Haveli Restaurant

by Lynette S.

i love this place and was surprised to read such a mix of reviews. i went with a large group recently and we had a great meal. we ordered a decent bottle of wine too. wine by the glass is extremely reasonable, as are all prices. the naan is soft and delicious...the same host/waiter has served me each and every time i have gone. usually he is pleasant enough. you can also sign up to get a decent discount on your birthday....bet u didn't know that!The place is beautiful inside (a lot of visual stimulation as everything is super-decorated and colorful...) Some of the booths and tables are cozy and tucked away.I've always had a good meal here.Once I was so excited to eat here that I forgot to put money in the meter and got a ticket!! my lunch buffet went from 6$ to 6$ + 30$ ticket! OY!!

by Liz T.

I too am quite surprised by the array of reviews for Haveli. Ive eaten there many times and I have to say the food is fresh, delicious and the staff is very pleasing. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by their decor and the food.I will be back!

by Amanda H.

Ok, so I have no idea what to rate this place, so I am going to go the + - star route, and we'll see what we come up with.Once, while ordering take-out from Haveli, Paul and Joe had each ordered separately.  However, it was almost the same order, so the guy thought he was being fucked with or something, and since Joe put in his order second, asked him if he had just put in an order.  It made us laugh for about 5 minutes.  Considering they don't sound anything alike.  However, they did seem kind of snippy at us because they were closing in a half hour+2 stars for humor-1 star for snippinessThat aside, I do like this place.  We finally got around to actually eating in the place.  The place is beautiful! There's even this little section upstairs for a private party.  So adorable.  Lots of colors and patterns everywhere +4 stars for decor.  Anyway, we had one server, and half the time he looked like he was going to have a heart attack.  It was a little discombobulating trying to order, and some of us were getting complete meals.  It was a mess.  And some people got skipped over, etc.-2 stars for disorganizationThe prices were pretty good.  They had a la carte, as well as the complete meal, which included rice, soup, tea or coffee, and dessert.+1 star for price.When the food came out, the Naan that three of us had order all came together.  Is this normal? It was like 3 orders of Naan, I think one was plain, and the other 2 were garlic. Seemed a little weird to me, since they weren't even all the same kind.....Oh well-1 star for confusing Naan presentationI got the Chicken Korma.  It was really good.  I wish it was spicier, since I like my Indian food to be spicy.  They never asked me if I wanted it spicy or not, I don't know if it's because it's not suppose to be spicy, or they just forgot to ask.  Otherwise, it was really good, the sauce mixed nicely with my rice.  The chicken itself was pretty good, not the best, but still good.+3 stars for food-1 star for not giving me spicy optionsDessert was meh, I got this carrot cake like dessert.  Me and Evelyn's dessert was mixed up at first.  It was nice and hot, but I didn't think it was anything to write home about.  I'd rather just go across the street to Christina's instead0 stars for meh dessertsIt took forever for our waiter to pack our stuff to go.  We weren't in a rush or anything, but they still had this harried look about it.  Plus, they ended up giving Joe Jess' meal instead, which was kind of annoying. - 2 stars for confusionSo, all you mathematicians out there, if I am doing my math correctly, then we have a grand total OF: 3 stars! I think that is a fair assumption.  I would come back here though, but I might just stick with the take-out option....

by Nick H.Huan z.Calli C.Albert H.Kris M.

BAM 4 stars! But hey, I'm just a southern-bred white guy, so what do I know about Indian food anyways? When I lived in Somerville, I went to Haveli maybe once or twice a month - for buffet, if not take-out. The buffet is really good, not extraordinary; I'm a fan of the tandoori chicken legs, but I suppose it's hard to screw that up. Everything else is a tasty mix of different vegetable dishes and I think Chicken Tikka Masala (not a fan, in general). For take-out I usually got either Chicken Korma or Chicken Mango - both are trusty standbys. I first tried Chicken Mango at Haveli's brother restaurant Gandhi in Central Sq. and got hooked worse than a junky on a heroin binge. Good times. Unfortunately Gandhi Restaurant is no more but thankfully Haveli has a similar menu.So, kudos to you all at Haveli - your food and parking lot are much appreciated.- Beautiful Decoration- Free Small Parking Lot- Many choices of Alcohol- Big menu and Delicious foodWhile driving to a friend's place in Central Square, we took a wrong turn and pulled into a parking lot to turn around. However, the tantalizing smell of curry and tandoori lingered in the air, prompting a spontaneous stop for Indian food.Maybe it was because I had been craving samosas (and that delicious sweet-spicy sauce it comes with, what is it called??) for weeks, but we were seated immediately and ordered a bunch of samosas and chicken tandoori naan. I could eat naan from Haveli all day for the rest of my life and not be tired of it - warm and chewy and flavorful. Also, they do not skimp on the sauces, as the waitstaff refilled ours even though we were clearly just ordering appetizers and not entrees.Minus one star because it took forever for them to bring us the check. But while we were waiting a few of the servers brought out some steaming plates of food and began to eat at a table near us - perhaps slowly punishing us for not being able to stay longer and enjoy the gustatory delights. Don't worry, Haveli; I'll be back soon.Dosa with sambar was excellent here and I loved the bright atmosphere.  Very warm and welcoming place, and the prices were very reasonable.  It's a great location for public transportation and there are two excellent beer bars across the street.  With so many places offering just northern Indian fare I was pleased to have found this spot.I don't know if this really deserves as low as a 2-star rating (2.5-3 maybe?), but I was seriously under-impressed with Haveli.  I came on a Sunday a little after noon for their buffet brunch.  The restaurant was empty, save for one other person.  In Inman Square, if your restaurant is nearly empty for brunch around noon, that's a sign that something isn't quite right.The place was really richly decorated, which I enjoy seeing, but I don't go to restaurants only for the decor.  The buffet had a lot of the traditional choices and I tried a little bit of everything.  Most of it fell flat.  The chicken tikka masala was bland and tasted like tomato sauce, the tandoori chicken had a oddly sweet taste and little kick, the naan was a bit too hard, the samosas were dull - everything just felt lacking.  Their masala dosai was not bad, but not as good as I've had.Maybe this is just indicative of the buffet options, and normally-ordered food is better, but I left unimpressed.  With places like Punjabi Dhaba in the area, Haveli needs to try harder.

