Dawat

In NYC there are many many Indian places.... Dawat is on my top 5.

I live very close to Dawat and even though it has Chola and Yuva on the same block.. Dawat stands out by itself. The food is amazing and the service is great. My GF and i always switch up between Dawat and Bukhara Grill on 49th as she lives by it. Dawat is deff worth the money

Pros: food

Posted 02/16/09

Everything about this place was great.... the location near to the 4/5/6 train line, as well as N/R/W.
I shared a few indian dishes with my friend... we tried a few rice curries, coconut pakori, chicken tikka massala...
all in all great food and service!

Pros: great indian

Posted 10/28/08

I went here for restauarnt week 2008. I didn't even order from the prix fix menu, BUT my order was the same size as the prix fixed menu's. I know bc my friends order the same dish as me, but i ordered the entree, but all came in a small bowl. I was VERY disappointed. The food was pricey, i had one entree my friends had the prix fixed, each of us paid $45 each. It was crazy!! I didn't even have dessert. By the way, we ate at this restaurant for almost 3 hours. The service was terrible, it took forever to get the dessert & the check. If you have a lot of time and like small portions, this place is great for you. By the way, the food wasn't bad.

Pros: average indian food

Cons: bad service, small portions

Posted 02/15/08

I went here for restaurant week, the portions were really small and pretty average to me, though the atmosphere and service is what you pay for. I would recommend for a romantic dinner.

Pros: Atmosphere

Cons: Price slightly high

Posted 01/30/08

I went here on a date the other night and the staff was nothing but rude to me! They were outwardly friendly to my date, but were extremely rude to me! They took to ignoring me, asking how HIS food was but not mine, snatching the menu from my hands, and giving me absolutely distasteful stares! It ruined the whole experience!
The food, however, was great, and it would be the ONLY reason why I would reccommend this restaurant.
They do, however, need to update their decor. It is severely lacking, and there is little to no ambience.

Pros: GREAT food

Cons: Lacking ambience, and rude staff

Posted 09/07/07

I went to Dawat with a bunch of my friends for my friends birthday. It was very busy good thing we made a reservation. the sevice and food were both good. 4/5 the place was a bit tight but. other then that its the best out of the other 3 indian on 58th street.

Posted 07/11/07

My experience here at Dawat was exceptional. Try their chat its awesome. Their lamb off the bone is good and its well done. I specially like their species and chef is great. Vinny the manager is a seasonaed professional ask for him, he took care of me.

Pros: free parking and ample elbo room

Cons: make your reservation as they are buys

Posted 07/02/07

Dawat is the best tradtional Indian restaurant in the city. The food here is not creative or interesting, but it tastes very good. The service is attentive and professional. I always order the tasting menu, so it takes a long time to be served, but I always come away pleased. The only downside is the decor. The room is essentially all white, with Indian masks on the walls. The masks are illuminated by the lighting. It is like eating dinner in an upscale Indian art gallery, which does not reflect the luxury of eating at such a fine (and pricy) restaurant.

Pros: Fantastic Traditional Indian Food, Gracious Service

Cons: Subpar Decor

Posted 07/01/07

Last week, I had the best Indian food I have ever had. Excellent service, outstanding food, worth every penny. Far better than any Indian restaurant that I have ever dined at. Highly recommended.

Posted 06/24/07

Wow, this place was great. Hubby and I were craving indian food, and we were STARVING. Loved the coconut shrimp (konju pappas) and the chicken/spinache dish (dhaniwal korma). Make sure to get rice and bread, since it doesn't come with the meal. We also enjoyed the dahi allo poori as an appetizer wich we thought should be called"indian nachos". We will definitely be back even though it is a bit higher priced than other indian joints. The front of the resteraunt is a bit lacking in ambiance...quite plain, but who cares when the food is that good?!

Pros: amazing indian food

Cons: atmoshphere could be improved upon

Posted 05/20/07

The restaurant looks great, but I didn't find the food to be worth the price. Nothing tasted bad, in particular, but I can honestly say I've had far better Indian in the city for much less. There was nothing here that fit the concept of "Haute Indian Cuisine" (whatever that's supposed to be). It was Curry in a Hurry on fine china with nice tablecloths. The best dishes we had were Chicken Tikka Masala and Chicken Tikka Naan (appetizer), which can be done well just about anywhere. Otherwise, a fairly dissappointing experience.

