FOOD - 3/5. I had the Baingan bharti, flavor is not strong but well cooked. Good presentation. Naan…read morewas a bit too crispy for me, I prefer softer. MENU - 5/5. All your favorite Indian dishes. SERVICE - 5/5. Fast and thoughtful. Gave us food recommendations. They don't rush you out and they take your order smoothly. They always filled our glasses with water without us having to ask. ATMOSPHERE - 3/5. Music kept having ads in between. However they had a big TV for sports and we enjoyed it while we ate. VALUE - 4/5. For Princeton, I expected steeper prices, but this place was affordable and worth eating here.

Our visit to Dvaraka was fate-filled, since it was one of few restaurants in Princeton's downtown…read morethat dared to be open during a serious snowstorm. We would have been grateful enough for a warm restaurant and decent food, but I certainly didn't expect to find my favorite Indian food in New Jersey here (I know that's a big claim; it was just that good). Let's address the elephant in the room here: sometimes Indian food doesn't look camera-ready. For instance, my absolute favorite thing here was the chana palak, an extremely flavor-packed curry with chickpeas and spinach. What shows up (regretfully) as a greenish mud in pictures is actually an absolute flavor bomb in the mouth. Truly, I still have dreams about this dish. If looks matter to you, I also highly recommend the salmon tandoori special. It arrived on a sizzling platter (the kind that makes heads turn and eyes lock as it approaches the lucky table). There was more flavor to be had here, and I adore a dish that's hot enough to carry a blister risk while eating...especially in the middle of an icy snowstorm. Service was incredibly warm, welcoming, and efficient. Our server checked in with us the exact right number of times, and he repeatedly asked about whether we wanted to take leftovers home, the way a friend or kind auntie might after you've dined sumptuously at her table.

Been here a few times, first time here thought they would be too busy for party of 6 at 7 so we…read moreordered take out, when we got there we realized there was a table and they were kind enough to let us just eat our take out there, gave us water and utensils and plates. Came back again few times and the food fresh has always been so yummy. Love the chole bhature, papri chaat, pav bhaji. Interior is upscale casual, clean, comfortable, cute.

I'm pretty unclear on how this made it into the NYT's best restaurants. Perhaps the reviewer had…read morenever tasted chaat before and was so overwhelmed by their first experience that the impressiveness of the dish turned into a misplaced admiration for this decidedly mediocre outpost for North Indian snack foods. In any case, the chaat was good and I appreciate that they have the famous tokri (basket) chaat that's popular in Lucknow, with a crispy base housing a delicious mix of curd and papri inside. All of the chaats were generally tasty, although a bit on the sweet side - we tried the SPDP, sev puri, and papdi chaat. The chai was terrible, some sort of adharak doodh with no tea flavor whatsoever. We had to send the entire batch back to be replaced. Mains were mediocre. I first fell in love with Amritsari kulcha at kulcha king at Sarojini Nagar, and I'm always eager to order it when it comes up on a menu. But the kulcha itself was lacking some flavor and the chole was just fine. The bhature was a bit too crispy without any fluffiness for my taste.

What started as a purely supportive "I'll just keep you company" visit for a last-minute late…read moredinner with friends turned into a full-on food moment I hadn't planned for, and honestly, I regret nothing. The moment I walked in, the aromas hit first, followed swiftly by the sight of dishes making their way across the room. My resolve didn't stand a chance. I was eating. End of story. The menu spans both South and North Indian cuisine, and refreshingly - deliver exceptionally well. Everything we tried was well-crafted, but the palak paneer deserves a special mention. I have a personal rule about not ordering palak paneer outside of home, it rarely lives up. This one broke the rule entirely. It was simply superb. Then came the seasonal dessert. I wish I could tell you the name, but I was clearly too busy enjoying it to commit that detail to memory (lesson learned - notes app next time!). What I can tell you is that it arrived beautifully chilled, with just the right touch of sweetness. Absolutely worth whatever it was called [was a sort of pistachio something rice pudding] Having a South Indian restaurant this good just a two-minute drive away feels like a genuine privilege.

Nice ambience and excellent food. We ordered the chili chicken and achari tandoori chicken. Large…read moreportions and full of flavor. We also had the Tarang chicken. Very nice service and reasonable prices.

Yum! Sooooo tasty and I am not even a fan of Indian food usually. I despise heat but the food was…read moreso tasty I powered on through some of the spiciness. The staff were lovely and were happy to point out the vegan food for me at the Buffett. The chili mushrooms are da bomb. Rarely in NJ - and even rarer I am out this way. But if I find myself in the area again - I am definitely paying another visit. Super cute decor as well. Would be great for a party.

