Tamarind

After a recommendation from my colleague, my husband and I decided to have my birthday dinner here. At first glance the restaurant looks great. Wonderful ambiance, high ceilings, dim lighting, white tablecloths, and a full bar.
We ordered tamarind margaritas as we waited for our table and they were definitely an innovative Indian spin on margaritas. It tasted good, but combination of tamarind and tequila ended up being unsettling on my stomach.
We were seated promptly there after. Our server, I have to say, was quite terrible. He ended up ruining the evening for us. He was rude, inattentive and appeared racist. It was astonishing how blatantly he neglected our table while he was so attentive to ones adjacent to us. He failed to give us the specials and we found out from overhearing other tables. He took our order and disappeared for the entire duration. After the entrée he presented himself again and didn’t bother offering dessert till we asked. Total fail!
When we got our bill my husband pointed out that he had forgotten to charge us for the drinks from the bar. Showing no gratitude whatsoever he added them to the bill, and we later found out that our card was charged twice. This took a couple phone calls and they ended up fixing it after a week or so. I regret tipping this man, and wish we had requested another server.
In terms of food, the lamb and cauliflower specials were delicious. Lamb was perfectly cooked, tender, seasoned well and probably the best we’ve ever had. The cauliflower was the right amount of crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Rest of the food was good as well, but average. The mango ice cream cheesecake dessert special was delicious!
Overall, wonderful ambiance, horrible server, delicious specials, average drinks. Probably go back for the food as long as I am not celebrating a special occasion and request another server.

Restaurant week 2016!
Side note: I prayed to the heavens that this goes better than my Le Cirque dinner (go check that out) and it did!!!
I felt this is more of a 3.5 stars so I rounded up.
Came here Sunday January 31, 2016 at 12:45pm for a reservation of 3. Our party arrived late so I had myself a drink. The ultimate Maharaji, pretty interesting combination of vodka, 2 liqueurs and herbs.
Eventually we were all seated. The place looks amazing.
Appetizers
2 karara jhinga (about 3 shrimps in a bright red chili sauce, pretty good coming from someone that doesn’t eat shrimp)
1 gushtaba (very tender. Delicious. Absolutely love the fennel sauce)
Entrees
Everyone picked the ghosht hara masala. I thought it could be a little more tender but overall I would have been content eating a plate of that with the kalonji nan (that nan was awesome)
The other three seperate choices was follow:
Manglorean fish curry, nice peice of halibut.
Kalmi murgh, basically spiced grilled chicken
Hare gobi ka saag, kinda reminded me of mash potatoes but green.
Dessert
2 ginger caramel crème brule (crème brule on top and ginger sauce on the bottom. Pretty good)
1 blackforest cake (was ok)
So in general, the food plate size were small and the amount of spice used was on the moderate side for an Indian restaurant. I still enjoyed it and would like to come back for. Another round of nan and probably goat or lamb there.
Happy dining everyone.

Bottom Line: VERY Americanized Indian Food.
All our Main dishes (both meat and veggie) looked great, but tasted, well, BORING. The flavors were DEAD.
As a person of Indian descent who was born & raised in America I have a much more refined/​experienced palate for Indian food (though I shamefully cannot handle much spice), but in my honest opinion: there are far better and much cheaper restaurants to go to if you want to enjoy FOOD.
If you’re going for the ambiance, this place is good. EXCELLENT service.

We went for lunch and this is my opinion on the place.
When you enter in a restaurant and you note that a good number of the customers are of the same ethnicity of the foods served you know that you are on the right place. Well that is the emotion of when you step on Tamarind. The atmosphere is very nice, elegant and relaxing; the food are «the real thing».

