Hot Clay Oven

I’m seriously wondering why this place has such low reviews and low traffic during peak lunch hours! I think it’s really underrated, like REALLY underrated, because I’ve had an awesome experience both times I’ve come here. Of course, I’m super glad that there’s usually no line, but I think with the food there definitely should be!
So this is Chipotle-​style and actually the most similar to any Indian-​Chipotle-​fusion I’ve ever had. I like that they have three types of rice (beat that Chipopo!) and vegan options (dal and chana masala, v. Chipotle’s sad sofritas or «veggie» bowl). I have gotten chana masala both times and it wasn’t the most flavorful, but it was still pretty good. You can choose toppings as well + premium toppings are 0.92c extra. I would say it’s better than Chipotle because its fresh vegetables like peas, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, versus like sour cream. Then, you can choose your sauce. I’ve had the lime vinaigrette which tastes kinda like Italian dressing, so pretty good. The best part of this is that it is less pricey than Chipotle, in addition to having huge portion sizes. I love my fresh vegetables, chana masala, and rice and it’s just enough to avoid a heavy 3pm snack but still be ready for dinner.

had a serious craving for some indian.
i still have a serious craving for indian.
i think the tikka masala was just a tomato sauce.
the naan was really good though.
and I am full. it is just questionable as to whether i am full on indian food or some bland effort at chicken and rice. with good naan.

They only get a star because food is edible. Promotion material is hugely exaggerated (see posted picture of what they promote compared to what you get) Staff doesn’t seem to understand the menu and were unhelpful when I questioned what they gave me which was not what I ordered — they told me go just call their boss
NOT going to return !

If you want cancer then go here and get the naan bread. It was so burnt to the point of black all over and when I asked to have another one, the server thought I was crazy. Terrible attitude and I can’t believe they would serve food like this. I finally got another naan, and it was still burnt on some parts.

This is not the classy indian restaurants like it should be. But this is the best fast food to grab your lunch from. It is very inexpensive and they have fascinating stuffs. I got tandoori chicken pizza. Its weird and good at the same time.
I would definitely recommend it if you want a tasty meal thats not a fancy restaurant. A lot healthier than fast food around this place. Why would you go to wendys and others as such and kill yourself slowly by paying them more.
This place is gooooooood!!! Definitely coming back everytime i come to city to work.

This is probably one of the worst Indian restaurants in the city. Everything lacks flavor and freshness. Had some really chewy, bland chicken masala on a very soggy excuse for naan. Such a disappointment. I would avoid.

Cheap and cheerful take away. The price is right for what you get: a quick and easy lunch. Not the freshest or tastiest but a bargain at $ 9 a bowl. Can’t speak for the meat as I haven’t had any but I often get the dahl and haven’t had an issue.
Review: back a few days ago and got a bowl that was mushy and lacked flavour. Rice was overcooked and chicken was full of fat. Shan’t be returning, it has been very quiet in the past month and now I know why!

Food is sitting there all day. meat chewy naan sogy. Price is cheap but better options a cross street and food trucks for same price. 9 bucks for a wrap.

Basic Chipotle like place, just Indian style. My meal with salty and the layout of the store wasn’t appealing. Could be a lot better.
In general, the service is lacking. Came here one night after the gym and just needed something quick and cheap. After I picked up my food, the woman at the counter said she was swamped and asked me to pay later. Very trusting, but okay. Right before I was finished the woman left the store and I was the only person in here. I waited for 5 minutes for her to come back. I became worried for the store owners as I could have walked out or stolen something. A few people walked in and looked confused on why no one was behind the counter (some people left after waiting few minutes). When the woman came back, she had a slice of pizza from next door (not a good sign). When I asked to pay, she was confused for a second and then remembered. Then, she comp’ed my meal, which is nice, but it was an odd series of events.

My co-​workers love coming here from time to time, if only we were located much closer.
Hot Clay Oven is like the Indian equivalent of Chipotle, where you choose a protein, add veggies (no limit) and dressings of your choice (no limit).
There’s plenty to choose from so you can’t go wrong here if you’re on a empty stomach and not looking to spend too much (under $ 10). One of the best places to stop by for lunch and to savor your craving for rice.

Just tried to go here. Door was open but no one was behind the counter.
Get your shit together!
Food did not look fresh. Hopefully I saved myself a few trips to the bathroom.

Hot Clay Oven is basically Subway with Indian food. I have been here twice, once to try it out and the other to satisfy a samosa craving on a rainy day and being unwilling to walk any farther from my office to do so. Service is nice, prices aren’t too bad and the food is, in Unilocal’s words, A-​OK. I would not recommend coming here if you want to have good to great Indian food. But if you aren’t in the mood to wait or to pay some of the higher prices that most Indian restaurants charge for their fares, Hot Clay Oven is a decent compromise. You won’t leave thinking you just had a culinary experience of a lifetime but you’ll leave satisfied. Hopefully.
PS There’s a check in deal on Unilocal for 10% off.

