Banjara Indian Cuisine

Been coming here since I was 16, amazing food and amazing staff. The owners of the restaurant are extremely friendly and would recommend to anyone who wishes to try authentic Indian cuisine. P. S. The lamb Dumpukht is my favorite: D

Typical Indian restaurant décor and service. We were a rowdy group of old geezers and were so loud that the maitre d’ asked us to tone it down, because some of the other geezers were complaining. Part of me was embarrassed and part of me found it to be very funny. We were a group of 10 and ordered a large number of dishes and sampled them in rapid succession. As a result, I can’t give you a detailed break down of the individual dishes, because we would each get a couple of bites of food. I can say that the food was better than average.
I would go back with a group of librarians. Or with a motorcycle gang and trash the place.

Happebed to walk by to find this restaurant. The food came quickly and everything tasted great. The waiters were attentive and accommodating. Will definitely return.

Never have seen a restaurant merger before/​A good place for a group dinner on a weekend. Cozy, and a long menu, and spirited service. The food was good. They made some errors, but made up for it wit the free housemate kulfi.

The nicest staff ever that goes above and beyond to make sure you enjoy the meal and experience, best food, great ambiance, reasonable prices. Might be my new favorite restaurant in NY!

The food was good. I had the Lamb missala, and the garlic naan.
Atmosphere was nice. Seemed like a good family run resturaunt.

This place blew me away!
First thing you notice is the size of the place. Living in New York we are so used to eating in tiny restaurants. This place is spacious and feels more like a California restaurant in terms of size and spacing.
Waiter was really personable and friendly. We ordered some familiar dishes — dasak and pasanda — they were done extremely well.
I’m gluten free and was catered for well here. Met another gluten free couple that go there every week and their allergies are really well looked after.
There is so much choice for Indian Restaurants in the East Village. This one has been there since 1985 and has just moved to top of our list. We will be regulars from now on.

Excellent Indian place with new diggs on Second Ave, it says Haveli on outside but it’s definitely Banjara on the inside. Great lamb samosas and you should try the Lamb Tawa Kabab. Great service and nice people.

Definitely one of the best restaurants serving Indian cuisine on 2^nd Avenue. Amazing place. Great ambiance. Place looks very hygienic too.
The service provided is great. Indians touring around, this is a must place. The owner is very friendly. He came to ask for the reviews and definitely they were positive.
We ordered Naana, butter Chicken, Malai Kofta, Paneer Masala and daal tadka and Rasmalai in dessert. They were crafted to perfection hitting just the right spots after a long tiring walk around Manhattan. I would surely visit again.

I haven’t been to the new place but Banjara is always a staple I hit when I’m in NYC. They make perfect Northern Indian food. The service is great. I never had anything bad here. I love the Lamb Chops, it’s my fav. Somasos are good. Chicken Tikka Marsala is creamy buttery and not tomato-​y like most crappy indian places. Pakoras, and Onion Bhaji are all done perfectly. Can’t wait to go back, and check out the new location this summer.

Fantastic service and wonderful food. Absolutely love this place!

this is now Havelli! See my review there!

Banjara is terrific Indian in a sea of a 100 Indian restaurants off 6^th st. The space is traditional and handsome and their service is wonderful. veggie dishes are best I can’t comment on anything tandoori.

great service! went for a friends birthday and the staff brought out her cake and gave us ice cream too!
The atmosphere was great and the food was all delicious! Definitely going back!

Not sure what I missed, but this place was very poor. Rice was dry. Samosas tasted as though they were frozen and had been microwaved. Veggie curry was bland and just tasted of nothing. There are so many good indian places in this area and I am disappointed that I tried this as new one.
Two stars as they gave me a free mango lassi which was really good.

So so so good. Service is amazing and the taste is awesome.
This place is definitely a step above the regular indian restaurant. The flavor is clearly better than what you might have ordered from lunch.

Let me just tell you, I absolutely LOVE this restaurant. I’ve tried many Indian restaurants because I just love Indian food but this place is by far the best experience I’ve ever had. The manager there named Kahn was so kind and introduced him to us and asked us if it was our first time at the restaurant and made us feel comfortable. He cracks jokes and checks up on us to make sure we don’t run out of rice or water! As a complimentary he gave my bf and I this delicious mango drink! We both fell in love as it was our first time trying it! We had the masala and this other dish I don’t remember the name too but they were both delicious! After eating so much of it, he told us to pack the rest of it to take home cuz wasting food was not good! Haha so we did and he gave us extra pieces of chicken for us to take home. He was so sweet and generous! To top it off, he gave us mango ice cream for dessert as complimentary as well! I can’t thank him enough for his kindness! I highly recommend this place and I will surely be back for more!

The service is super warm and friendly, much better than the old location. The food is a step down from what I had experienced over the last decade on 1^st Avenue. They say the kitchen staff is the same but the taste was not nearly as delicious. Off my radar now.

Banjara also goes by the name Haveli.
Very nice interior, kind of a time/​travel warp.
Delicious food. Here’s what we ordered:
_​ALOOR CHOP ($ 4.95)
a tangy combination of potato cakes, chick peas and onions,
tossed in tamarind sauce
_​JALFREZI ($ 14.95)
boneless chicken stir fried with fresh broccoli, snow peas, tomatoes,
onion and bell pepper stir fried in a tangy sauce
_​SHAAG PONIR ($ 12.95)
homemade cheese fried & cooked with fresh spinach
_​MANGO LASSI ($ 3.95)
Would return.

These people make you feel like home! They were on top of my water the whole time. Great place for a date.
Now the food was a story all it’s own. AMAZING. I never enjoyed Indian till after eating here. I can’t stress how wonderful this place is. Leave with a full tummy and heart. :)