Started in the bar for my friend's birthday Thursday night. One bartender to like 20 of us so slow service but I gather their bar isn't too busy on the regular. Our bartender ended up being our waiter. Had chicken samosa to start and these nice large what looked like tortilla chips with three different sauces. All tasty. Also had one of the shrimp appetizers. Karachi sautéed shrimp. Nice crisp to the shrimp. This was my favorite part of my meal - the shrimp. Excellent flavor. Ordered two of the naan breads. The paneer and the goat cheese. Both excellent. The rice with the chicken tikka masala was excellent. Chicken dish needed a bit more flavor. Great prices. Nice staff. Could update the place a bit but the food was very nice. read more

Great service overall -- he was very accommodating. The Zaroka kebab was surprisingly amazing -- it had a lot of flavor. The butter chicken was decent but too much on the sweet side for me to order again. Halal-friendly restaurant. read more

Zaroka Bar&Grill - Zero - Indian Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

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It was late but we were hungry and don't want Hotel food. Just around the corner we saw Zaroka, parked outside and went in. An immediate greeting, friendly and welcoming. Service was excellent and the food we tried (lamb tikka masala and Lamb Madras were both very good and spicy. I enjoyed a glass of Chateau Souverain (my favorite in the Napa/Sonoma northern area). Very nice! 5 stars!! read more

Zaroka Bar&Grill - the dining area - Indian Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

We really enjoyed this restaurant! Always a plus that it is all halal meat. The restaurant is very cute inside , it has great decor and we got upstairs seating area which felt like we are in someone's house. The service was also very good the waiters were attentive and suggested good things to us. The food was perfect we tried samosa Chaat and papri Chaat both were flavorful and good amount of spice. The entrees we got were chicken Tikka masala/tandoori fish/ and Lahori chicken karahi so good and flavorful. I enjoyed all three entrees. Don't skip the Nutella naan so good as a dessert! Would love to come back read more

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We've been wanting to go here for years. Glad we went. The spices are different from your typical Indian place. I highly recommend it.

This is for not allowing that dirty dog inside a restaurant. Good job..... Great food too read more

Exceptionally tasty food. With so many choices, many of which are unusual. Service is excellent. We live out of town but come here every time we are in New Haven read more

I came here for dinner yesterday. The service was great! I was greeted as soon I came in and was served with such a hospitable owner! We ordered the chicken tikka masala, the lamb kabob, and chicken tandoor, with garlic and jalapeño naan. All the food was great! Although my favorites were the chicken tandoor and chicken tikka masala. They had a great balance in flavors. I liked that the chicken tikka was a very authentic Pakistani dish. You could taste the flavors of well marinade and fresh chicken combo. I will be back! The food here reminds me of Pakistani home food with a restaurant twist. I will be back read more

Zaroka Bar&Grill - Garlic Naan (very fluffy, fresh, and flavorful) - Indian Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

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==== GRADE: C ==== Chicken Tikka Masala: 3/10 Chicken tikka masa-huh? I'm not sure what came out the pot, but it definitely wasn't the tikka masala that we ordered. I've had this classic dish TONS of times from TONs of places and no matter what, chicken tikka masala's always been a safe bet. However, Zaroka's spin on it was a total miss. It didn't have the right spice blends; the sauce was a little too sweet. It wasn't terribly bad, but it wasn't what I wanted. Prices: 2/10 We also paid a hefty amount ($24) for one portion of chicken tikka masala and 1 order of garlic naan (which costed $4). Totally not worth it :( There's a ton of great Indian spots in New Haven, and Zaroka's is not one of them. I might come back and sit-in to see if the portion sizes are better, but I definitely don't have high hopes. read more

An indo-Pakistani place with great food and price! They primarily sit the guest in upper level so when you look through the window it may look empty. My favorite in appetizers is samosa chaat and among dishes the grilled mix. Their staff are super friendly and give great suggestions about what to order . Great place for casual lunch or dinner read more

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Do not eat here. Terrible discrimination against individuals with disabilities. They refused to seat me and my certified service dog for my medical condition. They asked me and my family to leave on the account that my disability is not "visible". This is a literal violation of the law and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The owner should be ashamed of himself. This has never happened to me in all my years of having a service dog. read more