Pros: Chicken Tikka Naan, Chicken Tikka Masala.

Cons: Far too pricey for what's offered.

Posted 12/28/06

Last saturday, we went to Dowat for Dinner. The place was busy and bustling with activity . After a short wait, I was escorted to our table by the hostess, who was pleasant, courteous and polite. The waiter who attended on our table was friendly and knowledgeable he recommended to us seafood, chicken and lamb dishes which was well liked by all of us at the table. The food was great and the staff was attendtive and friendly . We had a great time.

Pros: Good food with service to match

Posted 12/08/06

Our office crowd wanted to try our ethnic food and we decided on indian cuisine. A colleague suggested Dawat as the very best and that's how we landed at Dawat. We were happy with our choice ... Right from the time we were welcomed by the hostess. To the time we were seen off after dinner ... at every step we had a good experience Though the decor is a bit plain but the food is amazing and the service is gracious. It is definetely amongst the best indian reasturant in New York.

Pros: Excellent Service

Posted 12/08/06

Reservations mean nothing at this delectable Indian restaurant.
We made our reservations a week in advance. However, although the restaurant is wonderful at taking reservations, not so great about HOLDING them.

It was a zoo on Saturday night, with dozens of people (all with reservations!) waiting. It looks like they overbook considerably. People arriving after us - admitting to the hostess that they are half-an-hour late - giving her hugs - got seated prior to people who had arrived in time! And no apology or explanation.

They keep telling you - it'll be a FEW more minutes - and you're next. A few minutes turned to 45 minutes. And only after we lost our cool, did they finally seat us.

I can understand that restaurants can be busy. But they should not be overbooking, and should also have the decency on telling you how long the wait will be. Also, they should not be discriminating on who they choose to seat first - people arriving first for their reservations should be seated first.

The only reason I give this restaurant an avg rating is that the food was good. But our mood was spoiled due to the lack of professionalism shown.

If you really want to go - avoid Fri, Sat nights.

Pros: Food

Cons: Discriminating hostess, No respect for reservations

Posted 12/03/06

I ate here on a Saturday night and found the meal to be quite enjoyable. To me, its always a great sign when I walk into an Indian restaurant and there are Indians enjoying meals at other tables, so this was the first clue that this place was the real deal. The service was great, very attentive staff and we lingered for an hour after finishing our meal and they didn't try to rush us at all. The food was also excellent. Lately, my girlfriend and I have been eating more vegetarian food, and this place had many vegetarian options. The baked eggplant was delicious! I would recommend this place to anyone looking for some high end Indian, with a bit of a twist on the traditional fare.

Pros: Great food, lots of vegetarian options

Cons: I don't like midtown

Posted 11/17/06

There was a time Dawat had a big name, looks like now, just a past glory, we were very dissappointed and they charge you an arm and a leg, & the mediocre food, service is slow, besides the food isnt real indian desi food that they claim to be, its more like fusion.
Na..not going again. We even noticed the disparity in the quality of service given to indian tables v/s american tables, which is not a fair idea to begin with. Besides, I need authentic desi indian food, with decent service and unbiased attention. sorry guys.

Posted 10/13/06

A person here left this review which i definately agree with. I dont know y i decided to go here, one reason i think was City search another was just me being dumb. Iv tried all the restaurants on this street including Chola and Ada. With tough competetion... 4 indian restaurants on the same street i expected them to have good food or service or quality of presentation; i mean at least something. None of these restaurants would qualify for being there. I believe they should get a new Management, chef or something. There is something just lacing here. Dawat however had good service may be because it was empty and food was good too. The dessert there was delicious. Dawat is a one time place.. Every one should go there.

Pros: Good Service, Desserts, Food

Posted 10/12/06

My question to all the reviewrs is that why do you guys lie. If these reviews here were true then i wouldnt be whining about it. Dawat was most definately a mistake. There are far better choices on the same street. The Food was bad and cold, when asked to replace it i was told that the kitchen is closed. The service was slow and u all say its good? Never going back. Yuva is beeter.

