Indian Road Cafe

Love this place. Great food and atmosphere. Lovely owner.

I really wanted to love this place, it’s really pretty and I love the location. I remember when this spot was a bodega! Anyway, I am giving it 3 stars based on the brunch. I think it was just ok. The food we had was great, and delicious, but I was starving and it didn’t even begin to touch the what my appetite needed. It was a tiny portion and left me wanting more. Also, we paid for the unlimited mimosas and they were weak and the waiter cut us off before the Brunch ended. I don’t think I would go back here.

I can’t describe how great is to have this jewel in our neighborhood. Every time I have been in this place has been a lovely experience. The handcut fresh parpadelle is my favorite!

Delicious food at moderate prices in a quaint and intimate setting. Wonderful service and separate café area which is a plus. Loved our waitress and versatile food. Definitely an uptown gem. Will be returning.

I have lived in Inwood for all of a month. I have been here about seven times.
The brunch is great and kid friendly.
Dinner, depending on when you go, can be fun w friends or romantic.
I’m thrilled it’s right around the corner. The food menu doesn’t always seem super impressive, but the food usually is. I recommend the winter salad and oh my gosh, the wings. The salmon seems to be the only dish we haven’t enjoyed.
It’s great for large groups as well.

Enjoyed cozy relaxed weekday lunch — chill staff made day off relaxed and restorative. Visited for weekend brunch — bustling — efficient service — perfectly prepared food both visits — lots of love in cooking and service!

We stopped here on a drive from Boston to DC. Easy to find, relatively easy to get parking (it was a Sunday). Our timing was excellent, around 2pm, and the brunch crowd was mostly dispersing. Otherwise, there’s no way we could have waited it out.
But.
I’d be willing to bet the reason brunch is so popular is because it’s probably the best bang for the buck in NYC. Meals (standard, but better tasting/​higher quality stuff like eggs/​toast/​bacon & tofu scramble), drinks, and coffee to go for under $ 40 for TWO in New York??? Sold.

This place was delicious!
we went there on the drag queen night, it was really fun
my mom loved it
the food was great and unique and fresh
the staff is really nice.
wouldn’t go way out of my way to go there, but I would go back if I was in the area
I had the cheese plate, and the mac and cheese and the Caesar salad. all seasoned and salted well

What a great THANKSGIVING Dinner!
My Friend made a reservation for us at 8pm.
We got there early but were seated right away.
Our server (unfortunately forgot her name) was amazing.
We had the pre-​fixe menu which was $ 65 including drinks.
BEST decision we could have made.
Food was delicious and YES we got tipsy of those drinks.
That was my first time there and I will definitely be back for Brunch!!!

Came here for brunch on a Sunday morning, just a bit before 10 – no wait for us, but the crowds definitely came soon after! Food is all farm to table /​local, and my friend and I had a hard time choosing between all the delicious items on the menu – but settled on a breakfast platter (Seaman Avenue Trucker’s Breakfast) and a yogurt and granola bowl (Hudson Valley Local Yogurt Bowl) to split, and a green tea latte each. The breakfast platter was delicious, and the yogurt bowl was even better! The green tea latte was fine, but definitely my least favorite thing – even though I’m a sucker for everything green tea – because it seemed to be lacking the matcha flavor (perhaps masked by the almond milk? unsure :/​) In any case, I liked IRC, and would definitely want to visit again if back in the Bronx :)

Came here for brunch. The food and drinks are great. Amanda was our server and she’s the best. She was super attentive and make our experience amazing.
Will definitely be back!

This is a fantastic spot at the northern tip of Manhattan — a warm, inviting neighborhood spot worth traveling to from the farthest reaches of Brooklyn for. The service is personal and attentive, the food is innovative and comfortable at the same time, and the drinks are excellent. You’ll come here and wish you lived in Inwood.
A great place to go after visiting the Cloisters or to conclude a fall drive in the Hudson Valley.