Beyond amazing ambiance. It's like stepping into a house in Rajastan. Right from the intricate stairway railings to the elaborate faux tree to the work on the walls, they have paid a lot of attention to detail. We can see that a lot of love has gone into designing the place. Coming to the food, the chicken chowmein is the best I have had outside of India. There were some disappointing items on the mixed appetizer platter though. read more

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One of the first Indian food places I tried in New Haven, and always a welcome favorite. It is a very cool restaurant- with a house looking outside and comfortable upstairs which is where dinners are normally eaten. The portions are delicious and large in size, and great for sharing. read more

checked this place out for the first time and it was amazing. having tried many other new haven indian restaurants like sitar, sherkaan, and house of naan, this was by far the best. all ingredients are very fresh and service was also great! owner is always around and had a great time chatting with him until the restaurant closed for the night. definitely coming back here! read more

Zaroka Bar&Grill - special dal, Chili Garlic Paneer, Poori - Indian Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

The food was amazing and the service was excellent. We had the Sindhi daal this time but will be coming back to try more of their extensive menu. read more

Zaroka was an establishment that I have wanted to try for a couple of years, but simply had never gotten around to it. Walking by it on York, Zaroka seems like a cozy, intimate spot perfect for a casual date night or dinner with friends. Thus, when GrubHub was doing a promotion online, I immediately placed my order for Chicken Tikka Masala, specifying "extra spicy." The problem is that they went completely overboard with the spice, to the point where it was absolutely inedible. Did they even try this dish before they served it? I bit into literal chunks of cayenne and paprika not properly mixed into the sauce, and spent minutes coughing. Just to clarify, I grew up eating extremely spicy foods and absolutely love fiery dishes. However, this was way too much. The cayenne completely overwhelmed any savory flavor. It was painful to eat, and needed to take multiple gulps of water for every bite. Perhaps there is no one else to blame but myself for suggesting an "extra spicy" sauce. Putting the sauce aside, the chicken was seriously sub-par. As opposed to being soft, tender, and juicy chunks of chicken enveloped in sauce, the chicken was hard and dry. The outside of the chicken looked similar to the outside of chicken tandoor, like it was barbecued ahead of time and then dunked in sauce, which is not at all how Chicken Tikka Masala should be made. There was no complexity to the dish, just pure cayenne and dry chicken cubes. Unfortunately, given that there are several standout Indian restaurants in New Haven, like Tandoor and Sitar, I cannot recommend Zaroka. Perhaps I will come back and dine in-person to see if my experience was simply an anomaly. read more

Zaroka Bar&Grill - Chicken tikka masala over rice - Indian Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

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Came for the first time after new ownership, and let me tell you! They are doing something right! Came for a light lunch and ordered the Zaroka Kebab, Matar Paneer, and Garlic Naan. The meal came with basmati rice and a complimentary plate of crispy starter with some chutneys. Don't let the look fool you! When the kebabs came out, they looked dry, but upon first bite I was very pleasantly surprised! A squeeze of lemon and it was so so good! Portions were generous, service was great!Also, for real, the falafel appetizer is NOT to be missed- so so good! read more

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Great food! Can't recommend more. Tried the Lamb Rohan Josh, Garlic Naan, and Goat Cheese Naan, and it was delicious. Impeccable service and a great atmosphere. read more

oh dang. tandoor wings gobi manchurian chicken tikka masala garlic naan sweet naan (to be continued) read more

I think there are better Indian food options in the area. The food feels more traditional which is nice. Was definitely good. They gave us a free dessert because it was someone's birthday! Which was super sweet. The staff and owners are definitely great people. read more

The food and service are unebeatable. The owner, Mahesh, is incredibly considerate and kind. He was super accomodating with our catering order and made our event really special. The food was to DIE for! I'd give six stars if I could! read more

The best Indian food. The sweetest service. Family owned. A New Haven gem for decades. Lovely handmade decor.

