This is a place you go to for the experience. The entire ceiling and walls are covered in the traditional multicolored lights. This is a great back drop for a group or celebration. BYOB! And inexpensive. I honestly couldn't say anything about the food because it's just not why you come here. read more

Ganja and Ganesh. That description is just scratching the surface of this cosmic, Bollywood, infectiously deeply scented restaurant wafted in curry heaven and littered in a head ducking tidal wave of novelty light strings.... (BREATH). It's a tiny room and NOT for the claustrophobic. Now getting into the restaurant is fairly tough. 1) Be ready to wait outside because the restaurant is THAT popular. 2) The tug-o-war between Milon and the restaurant on the opposite side of the same city stoop is a comical Seinfeld like experience, but let's talk about the food. Holy cow! The food is the real dal...(badum bump!). From the full body Tikka Masala to mouth bursting flavors of the various Kori. There are more choices of sensational dishes then there is room to breath, but the full experience is above any other experience for a restaurant on this level. The Bollywood music adds more amazing layers to that experience making this a hot spot for untraditional birthdays, anniversaries, or other reasons to celebrate. So, step off of the LES world and into the madness that people are raving about. read more

Milon - Indian Near Me - New York, New York

Ok, for me this is a perfect example of falling for the hype. This place does have some things going for it. First off, it's BYOB. And finding a place in NYC that's BYOB and isn't a restaurant still waiting for its liquor license is rare. Being able to bring your own alcohol and not having a corking fee cuts your bill in half (probably more than half at this place). Second, the place is charming. Millions of lights, wrapping paper walls, and the hustlers of the 4 competing Indian joints withing 10 feet of each other all contribute to the vibe. But even with those things going for it, there's still something missing. That something would be delicious food. The food here is acceptable, and yes it's inexpensive, but then again so is Subway. We had the chicken tikka masallum, chicken kati poori, chicken shag, and a shrimp/lentil/rice dish that I can't recall of the name of (not that it would have been spelled correctly on the menu, after all it was a Suggestion from the "Chief"). All were bland by my standards and all suspiciously tasted similar to one another. With a restaurant with such a unique vibe, I expected some unique food, which was nonexistent. Service was friendly but full of mistakes, an appetizer sampler went missing, as did an iced tea. Overall, I don't think I'll be back unless I have friends that insist on going because they haven't been...and I wouldn't put up much of a fight, but I'd certainly to try to tempt them with other places where the food has some character to it. read more

I love this place and the one next door. I'm sure that I would love the ones below it, too. I've never had a bad experience with these places. Also, I think the whole fighting thing is a cute gimmick. The food is cheap, the decor is possibly the most unique in all of Manhattan, the service is decent, and there's never a long wait from sitting down to ordering to eating. Get the lunch special - 6 bucks for soup, samosa, and chicken, lamb or veggie curry. There's always ice cream in the end. Love this place so much! read more

The atmosphere in the place is like no other. From the lights, to the song and most of all the employ. The food was great and cheap, he best part of all was bring your own drink (wine was my choice) it goes with well with the spice food. Over all is well worth a try. The place could use a bigger and cleaner restroom. read more

Milon - Do I smell curry??? - Indian Near Me - New York, New York

Whenever I need to entertain an out-of-towner, I always head to Milon for dinner. It is an adorable little Indian place with cheap food (cash only, so plan ahead) and cute if tacky decor. I've been here on several occasions, and the staff are always ridiculously friendly and helpful. It's BYOB, and there's a place to buy beers right next door (about $2.50 per bottle and a great selection). It's definitely cramped and has overwhelmingly stimulating decor, but I see it as part of its charm rather than a negative. Definitely one of my favorite places in the city. read more

I love this place. This is a great birthday spot. It is one of 4 indian restaurants clustered together, the one on the upper left, Milon, is the only one I've been in. Been here a bunch of times and said it was someones birthday, but this time it actually was my birthday! It is so much fun because when you finish your dinner, they bring out mango iced cream for everyone, and flicker all the thousands of christmas lights that line the ceiling, and turn up the indian celebration music! practically every group in there is having a birthday celebration. It is very claustrophobic, but i think it makes for an intimate fun dinner with your friends. Oh ya, and the food is good too :) I like the selection, and its so affordable. read more

Love this little place. Service & food were exceptional! The ambience is happy & fun. Also, loved the fact it's byob! read more