My husband and I visited for Restaurant Week as we love Indian food and miss it so much since moving to NYC from London. We loved the food and feel it is the best Indian food we have discovered in the city.
We went for Sunday brunch, you have a choice of appetizer, 2 curries and a dessert. Rice, a vegetable side dish and naan bread is part of the deal, which we shared.
The presentation of the dishes was very appealing. I chose the Gushtaba (Kashmiri lamb) to start and my husband had the Karara jhinga (shrimp). My dish was delicious, the meat was well flavored and went great with the sauce. My husband LOVED his shrimp! He said if he could have had a whole curry like that he would have been happy.
For our curries I chose the Kalmi Murgh (chicken) and Hare Gobi Ka Saag (veg saag type curry) and my husband had the Ghosht Hara Masala (tandoori lamb) and Manglorean fish curry (halibut). The winner was definitely the Lamb. It was tender, full of flavor, just amazing. I enjoyed my saag curry, but wasn’t a huge fan of the chicken, I would probably advise to give that a miss. It was a small piece of chicken, with a strange texture and not a huge amount of flavor. Out of the 4 curries it was my least favorite. The halibut was also good, with a decent sauce.
I was so happy that the naan bread was actually authentic naan, it was so good! It was fluffy and you could just tear it apart. It was very good. As was the vegetable side dish, which was potatoes and peas in a sauce.
The dessert was very small (Blackforest Cake), but we didn’t even feel it was needed after such a great meal, so it was no big deal.
We came away feeling very satisfied with our meal and planning our return. We enjoyed the food and it was great value compared to other Indian restaurants we have tried. We plan to order the lamb curries when we go back.

I used to think Junoon was the best Indian in NYC but Tamarind defiantly tops it food wise. Décor was okay, not as fancy as Junoon but okay. Service is top notch. Drinks are on point as well. Overall I feel Tamarind is the better choice, especially if you’re looking for good quality food.

Coming from an Indian person. Hear ye, hear ye, thy unbrown person. There are two types of Indian restaurants in America–
1. Indian food for non-​Indian people:
Great décor, spacious, pricy, with a small menu of items described in great detail. Kofta becomes «vegetable balls» and the desserts arent Indian, perhaps merely to spare them the difficulty of describing them.
2. Indian food for Indian people:
The spice is strong, the service is questionable. The waiters are of Indian origin and will have a hard time understanding you. A chicken tikka masala shalt not go by any other name.
This is a strong type 1. The fact that everyone here for Sunday brunch besides us wasn’t Indian is telling enough. We’d come here for winter restaurant week 2016 which promised us a $ 25 brunch. Excited by the fact that not one, but two entrees were promised, we thought it was a decent deal.
It wasn’t. Lies. Lies and deceit I tell you. Alas, we discover that $ 25 is no special price, but the price of their regular weekend brunch. Marketing at its finest. And lo and behold, two entrees isn’t the two Indian sized grandiose bowls of spicy ambrosia, but two minuscule portions of curry served alongside a soulcycler’s portion of rice. If only the luxurious décor could fill the rest our stomachs. I exaggerate slightly, but let’s talk taste.
Type 1 Indian food to the core. The portions small, the flavors mild. They were kind enough, I will say, to bring us complimentary pakora [sic]. That is pakora in the singular for they brought us one measly soggy onion pakora. The lamb appetizer was undercooked and almost mistakenly doused with saunf. When recipes are perfected for centuries, one does not simply add a random ingredient. The shrimp appetizer was decent though, I’ll admit. Calling the main courses lackluster, would be an insult to the word. The meats — chicken and lamb were horribly undercooked. The fish, edible. The kofta, or «veggie balls» as the menu would say, were decent too. Let me tell you something about palak paneer. Palak is spinach, not kale. I repeat, spinach not kale. You cannot simply substitute the age old green leaf of popeye with your next trending health item. Not cool, bro. And those two entrees, like I said, are misnomers. They were appetizer sized.
Onto dessert. The Black Forest cake and the crème brûlée weren’t bad per se, although it would be equally strange to see Gulab Jamun and Rasmalai for dessert at a French restaurant. One thing Michelin raters look for in food is consistency between different dining experiences. Granted this is hard. One would at least expect consistency within the same dining experience. Two crème brûlées. One deftly torched on top, was served to my friend. The one served to me, raw. Alright, the best of us make mistakes, one might think. After taking a bite, I politely asked the waitress why the brûlée wasn’t torched. I didn’t ask for custard. When you’re laying $ 30 for a meal you expect an apology and a replacement. This isn’t pocket change. Instead, she asks «oh, you like your crème brûlée toasted?». I was a tad aghast. Why don’t you serve me some dough and tomatoes and ask «you like your pizza made?». «Duh». Without apologizing, she takes my dish away promising to return swiftly. As she does. I found peace in the knowledge that this grave error would soon be rectified by a new piece of tiny, yet sumptuous new torched crème brûlée. Nope, they torched over my half eaten wow.
This meal was forgetful, and for a post blizzard New York brunch that we all travelled a ways to get to, downright disappointing. Not to mention more expensive than was warranted. Tamarind once had a Michelin star, a star it has lost not without reason. Lest you’re craving the sanctity of a completely counterfeit white-​washed meal where the dining tables are more expensive than a months rent, go to Curry Hill and grab yourself some real desi food. Amen.