The northernmost restaurant on Manhattan Island, Indian Road Café is a warm, bright eatery that also serves as an all-​day coffee & dessert shop plus a regular bar with a large beer selection and a modest cocktail list. Its storefront has a view of the Spuyten Duyvil Creek, where the Hudson and Harlem rivers get it on, and sometimes during weekend brunches there’s a live piano player. It’s swell.
The brunch menu is diner-​ish and full of comfort food, but it’s all done with farm-​to-​table ingredients that are all or mostly all organic and/​or pastured. I had the huevos rancheros last time I was here – delicious, and when I cut into it, the egg yolks inside surprised me by creamily oozing out across the plate. Perfect. (The worst thing on the table wasn’t even that bad, just kinda too much: the baked bean skillet, which is a serving of arguably too-​sweet baked beans topped with egg and cheese.) There are numerous vegetarian and vegan options, too.
The dessert menu looks goddamn delicious. We only tried one thing, the cornbread berry cake, but it was remarkable. Not too sweet, not too heavy, pleasantly crumbly, and topped with a fresh homemade frosting that actually added texture and flavor to the dish.
Service is friendly and the space is lively. I’ve been here twice and enjoyed it both times. The first time, the food was hit and miss, but even then I liked the space. That was 1.5 years ago, and it feels like they’ve really improved since then.
I don’t know that you’d need to make a special trip up to 218^th street just to come here, but, if you’re up this way, it’s a great spot.

Came here on a Saturday for brunch.
Ambiance: Place is like a coffee shop/​restaurant/​bar. Simple and clean (although one of my friends swears she saw a cockroach, so proceed with caution).
Service: They do not take reservations for parties smaller than 6 and you cannot sit until your whole party is there. Hostess was nice although when we asked if one of the Windows could be closed since it was quite chilly, she moved us to a different table instead. Wonder what would have happened if there were no other tables available. Our first waiter was dry and took light years to bring out beverages. Once we were moved to the next table, our new waiter was a delight (looks Latin and has a Mohawk).
Brunch: I had the green tea latte with almond milk which was delish. My friends had the unlimited mimosas for an additional $ 14. I had the spinach artichoke baked eggs and omg so so good and so so cheesy. I also had a side of their bacon and it was yum. My friends had the huevos rancheros and my other friend had the pulled pork Benedict. I tasted a piece of both and they were both quite yummy. Their parm hash browns is soo good, wish the portion was larger.
Although is a little bit out of the way from the train station, I would love to return to try their dinner.

We went here for brunch with a big group, which was pretty good! The breakfast burrito I had was hugeee, with a generous serving of fresh and delicious guac. We also split an order of chocolate chip pancakes — fluffy, chocolatey, and got the job done. We were able to make reservations for a weekend, which always is a massive plus in my book! The interior is super cute and welcoming, and right across from the beautiful and Land Before Time-​esque Inwood Park.
The minus 1 star comes from the disappointing bottomless «mimosas.» They were, in fact, bottomless, and there was no time limit (!). The waiters kept filling them up, eve bringing us carafes so we were constantly sipping away. Unfortunately, there was close to no champagne in these drinks. (I never understand why restaurants do this, when you can definitely buy cheap champagne for the same price as orange juice.) Consequently, we all left the restaurant with pre-​diabetes, but no buzz at all, despite having perhaps 5 glasses each. You would be better off sticking to coffee or just ordering a single mixed drink.

The night I moved into Inwood, I took all my friends out to IRC. It was a delicious, varied, excellent meal. I thought for sure I’d be back for many special occasions.
Since that day two years ago, I’ve been back for trivia night, a few dinners with company, and many stops for coffee and a cookie. Sadly, I have found the overall experience very uneven, and generally disappointing.
There are some good meals to be had here, but not good enough to draw me out here and I’d say everything is a priced at least a tad high, though I should forgive this due to their ultra fancy sourcing policies.
My main use for this place, in terms of times visited, has been coffee and a cookie. I love the cookies; they are excellent, large, and a very reasonable 1.75.
But beware the coffee. They serve the iced coffee with a ton of ice, so you get like 4 ounces — I can’t tell you how much I hate this. The hot coffee is good when it’s good, but sometimes it’s been just terrible, super acidic or bitter. For me, this is the most annoyingly uneven thing about the place.
Service and atmosphere: the place isn’t too large, so it fills up fast and they pack it. This being NYC and we have to work with what we’ve got, I hate to hold this against a place, but sometimes this means just an uncomfortable and not pleasant dining experience. Some parts of IRC have terrible acoustics and are deafeningly loud, if you get an unlucky seat. Maybe this will change if they expand into the weird abandoned (?) property next door.
I think if you come at an off hour, want to eat experimentally and spend a fair bit of cash, you can do fine here. But as a local it hasn’t been useful to me. I can’t count on a solid, nicely priced item, nor the experience.

