Swadist — Restaurant in Jersey City

First of all, the food was good. If I lived nearby, I'd probably consider ordering delivery from them in the future. But I won't be making a trip here just for the food.

The experience was subpar (they just opened so I hope things will improve going forward as they learn how to run their restaurant):

We were told that getting curries "spicy" would make us cry. We ordered them spicy anyway because we like spicy things. The spices were well balanced, but was it spicy? No, not really. I mean, sure, there was some heat, but I'd consider more of a medium spice than something very hot, and certainly not "will make you cry" hot. So I'm left with two possibilities: A. Things here just aren't that hot, but they give major warnings to everyone or B. They do make things hot but someone decided that since we were two non-Indian people ordering "spicy" they should actually make it less spicy. Giving us a warning about heat to let us change our minds? OK. Deciding for us that we cannot handle heat after we told you we like spicy? Offensive.

We were looking through the menu and were asked three different times if we needed help understanding what different things are on the menu (asked by the same person). I get it. Asking if we need help once is nice. Asking if we need help twice is a little annoying. Three times? It's a bit offensive because at this point we've told you twice that we don't need help and you seem to insist that we must need help understanding the menu (implying that there's no way we would know what Indian food is?). We have had lots of Indian food before. We understand what these different curries are. (Note: this happened in under 5 minutes... It's not like we were sitting there for half an hour being indecisive)

Also, I came in because they had a promotion outside for 15% off, a free drink, and a free dessert. Seemed like it couldn't hurt to try it, right? But then I felt like it was a bit of a bait and switch. There's no limitations on the ad for the free drink and dessert (see photo). But then we are later told the free drink is limited to soda and the free dessert is limited to one of two cheese based desserts. I don't like soda, can I have a tea (same price) instead? No, apparently not. My husband doesn't like cheese based desserts, can he have a different dessert that is cheaper? No, definitely not. Is this limitation on the ad? Is it mentioned when it's told to is? No and no.

Side note: curries come with rice at this restaurant. This is not mentioned on their menu. It was also not mentioned when we ordered a peas pilau. So we were surprised when the peas pilau came out and an order of rice came out as well. (To their credit, they comped the peas pilau after we told a second person we wouldn't have ordered it if we knew the curries came with rice). They say at Indian restaurants, rice usually comes with curry. In the restaurants I've been to, I find rice to be not included more often than it is. And either the menu or waiters are...

🌶️ A Must-Visit for Every Spice-Loving Indian Mouth!

After two years of searching, I can finally say I’ve found the Indian buffet that hits every note, Swadist in Jersey City is an absolute gem. If you’re someone who refuses to compromise on flavor, spice, and authenticity, this place will blow your expectations out of the water.

We walked in on a Saturday without a reservation and somehow lucked out with a table because trust me, it was packed to the brim. The energy was buzzing, the aroma was intoxicating, and the buffet? A full-on flavor parade.

The spread was massive:

The Perfect Spicy coriander soup will make you smile and blush. Fresh pasta salad, chana-rajma salad, and a crunchy onion-tomato-cucumber mix A fruit station with six varieties—fresh and vibrant Dahi puri made fresh on the spot (yes, live counter!) Tangdi chicken, chilli fish, veg noodles, and veg Manchurian; each one perfectly spiced and balanced Soft butter and plain naan, rajma dal, baigan mirchi, biryani, plain rice, kadhai chicken, and goat masala—just yum For dessert: moong dal halwa, rasmalai, and tutti frutti ice cream—sweet endings done right

I’m a coriander lover, and nearly every dish had that fresh, herby punch I crave. The chilli, seasoning, and spice levels were unapologetically bold exactly how Indian food should be. No bland shortcuts here.

Sure, the biryani leaned sweet and the dahi vada missed the mark, but everything else more than made up for it. The service was top-notch friendly, attentive, and genuinely warm. One of the cooks (a lovely lady) kept checking in on us, asking how we liked the food. We couldn’t stop raving.

Swadist isn’t just a buffet. it’s a celebration of Indian flavors. It costs 20.99$ per person without tax. If you’re in Jersey City and craving a spice-packed, soul-satisfying meal, don’t walk, run. Just maybe book...

Jersey City has got its fair share of Indian restaurants and Swadist has been on my list for a while. We ordered for pick up one Friday evening via their website. We ordered the mango lassi, chicken tikka masala, butter chicken, veggie samosa, and cheese naan. Mango lassis were a nice complement to the meal. They look more like Thai iced teas than mango lassis but don't let that fool you. Both the chicken dishes were great. They taste pretty similar to each other, but one is a bit creamier than the other one (my guess is that it's the butter chicken). The veggie samosa was good too, even though I don't like peas. Dipping this in either of the curry sauces was chef's kiss. But my favorite was the cheese naan (again dipping this in either sauce), which actually tasted better the next day. When we reheated it, the cheese was so gooey and melty - I wish I had gotten a shot of the cheese pull. All of this food was enough for a second meal, as we ended up only eating half and we were already stuffed. If you don't want leftovers, I would say that two people could definitely just share one dish + one naan, and you'd be good to go.

Next time, I'd like to try their Indo-Chinese menu items, which I think is originally why I bookmarked it but I was really craving some tikka masala. May dine in next time so that I can try...