Sarina

We had Benares cater our Indian wedding week with over 400 guests, and everything was absolutely flawless! The food quality, menu options, and overall execution were beyond impressive. Our guests could not stop raving about how delicious everything was — from start to finish, it was perfect. The team was professional, organized, and delivered above expectations for every event. Highly, highly recommend Benares for any large celebration or wedding!

Graci Carli

Absolutely wonderful experience! The service here is warm, attentive, and personal — they truly make you feel cared for. Every dish bursts with outstanding flavors, and you can taste the high quality in every bite. It’s easily some of the best Indian food I’ve had. If I could add one tiny wish, it would be to see a favorite candle on the table to make the already cozy atmosphere even more inviting. But honestly, everything else was perfect. Super clean. Great date or family spot. The personal service and incredible food set this place apart. Highly recommended! (Thank you for the rice pudding!!:)

Sukh Brar

Amazing food. Great service. I will definitely recommend to go visit this place. The chef makes very good food.

Shruthi Sastry

Great dining experience, friendly staff, good food. It is at a good location, to have lunch after spending day at one world observatory and 9/11 memorial museum. Their portion sizes were good too.

Sofia Moreno Lima

We had an amazing experience working with Benares for catering on our film shoot. They helped us organize food for a 30-person crew, and everyone was thrilled with the delicious spread. We served butter chicken, white rice, and vegetable samosas—everything was flavorful, comforting, and super satisfying. The staff was incredibly kind, responsive, and accommodating throughout the process. Highly recommend Benares for any event catering or to dine in! Great food, great people, great experience!

Mona Ibby

Absolutely delicious Indian and Southeast Asian Cuisine! The butter chicken is moist and flavorful. The samosas have a flaky yet tender crust with a fresh and well seasoned potatoes & peas filling. The garlic naan is so fragrant and soft, the perfect vehicle to dip in the butter chicken. Oh and their sauces are freshly made and among the best we have tasted. Don’t forget their mango lassi, it’s a winner every time.

Channelle Russell

Went for my 25th birthday dinner and though it was a Friday night, they weren't too busy. The service was attentive, thoughtful, and honestly just a very pleasant time—not to mention the incredible food. Spicy, well-balanced, and probably some of the best Indian food I've had in the city. Definitely the best Chicken 65 I've ever had in my life. Also ordered a cocktail and the tropical flavors paired perfectly with the cuisine. Will be back, and I recommend you go, too.

Chandni Mathur

Decent Indian restaurant with some really good bar options to choose from. Went there on a weekday without reservation and was seated without any wait time. We ordered benaras kachori, chicken kali mirchi, paneer tikka masala, mint paratha, garlic naan and kathak biryani. Spice levels were decent. chicken kali mirchi tasted reallyy goodd! Would say paneer tikka masala was good. Both the breads were pretty decently prepared and tasted really nice. Kathal biryani was good but I personally felt it could have had more spices. Benaras kachori was really good and would definitely recommend it for apps! Atmosphere was quite decent and the service was okayish. Parking is not available in that area, it’s better to either walk there if you are nearby or take a cab.

+8

Lou NYC

Dined in on a Friday and had the lunch special - samosas, chicken Andhra curry (curry leaves and coconut milk base), garlic naan and a small rice pudding for dessert. I was stuffed! I loved the atmosphere, it was calm yet lively. Lots of Indian families eating lunch (always a good sign) and it’s a huge airy space compared to most other restaurants in NYC. I felt very comfortable dining solo. At 3pm they have drinks specials and would definitely come back for that! The staff were kind, courteous and so sweet!

Kaimanu Ka'anana

One of the best restaurant experiences I've had in NYC by far! The food is delicious and full of flavor, the service is above and beyond, and the atmosphere is a perfect modern anesthetic. The drinks alone are a reason to go if you're not hungry but do yourself a favor and get something to eat even if it's to go!

+2

Raj Nanda

Had a very nice dinner here. The biriyani was excellent and the spinach and chicken were solid. Our server mogambo was perfect, helpful but not overly present. He made some solid suggestions and we were very happy with the food and service. We will be back for sure!!!

Grace Stoeger

The flavors were rich and distinct! Overall very delicious food and comfortable atmosphere. Lots of seating options, either cozy booths, spacey tables, or seating at the bar. The waiter was exceptionally friendly. The Lamb Kourma was my favorite dish. Dessert was on the sweet side, but delicious. However, the bathrooms were in a strange location and not very clean. Also, we had to ask for the water to stay at our table when we got our drinks.

Vincent Oliver

I truly love going to restaurants where the staff is wonderful, the food is good, and prices are realistic. For me, the staff being warm and professional is what makes the rest of the experience stellar. I used to be a frequent customer at Benares and often dropped in for wine. Unfortunately, I will no longer be returning because of repeated negative experiences with one front-of-house staff member of average height who dons long hair tied in a ponytail. I will not mention the name as there might be someone else working there with a like-sounding/same name and do not wish to give a red X to any other worker in there. On multiple visits for a while now, he has been consistently rude, dismissive, disrespectful, and projects a noticeably bad attitude that sets a very unpleasant tone for a family-style place. Most recently, on the evening before Thanksgiving, I arrived to meet friends for a few drinks. This staff member was the only person visible in the customer dining area. He came from the back of the restaurant and walked past me a couple of times without acknowledging me or offering so much as a “Can I help you?” I stood near the bar and was the only customer in the entire place at the time, and difficult to miss when passing at a distance of three feet behind. After standing there for several minutes being completely ignored, I called my friends and asked them to meet me elsewhere. I left and decided I would not return again. I want to emphasize that other servers and management I have dealt with at Benares have been friendly, above and beyond kind and markedly professional. However, this particular staff member’s rudeness, disrespect, negative attitude, and bad energy are completely at odds with what I expect from any restaurant or staff whether front-facing or otherwise. As a once-loyal customer of a place that I have helped to promote and tell friends and others to patronize, I take umbrage to being disrespected by a staff person whose attitude is destructive not building. There are other restaurants with similar cuisine in the area where this kind of treatment towards customers does not exist.

The food was average. While not bad, I noticed a hair in the curry. When I brought it to the manager's attention, they handled the situation calmly. Given that it was a large party, I did not wish to cause a fuss. They were aware I wouldn't be able to eat the remaining kofta, but they didn't seem to care. While they offered an apology, it did not feel sincere. There was no offer of compensation or any indication of future caution. I was very disappointed. While the staff is friendly, there was an issue during the inspection with finding a hair in the food. The staff did not appear to investigate how this happened, nor did they speak with the chef about the issue. I hope that the next inspection will result in a negative score, as this will hopefully encourage improvement. The food was average. There wasn't anything negative about it, but it wasn't particularly memorable and I wouldn't miss it again.