In the words (technically ‘word’) of Mike Breen: «BANG!» This place is awesome. You can get coffee and pastries or sit down at an actual restaurant for awesome brunch and dinner. The dinner is actually real serious hard-​core food. We had a cheese plate, braised pork, chicken, cake, and then for lunch a benedict eggs thing. It was great! You can also do your work in this little enclave with power sockets if you want but still eat food.
THe only downside is it gets SUPER crowded on weekends, so expect a possible wait.

Having now tested this prized, local Inwood spot for brunch and dinner, it deserves its fair share of praise. There aren’t many places in the neighborhood that espouse to having a variety of organic ingredients, a lengthy veg menu, and great cocktails. No wonder this spot is always so busy!
It’s right by Inwood Hill Park– a strategic move as you can take a beautiful, wooded stroll while waiting. It’s partly a small coffee shop, partly a cozy restaurant, and wholly, a great spot. Most nights of the week debut a unique event like Drag Bingo or Pub Trivia. The night I was there featured live music with a guy playing the piano, which gave it a casual, local neighborhood feel.
The brunch options are pretty standard with eggs Benedict, omelettes, oatmeal, coffee, and pastries. I’ve had the tofu scramble, which was flavorful although it didn’t include some of the veggies listed on the menu… a trend I noticed with my dinner too. Tofu scrambles can be hit or miss, so points (or stars) for getting it right! It came with fresh fruit and thick, grainy toast (for a few more dollars). Altogether a healthy brunch option.
I came for dinner on a Thursday evening and there was a 45 minute to hour wait. After an obligatory stroll through the park, I ordered a cocktail while waiting. The bartender offered to amp up the heat in my margarita, as I had mentioned my affinity for smoky/​spicy drinks, and made it with jalapeño infused bourbon and mezcal. Thank you bartender! I could’ve sipped many, many more!
We started off with a generous plate of olives that had been warmed in a pan before serving. This enhanced the overall flavor of each briny bite and for only $ 5, was totally worth it. I ordered their green curry with tofu as an entrée and, given that it’s not a Thai restaurant, was quite tasty. I noticed that it lacked the eggplant and basil listed on the menu… again my only complaint. The tofu was crisp on the outside without being overly done and was well doused in a creamy, spicy bath of coconut milk. The roomie got pasta carbonara that was made with fresh noodles. I tried a bite and it was pure luxury between the creamy egg, peas, and homemade pasta.
Overall, service was good, food was delicious, and the atmosphere ideal for a local dining spot.

*BRUNCH REVIEW*
Pretty good option for brunch, food was great. This is a short train ride from where my boyfriend and I live so we decided to check it out on a Saturday. The wait time was about 15 minutes around 1pm. Short walk from the 1 train. They offer unlimited drinks for an extra $ 14. I wasn’t in the mood to drink so I didn’t get to try any cocktails but next time I definitely will.
Indian Road has a large ‘hipster’ clientele. I also noticed they have events almost every weeknight. It’s a great option if you want a bottomless brunch and/​or large food portions. The place is quite large and located right next to Inwood Hill Park which I recommend taking a walk through afterwards. It’s scenic and you can work off those calories!
FYI, I highly recommend the pancakes! They have tons of vegan options and focus on «healthier» food choices all around. I will return.

Great atmosphere, great ambiance, delicious food, coffee is amazing, so many choices. You won’t be disappointed. I ordered a plain coffee with cream, and I was very impressed.
Also ordered the blueberry crumble and it was perfect.
Came with a couple friends and this is their review of their orders;
Truckers breakfast was so delicious. Beyond words, there was no leftovers. The presentation was beautiful. Smaller French toast than the ideal size, but overall a wonderful brunch treat. Bacon was perfectly crisp.
Eggs any style; delicious, eggs cooked Perfect. No butter and toast was a bit soggy. Americano coffee was perfect per my request. No issues being picky with order. Best deal on the menu. My meal including coffee was only $ 13. The amount of food you get is over abundant. Side salad and small wedge of watermelon was a delightful surprise.
Overall, I’d recommend this place to every and anyone. Best well kept secret in Harlem!