India Sari Palace

I didn’t have a great experience here. After reading some of the reviews boasting about this place, I decided to take a trip out to Jackson Heights. I was attending a wedding in India that was a week away, and I didn’t think I would have time to get something while I was in India. Upon arriving at the store, I was directed to different personnel to assist me with buying a kurta.
Honestly, I just needed something simple to wear to the wedding, and I wasn’t looking for anything high-​quality. From speaking with my friend in India, he told me that a nice high-​quality kurta should cost around $ 30-​$ 35, so I was hoping to spend much less than that. After explaining to the sales associate that I was going to a wedding in India, he started pulling out the cheapest kurtas which started at around $ 35. Although a little pricier than what I was hoping to spend on something I would wear one time, I reluctantly tried on a few kurtas that were selected for me. Most of the kurtas were cheaply made to the point that some had been already torn at the seams. I returned the kurtas that I had tried on and the sales associate felt compelled to let a huge sigh and not look at me anymore. I spent at most 15 minutes in that store and decided that I would have to make the time to find something in India.
While in Mumbai, I found a gorgeous bright orange kurta for only $ 13. It was high quality, and I was so happy that I didn’t buy anything at India Sari Palace. As a word of advice, I would suggest not to buy anything from here unless you have to (for example, you must attend a wedding that is local).

This place and women are amazing the seamstress did a wonderful job in making the perfectly fit blouse for my sari. They took please and were delighted to fix MY sari… and refused to take a tip instead showered me with hugs and kisses very beautiful women

I walked in and asked about finding a Lehenga. They said they didn’t have them and sent me across the street. I actually ended up buying a dress with thin pants underneath (I don’t know the Indian term) for $ 175. I had been looking forward to ISP because everyone says the prices are so good, and I think I would have found something I liked, but the saleslady really showed no interest. From the reviews, I think there are some really fantastic salespeople here, and a couple of duds.

Ok — so in all honesty this place is probably hit or miss, so probably more like a 3.5… BUT we found my bridesmaids saris that were SOOOOO pretty and CRAZY cheap! Like India prices cheap!
If you have the time and can do the search — or if you’re flexible on what you’re looking for, you can find your item! (It did take a while though… and the people weren’t really that helpful in figuring it out…)

I love Indian fabrics, they are colorful and the prints are vivid.
I was looking for a tailor to make two dresses with the fabrics that I bought in Jaipur, and this store could do it for $ 35 each, which I think is a reasonable price. The dresses came up very pretty. And since really I like the custom made kurti I got in Jaipur, I decided to get one from this store. I like the fabric (cotton and silk) because it’s light, it can be hand washed and dry the next day, also it doesn’t wrinkle. It’s a three pieces set that includes a kurti, a scarf and a pair of pants, all custom made. I could wear them everyday, the fabrics are silky soft.

As a guy, I am giving this place 4 stars because there is some steps in the back of the store where men like myself, weary of wandering the various jewelry and sari shops in the area, can sit down and relax and have a brief respite from following our ladies around all day

Not very friendly service here at all! I came with two friends and they quickly chose their saris but it took me longer. The lady who helped my friends kept pulling out very unattractive saris and got very impatient when I didn’t like any of them. She finally sent me to some coworkers in the front of the store to look at lenghas and they halfheartedly helped me. Then everyone stopped helping, so my friends and I started looking on our own, even though there were about 15 workers there and they were not at all busy. We went to Lavanya across the street (see my review for that store) and had an experience that was 1000% times better!

I bought a sari here a couple of years ago and returned here recently to have a blouse stitched and a lengha altered which I had bought in Edison, NJ. They have a wide selection of saris so I think it is best to go here for saris only.
They said they could have the alterations done in two weeks. I’m not sure if that was negotiable or not, but I wouldn’t count on them for getting it done in time. I received a call from them the day my clothing was scheduled to be finished saying that they would be available the next day. I showed up the next day and they said they meant the alterations would be ready two days after my original date, not the next day. I told them that I could not wait until the next day since I traveled from Manhattan so I had to wait in the area over an hour so that the tailor could deliver my clothing.
The blouse stitched for my sari was perfect. For the lehgha blouse I wanted the sleeves taken off. The tailor left them on and sewed them in such a way that the arm holes were way to small the the sleeves were extremely itchy. He said that the blouse would not lay flat without the sleeves. I cut the sleeves off myself and then sewed the seams back together. The blouse laid perfectly flat so I’m not sure what the tailor thought was the problem.
I still needed an outfit for the mendhi. Two women were helpful. I am petite and there was nothing in my size. I didn’t like anything they initially showed me and then one of the women agreed to show me a few pieces that were in the back that just arrived. I still didn’t like those so I didn’t purchase anymore clothing from there.
I did like their jewelry selection so I ended up buying two sets which were simple and the necklaces were things I would wear again with my regular clothing.
Despite the fact that I bought jewelry here I would highly recommend checking out the many jewelry shops on this block for more variety and possibly better quality.
Something to keep in mind is that all prices are negotiable.

