44th Street Minar

44^th st Minar is in my neighborhood. I was pleasantly surprised that some of the non-​vegetarian dishes I tried were very good. The goat biryani and the goat curry were excellent. They were very generous with the quantity of meat they served with the rice. The paalak paneer, which is spinach with Indian cottage cheese was also delightful. Their parathas are outstanding. you can get high end Indian food for a fraction of what you would pay in a fancy restaurant. The staff are polite and friendly especially koko who is the manager. He is very professional and nice. when you go in you can ask for his suggestions. He is very knowledgable. I grew up in India and for me to recommend it, it has to be good. They have a vast selection. Try it and enjoy! Zita A.

Ordered takeout. Very poorly made chicken tikka masala, the lamb korma was ok. The chicken cubes were not soft but rather over cooked/​old, tge meat came off in strings.
Thr lamb was barely edible. My biggest beef though is with the curry. It tasted typical and mass produced and was the same for both the vegitables.
The only saving grace was that the delivery was only 10 mins off from their 15 – 30 minute seamless time estimate. Which is tolerable for manhattan.

Was walking down 44^th Street on Monday and needed a quality food fix. Was by myself and did not have tons of time. Entered Minar for the first time as the place smelled great.
Had a delicious eggplant and potato dish which came with a huge amount of rice. Price was $ 7.57 total. Who says bargains don’t exist in New York?
My lunch was wonderful. The gentleman behind the counter was very nice. I had a great experience and definitely shall return to Minar.

I love Minar since it’s such a satisfying Indian meal in Midtown with no frills. It’s a good value, especially for a hot meal. For what you can pay to get a lackluster bland obscenely expensive cold sandwich, you can get a full tray of goodies here.
They have a large selection of meat and veg dishes, their lamb is very tender and flavorful, their chicken curry is spicy but not overwhelming, they give you a heap of rice, and green chilis upon request. So much better than a lot of formal Indian joints in the city. If you’re looking to sit, you shouldn’t have a problem if you get there around noon or a couple of minutes before.

Ok 5 star might be hyperbolic when you walk in and see a sketchy dive like this. But forget the humble surrounding and launch into some really great Indian chow. Friendly folks and great prices. I had the goat curry with the bones and all. It was just hot enough that you can still taste the variety of spices in it. I will definitely make this place a regular haunt. I haven’t tried other stuff but certainly will.

Cheap and easy Indian food if you’re in the Times Square area. Most of the patrons seem to be Indian so I guess thats a plus and a sign that the food passes some kind of test. The foods tasty and I always enjoy it but to be fair I’m not Indian and didn’t grow up on Indian food so I can’t comment on its authenticity. Comparing it to other Indian restaurants I’ve eaten at, the food is pretty good. The décor sucks and has cafeteria style seating so this probably isn’t the kind of place that you want to bring a date. If you’re looking for a quick low cost option for some tasty Indian food though give it a try.

Good dosas & uttapams (which are inherently gluten-​free). Very inexpensive, great tasting food. The people are really nice, and go out of their way to answer your questions and accommodate food allergies. Tons of good vegetarian & vegan options. It’s a tiny place, but it’s great for lunch takeout. My only real complaint is that there’s no brown rice. If you order a vegetable entrée, the only option is white rice.

They claim it’s the same owner as the two other minars on the west side but the food doesn’t taste the same and then are even stingier with the portions of chicken than the other two locations of that’s possible. Avoid

Bland and cold. The last two things I think Indian food should be! I love Indian food and am very open to different styles but Minar plainly falls under the boring/​bland category. There are far too many other options near by to submit yourself to this place. I only give it two stars because it didn’t make me sick and it filled me up.

Went here for lunch just now. Both myself & my friend got the ‘Non-​Vegetarian Platter’ — 2 Meat, 1 Veg. Rice, Salad & Naan.
What I received was 2 meats for sure. 1 cube of chicken w/​plenty of curry & 1 cube of Lamb w/​plenty of curry. Boom. — $ 8.95 each. I must say each cube of meat was very delicious though. It was a good appetizer for my entrée elsewhere…
Appalled.

I like the veg platter the most.

