The biggest problem I have with Indian food is that I tend to order the same thing, time in and time out. So, I visited Haveli bound and determined to try something different, which makes this review that much more difficult. But I digress. To begin, I ordered the Haveli mix platter for two, as an appetizer. This was a meal in itself, packed with mildly spicy chicken, fried potatoes, and flavorful spiced lamb deep fried in batter. There was also a veggie version of the same. Yes, prior to the appetizer being served, crunchy flour based wafers (please excuse my ignorance on the proper names. I told you this would be a difficult review for me) were served with your choice of spicy tomato or plum based dip. This was the only part of the meal I could completely finish due to the large portions that were served. Even so, I ate until I could eat no more. And yet, I hadn't yet had the main course. I ordered the Haveli mixed grill. Served on a sizzling hot platter that was over flowing with mildly spicy lamb, chicken and fish, accented with a rich garlic after taste and served over browned onions and green beans, this was again more than I could eat in one sitting. I did indeed have many questions for the waiter, who patiently and happily explained each dish, going so far as to offer a quick recipe in the event I wanted to try my hand at home preparation. A complementary mango smoothie was provided, and quickly consumed, along with single (trust me, one is all you need; but, you will want another) donut hole drenched in a honey sauce. All of this, and the Chicken Biryani that my daughter ordered (I can't speak first hand on this dish; but, take it from me, she was impressed) cost under fifty dollars, excluding the tip. Considering both my daughter and I left full, with at least another meal each in left overs, I found the price to be more than reasonable. All in all, this was an experience that is difficult to forget, leaving me to anticipate my return (and I haven't even touched on the pleasant, slightly upscale atmosphere). read more

My husband and I love it here. We've been eating here for years and the food and service is always phenomenal. Recently I had to give up soy and dairy and they have been so accommodating in working with my dietary restrictions. We highly recommend eating here! read more

Incredible service!! Went for a friends birthday and they stayed open past closing for us. Also incredible dining staff! Definitely recommend! Best Indian food in Middletown read more

I love Haveli. I constantly crave their food. It is genuinely comforting (especially when the weather is chilly). The place is cozy and the food makes you feel good. The staff is very friendly and welcoming. They're informative when it comes to the food. Everything is so fresh and so flavorful. One of my favorite dishes is the shrimp tandoori masala, its outstanding. The lunch buffet and the regular sit-down dinners are both incredible. I recommend haveli to anyone who enjoys savory Indian food! read more

Food from somewhere else One of my favorite Indian restaurants in all of Connecticut. Lovely old building, always dark and clean but not exactly what I call classic Indian style. The buffet is a real bargain if you like to eat, although the food in a buffet never has much of a kick. They do offer a wide variety compared to other buffets and the kheer for dessert was especially thick and rich. I love their tikka masala although for some reason it always looks fluorescent orange. The naan is very soft and tender and all the breads seem to be less oily than others I have tasted. They specialize in veggie dishes and this restaurant is a great place to take someone who thinks they don't like Indian food. read more

I honestly had no idea this part of Middletown existed. I was following my GPS, thinking, "This can't be right... is this... even the same town?" Lo and behold, it totally is and tucked away in what appears to be some sort of hotel is Haveli India, and I gotta say, y'all got it going ON. We didn't order an appetizer, but that apparently doesn't matter because they gave us one anyway. Not sure what I did to deserve this but I'm not complaining. It appears to be some sort of fried/tempura type veggie. Maybe onions? Whatever it was it was good, and the dipping sauce was legit. Someone told me they won an award for their chicken tikka masala and I believe it. It was flavorful as hell. I was starting to wonder what else I could put that sauce on. Hot dogs? Potato chips? I got the mixed grill, and it wasn't QUITE as good. I think they could probably afford to throw in a few sauces with the dish just to get some added flavor, but overall it was really good. Oh, and their vodka sodas are 5 bucks a pop and made properly. You'd be shocked how often you order a vodka soda and someone sends back a vodka tonic. Not the same thing, man. Not. At. All. The naan is also excellent. Cause you can't have Indian without naan. Don't be crazy. The service was a tad slow, but I'm nitpicking here. Overall I had a good time and would definitely recommend it. read more

