Malai Marke is one of the most consistently solid Indian restaurants in town. Having gone to the restaurant for years, we’ve tried countless dishes and they are always at least good, but many times amazing.
The restaurant is located on the East 6th street row of Indian restaurants, but in my opinion this place beats out all of its neighbors. And I’ve always been a fan of the ambiance. It’s nicer than many of the other casual Indian restaurants around, but doesn’t get into the cheesy formal territory of using white table cloths. The walls are exposed brick with copper plates hanging on them and the tables are simply dark wood. The layout is odd, but this is NYC and you have to do what you can with the space. It’s a U-shaped layout with the two legs of the U being two separate dining rooms connected by the base of the U, which is the kitchen.
The service is good, always has been. Everyone is attentive, it’s easy to get a hold of your server, and if not, anyone is willing to help out. The key in having a good dining experience is to state exactly what you want and confirm everything. For instance, some chicken dishes are a mix of white and dark meat, others are bone-in. So if you want boneless white meat, state it. If you want something to be made extra spicy or extra mild, state it. If you want something less oily, state it. They will accommodate it, but if you don’t mention anything, they will default to using dark meat, less spice, and heavy oil.
As a fan of spicy dishes, I think they do a great job with the Vindaloo and the Lal Maas. The Vindaloo dish comes from the Goan region and is made with chili paste and a bit of vinegar. You can certainly taste the spice and the acidity in there. The Lal Maas comes from the Rajasthan region and is made with yogurt, garlic and red chilies. For something less spicy, the Xacuti is a good option with its sweet, nutty taste coming from the coconut, peanuts, and poppy seeds it’s cooked with. The Saag curry is also a nice, mild option, and is entirely savory as it has no coconut milk and is made with spinach and ginger.
The naans here are a great accompaniment and are very well made. They are made from scratch constantly, and come out moist, soft, and chewy. The garlic naan is especially good. And the Mango Lassi here is worth considering, especially if you are ordering a spicy dish. It’s refreshing, not too sweet, and not overly diluted with ice.
The owner, Shiva Natarajan, also has an number of other restaurants in town, all of which are also good choices and are up to snuff taste and quality wise. Two to point out are Chola and Dhaba. Chola is a bit more upscale (white tablecloth) and sits in Midtown. Dhaba, which is much more like Malai Marke in ambiance, is in Murray Hill, so if you’re not near the East Village, you can confidently go to either of those instead.