If you’re near Grand Central & looking for cheap & quick eats — this place is perfect. This definitely isn’t the best Indian food I’ve had but it’s not bad. My go to here is always the Chicken Bhiryani which depending on the day can have too much garam masala — however that varies.
I will say they are not stingy with the meat which is great. The pieces of chicken are always juicy & plentiful. Again I’d recommend this place for a quick cheap lunch!

This place was my go-​to indian restaurant after work. It was cheap and delicious. I’ve been to many indian restaurants in the city and I have to say for the price and the amount of food, it is on point. The place is really small so I would recommend ordering it for take out. They serve everything from south indian to north indian staple dishes.
I believe they have a lunch special as well. I would also recommend their chai. Its the real deal, not like the starbucks fake Chai. This place is a little under rated becuase of its ambiance, but trust me, its worth trying.

The food is cheap & flavorful. I skip the meat options in favor of the veggie, because they are tastier. The chickpea curry & palak paneer are both good.
I worry about the cleanliness of this place, despite it’s A rating. It doesn’t look like the actual cooking takes place here.
But when the craving hits weekday for an Indian food lunch, I find myself back at Minar.

My wife asked me to take care of dinner and I went the Indian route. I was tired of paying $ 35 for two small plates at the Indian place in the lower level of grand central and a quick search turned up Minar as nearby to Grand Central. I ordered online and chose to pick it up myself:
1 order of samosas (2 pieces)
1 saag paneer with free naan
1 chicken curry with free naan
1 chicken biryani
1 Alu Gobhi
Total with tax was $ 36
The food was tasty, not oily and a lot of food for the price. There is easily enough left over for another meal. Very happy with the food and the fast pick up.

They have a variety of precooked options for you to choose from. You can get 2 meats & 1 veggie with rice or naan for ~$ 9. Nothing special but a pretty decent deal for Midtown.

I’m not writing this to put down their food. Although I think their a la carte daily specials are too heavy. Go for their South Indian Dishes. I think they are better and healthier.
BUT I was very disappointed by their customer service from the standpoint of false advertising. I ordered an Indian appetizer called sev puri. The sign above the counter (as well as the menu) clearly states that the proce of the dish is $ 5.50. I was charged $ 7.08 (which is 6.50 plus tax). I politely asked why I was being charged a dollar extra and the only response I got was that the proce had changed.
I politely suggested that they should change the price on the menu and the board above, which states that it is $ 5.50. I was ignored and to boot not refunded the dollar.
Obviously it’s not a matter of one dollar here, but it is a matter of customer service. I was not even given an apology for the false advertising.
Very bad.

This is a no-​frills Indian takeout joint. I order from here about once a week for lunch because I work nearby. It’s always quick and it’s always tasty. I generally order the lamb curry and my office mate orders chicken tikka masala, and we both definitely enjoy it.
Only (minor) downsides — the curry sauce is a little bit inconsistent — sometimes it’s thinner and slightly blander, other times it’s thicker and more flavorful. I wish they’d be a bit more consistent. Also, the price is a bit high for lunch takeout, especially if you want both rice and naan. I would prefer an option to get a much smaller serving of rice, and naan, for a lower price.
The people who work there are always friendly and efficient.

Worst Indian food I’ve ever had. It was worse than horrible — it was absolutely tasteless. Too bad. The people who work there are friendly and the price is right. I’ve just never had such tasteless Indian food before.
Chicken Tikka Masala: D
The chicken was dry and hard. The sauce was watery and didn’t have the thick tomato buttery flavor that masala sauce should have. I would’ve given this a C had they given me more sauce. I couldn’t eat it.
Rice: C–
Hard. Tasteless.
Lamb Curry: D
Same as the chicken tikka masala. Watery sauce, dry meat, tasteless. Not enough sauce to make up for the dry lamb.
Aloo Gobi: C+
Overcooked. The cauliflower was mushy. Otherwise had a decent flavor, but still on the bland side.

Delicious dosa, coconut chutney and sambhar! will definitely get again and not too expensive:) The dosa is a little bit smaller then some of the other places that I’ve been to and not as many options for dosa but it’s very good.