I should preface this by saying that I don’t eat pork. Never have, everyone knows it, it’s pretty serious. So imagine the shock when, to my surprise, Hot Clay Oven gives me my first taste of pork in what should have been a veggie samosa.
I’ve been here a couple of times when I’m craving Indian food at my job, and my experiences with this place have gotten progressively worse. My first day there, I met the owner/​manager, I think, who is an extremely pushy woman and seemed quite money-​grubbing; as I was waiting to pay for my food, she was harassing another customer to buy samosas and a drink despite the customer insisting that she was fine. The owner ACTUALLY said, «Come on, I need the money!» And now I understand why.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed my rice bowl enough to go a second time several weeks later, where I tried to make the same purchase. This time, the bowl was cold, with the chicken having been sitting for a while and some of the vegetables seemed frozen. However, I did buy a samosa as well, and it was delicious. «Fair enough,» I thought. I’ll just come here for these.
So the next time that I wasn’t hungry enough for a big lunch, I stopped over there and purchased two samosas. They’d changed the recipe. In addition to reducing the portion (at the same price, obviously), they were lukewarm. «Fine,» I thought. I wasn’t terribly hungry anyway.
Fast forward to today, when I go to take a rushed break around 4 to get a snack because I hadn’t eaten lunch (because I had a big breakfast, but you don’t care about that). I decide that I want a samosa, but don’t want to look for the other Indian places because I don’t know how fast they are, how much they cost, etc. I see that the dreadful woman who owns it is not in, so I go into Hot Clay Oven (it’s empty), and order two veggie samosas. The server grabs two, and I note that the shape is different, more cylindrical. Thinking that the recipe had changed again, I nevertheless ask the server if those were veggie samosas. «Yes,» he says. «Oh, did you change the recipe?» I ask. «No,» he responds. So I pay for my «samosas,» head back to work, and bite into one. Of course, it’s a spring roll. I inspect it and see flecks of pink meat, and promptly go to throw up.
After leaving work early, I went back to the store and talked to TWO servers and (I think) a cook (unfortunately, the owner wasn’t there), all of whom tried to insist that I DID get a veggie samosa (because apparently I’m an idiot who has never had potatoes and green peas before). One guy (I’m assuming the cook) proceeds to inspect one of the «samosas” – “Oh,» he says, «I don’t know what’s in it. The box said veggie spring rolls… we are out of samosas» («Obviously,» I respond)…“No, it just said spring rolls” – and I’m thinking YOU knew THAT IT WAS A SPRING ROLL BUT PROCEEDED TO SELL IT TO ME AS A SAMOSA? Moreover, you don’t even know what is in it?! He gave me my money back, but in all seriousness, there’s no recompense to discovering that someone deliberately sold you mystery meat as a «veggie» item – especially with the dietary restriction I have.
Having had chicken more than I can count over the last 20 years, I can ascertain that what I had was likely pork (and I’m positive that’s more than the cook can tell you). I saw with other reviewers that they had similar experiences, so I’m pretty sure this is a habit.
Tldr; IF YOU LIKE A LITTLE MYSTERY WITH YOUR FOOD, GO FOR IT! If not, there’s a whole row of Indian food places within a block or two away (I think 46^th); it’s worth looking into those.

Went here to get something akin to a kati roll or in this case, a naan wrap. Here’s what went wrong:
— Service was terrible. There were 4 people behind the counter doing nothing.
— I asked for a veg samosa and I ended up with chicken (not a huge deal for me but a total deal breaker for my vegetarian co-​worker)
— The curry was awful and watery. Not authentic at all.
— I asked for the bread separately and yet, it was soggy when I got it.
— They did not add a lot of protein (I had the paneer) and they ignored me when I asked for another scoop. I mean, come on man! You gave me like 3 little slivers of paneer. WTF.
I would not recommend this place to anyone. It’s a rip off and the food is bland and not a good value for your money.

Don’t want to say it’s a Chipotle concept rip-​off as that concept is universally used everywhere now. But … it’s Chipotle, but Indian-​ish. They had a terrific opportunity to do something unique, like what Naya did. Naya takes the Chipotle concept and owns it with Middle-​eastern food. There’s not much American to it. Hot Clay Oven fails at this and tries to add lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, cheese, Jamaican chicken? It needs a better identity. Be Indian, or South Asian.
I got a naan wrap (a mistake), had them put some chicken in it, chose a few mix-​ins (by the way, it just might be their personalities but the people serving up the goods are not the most charming), they wrapped it up and dropped it in a bag. Brought it back to my desk, unwrapped it and it just opened up flat. Naan does not make a good wrap, but it was not wrapped in a manner that you might think to just open up one side and eat like a gyro.
I gave stars for the food, as it was very tasty but think they could get a little more true with their roots. I can get lettuce, tomato, cheese on anything anywhere.

