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    Masala Cafe

    4.2 (83 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 1:00 AM (Next day)
    Updated 1 month ago

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    MASALA CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Masala Cafe

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    Pomfret Fish (Vavval) Fry
    Jen M.

    This is a hole in the wall in Little India in jersey among all the other hole in the wall places along the street. As the name of the area implies, it's a street full of Indian eateries and shops. Food was above average . I'd have thought given the number of Indian restaurants in the area, you'd have to be top notch. The service was nice, we had a very nice woman take care of us. The Gobi Manchurian & pomfret fry was delicious and the best thing we ordered. The dosa was good, but charged $1 extra for smearing a spoon of ghee. That's highway robbery! The porrottas were $6 a piece! Now if you are an outsider, I'd caution you. Get your food to go or better yet, door dashed. People drive like they are in India (I would know) someone dinged our parked car and drove away. The streets are not-so-clean and crowded.

    Dosa
    Katey G.

    We were looking for an Indian restaurant in Little India and decided on Masala Cafe based on the reviews. Unfortunately, the vast majority of restaurants on Newark Ave have terrible reviews... so it made the decision easy. Masala Cafe was DELICIOUS. We ordered the onion pakoda, boneless chicken biryani, and dosa with potato masala. The onion pakoda was a really good starter - would definitely order again. The chicken biryani was fabulous. Usually boneless chicken would be dry chicken breast, but this was brined chicken thigh and was really moist, tender, and super tasty. We ordered the biryani mild (because mild at Indian restaurants usually means medium/hot) and I'm glad we did - it was spicy, but just spicy enough. We also had to get a dosa filled with potato masala. Really tasty, and came with three dips. We would absolutely come back and order all three of these dishes again. Highly recommended for Indian lunch in Little India!

    Parotta
    Hemalatha K.

    Edit: I have been here a few more times since my last visit, and they definitely don't disappoint. One of the Indian Restaurants in Jersey City that is consistent in quality. I still don't feel like giving 5 Stars since most of the dishes don't give "OMG" moment. So far, the Egg Hakka Noodles is the only item that passed the test. I just couldn't stop myself from taking 1 more bite. Again, as I already mentioned, this is a MUST VISIT restaurant if you are looking for good South Indian food, and can easily qualify for 5 Stars. I am just more brutal when it comes to my reviews of Indian Food in general. **********Original Review********** Disclaimer - I would have given 5 Stars if I didn't know to cook South Indian Food..! All the dishes we tried - Chicken Rice (made in Clay Pot), Parotta and Chicken Gravy, and Crab Masala, tasted pretty good but it feels home made. While it's generally a good thing, it might not be what you are looking for if you cook regularly at home and just want to taste something special at a Restaurant. There isn't really anything to complain about with w.r.t. Service, Atmosphere, Quality, or Quantity, especially for the price range. Casual dining is what they advertise and what you get. Giving 4 Stars simply because I won't be willing to drive 30 mins just to eat here. But if I was visiting Jersey City, I probably would opt to eat here when compared to other South Indian Restaurants in that area.

    Egg biryani
    Vishnu G.

    This was a great choice for South Indian food. The egg biryani was full of warm spices and had just the right level of heat. The vada had great texture, and the sambar was also seasoned well. The portions are quite large. This is a solid choice in Jersey City.

    Veg Murthaba
    Pinky N.

    Came in for lunch on a Sunday - would recommend, but would order based on reviews as I found the food taste mixed. Gobi 65 - excellent! So crispy and flavorful. Dosa - prepared well, thin and crispy, with very good sambar and chutneys. But the dosa flavor was missing the depth that comes from fermentation. Masala was tasty. Veg Murtaba - a new dish to me. I liked the flakiness of the bread a lot. The filling was in between a samosa filling and pav bhaji, and spicy. I didn't love it, but would try the egg next time. Wasn't too busy around 12:30, but filled up by 1ish.

    Chinmay C.

    We delivered from DoorDash and it came pretty quickly! The food was really good, perfect spice! I would definitely visit the restaurant in person.

    Filter Coffee
    Meeta A.

