An Indian restaurant called Rudraks opened two weeks ago at 706 Amsterdam Avenue (between 94th and 95th streets). We headed over on Friday afternoon to check it out.
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When you walk in you’ll be greeted by a cozy yet open space with leather benches and blue velvet chairs on the north and south sides of the room. A pathway of bluish-gray tiles, resembling a woven blend of colors, runs between them, creating a natural flow.
To our delight, we were presented with a lunch specials menu divided into four sections: vegetables, chicken, goat and lamb, and seafood. The menu indicates that each option comes with bread, rice, lentils of the day, and the house dessert. The all-inclusive prices are fantastic: For $15, you can choose vegetable options such as the mala kofta, Indian cheese dumplings simmered in a creamy tomato sauce, or chana pidi, a northern Indian specialty made with chickpeas, onions, tomatoes, and pomegranate seeds.
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The same goes for the chicken specials, also priced at $15. You can order the chicken tariwala, a traditional home-style chicken curry with potatoes, or the chicken shahi korma, which is cooked in a rich almond-based sauce with garlic, fenugreek, onions, and tomatoes. Yes, they have chicken tikka masala, too.
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Our waiter guided us in choosing the kadhai chicken with assorted fresh vegetables, bell peppers, and a special sauce. We opted for the spiciest option and found it very manageable and flavorful. The special sauce was indeed special—something we’d gladly order again, though there are many other dishes we’d love to try as well.
Kadhai chicken
Rudrak’s papadum, the crispy wafer-like bread, was a nice start, accompanied by mint, tamarind, and tomato chutneys. We didn’t get a dessert and, frankly, were so bedazzled by the food that we forgot to even ask.
Papadum
Goat and lamb specials for lunch—like the classic lamb vindaloo, which is Goan, cooked with vinegar, hot chilies, and spices—along with the seafood specials, which include a shrimp curry cooked with ginger, garlic, and curry leaves, are $18.
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Rudrak’s also offers takeout and delivery specials, both of which come with one appetizer and one main course served with naan, basmati rice and a special house dessert of their choosing. Vegetarian and chicken options are $20 while lamb and seafood choices are $20.
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The dinner menu at Rudrak’s runs deep. Salads include the tandoori salad, featuring chicken cooked in a tandoor and served over mesclun mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, red onions, and cucumber for $10, or the mulligatawny soup with yellow lentils (vegetable or chicken) for $10 as well. There are twelve different types of naan, ranging from $5 for laccha paratha, a whole wheat multi-layered bread from the tandoor, to $7 for keema naan, filled with spiced ground lamb.
Big plates like lobster masala, with lobster tail, shiitake mushrooms, chopped onions, garlic, and white wine sauce can be found here. There’s an entire tandoor section, from their earthen oven, with options like frontier kebabs—a mixture of chicken tikka, malai kebab, and achari tikka‚—for $22, up to the tandoor mixed grill, which included all of the assorted kebabs from their clay oven.
Beverages include mango, sweet, salted, or rose lassi for $5, along with sodas, iced tea and lemonade.
If you’re curious about the name Rudraks, “Rudraksha beads are the dried stones of the fruit of the Elaeocarpus ganitrus tree,” according to the restaurant’s menu. “The stones are associated with the Hindu deity Shiva and are commonly worn for protection and for chanting mantras such as Om Namah Shivaya.”
Rudraks is currently open Monday through Thursday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. On Fridays and Saturdays, they’re open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. There’s no website, currently. Here are their reviews on Google.
Good luck to them. I walked by Friday and Saturday night and Pio Pio next door was packed, Kam Lai next door was busy, the Mexican place on the other corner was busy but they were empty. Indian food is very 1990s. Think East 6th Street at that time. Now there are a few Indian restaurants left on the UWS that mostly look like they’re struggling and a couple of cheap lunch counter-type places for cabbies on upper Amsterdam and Columbus.
There was an Indian restaurant in the same spot until it closed recently. That should tell you something. It doesn’t help too that they don’t open their security gate all the way, just barely enough to clear the front door, so it looks like they’re closed even when they’re open.
Hanve you been to Kabob Aur Sherab? Good luck getting a reservation
RESY has 22 separate time slots available for dinner tonight at Kabob Aur Sherab. There are 15 open on Saturday night.
Ayurveda Cafe was the previous tenant and closed because the owner retired. It had nothing to do with the success of the business – he was always busy. We ate at Rudraks last week and the place was packed. One reason why you may have observed a slow night on a Friday is that Rudraks have not received their liquor license yet. I’m sure when that comes through their business will be steady, and I hope so too because the food was fantastic.
“Indian food is very 1990s. ”
What???
Indeed. I have it on very good authority they’re still eating it in India.
Name is way too close to sounding like you’re saying “Had a great meal. You gotta try Rug Rats….” or ‘Ordered take-out from Rug Rats last night. Got here in a flash.”
It must just be UWS privilege, or your sad misery, or your inflated importance, that a new restaurant such as this can’t open without a barrage of negativity from neighbors. Would you rather the storefront be empty? A family has likely dumped a lifetime, or at least, several years worth of hard earned savings to open, and cook for others, yet have to read the garbage above.
CONGRATULATIONS RUDRAKS!
Welcome to the neighborhood!!
We need you here to liven our streets, provide energy, jobs and wonderful food!
I will see you this weekend.
I’ve walked by, and gotten the menu, it looks wonderful (the menu and the restaurant)!
The owner (I presume it’s him) is pleasant, smiling, and clearly very proud! He should be!
I wish you great success and longevity here!!
Following up my comments above with a review. Complement to Tim above too, for actually trying the restaurant and sharing favorable thoughts on a new addition to the neighborhood.
I’ve now gone twice in 5 days. It was FANTASTIC!
I usually stick to Veg when I eat Indian, but added seafood as well. We were overwhelmed by the choices, so asked the owner and staff for their recommendations. Everything was wonderful. On Saturday night, we waited a quick 10 minutes, because EVERY table was full. On Wednesday night, after we sat, there was only one table left. . . .it was a WEDNESDAY night!. The owner and staff took great care of us!
We’ll be back soon, and encourage everyone to try it. Congratulations Rudraks!
I had a delicious meal the other night and can’t wait to return. Fresh sauces and flavors.