Dvaraka Indian Restaurant

Our visit to Dvaraka was fate-filled, since it was one of few restaurants in Princeton's downtown that dared to be open during a serious snowstorm. We would have been grateful enough for a warm restaurant and decent food, but I certainly didn't expect to find my favorite Indian food in New Jersey here (I know that's a big claim; it was just that good). Let's address the elephant in the room here: sometimes Indian food doesn't look camera-ready. For instance, my absolute favorite thing here was the chana palak, an extremely flavor-packed curry with chickpeas and spinach. What shows up (regretfully) as a greenish mud in pictures is actually an absolute flavor bomb in the mouth. Truly, I still have dreams about this dish. If looks matter to you, I also highly recommend the salmon tandoori special. It arrived on a sizzling platter (the kind that makes heads turn and eyes lock as it approaches the lucky table). There was more flavor to be had here, and I adore a dish that's hot enough to carry a blister risk while eating...especially in the middle of an icy snowstorm. Service was incredibly warm, welcoming, and efficient. Our server checked in with us the exact right number of times, and he repeatedly checked in with us about whether we wanted to take leftovers home, the way a friend or kind auntie might after you've dined sumptuously at her table.

Whenever I want to take care of my personal needs, I treat myself to goat curry here. It's super fulfilling and makes life worth the hassle 😜 They offer complimentary rice refills. Just ask for it but be sure to tip for their kindness. Rahul, the server, is excellent at his job too.

Food wasn’t great. Guy who brought out the food was nice and smiling but the original waiter didn’t smile, wasn’t very personable , almost looked upset. They also list puri on their menu but didn’t have it. The Gobi Manchurian was downright disgusting. I travel all over the world, get Indian food wherever I can, including India itself. I don’t say that to brag, but I say it because I know what goood Indian food tastes like. Do what you will with that information. But I will not return.

**Food Quality: *⭐⭐* The Boneless Chicken Biryani, a usually flavorful dish, was bland and lacked the rich, complex spices one expects from Indian cuisine. It tasted more like Szechuan fried rice rather than biryani. Shrimp Biryani was very dry with no flavour except pinch of spices. **Taste: *⭐⭐* Flavors were muted across all the items ordered. The Biryani was dry and under-seasoned. **Portion Sizes: *⭐⭐⭐* The portions were adequate, no complaints in it. But given the quality, it didn't feel like good value for money. **Value: *⭐⭐* The prices are reasonable with very good quantity. But taste got compromised. **Overall: *⭐⭐* Restaurant falls short of expectations. The combination of underwhelming food and taste make it difficult to recommend.

The ambience of the restaurant was quite pleasant. The staff was friendly. The menu had a decent variety. The over all wait time was good and fair price. We tried veg Manchu soup, chicken lollipop, and garlic naan with chicken Chettinad. Chicken lollipop was not good and the garlic naan was too good. Must try Manchow soup.