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Home > Restaurants > Kalustyan's Cafe

Kalustyan's Cafe

Critic's Pick Critics' Pick

115 Lexington Ave., New York, NY 10016
at 28th St.  See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
212-686-5400 Send to Phone

  • Price Range: $$$

    Key to Prices and ratings

    Upscale
    • Almost Perfect
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    • Good
    Cheap Eats
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    • Noteworthy
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    • Moderate
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  • Reader Rating:

    7.3 out of 10

      |  

    3 Reviews | Write a Review

  • Cuisine: Indian

Payment Methods

American Express, MasterCard, Visa

Special Features

  • Good for Groups

Reservations

Recommended

Profile

This venue is closed.

Kalustyan’s Café is both an offshoot of and a showplace for Kalustyan’s, the renowned spice store on lower Lexington Avenue...The food is “Indian-influenced,” as opposed to Indian, which means the waitresses bring little wheels of nan bread flecked with rosemary to the table, and flat, buttered corn-bread rotis that taste like a not entirely happy marriage between pita bread and a corn-bread taco. To whet the appetite, there are pastries stuffed with curry and coriander-flavored chicken (with a yogurt-and-cilantro dipping sauce), and helpings of peppery tandoori shrimp and thyme-flavored pieces of chicken tikka, both served on swanky glass trays shaped like long bars of soap. The architect of these interesting dishes is Mohan Ismail, who joins the mini Kalustyan empire after stints at Spice Market and the Indian fusion restaurant Tabla. Every cook grapples with the urge to embroider his recipes with too many spices, but Ismail does a solid job of displaying the impressive variety of the Kalustyan catalogue without sending his customers bolting for the exits. — Adam Platt

Recommended Dishes

Chicken Puffs, $9; Tellicherry Tandoori Shrimp, $10-$19; Chicken Tikka, $9-$17; Sambal Brushed Skate Wing, $17; Vindaloo of Braised Veal, $19; Duck Breast with Frik, $9-$17; Roasted Chicken and 1,001 Nut Sauce, $19; Lobster Inspiration $23; Chokalaka Baby, $7; Ice Cream Trio, $7; Betel-Leaf Panna Cotta, $7

Related Stories

New York Magazine Reviews

7.3 "Recommended"
Average Reader Rating
on a Scale of 10		 Write Your Own Review
100% Would you go back?
100% Would you take a date?
33% Would you take kids?
100% Would you go on business?
66% Would you go on a special occasion?
Food: 7.3
Service: 7.3
Décor: 7.7
Value: 8.0

upscale curry in a hurry

sensei from | Posted on 11/1/04

Overall Rating: 6 (Mixed Reviews)
Food: 5
Service: 7
Décor: 8
Value: 6

Atmoshere is warm and inviting - a huge difference from the area's dark Indian restaurants whose cave-like interiors make one dish appear indistinguishable from another - Kalustyans look is fresh, service is sharp and well-versed in the array of offerings. Food overall however, while beautifully presented, *again in stark difference to it's Indian neighbors, was unfortunately salty and at times overtly bombarded with spices. Though the place obviously likens itself to new age upscale Indian along the lines of Tabla, the food itself is just barely above par with your average curry in a hurry - but with appealing and comfortable surroundings.

Excellent food and service

deg from | Posted on 10/24/04

Overall Rating: 8 (Recommended)
Food: 8
Service: 8
Décor: 8
Value: 10

warm atmosphere, helpful, enthusiastic diningroom staff. Food is beautifully seasoned and well-presented

Read All 3 Reviews >>

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