652077 Sun Sep 13 15:12:47 -0700 2009 30 18 Manhattan 0 5026878 where do i find authentic, hole-in-the-wall, no-decor, cheap GOOD indian food in manhattan? no waiters, just somewhere to sit (maybe), and made by real indian people from india? curry and basmati rice and things like that i can make at home with no problem. but is there somewhere i can get indian vegetarian - uttapams, masala dosais, idlys, bhatturas, etc? and good cheap indian sweets - rasmalai, gulab jamun, burfi, laddus? far from home (singapore, where i can get all this stuff easy) pregnant serious cravings help :( Sun Sep 13 15:12:47 -0700 2009 230242 madkittybadkitty 1 5026920 the $6 lunch buffet at Tiffin Wallah is a long-standing CH favorite. Chennai Garden and Saravanaas also get a lot of love. all three are located in the general vicinity of "Curry Hill" adjacent to Murray Hill in East Lower Midtown. Sun Sep 13 15:32:01 -0700 2009 5026878 103920 goodhealthgourmet 1 5026927 one more option i forgot to add to my other reply - upstairs at Kalustyan's market there's a little cafe/counter with various prepared items.it also happens to be one of the best shops in the city for ethnic ingredients and spices. Sun Sep 13 15:34:43 -0700 2009 5026878 103920 goodhealthgourmet 2 5164308 Doesn't sound like what she's look for, though. The really great thing there is the Mujadara, which comes from the Levant - a far cry from South India. Saravanaas - which has a branch in Singapore - seems to be her best bet, though I agree that Chennai Garden is also very good, and I'd add Madras Mahal to the mix. Sat Nov 07 19:39:54 -0800 2009 5026927 17058 Pan 1 5026940 Saravanaas is indeed great. For a more hole in the wall feeling go to Punjabi where Houston becomes 1st st. Sun Sep 13 15:41:06 -0700 2009 5026878 64008 ow77 1 5026956 brick lane and though it is sri lankan, not indian it will hit the spot - sigiri further up town and a bit more upscale and pricey is dhaba Sun Sep 13 15:49:41 -0700 2009 5026878 135229 thew 1 5028393 I haven't had the best luck with mithai in Manhattan. There is a halal store on 28th (?) and Lexington that claims to make their own barfi and ladoo -- I don't remember if I have verified that, though their papri are good. More recently I have been going to Sukhadia's, which can sometimes taste a bit stale. You would have better luck by checking out the Outer Boroughs. Goodhealthgourmet covered the Indian veg places I'd recommend, though I'd also add the Dosa Cart in Washington Square Park for a decent masala dosa. Mon Sep 14 08:44:47 -0700 2009 5026878 68363 JungMann 2 5030352 ya there's no good sweets place in manhattan is there? nothing of JH's luminaries (rajhbog, al naimat, maharaja) in a pinch I've hit that grocery store on the corner of lex and 29th but I'm sure they don't make their own sweets; it's unfortunate. if anyone has a good place in manhattan, speak up! but . . . dare I mention Charlie paan? It's the best. are you looking for takeout? eat-in? seems like all the good south asian stuff wouldn't fare well as takeout but I'd stick with goodhealthgourmet's 3 go-tos for that. and for a change of pace from the other curry hill typicalities, try Sonali which is still one of my fave's although they have a pretty even distribution of meat, seafood and vegetable so you won't really find the veg stuff although they do have nice vegetables there, maybe 3-4 daily. Mon Sep 14 20:34:46 -0700 2009 5028393 12656 bigjeff 3 5048781 FYI, ate there again after another hiatus . . . the place is not so much my go-to anymore; they just installed a halal deli counter which looks like it makes reg. sandwiches (grilled chicken, turkey) but halal, and my meal last night at $8 was aight (rice, beef curry, a lentil and loofah dish plus mixed veg; they were cheap on the rice (white only) and the beef curry was aight. what happened?? Tue Sep 22 08:18:19 -0700 2009 5030352 12656 bigjeff 1 5028746 I can recommend Desi Deli - Punjabi dhaba. 