I'd noticed the high regard other Yelpers have for Haveli India, so I finally made the effort to try it out. It's on the far side of town for me, and I'd mostly noticed it while going by on the way to and from Points South of Middletown. It was pretty quiet on a Tuesday evening in July, and a server found a table for us quickly. He was very attentive to us through the evening, and smiling and pleasant as well. We decided to share a two person appetizer among the three of us called the Sabzi Platter. It's a selection of vegetables, all of them batter-coated and deep fried. They were all quite good, though some benefited from the extra seasoning provided in the chutney dishes. My daughter enjoyed one of her favorite dishes, chicken saag, while my son went for keema matter, a minced lamb and pea curry. I ordered a chicken dish which, I regret to say, isn't listed on their online menu, and I can't remember its name. A lot of its flavor came from roasted spices, and that gave it a really distinctive taste. If it were music, it would be the bass notes; if it were art, it would be the deep colors. I don't think I've eaten anything else like it. Up to this point, everything was quite good, and I was happy. Then I reached for the plate of naan, and my eyes sprang open with the first bite. It was exceptionally light, with another layer of flavor that blew my mind. I'm a naan fan any day, but this was superb. Bravo. Up to this point, I'd been looking for an excuse to get to Haveli India. I don't need one any more. My taste buds will drag me back! read more

Really great Indian food! My husband and I are big fans of Indian food and we had been looking for a local place to try. We found Haveli Indian and were impressed with the large selection and reasonable prices. I was ordered a vegetarian thali dish (which has a small sampling of their most highly regarded vegetarian meals) and it was delicious! Not many Indian restaurants offer this dish so I was very happy to see it here. The service was friendly and fast...and our waters were never empty for more than 2 seconds. The location itself looks to be an old inn converted into a restaurant, so it has a lot of character. It's very clean and open with seating. I wouldn't say it was the absolutely best Indian food I've ever had, but my husband said his chicken tikamasala was the best he's ever had, so overall we were really happy. Highly recommended! read more

We came here on a quiet night and had a good time. Atmosphere: The dining area is clean, warm, and inviting. The building looks like it was an old inn previously, and from the outside, it looks like it should be a pub. They keep the place clean and orderly. Menu: Lots of variety - they have a lot of good vegetarian dishes, but they have plenty of options for the meat lovers too - chicken, lamb, beef, shrimp, etc. My friend had the chicken tikka masala, and I had duck breast that was served with a spicy pepper sauce. We also ordered naan, and vegetarian somosa (bread stuffed with potato, peas, and spices, rolled up and deep fried). The meals came with a big plate of basmatti rice. Everything was cooked with care and tasted great. Also, I can't complain about being able to order a 22 oz bottle of indian beer! My friend says their buffet is also great. I've never had it, but I'll defer to her on that one. Service: Appetizer came out quickly. Dinner took about thirty minutes to come out, and it was worth the wait. Servers are very attentive - they took time to check on us, and they were very good about keeping our water glasses full. All in all, it was a nice dinner out. Stop by to eat - I think you'll be glad that you did. read more

Let me start off by saying that I have been coming to this place for years. The past year or 2 they must have changed ownership because it has gone way downhill. Food & Service. The woman who greets people is incredibly rude and moody. Sometimes she's nice,other times not so much. Service is mediocre at best. If you have to ask for water that's never a good sign. Usually come here for their $9.95 buffet and all of it today was tasteless. No flavor whatsoever. Been getting that way for a while. For these 2 reasons,I will not be returning. There are way too many better choices out there. read more

I like Haveli India so much, I had them cater my wedding. Haveli is good food with plenty of vegetarian options, in this random location south of Middletown. It's a kind of dark and imposing old inn, and they've decorated the entryway and dining area with some classic India kitsch, like one of those faux electric paintings that looks like the waterfall is really running water? Trippy. Our favorite dishes are the baigan bhartha, shahi paneer, and khadai paneer. But back before I went vegetarian, the chicken tikka masala and korma were quite delectable too. The service is great although sometimes the servers don't speak the best English ever, they are eager to please. And by the way, their catering is totally awesome. The price was very reasonable and they came with these cool looking bronze serving dishes. Everyone at my wedding enjoyed it, even those who weren't very into Indian. read more

Came here last night recommended by a friend. The restaurant is situated in an old inn, which was fairly intriguing to me. The sitting area is quite large due to this and I heard its large enough to do weddings. I ordered the quintessential chicken tikka masala, spicy and my friend had chickpea curry. I really enjoyed my dish, it's one of the better Indian food I had in CT. The spice level was just right and the dish was flavorful. The plain naan was too oily otherwise, I had an excellent dinning experience. read more

