It's about time I review this restaurant as I've made it my go-to this hectic week when I've been too busy for dinner. I had hoped to wait until I'd tried more, so I will immediately say that I've only had the samosas and plain naan here. So this is essentially a review of them. The samosas are uneven and range from excellent to avoid. I'd rank them: chicken, vegetable, then lamb. The chicken is excellent and the lamb is avoidable. The vegetable is fine, nothing wrong with it, but not outstanding. The lamb I find lacking in flavor and, especially, difficult for the taste of lamb to stand out. The chicken on the other hand, is very tasty. That's a great samosa. I'm not one to live vegetable samosas in the first place so I'll just say it was perfectly acceptable. These samosas are all a little on the greasy side, but that's largely part of the samosa-terrain. Thankfully a great flaky crust is too! The plain naan was very good. Overall I'd say this is a solid 4/5 stars for samosas and naan at least. It's worth a visit if you live in the neighborhood. read more

Hands down the best tasting Indian food in queens. Absolutely amazing samosa. I often get an extra order of them for the next day.

So good!! Everything my friends and I ordered was delicious!! We came in on a Saturday evening and it was pretty empty. The waiter took our order right away. We ordered the chicken tikka masala, vegetable and chicken samosas, chicken biryani, and 3 different kinds of naan: cheese, garlic and plain (this is free when you check in on Yelp). The cheese naan was my fave!! Dip that in the tikka masala sauce and they yogurt - so good! The vegetable samosas were also very good. I preferred them over the chicken. Food is on point, staff is very friendly, bathroom was clean, & prices are decent. Probably one of the best Indian restaurants I've been to. I would definitely come back! read more

See all

I ordered chicken biryani & a coke. The rice was hard, flavor wasn't there. I felt like it was old. It sucks that I was looking forward to it but I couldn't eat the rest. I will give them a shot one more time, maybe they had a bad day. read more

Yaar Indian Restaurant - Indian Near Me - Astoria, New York

The weekend buffet is back and as good as it always was. They do have a liquor license now so the BYOB days are over. But the food classics are here, delicious, and unlimited. read more

Owned by the same group that unleashed Seva (https://www.yelp.com/biz/seva-indian-cuisine-astoria-5) many years ago, Yaar ("dude/friend/mate" in Hindi/Urdu/Persian) burst onto the Ditmars scene last year and hasn't looked back. They've slowly amassed a following that has resulted in their reputation as not just one of the best establishments in the hood, but one of the better Indian spots in the borough. Conveniently steps away from the Ditmars stop for the NW, the restaurant has super high ceilings and a fairly modern decor. The bathrooms are clean and the service is pretty on top of things. Seating is good for groups and single diners, and they tend to do a pretty fair amount of delivery and takeout. Of course, I recommend dining in and partaking all that they have to offer. For a while after opening, they offered a daily lunch buffet that was as epic as I've ever seen. For $10, it was a plethora of delicious meat and veggie friendly items that were superb in almost every way. However, after the hype died down and the crowds lightened up during the weekday lunch hour, it was transitioned to a weekend only experience. Still, for folks who find themselves in the hood on a Saturday or Sunday, this is a great bang for your buck for a little food coma inducing meal. Food wise, I have so many highlights. (#1) Their vegetable / meat samosas are dynamite. Crispy, packed to the brim, and goes extremely well with their selection of chutneys. Virtually anything saag, korma, vindaloo, and masala are worth ordering, especially any choices that include lamb. Their butternut squash soup is very tasty and their kofta is a thumbs up. Tikka Masala fans will appreciate the kick in the spice, though I would rank their fennel chicken and lamb rogan josh above it. Just thinking about all of it has my mouth watering. For those of you still on the fence, get your Yaar on. And bring a few while you're at it. ___________ (#1) A review should only be so long. read more

See all

Came here for lunch on a weekday, omg they have insane lunch specials starting at $8.95!! Couldn't believe it. You get an appetizer, entree and free naan for checking in with that! I had the chicken korma which was lightly sweet but still creamy and savory, I asked for spicy and the waitress told me it wouldn't be very spicy but still took my request. My friend had the chicken saag which was really yummy with spinach. The chicken was super tender for both. The naan was insanely buttery and crispy. Server was attentive and friendly, making menu suggestions and kept refilling our water. Definitely come for weekday lunch if you can!! read more

