3.5 stars. My dish, which I ordered "Indian hot" (I tried my best), came out reasonably spicy but lacked flavor. My friend's saag panir had plenty of flavor in the spinach, but the cheese was like eating a cube of paper. The pappadam at the table was reasonable. After dinner, the waiter wordlessly brought the check without even asking if we wanted anything else. We actually would have had more, but decided to leave at that point since they apparently didn't want us around. 2 tables taken on a Thursday evening. I might have given 4 stars, except that service at the end left a lot to be desired. Ultimately, if you live in South Orange and desire Indian food, this should be fine, but I'm not traveling that far for it when I can go to Montclair or Parsippany and get better food.
Review Source:The food was ok, or what I had of it at least. Â The service was horrendous, the host at the front was a nice young gentleman, but the main server kept telling me that my food would be out in 2 minutes after it had been over an hour of waiting. Â I did not get to actually eat the food because I had an event to attend, but when we had been waiting about an hour and a half, I decided we should leave. Â I left a few dollars because the soup came out at about the one hour fifteen mark.
Review Source:Tried this place once, not again. The food was disappointing and service non-existent. Prices were ridiculous for what we got. A particular stand-out was the yogurt on the chaat we had tasted like it had spoiled. All three of us were sick the day after eating here, can't be certain it was from the food but that's our working hypothesis.
Review Source:Been here once, and that was enough. I dont think they have changed the interior since 1978. It looks that old. The food is bland  and uninspiring. I dont see the point of an indian restaurant here if its that bad. They must own the building , because its never very busy. Unfortunately there isnt great indian food in the area. I have to drive to iselin or parsipanny.
Review Source:I am giving it 3 stars because it was average Indian food. Â I had the lunch buffet for $9.95 ($8.95 during the weekdays). It was a satisfying meal, very tasty, and I would go back again because the price is right. However it's nothing to write home about. I didn't order from the menu so I can't comment on the quality of that food.
Review Source:This is the first Indian restaurant I've been to in New Jersey and I can't say they've met my standards. It's in a great area and a great city, but unfortunately, that was the best part about it.
The restaurant was unusually cold: too hot to keep our coats on, yet uncomfortably cold when we took them off. Oh well, Indian food was on the menu so we expected to warm up soon.
Aloo Gobi:
We requested for all of our dishes to be spicy and this was the only dish that came out remotely spicy. This may have been our favorite dish because of that lil' bit of spice, but it could have been spicier.
Lamb Tikka Masala:
This was prepared differently from how we like it and from what we're accustomed to. It had a ton of chunky vegetables mixed into the sauce. We could have done without that. The sauce was somewhat bland. The spices didn't pop and it lacked the creaminess we look for in this dish. We try to keep in mind of the different regions and different family recipes to avoid being too critical, so I'll just leave it at that. It was different.
Tandoori Grill Combo:
(forgot exact name, but it was an appetizer):
When I see the name Tandoori, I expect to taste the smokiness of a Tandoori oven. The meat that came with this combo was well-seasoned, but I didn't taste the Tandoori. There's a distinct smokiness that was definitely lacking. Although I love chutney, I don't like needing to smother my meat with it just to give it oomph. I had to do that here.
The gentleman who took our order was a sweetie, but he had to close out the cash portion of the register. The gentleman that served us most of the night was not nearly as friendly. When we requested to pack up our leftovers, he acted as though asking for chutney to go was too much to ask.
We ordered delivery from here a couple nights ago. Never been inside so was a little skeptical, but they do delivery! Moving from the city I'm glad to be able to add another delivery place to the SO roster. Food was delicious! Ordered naan, lentils, chicken tikka & lamb vindaloo. Wish I would have ordered sooner!
Review Source:I went here for the first time ever today. I've lived in SO most of my life and didn't even know this place existed until today. Weren't even sure if it was open until we walked right up to it. The place was empty, but the food was really good! I was sad to see how empty it was, considering how tasty the food was. I'm guessing it's the parking (or lackthereof on S. Orange Ave.). I got a vegetarian meal, something that was mostly cauliflower and potatoes, and I really liked it. My friend really enjoyed his chicken curry. The only drawback was the service. Not impeccable (the host was our waiter and he excused himself in the middle of us ordering to answer the phone) but overall, it was an enjoyable experience. Would definitely go back again for more of whatever it was that I ordered haha.
Review Source:I went here during the week and this place was empty. Huge space, but you get to the door thinking, "is this place even open?" The simple answer is YES!
While you wait for your food to come out you are given wontons to dip in sweet pickled peppers/onions and another cilantro dipping sauce. I preferred the first, and it was tasty!
My friends and I tried a variety of items, including spinach based and lentil based dishes which all tasted good.
The prices are very fair, a lamb dish was $14 and it is plenty of food. It looks like they have a lunch buffet which could be a nice treat.
I keep going between two and three stars as I write this. Â I know it should be two stars, but the place makes me a little sad, and I want it to be a three.
I've eaten here at various times, and it's always quiet and dark and a little depressing. Â Given the fact that the place is never very busy, the buffet is surprisingly well stocked. Â The food itself is hit-and-miss, but I can always find a couple of things I like -- usually the vegetarian dishes. Â I came once after the buffet closed and ordered the chicken curry, thinking I was playing it safe. Â I probably should have taken a chance because I was disappointed -- might as well have been from the buffet.
The condiments are perhaps the best thing about Neelam, especially the mango pickle and the mint sauce, and I always enjoy the pakoras. Â The lettuce in the salad mix isn't alway fresh, which can make a whole meal seem less appetizing and the naan is left out on the buffet rather than served fresh to the table. Â I do keep coming back, which says something about this place...
5 stars for being the best Indian cuisine in south orange and nearby (with the exception of edison) period -went there with friends & ordered every nan they had available, chicken tandoori, spicy lamb -for the love of all that is holy, put aside your bias of Indians, Indian food, or how you think it might taste -neelam simply does it right. You're going to end up waiting a day and a half for your food but the first bite will save your soul -trust me.
Review Source:I have had some good experiences here and some not. Â I do not particularly enjoy the ambiance for eat-in. Â It feels a bit dingy. Â However, when I ordered the saag paneer (I think that's what it's called, the spinach with cheese cubes) to go, I was impressed with the quality of the food.
Review Source:Delicious Indian food and always friendly staff. Â I wish they would fix the place up though... very obvious water damage on the ceiling on your way to the restrooms, and I remember thinking the restrooms themselves were a bit dirty and in need of repair. Â But I'll deal with that stuff, because the food is worth it. Â They have a nice lunch buffet and offer a discount to Seton Hall students.
Review Source:My boyfriend and I were wandering around South Orange and it was a pleasant surprise to discover an Indian Restaurant.
 First, the restaurant is spacious. That's always nice and there is even a banquet room in the back.
 We ordered the fried shrimp battered with chick pea. I thought it was okay. It could have been more warm. My boyfriend enjoyed it. What I really liked was the green sauce that went with the fried shrimp and the white onion that was colored orange. There was probably radish mixed in. Not sure what all the ingredients were but liked it more than the fried shrimp.
The dinner was good. We had lamb and it was really good. It was warm and it did have flavor.
The staff was helpful in answering our questions regarding the food. I wouldn't say "friendly." It seemed more like our server had a straight face when he interacted with us.
Overall, it was a good experience.
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