If you've got the taste for spices but fighting the crowds on Sixth Street has no appeal, Banjara stands as a better-than-good alternative. In fact, folks who stray from Alphabet City and the Lower East Side submit that this pleasant neighborhood eatery can give many of the city's more high-profile Indian restaurants a run for their money. Indeed, the kitchen's knack for delightful clay-oven specialties (the wine-marinated chicken in particular) often converts curious customers into devotees after one visit. TRAIN: F, V to 2nd Ave

Daily Noon-Midnight

Average Main Course Price: 15.00

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