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After theater dinner on a Sunday evening w/ friends. Staff efficient (water glasses filled, etc.) but not very friendly. Food was average to slightly above. Seemed fairly priced (the price fixed "package" is not particularly cost effective - more flexibility and no real added expense by ordering from the menu). I guess the biggest negative -the space is very dreary, almost sad. The lighting, the colors - whatever it is, more like having dinner at an elderly Aunt's apartment that has not been fixed up since the 60s.

I have been dining in Indian restaurants for almost 40 years, and Basera is by far the most disappointing I have ever experienced. After three attempts to sell me an alcoholic beverage, the staff finally gave up and ignored me for the rest of my time there. The food was inedible: the papadum was a wafer of salt, the vegetable pakora (fritters) contained no vegetables and appeared to be burnt lumps of batter from the bottom of the fryer. Water glasses weren't re-filled and the traditional sauces served with meals were on every table but ours. I felt embarassed that I was constantly put in the position of flagging someone down for something. When I ordered my entree, lamb saag, to be mild I made careful note of it; my husband ordered his vindaloo hot. My lamb was twice as hot as his dish, and when we finally succeeded in stopping a waiter to tell him of the error, he simply said "That is mild, sorry" and kept walking. He did not taste it, nor did he offer to prepare me something else. If you are on 9th Ave looking for a good Indian restaurant, walk past Basera in either direction.

We have eaten here many times and I am concerned by the recent poor reviews. Our last recent visit was consistent with the others: good service with a smile, reasonably price delicious food, and a friendly atmostphere. We had lentil soup, chicken curry, and spinach with chickpeas done moderately spicy as we like it. A stuffed paratha (spinach) was yummy. For dessert we had the rice pudding and mango ice cream. Lot of left-0vers for lunch too. A fine meal.

Read reviews that said this place was good. Should have known better since it's in the theatre district. We chose the fixed menu and decided to get 3 different types of chicken curry: korma, masala and a spinachy one. They were all unappetizing. The sauces were tasteless and the chicken was dry. The service was equally poor. We specifically said we didn't want cilantro, but it came with anyway. To make matters worse as they were setting the table the clumsy waiter stabbed my girlfriend with a with a fork. Don't bother with this place.

This was my third trip here. The first time the food was good but I forgot to inform the chef I liked my food spicy. I had lamb saag which is a favorite of mine and my dining companion had the tandoori chicken, tasty. The second time, I remembered and ordered my lamb saag spicy. The meal was great. Just the way I liked it. Portions decent. Spices on point. The free soda and bread was definitely a bonus. On the third trip, I decided to try something else, that too was on point because I remembered to tell the chef to make it spicy. I will definitely be returning. By the way, each time I went, service was excellent. Maybe it was because I went after the lunch hour rush around 1:30pm.

On our last trip to the city, my husband and I tried Indian food for the first time at Basera. It exceeded our expectations.The wait staff made sure our drink glasses were never empty and since it was our first time eating Indian the waiter was great in making recommendations without being pushy or costing us a fortune. We had the chicken tikka masala, which was my favorite, and the Lamb Saag, which was my husband's favorite.The garlic naan was delicious. For dessert we enjoyed a mango lassi and keer (traditional rice pudding), which was an excellent way to top off a great dinner. All the entree's were reasonably priced and large enough to share. The environment was fun with a Bollywood movie playing in the background and low lighting. Overall, it was one of the best dining experiences I've ever had.

I was there recently with my sister and bro in law for a casual dinner. I have to give atmosphere a decent rating as that was the only good part of the total experience. Its warm and cozy. But, the main thing, food was mediocre. I have had better food at low cost hole in a wall places than this. Food was bland and lacked the flavors you will usually find in an ethnic restaurant especially Indian food. It seemed as if Vegi platter was microwaved. portion size was okay. Chicken was tender but gravy was full of tomato tanginess. Service on the other hand was more horrible than food. It took 45 mins for entrees to come out and once it was out, no one even came to check up on us other than refilling water. the hostess was bit snobbish and seemed as if we were going to eat on her expense. This place is just hyped. I am not sure why it as 4.5 stars. I would not give more than 3 stars to this place.