A Solid Hit of Spice and Comfort in the Heart of Hoboken
Hoboken—land of Sinatra, waterfront strolls, and a dining scene that swings between the overhyped and the underrated. Karma Kafe? It lands squarely in the latter category. A no-nonsense, cozy Indian spot that doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel but spins it just right.
Start with the samosas—golden, crisp, and piping hot, because there’s nothing worse than a lukewarm samosa (and they know it). The chicken tikka masala is a crowd-pleaser, as it should be—creamy and rich, with just enough kick to remind you that this isn’t fast food. But for those who really know their Indian flavors, the lamb rogan josh or Goan fish curry will be the move. The heat isn’t dumbed down, the spices aren’t just for show.
Service? Efficient, warm, but don’t expect a grand performance—it’s about the food, as it should be. The space itself? Dimly lit, with just enough intimacy to make it date-night friendly but casual enough for a spontaneous craving.
So why four stars and not five? Because while the execution is solid, it doesn’t quite hit that “drop everything and get here now” level. But that’s fine. Not every meal has to be a revelation—some just have to be damn good.
And this? This is damn good.
Parking: You will find a spot, but you may need to walk a bit. Overall, however, it is not a huge issue.
Placed a pick up order for 6:30 pm. Got to the restaurant they kept telling me 2 more minutes. 30 minutes later still nothing. Very bad customer experience. Too bad , they used to be better
Food: 4
Service: 1
Harshil Joshi
The food here was not the best. It wasn't spicy or flavorful, and it was not worth the wait.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
Victor Manuel Gonzalez
The best Indian cuisine in all of Hudson
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Manthan Shah
This place is a hidden gem for north jersey, we really enjoyed the food here, compared to some Indian places in the area. We got the malai kofta and panner tikka masala. The malai kofta was average, and on the sweeter side. The paneer tikka masala was very good, and had a unique methi flavour profile to it.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Aayush Agarwal
Got the bhindi and kashmiri paneer and both were good, even if a bit on the creamy/oily end.
Food: 4
Kaushik Rao
I had a terrible experience at Karma Kafe. The biryani was the worst I’ve ever had—bland, overcooked, and completely lacking flavor. To make things worse, I ended up with food poisoning shortly after. When I informed the restaurant, they initially apologized and agreed to a refund but later denied it. Definitely not worth the risk. I strongly recommend avoiding this place!"
Let me know if you need any more changes!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Mutton Biryani
aiyar73
Ordered on Uber Eats like I always did......couldn't believe it was coming from them. Vegetable cutlets were TERRIBLE, Karma Aaloo sure made me aware of MY BAD KARMA.....oh Lord!!! Puhleeease STAY AWAY From these two. I ordered Bagara Shrimp but got Shrimp Malabar.....The rice has always been a decent quantity along with the Dal but this time it was WORSE THAN A PORTION CONTROL DIET.....Pathetic....Sad this was a GO TO PLACE for me BUT I MUST THINK TWICE before ordering from them
Food: 1
ibrahim Abdullah (مستشار اداري)
You must check the details of the bill, as it added items that I did not order. Also, the service is not professional, and the food is less than normal. Overall, an experience that will not be repeated.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 3
Naveen Kumar
Many people had good reviews for this place. So went in to experience the taste of India but was disappointed with the good. The quantity of the food was good but the taste is not authentic Indian it’s customised to the people who visit here. The biryani looks like mixed rice with chicken curry. The tandoori pices were so huge that we don’t feel the spice of Indian in the chicken. Though the quantity and quality of food is good. The taste is not good and satisfactory.
We dined tonight. Food is great but the ambience and service needs some work. There is so much activity on take out orders it ruins the ambience for those trying to dine in at the restaurant
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 3
Vishal Gupta
Don’t expect your order to be delivered
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Sandesh Deshmukh
Ambience is great but food taste could be better. Briyani was not authentic but the portions were huge. I liked their service and ambience tbh.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Velat Zorlu
One of the mixed cafe employees was racist towards me
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Andy Sadowski
Was visiting Hoboken and looking for a good lunch spot close to Steven's University and came across Karma Kafe. Reviews were good and there were lots of people who took the time to rave so figured give it a shot. As always, reviews don't lie and ended up having a great lunch on a Sunday afternoon.