I was disappointed with the monthly karaoke event at Jhopri. In my experience, the event felt more…read morecentered around the owner than the participants. The owner appeared to spend much of the evening drinking and talking, which often interrupted the flow of the karaoke program and reduced opportunities for others to sing. I also felt that personal boundaries were not always respected, and some interactions with female guests appeared overly familiar, like touching females. During the recent month karaoke the owner hugged a female in the most embarrassing awkward way, in the pretext of asking sorry, that she had to struggle to get of. He keeps hugging every female for some reasons. High time he stops misusing his event. Do not touch a female unnecessarily. A karaoke event should be welcoming and respectful for everyone present. A little more professionalism, decorum, and consideration for participants would go a long way toward improving the experience. If you organize an event, it should primarily be for the enjoyment of the guests, not for yourself.

Had the chance to get take out from Choice restaurant after driving past it many times. We got the…read morePav bhaji, bhakri pizza, Bombay veggie club sandwich, Ahmedabad masala sandwich and veggie Manchurian. The Manchurian was great - good texture and flavor. I wasn't a huge fan of the Ahmedabad sandwich - it was overpowered by the flavor of garam masala. To be fair, I ordered the sandwich at spice level "spicy". If it had less garam masala, it would have been a great sandwich. The veggie club sandwich was popular with the rest of the fam. The bhakri pizza is overpriced for what it is, and is made with that sweet pizza sauce that you get in pizzas in India (so consider this a heads up in case you're looking for a more western flavor). As I live nearby I'll give this place another shot and order something different from here next time to see if there's anything else I like. My husband did the pick up and mentioned it's got a fast casual vibe, and food was ready within 15 min of placing the order.

This fast casual eatery serves tasty vegetarian Bombay street food at a reasonable price. The…read moreBombay bhel is a crispy and crunchy chaat topped with pomegranate seeds and a tangy chutney. The grilled Bombay veg club sandwich has fresh red beets topped with coriander mint and cheese. Each dish has a nice spicy aftertaste that is not overpowering. The service is average. The walls are painted with lively scenes from a Bombay food market.

I visited Tikka Masala Indian Fusion in North Brunswick on a rainy Saturday evening, and the cozy,…read morewelcoming vibe was exactly what I needed! As the name suggests, the restaurant brings a fusion of global and Western favorites with Indian flavors, along with a huge selection of vegetarian, non-veg, and Chinese dishes. The Gobi 65 was so good--definitely a must-try for vegetarians! And if you love non-veg, don't miss the Tikka Masala Assorted Platter, loaded with chicken tikka, chicken malai, tandoori chicken, lasuni chicken, chicken seekh, and lamb achari. The portions are generous, making this a perfect spot for family and friends to share a meal. I'll definitely be coming back!

We tried Tikka Masala for the first time as a party of 2 on a Friday night around 9pm. We chose…read morethis restaurant because they are on the inKind app which offers rewards that can be used at participating restaurants. There were 2 other tables when we entered and we were seated immediately and told to scan the QR code for the menu, which opened up to Toast Tab, which is not the ideal way to view a menu. Within a minute, we were greeted by Louis (who handles the hospitality at Tikka Masala) and he asked if we wanted any drinks or were ready to order, but we needed a few minutes to look things over. He said to wave him over when we were ready, so I did and we decided to start with the Gunpowder Chicken appetizer medium spicy. He asked about entrees, but we told him we were still deciding. After picking our entrees, I called him over again and he said, actually he would come back after our appetizer was dropped off. Shortly after, the appetizer came out and it looked great. A good portion size, nice presentation, and good spice level. We snapped a few photos, which caught the attention of Louis so he came over and encouraged us to enjoy the food and take lots of good photos for a review. I mentioned that we post on Yelp a lot, but he seemed concerned and said Google is much better as the community uses Google, so I let him know that we'd be happy to post to Google as well. He reminded us that his name is Louis and he handles the hospitality at Tikka Masala if we would like to mention him in our review. As we neared the end of our appetizer, he came over for our main order. We chose Chicken 65 Biryani (spicy), Chicken Tikka Masala (mild), Chili Garlic Naan, Spicy Garlic Chutney, and a Mango Lassi. He read the order back, but did not mention the spice level on the Tikka, and I assumed that was because the default was mild, but it came out without any spice. Everything else sounded good, but we ended up with regular Chicken Biryani instead of Chicken 65. We were hungry and it was late, so didn't feel any need to correct this as we like both dishes equally. After all the dishes were dropped off, Louis reminded us to take lots of nice pictures for the review. The Biryani portion was large and the spice level was on point. The Masala came in a large dish with lots of curry, but the amount of actual chicken was lackluster, so I did not feel the value in that dish at $21. Our usual Indian joint is $17 for chicken tikka masala and the amount of chicken is literally double and we always have leftovers. They did not have any Spicy Garlic Chutney, but Louis said Mango Chutney was available. We politely declined a couple times, but he urged us to try it, so said yes, and it was alright, but we wouldn't get it again. The Chili Garlic Naan is SPICY, so be warned! Literally stuffed with chili and will scorch you from the first bite! I was only able to handle one piece, as I usually stick with mild-medium spice. As we finished our meals, Louis brought the check and reminded us each to leave a separate review on Google. We paid on inKind and took a few pictures of the place before heading for the door, where we were reminded again about the review. The inside is quite nice and clean with lots of seating at tables and booths and low-lighting. Overall, the food was decent and we would consider trying some more dishes. Hopefully they can sort out the portion sizes as the appetizer and biryani were good, but the curry was small. Louis was an attentive and friendly server, but we could have went without all the review reminders. As I was writing this review, I heard a rustle in the bushes outside and I quickly went to the window where I thought I'd see Louis offering one final reminder, but it was just a pigeon.