See all

Good pre-fixe deal for about $16 which includes an appetizer, entree, and dessert but average tasting. The complimentary papadum was great. It was so light and crispy. The green chutney and tamarind chutney which comes with it are delicious. I had lemonade, vegetable samosa, and chicken tikka masala. The lemonade was very good but a bit too sweet. That combined with the samosa filled me up. I barely ate the chicken tikka masala and had no room for dessert. The chicken tikka masala comes with rice, but it was average. Service was great though and the ambiance of the restaurant was very nice. They also use Halal meat. Check in using Yelp for a free order of naan. read more

See all

I don't get the 4.5 stars everyone is giving this restaurant. I've been eating Indian food for years, and the food at Yaar is not very flavorful and seems very "Americanized". What a disappointment. I've eaten there twice - the first time, I tried their lunch buffet which is only about $11 and was mostly veg dishes with a couple of chicken dishes (no lamb, no goat). I found the food to be pretty bland and not spicy at all. The second time, I went there for dinner and ordered everything "spicy"....however, the food was barely spicy at all! Most of the dishes were just "ok" but nothing special. On a more positive note, I did like their naan, which was really delicious! If you check-in with Yelp, you get a free naan! Also, they gave us two rounds of complimentary papadam, which is probably the best I've ever had! Service was excellent! :) Here is the menu shared by 4 people: ~ Green Chili Chicken - onion, green pepper, ginger garlic sauce ~ Lamb Rogan Josh - hearty blend of cardamom and cinnamon curry ~ Butternut Squash Kofta - croquets, cashew nut, almond yogurt sauce ~ Chana Saag - chick pea, spinach, garlic, ginger, fresh roasted cumin ~ Basmati Rice ~ Naan read more

See all

First time. Loved tandoori. It came out piping hot. Lamb, chicken tika misala and chicken samosa was yummy. We will be back! read more

See all

I'll start with the good -- my order arrived on time and the food was nice and hot upon delivery. The garlic naan was great and I really like their sesame naan too, it's packed with a lot of black and white sesame seeds. My mains unfortunately were inedible -- the lamb boti kebab was super over cooked and rubbery. My chicken tikka masala had a good sauce, but the meat itself was also super over cooked and rubbery. A waste of meat on both entrees. A miss on the sides as well. The saag paneer was watery. The veggie samosa had a great texture texture, but was really lacking flavor for me. read more

This place is amazing!! We came for saturday lunch & parking was just right outside the place. Getting here by train is easy too coz its just right down the N line train station. I can't forget this place because this is my first elite event experienced. I remember the food thats so good & been wanting to go back & had a chance today. The service was fantastic! They greated & seated us right away. I love the decor especially the mosaic chandeliers that looks so colorful. We did the buffet and the food was delicious! You can experienced food that looks semilar but has different types of taste. From the chicken meatballs, vegestables samosas, chicken tikka masala & a lot more! I'm just gonna be honest, I'm not into indian food but this place really catch my tastebud. All the food that they served are so tasty. For drink of course I got the mango lassi, good exact amount of sweetness. Very refreshing but this is not included in the buffet & its only $3. Lastly they have the rice pudding for dessert. Its sweet with cinnamon aroma. I share 1 bowl with my bf & sis since I'm so full with all the food. I can't wait to go back asap! Thats how good it is. read more

Yaar Indian Restaurant - Delicious! - Indian Near Me - Astoria, New York

See all

halal and good service! yummy food after a long day! im desi myself but the spices here are no joke. the vindaloo was veryyyy spicy read more

Yaar Indian Restaurant - Indian Near Me - Astoria, New York

I came in for lunch with a friend who ranks this as her favorite Indian restaurant in Astoria. We were the only people dining in so the server was very attentive and our food came out quickly. I went with the lunch special with a vegetable samosa and the Chana Masala, plus we split an order of roti. Everything was fresh and delicious with great flavor. The decor is also nice with some stained glass lamps and a large, beautiful mural on the back wall. read more

I rarely eat at the restaurant but often order and it arrives quickly and nicely so the service is good and food is great!

