Govinda’s Vegetarian
“Tucked away in the basement of a Hare Krishna temple is Govinda's Kitchen, a vegetarian cafeteria of sorts with amazing food!”
“Govinda's not quite as cheap as the basement-of-a-temple stylings might make you think, but the delicious food will have you ready to convert.”
“Cash-only cafeteria-style dining with a very friendly cross-section of Brooklyn office workers, locals, and parishoners.”
Govinda’s Vegetarian
Take-out: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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This place is truly amazing! When Yelp came up with Govindas while searching for food near work,I was not entirely sure what to expect since even though the name suggested an Indian place,the food pics suggested a varied cuisine(eggplant parm,cheesecake?!)It was a pleasant surprise to find out it was in the basement of a temple,giving me an opportunity to visit both the temple upstairs and sample the tasty fare downstairs.
Every morsel here is seasoned to perfection.The salads and side dishes with zucchini and quinoa are not exactly Indian food but they have managed to combine the best flavours of both Indian and western cuisine to create an extraordinary fare equally palatable to everyone.My favorites are the eggplant parm and the delicious salads.
The desserts look heavenly(I am yet to try those since sugar highs in the middle of the day are not good for the rest of my work day).The best part is that they have managed to make the food light and non greasy while still retaining the taste,making this a perfect place to hit up for lunch.
The free pickles and lemon flavored water are a nice touch to make you fall even more in love with this unassuming place.The prices are really low and you kinda get the feeling that here,it's more about people enjoying the food than actually making a profit.The people serving the food are super nice as are those who come to eat here. Many a time,total strangers who seem to be regulars here have offered tips on what to get.I guess good food brings out the best in people. Definitely unique and hugely satisfying!
From bread to salad to main dish, they don't cut corners. Everything is extremely flavorful, and the kitchari with yogurt is the creamiest and richest version of the dish I've ever had. The only thing I don't like is their free "juice" – it's too sweet and artificial. But the free infused water is great. Restrooms are clean and the staff here is sooo friendly. Here is the weekly menu on rotation:
Monday – kitchari
Tuesday – tofu
Wednesday – nut loaf
Thursday – eggplant parm
Friday – parm and whole wheat pasta
Very tasty food. Happy i stumbled on this spot. MY only qualm is sometimes they be trying it during the end of lunch hour when they barely fill ya plate up! Or when i be getting burnt food sometimes but other than that i love it!
Govinda's is the type of place you'd never expect to find in NYC, with the added benefit of actually being *IN* NYC.
A true hidden gem, nestled in the basement of a Hare Krishna temple in downtown Brooklyn, Govinda's offers top notch food made with love at prices fit for a pauper's wallet.
GV has a constantly revolving menu, so don't expect the same thing twice! Fret not, because everything here is crafted to perfection reminiscent of your mother's kitchen, with an environment just as peaceful and loving.
I come here as often as I can, which is still not often enough!
Tip: Free flavored water and teas!
You'll be hard pressed to find better tasting vegetarian dishes served from a friendlier staff.
Would definitely recommend and try again.
My favorite types of restaurants in Brooklyn are those that you can walk right past and not even know they were there. Govinda's takes that a step further; you can walk inside and STILL not realize that a buffet of delicious vegetarian food is waiting for you just below your feet.
As the second most hipster thing I've ever said (refer to Bunna Cafe in Bushwick for the first), Govinda's is some of the best (and only!) vegetarian food I've had in the basement of a Hare Krishna temple. Say what?? Thank god I had Yelp lead to me this place, as I'd never discover it otherwise.
Each day, they offer a completely different menu of vegetarian mains, sides, salads, and desserts. If you are terrible at making decisions like me, or just want to try everything, definitely get the complete meal for only $12. There is literally nowhere else in the city that you can get amazing food in epic proportions for such a low cost.
It always includes a curried type of light soup with a fresh salad, and AMAZING freshly baked bread. From there, the possibilities are endless; the menu changes every single day and is usually updated on their Facebook page. Once I had pasta salad, mixed vegetables, veggie keftas, and chickpeas, while today I had a tofu fillet, rice with chili, broccoli, and cabbage with potatoes. Their meals tend to have a lot of curry flavors and lean heavily on carbs/starches, but I'm not complaining one bit.
And whatever you do, do. not. skip. dessert. If there is cheesecake available, get it. It's a huge slice for $4, but perfectly rich, creamy, and decadent. All said and done, you'll probably get 3 meals out of the complete set with your leftovers, and you'll still never get tired of eating.
The food is really simple and definitely tastes homemade, but I mean that in the best way possible. The lines at prime lunch hours definitely attest to Govinda's popularity, but everyone is really nice and the line moves quickly. Keep your eyes peeled for the sign on street level and be prepared to eat your weight in vegetarian goodies.
By now my fiance doesn't bat an eye when we're in NYC for a wedding, and I tell him that after we pick up his tux, there's a Hindu temple that serves a cash only vegetarian lunch in the basement around the corner and this is probably where we should go eat. Like of all the places we could go to eat, I'm walking him down stairs to what looks and feels like a soup kitchen for those without a place to call home.
Of course everyone there is super pleasant. I mean like, when we asked if was cash only, we were told "it is, but if you don't have it, you can pay us some other day." The two of us shared a $10 platter which pretty much got us everything that was left on the buffet (getting there later in the day means that some items are gone already!) and then ordered some other misc stuff too. Seating is family style at round banquet tables, so buddy up with anybody among the mix of people and families that only a vegetarian lunch in the basement of a hindu temple would be able to bring together.
I got an allergic reaction from something I ate there and wrote them a message on Facebook politely asking for the ingredients to try to identify what the culprit could be as per my doctor's orders. UPDATE: They did get back to me.
As for the review of the place/food itself – as everyone has noted its in the basement of a temple. Very plain and almost cafeteria / soup kitchen setting. There's a small section with the food that is served buffet style (CASH ONLY). Everything is vegan/vegetarian and the menu changes daily. Thursdays and Fridays are the most popular days because those are the days they serve eggplant parmesan.
The food itself is affordable – $4 for one item, $6 for 2 items and $7 for one item with 3 sides. There's an $8 and $10 option as well and they give you a good amount of food. $4 for cake and $1 for cookies
It was a little confusing though because given their menu I should've been able to get 2 eggplant parms for $6 but was told I would have to pay $8 if I did that. The wording of the menu did not make that clear at all.
SERVICE:
There's a woman there who was very friendly and pleasant, but there was also a guy there helping her who had a sourpuss face, unfriendly demeanor and nasty attitude. He made me feel uncomfortable every time I went up to look at the food (I got some food to go at the end of my meal) and made me not want to go back.
While he was already in a sour mood before I had any interaction with him, I think the later bad vibes he sent my way stemmed from the fact that I handed him money over the counter and instead of him looking to see that there were quarters in my hand he simply dragged the money out of my hand, which resulted in some quarters ending up in the quinoa.
He looked annoyed at me even though had he been paying attention he could have avoided that accident. (p.s. – he didn't change the quinoa container after picking the quarters out. EEK!)
TIP #1: If you have t-mboile there's no internet connection in the basement
TIP #2: CASH ONLY!
TIP #3: Go on eggplant day (Thursday and Friday) but go early because it's their busiest day and they do sell out
Major gripes – very short operating hours, they do run out of the stuff you want, and the line can get really long