Until this summer, I had written off the Indian lunch buffet in Midtown Manhattan. Yes, I had just written off the many, many Indian restaurants, from Midtown West to Midtown East, because my uniform lunchtime experience was too much oil, limited vegetarian options, over-fried appetizers, and poor service.
Enter Darbar Grill (55th Street). I am not sure why I decided to give Darbar a try after really swearing off Midtown Indian restaurants - maybe that feeling that sometimes creeps up called hope?
In any case, I've probably gone there 5 times over the past 10 weeks because of how great their buffet is. It is clean, well-stocked with a range of vegetarian and meat options, and is not oily or overcooked. Rather, the food is actually well-seasoned and relies on flavor instead of oil for taste!
Another bonus of the Darbar Grill buffet is that they seem to frequently change the options, so you won't get bored on repeat visits. In addition, the service is friendly and relatively efficient to serve lunchtime crowds.
If I had to identify one downside of my new favorite destination lunch spot in Midtown, it would be that the naan they bring to your table can vary from good to so-so. That being said, this is a buffet, so it's not like everything needs to be great, just good, so Darbar more than meets that mark!
157 E. 55th Street (btwn. Lexington and 3rd Avenue)
Midtown East, Manhattan
2 blocks from the E/M trains at Lexington/53rd, 4 blocks from the 6 train at Lexington/51st, and 4 blocks from the N/Q/R/4/5/6 trains at Lexington/59th.
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