Jewel of Himalaya, Newtown CT — Restaurant in Newtown

I have been a connoisseur of Indian cuisine for decades. I have visited some of the best Indian restaurants in the tri-state area. Today was my first time dining in Jewel of Himalaya. I have NEVER had such amazing Indian food as I had tonight. The channa Sag, chicken korma, lamb-lentil-cauliflower-rice kheer-basmati rice dish was mind blowing. The Channa Sag…the CHANNA SAG…I am in love! I couldn’t compliment the chef enough. I am the pickiest of all people when it comes to food. I am blunt and honest and very judgmental when it comes to food. This place will become a broken record to my family. We will go again, again, again, again, again, and again. I strongly urge everyone to visit this restaurant. There was a table of many Indian woman celebrating an event towards the back. When they were leaving they were all professing that this restaurant has better food than their mothers back in India! They actually all agreed to that statement…wow. I told my wife the chef touched my soul.

Some suggestions. I ordered a large dish with many different types of food ($23). It would have been enough for 2 adults and two small children if you order an appetizer or two and share. The vegetable samosa was very bland, I added the chutney to it and it tasted amazing. I am not a fan of bread, but naan bread is amazing. Their garlic naan was missing something, but that’s not what I truly enjoy.

I’m all about the entrees and sharing. My oldest, 15 year old son, ordered a beef curry dish, not spicy, and ate everything on his plate. A quarter of his meal would stuff me to the gills after eating the vegetable samosa with chutney and two bites of the cauliflower appetizer that tasted like curry chicken. That will be added to my next order.

The inside was clean, organized, new decor, many awards displayed and a trophy too. They have a bar, Buddha, and amazing friendly service. I ordered all three desserts. The cheese balls were amazing. I took a very small bite. The rice pudding was good, not mind blowing, and the mango, pistachio, cashew sorbet was really good. The mango frozen dessert was enough for one bite for up to 6 people. The cheese balls could be for up to 4 or 5 people depending how you share it. The rice pudding which is necessary if you choose a spicy option to soothe your tummy was enough for up to 6 people for a few bites each.

I would give this place a 9.9 out if 10. I can’t wait to bring visiting family and meet up with friends here.

Plenty of parking, clean parking lot, outdoor seating/dining and outdoor fireplace. Fireplace on the wall (electric) when you walk inside.

The owner (guy) came over to greet us, asked how the food was, and kept refilling our water glasses. It’s nice to see owners in a restaurant help the staff.

I honestly ate so much less than my 15 year old but I’m really stuffed, tired, and have that wonderful feeling of not wanting to move because I’m so content. I just need to keep my arms above my belly until tomorrow…lol!

Give this place a try if you like Indian food or want to try it. You will not be disappointed. If you’re hesitant to try it, get in touch with me and I’ll join you with my family and we’ll break bread and have...

So I rarely give 5 star reviews as I think they’re given out way too often. This was our first time eating here and it was fantastic. As soon as we arrived, we were warmly welcomed and seated. The waitress was also very friendly and helpful and gave great recommendations. We were there for lunch and had ended up getting the lunch specials. I got the chicken set and my wife got the tandoori set. I got mine with the vindaloo and murgh makhini (the latter was the waitresses recommendation). We also got a Himalayan naan that’s stuffed with cashew, almond, raisin, cherry and coconut. It sounded interesting and unique so we wanted to give it a shot.

The naan came out first and it was amazing. It’s almost like a dessert naan with a semi sweet (not overpowering sweet) flavor. The nuts and cherry are prevalent, but subdued and worked very well together. Then our meals came out. The makhini had a very fragrant piece of cinnamon bark on top that gave off a great aroma. I tried that first and I I could say was wow. The spices used worked so well with this dish. The flavors were deep and amazing with nice sized chunks of chicken throughout. The vindaloo had a nice heat to it with the familiar prices of chicken and potato. You can tell that all of the sauces are homemade and made with love and pride. It also came with two pieces of picked radish and small portion of rice pudding. The radish was picked nicely with a great herbal flavor. Finishing up was the rice pudding. It was a nice palate cleanser with earth spices, coconut and what seems like golden raisins.

My wife’s tandoori came out sizzling on a cast iron pan with three large pieces of chicken on a bed of onions and peppers. The color of the chicken was a lightly charred red, a perfectly cooked tandoori chicken.

We then asked if they possibly had chai tea to which they did. It’s something they make fresh (not in a tea bag) so it took about 10 minutes to receive from the time of ordering. This didn’t bother us one bit because if they’re making it that fresh there’s no rush. It came out with the chai spices floating throughout the tea. The flavor as we had not come to expect was fantastic. One of the best chai teas I’ve had.

Needless to say, the name of this place says it all. It really was a jewel and we can’t wait to make this one of our regular stops. Very well deserving of the 5 stars. The food, the atmosphere and all of the staff were amazing. I really don’t think this place can...

I had the pleasure of eating here today for lunch (130pm) for the first time and it definitely will not be the last! My sister and brother-in-law had heard about all the excellent reviews so we decided to try it out. From the moment we walking in we were quickly greeted and sat inside. It was a beautiful day so the garage door was open to let the fresh fall air in and it was lovely. The decor boasts several paintings of the Himalayan mountains and the 2 tv’s were showing videos of the sights and culture. It was clean and tastefully done.

Our server, Shanti (sp?) was absolutely wonderful! Prompt, friendly, and offered excellent insight into the menu selections for us newbies. We ordered onion naan, beef chilli, and mixed steamed dumplings (called mo-mo set) as appetizers and everything was ridiculously yummy! The naan is almost like a flatbread quesadilla because it had stuff in the middle... I can’t wait to go back to try the other flavors! For entree’s we ordered Himalayan Korma, Matter Panir, and I forget the other dish, but may have been Beef Makhini (see menu for descriptions). We all went for the mild option (again because we were newbie’s) which was perfect. One of the sauces that came with the naan was incredibly spicy but the burn did not last long so you got to enjoy the flavor without your palate being ruined. The korma was my absolute favorite. The portions were perfect (we all took home leftovers) and they came in neat copper crocks for easy sharing. For dessert we had Himalayan kolfi which tasted like sherbet and was a delightful palate cleanser to the feast.

I honestly cannot say that there was a single negative and am so happy that they are not too far away because I see many more visits in my future! Great service, inviting atmosphere and...