The Kati Roll Company — Restaurant in New York

Being originally from Kolkata—the birthplace of the kati roll—my standards for this dish are understandably high. I stopped by this spot on a weekend night, and the place was packed, with a line spilling out the door. After waiting quite a while, I finally got to order. The restaurant seemed heavily understaffed, with one person juggling both orders and wrapping rolls, while a few others worked in the back.

I ordered an anda chicken roll, which typically combines a paratha layered with fried egg, stuffed with chicken kebabs, onions, and seasonings. Unfortunately, this version fell short of the authentic Kolkata standard. The biggest letdown was the paratha—it seemed pre-made or frozen, thin, and lacking the signature flaky, layered crunch of a freshly rolled lachha paratha fried to crisp perfection. Since the paratha is the foundation of the roll, that missing texture made a big difference.

The chicken filling itself was decent, though not outstanding. The onions added some freshness, but the heavy use of green chutney was overwhelming. In Kolkata, rolls are usually finished more simply—with lemon, salt, pepper, and sometimes a touch of tomato and chili sauce. The chutney here made the flavor too one-dimensional, dominated by mint, without balance. The portion size also felt smaller than what you’d typically get back home.

That said, I do appreciate having the chance to enjoy a chicken roll in Manhattan, far from Kolkata. The concept is wonderful, and credit goes to the owner for bringing this comfort food here. But between the long wait, understaffing, and lack of care in preparation, the overall experience didn’t live up to its potential. With more attention to authenticity—especially the paratha—and a little more care in execution, this place could...

We visited this place on Dec 28, 2021. My check had a time of 8:05 PM. They asked us to wait about 45 minutes. Given that most restaurants will always give safer estimate, we decided to wait still expecting that it should be there in about 30 mins. At 9:08 PM, after some unpleasant discussions, we still didn't get our food, nor they were close to start serving it. Very conveniently, they cancelled our order after making us wait for over an hour. For some restaurants, 1 hour may seem normal time to deliver the food to the table after the order is placed. But this is a just a fast food place with not more than 10 items on the menu, so it's supposed to have a much faster turnaround.

This place is run by people who don't care about the business. I saw the staff working behind the counter without any sense of urgency to fulfill the online and in store orders. They seemed to lack any skills which should be required during pick hours of such business. There were about 8 people working in the kitchen and at the register but without producing any efficient results. We were not the only ones requesting their food, as there were lot of other people waiting the in the store who either ordered in store or came to pick up their online orders.

The rudeness of the staff made it worse, as they started disrespecting customers following up on their orders. More than the number of orders received, staff's inefficiency and lack of experience was the biggest reason for the chaos that evening.

I am willing to talk this at length if owner(s) want to discuss that to understand a customer's perspective. That will help them to make this place a...

This was my second time visiting any 'The Kati Roll Company' location. This is a very busy location given that it's very close to prime tourist spots, NYPL, Bryant Park and Times Square. It's always packed with in-house diners and to-go orders. The employees are doing an exceptional job but I'd still suggest having extra helping hands because I noticed that they were getting overwhelmed when the orders were pouring in.

Also, I visited this location on Saturday, 06/22/2024, and I wasn't sure why it was so hot inside. I understand that their kitchen is open but something was surely not right.

Here, I ordered the Unda Shami Roll ($9.20) only. The filling is made of minced lamb, fried egg, onions and chutney, and are incredibly tasty. I usually don't eat lamb because it's heavy but this Shami Roll is fulfilling and won't make you feel heavy. Lamb meat also has a distinct smell that makes me uncomfortable but you won't get that smell in this roll and I was able to truly enjoy the taste.

They also have Indian soft drinks options including Thumbs Up and Limca (which are basically just the Indian version of Coca-Cola/Pepsi and Sprite). I was actually interested in trying the Mango Lassi (costs $6) but personally I felt that the portion of the Mango Lassi was too small as compared to the price, so I didn't get it in the end.

Overall, I'd recommend this location but please be prepared to be patient when ordering as it's a busy location. They have seating space for guests but I'd recommend to go for a to-go order and enjoy your meal in the Bryant Park area because there are chances that the restaurant...