but considering they also serve rice with it, and overall food prices at dine-in restaurants in the area, this was a good value. Our bill was $30-$40 per person including drinks for each.

Drinks: The drinks menu looked inviting and covered good options. I loved the spicy drinks (Delhi Spiced Mojito was really good). Could they have been a bit more stronger for price ? an absolute "yes".

Overall ,we will definitely go back if we are in the area and in mood for Indian. Its a popular area with a lot of good restaurants for other cuisines. This was our first visit, but will come back, more for the friendly service and experience...

Based on the reviews I was excited to visit this restaurant and bring my cousin visiting from another country. I unfortunately ended up highly disappointed. We arrived just about 7pm. I know because I texted my husband at 6:57 with our location. After being seated we ordered. Drinks came quick. The mango Lassi was great. Best part of the night. So 7:40 rolls around I call the waitress she seems clueless and goes to check. Waited and asked another waitress she also goes to check then we see them talking looking confused Finally 8:05 my food comes out but not my cousins. Again I knew the time because I texted husband to start heading to pick me up when my food arrived. My cousin food Finally came a few minutes after mine. Over an hour wait. He loved the sizzling chicken he was given but initially ordered chicken Tikka Masala. I ordered shrimp Tikka Masada but the sauce was too tomato tart. I have had many better at other Indian restaurants. I think the ratings are based on the location and atmosphere. As we waited I saw a lot of mistakes happening. One of the waitresses literally walked to 3 tables with a dish askinh if they ordered it. Nice people but unorganized service. Even my check was screwed up. They gave me the wrong copy with nowhere to sign. I pointed it out and she told me the guy who printed it did it wrong and to just sign in an empty space. Ugh. Horrible experience to deal with after a long day escorting a visitor, hungry and pregnant. They did give us an extra drink i believe to make up for the wait but seriously that did nothing. We spent 70 bucks for horrible service and ok food. 2 stars for the Mango Lassi and...

We came here for dinner following a recommendation by some South Asian friends who are familiar to the area.

We arrived without a reservation with a party of 6 and a young child on a Sunday evening after spending a day hiking in NJ. They were able to seat us immediately.

We ordered a bread basket (perfect to share for groups, dahl curry, chicken tikka masala, paneer curry, lamb biryani, chicken biryani, goat vindaloo. Everything was great and for the most part approved by our native South Indian friend :) My personal favorite was the lamb biryani which I would definitely come back for.

The clear standout at this restaurant was the service! EXCEPTIONAL!!! From the moment we walked into the restaurant the host was very accommodating and welcoming! All the servers were so friendly and patient with us. We had a 2 year old toddler with us, who was a bit tired from the day, and ended up throwing up at the outside patio, where we were eating. To our surprise the servers came up immediately to help us with the situation and told us multiple times to not worry about it. They even brought out warm water with a straw for the toddler and lemon water to clean up. They were sooooo nice!!! Even besides this incident they were great and probably some of the best service we’ve ever had at any restaurant. Big love to the staff at Empyrean!!!

We live in the city but we’ll definitely be back next time we come to NJ and we’ll also recommend this place to our friends!

Thank you so much to the...