by Billy Bob T.

Four of us walked in and were seated and the waiter gestured to the lunch buffet, as everyone else today was eating buffet. Two of us walked over to the buffet to see what they had to offer; let me tell you, I have seen more options and better-displayed goods at a lemonade stand.So, the verdict was that we would order from the menu and have fresh-prepared food. But we were given no menus as we were not asked from the beginning if we wanted buffet or menu. So, we craned our necks to look for the waiter/host. No one appeared on the floor for several minutes, no one to even pour us water. No service, no fresh options = 1 star. Avoid this place and head to Shalimar of India in Central Sq. (Sure, there are less hipsters in Central Sq, but you'll just have to make up for it by carrying around a copy of Camus or conversing loudly on the sidewalk about Akira Kurosawa.)

by Nick H.

BAM 4 stars! But hey, I'm just a southern-bred white guy, so what do I know about Indian food anyways? When I lived in Somerville, I went to Haveli maybe once or twice a month - for buffet, if not take-out. The buffet is really good, not extraordinary; I'm a fan of the tandoori chicken legs, but I suppose it's hard to screw that up. Everything else is a tasty mix of different vegetable dishes and I think Chicken Tikka Masala (not a fan, in general). For take-out I usually got either Chicken Korma or Chicken Mango - both are trusty standbys. I first tried Chicken Mango at Haveli's brother restaurant Gandhi in Central Sq. and got hooked worse than a junky on a heroin binge. Good times. Unfortunately Gandhi Restaurant is no more but thankfully Haveli has a similar menu.So, kudos to you all at Haveli - your food and parking lot are much appreciated.

by J T.

The food here is pretty good.  The service is GREAT!  The employees are very nice.  :)

by Joseph L.

My experience at this restaurant was great...The atmosphere was very cool... with the hanging tapestries all over the walls. My waiter said they were all handmade in Rajasthan. (I am not embarrassed to say I don't know where that is, but its very interesting to know they are handmade.)One of my friends had an Indian beer that I hadn't seen around in the US before. He liked it. And Sally I had cocktails from their specialty list. They were delicious.The staff were courteous and the food sumptuous.  Simply the tastiest lamb I've had anywhere.I recently went on Valentine's Day.. and had another great experience. They had a great prix fixe menu... and it was loads of fun. My experience at this restaurant was great... The atmosphere was very cool... with the hanging…

by Albert H.

Dosa with sambar was excellent here and I loved the bright atmosphere.  Very warm and welcoming place, and the prices were very reasonable.  It's a great location for public transportation and there are two excellent beer bars across the street.  With so many places offering just northern Indian fare I was pleased to have found this spot.

by Shaina G.

On a busy night in Inman this past Saturday, Haveli was not, but Dave and I trotted in anyway, because I was starving and couldn't bear to wait 30 minutes for a seat in Muqueca ::sad face::Despite it's emptiness, I was excited for a meal at Haveli.  The walls decorated in elaborate rugs and the smiling faces on waiters and waitresses lured me to the booth.  Maybe I ordered the wrong dish, maybe I had too much beer earlier in the day, maybe I didn't really want Pakistani food tonight?  Well, I've eaten tandoori chicken before and it didn't have the fall-off-the-bone texture I was hoping for.  And I've had naan, too, but it's typically served much hotter (temp-wise) and softer.  And there was a serious lack of ecroutrements to bring all the separate, dry-ish pieces together.  What.  No green sauce or tamarind or extra chutney?Boooo to Haveli... I really like Punjabi Dhaba and Kebab Factory (area Indian selections) much much more.