Warm, concise, universally appealing…read more Tamarind is a true Nyack treasure. Went here for lunch. The lunch special is amazing and such a good value for money. The rest of the review is AI but I wholeheartedly agreedDelicious food, excellent service, and a lovely atmosphere all come together for a memorable dining experience. The dishes were rich in flavor and clearly prepared with care, and the staff made us feel genuinely welcome. A perfect spot for both casual dinners and special occasions. Highly recommend

I found this relatively new Indian restaurant during the Nyack street fair, where they set up a…read morestall to sell samosas, palak paneer and chana masala. My husband and I came to dinner recently. It is housed in a large space (that used to be some kind of burger joint), with a semi-open kitchen, a full bar and lots of tables. For appetizer we asked for their chili cauliflower. For my dairy-intolerant vegetarian diet, the waitress patiently explained the ingredients of all the options, and we chose Mushroom Hara pyaaz and Martban ke Choley, a chickpea stew that came in a mysterious clay pot :-). The cauliflower was crispy batter fried, dowsed in a tangy sweet and sour and spicy sauce, truly tasty! The mushroom hara pyaaz was the champion of the meal - all familiar flavors yet unique and memorable - comfort and satisfaction rolled in one. The chickpeas were less well-cooked, a bit more al dente, than the usual Indian fare that we have been exposed to, but still very nice. The waiting staff were very friendly and attentive, and the bill was quite reasonable. We'll definitely come back.

Went for buffet yesterday and the food remains delicious, The service is still very good, and the…read morerestaurant is still clean and welcoming. I look forward to my next visit.

- Spacious yet cozy, with a warm, homey vibe; tables are nicely spaced, so you don't feel crowded…read moreand can enjoy your own space - Convenient shared parking lot right out front with a decent number of spots--especially easy when arriving right before opening on a Sunday for lunch - Service was very good: staff was warm, friendly, and impressively efficient throughout our visit - Food was fresh and flavorful, with a nice variety offered at the weekend buffet--the chicken tikka masala was very saucy and not at all spicy (great for kids), though the white meat chicken was slightly on the dry side - Family-friendly pricing: older kids eat for half price, and younger kids dine free

Best Indian culinary experience for my family in a long while. Since I cook Indian food at home, I…read moream quite picky about Indian restaurants, and Mumbai Dreams blew our mind. What impressed us first was their friendly, efficient and thoughtful service. I believe the man who took our orders was the manager. When he learned that I was a dairy-intolerant vegetarian, he informed me that the two veggie dishes I ordered - Bhindi Masala and Smoked Baingan Bharta - both came with heavy cream but they could switch to coconut milk for an extra $2. Then he went down the list of our order to say that some other items also contained a bit of dairy. I figured that I could survive that much anyway. Although the restaurant sign says "creative Indian cuisine", we stayed mostly with the traditional and our favorites. Our order came very quickly. Arriving in a cute mini tricycle, the samosas were surprisingly plump and substantial. Two of those could easily make a meal for me. The Kure Kure Mushrooms were deep fried and coated with creamy seasonings, bus still retained the chewy bite and aroma of oyster mushrooms. The serving was so large, the spices so abundant that both husband and son said they'd resume this dish after our rice arrived. The meat-eaters were extremely happy with the Malvani lamb, while I was just as impressed with the two vegan dishes. Everything was cooked from scratch, retaining the fresh flavor and texture of the ingredients. There must have been a whole pound or more okra packed in the Bhindi masala, which was dryer yet tastier than what I'd experienced elsewhere, a truly honest value. Baingan Bharta is one of my comfort foods, and their version surely met my expectations :-) We loved their creative Rosemary naan, what a delicious fusion of east and west! The waiting staff kept checking our water supply and other needs. The bill was very reasonable. We are sure to come back for more!