This place is great. They have a nice selection of saris, salwar kameez, and kurtis all for really reasonable prices. They also have a really good tailoring service so any ladies needing to get the sari blouses stitched, this is the place to go. When I had mine done a few years ago, it was only $ 35 which was cheaper than a place I had gone to in CA. Can’t beat that price! Staff is very friendly and helpful, too.

My husband and I drove 3 hours to NYC to get properly outfitted for a friends wedding. We started at another store where they totally ignored us. We then headed to our intended destination if the Indian Saree Palace. What a wonderful experience! We were both outfitted, measured and out the door in an hour. The people there were friendly and very helpful. I don’t know if I’ll ever need another saree but I know where to get it if I do!

Came here to get a sari for my friend’s wedding. I had to walk around to find someone to help me since I had no idea what to buy but the lady was very sweet. I told her I needed a sari for a wedding and she pointed me to the sale rack telling me to pick a few. After finding one I liked and she helped me find a matching skirt and wrapped the sari for me. The blouse was too big on me so they sent me across the street to a tailor who was able to tailor it on the spot (15 minutes, $ 15).
Beautiful fabrics available to make custom saris I assume but felt like off-​the-​rack ones were just as beautiful, especially if you’re a first time owner/​buyer. The sari and skirt were $ 65. Credit card is taken.

This place was great. Me and my fiancé went in to get clothes for an indian wedding. In no more than 30 minutes we got help and found exactly what we wanted. They have a huge selection and good prices. Also they have a separate mens area with guys to help you. This was a big plus for me. Amazing service and great prices.

Super helpful. Mariyamman spent a good hour helping me pick several beautiful items. More than we’d initially thought to buy, but irresistible once I’d seen them. Beautiful selection. And to give an impression of the kindness of the staff: there was a winter storm outside, and when we came in covered in snow and sleet, we appeared to just be taking shelter. The gentleman who greeted us was very kind, and went so far as to ask if we might like some paper towels to dry our hair and faces. No pressure or attitude about us being there. Just hospitable.

The blouse they made me was a bit short. (About 30 dollars to make a saree blouse)
Improper measurements or did I just get fatter? Obviously the first!
However, staff that greets you with a smile.
I’d probably buy one pre-​made next time since they do have a wide selection!

Nice saris but horribly rude people working there. No one offered to help me and when I tried to ask a question was met with a blank stare. Sales people were acting like they couldnt wait for me to leave. Will never go here again.

I came here on a Saturday afternoon with three of my (non-​Indian) bridesmaids to help familiarize them with Indian attire for my upcoming wedding, and find some outfits for the sangeet (rehearsal dinner night).
It took us about 30 mins to get to ISP from the upper east side. The store is a short walk from the E train, and very easy to find. The first thing I noticed was how large and clean the store was. Within seconds the girls had started browsing the racks of the beautiful fabrics. They picked up some options which came with ready made blouses (the blouses also have some very nice work on the sleeves). I asked a woman («aunty») if she would help show the girls how to wear the sarees. She was so sweet and patient as she put all the girls in petticoats, blouses and then the sarees. The aunty also helped train them so they would be able to get the sarees on themselves.
My friends ended up buying beautiful sarees, with blouses, for about $ 35 each (on sale). Petticoats were another $ 7, so in total for about $ 40 they got gorgeous sarees! If you are attending an Indian wedding and want to buy an outfit i would highly recommend ISP and its selection of sarees with ready made blouses. Note that if you just buy the saree without the blouse, it costs about $ 40 for the ISP tailor to make it for you :/​
All in all an excellent experience and I will return to buy future outfits here :)
FYI: We went to a few other shops in the area and walked out of them all very quickly (more expensive, less variety, unhelpful staff, no A/​C).

This place was suggested by the bride of the wedding I was going to and then verified via Unilocal.It really was an easy experience for someone who isn’t from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan etc. to go in and not feel like you were being taken advantage of.
I asked for help finding a wedding sari and they showed me multiple fabrics that started off relatively expensive but when she saw my facial expression she started showing me cheaper ones. I picked one that I like, they did the measurements and I got a pretty well fitting custom blouse approximately 1.5 weeks later. They gave me a sheet on how to wrap a sari which I used along with youtube but I wasn’t getting my pleats right so on the day of the wedding I went in and one of the women actually wrapped it for me.
Everyone was nice and understanding and I had a positive non pushy experience. And my friend who also got her sari from here also got a compliment at the wedding. Holla! Westerners wearing saris. and at least we wore them right!