I was here a few months back as part of a small catering function for a group of employees. One of them is of Indian heritage, so she hosted 20-30 of us for a lovely Indian buffet dinner at Haveli. The location itself is kind of odd... It's best described as a log cabin I suppose. Perhaps Abraham Lincoln ate here while campaigning for re-election in central Connecticut? Anyway, it's no matter really, it's just not the kind of place one would expect to find fine Indian dining. More importantly, the Indian food is very, very good. I enjoyed the Chicken Tikka Masala (hard to screw up), the vegetarian dishes, and the freshly made Naan. They provided plenty of food for the group, and never ran out of anything. Waitstaff was nice, providing water and other beverages when needed. I can't speak for all of Middletown, but if you want Indian food here, this is most likely your best bet. read more

Bland. Indian style American food. Very reasonably priced. read more

Went back here last night - sabzi platter for two, half bread basket (Haveli Special Naan - a Clay oven bread stuffed with fresh grated coconut, nuts and a touch of sugar, an Onion Kulcha, and a plain Naan), kadai paneer, chana masala, kingfisher .. spice factor was up a bit from last time but not too far gone to be enjoyable. the place was packed on christmas night - a good option over the usual chinese restaurants. the bread basket was interesting but i probably wouldnt order it again - just pick one or two breads on my own. still have to get back some day for the lunch buffet. with the snow in the parking lot it was even smaller and more of a pain in the ass to maneuver - i think everyone that eats here drives an suv. read more

Haveli India - Indian Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

It'll do... It's kinda dark in here and the tables are placed very close together, so you get to enjoy the other guests' very loud and obnoxious conversations. The worst part is when other diners order dishes that come out on a sizzler plate (Indian food served fajita-style). Be prepared for severe coughing fits due to this (yourself and many of the other guests will be choking and coughing all throughout dinner - yay!). To be honest, the food here used to be pretty good. Now it's just not worth the trouble I mentioned above. Not even kind of. Nothing tastes particularly fresh, the gravies are unpleasant. If I'm going to be spending money on Indian food, it'd be better spent elsewhere. The nearest GOOD Indian restaurant is not far from here. Save your money and the trouble and skip Haveli. read more

I've always loved this place, but i recently revisited and was so happy to be back in CT. Everything was delicious, especially their garlic nann. I ordered for hte first time a shrimp filled poori bread, I wasn't to impressed, but that's because I don't like saucy things. The sauce itself tasted great, but the bread beneath it was really soggy. I don't do soggy. I ate the tandoori chicken and went to town with the limes. Yumm I love lime on my tandoori. At any rate. It here. It's great. read more

This is really great indian food and man I have tried pretty much every indian restuarant in eastern CT. Not sure how they do it but their dishes have so much more flavor compared to any other indian restaurant. Their meat isnt dry like at some other places and their dishes are definietly not oily. Just plain great flavor and at a great price. I come here every couple months for a girls night because even their wine selection isn't too bad and dirt cheap too! Love this place! read more

Haveli India - Small but fabulous - Indian Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

Just the best Indian food ever and the people who run it are lovely. This one of the top three restaurants in Middletown IMO.

The one place I would go to if I wanted GOOD Indian food! I am a fan of their North Indian dishes and have tried most of their curries. The bread basket is huge and I mostly end up taking some away home. Their mango lassi is to die for. We have attended birthday parties in this place and they rent out the hall for free if you are buying food from them. My only pet peeve is that I wish they were more friendly and sported a smile. Not sure if this attitude is only towards fellow Indians and not towards others. That's the only thing that got them 4 stars and not a 5. read more

The buffet at Haveli India is AMAZING! Cheap price (around $10 per person), nice ambience and clean and wide space. There is a variety of delicious food to eat from, to name a few: chicken masala, chicken curry, lamb curry, funny looking yellow rice, veggie masala, a lot of vegetable dishes and even sweet and sour chicken and fruits and dessert. Compare to another Indian buffet nearby, I was amazed by how much food Haveli India provided! Not to mention the deliciously fresh and soft naan! We had a huge feast here and will definitely come back for such great food and great place (and great price)! read more

Would give zero stars if possible. Mediocre taste and undercooked half frozen meat. I've explored almost ALL Indian/Nepalese and Pakistani restaurants in CT over the last 14 years. But this was awful! read more

Strange to have Indian food in the old Monte Green Inn location as others have pointed out the atmosphere doesn't really match the cuisine. As an FYI, the lunch buffer is only Friday-Sunday, but there is a lunch menu for Mon-Thurs. The lamb saag wasn't spicy, but I did overhear other customers asking for hot so perhaps I should have asked rather than assumed. The garlic naan was tasty and the samosa filling wasn't dense (which is a good thing). Diet coke was very watered though. Overall, would good back again when in the area. read more

