Mehndi: The Art of Indian Dining

Wow! Nice food. I love their drinks and menu too. They do something experimental as compared to the restaurants which is different. For those who love to get a henna tattoo (a dye prepared from a plant and specially used for a body art), they can get it done too. They serve the best food. Only problem is, the adjacent lounge gets too loud and in fact after 9.30 pm you cannot see much crowd too in the restaurant on a week day. This is a concern.

Mehndi is a very hip, nicely decorated Indian Restaurant in the Hyatt Hotel «mall» in Morristown. The décor is interesting and the restaurant feels very clean. The service is also great… our waiter was very kind, helpful, and friendly. The manager checked in on our table and our water was refilled frequently. I went with my parents for a Friday night out and it was very quiet (besides the weird breathy music) and we had a great corner table.
We ordered a few appetizers (samosa, pakora) and several entrees to share (lamb vindaloo, a couple of vegetable dishes, and chicken tikka masala) as well as naan and rice. We requested mild because I have a stomach issue… cannot eat spicy food… am a wuss.
The food was all good and the portions were very large. We are big eaters and still ended up taking some home. The pakora was, in my opinion, the highlite of the meal and I definitely recommend ordering it.
That being said, there was nothing particularly fantastic about this meal… all pretty run of the mill Indian food that you get at every Indian restaurant. I can’t really see myself returning to Mehndi.

Our local standy-​by. Veggie Subz platter is great, onion kulcha, kids love mild Chicken TIkka Masala. Goat pishtawala, too
Please bring back the Chicken Sixty Five. Big miss to drop that from the menu.

Good food, pretty pricey but it’s worth it because of the ambience. Our waiter was a little rude otherwise a perfect spot for team dinners and big groups. Lassi and samosa are must try.

Although the ambiance was great and the food was decent the service is absolutely horrible! The host was not pleasant at all, I had called and made reservations three day in advance yet we still had to wait for our table to be ready even though the restaurant was not full. The waiter was rude, it’s as if they get paid to not smile there. He acted like he was too good for us and did not want to be there. The food was good, however the Bindhi Masala lacked salt all together. When we informed our waiter about it not once did he apologize or seem to care, he look it back to the kitchen and they just added salt on top instead of recooking the entrée all together.
I doesnt matter how good all the other food was, we pay for the service when we go out and if this is the level of service they want to provide I would much rather not go there or recommend it to anyone that we know.

I really wanted to like Mehndi. I love ethnic food and most ethnic restaurants don’t have the most superb ambience. Mehndi feels more upscale, like I can almost justify paying $ 3 for every traditional Indian dish. I’ve been here 3 times and to be honest, I prefer Caffe India. Mehndi is more expensive and less tasty. Both buffet and the standard menu.

Great place for Indian food.
Parking is complimentary as well.
Vijay is a nice waiter and very helpful.
One drawback is the loud music that rolls over from the lounge next door.

Again & Again. A good consistent experience with the taste. highly recommended in surrounding vicinity

First of all, I’m not a huge fan of Indian food, but I have to say every food item on their buffet was absolutely delicious!!! Service was outstanding! Our server, Sam was extremely helpful and friendly. I had 2 full plates of everything. Also if you are vegetarian they have plenty of options! We also had a complimentary dessert ‚(rasmalai), for checking in through Unilocal,and it was OMG to die for. So creamy and delicious! I am definitely going back. They also offer complimentary Henna tattoos every Fridays and Saturdays from 7:30pm onward. Check this place out if you are in the mood for good Northern Indian food!!!

