Doaba Deli — Restaurant in New York

Traditional home-style Indian food that's very fresh, delicious and filling. It's my #1 Indian taxi-stand joint (yup...as their primary customers are cab drivers. Thus, not a lot of seating inside.) which, for a while, had competition with the Indian taxi stand downtown off Houston on Crosby that was definitely tops! (RIP due to gentrification...sniffles)

They are so very kind and accommodating, too. If you have a request (vegetarian/vegan) they will likely offer to make that for you right then and there, if they have the ingredients and the amazing cook is around, who serves as the queen of the place. They've made that kind offer to me on several occasions.

Get past yourself if you judge them on the size of the place or the interior's design and focus on the food and the hospitality. Also, practice patience as you wait if you come when the cab drivers are lined up for lunch or dinner. Positive spin: you'll never have to wait to catch a taxi after grabbing your food if you have to jet!

Definitely give this spot a try if you're in the area. It's a beautiful, welcoming neighborhood and you have 3 parks nearby (Central Park, Morningside Park and Riverside Park) where you can enjoy your takeout or walk off the meal afterward. I'm blessed because they're my neighbors...matter of fact, I think I'll run out real quick to grab a plate. See...

When in New York, you can sometimes find a hidden gem in the smallest places. We stumbled upon this place through google and it didn’t disappoint!

This is one of the most authentic Indian food places we have ever had. This is home cooking in a restaurant. The depth of flavor is unmatched and is much better than other Indian restaurants we have tried in NYC.

Ram, the head chef and owner, talked to my wife and I like a beloved uncle and treated us like family, even though we were only visiting.

He told us stories on how he has students from Columbia visit him everyday because it is the only place they feel they can get a home cooked meal. We saw students there and a lot of cab drivers. Some cab drivers used the restroom and grabbed a chai (tea) on the way out. Some only used the restroom and left. Ram welcomed everyone with open arms and definitely showed the kindness in his heart.

In 3 days, we tried all his curries, a couple of parathas, fresh homemade dahi (yogurt) and chai (definitely a highlight)!

On our last day, we thanked him for his hospitality and great food. He gave me a hug and has definitely left a great...

We ordered the $10 thali, which has 3 veggie or bean dishes that you choose with 2 Indian bread (roti). I appreciated that they had so many vegan beans and veggie options in the thali. I think only one was not vegan because it has paneer (cheese). My favorite were the kidney beans (rajma) and spinach (palak). My husband’s favorite was yellow lentils(dal). and eggplant. This ended up being our favorite place during our trip and we went twice. I would definitely recommend some oil on the rotis so it gives that buttery feel. The rotis were huge and handmade. The thali was so filling especially after a full day of walking and being tired. We also ordered to go which we ended up eating for breakfast both days. We ordered samosas, potato(allu) paratha and also mooli(radish) paratha. There was so much love in every bite and it really tasted like...