Damn!!in love with the ambience of this restaurant. Located in the heart of new haven and that is it's downtown, this restaurant offers proper punjabi indian food. Being a food blogger I tend to write much and I'm new on this app but words are less to describe for this restaurant according to me. For an international student like me,we tend to go in search for our staple food from our home country and after finding many restaurants I found this one. I always had a soft corner for punjabi food since childhood and loved it since then. And I was overwhelmed when I got ditto taste hailing from india over here. They provide cocktails, mocktails, alcohol drinks and have a humongous variety in food dishes as well. For the very first time I tried the chakra lager beer. That was really smooth and good to start with. The dishes I tried over here are as follows. Chicken momo's - literally was craving to eat this dish since 4-5 months as hadn't eaten chicken momo's since January and loved having it. Chicken tandoori - who doesn't love this dish. Chicken started are incomplete for me and for most of indians without this dish. I tried lahori chicken masala as well. Wanted to have bone chicken in gravy for main course and found this suitable. The best part I found over here is,they give u preference about being spicy or less spicy prior to your order which I felt unique as no1 does that. Plus I'm having chicken biryani from this restaurant from past 1 yr but I usually take the delivery option as couldn't visit the restaurant and dine in due to this covid thing. Many more dishes to be discovered from this restaurant. I'm already recommending it to most of my friends who have same taste in food as of mine. For readers reading this,do try this restaurant you won't regret having this dishes at least. read more

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Always delicious. Always fresh. You can tell the food is made with care and intention and quality ingredients. This is a go to and a small business worth supporting~ alsooo omg the goat cheese naannnnnnnnnn read more

Every time I go to Zaroka the food is delicious. The tandoori chicken is always tender and seasoned to perfection. I usually go with friends after an exam to relax or decompress. We love it because the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. The service is awesome and the staff/owners are always pleasant. read more

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The best indian food I ever had , nice biryani and many more Indian authentic starters.... Good cleaning staff Safe restaurant to visit Love it read more

Came here with two friends and we had an outstanding meal! The food was excellent, especially the lahori (fish). It was tender and perfectly spiced. The chicken wings were the best I've ever eaten. The waitress was superb and the owner was very friendly and charming. Topped off the meal with a wonderful mango ice cream. This place is a 10! read more

This is a gem of a restaurant in New Haven. I am a foodie and Indian food is near and dear to me. After hearing so much about the restaurant, I drove all the way from New York City to taste the food. I did tasting menu and tried falafel, hummus, mutton kebab, momos, chicken wings, zaroka chicken, chicken tikka masala, mutton karahi. My kids loved the fact that they had French fries - very hard to get at an Indian restaurant. The owner Mahesh is the best host you will ever meet, he is very gracious with his time and food to all guests. I loved everything and above all were the very tender chicken wings which had a lot of meat on them and so tender that they tasted good even after a week. The parking was very convenient. I love the restaurant and will be driving there again on Presidents' Day weekend. read more

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Me and my wife went to this restaurant on Saturday afternoon. The place was nice and clean the server was very kind. He also recommended some dishes to try. We started ordering a Samosa chat and pakori. The appetizers were delicious. I took some pictures so you can see them. Then we ordered some chicken tikka malasa and another dish. read more

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Zaroka is a brilliant Indian restaurant tucked in a old building. The ambience dint excite me however their food is excellent. Loved their menu for vegetarians they have some unique dishes. We tried the vegetarian seekh kebabs, so flavorful and yummy, they were cooked perfectly in the tandoor and mild,they were gone in minutes. The entree was a combination of garlic naan, chili naan and rotis alongside we had aloo gobi, shahi mughlai paneer, dal tadka. All the curries was perfect just like we wanted, medium spicy. Even the breads came out piping hot and soft! The portion sizes are good and the staff was accommodative and kind. Never judge this place by its appearance, they have awesome food in town. Im putting Zaroka on my favorites. read more

I've been here four times this year and the food has been consistently very good! I especially recommend the saag with chana/aloo, the okra, the vegetable korma, and the aloo paratha. Also the rose kulfi for dessert. read more