As much as we wanted to love this place it wasn't it. The food was okay. The milai kebab is amazing. Everything else is pretty standard. I definitely had better. I wish they had more drinks option . Service was okay. read more

Unassuming spot under the train line on 31st with no outdoor seating to speak of (definitely more of a takeout place during COVID). Was able to put in a pickup order that was ready within the hour. Ordered the Lamb Korma ($16) and a Roti ($3) to go along with the dish. Korma is many chunks of sliced lamb (without the bone) covered in a thick coconut yogurt curry. The actual meat was overcooked - too chewy and tough is many of the chunks. Gravy itself is quite nice, which was easy to sop up with the soft roti. I did like the amount of meat in the dish but probably wouldn't order that again next time. Turns out the food was better as leftovers the next day, so would give it another shot. read more

I want to start by saying I'm not writing this to bash anyone or to be inherently negative. I'll start off with the positives: our waiter was super attentive, and the chicken samosas were in a deliciously flaky crust almost reminiscent of a pot pie crust, the filling was pretty good, and the chutney was probably the best part of the entire meal. With that being said, the negatives, I believe, outweigh the positives. The butter chicken, which is usually slightly spicy, rich, silky smooth and savory, was slightly bland and more sweet than anything. The chicken (this is my guess) didn't taste as if it was marinated before being tossed into the sauce and was all white meat. Same goes for the Korma, a yoghurt and cashew based sauce that is usually very flavorful, was slightly bland, chicken was (again I THINK) probably not seasoned before being put in the sauce. And the biggest offender: the saag paneer. I've never had paneer (a cheese commonly used in Indian cuisine) straight from India but, in the context of all Indian food I've had in America, it usually is a mild cheese that absorbs all the delicious spices from the saag (a "sauce" made of spinach, ginger, turmeric, and coriander) and creates a delicious, aromatic and spiced, vegetarian meal that has a nice texture from the paneer in the saag, literally just tasted like boiled spinach. I doubt the spinach was even wrung out to get all that water out beforehand because there was just a pool of loose sauce at the bottom of the bowl. Overall, it was disappointing, it isn't expensive, but assuredly there is better Indian food around for the price. Sad to say I probably wouldn't come back. Sorry :( read more

Yaar Indian Restaurant - Chicken Samosa - Indian Near Me - Astoria, New York

See all

I feel bad for this place. The food is good- nothing you haven't had before- but theres never anybody in here. If you go you will have the place to yourself. The food though is great considering its the only Indian restaurant in the Ditmars area. Fairly priced. Good service. read more

Ordered delivery from here for the first time, and was both impressed and unimpressed. First the positive: delivery was fast and food arrived hot and fresh. Samosas and their chutneys were outstanding (perfect heat and flavor on the filling, fried perfectly); chicken tikka masala was really good (our test for a new Indian restaurant we try every time, because it's such a non-traditional dish and it always shows the personality and background of the chefs), with lots of texture to the curry and perfectly done tikka chunks - always a testament to good tandoor cooks when the meats are done just enough to finish in the pan with the curry without getting too overdone. Then however, the vegetable korma was incredibly poorly done - vegetables were obviously frozen at some point, and that made them extremely watery. The curry was more of a lightly spiced yellow water that tasted like it was missing some core ingredients of a good korma (no coconut or nut flavors). Couldn't eat it, the undercooked but loose vegetables and water curry didn't work together. Naan was pulled too quick from the tandoor, it was raw dough in the middle and had no flavor at all. Overall, willing to give them a chance again, as it seemed like an oversight on a busy night. Great to have wonderful options in our neighborhood. read more

I'm not one for bad reviews, but growing up in an Indian household and having eaten Indian food all my life I would have to say this food was absolutely horrible. The naan was undercooked & the food was sweet not spicy. Unfortunately the manager was not willing to work with me to provide a refund. Just to note if you're looking for a good Indian meal, I wouldn't advise you go to this restaurant. read more

Yaar Indian Restaurant is great for dinner. They give you a delicious filling meal. The great service and candlelit dinner makes you feel like the meal is worth much more than $13.95! Protip: Yelp checkins gets you a free plain naan. We couldn't finish all our naan so we got two for the table and two to go! *Food* Their prix fixe dinner menu is $13.95. For that price, you get to choose a samosa, entree and dessert. Plus they give a bowl of thin crispy savory Indian crackers (Papadum) with red and green sauce as a starter. So good! I ordered the lamb samosa, chicken tikka masala and kheer. The mango lassi was cold, sweet and refreshing. The lamb samosa was the size of two ping pong balls with thick crunchy crust and tender juicy bits of lamb. The creamy tomato-based chicken tikka masala was perfect over the turmeric-rich basmati rice. And the kheer was creamy milky but a bit too sweet for me. Regardless, I ate all of my dessert! I got to try the Baingan Bharta (eggplant) dish thanks to my friend. This dish was tender and sweet with textured eggplant cubes among the mashed eggplant. I love eggplant so I am definitely ordering this next time! We got to eat, chat and savor our meals. We ate until it was painful for our stomachs, and we still brought leftovers home! What a great value meal. *Service* We got excellent care from the staff. They wiped the tables when we had crumbs, replaced our plates and gave us multiple napkins. Thank you Yaar! If I lived here, I would eat here all the time! read more

