Grill 44

Indian time!
This little hole in the wall actually has good Indian food. If you aren’t sure about getting something intense with too much curry you have a few options that will not disappoint and are not overwhelming.
I was there for lunch and for $ 9 you got a meat, rice and a side. I got the Chicken Tikka. Which is a sweet/​curry stew chicken pieces, with white rice and chickpeas cooked with onion and a spicy tomato gravy.
It wasn’t over powering or overwhelming to my taste buds at all. It was actually mild.
The spinach and cottage cheese cubes is very good too. It is called Saag Paneer. Delicious! I recommend it. All dishes come with pita/​plain Naan, yogurt dip.

I know I’m updating this place yet again, but it’s because I’m docking a star. I could have docked 2.
I got batatawada, and it was horrid. First they make the wrong item on the order, after making me wait awhile to be helped. Then i get what i asked for, and apparently it’s deep fried, and the first guy didn’t know that. But the oil wasn’t hot. so i get this luke warm potato ball that’s laden in oil. I ate like two little bits from it and threw the rest away. It was disgusting.
Quite simply, they don’t have their act together for breakfast. Stay away.

i, too, give this place three stars. i’d probably never go here if i wasn’t desperate for lunch options, but i am. desperate. for lunch options.
i had the chana masala and saag paneer. as three stars indicates, they were a-​ok. there was an awful lot of oily liquid underneath my paneer, saag and chana, but the flavor was kind of good and solidly spicy. i was disappointed the rice didn’t have the unique aroma that basmati should, but it was probably drowning in oily liquid. the portions were large. the nan was mediocre.
i heart paneer.

While Grill 44 has a random mix of foods like falafel, curry, kati rolls, dosas, and biriyanis — all of which are decent — the real reason I go here is for the chai. This isn’t your typical, extra-​sweet, overly creamy Starbucks chai. It’s real chai, like the kind made in South Asian homes across the world. The kind where you can actually taste all the spices. And at $ 1.25, it’s about a third of the price of what you’ll get at a Starbucks, too.

I had the channa masala and the saag paneer, both of which were decent. The basmati rice is also alright, nothing special. I paid $ 8 for the platter, if it had been a few bucks cheaper I would have given it 5 stars, but for $ 8 you can get good Indian 2 blocks away.

On a recommendation on an ex-​coworker, i decided to check out this place. One of my current coworkers went here and got their Mediterranean food of Chicken shwarma and humus, which he said was pretty good. I went to get the Indian food since this is what they seem to be known for. I got a combo box of chana masala (chick peas) and chicken vindaloo. For the price, i expected to get more of the 2 dishes but I didn’t so that was pretty disappointing. However, both tasted really good. I liked the chana masala; the chick peas were cooked well and the flavors of the sauce was pretty good. THe chicken vindaloo had some heat to it, although it wasn’t as spicy as I expected which was kind of a disappointment. The chicken was VERY tender though which was a surprise. it was juicy and flavorful. THey even ladled the vindaloo sauce onto my rice which was nice. The yogurt sauce that came on the side was too runny and sour so I didn’t use it much. It also came with 1 naan which was pretty good. It absorbed the sauces well when i dipped it. Overall this place is good; however i think the real test is when i go back and try their saag paneer. Right now, i am not sure whether this place is better or worse than Indus Express. Right now i do give it a slight edge, although Indus has more choices.

Just had the Idli here and I’m loving it, only because at $ 3.95 it’s a good filler for a light light lunch. Their indian food is pretty decent for on the go and the prices are better than some. I’ve yet to try the chicken rolls, but they have the usual staples of Punjabi like food. Saag Paneer, Biryani rice, Chicken Tikka, Tandoori Chicken, Chana Masala, to name a few of their regular lunch selections.

This takeout spot is good to put on the rotation if you work in midtown. Especially good when the Chipotle line next door is out onto the sidewalk! They added Indian cuisine not long ago, which is fine I guess, but nothing special. I personally like the chicken schwarma pita, filling and satisfying. Try the spicy pita chips if you’re up for something a litlte different.

