Govinda's Vegetarian Lunch — Restaurant in New York

I showed up a little bit after 2 pm on a Monday, and I wanted to go when there wasn’t as many people. A lot has changed since I last went.. you have to buzz yourself in, the door is no longer open as before and no one wears masks. I thought they would at least ventilate the place as much as possible, especially with all the viruses out now. They do now offer electronic options for payment, which I guess is good, but not sure if they charge a fee.

The BIGGEST loss is that there’s no free bread or free water/juice like before. The place is DEFINITELY NOT what it used to be.. I bought two items, as I usually get when I go there, and the portions were always generous before. However, this is no longer the case… the tofu fillets were soggy and underwhelming, and the peas with sweet potatoes were decent, but the portions leave a lot to be desired. You’ll be served the smallest portions possible, and you now have to ask for chili pepper pickles to be served (you’ll get one or two pieces instead of serving yourself as you wish) but maybe it’s because I showed up at an off day/time. You have to buy drinks, and it’s sad that I thought they would at least offer a cup of water.

I am not returning again, the value isn’t the same and it was a miss in terms of...

This vegetarian canteen of a Krishna temple/cult has been on my Google Maps Saved List for a few months. I finally got to visit this place as I had a meeting at the nearby NYU Tandon. This restaurant is set very casually in the basement with chants played in the background.

The menu is limited and is served by a volunteer over a buffet-style counter. The salad tastes somewhat western/American perhaps because of its dressing. The dal (or lentil soup) was excellent! The rice and black beans was decent, the potato curry was good. Additionally, there was a novel orange-vegetable curry made of sweet potatoes, orange and yellow capsicums. The special dish of the day was lasagna.

While the food was tasty, it was very oily and greasy. It looked unhealthy, unlike the satvic food you think of in a temple's canteen.

But, atleast a subset of items is good and healthy, and I plan to go there again and eat...

Went there with my husband and was greeted by a nice man who buzzed us in. He welcomed us with a smile and warmth, which was nice on a cold day. We went downstairs, not knowing what to expect, but was greeted by another nice man who explained things nicely and made us feel welcome. Their smiles seemed very genuine. The space is open for being in a basement and a peaceful atmosphere for being in the heart of Brooklyn. Something unique and special about the food, that in the end really made us feel quite nice. When we were leaving the man in the front , I think his name was merari ( I remember because he said it rhymed with Ferrari) , after sharing him how we felt after eating, told us is that every meal is prepared with love "our secret ingredient". What a wonderful experience with really nice people. Thank...