    This place is on Indian Street. We were super hungry and went in at around 9.30am for breakfast. They have a lot lot of options on their menu. We ordered tea, filter coffee, Idli and plain dosa. Tea - 4.5/5 Filter coffee - 4/5 Plain dosa - 5/5 -came with coconut chutney, tomato chutney and sambar. Everything was delicious. And the dosa was huge. Idli - 4/5 - came with coconut chutney, tomato chutney and sambar, I liked it. They refilled our coconut chutney and sambar for us. Staff was nice and welcoming. I have no complaints at all. And I would recommend this place. Thumbs up from me.

    Chicken Kothu Parotta
    Audrey T.

    Amazing South Indian restaurant! I've been on the lookout for legit South Indian restaurants and have to say that they're hard to find! So glad that I've finally found this place!!! They have amazing dosa and paratha that will comfort your stomach and soul! Dosa was slightly crispy on the edges while tender and chewy in the middle - also the bottom layer of mashed potatoes with lentils, onions, cashews and spices was a nice bonus! Honestly the dosa was so good that I could just eat it on its own without even dipping in the sambar! Paratha was made fresh (and not those store bought frozen ones that just got reheated) and has nice crispy buttery layers! Tried their Kochu Paratha before and highly recommend as well! One note though - personally I find that their egg masala and kochu paratha pack quite a punch! So just be aware when you order!

    Bill receipt
    Asma A.

    I had wanted to try this restaurant since it opened. Went for lunch today. Its on the busy newark avenue, can get difficult to find a parking. Ordered chicken weeekend special thali- 12.99$. Its a weird set of dishes. I couldn't identify most varieties in there, even though I am from North india. It also comes with one parantha. I asked if I could have a refill, but ofcourse no. Who does thali with one parantha ? Weekend special mutton biryani was decent -14.99$ low on spices but flavourful. Decent in my opinion. Also ordered a filter coffee which was good. You can pay the bill contactless by scanning the barcode

    Nattu Kozhi Varuval

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    2 years ago

    Kottu was great. Big portions, nice atmosphere and great service. Definitely my go to for South Indian food.

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    1 year ago

    Worst biryani they gave a whole bowl overloaded with rice but not a biryani pls change cook mixed south n north , Chinese place

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Incredible food. I had the fish, vegetable claypot rice and chicken 65. Best Indian food I've honestly ever had.

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    2 years ago

    Finally, an authentic South IndIan restaurant. Went on the opening day and the food was awesome. I hope they maintain the same quality.

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    Swadist - Laal Maas

    Swadist

    4.5(237 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    Located in Jersey City's bustling India Square, I came here with a friend to try their $21 weekend…read morebuffet. Upon entering the colorful and spacious interior, we were given booth seating. There were a large variety of choices for the buffet, and I tried a little bit of everything. It was all cooked well and wonderfully flavorful with tons of warm seasonings. Stand outs included butter chicken, noodles, curry, and tandoori. I would have liked more seafood options and meat other than chicken though. The Naan was served warm and slightly crisp, while still being soft. I decided to also order a drink called Shahi Falooda. Since I never tried it, I didn't know how it was supposed to look, even though I thought the presentation was a bit weird, as there were pieces of toast dredged in the liquid. When I tried it, there seemed to be all the flavors described, including rose almond milk, tutti frutti, and vanilla ice cream. It tasted creamy, sweet, and unique, with the ingredients mingling well together. Service was definitely lacking. When the bill came, it was listed as a dessert, so I inquired about it. The waiter responded that they did not have the beverage available, so served me something else instead. This really irked me that the waiter would knowingly do this without mentioning up front that they were out of the beverage, allowing me the free choice to either order another drink or not get one at all. The waiter then told us it would be taken off the bill, but a different waiter came out to inform us that the manager would not allow that. While the food was actually pretty good, this was a very upsetting experience and I will not be returning. At least this taught me to always speak up when I have a doubt or question about anything I order.

    I had this delivered twice it was so good. Navratan Korma and Tandori chicken were incredible…read more This is some of the best food be it Indian, Thai or Chinese. This restaurant is incredible.