I'm obsessed. Free delivery...I mean, that's unheard of these days. Food is ALWAYS fresh and delicious. If you like food packed with flavor that totally fills you up-this is your jam! read more

I am a healthcare worker. Exhausted after working 12 hours straight I called them before 1 hour of closing and asked for a delivery. They did not charge me for the delivery and also delivered fast. I opened the bag to find extra food and dessert that I didn't order! I greatly appreciate their generosity and the food was delicious! read more

The food is okay, I did not have anything was really worth raving or even talking about. It is not place I would go out of my way to go to. I went on a very hot day, and they had no AC, which was another reason I was not to happy. Also, not the cleanest place I have been to. read more

While everything I've had at Haveli has been excellent, I would recommend that people try the yellow dal while eating there. It's not something that might jump out at you from the menu, because it sounds simple, but it is as good as it gets. Yellow dal and rice there is a special thing. A Tamil friend of mine, after eating it for the first time at this restaurant, looked up and said, "This tastes like home." Some reviewers have mentioned the food is not spicy enough for their taste. Why not then ask for it to be spicy? It's easy enough, you just have to tell your server how hot you like your food. Also, Haveli does stellar catering, and they make sure that everything is of the highest quality for your event. They catered my wedding, and our guests were going crazy for the food, it was a tremendous hit. read more

Haveli is our go-to Indian restaurant. The staff is friendly and the food is usually quite good. The service is usually reasonably timely, even "rushed" by Indian standards (although still not as quick as I'd like). I haven't found a better Indian restaurant in the Hartford area (Haveli was originally recommended by an Indian friend of mine). read more

Excellent Indian food. The buffet is worth a 30 min detour while driving through CT. Tandoor and lamb curry were excellent, but the fresh naan was the best read more

Wonderful buffet! The staff is wonderful, they fully explain everything to you and all the options were all great tasting and the staff was right on with their descriptions. Too much to like to name a favorite, except I keep coming back for more. Never a bad experience. read more

We took a takeout after about 3-4 years. Glad to say we did... loved to food... we ordered kadai paneer, navaratn Korma and the bread basket. Absolutely loved it. Not much spicy the kids could eat it easily. The paneer was soft and cooked. Only problem was then replaced the onion naan with coconut naans... which were too sweet for our taste... would definitely visit again but without the coconut naans read more

Very bad service below are some points to name a few Lentil soup was brought cold Appetizers was brought after serving main course Restaurant guest were shouting all through the hour Guest were allowed to play music in their speaker in the public dining area Service was very very slow read more

Haveli may as a well be called "India Palace" or something similarly generic and obviously American. This is a great place to order some Chicken Tikka Masala with some naan. This is a great place to have a generic cheap Friday lunch buffet with your colleagues. This is not a place to be adventurous. Don't expect anything spicy, and don't expect anything you haven't already seen before. All the curries are slightly sweeter than I would like them and a lot of them taste the same (creamy/sweet with a tomato base). The desserts are above average with special honors to the gulab jamun, which was great. The service is average, and the decor is nice, slightly classy and somewhat dimly lit. The place is slightly quiet. TL;DR: Make to come well rested, or you may be lulled to sleep by the quiet ambience and the boring food. read more

This is a classic situation where the food is delicious but the management is poor. I seriously hope the person I spoke to was only the manager and not the owner. I really want to like this place because the food is truly delicious but the management needs to get a clue how to deal with customer service. I dined there on 1/21 using a restaurant.com certificate. United Airlines lets you redeem miles this way. I've used these certificates before with no issue. I tell the waiter I plan on using the certificate. Instead of writing down the redemption code, he takes my phone with him. He comes back, hands me my phone and bill. He says nothing. I tip them 20% because the food and service was good and I left. I get home to find two emails in my email box asking me how Haveli and Bella Luna were. I thought it was strange I was getting two emails so I checked my phone. Turns out the staff hit "redeem" on the application for Haveli IN ADDITION to another certificate. They redeemed an extra certificate for a different restaurant on my phone and said nothing. Didn't even fess up to it. I call them that same night and tell them. The person who answers the phone admits guilt. I asked him to write down my name and what happened. That I would be calling Restaurant.com to fix this, but if they couldn't help me for them to reimburse me. He said fine. A few days later I call them back to get reimbursement. The manager says all of the following: 1) Restaurant.com is a fraud business and that I shouldn't be using certificates (then he should opt out) 2) Restaurant.com wont answer his emails or phone. (I called and got a response immediately). 3) That they will no longer be handling anyone's phone. That it was my fault that I didn't use a printed out certificate (Blaming the customer to use an approved application?) 4) That he cannot redeem certificates for other restaurants. When I contradicted him, he talked over me for 2 minutes yelling at me on the phone that I'm the one who doesn't get it. (You can absolutely hit "redeem now" on the app from the customer side) 5) That he wanted proof that they accidentally burned two certificates. I told him about the phone call I made. He said yes but he didn't believe me and wanted proof. I love the food here but I will never go back. I will never recommend this place to any of my friends. This place is going to go down in flames if their management isn't properly checked. read more

