Indus Express

Love love love absolutely love this place! The price is worth the food! The flavors are so good! You get a healthy portion and they make their Naan bread right on the spot in a beautiful fire out stove. The only place I will get Indian cuisine in this area. Actually I think I may go their today for lunch!

Place was apparently closed down and wonder of wonders same menu, same staff same décor, everything same except the name opened up in less than few weeks
Not sure what these guys are upto. I wasnt a big fan of this place earlier and given that nothing has changed besides the name, I doubt I will be trying them again except maybe for samosas.maybe.

Above average food at a price typical of midtown tourist area. I had an above average tandoori chicken and 2 vegetable sides. Naan was pretty good.

SHUT DOWN!
Looks like another Indian food place is going to open up in the same location.

I think the average rating of 3 stars (as of April 2013) is just about right for this place. OK Indian food, just a little pricy for lunch considering it’s all pre-​made fast food, although the all-​you-​can-​eat dinner special (if they still have it) is a good deal.
But what keeps me from «embracing» this place and going more than once maybe every six months is… that their chicken tikka masala, which is usually my measuring stick for overall Indian food quality, is SWEET! Why SWEET? I am neither Indian nor an Indian food expert, but this is the only place I have been to where they serve Masala that is DECIDEDLY sweet. Imagine having sweet meat loaf. Or sweet spaghetti and meatballs. You get the idea.
Maybe there’s a region in India where the dishes tend to be sweet and that’s where the proprietor hails from. But it’s just not (completely) my cup of tea.

Severely congested and in desperate need of something spicy, I immediately thought «Indian Food» and wandered over to Indus. Although the place was packed, the line moved very quickly. I ordered the lunch box special for $ 10 and had rice, chicken tikka masala, and two vegetable dishes.
One of the dishes was cauliflower and potatoes, but I only got potatoes. The other was kind of a soggy broccoli. They give plenty of rice and sauce with a few small pieces of chicken. In no way am I am Indian cuisine connoisseur like other reviewers here, but I thought overall it was pretty good. As others mentioned, you are very rushed by the servers and cashiers, but welcome to lunchtime in midtown.

When I first interviewed for my current job, whose offices are in Rockefeller Center, I noticed there was an Indian fast food place across the street. This is cool, I remarked: this isn’t something I’ve seen in any of the cities I’ve lived in so far.
This was early last April. Only two days ago did I actually set foot in the door.
I kind of wish I didn’t. For 10 dollars you get an adequate portion of food, but nothing really was, well, good, except for the naan. Everything was watered-​down, and I mean this in the literal sense: my chicken dish felt like it was chunks of chicken drowning in a water sauce. Think of it as Indian food, school cafeteria-​style.

This place is exactly what it appears to be. Perfectly competent, if unimaginative, regionally generalized Indian comfort food. Delivered rapidly at a price that’s cheaper than surrounding options in a no-​frills environment. It’s frantic and noisy yet still manages to de– stress me when I just want some greasy and spicy carbs and meats.
Here’s a typical visit:
I try to quickly decide what tray of goop sitting behind the cafeteria style glass looks freshest. I ask the man in the paper hat to heap it on my plastic tray. In the time it takes me to say say «paneer» the customer behind me is tapping their foot impatiently. Then I get to the cash line and get jostled a few times as I balance my piping hot Tupperware until the girl at the register frantically screams «next!,» eyeballs my order and states a number. I throw her the cash and she throws back some change. At this point the infectious impatience around me has me thinking «express my foot!» and I look at my watch to see how much time I have left beforehand boss yells at me and discover I’ve been on the premises less than 180 seconds.
I squeeze myself into the one seat that just opened up and wave away a fly. I open my bag and the familiar smell calms my beating heart just a little as I sway to the cheesy bollywood blasting overhead. I start to eat and find myself calmed like an Buddhist monk even though I know I’ve had much better (but also much, much worse). One in ten times, there’s a miracle (perhaps just of perception) and something tastes absolutely 5 star.
I go back the next day for it and the same dish is barely a 3. I learn a lesson about the impermanent nature of existence.

