Diva Lounge

[bangie24.livejournal.com]

Hi guys!

There's a new deal on BuyWithMe.com that relates to the Davis Square area- it's $20 for a $40 voucher to Diva Lounge. http://www.buywithme.com/boston/deals/148  I've never actually had indian food, but I was thinking about trying this one out. Is Diva any good? 

Thanks, and enjoy if you end up getting the deal! :)

Comments

[eclecticavatar.livejournal.com]

Davis has two Indian restaurants and both are great! It's personal preference, really, which one people prefer. I happen to prefer Namaskar over Diva, but have lots of friends that prefer Diva.

Enjoy!

[ron_newman]

I'd rather sit in the main room than the Lounge, though. Is the coupon good at both?

[bangie24.livejournal.com]

Hi Ron, I just asked that question to BWM and they said that the coupon is good for both (the bistro and the lounge).

[tamalinn.livejournal.com]

A lot of people like Diva. I guess it's alright, but I prefer Namaskar down the street.

[vibrantabyss.livejournal.com]

==

[jimmyfergus.livejournal.com]

Ditto. Went to Diva once, and they had a bigger selection, but it was all very bland.

Namaskar has less selection, but it's better. Not remarkably good, but remarkably better.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

I started going to Namaskar when they first opened, then tried Diva when they showed up, and always found Namaskar superior. I hadn't been there in some time, though, and last week's at dinner with friends, was shocked at how not-great the food was. I don't know if they've gone downhill or if it's just that I've been spoiled by Guru, but it definitely was not worth the (steep) price. Not that Diva is, either, but I used to be able to at least recommend one of the Davis Indian places and now I can't recommend either.

I agree. Diva is so so...

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

My absolute favorite Indian place in Boston is in Brighton, actually. I forgot the name, used to go there years ago...

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

I think some people have had issues with Diva because of an incident there a few years ago: http://community.livejournal.com/davis_square/734842.html

I don't know how things have gone since then, but it sort of put me off the place. Plus, as the post I linked to says, Namaskar has better food. At least, in my opinion. :)

[ron_newman]

've never actually had indian food

Wow, I didn't realize that was possible ;-) By all means, use the coupon and try it.

[bangie24.livejournal.com]

I know, right. I grew up on the Cape and oddly, there are no Indian restaurants there. Very sheltered, I guess. I'm excited to try it. :)

[ron_newman]

I thought Indian restaurants were everywhere. They're about one every half mile around here (including the suburbs)

[eanja]

Amazingly not so. I'd lived in Weymouth for 5 years before an Indian restaurant opened. Last I checked, none of the surrounding towns had one either; you had to go all the way up to Quincy before the one finally moved in.

Outside the very inner ring of suburbs, it's completely hit or miss.

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

I think Diva is really mediocre Indian-ish food, and also rather expensive. $20 off $40 would make it about the same as a cheap indian place, and I doubt the food would be better. I missed all the "racism" uproar and don't really have an opinion on that, but I will say that the staff is rather rude/obnoxious there.

Granted, it's been quite a while since I've last been there.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

It's not the best Indian food, but hey, it's still a half-price dinner, right?

If you want to try the good stuff, though, I recommend heading up to Guru on Broadway. Much better food than either Diva or Namaskar. I'm sure Pushp would be happy to give you a little intro lesson on Indian food when you order, too. :)

seconded

[genesayssitdown.livejournal.com]

GURU IS THE BEST INDIAN FOOD IN THE AREA, AND YOU'LL ONLY BE SPENDING LIKE SEVEN OR EIGHT BUCKS

Re: seconded

[m00n.livejournal.com]

That place is across the street from my apartment. Be warned that it closes very early as it is officially a catering place!

Re: seconded

[cn-i-crash-here.livejournal.com]

I hope that paroxysm of CAPS wasn't caused by indigestion, then!

Re: seconded

[ifotismeni]

I AGREE CAPSLOCK

[daviscubed.livejournal.com]

Having been to Diva last night, I would recommend redeeming. I actually like the food much better than Namaskar (can't say I'm any kind of expert on Indian food, sorry if that offends others), although I wouldn't get your hopes up for great service. If you haven't had Indian food and are going with someone, I recommend getting their Diva Royal Dinner for two, which coincidentally costs $40 (there is also a vegetarion Royal Dinner for two for $32). For $40 you get:
Soup (x2)
Samosas (x2)
Appetizers (Chicken tandoori and a couple other tandoori things)
Entrees (2 of your choice, we had beef curry and lamb korma)
Desserts (x2 - it may be tempting to get 2 different ones, but I think if I was to go back, we'd be getting 2 Mango Mulba Sundaes - ridiculously good.
And I think you can get coffee or tea as well, although we didn't want any.