724 10th ave, btw 49 and 50th str. Ate there a lot when was dating an indian guy who said that food there is the closest to the food he was used to have at home Mon Sep 14 10:29:03 -0700 2009 5026878 115419 Orly 1 5028905 Another option is to hit Newark Ave. (btw JFK and Tonnele) in Jersey City, just 3 blocks from the Journal Square PATH station (less than 30 minutes from Herald Sq). It's a two block strip that is packed with really good, non-americanized and generally not at all fancy restaurants, many south indian, vegitarian, w/ lots of chaat. There are also many markets and bakeries. It's the best I've had near NYC except when we schlep out to Queens. Mon Sep 14 11:13:10 -0700 2009 5026878 15819 sholli 1 5029521 I recently had a tasty mushroom/spinach dosa a Salaam Bombay, 319 Greenwich Ave. I also like Indian Tanpura on Amsterdam bet. 87th and 88th for vegetarian dishes like Tarka Dal and Dal Saag. Mon Sep 14 14:33:45 -0700 2009 5026878 1093353 fm1963 2 5164316 I went to Salaam Bombay a year or two ago (I think it was two years) and was surprised by how good it was, but I think our original poster is more looking for a dosa house. Sat Nov 07 19:41:59 -0800 2009 5029521 17058 Pan 1 5030139 Reiterating a lot of places, here, with specific recs for different places: Sukhadia's for sweets only. Indus Express for chaat only. Chennai Garden for all dosas and sambar. Saravanaas for vada (all preps, including plain fried). I don't know who does the best uttapam, since I don't order that out as much, but Chennai Garden does have a good version. Mon Sep 14 19:03:50 -0700 2009 5026878 64215 cimui 2 5048842 I had an awesome uttapam at Tiffin Wallah. They got the crust a really nice crispy golden brown. Very different than the mini ones they feature during their lunch buffet. Tue Sep 22 08:34:54 -0700 2009 5030139 10763 Miss Needle 3 5051728 That sounds good. I like 'em crusty, too. And you just gave me a (completely off topic) idea: Uttapam might make a decent wheat free pizza crust, especially given that some places already serve them with tomato slices cooked on top. :) Wed Sep 23 07:37:50 -0700 2009 5048842 64215 cimui 4 5053358 Oh, what a great idea! I can totally see that working. I've also thought about making some gluten-free takoyaki using the dosa/uttapam batter as well. Wed Sep 23 15:35:53 -0700 2009 5051728 10763 Miss Needle 1 5030267 My recommendations: Curry Hill: Saravanas/Chennai Garden for South Indian (I lean to Saravanas as slightly better sambar). Uttapan there fine, I don't eat it, but my friend has ordered it on back-to-back occassions. Haand: "taxi food" i (cheap $8 meat combination.. this much better than anything Curry in Hurry Offers) Tiffan Wallah: non-greasy vegetarian Dhaba: good mid-tier option in area. great buffet value. last time I was there quality sucked but maybe they will improve. I fear all indian restaurants great in first 6 months and then downhill.. Copper Chimney: slightly pricer than Dhaba, my old go-to, but chefs were always changing. prob still good. Chinese Mirch: Indo-chinese.. guessing you have something similar in Singapore... Bhattarus made on weekends at Chennai Garden and I think every day at Saravanas. I've had the one at Saravanas which is fine offering, haven't had at Chennai garden to compare. Roomali in area for kati rolls (I've only had the meat ones..) Other lunch buffets are out there as well, Utsav has a good one for $20 in midtown west. Not all restaurants have thalis, so would check menupages.com in advance if that's a goal.. Mon Sep 14 20:02:59 -0700 2009 5026878 255447 shanshan 1 5056259 I like Tiffin Wallah and the Dosa places on Newark Ave. in Jersey City. Also Punjabi Deli at 114 E. Houston St (b/w 1 ave and Ave A) is worth a visit. Veggie menu. Popular with cab drivers. They have places to eat while standing, but no seats. No decor and hole in the wall. Spice Corner on Lex and 29 St has selection of Indian Sweets. Thu Sep 24 15:44:34 -0700 2009 5026878 268231 MahatmaKanejeeves 2 5111677 spice corner has sweets but i don't know who makes them; the case doesn't look like it turns over very much. but, right behind spice corner, on east 29th, is curry express, and they get their sweets from al naimat, one of my favorite places in jackson heights. they have maybe 12 of their selections so this is prob one of the best places to get sweets in the hood. Sun Oct 18 02:46:19 -0700 2009 5056259 12656 bigjeff 1 5061119 My new go-to is Touch of India on 37th st btwn 7th and 8th aves, south side of the street. They have an extensive veggie entree menu as well as a column and a half of dosas and other