Diwan Indian Restaurant and Bar — Restaurant in Town of Oyster Bay

My friend and I decided to come here on a whim on a Sunday night. I was still waiting on my friend to arrive when I was seated immediately after walking in. Once my friend arrived and we looked over the menu for about 5 minutes to determine what we wanted to order, we waited an additional 10 minutes to place our order. On top of waiting, I had to flag someone down to place the order. No good. After we placed our order, our appetizer showed up in no time. Great! Phenomenal. Now time to wait for our entree. 15 minutes go by... 25 minutes.. and half an hour in, my friend and I are starving. We flag someone down to ask about our food. They said it was coming out shortly. Cool, no big deal, I'll wait a few more minutes for the food. My friend and I begin to notice that no one was being served anything, to-go orders were flying out before we even got our food, and all the servers were by the kitchen window. After another 10 minutes go by, a busboy sees me (I guess my look of discontent was showing) and asks if everything was going okay. I was quick to say no, not at all since we've been waiting for our food for a while now. He tells me he's going to speak to someone, and leaves. We watch him go over to one of the many waiters that were there to speak to them and we never got a follow up after that. Fuming now, I flag someone down (this is now on minute 50 of waiting) and tell them to cancel our order, we're done waiting. They apologize and then proceed to tell us to wait, as if we haven't been doing enough of that. Within 2 minutes time, the food came flying out. Pretty much a full hour to wait for food.

At the end of the day, as first timers at this restaurant, this was horrible. This place needs improvement in management style and it shows. I would hope this restaurant finds their way to manage food flow and their servers. Servers seemed like it was every man for themselves, no one had a set section. It was weird. They also didn't seem to pay too much attention to you, as seen by the amount of times I had to flag...

Diwan Indian Restaurant Review

Ambiance and Service Diwan Indian Restaurant in Hicksville welcomes you with a warm, inviting atmosphere that instantly sets the tone for a relaxed meal. The staff provided attentive, friendly service from the moment we walked in, checking on us regularly without ever feeling intrusive. Their genuine smiles and eagerness to explain menu options made our visit feel personalized and special.

Buffet Experience (food was lukewarm I prefer Hot)

We opted for the weekend buffet at $16.95 per person. Here’s a snapshot of the spread:

Palak Paneer (creamy and vibrant) Tandoori Chicken with a smoky char Butter Chicken rich in flavor Vegetable Pakora, golden Dal Makhni velvety and spiced perfectly Kadhi tangy and comforting White Chana hearty chickpeas in aromatic gravy Raita cooling and fresh Seasoned with just the right balance of spices. The buffet layout was clean, well-maintained, and made it easy to sample a little bit of everything.

Highlights

In addition to the buffet, we ordered two menu favorites: Garlic Naan, perfect with a hint of buttery garlic Chili Paneer (medium), crispy cubes of paneer, mildly spicy sauce The Chili Paneer was a revelation—flavorful without being overpowering.

Desserts To close our meal on a sweet note, we tried two classic Indian desserts: Rasmalai: Soft, spongy cheese patties soaked in sweet, cardamom-infused milk—delicate and utterly satisfying Rice Pudding (Kheer): Creamy rice simmered in milk with a touch of saffron and garnished with nuts—comforting and rich Both desserts were light yet indulgent, providing the perfect finale to our feast.

Overall Impression Diwan stands out among Long Island’s Indian eateries for its buffet variety, menu specials, and stellar service. Whether you’re craving a quick buffet lunch, made-to-order specialty, or a sweet finish, this restaurant delivers consistent quality and flavor.

We’ll definitely be back to explore more dishes—and sample the weekend...

The Diwan Restaurant Group has been a name synonymous with two things - legacy and quality. Since the inception of their Port Washington location, which raised the bar for an elevated experience of dining out for an Indian Meal, the Hicksville Location does not disappoint as it carries forward generations and years of experience.

As you enter the grand space with its large sized, generous, open layout, you can see that a lot of thought has gone into the flow and function of the space, which is important, now, more than ever, especially with the need for extra distance to be maintained between tables being set up. I have been thoroughly impressed of every level of detail that has been carefully thought out by Mac, who is the owner, and the entire team, since Dining In has returned; everything from guidance to face masks being required at the huge sign upon entry, to the menus being taped up to their glass partition that separates the pickup area from the dining area, to there even being two sets of pens with signs that say "Sanitized Pens" and "Used Pens". Every little last detail has been carefully thought out for execution to make it a great guest experience consistent with the Diwan brand name. They even have invested in setting up outdoor dining with a nice shade in the front part of their property.

The fact that the owner is always there overseeing operations on the floor as well as in the kitchen is a good reason why the food & service never disappoints. His pleasant demeanor makes you feel at home, and it shows in the atmosphere with the staff always having a smile on their faces. They continue to be strong, even in these times, and the reason for this starts at the top, and all the way down to the end product with their customers. I always make this one of my top priorities to visit when I am in...