Desi Village Indian Restaurant — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Situated west down Baltimore Avenue, Desi (pronounced DESS-ee) Village is a hidden gem in an already overlooked but foodie-approved section of West Philadelphia. Even from the outside, there is a welcome and warmth to its ambiance, not unlike the food itself. Abandon the all-you-can-eat approach and tailor your meal for your cravings: Desi Village's menu covers it all, from ajwain to zindagi.

The reviewers' typical meal starts off with a platter of pakoras, served with a plop of mouth-watering pudina chutney. Our curries arrive–malai kofta, paneer tikka masala, and saag paneer, say–not to discount the side of raw onion and garlic naan. We suggest going the family-style route: the more the merrier. Everything can be spiced just to your liking, so no capsaicin complaints there. The curries are clean, fresh, and flavourful. The malai kofta, those classic balls of vegetables and cheese, bathe in a savory tomato curry sauce, but aren't drenched. Sop up the spinachy saag with your garlic naan, or taste some tikka, whatever you like. Both are scrumptious and smooth, flavored to the last detail.

Or try some other nuggets: their chicken tikka is some of the best there is (or so we've heard, the authors are vegetarian), or have a go at more lamb vindaloo than you can shake a stick at. Top off your meal with a glistening gulab jamun, and you'll see why this place is second to...

I usually don’t leave reviews but I feel like I have to warn people about how unsanitary this place is. While waiting for my food I saw the owner’s child who had been running around and sucking her fingers/touching things all over the restaurant stick her finger into the mango lassi being served to customers and suck on it before smearing her fingers all over the chairs and touching the tables and walls. She then went into the back and grabbed ice cubes to suck on. The lady serving the mango lassi saw her do this but still proceeded to set the drinks down on the counter to serve to customers — definitely a health hazard.

When I received my samosa, it was extremely burnt, dry and flavorless. The sauce poured on top of it was not good either. The “mango icee” was ok but kind of warm and definitely not an “icee” and was an extremely bright orange color.

Overall, a mediocre experience at best had I not seen how unsanitary and gross...

Don't know why I have waited so long to write this review but after reading about other people's experiences I feel vindicated. The first time I went here, it was really stuffy inside so my glasses fogged up. I took them off and as I did so a child ran up and forcefully yanked them out of my hands. The woman behind the counter was unaffected and I had to pry them from the kid myself, all the while a children's show is playing full blast on the tv. The food was incredibly mediocre; oily and flavorless. I gave them the benefit of the doubt and thought maybe it was just one bad experience, went back in a couple months later only to find the same woman CHANGING A BABY'S DIAPER on the counter behind the register. Haven't been back since. Don't know how it's still open with all these sanitary complaints. There are so many better Indian places in west and unfortunately this one is very well-placed. Hope a better spot can one day...