We were able to walk in without a reservation on a Sunday afternoon without an issue and we were lucky. Pretty sure for future visits, would lock in a reservation to be on the safe side.
Upon being seated, a serving of Papadum (Thin & crispy lentil flat bread) was served with tasty accompaniments was the perfect start as we scoured the menu.
We started with The Veggie Sampler which was compromised of a
Veggie samosa ( Stuffed crispy triangle pastry stufffed with potatoes and peas), Veggie Pakoras (Crisp veggies lightly battered in a chick pea flour and seasoning mix) and a Veggie Tikkis (Lightly breaded veggie cutlets seasoned with herbs and spices, served with mango chutney.) The serving size was decent and realized if we ate everything on the plate than we would be full and would have no room for the main course. The appatizers were delicious and a great way to prepare for lunch.
Indian Food is usually always a hit for us due to the large vegertain options that are available to her as well as the non vegetarian options for me.
Plenty of great choices to pick from making the decision difficult.
I ordered Chicken Vindaloo (Chicken and potatoes in a spicy vindaloo sauce) When ordering, the waiter ensured I was ready for the heat from spice ranking it a 10 of 10. Will admit I love hot foods, and was apprehensive with his warnings but pushed forward. While the food was definitely spicey, not sure if I would rank as a 10 of 10 being some Indian dishes have been insanely hot. All in all, the meal was delicious and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
My daughter ordered the Paneer Kashmiri (Cheese cubes and veggies in a mild saffron korma sauce) and was thoroughly satisfied. Both entrees were served with Basmati Rice and Dal. While not needed , we also order Garlic Nan which was incredibly delicious. The Nan was even better when dipped in the savory sauces that our meal came in.
As you can imagine, there was so much food that we both took some home that made for another meal.
Overall, we were both super satisfied and left stuffed. Definitely a great location that we plan to return to. The location was perfect and was a short walk from Stevens. The food quality was good, the service was great, and I found the value to be exceptional for its location.
A Solid Hit of Spice and Comfort in the Heart of Hoboken
Hoboken—land of Sinatra, waterfront strolls, and a dining scene that swings between the overhyped and the underrated. Karma Kafe? It lands squarely in the latter category. A no-nonsense, cozy Indian spot that doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel but spins it just right.
Start with the samosas—golden, crisp, and piping hot, because there’s nothing worse than a lukewarm samosa (and they know it). The chicken tikka masala is a crowd-pleaser, as it should be—creamy and rich, with just enough kick to remind you that this isn’t fast food. But for those who really know their Indian flavors, the lamb rogan josh or Goan fish curry will be the move. The heat isn’t dumbed down, the spices aren’t just for show.
Service? Efficient, warm, but don’t expect a grand performance—it’s about the food, as it should be. The space itself? Dimly lit, with just enough intimacy to make it date-night friendly but casual enough for a spontaneous craving.
So why four stars and not five? Because while the execution is solid, it doesn’t quite hit that “drop everything and get here now” level. But that’s fine. Not every meal has to be a revelation—some just have to be damn good.
And this? This is damn good.
Parking: You will find a spot, but you may need to walk a bit. Overall, however, it is not a huge issue.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Karma Kafe Tandoor Medley, Samosa Chaat, Goat Curry, Lamb Curry, Tandoori Bread Sampler Tray, Chick Tikka Naan
Placed a pick up order for 6:30 pm. Got to the restaurant they kept telling me 2 more minutes. 30 minutes later still nothing. Very bad customer experience. Too bad , they used to be better
Food: 4
Service: 1
The food here was not the best. It wasn't spicy or flavorful, and it was not worth the wait.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
The best Indian cuisine in all of Hudson
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
This place is a hidden gem for north jersey, we really enjoyed the food here, compared to some Indian places in the area. We got the malai kofta and panner tikka masala. The malai kofta was average, and on the sweeter side. The paneer tikka masala was very good, and had a unique methi flavour profile to it.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Got the bhindi and kashmiri paneer and both were good, even if a bit on the creamy/oily end.
