Dawat

Dawat has great food and nice atmosphere and service. Dawat's most outstanding feature is the incredible size of their $15-18 lunch specials for take-out or delivery. They pack around 8-10 different items in your to-go bag, totaling around 5+ pounds of mostly delicious food. Honestly, I laughed out loud once I realized it was not a mistake. I usually have no problem finishing an entire large pizza in one sitting, but I have never finished more than half of one lunch special at Dawat. You could split one meal with another person and you'd still have leftovers. Thus, Dawat is one of the best lunch values out there for take-out/delivery.

The food was good. The service was fine, if a bit skittish (are they afraid of their customers? -- every time they cleared a plate, they looked embarrassed -- like a puppy who had an accident and is scared to be hit -- odd.) But what drives me to write a review is their strange definition of "tasting menu." We ordered the most elaborate ($75), which we were told would be 7-9 courses, depending on the chef. The first course came out -- a little shrimp in a fiery sauce, and was an indicator for a lovely progression of perfect bites... or so we thought. The next course was a lamb chop, a samosa, a fritter, and a whole chicken breast -- a bit strange for a "tasting menu." But the entree was the shocker. Instead of pacing the courses, they brought 5 dishes, nan, rice, and raita all at once! Our table was overloaded. If we had known that was the system, we would have ordered from the menu, and chosen our own smoorgasbord! Truly strange. I'm still confused.

my friend recommended dawat so i ordered the tandoori chicken and it was amazing. tonight i tried the restaurant tonight and it was the best indian place ever. the mixed tandoori plate was flavorful and juicy. the curry impressive. but i was most amazed by the service. i would definitely recommend it.

Dawat means feast. When you go in a group, it is a real feast and treat. Once you tell them your taste, they adjust spice content . The selection and taste of food is excellent. We take my corporate clients and guests to this place and order food for guest lunch in the office. Always exceeds expectations.

If you try the 60 or 70 dollar/person menu where they just keep bringing you lots of different dishes you will definitely want to come back and eat there again. It is my favorite Indian restaurant in the city, and I eat a lot of Indian food. The service is great too. I can't fathom all of the bad reviews because I swear by this place and recommend it to everyone I know.

Went during restaurant week 2008, but we decided to order off the menu instead. Totally different, and better than the standard north indian fare at most joints in NYC. Pricey, but worth the splurge.

Went here despite the bad reviews listed on this site - but the food was excellent and so was our waiter. Sat in the back and got to watch one of the chefs cooking meats. The food was great, liked the okra, samosas, and restaurant week dinners - very delicious. My friend and I agreed that we would come back when it wasn't restaurant week - but not any time soon ( as we are poor college students!)