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Home > Restaurants > Tiffin Wallah

Tiffin Wallah

Critic's Pick Critics' Pick

127 E. 28th St., New York, NY 10016
nr. Lexington Ave.  See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
212-685-7301 Send to Phone

  • Price Range: $$

    Key to Prices and ratings

    Upscale
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  • Reader Rating:

    8.7 out of 10

      |  

    6 Reviews | Write a Review

  • Cuisine: Indian, Vegetarian/Vegan
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Photo by RJ Mickelson/Veras for New York Magazine

Official Website

tiffinwallah.us

Hours

Mon-Fri, 11:30am-3pm and 5pm-10pm; Sat-Sun, noon-10pm

Nearby Subway Stops

6 at 28th St.; N, R, W at 28th St.

Prices

$9-$14

Payment Methods

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Special Features

  • Delivery
  • Lunch
  • Take-Out
  • Buffet

Alcohol

  • Beer and Wine Only

Reservations

Accepted/Not Necessary

Delivery Area

23rd St. to 33rd St., First Ave to Tenth Ave.

Profile

In India, tiffin wallahs are delivery boys, but not the kind we're used to. There, they ferry stacked stainless-steel bowls of food home-cooked by wives to their toiling husbands, not cartons of Chinese food to apartment-dwelling couch potatoes. Hoping to revive the custom here in slightly modified form, Pradeep Shinde opened the new vegetarian Indian restaurant Tiffin Wallah right around the corner from his Chennai Garden, with an almost identical menu and a $7 lunch buffet. Shinde plans to institute a limited delivery menu, with individual meals (appetizer, salad, two curries, bread, rice, and dessert) or a week’s worth to be cooked by a designated delivery chef and ordered online (delivery@tiffinwallah.us). But even without the delivery component, Tiffin Wallah in its current incarnation is a worthy addition to the Curry Hill landscape, with bright, modern decor and a selection of thalis, chats, dosas, and curries all priced at a dollar discount from Chennai Garden. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

Reservations

Reservations are not accepted during the week for lunch.

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8.7 "Highly Recommended"
Average Reader Rating
on a Scale of 10		 Write Your Own Review
100% Would you go back?
100% Would you take a date?
75% Would you take kids?
50% Would you go on business?
50% Would you go on a special occasion?
Food: 9.2
Service: 7.6
Décor: 7.4
Value: 9.0

Fabulous vegetarian food

mugs from 10128 | Posted on 7/15/09

Overall Rating: 9 (Highly Recommended)
Food: 9
Service: 8
Décor: 7
Value: 9

What a discovery! A delicious every weekday buffet for only $6.95! Seems impossible- I used to go to an excellent Toronto Indian restaurant with my brother 15 years ago, and the price was around the same! Everyday there is a selection of lentil dishes, perhaps a nicely spiced channa masala type dish, and properly cooked vegetables spiced by someone who knows what they are doing (all the boys are out on the floor- I imagine their old grandmother cooking up a storm in the kitchen!) The weekday buffett is a heck of a deal, but treat yourself to A la carte on the weekend as the food is much more varied, and you will see that anyone who thought vegetarian food had to be bland (many apparently do) was dead wrong! Two can dine well for $35!! Having experienced a huge disappointment trying "Awash Restaurant" on the Upper West Side, it is a delight to find good food at such reasonable prices. The only thing I suggest is that you leave the kids at home- I mean, why should we all have to put up with your screaming brats at lunch as well as every other time of day?

I Love Thali

nychic529 from 07302 | Posted on 3/19/09

Overall Rating: 9 (Highly Recommended)
Food: 10
Service: 9
Décor: 8
Value: 9

I was so excited when I found a place in New York City with Thali. It's one of those things I have to do every time I go to Mumbai, and I didn't know of a place here that served it. I just love South Indian food, so I was a little hesitant about going - I didn't want to be disappointed. But I wasn't. Everything was extremely flavorful, and just so good! I highly recommend a Thali (I had the TIffin Wallah) if you've never had one - you get a little of everything. We also had daih vada, which was amazing. The food is different than what you'd find at most Indian restaurants, but very authentic, and worth trying. Portions are big, and the prices are very, very reasonable. When I got there at 6:30, I easily got a table. When I left at 8, the place was packed.

Read All 6 Reviews >>

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