Pros: Street Parking

Cons: Food, Service

Posted 10/12/06

After having no luck trying to find a whole other place entirely, a friend and I inadvertently ended up at Dawat (pronounced da' vut), a fancypants Indian restaurant on East 58th Street, where we were pleasantly surprised by the yummy eats and incredibly attentive service, not to mention finding out that this eaterie was the brainchild of Madhur Jaffrey, the film and television actor who, in Britain, is also known for her role as an acclaimed chef and hostess of her own cooking show.

We started with Dahi Aloo Poori, a mixture of potatoes and chickpeas housed inside savory, crispy "cups" atop a clean, yet flavorful tamarind and yogurt sauce and Baghari Jhinga (shrimp bathing in a mild garlic, mustard seed, and curry sauce). For my main course, I stuck with the tried-and-true Chicken Tikka Masalawhich did not disappointwhile my friend ordered baked eggplant in a sweet and sour tamarind sauce. Finally, for dessert, I ordered Special Kheer, an extremely watery Indian rice pudding which I found to be quite bland despite the fact it was supposed to be garnished with cardamom and pistachios, so I was thankful that my gal pal offered to share her fabulously sweet eggless ice cream dish with me.

Dawat also offers a tasting menu priced between $45 - $75, depending on the course amount, and, while the prices of the entrees off the regular menu are in the moderate range of $17 - $27 a plate, it just might be worth giving the tasting menu a try next time.

Posted 09/13/06

There's just nothing all that great about this place. The spices are bland, the service is mediocre and tries to shoo you out the door... get much better Indian at, say, Jewel of India, or most likely at some downscale places in Jackson Heights (though I haven't tried them)

Posted 07/18/06

Everything was absolutely amazing from the atmosphere, to the service and of course the food. You will not find a place like this any where else in the city.

Pros: Atmoshphere, Service, Food

Posted 07/16/06

Oh.. the best indian restaurant ever! where to begin? The food was super and the service was great. Busy place but worth it. We liked it so much that we returned the same night! (actually, my mom kinda left a gift there and we had to go back to retrieve it LOL). Definitely the best place to take your family to.

Pros: food

Posted 07/14/06

An avid fan of the traditional Indian clay oven, the tandoor, and the many specialties that come from it I decided to visit Dawat on Friday night a few weeks back. I called early and made sure that they had seating, and was greeted by a pleasant individual who noted that seating would be available. After I arrived I made sure to try the Boti Kebab Masala and the Lamb Chops, which were absolutely succulent. The waiters were prompt and courteous and I truly enjoyed my meal, will return!

Posted 07/14/06

The hospitality and service was phenominal. Food preperation was fantastic. Taste was GREAT. Overall Dawat is one of the best Indian restaurants i've been to.

Pros: Service

Posted 07/14/06

As a well traveled socialite, I have had my share of Indian cuisine. From NY to San Francisco, I have been to the so-called best fine dining Indian restaurants all over the US. In NY is where things get difficult. With a plethora of places to choose from, selecting a spot with a taste that sticks out is not an easy task. Indian food has the same base anywhere you go, but its the character of the food that leaves an impression. When I say character, Im talking about the texture, the aroma, the presentation, the taste, and the authenticity. Dawat clearly provided Indian cuisine with character that proved to be unique. If you want Indian food with flavor, this is your place.

Posted 07/14/06

great authentic food
great service
great atmosphere

what more can u ask from a restaurant? it will surely become one of your favorites!

Posted 07/14/06

Great decore, fast and professional service. Good place to bring a date. I will be going back very soon.

Pros: Service

Cons: Parking

Posted 07/14/06

all i can say is this place was phenominal from start to end. Attentive service - clean and neat atmosphere...decor is simple...food is mouth watering...the best

Posted 07/14/06

Dawat is one of the best restaurants ive been too - very prompt service, nice decor, wasnt too noisy, and the food was Great! The waiter was courteous enough to spend time with us to tell us his suggestions because we were unsure of what we wanted to order - and we were definately satisfied! Theyre desserts were amazing!