Under new management!! Delicious food here & high quality! Came here on a Thursday night so we were the only ones dining in. Spoke with the owner and he explained a lot of his cooking process for many of the dishes. Got the eggplant pakora to start, very delicious and crunchy. The eggplant is cooked fresh, not frozen. Next, we ordered lamb curry, bhindi masala, and naan. Rice came with the meal with cloves in it. The naan had ghee covered, delicious and soft. Bhindi masala was my favorite dish. Generous portions as well, had enough lamb curry and bhindi to take home, the owner generously gave us more rice to take home for lunch the next day :). Will come back and definitely want to try the kebabs because he cooks them on the charcoal tandoor. Same thing as the wings, which I heard are exceptional. read more

Did I go on a bad day? At $8.95, the lunch buffet is a buck cheaper than the one at India Palace, but there is more than a buck's difference in quality and I really doubt I will ever go back. The most overriding issue I found with the buffet was temperature control. A lot of the food was tepid - the palak paneer would have been pretty good, but how do you serve spinach and cheese cold without losing a whole lot of appeal? The tandoori chicken was tender and moist, but again, it wasn't warm. Food gets cold when you leave it out - a restaurant should be able to foresee and prevent this. I don't know how, but that isn't my job. My job is to pay money and eat well heated food. The naan and the flatbread chips you tend to get at Indian restaurants were both awful, I suspect because of parallel issues of, oh, letting shit sit out unattended for hours? Naan is such a staple at Indian restaurants, delicious on its own when done correctly, and perfect for sopping up all the runaway sauces and curries you can't bring yourself to drink like soup. The naan here was parched dry and tasteless. The chips, the counterparts of which are so addicting elsewhere, were stale without even a memory of being crispy. The things bent, for gosh sake. Other items were unpleasant even without sitting out and getting cold and tasteless. The tomato sazya, a tart soup, was sour and thin, and chicken korma consisted of overcooked cardboardy meat that had never seen a marinade, topped with sauce that only coated the pieces and failed to mitigate make them any better. The only items worth eating were the chana pinde and the aloo beans. The chana pinde was a nice spicy chickpea dish and the aloo beans a mix of well-cooked green beans and potato with little bits of tomato. These were both flavorful and stood out in their easy edibility. Dessert consisted of gulab and keer, the little deep-fried dough balls in honey sauce and rice pudding, stellar versions of which can be found at India Palace. The gulab was on the hard side, and it didn't soak up the honey sauce very well. The keer was okay. Neither of these were heinous, but they were nowhere near worth the calories. Not only was the food entirely lacking, but the venue was dark and gloomy and the service utterly inattentive. There were maybe three full tables by the time we finished our lunch, but our server was on his cell phone and it took him a while to notice us when we asked him to split a ten after he brought us our bill. Maybe if he'd been devoting less brain cells to his conversation he would've realized that two fives is not the best way to split a ten for customers who are about to leave a tip on a $9 per person meal. We had to wait to catch his attention yet again. Though I wouldn't say our lunch at Zaroka was heinous, it was not good under any standard. With more appealing options for both cheap and Indian food within a very short radius, I have no reason to return. read more

A must try for a different dining experience. The food is for foodies to enjoy. It wasn't what I expected, which is a good thing. $$ worth paying for. Thank you chef read more

I went here with a party of 12 for my son's 18th birthday... as a party, we were a shit show lol... I had a toddler running around, and my 6 month old was screaming bloody murder..: somehow the atmosohere was so jovial and warm in this place on a Saturday night that no one seemed to notice. At one point the manager actually offered to hold my crying baby so I could finish my meal. The welcoming attitude they had towards my large/young family meant the world to me... and because it was such a fun/chill atmosphere, I didn't feel like I was effecting anyone else's dining experience. Will definitely be back. read more

A Groupon had brought us here but we found out it was under new ownership as of a few months ago so they weren't able to accept it. Regardless, the food was excellent and we had a very nice time. The owner is incredibly friendly and they were considerate of my food allergy and careful to warn us about ingredients while providing safe suggestions for us to order. Highly suggested and we'll definitely be back. read more