    Photos
    Swadist - Area

    Area

    Swadist - Panipuri - part of Weekend Lunch Buffet (~$20/adult)

    Panipuri - part of Weekend Lunch Buffet (~$20/adult)

    Swadist - Weekend Lunch Buffet (~$20/adult)

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    Weekend Lunch Buffet (~$20/adult)

    Desi Adda

    Desi Adda

    4.3(18 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    I don't know why people would say Dahi Puri Chaat is good here---I saw that in reviews on Google…read moremaps and so ordered via DoorDash since I had ordered food from a nearby kebab place. Anyway they didn't even actually make the dahi puri! They just put the puri with some potatoes dry in a container and then on the side gave tiny chutney containers for the yogurt, tamarind sauce & green chutney. Ok if you're putting it separately to avoid sogginess then at least give enough for the dish. It was laughable how stingy they were. Dahi puri is supposed to have LOTS of yogurt and instead this minuscule container of completely watery "yogurt" was not even enough to fill 2 of the puri. $10 plus tax & tip for this?? Also since they didn't make anything why did they keep the driver waiting for SO long? What a complete waste of money & time.

    Kidaan New Jersey! Golgappe ya Pani Puri? Aate wale ya Sooji…read morewale? Yeh debate to shayad kabhi solve na ho... Lekin ek jagah zaroor hai jaha kuch bhi craving ho -- golgappe ya Chatpati chaat , vada pav ya Dabeli, kathi roll ya bombay frankie-- sab milta hai aur woh bi taste aisa, aap bologe - yeh kya bana dia yaar? To aajao mere naal to Desi Adda in Jersey City jaha milta hai chai ki chuskiyo ka sath wo bi naye aur purane dosto and the best part most dishes are $10 and under! Here are my top recommendations- Gol gappe- wo bi 6 tarah ka paani- mango, garlic, pudina, khata meetha, jaljeera and hajma- jab paani hi 6 flavors ka ho, toh golgappe khate waqt expressions bhi 6 tarah ke aate hain! Kutchi Dabeli - Yeh Dabeli nahi, Gujarat aur Mumbai ka love story hai ek pav mein band! Dabang Vada pav- Layered with flavorsome coriander chutney, sweet & tangy tamarind chutney, and a spicy dry garlic chutney -- it's crisp, bold, and ek dam mast! Peri peri sandwich- Peri peri wali masti, har bite mein spice ka perfect kick aur cheese ka comfort -- ekdum chatpata, aur full paisa vasool! Amul cheese maggi- Desi jugaad meets comfort food - jab Maggi pe Amul cheese girti hai, toh dil literally pighal jaata hai! To intezaar kis baat ka, visit Desi Adda today!

    Photos
    Desi Adda - Sugar cane juicing machine and menu display.

    Sugar cane juicing machine and menu display.

    Desi Adda - Dahi Puri Chaat with no yogurt in dish, just a tiny sauce container of watery "yogurt" not enough for even 2 puri! :(

    Dahi Puri Chaat with no yogurt in dish, just a tiny sauce container of watery "yogurt" not enough for even 2 puri! :(

    Desi Adda - Outdoor view

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    Outdoor view

    Deccan Spice - Special biryani?

    Deccan Spice

    3.3(636 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$

    First place we stopped at during a trip to NYC and we couldn't have had a better experience. The…read morestaff got us seated right away; they were really attentive and helpful with getting us started with ordering, especially since some of the folks in our party haven't tried food from that region before before. We got a couple of different curries for the table, naan, and some rice. Met my expectations as far as Indian food goes - savory with a nice kick. Personally, I thought they give you plenty of food for the price and it made for a nice breakfast the next day. Would definitely be back if I'm in the area!

    I went to Deccan Spice for lunch since I heard that they had a great biryani. The place was empty…read moreon a weekday at lunchtime. The waiter was very friendly and helpful. I wish that they offered some sort of lunch special, but unfortunately they only have one set menu. They had a lot of seating, and a lounge area as well. I ordered the Deccan special biryani. It comes with boneless chicken, which is actually a favorite of mine that not a lot of places offer. The biriyani was really good, one of the best I've had in a while. It's perfectly spiced and flavorful with a generous portion. It can easily be shared between 2 or 3 people. Overall, I plan on coming back when I'm in the area. The biryanis in Manhattan do not compare to this. I personally do not prefer the Dum style biriyani, so I was very happy the special was a regularly prepared dish. However, they do offer dum biryani as well.

    Photos
    Deccan Spice
    Deccan Spice
    Deccan Spice

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    Masala Cafe - indpak - Updated May 2026

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