Moti Mahal Delux — Restaurant in New York

Following from my good lunch special experience I decided to take my family there for two different occasions where I was extremely disappointed.

Occasions 1:

Party of 4 we sat there ordered as usual service was good till I got my entree(Rarha Ghost) which to my surprise was very salty and couldn't even finish 10% my serving and rest 90% was untouched. I complained to manager and manager asked to remake it but no one wants to wait for another 20 min while rest of the family is eating so I ate other entrees from the order. It was so salty that despite they asked me if I want it to go and I had to leave is behind (90%). So you figured how salty it must have been!!

So when the check came I expected as customer satisfactions they would have cut down the price for my entree and charge me portion since I ordered. To my surprise they charged me every single penny. So before leaving I left a disappointing note on receipt despite I paid it. When it comes to public confrontation I am not the one. So I left for that day.

Occasion 2: 05-13-2017 late evening.

I decided to give them second chance since I've been fan of MMD from back home India!! Party of 4+1 kid(5 yrs)

This time everything was going good until when waiter served me he recited my entree Kadhai Murgh so I asked to repeat and he said same name again. So I confirmed with Host and he also at first confirmed it was Kadhai Chicken only for fraction and than he changed name to MMD Special Chicken which is 5$ extra than any other Chicken plate. After receiving I knew it was not MMD special and they expected me to be fool. Yet again I did not create fuss since I didn't wanna argue and wait and waste time etc. I can bet it was no way MMD Special Chicken!! I shoved it down to my guilt of embarrassing someone. Also they were super extremely busy due to weekend and I get it mistakes happen so I went along.

Now what was more frustrating is that after dinner was done without even asking me if we want dessert or chai(tea) they handed me check and that upset me even more because I was being rushed out of there. Again I kept my calm and we paid check and we left and upon leaving we realized they had already added 18% tip to bill which was almost 27$ and I was not given option to decide how much to tip or whether to tip or not based on their service and food quality! I'm not sure what's their gratuity policy for party of 4+1 child (5yr).

I usually tip well most occasions without even asking but this time I was really frustrated with over all experience and extremely disappointed!!!

MMD has lost my interest for now as one of the top Indian restaurant that usually take friends and family.

It's not the money it's the service and product people pay for wasn't delivered to my opinion.

I was obligated by myself to write such negative review today which I normally don't.

I apologize for being honest and mean no harm but it's my expression of my experience for last two occasions.

Hope someone pays attention to this kind issues and don't rush their customer and make them feel ripped off for their deficiencies.

They deserved 2 stars but lost one due to two strikes in row. 2 stars would be for their host who accommodated my family of 5 total instead my reservation was for 2 which by mistakes I forgot to change it to 5 due to quick google map approach for faster reservation. I appreciate you let us have dinner but you could have also rejected me if it was gonna be too much and I would open heartedly left the venue assuming my mistake for reservation.

For now I'll not prefer this restaurant for my family and friends hence my...

Finally made it to Motimahal Deluxe during my recent NYC trip, and it didn’t disappoint. We reserved ahead for a Friday night dinner, though it looked like a few walk-in tables were available.

The experience began with a classic touch—complimentary papad and chutneys, setting the tone for what felt like a North Indian meets Northwest Frontier culinary journey.

We kicked things off with their Golgappa Shots—a modern, upscale take on the beloved Indian street food. Four perfectly crisp puff pastries came with two types of flavorful pani (spicy mint and tangy tamarind). Pour, pop, and enjoy—flavorful, nostalgic, and fun.

Appetizers were standout: ✨ The Shilbatta Shami Kebab was a personal favorite—flawlessly spiced, tender, with a hint of smokiness from the grill. 🔥 The Tandoori Chicken delivered that ideal char without compromising juiciness. Both were impeccably executed.

For mains, we went with Aloo Kulcha and Rara Gosht. The mutton was melt-in-your-mouth tender and rich with flavor; the kulchas were soft, buttery, and addictive. The portions were generous—we ended up taking some home and skipped dessert (next time!).

If you’re a fan of robust North Indian flavors, Motimahal Deluxe is a must-visit. We didn’t try their signature Dal or Butter Chicken, but I’ve heard they’re cult favorites. They also offer a buffet (likely a solid weekday deal)—worth checking out.

Update: visited again, the service and the food were consistent. This time we tried their butter chicken,...

The food here is consistently on point. Unlike a lot of Indian restaurants that will serve you butter chicken and some neon palak dish, the buffet here offers some unique dishes that are more like what you'd get at home - daal makhani, mixed vegetables, keema, etc. The meat dishes are actually cooked with proper vegetables unlike the plain masala curries you get at a lot of places. The buffet is more like an infinite refill of all the dishes (and naan) rather than a self-serve, but that really doesn't make any difference.

I like to try a place two or three times before recommending it and Moti Mahal is definitely worth it.

I'd feel remiss if I didn't mention the following through: Usually with the non-veg buffet you'll get some kind of chicken tikka or chicken pakora for an appetizer. On this trip though I got a chicken tikka leg and CHICKEN NUGGETS. I swear I thought I'd entered some kind of Indian twilight zone for a second. I guess there's something to be said for the novelty of it all, but it was really bizarre. I know Moti Mahal is a chain, and some quick googling showed that chicken nuggets are in fact actually on the menu in some parts of the world, but I question the logic of serving chicken nuggets as an appetizer in the UES.

I'll still stand by the quality of the dishes here, they're delicious and reasonably spicy for my taste, but across from one of the best chicken tikkas I've had in a while I did not expect to find garnished...