Baazi Nyc — Restaurant in New York

Bazee presents an underwhelming experience that falls short of expectations, particularly given its price point in New York City's competitive Indian dining scene.

Food Quality & Authenticity (★★★) : The restaurant's main shortcoming lies in its culinary execution. The flavors lack the depth and authenticity one would expect from an Indian establishment, especially considering the premium pricing. While the dishes are passable, they don't deliver the robust, genuine Indian taste profiles that justify their cost.

Menu Accuracy (★★): A concerning issue arose with menu accuracy. We encountered a situation where a dish contained cheese that wasn't mentioned in the description. While the staff handled the situation professionally by offering a replacement, such oversights in menu descriptions can be problematic, especially for diners with dietary restrictions or preferences. This indicates a need for better menu oversight and transparency.

Service & Staff (★★★★): The bright spot of our experience was the service. Despite the busy atmosphere, the staff maintained a friendly and accommodating demeanor. Their handling of the menu discrepancy was particularly commendable, demonstrating good customer service ethics and a willingness to rectify mistakes promptly.

Ambience & Maintenance (★★½): While the restaurant enjoys healthy patronage, suggesting its popularity, the maintenance standards could use improvement. The busy environment is expected in New York, but better attention to upkeep would enhance the dining experience and better align with their pricing structure.

Value for Money (★★): Given the premium pricing, the overall experience falls short of expectations. While service quality partially compensates, the combination of inauthentic flavors and maintenance issues makes it difficult to justify the cost.

Verdict: While Bazee has potential, particularly in its service standards, several areas need improvement to justify its pricing and position in New York's competitive Indian cuisine market.

Pros: Friendly and accommodating staff Good service recovery when issues arise Popular and lively atmosphere

Cons: Lack of authentic Indian flavors Menu accuracy issues Maintenance needs attention Questionable...

We had dinner here to celebrate a friend’s birthday, and we were incredibly disappointed by the service. From the moment we were seated, we were made to wait for 15 minutes before anyone handed us the menu; after that, it took another 20 minutes before anyone deigned to take our order. We waited for about 30 minutes after our order had been taken—and well after all the tables around us, who had arrived after us, had received their orders—before the first dish arrived. The manager, Abla, was incredibly rude to our party, and was of little help in sorting out our issues; our server, Fatima, was perhaps the highlight of our night, as she was incredibly friendly and attempted to help rectify our problems. When the food finally arrived, it turned out that they had forgotten to place the order for one of the dishes we wanted; another round of confusion ensued. By the end of the night, we were so appalled by the service we received that we couldn’t wait to leave. If Awadh, the previous incarnation of this restaurant, had attempted to embody Mughal hospitality, the atmosphere of Baazi cabest be described as second-rate Bandra club: think blue lighting, Anokhi kitsch, and pumping electronic music.

Thankfully, the food was serviceable, and the drinks were excellent—major props to the mixer for salvaging what has otherwise been a comedy of errors. The sharkarkandi chaat was an excellent reinterpretation of the dish, and the kali kachori put a fairly creative spin on a commonly-found street food. The biryani was alright—nothing to write home about, but not the worst we’ve had in the city. The butter kalan was good as well, and comes recommended. Unfortunately, we didn’t receive the butternut squash kofta, which was otherwise highly recommended as well. We got the jalebi sandwich for dessert, a combination that worked surprisingly well. Was the food worth the hourlong wait, however? I would answer in the negative, though your mileage may vary.

It’s a pity that the level of service we received was not at all commensurate with the quality of food here— surely, Chef Gaurav Anand’s talent and finesse merits a much...

I had high hopes that Baazi would be a great place. Sadly it's just not. I was so excited to see bagara-e-baingan on the menu, and "seven greens" saag paneer with broccoli raab. I asked for tandoori roti with no butter, Because the default unholiness of mediocre Indian restaurants is the use of butter and cream to the point where you can't taste the ingredients at all. NYC has become the home of some of the most spectacular Indian food in the world with Indian Accent, Dhamaka, Rahi, Semma, etc. etc. The bar is pretty high. We can now expect unapologetic (pun intended) desi food with proper fresh spicing, and inventiveness if needed. Baazi is just not that. It's not even basic dhaba food. I love bagara-e-baingan. This baingan was cooked right and was tender. But the spicing was so far from what it should have been it's like the cook/chef had never had the dish and may have just followed a bad recipe. I was so excited about the spiciness and bitterness of broccoli raab in saag paneer. But instead this was the standard mediocre creamed spinach with cream and no spice and tasteless paneer. To top it off my tandoori roti came with the butter I had expressly requsted to avoid. The butter and cream were enough to stop us from eating more than a few bites, for fear of feeling ill. Everything with cream and butter with no spice or flavor! I do my best to be fair to restaurants since it's a VERY hard business to satisfy customers. But to ignore what I requested, then further correct my feedback after I was asked if I liked the food by saying that this is how the baingan and saag should be prepared ? This is just annoying and...