I've been on the quest for good indian food since arriving to New Haven. Sampling buffets and digging into dosas are what I miss living back in NYC. I snagged a coupon for here and was excited to try the place out. At first, bf and I were scared to go in bc we didn't see any patrons on an early Friday evening. We didn't realize there was a 2nd floor where all the guests were dining. Whew! ORDER - Boondi chat: bf chose this on a whim, and it was a surprise to us when the app came out. The crunch and citrus complimented the fresh cucumber and tomato. Delish! - Vegetable pakora: fried veggies bundles tasted great when dipped in chutneys - Vegetable thali: includes samosa, 2 chef's choice entree, dhal, raita, naan, rice, and kheer for dessert. Samosa was fried and a bit too crispy, like it had been fried in old oil or just refried. It also could've used more spice in the aloo filling. I liked dipping it into the chutneys as well. Tonight's chef choice was the palak paneer and navratan korma. I had mild spicy, which my tongue felt no pain at all. The bf had medium spicy, which he felt like it was perfect amount for him. Bf and I were stuffed and only able to eat half of what was served, so we asked for the leftovers to-go. There wasn't much depth of flavor that I was expecting from Indian food. Maybe it's just me though. The kheer was super sweet and milky. - Mango lassi: thick and yogurty. A bit too sweet for the bf, but I found it just perfect. Overall, the service was great. Decor and atmosphere was authentic and quaint. I had a $25 restaurant.com coupon to use. We were forced to give 18% tip, but bf didn't mind bc the service was on point. They were very attentive, quick to take down our orders, and fill our waters. Next time, bf and I will try the weekend lunch buffet offerings. read more

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This review is based on a delivery experience. Pretty good price on the vegetarian thali ($16.95) and mango lassi. The "chef's choice" entrees turned out to be navratan korma and baigan bartha, along with lentil dal. All the dishes were very tasty. They provided nice papadums and good tamarind and green chutneys. The portion size was fantastic. With a little extra rice, it would have been a feast for two. The lassi was a reasonable single portion. The dishes were nicely spiced and flavorful, but not chili-hot at all. That was fine with me. If you want hot and spicy, I guess you need to ask. The naan was only OK, but that may have been because it was wrapped in foil for delivery. If I'd had a toaster oven to re-crisp it, I'm sure it would have been fine. Why four stars? The promised raita was missing, and more importantly, so was the napkins/dinnerware I'd expected. Since the delivery was going to a _hotel_room_, it was a pretty safe bet that I would need those. Maybe they were going for an authentic Indian experience? You could make a banana leaf out of foil and eat with your fingers. Anyway, great dinner at a fair price. I would definitely order from Zaroka again if I were back in town. read more

Zaroka beats some of the bigger name Indian restaurants around. What it may lack in name recognition, it makes up for it in delicious food and helpful service. A great way to try several items on the menu is to order a thali platter. Thali means plate and it really is a taste of several different foods. The meat thali included chicken and beef dishes along with lentils, excellent naan, and kheer, or rice pudding. The vegetable thali features a potato dish, eggplant, and lentils along with the naan and kheer. The decor at Zakora really is different than most restaurants with a great attention to detail and an authentic Indian feel. read more

Woah woah woah! First off I am NOT a fan of Indian food but my friend wanted to come here for dinner so I agreed. When I walked in the owner greeted me with smiles and giggles and walked me upstairs where I was pleasantly surprised by the decor! Very nicely done with just the perfect amount of Indian items on the walls. As for the food- the menu had pretty much everything you could hope for at an Indian restaurant. Samosa, pakora, saag paneer, Lamb briyani- whole variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian (Halal) options! Our food was outstanding! I ordered chicken maknee, my friends ordered tandoori chicken and chicken tikka masala. Granted everything is pricey ( 15$ for chicken maknee alone) but for the taste it was worth it ( I just wish they threw in some naan for free instead of $3 a pc). The only reason I gave this place 4 stars is because one of the waiters didn't understand/know what was on the menu and kept forgetting a few things we asked for. Otherwise the service was all smiles :) I'll be saving this place for a special occasion! read more

Zaroka Bar&Grill - 2nd floor seating - Indian Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

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