Just got a naan wrap for lunch. You can choose either a salad/​rice bowl, wrap, or naan wrap + protein + toppings + sauce. I also redeemed the 10% off for my first purchase (thanks, Unilocal).
I asked for garlic naan, they nodded and took out a large piece of naan (which I assumed to be garlic, but to my disappointment when I got back to the office, wasn’t). Minus a star, it’s fine if the lunch combos don’t include garlic naans, just let your customers know so they can choose accordingly. Please don’t nod and pretend it is.
I chose chicken tika masala as the protein based on my co-​workers recommendation and was a little disappointed to see how little they put in. It was kind of flavorful but I’ve definitely had better. Also, there were stray inedible seeds from the spices… Maybe they should take those out before serving. Again, toppings and sauce they also put very little of.
When I got to my office, I was really excited to dig in. But it felt like I was just eating a soggy piece of naan.
The people were okay (contrary to the other reviews, I don’t think they were rude) and I appreciated the 10% off, but due to the plain naan, little meat/​toppings, and the fact that there are many many many other options in midtown, I don’t think I’d be back.

Went here for lunch on the recommendation of a friend. Look — it’s not as snazzy as Indikitch, but it has a hell of a lot of options. I got the brown rice bowl with chana masala and chicken tandoori with peas, carrots and corn and mint chutney and you know what? It was delicious. The food was hot and tasty.
Some improvements to be made — the folks behind the counter were looking a little worse for wear and kinda slow moving even though there was no one else in line. I think having peppier customer service could elevate the feel of the place. It just feels a little dirty and messy and kind of unprofessional. Which is weird because the seating area was clean and the furniture looked pretty modern. Grain of salt — one time visit so take these as merely first impressions.
The food was sufficiently good that for the moment, I’m adding this to my lunch spots in the area

*$ 3 Happy Hour = free $ 3.00 with levelup from 5pm=8pm (week)days*
Skipped their $ 5 after 5pm* deals and redeemed the Unilocal checkin promo for some solid jalapeño naan ($ 2.53) during a slow period. Redeemed LevelUp credit from the flustered but friendly staffer.
Transaction Amount $ 2.53
Credit Applied — $ 2.53
*Back after 5 for Naan bowl for $ 5 — massive and not bad (Jamaican steak & their hot sauce)
Excellent strawberry aloe drink from the fridge:
Transaction Amount $ 3.27
$ 3 Happy Hour — $ 3.00
$ 3 Return Visit Reward — $ 0.27
Total Balance $ 0.00
Transaction Amount $ 6.53
Total Rewards — $ 5.73
$ 3 Happy Hour — $ 3.00
$ 2.73 Return Visit Reward — $ 2.73
Total Balance $ 0.80
Tried to charge $ 4.90 for the same drink purchased for $ 3 the day before, then charged less?
Transaction Amount $ 2.45
Total Rewards — $ 2.45
$ 3 Happy Hour — $ 2.45
Total Balance $ 0.00
Transaction Amount $ 4.90
Total Rewards — $ 4.90
$ 3 Happy Hour — $ 3.00
$ 3 Birthday Gift — $ 1.90
Total Rewards — $ 7.40
$ 3 Happy Hour — $ 3.00
$ 5 Anniversary Reward — $ 4.40
Total Balance $ 0.00
Transaction Amount $ 2.45
Total Rewards — $ 2.45
$ 3 Happy Hour — $ 2.45
Total Balance $ 0.00
Transaction Amount $ 2.45
Total Rewards — $ 2.45
$ 3 Happy Hour — $ 2.45
Total Balance $ 0.00
Total Rewards — $ 2.45
$ 3 Happy Hour — $ 2.45
Total Balance $ 0.00

So they say Third times a charm right? Nope!
Even after a change in management and new refreshed menu, the food is at best mediocre and bland.
I tried their Naan pizza, it was a great attempt and such a good idea. However it barely had any toppings on it, it was mostly cheese. I really wanted to like it, but the cheese was overwhelming. I love cheese, but not the fake translucent cheese. It’s tasteless and chunky and when it cools, it congeals like plastic.

My last day in NYC and after almost 2 weeks in the States I was starting to get to that point where I couldn’t possibly consume any more unhealthy food and just wanted to go on a health kick!
I thought vegetarian would be good and I was on my way to the Indian wrap joint Kati Roll company when I spotted Hot Clay Oven — basically a Chipotle for Indian food. I like the concept, they were exactly what I was looking for in terms of a heavy on the vegetarian selection of fillings (although they also do meats like chicken) and the set up is similar to Subway in that you choose your bread (naan for me) and then filling (Paneer and red lentil dhal) and then get it pimped up with salad, sauces and extras.
It was about $ 10 for something which looked good, was filling and probably a lot healthier than something from a taco or burger shop, the only problem I found was that it was lacking in one vital area: taste.
I mean it was just bland — every part of it — the paneer, the dhal, the sauces were all lacking in taste, spice, just generally anything. Which is s shame as I like the concept — now just make me want to eat it!