I hit this spot at least once a week for lunch and I feel it’s the best value I’ve seen so far. For the $ 9.75 veggie combo they give you one dal makhani with rice and 2 veggie sides. The whole meal comes with your choice of naan or roti. The dal is delicious but wished it was a bit spicier. It mixes in well with the Raita yogurt sauce. I’ve had the Aloo Gobi (potato with cauliflower), and Baingan Bhartha (smoked eggplant). But my favorite is the Chana Marsala (chickpeas simmered in a spicy fruity sauce) and blends well with the green chutney.
The servers at the cashier are very friendly. They will gladly give you an unlimited choice of mango/​cilantro chutney and raita sauce. I always get the roti (whole wheat) naan which they bake on the spot in an oven when ordered.

Indus is a couple of blocks away from my office, and I go there once every 2 weeks on average, when I get that craving for spicy, oily Indian food. And this place rarely lets me down, with its lunch combo of a curry choice plus rice and 2 veggie options, plus a naan. It will leave you feeling like you just ate a ton of bricks and might not be the best productivity enhancer for your afternoon, but hey. The chicken curries I’ve tried are all spicy to the right point (i.e. more than Western standards) and deliver good chunks of meat. Dhal and veggie sides are excellent. Only downer so far has been the goat curry, where you really have to go scavenging to actually find some meat. Regarding all the food poisoning complaints: I go here often and never had any problems, if you have a weak stomach for strong spice then maybe this is not the place for you.

The Times Square area is full to overflowing with fancy restaurants aimed at tourists that’ll charge you an arm, a leg, and a kidney for a plate of food. But if you head down the side streets and overlook the less fancy exteriors, you can find some really great values. This is one of them.
First thing is this place is absolutely not a fancy restaurant, so if you’re trying to impress your date with how much you can afford to spend on a steak this is not your spot. If on the other hand you’re looking for a cheap Indian buffet this is the best thing I’ve found in the vicinity. We’re talking $ 12 for all you can eat cheap. What’s remarkable is the selection, they’ve got probably 30 things to choose from and the quality is decent. Nothing to write home about, but frankly better then I expected. It beat the hell out of the fancier Indian buffet I had lunch at yesterday with way more choices, a better price, and better food.
Thumbs up!

Indus Express is decent, but forgettable.
I had the Lamb Vindaloo and the Goat Gurry as my lunch special. The Lamb Vindaloo was fair. It was definitely the most bright red Vindaloo I’ve ever eaten. It was also spicy without being overwhelming. I didn’t really enjoy the fact that the sauce was very thick and sort of congealed in no time. I had no sauce left to soak up my Naan. The Goat Curry was v stingy on the goat and the sauce was very watery. The Naan was actually quite good, probably worthy of three stars on its own right.

For the portions I would go back, but not the flavor. I had the Curry Goat special with the two veggie options. I asked for extra gravy on my rice, I should not have done than because the consistency was too watery.
The flavor could have been better when it came to my goat because the meat was a bit trashy, maybe a little over done.
Since it is so conveniently located I call this an easy trap because it is not the best, but it saves you some time when you are exploring options in Midtown.
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After saving this review in a draft form I have an update… my tummy was not feeling well the next day. How do I know it was associated with Indus Express you may ask? well, I did not eat anything after lunch because it was that heavy and I only had tea and oatmeal for breakfast; the same thing I have everyday.

The old and always true «even bad pizza is good cause it’s still pizza» adage sadly does not apply to take-​out Indian. It’s a convenient place if you work near Rockefeller and want a quick hit of Indian but I find many of the veggie offerings watered down and lacking any particular kick.
Their tandoori chicken is decent and their lentil dish is one of the better options.

For rapid-​fire Indian luncheon meal near the Rock Center area this, I suppose, is your place. None of it is exceptional, but it gets the job done.
The Chaat is particularly good and for roughly $ 5 each they serve as healthy, filling, and unorthodox plates of food during a ravenous lunch hour. Go have a chaat with them. The bel phuri chaat, samosa chaat, and papri chaat are all winners.
The Kati rolls are pretty standard and range from 5 on fridays to 6 – 8 on other days. They come with fries and a salad. Every kati roll tastes essentially the same. It’s whatever. Roll with it, it is tasty, just not specifically so.
The lunch platters provide you with a lot of food for one person and they have a lot of variety. The chicken tikka masala (Americanized Indian food) is pretty decent and can serve as a nice go to. The paneer is pretty terrible, though, and I don’t recommend it.
They do have lots of variety, and it does become an all you can eat buffet at 4, so if you’re in the mood for Indian and don’t feel like walking far from your Rock Center area office you could do far worse. A-​Ok.