**Restaurant Week Winter 2015 review — LUNCH**
Took a bit of a break from work and came to Tamarind for a relaxing lunch with a girlfriend. I’ve been meaning to try this place out and was glad to have been able to trek it over to Tribeca.
The décor here is really nice — modern and fancy (as are the bathrooms!). There is also a ton of natural light, which I love.
The service here was impeccable. I didn’t get our waiter’s name, but he was so friendly and actually quite hilarious. Loved him! Patrons are served well here, as well as any fine dining establishment. I did find it interesting that the owner came out and talked to the table of two ladies next to us, but only looked at us and walked away, though we were the only two tables in the entire dining area — what’s up with that?
For $ 25, the RW menu gave you a choice of 1 appetizer, TWO choices of entrees* (whoopeeee!!!), and a dessert. *Note: you don’t actually get two massive entrees, but rather two little entrees.
Pre-​appetizer: a tiny potato samosa with mint chutney!
Appetizer: Karara Jhinga — a sauteed shrimp dish with the MOST amazing spicy chili sauce ever. Probably one of the best shrimp dishes I have ever had in my life, actually. Definitely get this.
Entrees: Tandoori lamb and halibut fish curry. I loved the lamb — it was cooked to perfection, was still pink inside, and was rubbed with delicious spices. Love love love. The fish curry was a little more underwhelming as I felt like the fish hadn’t soaked in enough flavor and was lacking in salt and spice. The entrees came with perfect naan and a side of basmati rice and a small little salad.
Dessert: the black forest cake, you can probably pass on. It’s a tiny petit fours-​sized piece anyways. DO get the amazing ginger caramel crème brûlée — I could have eaten so much more of that.
Overall, an excellent choice of lunch for Restaurant Week. It does look like they have a usual executive lunch for $ 25 that serves similar items.

I’ve been looking forward to trying Tamarind Tribeca for some time now… and finally had a chance to go for dinner last night. Unfortunately this restaurant was quite disappointing.
Let’s start off with the good: the ambiance and décor are great. The restaurant is beautifully decorated, open and airy.
Everything else is pretty much downhill from there.
Service: Not on par with a restaurant of this caliber. Our server took our order and we didn’t see him again until he asked if wanted dessert. He didn’t bother to let us know there were specials (I only found out when I heard him telling an adjacent table). He asked if we had dietary restrictions but wasn’t very accommodating when I asked if they could just hold the yogurt off one of the appetizers. Maybe he was just having a bad day, who knows?
Food: Overall disappointing.
– Chili crab — didn’t taste very fresh… I wouldn’t recommend this dish.
– Tamarind Scallops — the best thing I had all night! Beautiful presentation.
– Seekh Kabob — my brother ate this entire dish so I assume he liked it. I can’t comment as I don’t eat lamb.
– Chicken Biryani — again I don’t eat meat but didn’t hear any complaints from my brother.
– Chana Pindi — After one bite of this dish my mouth was on fire… I simply couldn’t eat it. Had the dish contained pomegranates (as indicated on the menu) the spice factor probably would have been manageable. Since our waiter was nowhere to be found I couldn’t do anything until the end of the meal, when he offered to remake the dish at a mild spice level. At that point we were done so I declined. He didn’t take this $ 20 dish off the bill though, which would have been the right thing to do as it would inedible.
I read that Tamarind Tribeca no longer has a Michelin star. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is true because I can experience better food and better service, with far more reasonable price points, at about a dozen Indian restaurants in the city.
I won’t be returning.