See all

Truly awful food. Chicken in each dish was suspicious and chewy. Curry was bland. Best part of the meal was the free scoop of mango ice cream. 2 stars instead of 1 for good service & fun atmosphere. read more

The worst service in town. Food is ok, very small size with non-reasonable price. If you order a little food, the waiter will force you to order more with bad attitude. A good place to take photos, but awful to chill. read more

Milon - Indian Near Me - New York, New York

The food here is good, but if you get take out be sure that they packed a fork and napkins! Otherwise you'll have to find the closest Starbucks. read more

Ridiculously narrow and tight seating, BYOB, Cash only, a zillion string lights hanging low over your head. HOWEVER, the food was EXCELLENT (except Nann that was heavy/doughy) and the waiter ran to the downstairs restaurant to bring up excellent Taj Mahal beer for us. The hawkers standing at front of all three restaurants were aggressive and unnecessary. read more

We've been coming here for years and have never had a bad meal. The kitchen and wait staff are very good. Especially fun for groups and birthdays. Cash only. BYOB. High recommend. read more

If you're looking for good, even decent service DON'T COME HERE! The waitstaff are jerks and WILL try to rush you out before you're done eating, and will bitch at you for trying to reserve a table even though no one else is coming in to eat. Also, cash only is annoying and they won't split the bill. That being said... Crazy Christmas lights + Indian techno music + BYOB + fairly cheap food? You gotta try this place at least once with friends. It will definitely be something you remember! read more

This place doesn't have the best indian food ever, but it is very good, in my opinion. I don't eat that much Indian food, and I was completely satisfied. I went on a Saturday night with a group of 8 and wow! was that a tight squeeze, but it kind of added to the fun and excitement of the place. They squeezed all 8 of us at a 4-top table - good thing we all really like each other! Lucky us, we also got to witness about 10 birthdays in the 1.25 hours we spent there. You can't even be annoyed that randomly without warning the lights go dim while you are eating and the music starts playing and the door guy is manually switching the lightswitch off and on for a "strobelight" affect. It's amazing, and our whole table partook in each and every mini party. I will definitely be visiting this place many many more times. read more

It's an experience, that's for sure. I liked that it was BYOB and that made things a little less expensive. But, the food was not great. I have had some good indian food at cheaper locations and this was not even comparable to what I have experienced. The lights and colors were a sight. I think it made it fun, especially since we were there for a birthday. My friend was sung to which was great. One thing I was upset about: we were seated a half hour after our reservation, which happens. It's a weekend, we get it. But, they told us we had to leave asap to fit other people in. They came up to our table several times towards the end of our meal to remind us that we had to leave right away after paying. A little intense and rude, don't you think? read more

In search of the"lights," we headed to Panna II. Seeing 3 places literally next to each other with "lights" we were ushered/stolen in my the convincing waiter at Milon. ***Lunch special (even on weekend) - appetizer, soup, entrees, and dessert ~ 8. The naan stuffed with onion and spinach was awesome! Warm, a bit gooey (like cheese). The soup was pretty good and the dessert was a small scoop of ice-cream. *The entree I ordered (chicken tikka masala) was meh. ***Small good ambiance and fun lights. read more

Great small Indian spot in the East Village. The 3.5 stars it is rated right now is very accurate, I've rounded up because of I have had many good experiences here. You can't go wrong with Milon. Cheap indian food, and lots of it. It's BYOB, without a corking fee (since I've been there last) which is pretty rare to find in the city, so cherish it. The arrangement of Christmas/International decoration lights are intrusive, but fun. I have brought many friends and even family members to this small gem, and everyone I've brought has left full and satisfied. Don't be alarmed by the rush of Indian men coming at you when you walk towards the place. Just firmly mention that you are headed to Milon, and they'll generally leave you alone (if i'm not explaining that well, you'll see for yourself). If the place hasn't burned to the ground by blowing their fusebox, definitely check it out for a fun midday dinner, full of curry and wine. Also beware, cash only. read more

Always a good time at Milon. I go here way too much that they know my face. Can't beat substantial Indian plates and BYOB (yassssss). However, this place accepts cash only so hit that atm. Also, if it's your birthday make sure to let them know cause they'd play a special birthday song with the lights going crazy and everyone dancing read more