Food: 4
I had a terrible experience at Karma Kafe. The biryani was the worst I’ve ever had—bland, overcooked, and completely lacking flavor. To make things worse, I ended up with food poisoning shortly after. When I informed the restaurant, they initially apologized and agreed to a refund but later denied it. Definitely not worth the risk. I strongly recommend avoiding this place!"
Let me know if you need any more changes!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Mutton Biryani
Ordered on Uber Eats like I always did......couldn't believe it was coming from them. Vegetable cutlets were TERRIBLE, Karma Aaloo sure made me aware of MY BAD KARMA.....oh Lord!!! Puhleeease STAY AWAY From these two. I ordered Bagara Shrimp but got Shrimp Malabar.....The rice has always been a decent quantity along with the Dal but this time it was WORSE THAN A PORTION CONTROL DIET.....Pathetic....Sad this was a GO TO PLACE for me BUT I MUST THINK TWICE before ordering from them
Food: 1
You must check the details of the bill, as it added items that I did not order. Also, the service is not professional, and the food is less than normal. Overall, an experience that will not be repeated.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 3
Many people had good reviews for this place. So went in to experience the taste of India but was disappointed with the good. The quantity of the food was good but the taste is not authentic Indian it’s customised to the people who visit here. The biryani looks like mixed rice with chicken curry. The tandoori pices were so huge that we don’t feel the spice of Indian in the chicken.
Though the quantity and quality of food is good. The taste is not good and satisfactory.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Pane Kashmiri, Tandoori Bread Sampler Tray, Chick Tikka Naan
Restaurantji Recommends
We dined tonight. Food is great but the ambience and service needs some work. There is so much activity on take out orders it ruins the ambience for those trying to dine in at the restaurant
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 3
Don’t expect your order to be delivered
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Ambience is great but food taste could be better. Briyani was not authentic but the portions were huge. I liked their service and ambience tbh.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
One of the mixed cafe employees was racist towards me
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Was visiting Hoboken and looking for a good lunch spot close to Steven's University and came across Karma Kafe. Reviews were good and there were lots of people who took the time to rave so figured give it a shot. As always, reviews don't lie and ended up having a great lunch on a Sunday afternoon. We were able to walk in without a reservation on a Sunday afternoon without an issue and we were lucky. Pretty sure for future visits, would lock in a reservation to be on the safe side. Upon being seated, a serving of Papadum (Thin & crispy lentil flat bread) was served with tasty accompaniments was the perfect start as we scoured the menu. We started with The Veggie Sampler which was compromised of a Veggie samosa ( Stuffed crispy triangle pastry stufffed with potatoes and peas), Veggie Pakoras (Crisp veggies lightly battered in a chick pea flour and seasoning mix) and a Veggie Tikkis (Lightly breaded veggie cutlets seasoned with herbs and spices, served with mango chutney.) The serving size was decent and realized if we ate everything on the plate than we would be full and would have no room for the main course. The appatizers were delicious and a great way to prepare for lunch. Indian Food is usually always a hit for us due to the large vegertain options that are available to her as well as the non vegetarian options for me. Plenty of great choices to pick from making the decision difficult. I ordered Chicken Vindaloo (Chicken and potatoes in a spicy vindaloo sauce) When ordering, the waiter ensured I was ready for the heat from spice ranking it a 10 of 10. Will admit I love hot foods, and was apprehensive with his warnings but pushed forward. While the food was definitely spicey, not sure if I would rank as a 10 of 10 being some Indian dishes have been insanely hot. All in all, the meal was delicious and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My daughter ordered the Paneer Kashmiri (Cheese cubes and veggies in a mild saffron korma sauce) and was thoroughly satisfied. Both entrees were served with Basmati Rice and Dal. While not needed , we also order Garlic Nan which was incredibly delicious. The Nan was even better when dipped in the savory sauces that our meal came in. As you can imagine, there was so much food that we both took some home that made for another meal. Overall, we were both super satisfied and left stuffed. Definitely a great location that we plan to return to. The location was perfect and was a short walk from Stevens. The food quality was good, the service was great, and I found the value to be exceptional for its location.
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