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Hands down the best Indian food in NYC!
Seriously, it's so fresh and good. They fly in all their spices direct from India. I had the chicken biryani and it blew my mind. Highly recommend!♥️
Reply from Red Onion Indian Lunch Brunch Dinner
We truly appreciate your feedback. It's wonderful you enjoyed the chicken biryani and the fresh spices flown from India; your recommendation means a lot. We hope to welcome you back to Red Onion Indian Lunch Brunch Dinner soon and are happy to help anytime.
Absolute stunning atmosphere, really good food and I would rate it it 5/5 , really calm environment. Completely enjoyed the experience. Reserved a table before I went , cause it can get busy . Butter chicken and coconut rice a must .
Reply from Red Onion Indian Lunch Brunch Dinner
Thank you so much for the kind words. We're delighted you enjoyed the calm atmosphere and the food, butter chicken and coconut rice are favorites. We're glad your reservation helped and look forward to seeing you again.
Best Indian food in New York City hands down
Reply from Red Onion Indian Lunch Brunch Dinner
Thank you so much for the kind words. We're thrilled you consider Red Onion Indian Lunch Brunch Dinner the best Indian food in New York City, and your praise means a lot to our team. We look forward to welcoming you back and continuing to provide a great dining experience.
Food was outstanding and the owner was very friendly. Gave us great recommendations and even gave us some mango lassis on the house. Best Indian food I’ve had in New York.
Reply from Red Onion Indian Lunch Brunch Dinner
Thank you so much for the kind words. We're thrilled the food, friendly owner, and complimentary mango lassis made your visit memorable—calling it the best Indian food in New York means a lot. We look forward to welcoming you back to Red Onion Indian Lunch Brunch Dinner.
Thrilled to have stumbled upon Red Onion after the Russian & Turkish baths. The owner is very hospitable and knowledgeable. We ordered the Lamb Vindaloo, Bhuni Gobhi Matar, and Vegetable Korma. As someone who doesn’t eat a lot of meat I can honestly say they were all delicious. Will definitely be returning and recommending this spot to friends.
Reply from Red Onion Indian Lunch Brunch Dinner
We truly appreciate your feedback. It's wonderful you found us after the baths and that the Lamb Vindaloo, Bhuni Gobhi Matar, and Vegetable Korma appealed to you. Looking forward to welcoming you back to Red Onion Indian Lunch Brunch Dinner soon.
Food quality is good but it is over priced. Chicken Sagg Entree is 23 dollars. Bread and rice you need to pay separately. Other Indian restaurant is a lot cheaper and flavor are similar. But the meat is juicier here. I would not recommend if you are looking for any quick lunch. We spend almost 40-50 per person lunch. I can go to Korean bbq with this price.
Reply from Red Onion Indian Lunch Brunch Dinner
We truly appreciate your feedback. Glad you found the meat juicy and food quality strong; sorry the price and separate bread/rice charges made lunch costly. We hope you'll visit Red Onion Indian Lunch Brunch Dinner again; we're happy to help anytime.
Amazing Indian food and such a great experience! Everything we had was flavorful and delicious. Varun was our server and he was so sweet and attentive, and gave us the best recommendations. Selena was a helper and was also very friendly. They truly made our visit special. We’ll definitely be back!
Reply from Red Onion Indian Lunch Brunch Dinner
We truly appreciate your feedback. We're delighted Varun and Selena made your visit special and that each dish was flavorful and delicious. We look forward to welcoming you back to Red Onion Indian Lunch Brunch Dinner.
haven't had a good indian meal downtown since haveli back in the day. am happy to say that we finally have really good indian food in the neighborhood. didn't know red onion was out there, but apparently they've been in the east village for 2 years now. we had chana saag, chicken makhani, naan, and veg. samosa. food was excellent. owner was really nice as well. one suggestion i'd make is to include rice with the meals. great experience. thank you.
Reply from Red Onion Indian Lunch Brunch Dinner
Thank you so much for the kind words. We're glad you found great Indian food in the neighborhood and enjoyed the chana saag, chicken makhani, naan and veg samosa. We appreciate the suggestion about rice and are happy you had a great dining experience.
our go-to spot in the east village, dine in or take out, the food is great, very flavorful, good spices! A spot not to be missed for amazing indian food!
Reply from Red Onion Indian Lunch Brunch Dinner
We truly appreciate your feedback. We're glad to be your go-to in the East Village; it's wonderful you enjoyed the flavorful spices whether dining in or taking out. Hope to welcome you back to Red Onion Indian Lunch Brunch Dinner soon.
We had a very disappointing and frankly unacceptable experience here.
When we arrived, there were only three other guests in the restaurant. I ordered sparkling and still water and was brought the wrong water. We ordered two appetizers and 15 minutes later were served two completely incorrect dishes. After we pointed out the mistake, the waiter simply brought those same wrong dishes that had been sitting in our table to another table instead of returning them to the kitchen. A third appetizer was eventually brought “on the house.”
After close to an hour with no main course and no one checking on our table or providing any update about our food, we realized that During that time, three tables who arrived after us were served their appetizers and entrées while we continued to sit there with nothing. this is inexcusable.
After the hour mark with no main course, we decided to leave and offered to pay for what we had eaten. Instead of handling this professionally, the waiter became pushy and told me to “sit down and stay” while my husband repeatedly said we were leaving. We were then approached again outside and pressured to take food to go after clearly stating we did not want it. When the order finally arrived outside, one of the main dishes was missing.
Repeated mistakes are one thing. Ignoring a table for an hour, failing to communicate, re-serving incorrect food to another table, and speaking to guests in that manner is another. This felt disorganized, poorly managed, and deeply disrespectful.