Milon - + = - Indian Near Me - New York, New York

BYOB Indian Restaurant !! Need I say more ?! I will sum up my review in 2 words, "yum fun !" This popular bring-your-own-beer restaurant is highly decorated in lights, banners, disco balls, and anything or everything else you can find at Party City (or my room.) The decorations give the place an extremely fun, crazy vibe. So if you're in the mood for cheap Indian grub , I recommend Milon!! Though, watch your head, the ceiling are low and the place is very small. So if you're planning a party, call ahead! P. S. The cheese poori is delicious !! Price range: $12 - $20 read more

Love this place! I'm not sure why everyone is bitching about the quality of food. It's a BYOB Indian place, not the Russian tea room! Stuff that dry chicken curry down your face and focus on what's really important- "free" booze in Manhattan!! Finally I don't have to pay $300 and the tears of a virgin to enjoy a nice bottle of wine! I hosted 14 PEOPLE on a Saturday night and since this place is so small, I needed almost every table they had. I reserved a MONTH in advance for 9pm. A week before I called again to confirm. They had me down for 7pm. Nah uh, not today Rajesh. I made them change it to the correct time. We got there at 9:15 and our table wasn't ready until about 9:30. I cant really complain though- the place is SO small that we literally needed everyone out in order for us to sit. I guess it's hard for them to predict how long everyone's snap chat will take and therefore how long their dinners will be. While waiting outside we weren't really harassed by the other restaurant employees but then again, I don't think any of them would fight to have 14 drunk "team bride" girls in their restaurants. Now that I think about it, they all probably hid inside when they saw us. Once we sat down everything was great, place was LIT, music was loud and everyone was happy. We had a shit load of food, booze more than we could ever drink, and the check came out to $23 per person. That's right, 23 AMERICAN DOLLARS. WOW! read more

The food was good and so was the service, the only downside is when you try to go in there are a few different people hollering at you to go to their restaurant, since there are 2/3 similar restaurants in the same building I guess that they are all competing with one another. Besides this, it was good. I feel like this welcome would end up scaring some customers away, it annoyed me a bit honestly. read more

If your a person of different culture & enjoy exploring many types of food. Come here you will love it. & as you finish your dalishous meal thru complement you with a cute dish of mango ice cream. Extraordinary! read more

Milon - Beautiful - Indian Near Me - New York, New York

Ay. Best place ever. Best vibe, best customers, best regular customers ( like me lol ) and a lot of ideas of how to decor your place on a DIY cheap version. Because magic and good experiences are not related to Michelin Stars, in Milon you find magic, a BYOB option mixed up with best naan cheese bread, Chicken masala and friendly waiters that after seen you 10 times start calling you "my friend". Your wallet will be delighted, your stomach thankful, your eyes enchanted by the little Milon. Ps1: neighbor Panna II is exact same, but not same Ps2: Just tell a waiter it´s your b-day. read more

Although I was not a huge fan of the food, you definitely have to come here just to check out the atmosphere! The lights and tight space will make sure your meal here is unforgettable. And prepare yourself to hear a birthday song (probably several times, since so many people come here for their bday). BYOB, BYO cake etc. Have fun! read more

if you truly want a NYC Southeast Asian experience- Milon is your best bet. sure, there are many restos in this area on Indian Row, but it's all about the LIGHTS. the owners will try to convince you to try out their restaurant. complimenting you, coaxing you, conning you. here at Milon, they do not shy away from those tactics. being that it is a BYOB place... it is an ultimate treat. going with small group of friends for a birthday party or someone you've been a few dates with or a girlfriend you need to cheer up- this is your spot. fun, fun, fun. Bhangra music is pumped up loud, the energetic groups of people at the tables screech/scream and dance in their seats whenever a birthday is being celebrated. it's so much fun silly- you can't help but to be in a good mood while drinking your 40oz and laughing with your friends. the food is good and so affordable! definitely share with your patrons by ordering different entrees and appetizers. the Pakoras, Samosas and Garlic Naan are my favorite apps. the naan is great in general so you can sop up all the gravy in your curry dishes! read more

Yes, the waiters are of the touchy-feely sort. No, you should never bring your parents here. Yes, you will have an awesome time (especially if you bring a bottle of wine per person.. or straight booze, if you're hardcore like that). No, you should not invite the waiters to sit down with you unless you want them to ask you to "please come be my girlfriend because I am lonely at night." Yes, the place has been filled with underage teenybopper types of late (i.e. go on a weeknight). No, don't forget to ask for the birthday song. Yes, the food is pretty good (and damn cheap). read more

By far, my favorite Indian food. Cheap, fun and yum!!! I will be back, where else can I get a meal for $10 and get felt up? ; ) (read the other reviews!) read more

