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Moti Mahal Delux, the Upper East Side Indian restaurant known for its tandoori chicken and butter-laden dal makhani, has closed after 14 years in the neighborhood.
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The restaurant, located at 1149 First Avenue at East 63rd Street, announced the closure on Instagram, calling it a necessary decision, “for reasons beyond our control.”“Sadly, we bid farewell to the UES as we have closed our doors indefinitely,” the post read. “A big thank you to you all, our community and our customers for the last 14 years of love and support.”
Since opening in 2012, Moti Mahal Delux became a neighborhood staple, earning positive praise from The New York Times and building a loyal following for its North Indian Mughlai cuisine. The restaurant was part of a chain centered in New Delhi with a formidable reputation for its tandoori specialties.
In his 2012 review, former Times restaurant critic Pete Wells praised the restaurant’s mastery of rich, aromatic dishes. He was particularly taken with the dal makhani, describing the spiced black lentils as “deeply, truly luxurious.” Wells also celebrated the tandoori chicken, calling it eye-opening and lamenting the “poor facsimiles” served elsewhere in the city.
“After tasting it, I thought of the restaurants where I had been served poor facsimiles of the dish and wanted to demand refunds from all of them,” Wells wrote.
Executive chef and owner Gaurav Anand, who also owns Bhatti Indian Grill, told the Times in 2012 that obtaining the recipe for Moti Mahal’s tandoori chicken was his primary motivation for taking the franchise. “As a chef I’ve been thinking for so long: How do they make it? It’s unbelievable,” he said.
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Neighborhood residents expressed sadness at the loss. “This is such a loss to the neighborhood!” one commenter wrote on the restaurant’s Instagram post. “MMD was our go-to comfort food spot, where the food never disappointed and the service felt like being at home.”While the restaurant has closed, delivery options will continue through sister restaurant Baazi on the Upper West Side. Chef Anand also operates Bhatti and Dilli Dilli, which the Instagram post suggested as alternatives for diners.
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