YAAAASSSSS
This place is amazing all the way around.
Originally my friend and I wanted to just check out SM23– the bar which caught my eye due to the eccentric drink menu (e.g grilled pineapple and cracked pepper, Bali sunrise— check out the menu!). When we entered the bar– which is beautiful– it was empty (12:30pm on a Sunday). The very friendly bartender explained that the bar served both the pan– Asian and Indian restaurants connected so we were welcome to check it out.
When entering the Mehndi (Indian) the décor is very warm and ethnic, light Indian music in the background and art on the walls. Our server came up to us and not only introduced himself but shook our hands and got our names. He suggested the buffet being that it was our first time there so we could try a few different things and threw in that it was on 15.00… Ummm yaaahhh!
The buffet was DELICIOUS! There was nothing that either one of us didn’t like. Everything was fresh and the servers did an excellent job of running the restaurant. Another server saw we needed something and tended to it versus us waiting while he found our waiter and have him do it (gold star for team work).
Now the drinks– I love a drink that is out of the box and this place nailed it! I ordered the SM23 mule (prairie vodka, ginger beer, lemon grass syrup, birds eye chili, lemongrass and club soda) and it was a wrap. Love ensued and they officially had me as a loyal customer. My friend ordered her drink (don’t remember the name) but it had quite a strong taste which was drinkable but nothing to write about. A few minutes later, our friendly bartender appeared in the restaurant asking for the drink back (not at our request– completely self initiated). He fixed whatever the drink was supposed to be and the sounds of love were re-​ignited.
The restaurants and bar are located in the Hyatt so you park in the garage and take the elevator upstairs— yes, they validate parking (talk about an all around win). Needless to say, I’ll be back. Oh— in the area but just don’t have time go there… They deliver— take that!
P. s. Complimentary henna tattoo from 7:30 onward on Friday and Saturday nights

We were to Mehendi for dinner. We have been to Ming II earlier and we liked their food. Mehendi and Ming II belong to the same brand & this one serves Indian food. The restaurant inside was pretty big; there was one person there who was continuously doing mehndi/​henna/​tattoo for restaurant customers. The interior was dim and the atmosphere was quite loud. We ordered Machli Koliwada, Gilafi Sheekh Kabab for appetizers and for drinks we ordered Cardamom & Grilled Pineapple Martini and an Asian Cocktail. For entrée we ordered Mutton Handi Lazeez with Rice and Naan. Food was average; I was expecting better tasting menu than what they served.

The restaurant is actually located inside the Hyatt hotel, but parking will be validated by the coat check if you park in the hotel garage. The ambiance of the restaurant is lovely– romantic, dim lighting, exotic, rich colors. The staff was so friendly, from the coat check to the hostess to the waiters. My dinner of tikka masala was reasonably priced and portioned, though the spice left something to be desired; it seems like the chicken is not fully marinated or the seasoning has been subdued to accommodate the American palate. Still, the food was flavorful, the environment was beautiful, and the experience was romantic for our anniversary dinner. I highly recommend it.

I’ve had Chicken Tikka Masala, Baby Goat Masala, and Lamb Chops here. The Lamb Chops were incredible. The Chicken Tikka Masala was very good as well. The baby Goat Masala was a little disappointing, not quite as tender as I expected. Great ambience and food here and I would recommend to anyone. While you wait, grab a cocktail in SM23 lounge — they are excellent as well.

It all started when we came over to Mehndi– they let us wait 15 minutes to be seated. When we went in, the restaurant had plenty of place. Then, we got our samosas– which were frozen on the center. Main dishes where nice, prices were above average Indian restaurants. When I tried to paid my, they actually mixed my card with someone else, and charged me 200 $ instead of 75 $. Also, music was loud and not pleasant.
Never again.

This place has very good Indian cuisine. We shared a variety of entrees one vegetarian, chicken, and lamb. They were all very good and had unique flavors. Their garlic naan is an excellent addition to the meals. Their portions are good sizes which allows sharing and being able to try a variety of dishes.
We shared an pistachio ice cream dessert which was interesting and had texture and topped with rice noodles. I can’t say I’ve ever had anything like it.
The restaurant has a nice ambiance and it is brighter than Ming which can be very dark when eating in. The service was ok yet very impersonal.
I would definitely be back to try other dishes it’s a nice change of pace from the traditional cuisine the rest of morristown has to offer.