This place is always a hoot and a half. Four stars honestly for how much fun you'll have. Supposedly this is the original one our of the three other exactly identical restaurants there but who knows. I made a reservation for seven but we arrived late and then waited around 20 minutes for a table. Pretty sure the whole reservation thing is a lie. The food is pretty mediocre but you're obviously there for the atmosphere and the BYOB. It's also cash only. Great place to go late and night and then go out somewhere else after. read more

The food was great, the decor was great, the service was absolutely horrible and I would never EVER recommend anyone to go here EVER. Waiter knocked our credit cards to the floor, we couldn't find them, the manager thought we were trying to skimp the bill and called the cops on us. Was called a bitch by a waiter working there. What a horrible place, went there for my birthday dinner and was harassed by the most unprofessional staff in New York. read more

Glass, a long thin shard, in my food. We'd always liked this place, tell them it's someone's birthday and they'll do the song, but our experience Thursday night was ridiculously awful. My husband cut his hand on a chipped water glass they have him. He was bleeding so they just have him napkins, we asked for a bandaid and it took them 15 minutes (pretty sure they had to go get some). Then at the end of the meal I found the shard of glass in my food. It looked like it could have been from the chipped rim of his glass but must have happened in the kitchen because it hadn't broken at the table. When I showed them the piece of glass they took it away (of course) and came back and said MY meal was free. Not the entire table, just mine. Then they did the birthday song for me and brought me ice cream, which totally makes up for having almost eaten a huge chunk of glass right?!?! Be careful at this place. read more

FIRST... it's BYOB! SECOND... the place/service isn't as bad as some people say. The waiters were perfectly pleasant, but you can tell they are serving fast in order to get as many people in and out as possible. By no means did I ever feel rushed to get out of there. Also, the doormen weren't as aggressive as I thought. People are just too sensitive. The food isn't the best Indian food, but you need to go for the experience. You definitely have to be in a certain mood to eat here and deal with the hectic atmosphere, but it's awesome if you're ready for it. I don't know how this place hasn't burned down yet, but I'm not complaining. The lights really make your meal a unique experience, along with the tight space and the lively soundtrack. I had a great time and will make sure to bring more people back. read more

Really enjoyed the decor and trying some new types of food. Staff was fun and helpful.

One word: festive. This place is a ton of fun. I went with a large group to celebrate Diwali. We brought our own booze and ordered dozens of different dishes that we passed around the table. The space is pretty cramped, kind of like being in the hold of a boat with thousands of colorful lights hanging from the ceiling. Not exactly a claustrophobe's idea of a good time. What you'll get: good Indian food, frenzied service, at least a few birthday songs (you'll see when you go), and an overall great time. read more

Somebody hit the post-holiday sale on Christmas lights, and had a really big shopping cart. This is the perfect place to take out-of-town guests - the quirkiness of it all will leave a life-long impression of "crazy New York." Plus, the food is good and cheap, and you can bring a six pack to wash it all down. Make sure you have a birthday in the group, because they manually flicker the lights and sing. read more

Milon, known amongst my friends as "top left" because of its place among 3 other Indian restaurants, is the best amongst the lot of them. The food isn't the best Indian I've had, but the value is second to none--you can get a great, full meal here for under $12. The seating is incredibly tight, no doubt. The ambiance is...peculiar; every wall, as well as the ceiling, is covered with lights and various holiday celebration decorations. Celebrations at Milon are common, as I've been witness to a birthday EVERY time I've been there. Are they real birthdays? Doubtful, but every bday is met with a crazy light show and Indian birthday song--from speakers, though, rather than the staff itself. The best time to go is at lunch when it's less crowded and you can take advantage of the lunch special, which is generous. That said, the young crowds that frequent this place help make it fun, and whether you're there for lunch or dinner, there's always a free scoop of mango ice scream to top off your meal. read more