I just returned home from a three-hour meal at Mumbai Dreams this evening. Going into the night I…read morehad high hopes for a great experience. We had a reservation for a party of six at 7:00 pm and were promptly seated and given water when we arrived. Unfortunately, that's where things started to fall apart. We didn't see another staff member for about 45 minutes. Eventually, I believe the manager came over and took our drink, appetizer, and entrée orders all at the same time. Our drinks arrived about 20 minutes later, and the appetizers started coming out intermittently after that. Our entrées didn't start arriving until around 9:00 pm, again coming out one at a time. Some people in our group were nearly finished eating by the time others received their food. We had also ordered naan for the table, but it was the very last thing brought out, at a point when some people had already finished eating and no longer wanted it. Throughout the evening, a young woman did keep our water glasses filled, but aside from taking our order, no one came to check on our table -- no one asked how things were going, whether we needed another drink, or acknowledged the long wait. The final frustration came when we received the bill and saw that a 20% gratuity had been automatically added. Considering the level of service -- at one point we were stacking empty cups on the windowsill just to make room for our food -- this felt pretty disappointing. The food itself was decent, but based on this experience I wouldn't return. One suggestion for management: if in-house service is running extremely slow, it may be worth pausing take-out orders so you can properly serve the customers already dining in the restaurant.

Ordered beef fry, which was more beef roast minus the gravy. The total was around $21 with tax. It…read morecame with a side of rice, which I thought was better than the beef. The rice had a unique flavor of cardamom to it. First time trying that, so maybe that's why I enjoyed it. The beef fry is different in the sense it wasn't oily and not overly spicy. I wished it was more fried and not be roast like.

The food is great!! Love this place, so far everything we have tried has been deliciousread more

I went with my GF and we both loved this place. The server/hostess was very friendly, and…read moreprofessional. She helped us pick out our meals which turned out great. A nice little place which was cozy. Looking forward to eating there again

Food is excellent and the staff is great too and the ambiance is very nice thank you so muchread more

No buffet here (sorry, hubby ), but the food is so fresh and flavorful! Clean, cozy interior and…read moreexcellent service. A little pricey, but absolutely worth it.

I've been back three times. Reviewing my old review, I noticed some typos. I didn't get a 4.5 they…read moredid lol. But they deserve five. Their wait staff is so conscientious and the co-owner/manager is so attentive. The food is superb. And once again, they put salmon in Korma for me. I'll keep coming back here.

Stopped in for lunch and had a truly excellent experience from beginning to end. The service was…read morefriendly, attentive, and genuinely welcoming--one of those meals where everything just clicks. The Spinach Soup was a great opener--smooth, well-seasoned, and full of bright, comforting flavor. Shrimp Balchao was the highlight. Sautéed with ginger, garlic, and tamarind, it delivered a perfect mix of heat, tang, and richness. Bold, aromatic, and deeply satisfying. The Garlic Naan came out fresh from the tandoor--soft, lightly charred, and packed with garlic. Ideal for soaking up all the sauces. Mutter Paneer, with tender paneer and green peas in a spiced masala, was creamy and fragrant without feeling too heavy. A classic dish executed really well. Nani's Chicken Curry featured tender chicken simmered in a flavorful blend of spices and onions, with rich, layered flavors that built with each bite. Final Take: A standout lunch with great service and thoughtfully prepared dishes. Everything tasted fresh, balanced, and full of flavor. Definitely a spot I'll return to.

Ordered takeout. Was disappointed that unlike other Indian places --they did not separate the hot…read moreand cold ingredients for one of their chaats. Everything was soggy by the time we got home. Didn't ask them to separate as I assumed that is the norm for all the places I normally order delivery or take out from.

