Manhattan Indian Flavor — Restaurant in New York

Dal Makhni is India’s signature dish — but what arrived here was nothing short of a culinary crime scene. A baffling mix of yellow and black lentils with random Rajma thrown in, cooked in a “unique” way that defies human understanding. Let me be clear: by no standards on this planet is this Dal Makhni.

I asked for HOT spice level and got… dessert?? A bizarrely sweet dal that left me wondering if they confused “spicy” with “sugary.”

The rice? Weapon-grade hard. I nearly broke a tooth trying to crack them — clearly designed for people with titanium jaws and cast-iron stomachs. And the naan? Good luck. It was like chewing through a piece of hardened leather; I’m pretty sure medieval shields were softer.

Honestly, this feels slightly less than a conspiracy against Indian food — more like a full-blown attack. What a shocking waste of time, money, and calories.

If they want to keep serving “Indian food,” someone on their team urgently needs to get on a plane to India and take notes. Completely, utterly...

A disappointment.

I had a wonderful meal at this restaurant so decided to order from them two weeks later. Short answer, don’t. Upon arrival, the lamb was virtually inedible and surrounded by this sickly yellow sauce where the powder still hadn’t fully dissolved. The garlic naan was not much better. It was also poorly presented with the biggest pot being filled with… you’ve guessed it… rice. It was so bad that most of it ended up in the bin.

This was a real shame because I had been so looking forward to ordering from them again. Now, I will never return.

For those looking for an Indian restaurant, I would strongly recommend Benares in TriBeCa. Best one...

Just finished a terrific dinner at Manhattan Indian Flavor. We started with the Chicken Malabar appetizer which was a really nice app with a mango sauce. We also ordered cheese poor bread which was not on the menu but they made special for us. We followed with an order of Chicken Tikka Masala - delicious with just the right amount of heat. The yogurt sauce and naan were great accompaniment. They threw in a really nice free rice pudding dessert. Abdul provided excellent since and the price was right. BYOB really helps keep the price down down. This is our new fav neighborhood...