Legend has it that Milon was the first Indian restaurant to open in this building, and made a splash with its insane decor, even more insane low prices, and yummy Indian fare. A travel agency occupied the space next door, and other businesses (not restaurants) occupied the spaces below. One day, the travel agency went bust, and before they knew it, the new tenants next door opened a COPY CAT replica of Milon. (how rude!) They might have tried to copy it... but the decor is not as striking, and the food is sub-par. A few years later, other folks copied the copy catters in the two store fronts below. Now, its a mad-crazy scene outside the 4 similar establishments with the "hosts" fighting with each other over customers, offering people free food to come to their place instead of the one next door/above/below the others, etc. People, just go upstairs, head to the left and enjoy. MILON - the original - rises above the rest! Even if it is not your birthday - tell them it is. They'll stop everything and sing this silly birthday song, getting everyone in the restaurant to join in, and ignite rediculous strobe lights. This is also a great prank to pull on friends... The food is fantastic - as flavorful as it is inexpensive. It is a great dinner + experience for approx. $10 per person (including appetizers and dessert!). It is especially fun to order a few things and share, so all of your friends get a few bites of everything. The servers will also remember you the second time you dine there, and treat you like family everytime they see you again. One last lil' tip: bring tourist friends & a camera - the pics really turn out stunning with the millions of chili pepper lights in the background, and everyone looks super-sexy under those red lights! read more

Been coming here for years. I'm sad they cleaned up some of the decorations. It's still crazy chili lights in here though. 1) Upper left. Don't let the others fool you. 2) You're always a friend to the host. Girlfriend or wife if you're a lady. And yes, if you're female, he may hug you or touch your arm and back but like the craziness of this place, go with it. 3) I don't give a shit how authentic their food is. Order anything and everything. It's cheap, it's filling, it's delicious, there's refills on rice and soup, and free mango ice cream. It's BYOB so load up on some booze beforehand. 4) Tell them it's your birthday. If someone else already activated the crazy disco ball and weird Indian(?) remix of the Birthday song, clap along and say "Happy Birthday" to the person who probably isn't celebrating their birthday but just LOVE the crazy 30 seconds of the birthday song. 5) Crazy crowded in here. Used the bathroom ONCE in all the years I've been here and only because our table was really close to it. Don't bring friends over 5'6. See crazy lights in picture? That's why. Or I suppose you can make them bend and walk. :) read more

We had a great experience. The price was really good. We tried the Lamb and the vegetarian curry.

I've seen so many pictures of friends at Milon and have heard a ton of stories about it before finally going myself, but I still don't think I was prepared for the experience. I came here with a large group of about 20-25 people to celebrate 3 friends' birthdays. We called ahead and made a reservation but from the minute we got there, or actually before we even got there, there was some "turbulence". One friend in our party arrived before the majority of us and she texted us saying the staff was being rude. Our reservation was for 7:00 PM and at 7:02, they were already complaining that we were late and they wouldn't hold our table for us if we didn't get there immediately. I can see how it's a small place and they want to maximize their business so I gave them the benefit of the doubt. After getting into the actual restaurant (and narrowly avoiding being lured into one of the 3 neighboring Indian restaurants), I could tell I was in for quite the experience. After much back and forth about the size of the party and some awkward standing around another table while they finished eating, our party of 21 was seated around three tables. To this day, I still don't know how and it might remain one of the biggest unsolved mysteries in my life. We brought a LOT of wine with us considering the main reason we were there was since it was BYOB. We went with the pre fixe menu: samosa, pakora, some "naan" or as other Yelp reviewers have pointed out: pita bread, Basmati rice, some chicken curry, and some veggie curry. The last two are not just me forgetting what exactly I had. Nope. It's just me still not knowing what I even had. Also will go down as a great unsolved mystery. I think the only thing I'm qualified to review in terms of the food since I had enough bites of the items were the samosa and the naan. The samosa was crunchy and surprisingly really good though I was a little hesitant to try any deep fried food at the place. The naan on the other hand...well, I think they're just being lazy and heating up some frozen stuff from the grocery store. The curries were super oily and I could tell, would upset my stomach so I only nibbled on them. I have mixed feelings about Milon as an overall dining experience. On one hand, some of their food tasted amazing and it seems like the place has actual potential on the basis of Indian/Bangladeshi food. I read other Yelp reviews that clearly say this is the best out of the 4 in terms of food. But on the other hand, I don't think the restaurant really cares about being known for their food. Milon can get away with serving fake naan because they have two great things going for them: 1. it's BYOB and 2. it's a novelty experience. People love coming in and taking pictures of all the streamers/lights/cramped seating. We all went crazy each of the 9 times they played the birthday song and performed a crazy light show. We love it because it's an experience: to get drunk with a group of your friends while "eating" dinner without it costing you an arm and a leg. So I guess I give this place two stars for being great businessmen because that's what they are. The waitstaff sucks and the old guy with the moustache is a grouch but at least they know what they are and what they're not. Milon will manage to lure in enough business to be just fine. read more