While visiting nearby restaurants, we saw this new place that opened recently. Modern cozy inside…read more The menu has a lot of the popular Indian dishes. Most of the dishes had some sort of spice, very limited non spicy options. They pre make the base sauce so the spice level is not adjustable. We ordered a lot of the dishes from the menu starting with corn chaat and samosa. Corn chaat didn't really have corn, it was more like corn flakes with tomatoes and onions. The dish was blend, it needed some dressing sauce or yogurt on top to make it tastier. Samosa had good potato fillings, came with green and tamarind chutneys. For entree we got the chicken tikka masala, chicken korma with rice, naan and garlic naan with Amul cheese. Tikka masala was super delicious, thick spicy sauce. I was so glad to see chicken was moist not dry. Korma was a good too. The rice was cooked with jeera, had wonderful aroma. Both naan were excellent, loved the Amul one especially, it was so cheesy. We had the brownie ice cream for dessert, was a yummy one too. The mango lassi was also good, was on the thicker side. All our dishes came out so quickly, almost seemed like they had everything ready to go in the kitchen. It's semi self-served, plastic forks, spoon, knives and plates are next to the register. They serve the dishes in to go boxes, so very easy to pack any leftovers, just need the lids. Overall we loved the food and the atmosphere. Glad to see a good Indian restaurant establishing itself in the area.

Nice Indian restaurant on NJ-17. It's self service and quick food style. You order at the counter…read moreand they will bring the food to you. Customers will put the trash and tray away. The menu marked all the spicy level for each item, which was very helpful for me (I don't eat spicy food). I tried chicken korma with naan. It's creamy and flavorful. Naan was buttery and fluffy. Samosa was good, came in 2 pieces; little spicy for me. Mango lassi with strong mango flavor and good yogurt base. The only thing I didn't like was corn chaat. It's corn flakes (?) with chopped onions,tomatoes and chutneys sauce. The corn flakes really threw me off. Tables and seats inside for dine in. Spacious with history of the restaurant on the wall. Bathroom is clean. Overall a solid place for quick Indian food. Nice and attentive staff. Great customer service and interactions.

Now: Pawan. Our server was the real deal. Warm without being performative, attentive without…read morehovering, and his menu recommendations were genuinely perfect. But here's the moment that sealed it: we'd had a long morning and asked, somewhat sheepishly, if they could make us chai, which isn't even on the menu. Without missing a beat, they made it. Hot, proper chai, just because we needed it. That's not service. That's hospitality. He made a full, buzzing restaurant feel intimate and that's rare. Essence of Kesar is the kind of place Englewood should be very proud of. Go. Ask for Pawan.

I really wanted to love Essence of Kesar because the food was genuinely very good. The paneer…read moredishes were excellent, the paneer bao buns were a standout, and the chaat was also really well done -- flavorful and creative without losing the essence of the dish. Unfortunately, the service significantly took away from the experience. We made a reservation ahead of time and even called to let them know we'd be about 15 minutes late, yet when we arrived, we were told our reservation had been given away. That was frustrating and set a poor tone for the evening. The restaurant also seemed very understaffed the night we went. Service felt disorganized, and there was a long wait for our food after we were finally seated. It was clear the staff was overwhelmed. The food is absolutely the reason this isn't a lower rating, because there's real potential here. But between giving away reservations and the slow, disorganized service, the overall experience fell short. Hoping this was just an off night because the food deserves better execution.

Got take out biryani's Chiken ($17.95) and Vegetarian ($16.95) and also got an appetizer, Lasuni…read moreGobi ($10) which were all good. We did get food on the spicer side and so were they! Nice and spicy. Biryani portions were large enough for us to enjoy them over two days. The restaurant seating was good too, and staff was friendly when I went there for pickup. Noise levels on the absolute lower end! Will recommend and visit again if we are in the area!

If you are apprehensive about trying or eating Indian food again as I personally know, a lot of…read morepeople had a bad experience with it. You will forever be changed. If you dine at Rudra the food is excellent. It will make you a lover of Indian food. Just try it once you will not be disappointed the shrimp and crab is excellent especially the grilled paneer with the onions and pepper. (Indian cheese) Excellent ! shrimp and salmon and veg dishes are cooked to perfection . I could go on and on give it a try and taste for yourself ! I forgot to mention the garlic naan! Made fresh on the spot. The atmosphere is cozy and intimate and yet family friendly at the same time . It is a BYOB establishment to let you know ahead of time .