Pros: Great All Around

Cons: Parking!

Posted 07/14/06

ok, now i've been to my share of indian resteraunts in NYC, had all types of indian food at weddings etc etc... the taste and quality of the food here is amazing. its acutally what QUALITY indian food is supposed to be. the staff was very helpful in describing the items (although i knew what they were... its fun to test them once in a while). all in all, they do provide a creative spin on the usual indian food but without really breaking the boundries. was there for my anniversary, and the manager and head waiters came by twice to make sure we were taken care of and that everything was ok. Def worth springing the extra bucks to check it out.

Pros: Taste, Decor, Taste

Cons: price

Posted 07/11/06

On a recent Saturday evenining, I treated my friends to a different type of grilling: I invited them out to dine with me at Dawat. We enjoyed many of the items prepared in the Tandoor--definitely a superior alternative to grilled steaks and burgers. The taste was superb, and the quality of the meat surpassed that of other Indian dining establishments. Afterward, we cooled off with some of the very interesting Indian desserts; the item my waiter recommended me was agreed upon to be the best tasting by the table.
Dawat offers up great summer dining options, and I look forward to return and sample some of their curries.

Pros: Good for groups, knowledgable waiters, delicous food

Cons: Small bathrooms

Posted 07/08/06

i went here, after my dad told me like every week "its awsome"
Food was cold as hell
service could have been better
but its deff better then the other three indian restaraunts on 58th street.

Pros: main course

Cons: location

Posted 04/14/06

- i went march 11th for my b-day
- slow service
- food was ok.. very spicy we told them mild
- pricy
- bad birthday = (

Posted 03/27/06

In course of my work I travel the world over.Recently I had some business associates from India visiting us...decided to have the best indian food in new york. We were recommended Dawat by one of our office colleagues. The place lives up to its reputation as the best Indian Restaurant.The food is great,the service impeccable and the atmosphere warm and friendly. It exceeded my high expectations..which speaks volume about this place...will definitely go more often to this place

Pros: excellent food, great service, ambience

Cons: none

Posted 03/04/06

well first of all my day wasnt going good... so i decided to go to dawat. little did i know going here would make it worse. i went with a group of friends that wanted to make me feel better. we got there and were seated within 10 mins... waiter was stuckup and did not come for 10 mins. he took our drink order and came back 15 mins later and forgot my drink. then the starters were cold and had way to much salt in them. yuck.. after this we dint even bother with starters instead we paid for the rest and left for another restraunt.

Pros: decor

Cons: food, new chef plz

Posted 03/01/06

Dawat has some very good food, unfortunately it's not very authentic indian. It's really more Indian-American fusion, than anything else. The food is very tasty, the atmosphere is quite nice, and service was excellent. Of course, it's quite expensive as well, but on the whole worth it...

Pros: Food, Service

Cons: Price, Not authentic Indian

Posted 01/19/06

The food here is so good. Very flavorful and tasty. The waitstaff is pretty nice and friendly. I would highly recommend the chicken saag and the leechee martini.

This place fills up quickly so make recommendations.

Cons: small portions

Posted 10/29/05

I reserved a table for restraunt week June '05, the lady did not take my name down when I got there. Seated quickly, atmosphere is the hustle/bustle of the people/waiters around. Service is POOR, after each course, we waited 30min-1hr. Otherwise food is great for the taste buds and less on the actual burning sensation of the spice like in other less quality restraunts. I enjoy Indian food and this is the one for a must try. But the restraunt itself is quite small for a romantic setting since the tables are very close to each other, no room for intimate privacy.

Pros: tasteful, decorative atmosphere, casual

Cons: Service, reservation, not romantic

Posted 07/27/05

I went to Dawat with a couple of my friends. We made reservations and were promptly seated. The decor of the restuarant is simple, but classy. The menu is pages long (a plus) and the legend will help navigate you through it depending on your tastes. The food was really good, but my party and I did not know that rice and bread are not included in the meals. We unfortunately discovered that we would have to pay an additional 9 dollars for rice and 13 dollars for bread when the bill came. This may be typical of Indian restuarants, but quite costly given that the dishes themselves are not inexpensive.

