I was really craving Indian food but I didn't want to order from Amiya (a little pricey for me) and I wasn't sure if the places on Newark would deliver downtown. I'm really happy I gave them a try!

I got

paneer kulcha-- still warm when I got it. Very tasty. The raita was a perfect dipping sauce.

veggie somosas-- crisp and flavorful.

navratan korma-- mild, sweet sauce with a hint of spice. For me, this dish is how I judge an Indian restaurant.

I'm very happy with this place. I'll order from them again when I decide to splurge on Indian food!

We had a really great dinner here a couple nights ago -- the Bombay Samosa Chatt is very, very tasty. Will definitely be ordering delivery.

i went to spirit of laxmi this afternoon for lunch buffet and was disappointed - i had slightly higher expectations after reading all the great reviews.

first, i love indian food, have been to every indian restaurant in jersey cityand many of the ones in the city. i also cook indian food and i can distinguish between good food and bad food. but again this is my opinion, so everyone should go and check the place out themselves. granted this is based on a buffet, will give it another chance for an a la carte test

now to the spirit of laxmi - nice cute ambience very traditional colors and very cozy, quite comfortable seating space and well lit,etc.

in terms of the food, the menu and preparation leaves a lot to be desired. starting with the menu - there are 151 items on the menu - was almost like reading a chinese restaurant menu. really wonder how it is possible to whip up anyone of those dishes on a few minutes notice without comprising quality.

items on the menu

appetizers - cabbage salad with a couple of different chutneys, breaded potatoes and lentil donuts (wada) and malai chicken. cabbage salad ok. breaded potatoes was good. the lentil donuts was cold and hard, the malai chicken (basically red colored chicken cooked in the tandoor) was hard and dry - not meant to be that way

entrees - chick pea masala, lamb dish, chicken chettinadu (south indian chicken in pepper based sauce), rajma (red kidney beans), paneer tikka masala (cottage cheses cubes in butter sauce). nothing great here, they were all pretty bland - saving grace is that the sauces were all differnt unlike other places where the vegetable curry and the chicken curry both have the same base sauce. however, the entrees had no taste whatsoever. chicken was dry again

bread - naans were good -light and fresh and fluffy

desert - too sweet

service was good

overall, very disappointed with the place. but will visit again and give the a la carte menu a chance.

alternates - try paratha junction on newark avenue

We wound there there New Years Eve for a quiet dinner and all was well. Good food and polite service.

I agree with all the positive reviews. I've been there with my wife once and gotten take-out twice, and its been very good all three times. I like it a bit better than both Amiya and Rasoi, and thought it was a bit cheaper too. By the way, I think Garlic Naan is on the menu, but its a bit hidden down on the "bread" list or somewhere - it was tough for me to find the first time too.

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You joined JC List just to post a negative review of a new addition to the neighborhood? Nice! Keep up the good work -- Can we get your opinion of Presto's or Amelia's as well? I'm sure they'll be just as insightful.

I went to this place with my wife last week. The service was impeccable. We ordered Chicken Tikka Masala & Goat or Lamb Curry (can't remember which) along w/ 2 different types of Naan, rice and an appetizer whose name is escaping me. The portions on the meals were decent -- They could have been a little bigger, but not by much. I left feeling full but not stuffed. The Naan was excellent although I was disappointed not to see Garlic Naan as a choice on the menu.

It's nice that it's a BYOB place - keeps the bill low. Our bill came out to less than $40 with tip included...might have even been the low 30s.

I would recommend this place. It's on par with other Indian places I've been in the area (Amiya, Medina, Bolo Curry, India on the Hudson, etc). It's probably on-par or a little better than that place that opened up in the Green Cow (Mirch Masala?).

You can see more reviews over here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/spirit-of-laxmi-jersey-city So far it's getting 4/5 stars w/ only 5 reviews...

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You are not the only one. Food we orderd from this place was bad. Sometimes it's hard to believe these false reviews. I have spoken to few people who have been here and none of them liked this place.

Am I the only who does not like the place? The take out was exceptionally oily, portions small. I ended up paying $28 for two orders of Matar Paneer (lunch special). One piece of Bread for two orders. The owners of this place are the same folks who own Portside Deli (hahaha 3 times). If nobody notice, but these folks don't cook their food, just reheat it (Amiya does the same).

I say Amiya is a bit cheaper for lunch and bit more classy. My personal pick is Bombay in Tribeca.

I had dinner here last night. Great food and very attentive service. I will definitely be back!

this place is great! my new favorite place for indian.

Ate there last night and had a great time. Wonderful food and service ... will be heading back very soon.

Just got back from Spirit of Laxmi. YUM! Have to agree that this is the best Indian we've had in Jersey City. I liked that both South Indian and North Indian fare were available - we enjoyed a dosa filled with onions and potatoes, chicken saag, and a mixed vegetable curry. The owners were very attentive and seemed eager to get feedback. Love this place!

This place is great!! Had an amazing time! Food was great. Service was slow. The place needs INDIAN MUSIC!!!!!...great addition to the neighborhood! WElcome!!!

My husband and I went last night for dinner and it was outstanding. The service still needs some work, but the staff is very friendly. Neither of us are Indian, so I can't speak to authenticity, but this was some of the best Indian food we've ever had.

We will be heading back, it's a great addition to the neighborhood.