The Tikki Masala and Tandoori Chicken are delicious!! Excellent food & friendly service at very reasonable prices.

We have eaten here 3 times now and for buffet indian I think it's one of our favorites. Always a big choice of dishes. Will continue to go back. read more

Living five minutes away, we order take-out from here regularly. They have a nice selection of vegetarian entrees. Dal Makhani, Saag Paaneer and Malai Kofta are our favorites. The naan can be a little thin, but tasty nonetheless. And they almost always throw in a nice little dessert. I should note that we did not particularly enjoy the one time we ate at the restaurant. As has been noted in other reviews, the decor is "unique". Service was slow, to the point where we had to get up and ask where our drinks were. But since we live so close, this doesn't really matter. read more

Haveli's, I miss you! Can you deliver to New York? I love love this place. Their style of chicken tikka masala is my favorite. I haven't found anything close in New York. Those I've encountered here are oily and lumpy. Haveli's chicken tikka masala is creamy and so so so good. My friends and I always order that and the saag paneer. When I was in school, I'd drag a friend during the week for the lunch buffet. I'd fill my plate up with the above dishes, rice and the vegetarian pakora. I'd finish the meal off with their delicious Mango Lassi. Other great dishes: Aloo Gobi, Aloo Palak, Baigan Bartha, Rogan Josh and the Malai Kofta. The naan here is excellent. I will definitely be back here when I'm in the area. Last note, the owner and the waiters are great. The owner taught me to put some mango chutney on the pakora. Thanks for the tip! read more

This place turned out to be a great find. Papadum with various dipping sauces is always a winner, but Haveli India had much more in it's favor (flavor?). The service was top notch. The waiter answered all our questions in great detail and made excellent suggestions. I went for the complete Indian dinner which costs about $18. This includes a soup of your choice, samosa, choice of bread, and various samples of main dishes. While it may not sound like a lot of food, the portion sizes are actually larger than they appear. It's a great way to try a bit of everything. Dessert or tea is also included. More than likely, you may end up taking food home with you. It's a lot of food, but it's so good that you really want to eat every last bite. Mango lassi here was also excellent. Definitely a must have if you've never tried it before! In addition to the excellent dinner, they also have an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet. If I had one suggestion, it would be to request a level of spiciness while ordering as the food was just a bit mild. Otherwise this is easily the best Indian food I have eaten in Connecticut. read more

Found this place by happenstance - driving past, checking out the area, and thought it was a German restaurant (seriously, it looks like something out of the German pavilion at Epcot). So I Yelped it to see what it was. Being new to CT, I haven't tried any Indian restaurants to compare it to here. But I've eaten Indian food hundreds of times in FL. I'm happily surprised by Haveli India. It didn't look too impressive from the outside, but it was perfect with the food. We went for dinner - and got a order of Vegetarian Samosa, the Chicken Korma, Shaahi Paneer, Naan, and Haveli Special Naan. First, I have to say the complimentary papadums were tasty - and I don't like papadums! So either they make them wrong, and I like it that way, OR I've finally found someplace that makes them right - and delicious. The samosas had the right amount of spice. The chicken korma was flavorful. It wasn't the most authentic I've had, but was tasty enough. The Shaahi paneer was the best thing we tasted! It was soooo good - we were fighting over the leftover sauce to see who got to put it on their rice. Naan is naan, what can I say. But the Haveli Special Naan had anise in it (which the menu didn't mention), and neither of us like anise, so we took the whole order home and fed it to the squirrels in the backyard - they looked like they enjoyed it! At the end of the meal, they also gave us each a complimentary Gulab Jamun. Yum! We left stuffed, pleased, and can't wait to go back and try other things on the menu - like the chicken tikka masala. I also want to go back and try the buffet. Hopefully then I can update my review to give that 5th star! read more