We Dined at Ashoka Restaurant on the Upper East Side
Written by: Raidah Islam
Ashoka Fine Indian Cuisine
1718 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10128
Getting There
For those who don’t live in the city, the journey to chase away the biting chill of winter starts by getting on an F train at 169th Street in Jamaica Queens and taking it all the way to 47–50th Street Rockefeller Center. Then comes the scramble across the platform to catch Uptown B train to the Museum of Natural History on 81st Street. Once out of the subway, it’s a brisk walk around the corner to 489 Columbus Avenue, where awaits a wonderful Indian restaurant in the Upper East Side by the name of Ashoka, a place to warm up from the bone rattling cold.
Location
Located around the corner from the subway and walking distance from the Museum of Natural History and Central Parky, Ashoka is an ideal choice for lunch or dinner after a day spent walking and working up an appetite. The restaurants close to Central Park and the Museum of Natural History range from Italian bistros and pizzerias to Mediterranean cuisine, yet there is only one Indian restaurant amidst the veritable sea of places to dine, and that is Ashoka.
The Ambience
Walking into Ashoka after braving the frigid 29 degree New York weather is like being wrapped in a warm blanket. The interior is dimmed, and there is a neatly kept bar at the very front of the restaurant. A lovely woman named Maria is there to offer greetings and take Ashoka’s newest customer to a table. Everything is quiet and cozy since it’s early afternoon, with the lunch rush only just starting. Every table has a vibrant, single red rose in a small, gleaming silver vase. Every napkin and piece of cutlery is immaculately placed, ready and waiting for the onset of customers. The dimmed light adds to the relaxed atmosphere, the unforgiving bite of winter slowly fading away, with the excitement of seeing what is on the menu taking its place. A look up of Ashoka on Yelp reveals a consistent rating of five stars for reviews with customers raving about everything from the food, to the relaxed atmosphere, to the live bands that play on Friday and Saturday. The reviews were few and far between in comparison to the number of customers going to Ashoka and having a grand experience with Indian cuisine, so a wonderful dining experience was highly anticipated.
The Menu
Their menus are presented with the flag of India emblazoned across them in vibrant red, leaving no doubt that the food to be experienced is going to be a pack of punch of Indian flavors. Reading through the menu yields a listing of both vegetarian and nonvegetarian options, as well as a vegan option for those customers so inclined, all containing words like turmeric, red chili pepper, cumin, tamarind, coriander, fenugreek, garam masala, and a myriad of other designations that bring the signature spices of Indian cuisine to the forefront of a customer’s mind. You can see their diverse and delicious menu here.
The Dining Experience
From the regular menu, I ordered a keema naan and a rose lassi. Keema naan if naan bread with a layer of lamb meat sandwiched between the dough and then fired in the tandoor oven, while rose lassi is a sweet drink made of yogurt and milk, with fragrant red rose syrup added in. Seeing as to how I have avoided the usual chaos of the dinner and weekend crowds, I sat and enjoyed the quiet, thoughtful atmosphere around me for about fifteen minutes before I was served.
Presented to me was a fresh, steaming golden disk of buttery naan bread cut into slices with a dusting of vibrant green cilantro on top, showing off the thin layer of lamb meat expertly placed within the naan. The smell of garlic and butter, and a happy mix of many Indian spices all harmoniously combined seemed to fill all of the air around me. Placed stylishly at the center of the naan was a little square dish filled with a white yogurt sauce. Two other small dishes were presented, one with a dark green mint chutney, while the other held a deep, maroon hued spicy tamarind sauce. Every bite by themselves were crispy and hot, with the perfect amount of garlic and salt, but with the three sauces, these same bites are elevated to new heights. The mint chutney and tamarind sauce added extra heat, while the yogurt sauce tempered the spices from overpowering the pallet.
The rose lassi came in a tall hurricane glass, a gloriously thick, milkshake-like drink with swirls of vibrant red syrup painting the inside of the glass and lending a rich, and uniquely fragrant flavor.
The Price
One wouldn’t expect such a delicious and affordable Indian restaurant to be close to two of New York City’s largest attractions — but Ashoka defies the odds. Every item on the menu is priced less than $20 dollars! A total win. The best part? They’re participating in the HungerPass Dining Club which means you also get to enjoy delicious savings up to 50% off here when you dine using your HungerPass app.
The Verdict
Ashoka is an authentic and top quality Indian Restaurant on the Upper East Side. I would gladly go back there and take my entire family there to experience it for themselves. Not to mention, their Yelp ratings also consistently commended Ashoka for being a family and kid friendly environment, and even very accommodating to large groups. Overall, this place did a fantastic job. So next time you’re in the neighborhood, use HungerPass to save on money but not on flavor.
