This is one of many “sixth” borough blog posts about solid restaurants in the greater, greater NYC area. Why limit ourselves to the city boundaries, especially when some of us do in fact leave the city from time to time?
Karaikudi is our first restaurant experience in Edison, NJ (yes, somehow I am the only Indian American who had not been to Edison, NJ). While usually deciding on a South Indian restaurant will considerably narrow the list of available options, in Edison, NJ, that decision was not that helpful. There appear to be a ton of South Indian restaurants in the Edison/Iselin area, so we certainly took some time doing internet research to find what we thought would be the “best” place. Thankfully, the New York Times recently visited Edison with acclaimed chef Floyd Cardoz, and while he seemed to visit a number of good area restaurants, his praise for Karaikudi was pretty effusive.
We were also impressed by Karaikudi, a South Indian restaurant with a Chettinad (a Tamilian region) focus. We went there for their Sunday brunch, and while not cheap at $17/person, it had an impressive array of spicy and flavorful foods. The food was also not greasy and seemed freshly prepared, which sadly can be a rarity for Indian buffets.
The buffet did cater more to meat eaters than to vegetarians, but it still had more than enough options to satisfy me, and I’m sure most vegetarians. Another sign of how good the food was was the crowds. We arrived - in very heavy rain - at 12:20pm or so, or about 20 minutes after they opened. The restaurant was maybe half full when we arrived, but after another 15 minutes, there was definitely a wait list of all Indians. So when you go, definitely go on the early side to avoid both the wait for a table and the long wait at the buffet table!
1671 Oak Tree Road
Edison, NJ