Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Indian
Buffet
Vegetarian Indian restaurant featuring North Indian cuisine. Multi-course fixed-price menu (approx. $30), large portions but no takeaway. Relaxing environment. Reservations recommended. Open Tue-Sat 5:30pm-10:00pm. Closing time varies. Check with Vatan to find more.
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409 3rd Ave (at 30th St, Midtown, Manhattan), New York City, New York, USA, 10016-8103
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Last update on 03 Mar 2013 by Guest
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14 Reviews
First Review by cassius
hrefna
Points +142
delicious, plentiful and friendly - Edit
I had a wonderful dinner at Vatan this evening. I dined early, and solo, and the staff couldn't have been more welcoming and helpful. They even let me recharge my phone at a wall socket! The food was so deeply yummy - first I was brought a huge thali of appetizers and once I had had a chance of tasting them all I could order more of whatever I liked - the prix fixe deal is all you can eat. All the appetizers were amazing, as were the fresh chutneys that accompanied them, my faves being the potato dumplings and the sev puris. The entrees were delicious as well, full of subtle Gujarati spicing. My fave there was the cauliflower and pea curry. You are allowed to choose the level of heat in your entrees, I chose medium which was the heat the appetizers come at. To finish there was mango icecream, masala chai and breath freshening seeds and spices.
Read moreConsidering the breadth and depth of the food on offer and the charming decor, I thought the $40 bill was very reasonable ( that included the prix fixe plus a masala lime soda). And the staff made me feel very welcome and comfortable. Another thing I liked was that in the ladies room there were stacks of clean washcloths to dry your hands instead of paper towels or air dryers. Very eco friendly! There is a hamper to drop the used towels into so they can be laundered. Though never fear, they do offer disposable toilet paper in the stalls :-).
Pros: delicious Gujarati food, all you can eat, charming decor
Guest
varunprasad
Points +20
Excellent All You Can Eat Indian food. - Edit
Great setting to enjoy a 3 course all you can eat vegetarian/vegan Indian meal (there is no vegan dessert course but you can enjoy a coffee). The default menu is vegetarian but you can request a vegan option which will not be very different from the vegetarian one and even has some unique dishes missing from the vegetarian option.
Read morePros: Food, Quantity, Flexibility of menu
Guest
admiralhoratio
Points +30
Excellent Gujarati thali - Edit
They do just one thing - a Gujarati thali - and do it really well. Have been a regular for over a decade.
Read morePros: Delicious, Reliable, Feels like home (if your home is India!)
Guest
Bitter_sweet
Points +82
Loved it! - Edit
Amazing food. All-you-can eat price fix menu. Nice atmosphere. Attentive service.
Read morePros: Plenty of vegan options , Price Fix menu, Nice atmosphere
Cons: None
Guest
Blueviolingirl
Points +148
A must! - Edit
This place was amazing! Make sure you have a goooood appetite because the $35 prefix menu is jam packed with amazing foods. The atmosphere is something like Indian Epcot. The food was spectacular- it’s all vegetarian, just tell them you want vegan and they don’t hesitate.
Read morePros: Vegan prefix meal, Delicious , Fun atmosphere and great service
Cons: Expensive , A lot of food! Make sure you’re hungry
Guest
MargoLondinium
Points +45
Amazing Vegan Gujarati Food! - Edit
Had been in NYC for 2 weeks and craving Indian food - of which I eat a lot in the UK as I like to cook Indian food as well as eat out in restaurants. Vatan did not disappoint! Absolutely delicious, all-you-can-eat vegan thali (they also do regular veggie thalis and Jain thalis). The food was so authentic and varied and our server, Meena, was fantastic - explaining all the dishes and checking whether we wanted replenishments of anything. There were so many different dishes. First, you have a thali of appetisers, which come with a variety of chutneys (all fab!) and you can have more if you wish (my husband and I simply could not eat any more than one portion of each!). Then, you have the thali of amazing main dishes - which include dhals, rice and vegetable dishes plus poppadom wafers (so light and crispy!) and either pooris or rotis. You can have more of anything but again, was simply not possible for us to eat more - even though we wanted to! Mango dessert and chai to follow. Absolutely wonderful meal and we are so happy to have discovered this fantastic restaurant! Also, as a side note, the bathrooms are absolutely spotless and the restaurant itself is calm with unusual and attractive decor. Will absolutely be back! Highly recommend!