I most often get disappointed when I eat in South Indian (Tamil) restaurants in the US simply…read morebecause I know how food is supposed to taste, having grown up with that all my life. That said, Arusuvai was one of the few restaurants that did not let me down. My parents loved the food, and I was impressed with the taste and quality, as well as the authenticity. We had ordered Briyani, Parotta, and Mutton Curry for lunch, and had also ordered Crab Masala for to go. They all tasted very good, especially the crab. Food might seem a little on the pricey side but I think it is definitely worth it. Staff were friendly and Service was fast enough but we did visit pretty on the tail end of the lunch rush, so not sure how the service will be when they are packed. Decor was pretty much standard South Indian restaurant style.

This was, without a doubt, the worst restaurant experience I've ever had…read more We had a reservation for 10 people at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Upon arrival, we were told we could choose between the banana leaf special or the à la carte menu. However, when I tried to order from the à la carte menu, I was told it would take at least an hour to receive the food and that we should order the banana leaf special instead. If the à la carte menu isn't realistically available, it shouldn't be offered. We ordered four vegetarian banana leaf specials and six non-vegetarian specials, along with a Diet Coke and a ginger ale. The service and food quality were extremely disappointing. The banana leaves were brought out with a few items already placed on them -- all of which were cold. The curries followed about 15 minutes later and were also cold. The appetizers didn't arrive until at least 30 minutes later, and only after we reminded the staff multiple times. Our drinks didn't arrive for nearly an hour. To make matters worse, the waiter substituted seltzer for ginger ale without informing us because they didn't have ginger ale. When we pointed out that this was not what we ordered, he seemed annoyed rather than apologetic. The poori arrived after we had already finished eating, and only two were brought out for a table of ten. Slow service is an understatement. Adding to the frustration, we were told ordering à la carte would take an hour, yet the table next to us -- served by a different waiter -- ordered à la carte and received their food before their banana leaf specials arrived. Interestingly, when we asked for the check, it arrived immediately. We were automatically charged a 20% gratuity, and the waiter then asked if we wanted to add an additional tip. When we expressed our disappointment about the cold food and poor service, his response was dismissive and unprofessional: "There are 25 items -- how much can you eat?". For clarity, the banana leaf special does not even include 25 items, making that comment both inaccurate and inappropriate Cold food, slow and disorganized service, poor communication, and unprofessional behavior made this an unacceptable experience. I would not recommend this restaurant.

Thank you to Katarina and yelp for setting up this wonderful yelp experience check-in!…read more This has been a must try on my list since I saw that I opened up and it did not disappoint. The interior is extremely spacious and it has such a beautiful decor and ambience. Well, still having a nice and casual feel to it. The must tries for me are definitely the chai and butter chicken! The butter chicken was so saucy and delicious and the chai had the perfect amount of spice and heat to warm you up on a cold rainy day. But biscuits on the side were such a cute touch as well. There is definitely so much more to try on the menu and I can't wait to go back!

This is a review for the Vada Pav Day event. Saw this on Instagram in the morning and decided to…read morecome try it! This appears to be a new restaurant and it is decorated in a fun and lively way, with wall art and fun decor at the entry. Today they had a special limited menu for Vada Pav. The OG version is basically a potato sandwich, very good but very soft. I liked the butter chicken version much more as it had more texture and complexity. We had the cold chai, which came canned. Overall we enjoyed this and appreciated the opportunity to try this Indian street food! There were more events throughout the day, which we didn't stay for.