tastiness. Often, the restaurant is completely empty and the service is awful, but the servings are big and for the right price (less than $10 each/ veggie entree). I hear the chef used to be the chef at Dimple if curry hill (if you've lived here a while you'd know what I was talking about). To boot- it's only a quick skip and a jump to korea town where you can pick up some take out pre-prepared food at wooru jip. Bonus for pregnant ladies? there's a yoga place with ma yoga classes across the street. The food tastes great after a vinyasa, I can't even imagine how good it would taste after exercise when preggers... Sat Sep 26 21:25:44 -0700 2009 5026878 182120 courtney.hami 1 5066875 Sounds like you're more interested in south Indian cuisine, but for "authentic, hole-in-the-wall, no-decor, cheap GOOD" Punjabi food, the unqualified answer is Sirtaj. Tue Sep 29 09:56:45 -0700 2009 5026878 44629 DistrictSelectman 2 5067013 thanks for the reminder, yes! been meaning to hit that place. what's good there? I heard they had one or two standouts/specialties. Tue Sep 29 10:35:28 -0700 2009 5066875 12656 bigjeff 3 5074696 I usually go there for chana bhatura and rajma (which is one of their daily specials). You probably know, but I wouldn't get bhatura for takeout. Fri Oct 02 10:12:30 -0700 2009 5067013 44629 DistrictSelectman 2 5150544 Just tried Sirtaj for the first time. Food is competently made, homestyle north Indian and dirt cheap, just as you described it. We had: -- alu tikki (well fried and simply, possibly under-, seasoned) -- dahi bhalla (undersalted and very plain, generally... I missed the green chilis, ginger and coriander leaves I use in my version) -- lamb biryani (excellent!) -- chicken makhni and lamb korma (both competent) -- dry curried cauliflower with potato (very good) -- an eggplant / dal dish (meh) -- roti and paratha (very good) Nice option to have nearby. Mon Nov 02 16:38:10 -0800 2009 5066875 64215 cimui 2 5164318 Thanks for the rec. Never been; I'll try to keep it in mind. Any dishes you particularly love there? Sat Nov 07 19:44:20 -0800 2009 5066875 17058 Pan 1 5066937 you might also want to look at this new tiffin delivery service: http://tiffinnewyork.com/service_location.php (disclosure: i have not tried this yet, but heard about it from a friend who is involved in some way. if you do try it, please provide some feedback!) Tue Sep 29 10:11:52 -0700 2009 5026878 208104 snacks_in_the_city 2 5067187 This is great. When Tiffin Wallah first opened they were talking about doing something like this. I am totally going to sign up and try it out. Will post feedback when I do.. probably in a new thread. Tue Sep 29 11:23:15 -0700 2009 5066937 255447 shanshan 2 5067214 not sure if up an running yet... it must be as they have a daily menu... but the sign-up form doesn't work, and you need to sign-up to do anything... I keep getting "choose city' error.. but drop down box for city has no options to select.. (and being a drop down box, I can't type my own in). So one can't sign up (you may want to tell your friend). looking at prices ($10).. seem reasonable. Would hope if there volume came up, price would decrease or quality would increase. Haandi for $8 does a great great job for me and there other some other thalis in the area that reasonable.. but its tough to get a thali for delivery.. so if this tiffin service was real high quality.. I could see myself using it for lunch and dinner occassionally. I would use this service over lunch from the indian carts as I think this would taste better/healthier (less greasy) for extra $2. Tue Sep 29 11:28:31 -0700 2009 5066937 255447 shanshan 3 5067333 sorry, i may have missed this in the thread: indian carts? where? (aside from dosa man) Tue Sep 29 12:09:59 -0700 2009 5067214 12656 bigjeff 3 5070907 I order from tiffinnewyork.com and they really have a variety of indian food. I order to my office in the financial district & the service is good. Food is less oily than other options I have in the city & the taste is great. Will definately recomment. To answer your question I think you first have to select STATE & than the cities show up....they also have customer service number on their website...i do not remember. Wed Sep 30 18:13:25 -0700 2009 5067214 1113194 indianfoodfreek2001