Ok well green chutney was added and I think tamarind too but still missing the red onion chutney! :)

My wife and I got delivery from there last night, Lamb Korma, Bengen Bahrtha, mixed pickles, 2 breads etc. The food was outstanding, they get better every time. We are about to sit down to wonderful leftovers. A great addition to the neighborhood.

I like the food, BUT I would enjoy seeing a less expensive lunch dish menu specifically for the lunch crowd. The buffet is a bit steep for a typical lunch.

We've been back a few times and I am liking Spirit of Laxmi a lot more. It seems like they have worked out the kinks and everything we've had has been really good!

Still...would like some red onion and geen chutney! Jay, can you add these please????

I am definitely not an Indian food expert but we ordered dinner the other night and really enjoyed it. It was just spicy enough for me and I liked the bread and the little bits of sliced ginger they put on top of some of the dishes.
I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the menu and the prices. I live on Morris so I went and picked it up so can't comment on the delivery time. I also thought the prices were pretty good. We'll definitely order from here again!

We ordered again and while I previously said the breads were bland and we couldn't tell them apart. Well, not true this past time. Breads were great. Now we're waiting to try the lamb dishes.

Also the takeout containers were changed from black and flat to clear round ones that you get your wonton soup in. I think we preferred the black and flat, as it was easier to get stuff out. Minor, I know.

I had a good take out lunch experience at Laxmi today. Tasty food! And very friendly service. Great addition to the neighborhood. Wish them great success!

We're very happy to have this restaurant in the neighborhood. The food is outstanding and unlike some other Indian restaurants in the vicinity the prices are very reasonable (many if not all of the entrees are $8-10). We've only done take-out so far, but we'd love to dine-in at some point. The dining room is cozy. The owners/staff are very friendly.

The menu is extensive and every dish we've had has been great. Try the goat curry, chicken tikka masala, palak paneer, navratham korma and more -- all wonderful. This is the best Indian food we've had since we moved out of Manhattan. And you can't beat the value.

We tried the place on Fri and really enjoyed the few dishes we tried.

Service is a bit slow but the owner explained that they are still getting ready and hence have not advertised or distributed menus etc. But the food was worth the wait. We tried the Hyderabadi Goat Biryani and Chicken 65 (spicy).

One app + two entrees; all under $26 with tip.

I agree about the subtlety of the spices - definitely a nice change from the homogeneous curries I've gotten elsewhere.

As for the question about liquor, the owner said they plan to stay BYOB. I'm happy with that since I like specialty beers and it's fun to pair my own stuff with the spicy indian food - cheaper too!

I dined at the Spirit of Laxmi a couple of days ago, and it is definitely one of the best, if not the best Indian food I have had around Jersey city in a while.

Spirit of Laxmi has well seasoned and flavorful dishes, that really hold their own. Some Indian restaurants dont capture the subtle nuances and spices of Indian cooking, as a result most of of the dishes end up tasting the same ( like Rasoi ). Spirit of Laxmi really stands apart in this regard.

The only other place that comes close in terms of food quality is Amiya, but they are much pricier. A meal for two in Amiya runs you around 50+ dollars whereas Spirit of Laxmi is only around 30+ which is much more reasonable.

The place is BYOB so if you want to sip a beer while eating, I guess you can get a 6-pack along.

They are still working out the kinks with regards to service, but that is expected with any new restaurant.

It's great to have a quality Indian restaurant in the neighborhood.

So we finally tried this place for dinner this weekend, and we were very happy with the food. Everything was fresh, well-seasoned (although a bit salty), nicely presented and not too oily. My only complaints are typical of a new opening - hostess was a bit confused about the menu, there was a long wait between serving our two entrees, and one item I ordered never came. Anyhow, hopefully they'll hire another person so they can get the kinks worked out quickly. The whole place seemed to be run by the hostess and a single guy in the kitchen until the owner came in and got things under control. I thought the prices were good and I'll definitely keep them on my weekly rotation.

Thought the food and owners were great. I did notice some of the kinks mentioned by other folks (a bit slow, some things from the menu not available) but all to be expected with a new business working out the kinks. Finally something in that space that won't go out of business!!

Rasoi is my favorite Indian place and I also really like Taste of India in Newport Mall.

As for Spirit of Laxmi, I thought it was pretty good, but not I don't love it as much as the other two. I am excited that there is an Indian place in the area, but wish they had the red onion and green chutney that Rasoi has. Not sure if real Indians like those things, but I do and miss it whenever I go to an Indian restaurant that doesn't have it! I also didn't appreciate paying .99 for a little thing of onions and green peppers, but everything else is pretty cheap so I guess I can live with it.

We'll be back again! And it is always exciting to have a new addition in the neighborhood, especially something on the ethnic side! I am also very happy that they are open on the weekends.

With great anticipation, we had take out/delivery last night. Usually we order Rasoi, but was glad to have indian nearby. In strict comparison purposes with Rasoi, it is good. The portions are smaller but so are the prices. The food was very good, especially given that it was the second day open. Only complaint was that breads were a little bland. Couldn't tell which was which and we had three different kinds. I did notice that they could have had a couple more people working front of house.

We are psyched to have quality indian so close and now they will be getting 50% of our indian orders.

We ordered delivery last night. I thought it was pretty good. Better than anything else I've had thus far in Jersey City (though that only includes Rasoi and Shadman). The delivery took a while, however (over an hour). I will definitely be trying it again soon to try some of the more interesting dishes (they have a ton I'd not seen in most restaurants before).