Large and spacious, this restaurant makes you realize that not all Indian is found in tiny corner delis turned into restaurants in Curry Hill. At Tamarind you’ll get more than authentic food and leg room, you’ll get A+ service and perfectly played entrees when you share.
The number one crowd pleaser among our group was a variation of ground lamb burgers. Everyone was wishing for more of that!

First things first: it’s not truly 100% authentic Indian food. If you want that, go to Jackson Heights.
However, if you want high-​quality Indian food with amazing service and beautiful décor, this is your place. Every single thing about this restaurant is on point. The décor gets you as soon as you step in — a lot of natural wood everywhere, a lot of natural light in the restaurant, and elegant white linens. And of course, tons of Indian statues/​sculptures. The bathrooms were ridiculous. There are five unisex bathrooms, all of which smelled amazing, were super clean, and were decorated impeccably with great attention to detail. E.g. they even have paper towels that have the «Tamarind» logo printed on them (WTF!)
The owner of this restaurant seems super involved with the operation of the restaurant and greeted me as soon as I walked in. As I left he inquired about my experience and invited me back again. This sets the tone for the type of service you’ll get here. Service was prompt, my water glass was never empty, my plates were cleared instantly, and waiters were extremely pleasant.
I came during restaurant week without even knowing it was restaurant week so I was pleasantly surprised to see a three course menu offering for $ 25 dollars. Even otherwise I’d have gladly paid the prices on the menu for the food — it was all delicious. I had a shrimp appetizer (kharara jhinga), which was perfectly seasoned and mildly spicy. For the entrée (you pick two), I had the kalmi murgh and a soya paneer dish… both excellent. For dessert I chose the blackforest cake, which was good, but I think the ginger crème brûlée my friend ordered was better.
Presentation of all these dishes is unbelievable. I almost pinched myself when I saw the check come out to 60-​something dollars for two people to eat a three-​course meal and get two pots of tea. Indian fine dining is hit or miss but this place is perfection!

I’ve been to Tamarind several times and it never disappoints. Even when my family visits from out of town they ask to go again. In remarks on the authenticity, if you’ve had Indian food in India and other places you would know that it varies depending on the region. This place is authentic just depends on what you’re used to! I always get the Murh Kolhapuri — delicious!
Also– the owner is always the friendliest and the entire staff tries to make sure you’re served well.

Amazing! Went for dinner the other night and it was spectacular.
You are greeted by the owner at the door… and the contact with staff is constant through your meal. I would have to say that there is about 1 waiter/​waitress per two tables. You’re never left without water and you are never left waiting and wondering about your next course. Service here is impeccable.
Décor…it’s simple, clean and upscale. Very elegantly done.
Food…just fabulous. You can order the more traditional Indian dishes or you could go with something Indian-​esque. Either way you will be pleasantly surprised. For an appetizer you need to go with the Duck (it’s the only duck on the menu) and then this Spinach patty thing… SO GOOD. Then main course… go with the Lamb. Lamb anything and the Lemon Rice (I just have a sever affinity for Lemon Rice). Their lamb is so tender and just cooked amazingly. For desert try the cardamon crème brule… it sounds odd but it’s not. It compliments so well. It’s great.
Love this place would come back in a heart beat. everything was perfection!