1 star for the romantic ambiance
1 star for the free Henna tattoos
Mehndi was a bit difficult to find considering it was inside the hotel. Once we asked a hotel employee for the restaurant, it was than easy to locate. Reservations are held for 15 minutes and we got there just in time, yet the restaurant was half empty. The host made it seem as if we weren’t on time, we would lose our table and boy do I wish we did.
To start, we had the vegetable samosa appetizer which surprisingly came with 3 instead of the normal 2. Quantity over quality did not help this plate. The outer layer was super soft and soggy, while the inside was bland and very flavorless. I ended up just eating half of one since it didn’t put a good taste in mouth. I also noticed other tables getting the free crisp bread with sauces which we never got.
For dinner, we opted for the Aloo Gobhi (cauliflower), a chicken entrée, pea rice, and plain Paratha (wheat bread). Before ordering, I specifically asked the waiter if that Aloo was deep fried, in which he assured that it was. When it arrived, it was just simply sauteed, and when I brought it up to his attention, he said that it is deep fried then sauteed. Whattttt? That was a bold a$$ lie because that doesn’t make sense and you can clearly see there was no batter on the cauliflower to begin with. With that said, it was returned back. The chicken was dry but the sauce had a nice spice and flavor to it. Rice was bland and the Paratha was extremely DRY!
Our waiter had way too many tables to tend to, resulting in crappy service. He only seemed to care for the large parties and ignoring the smaller ones. I left hungry and very pissed off. But thanks to Unilocal,we got a free dessert for checking in. Even my sambuca didn’t come in a snifter like I specified for. nothing went smoothly on this visit.
*Rice is not included with entrees
*Provide free plate of veggies
*Free Henna tattoos
*Validate parking

This is very upscale Indian food, with prices, décor and service to match. What more need I say? The mango shrimp is the best appetizer, but everything I have had here was excellent.
The lunch buffet was good, but diner is relatively much better.

I’ve tried various Indian restaurants in NYC and London, but my favorite is still Mehndi in Morristown. Despite the odd location in the corner of the Hyatt, the food is consistently great. The Murgh Makhani is always really flavorful with just the right amount of spice, as is the Jingha Masala. The rosemary naan is both crispy and soft, and the basmati rice is fluffy and the perfect pairing to any dish with sauce to soak up. I’ve never tried their buffet lunch because I prefer to order off the a la carte menu, but it seems like a popular choice.
I would love to give Mehndi 5 stars because of the food, but the service is not great. I’ve been coming here for years and have the same waiter almost every time. He is unfriendly and has made me and my various guests feel uncomfortable about splitting meals or not ordering dessert. I think this is really inappropriate, but I keep returning because of the amazing food.
Keep in mind that they are closed Mondays! I’ve forgotten this more than once and been very disappointed.

Having eaten here several times, I feel remiss that it has taken me so long to review it. We opted for take-​out last night for my husband’s birthday. It was so yummy.
We enjoyed aloo paratha, rosemary Naan, an okra vegetarian dish, the Murgh tikka masala and Goan curry shrimp. All were delicious. The only drawback is the size of the entrees if you’re sharing them family style. The shrimp dish was all sauce with merely eight small shrimp. So if you’re ordering for a group, you might want to double up on certain dishes.
Overall, the food is just full of flavor, adeptly spiced and served by folks who take pride in their beautiful establishment. Can’t wait to go back and dine in the restaurant itself.

To be fair, the food and waiter service in the restaurant was great at Mehndi. My friends, family and I went for my birthday dinner last night and we had a variety of good food (shrimp curry, lamb kashmiri, palak paneer, goat parda biryani and naan) and drinks. The low rating was due to the reception hostess.
The hostess was rude, snobbish, and full of attitude. I made a reservation for 6 people (5 adults + my 8 month old baby). We walked into the reception area with the stroller, and the first thing she said to me was «By the way, we don’t allow strollers in the restaurant». Really? This is how you greet your customer? This is not the first restaurant we went to that doesn’t let you bring a stroller in, but no need for that attitude. I told them a high chair was fine.
Then after my 2 friends showed up I asked if we could be seated since we have 5 out of 6 of the party. She glanced at me in suspicion — I explained we have 4 adults + my child. Then she said curtly: «Oh, babies don’t count, we don’t count babies». WOW, this is how you talk to your customer with a child? I made reservation including my child because whether he sits in a high chair or in the stroller, he is going to take up a seat space. She didn’t seem to care about my explanation and at that point I was not interested in talking to her anymore.
We did get seated and had a great meal thereafter (and my baby occupied a seat like everyone else and was very well-​behaved). I was NOT pressed with this attitude from the hostess — basically telling me they don’t welcome children /​babies. Yes, this is a nice restaurant, but not THAT nice that screams adults only. I see lots of tables with children and they do offer high chairs. And by the way, when the bill comes, they had no problem adding auto-​gratuity to my bill for a 5-​adult party (which normally applies to party of 6 or more in restaurants). So I guess my baby counted after all. Go figure.
I strongly recommend Mehndi to retrain or replace their reception staff. They are the face of the restaurant and first impression lasts. The rudeness and attitude is doing the good restaurant a disservice.