Read morePros: Lots of Vegan Options, Huge variety, Great if you are hungry
Cons: No cons. Literally none!
Guest
fosstuff
Points +162
Outstanding - Edit
Excellent thalis - as much as you can eat (although I was completely full after the starter and main thali).
Read morePros: Great vegan menu, Very good service, Good value
Cons: Impossible to eat it all!
Guest
icysky
Points +86
Authentic Gujarati Cuisine - Edit
Lovely venue, unique eat as much as you like Thalis in a fixed price deal, and most impressive home style Gujarati food. Lovely. Definitely going back if I’m NY.
Read morePros: pick which dish you want more of, attentive staff, clean and lovely decor
Guest
steveveg
Points +2187
Lovely experience - Edit
Vatan offers a delightful experience. The decor is welcoming and gives a village experience. The murals hand painted. The service is excellent and attentive. The food is plentiful. We did not ask for seconds, but still had more than enough. If vegan, the server will make adjustments. The food was good, but I did not find it exceptional.
Read morePros: great service, lovely ambience
Guest
krissimi
Points +129
I love this Indian food restaurant! - Edit
Great appetizer spread! Whenever I go, I get the prix fixe and it never disappoints... I wish there was a Vatan in Toronto. Very generous amount of food.
Read morePros: location, food options, service and atmosphere
Cons: nowhere near toronto
Guest
Astonangel
Points +183
Can't go wrong - Edit
Good old fashion home cooking - a full thali and no fuss with a menu - what better way to eat out!
Read morePros: Good value, Good food, Generous portions for vegetarians!
Cons: Little on dark side inside
Guest
cookiemonster
Points +1141
Good but not as good as before - Edit
I have been here a number of times in the last couple of years and it was always an absolute "must-do" thing in NYC when I was there. I have to say, I was somewhat disappointed this last time (June 2009).
Read moreFor one thing, the price went up by like 50%. It is now $31 plus 18% mandatory gratuity. Expect to pay $40 each before drinks. The non-alcoholic drink options are virtually non-existant. They have renovated and, although the place is still charming and the new bathrooms are crazy chic, the layout is worse than before and overall I find it uglier.
On to the good parts. It is all-you-can-eat and your server continues to bring out several courses to your table each with a number of small portions of varied and delicious options. You can have it vegetarian or vegan, I would say probably 75% of the dishes are vegan so you don't miss out on too much but be sure to specify at the beginning. The mango chutney is absolutely incredible. You will definitely leave feeling stuffed.
In the past when I have gone, the waitress was very attentive, offering more of the dishes we liked most and making sure we were totally satisfied. This last time (June 2009), it seemed like we were just a cog in the factory line. To get more of something, we had to call at our server's disappearing back and make a big deal of it. At one point, we asked for more baby samosa's and she eventually returned with three of them! These things are delicious but the size of a teaspoon and there were five of us at the table.
I used to love this place but I am not sure I will be so desperate to come back again. Maybe our waitress just had a horrible day or something, but with a mandatory 18% tip on a $200 bill, I expected a lot more.
All in all though, still a wonderful place that will leave you full and happy.
Pros: Delicious, All you can eat, Chic bathrooms
Cons: Expensive
Guest
Kell Bell
Points +58
All Around Great Restaurant - Edit
Most Indian restaurants that I've been to seem to be lacking either in service, atmosphere, decor, or taste. It's always one or the either. Luckily, Vatan lacks nothing. The food is plentiful (make sure you're hungry!)and tasty, the service is friendly and fast, and the decor is something to see!
Read morePros: great food, healthy, large portions
Guest
cassius
Points +82
Amazing, but be VERY hungry! - Edit
The food here is impeccably prepared. Divine north Indian food. I can't say enough about the quality. However, the portions are SO LARGE that I cannot imagine being able to finish even half of what they give you, and they do not allow you to take anything home. (Why?) So it did seem wasteful at the end, and I hate wasting food. Next time I go there I will make sure I am very very hungry (and maybe try to sneak some tupperware in my purse!)
Read morePros: incredibly flavorful, pretty interior, excellent service
Cons: overly large portions, no doggy bags
Guest
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