It's an amazing deal. What we ordered probably would have cost $50 or more, and you could probably work it so you're getting $60 worth if you go for the seafood dishes. It is a ton of food. I rarely bring food home from a restaurant, but the dinner for 2 could easily feed 4, and in fact we will be getting at least 2 more lunches out of it.

Skip the Menu, go for Buffet

[smoterh.livejournal.com]

When it comes to Indian food,which I love, I would strongly recommend skipping any "dinner offers" and go straight for lunch buffet. Here are some reasons:

1. For diva/namaskar/whatever else it's typically only $9-$12 a person
2. For unlimited food
3. Diva has a lunch buffet and they actually have a quite large selection, and the last time I was there I counted at least 8 entrees (not including appetizers, soup, salad, rice, etc)
4. Dinner food is often just reheated stuff for lunch, so you're better off getting fresher food at lunch.

I say skip the dinner deal, especially if it's limited to dinner (the deal says, "anything on the menu" so I'm assuming it's not inclusive of a buffet), go for lunch this weekend and you will actually get a better idea what Indian food is all about, especially if you never had it. You'll get to sample different dishes, rather than just one or two you would if you just went for dinner.

[genesayssitdown.livejournal.com]

OMG YOU HAVE TO TRY INDIAN FOOD IMMEDIATELY

[bangie24.livejournal.com]

Oh no.. what have I been missing all my life? People are super passionate about their indian food!

[genesayssitdown.livejournal.com]

oh you've been missing so much. but don't worry, you have plenty of time. it is fantastic. if i had to be stuck with one type of cuisine that magically regenerated every day on a desert island, it would be indian food.

[m00n.livejournal.com]

Seconded! Well that or Japanese food really.

[m00n.livejournal.com]

I suspect though that if I were trapped on a desert island I'd probably be eating Japanese food because it involves a lot more raw fish. ;-)

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

If you can get $40 worth of food for $20, take it.

[dcltdw]

I generally prefer Namaskar over Diva. Not local to Davis, but I think Punjab in Arlington Center is markedly better than both of the Davis places.

That said, I haven't been to Diva since shortly after it opened, so maybe the food has gotten better. I've been to Namaskar in the past year or so, and still categorize it as "acceptable for emergency backup ohmygod-must-get-now Indian food, but otherwise skip".

[billharnois.livejournal.com]

Namaskar is better. But I don't get why the owner always seats people hidden around the corner, and it always make the place look empty. If he were smart, he'd seat everyone up front like Diva does.

[obie119.livejournal.com]

India Palace in Union Square would be my desert island Indian food. Soooo good! Diva has never done it for me; Namaskar is definitely better but not holding a candle to India Palace :)

Namaskar seems to be winning, and it gets my vote as well.

[mrcairo.livejournal.com]

It's some of the best Indian food I've had in the states. I admit, Guru is better, but you'll have a limited choice of options on any given day.

I know a fair number of Indian folks who have eaten at Namaskar and all give it a thumbs up. More than a few have said that it gets a seal of approval from their mother as well. They've all seemed less impressed with Diva.

[phoenixy.livejournal.com]

A lot of people hate on Diva. I like it better than Namaskar, though. They have goat curry, which is ace, and dosas at the buffet, which is unusual. If you haven't had Indian before you might want to bring some friends and go for the lunch buffet. It will give you a good opportunity to try a variety of foods.

[imnotbrian.livejournal.com]

Namaskar is not only better, it's great! Helps to order well, though.

[mimiambic.livejournal.com]

If I had to stay in Davis for my Indian, then Namaskar would be my pick. The lunch buffet is pretty decent.

Diva, as everyone says, used to be better than it is.

But what you (what EVERYONE) should really eventually try is the Kebob Factory. Ignore the name; I shunned the place for years because of the name. Oh I was wrong. They make waay more than kebobs and they are excellent. Numerous Indian coworkers heartily agree.

AND they deliver. Every time I call them for delivery I have to ask if they still do it, it is like a DREAM COME TRUE. :D

TRUST.

http://www.thekebabfactory.net/

[cynickalone.livejournal.com]

i agree w/the people who've said to go for the buffet. it's $12 and they have a great selection, and perfect for sampling if you've never had indian.

[livingadream.livejournal.com]

restaurant.com also has coupons for both Diva and Diva Lounge (usually $25 coupons for $10). If you google "restaurant.com coupons" you can usually get these coups for a major discount.

I recently used my Diva restaurant.com coupon and was pleased. Though I agree, Namaskar is by far better and Rangoli in Allston was my fave (but it's gone now...)

[rethcir.livejournal.com]

Diva Lounge's beer taps have been horribly dirty any time I've been in there. It is an interesting decor in there too, but maybe ultimately too small to attract the kind of critical mass you need for a successful nightlife crowd.

The restaurant section, in my opinion, while premium priced is pretty tasty.