The fabric was old style, nothing really nice. The sales lady was rude, trying to push to us whatever she thought was appropriate for a wedding, not what we said we were looking for. She had the guts to make a face and give me a nasty look and saying what I liked was bad and what I disliked was what I should have liked! Then, after reluctantly showing us 2 or 3 fabrics, she said we should first decide the style, the color and the price before «wasting her time». Ha, that is funny. Excuse me lady, sorry if I am making you work a little bit but this is my wedding and I am not about to go with the first thing I see just because you are too lazy to do your job well… I will first look at what you have and then tell you what I like and what I don’t, if I like it a lot, my budget might go up, if I don’t then I don’t want to spend much on it.
So we just crossed the street and bought a beautiful lehenga and matching jewelry at Lavanya, where Suman was a pleasure to deal with!

Great place, great people, great prices!
Not knowing that sometimes the tops to some sari styles have to be custom made, I waited until the last minute to buy one. With only two days before my friend’s wedding and with a limited budget I went to India Sari Palace because of the great things I read on Unilocal.
It’s all true, this is a wonderful place. The sales people are patient and kind. They helped me find a beautiful sari within my price range with a top that didn’t have to be custom made yet fits perfectly. The prices for a sari and menswear range from $ 45 & up. They also helped me pick out a «kurta (?)» for my husband that matches my sari and was also very affordable. All of this was a really quick & pleasant experience. This is a wonderful store. I will definitely shop there again.

My experiences here basically embody why I love Unilocal.I’m attending an Indian wedding and knew that Jackson Heights was the correct direction to run. However, that’s about all I knew. After a few minutes of a Unilocal and a Google search, my path was clear: India Sari Palace.
I made the initial trek to Jackson Heights on day after work. India Sari Palace is a beacon of calm on 74^th Street, jammed with Indian clothiers, jewelers, and restaurants.
The staff here in fantastic and patient, especially if you’re not quite sure what you need. I knew that I needed a sari and possibly a salwar kameez, but that was about it. The first woman to help me started showing me sari options and I settled on the third one quite quickly. It’s stunning. I’m sure that there are cheaper options in the store, but this is perfect and you couldn’t pry me away from my choice. They called the tailor in to measure my chest for the sari shirt. When she (through another staff person acting as the interpreter) asked my opinion on cut), I simply deferred to them. The whole thing was quite reasonable and I was able to negotiate $ 10.00 off (and again, I know that there are cheaper options in the store… as well as more expensive ones).
I toyed with getting a salwar kameez for the festivities the day before the wedding and had almost settled on one. However, I couldn’t justify the additional expense when I wasn’t so in love with even the favorite option I’d chosen in the store. However, had I bought one, it would have been here. Unlike the other stores that line 74^th, India Sari Palace does not sell ready to wear salwar kameezes. They have fabric sets and will build one for you. I will also say that the options there are calmer and less gaudy than the ready to wear ones for sale up and down the street. When I ultimately decided to just get the sari, they didn’t pressure me otherwise or seem to mind.
The gentleman who checked me out was friendly, asking about the wedding and answering my questions. He’d been the one that spoke with me on the phone a few days prior, ensuring that they were indeed the place to come. They’ve been in business over twenty years (and he’s worked there that long too), and rightfully so.
Today was the appointed day to head back and pick up the sari shirt. They’d sent me home with the actual wrap (and petticoat, the secret to making the wrap part work) earlier in the week. I brought those back with me to take the women up on their promise to show me how to wrap it (though they do send you home with an instruction sheet with illustrations as well). When I arrived, I tried on the shirt and it was almost perfect. They sent me off a block away with the tailor, who quickly made the adjustment. And I headed back for my lesson. The wrapping is actually easier than it looks and the woman who helped me today also pinned the folded area for me, ensuring an easier time getting dressed before the wedding. It’s gorgeous. I literally gasped when I saw myself.
If you’re Indian in NYC, I’m sure you know India Sari Palace already… and with good reason. But if you’re like me and find yourself in need one day, this is the place to go for attentive service, accessible prices, and stunning sari options. I actually kind of wish I’d have an excuse to go back after my excellent experience here. And thank you previous Unilocal-​ers; you didn’t steer me wrong!