Great venue very plush, the food is well balanced and tasty the portions are a little on the large side if your having a starter, by the end of the meal you know you’ve been fed as we felt so full.
The service is also very good and owner was on hand greeting and meeting when we arrived which is a nice touch, the experience was very nice the only complaint I have if you can call it a complaint !!! is well expensive for what is curry and rice well presented and show cased on nice plates. i had the scallop’s which were fantastic and the the lamb shank which was a task to finish but very tasty my wife had the spinach cakes for a starter then the chicken tikka which was nice but a little powdery tasting but all in all worth a try.

Came here for a dinner date and was a bit leary of how fancy it was… Usually Indian restaurants with white take cloths are already a red flag but this was very elegant.
We had a reservation for 8:30pm but waited at the bar until the table was available.
When we were seated we were served a small potato appetizer. The menu had so many delicious choices I didn’t even know where to start. Our waiter made some awesome reco’s for us.
We started with the bataki kosha which was like an Indian style giant duck egg roll. To me, this dish was pretty good but not spicy or juicy. The other starter was the shrimp in coconut sauce kolambi pola. The sauce was delicious.
For entrees we got the lamb chops and a white creamy chicken dish (can’t remember which one it was). Both were delicious.
Overall service was very strong, food was flavorful and filling, décor was lovely.
I would give this place a 4.5 star, really excellent experience, can’t wait to go back.

Been to Tamarind 2 times over the past 2 years. The first time I visited was in Summer 2015, and I was completely amazed and happy with the food. This was also the year Tamarind had a michelin star to it.
I again visited Tamarind a few weeks back, and I found there was a reason it lost the Michelin star. The quality of the food seems to have moved down a notch. We had the coconuts prawns, and they were out of the world. But the chicken entrée was just a meh, considering the price it costs. I got the mango martini, and was about ordinary to good. The chicken biryani was very well done, and was totally flavorful and delicious. I hope Tamarind moves up a notch, and get that Michelin star which it is capable of acquiring.

The only reason I can’t give this 5 stars is because it is really pricey and you can get Indian food of this same quality for cheaper in many many places throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn.
It was delicious. Don’t get me wrong. Absolutely delicious. But for the prices, the service was kind of slow. We were able to make reservations, which was nice, but while my boyfriend and I were waiting for his parents to join us, we had a drink at the bar. We intended on transferring it to our main check and paying for everything together, but then were told we couldn’t do that (I’ve done that many times at many other restaurants). Once we got the check, the drinks we ordered from the bar that we were told could absolutely not be transferred to our main check, were right there on the top. We felt pretty lied to and while they corrected the error, don’t lie to customers. Just say you would prefer for us to pay for our drinks at the bar. It is probably for the sake of the bartenders so that they still get tipped, which we would have done if we transferred the drink bill anyway.
The ambiance was great, but the portions aren’t that big for the price, and while everything was delicious, there are many other delicious Indian restaurants that have better service and just as delicious food. Check it out, but save it for a special occasion.

Exceptional haute Indian cuisine in a delightful dining area of expansive space and at same time of intimacy.
The food is not only richly Indian with tikka masalas, biryani, tandoori and other delightfully fragrant dishes, it is beautifully plated.
Corine was our server and knowledgable in all areas to suggest and guide.
We opted for a wonderful rose veuve clicquot and skipped the amazing desserts instead sharing 4 appetizers and 3 mains along with garlic naan and basmati.
I could not finish my Dahl nor could my daughter her tikka masala but my eldest polished off her sea bass without a pause.
I come here often as the place attracts me magnetically.

Actually 4.5 (considering the fact that it is not the best ambience for 1 michelin star though the food makes it 5stara). I think his is hands down the best indian food I have had in a restaurant. I always dislike indian restaurants but had heard so much about tamarind so had to give it a shot. We got the raj kachori and hara bhara kabab for appetizers. The kabab was absolutely delicious and melt in the mouth. For the main course, we got the kofta (lotus root kofta) and paneer and lamb vindaloo. The lamb vindaloo was out of the world (as reviewed by people who ate it). I thought they were he bestmade koftas i had, the perfect texture.
A surprising twist was the truffle naan, i wanted to try it but was skeptical about clashing flavors. However I would say it went really well with all the food. Tamarind margharita was good, nice balance of sweet and sour and gave a really good kick later on ;).
Would definitely return to try the white chocolate and fennel dessert.

