Ahimsa: What’s Vegetarian Editorial Review

Ahimsa is a family-run Indian vegetarian restaurant in Murray Hill, and a vegetarian can order anything on the menu. The restaurant says no dish contains eggs or honey, and it labels every dish as vegan, gluten-free, or Jain. Lighthouse Kosher certifies the kitchen, except during Passover.

Look for 204 East 38th Street, between Second and Third Avenues. The owners ran it as Ahimsa Garden in the East Village for four years before they moved here in December 2021.

What to order

Ahimsa names four favorites: the dosa, the uttapam, the lacha paratha, and the navratan korma. Start with a dosa. You can keep it plain with a masala dosa, add heat with a Mysore masala dosa or a gunpowder masala dosa, or pick a mung bean dosa for more protein. Uttapam is the thicker, pancake-style cousin. Filling, too.

For a North Indian dinner, pair the flaky lacha paratha with navratan korma, a rich curry of mixed vegetables. One diner quoted on Ahimsa’s site asked for coconut milk instead of cream in the korma, and the kitchen made the swap. The menu also covers Indo-Chinese plates like gobi Manchurian and Hakka noodles, chaat like samosa chaat and aloo tikki chaat, and sabudana khichdi, a tapioca dish many Hindus eat on fast days. Another diner on the site says you shouldn’t skip the chai.

Time Out pointed diners to the gunpowder masala dosa, which folds smoky, spicy gunpowder chilies into the usual mild potato filling. The Vegetarian Resource Group’s blog praised Ahimsa for marking every vegan option clearly and keeping a separate Jain menu. You can also buy Ahimsa’s own dosa podi and dry garlic chutney through its online shop.

Vegan, gluten-free, and Jain

Vegans eat well here. Look for tofu curries like palak tofu, kadai tofu, and tofu kofta curry, plus a vegan mango lassi made with coconut milk. Because the kitchen also cooks with paneer, cream, and cheese, a vegan should read the label on each dish and ask the server to confirm.

Gluten-free diners can order gluten-free samosas, gluten-free samosa chaat, and roti made from bajra or corn flour. Ahimsa also cooks Jain versions of many dishes, from Jain chole puri to Jain navratan korma, and marks each one on the menu.

The kitchen

No meat, no fish, no eggs. A vegetarian has no shared-surface problem to worry about here. We rate cross-contamination 4 of 5, because the kitchen also cooks with dairy. Nut allergy? The menu flags nuts in the malai kulfi and warns that the gulab jamun may contain them.

Hours and booking

Doors open every day from 11:00 AM to 9:30 PM. Book a table on Resy, order pickup or delivery through the link on Ahimsa’s site, or call (212) 228-2022. Ahimsa also caters events and hosts private parties. Prices aren’t on the main site. You’ll find them on the online ordering menu.

Check the address before you book. Ahimsa’s site warns that other restaurants have falsely claimed an affiliation with it, and the family says 204 East 38th Street is the only original location.