Yeah this place serves a couple of different options in Indian food. They offer platters, kati/​naan rolls, north/​south indian cuisine options and other indian appetizers.
I don’t think they offer the authentic indian food. I mean it’s ok food not great. It’s just that the prices are very reasonable. The ambience is just so so.
I tried the veggie kati roll which had paneer stuffing, it is served with curly fries and salad. It was filling but it did not made my taste buds very happy.

As I layed on my couch, one afternoon I dreamt of tropical palm trees of the south of India, which I had visited some years ealier. Then I thought about my mothers Indian cooking (she lives in London, UK) and how I missed her delicious foods she so meticulously prepared. I particularly missed her dosa and bhel, but more her Daal and rice which is a staple in any Indian family. I had a thought I was going to order an Indian for my supper. I went though endless restaurants and found this place.
I’m always cynical about ordering Indian food I just don’t think it tastes like your mums but I have to say this place did. So ordered a a Daal with rice (yellow lentil) and it was just like how my mum makes it (I would tell her that) and I had the dosa which was also very nice and filling. And the bhel (yummy!!!).
Anyway will def be ordering from here again. But I’m giving it a 4 star because when it comes to Indian cooking the only person that gets my five star rating is my mum.

I come here only for the Chaats which are very good. Specifically the Papri and Samosa chaats.
I recently deviated from the norm and tried one of their Kati rolls. I ordered the Chicken Tikka Kati roll which came with a small salad and traditional seasoned curly fries… which came out to $ 5 plus tax (any Kati roll for $ 5 on Fridays). The fries were decent and the salad eh, The Chicken Tikka roll was okay. I expected it to be greasy but this was just more than I expected. But at least there was good value.
I ordered one of their lunchbox specials once beofre but I don’t really remember what I ordered. So i guess that speaks for itself.
Good amount of seating. It gets busy around lunch time (12−1pm) but most of the orders are to go. The place isn’t horrible but if you want to satisfy your craving fro Indian food and have to stay in this area, you can do much better. BUT if you are looking for some good chaats, look no further.

Ok, true story. I was mid updating my review to 5 stars, and my coworker who I eat here with called me to say they found a cockraoch in the eggplant… head, wings and all.
Take it for what you will. The chicken tikka masala is the most delicious thing on the planet. I’ve eaten here once or twice a week for about a year now and have never seen anything to question the cleanliness before today. I, for one, will not be returning.

I liked the potatoes…’bout it. Besides that, I have no idea why so many Indian and Pakistani people eat here. And Lord knows I never thought I’d give out a 1-​star rating.
I was so excited to use my 8coupon deal for BOGO Dosas that I took extra lunch time from work to hike over and try this place. Reason being I’ve been hooked since the first time I was made the most amazing Indian food by Indian friends. Ever since I’ve snagged it anywhere I can in America & while abroad. But I’m not unreasonable; I never expect true Indian spice in American restaurants. But I do expect a good flavor, which Indus Express is sorely lacking.
I ordered a Chicken Tikki Dosa & a Masala (Veggie) Dosa. They each came with coconut chutney, sambar, and Indian hot sauce. The chicken was aight… but flavorless. The dosa bread smelled like dog food (and is currently stinking up my cube because it wound up in the garbage). Masala? I guess potatoes and onions are veggies… but I was expecting a bit more variety. And both dosas had more bread than filling. The hot sauce saved the filling I emptied out into the container… but I could taste a substantial amount of granulated sugar!
The coconut chutney smelled and tasted abysmal. The sambar had flavor… but it was so salty you could barely taste anything else. And while I didn’t order it, I saw them put pre-​made fried chaat in the microwave to heat it up!
More than half of my meal wound up in the trash. I had originally planned to go back in a few weeks to take advantage of their $ 5 Friday Roti Special… but no way I’m wading through that many mindless tourists and rude business peops for this crap.
But, to end on a decent note, the guy who took my order was nice and accommodating… even if the guy who prepared my food and slammed it down on the counter was the polar opposite. Meh. Screw good notes. This place ruined my lunch time experience.