Notes/TL;DR version- Above average take on standard Indian grub primarily featuring Northern Indian food from Rajasthan, with a couple of southern Indian dishes, also like Xacuti. Prices are a bit high, and it's a bit loud, too.
Open since early 2023, this is a popular Indian restaurant in a neighborhood with a bunch of other popular Indian places. The prices are a tad high, especially since rice isn't included, but the quality was good. While not as unique as Adda or some of the other higher-end Indian places, the food was solid and easily better than the vast majority of the run-of-the-mill Indian spots in the city. The atmosphere here was unique, with the light show on the ceiling helping brighten the overly dim restaurant. I also found the spot a bit too loud. Anyway, I was here with a group that ordered rather confusingly for the waitstaff, and one person in the group was being quite obnoxious, so I apologize for that and can forgive any issues, in terms of wait or otherwise, based on our ordering alone (our waiter was honestly a saint.)
I had some of what I believe was the Samosa Chaat for $12.95, listed as crispy turnovers topped with chickpeas, yogurt, tamarind, and mint chutney finished with potato crisps and spices. I believe it was that, and that is the only chaat outside of spinach, but my photo shows primarily channa/chickpeas so I'm not sure. Regardless, it was tasty with a good mix of textures and flavors. I enjoyed it and so did the others.
My main dish was the $27.95 Rara Bhuna Lamb, listed as lamb meat stir cooked in a semi-dry brown sauce with caramelized onion, which is listed as one of their House specialties. I have had this dish at many other Indian places, either with goat or lamb, and this was a good version. The lamb was well-spiced, quite tender, and had a good amount of heat. The bits of cooked-down onions added a touch of sweetness. The only complaint I can make is that it seemed a tad oily compared to some other spots, but I didn't mind in this case, as it was very flavorful. I eventually got my side of Onion Kulcha for $8.95, a spiced onion stuffed naan, which was fine.
The same person who got the chaat ordered the Tandoori Mixed Grill for $32.95 as their main, which included an assortment of tandoori chicken, sharabi chicken tikka, lamb seekh kabab, and shrimp. They gave me a bit of the lamb seekh and chicken tikka, and the former had a good amount of space, and the latter was nice and tender, as it should be for chicken marinated in yogurt. It was a good mix, and the portion was plentiful and honestly could be split with someone, along with the previous appetizer.
I also tried the Kadai Paneer for $20.95, described as a semi-dry, colorful preparation of homemade cottage cheese cooked in a wok with bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes. The paneer inside had a good texture, and the vegetables were cooked down nicely. This, however, tasted the most standard in comparison to other restaurants, and I would likely prefer to try the Methi Paneer Malai Toast next time instead.
This was overall a good place. I slightly prefer the more unique offerings at a handful of other spots nearby (for instance, Veeray Da Dhaba and the more well-known Adda,) but for standard Northern Indian grub, I would recommend it if you don't mind paying a bit more for a bit higher quality food. The prices and atmosphere are still a tad too high, though, for me to bump it fully.
Amazing!!! The food is so delicious and the servings are huge. You can tell that the ingredients are fresh. We had plenty to take home. My new favorite Indian spot! Also the owner, Varun, is so hospitable. Would honestly go back just for him. Get the lamb Saag! Can’t wait to go back!
Red onion checks all the boxes. The food is amazing, the staff is friendly, and it's affordably priced for the quantity you get. We also met Varun, the owner, who was very nice and told us the backstory of why he opened the restaurant. I can't recommend this place enough, and look forward to going back.
This place kicks ass. The owner is super passionate and friendly, started telling us his whole family lore. Clearly takes the food restaurant and experience dead serious and wants to curate a nice place. They are succeeding. Food is unbelievable, decent prices, and some of the best mango lassi I’ve ever had
We purchased a voucher for Red Onion through Groupon and were genuinely excited to try your restaurant.
For three days prior to our visit, I attempted to call and confirm that the Groupon voucher would be accepted, but no one answered the phone. Since the voucher terms listed no exclusions-and there was nothing indicating that February 14th was excluded -we booked and came as planned to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
We enjoyed the atmosphere and the food very much and were having a wonderful evening. However, when it was time to pay and I presented the voucher, we were informed that Groupon vouchers are not accepted. This was both surprising and upsetting, especially given the occasion.
After carefully reviewing the voucher terms, I confirmed that no restrictions for that date were disclosed. There was NO REASONABLE way for us to anticipate this issue in advance. As a result, I was placed in a situation where I had to pay twice -once for the voucher and again for the full meal.
I understand that restrictions can sometimes be overlooked in published policies. However, in a situation where the lack of clarity is NOT the customer’s fault, professional management would typically honor the voucher and then update the policy moving forward. Instead, the burden was placed on the guest.
I am respectfully requesting assistance in resolving this matter and facilitating a refund for the unused voucher. We purchased it in good faith with the expectation that it would be honored.
Delicious food, generous portions and lovely staff. I’ll definitely be back.
Reply from Red Onion Indian Lunch Brunch Dinner
We truly appreciate your feedback, Callum Farquhar. Delighted our generous portions and friendly staff made your visit enjoyable. We look forward to serving you again at Red Onion Indian Lunch Brunch Dinner in New York.
Absolutely insanely delicious food!! Everything has been 10/10- the biryani lives in my head rent free, I dream about coming back to try new things. Service is incredible the staff and owner are so kind and attentive. My favorite Indian food in the city hands down. Thank you red onion!!! We love you :)
Reply from Red Onion Indian Lunch Brunch Dinner
Thank you so much for the kind words. We're thrilled the biryani and other dishes stuck with you and that our team and owner provided attentive, kind service. It's an honor to be your favorite Indian spot in New York, and we look forward to welcoming you back to Red Onion Indian Lunch Brunch Dinner.