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Home > Restaurants > Bay Leaf

Bay Leaf

49 W. 56th St., New York, NY 10019
nr. Fifth Ave.  See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
212-957-1818 Send to Phone

    Order Online

  • Price Range: $$$

    Key to Prices and ratings

    Upscale
    • Almost Perfect
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    • Good
    Cheap Eats
    • Best in Category
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    • Very Good
    • Noteworthy
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  • Reader Rating:

    3.0 out of 10

    1 Reviews | Write a Review

  • Cuisine: Indian
Photo by Shanna Ravindra

Official Website

bayleafnyc.com

Hours

Daily, noon-3pm and 5pm-11pm

Nearby Subway Stops

F at 57th St.; E, V at Fifth Ave.-53rd St.

Prices

$13.95-$24.95

Payment Methods

American Express, MasterCard, Visa

Special Features

  • Delivery
  • Lunch
  • Outdoor Dining
  • Take-Out
  • Theater District
  • Online Ordering
  • Buffet

Alcohol

  • Full Bar

Reservations

Accepted/Not Necessary

Delivery Area

48th St. to 55th St., Lexington Ave. to Tenth Ave.

Profile

The greatest hits of Indian cuisine are served at this upscale, pan-Indian brasserie tucked into the base of a midtown office tower. The kitchen cooks up authentic regional specialties, like Kadai Gosht, spicy lamb cooked with tomatoes, and a sweet Goan fish curry. Dishes more familiar to western palates—chicken tikka masala and tandoori fare—also make appearances. High prices are mostly justified by confident spicing and ornate presentation, but the kitchen falters on some details. Some dishes are far too oily, and sauces overwhelm the delicate flavors of the main ingredients in others. While naan comes from the tandoor piping hot and light as air, the saffron pulao, a fairly simple rice dish, is bland and dry. Appetizers and the vegetarian menu don’t offer many surprises. Skip the samosas and palak paneer in favor of a tender tandoori quail starter with a bright smoky flavor, or baghare baigan, succulent baby eggplants in a coconut-sesame sauce. Dated and slightly frayed furnishings reminiscent of a corporate dining room aren’t much of a draw, though spot-lit temple reliefs on the walls and a bay window looking out on a patio brighten things up a bit. Not that anyone notices; on weekdays, it’s the all-you-can-eat buffet that attracts the restaurant’s workaday clientele.

Extra

At $15.95, the buffet is a reasonably-priced way to try some of the better dishes off the dinner menu.

Recommended Dishes

Goan fish curry, $22; tandoori quails, $9.95

3.0 "Not Recommended"
Average Reader Rating
on a Scale of 10
Write Your Own Review

Nothing Great

Carole8 from 08831 | Posted on 1/4/09

Overall Reader Rating: 3 (Not Recommended)
Food: 3
Service: 1
Décor: 5
Value: 3

The lunch buffet was extremely disappointing. Food did not taste fresh and they forgot to serve the bread. We ordered two appetizers from the menu that were good. Service is worse than awful. Constantly looking for water, hostess was waitress and...Read More

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