See all

Yaar is the younger sister restaurant to Seva, a well-established Indian restaurant not too far away. Same owner with slightly different styles of Indian food. We arrived at 12:00 PM sharp for their all you can eat buffet. There was a total of ten different dishes including dessert, a sweet carrot purée. Side salad is also available that I didn't count. Popular favorites such as the Chicken Tikka Marsala and Saag Paneer was present! What I loved most about Yaar is their spicy level! My favorite dish was the Chicken Meatballs that day and that blew me away! The meat very tender that the knife just went through it with little to no effort at all. It was packed with spices and spicy curry flavor. I am not an Indian food expert but I have eaten at a handful of other Indian establishments before and their spicy level has been toned down but not at Yaar's! Full on spicy kick right away! Fresh, hot naan was served just as we sat down with our first plate. Unlimited servings of naan as well! We went above and beyond the buffet and got Lamb Samosas. You cannot leave Yaar without trying them! Minced lamb meat wrapped in a pyramid- shaped dough and deep fried. It was super hot when it came out of the kitchen. Lamb meat was well seasoned was so moist. It was incredibly good! The spicy green sauce would be its best companion! After all that heat, a glass of Mango Lassi will help cool us down. Sweet and smooth serves just as the perfect drink to end our meal. Good news is that buffet is available everyday from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm. And the even better news? Yaar does not skimp on quality or portion! Get your share now! read more

See all

After 3 years, I went back to yaar. I am glad they are still open. Their sesame Naan was phenomenal. Tikka was tender and sautéed vegetables was fresh and healthy. I will come back again. read more

See all

Best Baigan Bharta I've ever had! And I've had many. I love that they don't overcook the eggplant, and the eggplant actually still has some semblance of being eggplant. It also isn't overwhelmed by onion, garlic, or spices, so you can actually still taste the eggplant. Also helpful was the fact that the vegan items on their menu are designated with an asterisk. However, it wasn't as easy to determine which items were gluten-free, and I didn't have 100% confidence that our server knew what vegan and gluten-free meant. Maybe he did, and I'm just being overly cautious? Luckily I felt fine and didn't have any kind of reaction. Anyway, along with the Baigan Bharta, I also had their butternut squash soup, which was silky smooth, savory, and just a little sweet from the butternut squash. Yum! I'm sure I will be back, if anything just to have that Baigan Bharta again. The restaurant is easy to get to, literally right next to the stairs of the Ditmars N/W train station. read more

Ordered take out (the only option at the moment) the other night and i really enjoyed it. The tikka masala was really good, as was the pakora trio and the saag paneer. Also ordered Tandoor Chicken which was good, but I probably would not order it again. Very nice, friendly place and staff. I would definitely order from their again. read more

Delivered on time! Korma wasn't great but pakora and naan were pretty good! If you're hungry and want passable Indian food then this seems to be the place? Lassi literally came in a soup container lol read more

Yaar Indian Restaurant - Mango lassi - Indian Near Me - Astoria, New York

Best Indian food in Astoria!!! Fast delivery! Delicious. I recommend. We always order delivery from here.

So disappointing I used to love this place but my husband and I stopped ordering from Yaar when they messed our order up 2 different times and the food was subpar. We decided to give it another shot tonight. Wish we didn't. The $7.50 soup was very bland and not worth the money. Usually the daal soup is blended but this looked more like a broth with a lot of semi cooked lentils in it. The tandoori chicken was good, but nothing to brag to mom about. My husbands naan was tough and chewy, crispy in some areas. His spicy lamb korma was again, good but nothing that stood out. I'm surprised to read that this restaurant is related to Seva- vastly different in quality and taste, and would definitely not come back again (unfortunately) read more

first off Parking stinks in that area. Be prepared to walk a block or two. Now a disclaimer this was my first time trying Indian food. I had butter chicken and chicken Marsala. To me they taste very similar. The only thing I would say is one is a little sweeter. Honestly the food was bland. I heard about the food being so good and spicy. Nothing I had was spicy. I eat spicy food all the times The chicken was cooked decent, but it had no flavor. Now the garlic Naan that was good and it was a nice size. Oh and that food was pretty pricey. Would I go back the answer is No that doesn't mean you won't like it. read more

Best samosa and chicken tikka masala . great service. Highly recommend. Also they have Buffets.

