Junoon
“Skip the rice and go directly for the naan, if you still have the space.”
“The chef Vikas Khanna has won several awards for cooking and hosts masterchef in India.”
“We picked the Coconut rice pudding which was amazing – garnished with date glaze and almonds.”
Junoon
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
This is my second time here and something is going on. The service was very slow, took an hour from sit down to getting aps. When the entrees arrived one was wrong which is only a big deal if you have been waiting to eat for an hour and half. This is not really befitting a Michelin starred restaurant. The bathrooms were pretty dirty. My food was just okay, though my companions were happy. Operationally they are troubled.
As a Michelin Star restaurant you'll have high expectations right? Wait for it, I'll get there…
Their large entrance/waiting area has a lot of rich dark wood along the walls that give it a elegant look with comfy white couches. I hung out in this area for a few mins before our group of 8 started to arrive. A friend and I made our way to the bar area for drinks as we waited until our group started to stroll in; this is not a spot out of Sex and the City where you'll find Mr. Big ladies. The bartenders are easy on the eyes though, and you will find the bar area to the left of the entrance. Their bar area is completely separate from their dining area, FYI. As most of our group came in we made our way to be seated for dinner. I was a little taken back by the appearance of their dining area; it wasn't modern like their bar area. It looked like a huge banquet hall. I was expecting more of a modern appearance for a Michelin star restaurant. Their plates and silverware weren't fancy by any means; but then again I really didn't come for fancy plates and decor. I came to eat authentic Indian food with good company.
Anytime a restaurant has to deal with a group can be tough. Junoon handled our group courteously and pretty quickly. Once we were seated our waiter came over promptly and discussed the menu with us. We didn't go with the tasting menu and they were accommodating in allowing us to pick multiple appetizers to share and pick our own entrees. Our appetizers came out shortly after we placed our order. They left just enough time to finish our appetizers when our entrees started to appear. Our wine glasses were refilled in a very timely matter; wine refilling with your dinner may be important to some people and if that's you reading this review you're in luck. Now on to the food, some things you may want try:
Noorani Kebabl, Eggplant Chaat, Bagarey Baigan, Kerala Shrimp Curry, Lamb Kolhapuri, Paneer Aur Mirchi Ka Salan and Tandoor Roasted Poussin just to name a few.
I really enjoyed their eggplant, mushroom curry, lamb and chicken dishes; all truly left an impact on my tastebuds for days. Anyone I came in contact with about food left an opening for me to rant for 5-10mins about the food and how I couldn't wait to return. So should you have Michelin Star expectations? Yes, you should! As Arnold Schwarzenegger would say, "I'll be back."
Let's start out at four stars based a lovely bar area, professional and friendly service and a very nice East India Gin & Tonic.
The bar which runs across the "back" of the room splits several tables in the bar area and a larger restaurant space behind the bar. Very much a high end concept place. I need to go back and try the menu.
I was there today with a friend. The decor is strictly OKAY -the one thing going for it is that the place is spacious!!! Wow! I wish they did it over with a bit more elegance/Indian charm. It's very staid in the main dining room – felt like it was missing in character.
We ordered from the restaurant week menu and the appetizer (salmon, gobhi) and main course (eggplant, lamb) was excellent for both of us – but I think the dessert and cocktails could have really been better. Didn't see good execution in the saffron champagne or the kulfi 🙁 I know what good kulfi tastes like – my mom used to make it from scratch and this ain't it…
Junoon is an upscale Indian restaurant on W 24th Street between Ave of the Americas and Fifth Ave.
I came here for a work celebration. The food, drinks and service were all fantastic. The vegetarian entrees, specifically the mushroom curry ($24) and eggplant khatte meethe ($21) were fantastic. The mushroom curry sounds boring… but it's quite the opposite. The chef used a medley of different kinds of mushrooms, so it made to be a memorable dish. The same went for the eggplant dish. The tomato ginger sauce is extremely flavorful and elevated the simple eggplant. I also ordered a Mumbai margarita and it was deliiiicious! What an incredibly tasty meal.
Other great things about Junoon:
+ delicious food
+ medium to quiet level of noise, even during dinner time
+ attentive and quick service
+ great for large groups (our group was 20+ people)
I'd love to come back here!
Junoon is one of the best bets for Restaurant Week – I know, I've done it twice! You are actually saving quite a bit of cash dining here, the RW menu contains all items from the regular menu (not cheaper, easier options), and the service both times was impeccable. I'm actually surprised to see so many people say otherwise!
The restaurant itself is grand, and with the delicious food it feels like a special, elevated dining experience in a land and time far away from the bustling streets of Manhattan. Definitely worth a visit in my book.
*Disclaimer: I am Indian with a mother who cooks like a champ, but was taken out to Junoon.
I was torn between 3 or 4 stars, but I usually bump up a star if the service is exceptional. And maybe newbies would enjoy the experience.
Opted for the pre-fixe. Entrees were average. Accompanying rice was less than average. Nothing wowed us…and when a place looks this nice and has such great service, you kind of expect the food to be better.
The appetizers are pretty good, and creative, which I appreciated. Can recommend the tandoor chicken app with the melon and almonds (forget the name!) and piri piri shrimp.
Desserts were simple, but nice enough to end the meal. Get the ice cream trio.
I don't mind giving Junoon the 4-star nod. I'll just start by saying for a MIchelin 1-star maybe our expectations were a bit higher. But in reality the food was pretty tasty, the prices not exorbitant, and the service pretty decent. Now on to the review…
We actually made reservations for the Patiala room because of the "business casual" dress code in their main dining room. Not sure if this made a difference though because in reality the Patiala room was quite nice.
If we had one overall complaint it would be regarding their cocktails- just sweet and not so good. The sweetness complimented the spiciness of the food somewhat, but on their own a clear miss.
Now the food: we almost did the multi-course "tasting" because the menu is so extensive, but ultimately we opted to select our own dishes because it turned out to be cheaper and we could get exactly what each of us wanted.
First the great: lamb boti kebab, piri piri shrimp, eggplant main dish, goat curry- all hits
The good: bhut jolokia murgh tikka, murgh lambador- good but not great
Misses: root vegetable masala, chicken breast dumpling
We thought the rice, naan, and chutneys were all very well done. About $100 per person with drinks and a good sampling of dishes. All-in-all a pleasant Saturday night.