**Seamless Web Review**
Lately, I’ve been chowing down on a lot of Mediterranean /​Middle Eastern foods. Last night was no exception. From Grill 44, I ordered the Shawarma /​Gryo Platter for $ 9.95 and a Stuff Grape Leaves appetizer. The platter was ok, but not the most flavorful. The hummus while good, wasn’t exactly tasty and a bit thinned out. The chicken was the best part — juicy flavors of grilled smokiness. However, the chicken was clearly not of shawarma stock. A more fitting description would have been Grilled Chicken and Hummus Platter. As for the grape leaves stuffed with herbs and rice… stay away. Far, far away.

Not great and not horrible. I come here when I just want a cheap fix for a quick Indian/​Mediterranean lunch or dinner. I still don’t understand why there are separate lines for the Mediterranean and Indian food.
I consider this fast food and nothing more.

good cheap hummus. i am never quite sure though why it takes so long to put hummus in a container and into a bag. that is the part i cannot grasp.

I used to live on the same block. The owner is really nice and remembers your name. It used to be only Mediterranean/​Middle Eastern and I haven’t tried it since they added Indian to the menu.
What’s good:
Grilled vegetables and rice
Shepherd salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, hint of onions, parsley) — I think they use a lot of salt
Tabouli
What’s not:
Hummus and pita! How can they mess this up?

I think a lot of these reviews are very harsh. The food here is great, and the service is quick.

I’m not too hard to please. Especially when you offer me an entirely filling lunch special in midtown for $ 7.
The Indian food is actually pretty damn good. Its got just enough spice to it so that its a nice kick but it doesn’t make your eyes sweat either.
The only thing I don’t like is that the «salad» that comes with it is just shredded lettuce that they throw on top of the rice… i don’t like when my dal gets on my lettuce.
I’m not a huge fan of Mediterranean food so I can’t really judge that but the Indian is definitely edible and a value for midtown lunch goers.
Vegan/​Vegetarian friendly.

Man some bad reviews for this place– I didn’t thik it was that bad, but I stuck with the Indian food. The combo of Chicken Tikka Masala and Saag Paneer (two Indian basics) accompanied by rice and Naan, is very solid and better than 2 blocks north at Joy (not as good as one block north at Maharaja). $ 7.99 is not a bad deal at all, and I was able to turn it into a meal and a half (lesser mortals, or what some like to call, the majority of the population, shall make two meals from this).
I haven’t tried the Middle Eastern Stuff– seemed like the combos are reasonably priced. Maybe I will and update this some other time.
BTW, its a total hole in the wall dive with only a few stools, so take out.

I came here with several people after trolling down 42^nd all the way from 8^th looking for a suitable non-​touristy dinner spot. The menu is half Indian, half Middle Eastern, with signs on either end of the menu telling the diner where to order that particular cuisine. I found that kind of odd, considering there was only one cash register (on the Middle Eastern side, if it makes a difference). The guy who served us seemed to have kind of a hard time with other people’s orders, though I think everyone in my party got pretty much what they ordered (after some confusion).
I ordered the chicken tikka masala with a side of channa masala (what, I like the stuff), and it came with an order of rice, tasty tasty naan, and… an iceberg lettuce salad on top.
??!
First let me just say I hate iceberg lettuce, but I forced myself to eat all of it so there wouldn’t be any left over when I started transporting the masala sauce over to the rice.
I rarely give two stars for a restaurant, but this is a tough city and I’d have to be pretty damn impressed by an NYC restaurant to consider going again next time I’m in town. (I remember Kate’s Joint on Avenue B being one such place.)

I tried this place out for lunch and wasn’t impressed at all. I ordered the lamb shish kebab on pita. The pita bread itself tasted stale and it was filled with way too much lettuce. The worst part of it was that it only had a few pieces of lamb, which were too dry and bland. I also tried the naan, and needless to say, I’ve had much better.
I merely gave the place a chance simply because of its proximity to my workplace. How unfortunate that it was such a lackluster, unappetizing lunch.
I’d say better luck next time, but I won’t be back.