It's been a while since I had Indian food last time. Finally got to check out Yaar, which is located right off Ditmars stop. $10 buffet looks very enticing. This place looks modern with those colorful lanterns. We got seated in front, then we helped ourselves with the buffet. There were like 6-8 items to choose from. Starting with Biryani (basmati rice) and samosas, rice was perfectly cooked. I didn't get to try samosas cuz I saved myself for some curries. The spinach and Baigan Bhartha (eggplant) looks yummy as well. Let's move on to the next tray. Chicken Tandoori looks moist and tasty. Chicken Tikka Masala and Spicy Chicken Curry give some good heat. I had to go back twice for more. I was stuffed before I even got to rice pudding. Lol Overall, I enjoyed my lunch. I wish they added a goat dish or some other curries. Anyway, the waiter was very attentive. My cup of water was never empty. ;) Plus this place is BYOB! read more

See all

Went to Yaar last night and ordered my favorite CHICKEN TIKKA MASSALA! The food was great, the staff was friendly, and the ambience was cute & intimate. What we ordered: Naan Me: chicken tikka massala & diet coke Friend #1: CTM too & a fruity drink Friend #2: Lamb tikka massala & another drink - i dont remember We split it three ways and it came out to 18.65 per person - super cheap IMO. And this place is so close to the train. read more

Yaar Indian Restaurant - Indian Near Me - Astoria, New York

Food was not that much testy. I feel place was not for proper restaurant. They gave Paper napkins instead of cloth napkins. Roti was dry. - even I ordered spicy it was not even regular spicy level food. - wasted my money here, I don't how they got these much good reviews.?! read more

Yaar Indian Restaurant - Indian Near Me - Astoria, New York

Best Indian food in Astoria! The staff is so friendly and helpful. This is one of my Go-to's in Astoria. The chicken korma is always delicious. The deliveries are always early and the food is always hot. I placed a large order last night and the cucumber raita was missing. I called because that's one of my favorite parts. I felt bad because it's such a small side.. like $3. They were so nice about it and sent one over right away. I can't say enough about this place. 10 out of 10! read more

I went to the lunch buffet on a weekend. All in all I enjoyed the food, but it didn't quite live up to what I was expecting (maybe my expectations were too high). They had a good variety at the buffet- samosas, chicken tandori, butter chicken and a curry chicken with chili (the "spicy" option). I'm not a big veggie fan (unfortunately), but they had some dishes for vegetarians also The chicken in all the chicken dishes (chicken breast I'm assuming) was a bit dry. Maybe this was because there weren't a ton of people there that day and the food wasn't cycled through often so it got overcooked and dry in the trays? But the chicken dishes were a bit dry for my taste. Sauces and samosas were very good. Naan was good. Waiters were friendly. Not much ambiance besides the nice painting on the back wall. A 3.5 star experience to me, but rounding up because of the overall pleasant experience, taking into account the staff, and no major issues to report. They only had one dessert, the rice pudding. Would have loved some gulab jammon, as I've seen at other buffets, but it's whatever. Good price point as well, a bit less expensive than some of the Indian buffets in Manhattan. I'd come back if I were in the area and it was convenient read more

The food is so flavorful and fresh! Since we're still in COVID times I got take out and the food was still hot by the time I got home to eat it. It wasn't unreasonably expensive and you get so much food for your money (enough for leftovers). I highly recommend if you're looking for a new spot or just want to try. read more

Yaar Indian Restaurant - Butter Chicken - Indian Near Me - Astoria, New York

I ordered delivery and got the 3 course special. Lamb samosa was amazing, esp with the chutney sauces, highly recommend. For the entree, I got the chicken tikka masala . Sauce was good and chicken was fresh quality. Will be ordering here more often! Delivery came quick and the person who took my order was very nice. read more

Yaar Indian Restaurant - Chicken tikka masala - Indian Near Me - Astoria, New York

5/5 because I would 100% come back! First time trying this place, and honestly really really good! Good portion for the price as well! I got the Fennel Curry Chicken for takeout, it comes with rice. Curry was filled to the rim, and rice was packed and light! Curry was super flavorful and honestly 1 order is enough for 2 people. I also got the garlic naan, which was simple, nothing really special to it. If you like white meat, the Fennel Curry Chicken is a good dish to try! read more

Yaar Indian Restaurant - Indian Near Me - Astoria, New York

The food they sent was so undercooked .the naan we're so stale . the lamb saag had water floating all over the dish when I opened the cover and the food was not even seasoned mildly read more