Pros: variety on the menu, quality of food, service

Cons: additional costs

Posted 07/08/05

This place defintely stands out for its service among all the Indian restaurants in NY, NJ area.We tried the "Tasting menu', and the manager offered to select the items to be served after taking inputs from us ( Choice of meat, allergies etc..).

They have parking nearby (Ikon on 2nd Ave between 58 and 57) and validate the parking for the full price. The fish and chicken kebabs are very good. On the expensive side though.

Pros: Good parking, Good food

Cons: Expensive

Posted 02/04/05

I went to dawat along with a couple of friends to celebrate my promotion.The whole experience was great.The staff was courteous and polite. The food was superb.Try the Baghari Jhinga Appetizer and the Lobster main course.It was a sheer delight.On the whole it was a memorable evening for all of us.Thank you Dawat for a job well done

Pros: Food, Service, Friendly Atmosphere

Posted 06/04/04

The food and service is fantastic. The best indian food I have had since I have been in new york. You have to try the mango martinis-yum!

Pros: FOOD, SERVICE, DRINKS

Posted 05/11/04

I went there with my husband and it was a terrible experience. The food was mediocre, the service poor, inexperience waiters. The waiter brought the wrong dish to my table and didn't apologize. After I was half way through my dish, then they brought out the rest of the items that came with my meal. They never once came back to the table to ask how we were doing. Don't go here for Indian food, try Tamarind instead.

Posted 04/25/04

Having read so much about this restaurant as the best Indian in town, i was thoroughly disappointed. The food are mediocre and the service extremely choppy. Tries too hard to be upscale, and falls short and becomes way overvalued at best...

Posted 03/03/04

We went to Dawat two weeks ago. The food was exquisite and the service was very good as well. The shrimp and chicken dish was awesomely delicous. I highly recommend paying a visit to Dawat.

Pros: Food, Service, Variety

Posted 02/15/04

Dawat was very disappointing. The appetizers were average. The entrees:The chicken in the chicken dish was undercooked. We had asked for the Rogan Josh-goat but we got what we think was either lamb/bad goat. The shrimp in the shrimp curry ($5extra eventhough it was on the Restaurant week menu) were either undercooked/bad shrimp (they tasted fishy). They brought out rice&naan enough for about three people so we ordered extra (there were 6 of us). The carrot dessert was mediocre. The service was poor. The server kept giving the wrong dish to the wrong person with every course & would hastily remove dishes we were not yet done with (which might seem hard to imagine considering that the portions were small and undelectable). If you want upscale Indian food try Ada (which is 'better' and next door) or save yourself the anguish & just go to Tabla--second to none.

Pros: Free Parking

Cons: , Expensive, Bad service

Posted 02/04/04

Dawat is a beautiful restaurant with generally impeccable service (exception in a minute), however the food is no better or worse than your average Indian place, and the prices are astronomical. We went during restaurant week, and even with the special paid $50 per person for vegetarian food! Seriously, you may want to go just to laugh at the prices... $5 for a small bowl of plain Basmati rice with no saffron!!! Also, while we were trying to finish our wine after dinner the manager came up and asked us to please move to the bar- very rude! Apparently we were lingering too long in their fine establishment! Overall, I won't go back- just too expensive.

Pros: Pleasant atmosphere, Comfortable

Cons: , Limited dessert menu, Samosas are small!

Posted 01/30/04

New to Manhattan and having problems finding kickass chicken tikka masala and seekh kabobs. I ordered takeout from this place. So far, this is the best I've had. The seekh kabobs are seasoned well. The chicken tikka masala is very good. The raita is awesome; kind of tangy too. The restaurant was very lively and full for a Wednesday night. I definitely will be back to dine in. Kind of on the expensive side, but what do you expect for midtown??

Pros: Good Seekh kabobs

Cons: Pricey

Posted 12/13/03

My parents were visiting from India, so I took them to New York's best rated Indian restaurant. Amongst others, we ordered two completely different dishes, one chicken and one shrimp, from different parts of India, and they arrived with the exact same sauce. There are so many better Indian restaurants than Dawat!

Pros: Ambience

Cons: Price, Lack of variety

Posted 12/08/03