My co-​worker recommended Indian food after a long, seemingly endless night of work. Needless to say, this idea did not sit well with me. After countless back and forth offers and counteroffers (for venue), we consulted with other employees who gave their input for places to try. After 30 minutes of intensive debate in a team room, I reluctantly agreed, and set off on our journey for Indian food — at Tamarind.
(Disclaimer: Now, as Unilocalers, you can see (or should know) that I rarely, if ever, hand out 5 star reviews but when I do … you can guarantee something was right with the restaurant!)
As we approached the restaurant, my eyes shifted from end to end, pondering the level of Tamarind on a Unilocal scale. I opted to Unilocal first, Google second. W-​O-​W. Tamarind was a former Michelin Star holder, a highly rated restaurant on Unilocal,and from the looks of the packed patrons, long queue of hungry food go-​ers, and interior (employees and décor) — this was going to be an amazing venue.
The service was phenomenal. My colleague and I decided that, since we were in the ‘Big Time,’ it would only be appropriate for the two fellas to go ‘all out.’ Our food (in the order they came out) went from…
Chicken nan — fluffy, light, and filled with chicken, these delectable delights came with a side of Indian ‘goat cheese’? Nevertheless, delicious!
Tamarind scallops — pan-​seared, turmeric, garam masala, poppy seeds, lemon juice — these had a bit of a kick but were ab-​so-​LUTELY perfect. From the cooking technique, to the quality itself. Wow.
Nizami keema — ground lamb, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, lemon zest, and nan pao! This dish was beautiful crafted, and held a tantalizing dance once consumed. Delicious.
The main entrée, tamarind mix grill! Comprised of lamb chops, shrimp, tandoori chicken, tulsi kabab, Punjabi tikhe, and black lentils. The dish also came with additional, hot and fluffy nan. After consuming the amount of nan, and the delicious preceding dishes — I almost tapped out… ALMOST.
All in all, this restaurant is definitely in a worthy league of a Michelin Star. It’s unfortunate they didn’t retain the star, because everything was absolutely phenomenal. Bravo!

Von den vier Sternen fuer das wirklich bemerkenswert gute Essen ziehe ich zwei ab wegen der unertraeglichen Lautstaerke.
Wir waren an einem Freitagabend da und spaetestens als gegen 20h der (grosse) Saal richtig voll war, war an jedwede Art von Unterhaltung an unserem Sechser-​Tisch nicht mehr zu denken. Dies lag uebrigens nicht daran, dass sich die anderen Gaeste von sich aus laut unterhalten haetten. Nein, die Raumakustik ist einfach eine Katastrophe und erzwingt eine schreiende Kommunikation.
Was mich so aergert ist die augenscheinliche Tatsache, dass mit dem Tamarind SoHo richtig Geld verdient wird und von daher Geld fuer eine signifikante Verbesserung der Akustik vorhanden waere.
Das Preis-​Leistungsverhaeltnis ist uebrigens nicht schlecht. Was man wiederum von der Arbeit der Keller nicht unbedingt sagen kann, denn diese wirkte doch recht laierhaft und improvisiert.
Also: Nein, keine Empfehlung aufgrund des Laerms sonst vier Sterne wg. Qualitaet und Preiswuerdigkeit. Wir kommen nicht wieder, denn es gibt Besseres.
Ach, ja: interessante Cocktails !

Beautiful dining room and excellent service! We had a long luxurious lunch on Sunday next to a table of 12 teenagers celebrating a birthday. At first I though we were going to have a problem but the staff managed the birthday party beautifully and they were delightful dining neighbors. The prix-​fix lunch is a shockingly great deal and allowed us to order an even more decadent bottle of wine than is usual for a Sunday afternoon!
Great all around!